We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, the destinations were mostly good apart from a change to Nauplion instead of Spetses. Mykonos was supposed to be docked instead we were taken ashore on tenders. Igoumenitsa was a waste of time nothing of note here .We had more tenders than was on itinerary which was disappointing. Training some of the staff to steer the tenders when passengers were on board was a bit worrying. The food on board was excellent in the Discoveries restaurant and lunch times in Windows. The entertainment on board was a bit disappointing and not up to the Quests. The decor in all the public rooms was tasteful and relaxing. The ship has been refurbished new carpets etc. The waiters in the restaurants were attentive and friendly. The living room was a comfortable relaxing place to be with attentive waiters and various snacks during the day. We had a balcony bedroom which had a table and chairs on the balcony. The bathroom was small and the only complaint from most travellers was the shower curtain clinging to their bodies when showering. We did not take any of the shore excursions as we felt they were very expensive and we could make our own arrangements. We had a group of Greek dancers onboard during an evening buffet who were excellent. The Azamazing evening was in Dubrovnik and Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment a rock Cellist Ana Rucnar, we had the central square cordoned off and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Taken back to the ship by local boats which was interesting. Read Less

Hi All, My trip Aug 27th from Athens on the Crystal 7 Day Idyllic Aegean Cruise was beyond what I expected. With only 476 cabins this makes for a nice intimate group with no line ups. The extra pluses like all inclusive drinks, free tours and no tipping quickly made this my top favorite cruise of all time. The guests themselves were 40-75 age group comprised mostly of Canadians and Europeans. No language barrier at all as the staff for the most part are fluent in 5 languages. Very few children which does not exclude families but there is not a huge children's program and the sheer amount of walking and exploring would be difficult for kids or seniors with mobilty issues. Having said that the ship herself does accommodate physically challenged passengers. The food was superb with a la carte and buffet style options. We had a pre reserved table every night and we loved getting to know the staff. The food was international style with a North American flair and every meal was different and presented in the most elegant way. They do offer upgraded menu items like Lobster and select wines but we didn't feel the need to upgrade. I can not say enough about the hard working and friendly staff. By day 2 they knew us by name and we were always greeted in a friendly way. The cabins were spotlessly cleaned and had all the special touches you would find on any other larger cruise ship. Towel service, turn down service, cute towel animals and chocolate on the pillows. Our cabin was a large picture window which was lovely arriving in each port. I would have upgraded to balcony except there were none to book last minute. The best thing about this cruise is that it actually overnights in many of the Greek ports which give guests a chance to experience day and nightlife without having to rush to get back on ship. It was great to be able to explore these destinations on our own. The tours were amazing and very informative, especially Turkey which was a wonderful surprise as we were slightly nervous about going there. At no time did we ever feel any port or locals were dangerous. Of course there were lots of vendors selling their wares and for the most part they were ready to bargain and the clothing, jewelry and trinkets were truly authentic. I would not travel in August again just due to the thousands and thousands of tourists in each port every day plus the heat which was in excess of 38C every day. I would highly recommend this cruise to any of our valued customers and do recommend a few pre/post nights to unwind before the cruise. I will be telling anyone who is willing to listen how fantastic this experience was. Read Less

I have sailed a lot, probably close to100 cruises. On Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, I have spent over 360 days. But I was so impressed with everything about this voyage, I’m not sure I ever will go back to any other line; I think I have found my new home on the seas. embarkation and disembarkation both went very smoothly, a benefit of sailing with only 900 other passengers. This was not only the first and last day of the cruise but also for every port we visited. We were in Suite 4000, a ES1 category. Before sailing, I looked at the diagram for the owner’s suite on deck 7. I wondered if I would have wanted or needed everything provided in that cabin. Once we boarded and were settled in our suite, I was perfectly happy and would not have wanted to move upstairs. Heck, even the lowest standard cabins on Vining Ocean are better than many higher-level cabins on other cruise lines. I have often been a Grills passenger on Cunard. The Queen’s Grill on QM2 is considered by some to be the best restaurant at sea. Although Wiking does not offer dishes prepared table side, the quality and presentation and variety is equal to the food on other ships. Open dining was a delight and we never had a wait, It was nice to have the alternative dining restaurants and not have to pay extra. The rotating menu at the Chef’s Table was a deal. We ate there five nights during the month we were on board. Wine (which was not bad) and beer (which I don’t drink) were free during meals and I never paid for non-alcoholic beverages and coffee away from the restaurants. I consider it a benefit not to have a casino on the ships, photographers always wanting to take your picture, and on the shops on board lining the hallways as they apply their wares. I loved not having announcements every hour. The lecturers were very good and well-versed to discuss their topics, especially the port talks. Evening stage shows were above-average and well attended, but not the glitzy performances produced on larger ships. At least one excursion is free in every port. I participated in some of those and they were fine. The optional, paid excursions were well run and educational. Good variety of options. The gym is good, plenty of machines. Never crowded. A great spa and - since the line is Norwegian - great sauna, jacuzzi, ice water buckets AND a snow grotto. Imagine a snowball fight in the Suez Canal, I can’t say enough to complement the Viking professionals who made this such an enjoyable adventure. I liked it so much that I already have booked a one month journey next summer. I am sold on Viking! Read Less

We traveled with 3 other couples. We chose the cruise for its ports of call, areas we had not been to, and its lack of sea days. The service was excellent, from our cabin steward, Josephine, the destination manager Murat, the Director of guest relations, Joanna, and the Asst Maitre'D Karim were exceptional. Everyone knew ours names, and fulfilled our every request. There were a few early hiccups, but the entire team jumped in and made the cruise wonderful. The food was excellent, and the service was superb. When our Virtuoso hosts left the pier in Dubrovnik, without the eight of us, Murat jumped in, got us a guide and saved the day. He was wonderful. The Virtuoso reps from California were not. When we confronted them, they denied everything, said they thought we were not going, and never apologized - very disappointing. Back to the cruise - Touring until 1-2 o'clock and back to the ship was wonderful. It gave us in-depth exposure, tired us out, brought wonderful relief when we got back to the ship for a late lunch. The entertainers were wonderful, talented performers, but on a smaller ship, you have to expect limited entertainment. However what was presented was wonderful. An example of the training and character of one entertainer Nathan Morgan, was exemplified on one tour, when a solo woman was way behind the tour group, Nathan unobtrusively hung back and waited for her so she wouldn't get lost. Our cruise Director was always full of energy and is an outstanding opera singer. Read Less

We booked this Cruise almost one year ago and it seemed to be forever before our sail date, but we are on the ship now. I have cruised before but my Husband has not. This is his first cruise. The ships I have been on in the past are the 3500 guest Carnival and the like. Did I enjoy them? Not really and had long ago decided not to cruise again. Then Viking Ocean popped up. 900 some odd guests. Could this be better? We did a lot of research - a lot. We read reviews, watched videos and talked and talked. Finally we decided to pull the trigger and book. Other LARGE ships tend - in my opinion - to have overdone the decor to a point of garish mashup of colour and glitz. Not impressed. VIKING OCEAN - SKY - is what I would call "quiet elegance" and you can immediately see that there is no expense spared to quality and every element of the decor is calm and tasteful. The wood and furniture and the upholstery and the art are exceptional. They have produced such an elegant decor that you just feel comfortable. You never turn a corner and see a Las Vegas looking room and there are no casinos or nightclubs like the big ships. This is truly a ship where you feel calm, relaxed, and feel like you are staying where quality is number one in design. I am pleasantly surprised because I had doubts on a smaller ship whether my Husband and I would feel at home because we are a married Gay male couple from Canada. There has been no issue and I would recommend Viking to other Gay couples. Viking Ocean is not for a "party party" kind of vacation. Yes, the average age on board is probably about 60, but there are enough younger folks that you don't feel out of place if you are in your 40s or younger. We have met now many people that are of various ages and all is great. The Crew are exceptional. I am going to give shout outs here to some. Forgive me because these are the ones that we have had repeated interactions with but every Crew member is exceptional. Crew Shoutouts: JoJo - Guest Services Manager John - Server in The World Cafe Darko - Server in The Chef's Table and The World Cafe Giselle - Server in The Restaurant Vicky - Server in The Restaurant Romney - Server in The Explorer Lounge Rizalina - Server in The Wold Cafe Willy - Our exceptional Stateroom Steward (and his team) Jesper - Therapist in the Spa In general the staff are exceptional. They go out of their way to greet you and make you feel at home. No request is too big or too small. The staff above have in a couple of days learned our Stateroom number by heart - know our names and welcome us using our names - know that we like to start our meal with Sparkling wine and then move to red or white... This is quite refreshing when the world we live in today is not concerned with the customer experience - Viking have done an exceptional job providing an experience that you will remember and recommend. The food - excellent. We have eaten in all but Manfredi's so far and the food is outstanding in all venues. We have our reservation tomorrow in Manfredi's and I am certain that we will be impressed there too. We opted for all the included excursions and we have had our expectations exceeded with each one so far. The guides are knowledgable and very enjoyable to spend a morning or afternoon with. The Spa is my favourite place to visit after each day's excursion. We do the "Nordic thing" and hop from steam to snow grotto or the sauna to the cold dipping pool... Just refreshes you before dinner. The Nordic Spa experience is exceptional and so well appointed. Again, they have thought of everything. There is so much more that I can tell you but then I would be writing for pages! We WILL be sailing on Viking again in the future and most probably many times! Read Less

Our recent cruise aboard Celestyal Olympia was really amazing, from the first day we boarded did we feel like we where part of a family. They really go above and beyond to please you as a guest. The food was mostly Greek but amazingly great and tasty, we also ordered the grilld lobster in the main restaurant. Cruising with Celestyal Cruises brought us to two ports each day but that was not a problem for us. You have the feeling to have a seaday and portday in one. The cost of the drinks in the bars was also great and what we got was great and lots to chose from. We stayed in Grand Suite 9001 and was spacious and newly revitalised. Our cruise in two words: great and amazing. The entertainment was Greek inspirated and was nice to see some of the local dances. We sailed with our 14 months old girl and she also enjoyed her selfs and was loved by all the staff, she even walked with one of the officers on the hand. Really great to see. Our embarkation was amazing with a greating of 4 of the senior officers at the gangway. Disembarkation was even smooth with also a farewell from five members of the crew. Hospitality is a keyword of Celestyal Cruises and you can take this in the biggest sence of that word. Read Less

This was my fourth cruise on Carnival after loving my experience on the Dream class ships and this experience did not disappoint! I am a spa cabin aficianado, so I booked a spa balcony on the starboard side on deck 14. It was great. There was plenty of room, and the service was superior. I loved this ship. It had everything I like about a Carnival ship and plenty of extra benefits. I was a little skeptical with the newness of the ship and the size of it with regards to lines and logistics, but I was shocked at how fast I got service, how few lines there were for anything, from embarking and disembarking, to your time dining which I would literally just walk up to the hostess and get seated immediately, to finding deck chairs anywhere on the ship. First and foremost, the service and staff on the ship were the best I've ever experienced. Nearly everyone was friendly, accommodating, and went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. My cabin steward Ni Luh was amazing. Our dining staff with the exception of one, were fantastic as well. The bartenders at the Alchemy bar where I did most of my drinking including the superb Ioana knew our names and our favorite drinks, but could also make up a delicious drink on the spot based on her knowledge of my tastes. Dining in the specialty restaurants are the way to go if you always want the best the ship has to offer. We enjoyed the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, Bonsai Sushi, The Chef's Table, the Seafood Shack for delicious local oysters with our champagne on the balcony, and I even took some snacks to go one day from the Red Frog Pub. I highly recommend eating in the specialty restaurants for as much as you can afford to get the best food and service on the ship. As for the continental breakfasts via room service, they were modest, but adequate. They were always exactly on time with almost never a hiccup. Once they forgot forks and napkins. The food in the MDR was about 80% very good. I tended to gravitate towards the appetizers, exotic appetizer choice, or port selections for the best variety. I love the Sea Day Brunch menu as well but for my eggs benedict the poached eggs were a bit overcooked and that wasn't a classic hollandaise with it either. Fish tended to be overcooked for dinner. Knowing these things helped me to plan my MDR meals so that I could make a meal on appetizers with multiple courses or more than one serving of an appetizer. Soups tended to shine. Entertainment was excellent, from the string trio in the lobby to the roving accordianist to the excellent combo in the Havana area. The shows were the best I've ever seen on Carnival. It's clear they hand picked their top talent for this ship with singing, dancing, and special effects superb. We only got a chance to see two shows, Flick and America Rocks, but I was very impressed with the costumes, production, and talent. Getting on and off the ship was impossibly fast. I didn't have FTTF, but still only waited about 15 minutes in the waiting area at Piraeus to get on board. Disembarkation was equally fast. I couldn't believe I was on a ship with 4000 people! I could always find a lounge in the Serenity area, or even had the entire Havana deck to myself and my husband evenings looking out from a big circular lounge bed looking up at the stars with the caribbean sounds of the band softly in the background. We did a couple of Carnival excursions, and I'd have to say that they were just a little more crowded than I would have liked. I don't like getting on a bus with 50 people and having to wait for everyone to get back. Our excursion in Malta, which itself was gorgeous, had not such a good tour guide whom we couldn't generally hear. I mentioned this to the staff at the excursions desk and they gave us a discount on our tour price. I prefer to book my excursions privately or with smaller tour companies for a more personalized touch. I spent early mornings around 6am in the gym and it was virtually empty. I loved this. When it was possible, I would go to the morning abs and stretch classes which were all included in the fare held on the floor of the ocean plaza. These were generally attended by about 8-10 people. Evenings before bed I would walk down a flight of stairs and relax in the wonderful spa hot tub which had nice, firm jets to massage my muscles or relax in one of the wet saunas or infrared sauna where I could choose one of 4 scents to fill the air. None of these areas were ever crowded. With the abundance of bars all over the ship, multiple restaurants, and just plenty of deck space, I never felt like I was one of so many others. I made great friends on this trip, and I can't wait to go back on the Vista to the Caribbean for Christmas. Read Less

It was with some trepidation that I booked for this, the first cruise that we have ever taken. Having heard numerous stories of the decks on board in chaos from Zimmer frame traffic jams and drunken oafs staggering around trying to get their money's worth of free booze, I was concerned. On op of it all, I was also apprehensive how we,a gay couple from the dark continent, would fare amongst the "Bush generation" of Americans who dominated the numbers of guests aboard. All of our fears and apprehensions soon dissolved virtually from the moment we set eyes on the yacht from the Piraeus port in Athens. From the greeting at the port, the embarkation process, meeting the crew, to entering the wonderfully air conditioned reception of the ship for the first time, we felt special and welcome aboard. Although the ship carries about 140 people, we never felt as if we were jostling for space or a preferred spot, there is more than enough room for everyone to feel very much as if this were their own private yacht. The food was simply exceptional - every meal was a master class, the chefs obviously taking great pride in their culinary creations. The service was outstanding - by the end of day 1 all the crew knew our names and I couldn't help but feel that they actually enjoyed being at our service. What I particularly enjoyed was the drama every evening at "sail away" time....when we left our port in the evenings, everyone on deck with a cocktail of sorts, music from "the mission" washing over us and the sails unfurling in an attempt at sailing (wind dependent). It was spectacular! Once the sun had finally set each evening its off to dinner, relaxing, unassuming and delicious. And best of all......wake up the next morning in a new port or at a new island, ready to explore for the day. So I guess you can gather that the cruise was terrific for us, all misgivings gone, beautiful memories remain and the next cruise in the planning phase. Read Less

Flight to Athens was uneventful. Arrived on time, and took a cab to the Intercontinental Athens for one night. Hotel was beautiful, but, is in the middle of nowhere. They had a shuttle bus that takes you to and from the square in Athens every half hour or so, but, we did not feel comfortable waiting for the shuttle at the square for the return because of all the beggars and vagrants. Next time, will stay somewhere closer to the Plaka district, even if the rooms are smaller. Embarkation was a breeze. For some reason, they said do not arrive at the pier until 3:00 pm. We got there around noon and were one of the first few people to board. We heard the line was very long later in the day as the Israeli immigration officials were checking everyones passport before boarding the ship in Athens. This cruise included a stop in Ashdod Israel. Upon boarding, we bought the soda card for 5.00 a day which turned out to be well worth it. Headed up to the buffet, had lunch and then headed to the cabin. The ship is quite nice. All the public rooms seemed very comfortable, and adequately sized. Everything looked new and clean. The one thing we found odd was the Lawn Club. It went unused most of the time and in my opinion, that space could have been put to better use. Maybe miniature golf or something would have been better. We were in a balcony cabin, deck 6 in the rear of the ship. The room was nice, and had plenty of storage, with a huge flat panel tv on the wall. The offered pay per view, and free for view movies, but the free for view movies did not work during our trip. There were plenty of other channels to pick from anyway. The balcony was large, but went unused because when we looked down the only thing we could see was the roof of the lifeboats. We usually like to watch the docking procedure, but that was impossible on this ship. When we sat down in the furniture on the balcony, you could hardly even see the water because of the life boats. I don't know why they did not recess the life boats like many of the other ships I have been on. I think most of the cabins are this way unless you book a hump cabin. The entertainment was very good. We did get to see the Equinox singers and dancers a few times which was enjoyable. The only entertainment we did not like were the musicians at the sunset bar at the back of the ship. Not only were they not entertaining, they gave us headaches. They played some Greek instrument for hours on end really loud, and was quite annoying. It sounded like some high school kid practicing in his garage. This was one of two areas which allowed smoking. Both areas were crowded, windy, (especially while at sea) and noisy. Some times we could not even find an ashtray that was not being used. When we asked the bartender for one, he just shrugged and said he did not have any more. Apparently you used to be able to smoke on deck 5, port side which would have been quiet, but they no longer allow that. The casino was nice. The machines seemed to pay better than any other ship I have been on, and there was quite a variety of them. The casino was empty whenever we went there, during the day or even after the shows, and you had your pick of the machines, and no waiting at the tables. The food was quite disappointing. We are not picky eaters but the food on this ship has to be the worst food of any cruise I have been on when comparing to NCL, RCCL, Carnival or Costa in the main dining room or buffet. We did not try any of the specialty restaurants. They did serve ice cream in the buffet which was very good. The ports were great. The highlight was the Dead Sea and Massada tour in Israel. There was a historical tour to Massada, and then on to a resort in the Dead sea for lunch and a swim. I would not recommend this tour for anyone who may have trouble walking far or may have trouble being in the heat. I could see how the heat could be overwhelming for some folks. The worst tour we did was the Mt Etna tour. This tour consisted of a two hour hot cramped bus ride to the base of Mt Etna, where they drop you off at a small crater (large black rock filled hole)on the side of the mountain where there is a snack bar for an hour and a half. On the way back, the bus stopped at a small village which is just one souvenir shop after another. We would have been better off staying on the ship. Disembarkation in Barcelona was very easy. We put our luggage out the night before and waited until our number was called then picked up the bags on the carousel in the terminal. We took a short cab ride to the Eurostar Grand Marina hotel where our room was waiting for us. I highly recommend this hotel. It is within easy walking distance of everything and the hop on hop off bus stops right at the door. The front desk has discount tickets for the tour bus which we enjoyed for the rest of the day. In summary, we had a nice time, but I would not book this ship again. Read Less