9 Nights Mediterranean: Italy, France & Spain Cruise

Lengthy review

We decided to do our first ever cruise as a way to celebrate our youngest daughter graduating from high school. She wanted to do one day at Disney World, so we chose a cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. We did a 4 night cruise on Utopia that went to Nassau and CocoCay. Since I had read that Nassau was the lesser popular of the two ports, I only booked a catamaran excursion (I think the name on the catamaran was Seahorse but not 100% sure). This excursion took us around part of the island where we saw points of interest and celebrity homes. The tour guide Chris was hilarious. On way back, he played fun music and everbody enjoyed the open bar and dancing along. It is quite a walk to the meeting place but this excursion was something all 4 of us enjoyed (our daughters are 19 & 23). The next day was in CocaCay. We did a Wave Runner excursion. This was fun to be out on the water driving 25-40 MPH on the Wave Runners following a guide (with another one in the back of the group). We did this at 8:30 in the morning... it lasted about 1.5 hours. We then headed to CocoBeach Club to use our day passes. We thoroughly enjoyed looking out and getting in the water. The beach was perfect , the water felt great, and we had a nice sunny day. The day pass included an awesome lunch as well. We had several yummy drinks and really just enjoyed unwinding this day. My only complaint is when the low tide set in, it change the landscape drastically. As for Utopia itself, we enjoyed all the shows offered but our favorites were the Ice Skating and adult comedy ones. We also went to Name that Tune and it was so fun and entertaining both because the singers and dancers from the All-In show were part of the entertainment on this game show. Our girls didn't do the pool or hot tubs because of how crowded they were. I'd rate the cruise a 10/10 for my husband and I and an 8/10 for our young adult daugthers. They aren't much into the party scene and had I been their age, this would have been something I did for sure! I was always willing to stay up much later than them on this cruise to enjoy the live music, etc. They still had a good time but said their favorite was CocoCay relaxing on the beach. The beds in our ocean view balcony were very comfortable and we loved the amount of storage, plus walking out on balcony early morning or at sunset was breathtaking. Our stateman was just super awesome and friendly. We tipped him well. He left cute animals made from towels each day. The service in everything we did was just awesome! We pre-paid gratuities but still decided to tip waitstaff, etc. The food was also fantastic! The Windjammer gets pretty crowded but it was bearable. We did the Main Dining Room for dinner 2 nights and did Mason Jar for one paid meal for dinner and food at both was great! We didn't fully understand until the end by the MDR noticed and maybe seemed disappointed we weren't at our 5:00 showing (we missed it the first night and went later) and had reservations at Mason Jar the secone night) and realized we would have had the same table and waitstaff and the waitstaff probably looks at this as an opportunity to possibly earn more tips by having the same family for multple meals, so we understand now. They were awesome! I've typed a novel, but we'd for sure do a Royal Carbbean cruise again and in fact planning to next. year.

Best trip ever! Viking made it stress free.

Absolutely the best trip we have taken. Service by Viking staff was 5 star. We didn't anticipate how good the food on the ship was going to be! Every meal turned out to be a culinary adventure. Tours were informative and educational. You want to go on the riverboat cruise if you are interested in learning the culture and history of your destinations. We took all of the included tours and several of the extra tours. The extra tours were a very good bargain for the experience. Guides were friendly and engaging. The sail through the Rhine Gorge was awesome. The night time sail out of Cologne was also a memorable time. This was a family trip with my wife, our two adult sons and our daughter in laws. We all came away with the feeling that is was the best trip we have taken so far. It was a bucket list item for me. I'm glad we chose Viking.

Two Thumbs Up!!

My parents and I sailed on this ship in favor of Bermuda. The embarkation process was smooth and started a little earlier than expected due to the conclusion of a Coast Guard inspection. We were able to check in to our muster stations without an issue after Watching the videos prior to our terminal arrivals. Then, our cruise was on. Complimentary eateries for the general cruise population included the buffet, main dining room (one floor for anytime, while other is for fixed), the Mast Grill, healthy food fare at Spa Cafe (didn't eat there), and Cafe Al Bacio's food items. Anything else besides what I mentioned here required extra pay.   The main buffet served a variety of foods, with everyday offerings of pasta, pizza, burgers, salads, and ice cream, along with a different theme of cuisines that changed daily (ex: German, French, etc.). Every night, made-to-order stir-fry was available. During off-meal hours, pizza, burgers, and ice cream were available at select times. Around the clock, complimentary dispenser drinks were always available, including water, LAVAZZA drip-coffee, Vitality fruity drinks (NOT 100% Juice), and premium tea bags.   More on the buffet, my favorite stations were the carvery, ice cream, pizza, and in the nighttime, stir-fry. I enjoyed whatever the chef carved daily, whether it was chicken, beef, or pork. For the hard ice cream, if you're a fan of the "After 8" Dinner Mints, I recommend you try their flavor of just that. Their pizza was definitely a step-up over Royal Caribbean. The stir-fry was the best I ever had at sea. The overall food quality for everything else (entrees, soups, etc.) ranged from very good to excellent. Keep in mind that for their omelet-making stations, they don't give you buzzers, therefore you must remain nearby until your name is called for the pick-up. The main dining room served a convergence of cuisines on a nightly basis along with same-day offerings. There were a couple of nights when the menus didn't appeal to us, so we ended up in the buffet instead. But for the nights we were there, the quality of our meals were excellent. The formal night dinners were our favorites, because you can never go wrong with a creamy tomato soup, lobster tail, beef wellington, and baked alaska on a sea night. Cafe Al Bacio is Royal Caribbean's smaller yet sweeter cousin of the Royal Promenade. Unlike Royal Promenade, you can't get any complimentary drinks here. Any drink you can possibly think of requires extra pay here. But anything food-wise that's offered here, is complimentary.  In the mornings at Cafe Al Bacio, it was all about the breakfast pastries. Other times,  it was about various cakes, cookies, pastries, and small assortments of mini sandwiches. The cheese danishes, coconut macaroons, chocolate and lemon tarts won me over in this section. Those who needed complimentary water or drip-coffee had to go to the buffet to grab some to enjoy with your treats. The Mast Grill on the upper outer deck served burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Additionally, a soft-serve ice cream machine along with fruity drink and water dispensers were available as well. I enjoyed a savory bacon cheeseburger with fries and a refreshing soft serve strawberry cone. This is a classic combo that can't be missed here. We had a balcony stateroom with decent storage space, comfortable beds & pillows, and 100% free on-demand movies (curated at their discretion). All shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion was available from dispensers only. They don't give out bottles of this stuff anymore. Unlike other cruise lines, this one still gave you nightly Astor Chocolates on your pillow. Our personable room steward had a pleasant attitude and cleaned our room while fulfilling our towel, bar soap, and tissue requests without an issue. Celebrity always touts itself with having the best service ever, and I agree with them. I never had an issue with friendly guest services resolving inquiries. The friendly and personable staff in the "fixed" main dining room were always accommodating whenever we had shows to attend, and they even greeted us whenever they were working in the buffet. We never experienced sluggish services anywhere on the ship. The bar servers who served us were very friendly as well. This ship has the Solarium. Similar to Royal Caribbean, this is an "adults-only" pool area. On this ship, there is one hot tub on each side, and a pool in the middle. On one side of the area was a wall that changed colors and a base that showed water jumping from one pipe to another. Easy listening (or chill) music played in the background, giving off a vibe that made you feel you were relaxing inside a spa, and the Spa Cafe was located right in this part of the ship. It felt great relaxing in the hot tubs there.  I enjoyed watching Lucian Fuller, a comedic juggler who also snuck in some magic tricks. But not only did I watch, but also helped him with two of his acts. For his one act, I gave him my name for his birthday tune prior to his trick. For the other act, myself and another guy who unfortunately experienced stagefright, had to help him climb onto a giant unicycle. It was a fun & hilarious moment on stage. If you ever come across him on your cruise, I highly recommend watching him. There was only one adult comedian on-board, Christina Walkinshaw. I saw one of her shows. Whenever she interacted with random people in the audience, she showed kind-heartedness, like she did to myself and several others. Her jokes were hilarious, however. It would be cool if Celebrity hired extra comedians for variety, though, but I'll take it! Every night at the Martini Bar, the bartenders there performed tricks that involved juggling and pouring drinks in different ways. I recommend watching them, but keep in mind, this spot is always crowded in the late afternoon and especially evening hours.  If you're in a social group and share an interest in dancing the night away, then you'll have options on a nightly basis, although some may only occur once or twice. For the first one, we danced to a few country and rock songs played by the Soulful Roots Band. It was fun taking over the small dancefloor in the foyer for a little bit. Live bands can vary nightly, and if you enjoy what they play, then you know what to do. Immediately after dancing to Soulful Roots Band, we participated in the "Shine The Night" party. This high-octane dance party took place on the pool deck once, along with the Silhouette's Singers and Dancers who sang and danced along, all in-sync to Rhythmic A/C hits. If you're very close to the performers, you may be asked to sing or shout along with them, in which I did twice. It was a good party, but keep in mind that if you try to use one of the decorations as a toy to bounce around with the crowd, as what someone else tried to do, you will be stopped by a performer. I understand the temptation of doing so, especially in this environment, but they won't let you do that. You're welcome.  Later on during the cruise, we participated in two Silent Disco parties. One was held in the Sky Lounge and the other was out on the blustery Pool Deck. It was cool dancing around to the various hits from "yesterday to today" with those headsets. These parties lasted for only one hour. Make sure you "boo" as loud as possible once the DJ shuts off the music to let him know that you never wanted the party to stop, as what every participant did for both times. On the last sea day, we unexpectedly sailed into a Nor'Easter. During this time for those (including myself) who were prone to and experienced motion sickness, the front and back of the ships were very hazardous. The ship did give out motion sickness pills at guest services, and unlike other cruise lines, there was thankfully no extra charge for them. Speaking of guest services, they also removed an unauthorized room service charge without a problem that night.  Speaking of that night during my recovery mode, myself and my social group participated in a music trivia that consisted of boy bands...including one that was never played on the main radio stations here. We tied with another group. It was fun. We also took over the dance floor for two songs after that before leaving, especially since the Sky Lounge was empty due to the rocking of the ship.   This is the 2nd 5-star review I've written for a cruise ship, and I'm glad to give this one. I highly recommend Celebrity to anyone who's seeking a week long Bermuda cruise due to their food and service qualities. To those who've met me and/or spent time together (you know who you are), it was a real pleasure! For everyone else, bon voyage!!