Rome (Civitavecchia) to the Middle East Cruise Reviews

We booked this cruise 18 months before the sail date. The itinerary was great and included many bucket list places for us. Several months after we booked, we found out the ship was going into a major renovation/dry dock. We debated canceling but the itinerary had so many of our bucket list places it was too good to pass up. A few months before sailing, we were advised our 21 day cruise was ...

Embarkation - for us was very smooth as our private transfer from the Empire Palace Hotel in Rome was booked for 12 midday meaning we arrived after the boarding rush and were dropped off right beside the ship. The port is very large and we on our drive through we saw many passengers who were dropped off at the Port entrance toting luggage for at least 1km to board the ship. The trip to the Port at ...

For the Suez Canal passage and other tour stops. The price was a great value as well. The tours really varied, it was either a great experience with the tour guide or not. The guides for the Celebrity arranged tours in Athens and Petra were great. In Abu Dhabi, the guide was so scattered going through the mosque, the group basically took matters into our own hands to make the most of the ...

I took this cruise for The Suez Canal and the Arabia countries for their culture and religion and also a time for a good memorable vacation for me and which I’ve got from this cruise. I liked the entertainments in the theater also the lectures on destinations by Debbie. I still have more on my bucket list to go through yet. I was hoping on this cruise could’ve helped me make a quick decision ...

We chose this cruise because it fit to our availability and because we liked the extraordinary itinerary with lots of highlights. We knew this ship from a previous cruise. The ship is huge but not as huge as other ships. Entertainment is perfect and above the average. Free dining options are very good, especially in the a-la-carte Grand Pacific restaurant. Special dietary needs are perfectly ...

We normally travel independently but this cruise was the cheapest way to get to Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Dubai in one trip. We were prepared for some last minute changes but luckily we made it to all of the scheduled ports. The staff were great, always quick to provide help and say hello. My favourites were Rose Marie, the washy washy girl in the buffet, always smiling despite working ...

My wife and I are, generally speaking, destination-driven. This itinerary really appealed to us because we had not been to the Holy Land, nor to the Middle East. The stops were interesting and historical. NCL, IMO, continues to nickle and dime us for every possible sale. At some point, you half-expected someone to get in the elevator with you to sell you something: excursions, spa ...

The holiday was part of my wife's 80th birthday celebration. Having been several cruises with other companies we wanted to try out the Celebrity Cruise line. Also we had never before been through the Suez Canal. We spent a few days in Rome (a city we are familiar with) before the cruise and then a few days in Dubai (a new experience) at the end. Seen it now - wouldn't go back! The ship ...

We chose this cruise for the itinerary: from Europe and the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and the Middle East and over to Southeast Asia. The entire process of embarkation and disembarkation was very smooth and surprisingly glitch-free, it was a well-organized ship. Some pluses: Good quality and variety of food Safety drills/pirate drills were informative and reassuring ...

The free use of the thallasotherapy pool and spas were great. Deck chair hogs were not. Smoking was allowed on the far corner of the pool deck and the smell was disgusting. Had to hold my breath when I needed to pass through the area. Why not have smoking on an open deck where others do not have to inhale second hand smoke? Rude able-bodied passengers occupied the two tables set aside for ...