Great trip for a whirlwind tour

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Epic

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 05, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 11094

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

If what you want is a whirlwind tour of cities on the western Mediterranean, this is the cruise for you.  If you're looking for leisurely cruising at sea and enjoying the boat and downtime, then you should probably look elsewhere.  It's not a criticism, just a suggestion because after the first day, you're in port every day and many of the ports are industrial.

The cabins were relatively spacious and very clean.  The staff were consistently very polite and conscientious, but not excessively in your face with happiness.  The crew is obsessive, however, about preventing any outbreaks with crew and stations for hand sanitizer throughout.  Much appreciated.

The food was universally very good. We're not "foodies" per se, but enjoyed the food very much.  Moderna was especially good and fun.  

The excursions were expensive, but well-worth it.  Pompeii, in particular was marvelous.  You can do Rome on your own, but be careful not to be too aggressive about seeing everything.  You can't.  The Rome tour is very expensive, but helps to see more of the city.  On your own, be focused or you'll spend your day rushing from point to point and seeing less.

Those on the ship included a wide array of family types, but the cruise seemed less appropriate for families with young children.  My teenagers had a great time.  Didn't seem much like a couples cruise.

The range of nationalities on board was amazing.  Americans and Canadians, of course,but also many Germans, some East Europeans,and many Asians.  ..

 

Focus on your intentions -- to visit many cities in a short period while travelling delightfully by boat, or  cruising leisurely at sea.  if the former, then this is a great cruise.

 

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

Not really our focus

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Not really our focus

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5

Cannes, France

5 out of 5

Marseille (Provence), France

5 out of 5
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4 Comments

attorney    8 years ago

Alternatives. I totally agree that port intensive cruises are about the ports and are not for young children or the infirm. I would definitely recommend Norwegian for a Med. cruise. The Spirit goes to 10 magnificent ports and was a great way to tour Europe without changing hotel rooms.

attorney    8 years ago

Cushion. I personally believe that European cruises are about the ports and the excursions. It should not be about wi-fi, etc. The ship should be comfortable and the food good. The cost of the NCL cruise is so much more reasonable than the other lines that upgrading to the specialty restaurants was well worth the money. While the excursions are pricey ( just as they are on other lines), there are

attorney    8 years ago

In the future, Italy has excellent options for private tour companies at a reasonable price. We were a group of 4 couples and we booked Joe Banana Limo for the Grand Rome tour and again for Pompeii, Posotano and Sorrento. We had our own driver who personalized the tour to our specifications. It was one-half the cost of the NCL excursions. There was no issue about getting back in time we but in a

aovan    8 years ago

A very big true!!!

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