Having twice previously cruised Northern Europe with RCCL, exploring Italy and Greece was new to us. The ancient history of these countries is impressive. The locals were fun loving and eager to share their stories with us. We felt safe and welcome in all countries visited.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Our ship embarked from Ravenna, Italy. We spent two nights pre-cruise and one night post cruise in Venice. Visiting Venice was a highlight of our trip. We used the RCCL transfer bus on both ends of our cruise. Passenger pickup and drop-off was made in Tronchetto (Venice City Center) for passengers staying in hotels and at the Marco Polo Airport for cruise day fly-in passengers. Transfer time to the bus is 2+ hours and the embarkation process at port was fast and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Bar Service especially with Ray and Lahar in The Tavern was excellent! Roy in the Viking Crown Lounge makes a delicious Pina Colada!! Food service in the MDR and the Windjammer was very good, but food quality at both places was hit or miss depending on the day. Since the Covid restart food quality aboard the six ships we have sailed on has fallen short of pre-pandemic quality.
Chops Grille
4 out of 5
Our steaks, side dishes, and desserts were all very tasty, but service was disappointing. We had to ask for our side dishes to be served, arriving well after we had started our steaks. We had to ask for our water glasses to be filled several times. A good Caesar salad was not to be found on the Explorer including in Chops Grill. The constant up selling of RCCL’s specialty restaurants even while dining in one quickly becomes annoying.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lots to do inside and outside of the ship. The sports court offers a wide variety of activities for the young and young at heart.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Our favorite entertainment was the The Love and Marriage Show hosted by Cruise Director Chloe. She is a good entertainer in her own rights. The skate show was excellent! The ship’s singers and dancers were entertaining, and appeared more often than the so called “headliners”. I would have preferred quality headliners on four or five nights, but this was not to be. We had one good headliner early in the cruise and two mediocre “headliners” on the last two nights. The ship’s orchestra was very good, while the other onboard musical entertainers were rather lackluster.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As we have come to expect our room steward, dining room servants, and bar servers were EXCELLENT! For us, these folks are the heart and sole of of a good cruise experience and rarely disappoint. Our interactions with Guest Relations were positive with one member finding us $50 cruise credit lost during pre-cruise, online purchases.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
An older ship but clean and well maintained. On two port days crew members were cleaning and painting portions of the ship’s exterior. Inside public areas were constantly being cleaned.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our cabin was 8524, an outside balcony. It felt smaller than other balcony cabins we have had, but it was comfortable and our room steward kept it clean and met our every request.
Ship tip
The Greek Isles cruise is not for guests with mobility issues. Many of the port excursions require walking long distances on uneven surfaces and climbing stairs. Also, this part of Europe as never gotten the word that cigarettes can kill you, smoking is everywhere.
Through RCCL booked an excursion, Olive Tasting and Flavors of Montenegro. It was fun and very informational! We visited a family farm and were greeted with pastries and local honey and two types of brandy. Afterwords we learned the method of growing and harvesting olives and how to make and rate Extra Virgin Olive Oil. After a farm tour we sampled local wines and food. Our excursion ended with a tour of old town Kotor. This tour provided great insight into the lives of residents living in this country.
Walked through town and did a wine tasting. Personally, I wasn’t impressed with this island becoming more and more known as a place visited by the rich and famous. Prices were high and the town can’t support the crowds.
Scheduled an RCCL tour and were very fortunate to have a great local guide who was vey informative about Athens and its history. Lots of walking. Visited the Acropolis / Parthenon historic site, Acropolis Museum, and the Plaka shopping district. City is very congested.
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