We chose this cruise primarily for one reason, no young kids, no casinos, no water slides, no discos. Viking is about 1st class cruising without the carnival atmosphere so many of the big ships are into these days. The ship was perfect. Every crew member speaks to you no matter their job or class. The food was excellent and just a wonderful experience in whole. With the smaller ocean ships of Viking you can get into ports that many of the mega ships cannot. We woke up one morning and looked out our window to see Monte Carlo. WOW what a view that left us breathless. Viking has for sure found their niche catering to older adults. We could be walking out on the deck and run upon a crew member doing maintenance. They would always speak to us and that says something about Viking and its training of crew. If you like a circus then maybe another cruise line is best for you. If you like perfection on a ship that is spotless without all the circus atmosphere then Viking is definitely for you as it was for us. Read Less

We chose the haven spa suite category because we wanted to have memorable 17th year anniversary and since this would have been our 3rd time cruising this same itinerary, we wanted just to relax & use the spa. Instead our room flooded each time we showered because the ship would tilt towards our side of the ship when it is docked or when it is sailing. The shower's design has the drainage in a higher slope than the shower's door. The concierge's immediate recommendation is to put towels on the floor each time we showered.until their crew engineers are available to analyze the problem. After a day of no resolution, we brought this up to the cruise general manager. He schedule 3 crews members to come & looked inside our suite and determine a quick fix. He ensured the room would be sanitized & cleaned from the leftover scum from the shower. Also on the 2 days we wanted to sleep in, our butler would knock on our door & will call repeatedly til we answered - the 1st time he inadvertently read the do not disturb sign as make our room to be ready (similar color code) and the second time was he had misread delivering breakfast time. Finally, on the 5th day of the cruise, as we suggested (I am a civil engineer), they installed a higher barrier on the shower door so water would not drain out onto the floors . So we were finally able to enjoy our room with privacy for the remaining one and 1/2 days of our cruise - so we thought! They inadvertently did not inform everyone that they were going to shut down the water in the room & you cannot flush the toilet since work will be done between midnight & 6 am throughout the ship. We only found out about it because we called after getting back from the casino at 2 am. Yup, we flew in from California (14 hour flight) to spent thousands of dollars on the cruise to only enjoy our suite for 1 day. The reason we book suites or haven on our previous cruises was to enjoy the amenities - on this cruise we did not get what we paid for. The positive part of this cruise is we enjoyed the great service of the waitress & waiter (they work 7 days a week for 12 to 13 hours daily) and despite not having the usage of our suite, we enjoyed each others company. Hopefully our cruise to Singapore next month would be better. Read Less

We chose Viking from reading many reviews from this and other cruise lines. The ship, cabin, dining, service, crew's attitude, and excursions were all exceptional. We were pleasantly surprised with the size and comfort of our cabin. The ship is beautiful and clean and we could always find a quiet place to sit by ourselves and have a glass of wine. We applaud the hand sanitizers and sinks, soap, and towels outside all restaurants. The food and service were excellent in all the restaurants. We went on the galley tour and marvel at the efficiency and cleanliness of the kitchens. We also went on the bridge tour and were amazed to see how the ship is sailed. The excursions were very organized and ran with great precision. The entire staff and crew were always friendly and pleasant, with a smile on their face. We enjoyed sailing on a "smaller" ship and we are now planning a river cruise and possibly another small ship sea cruise with Viking. Read Less

The ship was great, our room was clean, and we loved the balcony. We were very lucky to have had beautiful weather the whole time, which helped a lot. Cruise tours were fairly well organized and on time. Food on board was great! Loved the drink package we received with our booking. It offered us so much flexibility. Entertainment was really good. We had a very good time! We stayed in Barcelona for five nights, and Valencia for five nights before embarking on this cruise so gave ourselves plenty of time to explore both cities. We scheduled four tours on this cruise and all went very well. We had a very good time. Would recommend Norwegian Epic Mediterranean Cruise to fellow travelers. Again, we were so very lucky to have had such beautiful weather during the cruise. The only thing we didn't care for was the tour of the Colliseum and the Vatican in Rome were so busy, we felt like sardines and could barely keep up with our tour guide being on such a tight schedule. A lot to do in just one day! But we managed and survived okay. Read Less

This is the 2nd cruise we sailed with Celebrity, we were impressed with Eclipse last year and decide to join another cruise with Celebrity. This is a slightly smaller and older ship than the Eclipse, but we still had a lot of fun in this 9 nights cruise trip. First of all, we love the shows at night, the performances, singer and dancers did a fantastic jobs, we caught the show every evenings and make sure we don't miss it. The onboard activities were Okay, a lot of them are the same as what we played last year, so it is a bit lack of surprise for us, but the games are still fun to watch. We still had a great time. We did not go to the specialty dinning, so we stayed at St-Marco Dinning room for your dinner. They updated the menu everyday with plenty of choices. We tried a lot of different food everyday and they had Lobster Tail and Scallops which are my favorite! We also had our breakfast and sometimes lunch and snacks at OceanCafe, honestly the food are getting a bit boring. They did change their Chef Specials everyday, but other than that, the other food in the buffet was very similar everyday. With a cruise of 9 nights, you may get bored. My wife went to their morning sketch a couple of times early in the morning, but other dance or yoga class has to pay, so we skipped that. The gym was clean and the machines were fairly new. They have a basketball court, which is often forgotten by a lot of guests. I spent a good 45 minutes there while at the sea. The basketball are a bit old and some of time are not pumped. Service was great, there were officers teaching us to use the new App on Board, which is very useful to see the daily activities and communicate with your cruise mates and family on board. Most of the staff are very friendly and had smile with them at all time. However, my steward's job was really bad. First, she never come greet us or come talk to us during the 9 nights of the cruise. Second, she always forgot stuff in our room. For example, we had no agenda for a couple day, toiletries not refilled, no clean towels. Dirty cups are not taking away, etc. It was horrible, and we decide to talk to the guest relation after 1 week. They sent a steward supervisor to talk to us and apologized, and they gave us a follow call the days after to make sure our room and supplies are Okay. I would say that it could be just a bad individual who didn't properly do her job and not Celebrity's standard. Overall, the ship is clean and easy to navigate. We like Celebrity and have great experience at the ship, but we like to see Celebrity creating more new activities, providing more and different foods in OceanCafe daily, so it keep their guest impressed with this Premium Cruiseline. Read Less

Review Norwegian Epic Western Med Cruise September 22, 2019 This cruise originated and returned to Barcelona. I am platinum on Norwegian and Princess and have been on westbound Trans-Atlantic cruises on the Epic. Because this cruise was less than 80% full embarkation was a breeze. We had a starboard balcony on Deck 11. Our cabin steward is a young lady from China. We had a problem which was only partially resolved. The shower enclosure had a depression in the center, and with the drain on the perimeter higher than the low point of the shower floor, there is water accumulated in the floor of the shower enclosure. That meant one's feet is always in dirty water. We called attention to this problem and various people worked on the problem, including the Customer Relations Manager. Towards the end of the cruise he offered us use of a mini-suite portside on Deck 10. Instead we requested some internet minutes and each got 100 minutes. I started the Cruise Critics Meet and Greet on this cruise. Only 10 of us showed up. Eleven officers showed up. See attached photo. We enjoyed the food on this cruise with one exception. As platinum we got free meals in Moderno and Le Bistro. Both were great. I had brought on board five bottles of wine purchased in Barcelona. They were great. In the Manhattan Room one night we had a table next to the stage and enjoyed the music. I am disappointed there was never prime rib on the menu. The one bad experience with dining was at Shanghai, the Asian fusion place. It was simply awful. The best show on this cruise was Burn the Floor, the dance show. Inexplicably the same show was presented twice in a seven night cruise. There was a show of a violinist and his flamingo dancer wife. There was not enough there for a 40-minute show. To borrow a comment from a previous Epic cruise, "I have seen better in the Paris Metro." There was six ports of call on this cruise. We did not do any NCL excursions so the remarks here are included for completeness. In Naples we went with italytours.eu for a day tour along the Amalfi Coast. We had a driver, who did his best to also be a tour guide. Our first stop was the town of Positano where houses are built on cliffs. We had a longer shop in Sorrento where we had lunch. Before going back to the ship we drove through some of Naples which I do not consider pretty. For Rome we took the train from Civitavecchia. The drop off point of the free bus from the ship to the entrance of the port has changed so it is now a two kilometer walk to the train station, instead of 8 minutes. We rode the train all the way to Rome Termini. We had tickets for the Borghese Gallery. I have been to most of the top museums in the world and the Borghese held my attention for two hours! Back in Civitavecchia we took the two-euro bus to the entrance of the port. In Livorno we booked a tour to Florence and Pisa. We took the five-euro bus to the center of Livorno where we met the tour. We boarded double-decker buses for the ride to Florence. We stopped in a restaurant where we had a small snack and a bit of wine. We had free time in Florence. I had been to Florence before so we admired the doors to the Baptistry of the Duomo but skipped the long line to enter the basilica. We walked to City Hall. We walked to Ponte Vecchia where my wife admired the jewelry on display. I, a diabetic, risked my life and had a gelato with my wife. We had a lengthy stop in Pisa but the free tickets to enter the basilica were gone. The tour bus delivered us directly to the ship. In Cannes we walked into town, past the Palais des Festivals and admired the designer stores along Promenade de la Pantiero and rue d'Antibes. The biggest shopping center was deserted. We walked back to the ship. We skipped Palma de Mallorca. As platinum Latitudes members we had priority disembarkation and we had afternoon flights so disembarkation was a breeze too. Read Less

We always wanted to cruise the Med so this was our retirement treat. Prior to the cruise we had a great CC rollcall and so we met the night before sailing and forged some good friendships for on board. Embarkation at Barcelona was a breeze. Our room was ready even though it was early. Ate lunch at the dining room - very relaxed start to our cruise. The crew were all amazing - room steward , bar staff and deck attendants. Our cabin was comfortable and clean - great position on Aliso Deck in an inside cabin. Highly recommended. The shows and entertainment were very good - though a couple of nights there was not a lot on. The meals in dining room (we had anytime dining) were always good and we never had to wait for a table- we ate around 6:15. We had two water shuttle stops and they were handled very well and we were off quickly. We took no tours with the ship- we preorganised local operators and shared tours on our roll call. There is nothing we would change about our trip - thanks Emerald Princess for a dream holiday. Read Less

Chose this cruise primarily for the ports of call. Cannot really fault NCL and The Epic at all as everything was excellent for us. The staff,organization,food and entertainment was all first class.We left Barcelona to Naples > Rome > Livorno > Cannes > Palma > Barcelona. All excursions were first class but if you want to really explore then I suggest the full day options.We visited Pompeii,Pisa and Cannes and all were amazing.Embarkation was stress free and easy as was the disembarkation which all went like clockwork. There is an option to self assist with luggage but we chose the colour coded system which allows you to put all your cases outside your room the night before you get off the ship and it was all so easy.We were in stateroom 14141 on the 14th floor and it was also excellent. Great housekeeper in Wilfred and room was kept spotless.Met some really nice passengers from all round the world and everyone was so approachable including all ship management. We paid upfront for the premium drink package and gratuities and it really is worth looking at that option. Definitely would consider NCL and the Epic again. Loved every minute of it. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of itinerary and the flight included package. Loved the stops. The ship was great except for food. I am not a fish or seafood eater so I found limited choices for me in the dining room. I am a fussy eater so I thought just me but after sitting with others in dining room, they too, were disappointed. There were very few kids on this cruise so pools were good but I would guess they could get crowded with little ones at other times. I didn’t see a kids pool. The shows were nothing to crow about. The casino was dead, no competitions etc. I did enjoy the entertainment team. They were great. The game shows were also good. I also find the buffet to be small and again heavy on fish.our room was quiet and clean so no complaints there.enbarksion and disembark both great. Read Less

The adage, you get what you pay for, certainly applies. A wonderful trip visiting a city of Europe almost every day. While it was difficult (though with some outside excursions) to see a city in one day, you get a feel for it and can return if you are so inclined. We were busy almost every single moment. The walking/bus tours were pretty nice especially because of the added devices that let you hear the leaders story, comments, and descriptions of the city. I learned a lot and saw the most famous of the iconic landmarks . Food was wonderful with a themed food every day corresponding with the city visiting. If you wanted a steak, just ask for it. Tasty and so much better than the usual cruise food. Entertainment was a bit of a let down. The same people did different genre of songs each evening, but we were so tired out that it was just fine. The best feature was the wonderful support staff. You developed a rapport with those you see each day and while they may be friendly just to get your tip, I don't think so. They genuinely seemed to care for your welfare. You treated them right, they returned it - double! Loved our Viking trip and truth be told, won't be going on any other ever again!!!! GREAT JOB! Read Less

Small ship, great shore excursions. The food venues were fantastic and the entertainment venues were fabulous. I would not way to be on a larger ship, it would be too crowded. We loved the Barcelona excursion of Gaudi Architecture. Monaco was impressive. We loved Pisa and Lucca. Rome is indescribable. The Amalfi Coast was beyond words. Being on the edge of a cliff is breathtaking. We saw the Stromboli volcano erupting was a once in a lifetime occurrence. Who sees that in their lifetime? The day at sea was very relaxing no. We got to experience parts of the ship we had not yet seen. We experienced the spa as well as Manfredi’s restaurant. Corfu Greece was another world. Then we visited Dabrovnik, Croatia which was a wonder. Split was fabulous with the Cetina River Cruise. Then, entering Venice was the highlight of the trip! Cruising past the Grand Canal was the best! The crew of Viking Star was the best! Read Less

The 12 night Viking Mediterranean odyssey cruise was our 1st trip to Europe in celebration of our retirements this year. Viking was by far superior to the other 3 cruise lines we’ve previously traveled with. The ship and food were high quality and absolutely amazing. All the complimentary amenities- free excursion in each port, high tea, speciality dining and free wine and beer with meals, free laundry along with no sales pressure anywhere - spa, dining etc - and Viking staff anticipating and responding to our every need and desire - made this a true luxury experience. We would have appreciated the port talks occurring prior to the cut off times to book or change excursions. We’d also have enjoyed more guided tour time and less free time - which seemed to be primarily shopping time. Overall we loved the cruise - and made an onboard deposit for a Viking cruise in the future. Read Less

I chose this holiday to take all my family who live in different parts of Europe on a cruise where we could all be together. The poor things outweighed the pluses , I would never do it again. The pools were inadequate, too many people using a small area . many of the guests refused to let their children use them. This should have been the centre stage for the trip but it wasn't comfortable. Always packed and difficult to find chairs. No crew bothering to see who were not using the beds occupied all day with towels which weren't used. The cabins were Ok but that's all. Food was fine, no complaints. Embarkation and disembarkation excellent. Entertainment good.The problem with this ship is that the on deck facilities aren't sufficient for the number of passengers. Had that been better then it would have made a huge difference to our holiday. We also had some issues relating to NCL general terms and conditions and found their later dealing with our complaint unsatisfactory. There were always long queues at guest relations desk so if you needed the simplest of requests or answers you had to expect a long wait. NCL should invest in better on deck facilities and give their Guest relations teams both on board and in London better training in customer service. Our children enjoyed the rides and there were many good things about the ship. yet as I stated the bad outweighed the good. Irregular Kev Read Less

Everything that Viking did for us was exceptional. The ship was beautiful, the food was magnificent, and our cabin was perfect. The service on the ship was wonderful and everyone was so helpful. We were so pleased with how they handled greeting us at the airport and on the ship, even with champagne. Shore excursions were great and the tour guides very pleasant and knowledgeable. Every restaurant on the ship served excellent food whether it was the formal restaurants or the casual buffet. We also liked that we did not have to dress formally to go to dinner. All the employees on and off the ship were helpful and went out of their way to make sure we were satisfied. Disembarkation was smooth and when we arrived at the airport, Viking employees even took our luggage into the airport for us. Overall, we would recommend Viking to anyone who wants luxury and wonderful service. Read Less

We did the Norwegian Epic cruise out of Barcelona, Spain on July 14 - July 21, 2019. To be honest, I was very apprehensive about the cruise after reading so many negative reviews on cruise critic BUT it was WONDERFUL!!! In fact, I joined cruise critics roll call and was able to gain a lot of insight from other travelers on what to do and things that others had learned. We are avid cruisers and Disney is one of our favorite cruise lines but we decided to do Norwegian because of the price. I will attempt to give an overview. We boarded in Barcelona. We took a cab from the airport to the port. It was a fixed price of 36 or 39 euros. Check in was so smooth and fast! I did the on-line check in prior to us leaving and it was one of the fastest check-ins that I have experienced. The ship was very well maintained. I did not see dirty or stained areas. We were on floor 8 in a balcony cabin. I did not care for the lay out of the room but we only got ready and slept in the room. There were 3 of us in our cabin. I did not like the frosted shower-like doors for the toilet area but we lived with it. Once again, we just got ready and slept in the room. The dining was amazing. We had 3 free specialty dinings (for the first 2 of us) and we paid for my daughter. We ate at La Cucina, Le Bistro, and Cagney's. The food and service was superb. This was our first time to ever do any extra charge restaurants because I think you already have so much on a cruise, but since it was free, we tried it. I will say we loved it!! You felt so special, at ease and relaxed and knew you had one-on-one service. BUT, there free dining is also amazing. There is such a variety of foods. The buffet had a different them each night. (Mexican, Mediterranean, Grilled, Italian and I don't remember the others.) Also, there was a person making fresh, made to order crepes at the buffet. That may have been all nights but I used it Tuesday - Thursday for sure. Everyone in the dining rooms and dining areas were very attentive. The dining rooms and buffet areas were beautiful. They all had windows where you could look out and view the water. The front dining room at The Garden Cafe buffet was beautiful and all windows. LOVELY VIEWS!! The food reminded me of when we first started cruising 20+ years ago and that was what you looked forward to. I cannot give an honest opinion of the activities because we were off the ship each day in port and by the time we came back, got ready, and ate, we were ready to crash for the night. We did go to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but left. I knew it would have drag queens but there were too many other things that I felt were inappropriate and were not for me nor my family. We did see a comedian and he was funny but they really needed to use a larger venue because we were packed into one of the areas and there was standing room only. We missed Burn the Floor and we choose not to do Cirque Dreams because we did not want to pay for a show. We saw the Beatles Mania show and it was enjoyable. Our cabin steward was very nice and always checking on us. He checked with us each day to see if everything was OK and if there was anything that we needed. I did want extra blankets and when we got back to the room, they were on our bed. Everyone on the ship, from guest services to the gift shops, seemed pleasant and friendly. I know some people asked about laundry and ironing of clothes. They have a laundry service on the boat but of course it is high. On Wednesday, there was a flyer in the room that advertised that you could fill a bag with clothes and they would be washed and returned to you by Friday. The cost was $19.95. We did fill a bag with our underclothes and tshirts and they were washed and back in the room by Friday evening--all for $19.95 You do have to write the special or promotion on the bag of laundry in order to receive it. I will try to give a run down of what we did each day. We did not book any excursions through Norwegian. We used outside tour companies that were less expensive and fewer people. I gave them a poor on shore excursions because of the prices. I learned this a few years ago when we did a cruise around the Greek Isles. Day 1, we embarked on Sunday in Barcelona and Day 2, Monday was a day at sea. Thank goodness for that!! We were exhausted after our flight from the US. We slept in and just roamed around a little on Monday. Every other day, you are at a port. The day of rest helped us--- I don't know if I could have gotten on in Civitavecchia and then had to do ports with no rest, if I could have made it! Day 3 - Tuesday was Naples Italy. We used Italy Tours and booked Pompeii, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast. There were 14 people in our van and it was wonderful. Our driver met us at the port, we loaded into the van and started our tour. We got back to Naples about 1 1/2 hours before we had to be on board, so there was time to go into Naples if you wanted. Day 4 - Civitavecchia (Rome)--We did not book a tour because we visited Rome for several days in 2016 so we did our own thing. We got off the ship and there were many people at the port where you could book tours or take a bus to Rome. We got on one of the Smart Tours buses and once the bus was full, they brought you to Rome. You were dropped off at a point near the Vatican and then they gave you a time to be back and the bus picked you back up at the same spot and brought you back to Civitavecchia to board the ship. The cost was 23 or 25 euros per person and you had to pay cash. They did not accept credit cards. When we got on the bus, it was almost full so we only had to sit about 15 minutes before leaving. From what I heard, some people sat on the bus almost 1 hour waiting for others to get off the ship and board. You may want to keep that in mind. Italy Tours had some small group tours for Rome but since we had spent several days here a few years ago, we just walked and revisited some of our favorite things and took our own tour. :) We stayed far away from the Vatican that day because it was Wednesday and the Pope was doing mass so it was VERY CROWDED. Make sure to get gelato. This will help cool you off and Rome gelato is so very good. Day 5 - Livorno - We did a small group tour with Italy Tours. There were 7 of us in our group plus the driver. We did the tour called the Best of Florence and Pisa. Our driver met us at the small port (it was very easy to find him) and we went to Pisa first and then to Florence. We got to Pisa by 8:15 and the first group allowed to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not until 9:00 so we were able to get our tickets and be in the first group to climb the tower. Walking and viewing the grounds was great! It was a highlight for us to be able to climb to the top of the tower. After doing this, I would suggest being in the beginning groups. The lines get longer as the day goes on and it gets HOTTER!! Also, you could not bring any bags in the tower. You had to lock purses and backpacks up in a secure area before climbing the tower. We then went to Florence and met up with a guide and were put with some other group for this guide. Florence was beautiful and even with the other group, we were still only 15 and our guide. Our tour company offered to add the skip the line tickets, which we purchased, and went to the academia to see the original David. The additional group of people that we joined up with in Florence did have an elderly lady who had trouble walking and keeping up and those persons eventually left the tour and said they would go on their own. Florence is an amazing city--the bridge with the shops on it is just amazing. Day 6 - Cannes - We did not do a tour with an outside company (but if you start early enough, you should be able to). You have to tender into Cannes. Make sure to book your tender early and don't waste 1/2 day on the ship waiting to catch a tender to get off. Once in Cannes, we went to Monaco. You can take a train from Cannes to Monaco and it is about a 50 minute ride. If you decide to do this on your own, here are a few tips that we learned the hard way! :) To get to the train station, once you walk out of the port area and get to the main road, take a right. When you get to the Cannes tourism office (it is a big mirrored building on the right), take a left onto the street that is across from the tourism office. You will walk several blocks down that road and then you will see the train/bus station. If in doubt, ASK. Once inside, DO NOT try to use the kiosk to buy your own tickets. Go in the station and go to the ticket office to the left (it is inside more glass doors and it has a working AC). Once inside, pull a number ticket and wait for your number to come up and then ask the agent to help you buy a ticket to Monaco. It was 36 euros for all 3 of us. BEFORE you board the train to Monaco/Nice, make sure you find the yellow VALIDATION machine and validate your ticket. I think you get in major trouble if you do not validate your ticket before boarding. If you don't see a machine, ask someone where to validate the ticket and they will show you. Take the train to Monaco and then follow the signs (brown, historical) to the palace. There are lots of things to see and quaint little shops near that area. We did not go to the casino but that is also available. When you are ready to leave Monaco, you can get off the train in Nice on the way back to Cannes and do some wandering there. We did not do this because we lost time trying to find the train station and getting the wrong kind of ticket and having to switch out. If you have plenty of time, others say this is wonderful to do. We spent all of our time looking around Monaco and then we were having to sprint to make it back to the ship!! Day 7 - Palma De Mallorca - To be honest, when we booked this trip, I had never even heard of this place. I was thinking in my mind that we would probably be so tired from our other tours and adventures, we could just stay on the ship. DON'T STAY ON THE SHIP!!! This place is beautiful. It is the largest island in all of Spain. Once again, we did not book any tour. There are shuttle buses that take you from the port to the town center. BOOK YOUR SHUTTLE RIDE BEFORE SATURDAY MORNING. The shuttle ride from the ship to town is $15 per person. Book your shuttle Thursday night or Friday. If not, you will spend a long time in line on Saturday morning to buy a shuttle ticket. For those who do book their shuttle ticket prior to Saturday morning--when you get off the ship and you see a LONG line of people that look like they are waiting to get on a shuttle, do not go to the end of the line and get in line. These are the people who are waiting to purchase their shuttle ride. Let someone know that you already purchased your shuttle ticket, and they will tell you to go straight to the shuttle bus. Meaning, you will by-pass this long line of people who did not pre-purchase. Once you ride the shuttle, it will bring you into town near the church. There is a hop-on hop off bus tour you can buy here that will bring you around the entire island. I think the HOHO bus tour was 18 euros per person. This island has many sights to see and some amazing shopping. It is beautiful and I think it would be a great place to visit on a future vacation. Once again, this was an AMAZING CRUISE, with amazing food and ports of call. For all of those who are concerned because of the negative reviews, my advice would be to ignore them and go expecting a great time and have an awesome vacation. We loved it and will definitely be trying more Norwegian cruises. Read Less

We were on a 12 night cruise in the Western Med in an Aquaclass cabin. We were somewhat concerned before we left on this cruise having read a number of reviews talking about how tired the ship looked and indicating the food was so so. This was not our experience. The ship is older but I found it very clean and well maintained. They were repainting large sections of the wooden railings on this voyage. We ate most nights in Blue (never ate in Trellis) and the food was above average and on most nights was excellent. The staff were great. We did have a couple of lunches and a breakfast in the Oceanview Café and we were impressed with the choice and the quality of the freshly prepared pasta and omelettes. Café Al Bacio was great and the Martini Bar was a blast. The staff were very friendly and always helpful. Only our 3rd cruise and all with Celebrity. On our first two cruises we were in suites but we found the Aquaclass passengers we met in Blu a lot friendlier than the suite class guests we met on other cruises. The retreat might be a good enough reason to book a suite on our next cruise. However, we liked Aquaclass and actually preferred the food and atmosphere in Blu as compared to Luminae. Read Less

This was our first Viking cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We added two days at the beginning and end of the cruise. I definitely recommend the extra days up front because of jet lag. I couldn’t sleep on the plane so when we got to Barcelona, I was exhausted. We were able to see more of Barcelona and Venice by adding the extra days. We’ll worth it. The trip hit many stops on my bucket list. The crew, food and entertainment was fantastic. The daily information about the upcoming shore excursions was very helpful. We enjoyed all our shore excursions. I especially enjoyed Tuscany and Dobrovnik. The guides were very knowledgeable. Our guide for Sorrento and Pompeii switched the schedule so we went to Pompeii later in the day, when it was cooler and no crowds. Made the tour more enjoyable. The ship always had the best spots in port. Can’t say enough about our first Viking cruise except it won’t be our last. Our cabin was very spacious and was always clean. We are looking forward to our Viking River cruise in 2021. Read Less

We wanted to see Mykonos, Athens and Santorini and have cruised with Celebrity on a number of occasions. Overall it was a decent itinerary with 8 x ports and 4 x days at sea. Good staff and some really good U K based performing acts in the theatre. Food overall was good but the main dining room menu is getting a bit stale and as such we ate in self service restaurant on a few occasions which was a nice change. We found it disappointing that we could not even try a Martini, using our drinks package, you needed premium, in the Martini Bar. In general the wines that we tried at night did not match the quality from previous Celebrity cruises. We booked three shore excursions through Celebrity and two through Cruising excursions, which on the whole were far better value than Celebrity. Although the ship was okay it is definitely looking very tired and in urgent need of a refit. We also enjoyed coffee at Al Bachio and the occasional confectionary on a daily basis. It was also nice to be sitting somewhere and one of the onboard entertainers would set up and start playing. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I wanted to experience Europe and to feel safe and grounded while doing that. Maybe I would choose a cruise with less port intense agenda. Getting out every morning and walking for hours on end was too labor intensive for me, but it was still wonderful! Dining was a highlight of my day. I did dinner every evening in the main dining room. It was fun and I looked forward to seeing our waiters and our table mates each evening. I was quite disappointed to learn that surf and turf night is now a thing of the past! I could order lobster if I paid a $29.99 surcharge. Dinners were good but there was not as much variety as I was accustomed to. Majority of the items were offered daily. There would be 1 or 2 new items added per day, but most of the menu remained the same. I booked an ocean view cabin which I would have loved - except the weather did not cooperate. It was cold every day and wet & cold most evenings, so we couldn’t enjoy it at all! The cabin itself was comfortable, spacious and efficient. Read Less

I have only been on one other cruise, that was Carnival, so that is the only comparison I have. First, the good thing... The entertainment was great. The people in the show do a wonderful job. Most of the staff are nice enough. The ship is clean and beautiful. There are many nice pools and hot tubs, so they were not crowded (yet they close them all down early which is irritating). The bed was comfortable and the room quiet. The food in the buffet was just okay (deserts were good), better than Carnival, but the food in the dining room was much worse than carnival. And now I move on to the bad things... Eating in the dining room on Carnival was a great experience we looked forward to every night, but on MSC it felt like a punishment. Usually the food was not good and the waiters also made us feel uncomfortable and unwanted. They do not have "anytime dining" like other ships, you have to pick 6 PM, 8 PM or 10 PM. They kick you out after an hour or so to get ready for the next crowd. They are always rushing around in a hurry yet take forever to bring the food. We waited an hour for our first course one time, then had 15 minutes to eat the rest and get out. It is loud and there is constant banging from the dumbwaiter bringing down food. We asked to be switched to a different time and got a better waiter and location after the switch. I cannot believe they charge you for water in the dining room! Water was free on Carnival. Which is my next complaint, they are constantly after more money. They pester you all the time to buy the drink and food packages. The drink package would have cost $700 for the two of us ($40 a day). If you're drinking $700 in alcohol in one week you have a problem. We spent $80 on drinks, that's it. The food package would have cost around $260 for 3 meals for the two of us. That's seems high for mediocre food. The worst experience by far were the excursions! DO NOT book a tour. Have them bus you and walk around on your own. The tour company they use in Italy is a nightmare! We were not given all the things promised in Pisa and Rome. In Rome they lost an elderly man and left him there. Don't know if he ever made it back to the ship. I did not listen to the tour guides speak, they are hard to understand. Our English speaking guide hardly said anything anyway. The guides have deals with shops to take you there so you will buy things, like the "Pearl Factory" they said we needed a ticket to get into. It was a jewelry store! Nothing more, and it is free to go in. They wasted my time with this stuff. I felt very ripped off over the excursions. The internet was poor, and we had a router right outside our room. The zip-line cost $12 a person and is boring. It should be free! The constant up-selling is just a nightmare. We have decided not to go on MSC again because of these issues. Read Less

We had been on MSC Seaview late last year, and while on board we took the opportunity to book this cruise and take the option of trying "Club Class". So we arrive at the port in Barcelona where we are immediately relieved of our cases and escorted to the "Yacht Club" lounge area where our cruise ticket and passport were taken to process our booking. Meanwhile we are offered champagne and canapes which were very nice. Then we are escorted directly through check-in and security check, after which we were escorted directly to the ship and taken to deck 16 which is the entry deck of "Club Class". Then on into the Sky Lounge where we met Raj one of the concierges, he explained all the choices we had in relation to eating and excursions, he also helped us log on to the ships Wi-Fi system. He asked did we want any news papers,so we got the "Irish Independent" delivered to our room every morning. Madie our butler came and took us to our room, where our luggage had been delivered, we were given her phone number for use 24 hours a day. Restaurants we were taken to the "Yacht Club" restaurant where we had lunch served by happy cheerful staff. Unlike most ships restaurants this had many tables for two, and plenty room to move around. We booked dinner for 21:00 that evening. On arriving for dinner we were seated at a table near the window, then offered a drink,which we availed of. Presented with the menu containing quite an extensive choices, the waiter told us about the specials and gave us some suggestions. Given the level of service and extensive menu we decided we would dine in this restaurant for the cruise for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wondering through this vast ship we say the wonderful crystal staircases throughout the ship. The shopping arcade area has the most wonderful lighting system constantly changing views. Plenty shopping opportunities and as always on cruises the constant special offers sales. Numerous bars and coffee shops, large casino for those that fancied a flutter. We were so impressed with the whole "Yacht Club" experience that we went to meet Claudia the "Book Your Next Cruise" Rep and selected another cruise next September, she printed out the details. As i did not take my wallet, she said she would be in the Sky Bar that evening and I would pay the deposit. So as promised Claudia arrived and we went over to see her, she then said she had looked at our booking and had got an even better offer which reduced the cost so we happily paid our deposit and retired to have another G & T Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end, we had our breakfast and then back to the room and a last tidy up. we were then directed by Raj to the bar and we would be called for disembarkation. Madie arrives and takes us down to deck 4 and the gangway and on to baggage reclaim where she gets our cases and takes out to the taxi rank and calls us a taxi and loads in the cases and we say our goodbyes. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had not been to Spain (except for Barcelona which we love), Lisbon or Porto, Gibralter or Morocco. The ports of call and shore excursions were fantastic. We saw many beautiful sights and learned a lot. The ship itself was truly wonderful. The captain and officers were friendly and affable (not to mention very competent), the Executive Chef talented and sooooo personable, the Cruise Director (Handre) phenomenal and the cabin stewards perfect. All the wait staff in the restaurants were professional and at the same time welcoming. The entertainment was over-the-top wonderful. Seabourn does things right, and makes every trip a special adventure. One of the reasons that we love Seabourn is that the all-inclusive program makes the voyage so relaxing. The food is quality over quantity, and every meal was terrific. The deck parties were very enjoyable (lobster on the grill, dancing, champagne and caviar in the pool), and we were impressed by the "specialty restaurant," the Grill by Thomas Keller. One of our favorite activities was shopping in the market in Malaga with Chef Jes; the fish and produce were as fresh as they could be. The excursions were expensive, but the quality of the guides was excellent. The only negative on the excursions was the "hard sell" venues we were forced into in Casablanca and Tangier. They should offer a shopping excursion for passengers that are interested in buying rugs. One of our pet peeves, however, is that the internet service is ridiculously expensive. Since Oceana is offering free internet to its passengers, all other cruise lines should follow suit. We would highly recommend the Ovation for your next trip! Read Less

I thought the itinerary was varied and interesting with a few places we had previously visited and a few we had not. Noticed a decline in service especially in Terrace Cafe plus only one fresh vegetable served almost everyday, broccoli, cauliflower, zuchinni mixed vegetables! Almost as many supervisors in shirt and tie as server/helpers but doing very little to help! The dinner selections in the Grand Dining Room seemed of lesser quality than on prior cruises on the same ship or the Regatta. The entertainment overall seemed improved, but predominantly from the UK whereas the majority of passengers are still from the USA. Also, the afternoon Tea seemed to have fewer food choices. Both the Cruise Director and his partner and Assistant Cruise Director were both from the UK and little too flamboyant for our tastes. There were several tender ports. It seemed little attention was given to those who might not do well with stairs going down to the tender deck. Some tender operations seemed in need of a little more training in tender operation. Finally, I must say this Captain may do a good job, but was not particularly cordial to customers even dining at an adjoining table! The ABSOLUTE worst part of this cruise was the disembarkation on the final day! It was totally disorganized, no calling by color and number to disembark. a total stampede with no sign of any ship officers to thank the passengers! It was a horrible mess at too small a terminal facility for this ship too! Read Less

We choose to sail with Oceania as we had done so twice before & found them to be excellent. Everything is very well organized no matter what the aspect of the ship is - shipboard muster, restaurants, cleaning, tours, barista, afternoon tea, activities, disbursement of nightly & daily information on ports, activities, weather, etc. The food was very good whether it was the buffet, the 4 specialty restaurants, the dining room, etc. We thought there was plenty of storage space. One should not bring 3 or 4 large suitcases & expect to have storage for all those articles of clothing, although that may??? possible. The ship was always VERY clean whether it was our stateroom or the ship in general. Many times we would pass the staff cleaning the walls, "public" bathrooms, hallways, dining areas, etc. We did not go to any of the shows so I can't comment on them. There were very few children on board & the few that were, were very young. Most people I would say were 60 years and older. Although we only took one of the Mariner's tours, the guide was very good and very informative. My one negative comment (on all Oceania's cruises that we have been on) is that we do think that the ship's tours are very expensive. Lastly, unfortunately on our May 3, 2019 from Barcelona to Rome (Civitavecchia) disembarkation was a nightmare. From what we were told, the Italian security or customs (I'm not sure exactly who/whom) was late in doing their job once the Mariner pulled into port. Consequently their tardiness, inefficiency (whatever the "issue" with the Italian officials) caused a real problem with the disembarkation of passengers. Needless to say people were anxious about getting to the airport on time, trains, etc. The first couple of colors & numbers on the luggage tags were announced, but after that it was out of control & a free for all. The process snowballed out of control due to the inefficiency of the Italian officials and then the Mariner inefficiency of not continuing with their sequence of disembarking passengers. Once off the ship the amount of people in the disembarkation hall was not manageable. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the luxurious rooms and service, and the smaller number of people on board. We were very pleased with the service and accommodations, the food was superb in every restaurant, and the amenities such as spa, exercise room, butler service, etc was exceptional. We couldn’t ask for a better ship and crew. Our butler was extremely knowledgeable and helpful to us. All of the staff on the ship were very accommodating and pleasant at all times. We really felt like they were genuine in their actions. We took a cooking class and had a lot of fun learning how to cook Mediterranean food. The restaurants were exceptional and all gave a top class experience from the wait staff, food, wine, etc. the travel overnight to the next port was a great way to move from port to port each day. The embarking to port was easy and usually close to town for walking or catching a taxi. The tours were well planned and easy to access. A few shorter tours at each port (2-3 hours) would have been helpful to add to the tour options. Overall the cruise was exceptional and I will consider other cruises on Oceania! Read Less