We had a great time at most of the ports. It would have been better to have more/better options at Nice. And I would love to have skipped Santorini and done a different port. The ship was beautiful. The food was average. We did really enjoy it. I think we all regretted not booking a better cruise line.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
It was so hot. And I purchased priority access only to be told I couldn't use it.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Most things were just okay. Some of the food was terrible. And a few things were excellent. Overall, the food was just middle of the road. And there was not much variety. For the most part, it was the same food over and over for 10 days.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Slides were average. All the escape rooms were booked up immediately. Everything cost. Other than pools, there was not free activities for our family.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The Music Show was very ok. It was nothing special. The magician had some good moments and some rough moments. Everything was just so so. Nothing special about any of it.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most of the staff was very nice. There was some staff that was very minimal effort. For instance, my room was only vacuumed one time the entire sailing. And I felt the language barrier was extremely troublesome. I had a hard time understanding many of them. I had a poor experience with this in the spa. I won a prize for a wash, hair cut, and style. That was literally printed on the paper. I went to use it. I was told that I couldn't use it for that but not to worry. They would give me a blow out and a massage and that would be ok. I was then charged over $200. I am sure I misunderstood something. But when I go in with the paper they gave me with the words printed on it wash, hair cut, and style. I have no idea what happened. I will say the staff was OUTSTANDING at each port as we exited the ship and re-entered each time. Signage was great and there were plenty of smiling staff waiting to help you get where you needed to go.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It is a brand new ship. It was utterly beautiful.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was small. But it was as expected. There was ample storage. Great plug ins, charger ports, etc. The shower and getting in was extremely tight. But only a slight inconvenience once or twice a day. The toilet paper was located in the most awkward location. But nothing that was too troublesome.-- I LOVED the Studio Lounge. Great touch!
Ship tip
Eat dinner at Hudson's if you are still in port. The views from the restaurant and really awesome.
We were there early in the morning which was fabulous. We had the city to ourselves for a while. It was quaint. And it was adorable and very picturesque. We also traveled out of the main port to a beach. It was spectacular. It was weird to have pebbles and not sand. I wish I would have brought water shoes. We loved this place.
We visited the Haggai Sophia and Blue Mosque, a carpet demonstration, and then to the Grand Bazaar. The mosques were beautiful. I wish we would have skipped the carpet and went to the underground Roman tunnels. But we were given a carpet demonstration that felt like a time share sales pitch. It was a few moments of watching a lady work on a rug. Then we were ushered into a room where the sales pitch really turned on. At least it was air conditioned. We finished at the Grand Bazaar. It was so fun. It got a little repetitive. But we still enjoyed it immensely. Istanbul was a great stop with a great guide.
We went to Mary's House and Ancient Ephesus. It was frustrating that our cruise was changed from its original sailing and put us further from Ephesus. But at least we still go to go. The van we were in didn't have AC and the tour guide was subpar. That was so rough. But Ephesus was absolutely amazing. And I am glad we were able to see it!
Tourist trap. The photos you see that are "classic Santorini" are from the same 2 or 3 spots. Reaching the island from the cruise ship was extremely abysmal. On our tender on the way back to the ship, we met a family. The husband of that family accurately described Santorini as the "5th Circle of Hell." That pretty much sums it up for me.
We loved Sicily. We went to Taramino and then on a boat ride to Isabella. It was super charming. But the boat ride and swimming was very low quality. We made the best of it and had a good time.
We went on a drive to the Amalfi Coast and then a visit to Pompeii. We didn't have a great guide for the drive. So, that really made the Amalfi Coast portion terrible. But we had a talker as a guide in Pompeii. It was really something. I am glad we saw it. I just wish the Pompeii guide had talked just a little less.
This was my favorite port! We went to Florence and then to Pisa. Florence did not disappoint. What a beautiful city!! I wish I had more time there. Our driver and guide were perfection. We saw everything we wanted to see and more. This was a great day.
We didn't book an excursion for this day because the options were very limited. For instance, my son is 12 and that took us out of Segways, bikes, etc. We tried to go it alone. The train station was terrible to navigate and we couldn't find anyone to help us. It was completely unfortunate.
We stayed here for 2 days. We did a few tours: a driving tour of highlights (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc), Coliseum Tour, and Vatican Tour. Everything was amazing. No complaints other than the heat.
Thanks for sharing your well-detailed review. Great itinerary! Sorry to hear about the “hiccups” along the way. But glad you were able to enjoy most parts of your cruise. Wishing you happy cruising 🤩⚓️😎❣️‼️
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