Exhilarating and Excellent Enchanted Princess Med Cruise
Enchanted Princess Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 13
21 Night The Best Of The Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 15, 2023
Ship: Enchanted Princess
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: C419
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 8 months ago
Review summary
This cruise itinerary was perfect for me, the archaeology aficionada, with highlight stops in Italy, Turkey and Greece. We selected this seven night cruise for the special visits of Rome, Naples (Pompeii), Crete (Knossos), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Istanbul, Mykonos (Delos) and Athens. We added on pre-and post-city hotel stays to make the overall trip double the length, and allow us to fully enjoy the capital cities. We took Princess excursions in most stops, and found them quite well organized, very comprehensive, with highly qualified guides, air-conditioned buses and a good monitoring of time. Yes, the weather was scorching, and the crowds were tremendous, but the Enchanted Princess was an oasis of beauty and tranquility in the ocean. I will add, as almost everything was prepaid on our trip, and we were on excursions every day, we rarely used the medallions, and our cell phones stayed locked up in the safe. All in all this was an extremely enjoyable cruise, with a fantastic itinerary, a lovely vessel, friendly crew and staff, and efficient operations. We had a wonderful time, and although we were often hot and exhausted, we saw so many unique and historic sites that will stay forever in our memories, that we felt the cruise was worth every dollar. We cannot wait to sail again!Embarkation
We were on a private shuttle from Rome and arrived right in front on the ship, and the luggage was unloaded quickly and efficiently. There was a bit of a line inside the terminal, but all moved well. Since all our paperwork had been completed in advance and we had our medallions, we were through check-in right away. After taking a few boarding photos, we found our cabin and then proceeded to eat lunch and relax.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Our waiter and assistant were very efficient and took great care of us. I decided to reserve the same table and same dining time in the Capri restaurant for the entire cruise far in advance, as we prefer to have an organized schedule without waiting times. We were always seated immediately, and our drinks were brought to us automatically. We had no complaints about any of our meals, and we enjoyed all the special food offerings, especially the Baked Alaska parade. We did not try any specialty restaurants as our priority on this cruise was daily touring.
Onboard Activities
Of course we went to the swimming pools, did some dancing in the Piazza, stopped in different bars (we really liked the Irish pub), ate breakfast frequently at the World Fresh Marketplace (Lido) (yes, we had some tours that departed at 7:00 AM!!), and walked to many different sections of the ship, although we passed on the casino, art auctions, shopping specials, spa, etc., etc. Yes, we dressed to impress on the formal evenings, and absolutely had our photos taken regularly. Our cruise director was energetic and fun, and there were travelers of all ages and all nationalities on our ship.
Entertainment
We attended two evening shows, the Rock Opera (a party for vampires?), and 5 Skies (great techno special effects!). The new theater design reminds me a bit of a school theater, as there are no longer any tables or places for drinks, but all the seats are comfortable and appear to have a good view of the stage.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
Our staff on the ship were very nice and highly competent--our organized and friendly room steward always had a smile.
Ship Quality
The ship is quite big, but we never felt too overwhelmed with the crush of other passengers, except during tender transfers and evening events in the smaller Vista lounge. There is an abundance of bar, dining, and activity choices at all times, almost too much if one is also taking shore excursions every day. Everything on board is spic and span, gleaming and attractive, and it is quite enjoyable to walk around the ship, although due to the many decks, many people were using the popular elevators.
We did miss the library, and my donated books were left with Guest Services. (I took my first Princess cruise on the original Loveboat in the 1980's, so we always find change a part of the cruise experience.)
Cabin / Stateroom
Our smaller room was very nice and spacious, and all was laid out well and convenient, with the television and all its many important functions dominating the room. We did not like the automatic light coming on every time we walked near the bathroom, and we were shocked to find there was not a separate conditioner bottle. We also prefer bar soap, which we will bring on our next cruise.
Ports of call
The eternal city of Rome is a must for all world travelers. We were able to spend several days here before our cruise, and were able to visit many important sites such as the Borghese Gallery, Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican City, Pantheon, Villa d'Este, Hadrian's Villa, and others, as well as walking around and touring. We enjoyed shopping, and had excellent meals, and I am now addicted to the yummy lemon granitas.
Thumbs Up
0
Well, we did not even set foot in Naples, as our Princess ship excursion took us immediately to Salerno (heavy traffic on the highways), where we boarded a boat that sailed to the pretty vacation shopping stop of Amalfi. We enjoyed a lovely view of the coastline and all the sweet towns. We had fun strolling around and tasting the limoncello, then we returned to the boat to sail back towards Pompeii. After lunch in Pompeii, we had a comprehensive visit of the archaeological site, seeing most of the highlights, and learning about the disaster and the well-preserved findings. This tour was a great balance of relaxing and strenuous.
Crete is a bit remote, hot and rocky, but the famous site of Knossos helps tell the story of an ancient civilization and should not be missed. Large crowds cans make the overall visit a bit more stressful. We enjoyed the Princess excursion all-day tour that provided lunch and comprehensive visiting of the island, especially with a stop in the scenic tourist town of Agios Nikolaos.
Such a great stop to include on a cruise as Ephesus must be seen. We toured every minute of our port stay, and saw St. Mary's home (small and sentimental), St. John's Basilica (mighty ruins near the original Artemis temple), and the piece de resistance, enthralling Ephesus, with a photo stop every other minute. What an experience to walk in the footsteps of so many famous historic personages, such as Cleopatra, etc., and view the stunning Library of Celsus. We enjoyed our rug-making demonstration in town, and even had time to shop a bit. We took the Princess cruise excursion, and overall it was quite superb.
The city is extremely large, but the old historic section of Istanbul is where all the tourists head. We took a tour, but also explored on our own, as this area is quite walkable. Yes, it is important to see the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and if possible, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar, all of which we tried to do, a bit rough on a one-day visit. The list goes on! We even stopped to have our photos taken at Topkapi with the sultan outfits, so very fun! There is so much to see and do in Istanbul, and it is a fascinating and opulent city to visit.
The only negative with port calls was our arrival in Mykonos--we arrived later in the afternoon, and to get to the town required both a tender and a ferry transfer. The experience was very wearying and quite a waste of time. Thank goodness we have visited this island previously, and also have explored Delos in depth, or we would have been greatly disappointed with the late port call and the limited opportunity to sightsee here.
Athens is a busy city full of historic sites like the Acropolis that are mandatory to visit, with great shopping and dining areas. Tourists will be non-stop busy, and should definitely spend a few days here, as we did, rather than hours. We loved our hotel with swimming pool as the daytime hours were a bit scorching, and we also took an all-day tour to famous Delphi. The night life in the Plaka is fantastic!
Disembarkation
We had a wonderful breakfast on board in the dining room, and our bags had been picked up the night before, so all we had to do was leave when it was our turn. Disembarkation went very smoothly--we found our luggage quickly, and then went to the taxi line and headed right away to Athens.