Mummble

Hi all!

I have done a lot of looking and am stressing over what kind of shoes to bring to the Mediterranean in October. Boots? Sandals? Flats? Wedges? I need help! I have only ever cruised to the Caribbean and Hawaii - this is new territory for me. I am starting in Barcelona and heading to Rome, Naples, Santorini, Mykonos, Ephesus, Athens and Malta. Please share any advice you have!

Oh, and do I need a different shoe wardrobe for the ship? I am used to sandals and flip flops on the ship, but I think that has more to do with my previous destinations than the ship?

I love shoes (and clothes) and will probably bring way more than enough of both, but I'd like to invest in a really quality pair of shoes/boots/whatevers for walking intensive tours in Rome, Pompeii and Athens.

Thanks!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! The Greek Isles were always something my hubby and I wanted to do - so we're heading there for our 10 year anniversary in October!

Anyway, our perfect at sea day is:

Room service breakfast to eat on the balcony watching the ocean pass by. I certainly don't have that kind of view at home! Shower, get ready and head out with our Nooks. Find beach chairs that face the ocean, but have some shade and camp out for a while - usually until lunch. Have lunch at the grill. Play a game of trivia or find a musician we like and hang out there for a bit. Take a quick dip in the pool. Late afternoon we head back to the room to shower again and get ready for dinner. Then it tends to be dinner, comedian or show, followed by the casino. Though in our early 30s, we're a pretty relaxed and low key couple.

Our perfect port day is:

Room service breakfast (maybe there's a theme here...). It is so nice to be able to have breakfast and keep getting ready. Off to the port for either a planned excursion or just wandering the port. Ideally lunch at a local place. Back on the ship around 5 or so. Shower, get ready for dinner and then pretty much the same night as sea days!

I have found that since my business demands fairly constant socialization, and my husband's job requires long hours, we really enjoy just focusing on each other and really using the cruise to relax.

I'm sure whatever you end up doing, the trip will be amazing!

Seeing the posts about Saint John in Mykonos has me so excited! It looks like an amazing place to relax and enjoy the view. My cruise takes me to Mykonos in later October - does anyone know if the resort is still open, or is it only open during the summer?

Thanks!

Thanks so much everyone! I really appreciate the advice.

I think we'll just take the later flight to Barcelona. I can see where, if we were familiar with London Heathrow, it could be done with the shorter connection, but I just don't want that stress!

We are flying in several days before the cruise, so we'll have time to enjoy Barcelona and the two hours I'm missing due to the flight won't seem like anything in the scheme of things.

Thanks again!

Hi All!

My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary by going on a Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona. I have never been over seas, and he was 16 last time he went to Europe.

We are looking at flights from Denver, Colorado to Barcelona, and one flight in particular from British Airlines that would give us a 1 hr. 55 min. layover in London Heathrow. We will most certainly have a couple of checked bags. Having never flown internationally (I've travelled the Caribbean by cruise ship!), I have no idea what to expect and if 1 hr. 55 min. is enough of a layover. Our other option allows for about a 4 hr. layover, but then we don't get into Barcelona until 7:30.

From those of you familiar with London Heathrow, I would appreciate any first hand experience or advice!

Thanks so much!

Thank you for taking all that time to post about your trip! I'm going on a similar cruise this coming October and cannot wait! Your photos and comments will certainly be used to help us plan.

For me my cruise starts the moment I book the cruise! Planning and anticipation plays a big part for me.

I totally agree! I start reading Cruise Critic, reviews, travel books, etc. and my obsession lasts until we depart. Then, after the anxiety of flying is over, my excitement returns ten-fold upon landing in the departure city. Then there is the health form to fill out (silly, but it is a symbol of cruising!), and the pre-boarding photo, and the first "bing", and the first step onto the ship.... I could go on and on! I simply love it all.

Praying for your family and sending positive thoughts your way. Take care, and thank you for sharing this eye-opening story during such a challenging time.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all of the opinions and information. It doesn't sound like the bonuses to the Concierge Class room are spectacular - I think for now, I'll just watch the pricing. If I'm able to get a mid-ship concierge class for about the same price I've paid, I'll jump on that.

Thanks again!

Under the new promotion, I could get a Concierge Class (C3) instead of the balcony room that I have booked. However, even after taking all the bonuses into account, the C3 would still cost an extra $100 for the cabin, and it seems that I would move from a mid-ship veranda to a forward C3. This will be my first cruise on Celebrity, and don't know if the C3 is really any different than the Veranda. Reading the description, the bottle of bubbly at embarkation would be nice, but I could get that for less than $100.

I would love to hear from those of you that have been in both types of staterooms if the additional perks in concierge are worth it! More than the additional cost ($100 isn't much), I'm concerned about feeling a lot of motion in the ship being that far forward.

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions!

My husband and I prefer ATD to eat alone. I'm an interior designer and spend the vast majority of my work days talking to people, finding out about how they live, and really doing a lot of "chit-chat". My vacation is for relaxing and just focusing on my husband and myself. I am truly an introvert by nature and the time to re-charge is important!

I love that cruise lines offer different options and people can have just what they want. Different strokes for different folks indeed!

Unfortunately, they can, using a pen, straight through the zipper, and then dragging it open, a video demonstrationg this has been posted on all kinds of websites recently as a caution to travellers. It gave me the horrors reading your story, we have never experienced anything like this on a Celebrity ship, we always feel as safe as we do at home, I would hope it is an isolated incident and they get to the bottom of it, glad to see Celebrity have responded and are taking action. Hope you had a good honeymoon other than this. :)

Eek! It always felt relatively safe to me, with my little combo lock. After looking up that video, I feel pretty foolish! :o I guess if someone really wants your stuff, they'll find a way. :( Thank you for alerting me!

I would certainly bring it up back here on land. It may not get you anything per say, but it may change how the situation would be handled next time.

One thing I do, is bring luggage locks and put important things in my suitcase. Lock it up before leaving the room and slide it under the bed. Nobody else can open that without damaging the suitcase... at least, I think that's the case.

Ok so I realize this thread is SIX years old but the Post-Cruise Depression is something I've become alllll too familiar with!! We are just off the Norwegian Dawn this last Friday after 7-day Bermuda cruise... the weekend has consisted of unpacking, laundry, looking at vacation photos and portraits incessantly, being on Cruise Critic non-stop, trying to figure out how and when we can schedule another cruise... and DREADING work tomorrow...:/

I like that you brought back this thread. Post-Cruise Depression is real, and needs to be dealt with. :D

I tackle it by making a photo book. My husband takes (literally) THOUSANDS of photos, and it takes me a month to go through them all and assemble a cohesive photo book. Then (after ordering on-line) it generally takes a few weeks to get to me. By that time, I've conquered my PCD. :-)

I'll be doing the 5 day on Vision on Oct 18. My strategy is that I always want to have choices when it comes to my outfits. For a 5 day cruise I will pack 10 outfits for dinner. For a 7 day I pack 14 outfits for dinner. Ok, maybe I'm nuts but I have been doing this for many cruises. I can't help myself. I just have to take all those clothes with me or I don't feel right.....twice as many as I need. I have tried to pack less but it just doesn't work for me. I wonder if there's any other women out there like me.

 

I hope you enjoyed your first cruise.

This is exactly what I do too! I am a much happier woman with choices. Some days I just don't 'feel' right in an outfit, and need a second choice.

Exarkkun - sounds like you learned some easy things! Great report back to new cruisers.

We took this tour on our first Med cruise and loved it. We liked it so much that when cruise friends took their first Med cruise a few years later we talked them into taking it and did the tour again. I have photos for both along with a short review of the tour on my photo site:

 

 

Beautiful photos and great review! Thank you so much!

Thanks for all the tips! I will call Celebrity to get a more firm answer. :)

GoldenRetriever - We will be on the Equinox next year and are actually looking at that same Amalfi Coast/Pompeii tour! Was there enough time to enjoy both areas?

What a great thread! Everything about a cruise is fabulous! My very favorite, soul-satisfying parts are ones that others have already said, but my top five countdown would be:

5. Watching the endless ocean

4. Being rocked to sleep

3. Being unplugged. Unless the emergency is big enough to call the ship, I won't hear about it.

2. The sheer pleasure of no responsibilities, no chores, no 'real' world.

1. The quality time with loved ones. Typically cruise vacations are just my husband and I - an amazing time to focus on each other and us. However, my last two cruises have been with my in-laws and then my family. Those trips became really precious.

From the moment I book a cruise, I am a happier girl. Cannot wait for my first cruise on Celebrity!

If an excursion is labeled as "Preferred" or "Elite" by Celebrity, I assume that means fewer people per tour. However, are there multiples of these tours offered, or is the one group of 26 all that are available?

Thanks!

I so appreciate the insight into what is offered at the buffet! The times are much more convenient, and I could still get eggs benedict. Perfect plan. Now I just have to wait until next October to enjoy the plan! :)

Thanks so much for the link and the advice on the buffet! I love eggs benedict, and wanted to be sure I could order it at least one morning! :)

Hi all!

My husband and I just booked our first Celebrity cruise (woohoo!), and I have been hunting for the MDR breakfast menus. I cannot seem to find anything other than the room service menu, does anyone happen to the MDR one?

Thanks!

Oh no! I am glad to hear he is doing well, though. Best wishes Big_Duck!!!

 

I just read the Sea Day 2 Fun Times and I didn't see the Murder Mystery listed. I was going through it and posting highlights for my family on our private Facebook Group page. I will check again.

 

Maggie

I think the murder mystery thing was called "A Real Whodunnit". I looked at the Funtimes posted by Heald, and cannot find it either. Maybe it was on my Splendor cruise (just got off the ship 5/17) because Tex was the CD and not Malcom? I don't really know how much a CD does with the schedule.

Is there a murder mystery on the Splendor?

Actually there is! My hubby and I made it to the Spectacular theater for the end of it. I think the second sea day has the even where the story is told and the suspects are listed, then throughout the week there are little clues on the back of the funtimes and you're supposed to talk to the suspects and ask them questions.