Solstice July 27th Eastern Med Cruise Review

[CruisinNewb]

A warning I give before every cruise review. I enjoy relating my experiences here in detail. I think it gives something back for all the time people on Cruise Critic have helped me. I also enjoy relieving the experience through my reviews so..... If you are not the type who enjoys, detailed information on every facet of the cruise, leave now lol.

We are a family of 4 myself 50, my dw mid forties and 2 daughters 14 and 12. This is our third cruise in the past year and our 2nd on Celebrity.


After 11 months of planning the time came for our turn on the Solstice. We had booked this cruise while on the Infinity last year in Alaska and through coincidence and without any foreknowledge we wound up booking the same cruise with our table mates from Infinity. Since we had a great time together we decided to plan this trip with them and their extended family. All told we were 15, 8 adults and 7 children.

July 24th.

We left 3 days before our cruise to give us some time in Rome pre-cruise to overcome jet lag and get acclimated and to do some sightseeing. We left on what had been promised to be a cloudy day filled with t-storms but wound up being a beautiful sunny afternoon.

We flew out of JFK on American Airlines and everything from check in to take off , even my older daughter's and my vegetarian meals were there as promised. We arrived 30 minutes early into Fiucimino Airport. As we were heading to passport control we saw our friends from the Infinity; both in their mid forties with their daughters 16, 13 and 9 and their niece 17 and nephew 11. Both sets of their parents were to meet us in Rome on Sunday.

Despite all the great information I had received on CC concerning guides, our friends wanted to use people they had dealt with before as this was their 3rd trip to Rome. We used Maria Grazia from Seven Hills Travels for all our Italy excursions. Maria was very easy to deal with, gave us good pricing and was usually fast and efficient responding to email. She had a server issue at her office the month before we left and that created some issues but they were resolved.

My group was headed to the Vatican for a timed 4 hour tour of the Vatican city including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Our friends were headed to tour the roman countryside as they had visited the Vatican on a prior trip. Our driver took us to the Vatican to meet our guide for our tour. He arrived 45 minutes earlier so he phoned the guide who met us in 15 minutes.
Cinzia took us through the vatican, skipping the main line which at 930 was already quite long hitting the highlights, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. The art, sculptures, mosaics and tapestries are enough to take your breath away and if the artwork doesn't the heat certainly will. Most of the Vatican is not air conditioned and between the heat, the humidity and the overnight flight we were wilting after 3 hours. The highlight for me personally was the main alter in St. Peter's. Our kids were spent and didn't have the energy to climb to the top. I would suggest if the Vatican is important to you to do it in the morning on a day you are well rested. Unfortunately for us it was the only time we could really fit it in.
We then went to check in at our hotel, the Albergo Del Senato. It's a fairly large hotel, 6 floors and a 2 floor apartment which is where we stayed, room 101. Our friends were on the 3rd and 5th floors and all enjoyed their rooms which were spacious and kept clean. The front desk personnel were friendly and accommodating. We had some pizza in an eatery directly opposite the Pantheon and the service was good and the pizza very tasty.

After a good night's sleep we were all recovered from the trip and we had a full day excursion. We visited the catacombs, Castel Sant'Angelo , the Colloseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Stairs saw the Victoria Emmanuel Wedding cake and was constantly amazed at how the driver navigated our 20+ passenger van through the busy streets of Rome.

Monday July 27

We checked out smoothly and headed out to meet our ship. Check in at Civitavecchia went quickly even with 15 of us. We began check in at 1130AM and were sitting down at the buffet before noon.

The buffet food was varied and generally very good. Green salads with all the fixings, potato and pasta salads, grilled veggies, roast beef, pork, chicken, deli sandwiches, pasta station, fresh fruit and all kinds of deserts. By 1PM our cabins were ready and we went to explore them. We were in cabin # 8234, a balcony cabin on the starboard side, midship. Our room was located on the “hump” and had a great view both out and down to the water. The room itself was a good size and was decorated in a modern style. Very clean and tastefully done. Everything was in good working order, the tv/entertainment center was intuitive and easy to use. Flat screen which was mounted on the wall opposite the couch pulls out from the wall and pivots as well so it can be easily adjusted for viewing from the bed as well as the couch. Our room had the couch by the balcony door and we enjoyed this arrangement. A bunk bed pulls out from the wall and underneath the couch is storage for a mattress which is place on top of the couch so as to sleep four in the room. There was adequate storage space for the for of us being a little creative. The closet in definitely smaller then on the M class ships but I think the extra large safe makes up for it. Using the above bed storage we were able to put away everything. I m 5'9 and was able to access both sides of the top storage except in the very middle of the bed which my wife got to by standing on the bed. The life vests were stored under the bed in wire baskets. Plenty of room to store luggage underneath the beds. I was able to nest 3 suitcases inside each other and still get them underneath the bed. There seem to be more electrical outlets as I only remember one unused one from the Infinity but on Solstice there were several by the desk; dual outlets which could accommodate european and north american style plugs. The hairdryer was a little tricky to find but it is located in the desk drawer and is not hard mounted into the bathroom wall like many are. Our room steward Arun from India came by to introduce himself and explain where everything was.

By the time we unpacked it was time to attend the muster drill which was done differently from the Infinity. A large group of us met in the main dining room and there we watched a video of what to do if we had to evacuate. I prefer this over the meeting on deck standing there for 30 minutes in the hot sun. I think the kids payed more attention and the very little kids weren't as restless.

We had early seating so we had to miss the Captain's Club party and sail away party. We got ready and headed down to the Grand Epernay dining room where the doors opened promptly at 6:15 for early seating. We had 2 tables for 8. We let the kids sit at table 201 which was a little more in the traffic flow at the entrance and we were seated with the other adults in our party at table 200. Originally I thought I wouldn't like it as it was a little tucked away behind the staircase but it turned out to be a great spot offering a little more privacy without feeling isolated. The room is indeed grand, decorated in creams and gold but offering a refined elegance which added to the meal. Our waiter Bernard from the Philippines was quick and efficient and took good care of us and the kids throughout the meal.
As a vegetarian I was a little concerned knowing they changed the menu from a year ago when they had a separate vegetarian menu and then to incorporating it into the main menu and now having it included in the main menu choices. I had posted the question (among many others) here at CC for Mr. Jacques Van Stadden to address but the question despite being one of the first posted was always skipped in favor of answering others where more favorable replies could be offered.
There were vegetarian options but not many choices among the entrees. The menu has a large selection of items available every day, such as steak, grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp cocktail etc. but no regular vegetarian entree choice. On the right side of the menu were todays choices.

The salad and soup course is combined although you can order both as one of friends did. I started out with the goat cheese tart which was very good, the cream of broccoli soup which was good. For the main course there was only one vegetarian choice which was a potato pie. There wasn't really a description on the menu so I asked Bernard who said it was basically a baked potato with a white sauce so I passed on it. My older daughter who is also a veg had it and told me it was more like a scallop potato on top with grilled veggies underneath and she enjoyed it. I ordered the fettucini alfredo without the grilled chicken that normally accompanied it. It was tasty and well prepared although a little overdone after eating al dente pasta in Rome the past few days. For desert I had a kiwi and strawberry pavlova which was fruit and whipped cream on top of a meringue wafer. It was delicious. My wife is big crème brulee fan and ordered the marble crème brulee which she though was too dry and not creamy enough.
We ordered 3 bottle of wine for our table mostly inexpensive varieties and our sommelier Ronny never pushed us to get anything more expensive nor did he overpour our glasses as I had seen some do. We never felt rushed and had a good experience the first night.

We saw the evening variety show which included the Solstice band which was good, an acapella quarter called Sould-Out which was very good and Hillary a british comedienne/singer/impressionist whose comedy wasn't very funny but her singing was decent and her high energy made her like-able none the less. Dru out cruise director was well spoken and informative.

After the show we went to the Sky lounge on 14 for some after dinner drinks and dancing. The band there was just okay not very lively in my opinion.

Tuesday July 28


This was our first full Sea Day and we spent it relaxing. We checked out the boat, relaxed on a lounge chair and ate too much. My observations of the lounges chairs is that there were plenty. Granted there weren't any open right next to the pool, but given how small the pools are there isn't much space for chairs. There was always an open spot if you didn't need to be right next to the pool. Most of the chairs I saw in the morning were actually occupied by bodies and not towels.
Tonight was formal night. Not that it matters to me but from my observations, on this cruise only, there didn't seem to be many men dressed in tuxedos. I would say about 15%, with the majority of men wearing dark suits and most of the rest wearing either sports coats, shirts and tie with a few in a sports shirt. Women were dressed in mostly cocktail or less casual dresses, very few gowns.
The food on the formal night menu was perhaps a little better then other nights so far. Chateau Briand for the meat eaters but again not a lot of variety for the vegetarian in the main entree department. The only choice was pasta in a basil pesto cream sauce that tasted remarkably similar to the fettucine Alfredo of the first night. I had the pear tarts and ice cream for dessert which was very good. Celebrity's strength in the dessert department is definitely their fruit tarts. My daughter had the forest mushroom soup which she really enjoyed and I had a cheese plate since I didn't see anything I liked for the appetizers. It was bland and not exciting.
After dinner we enjoyed the show which as a variety show of the Celebrity singers and dancers which was very good. The captain and his senior staff came to offer a toast before the show.
After the show we headed to Quasar for a drink and music but the place was empty, no music or bartender despite the fact it was listed as open on the daily. We moved onto the martini bar which at least had some people in it. Had several good martinis including the lemon sorbet and my wife enjoyed the chocolate martini.

Wednesday July 29th Santorini

We had to get up early to get tender tickets for Santorini. I really hated it for 2 reasons. One is why do they make us get up early on a day when we could have slept in a little late and couldn't they come up with a better system? We had a private tour scheduled that day and needed to be on an early tender. They announced the tickets would be available beginning at 9AM in Celebrity central outside the Solstice Theater. From asking people here I knew we needed to get up there earlier. My friend was there at 730 and was the first one there. By 815 people a crowd was starting to develop and one enterprising passenger made out slips of papers with numbers on it and gave it to the people who were there so far in the order they had arrived. She even filled out more slips put it on the table and had a sign to please take the next number. Of course once the staff member showed up people started rushing to the table saying they first but she went by the numbering system the passenger had created. Can't Celebrity do something like this on their own?
We wound up with group # 0 and were off the ship before 2. It was a short tender ride (5 minutes) and we were met by our private guide Lynn from InterMed Travelwho led us to our small boat for a swim in the hot thermal springs (which aren't really that hot). On the way we passed by lots of black volcanic rock. There were already several small boats there so he stopped about 75 meters from the beach probably only 50 meters to a place you could stand. The area is beautiful, the caldera is breathtaking and the swim was a lot of fun. The water is very salty and mucky so visibility is reduced and the rocks are covered with seaweed and are slippery so take care. The kids all had fun after we returned to the boat and the kids enjoyed just jumping and diving from the boat. The boat brought us back to the small port where the ferries from Athens dock and then we boarded our private bus for a trip to Oia. We walked around the local streets admired the view, took a lot of pictures and did some shopping. We took our bus back to Fira (Thira) the capital of Santorini and then walked a few minutes to Archipelagos Restaurant which sits right on the cliff overlooking the caldera. Beautiful view and good food. The tomato pancakes (local sweet tomatoes, flour, olive oil and onion, mixed together and deep friend) were very good. The sun is strong and was very hot and we were there at 7PM before it set but just as we were leaving the sun went down and was very comfortable and we were rewarded with a beautiful view.
One of the advantages of having a private guide is she was able to bypass the long cable car line and got us on the cable car within 5 minutes. Everyone was wiped out and we headed to bed.

Thursday July 30 Mykonos

Due to the early departure we elected to have room service which was easy to order on the interactive screen in our room. Arun our attendant promptly delivered the meal at 630 AM as requested. Choice of beverage, hot or cold cereal, muffin, eggs, basic omelets coffee tea etc. Although many people reported docking here, our cruise tendered here as well and we had to get tender tickets at 7AM; this time at the front desk. It was extremely windy here and although comfortable it was a very rocky tender ride.

We met our guide Roxannia and we enjoyed walking through the town's narrow winding streets while she explained Mykonos' history. We then boarded a ferry to the island of Delos to see the archeological excavation and ruins there. Beautiful place and remarkably we preserved, at least the wall and foundations and columns. There is a small snack bar with bottled water, cold drinks and chips and cookies. The ride back to Mykonos was very very rough. Most of us didn't feel well and we saw several people getting ill on the ride back. The side windows couldn't be opened since the waves were cascading against the windows and the combination of strong seas and little ventilation was more then some people could handle. After walking through the town we had some traditional greek appetizers which consisted of an anchovy like fish, forgot the name, octopus, squid, cucumber, tomatoes and olives, olive oil and bread..washed down with some ouzo, I had to pass on most of it, not the Ouzo of course, and the kids had a macaroni and cheese type thing with ham. We finished up with some shopping and got on a tender for the short ride back to the ship.

The buffet was transitioning from lunch to dinner but still plenty of things to eat from made to order pasta, finger sandwiches, salad bar, pizza, cold salads, grilled veggies and plenty of dessert and ice cream. Plus there are always hamburgers hot dogs and tacos near the pool.

My wife and younger daughter took a nap and my older daughter and I headed to the Library on Deck 10. I have very mixed feelings about the Library. It is a beautiful space filled with plenty of comfy chairs and tables but it is really just a thoroughfare between the port and starboard sides of the ship. Due to it's open arrangement and proximity to the elevators you are constantly hearing the beeping of the elevators, people talking and people walking past you. The upper floor of the library is quieter and smaller.

Dinner tonight was another disappointment in the veg department. On the bright side my wife had a very nice looking pork chop although she said it was just okay. I had a vegetable curry couscous which was bland and uninspiring. The honeydew melon soup however was delicious. A cold melon soup with small melon balls of honeydew. The caramelized pear and gongonzola walnut salad had one tiny piece of cheese in it and was again, just okay. On the last cruise I remembered delicious warm rolls on the table in the bread basket where now it is just sliced bread and not as good. The breadsticks are however just as good as last year.

I'll take a moment to comment on the dining room service here. Our waiter does a good job at bringing everything that is ordered but besides that he was nothing to write home about. When he asked if I like the couscous I told him it was just okay but there wasn't really anything else on the menu for me to order. He said okay and moved to the next person at the table. No suggestions, no alternatives he suggested. The assistant waiter at this point isn't turning out to be very good at all. He brushed the crumbs off the table in front of me right into my lap. He did remember that I had tea 2 nights before (the tea he never brought me by the way) but I told him tonight I wanted decaf coffee. By the time he had poured and I realized it was regular he was gone. I gave my cup to my friend whose coffee he never poured and waited for him or to come back but by the time they did, everyone had finished their desserts and we were ready to leave. My friend spoke to Bernard but he never delivered the coffee either, just an apology. We will see going forward if they can correct the issue.

After dinner we spent some time listening to Sould-Out in Celebrity Central where they did a medley of 50s and 70s and then went to Michael's Club for a short time to listen to the jazz playing there.
We proceeded to the theater to watch Hillary O'Neill the comediene/singer from the first night. Her show was good, good singer and fair comedienne but again her energy and like-ability made her enjoyable.

After her show they did a show in celebrity central called groove which was a parody on the 60s where they had 4 guys from the audience dressed up like the Beatles playing air guitar and the Celebrity singers and dancers were dressed up in leather micro miniskirts and bobbed hair while the male dancers had on short platinum wigs with cigarette holders. Very enjoyable. We had a late night snack in the OceanView Cafe and then retired for the night.

July 31st Istanbul

Today they had a big brunch in the Grand Epernay dining room. There is also open seating for dinner due to the overnight in Istanbul. Carving stations with turkey, roast beef/prime rib, eggs, taters, veggies, waffles, fruits and desserts and a chocolate and white chocolate fountain. Also live music playing which was a nice touch.

We docked at 1 and were off the boat by 145PM. We had a arranged a 2 day tour with *********** Turizm and had Ahmet as our guide. Comfy air conditioned bus and today we saw the Cistern Basilica, the Topkapi Palace which was grand but the 4 rooms containing relics and jewelry were very hot. Fortunately it wasn't as hot as it could have been, only mid eighties and cloudy so it kept the heat bearable with a nice breeze. We also visited the spice market which was a highlight of the trip where our guide directed us to a reliable merchant at the bazaar where we purchases turkish delights, spices and other savories. We were proceeding to dinner in the Sultanhet area when a protest passed by with a few hundred men and women chanting in Turkish followed by a dozen riot police in body armour toting automatic weapons. A little scary but it quickly passed andwe headed to our restaurant which was fantastic. Plenty of delicious hot and cold appetizers as well as main course which went from the benign roasted chicken to more exotic dishes. Roomy modern dining area everything was clean including the spotless modern bathrooms and the prices were very reasonable.

August 1st was our 2nd day in Istanbul and we visited the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar which was a bit of a disappointment. More modern looking then I had imagined, reminded me of a indoor mall/ flea market.

We were back on the boat by 115 for a 2PM departure. Lots of bridge traffic due to construction but our guide knew about it before time and had us back with time to spare. Only downside was the visit to a carpet demo which although we asked 3 times not to go he directed us there anyway, It was interesting and we had our own room along with refreshments but it was ruined the last 5 minutes by an army of aggressive salespersons. I also did manage to visit a starbucks near the bazaar and it was remarkable similar to the US version.

I haven't been going into 2 much detail about the meals because I have to say they have been a big disappointment. There isn't a lot of selection for vegetarian entrees although I could always find something to eat. I haven't really had anything up to this point I would say was memorable or even very good. The food at the buffet is the best I have had so far. The chilled soups are good, especially the honeydew. The watermelon soup was good and my friends who had the cherry chilled soup said it was just ok.

August 2nd Kusadasi.

We docked on time and met our guide Dennis. His English was very good and he was like an encyclopedia . The vendors were a lot more aggressive here then in Istanbul nd also flirted aggresively with the teenage girls in our group. First we went to the Ephesus to see the ruins and the Celsius Library. It was great but very hot (100) and our 2 hours there took a lot out of everyone. Extremely crowded and the marble walkways got extremely slippery. More then half of us of us either fell or almost did. Bring a lot of water. From there we went to the village of Sirince for a lovely lunch at a restaurant called Dimitiros which as just what we needed. Sitting in the shade we enjoyed a plethora of turkish appetizers from zucchini blossoms stuffed with rice, grape leaves stuffed with rice, fried pastry with feta and spinach, okra and tomatoes, taztiki with cucumbers and tomatoes and plenty of olives and bread. The meat eaters had turkish meatballs and fries and salad while the veggies had an omelette with feta and spinach. We then walked through the small town which seemed very poof. There were amazing views of the countryside. We did some shopping here to support the local populace. A lot of friendly children as well. From here we saw St. John's Basillica, The lone pillar of the Temple of Artemis and the Isa Bey Mosque and we met the former Iman from the mosque who now runs a souvenir shop near it's entrance.

My friends did some shopping at the the little mall near the ship and bought something like 10 handbags for all the girls. Lots of “genuine” Prada bags. Dinner tonight was a crepe filled with mushrooms, again just ok, endive with tomatoes and buffalo mozarella (tasteless) and eggplant parmesean which was ok. My wife had the prime rib which she said was good. Chocolate peanut butter banana dessert that was ok.

Local belly dancers and turkish dancers were at the theater tonight and they were good but went on for too long; half the theater left before they finished.
They had another dancer by the pool who was good and we had some coffee and desert in Ocean view and called it a night.


Wednesday August 3rd Sea Day

Really needed one to recharge the batteries. Kids went to breakfast early so they could grab a chair but the pool and we very lazy and are going to late breakfast at Bistro on Five. Breakfast was very good crepes were delicious and crispy. Scrambled eggs cheese mushrooms with potatoes on the side. My wife thought the coffee was better here then the mdr or the buffet. Place was fairly empty but then again we were there at 1030 so it was right between breakfast and lunch. After breakfast we looked for spot on the deck in the sun but all the chairs were filled (although our kids had a spot for themselves on deck 15). We found 2 chairs by the pool in the Solarium which although out of the sun got hot after a while. Had lunch in the oceanview and then sat on the balcony for a while enjoying the sun, the blue waters and the breeze. Dinner was better tonight. I had a mixed green salad and a grilled vegetable skewer, service also improved.

Thursday August 4 Athens

We met our guide for a tour of Athens. Georgia was very knowledgeable but set a quick pace and seemed like she was in a hurry. We found at the end of the tour she was meeting a friend later at the beach which probably explained some of it. We first did the Acropolis and the place was mobbed, hot and the traffic flow was poor for the multitudes. The Acropolis is undergoing reconstruction which is not scheduled for completion until 2020 so most of it was covered with scaffolding but still it is not to be missed. Coming down from the Acropolis is a real pain. The floor is either very slippery marble or broken up ground and add to that the poor direction from the staff there and it created a bottleneck that could have been very ugly if some panicked in the tightly filled exit. We managed to finally get down and had a brief tour of the city including the stadium, the parliament although we weren't there for the changing of the guards. We then had a great lunch at a greek restaurant, I had Ethia which was a salad with fried cheese and a dressing that was terrific. The kids had pizza ( yeah I know pizza in Greece) but they didn't care for it. It was very cheesy but the sauce was not very good. We stopped for a gelato then walked the Plaka, shopping district for awhile before heading to the new modern museum. The museum was nice and cool after a hot day and the design was very cool. Including see though floors so you could see the excavations below. The remains were displayed on the various levels as they were found; meaning the lower level discoveries were on the bottom floor and then you walked up an incline to find what was discovered at the higher levels.
Returned back to the ship in time to shower for dinner which was good, vegetarian moussaka which was well thought out to coincide with our visit to Athens although the taste was fairly bland.
The show was a person playing an instrument called a xylo-synth which was a combination of a xylophone and synthesizer which was very energetic and very different. The theater was more then half empty. After the show we listened to a guitarist in Celebrity central who was very good and then went to the ensemble lounge for some drinks and then the chocolate buffet in the Sky lounge which was very good.

We also received instruction today to retrieve our passports in the Sky lounge between 9 – 2P but they give you a suggested pick up time to avoid lines. We will see tomorrow how that goes. We also get the hour back that we lost at the beginning of the cruise so Im looking forward to sleeping in.


August 5 Sea Day

Slept in, really needed it after a long week of excursions. Picked up or passport and no lines. Had a late breakfast. The chair hog situation reared its ugly head today. Now we are not sun worshippers but it would have been nice to find a chair somewhere, anywhere outside. After roaming the ship for 2 hours we couldn't find a single place to sit outside so we had to retreat to our balcony. My friend got up early to get a chair for her and her little daughter. She woke up early to go to the gym I think she said she was there at 6AM and then she went to put her book on her lounger before she went in to grab breakfast. She saw a woman who had a stack of books; 24 to be exact; who proceeded to place them and towels on every choice seat; the cabanas, the ones right by the pool etc. What really frosted my friend's cookies was that the books this woman used were from the ship's library. My friend returned from breakfast and the woman still hadn't returned. My friend waited another hour and then mentioned it to the pool butler who said there was nothing he could do; he said he would get in trouble if he moved them. She said fine; I will move them and she picked up every book and brought it to the lost and found. The butler was upset and didn't know what to do. My friend went to complain to the front desk and they said there wasn't anything they could do (even though they say in the dailies not to reserve chairs). When the woman returned; I think it was now almost 10AM she went ballistic at the pool butler and claimed her towels and books were stolen. My friend approached her and told her that she moved everything and she proceeded to scream at my friend. Then the woman went to the desk where they called for the pool butler and the desk people tried to blame it on the butler until my friend intervened and said she did it all. At that point the desk personnel didn't know what to do.
This is obviously a problem that needs to be fixed. Its another case of cruise lines not enforcing the policy they set. Enough said on this point.

So after our balcony time we got ready for our last formal night. I cant remember what we ate and we saw the show Solstice which was a cirque de solei like show which we really enjoyed and then to bed for an early day in Naples.

Thursday August 6th Naples

We had a private tour booked for just the 4 of us for Pompei and the Amalfi coast while our friends went to Herculaneum. We walked past all the Celebrity buses and found our guide and we got to Pompei early before most of the heat and spent 3 hours enjoying the ruins. We then had a nice lunch in Sorrento and did the Amalfi drive, passing the town of Positano and eventually winding up in Amalfi. This is a drive not be missed, the scenery is spectacular and was one of the highlights of my trip. Had a drink and some shopping and then headed back to the ship for our last night on board.

Dinner was again unremarkable in the food category. We thanked and said goodbye to our waitstaff enjoyed the last evening show and went to bed.

Friday August 7th Disembarkation

We enjoyed breakfast in the dining room today rather then fight the crowds at the buffet. It was very well done, lots of selections and great service. Never felt rushed. After we ate we walked off the ship and found our luggage quickly and met our bus and guide.

The last two days we stayed at the Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere which was a great choice. Although there is a lot of graffiti on the building nearby the area was great and the hotel was nice with a nice breakfast in the courtyard of the hotel surrounded by orange trees. We visited Hadrian's Villa, Villa D'Este in Tivoli and the catacombs in Ceteveri.

Had some great meals in town near the piazza.

Our vans met us near the hotel at 6AM for our 40 minute ride to the airport and our uneventful flight home.

Overall it was a great cruise on a nice ship. The food was lacking in my opinion. The evening shows were good but the live music on the ship left a lot to be desired. The majority of the people on this cruise were 40's and 50's but the music was geared to an older crowd. I think with better music they could get more people coming to the lounges which, other then the martini bar, were pretty empty.
The service was good, our room steward did a great job and the majority of the staff were friendly and helpful.

Any questions feel free to ask.

[D4]

Thanks for the great review! We're going in November so I'm thankful we won't have the heat issues.

We'll arrange private transportation to our Rome hotel after the cruise. I haven't made that reservation yet because I don't know what time we should ask them to meet us at the port? Any advice?

[Springchicken]

Really appreciate the time you took to write a comprehensive review. We're going in October. Was there a Flavia "white" night by the pool one night? Also, how difficult is it to stand on the bed to reach the overhead storage? We're short people! I'm trying to figure out how to pack with little drawer storage . Think it might be a challenge..

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by D4

Thanks for the great review! We're going in November so I'm thankful we won't have the heat issues.

We'll arrange private transportation to our Rome hotel after the cruise. I haven't made that reservation yet because I don't know what time we should ask them to meet us at the port? Any advice?

We docked before 4 AM. I believe the 1st group disembarked as early as 6 - 630AM but no need to leave that early. We met our bus at 830AM and it worked fine.

Have fun.

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by Springchicken

Really appreciate the time you took to write a comprehensive review. We're going in October. Was there a Flavia "white" night by the pool one night? Also, how difficult is it to stand on the bed to reach the overhead storage? We're short people! I'm trying to figure out how to pack with little drawer storage . Think it might be a challenge..

There was a "white night" but we never made it so I dont know how well attended it was.

My wife is 5'4" and she had no problem standing on the bed to reach the overbed storage.

Ron

[europe10]

Thanks CruisinNewb. That was a wonderful review. Do you happen to have copies of the "Dailies" for this 11 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise? Thank you for all your help.

[hcat]

Nice review--sounds like you had an enjoyable cruise.

Glad to hear Dru was on board as CD--I thought he had gone to another ship.

I am 5'4" & could reach the end overhead bins without issue--definitely needed to use them, as drawer space is limited..

I am not a vegetarian but eat limited starch--I always ask for no starch & dbl veggies...Once or twice I would be brought a gorgeous plate of steamed veggies that had everyone else at the table jealous.. so sometimes you can be creative with the regular menu rather than just look for what is labeled vegetarian..But it seems theyneed to enhance the menu for those who are vegetarians..

I was shocked about the pool chair hog story...Celebrity is supposed to introduce a new program--"Pool Concierge" but all they need to do is have someone out there in the early am to tell people that their items will be removed in 30-45 min....that is certainly enough time to swim, shower, use the hot tubs or sauna.

[drcpa]

My wife and I are taking our first cruise next month on the Solstice 10 day Greek Isle cruise. If I might ask, might you have any "tips and techniques", ideas, suggestions, things you would have done differently, things you feel you missed (or perhaps activities you would have avoided)........anything that might assist
this cruise newbie of all cruise newbies?
Thanks for the consideration (and wonderful, timely review).

[jagoffee]

Do they still have the late night comedy in the Comedy Central theatre on selected nights?

[skp1020]

private tour booked for just the 4 of us for Pompei and the Amalfi coast

Going on that cruise Sept 7, who did you book this private tour with?
thanks
Scott

[Traveller94]

Thanks for the great review! When you ate off the ship, did you have any trouble figuring out what was vegetarian? We're going on this cruise in September and since I don't speak Italian, Greek, or Turkish, I've been a little worried that I won't be able to tell what menu items are vegetarian.

Thanks!
Stacy

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by drcpa

My wife and I are taking our first cruise next month on the Solstice 10 day Greek Isle cruise. If I might ask, might you have any "tips and techniques", ideas, suggestions, things you would have done differently, things you feel you missed (or perhaps activities you would have avoided)........anything that might assist
this cruise newbie of all cruise newbies?
Thanks for the consideration (and wonderful, timely review).

Santorini : I enjoyed the swim but if you have no kids with you I guess you could skip the swim at the thermal springs. We could have used a little more time for shopping in Oia and skipping this would give you plenty. I would definitely visit Oia, the views are breathtaking. I would definitely have dinner In Fira you have the great view and you are close to the cable car when you are done, rather then trying to get back in time from Oia or Ammoudi.

Mykonos: If you plan to go to Delos on the ferry I would consider taking Bonine or wear SeaBands, the ride can be very rough if it is windy. I would definitely dine in both places, the local cuisine is much more authentic (and better) then the ship's.

Hope that helps. Enjoy the cruise!

Ron

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by jagoffee

Do they still have the late night comedy in the Comedy Central theatre on selected nights?

They had a comedian late at 11 or 12 but I'm not sure if it was it Celebrity Central or the main theatre.

Ron

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by skp1020

private tour booked for just the 4 of us for Pompei and the Amalfi coast

Going on that cruise Sept 7, who did you book this private tour with?
thanks
Scott

We booked with Maria Grazia at 7 Hills Travels. Our guide was also named Maria who was from Finland but had been living in Sorrento for over 20 years.

Ron

[CruisinNewb]

Originally Posted by Traveller94

Thanks for the great review! When you ate off the ship, did you have any trouble figuring out what was vegetarian? We're going on this cruise in September and since I don't speak Italian, Greek, or Turkish, I've been a little worried that I won't be able to tell what menu items are vegetarian.

Thanks!
Stacy

Stacy:

Almost every menu had english translations for every item.
Most of the waiters/waitresses spoke english very well.

Ron

[Lois R]

Hi Ron, thanks for posting such a detailed review. It was really
interesting to read.
I am sorry the Vegetarian selections were so blasse....definitely
sounds like something needs to be changed.
Might I ask one thing? After a couple of nights of uninspiring food,
did you possibly think about speaking directly with your Maitr'd
about it?
Many times they can get things accomplished that the waiter
cannot......
And that woman at the pool? OMG, she sounds like she was a total
b***h! Sorry your friends had that happen to them

Overall, it sounds like you had a good time though!

[Dbedros]

CruisinNewb

Thanks for the review it was great and reinforced some of what others have mentioned.

Who did you use for your tours in Santorini and Mykonos? Where did you go for dinner in Istanbul? Did any of your group eat at the speciality restaurants other than the Bistro?

[VistaV]

Originally Posted by CruisinNewb

She saw a woman who had a stack of books; 24 to be exact; who proceeded to place them and towels on every choice seat; the cabanas, the ones right by the pool etc..

It is remarkable that the staff would not politely question the guest on the need to do this. I am almost in disbelief that they would not address this if their written policy is to not reserve chairs.

[jagoffee]

Originally Posted by CruisinNewb

They had a comedian late at 11 or 12 but I'm not sure if it was it Celebrity Central or the main theatre.

Ron

Thank you.

[Traveller94]

Thanks, Ron! That makes me feel a lot better. I knew all three countries have a lot of vegetarian food, I just wasn't sure I would be able to find it. I'm sorry to hear the veggie options on the ship aren't great, but I'm not too surprised. I've run it to that problem before.
Stacy