Europe Cruise Reviews

A greatly anticipated cruise with my family, celebrating my 70th birthday. Quite disappointed with the staffing issues.

We didn't realize when we booked the cruise that the 7 day cruise is a continuation of the cruise that originates in Barcelona. This turned out to be great for us. Barcelona cruise terminal cannot accommodate the 4100+ passengers on this cruise so they split the on-boarding between Barcelona and Rome (we got on in Rome). Only 10% - 20% get on in Rome so there are no lines, no waiting and you are on the ship in less than 15 minutes. Things to note, Civitavecchia is approximately 1hr 20 minutes cab ride to downtown Rome. Florence is approx 1 hr by cab or train from Livorno (plan accordingly) we went to the train station in Livorno and went to Florence that way (30 euros round trip for both of us). Great way to see the country side and the train system in Italy is awesome.

This is our 2nd Royal Caribbean cruise. Plus this was our 11th or 12th cruise. Will return to Oceana or Celebrity. They both know service and entertainment. Ports of Call Superb! JEWEL OF THE SEAS ENTERTAINMENT AND SERVICE AVERAGE (NOTE: Survey should separate ship service and entertainment (stars) from ports of call! - This would provide a better metric from which to judge).

Jewel of the Seas is a great ship if you are looking for something smaller in size, less crowds. It's due for more renovations in some areas - cabin furniture/fixtures. I was also surprised by some of the fees charged for things that were basics in the past - but that's the cost of business. Overall though, it was a perfect stay. Balcony room is ALWAYS the way to go if you can fit it into your budget. Waking up to a new port/destination and taking it all in from your balcony is PRICELESS. It was the best way to see the "bucket list" destinations of Italy and Greece so that you can decide which places you'd like to return to. Lastly make sure to book an excursion every day if you can so that you can get the best feel of each destination...it will make the trip that much better.

We enjoyed all of the stops. The staff and service was very good!

The main dinning room staff was terrible . 1:45 min's for 1st course of food and it was wrong . Giving people food that they had reactions too ! Not good !

Tip: use Carnival Cruiselines and dont book through 3rd parties! We started off being lied to, by the representative at the time of our booking. We specifically requested that we wanted connecting rooms that share a balcony, and she told us that the state rooms we chose had this - they did not. We were told that there was a self service laundry facility on each deck so we could wash some clothes midway through the cruise - Royal Caribbean does not have self service laundry on ANY of their ships. The nightly stage shows were amateurish and boring. The tables in the Windjammer buffet dining room are filthy, and the staff washed them down between passengers without rinsing them in bleach water, so you could practically see the germs spreading. The bars, restaurants, buffet, and any other food/drink area on the ship closes early- so if you're used to being able to get something th o eat or drink at any time on a cruise, this ships not for you. There's more, but this gives you an idea. I won't be booking thru or sailing with RC again. I'm going back to Carnival where my expectations are always exceeded.

We reserved a family suite on the 14th deck (center of the ship). We were in a very good position to get around. The cabin was very roomy with excellent cabinet space, and a balcony. The room attendant was also very good and met all of out requests. The food was plentiful and there were many options for specialty restaurants. The kids club wasn't the best, my 10 year old son wasn't very interested after attending on the first day. We ate at the Chinese Noodle restaurant and the steak house. The steakhouse was wonderful. The port calls with excursions were run very well and organized by cruise staff.

I am very satisfied of my first experience on a cruise. No complaint at all. I really like my experience.

Very clean. Very big ship well organized .staff very friendly will help you with all your questions.

Things were fine until we were told we had to disembark in Copenhagen and not go on to Germany. We were told we had to make alternative travel arrangements. We were on our on trying to do,this on the last night of the cruise. No one has control of the weather but NCL could of handled the situation so much better.

Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh were all cities where Hop On Hop Off buses were available to explore the city, and this proved an excellent way to see as much of each one as was practical, with plenty of opportunities to take good photos. The smaller towns were fun to explore on foot, and very interesting too. Dundee, in Scotland, had opened its brand-new and already famous Museum of Design 11 days before our visit, and it was a thrill to visit it. We've now got a much better feel for the historical complexities which gave rise to the union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and found the people there to be very friendly.

Family girls trip. This was also a first time cruise for one of my sisters . Overall it was a very nice cruise . ONE big disappointment was the most of the pools didn't have stairs to enter/exit the pool, they did have those laders you only find in the deep end. My family was not able to use the pools due to this and it was very upsetting as it was VERY hot during our trip.

I have taken more than 10 cruises in my life. This is my second European cruise, but from a European line. The food and entertainment was far superior than other lines like NCL or Royal Caribbean. Highly recommend MSC, but take note they do not make announcements for everything and anything so you must make sure to read your daily program.

Great cruise, first with MSC (and likely last), but great itinerary.

The cruise overall is excellent. Except we didn't get to see Sweden because of the weather. Everyone should have a credit of some kind for not going to the last Port.

We had an amazing time because we researched our stops, and tours. The weather was beautiful except for one day of rain and it was still an amazing port (Tallin). I have mentioned some of this several times but it bears repeating: 1. The cruise ship is huge 2. The specialty restaurants are delicious 3. Most of the staff is very friendly and helpful (Nicole 3 card poker table dealer had no personality and did not make losing our money even remotely fun). Vern??? she was amazing. 4. Eat, drink, BINGO, Shows REPEAT Three days at sea due to a missed port was AWFUL and sorry I was bored took my husband until Saturday to feel this way, I was over it Friday morning. 5. NORWEGIAN needs to get it together, if you have a ship and you have trouble docking it have a backup plan or port we paid a lot of money to be stuck on your ship. Longer port calls would also be nicer. Will think twice before sailing you again I am afraid I do not trust you will dock as promised. I will stick to smaller ships and better cruise lines next time, loved Holland America and Royal Caribbean.

We loved the ship and ports that we went to. The only real downside was the TV channels were very limited to mostly ship related with a few international channels (not English). I wish they would have had at least 2 or 3 more English channels and may be CNN for US news. They did have current movies that you could purchase for $9.95. Most ship activities revolved around shopping, gambling or drinking. The remaining activities were either outside (cold and raining for us) or were held in the Atrium which had limited viewing and seating.

Oceania is a great food and service oriented line. I will sail again on the MArina and the Riviera , the 2 bigger ships with bigger staterooms and bathrooms and closet. The Nautica, Sirena and Insigna and Regatta are all smaller therefore have tiny cabins and very tiny bathrooms. I will not ever sail on these 4 ships nor can I recommend it for any one else. The Marina and Riviera are fabulous and its the same price per person per day. So bigger is better on the Oceania ships

Enjoyed the cruise. A few minor issues with the stateroom. Did not enjoy the “cheesy” extras - raffle tickets, purchasing bottled water, etc.