When we arrived on board it was complete chaos, I was shocked. There was a lineup wrapping around the main level of the ship interfering with the passages to the gangway, due to all the number of complaints. People were yelling, crying, and were utterly miserable. No smiles or laughter to be seen or heard from both staff and guests. When approaching the Customer Service desk the staff would act as if they had no idea in the world why people were upset, "can you tell me what your issue is?" How much time do you have NCL?!?!?!?!? We didn't want our first minutes onboard spent in such a negative environment, after all it was our honeymoon. We politely asked for a complaint number, which the agent was refusing to give to us! We had to take a harsher and firmer tone in order to get the proper forms to fill out. When we raised concerns about our cancelled ports and excursions, we were directed to the shore excursion desk. Honestly it was insulting, we were treated as if we were stupid sheep. Go stand in another line for two hours to get NO WHERE! After all this wasted time we were informed that no refunds or credits would occur onboard and it would have to go through head office in Miami. We got a phone call from NCL the day before our trip advising to check our email account, we did, and it was just two emails trying to up-sale their onboard packages. We DID NOT receive notification of any itinerary changes or missed ports. I spent a full year planning, researching, and corresponding with locals at each port to ensure our honeymoon was perfection. I am glad I did this as NCL provides no information about any ports on board. Only information given about the ports was in regards to weather, disembark, and embarking times (which were changed last minute each day). If you like surprises, expect a surprise each time your disembark - as you never know whether or not your shuttle is free or charged to your room. Our cruise went from 1 day at sea to 3. The compensation was $100 onboard credit and 20% off of our next cruise. Like I would ever give my money or time to this company again!!! Instead of going to the port, Kotor, we were informed we would be making a mechanical stop in Bar for 2 hours. I curiously asked the Customer Service agent what should we do in 2 hours time. She informed that its a very scenic view from the boat as we were not permitted to get off. We arrived to Bar at night, all we saw were some lights and darkness. We literally sat in the water for two hours outside of Bar and then sailed onward. Sadly, we were then two hours late arriving to our port the following day. Pointless and completely avoidable. Our original itinerary involved us having 92 hours in port. We ended up with 61.75 hours inland. That is 33% of our trip lost. Naples was supposed to be a 10 hour day, got cut to 6 hours. Rome was supposed to be 12 hours, got cut to 9 hours. We lost Kotor and Santorini and nothing was given to replace it. One of our excursions were cancelled since we were no longer docking in Kotor. We paid $211.54 DOLLARS and got back an onboard credit. Which we found very difficult to use as most things were sold out within hours, due to the chaos that welcomed us onboard. Looking at other people's posts while we had days at sea, I came to learn through Cruise Critic that there had been mechanical errors for the two cruises prior to ours (dating back to October 2019). The fact none of this had been disclosed until last minute is absolutely disgusting and despicable. NCL whoever is at the head of your helm must be a narcissistic con-artist who enjoys robbing people of their time, hard earned money, and dignity. Staff did not manage issues at all. Staff appeared to not know or honestly did not know anything. Performances were just mediocre on most occasions. There were maybe 3 decent evening performances on a 12 day cruise. The TV channels were not appropriate for all ages and/or repetitive. One day my husband and I actually watched a TV show were two teenagers were smoking heroine or crack. I didn't know which drug since it was in another language. The days at sea were money agenda pushing itineraries. Most activities involved an additional fee or your ears being tortured. The Asian trio band singing Elvis, Beatles, Journey, etc with accents was just avoidable and the drum track was pitiful. The musicians that were actually good had awful sound staging and tone. I recommend ear plugs or save yourself the money and stay in your room. Trust me, your not missing out on anything. Room service. We never once had our toilet cleaned in a 12 day period. We found bedding bundled in a bag beneath our bed. Our queen bed was two singles pushed together and constantly slid apart, because of the serve winds and rocking the boat made. Vacuuming happened very infrequently. We never received any recognition for being on a honeymoon. Not looking for much, maybe a card and a cute folded towel. There was never a folded towel. Same staff ALWAYS working, I truely feel bad for them. When staff are overworked and get no breaks, quality will suffer. We had a meal package and even the food in those restaurants was okay at best. Finally, as for a romantic cruise it was nothing of the sort. The only romance we had is what the two of us have always shared as a couple. NCL did nothing to enhance our experience or to create romantic opportunities. The only noteworthy moments we had are due to things we had planned and researched on our own. All that was being promoted was drinking, gambling, buying artwork, buying more cruises, buying cheap overpriced jewelry, buying handbags from that were on-trend two years ago. I could go on forever, but long story short avoid this god awful cruise line. Avoid the Star. Avoid NCL. And if anyone who works for NCL is reading this, consider actually repairing the ship before frauding more people into giving you their money. Read Less

We found out two days before the cruise that we were not going to two of the destinations at all and all of the other port times have been altered considerably to be shorter due to a mechanical problem with our ship. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the safety of the boat. No offer to reschedule or change to another cruise which we couldn’t do anyway because when we found out we were already in Europe. We did not get to go to Santorini at all which is one of the main reasons we chose the cruise. Montenegro was also skipped. Once we were on board we found out that time in all of the other ports were shortened as well. When we arrived at our state room we found two beds pushed together to be a king which was fine unfortunately the two were different heights by about 6 inches making sleeping in the bed very difficult as there was a cliff in the middle. when we spoke to our cabin person he said there was nothing he could do the next day we also found out or shower was broken so that the only way you could shower was to hold the hat as the bracket could not hold the shower wand and the towel bar was broken. Both things remain broken for our entire 12 trip. Whatever the problem with the ship was mechanically it made our trip horribly rough many people were seasick. We arrived late at almost every port so we barely got any time ashore and the excursions we paid for were there for shorter but the cost was not reduced. The only compensation we received for our trip not being the trip that we paid for by far was a $50 a person non-refundable credit that we could use only on the ship. The food was of poor quality but the worst was the final night of the trip when we went to what we thought was going to be our 45th anniversary dinner in the main dining room. We sat and ordered received our appetizer and then waited for over an hour our waiter disappeared and we finally got up to complain when the person in charge came over to us and told us my husband steak was taking a while to cook. I told him that if the state had been cooking for one hour it wasn’t going to be edible. We then left he came to us in the buffet where our dinner consisted of a dried out prune danish and some ice cream that I had to go under on the closed rope to get ( all of the food lines were closed even though it was earlier than the time that they were supposed to close) at least half an hour later and told us our dinner was now done. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed so I guess we were supposed to go and get it and eat it in our cabin I don’t know because by then we told him we didn’t want the dinner Unfortunately the restaurant was closed so I guess we were supposed to go and get it and eat it in our cabin I don’t know because by then we told him we didn’t want the dinner. 45th anniversary trip was ruined by this cruise line and the horrible treatment we received. When we went to complain we had to return three times to do so......With one reason after another that we couldn’t even file a complaint. he finally insisted and was given a number and told the only thing I could do was complain after the cruise which I intend to do. Horrible customer service we had to wait over an hour while he typed up a complaint form, and in the meantime did several other things and made us wait. Read Less

We were on what was actually the first ten days of a thirty day cruise. We embarked in Venice . We arrived in Venice three nights early on our own (infinitely cheaper than letting Oceania arrange it). There are two cruise terminals in Venice, Martima and San Basilio. We hoped that the ship would be at Maritima since this would be close to our hotel (the excellent Hotel Moresco), but our cruise documents said San Basilio. The day before the cruise I called Oceania to find out where the ship was.and I was told by Oceania that ship was at San Basilio (we actually saw the ship from the Campanile).We met other passengers at our hotel so we arranged to go to the ship by (very expensive) water taxi. When the taxi dropped us off (and took off) we could see that the ship wasn't there. To make a long story short we walked over an hour dragging our luggage to find the ship. We couldn't reach anyone at Oceania by phone to get some help. Once we were on ship things seem to go smoothly under my wife found some pieces of bread under our bed when putting her suitcase away.We also had lousy service at dinner the first night. So our cruise didn't get off to a good start. After that, however things got much better. Our room steward Vincent provided for our every need.Non alcoholic beverages are included and are freely available in your in your stateroom fridge or at the many bars. The ship is the last of it's class that hasn't been gutted and refurbished. However it's very clean and well-maintained. It never felt crowded despite not being a large ship. There were about 680 passengers on board. We never had to wait for a table for any meal. The food was fabulous. At any meal there were numerous choices. There were always vegetarian, non-dairy and gluten-free options. The cleanliness and hygiene in the food areas exceptional. At the buffets, most food was out of reach and was handled by gloved staff. The only place I ever had to wait was at the grill where that made various meats, lobster tails and shrimp to order. The table service at the sit down restaurants was professional, attentive (usually). and friendly. Sommeliers take wine orders.and serve wine and other alcoholic drinks. Our cabin was a Concierge Level Veranda. It was a bit cramped. The bathroom is minuscule. A very large person would have a hard time with it.. It was kept quite clean except that after a maintenance guy came and fixed a cabinet magnet that we didn't know was broken and left a mess. Our itinerary got messed up due to weather. We missed one port (Messina) which were really looking forward to and instead of spending overnight in Livorno we left there after one night (so we missed Lucca) and spent overnight in Civitavecchia which gave us an unexpected day in Rome. We just went on our own by train and saw the overwhelming Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel. Was a long exhausting rainy day but well worth and we encountered some really interesting and nice people. We didn't take in much entertainmnt but we got into trivia contests and one points that we traded for t-shirts, a luggage tag, etc.. Read Less

Room is fine 11061 is a bit noisy but great size butler &maid Dining & tour arrangement a 3rd rate low price Cruise line disaster. Tour changed with no notification (some attendees, not all received notification 2 days in advance. WE DID NOT) from am to pm thereby not allowing time to dress for cocktail party & attend dinner reservation at speciality restaurant. The restaurant refused to change reservation 2 @ any time ! Reservations made online weeks ago for a very special birthday. Birthday when attempting to confirmed with Butler upon boarding I was informed my reservation was for the ninth not the tenth but he assured m we no problem as long as we were flexible with time. Tried to confirm planned birthday celebration at Jacques 2 day in advance informed I was on waitingist THANK YOU VERY MUCH Not even Carnival abuses multu repeat crusiersj. Oh wonderful !!just learned Port of Monte Carlo will be cancelled Read Less

We arrived at the day of embarkation to find that the itinerary had changed. Apparently, this had been known at least a day before. We were to miss 3 (Kotor, Santorini, and Mykonos) of our 6 ports and they added Split and Bar. We were given $200 OBC per cabin and 20% of our cruise price as credit towards a future cruise. This felt a bit gimmicky and doesn't really make up for the fact of missing these three ports (on top of the fact that we missed Bar due to high winds). When you compare what we received to the cruise prior ($100 OBC per person in a cabin JUST for missing Dubrovnik) and the cruise after ($100 OBC per cabin AND the 20% future cruise credit) just for missing 2 ports (Santorini and scheduling a technical stop in Bar in lieu of Kotor), we really weren't compensated sufficiently. There was a lack of communication overall. At our CC mix and mingle, they told us what was going on. But, nobody else on the ship was aware and rumours flew. I wasn't that angry about missing Santorini and Mykonos, but the lack of communication was stifling. We woke up on the day to reach Bar and were told it was too windy to dock. I could clearly see that. But, I doubt we would have made it anyway because the ship sat in Dubrovnik clear into the early hours of the morning. Other than the faulty engine (and this isn't new to the Star...read the CC boards), the ship was well laid out and nice. It could have done with an extra bar because Gatsby's was always crowded. Yet, the locations of most events were well planned. The cabin (a balcony on deck 10) was just below the spa. It was a large enough size, with a nice balcony, and tons of storage space for our things. Our cabin steward (when I asked) gave us wonderful towel animals every evening. I never had to ask for anything, as he always had things clean and neat for us each day. He always asked us about our day and wished us good morning. The entertainment was quite good. The Paradis show was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but funny and good. The magician was surprisingly good. In the past, I've been disappointed by magicians so was hesitant to go. Yet, he did a lot of close up magic that is popular today. The duo acrobat show was similarly nice while the Paris show was just ok. We loved the staff! The workers at Starbucks, the bar staff at Gatsby's, the entertainment crew. Enough can't be said for Shirley who makes you get out of your comfort zone, makes you laugh, and remembers you daily. She was the heart of the ship! I did manage to see JC a few times and he was entertaining! Another issue we had (once again about communication) was the events taking place. We always enjoy doing trivia and were waiting for one to start. Come to find out, Steph was doing paper and pencil trivia with 2 tables in the corner (at Bliss). We noticed and I asked about it. She said it's just paper and pencil tribond. I know what it was as I've done it before on NCL and it was done with a microphone and PPT. She argued that it's not really trivia (it says tri-bond trivia on the NCL Daily). And then every body else in the room (probably 50+) people had to go get their forms as everyone was waiting for trivia to start. We also had issues on the last day (sea day). We signed up for the black glass tasting at 1pm and come to find out, it had been moved to 12 and 2pm. Having signed up on Day 1 of the cruise, it would be logical to send notifications to the cabins to provide notice. It was not done and when we found at at 12:30, we approached the sommelier hosting the event, who told us they made an announcement. Announcements don't go everywhere (cabins, spa, etc.) and even in the atrium half the announcements are muffled by talking. So, we missed our tasting. The NCL Daily was incorrect as it did not show this change and even the times of the restaurants and bars were wrong. When you have so many other things going wrong with the itinerary, this should be perfect. Dining all around was as expected. We ate at Teppanyaki (9pm reservations but our orders weren't taken until 9:45) the first night, Le Bistro, and Cagney's. The veal steak at Le Bistro was one of the highlights of dinner! We had lunch in O'Sheehan's and the quality was mixed. All the staff were engaging, smiling, and interested in serving us. Food was nice all around, even in the main dining halls. Versailles was a bit quieter than the other one. It rained in a few of the ports (we only had 4). I could have skipped Cofu, but Split, Dubrovnik, and even Argostoli (to a lesser extent) were nice. Argostoli was the warmest and the sunniest, so that was lovely. We did take an NCL excursion in Argostoli and not sure it was worth the money. We rode on a bus an hour there, spent 30 minutes at the caves, then rode the bus another 15 minutes to the lake. We waited in line for the lake, had a 10 minute lake/cave ride. Then, we drove the 1hr + back to port. We opted for the premium plus beverage package and really enjoyed it. I'm 60% sold on it. While pricier, I enjoyed the option of not having to pay extra for nicer drinks (real champagne, whisky, etc.). We got coffees every day and were constantly hydrated with the bottles of water. Another service we chose was the spa. The pedicures we got with our OBC were amazing! We always buy the thermal spa pass. Yet, I was disappointed with this ship's. Usually, there's a sign on the door that says "quiet area". This one did not have one and was always noisy and seemed like a party zone. The hot tub was almost always at capacity and the chairs were always occupied. I had to be stealthy to get a chair and wait patiently. There were also a group of women who took shifts daily in the chairs. There were only 7 chairs, and they occupied 3 of them. As soon as one was ready to leave, they waited for the next member of the group and when he/she arrived, they swapped out. I witnessed this on several occasions and the rotations lasted hours on end. I didn't even get the value from my pass on the trip and avoided it Day 7 as I knew sea days it would be packed. I wouldn't cruise again out of Venice as the port is difficult to get to. Luckily, we just bring carryons and opted to walk from St. Marco square to Piazza Roma and took the people mover. Again, we had to cross several bridges and it took us 40 minutes to walk. The taxis wanted 100 euros to take us the 11 minutes. Read Less

We sailed on the third cruise of Sky Princess, 7 days in the Med. This was our 19th Princess Cruise so we do have a basis of comparison. I echo the sentiment of a previous reviewer about the inadequate elevators. The forward bank of elevators, outside of the Princess Theater, had only three of the four elevators in operation for the entire cruise. This is one of the busiest locations on the ship. The operating elevators through out the ship were extremely slow. Or was it too few elevators for the number of passengers? The earlier reviewer didn't mention the Nora virus. The second cruise was plagued by the Nora virus, passengers and crew members. Between the second cruise and third cruise boarding there was additional sanitation of the ship, which delayed boarding, room availability and embarkation. During our cruise the Captain reported several times a day about the enhanced sanitation required. Between 9 - 14 passengers "reported" being ill during our 7 day cruise. As a result, enhanced sanitary procedures took place everywhere. This was most notable at the buffet where everything was served. Passengers were not allowed to touch serving utensils, dishes, glasses, etc. This was an additional burden on the crew as well as passengers. This was our first experience with the "Medallion" and it worked most of the time. Several crew members complained about them. There was a learning curve to their usage. Food was very good and there were a number of new, for fee, dining locations. Sabatini's menu had changed, no steak and several other item changes.. Ship shops were definitely up scaled, more expensive and we had just been on the Sapphire Princess the week prior. We watched rehearsal for a new "production" show but the Sky Princess offered only one "production" show for the trip...Rock Opera. The show received a standing ovation but others complained later about how loud it was. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was scheduled to go to Mykonos and Santorini and had no at sea days. This " Greek Isle" cruise did not go to either of these islands due to mechanical problems with ship - which we were notified of only hours before sailing. We weren't offered a refund/cancellation options, only given an onboard credit of $200 - so NCL could get more money. Talk about adding insult to injury! Instead of stopping at 6 ports, we only stopped at 4 - only 3 of which were on original itinerary. Our trip of a lifetime was definitely ruined by NCL. We had also booked and paid for an Oceanview stateroom and discovered that we actually had a cabin with two small oblong windows that were totally blocked by a large lifeboat. There was not even a partial view - no ocean to be seen! We tried to make the best of the situation which we had no control over, but NCL really dropped the ball! At least the food was good, although there were not as many options for non-meat eaters. Entertainment was okay, although the Asian group attempting to sing classic American songs was a big fail, and they performed quite often all around ship. Majority of ship staff were excellent and we enjoyed talking with them. They made our ship time quite pleasant. Activities on board were also plentiful and varied to appeal to all ages. Read Less

This was my first ever cruise and I'm told I'll only want to stay with Viking from now on. Everything exceeded my expectations. We booked air through Viking to take advantage of the transfer services which made flying to and from foreign countries much less stressful. Viking runs a tight ship (get it) and it shows. All transfers were smooth, easy, and on time. Getting right out of the airport and onto a van to take you directly to the ship is much easier than having to worry about taxis or buses. The ship itself looked brand new, which it might have been, a plaque said Anno 2019. Everything was clean and no detail was overlooked in the decoration. Cabins were comfortable and spacious, although the beds could have been more comfortable. I particularly enjoyed the heated floors in the bathroom. The private veranda was nice although I felt as though I didn't take full advantage of it because there were so many other cool places to hang out. The dining was excellent. Something for even the pickiest eaters. I enjoyed the destination menus. Manfredi's was just okay in my opinion. The pasta was very good, but the entrees were uninspiring. The huge portions didn't really win me over either. Entertainment was engaging and the Explorer's Dome was a fun touch. The service was EXCELLENT! It seemed like everyone knew my name after the third day. All of the staff had bright smiles and were fun to talk to. Friendships were fostered and it made leaving the ship that much harder. Already planning our next trip with Viking! Read Less

Ports of Call were excellent! Ship was amazing! State rooms second to none! Food was mouthwatering! People were friendly! Excursions were fun and informative! On board entertainment was fun! The spa was wonderful, going from the snow room to the steam room and back and forth, followed by the hot tub and the cold water bucket challenge was refreshing and soothing! The guides on the excursions were excellent and the places we went were wonderful. Montserrat was beautiful and inspirational. Loved Barcelona, great walking city and so much to see. Florence was delightful as well. Weather cut short our Monaco stop but we still got to go into Monte Carlo and up to the Royal Castle. Even though we had to leave Monaco early, it gave us a chance to actually sail during the day as every other sailing was at night. The staff of the Viking Sun were extremely friendly and we enjoyed every minute on board! Read Less

This trip was a 50th birthday present to myself and a first on Viking. They are very organized, from arrival to departure. We were amazed at the attention to detail. They definitely go above and beyond. The cabin was nice size, plenty of closet space. Loved the heated bathroom floor. We ate at all the restaurants. The food was excellent. I looked forward to gelato every evening. The winter garden was a wonderful place to unwind, have afternoon tea with scones and finger sandwiches. The extra drink package was worth the price. The excursions were also well organized and the headsets, which are provided, allowed everyone to hear the background in history of the areas we toured. The tour guides were from the area and well versed in local history/customs. I would have liked more free time in our destinations, but I do realize that they need to adhere to a schedule. The tours gave us just a taste of the local culture and left me wanting to come back to experience more. We had a great experience and can't wait to go on another Viking cruise. Read Less

We were very impressed with this smaller ship. Although full there were no lines, no queues, no crowds, easy tendering and embarkation and so on. Easy to get around. Lots of outside space. with various bars with decks. Always a seat or lounger when wanted. Coffee Bar and snacks service was free. All restaurants had noticeably great and varied food without being 'poncy' ( yes we are English). The weekly BBQ is an experience not to be missed. Even lunches were well thought out. The buffet lunch also had waiter service if wanted with nice dishes. No formal nights which was great. The Breakfast and lunch outside seating was the best I have experienced -lots of seating and lots of shade or sun as you prefer. Guests all dressed well but smart casual. All seating is open so no crowds and mainly we ate from 7- 9.30 ish while talking to the various interesting fellow cruisers on our tables. Service throughout was first class, attentive and professional but not stuffy. Crew were well motivated and friendly in a noticeably genuine manner. Our names were remembered quickly. We were invited to dine with an Officer on one night. The ship is a good size with some 6 decks to wander about. Our Cabin on deck 2 was well furnished and had excellent storage. A very good and attentive cleaner. All suitcases went under the bed. This was a 7 night destination cruise with ship only moving at night. I prefer some sea days but my wife doesn't! All ports were fine for us. I liked the new smaller ones. Mainly Americans and Canadians on this particular cruise which was great, interesting people and no problem at all for us well travelled British folks but it might be for some who wanted to talk about Brexit, Boris and football! Many people had sailed with Windstar before. We will also book other Windstar cruises. This is not a ship with lavish entertainment -we knew this and it was fine with the long Dinners and chatting. The Music performers were terrific and suited us with the informality of the Ship. The small bar came into its own in the evening with music. Both music groups were very good. The music and dancing on the BBQ night and the Crew show were worth the trip in itself. ( I might have wanted the occasional 'Enrichment talk' but no big deal on a one week cruise). Perhaps the library could be bigger. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had six other couples going as well. Our 30th wedding anniversary is around this time and we first sailed on a cruise 30 years ago with Norwegian for our honeymoon. We hadn't been on a cruise since then and wanted to celebrate our anniversary with Norwegian. We were so excited to see Italy, Greece, and most importantly Croatia. We had been watching documentaries about Croatia and was really interested in all of these places. We had never been to any of these locations previously. We arrived early to our departure city and had a fantastic time. The embarkation went well and smooth. The activities aboard the cruise ship were numerous and entertaining. The food was acceptable and plentiful. The water was expensive to purchase in bottle form, but the unlimited drink package was most helpful! The staff from restaurant to porter was great! They went above and beyond. I do not think I would travel on Norwegian for our next cruise until I know that they have their cruise ships maintained and up-to-date. The loss of a port that I purposely booked for was too disappointing and I don't see the ability to go back to see it anytime in the future. Read Less

To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we chose the Viking Empires of the Mediterranean cruise and it was indeed fantastic. The Viking ship is beautiful and never feels crowded! The service is impeccable, the stewards are incredibly accommodating and personable, and the entire staff is to notch. The lounge areas are great, especially the Explorers lounge at the front of ship where we watched many a sun set while sipping cocktails. The restaurants are all fantastic and we also enjoyed room service breakfast every morning as we came into port at sunrise. The spa area is relaxing and fun with a unique snow room and cold bucket to experience Nordic traditions. The Winter Garden room for afternoon tea was a relaxing nice touch after a day of excursions. The ports and excursions were just unbelievable on this cruise highlighted by a gondola ride in Venice, the Acropolis in Athens, the sheer beauty of Santorini and the incredible walled fortress of Dubrovnik. We also did pre and post extensions with Viking which were very well run with interesting excursions, highlighted by a trip to Delphi and Olympus. Highly recommend Viking and this cruise. Read Less

My husband and I did a 7 day cruise aboard the Celestyal Crystal on October 21 - Eclectic Aegean. Neither of us are travel agents. It was their first cruise to include Istanbul and that was the main draw for us. I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the negative reviews, so boarded with low expectations. We have cruised three times before - Royal Caribbean (Symphony of the Seas to Mexico), Princess - Diamond ( to Alaska) and Norwegian Jewel (Baltic). It is true that the cabins are smaller than average, so we booked a junior suite and it was very comfortable for the both of us. In fact we found the cabin to be very conveniently configured and it was clean, well maintained and looked new. Our cabin steward, Shafique told us that the junior suites had been remodeled just a year ago. The food was good - it could have used a little more variety but we never went hungry. The chef went out of his way to prepare some special Indian meals for us and a few other passengers, which we appreciated very much. The shows were good and there were plenty of onboard activities to keep us all entertained. There were excellent singers, musicians and the on-board lecturer - Caroline was outstanding and we enjoyed her lectures very much. The included shore excursions were also quite good and we could not really complain. There is a very small room for children's activities but I don't really think there was anything worthwhile for the kids to do. We had no children with us and there were very few on board. I don't think this is cruise for you if you want a really good children's program. This is NOT a cruise for you if you are looking for midnight buffets etc. In fact, for passengers wanting ice cream, pizza or anything outside of the what is served during mealtimes (breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner) costs extra. Which was a first for us. But we were not hungry in-between meal times so this did not upset us in the least. This is also not a cruise ship if you want to use the pool. The pool is very small. The gym is also quite small, I used it once but the rest of the time we were docked and out sightseeing. Our itinerary was port intensive. The embarkation process at Pireus was a nightmare but the disembarkation was a breeze! The staff were wonderful and did their very best to accommodate everyone and take care of their passengers. I would not hesitate to sail on the Celestyal Crystal again. Read Less

I’ll admit, this was my first cruise so maybe I don’t have anything to compare it to but I came away from this cruise totally thrilled. Sure there were hiccups, it was the inaugural cruise, but the very good far outweighed the bad. The Sky Princess is gorgeous, especially the piazza. Our cabin with balcony was more spacious than I expected with tons of storage facilities. Our steward was awesome and made me laugh the way he set out my pajamas each night. Thanks Ivan. I have never had service this amazing before. The food was fantastic. The bars, especially Vines, was also fantastic. I loved their wine flight. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze. I had done my homework and was “ocean ready”. I had no problems with the medallion and I liked the bookmarking feature for daily events. I barely looked at the Patter. Entertainment was fantastic, especially the Rock Opera show on our last evening. The costumes and music were broadway quality. We did one ship’s shore excursion to Amalfi and while crazy expensive, it was very well done. I have motion issues and was concerned about that, but I almost forgot I was at sea, I felt very little motion at all. Smooth sailing. I was very sad to leave this lovely ship. I’d go back in a heartbeat! Read Less

Been on dozens of cruises on NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Crystal, Regent, Celebrity, And Windstar but this was our first Viking. We had heard about river cruises with them but recently learned of their entry into the ocean voyage market and heard great things. Ours was a Mediterranean trip from Barcelona to Venice - many ports we had previously visited but there were several new options if we were willing to travel a bit which we were. I’ll cover excursions later, but first the Viking Jupiter. This ship is brand new this year. It is beautiful. And they’ve worked out the kinks described in prior reviews. First, the crew is fabulous. Extremely hard working, pleasant and professional. They strike the right balance, not too aloof and not too obsequious. Friendly and attentive but mostly invisible until you need them. The Norwegian style is casual and luxurious with a living room environment rather than grandeur. We loved the cozy nooks with many gaming tables, puzzles, libraries, theme areas around opera, symphony, science ( we went to all 3 shows in the 3-d planetarium and a lecture by the resident astronomer astrophysicist). The cruise director is also a professional opera singer and WOW! There is no casino, included excursions at every port, included good wine and beer at lunch and dinner, no children programs, in fact no children, no formal nights. This isn’t for everyone. But it suited my husband and me. We are in our 50s and were definitely of the younger cruisers. The name that tune games that were hosted by the super talented 4 singers/dancers were tons of fun although a bit before our time(50s and 60s music). Buffet was top notch. tea time was not to be missed with live music in the beautiful winter garden next to the pool area every day at 4. The dining room is more intimate than the usual giant rooms on other lines. The 2 specialty restaurants are included. We liked the Italian but weren’t huge fans of French night at the Chefs Table. We aren’t big on fixed menus. We like to choose. The dining room we found to always have plenty of excellent options. Our favorite shore excursions were to Cassis France, Split Croatia, and Lucca Italy. Read Less

We just came off the Sky Princess Inaugural Cruise from Athens to Barcelona (October 20th to the 27th). We then spent two days in Barcelona. This was our second Princess cruise, the first being the Crown Princess in 2007. We have also done 3 Carnival (with the children) an RCL to Alaska and Celebrity Reflection about four years ago. Princess is our favorite cruise line. We have already booked a transatlantic on the Crown Princess in two years. The Sky Princess is immense, everything seems to be “super-sized” inside it. There are so many bars and places to eat you cannot try them all. What stuck us the most was how friendly and happy the staff was. The Ship decorations are wonderful, but not over the top glitzy. We had a cabin on the Sun deck. It is the standard Princess Balcony. Serviceable, not a huge amount of space, but how much time do you actually spend in the cabin anyway. Our Cabin Steward, Franco, was good. He always had a smile and a hello for us, even if he was the way down the hallway. If we asked for something (like a couple of extra towels), it was taken care of immediately and we did not have to ask again. Even though our Cabin was on the same deck as the Retreat Pool, we never had a chance to check it out, other than walking through it. Not enough Sea Days, I guess. We had anytime dining and the most we had to wait was about 5 minutes on maybe two nights. Overall the food was good and better. There were some outstanding things, some average, but generally good. The Beef Wellington was terrific. A few of the main courses for a couple of nights were a bit over cooked and dry on occasion. It is hard to cook for 4,000 people. We ate at the Crown Grill one night and it was fantastic! Our server, Ygenvey, was tremendous, he really made the experience wonderful. The dishes were excellent. We really enjoyed the dinner. The World Fresh Market Place (Buffet) was your typical Buffet. Some of the stuff was good, some not. A large selection, but not everything changed every day, so there were a large number of repeats. I thought the scrambled eggs they had for Breakfast were terrible. They were mealy and tasteless; however the made-to-order Omelets were good. Lunch for us was a combination of the Buffet or the Salty Dog Grill and the Slice Pizzeria. Both were acceptable. One day we ate lunch at Alfredo’s Pizzeria on Deck 7. The service there was a bit slow, but the pizza and the Calzone made up for it. The International Café was always busy and had some terrific little bites and desserts. My Wife had a Coffee Package and was there at least twice a day! Our favorite place, however, was Take 5, the Jazz Club on Deck 6. The music was nice, but the real draw were the three bartenders, Emil, Raisa and Wynn. We went there every night after Dinner and if we went to the Show. They became like old friends. We had a wonderful time sitting at the bar talking, drinking and listening to the music (although the musicians talked a little too much). The Princess Shops were a little disappointing, I thought, compared to what I remember from past cruises. The Sky Princess is a Medallion Cruise. The Medallions worked well. As you approach your cabin door, it recognizes you and unlocks the door. Otherwise it works like the old cards. You give it to the server, and they scan it when you order a drink or purchase something. We did not try ordering drinks with it at our seat, as everyone was so anxious to get your drink order. Manny, on the pool deck was terrific. He remembered our names, knew what we wanted to drink right away and was so friendly and attentive. It was nice when we were at Take 5, we never had to show the Medallion. The ship reads it and the staff can see you are there and make the necessary purchases for you. They have also integrated the on-board pictures to the Medallion and have done away with the printed proofs. Now you go to a terminal scan your Medallion and it pulls up all the pictures they have taken of you. Of course, it does not always read the Medallion when the pictures are taken, so a staff member must show you all the “unaffiliated” pictures to tie them into your Medallion. Not a real issue. A couple of nits to pick, one more annoying than the other. The more annoying one first. It is hard to find the rest room in certain locations. There is of course a sign on the wall, but no door is indicated. Just a plan paneled door. You must know to open that one to find a little alcove with the men’s and women’s rooms inside. It could have more clear signage. The other one is that the ship was so new it did not have everything loaded. I forgot my cuff links for the formal night. In the past, I rented them. This time they had not loaded the formal wear items for rent yet. The second formal night, we say they had everything for rent, but by then I had solved the problem by buying some cuff links in Corfu made of olive wood. The absolute best element, however, is when the ship is leaving port and blows the ships horn, it is then followed by the horn playing a riff from the Love Boat Theme. Terrific Idea! Each time it sounded there were cheers and applause on the deck. To sum up, it was a terrific amazing week and the ship is the main reason why. Read Less

The ship and staff were great. Food was fantastic and entertainment top notch. J.C. the cruise director was great as was Marc production cast director and the production cast. Room steward Jun was amazing. We received excellent service in all venues. The NCL shore excursions were exactly as described and we'll done. The service desk staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall, this was our best NCL cruise ever, number 11. Our embarkation was non eventful and we walked right on, our disembarkation was the same. We recommend coming to Venice a few days early to explore the city and take care of any jet lag as there is little down time during the cruise. We feel we got value for our travel dollar. We strongly recommend this itinerary, we are thinking it will change a little next year as the Venice cruise restrictions required the skipping of Motor, but we never missed it because of the superior ship and crew. Read Less

This was my first time ever going on a cruise and let me tell you..... my breath was taken away!!! Everything, and when I say everything, I really mean EVERYTHING was amazing!!!! The staff were extremely nice and helpful, all the food/dining area was great, the shows were out of this world, and I just had the most amazing time. There was always something to do on the cruise as well. My friends and I, not once were bored at the cruise ship. We had a great time going to the salsa classes, partner shows, 5’clock somewhere bar was the enjoyable karaoke nights, or just chill and enjoy the view by the pool deck. Oh and let me mention, the music was always on point, from playing known classical, to some reggae to dance to. I literally had the time of my life. I don’t think I’ll ever go on a different cruise, Norwegian is the one to pick. Trust me on it!!!!! Read Less

We sailed NCL once before and loved the itinerary. We like the itinerary scheduled for this cruise but found it disappointing on several stops. 1st, the stop to Kotor was canceled but the excuse given was that the departure from Venice was delayed 2hrs. I take issue with the cancelation since we made a two hour stop at a port just beyond Kotor and arrived there about 6 hours before we were expected to arrive in Kotor. Clearly, NCL avoided the port fees in Kotor but made no effort to mitigate the loss to the passengers. 2nd, the stop in Santorini was a bust. We arrived along with 5 other cruise ships and it took hours to get to the cable car. We and several dozen other passengers punted and went back to the ship to the bar. 3rd, the stops in Corfu and Mikonos barely gave you enough time to grab a meal and head back to the ship. We knew this before hand and chose not to take an excursion because of the rush. The Norwegian Star was clean and well maintained. We loved our room, the service, and the amenities. The food was good, best in the upcharge restaurants but neither warrant further mention. We were very pleased with the cruise director and his staff but.....there was really very little to do on board. We would cruise again with NCL but only if the itinerary were very special. Read Less

The ship itself was outstanding, with great amenities. The Gym/ Spa area was outstanding, especially the "Thermal Spa" area. The restaurants were all outstanding and catered to different needs and tastes. An unexpected surprise was the planetarium theatre where we saw a couple of shows about the universe and the aurora. The "common" areas provided space for quiet relaxation and opportunities for your choice of musical interludes. The entertainment selection was excellent, with many different types of music... classical (piano and strings), acoustic guitar, musical themed concerts, rock band. The individual cabins were just right in terms of space and amenities... and the heated floor in the bathroom was a nice touch. Being a smaller ocean cruise ship, all cabins had outside windows and balconies, which made the travelling more interesting. The Viking staff were all excellent! From the Captain to the cabin stewards, everyone had a smile on their face, catered to your every need and made you feel welcome. Awesome photo opportunities! We have already booked the next Viking Cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruises based on the ports, presuming low season and fewer crowds, and duration (13 days) seemed good. We arrived early and spent four nights in Barcelona prior to embarkation. All the dining choices were excellent. Our stateroom on Deck 8 was a good choice allowing easy access to the Explorer Lounge and walks on the open Deck 8 and sports activities on Deck 9. We spoiled ourselves forever by selecting the Penthouse Junior Suite (PS1). Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth with no complaints. Our PS1 gave us stateroom access early and it was ready with no waiting. The stateroom was outstanding; spacious yet a cozy space, welcoming us after a day busy with excursions. The live music in the Atrium, both piano and strings was always soothing, while choosing a dining option after returning from a shore excursion. The service was outstanding. The attentiveness of all staff and crew never left us wanting or waiting. We enjoyed all our shore excursions, those included and those that were additional. The local guides I would rate as good to great. The only disappointment was bypassing Monaco due to high winds and seas, so we arrived at the next port (Livorno) around noon that day. We loved being able to dock at each port with no tendering (don’t know if that is normal with Viking). I was impressed with the Captain’s skill at unassisted docking at each port. My first ocean cruise and I can say my wife’s and my best ever ocean cruise. We are planning another Viking for 2021, with a river cruise in 2020. Read Less

We chose to travel with Viking because of a positive experience we had on a previous River Cruise. We chose this particular itinerary because of the destination in the Mediterranean. The experience was positive from the time the Viking representatives met us at the Barcelona airport and they dropped us off at the Venice airport. Totally enjoyed everything about the ship, the Captain (got to meet him), the crew, the staff, the accommodations, the service, the food, Viking's attention to detail, the organization/coordination of events, the Spa (my wife), on-board events, the Port-talks, the evening shows, the views from our Veranda, and just EVERYTHING ON BOARD THE SHIP. It felt like we were traveling with Viking family and it was reflected in their faces. It was also very nice not to have adolescents nor a casino on board. A couple of the ground tours may need to be reviewed and tweaked, but these were outside vendors that Viking works with and depends on the particular land tour guide for your group. Would we do this tour again?...YES! Would we travel with Viking to another destination?...YES! We traveled with two friends, who were Viking 1st timers and they are now Viking fans. Continue upholding the Viking principles and keep up the excellent work, Aloha. Read Less

My husband and I selected Viking because of the itinerary and we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and birthdays. This was our first cruise ship experience and we wanted to go with the best. Viking did not disappoint. We arrived and our cabin was spacious and comfortable. The housekeeping staff was attentive, on point and always ready to fulfill a request. We explored the ship and was taken by all the attention to detail in the design and decorative accents. Our excisions were planned and the Viking team made sure all the logistics were taken care of so we just had to show up at the appointed time and place to enjoy our experiences. This made for a worry-free enjoyable vacation. Arrival back onboard the ship included friendly greetings from the staff and a visit to the various cocktail lounges to recount our day with others we just meet on the tours. The food variety, quality and options ensured something different and the entertainment was enjoyable. We had such a great time, we have already booked another cruise with Viking!! Read Less

I wanted to visit the Greek Ilse and sail by Norwegian. The crew / staff were very good and helpful. Food and services very good. The onshore excursion were organized very well. We did onshore excursion at every port. The tour guides that were selected by Norwegian cruise were excellent. They explained everything in detail within the time frame. We took a lot of photos and videos at every port. The embarkation and disembarkation was very smooth. We were happy with our stateroom and it was done twice in a day. There was lots of entertainment and by far we enjoyed all. The dining restaurant's were good, we enjoyed more at the Moderno restaurant. The food here was excellent. The breakfast bar had variety dishes to choose from. There was lots of fun and entertainment at the pool deck. Over all my cruise was excellent and I am looking forward to have the similar excitement in near future. Norwegian cruise viva. Read Less