Perfect itinerary to see the best of the Mediterranean!

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Spirit

12 Night Grand Mediterranean (Barcelona To Venice)

Sail date: May 19, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Oceanview

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

This cruise proved to be a wonderful way to see many of the best places of southern Europe. Starting in Barcelona was the perfect way to get your feet wet to the European lifestyle, then traveling to France, Italy, Greece and Turkey was historical, beautiful and interesting. It would be difficult to go to all these places in one trip if you were on your own, so this cruise was a great way to see so much! I was especially excited that this trip included Turkey (Istanbul and Ephesus), and I was not disappointed! I felt safe knowing that all my belongings were safe on the ship and it was such a relief to visit Europe and have most of the logistical details planned for me. 

I've been on several Caribbean cruises in the past with Holland America Line, so this was a pretty new experience. In comparison to Holland America, the food in the main dining room and buffet (the places included with your cruise fare price) was not excellent, but still good. Because we picked this trip for the ports of call, the food was a bit of a trade-off. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
The food in the main dining room and the buffet (the places where you don't have to pay extra to eat) I would probably rate a 6 out of 10. The dining room was nice but by the end of the cruise we were bored with the options. The buffet was hit or miss (mostly miss) because the food was either cold or had an unappetizing appearance.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Most of the entertainment was really great! The only one we didn't like was a very cheesy and predictable magic show.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Try to eat in the main dining room for breakfast instead of the buffet. They have the same food, but you don't have to deal with the mass chaos of finding a table and eating cold eggs and pancakes.

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
We got there 2 days early to have time to explore on our own. I would highly recommend doing that.

Toulon, France

5 out of 5
I was pleasantly surprised by this stop. We went on a tour that visited Marseilles and Aix en Provence, which was perfect.

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5
Went on a tour that went to Florence and Pisa. I would have liked to see more of Florence, but you have to get that iconic photo with the leaning tower!

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5
Took a tour here that went into the Colosseum and explored the city.

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5
I was pleasantly surprised by this stop. We went on a tunnel tour and ate pizza - perfect!

Mykonos, Greece

3 out of 5
Not much to do here, but still beautiful and relaxing.

Istanbul, Turkey

5 out of 5
Such a historic, beautiful city! Definitely make sure you see Hagia Sofia!

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

3 out of 5
Be prepared for long lines and huge crowds, whether you are on a tour or not.

Venice, Italy

3 out of 5
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