We liked the itinerary and it was a good value. The ship is beautiful with lots of really wood. It was well maintained and spotless. The itinerary changes due to the Covid-19 virus were NOT THE FAULT OF COSTA, and we believe that the cruise line, the ship's officers and the amazing crew did all that could be done to keep us safe and informed. The in room food service while we were quarantined was delicious and the wine was appreciated. I still can't believe that the kitchen was able to provide so many meals to everyone and our food arrive hot and beautifully presented. My heartfelt thanks to the Chef and his staff. My only regret was that we did not have to opportunity to buy some of the outstanding photographs that were taken of us. I felt quite safe on the Costa Luminosa where disinfecting was done repeatedly every day. I did find that the US government-provided charter flight home was very risky and exhausting and that the CDC evaluation were not adequate. I understand that people are scared and angry, but taking it out on Costa is irrational. This was our 34th cruise. We thougt that the on board credit and future cruise discount were generous and we will cruise with Costa again - God willing. Read Less

Despite the mounting tension from the alarming ship news channels it was still an enjoyable TransAtlantic/Repostioning cruise: this ship has everything. Lots to do, lottsa of elbow room on the massive 220,000 ton Allure of the Seas: climbing walls, putt-putt golf, a full park/arboretum, awesome entertainment (had a 2.5 hour Broadway-quality ‘Momma Mia’ production and several excellent singing/dancing & Cirque shows, one with 30-meter outdoor diving) even a indoor skating rink with shows too. And special kudos to our doting Deck 5 dining room waiter Satyajeet & assistant waiter Jeffery! Every cruise I bring an ample selection of crisp 10-/20-/50-/100-dollar bills for distribution to uniformly hard-working/cheerful/taking-care-of-us/haven’t-seen-their-families-in-6-months staffers the day before debarking (especially the bartenders). I guarantee they can utilize these paper trinkets better than I can during the current world-wide cruising suspension. I heard the shuttered cruise lines are offering their dozens of ships/staffs for mobile, temporary hospitals/quarantine usage. Heck, with WiFi/kitchens/laundries/libraries/sharp crews/spas/gyms/running track and their thousands of super-efficient, comfortable cabins, perhaps employ them immediately instead of funding/building temporary facilities stateside. Read Less

Great Oasis Class ship. Experienced her for 12 days just before she goes to dry dock for amp. Cant wait to see her in 2021 from Galveston. The Allure overall had the best most consistent and good quality food of any RCCL ship we have been on. The Sabor Grill was amazing. Considering we were on one of the very last ships sailing, the crews dedication to keeping the ship disinfected was amazing. If it can be touched, it was sanitized throughout the day. Entertainment was outstanding including Mama Mia and especially Charlie Jourdan in the Bow & Stern Pub. Charlie was incredible, and he packed the place every evening he played. Amazing how organized Ft. Lauderdale embarkation was. Debarkation was just as organized. Loved doing the Muster Drill in the AquaTheater seating. Only hope when she is amped is they upgrade the slot machines in the Casino. Some were very old and uneventful. Read Less

First transatlantic.great time, an excellent experience! There was plenty to do ( or not do). The Mama Mia production show was fantastic as were the other headliner shows. The Diamond Club was a bit overcrowded, but Royal Caribbean did try to accommodate the best they could by expanding to other locations. Service in the diamond club lounge was excellent in trying to accommodate and meeting the demand. Service and wait staff around the ship in bars and restaurants was great. Due to the virus concerns it was obvious Royal Carribean was taking extensive procedures to disinfect and make sure that passengers felt confident while sailing that there would be no issues. You could not help but constantly see workers wiping down railings, walls, chairs, etc..above and beyond the standard cleaning that always take place. Sanitizers in front of every store and in many other locations around the ship. Will definitely plan another transatlantic. Read Less

This cruise was thrust upon us. We had booked a mid-Feb cruise on the stretched Star Breeze from BCN to MIA but construction delays cancelled that a few days before Christmas. Since we were within 60 days of sailing, and Windstar had all my vacation money, switching to another line was not possible. So I scrambled and came up with this cruise. With a 20% cruise credit plus the price guarantee, this eastbound (I swore I'd never do another EB T-Atl!) from SJU to LIS was an excellent value. The Star Legend was heading into dry-dock for its stretching so this was its last sailing with passengers in this configuration. There were ~107 of us, so the ship was half empty. The Deluxe Suite I had booked on the Breeze wasn't available on the old layout ships, but we were approved for the mid-ship deck six cabin. It turned out to be the best cabin on the ship (and I'm sad I will never have an opportunity to book it again, after the stretching it will be way too big and expensive for me.) The WS agent had warned me about the obstructed views and she was right. But they didn't matter at all to me. I choose to cruise on small ships because I want to be on a ship, not a floating resort. The constant view of equipment out my window reminded me I was on a ship and actually made me happy. And the lifeboat hanging over top of us when we were on the balcony sheltered us from the view of people on the pool deck above us. The suite was gold. Large, comfortable, luxurious. I will never again book a suite this large again but boy was it fun to have it for one cruise! The cruise itself was delightfully perfect. We had 15 days of glorious, sunny and warm weather accompanied by 13 days of calm seas. This wasn't just luck, the Captain worked hard to keep us away from the bad weather all around us and that meant an extra day in Madeira! The service was what we expected. The food was much better than we expected. The lack of entertainment was not an issue (that is a personal issue for people, but I've discovered that not only do I love sea days, I love sea days without lectures and formal activities even more.) We could hook our laptop up to the TV and watch downloaded movies from Netflix as well as movies from the library (and our collection from home of things we'd 'never got around to.') And there was reading. And simply doing nothing. The only thing I participated in was trivia. I had a wonderful time. As I said before, being on the ship and ship stuff is what is important to me. Windstar ticked every box in that regard especially with the open bridge policy. The majority of my days at sea have been on Silversea and Crystal but we settled into the more casual social life on Windstar just fine. There were a few things we missed but those things come with at a cost, both financial, but also time spent dressing for dinner, or spending an hour at afternoon tea each day. Afternoon tea was the only thing I really missed on this cruise from the other lines. I booked my next cruise while on board. And have 2 more (before then) that I've added to my calendar although I won't book since I feel the cruise industry is a bit unsettled and I'd rather wait until I'm sure the additional cruises won't be changed. ***Wait! There's more*** I can't believe I almost forgot to write about this part of my cruise. We always judge how companies handle things when things go wrong. I did mention that I was pleased with how Windstar treated me when they cancelled my original cruise. But something else went wrong.... Day 3 of the cruise the main water supply to our bathroom broke, flooding the bedroom. When I say flooding, I mean the water spread through the bathroom wall, under the carpet, pooling ~12' away under the window. Help was slightly delayed but to be honest given the speed at which the water was coming in (this wasn't just a leaky toilet), the extra 5 minutes were just more panic time for me, rather than adding significantly to the damage. I got the drapes up so saved them which my cabin steward appreciated since she didn't have an extra set of those. The bolsters (under the bed because it was morning) were soaked so disappeared for the remainder of the cruise (good riddance) and the bed skirt was replaced. I got my own items off the floor so nothing of mine was damaged. In the series of panicked phone calls ("send plumber", "send more towels", "flooding is now across the room", "send wet vac", "send another wet vac, the one here can't keep up") I also asked for the head of housekeeping to come. He and the guest services manager showed up. The ship was only half full so they were prepared to move me to the other suite in our category but that was in the bow and I didn't want it. What I wanted was to get dressed, eat breakfast, and then figure out what would happen. So a key to a suite down the hall was handed to me. We stayed in that suite for 4 nights but had the use of our balcony and (after the blowers were removed) living room, each day. We were compensated for the inconvenience. All staff worked very hard to get us settled again. It was so well handled that on the last day when my husband was telling the hotel director about how much we had enjoyed the cruise, and the hotel manager said, "despite the flood", my husband had to admit he'd forgotten about the flood! The blessing of the flood was it give us a chance to experience what a regular cabin is like. On Silversea and Crystal we had always picked ocean view, lower, mid-ship, cabins. So suddenly we were comparing apples to apples, rather than lowest category to the best suite. Crystal still wins for best designed cabin but the standard cabin on the Star motor yachts is very comparable. My only complaint was the proximity of the bathroom door to the bed and that is solved with the new Star Suites on the stretched ships (the bed will be by the window.) So, in future, we will not be in a suite on Windstar's motor yachts but in an SS1 category suite. Read Less

Had an excellent long haul cruise in 2013 on P&O's Adonia so was happy to trust them with another long haul cruise. The Aurora is a beautiful ship, lovely and clean, happy friendly crew, great onboard entertainent and excellent food. If you get the right cabin I would highly recomend it but our deluxe balcony cabin was disgusting. The balcony wasn't fit for purpose or as described to me by P&O's port admin staff before making our booking. The layout of the cabin was inpracticle and the air conditioning system was defective pouring contaminated air into our cabin. 1. We were asked to arrive at Southamptom for 1pm and instructed not to arrive early/late as this was our designated time slot to board the ship. On arrival, one of several P&O female ground crew staff, took our tickets and barked at us in a very loud and unfriendly tone that we should find a seat as there were over a thousand priority passengers joining our cruise therefore we would be boarding late. Not a nice start, being told you were insignificant and more than half of the passengers were more important and ging to get better treatment. They could have been discrete about prioritising frequent travellers. The female ground crew, all aged in their eary sixties continously shouted out the same information as passengers arrived creating an umpaitable atmosphere. 2.A glass of bubbly was handed to passengers as we boarded the ship and crew in shiney white uniforms were there to greet us providing a lovely warm welcome. Taking our hand luguage we proceeded exitedly to our cabin to see our home for the next 55 nights and was horrified to find our deluxe balcony cabin was anything but. It was dark and closed in. The balcony front was actually a window with the glass removed. This window frame was still surrounded by the ships original metal structured enclosing in the whole balcony area. I could only peer over the wooden bar that had been built infront of the window frame by standing on my tiptoes. The whole structure was closed in. No chance of using the area to sit out in the sun or take in the view of the Carrabean sea during our well earned and excitedily awaited 55 day trip. (I live in a small flat, so hope you can appreciate why this balcony was so important for me on this once in a lifetime cruise) The cruise had been booked on the early saver price which meant we coudn't pre-book our cabin number but P&O staff assured me that our balcony cabin would be exactly the same and that by booking a deluxe bacony the cabin would be bigger. The crew couldn't move us as the ship was full capacity and the 'hotel' manager told me we wouldn't get our money back if we abandoned our cruise. 3.We later discovered our cabin (the rear of deck 8) was originally part of the childrens play area and had recently been converted into one of 5 cabins. A couple at our dinner table also booked an early saver deluxe balcony cabin but unlike us didn't accept P&O's verbal assurity as we had and wrote to them expressing instructions for a deck 10, middle of the ship location with a proper glass panel balcony as orginally constructed to accomodate a deluxe balcony cabin. They had exactly what we had expected and paid for. A lovely spacious cabin, laid out exactly as described and shown in P&O's brochures photo, nice and bright with ots of draw storage space. 4.Our cabin was very narrow so the layout was different. We didn't have a chest of draws like the other cabin i had asked about this but it wasn't possible because of the limited space. The narrow room also meant the tv hanging on the wall at the bottom of our bed was in the way. It was dangerously close and my partner constantly hit his shoulder when squeezing pass to get in and out of bed. The lady in the cabin next door to us was unhappy with her balcony 'same as ours' and was mislead by the reception staff who wrongfully told her that nobody else had complained. Her cabin was the same size as ours, she had the space all to herself but was only charged just over half the price we were charged for our cabin. 5.A few nights into our cruise we woke up in the night with a strong smell of sewage coming through our air conditioning unit. This happened a secnd time further into our cruise. Each time we reported it to reception we were told no work was being carried out and the smell mysteriously disappeared immediately after 6.Paint fumes flooded our cabin from the air conditioning unit on many occassions throughout the cruise. Each time we were told no painting was being done and after being told this on one occassion I went out on deck, near our cabin and they WERE painting. The fumes were coming out from the air conditioning unit directy above my side of the bed and I spent the last 10 days of our cruise ill. (I am still unwell now 2nd March) an engineer came to our cabin towards the end of our cruse while I was particularly ill, he was a bit surprised because we had left our cabin door wide open to try to circulate the air. He told us it wasn't possible to switch off the air conditioning, we had no control over the toxic fumes entering our cabin. Because our cabin had recently been added on I suggested the air conditioning controlling our cabin was at fault. We expressed our disatisfaction and the fact nothing had been done about it and how it had affected both of us and made me feel so ill. He said he woud get on to the department cntoing the air conditioning. He didn't get bac to us but the last couple of days of the cruise was fume free. The balcony had a big impact on our holiday and we simply woudn't have booked this particular cruise if we had known what we were going to end up with. We trusted P&O and took their word as being factual and honest. This together with the lower spec compared to the other deluxe balcony cabins and most importantly health implications surrounding the airconditioning unit warrants the one star rating we have given in this review. It is a shame because the Aurora really is a beauiful, splendid ship. The rear swimming pool and sundeck is a rarity these days as ships tend to crame more berths into the back of them now. I did love the ship and will miss her. I am disapointed with P&O's treatment of us. And to be honest saddened by it as it should and could have been an amazing holiday. We had cruised with them long haul to the Carrabean in 2013, we are in our fiftys and represented the next generation of P&O's cruisers. SUGGESTION IF YOU'VE ALREADY BOOKED. 1. Get everything in writing. Be a nuisance and be insistent about what you expect. 2.Take an extention 3 pin plug lead, with lots of sockets with you. You only get 2 plug sockets in the cabin. They are on the dresser, away from the bed. The plug on the kettle is extra wide so the 2nd plug can't be used at the same time. Hence extention lead with lots of sockets. 3.take your own brand of washing detergent and stain removal spray for the launderette 4. Take a pack of antibacterial wipes or spray to wipe down door handles, light switches and tv remote in cabin. Our cabin steward kept our cabin lovely and clean but I woud recomend th8s precaution 5. I was surprised at the crews reluctance to insist passengers use of antibacterial gel. Equally shocked by the number of passemgers not bothering to use it when re-entering the ship at ports and the buffet cart. After gathering your food, i would recommend washing your hands again thoroughly before sitting down to eat, especialy if you have bread rolls to handle and other food to pick up.to eat. Observing passengers not cleaning their hands then using the coffee machine and picking up food tongs to handle food puts you at risk of picking up their nasty germs 6. If going to the beach. I often found the sunbeds to hire were too close for comfort. No space, no privacy.. I took a large sheet from home and spread it out on the soft sand to lay out on. Much more space, you can put it where you want and often bag a much better spot on the beach, plus save $10 a time on sunchair hire!! Read Less

For a trans Atlantic cruise, this itinerary had great ports of call. Started in Barcelona, a great city in itself, and then 6 more ports of call, before we started on our crossing. We then had another 2 ports of call before docking in San Juan! Although we enjoyed ourselves, this was the largest ship we have been on in 13 cruises, and would really have to give thought to a ship this large in the future, and probably for sure, not the Norwegian Epic again. Whomever designed the bathroom layout in the cabins must of had a grudge to settle with Norwegian. And who would of approved such a design.? I cannot imagine anyone thinking this a great design. Elevators were continuously overcrowded and often had to wait in long lines in the buffet for average just barely warm food. Had several occasions were our toilet would not flush for several hours at a time. Beds are short for a 6 foot tall person like myself. High marks for the entertainment, especially Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Burn the Floor, along with the Cirque show. Disembarkation in ports of call seemed to be fairly efficient, however the same cannot be said for the initial embarking. Did not appreciate that water was not included in drink package, and could not bring on board so much as a couple ounces left in a bottle from a shore excursion. Seems like nothing but a money grab to me. All drink stations had a sign asking you not to refill water bottles, which I blatantly ignored. Bar staff, did their best, but at many times definitely overworked, or under staffed. Before we ever sail on Norwegian Epic again, these issues would have to be addressed.. Read Less

And I have taken several; why you wonder: #1 - I caught an intestinal illness on board, couldn't eat hardly eat anything but chicken soup and a little fruit for the last seven days of the cruise; it was an eleven night cruise. Couldn't determine if it was something I ate or if it was some inconsiderate passenger on board spreading disease; doesn't matter I caught it on board. I do want to commend the medical staff they were excellent and took very good care of me. #2- The ship didn't stop at any of the advertised ports. I wanted to see the Azores (never have) and go to Bermuda( had family party plans). Well all blown to smithereens; thank you very much. Viking would be shocked to know; we actually met repeat Viking Cruise passengers that had hedged their bets that the Mid Atlantic Crossing wouldn't make the port stops. They told us it was to late in the season for the ship to attempt such a journey. They won their bet, so Viking should watch who they give cruise points too. I paid thousands of dollars for a constant rough ride from Europe to Miami; I would have rather flown. #3- My opinion is that Viking should stick to the rivers, rivers are calm, high seas are not. The ship was very beautiful, well -appointed and luxurious; but not very safe on a rough high seas. They have no railage, nothing to hold on to in common areas. I have never been on a ship that didn't have an appropriate amount of railage. What were we suppose to hold on to "ART WORK" well, it doesn't work very well. The ship was rocking and so were the passengers. Several people fell; "oh well at least they landed on something beautiful." So I got off of my Luxury Viking Cruise with a sea legs, cruise cough, very upset intestinal status and the feeling of just being completely ripped off; “so Thank You Very Much Viking Sea Cruises”. Viking did try to pay me off to shut up. I turned them down because people need to know; money is not everything. Read Less

I had never done an Atlantic crossing, and the itinerary looked great. And - it was on Viking, so I felt it would be the best experience. For the most part, it was really interesting and met/exceeded my expectations. Only a few drawbacks for me: 1. Really bad weather and rough seas the first 4 days, obviously NOT Viking's fault, but I did not enjoy that much time being very seasick. Thank goodness meclizine was available free of charge. 2. Due to the weather, we stopped in Maderia rather than the Azores, no big deal except for the timing. We stopped there after one day of sailing, rather than 2 to the Azores. Then we sailed all the way to Miami with no other stop. That was a VERY long stretch at sea, and despite interesting speakers & presentations, it got boring. We seemed to have had ample to make a more southern Caribbean port call on the way to Miami, as we spent most of 2 days cruising in north-south runs to kill time. It would have felt better if the Captain had told us that we were unable to stop anywhere else due to contract issues, or whatever. Many people on the ship were unhappy about this situation. Otherwise - it was our usual fabulous time with Viking - great cabin, absolutely outstanding service, good food & wines. While I don't feel the need to do another Atlantic crossing, I certainly will continue to be a very loyal Viking fan, and have already booked my next cruise! Read Less

My husband and I chose this cruise because it was an affordable way to check out Viking, and we hadn't taken a holiday cruise previously. We are experienced cruisers but not with Viking. We picked up the cruise partway through in Lisbon, so we had no time to explore before embarkation. The first 48 hours were rough. There were maintenance problems with our cabin (a blocked drain caused disgusting material to come into the shower) and the table on our verandah was unusable because it rocked back and forth. We also waited over an hour for our food at lunch in the restaurant on the first full day. Once the maintenance issues were fixed, things improved. The food was amazing; we ate most of our meals in the cafe and the service there was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the ship's entertainers and musical productions. We went to movies and many ship lecturers' presentations. There was always something interesting to do if we wanted, and plenty of places to sit quietly and read a book if we wanted down time. The seas were very rough and due to rain we were unable to visit the scheduled ports of The Azores and Hamilton, Bermuda, so that was disappointing, but safety comes first. A stop in Madeira, Funchal was substituted, and the included excursion there was an excellent overview of the island. I found the cabin to be cramped compared to the other cruise line we have sailed most often. Storage was especially poor and there were several ways it could have been improved if the cabin had been designed better. We were especially impressed with the friendliness and accessibility of the ship's officers. We had never been on a ship where the captain made a point of stopping to talk with folks in the public areas; the cruise directors, hotel manager, and others did the same thing. While I would not recommend a Trans-Atlantic cruise in December, I highly recommend Viking and the Viking Sky!! It was a wonderful vacation. We now have two more Viking cruises booked for 2020 and 2021. Read Less

One of the reasons we chose this particular cruise was because of the stop in Bermuda. Well, on embarkation, we found out we couldn’t go to The Azores because of weather. We went south to Madeira instead. But, since we went south and then across the Atlantic from that point, we were too far south to go to Bermuda. We had hoped to see Bermuda to figure out where we wanted to go back and stay. Very disappointing. The wait staff knew much earlier than we did that we were not going. The Restaurant was very lovely. I don’t remember being asked ‘to share’ a table on the Sun. We were asked every night on this cruise if we’d share. The World Cafe was the same quality as the Sun. We enjoyed the ability to have wine or beer with our meals. Manfredis didn’t seem as good as on the Sun. And, the only way we could get a table was to share! We loved room service and had coffee in the room every morning. Predictable and good. Read Less

As a solo traveller and first time cruiser, I did a lot of research before I chose this cruise. I was impressed that Viking included so much and that it had a good reputation for its crew, destinations, and for its food. The crew were all wonderful especially as I was very sea sick for the first two days. Unlike other times when I have been seasick this took me days to recover. Whether it was the injections I was given I do not know. So by day 5 I was looking forward to having some good food as well as checking out more of the ship. I was not fully recovered to see Madeira which was the first port of call. Madeira having been substituted for the Azores because of the weather. Well the food was a real disappointment. Inconsistent quality and cooking was a real letdown. Frozen seafood is just about tasteless when thawed. And my one night out at Manfredi's was spoiled by a racist sexist Trump supporter. Plus the food was lukewarm. I was at a shared table so had no idea that this awful pig of a man would be at my table. His wife and the two other people at the table were lovely but he was the sort of man that if you said something he would take it out on his wife later. So days 5, 6, 7, 8 were redeemed by being able to sit out on my balcony and be looked after by my cabin crew. By day 9 I had a very debilitating chest infection that had me coughing day and night. I have been home over two weeks and it has still not cleared up. One of the reasons I chose this cruise was because of stopping in Bermuda but weather intervened and no alternative port was offered so 9 days at sea. I am wondering where the chest infection came from as I was keeping pretty much to my cabin. I found the entertainment to be bland, not that much better than elevator music. And I didn't do any of the activities because I had been sick for the first 4 days. I did check out the spa but couldn't breathe down there, so no spa for me. The best part of the cruise was my cabin crew and that the cabin was so well designed. I could not recommend this cruise for it food or its entertainment. Read Less

This was a transatlantic christmas cruise from lisbon to miami,florida. we chose it for the fact it was over christmas and we wanted to experience being at sea over the christmas season. It was all we expected and more. beautiful ship, viking sky. we spent two days in lisbon which was beautiful. the city was all decked out for this special time of the year. From the greeting at the airport and transfers to the hotel tivoli, which was also outstanding, to embarkation, everything was professionally handled. Our cabin was beautiful and very comfortable. lots of storage space. Breakfast and lunch at the world cafe was more than we expected with wonderful friendly service and choice of food. dinners in the restaurant were not the quality of the other venues. most dinners were warm, never hot, and choices were somewhat odd for our tastes. Entertainment good with a variety of choices. The first port was passed due to weather conditions, like the azores, bermuda was also missed. we did make funchal, which was lovely with one of the best tours in our many years of cruising. Viking is definately on our list for future cruising. Read Less

We embarked from Lisbon on Dec.16th at 11:00 PM. On Dec.17th at 12:00PM the Captain made announcement we are unable to sail to the Azores due to stormy seas and for our passengers safety. We are sailing to Mederia and will be there tomorrow. The ship was rolling sideways all day long and into the night. I have been on 60+ cruises and I know when the stabilizers are not on, the ship doesn't roll side to side, up and down yes. Many passengers where sea sick and one female passenger was injured due to a fall. Why are the passengers safety at risk? Who is responsible? The Captain or Viking or both. On Dec. 19th the Captain states we are not sailing to Bermuda due to rough seas. Our friends on board the ship where supposed to meet relatives in Bermuda. They called their relatives and gave them the bad news. They stated the water around Bermuda was like a lake. Someone is not telling the truth. Why was our cruise ship traveling at 16 knots when cruising speed is 20 knots? The stabilizers were activated the day we left Mederia causing a drag on the ship and consuming more fuel. Viking made a decision to cancel Bermuda due to fuel consumption and to conserve fuel by traveling 16 knots or didn't have enough time for Bermuda and get back in time to Miami. The service was excellent. The food at breakfast and lunch was excellent. The food at diner was average. The Chef's Table should be closed, the food was terrible. The ship itself was beautiful and tastefully furnished with a lot of space to relax. Read Less

I choose this trip to try out Vioking which always portrays itself as a luxury cruise line. It is not. I also choose this cruise for the stops at the Azores and Bermuda which did not happen so the trip was 14 days of Atlantic ocean. The speakers were disappointing, the television and internet did not work including the computer system in the restaurant which created long lines and confusion. The "Explorer" Desk displayed a lack of knowledge and programs for solo travelers was non-existent. Additionally, they were painting the interior of the boat near the restaurant which only added to nausea for several passengers. Added to this was my knowledge that I had paid +68% for a single supplement that feels discriminatory and needless since there was 200 empty cabins. The crew, as with any other cruises I have taken were delightful except for the Dining Room Manager who did not know what a proper cappuccino was! The 24-hour room service was appreciated. Read Less

This was our second crossing on QM2, having sailed two years ago Westbound in December. The Atlantic in December *is* the destination for us as much as the QM2 herself, and neither disappointed. Perhaps because this was my second trip on QM2, I found the ship even more beautiful than I remembered. I noticed more of the details and the design and was constantly amazed and enchanted. So many beautiful "liner-y" public spaces to spend time in, it was a pleasure just moving through the ship. We spent a great deal of time in the Commodore Club for cocktails before and after dinner, and the Chart Room - my personal favorite. And of course the gallery on 3L was especially captivating on the days when we had "lumpy seas" as Captain Wells called them. The service from the Queens Grill through to all the public rooms was very warm and attentive, especially Rakesh who looked after us so good naturedly in the Commodore Club, making us always feel very welcomed. Osman and team in the Queens Grill ran a very tight ship as well, with near flawless service. There were a couple of gala nights were we arrived at the peak time and things were a bit backed up, but the room itself, and the floor show of all the table side preparations kept us more than entertain. We never went to any of the shows, as for us, dinner was the evening's show. I did attend the three lectures by Maureen Ryan the former Cunard social hostess who chronicled her career from the 1950s to the early 2000s and she was excellent. Likewise the jazz combo in the Chart Room each night was wonderful and the perfect accompaniment to the reasonably sized post-dinner martini and the dark Atlantic waters rushing by. The only negatives to the otherwise completely outstanding QM2 crossing were around the food: The menus and food execution were not really up to scratch.  We were in QG and found the food only about 4 out of five.  The service (thank you Osman and team!) and setting was fantastic,  but the variety of the menus and sometimes the execution was not up to par. This was especially true at breakfast, where not only was the menu very very pedestrian, but where they also struggled to poach eggs properly.    The menus were very tame, not even up to par with what I would call today's wonderful "modern British" fare. The food is more than adequate, but I guess especially in QG I would be looking for bit more flare and sophistication. Osman was very aggressive at offering us off menu items, which we took advantage of. Most were good to very good, but overall I would not sail on QM2 for the food. I had to keep reminding myself that I was on "Queen Mary 2" and not "Normandie 2" and that put things in proper perspective. The new menu in the Verandah does not do justice the beauty and sophistication of that space.  It's a gorgeous room, swanky and sophisticated, so it seemed a but incongruous to be eating steakhouse fare. The wine list by contrast was wonderful, and well stocked with a great range of old-world wines at reasonable process. Still, we've been back for almost 3 weeks now, and I have already had half a dozen dreams about the ship.  I am plotting our return at the first opportunity. I am a foodie normally, so despite the "meh" rating of the food, it speaks volumes that I cannot wait to be back aboard. It was absolutely brilliant, and how enormously lucky I felt to have experienced it. Read Less

This is a short review of Queen Mary 2 after having completed four Transatlantic crossings on her, with the most recent one being the December 8 to 15 2019 run from New York to Southampton. First, the ship. Queen Mary 2 is not a cruise ship. She is an Ocean Liner. What does that mean? It means she is built differently than cruise ships. She is longer for her width, her freeboard (the distance from the waterline to the lowest deck where water can enter the ship) is much higher, her hull thicker and her top speed is considerably higher than a cruise ship. In fact, one thing she is well known for is being able to handle rough seas very well. On the inside, I would describe her as being elegant in her décor and passengers have a lot of elbow room as her square feet per guest is one of the highest out there. Also noteworthy is how the ship’s interior is drenched in history and tradition. In some places it feels a little like a museum with informative wall coverings speaking of the history of Cunard Line, earned trophies and honors and even artwork everywhere telling the story of ships and the sea. Places like the Main Lobby and the Britannia Restaurant are huge and grand but still very tasteful. With that said, sometimes she does feel a bit compartmentalized. This is an after effect of her being built strongly as a seagoing ship, so engineering considerations came first. Second, the service from the staff is uniformly outstanding. They know their jobs, do them very well and their attitude is one of pride in their work and in their ship. They are also extremely approachable and friendly. It is not uncommon for staff to know the passengers and vice versa – this sort of ongoing friendliness is part of Cunard culture. Third, the food. To me it is very well prepared across the board. The selection does not always conform 100% to my tastes but it is very well made with quality ingredients. I especially enjoyed the Steak Diane in the Britannia, the Fish and Chips in the Golden Lion pub and in the Verandah steakhouse the Filet Mignon was excellent. Which brings me to a place named Sir Samuels and the Godiva chocolate everywhere. The hot cocoa there is decadent to say the least. Overall, to me the experience was simply wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend Queen Mary 2 with this qualification – you have to go into it understanding what she is and what Cunard is. Cunard is all about elegance and ambiance, about being steeped in history and tradition and yes, it is the line for ship buffs. It is not the line with on deck rave parties and ziplines in the middle of the ships. So if you are attracted to the aspects I mentioned then Cunard may be the fit for you. Read Less

We chose this cruise to get away from the Winter and have Christmas at sea Our Costa organised bus trip from our home town in Austria to Savona was smooth and punctual. Savona is a pleasant port, but as it was a bit chilly and windy, we elected to stay in the departure area Boarding was a little slow and Costa could improve communication to keep people informed Our cabin was ready and the luggage arrived quickly except for i case that was detained .This was due to a small hand steamer - this deice has been on about 10 cruises ,but this time was classified as an Iron. HERE I MUST CRITICIZE COSTA - they know who the detained cases belong to but allow a queue of about 40 or more people to wait like idiots to reclaim their baggage, instead of telling them where where to go. The enquiries desk is a bunfight and the reception staff and passengers are put under unnecessary pressure when a simple collection system would alleviate the problem The ship was clean and everything worked although some of the external steel is showing its age. Navigating the ship with the restaurants in the middle can be a little confusing The dining was really good in the MDR and the buffet was more than adequate. On sea days after the crossing it was a bit hectic The theatre entertainment was generally good and the theatre was always full. The daily activities were always well attended and the passengers enjoyed themselves.The design of the ship does not lend itself to undercover relaxing areas on hot sea days as the solarium is inadequate. It is a pity that use of the sauna is not free or a package separate from the SPA packages The service was good and the ship was kept clean and tidy The ports are all typically Caribbean with enough Tours available from Costa or ashore For us the best ports were Santa Cruz Tenneriffe, Roadtown and Martinique A message to all the unhappy passengers - Costa is an Italian cruiseline so why were you surprised the were so many Italians on board. And likewise most food menus on an Italian ship will be Italian Costa could cut down on the multilingual promotional announcements and fix the water issue that annoy so many people All in all a good time was had by most people Read Less

We chose the 17 day Renaissance Explorer from Civitavechia (Rome) to Fort Lauderdale. This gave us the opportunity to spend four days in Rome before boarding the beautiful Pacific Princess. We booked an obstructed Oceanview guarantee and were booked in cabin 6036, which luckily had a view between two lifeboats and was a beautiful cabin. We are "old style" cruisers, enjoying the smaller ship experience, set dining times with the same waiters and table-mates each evening (second sitting), formal nights and smart casual for the dining room, and no amusement parks on board. Princess has the best entertainment at sea and we enjoyed wonderful production shows, incredibly talented musicians and singers, and interesting and educational speakers. No hairy chest contests here! Fun game show formats, trivia several times a day, guitar lessons and dance lessons. My husband is a musician and for the first time in many years of cruising, he had use of a Princess guitar which he kept personally for the entire 17 days (calluses were kept intact and his daily practice regime was possible). I am a retired dancer. choreographer and director - I loved the talks with the entertainers where we could hear all about the hiring and rehearsal procedures, and life on board as a professional entertainer. The service was excellent. In fact, every crew and staff member on board was friendly - we felt like one big family by the end of the cruise. We also enjoyed all of the ports, and the sea days were especially wonderful with so many events and activities available. Embarkation and debarkation were a breeze - no wait at all! There were very few children on board and the ones that were on board were delightful and well behaved. The food was excellent - always new items on the menu every night with a wonderful selection of favorites. Made to order omelets and eggs available in the lido buffet with a great outdoor table section facing aft. We definitely hope to sail on the Pacific Princess once every year. Read Less

I had been nudging my spouse to make a trip outside the western hemisphere and get some new passport stamps. This cruise was available at a good price two weeks prior to sailing so we jumped at the opportunity. So glad we did. We spent two nights in Rome prior to sailing at the Hotel Quirinale. The staff was very accommodating from storing our luggage prior to check in, preparing a sack breakfast when we had an early tour scheduled, to providing directions and calling taxis. The included breakfast was quite nice. The room was small but lovely and fit all of our needs... clean and comfortable. We took the 7-hour Rome in a day tour from the Tour Guy. If you have limited time, do this. We saw the major sites, skipped the lines, and our guide, Maria, shared a wealth of information and was able to answer all of the questions presented to her. Embarkation could not have been easier. There was not a line and we were on board in under 10 minutes, and our luggage beat us to our cabin. As noted in prior reviews, a small ship is the way to go to avoid lines. Disembarkation was just as easy and not crowded. Had we chosen to, we could have disembarked 30 minutes prior to our assigned time, but we had no plans and a long wait for our upcoming flight so... The on-board entertainers are outstanding. Very talented and personable people, and they all work hard leading other programs, dance, guitar and origami classes or ping-pong, Wii, and mini golf. The Dancing with the Crew performance was not to be missed. I was not as impressed by the visiting performers; they were not as talented as those I've seen on the larger Princess ships. The venue does not lend itself for viewing a performance unless you happen to get a front row seat; the majority of the seating is at one level. The food was delicious in the main dining room, buffet, and pub lunches. We especially enjoyed the sushi and Mongolian grill. We too encountered the wait for the Mexican brunch, but it was worth it! Every crew member was friendly and helpful. Gustavo waited on us at breakfast. He not only remembered without prompting how my husband prefers his oatmeal, but he also offered travel information for his native country. Pompeii is not to be missed whether you book it through the cruise or an onshore vendor. Pictures and documentaries do not do it justice. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. The information shared by the guides is fascinating. I loved Palermo! We shared a taxi and 3-hour tour with another couple. We went to the top of Pellegrino, the Cathedral, the royal house, four corners and even crashed a wedding. So much history to see. Compared to Rome and Naples, the city is clean. No graffiti, trash and homeless. Gibraltar and Cadiz were both great for walking. We took the tram to the top of the rock and walked our way down. I got in over 9 miles. Guard your gear from the monkeys! They like to take glasses, hats etc. FYI, if you visit the Siege Caves, there is no exit at the end. You must retrace your steps uphill. It's not that far but worth noting. The parks in Cadiz were beautiful. We walked to the fort and enjoyed the beach. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife we took the ship excursion to the Volcanic National Park. The views are incredible. You'll want to wear your seat belts! Our driver covered those winding roads competently, but very quickly. If you like sea days as I do, you can't go wrong on the Pacific Princess. There were numerous activities scheduled for entertainment or wonderful locations for relaxing. Read Less

I traveled alone on this cruise because I wanted to spend some time in Portugal and Rome before the cruise and this cruise departed from Rome. It also stopped in two ports I had never visited so another bonus. This is a very small ship with only 672 passengers so the experience was totally different from the BIG ships. The elevators were very fast and almost always, I was the only passenger on the elevator. And the only time I encountered a line at any venue was on the Mexican Sunday Brunch extravaganza. So, unlike every other cruise I have been on, the aggravation level each day was greatly reduced. Far and away the most beautiful library I have have ever seen on a ship. An incredible amount of books and lots of comfortable seats and tables. And there a table specifically for puzzle lovers who worked them each day. There is a very small entertainment venue but I never encountered it completely full. And the chairs were very comfortable. Not theater chairs but really nice free standing chairs. The buffet, while quite small in comparison to most of the big ships had very good food and one of the best dessert selections I have seen on buffets. If you are someone who likes sampling the specialty restaurants this is probably not your cruise ship. There are two specialty restaurants on board, an upscale Italian, Sabatini's, and a steakhouse, Sterling Grill. I did sample each and the food was very good along with exceptional service. But they alternated openings so only one of them was open each night. Read Less

A Mediterranean ocean cruise- what could be better than that? Well, okay, perhap a Mediterranean cruise in the spring as opposed to the beginning of December - but weather be damned, Viking handled its part of the trip briliiantly! The first jaw-drop was being greeted by name by so many of the crew. I used to teach and needed at least a couple of days with identification notes in order to know who's who, yet the crew actually knew us! The housekeeping staff was unparalleled! Partaking of included excursions might have been chancy on another cruise line but not on Viking. Each excursion was well-organized and, for the most part, the guides were outstanding. Indeed, there was a good mix of different people on each excursion so we weren't stuck trekking with the same people over and over again. I must confess, however, that it would have been nice if all of our shipmates were a bit more cognizant of their physical abilities. It is annoying to be on a Medium and/or Hard excursion with people that can barely keep up. The ship itself is basically a luxury hotel. Although we had no sea days, it was lovely returning to the ship in the evening to simply relax and enjoy. Food was plentiful and prepared well - particularly in the specialty restaurants. We appreciated the knowledge of the wine stewards (we had the silver package) and would have liked a group wine-tasting session such as those held on sea days. Caveats? I cannot really think of anything major. I'm a reader; however, perhaps providing more board games or videogames in the public areas would be nice. The theatrical entertainment was actually quite good, the musicians throughout the ship were enjoyable, and the port lectures are extremely interesting. So did we re-up? Yes, I have to admit that although we are not cruise aficionados, we did sign up for a river cruise. See you in 1-1/2 years! Read Less

We joined the Viking Sky at its first port Pisa due to an airline delay. From the minute we called to explain that we would join the cruise a day late Viking handled everything. They met us at Pisa airport drove us to the ship and found and delivered our luggage that never made it to Pisa. Nothing was too much trouble for them. The food and wine was excellent with good service. We often went up to the World cafe before dinner just to get some sushi and jumbo shrimp. The living room bar was nice for an after dinner drink or coffee. The staff were friendly and attentive and even made my wife who had lost her voice a special tea that one of the waiters said his grandmother had made him when he was sick. We went on 2 included excursions and 2 excursions we paid extra for. The excursions requiring extra payments were definitely a cut above those included. The Spa was a highlight for us and we used the facility daily including the snow grotto. Overall Viking is our new favorite cruise line and we have already booked a cruise to Asia for April. Read Less

From the moment we were greeted by Viking staff and crew to our departure, it was a terrific trip. The staff is warm and genuine and were so accommodating to any and every request. Truly exceptional individuals work for Viking. Tours were efficient and enjoyable. Loved the attention to detail in all the restaurants. Manfredi’s was a favorite. The Explorer Lounge was enjoyed before and after dinner. Tea time was great to experience and became part of our cruise experience whenever time allowed. We were also impressed by the talent exhibited when the gingerbread house village came to life. Was my first cruise ever but will not be my last. Viking is tops in every category! Special thanks to the staff who welcomed the Cruise Critic mingle which turned out to be a way to meet fellow travelers who had corresponded on line. A stand out for us was how everyone went out of their way to make passengers feel so comfortable and truly appreciated to have us as passengers. Read Less

We liked the combination of a Western Mediterranean itinerary followed by a relaxing trans Atlantic cruise over the Holidays. Our impressions were overwhelmingly positive and we would definitely cruise with Viking again, either River or Ocean. But I will point out two issues where this cruise did not match well with our needs. The excursions were top notch, and informational material made it clear that "moderate" exertion would be involved, with a lot of walking and standing, so I was prepared for that. What I did not expect was how long the walk at disembarkation/embarkation would be. Walking on/off ship was10-15 minutes at many ports, and a couple of times, I was pushed to my limits at the end of the trip. This concern was common among many on those tours, and we were not in the "limited mobility" category. And second, a more minor concern was with the gym/exercise area. I practice yoga, and there were mats, props and floor space available. But right next to those of us looking for a quiet practice were men grunting loudly while they lifted weights. I quit going to the exercise area early in the trip and practiced on the floor of my cabin. I would have gone to more classes or used the mat area independently if there had been a quieter space. Read Less