My sister and I worked hard to find the vacation of a lifetime that our family of nine could all enjoy, including our 80 year old physically challenged mother who was gifting us this trip, our husbands, three 20-something kids and my 15 year old daughter. A fabulous experience seemed to present itself in an NCL Spirit 11-Day Holiday Celebration leaving Rome on December 22, 2019 that would take us, together, into new ports and the New Year. We booked our cruise and airfare directly through NCL Group Sales assuming that by doing so we would be ensured efficient and safe travel from our homes in New Jersey to meet the ship in Rome prior to sailing. When the booking information arrived, we were immediately concerned because some of our children were booked on flights different from the rest of us and horrified that we had to figure out ourselves that the flights you booked them on were not even going to put them in Rome until the day after the cruise set sail!! We called more than once as we were very concerned that there wasn't enough time between the flights in Lisbon, especially with a special needs traveler, but were assured all would work out well. We could not leave the day before, as we had hoped, since one of our college students had a final until 7PM that night! Uggh. We were right! We did not land in Lisbon until 6:25AM, at which point there was no way possible to make our connection on the next flight which closed its door at 6:40AM, especially as we had to clear a customs and immigration entry point with an hour long line. We were dismayed to learn that there had been a 10AM flight out of Lisbon all along and, had we been booked on that from the start, it was much more likely that we would have made it to the ship before it was scheduled to depart at 5PM. Of course, the 10AM flight was full by the time we were stuck in Lisbon and could not be accommodated. Utterly disappointed, we came to terms with the fact that we would have to wait to board the ship in Venice, missing the first few days of fun and excitement that the rest of the travellers would have at embarkation. We were rebooked on a Tuesday, December 24th flight from Lisbon to Venice. While still in the Lisbon airport Sunday morning, we tried desperately to reach anyone at NCL to help us and we left urgent messages for our Group Sales agent Shanice, which were never returned. The call to NCL’s emergency numbers took several tries before we finally reached someone at Total Travel Marine named Tania. Tania explained that she was just at a call center but would forward our information via email to NCL and advise them that we would be meeting the ship in Venice. Tania's email, which I have a copy of, clearly states our phone number and asks for someone at NCL to call us as soon as possible. To date we have heard from no one at NCL. We had pre-arranged for a van to pick the nine of us up at the Rome airport Sunday to transport us to the ship and since it was too late to cancel, we were charged for the missed pick up. Luckily we were able to schedule with the same company for pick up at the Venice airport on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, when our next flight was scheduled to arrive. All of these calls and efforts to reschedule our vacation had us at the airline counter until after 1PM. Exhausted, confused and frustrated, the nine of us trudged to the Lost Baggage area of the Lisbon airport expecting to retrieve our luggage. Another two hours later, the search for our luggage began but no one could find any information on them anywhere. By 6PM we finally left, being told by TAP that “there were well over 2,000 bags in their holding” but that ours would be located and placed on our flight two days later to Venice. On Monday, December 23rd, I tried to call our NCL group sales agent again in Florida, at an hour that I assumed the US staff would be working. While I was never able to reach her directly and left several more voice messages, I finally got to a general customer service agent. I cannot tell you how flabbergasted I was when she actually said to me, “had you purchased your travel insurance through us, we would help you but since you didn’t, once your ship left port, you are now considered a closed case”. Is this really how NCL has trained their customer support team to respond to travellers in distress? On Tuesday morning, Christmas Eve, we left the hotel at 4:20AM and headed back to the Lisbon airport to make our 6AM flight. At the Lisbon airport we went directly to the wheelchair area to get mom assistance but were told we would have to wait. We gave it until 5:30AM but concerned at how long it would take us to get to the gate, and afraid to miss our flight, we grabbed a chair and pushed her ourselves. We finally settled into our flight to Venice, exhausted, dirty and stressed but ready to grab our bags and meet our cruise and begin our holiday together. Two hours later, watching an empty baggage carousel spin by with no luggage in hand, we dejected made our way to the lost luggage counter at the Venice airport. We told the agent that our ship would be in Venice until 5PM on Wednesday 12/25/19 and she assured us that our nine bags would be flown to Venice in time to be delivered to the ship before we set sail again. After dealing with this, we headed out of the baggage claim area to meet our driver. It was now just before noon and although our ship was not due into Venice port until 5PM, we figured our best option was to be dropped at the port and wait. We arrived at the gate to the port around 12:30PM only to be advised that the ship had hit bad weather between Rome and Venice and would not be arriving until after midnight and we would have to stay in another hotel overnight and meet the ship the next morning. So Christmas Eve would not be spent celebrating on our special cruise, but instead in a cheap hotel near the port of Venice, cramped three to a room. We were now also on day three in the same clothes and we did not have anything nearly warm enough to wear, nor any toiletries and we could not board a cruise uncertain that we would ever have our necessities. We found a local mall and purchase a few necessities that we believed we would need until our luggage would be brought on board later the next day. Later that night, I called the Lost Baggage Service to track our bags and was asked to email them a copy of our cruise itinerary, which I did. The next morning we were finally delivered to the ship where we boarded and found our staterooms. My mother and children (a 21 year old man and 15 year old teenager) were booked to share a balcony room. Once the beds were opened at night, there was literally no room to move. The floor was nothing but bed and my son had to climb over my daughter to go to sleep! I can’t even imagine that this is not a safety hazard waiting to happen. When we boarded, NCL staff did provide us each with a bag that contained a tee shirt, a tiny toiletries bag and one ticket each for free laundry service (the best part of the bag!). However, the shirts were all one size (XL) which were too big for most of the women and too small for two of the men. Christmas evening dinner in the dining room was very nice, although we thought it would have been even nicer if we had the special outfits we had purchased and packed to wear for pictures since we had a 20 Picture Package that we had chosen as our on-board promotion. That did not seem to be much of an issue, however, since no photographer ever came into a public space we were in the entire time we were on the ship. The two times we had pictures taken were when we got off the ship in a port or if we found the photographer and their backdrop in the main lobby. This too had been a disappointment as we had first been advised that we could choose the Soda Package in our room as our on-board promotion since we do not drink alcohol. I was even quoted that we would be charged $17.49 per person for the 11 days in service charges, to which I had agreed. When I did not see that package on my itinerary closer to sailing, I was then informed that this was not actually a choice I could have made, that the only choice would have been to choose the “free alcohol package” that would have cost me $400 for the stateroom in service charges. REALLY?? Clearly this package was made available to some travellers, why not to us? Of course, by the time we sailed out of Venice on Wednesday evening, our luggage had not been delivered as promised. We were assured it would be flown to Dubrovnik and would meet our ship the next day, Thursday, 12/26/19. On Thursday morning, 12/26/19, we headed into Dubrovnik for a day of sightseeing. Freezing cold without our warm clothes, we bought some more warm things to wear for the day. Upon arrival back on board at 5:00PM, we were advised that two pieces of our family’s luggage had arrive on board, but the remaining 7 bags were hopefully going to be found and brought on board before we left port at 10PM. By 9:30PM the ship had already started moving and no luggage had been delivered. The next day we tendered into Kotor. By now it had been six days without our belongings and little more than a change of underwear and a toothbrush. Our first stop that morning was to a pharmacy because, by now, my husband had a headcold and needed medication which I would have had if I had any luggage. As soon as we got near a local restaurant with free WIFI I checked my email to discover I had received a notice from the Lost Luggage company stating that our bags had been delivered and the case was considered closed. Since we had only received two of our bags by that point, we were quite concerned and immediately had to tender back to the ship, missing any opportunity for real sightseeing in Kotor. Back aboard, we called Lost Luggage again and were advised that all of our bags had been sent to Venice but that seven of them had then been re-routed to Munich for some unknown reason rather than delivered to the ship with the first two! Almost an hour more was spent on the phone with the agent from the Lost Luggage company before he advised me that our bags would be flown from Munich to Pisa where they would be sent by courier to meet the ship when we arrived in Livorno on 12/29/19. So, on top of everything else we had missed already, we missed Kotor as well. We spent the next day, Saturday, 12/28/19 on board the ship in our barest clothing while having our bits and pieces washed at the laundry so that we had clean clothes again to wear when we arrived in Livorno on Sunday, 12/29/19. We spent the day Sunday with a tour of Lucca and Pisa and returned to the ship at 6:30PM, initially excited to hear that our bags were finally waiting for us at our stateroom, then utterly dejected to discover that one bag had been completely destroyed and was being held together with packing tape. Two others had been damaged to the point of having to be replaced as well. We spent part of our day in Barcelona purchasing new luggage in order to repack for the trip back home. We began this trip with the highest of hopes for an unforgettable family vacation. Unforgettable is certainly what we got. We are BRONZE level NCL cruisers who would have been one day short of reaching SILVER level when we disembarked at the end of this trip and couldn’t wait to begin thinking about where that next adventure would be. As of today, because meeting the ship in Rome had been taken away from us, we only got credit for 8 days on the ship and although I assume that we will be financially compensated for the missed days, the cost to my Latitudes account is just one more way we are feeling let down by NCL. Fruthermore, had we known at booking that the Spirit was going into dry dock at the end of our trip for a complete refurbishment, we would very likely have made other vacation plans from the start. What a difference this ship was from the NCL Gem, a previous NCL ship that we sailed on. While their staff, as always, was courteous and professional, we noticed the little touches that were missing. As I mentioned, no photographer throughout the ship. No towel animals ever appeared in any of our rooms on any night. My daughter’s dinner order placed the night before (she has a life-threating nut allergy) was forgotten one evening so that she had to wait for her dinner while everyone else was served. Even the chocolates put out at the dining hall on Christmas were old and stale (they had already turned white inside the wrappers!). We were on the Norwegien GEM from Christmas to New Years Eve so we had a reasonable expectation that the Spirit would be a similar experience. We could not believe that after the hubub of midnight passed on New Years Eve, there was not a morsel of food available to ship full of drinking passengers! Truly not a cracker or a cookie, the buffet room was locked up tight. While the lost luggage fiasco was technically not NCL's fault, the bottom line is that we spent a great deal of money booking our trip as a whole unit directly with NCL because it was our belief that NCL would be best qualified to ensure we were safely and reasonably delivered from our home to their ship. Had we realized how “hands-off” their group sales and travel departments would be as soon as our check cleared, we not only would have booked our own flights, and now know to do so for the future, but we probably would have booked either through a separate travel agent or with a different cruise line altogether. Travel insurance will cover the cost of a hotel or new piece of luggage, but when we were scared and stranded in a foreign country in the middle of a voyage that a company scheduled and booked for us, it is hard to believe that NCL's customer care policy is to "not care". We found out after returning home that NOT taking the cruise line's insurance policy was one of the smartest thing we could have done for ourselves. Frankly, although it saddens me to feel like this, it is very likely good-bye from our family to the NCL family. There are just too many other cruise lines we can choose from who we hope will treat us like we matter. I only hope that when I share this story, it will save other families from making the mistake we made. Read Less

The ship is very unorganized. The food was the same every day. Front desk clerk named Barbara Uchiyama was always scowling and treating guests without the least education and attention. The tours were disorganized. The guides hired by MSC knew almost nothing about the tours, reaching the height of not wanting to take us to the Mount of Olives in Israel because he preferred to take it to a store that certainly earns commission. The drinks level was 0.50 cents more to force you to pay for a higher plan. Suite members, who have a golden package, have no privileges on board or on board as mentioned at the time of purchase. The only space reserved for member Aurea spent half of the trip closed for maintenance. The cleanliness of the ship's toilets was deplorable Excursion outings were tumultuous and always with guides who did not speak the languages ​​sold Read Less

I just came back from a 7 days Mediterranean cruise with my family by NCL. My cabin was very nice and comfortable. The food was the best of the 3 cruise lines. However, entertainment, shopping and customer service were the worst of the 3 other lines. The shore excursions were very expensive. What bothered me the most was the bad smell in the elevator. It smelled dead fish. The embark and disembark were great. When I got home I noticed that several pieces of my jewelry were missing. I cruised many times with different cruise lines but it was my first time with NCL and the first time I had my belongings missing as well. So I decided to google if anybody had the same experience, and to my surprise, It is overwhelming the number of cases of theft in-room cabin. I am hating myself for being so naive. I guess I learned a lesson! I would not go cruise again with NCL. Read Less

Our last 5 cruises in a row have been on various Norwegian ships with various itineraries. They were all excellent. We like Norwegian because it is economical, has great ports of call, have sufficient time in each port and do not have specific dinner times. However, on this cruise we had a few issues. Our toilet didn't work off and on for a couple days, some of the dining room staff in the Windows dining room seem to be indifferent (Garden restaurant was better) and our last port of call Livorno/Florence was cancelled inexplicably because of high winds. The toilet was fixed (the ship is going in for an update soon) but in the interim we had to go up a couple floors to the public washrooms (none down near the rooms). Our room steward was excellent (we tipped her separately) as was some of the table clean-up staff which we got to know and talk to but some the Windows dining staff and some counter staff were terse and short with us. Our last stop Livorno was cancelled because of high winds even though the weather report said it was fine a couple of hours later. We returned to Civitavecchia a day early and had to scramble to find transportation to Rome and find something else to do in Rome (we spent 3 days there at the start). My wife had private transportation booked to Florence (Norwegian transportation and tours are generally over-priced) but couldn't get all her money back. Announcements on the ship were difficult to hear and there was only one live show, the rest were singers singing old songs and acrobats. My wife likes to do the painting classes but they were painting the same picture she did in 2013 and 2016. This was our worst experience yet with Norwegian but is 5 out of 6 acceptable? Read Less

I saw the December cruise from Rome to Athens advertised in August. It was a good deal so I booked the cruise for my husband and me. We had taken a Viking River Cruise in 2018 and have a Viking Alaska cruise booked for June 2020. Our first ocean cruise was fantastic, despite the fact that we missed the Naples port and our Pompeii excursion due to 65 mph wind and 17 ft seas in Civitavechia. We sailed directly to Sicily on the following morning-definitely the correct decision by our delightful Captain, " a Viking from Norway". The ships are beautifully decorated in clean Norwegian style. The Christmas decorations were beautiful! There is no feeling of being crowded on these ships because there are so many places to "hang out". The staff was fantastic! Service is great in every way and everyone is so genuinely friendly! Our cabin steward, James, saw that my husband uses a C-pap and ordered demonized water for him-without having been asked. We had great service from and great conversations with my husband's favorite bar-tender, Apri, and Margerite, the adorable server who introduced me to a Proscecco and raspberry liqueur drink: Fantastic! And the best part is that Apri is scheduled to be on our Alaska cruise in June! Shore excursions were very good. Tour guides were knowledgeable and spoke good English. The only excursion that disappointed was in Turkey. Not being familiar with the geography, we booked a tour to St. John's Basilica and the Temple of Artemis-not realizing they are outside of the ancient city of Ephesus, so we did not visit Ephesus. Also the last step of the tour w a s to a carpet store, where the sales people were very high pressured! Food was good. Manfredi's and the Chef's Table were very good. I had one of the best burgers I've ever had at the pool grill. I did not think the choices in The Restaurant were as good as on the River Cruise. You could always have steak, but I usually prefer the Regional offerings. Entertainment was fine. We became groupies for Mark, who went entertained in the lounges. The Viking band was very talented and the four young entertainers that did the Abba and Beatles shows were great. I'm not into casinos and lots of shows, so the entertainment was great to me. I liked the port talks before dinner each night on the River cruises better. The Times varied for them on the ocean cruise. The his experts talks were good. There were no lines at demarcation. Going through security leaving and returning to the ship was easy. Again, there were no lines. We love Viking so much that we don't consider taking other cruise lines. Since returning, we have booked a Viking cruise to Australia and New Zealand in January 2021, so we are now eagerly anticipating two cruises. We are also planning to take another Viking River cruise within the next two years. Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was a small ship (660 passengers), was visiting places we wanted to see, and was when we were in Europe visiting other countries. Firstly our cabin was obviously designed for twin beds but the turned it into a double. What this meant was that when your pillow was in the wrong position it hit the light switch and turned all the cabin lights on. This happened several times over the 12 days. Also we were on the 4th floor above the gangway on the 3rd floor, every time we docked we were awoken by banging, crashing, and even one morning by an angle grinder as they prepared for disembarkation in port. One excursion we got absolutely soaked getting from the ship to the bus and had to sit for seven hours in wet squelchy clothes- not good. As it was a small ship you had only one choice of entertainment each night and it was hit and miss as to quality. The acoustics in the dining room were so noisy that my poor father, who wears hearing aids, couldn’t have them turned on so missed out on conversations in the end we had buffet dinners. Also when did you go to a fine dining restaurant and have Purcel squirted into your hands as you entered??? No free bottled water??? Even on the trains in Europe you get a free bottle of water, also free in every hotel - no Princess wanted USD $7 for a bottle of water !!! We have decided that as a family we are never going on a cruise again Read Less

Having previously cruised with Viking I knew what to expect and was not disappointed! I heard no negative comments from other guests only praise at the quality and value of a Viking Cruise! Let there be no doubt Viking is at the top of my cruise list! The Viking Sky is not the newest ship in the fleet but very well maintained -kudos to the Captain and crew! The dining was excellent with a good variety to choose from. Compared to some other companies, Viking is a standard to meet! I especially enjoyed and appreciated the assistance from arrival to departure, someone was always there to make you feel special; luggage was whisked away and properly deposited, rooms were ready, great tours were available with outstanding guides! All in all Viking can be proud! If I had to note an area that I wished to improve it would be the dinner wine list, it is purely a matter of taste but my wife and I prefer a lieblish or sweet wine, and only dry or half-dry was available without charge. I recognize most people prefer a dry wine so it’s no big issue! Read Less

Superb Customer Service / Care by the crew and staff. Excellent time keeping on destinations albeit the weather issues for Monte Carlo. Food and Dinning is an experience to behold. State Rooms were spacious and clean. State Room attendants were sharp in maintaining room cleanliness and comfy. Excellent nightly shows and programs to keep us occupied. Daily updates through door notes and announcements were clear and precise. Gym ,Sauna and Steam Room were well equipment , well maintained and convenient for use.Daily Breakfast is a much awaited session with a superb array of dishes palatable to various nationalities need. Daily Lunch buffet spread is not only lavish is also delightfully a look forward to episode. Dinner ,hmmm what to say ,the fine dining is a time of pamper with a varied cuisine. Coffee and Teatime is quintessentially memorable time , decor of lounging area makes it all the more lovely. Thank you Oceania Cruise, it was a lifetime memorable trip. Thank you thank you thank you. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the ports of call. We began in Genoa. Cruise was western Mediterranean. My first cruise ever. Super clean ship, nice staff. Food was never hot, and as a buffet goes had the buffet fixings. Nothing dazzling about the food. All tasted good, but was average. Ran out of English breakfast tea 3 days before cruise ended. That surprised me, as I really only drink tea in the morning and after dinner. Tons of pressure to purchase drink package, we did not purchase but paid as we went, and did not spend nearly what the package would have cost. Room was large ( we had 3 people), and clean. Shower flooded the bathroom and part of the cabin. Fans put in the room to dry it up. Also received prosecco and caviar for the inconvenience. We did tours on our own. Used MSC for the Rome on your own tour...worked out fine but know it is 2 hours to Rome from the port. I would definately choose MSC again. Read Less

The Epic has great food and bartenders, entertainment was good and many music venues to choose from. There is always something going on on board and plenty of lounge chairs to just relax if that’s what you are looking to do. The specialty dinners were terrific and worth the money. The only downside is the size of the cabins are good for two passengers we had were three in a rear facing balcony cabin and the room is limited. The ships engine noise level in the rear of the ship at the H2O bar and next to the water slides is a bit too much and it gets way too loud for our liking. The breakfast choices at the buffets do seem to repeat a bit too much. We didn’t try the restaurants for breakfast but maybe that would be a choice to vary the food choices. Overall we had a great time and did like the free style dining and more relaxed dress code for the dinner venues. Read Less

We chose this cruise as a ticket home, in a more interesting way than a plane ride, after sailing around the Mediterranean on a Norwegian ship (Spirit). The NS is ostensibly a beautiful ship with a musical theme. I had a budget room on a repo cruise and did not expect the world. The cruise was ultimately very average and frankly mostly boring. We couldn't attend too many bars or areas due to the prevalence of PEANUTS in every bar, in every night time chocolate and due to the potential for cross contamination - frankly everywhere. I offered to leave the ship and fly home and was offered ZERO compensation to do so. Management told me they had a nut policy which I should have known about. I re-read the agreement after the trip and didn't find it. Due to the severity of the allergy (duly appreciated by many restaurants, schools and airlines now) we couldn't really relax. The cabin size - inside cabin - was pathetically small. The shower was pretty but slightly cramped - better than some boats however. Repo cross Atlantics are not the most exciting itineraries to begin with but the entertainment on this cruise - except the BB King Blues Bar which was great - was not like that from the better days of cruising with production shows and orchestras. The Buffet was a cluster of needy "my needs first' people moving in chaotic fashion to reach FAR TOO HEAVY CHAIRS" on carpet that further restricted their movement. The Buffet was a terrible area and I didn't find the kind of Mexican and Italian food I am used to eating, very often, or in great abundance. I didn't like dining on the NS. Others with more sophisticated palates may have relished the provisions. Too many well healed snoots lacking in happy demeanor and social graces was my call on many of the passengers - although there are always excellent people to speak with on cruises. I was left bored and underwhelmed by this cruise and Holland America has dropped in my rankings for future cruise choices. Read Less

Bit of background. Used to cruise quite a bit pre-kids but this is our 1st in 10 years and our first taking the children. The cruise was very well priced considering it was the half term holidays in the UK. Hesitant after reading the reviews of the ship so maybe that lessened my expectations but everything was very good. Embarkation - Bit confusing. On previous cruises, we got our cruise cards when we checked in. Here, we got told they are left in the cabin though our cabin was locked so had to go down to Reception and wait in the long queue before getting new cards. Yes - there was a bit of a scrum at breakfast time but always managed to find a seat or table. Food was always being constantly being checked and stocked up. This is despite people packing their plates as high as they could and filling tupperware with items for their lunch. How much food waste there is I don't want to know! I don't know why people can't put on their plate want they can eat and then go back for more if they still need more to eat? We ate in the Black Crab restaurant where our waiter Gerardo was helpful and good with the kids. Food was of good quality, not a great quantity on the plates but enough. Good selection of wines available. Theatre - As people have said, it's singing, singing, singing but when you have the quality of the singers they have then why not. Very entertaining and enjoyed each night. Ship was clean. Bar service was slow at times - you could be sitting down for 20 minutes before anybody came and asked if you wanted a drink. Bar service was non-existent on the pool decks. You have to go to the bar yourself. Ports: Palermo - Didn't spend any time in Palermo really. Got a bus to Mondello Beach and spent the day there. Cagliari - Nice place. Short walk to the centre so walked around. Palma De Mallorca - Good shops. Very clean. Again, we just walked around. Valencia - I thought Valencia was a really nice city considering it's one of the biggest in Spain. Plenty of parks. Good central market selling lots of local food. Marseille - Went on Le Petit Train which took us on a trip of the city. Disembarkation - Got no instructions left in the cabin so again had to go to Reception and wait in the long queue to find out what we had to do. All in all - would we cruise again? with Kids? Yes - they absolutely loved it with MSC? Yes - not a premium line so wouldn't pay premium prices but it caters for the mass market and does very well at that. Read Less

We selected the Epic for our Mediterranean tour, starting in Rome (Civitavecchia). Experience on the ship was very satisfying. Many bars with singers/activities all day and night. Food on the Epic was very good with 2 separate but equal dining rooms or the Garden Buffet, and many specialty restaurants (I did not try). I was glad that they opened the buffet until 11:30 PM for late snacks. The cruise director, Mandy, is charming and seemed to be everywhere. Entertainment, we saw the Epic Beatles (cover band), and Soul Satisfaction (Motown cover singers) for 3 performances each in a week (enough!). But they were very good and got folks up out of their seats dancing. Even old folks like me. There was a comedian/musician for 2 shows, and a Diva singer, but not really enough for the week. A Broadway scale production of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert was delightful, and Burn The Floor dance show (just OK maybe overhyped?) and there was a Cirque show ($$$) that I didn't attend. The itinerary and ports of call were great. First day it rained but we were on our own in Livorno. We took the ship's bus to the Livorno train station, bought $22pp r/t tickets to Florence (1h 20m) but needed more time to enjoy it all. Rain didn't help. Next day was Cannes, which we did on our own with miles of local shopping, a mall, and the site of the Cannes film festival. Lovely hotels line the street. the next day was Mallorca and our port call was 3pm-7:30. So we arranged a ship excursion 'Magical Majorca and train to Soller. It was great, and my only beef was that merchants in Soller were on siesta when we arrived and the few that were open did all the business. The 50 min. ride back on the 100 y/o wooden train is super, with 12 tunnels and breathtaking views of the countryside from alongside the mountains. The next day we were in Barcelona and thought we had it all planned. But it was Sunday and La Ramble (shopping) had many stores closed. We bought tickets online for the hop-on hop-off bus (there are 2 online companies-different bus-similar routes) but there were citywide demonstrations for unity government and the buses stopped, as did most traffic. Boo! It happens. After a day at sea next was Naples (Pompeii). We chose the ship's tour Pompeii and enchanting Sorrento. It was wonderful. Great tour guide! We returned to Rome and disembarked flawlessly. We then spent 3 days on our own in Rome seeing everything. Must sees: The Vatican Museum-you can spend days or just hours and hours - it's only 3000 years of history and antiquities. Miles long. (If on your own, buy your tickets online!). #2 Must see - The Coliseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum. (Buy your tickets & Coliseum tour guide online!). My wife and I had a wonderful trip and only lamented the cabin setup somewhat on the Epic. Read Less

1. Nickel And Dimed: I felt like everything was extra money after I paid for my cruise. - The app to message people around the ship was $10. - Most of the restaurants you had to pay for ($40-$50/person) - The best entertainment you had to pay for. - All drinks except water you had to pay for. (other ships I have sailed with let you get a soda or lemonade or something similar with your dinner.) 2. Daily Disembarking - it was difficult to know what time we could begin disembarking each day. We knew when we arrived at the port, but not when we could disembark. And each day it was in a different location on the ship. It would have been helpful to have listed that on the daily newsletter, in the app, and with signs throughout the ship. 3. Laundry - I really wish they had washing machines we could use on the ship! That is a big deal for me when I choose who to sail with. I did find out that we could do a bulk laundry service near the end of our time on board (which I was NOT able to learn through ANY of the NCL information, I learned about it through Cruise Critic). I did use the service while sailing, and it was a good service. We sailed Wednesday to Wednesday. We had to put the laundry out by Friday morning and it was returned Sunday/Monday (2 of our cabins received it Monday, 3 of our cabins received it on Monday.) The bulk service is a discount from their high prices - everything you can fit in the bag for $20. The bag is just smaller than a regular pillowcase, but it is a flat paper bag. I used a suggestion I found on Cruise critic, where I brought with me a large garbage sack, put all of my clothes in it and then slid the plastic bag into the paper bag. It helped because I was able to close the garbage sack with the draw string and then I didn't have to close the paper bag. It was slick! The laundry came back folded in a small basket waiting for us in our room. 4. The App was NOT worth the $10! All it did was allow us to text one another. They didn't use it to push information to us! This app could have let us know about disembarking times and locations, when we need to be back on the ship, it could have showed me my excursion details and my dinner reservation locations and times. But it didn't. It wasn't interactive at all. If you have a large group and need to communicate, then I guess it's worth paying for, but other than letting you text, there is a static map of the ship and that's about it. 5. Dining - MAKE RESERVATIONS EVEN FOR THE MAIN DINING ROOMS! The main dining rooms get really busy, so if you want to eat at a certain time, make sure you make reservations for your party well in advance, otherwise you will wait in a huge line for a table to open up! I really didn't like the "Free Style" dining. On other cruises with set dining times, the waiters got to know our table, our habits, our drinks, our favorite appetizers, etc.. and had things ready and waiting when we arrived. With Free Style cruising, each dining experience had different waiters, so we didn't get the personal attention I've received on ALL of my other cruises! Additionally, since we were a party of 9, had I not known that I needed reservations, dinner would have been a nightmare! 6. Stateroom Layouts. I stayed in 8149. We were lucky we had odd numbered state rooms because that side of the ship was able to view most of the port coast lines! My party stayed in cabins 8149, 8155, 8157, 8159, 8161. The layouts for 8149, 8157, and 8161 were all the same. The toilets were next to the bed and the couch was on the far side of the room next to the balcony. The walkway was so tight that two people couldn't pass the bed without one of them either getting onto the bed or walking to the other end of the room. The layouts for 8155 and 8159 had the bed at the far end of the room and the wider space to move up front in front of the couch and by the bathrooms. It's a MUCH better layout!! The bathrooms don't have a door. The toilet and shower area are frost covered glass enclosed on either side of the door into the cabin. So if someone knocks on the door and you answer it while someone is using the toilet or showering, then there isn't much privacy. This area is separated from the main living area by a curtain. The sink was in front of my bed, so when I used the facilities during the night, it woke up others sleeping in the room. I've stayed in interior cabins before with more room! This "suite" was smaller than other rooms I've stayed in! (minus the balcony of course.) 7. Embarkation and Disembarkation were SUPER smooth. It was one of the easiest I've done (I've sailed 7 times.) Overall the ship was nice, the staff was wonderful, and the food was terrific. But I think I'd rather not sail with NCL again. If I did, the price would have to be a steal to get me to go through the headaches again. Read Less

Cruising since 72. More than 50, I've lost count. Loyal to Royal since 74 Song of Norway. Tried a lot of others but liked Royal best. Took 1st X ship Jan/2019 Argentina to Antarctica (Eclipse), and Celebrity has won me over from now on. Booked this Europe cruise with total of 6 family to try out the Edge. As usual the crew and service knocked it out of the park. I didn't realize when I booked what the Edge would look like until after I started reading more about it. My thoughts. It looks as if Picasso and Dali designed it and couldn't agree on anything. Looks like someone punched it in the nose. I loved the over all newness but I guess I am a traditionalist and liked the Eclipse better. You can't get to there from here prevails in some of the areas. You have to go up and down decks to move fore and aft. They could have left off the carnival ride on the side of the ship, although I liked it as a tender station for one of the ports we did. Instead of Cabana's on the pool deck at $300 per day that I never saw any one use, they could have more seating. There were no upright deck chairs with arms at both pools, such as on Royal ships. As a Disabled Veteran with mobility issues I couldn't use the flat lounges. The only seats were at the cafe and it would not be right for me to use one of those. I had to sit on the ledge of the hot tub in the solarium near the hoist station and could not sit with my wife or family members. The shops are very high end. I laughed at a sign that said Breitling Watches starting at only $3095.00. I can't recall seeing anyone but clerks in the shops. I read previous comments regarding the Infinity Staterooms. Seems like 50/50 like dislike them. I usually book an inside cabin unless going to a venue that's interesting like Antarctica. That way I can do 2 or 3 cruises a year, Well the upgrade fairy visited me and I wound up in an Infinity Cabin. Absolutely loved it. You get the fresh air if you want and the cabin has more usable floor footage than a veranda cabin. The bathroom, and in particular the shower were awesome. The steward was fantastic as all the crew were. I never pay extra for dining so have no comment. The standard dining venues and Ocean View Cafe food and service, Top Shelf. Would go again if itinerary is what I want, but prefer the traditional looking pointy bow ships without the ArtDeco look. Celebrity you're the best. Read Less

We chose this cruise as part of a family group and for it being a Mediterranean cruise. It was our first time on Celebrity, but we have travelled on many other cruise lines, primarily on Princess. Being near the end of season, we got a great deal that included gratuities and the classic drink package as well as our shipboard credits. Part of the reason for writing this review is Celebrity's feedback questionnaire. While we wanted to give feedback, our group all noticed that there was no place to really do so, except to leave "press worthy" comments for marketing. First, let me say that the ship is scheduled for a refit, and there were the signs that this is needed. Just saying... Here are bullet points on what I learned about Celebrity. - The upcharges on celebrity are much higher than Princess and Holland America. Drinks, specialty dining, and even shore excursions are 30% higher on Celebrity. - Buy the drink package. We upgraded to the premium package, and felt good about it. The package for just water is $16 USD per day. Yikes. -The specialty dining experience was twice the price of Princess and HA. The food was dry, and both my wine and water glass were empty for 15 minutes. I would have been happier if I could have refilled my own glass. We stayed happily in the main dining room after that where the service and food were great. - The shore excursions had discrepancies from the advertised itineraries and what actually occurred. I asked about the Valencia city tour for my wife and I, and I was told that there was 20 minutes of walking, We decided to pass due to my wife's mobility. My brother did this tour, and it included 2 hours 45 minutes of walking.Again- YIKES - On the positive side, every crew member was happy, smiling and friendly. This is clearly a sign of a well run ship. - Embarkation and disembarkation is tied for the easiest we have every had. Read Less

My wife and I just completed an Eastern Med Cruise on the Norwegian Epic. We have done a number of NCL cruises, and this was our first on the Epic. The food in the Garden Cafe was good and we ate all of our on board meals there. Gluten free options were not marked and we found no gluten free desserts or breads. A posted sign indicated that you need to request gluten free bread, but all there was only gluten free sandwich bread. There was a good selection of vegetarian options, and the salad bar was much better than we have seen on other NCL ships, but there is still room for improvement. We found the layout of the ship a little different than our previous cruises, with the Garden Cafe forward instead of aft, the fitness rooms aft instead of forward. The cruise was also different in that with two embarkation ports, and no complete turnover of the passengers, some of the normal process of embarking and disembarking were changed. There was no general announcements of which group was departing, so you need to be more aware of when you needed to depart. Because of trouble in Barcelona, all excursions were cancelled. The other excursions were a mixed bag. At Livorno, we took the Florence and Pisa on your own tour and had a great time. In Cannes, we did the walking tour and found it worthwhile. At Palma, we were disappointed with the bus tour that spent half of the time at a artificial pearl factory and little else. In Naples, we went on the Pompeii Excavations and really enjoyed the experience. Entertainment was very good, and we enjoyed the two comics who were very funny. Howl at the Moon was a good show and the musicians were very talented and entertaining. The usual audience participation shows (Newlywed game and Pyramid) were well done. The in-room channels were limited as the only sports was limited to Soccer and the only english language news was the BBC. We were concerned before our trip that we might have difficulties getting back to the airport to return home since we were informed by NCL that we could not pre-book a transfer to the airport because our departure was within 3 hour of arrival in Rome. However, once we were on board, we were able to book a transfer. All in all, we had a good cruise and enjoyed the trip. I would recommend it as a enjoyable budget cruise for someone who wants to see three fascinating countries (Italy, France and Spain) in a single trip. Read Less

No doubt I will choose again to travel with NCL. We were always kept well informed of when we would be arriving to each port and can disembark. I was traveling with my parents and daughter and they both had a wonderful time. My parents who were traveling with wheelchairs were well taken care of and the handicap services were clear and accesible. The buffet had a great variety of options for my whole family and the a la carte service was excellent. The crew was kind and attentive, I can ask them questions and they were very helpful. One of my favorite and most memorable experiences were the shows that took place every night, each was different and got better every day. My family enjoyed everything it was excellent service, entertainment, activities, and dining, all beyond my expectations!!! Since coming back I have been strongly recommending Norwegian cruise line to my coworkers and family members. Thank You for giving my and I a memorable vacation. Read Less

Overall we enjoyed stay on the cruise. Entertainment was excellent. Food was good. Amenities were good. My wife is vegetarian and she did not have any problem in finding something on the menu or at buffet. Indian food was not to our satisfaction specifically Roti/s. My wife could have pre planned meals but due to not knowing which complimentary restaurant we will be eating we did not plan. Host at ALizar restaurant was very pleasant and cooperative. We enjoyed entertainment. Every show was great. Sandra at Mixer's Martini and Cocktail Bar was very pleasant and friendly. She provided great service. Excursion to Mout Etna was good but Trolly train and Grand Masters Palace was okay. We wanted to go to We were little bit disappointed in quality of excursions. We did not get into Pompeii excursion because it was sold out. We felt excursion pricing was high. Quality of WIFi was very poor. It kept dropping off so we have to sign on again. TV channel 26 had more ads than site information. Read Less

Really the worst cruise we’ve been on! Booked it for the itinerary and after our precruise experience, would have cancelled if we weren’t traveling with a large group (hard to rebook at that point!) Before the cruise- online process had many glitches and was not easy to manage, particularly with multiple rooms on the reservation. Lots of inaccurate info, many issues with prebooking things, and literally unwilling to book dinner reservations for a group of 10 and really negative attitude by some. One person hung up on me- and corporate could have cared less when I called to report all of my concerns. On the cruise, staff service was generally poor (Of course there were a couple who were good, but overall no interest in guest service). Inconsistent and incorrect answers for everything. Food was not impressive and never once a single shrimp or shellfish. Lobster? Crab? Not a chance! Entertainment was mediocre and almost no visibility from the cruise director all cruise. Kids programming was the worst we’ve seen- no variety, no giveaways/projects, staff was moderately friendly. The cabins were stained and tiniest we’ve been in. The doors to shower and toilet are frosted so you can literally see what is happening behind them. Cabin steward wouldn’t push our beds together into a queen bc it “wasn’t convenient for him to clean”. This company claims to be freestyle but you have to book everything in advance (meals, shows, etc) and half of it requires extra fees! Not fun, totally stressful from start to finish!!! 0/10!! Read Less

We chose this cruise mainly due to the itinerary. The itinerary was great. The food was very good in the buffet and in the dining room. The boat itself is old and needs updating. ie; The frame on the mirror was falling off when my husband tried to open it the first time. The table on the balcony was old, had stains and was unsteady. The housekeeping was BAD! The first day we found a broken toenail on the carpet. The base of the table in our stateroom was never dusted and the dust was quite thick, same goes for the TV set. The toilet was never really cleaned properly as you could see the obvious. The housekeeper didn't converse much except toward the last couple of days near 'tipping time' All other services were good and entertainment was okay. The shore excursions were good except for the one on the Amalfi coast. The tour guide there 'M'; did not give us much information or instruction when getting off of the bus for Sorrento. She just dumped us at a site and said to meet her back in 30 minutes. There was a store there where they sold Limoncello products and we learned later that was the factory, so did not buy anything. When I asked her at the end of the tour why we didn't go to the factory she said that was the shop in Sorrento. She did not make many stops to take pictures along he way, so we feel we will need to do this again. Read Less

First time cruising NCL and some major bumps starting off as our airport to hotel transportation never picked us up in Rome and when we called the service (SMS) we were told they don’t provide that service despite the fact we had a confirmation. This resulted in an OVERPRICED cab ride to the hotel. I reported this as soon as I boarded the Jade expecting a credit, but was told I had to file a past cruise claim when I returned. Kind of unacceptable. I am home almost a week, 3 phone calls later I was told I can only submit online. I did on Thursday and am still waiting for a response or claim number. Those bumps aside, the rest of the cruise was great. The itinerary was AMAZING, specialty dining was great, cabin was great. The Ultimate Drink Package does result in not enough servers and you having to get your own drinks most of the time, but I’m assuming this is happening on all Lines as well. They’re gonna hustle a little more when they’re getting $12 a drink than when they’re getting unlimited drinks! like the general concept of free style cruising and know that all cruise lines are moving in that direction, however the personal touch is somewhat lost for those of us who remember when your servers knew what you drank and whether you liked fresh pepper by the 2nd night of your cruise. All in all it was a great cruise, just disappointed in NCL Customer Service on an After Cruise Corporate Level Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the phenomenal itinerary and price. Service on board was fantastic and ports were amazing! We really enjoyed the Grand Pacific dining room, everywhere you went onboard staff was friendly and helpful. The benefit of travelling at night and waking up in a new place to explore was great. The shore excursions were well run and good value. There was something to do onboard every moment of the day if you wanted. Our room was so we'll set up and didn't feel small or crowded at all. The service staff are all efficient and friendly, I felt like a queen. The food was delicious and plentiful and you could get a snack or drink pretty well anywhere you went on the ship. There was entertainment happening in multiple places most of the time and the evening entertainment was excellent. We had an amazing time and would definitely cruise with Norwegian again!! Read Less

I chose Princess mainly because of the itinerary offered in the dates we preferred. I have cruised the Mediterranean before, but Princess offered some new ports I had, yet, visited. This trip was special, as it was eleven nights with my two grown daughters, neither who had ever visited any of the countries included. It was wonderful- great service,, attentive staff, and excellent excursions offered. We visited seven ports and took advantage of an excursion at each stop we made. We also enjoyed the dining and service provided ar each meal. The menu was good and varied. One daughter is a pescatarian, and she was a bit concerned about what the offerings might be, but she thoroughly enjoyed the choices provided and there was never an issue. Because there were three of us, we had a mini suite. I think I would upgrade to a full suite if I were to book again, just to give us that much more space. Though we managed just fine, accommodations were a bit tight. All in all , a most pleasant experience, and I would consider Orincess again if I were thinking of another cruise. Read Less

Last year we had taken a cruise on the Norwegian Gem's Haven class suites through the Caribbean and had a great time in a 2 bedroom suite. Sea days were passed by the pool or the sun deck in a relaxed atmosphere where guests sipped on cocktails, read a good book or just relaxed and took sun. Service was excellent, meals were served by the pool if you didn't feel like moving and there were only adults, a sanctuary as advertised. Based on such a great experience on the Gem, we decided to book another cruise on the Pearl leaving October 1 for a 13 day Mediterranean cruise through Italy and Greece in the Haven suite. We had also started planning our future cruise next year with friends and family to Asia and in our mind, nobody offered a more relaxed and exclusive service than Haven class. This time everything that made the Haven so special last year and exclusive had completely changed from not having any cruise adviser assigned to us when we booked to let us know that we needed to book all of our specialty restaurants for 13 days before embarking, to the Airport transfer which was not well organized and we did not expect to wait almost an hour on the second level of a double decker bus with no Air Conditioning after an 8 hour flight. I should have taken a Taxi or Viatour. There was no special line to pass security for Haven passengers on this cruise which we had in New York on the GEM. The return to the airport was just as bad and I would not recommend the airport transfer in Rome. But our biggest complaint and deception is that the Haven itself had turned into a toddlers' backyard for 13 days ! Imagine 4 hours of Marco Pollo echoing through the Atrium Sanctuary, the noise even echoed to the upper sun deck which ended up being our only area to relax which had no kids. The Haven was taken over by 3 families with young children who spent everyday playing in the sanctuary. Diving into the pool, jumping into the Hot Tub, playing on the exercise equipment with all the screaming laughing and yelling which you would expect at a kiddie pool party. Not their fault at all, kids will be kids. For the parents they had a safe area where they didn't have to keep an eye on their kids getting lost on the main deck kids pool and they had a full time waiter with drink and food service. Nobody else except for the families used the sanctuary on most days as it was much to noisy for everyone else. I was told by one of the waiters that the cruise before us was much worse with more kids. The dinning area in the sanctuary was also taken over by the families and looked more like a picnic area some days with kids tables and grown up tables. Service for drinks was sparse for us as we spent our time if the weather permitted on the sun deck which had an minimum age limit of 16 and over, but drink service was not automatic nor was food served up there either. Long story short Haven is not worth the extra money unless your traveling with a very young family. We will not be traveling with Norwegian again as without the Haven being an adult area as we had on the Gem. The food is just average Cagneys was a disappointment on 2 nights. Steaks and Roast Beef were tough, Veal Chop was tasteless. At Bistro we had 1 good meal out of 2 visits, Cuchina was probably the best. At Moderno the meat was mostly overcooked well done and salty as it was last year. Service from our concierge Yahira was excellent and even though she warned the families about the noise level there was not much that could have been done. Vincent in the Indigo dinning room did an excellent job. A warning to fellow cruisers: Watch out for the cruise staff if you do not take an excursion with Norwegian, during our visit to Santorini we arrived at the cable car 1 hour before the last tender returned to ship to make sure we had enough time. The line up for the cable car was over a 2 hour wait. When we asked the Norwegian representative about our concern that we were going to be late she told us and number of other passengers that since we did not take an excursion with them we could miss the boat and should walk down the Donkey trail. This trail was treacherous and ruined the vacation of a number of travelers including myself as my knees swelled up after descending the 600 to 700 steps. People were panicked as she had also sent down an 89 year old man with his daughter and could not make the last tender at 7 she was in hysterics as she was worried for her father. My wife got side swiped by a donkey returning up the stairs and the amount of Urine and manure on the stairs was disgusting. I was in pain for the rest of my trip and I thank our room attendant Rodriguez for the nightly ice packs to reduce the swelling on my knees. We found out later that the cruise rep sending people down the hill was in the wrong but that was of little consolation as the damage was done just happy no one died or got seriously injured. Besid. es the above we managed to have a lot of fun and would not recommend the Haven for adults. Read Less