Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

My wife and I loved our Mediterranean cruise aboard Harmony of the Seas. Our cabin with a balcony on the 10th deck had plenty of room. We were surprised at how much drawer and closet space there was. The bathroom was swell designed and the shower was great. The bed was quite comfortable. Our cabin attendant left us a different "towel sculpture" every evening, which was a fun touch.

The food in the main dining room was quite good but we chose not to eat such a big meal every night. We enjoyed having dinner in Wonderland, which was a unique experience.  The food in the Windjammer Marketplace was just fair. The hamburger and hotdog buns were always stale. The ship was full which meant the Windjammer was jammed at mealtime and that made for a chaotic scramble to find a table.

We expected better shopping on board but that wasn't why we took the cruise. The shows were well done. The crew was friendly and helpful.

We really enjoyed the adults only Solarium on the 15th and 16th decks. Great spaces to enjoy the sun and breeze.

We chose the excursion to Pompeii when we docked at Naples. However, after having a private guide in Rome for two days before we sailed and another private guide in Barcelona, the crowded group tours weren't not as enjoyable. We took a city tour of Palma in Mallorca which was boring compared to Rome, Pompeii and Barcelona. My wife took a vastly overpriced excursion to Aix for a pastry class and a couple of hours of unguided free time when we docked at Marseilles. Skip this excursion. It's not worth the money.

We highly recommend this cruise.

The cruise itself was fantastic  

My room was outstanding  and the value  was great, but   I had problems  with other  issues not related  to cruise .  Highly  recommended  

We had a great time, it was an excellent cruise, everything went well. We enjoyed the food, ambiance, our cabin and all excursions. We highly recommend this beautiful journey to any travelers.  

The Epic is very clean and all areas have an updated elegant appeal.  This itinerary was great.  I'd recommend getting on in Rome because it's nice to have the break at Sea after several days of excursions.  We talked to others that got on in Barcelona and they felt we had the better itinerary - they were exhausted.  We flew in early and spent 3 days taking nite and half day tours (we wish we had a few more days in order to visit Venice - which is the only additional place we wanted to see).  This did allow the us time to get accustomed to the time change and enjoy more sights than you would see on the full day excursions to Rome.  We opted for the Haven thermal spa suite and would definitely recommend it.  We enjoyed having our special "haven" area away from the crowds on board.  The thermal spa suites are located in the Aft of the ship near Madara spa instead of directly in the Haven area (forward) so be prepared for a walk to get to the Haven amenities.  Our room was on the 14th deck with the water slide area / rock wall above us.  We assumed that there would be noise during the day but the running and jumping noise continued throughout the entire night, every night long after the slide, rock and bars were closed.  If you are a light sleeper bring earplugs or opt for the Haven area versus the Spa area on deck 14. Otherwise the room itself and balcony were lovely and it's a convenient location!  The complimentary access to thermal spa at Madara (when you book Haven Thermal Suite) was wonderful - you just have to show your room key to the desk to gain access.  On our first day on the ship we made sure we had swimsuits and other necessities in the bag we carried on; even if your room is ready (and most are) your bags won't get to your room for several hours, you can hang out in the Haven or use the Spa.  We opted for private excursions and would highly recommend that as well if you don't like traveling with crowds or on buses.   Scott with Delta was extremely helpful making recommendations and giving me great tips on dining, shows and the ship...can't wait to start planning our next trip.

It's really hard to pick a favorite but if we had to, it would be the restaurants, except the Garden Cafe which was pretty standard fare for a cruise ship. It wasn't bad, just ordinary. There are some really good complimentary restaurants.

The service overall was terrific.

it would have been nice to have towels changed at least twice in a week.

The best way to see all of the best port cities in the Mediterranean is by taking this cruise. The Epic was clean, the food was good and the entertainment was excellent! I would definitely do this again! Oh and the unlimited beverage package was the best part of it all!

Food was great,  room was great , service was great , the shows were great --- my only complaints were number one -  there was not much to eat after midnight unless you wanted to order room service or have pizza or a little finger sandwiches the casino was open late and  my group and I were always hungry after .  Number two -  they did not sell cigarettes or alcohol on this cruise and I am used to purchasing those items when traveling on Royal Caribbean .  Number three -  there was no Ben & Jerry's or cupcakes or any place to get a good dessert after hours.  Johnny Rockets closed at 11:30 and there were no buffets except at mealtime .  Number four -  this was a seven day cruise and the only day they had a slot tournament or blackjack tournament in the casino was the last day at sea .  However the slot machines  gave you a fair chance of winning they paid more consistently then the other crew ship casinos I have been in .  I love Royal Caribbean cruises and will continue to cruise royal Caribbean I just hope that they have more food options open late . 

So first the high- great SERVICE! Crew members knew our names after the first meeting! Ship was clean, and organized and always in good standing. the dining was the best I have experienced of the 3 cruise-lines I have traveled. Our room was thoroughly cleaned and organised for us 2 times a day. The casino was quaint, and the atmosphere comfortable- I payed at the tables every night. All the staff and crew we encountered were first rate.

Now the low..... get your ice cream by 9:30pm- after that ..... NO ice cream on the entire ship. I spot for coffee 24/7...... 1 small pot or snacks pizza, cookies etc.  till 2 am. The shows could be better- they did not capture our interest   

We loved the ship, the ports we visited, the cabin, the food & the crew. We had so many amazing attractions all week long, on-board and off, that we could have used another 1-2 days at sea to rest at the end.

For those who like all the amenities of the big city while cruising, this is an excellent ship. A variety of restaurants,shops, shows and family activities such as the Abyss slide make evenings and sea days a real vacation. On-board internet was great and a bargain for our party of four. Jaime's Italian experience was our favorite restaurant. 

An internet/electronics issue early on the cruise, but were handled by the second day.

We liked cabin location on deck 7; liked having the balcony with great views.  The solarium was very relaxing; really enjoyed my massage in the spa.  We agree our favorite evening was the one we spent at the "Chef's Table".  We met some wonderful people on board; both other cruisers as well as Royal Caribbean employees.  

An area that could be improved; based on other cruises I have taken, this one seemed to have a large number photo ops, but not much time or thought was taken or given to the quality of the shots.  

Quality of food at the Windjammer Cafe was not the best that I have experienced on previous cruises or vacations.

The shows, entertainment options and drink package were all satisfactory.

Specialty dining was fantastic... especially Wonderland..  very creative.  Wonderland bartender was fun, nice quiet spot on the ship.

My Time Dining is a joke. We had reservations at 8 and stood in line fire 30 minutes.  The staff is super friendly, but I'd you have a problem...they a ate not at all flexible. 

everything was first class weather was good overall nothing to complain about.staff on board were excellent. We have done over 30 cruises and only one or two we could say we have nothing to complain about. Hope we can say the same about our next cruise in April on the Constellation!!

As a first time cruiser, I think Celebrity have set my bar!  Everything about it was fantastic, from the quality of the food and service to the ship's decor and facilities.

Our daughter and her fiance decided they wanted to get married on a cruise having sailed with P&O a year prior and they couldn't have chosen better.  The wedding, held in Blu, was well organised and we were all looked after right down to free pressing of wedding outfits of not only the bride and groom but us guests.

I went with my boyfriend and we met plenty of other couples our age (25-30). There are sections just for adults so you don't have to worry about being surrounded by children all the time. This was our first cruise and it exceeded our expectations! Food, entertainment, excursions, customer service, cleanness. I'll list a few tips below 

 - Disney allows you to bring on board 2 bottles of wine per person. No beer cans or hard liquor.

- Pack coffee mugs to put your wine in if you want to take it out of the room

- rooms services is 24 hours and free

- make a reservation your first day to eat at Palos. It's $30 per person but it's all you can eat!

- Pay your gratuity in advance so you don't have to wait those long lines at the end of your cruise 

-

The evening entertainment was outstanding night after night.  The live orchestra was also fantastic and added much to the performances.  Our cabin was comfortable with a sofa in front of the television.  We chose a cabin with an obstructed view but still the view was more than adequate and we enjoyed sitting on the balcony weather permitting.  The dinner menu seemed bland to me.  The pastas and Indian dishes offered more flavor and spices.  The service in the Moonlight Sonata was excellent as well as in our cabin. If you want to make the most of the ports, you need to do your homework. Even when you take the ship's tours, you are not necessarily told about sights of interest that you can see during your free time. If you decide to do the port yourself, you receive minimal information while on the ship.  All in all we had a very good time. 

we enjoyed our cruise , the places we visited were all that we expected and we could not fault any of them the ship was very good the food and entertainment were all that we had come to expect from Princess ,the only fault we could find was that my husband had served in the army and we found out that he should have received £200  on board spend we missed out on this  . Other than this we enjoyed our cruise

Having traveled with Celebrity on numerous occasions, we were happy to step aboard once again, having young adults with us to show around (23 & 24)

The check-in procedure was outstanding, I think we were through security, checked in and on the ship within 10 minutes - better than any other year.

Our Cabin, was as always first class, although we did notice a few minor things here that we hadn't in recent years.

The bedding, although clean, was very tired and worn, so much so that my husband actually put his foot through the threadbare sheets, something to tackle in the middle of the night.

As we had bought a comprehensive drinks package, we did have use of the mini-bar as part of the all-inclusive this time round, which started our cruise off wonderfully, as going on deck for sail-away was out of the question due to the inclement english weather.

WE also found a difference in the dining room, the menu selections had been cut drastically, and although the food was scrumptious you were sometimes limited for choice for the fussy eaters. WE had two waiters, one was outstanding and the other was a little hit and miss, as I think we were only offered coffee after dinner once - but no point complaining and I suppose if we were that desperate we could have asked.

The buffett style dining was as usual outstanding and I would suggest that anybody who struggled to find something to eat, should not really have been on the cruise.

We had booked shore excursions, and I will say these were probably better than the year before with the exception of Florence where we queued over an hour to spend 10 minutes in the Academia Museum - totally not worth the money, and this would be the one thing that I would say Celebrity do let themselves down on - the extortionate prices they charge for these tours.

I would say one of the most disappointing things was Celebrity's decision to do Casual chic instead of formal - come on Celebrity EVERY woman loves to dress up - make it compulsory !!!!

All in all, I would say that the standard had slipped slightly, but it wouldnt really stop us going again.  

One suggestion though - why have they stopped doing a 14 night cruise to Norway and the Fjords - anybody know ??

We were on a 3-week cruise leaving from Barcelona, however the ship also made two stops in Rome and Athens to embark and disembark passengers.  We were relatively pleased with the Royal Princess ship, mini-suite, service, and food.  The entertainment was fairly repetitious from one week to the next which I expect was because of the changeover of weekly passengers.  But the performers were good. In addition, the Princess excursions were satisfactory except that the large number of passengers from the ship made the ports and shops overly crowded.  The unfortunate downside to the cruise was that Princess made more than 7 changes to our original 17+ ports of call and replaced them with destinations that were not equivalent to ports in our original itinerary.  Aside from ports in Tunis/Carthage and Turkey, I believe most changes were for the convenience of Princess cruises.  Scheduled stops in Sicily, Naples, and Malta were cancelled with little or no reason.  Added to the 3-week cruise changes were stops in Kotor and Corfu twice each, plus Elba and Gibraltar. None of which was on the original itinerary or worth stopping at twice.  My oral and written concern to Princess Customer Service was dismissed with their stating that the Passage Contract gives them to right to make any change.  No compensation was offered or interest in customer retention considered.   Buyer beware, I would not recommend anyone make long-range plans with Princess Cruises.  Due to Princess Cruise Lines apparent indifference and lack of customer commitment we are unlikely to use them on future cruises.

We bothered to do the lengthy online checkin but was almost all worthless as most repeated on arriving at port.

Stupid soft drink machines that require personal cup to be carried around. You allow people to throw thousands of plates of uneaten food away every day, but are so penny pinching on a glass of coke that you need this ridiculous system?

5 year old was so bored at kids club that she didn't want to go back, but staff weren't interested in letting her move up to the higher group. She told us she couldn't make friends as the staff wouldn't let them talk to each other (an exaggeration but symptomatic of how the sessions were too formal and not enough fun). As a 5 year old she had to sit through "abc" sessions when she can already read and write.

Where is the general shop? Every decent hotel in the world has a shop with a fridge full of drinks and personal items for sale. My wife had to wait for the sick bay to open to purchase some sanitary pads after asking multiple crew who couldn't help. Most hotels have them in the bathrooms or available from the front desk.

Overzealous height limits on the water slides. How can it be safe for my 44" daughter to ride the Ultimate Abyss but not a simple water slide? Luckily she was just taller than the ridiculous limit on the slides in the splash park (she's been going on water slides like that since she could walk!).

Overall a nice ship with good food and shows, but simply not enough for a 5 year old to do, especially when she doesn't want to go to kids club any more. We had to push to get the crew to let her on the ultimate abyss, but such a shame she couldn't do the other water slides (which she would be allowed on at every other water park we've ever visited). In the end she went on the carousel literally about 30 times in the week as that's all she could really do other than the splash park and arcades.