We had never taken a motorized yacht before and wanted to try the smaller cruise experience. Yes the food was very good, always fresh and served timely. And the crew was very pleasant and focused on customer service. But, the ship is in disrepair. There are layers of peeling paint and rust everywhere. The entertainment is pretty lame and the specialty restaurants are nothing more than the main diningroom serves. We experienced two deck side barbecues and the second had few shrimp and no lobster. The bridge was supposed to be open to passengers when not in port and was closed half the time. So what did we like? The great waiters like Hari, Puji an amazing room steward and the Yacht Club where specialty coffees and snacks were served all day. The excursions were excellent although it took four frustrating visits to the excursion desk to get a refund. The guys working the tenders were great as were the crew in the marina. The port visits were on time and the tv offerings were nice. We found the room service to be excellent and very convenient during the 13 day mostly rough crossing. The embarkation was a disaster after sitting in a cold, dirty port in Lisbon six hours because a Windstar rep told us we could leave our luggage secured and there wasn’t anyone there from The ship to assist us. Disembarkay was leisurely and well organized. Despite the many pluses, we won’t be sailing Windstar again. Read Less

We picked this cruise because it was short and fit our timeline and our desire to go back and visit Spain after attending a wedding there a few years ago. The Marina was beautiful, very similar to the other Oceania ship we had been on (Regatta) but larger and had more options. We went to Red Ginger (B plus), Toscana (A minus) and Jacques (A++++) for Specialty restaurants, they were all delicious and the service was great. The Grand Dining Room, Waves restaurant and Terrace Cafe were all great too, I will say the quality of the breakfast in Terrace Cafe seemed to be not as good as the Regatta, but still fine. Our P Cabin was large and comfortable, I think it would be fine for an extended cruise. We didn't partake in any of the entertainment or Oceania excursions, we did our own thing. The service was very good, our room was always kept in great shape and our butler/room steward were very friendly and helpful. My whole family fell in love with the staff at the pool area bar that week (Maya, Maria and Valentina made us feel so welcome). They were so fun and always had a great crowd hanging out and talking to each other, we wished we had more time on the ship. I can't say enough about how great these three ladies were and how they really made our trip. My only slight complaint was just the rigamarole getting in and out of the ports, but I don't think that was an Oceania thing as opposed to just a logistics thing around the Mediterranean. The ports were all very popular and I think in the future I would make more of an effort to book private tours vs. getting stuck on shuttles for a large part of the day. Overall, another wonderful Oceania experience- we converted our family members who had been anti-cruise and they are going again next year. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the interesting ports of call and the possible excursion options (and prior experience with Hurtigruten). After our arrival in Lisbon, we did a private half day tour of the city prior to arriving at the ship - a very nice city to explore Embarkation went very smoothly and we were in time for dinner. Watch the lights of Lisbon fade away as we departed 20:00. The ocean was very calm for our entire voyage and we had lovely weather. The ship is small and intimate and we had a very small number of fellow passengers - which made it quite a pleasant journey. The cabins are small and functional and fully satisfied our needs - but if you are used to large ship cruising, you might be disappointed. The breakfast and lunch buffets provided a lovely selection of foods both European and North American and the dinners were well planned with an overall theme each night and how each item on the menu fit into the theme. Because of the lovely weather and low numbers, the dining staff planned several BBQ buffets up on deck 9 (instead of formal dinners) which were enjoyable. Dining staff were fantastic. The crew talent evening was a lot of fun! Once again this ship does not have all of the elaborate entertainment options of the larger ships, but there is music and talent shows. We really enjoy their activities/lectures - the expedition team always provides great information about the surrounding area and important historical information. Port lectures actually provide real information about the history and interesting sites of each port - instead of the ridiculous port lectures on other lines which are only an advertisement for a series of stores/shops. Despite some issues, the shore excursions were great - going to some fascinating historical locations along with knowledgeable guides. Two of the ports, the ship had arranged shuttle services into town - which was very nice - particularly in Portimão where the shuttle did a loop between the town and the beach at Praia da Rocha. Disembarkation also ran smoothly despite having ship problems that grounded us at Portimão instead of back in Lisbon. The bus ride from Portimão to the Lisbon airport went very smoothly. Looking forward to my next trip with Hurtigruten - hoping to do either Antarctica or the Arctic! Read Less

We took a our first cruise on Regent in May from Lisbon to London and we were blown away. We have taken Crystal in the past on some 15 cruises, and now we find ourselves remiss for patronizing a good cruise line (Crystal) when there was such a much finer cruise line (Regent) out there. Regent beats Crystal in room quality, service, staff, food, athletic facility, spa, public areas, embarkment, and in a very big way, in excursions. Crystal does have better entertainment, but overall this is a minor item to us. Further, Regent is not as pretentious as Crystal by declaring itself the "best" cruise line, and Regent does not push purchasing photos at every conceivable instance as Crystal always does. And even the passengers on Regent appear to be more polished and polite than those we have encountered on recent Crystal ships. Perhaps Crystal is yesterday's cruise line, but Regent is today's. Special compliments to the Regent's ship management. The attendants for the rooms were almost invisible, yet their job was always complete in a timely manner. Similarly, we were treated excellently by the food mangers in the various restaurants. Our favorite restaurant was Prime with the bone-in ribeye. Every excursion seemed better than the one before! Thank you Regent-job excellently done! Read Less

We joined friends on our first cruise experience. We didn't know what to expect but were given the 'heads-up' by our friends on what other cruise lines offer and how they operate. MSC disappointed in the customer service department on this cruise. There seemed to be a lack of employee training as we encountered conflicting answers to our questions. We did not receive our drink vouchers for our Fantastica Experience until we persistently tried to get someone to deal with the issue. The drink vouchers were not given to us until the third day of our voyage! What seemed to be a simple oversight became a huge problem that the onboard staff was unable to solve. The general feeling of fellow passengers was of confusion and frustration. The ship itself is beautiful and our cabin was extremely comfortable and accommodating. The quality of food improved with time, though the buffet got a bit chaotic at times and we felt rushed in our First Seating timeslot in the dining room. Our waiter, while personable, seemed to be flustered quite often. His assistant was efficient and professional. Small portions discouraged food waste and it was easy to order extra portions. Onboard entertainment was OK, but was not a highlight. Entertainers who were not part of the troupe of regulars were excellent. We avoided the crush of passengers getting off the ship at ports-of-call by leaving later and doing self-guided tours. Disembarkation in Genoa ran smoothly (behind schedule though) but was preceded by poor communication and confusion about procedures the night before. It was extremely difficult to get through to Customer Service with so many people having the same concerns as us. The Genoa port terminal was a challenge for passengers with small children or mobility issues. We experienced line-ups and a 'mob scene' at the taxi stand. Fortunately, the train station was a short walk away. I would hesitate to try another MSC cruise, even with their very competitive pricing, until organizational improvements are evident. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we were on grand European tour 2yrs before and loved every minute of it.The service is amazing and the tour guide extraordinary actually spoiled us for any other guide. Food out of this world hard to resist. We're thinking of booking another one probably in the fall of 2018 or spring of 2019. In 2015 it was our very first river cruise we had done 10 ocean cruise so we were not sure what to except . We love the big ship but now I'm not sure which one I like best because they're very different vacation. For the attention you get on Viking you can't do better. I remember one day my sister in law and I were having lunch on deck and the waiter came to tell us our husband were waiting for us in the dining room. You would never get that special attention on the big ship. In others words IT'S THE BEST VACATION ever. Read Less

We have sailed on Oceania 5 times on their smaller ships and loved them. We were a bit nervous about the bigger ships, thinking it might lose that personal touch, but it was great. Even with 1000 people, nothing ever seemed crowded. The staff was outstanding and the food was wonderful. Oceania always has slightly more imaginative itineraries than the other luxury lines, like Seabourn and Silversea. All of the specialty restaurants were excellent and Jacques was especially delicious.I had lobster Thermidor and crepes Suzette - utter decadence. The cooking stations are a super addition to the ship. The regular veranda cabin was very comfortable - we usually opt for the penthouse cabins on the smaller ships, but we're fine in the regular veranda cabin. There was a great mix of passengers on board and an equally nice mix of staff. The Riviiera as a beautiful ship,, the art work isn't to my taste, but that is personal. All in all, a great cruise Read Less

This was our 2nd Windstar cruise. We are now serious fans of this line. We have been on both the "yachts" and the sail ships now and both, although different were excellent. Service was superb. We were thrilled to have the dining room server, Esther, that we had met on our first cruise. She was consistently helpful, accommodating and pleasant. We hope we meet her on our future cruises (and we have booked several others already). Our room Stewart, Iman, also went above and beyond. What ever we needed we got! And strangely, the ship's doctor was the most valuable crew member, as she aggressively treated the bronchitis I came on with and saved the vacation. Only two days lost--and can't say they were lost as I lounged on deck and was treated like a princess. We were fortunate to be on a James Beard cruise and the wine tasting, the special dinner and the learning experience was beyond compare. What fun we had! We had a suite and were very comfortable. The suites are two cabins combined so there is a living room and two bathrooms. Very comfortable. The tours included and those purchased were very good, the wine and food theme was carried on many hours of them. The highlight for me was Granada and the Alhambra. It was a perfect tour capped with an excellent lunch. A must do. And on the ship, we were truly well fed and entertained at the Barbeque. We were very fortunate that the weather was ideal. The sunset magnificent and the whole experience was amazing. And the crew line dances were so much fun. Highly recommend this ship. Read Less

Our flight to Lisbon on TAP from Ft. Lauderdale to Lisbon was good with the exception of arriving about 5:30 a.m. Fortunately we had made our own hotel arrangements and they accomodated us and let us check in at a very early hour. Before I go any further I must say that I have given much thought to writing a negative review about Regent since we are gold members. We have been on many cruises on the Voyager and the Navigator and the Mariner and we loved them all. This time we were looking forward to it because a Larry Cohen bridge program was always outstanding in every respect. Our cabin attendents were the best ever and we really liked the refurbishment of the ship. Sadly, everything else went down from there. We had to miss three ports. The reasons were understandable but the attitude was "take it or leave it". We know the crew was overworked and understaffed when there was no time for a smile and the maitre'd was bussing the tables. The quality of the food and wine had gone way down. The specialty restaurants were no longer special. For entertainment on a missed port day we were given an English country fair. It was fun until we got to the bowling booth. It was tasteless to use frozen chickens for bowling balls. What a waste. We regret to say that the only way Regent is a luxury line now is in the price.   Read Less

(I´m Swedish. More of a 2*-man, than 5*) Cruising ranks low, when I plan holidays. Nevertheless I now and then cruise. Hithertho always with different lines (RCCL,HAL, Costa, NCL). Oceania was a step up. In many aspects. From outside Nautica looks rather plain. Inside impressing. Beautiful public areas, cabins, and dining rooms. I was very surprised that on this little ship had more space for myself outside my cabin, than on any of the three to five times larger ships I have been on. You could always find place to sit wherever you wanted. Now bit for bit: 1. Standard balcony cabin. Very, very attractive. I loved it. Really not large, but enough for us. Especially the bathroom gave limited space. But I prefer that than an even smaller cabin. The beds 110%. From hell to heaven compared to NCL, with their sweaty pillows. Free non-alcoholic in the fridge. The TV was an example of the opposite to HD. But that I count out. A tip: Try to get a cabin where you move forward sitting in the sofa. Not for example our 6025. 2. Public areas gave astonishing space. Used to crowded rooms on other ships. Elegant everywhere. 3. Sundeck: Lots of extremly comfortable sunbeds. Always empty available. Pool very small. The 2 bubble-pools very popular. 4. Walking-track very short. But it was so wide, that you could even jogg, same time lots of walkers were there. Strange: All the much larger ships I cruised on, gave less opportunity for jogging. 5. Gym. Super. 6. Dining: The dishes always served hot. And tasty. Especially in Toscana. Our favorite. The only dissappointment was the steaks in Polo-grill. But perhaps americans like that kind of meat. Thick and absolutely non-tasting. Second to Toscana, we prefered the self-service Terrace-café. Nice to see what you put on your plate. Wines: The cheap ones were not cheap, neither good. The more expensive were ok, but far too expensive. And the offered packages were also very high-priced. Stay sober on Nautica. Or drink in yuor cabin. (Bottles allowed to bring aboard.) 7. Bars: drinks very expensive, and contained only ice and soft drinks. Perhaps a hint of alcoholic. I took one, and just laughed. 8. Evening-shows: Very high standard for such a small ship. And varied. 9. Day-lectures in the theatre: Don Campell talked around the history in ports to arrive. For me, and I believe for many others, this was the best hours on the cruise. I will never forget him. And his lectures. 10. Excursions. We took 5. That was exactly 5 too many. Guides, dull, duller, or even duller. We envy those smart people who went out on their own in every port. 11. Staff: On former cruises they have been very nice. Here they were fantactic. As I began, I´m not a cruiser. But if I cruise again, it will be on a ship of this size. Worth every extra buck you pay. Read Less

Last June my family and I took the Oceana Nautica from Lisbon to South Hampton. I think we could sum up the whole shipboard experience in one word: Disappointing. The prior year we took Silverseas from Athens to Rome and had such a wonderful experience on a smaller ship that we were hoping to have a similar experience with Oceania. Unfortunately, the similarities between the two often compared cruise lines ended at the size of their ships. While this is a review of the Oceanic ship Nautica, it's hard not to compare it with our Silverseas experience. The Ship: The overall condition of the Nautica was tired and worn. The cabin was poorly laid out compared to our Silverseas cabin (same class of cabin). The hallways looked like they needed new carpet and reminded me of a cheap hotel every time we went to our cabin. The rest of the ship was ok though the pool deck furniture was weathered and well past its prime. The Food: The specialty restaurants were over-rated, though nearly impossible to book undoubtedly because, as we quickly discovered, the other two dining options: Main Dining Room and Buffet were respectively mediocre and bad. To make matters worse, they put the more surly crew members at the buffet line to plop the overcooked, flavor challenged food on your plate. As you carried your plate away you were left with the feeling that you had somehow been through this before and then you remember oh yeah, my high school cafeteria. The dining on the Nautica was more like what I would expect on a Carnival cruise. To summarize, I would say that Silverseas stood head and shoulders above Oceania in every aspect of the cruise  Condition of the ship, cleanliness and food. I personally would not waste my money on Oceana again!   Read Less

My self,my wife and daughter 8yrs.old flew into Lisbon Easter Sunday to board Splendour of the Sea on Monday April13. We were met as we exited the baggage pick up by a rep. from Royal Caribbean and our driver. Wonderfully excited to see us she took control and promptly escorted us to our waiting minivan to transport us to the Sheraton Lisbon Hotel we selected through Royal. Our driver was as friendly and helpful as any we have encountered and gave us a quick narration of Lisbon before arriving at the hotel. The Sheraton was first class and very stylish and the room very comfortable with a bath that had a large soaking tub, large walk in shower in all glass tiles as well as a separate toilet room. We could have stayed a few days. Dined in the hotel which offered a wonderful buffet for dinner as well as a huge breakfast buffet which came with the room price.The next morning we were met by a large coach bus our baggage taken and quickly driven to the port.The check in went the smoothest we have ever had with a wait just as long as it took our person to get the cards. This will be an indication of how flawless the rest of the cruise would be. Boarded and our room awaited with our baggage right behind.The room was spotless but the only down side was it was below the Windjammer so we would hear the carts across our ceiling now and then. Touring the ship the Splendour is in wonderful shape and we found the perfect size for our itinerary. Walls of glass in the main dining room was perfect to enjoy the Mediterranean coasts. The Windjammer was fantastic to see each port as we arrived while dining on breakfast. Food in the Windjammer was always fresh and hot. Crisp salads and a wonderful array of choices for breakfast and lunch.The main dining hall was always inviting and we never had a less than great meal. The fish was always fresh and tasty while the lamb dishes were excellent. Our waiters,Yurus(HW) and Jacob(AW) were welcoming from the start and went over and above pleasing us at every meal. My daughter was spoiled rotten by everyone in the dining room every night.Being in South America the crew had a large number of South Americans who we found warm and very accommodating and were infectiously happy. There was a real air of joy onboard.My daughter was in the Adventure Ocean program. Although the room was on the small side the staff made up for any lack of amenities by their enthusiasm and caring for each child. Being such a small ship my daughter would run into the councilors on excursions and would light up with joy. She said she enjoyed this group more than the Freedom group. My belief it was because of the size and happiness of the crew.The weather outside was spring like and only allowed usage of the outdoor pool a few times but it was great. Heated to 80 degrees. The indoor Solarium was used a number of times and was fantastic on the cool days especially for my daughter. Shows at the Theater were varied and was a nice mix of all types of entertainment. I will list the ones we attended:Day 1:Luis Dalton juggled and did many balancing tricks.Was entertaining although you would suspect not by the description. Intro of Bill Brunkhorst who was the perfect fit as C.D. for this trip and was entertaining but not over the top. Day2:Aaron Shaw romantic singer.O.K. Day4 Dancin thru the Movies with the Royal Singers and Dancers. The shows was energetic with the dancing really superb. Day5 Jaqui Scott: Pro off London "Broadway". SHe was fantastic as a singer and played piano. Wonderful personality with the audience. Home Run. Day6 Tommy McPhee: somewhat a young Engelbert Humperdink. A little over the top.Day 9: Jacqueline Roche: violin vituolso who was really good. Day11 Beatles Celebration. Absolutely wonderful. Had the whole house standing and singing along. As good as Spectrum group that plays on the Navigator. Day 12:Philip Hitchcock:magician..put on a great show and was my daughter's favorite.Pierre is a "mime" as in the spirit of Harpo Marx and is an assistant C.D. and he warms up the audience. He is fantastic and was the audiences favorite. Overall a two thumbs up for Royal for their selection of entertainment.We took an excursion through R.C. in each port of call. Every port the organization of getting the groups together before leaving the ship went flawlessly. The ports are as follows:Cadiz,Spain: White Villages and countryside. Beautiful sunny day to view an ancient walled town built on the high plateau in the Spanish countryside.Malaga,Spain. Caves of Nerja. Small seaside town which was absolutely pituresic on sunny spring day and then we were escorted to the caves which was a natural wonder.Barcelona,Spain. Toured Montserrant monastery outside Barcelona which lunch was served on a hillside restaurant. Excellent tour while lunch of pasta,chicken and local wine highlighted a perfect trip.Villefranche,France: Toured downtown Nice with free time to wander then proceeded to Eze France. A walled city on top of a large hill overlooking the Sea. Tour guide was very good in providing info.Rome,Italy. We chose Orvieto tour since we had been to Rome before. If there was one trip I could choose it would be this one. Truly it was ITALY! the tour of this ancient town with a wonderful guide as well as an outstanding lunch in a local restaurant of pasta,rabbit and local wine was the ultimate Italian trip to the real ItalyNaples,Italy. We chose the Capri with lunch. Took a ferry to Capri(a little rough) and had a guided tour of the island with free time. Off and on showers did not discourage us and it really is an amazing island.Corfu,Greece: Panoramic Corfu. A coach tour of Corfu going to the top of the island.Drivers are one of the best we have seen in Europe. Finished with a lunch at restaurant Rex. Great local cuisine. Split,Croatia. Historic Split walking tour. Met at the ship and took a tour of the historic 4th century Roman palace.Took  time to walk the town.Lovely place. Venice,Italy. Sunrise and sailing down the Main Canal on a picture perfect day.Doesn't get any better. Upon docking we were met immediately by our luggage and then a rep. from the Metropole Hotel.(a hotel we booked thru Royal Carr.) We were escorted to a water taxi and motored thru the canals and the driver gave us a tour of a number of canals before we pulled up to our hotel on the Main Canal. Beautiful Hotel. The room was huge and full of antiques, again with a beautiful bath. Our bags were immediately stored and we explored St.Marks which was 2 blocks from the hotel. It was St. Marks Day and the entire city was celebrating. Unreal we had such a wonderful cruise to end in such a spectacular way. That evening we dined in the restaurant in the Hotel Metropole which is one of the top in Italy. It could not get any better. But it did. The next morning we were met by out Royal Carr. rep at 4:00 A.M. and he escorted us into the water taxi,to the airport, onthe shuttle a few hundred yards and into the terminal. Stayed to make sure we were in the terminal through the security. It was the best trip we have ever taken. Everything went smooth as silk.Bravo for Captain Tommy Nyseter and his crew. Reading the reviews I was nervous but now I don't know what ship they were referring to. This ship had the warmest crew that we have ever encountered. Although it is not new ,the Splendour is a beautiful ship kept sparkling clean and polished. We are planning to return to take the Greece tour and now we know the great time that will lie ahead.Royal Caribbean had created the perfect cruise and we can't thank them enough. Read Less