Back from Sept 5 Reflection - Eastern Med

Another great Celebrity experience. The Reflection still looks grand and it appears that on most parts, the company is taking care of their newest asset. This was a port intensive sailing with lots of touring. Quite a different experience from the Caribbean were I normally go. Wow. I took over 4500 pictures and have posted the best 300+ on:

FLICKR.

As usual the food was fabulous; the crew was enthusiastic and had a great spirit. Even the weather was perfect. I am so fortunate….this was a trip of a lifetime.

Hats off to the captain who kept us well informed throughout the voyage and also had the heart to hold the ship in Messina for a short time to wait for late arrivals who missed embarkation in Rome.

Celebrity please note that I and other frequent cruisers noted the lack of live entertainment at the pool and elsewhere. I also was slightly disappointed that the Concierge amenities in the bathroom were less quality than before. Please do something about the entertainment. Bring back the piano players, guitar solo singers….pool band…. disco is a poor replacement - more appropriate for Carnival.

Other than that, keep up the good work. Thanks for a great vacation.

Thank you for posting the photos. They were absolutely beautiful!

I was on the same cruise just last year. Your photos are stunning!

Thanks for sharing.

Your pictures are stunning! We will be on Reflection next week for the Med. cruise and the following Transatlantic to Miami.

Your pictures are wonderful:D....glad you had a great cruise:)

Thanks for your stunning photos! I'm always amazed when I see photos taken by someone who obviously knows what they are doing, as opposed to mine ;) I'm the "auto" setting type photographer, I appreciate your posting these.

Your photos were fantastic. Even though I did this cruise many years ago, you brought back some great memories. Thanks.

Amazing photos! We will be doing that cruise next May. Would love to know what excursions you took, either private or thru the ship. Thanks!

Amazing photos! We will be doing that cruise next May. Would love to know what excursions you took, either private or thru the ship. Thanks!

We did Rome, Santorini, Mykonos on our own. We the following ship tours;

Messina - Taormorina on your own - mostly a tourist infested town... wouldn't recommend

Athens - Corinth - the ruins there were exquisite.... also boat ride / lunch on canal.... great tour - recommended.

Kudasi - Ephesis - great tour...well worth it.

Rhodes - walking tour of town - I would have rather walked around on my own...not impressed

Naples - I did the Pompeii tour....well worth it.

Please note that taking these tours means an early rise and meeting in the theater at 7a..... we were exhausted at the end of the cruise....it was a trip of a lifetime...what we saw was amazing.... but it almost killed me...in order to make those early morning tours we did the early sitting which, too was a pain..... so... plan your tours carefully....and consider doing Select Dining so you can have dinner in time to enjoy a little post- dinner entertainment and get a decent night's sleep. Enjoy your trip.

Thank you sharing these beautiful pictures. Really well done!!

Great photos :) could you please tell me more about the Corinth tour?

We were on this cruise 2 years ago and when we stopped in Turkey, they had a full Turkish dance company perform. They performed on the pool deck for about 30 minutes - great show! Have they cancelled this as well?

We were on the silhouette this year (out of Venice) and they had several bands and performers thought out the cruise. We had the same CD, Damien, so that might make a difference?

Your photos are extraordinary. What camera do you use?

Gorgeous pictures

Your photos are extraordinary. What camera do you use?

I used a Nikon D600 with a 28-300 zoom lens, photoshop, lightroom, NIK add ons.

I really wish I had an eye for post production editing like you do. It really makes an already amazing photo out of this world. Beautiful photos!

There are many post production apps... I use lightroom.... just fool with the sliders and give your photos the contrast, luminence, saturation, clarity you think they deserve! Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated.

Beautiful photos - well done! We are on this cruise next May and are looking forward to seeing Herculaneum and going back to Delos (trip from Mykonos and fantastic for archeology fans).

Sally

I absolutely loved seeing these photos. Did you also post a review of your trip?

I did not post a formal review other than to say that the cruise was, as usual, complete with good service and cuisine. My only disappointment was with the on board entertainment. No piano player, no guitar player...they had a disco "d.j" do their thing nightly at the Martini Bar and at the pool..... not impressed.... but other than that, I loved it. Celebrity always does a good job. I think Cruising is in for some major changes moving forward... dynamic dining, d.j.'s, better use of technology, etc.... As you could see by the pictures I took during the cruise... I was there for the ride....

When you do a Med Cruise...the ship becomes more of a hotel as the sightseeing was intensive.... I wish I had more time to enjoy the ship; and plan that my next cruise will be a TA! I love sea days, especially on a Solstice Class vessel.