Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Even though the Harmony is the largest ship with thousands of passengers, you never feel crowded. The staff was very friendly and were most helpful. The food was wonderfulf! 

The whole cruise was the worst I had ever been on and I have been on many. The food was terrible, there was never anywhere to sit in the buffet restaurant, it closed at 9.00pm, on most cruise ships they are open until 11.00pm. The main restaurant was well below average. The drinks were ridiculously expensive -£14 for a small wine!. There was not enough loungers in the adult only pool - the only place to get away from the feral children - who were not policed by the crew or parents and were left to run riot around the ship- causing misery to everyone, especially at 2am in the morning when they were running around the corridors. The ridiculous amount of sea days - (was this to save on mooring fees)?. This was after all the Med and not Atlantic or the Pacific. This cruises was advertised as a beaches cruise but you had to get back on the ship at 2.30 in the afternoon on many stops - ridiculous. The shows were terrible with the exception of the ice shows. There was no afternoon tea service no midnight buffet - no where to eat if you missed the 9.00 deadline for the buffet. On the whole very poor value for money and a huge disappointment.  Can somebody please explain to me why there is an 18% service charge tax on all purchases, this is an American tax and this ship was sailing out of England, which we do not have in England -outrageous charge.I have been on RCI twice before and this was by far the worst cruise I have ever been on. I will certainly make sure that I inform everyone I know not to go with RCI. We felt that we had been mugged in every way possible.     

The ports of call were fabulous, so much to see and do.  Wish the time in the ports could be longer.  The cruise vacation has lost the all inclusive distinction.  There were extra charges for everything!!! A flavored syrup for your coffee cost you an extra $.65 on the ship.

the fee to purchase Euros was excessive.

overall the cruise was fabulous, we enjoyed the evening entertainment especially Howl at the Moon, and Pricilla. The gay entertainers, it was funny. The activities on board were fun as well. we also enjoyed the private sunbathing area as well.

This was our 1st cruise and couldn't fault it. The ship, facilities and especially the crew were wonderful and couldn't do enough for us. My husband really wasn't keen when I was planning the cruise (for a special birthday) but he is now 'hooked' on cruising and won't consider anything else for our future holiday. I would recommend Celebrity Cruises without hesitation.

The ship was fantastic and really liked the size of the room.  Lots of storage space.  Had great waiter at dinner.  We enjoyed most of the excursions, but some had long bus rides and not much time for shopping.  

Room was to noisy.

Freestyle dining was amazing! Loved the layout of the staterooms.

Perks received by booking through was the best deal out there.

NOTE!! Bring backup documentation of all your perks, excursions and anything you reserved in advance!  We had the Ultimate Beverage Drink package and when we got on the ship they didnt show that we had that perk. We went to the Guest Service Desk and they said not only do we have to prove we had it but that we had to wait for them to email the home office and get the perk confirmed! Super annoying to prove what shows on the NCL vacation summary!

Lots of changes I did not like on this cruse.  I had only one Great meal, a 2" T-Bone.  Fish & Chips and hamburgers at O'Shannons were also highlights. Overall, the breakfast menu was outstanding overll, with the best varity of food.

I do have to comment the staff ooverll.  I have a handicap nd they helped me with assistqance thru the lines.  Entertainment was OK.  The Comedy Club had no comedian.  The best act was Circus ????

Overall the cruise was GOOD at best.  I think I will try another Cruise Line next time.

Make sure to book your dinner reservations (even in my time dining) or you will have to wait to eat.  If you are a small group (2-3) not an issue but if you are a larger group you can wait up to an hour.  Between 7:30 - 8:30 dinner book up first.  You can  always get an early dinner 6-6:30 or after 9:00 pm. Food in dining rooms is excellent.  Same for the shows.  If you don't have a reservation then you have to wait until just before the show starts and by that time you can't get your whole party to sit together.   You can always make changes once you are on board.   Dining rooms close by 10 pm.  All other food places close between 6:30 - 9:00 pm.  The only places open are pizza until 3 am and Cafe Promanade (24 hours) but services only coffee, pastry and some sandwiches.  This can be an  issue because after the shows get out and you frequent the bars everyone is looking for some food to snack on.  Pizza 7 nights can be a bit much.  They do not have a lot of staff and so the lines can be very long and the pizza is not ready.  It is also frozen not  made fresh.   Ate at Chops and it was good except I wanted the veal chop and they said it was full of fat and not good.   So why have it on the menu?   Wonderland was incredible if you like to try something different.  They don't give you a menu but will ask if there is anything you do not like.  Once in a lifetime experience.   The staff all came from other RC ships and are the best of the best so  no issues there.  Everyone is very nice and they work so hard with little rest.  We were in a boardwalk balcony on the 11th floor.  Bad move if you want to sleep because the Aqua show starts at 11:30 pm and it goes until 1 am and you can hear it and it's very loud.  If you stay out all night then no issues there.  Quiet rooms are over Central Park and its beautiful to look out at from your room.   Rooms are nice size.  Bathrooms are big compared to other ships.  I just wish they would have a toilet and sink in a separate room from the shower.  If you are sharing the room with your kids, friend or relative its not  private.  Disney ships have this and it works out so well.   Balcony rooms have tons of closet space.  Inside rooms not so much. Guest services was a big disappointment.  There was always a line 24/7 and the wait was over an hour most times.  Didn't really plan to spend my time waiting.   Unfortunately, our Seapass card didn't work and so we had to wait.  If you tried to call them from your stateroom they didn't answer.  It goes to the same people  who are handling that long line.   Also a disappointment was the excursion staff.  There was no phone to call them if you wanted to make a change or ask questions.  They only staffed their small area a short time each day and only one or two people.  Very frustrating.   Don't waste your money on all the beverage packages for your whole family.  You can purchase one package and share.  Other than dinner you can order a drink and sometimes 2 at a time or  a few minutes later.  My husband had a package and I did not and I had a drink from him every time.    Drinks alone cost about $11-14 each so  you need to drink more than  6-7 a day to make it worth the money.    The excursions are very nice but most are exhausting so be prepared.  You are at the port and have to drive between 1.5-2 hours each way to get to your excursion.  They were absolutely worth it but be prepared.  Bring food & water on the bus because you won't get any.  And there are no bathrooms on the buses.   Also most in the cities do not speak English or very little.  They also do not take the American Dollar or credit cards so get your Euros on the ship - the dollar is less than the Euro.   Some restaurants took a credit card but they always seemed to have a difficult time connecting.  Banks in Italy did not exchange money either.   RC does an excellent job of getting you on  and off the ship.  We never waited and it was so easy.   

This is a big ship that takes on and lets off passengers in three different cities in three different countries over the course of the 7 day cruise.  As a result, it feels more like a floating hotel than a cruise experience.  It is a nice hotel to be sure, but it just doesn't have the feel of a cruise.  The food is good, nothing really spectacular, and we always enjoyed it.  The real bright spot on this trip was the entertainment.  It was absolutely first class.  It would not have been any better in NYC or Vegas.  Very impressive.  The shore excursions were terribly overpriced.  While Naples was readily accessible from the port, Rome and Florence were 1.5 to hours away.  Subtracting the going and coming time left very little time to see everything even with a 10 hour day.  If you really want to visit these Beautiful cities, I recommend a land based tour. 

The Royal Caribbean International Harmony on the Seas is a non stop experience.

The crew members are so professional and pleasant. The entertainment, food and the places that I've visit are so top notch it was like a dream come true. I had a wonderful time on this cruise ship and I'll recommend everyone who decides to go on a cruise, choose the Royal Caribbean International Harmony on the Seas cruise ship because you'll not be disappointed.

The whole family had a wonderful time and it was catered for all ages especially the kids play/pool area, with the water bucket. A fantastic place for children to have so much fun and be safe at the same time :) We all loved the shows as well. 

I also visited with the a acunpuncturist Luis, who solved a serious back issue that I have had for years enabling me to thoroughly enjoy my holiday and future back worries, I really appreciated all he did for me. 

The cruise ship was beautiful. We had 4 grand suites. We were not happy with the service of the suite. We felt that many staff members we not aware of what was included and what services that the ship offered. The food was great. There was no special extras or service for suite members.  

it was an amazing first experience with an Italian cruise line. My highlight was the entertainment and the staff politeness and helpfulness. They were so friendly and always gave us good service. The spa treatments were amazing! Definitely pampered to the max! 

If you are American then do not do this one, the agent her name id Haley is ignorant and have not taken a cruise in her life, she was bragging about this cruise as the most luxurious and special.  The food in the open buffet is the same every day and the restaurant was ok but the waiters were not friendly and would not give you what you want unless you tip them every day.

Communications were a bit a problem, I remember Costa Concordia and understood the confusion and the chaos that followed the sinking of the ship back in 2012.

Shows and music very cheap and low quality. One of the ports; Napoli we stayed only 5 hours which was too short to see a city. The cleaners in the room were sloppy; imagine that I found in the ice bucket a rotten apple that they forgot to check and clean before our arrival.  You call and ask for thing but they ignore you. DO NOT DO COSTA, and if your agent is HAYLEY WILLIAMS from price line do not listen to her she is classless.

While the Royal Princess is a beautiful ship with an exceptional crew, the food could benefit from some attention.  The presentation of the dishes was much better than the taste. In the Allegro Dining room o 2 separate occasions, human hair was found in an entree and a salad served at our table. The Crown Grill was so-so and probably the best meal on the ship.  Out of 5 guest, 2 had steaks that were served over cooked.  This was my 3rd time on the Royal and am actually sailing again in Feb. 2017, only hoping the food quality will improve but am not holding my breath as this is been our main complaint when sailing with Princess. 

The ports schedule was very good and the stewards and bar staff were very friendly. However ongoing issues with toilet and air conditioning were a problem. Food was nice but very difficult to get a table when you wanted even if you reserved well in advance. It was difficult to find food on the ship between 8.30 and 10.30  as the buffet close and room service took an hour and the main dinning area closed around nine. HAL advertises to be an upmarket ship but was very casual so it was a waste to take the tuxedo . Shorts, jandals and jeans were seen in the main dinning area often and gala night for many was very casual.  The atmosphere was just  not as they advertise to be, with kids running everywhere and even in the bars. HAL seems to be trying to change its market but not catering to any one group in particular. This was our third Holland cruise and second on the Oosterdam and we are likely to try another line in the future. Sorry HAL not what you used to be!

 The right mix of sea days and excursion days that met our demand.  We did not make the stop in 

Nice France because of incident on the beach the night before our arrival.  This cruise was the second leg of a back to back with different cabins.  The crew very efficiently moved our luggage for us by 8:30 am which allowed us to tour South Hamption.  Excursions were great and the reason for our cruise.  Be aware that restrooms are limited and not available on the tour buses.  Bus drivers keep the restrooms locked and won't open them, so NEVER miss an oppournity to go.  I would gladly pay a little more for the excursion ticket knowing the restroom would be available for an emergency.  The RCL transfers to/from the airport were excellent way to go.

we thought the cruise was catered to the British mostly. The second week on the cruise they ran out of American bacon. The food was kind of bland and overcooked. The entertainment was only British headlines and extremely hard to understand as a Canadian. The ports were nice but paying for a bus transport to the end of the pier for 5 or 9 euros was a little nickel and diming. A taxi was cheaper. Also , you sold us Hop on hop off bus tours that were cheaper on site. We bought one for $21US and $25US and both were 12 euros there. Didn't appreciate being ripped off by you. Also, rust was dripping off to our balcony and ruined two pairs of shorts I had out on our balcony. The last days out was falling on our balcony chairs and all.i have pictures of this. The railings are all chipped up and need repair badly. Poor ship maintenance in my opinion.

We enjoyed the size of our room - very comfortable. (11699)Noise from outside was ok but noise from neighboring cabins was very upsetting. Paper thin walls between cabins & floors. Wonderland restaurant was the best of all the fine dining. Long lines at guest services was a disappointment as well as the inability to solve any issues anywhere but customer service. Feels like RC undersized amenities, staff & common areas compared to the # of people on the ship. Elevators were difficult to get so we used the stairs. Spa is located near a noisy part of the ship so your massage is interrupted. We hit a bad storm with high winds & ship handled it well. Sure wish the staff was nicer & happier.