Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

The ship is a big beautiful smooth sailing five star hotel with problems! There are not enough elevators on board making passengers wait a long time only to find the one that finally arrives packed with people. The outside pool area is too small making it impossible to find an open deck lounge, and if your luckily enough to find one there is no room between them forcing you to crawl onto them! More than half the pool area is devoted to children making it noisy and uncomfortable to relax.

On the other side the ship is exceptionally smooth sailing and very beautiful appointed with all the latest interactive features you could want.

Good choice for mature travelers.  Not alot of fun, silly activities.  good way to see many different countries.  Using hop on hop off bus works well in Barcelona and Monte Carlo and other area . 

This was a fabulous cruise. The ship is gorgeous and the overall experience was awesome. You are actually made to forget you are on a cruise ship and on the water. It is more like a floating city. Everything you need or think you need is at your disposal. The entire crew is tuned in to your needs. Everyone is pleasant, professional, kind and friendly. It is incredible to experience the ease of movement on the ship considering the number of people cruising. Royal Caribbean has thought of everything!!  It was a five star experience.

We enjoy this trip a lot. Very Good destination. Food was great, cabins small but clean and looks nice. A lot of different activities. Shows could be better - very short.

Palma Majorka destination stay could be longer - 4 hours  very little time.

the cruise was exactly what I expected. Rooms were nice (I had a balcony) and well taken care of. The ship was clean and staff was generally very pleasant and helpful. I upgraded all of my dinners, which I highly suggest if you don't want to feel like you are being fed with the masses or rushed through. Embarking/disembarking was easy and all ports had some form of transportation to local train station or city center. We did one excursion, but any port can be accessed on your own.

Loved the cruise.  However, for us, it was about the itinerary.  We would have done this cruise on the Majesty of the Seas.  However, it was a great ship, and not once during the week could I tell the ship was moving unless I was watching the waves go by.  Entertainment was top notch.  Blue Planet, the Aqua Show and Ice Show were amazing.  Dining Room food was very good, but not as imaginative as in the past.  Several menu items repeated during the 7 days.  I would have to say that the sirloin steak I ordered was a bit spongy, and not close to what you would get in Middle America.  All 6 of our tablemates visited on the the premium dining rooms, and all came back somewhat unimpressed.  For us, it really wasn't about the food. We had a wonderful time.  The Captain (Captain Johnny) was the most engaging Captain I have every been around.  It seemed as if he truly cared about his team, and really an incredible representation of the RCCL brand.  We could completely do this cruise again. 

My first time on an Oasis class ship and I was surprised in how organized the crews are in the ship. So many activities to attend to that it doesn't seem like the ship has more than 6k passengers. The venues aren't overcrowded and I like the my time dining where I can schedule anytime for dinner depending on the time I come back from all the excursions. It truly was an excellent cruise and me and my wife had an excellent time. I spent my 50th birthday there and I will never ever forget it. Thanks so much Royal Caribbean.

We just disembarked from the Norwegian Epic cruise and it was just an excellent experience!! The cruise was very clean, the service was fantastic, the food was super good and the ship itself has a lot of nice activities and things to do.  There are so many dinning alternatives, that we did not have enough time to try them all.  But the ones we did, were of excellent quality.  The water park is very nice and the ambiance was great!!  We went with our kids and they really enjoyed it.  The only thing we would have changed is the size of the stateroom. We had a balcony stateroom for a family of four (two adults and two kids) and we were a little tight  in there.  So, next time I rather stay in two separate rooms.  We had cruised before with other lines and this was our first time with Norwegian and it turned out that this is now our favorite cruise line.  I would definitely recommend the Norwegian Epic!

There as no problem with the security process in embarkation and disembarkation on the cruise.  Debarking at ports was very easy as long as you had your cruise card----it was used for everything debarking, food, beverage and using the room number for incidentals was very easy.  The fitness area on the cruise ship had every piece of exercise equipment you could think of----easy way to maintain your weight with this fitness room.  They had fitness activities going on every day, although my husband and I were touring every day so could only use once we boarded the ship after tour, if time was available.  We used it on one full day of sailing and when we returned early from one of the tours.  Our steward, Rafael, was superb!  He was friendly, knew our names as he greeted us, replenished everything in the room and make cute little creatures with our towel.  The specialty restaurants - Teppanyakki, Moderno, Le Bistro and Cagneys --- we had wonderful service and delicious food.  La Cucina was moderate.  I enjoyed the Dueling Piano Bar group----those three individuals were very talented---could sing, and all of them could play the drums and piano, plus Tobin could play in addition to those two instruments the bass guitar and violin.  They were fantastic and very interactive with the audience.  If there were songs they could only remember some of the words, they adlib the rest----amazing three guys---huge KUDOS to them!!!!!  I thoroughly enjoyed Scott singing just like Louis Armstrong and Kermit the Frog singing Rainbow Connection.  The other show was the Supreme Dreamgirls - singing Motown songs and interacting with the audience.  All three had great voices!!!  My husband and I also visited the ICE BAR---10 degrees and had two drinks that kept us warm----lots of fun!   This ship had a lot to do on it and if you could not find something to do, then it is the person's fault.  The captain was on time to every port.  The tenders were waiting for you as long as you booked a tender in advance.  We had a cabin with a balcony and could not believe all the storage room we had.   I would definitely cruise on NCL again.   the only think I would like to have been able to print out an itinerary for the shows we booked.  It was indicated to me they were trying to save paper, however, for every drink and meal 2 or 3 sheets of paper had to be signed, which seemed a little ridiculous! Also, we paid for gratuities in advance and then found out from our steward that he never received anything so we left him a gratuity.  I probably would not pay for that in advance again.

I can't say enough about my first cruise experience.   It was the best vacation I have ever had.   The crew were so wonderful and provided the best customer service I have ever experienced.   I am also grateful to the Skymile cruise folks that help me select the most cost effective cruise.    The only thing I wished for more was to spend a little more time in each location because I couldn't do all the things I wanted.  

I have been on 28 cruises and this by far has been the most enjoyable. The ports of call and the excursions were the best and the pricing was also in line. I found that the staff with very pleasant, kind and always ready to help and serve in a timely manner.  I can not say enough regarding our waiter Francisco Nido and Jr. waiter Mark Malimas.  I always felt like I was in a 5 star restaurant with all the attention and service we received.  Last but not least the head waiter manager Silviu has been most gracious and accommodating in the Botticelli Dining Room where we dined very night.  Thank You Annette Smith and Teofilo Useche.    

This ship is the largest passenger vessel on the ocean today.  This is obvious as since there were so many stops on this 7-day trip (only 1 day at sea), that we did not see 1/2 of the ships amenities. Ship is truly beautiful with many venues that keep even the most active person busy for 7 full days.   Shore excursions were overpriced but you don't have much choice as ports in the Med are far from anything you might want to see.

Rome is amazing - even if you are not Catholic, the mosaic's and statues in the Basilica are not to be missed.  Florence is the place to go for leather bags and Naples for the food......  everywhere has great table wine as well as some noteworthy bottles.  This is a definite for cruisers, foodies, or wine connoisseurs.

     This was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean.  Again, the ship's food, service, shows, and atmosphere were excellent, and the day trips at every stop were wonderful.  But not everything was great and wonderful.  First, we were shocked to pay an 18% gratuity on the endless-refill soft drink cups that we bought.  Where's the service that we're paying for?!  And please don't say it includes the service at all the bars.  We never got refills there because they didn't have all the flavors that the dispensing machines had, for example, Coke Zero.  And speaking of the dispensing machines, we couldn't believe that the ship had only three locations for them -- two in the buffet and two in the main promenade.  The ship definitely should have had two more dispensers outside in the pool and hot tub areas.   But our BIGGEST disappointment on the trip was our cabin.  Not only was our cabin located directly below the main bar of the casino, from which we heard constant and loud foot stomping and chair moving, our cabin was located directly across the hallway from the Rising Tide Lift Machinery Room which, every five minutes, made a loud operation noise that lasted five minutes, and yes, we definitely heard it in our cabin – loud and clear!  We are certain that the Rising Tide Lift Machinery Room is vital to the ship’s operation – no argument there -- but why in the world would there be cabins located near it?!  Yes, why in the world would there be cabins located near it?!  Did I ask why in the world would there be cabins located near it?  In case I’m not getting my message across, let me ask it again.  WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THERE BE CABINS LOCATED NEAR THE VERY NOISEY RISING TIDE LIFT MACHINERY ROOM???!!!  Even our neighbors told us they could hear the loud noise. (See the attached pictures that I took right next to our cabin).  So between the loud casino bar noise above us, which means there was poor insulation in the ceiling, and the loud regularly recurring Rising Tide Lift Machinery Room noise across from us, we, needless to say, had a VERY BAD experience in our cabin -- for we could hardly get any sleep.  We complained to Guest Services and asked to be moved, but they didn't help us.  In closing, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THERE BE CABINS LOCATED NEAR THE VERY NOISEY RISING TIDE LIFT MACHINERY ROOM???!!!                

This cruise worth every penny of it. We love the services that Norwegian

cruise line provided. 5 meals a days, 2 dining restaurants, breakfast

buffets, 24 hr snacks, ect...GOOD FOOD !!!. Shore excursions are 

very good. I would recommend this cruise.

This was by far the worst cruise we have taken. Positive points: Beautiful and elegant ship, balcony cabin larger than other lines, visited some unusual ports. Negatives: Bed linen dirty and smelly even after requesting a change, very small TV with few channels and remote not working, no bar soap, inconvenient painting and washing of balcony (3 times). Food portions in restaurant were tiny, only one buffet for nearly 4000 passengers, offering almost same menu every day. Small area creates confusion and stress to get food, very difficult to find a place to sit down, not clean enough. Pool area downright dirty, with insufficient tables and chairs, staff not helpful, sometimes rude, same at some bars. Used to seeing crew cleaning and polishing all the time in other lines, but not here and officers appear to be unconcerned. Reduced number of elevators, several out of order the entire week. No advance information on decks for disembarking at ports visited, even crew gave wrong instructions. Returning is total chaos at terminals, buses or tenders, with no lines or organization. Took MSC tour to Montecarlo and was disorganized and rushed, repeatedly changing scheduled times and stops, leaving just minutes for free time. At La Spezia (Cinque Terre) there was a rail strike that day, and trains are crucial in this visit; the ship surely had to know about it but failed to let passengers know. In general it was very unfortunate that MSC did not deliver as we had expected, partly our fault for ignoring so many negative reviews seen before. They have a long way to go before they can compare favorably to the main cruise lines - Good luck! 

The ship and itinerary (Barcelona, Naples (Pompeii), Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (pisa/Florence), Cannes (Nice, Monte Carlo), and Palma Mallorca were fantastic. The epic is a fantastic vessel, my girlfriend and I booked an interior cabin and the room was more than sufficient. While the quarters are tight, every bit of space is taken advantage of wisely. Our service in every part of the ship was first class all the way. The food was fantastic in all of the complimentary restaurants. There is always something to do on the ship, whether you want to party the night away or just relax.

We also were able to go to all of the ports and see all of the sights on our own without booking any shore excursions. While seeing the better parts of a port like Rome in only a few hours independently is slightly stressful it IS doable if you're savvy and willing to embrace public transit and ask questions.

Great experience overall and I wouldn't hesitate to sail the NCL Epic again soon.

Poor quality, repetitive food in Garden Cafe. Like in food court in shopping mall.

Great entertainment !!!

Very highly priced drinks for being served in plastic cups.  

Good overall service.

Just returned from the 7 day Western Med cruise and it was wonderful. A balcony suite is highly recommended, and worth it because it's not that much more than a regular cabin. 

I travelled with my sister and we booked nine months in advance, I checked in with my travel agent ( Vacation Outlet) throughout the planning and we managed to qualify for free upgrades with unlimited beverage plan plus the ultimate dining plan ..these proved to be invaluable! If you can acquire these plans, please do so!! We dined in the steakhouse, Italian and French Bistro every night of the week! Cagneys is the best ( steakhouse), however the slowest service.. Prepare to wait between courses . 

The unlimited beverage plan will save you significant money over a weeks time of even light alcohol beverage indulging .. Ten dollar drinks each add up! 

As far as the port excursions.. We enjoyed them and the Rome and The Vatican one was awesome along with Florence and Tuscany Castle Wine Tasing- fabulous.. Do these! 

Not as great: Pompeii Excavation ( no petrified bodies (we expected to see these due to the historical evidence of the ruins) but they were removed and sent to the Naples Pompeii museum.. We had to take a separate trip to the museum on our own only to discover they were all being restored at the time.. Kind of a bummer. Pompeii itself is fascinating but I think there should be more disclosures when something major will not be part of the tour. Also, be prepared for ALOT of walking in total sun... Bumpy rocky pavement...

Nearly an hour of our Florence tour was cut short due to an unexplained slow start leaving the dock, so very little time to shop and see Florence and have a meal ( we grabbed a very quick bite before reporting back to the bus) .. But the Tuscany countryside and castle tour wine tasting made up for it big time. 

Cons about the ship EPIC: Wifi ... It wasn't reliable, sometimes it was down.. And my opinion is that Norwegian charges way too much for even minimal contact with home via internet, emails & Facebook - thumbs down on this. 

Service was friendly to our cabin, but whenever you called the Operator or Housekeeping with a question or request, no one answered! Just a recording saying callback, they're busy.. How is there no operators manning these calls and taking a message and saying someone will get right back to us? This was frustrating a few times. 

other than that, this cruise is highly recommended: it is affordable, well staffed ( except for phones) and stocked with fun things to do! Clean rooms and pool area as well as dining areas and restrooms all say I would do this trip again! 

With lots of hustle from port to port ( every day a new 10-12 hour adventure !) , you will be exhausted, but truly satisfied. It's like getting a nice little taste of everything, you can decide which places were your favorites to consider a return to! And the ship serves as your floating hotel along the way... Take this trip, it's worth it. Just bring VERY comfortable shoes.. 😉

We liked practically everything about the cruise. The ports and tours were great as was the ship, pool, dining, and staff. It was 1 of the best cruises we have been on. My only complaint is that Internet access was expensive and it should be free.

My daughter and I just finished our cruise on the Norwegian Epic from Rome, Italy to Florence/Pisa, Cannes, France, Palma Majorca, Barcelona, Spain, Naples, Italy, and back to Rome.   Overall, the cruise was great.  We had some issues getting from the port to Rome and vice versa which cast a dark shadow over the cruise.  I do wish that the cruise line would provide a complimentary shuttle from and to the port.  That is always the hardest part as well as costly.  We wound up being scammed in the FCO airport first and then again in the train station.  That one service alone, if provided by the cruise line, would make all the difference (they offer the service but not at a competitive rate and certainly not complimentary).

We had an aft balcony cabin, 9295 on the NOrwegian Epic. The views from Aft are amazing but no more so than the side views.  The bed was by the balcony which was perfect.  The bathroom and shower are in two separate compartments right by the door which was not at all ideal.  The plexiglass doors did little for privacy so we had to keep the curtain closed and make sure that nobody came to the door while one was in the bathroom or taking a shower.  Not at all optimal but not horrible.

The ship itself is beautiful with lots of things to do including a casino, pool tables, bingo, bowling, movies, rock climbing, water slides, and lots of food.  However, other than swimming, everything had an extra charge.  The pool was $2 a game.  Bowling was $7 per person per game (fun but could rack up in charges fast).  That was a bit annoying but I guess standard.

The food was free.  Not great.  Not horrible.  Bland.  Lots of variety but it all seemed to taste the same.  Norwegian has also just recently started charging for room service so we didn't use that except for continental breakfasts (no charge for that) but the selection was starch or other starch and very bland.  We did it for the coffee basically.  The wait staff was very friendly but it was difficult to get refills on anything.  I think they were simply too busy.  One drink and that was pushing it on all meals in every single venue.  O Sheehan's Bar and Grill had the best complimentary food and service on the whole ship.  The Manhattan room had a lovely presentation and great ambiance but the food was bland with a very limited selection.

We used the unlimited beverage package promotion which was simply great.  I would do that again whether free or not.  However, it is not available via room service even with the extra service charge.  Go figure!!  Also, it was difficult to get a second glass of wine at dinner unless you went to the bar and got it yourself. 

The shows were great and very entertaining.  Howl at the Moon was lively and different.  The Dance show (forgot the name) was also very good and lively.  Cirque and Dinner was okay.  We paid extra for the premium seating and still had an obstructed view which was disappointing.  Again, I was unable to get a drink refill (soda this time) during dinner.  That's a recurring problem.

The gift shops don't have books or anything other than jewelry, perfume, and souvenir type items.  The library is nice but only open at certain times?  The book that I got immediately fell apart (old/stiff spine) when I got it to the cabin to read.  I returned it in the book return bin but imagine that will probably be added to my bill later.

The NCL excursions were expensive but pretty darn good.  It took the guess work out of planning in a foreign speaking country.  In hindsight, I should have booked the SkyMilesCruises excursions at a discount but I thought that I would be able to DIY.  Once in Italy after being scammed twice, we decided to take no more chances on DIY and booked the NCL excursions.  Addtionally, I wish there were either more affordable options or just more information provided to help the customers plan a DIY excursion.  Even the free shuttles from the port to the city centers are no longer complimentary.  Again, nickel and dime for everything.  It was disappointing and different from our last NCL cruise.

Technology - the NCL Concierge App is good and very helpful for planning excursions and entertainment.  Basically, it's good for booking anything that will cost more money.  It was very helpful actually.  However, it does not have a deck map which should be the very first thing on the APP but is just not there.  I looked many times thinking that I must have just missed it.  It's not there.

WIFI - available but at an additional price. We didn't purchase it until the last day when my 18 year old daughter went into withdrawal and bought it for herself.  I will never buy it for myself.  It should be complimentary.  A wifi package alone would be a huge improvement.

The casino was just fun.  LOVED it!  I'm not a gambler and only played for 10 minutes total but I loved it.  There is no smoking allowed in the casino.  That is a misnomer.

Overall, the cruise was great.  The staff were very friendly and nice.  Just busy.  I probably will do another cruise but will look at other cruise lines to see if the packages are more inclusive so that I don't feel nickeled and dimed for every tiny thing.  I will look for a cruise line that has better packages that include more options for transportation, excursions, beverage packages, food, and internet/wifi.