Review of Equinox Cruise 6 August 2010

[Januarysent]

This review is rather long and so I will submit it in two parts.

BACKGROUND

Just for background, this was my first ever cruise. We stayed in a 2B class stateroom and cannot speak about any other staterooms. I am in my 50s and travelled with my 16 year old daughter. Some decisions regarding the trip were made around issues of safety, others around cost, and others just because we wanted to do something in particular. I hope the following is useful. I am happy to help regarding any questions you have that may help you plan your trip, but, as I have seen from reading such postings, some responses will undoubtedly be unkind and I will not respond to those.

 

HOTEL IN ROME AND GETTING TO THE SHIP

We travelled British Airways from Heathrow. No problems and arrived at Rome Airport the day before boarding the ship. We took only hand luggage, two 22 inch cases, two backpacks and two rather large handbags, so no waiting for luggage at Rome Airport and no risk of ruining our cruise through lost luggage. It was a struggle for us to carry it all through the airport, put into overhead lockers, lift it onto the train and cart it to the hotel and ship and I am not sure that I would do it again. One large suitcase next time and little hand luggage, and blow trying to save time, or avoid losing it in transit.

 

At the airport, we took the Leonardo Express. Follow the signs out of the baggage claim for the train. As you reach the platform, just round the corner on the left, is the ticket booth. Two tickets cost 28 Euros plus 2 Euros ‘charge’ (unknown why and too tired to ask), totalling 30 Euros for the two of us. My daughter was charged the adult fare; under 12s are charged the children’s fare, although I don’t know what it was. We were directed to go to Platform 2, about 50 yards away. The train arrived about five minutes later and we got on, but then I remembered that we were supposed to validate tickets before doing so, which we had not and the ticket sales person had not reminded us to do so. We spent the whole journey, about 45 minutes, wondering if someone was going to come along and fine us. Thankfully, no-one did, although our ticket was checked as we left the station in Rome with no problems. The door to the train did not open (no handle), but someone kindly showed us that you press a button to open it, which should have been obvious, but was not. There was a luggage rack next to our seat, and luggage racks appeared to be plentiful throughout the train. The train was busy, but not packed and everyone had a seat. On arrival in Rome, we left the Termini station at the first exit out on the left hand side of the station rather than walk to the main entrance, which took us onto the side street. As we had only hand luggage, we needed to buy toiletries, shampoo, soap etc and there was a Spa grocery shop right there at the exit. We walked up Via Giovanni Gillotti to Via Gioberti, which was uphill and an uneven surface, but we managed, my daughter walking on ahead of me.

 

As we only had one day to see Rome, I booked a hotel close to the Termini, the Hotel Gioberti, for ease of carrying luggage and catching the train to Piraeus the next day. Had we been staying longer than one night, I would have wished we had booked a different hotel; the bed was hard and there were minimal facilities. For the one night, it was adequate and no more. It was clean and breakfast was the usual fare for basic hotels (cereal, variety of breads, meats, cheese etc). It felt safe and, knowing what I know now, and if I were only staying one night again, I would probably make the same choice. It felt safe and staff were friendly enough. Other residents were multinational and quite sane, normal, tourists. The front desk wanted to keep our passports, but I felt I needed them in Rome and she took a copy instead. The area has reported to be seedy, but I felt safe at all times and was happy to walk around.

 

Prior to the cruise, I had pre-booked our train tickets from Rome to Civitavecchia, for about 9:45 am, on trenitalia.com. The slow trains are not bookable, but the fast trains are. I booked a month in advance, which cost me 16 Euros for two first class tickets (second class tickets do not cost much less), which included a discount for buying them early. If you buy them three months in advance, they are even less expensive. Two second class ones would have cost 12 Euros with the discount and, had I bought them at the station, they would have cost me 28 Euros, or 22 Euros, depending on whether I chose first or second class. If you book on line prior to travelling, note that Trenitalia does not accept all foreign credit cards. I tried several different ones before it would accept one. Print out the reservation and take it with you. No need to get a separate ticket at the station. At the station, we found a departures list at the side entrance near the hotel and went to Platform 27 nearby as indicated. However, at the train, there was no first class carriage and we went into a second class one. As our journey progressed, it became clear that the train was stopping at every little station along the way, despite the train we had booked being a fast one. You might have thought we would ask, but we did not speak Italian and the workers on the platform did not speak English. Trying to find someone who did would have taken a lot of time and effort and we chose just to sit in second class. Second Class is perfectly adequate. No tickets were checked. Taking the slow train by accident did, however, give us a chance to see some of Italy through the window, although, until we saw a road sign for Civitavecchia, we were never really sure we were on the right train. We have since realised that two trains to Civitavecchia, a slow and a fast one, leave at almost the same time. We kept our luggage on the seat in front as the train was nearly empty. We met the first of many beggars we encountered during our trip on this journey and trains do appear to be a magnet for them, particularly in Italy. They can be persistent, but you can choose to give or, if you ignore them and they go away without a fuss. We never felt unsafe and there were other people around.

 

We arrived at Civitavecchia at about 11:00am, although it could have been slightly earlier and walked to the front entrance of the station, turned right, crossed the forecourt where cars were parked outside and went down some steps onto the main road. The road to the port runs along the sea front, but there are works being undertaken and the footpath on the seaward side cannot be used. Keep walking right on the same side of the road all the way down to McDonalds past the shops. Pass McDonalds and go to the gate entrance (just a small iron gate, not the car barrier). Once inside, all your worries are over. A clearly marked Celebrity Cruises shuttle bus was waiting at the entrance, which left for the ship with just us on board after taking our luggage from us. At the ship, our luggage was returned to us. After reading the CC blogs, we fully expected the porters to demand a tip for taking our luggage from us, but they were happy to do so without and were very pleasant. They did not even look for a tip. We went to check in a large tent, which took only a few minutes. Prior to doing so, we were asked to complete a questionnaire about our current health, which took a minute or so, then went straight to the check in desk, which was empty. We had EU passports, which were checked and returned to us. I did hear later that some passports, and I presume that these were non-EU ones, were taken from passengers and returned much later in the cruise, but I have no further information regarding that.

 

We tried to gain access to our room prior to 1:30 pm, but it was not ready. We had read on blogs that Bistro on 5 was good and went there to check it out, but it served only pancakes and salad and was not to our taste and we took the lift to Deck 14 and at in the Ocean View Café, which had plenty of ocean view tables available. At 1:30 pm, an announcement was made that rooms were ready. You will have seen photographs of the rooms, all of which are very comfortable and the bathrooms are better than in some hotels I have been in. Access is through your Seapass. Don’t try to put used crockery outside your door without your Seapass in hand in your dressing gown as the door will close automatically and lock you out!

 

FINANCIAL MATTERS

At check in, I was asked how I wanted to settle my account and I chose to settle it in cash, but they would not let me pay them money to spend onboard in advance. I was informed that, if I chose to settle my account in cash, rather than use a credit card, I could spend $200 before Guest Relations would ask me to pay them anything on board, which was incorrect (should have stated $500). I had planned to pay $600 in advance at check in for use on the ship to save needing to deal with the matter further until the end of the cruise. At Guest Relations onboard, about half an hour later (small line), I did pay $600 in advance, but was told that I could spend $500 before they would ask me to pay them anything. So, to be clear, because I had paid $600 in advance, I could have spent $1100 on board before they would have asked me for more. Indeed, if I had not paid them anything, and spent less than $500, I could have just paid them nothing until the last night when I would have had to settle the account. I know what you’re thinking, why didn’t she just use a credit card. Well, I had planned to use pre-paid credit card for the whole trip in Euros and dollars, as some people I know have had their cards cloned in Europe and I wanted to avoid difficulties. Then, after I had already put money on the cards, I discovered that Celebrity does not accept pre-paid credit cards. Fortunately, I live in a touristy area in England where there is an ATM machine where I can withdraw $US, which I did. Yes, I could still have used my UK credit card, but it would have involved fees for the use of the card and changing from $US to £UK, there was still the risk of fraud and it was just easier and less expensive to rectify the matter by withdrawing the cash in $US and use a cash account. I did not foresee that I would use more than $600, nor did I want to. As it happened, I could have withdrawn the $US on board, but I assumed that I had to pay into the cash account at check in. My advice, if you don’t care about security, use a credit card; it’s easier. If you want to use cash, you don’t have to part with a penny until you spend $500, or it’s the end of the cruise. I authorised my daughter to use my cash account with her sea pass card, which I was worried about, but I was able to monitor this through the interactive TV, which showed all daily spending on both cards. On the last day, I settled the account with Guest Relations. Unused cash was returned to me in $US. Guest Relations lines were very long on the last evening of the cruise, and I would suggest that if you are up early on the day of departure, you settle your account on that day, before 8:00 am, which is the deadline. I went there for something else at 5:30 am and, as you would expect, I was the only one in line. If you are up early to leave anyway, why not do it then.

 

On Board Credit.

I had no on board credit prior to the cruise, but on about the third day into it, $50US in on board credit was awarded to my account as a ‘courtesy’. Why I don’t know, but it bought my daughter a very nice sweatshirt for school.

 

Tipping.

At no point during our cruise did we feel obliged to tip any porters. After reading the CC Blogs, on arrival at the ship in Civitavecchia, we expected porters to be pushy about tipping, but they were not and felt no need to tip them. I had taken some $US in small notes to do so, but did not use them. On our return home, during the Airport Transfer, some Americans felt the need to tip the man putting their suitcases in the coach/driver, and guides during the tours, but they certainly were not looking for one and some seemed embarrassed to be offered one. Please do not worry about tipping. If you feel the need because you feel they are poorer than you, do it, but if you don’t want to, there really is no need. With regard to staff on board, when room service or clothes hangers were delivered to the room, no one expected a tip and left happily without one. No waiter or barman expected a tip either. At no time did I ever feel uncomfortable about not offering one. On the final day, however, I did give our room attendant, Bertolino, our Waiter, Mansur and our Assistant Waiter, Randy, an envelope containing US dollars and was happy to do so for the service they had provided, but there was no need and it was entirely my choice.

 

SECURITY

Our photographs were taken just prior to the gangway and were displayed on the TV screen in our room. These were not security photos as I had first thought, just for purchase later. You do not need to have these taken if you do not want to. Security photographs were taken as we entered the ship, which staff viewed whenever we left or boarded. The SeaPass Card given to us at check in was placed in a slot on entering and exiting the ship to allow staff to check our photos and the name on the Seapass matched. All bags were scanned when coming back on board. Everyone also walked through a metal detector and anyone making it beep was checked. Staff were wonderful and the process was quick.

 

At this point, I will tell you about an incident for which I have only praise for the security staff. My daughter and I had planned an excursion and had been directed to the Equinox Theatre to meet the group and be allocated our coach. As we were about to leave the ship, my daughter realised that she had forgotten her sunglasses. I told her I would wait for her at security, not realising that there were two exits out of the ship, whilst she went upstairs to get them, which should have taken only two or three minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she had not arrived. I began to panic and knew she would too. I was upset. Security checked on their systems and informed me that she had not left the ship. They radioed to the other exit (I had not realised there were two) and security staff had seen her standing there looking for me. Security would not allow her to leave the ship by herself as she was under 18 years, but agreed to do as I was also leaving from another exit at the same time and staff were communicating by radio. As I left the ship, I saw her at the other exit and we were reunited. My daughter had tried to go back to the Equinox Theatre, but could not find the exit and had gone to the gangway where others not on tours were leaving the ship. Our fault, not Celebrity’s and we are grateful for their help. Tip – do not separate from your children. Go with them.

 

A safe is provided in the room, which is easy to use. I did not have one, but a small laptop would probably fit inside. I did not leave anything out in my room that might be stolen, including jewellery or cameras. All staff appeared friendly and kind, but they are on minimum wages and I would not want to tempt them by leaving anything out. In this regard, the safe it quite big enough.

 

THE ROOM

We were in room 6216, which is the first room that sticks out on the hump on the starboard side. The bed is near the window, which was great because it left a lot of space near the bathroom and wardrobe (Americans read closet) for changing, getting into drawers, drying hair, etc.. Beds are comfortable, and long enough for my daughter and I, but I would have thought that a tall man’s feet would hang over the end. They are curved at the bottom to allow for passage to the balcony, so are even shorter on the bottom sides.

 

We had a twin bed arrangement with the phone on one of two small tables between beds. I put the phone on the second shelf so that we could use the top as a bedside table, and, although small, there was just about room to get on there all I needed, including book, pen, clock etc.. Over the bed, there are two cupboards with up-and-over doors, where we put all our dirty clothes as they accumulated. Note that, although we took only hand luggage, we had enough clothes to last us the ten days, (thirteen if you include travelling days). On the last couple of days, they offered to clean a laundry bag full of dirty clothes for £35 (no ironing), but we decided to take all ours home. Enough has been said on other CC blogs about laundry prices, which do not appear to have changed and seem reasonable. I did not use the laundry service and so cannot speak about its quality, but if it is an efficient as the rest of the ship, I am sure you will be satisfied. Below one bed were the life jackets and space for a suitcase; below the other, there was more storage space. With beds pushed together, the storage space would obviously be similar.

 

There is one double-door wardrobe (closet) in the room. We did not notice until we went to pack that there were two half wardrobe width pull down rails in the back of it to increase hanging space if needed, which could have been used individually to allow more space for longer/shorter clothes if necessary. There is a wardrobe wide shelf over the hanging rails for other small items, where I personally put my nightclothes for ease of finding when tired after a long day. No problems opening the two sliding wardrobe doors, which, contrary to some CC views, I could access easily; there was about an eight to twelve inch gab between the doors and the sofa, but I did not measure it. There weren’t enough hangers in our room, and I called Guest Relations for a dozen more. I had no idea who to call at this point as I was a new cruiser, new on the ship and had no idea of the ships systems, nor had I a looked at the buttons on the phone (had I done so I would have seen that there were different buttons for different services, as well as the usual number dial system) and I was politely and kindly told to call our attendant using the appropriate button on the phone. Someone arrived in a few minutes with hangers and a smile and did not expect a tip.

 

A hairdryer can be found in the drawer below the dressing table, which is lowered for sitting at with a mirror and has a separate light switch. We took a travel hairdryer with us, but there was a hairdryer in the room. I found it worked just as well as my travel hairdryer, although my daughter, who has long hair, found it difficult to hold the switch down for a long period of time. No real need to take a separate hairdryer, unless you need one whilst staying in Rome too. Next to the dressing table is the safe and, below it, the mini bar. It was locked when we arrived, but Bertolino, our room attendant, opened it soon after and we checked that what was on the list matched what was inside, so that we did not get charged for anything we had not used. All in order. We had bought a drinks package (discussed later) and had not planned to pay extra for the mini bar. We did use a can of coke out of it one evening when we were too exhausted to go to a bar to get one, but replaced it the next morning before it was checked. Note that if you plan to take water back to your room, the small bottle of San Pellagrino requires a bottle opener, which we did not take with us and was not provided in the room. Had we asked Bertolino, maybe he would have provided us with one, although Celebrity ones were on sale in the shops. Next to the fridge and safe were five drawers, which held all our items. You will learn early on not to put chocolate or perfume in these drawers, which become quite warm from the heat from the fridge.

 

Further storage in the bathroom for toiletries etc was perfectly adequate. There was a lined bin in the bedroom and a pull out bin in the bathroom, which we did not find for a couple of days. Yes, the ends of the toilet roll are folded into corners. The roll falls off easily and I took to leaving it on the shelf, although Bertolino would replace it, with folded corners, every morning and evening. You may have difficulty finding the toilet brush, but there is one in a cupboard in the bathroom; the door is on the left and opens sideways, which may fool you as it did us. Shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and bar hand soap are provided and replaced as needed. I used our own shampoo and conditioner, and so could not speak about it the ships provision in this regard, but my daughter loved the smell of the body moisturiser. Note that if you have forgotten any toiletries, the shops on the Boulevard sell sufficient to keep you going, including shaving cream, suntan lotion etc, but notably, not plasters (bandaids), which we would have liked to have bought for the blisters on our feet. The Savlon they sold worked well though.

 

Drying washed clothes.

We did not need to do any laundry, although those with young children may. I took one of those travel-washing lines with us with hooks at the end (some have suction pads), to dry swimsuits and any smalls I needed to wash. Not necessary. There are two hooks on the back of the bathroom door and clothes are easily hung up over the shower door etc.

 

Lighting.

The switches (four) at the entrance door to the cabin can be tricky for someone who is not technically minded. My daughter figured them out, but I still got it wrong by the time I left. There is a master switch for all the lights, although there are also separate switches for lights beside the bed, over the sofa, over the dressing table, in the hallway and in the bathroom. There is also a dimmer switch by the door, which adjusts the level of the main lights in the room. Dimmed lights in the bathroom are on all the time, although you cannot see them when the door is closed, and a light by the main door/bathroom door switches them on fully. If you do not want to take a nightlight (and there is no need), just keep the bathroom door ajar and you can see well enough. And, at sea, it is dark at night! There is no light on the balcony, which I am thankful for because I would not like to have sat out there in the early hours of the morning listening to sea and watching the twinkling lights by the light of someone else’s balcony. The door to the balcony should be kept shut unless you are walking through it so as not to overload the air conditioning system throughout the ship. The air conditioning in the room worked well, was adjustable and was most definitely needed to stay comfortable.

 

Tannoy.

At the start of the cruise, there were obviously more notices heard over the tannoy system, for information purposes and to welcome us, but, as the cruise progressed, these reduced considerably until there was only one or two a day. A daily one, which my daughter in particular looked forward to, was from Captain Michael Karatzas who would address us over the system just before we left port ‘speaking to you from the navigational bridge’ informing us we were about to leave port, where we were going, how long it would take and how far we would travel. (My daughter actually heard ‘…navigational grid’, which does not make sense to me, but she is often right in these matters and it would be nice to know which is correct. The Captain would also point out the times when we would pass interesting landmarks, such as the Messina Straight at 4:00 am. Granted, some did not always occur at times when most would be up and about, but, as I would probably never get a chance to see them again, I set my alarm and saw them from my balcony. All were sheer magic and worth getting up for.

 

Room Attendant, Bertolino.

After reading the CC Blogs for some months (a year in fact) prior to the cruise, I was given the impression that it was often the case that friendships/relationships often occurred between passengers and room attendants, which to me appeared to be intrusive and inappropriate. I, personally, had wanted a polite steward, who spoke English, got on with his job and demanded nothing from me, which was exactly what happened. Bertolino’s name was written on a card left in our room, but he also introduce himself briefly and asked us if we needed anything, then left us alone. Exactly what we wanted. Each morning, when we returned from breakfast, our room was cleaned and the beds made. Each evening, when we returned from dinner, the beds had been turned down and a chocolate left on each of them. On one occasion, my daughter was left a towel rabbit, which she loved, but it was removed the next day, which she did not. One morning, when we had an early tour, I arranged for breakfast in our cabin, which Bertolino delivered at 6:30 am as requested. (Leave a card on the outside of your door the night before, or use the interactive TV to order). He delivered it onto the table, said good morning and left. At no time did we feel pressured to tip him. We would see him in the corridor with his trolley at all times of the day and, when we came back to the room with hands full of coffee (usually from Café al Bacio), he would open the door for us with his card. We were very impressed by him and he provided us with exactly the kind of service we wanted. Kind, pleasant, efficient, in the background and never pushy. Top marks to Celebrity and Bertolino.

 

TV.

There were 20 channels, including several sports and news channels, both American and British. Several other channels tried to sell us tours, or inform us about what was going on on the ship. Channel 6 was a web cam of the front of the ship, which we checked regularly. There were several other interactive channels, including ones to order room service and/or speciality restaurants, tours etc., amongst other things. Another interactive channel showed the location of the ship on a map, which was interesting in that, if we saw land from our balcony, at times, it was possible to tell from the map where it was. There were also Free and Pay Per View films in several different languages, including English. There were sufficient free films we had not seen, including older ones such as The Vikings, to less ancient ones, such as Notting Hill, to even newer ones, such as Burn After Reading; enough to keep us happy without needing to pay.

 

Balcony.

The two chairs on the balcony can be adjusted at the back only. There is a table, which is a good height to use as a dining table, although it is small and a tray full of breakfast completely fills it. Perfectly adequate, though. We loved sitting out on the balcony early in the morning listening to the waves and watching the ship dock. As you can imagine, as we pulled into Venice, everyone was out on the decks and it was difficult to get a good place to view, so we went on the balcony and the starboard side was perfect. If I were choosing a side on this itinerary again, I would choose starboard again, just to see St Mark’s from our balcony as we sailed into Venice. I don’t think it made any difference at any other port. The balcony was cleaned once during the week. We sat outside one day and did smell smoke, but after I mentioned to my daughter within the offender’s hearing that if it did not stop within one minute, I would call security, the smell went away. We only smelled it the once. I wondered from reading the CC blogs why others could not tell where the smell was coming from, but I have to agree that it is impossible to tell. Noted that, with all the best laid plans about which balcony to choose, hump, not hump, port or starboard, your enjoyment of it will always depend on who is next to you. If your neighbours are noisy or smoke, it won’t matter where your balcony is and, in the end, it will be the luck of the draw. Next to us was one of the larger balconies ‘on the hump’, which actually faced forward for some of its length. On some occasions, it was quite windy and, I would have expected that those balconies would have taken the full force of it. Problematic for them, too, was that their view backwards was blocked by our balcony, which, in some ports, I personally would not have liked, despite their balcony's generous size. We, on the other hand, had a completely unrestricted view. We did have a storage box below us, being on the end, whilst other cabins further up did not, but that was not a problem and we could clearly see the sea below. The cabins next to us did not have a storage box, but they had a small deck below them instead, so there was no benefit. We had an almost 180 degree view out to sea. If you are thinking of having an interior room, please think again and try to stretch your budget to a balcony. Some of the views were spectacular. I watched at 4:00 am as the lights twinkled whilst passing though the Straights of Messina, the first time we went through such a scene, although there were several other occasions later in the trip. The sounds, view of other ships, including other cruise ships, the spectacular views of the ports as we sailed into them could have been seen from the decks, but there was something special about being able to see them in my dressing gown early in the morning from my own balcony.

 

LIFEBOAT DRILL

At 5:00 pm on the first day of arrival, we had lifeboat drill, which was compulsory. Names are checked off on a list. Your assembly point is written on a card at the back of your cabin door along with a map of how to get there. You will also be told over the tannoy system when and where to go. Our meeting point was the Silhouette Dinning Room. We watched a video and were given instructions in several languages. No need to take your life jacket with you, which is stored under the bed. No problems and over quickly. Really nothing to fear.

 

SHIP

Wow. What a ship!!! Before I go into detail, I want to say that wherever we sailed into port, everyone must have been pretty jealous of the Equinox. It looked as magnificent on the outside as it was on the inside. We saw some pretty good-looking ships on our travels around the Mediterranean, including the MSC Musica, which appeared to follow us everywhere, but there was no other ship I wanted to be on. We were in port with the Costa Fortuna, Costa Serena, MSC Armonia and Splendour of the Seas, as well as a number of other smaller cruise ships, including the Windstar, but I would not have wanted to have been on any other. They all looked lovely, but the staff on board the Equinox were outstanding and I could not see how another ship could have been better.

 

Drinks Package.

We prepaid for the Premium Non-alcohol package. Was having a package a necessity? No. Coffee, tea, water, lemonade, juice etc was freely available around the ship all day. Did we get value for money? Yes and I would choose pay for the package again. My daughter had two non-alcohol cocktails with dinner (Watermelon Tropics) and at least one during the day. She tried other’s, including and strawberry and a mint one, but fell in love with the watermelon ones. We also had several speciality coffees during the day, as well as bottled water and soda. On the first day, Café al Bacio charged me for a coffee, as did the Ocean View Café for a cola. (I noticed the charges when I checked the account on the interactive TV). I went to Guest Relations to have the charges removed, although I felt a little uncomfortable doing so for such a small amount, but I was assured that this would not be a regular occurrence and I was never charged again. After that, when I presented my Seapass for a drink on the package, I would state ‘on the package’ so as to ensure I was not charged. On one occasion, I was presented with a slip to sign despite this, but after I informed them that I had a package, the charge was removed at the time by the waitress. When the package worked as planned, I would just present my card to obtain drinks, which was put through a scanner and returned to me; nothing to sign. Later in the cruise, on many occasions, once they realised I had a package, they did not bother to scan the card and just brought the drinks. Two cards need to be presented for two drinks, although towards the end of the cruise, when staff know and that you are on a package, I would think this is no longer an issue. On the issue of availability of drinks, after about day five, bars appeared to have run out of large bottles of San Pellegrino (which had a screw top) and were offering 2 small bottles of San Pellegrino (which needed a bottle opener to open them) instead, which could not be opened if taken back to the room. Cans of diet coke were low and they served that in glasses from the fountain instead at one point. My daughter requested Watermelon Tropic cocktails at several of the bars (which were advertised on cards throughout the ship), but some staff did not know how to make them, or did not have the ingredients. All of them tasted slightly different, but my daughter loved them. I know nothing about the alcoholic packages.

 

When we first arrived, we explored the ship from top to bottom. Our table number in the Silhouette Dining Room had been left on a card in our stateroom, so we went to the dining room to check that it was a two person table as requested (my daughter’s choice) by phone with the Celebrity prior to the cruise. However, we were not allowed into the dining room, and saw others who had the same plan turned away at the door. As it happened, that evening, we discovered that we had been assigned a two person table and were satisfied with its location next to just one other two person table, where two retired ladies sat. There was about nine inches between tables, and, whilst I would have preferred it to have been more separate, it felt adequate. We talked to the ladies when we wanted to, but could also hold conversations between ourselves too.

 

There is no level 13. Lifts (elevators) are central, as are stairs and, often, it is quicker to take the stairs than wait for a lift, particularly if you are only going up or down one level. Floor plans are located outside each lift, as is a list of the main rooms on each level. We rarely waited long for a lift. Stairs are not steep and are easily negotiated. The location of our room, near the lifts and lower and central in relation to the rest of the ship, meant that we felt the ship’s movement less. On occasion, although the seas were not rough, sometimes the wind was and we could feel the ship rolling, but, on the lower decks and centrally, less so.

 

Cleanliness.

The ship is spotless except for perhaps the carpet in the Ocean View Café, which, constantly looked as if it needed vacuuming, but, admittedly had constant foot traffic. An Assistant Manager, Jose from Portugal, was often seen directing staff to clean and pick up, as he was often seen in the Silhouette Dining Room asking guests for their opinion and welcoming them. He appeared to work extremely long hours, but to thoroughly enjoy his work. I would employ him in a heartbeat, as I would many of the staff on board. Only one criticism I would have is that, although he would ask for guests opinions, he appeared pained when any criticism was made and I personally stopped making criticisms for this reason, preferring to leave any for the comment card I posted at Guest Relations at the end of the cruise. All criticisms were minor, and would have made no difference to my enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Staff.

Just to say the ship was beautiful all over is not an exaggeration, but the staff were equally wonderful. The CC blogs do not exaggerate how great they are. Having said that, on occasion, some staff went overboard with the ‘welcome’, ‘how are you’ whole thing, which became a little irritating towards the latter end of the cruise when they were still saying ‘welcome’ and, by that time, felt really insincere. We knew by then that they were happy to see us and did not need to keep being reminded quite so many times. It reached a point of silliness and from the faces of other passengers in the Ocean View Café, it did appear that we were not alone in that view. A small criticism that has to be said, but I would rather staff were overly enthusiastic than under. The public toilets were spotless and staffed all the time by someone who would press a button to open the door after washing hands. Staff offering antibacterial gel, or automatic gel dispensers were at the entrance to most public rooms and restaurants. I saw no-one ill on the ship.

 

Other guests and children.

The vast majority of the other guests on the ship were great fun and not at all snooty, as has been a worry of some CC bloggers. Of course, some guests stand out, including ones who never control their children who, judging by their inability to control their little darlings, will, no doubt have teenagers who still do not know how to behave in public. Another was someone who sat next to us on a tour who insisted they inform us about how they would never travel other than first class and always in a suite and was very amusing. These individuals were by far in the minority. Far more irritating were adults who did not know how to make requests of staff. One man in the Ocean View Café requested his drink by saying ‘Gatorade’. Others were heard saying ‘I want/need this… or I want/need that’. At the coffee bar, whilst my daughter was getting a coffee, one man thought he should be served before a 16 year old who arrived first and, when he was not (staff were used to her going there), he made some rude comment and stormed off. Some guests, were totally without manners, but most were extremely well mannered and educated. There were a large number of different nationalities on board including the obvious British, American and Canadian, but also Russian, Brazilian, Spanish, German, Australian, New Zealand and many, many more. It was wonderful to hear them talk and, some, meet. Staff, too, were from all over the world. It was wonderful. To go back to the subject of children, my daughter did not participate in the children’s activities provided on board, but we did see a number of groups of children led by staff clearly involved in a number of different activities around the ship and they appeared to be enjoying themselves. Staff seemed to be enjoying caring for them. These groups could also be seen having lunch with staff in the Ocean View Café, their parents, presumably ashore. On one occasion, my daughter was approached, by a group of children on a scavenger hunt, for a receipt for a purchase off the ship, which she happily gave them. If I had young children, I would have been happy for them to participate in the entertainment provided, knowing they appeared to be well cared for and entertained.

 

Persian Gardens.

We did not use the Spa, other than to visit it on the first day when we were looking round the ship, so cannot comment about most of the staff there. We did speak to a member of staff at the Persian Gardens on the first day who gave us a brief talk about what they had to offer, which we were not interested in, despite us being two girly girls having fun, and never went back. We were not even tempted by the special offers later on. The pool in the solarium is for adults only. I had thought from reading the CC blogs that it was open to everyone 16 years and over, but, on the day my daughter went in there, a member of staff approached me, asked me if she was my daughter and how old she was and informed my that only those over 18 years could use the solarium pool. I offered to leave with her, but he said that, because it was a port day and quiet, it was ok for her to be there (she behaves better than most adults), but on non-port days, when it was more crowded, she had to use the outdoor pools. We left anyway.

 

Pools.

Whilst on the subject of pools… I had planned to exercise every morning in the pool, but not having been on a cruise before, I had not realised how small the pools were. Four strokes and I could swim from one end of it to the other. Not for exercising, just faffing around. This was a disappointment for me. Nevertheless, my daughter was happy to faff around in the outdoor pools, although they were very busy every day and there was little room to swim. Children filled them on non-port days, and, as you can imagine, some parents let them run around the pool and splash others at will. One very large man belly flopped into the pool and splashed everyone in a six mile radius. Funny, but annoying. Don’t think of the pool area as relaxing. It is not. It is noisy and hot and not my favourite place, although families and sun worshippers seemed to enjoy it. Waiters went round with pre-mixed drinks, or you could ask one to bring you a specific one, or you could go to one of the nearby bars or cafes, none of which was very far away. Now, on that dreaded question of sun bed hoggers. I did not stay long by the pool; too noisy and hot. But, during the short spells I spent there, I did see pool attendants removing towels from sun beds on one occasion and it is clear that sun bed hogging is being managed. My daughter and I went to the pool at some of the busiest times of the day and, although we did not manage to find two sun beds together right next to the pool, we did find two in the next row and facing the sun. There were vacant sun beds all over the ship and I do not think, except for the odd occasion, you would find it difficult to find one, although it may not be in the perfect spot. With nearly 3000 people on the ship, however, no doubt someone is going to be disappointed on sea days.

 

Quiet and favourite spots to watch the world go by.

One of our favourite spots was on Deck Five, through automatic doors, behind the Gelateria an Café al Bacio. One side of the ship is smoking (although we never saw smokers there) and the other is non-smoking, but few people go there. I am sure that if you are in a balcony just above that area, however, you would not agree that no-one smoked there. There are many other lovely places to sit. I am sure you will find your own favourites. If you don’t want to participate, try watching the dance classes from one of the seats in or overlooking the foyer. Hilarious and a lot of fun. Don’t worry, the participants are having too much fun to worry about the fun you are having watching them.

 

Café al Bacio and Gelateria

Café al Bacio was both mine and my daughter’s favourite spot. The coffee was great, and there were little desserts and sandwiches available at different times of the day. We were advised to try the tiramisu, which came in a very small glass, but it was wonderful and just enough and delicious enough to satisfy. My daughter has never been a coffee fan, but after she tried the caramel macchiato, she had at least two a day. I would go the Café al Bacio early in the morning for a coffee, or tea, to read, or just watch the world go by, before my daughter woke up and before we went to breakfast. There are three pairs of two chairs facing one another by the window overlooking the small deck and the sea, with a small table to put coffee on, which, in my opinion, should be a little lower, but a minor criticism. The coffees were included in the premium drinks package, and the caramel macchiato’s are only one of many speciality coffees you can try. The Gelateria is at the bottom end of Café al Bacio. We bought gelato there, which cost $5 each plus a service charge, but did not do it again after we realised that the ice cream in the Ocean View Café is just as good and free. Flavours in the Ocean View included Ginger, Peanut Butter Pina Colada and other usual ones. Sweets from tall jars can be sprinkled on top, but my daughter would request they just put sweets in a bowl, as did other mums with youngsters, rather than buy sweets from the shops.

 

Silhouette Dining Room.

We had a 6:15 pm sitting at a two person table on Deck 3 next to another two person table. We were surrounded by other tables for six to eight people, which felt ok. There was plenty of room to walk between tables and it did not feel overcrowded. At the beginning of the cruise, the dining room was full every night, but, towards end, it was only about half full. The eight person table next to us only had two sitting at it for a lot of the time. The issue of where else they might have eaten is a separate issue, which I will deal with next. Staff in the Silhouette Dining Room were wonderful. On the CC Blogs, I was disconcerted that people appeared to be, like their stateroom attendants, expected to be having inappropriately friendly relationships with staff, but, now I understand what they are saying. You spend perhaps ten nights with the same waiter (ours was Mansur Effendy) and assistant waiter (Randy Bonaga) that you cannot help but to form attachments with them. Mansur and Randy were a lot of fun. Mansur did magic tricks for us. Prior to the cruise, I would have shrugged away from the idea of forming such attachments with waiters, but I was more than happy with the conduct of the dining room staff and, had I not been, I am certain they would have changed their demeanour appropriately. My daughter, who is used to inefficient English waiters, could not believe how quickly her water glass was refilled! Mansur made suggestions about what was on the menu every night, and, because of his usual comments to staff, soon became known by the retired ladies on the table next to us as ‘Excellent Choice’. I did not drink alcohol during the holiday as I was in charge of a 16 year old the whole time, but the ladies on the next table did and appeared more than happy with the service provided by the sommelier. On one occasion, after wine was poured into their glasses from a bottle, one noticed that there was still lipstick on a glass and the whole bottle was changed and a new bottle brought. The food in the dining room I would describe as adequate to good in the main. Outstanding was a marzipan and almond cake we had for desert one evening, but this was the only one. My daughter’s favourite main meal was the Argentinean Steak. She is not a big meat eater, but loved it. Nothing stood out for me, other than the cake, but there were no disasters and I enjoyed everything offered. The Lobster was very good, not at all tough as has been reported on some CC blogs. Maybe I got lucky, but I feel that most people would be satisfied with what was served in the dining room.

 

Speciality Dining Rooms.

Prior to the cruise, I had booked a table in the Silk Harvest Restaurant on the night we were in Santorini. We sat on a table with a sea view. The food was good, similar to what you would find in a good Asian restaurant, although we both found the Spring Rolls outstanding. Spring rolls described as those served in the Silk Harvest were offered as a starter in the Silhouette Dining Room one evening, but they were clearly not made by the same chef and were not as good. There was plenty of choice and staff brought us a selection of foods, other than those we had ordered, to try. Staff tried really hard to make us feel welcome. However, for my taste, their welcome and expression of gratitude at us being there, which continued throughout the meal, was way over the top, to the point of spoiling the ambiance rather than adding to it. I wanted to say ‘enough already’, ‘we’ve got it, you’re glad we are here’. We did enjoy having a change of dining venue, but, I am not sure that the quality of the food, or the change, was worth paying extra. If I was doing the cruise again, I probably would not bother unless I really felt I needed a change of venue. Same criticism of the Tuscan Grill. We had a wonderful table for two right over the wake at the back of the ship, although we had sat just a little higher over the wake earlier in the day for free in the Ocean View Bar. Staff at the Tuscan Grill were very welcoming, but no food stood out as exceptional, although all of it was good. Amusing to my 16 year old was that they put the Caesar salad together at the table on a special trolly, and, I have to say, it did look silly. Having said that, both in the Silk Harvest and in the Tuscan Grille, guests appeared to be lapping up the extra attention they were receiving from staff and their genuine attempts to make the experience feel special, which was clearly meant to be part of the experience. Each to his own. I don’t think that, with hindsight, I would go to the either restaurant again unless I really wanted a change from the Silhouette. Neither restaurant was even half full, but we ate early at around 6:30 pm and I would not be surprised to hear that they were busy later on. At the start of the cruise, my daughter and I looked around Murano’s, which was lovely, but my daughter did not feel that she wanted to deal with the ambiance, nor did she find the menu to her taste (too much fish) and did not want to eat there.

 

Ocean View Café.

During the day, for both breakfast and lunch, this restaurant had great choice, including smoked salmon for breakfast. We managed to find somewhere to sit by the window overlooking the sea whatever time of day we went there. On one occasion, however, after a particularly tiring day off ship, we decided to eat in the Ocean View Café for dinner. What a disappointment. We never did it again. The choice was poor; not at all the same as during lunchtime or breakfast. The food was also cold in some cases. Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs as well as salad and few other choices only, as well as desserts. The only real suggestion for improvement on the whole ship was the food in the ocean view café during the evening meal. Now, I will discuss the issue of desserts in the Ocean View Café. They looked marvellous and many were. Some, looked a lot better than they tasted. I am a big fan of things and custard and was happy to see that they had a least one offering every day. The bread pudding and banana pudding and custard (more like cream and custard and delicious) were excellent, but, on one occasion, they offered an apple crumble, which was horrid. How can anyone get apple crumble so wrong? Clearly, it had not been tasted by the chef. Nevertheless, 95% of the food offered was fair to good, with some excellent, although the service and the views were always excellent.

 

Buffets

One evening, at about 10:30 pm, a chocolate buffet was laid on in the Passport Bar. To my surprise very young children were in evidence waiting for it to start and some parents seemed to treat it as if it were a children’s event, appearing abashed that adults wanted to get their platefuls before their little darlings. My view is that what was on offer at the chocolate buffet was the same or similar, other than a chocolate fountain (which was dreadfully thin, chocolate flavoured liquid we were expected to dip marshmallows and pieces of fruit in), to that offered in the Ocean View Café, and was not worth the wait. A brunch buffet held in the Silhouette Dining Room was also offered on the last day of the cruise, which we enjoyed.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

We did not see any of the shows and chose to listen to music, or musician’s playing in the bars etc. throughout the ship. I had expected the entertainers to be amateurish, but they were either very good, or excellent. There were a lot of bars open and places to find to sit and watch the world go by in the evenings. Entertainment on offer was listed in the daily bulletin, but other than seeing the show, generally, most made their own entertainment.

 

FACILITIES

There is a library on board, where you can just pick up books from the shelf and take them back to your cabin, to be returned at the end of your cruise. These are clearly marked with the celebrity logo. Some guests have also clearly left their own books in the library for guests use. The problem is that they do not seem to be in any kind of order and you would struggle to find a particular book by a particular author. But, the library is small and you can easily just look on the shelves at what’s available and make a choice.

 

On Line at Celebrity appeared to be well used. Our room was just by it. Personally, I was on holiday and wanted to stay well away from a computer, but others were participating in courses, whilst others appeared to be checking emails etc. Staff appeared to be on hand to ask questions each time we walked past.

[Januarysent]

SHORE EXCURSIONS

There is absolutely no need to buy any shore excursion and, if you do, it is personal choice. At each of the ports, shuttle busses to the main attractions (centre of town usually), are provided either free of charge or for a nominal fee ($10 to $20), including a water shuttle in Venice to St Marks, by Celebrity. These can be bought onboard, or paid for as you get on the shuttle by presenting your Seapass and signing for it. This was not made clear on the website, which is a shame, because I had spent hours investigating the different ways of getting to the attractions from the ship without buying a tour prior to the cruise.

 

I booked several shore excursions prior to Cruising; Kusadasi (Highlights, including the House of Virgin Mary); Corfu (Dassia Beach Hotel); Venice (Doge’s Palace, St Marks and Glass Factory); and Padua and Airport Transfer. Whilst on the cruise, I also booked one in Dubrovnik (Panoramic Dubrovnik) through the interactive TV screen in our room (very easy). Some concern in the past has been expressed by CC bloggers about the organisation of these trips by Celebrity, and, indeed, some fellow cruisers told me about how some had resulted in almost fisticuffs on previous cruises they had been on, but I found those I went on on this cruise to be well organised. This is how they work. Tickets for those excursions booked prior to arrival are ready in your stateroom when you arrive. If you book them on ship, tickets are delivered to your room prior to the excursion. You are advised where to present yourself and when on the ticket, but for every trip except for the Airport Transfer, this was the Equinox Theatre. One person in the group goes to the stage with all the tickets for the people in your party to be assigned a coach number. Stickers with the coach number are provided for everyone in the group, which you stick on your shirts. You go back to your group sitting in the theatre and wait for your coach number to be called. When it is, you leave by the exit and go to the gangway at Deck 2 (usually, although for the Venice shuttle, it was Deck 4). You will be asked to use your Seapass to check on and off the ship by placing it in a slot. Your bags will be x-rayed on the way back in and you will be asked to sanitise your hands with cleaner. Most complied, although I did see one American argue that using sanitiser should not be compulsory and refused. How it ended, I don’t know as I did not stick around to find out, but what he thought the problem was in sanitising his hands I have no idea. I, for one, was thankful for it and always kept my own bottle of sanitiser in my bag for use around the ship, and used it often in addition to the sanitiser offered at the entrance to restaurants and other places.

 

Whilst I had been happy to see Rome, Naples and Santorini without a guide, we chose to take a guided trip in Turkey for Security reasons. I chose the Highlights of Ephesus Tour and would recommend it, although there are many others to choose from. We were all provided with a bottle of water, which was welcome later on in the extreme heat, but this was the only tour that provided it. (Our alarm clock had a temperature gauge on it, which showed that it was about 50 degrees on our balcony in Kusadasi). Drinks were on sale in the Equinox Theatre if you had not already organised some to take with you. After disembarking, we were taken by coach to the House of the Virgin Mary. We had been provided with a small pottery bottle to fill with water from a spring there to take home as a keepsake. Interesting visit; some were clearly moved. Soldiers with serious looking automatic weapons were on duty, as were lesser ferocious looking security staff and I was thankful for that. Lots of pushy salesmen lined the walkways to and from the site, from whom we would not buy. We had wanted to take a look at one stall, but the hard selling was so bad, we just walked away. Salesmen followed us right up to the door of the coach still trying to sell us Turkish delight. There were clean toilets there, but you may feel better taking a small bottle of hand sanitiser with you. There was a cafeteria where we bought two colas in lira at a reasonable charge (can’t remember the exact amount). The cafeteria did not take euros, only lira, but the pushy knickknack salesmen did. We then travelled a short distance by coach to Ephesus, which we walked through with the tour guide who gave us just enough information. Personally, I felt he was aiming his pitch at the Americans in the group, and, indeed, most of our fellow guests on the tour were Americans. I was shocked however, when he compared the difficulties Turks have with their borders to the one American’s have with Mexicans, particularly in view of it being such a multicultural cruise. He thought it was funny, as did some Americans, but I did not. He was happy to answer questions and appeared knowledgeable. We attended an Interactive Show whilst sitting under a tree, which involved people dressed up as Cleopatra and Anthony watching a sword fight, followed by Turkish dancing. It was hot, but not unbearable, and the trip lasted just long enough. On the way back, our tour guide tried really, really hard to get us to buy a carpet. The plan had been for everyone to see a carpet factory/showroom at the end of the tour, but the bus stopped just by the ship and we wandered off on our own instead. We dipped our feet in the sea (dead fish in the water). Later, we tried to do some shopping, but, again, the salesmen were extremely pushy and I had already made up my mind by then not to buy anything from them. One shop, however, had no-one outside and we went in. My daughter bought some knickknacks and we went back to the ship for lunch. The ship was nearly empty and we had a wonderful time on board relaxing. In fact, nearly every day we were in port, except Athens, when we were out all day, we were off the ship early in the morning and back on board for lunch. We wanted to enjoy the ship’s facilities just as much as see the sights, and this arrangement worked well for us.

 

The next Tour was the Dassia Beach Hotel Package, which we arranged to give us time to dip our feet in the sea. Both my daughter and I loved it. We were taken by coach to the Dassia Beach Hotel early in the morning. For about two or three hours, we had the sea virtually to ourselves, our own sun beds and umbrella, and access to the swimming pool and water sports if we had wanted them. Also from the beach, they appeared to offer boat trips at your own expense. All in all, a lovely morning and very different from the sightseeing we had usually participated in. Note that someone tried to charge us six euros for the use of the sun bed, but, after we explained that we were with Celebrity, and after she saw our stickers, she apologised and left us alone. We were back at the ship by 1:00 pm when we had lunch on board. Later, we took the ship’s shuttle bus into town from the port and did some sightseeing and shopping. Before we travelled, I had tried to book a hire car to drive round the island, but, it proved difficult and I changed my mind. If you do plan to hire a car, be aware that the traffic is horrendous near the port and in Corfu town. The coach driver could not make his way through town because it was so bad, and took a detour past the airport, which took half an hour longer than planned. If you still want to hire a car and have not been able to, take comfort in the fact that, just outside the port, there is a long line of hire companies (signposted) waiting to hire you one. Personally, having seen the traffic, I am happy with my choice not to do so.

 

Panoramic Dubrovnik tour.

After leaving the Equinox, we walked a hundred yards or so to a pirate type ship, which sailed us from the port, around the coast and to the old port where we were dropped off to walk with a guide into the city. The ship was packed and it was very hot, but drinks were on sale, including beer. The trip around the coastline was great. Fellow passengers wanted to chit chat, which was problematic for me because I wanted to just look at the spectacular view. Once at the port, our guide was informative (not overly so) and allowed us an hour and a half to tour the city and/or walls on our own. I don’t think, however, you could have walked the whole of the walls in that time, but it was enough time to walk part of it, or look at any museums, cathedrals, shops etc. that you would have wanted. The market was on, which sold fruit and vegetables and a few knickknacks. Shops sold the usual tourist stuff you can find elsewhere. The city is very beautiful and worth a trip in to see it.

 

Venice Doges Palace, St Marks and Glass Showroom Tour.

We were taken by launch very near to St Mark’s Square straight from the ship. Two guides met us at the pier and we walked as a group to the Doges Palace. Anyone carrying a backpack had to check it in and security staff strictly enforced this. Our guide was very informative and, for us, in particular my daughter, overly so. We spent a long time in each room discussing minute details, which, frankly for us, and I suspect for others, was too much. We would spend many minutes in each room discussing minutia. Our guide spent too much time in these rooms and, by the time we crossed the Bridge of Sighs into the jail, the most interesting part of the trip for us, there was no time left to see it, and we saw one prison cell and left. Disappointing. Problematic, too, was the guide left no time for us to get a drink, even though it was extremely hot, and, as we passed a cafeteria, I quickly ducked in to buy two and risked losing the group. Thankfully, our guide had stopped for yet another long discussion about the architecture and I was able to catch. We then went next door to St Mark’s, which was beautiful, but, again, very busy and what you would expect. Again, backpacks had to be left outside, which one of the guides held whilst the other went with us inside. My daughter and I walked through alone whilst the guide (again, way too much detail) rambled on again and we waited for him at the exit. Our guide then left us and the other guide walked us through St Mark’s Square to a glass showroom. We went over a bridge, which the millions (it appeared) who had hired gondolas went under. (Gondolas were available for hire very near to where we were dropped off by the shuttle boat, but I don’t know how much they charged). What happened next was the only mismanagement we saw on a tour. Inside the glass showroom, there appeared to be confusion about what was happening next, (we followed the guide, who disappeared and then re-appeared). Handing over to the next guide who worked for the glass showroom seemed problematic and both my daughter and I had little tolerance for it in view of the heat and already over exuberant guide so far. It also appeared to be yet another sales pitch, but as I did not stay, it may have been wonderful. Who knows. Thankfully, our Celebrity guide did say that if we wanted to leave, she would meet us at the bridge just outside in 45 minutes, and we left to look around St Mark’s Square on our own. When we returned to the bridge, we had gone to the wrong one (we thought we had just retraced out steps, but all roads and bridges look the same) and, although we could see the right bridge next to us, we could see no way of getting there. Thankfully, there was another Celebrity tour guide on our bridge and we asked her if we could join her group to return to the shuttle boat, to which she agreed. However, our tour’s shuttle was a couple of bridges further on from the shuttle Celebrity was using for those who weren’t on tours and, in view of the fact that this shuttle was available, we took that one back to the ship. It stopped in the port, a distance away from the ship and we had to walk about a quarter to half a mile to the ship from there. If you don’t want to take a tour, this shuttle is available to you at $20 return (or $10 single trip), payable on the ship, but I also suspect that, like shuttle buses, you can pay for it as you get onboard with a Seapass.

 

Padua Airport Transfer.

We had no time to stay in Venice after the trip and chose to take the airport transfer for convenience. On our way, we visited Padua. Great Guide. Just enough information. Padua is beautiful and the Church of St Anthony is more beautiful than any other I have ever visited. Padua is extremely beautiful too and worth the trip. We were dropped off at the airport at about 12:30 pm. The trip is for passengers on flights after 3:00 pm, but any flight after 2:00 pm you may have been able to catch. However, be aware that Marco Polo Airport is one of the worst run airports I have every been in. There was only one British Airways line, which was very long. Passengers who had not checked in on line could only check in 2 hours prior to the flight and we had to wait a long time in an airport with very poor facilities for the number of passengers passing through it, which was stressful for me, but in particular for my daughter. A relaxing end to the trip Marco Polo Airport is not. Security is not so tight either. My daughter discovered later that she had a cola bottle in her bag that had been through a scanner and no-one picked it up. I was pulled to one side and my bags tested for drugs, which took just a few seconds and was no problem. Facilities after security are better, but, because you can’t check in until two hours prior to departure, and lines are extremely long because of limited staff, you won’t be spending most of your time there.

 

PORTS ON OUR OWN

Rome. We arrived in Rome at about 12:30 pm and planned to see the Colosseum Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps that day, which we managed to do. We walked from our hotel just by the station to the Colosseum, which took us about 15 minutes and was easily done. In fact, we walked everywhere in Rome (no need to use public transport) and had no problems doing this. We were glad we did, because we saw a lot of Rome we had not planned to see. We wanted lunch to be easy and so went to the station before we set off on our travels were we found a cafeteria with a variety of salads. We asked the man behind the counter for salad dressing, but he had no idea what we were talking about and neither did they at checkout. In fact, when we asked for it, they handed us bread rolls and, when we said salad dressing again, they handed us crackers. We looked around, but no salad dressing was in site. We ate our salad without dressing and started our sightseeing. The line at the Colosseum was extremely long. We waited in line for 45 minutes in high temperatures. A tip – book your tickets in advance. We paid 12 Euros for an adult ticket, but there was no fee for my daughter as she was under 18 and held an EU passport, which was checked. Those who had tickets already breezed through the line. Take plenty drinks. We did, but it was so hot we drank them quickly. A drinks stand just outside the exit charged us 8 Euros for two colas, the most expensive bottles of cola in Europe we found. The Colosseum is a must see, of course. From there, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, which was packed with tourists all jostling for a place near the water to take pictures. Wait your turn and you will manage it, or, if you can (we could not), go early when there are fewer people around. We had planned from there to walk directly to the Spanish Steps, but took the wrong exit out of the Trevi Fountain and ended up walking around Rome before we managed to get back on track. Though getting there took more time than expected, we did manage to see quite a bit of Rome whilst lost, which was great. Once again, the Spanish Steps area was extremely crowded, but we managed to find ourselves a space to sit down and watch the world go by. We had planned to go to the Hard Rock Café, but the line was very long and so we walked back down the street to where there were several pavement restaurants where we ate the best pasta we have ever had for about 40 Euros for the two of us (no wine). We could have booked the Hard Rock Café, but did not want to limit what time we arrived and chose not to. We made our way back to the hotel and, the following morning, to the station for the trip to the port.

 

Naples.

We planned to see Pompeii early to avoid the heat. As it was, Naples was hot even early in the morning. We got the Alibus (Airporter) for 3 Euros each to Garibaldi Station from the other side of the Castle. The stop is clearly marked. The bus stops by McDonalds at Garibaldi Station and you walk straight to the station entrance. Follow the signs for the Circumversuviana (easy to do). Buy your ticket at the ticket booth – they will understand you if you ask for Pompeii. Tickets were less then 3 Euros each return. You validate your ticket as you go through the turnstiles. The train came within five minutes, which was used by tourists and locals alike and took about 45 minutes. You will see real life from the train window, including, clearly, a lot of poverty. There were beggars on our train, but we never felt frightened. Get off at the first stop for Pompeii (clearly marked) and turn right out of the station. The entrance to the site is just a few yards away. As my daughter held an EU Passport and was under 18, there was no entrance fee. My ticket was 12 Euros. Pushy salesmen as you walk, but nothing as bad as in Turkey. The site is massive. We did not use a guide and so were able to leave when we had had enough of the heat, but, with hindsight, I would have used a guide rather than do it on my own as there is so much to see and miss. Leave by the same gate and the station is a few yards away. Validate your ticket in the station hallway at the machine by the stairs that takes you to Platform 2. Go down the stairs and through the tunnel that takes you to the line that goes in the opposite direction. The trains from there go back to Naples. To allay any fears, it is all very obvious. On arrival in Naples, leave the station by the front exit. Quite a walk down the tunnel you came in at. You will now need to find the Alibus stop back. It is not by McDonalds. That stop will take you on to the airport. The stop is in the square in front of you. On the right of the central square, you will see a lot of buses parked at stops. The Alibus is red. You will see red buses parked further away from you than the others. Cross the road and walk to these red buses. One of them will eventually arrive and say Alibus. Do not panic. It will be obvious. The bus takes you back to the stop where you got on. Simply walk back to the ship from there. Total transport cost of the trip each: 6 Alibus (3 to and 3 from the station), 3 Euros train. Less than 20 Euros for the two of us and we were back by lunchtime. If you took drink from the ship, this is all you would need to spend. Taxi’s were available outside the port, but there really is no need to go the short distance to the station. We could have walked, (it is a short distance by public transport, but too far for my walking comfort zone), but felt safer on the bus. Note that, if, instead of walking back to the ship from the Alibus stop, and walk in the opposite direction, you will eventually hit a main shopping area, which is well worth a visit.

 

Santorini.

Approaching Santorini early in the morning is one of the most beautiful sites I have every seen. The Windstar was already in port, which made the scene even more special. A shuttle took us to the key where we took the cable car up into the town. We waited in line about 20 minutes. Others rode donkeys and some walked up the steps. One young man was sick in the sea after the shuttle from the ship, but no-one else seemed to have a problem and neither I nor my daughter felt any ill effects. We saw him many times later on the cruise and, unfortunately for him, the young man was forever known as the red head that was sick in Santorini. On leaving, there was a half an hour wait in baking sun for the cable car back down. We thought about walking down, started off, then changed our mind when we realised it was an awfully long way down and waiting for the cable car would be quicker. Some walked down, some took the donkey’s down. The ships shuttle was already at the quay to take us back. Staff handed us cold flannels and water, which we appreciated. Santorini itself is beautiful from the seaward side, but when up in the town, it is just one big knickknack shopping fest. We enjoyed looking around, but, truthfully, we wished that we had arranged a tour of the island, or hired a car. There were very few blue roofs, which we only saw from the sea, although the views were spectacular. There were lots of places to sit and enjoy the view.

 

Athens.

This was to be the highlight for my daughter, who had always wanted to see the Acropolis. We left the ship early and were taken by the shuttle to the port gates free of charge. There, lots of taxis were waiting to take passengers to Athens. I was approached by one taxi driver to offered to take us there and pick us up for 200 Euros. Another, who had a couple in tow, offered to charge us 50 Euros each to share the taxi with the couple, but they wanted to leave Athens by 1:00pm, which was too early for us and we chose not to. We had planned to take the metro into Athens, which is what we did. We asked a taxi driver to take us to the metro station, and he suggested we walk and did not seem keen to take us such a short distance. I say short, but, actually, I would not personally have liked to walk it and, as suggested by a CC Blogger, we took a Number 843 bus, which can be caught not at the port entrance, but on the main road around the port. Leave the port by the road directly in front of you that curves to the left. It is the access road from the port terminal onto the main road around the port. It is the only road out that goes left. It is busy, but there is a small footpath. There is a temptation to cross onto the right hand pavement, but don’t as the road meets another major road at the top. Stay on the port side pavement for a while until you pass the area where the port entrance road meets the main road and walk a little. When you feel comfortable with the traffic, cross over. Keep walking until you see a tabacchi shop where you can buy bus tickets for 1 Euro each. The salesman would not take a 20 Euro note and wanted coins. Tickets last for 1½ hours and can also be used on the metro. Bus stops are all the way down the road. Look for one that has the number 843 on it ( lots of them) and wait for the bus. We waited just a few minutes. The bus stops near the metro station. We sat near the front of the bus and checked with the driver if we were at the right stop. We weren’t and he told us it was the next one. No difficulties with buses. So, total cost to get you to the middle of Athens, maximum 1 Euro each. If you are over 65, the charge is 50 cents. Negotiating the metro was a different matter. A metro was in station when we arrived and we validated our ticket as we entered (can’t miss the box), although I am not sure that once we had validated it on the bus we needed to do it again, but did so just to be sure. We checked on the map inside the train that it went to Omonia (the plan was to take the train to Omonia, then change trains for the Acropolis), which it did. However, we were not aware that the line from Monastriaki to Omonia was closed and all trains from Piraeus terminated at Monstriaki, which messed up our plans. We would have unknowlingly stayed on the train and been carried back to Piraeus had a nice Greek lady not beckoned us to get off and advised us how to rectify the situation. We changed lines to catch the train to Syntagma, where we caught the train to the Acropolis. Make sure you are on the right track. Seems obvious, but tricky when everything is in a foreign language. We went one station in the wrong direction, and had to get off, change tracks and retrace our steps. Seems like a nightmare, but easy to resolve. The metro was used by locals, including a lot of pensioners and we felt extremely safe. Eventually, we got to the Acropolis metro station. As you exit, the Acropolis is clearly signposted. The entrance is very close to the metro exit. The first view of the Acropolis from the metro station is magic. Tickets are 12 Euros for adults. Again, my daughter entered free of charge on an EU passport. Take passports with you as they do check and charge you full price if you don’t have one with you. A Chinese couple wanted to pay student fares for their three sons, but could not prove they were students and had to pay full price for all three. Cold water is dispensed inside the gates on the left at 50 cents per bottle. There are three machines. The one on the left does not work, but the other two do. The walk up to the Acropolis is much easier than I had anticipated. Much of it is paved, not steps, although, higher up, there are some tricky steps to negotiate, but most people could manage them. I believe that there is a lift for the disabled, but this is at the other side of the site and I did not see it. It took a far shorter time to climb up than expected. Wonderful views. With the binoculars, we could see the ship in port. From the ship, we could see the Acropolis. We had only planned to see the Acropolis, the Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. You may feel you have time for more, but we only felt comfortable tackling that during our trip and plan to return in the future. The Acropolis museum is also by the metro station. We visited this next. The first thing we did was have lunch in the restaurant overlooking the Acropolis. There is a small cafeteria on the first floor, but ignored this and ate a a bigger one on the second floor, with great views and an outdoor patio. We loved this. The food was good and not too pricey. 4 Euros for a sandwich, although other more substantial options were available at a reasonable price. Iced water was provided free and there is no need to buy other drink if you don’t not want to. As for the museum, it is new and the glass floor displays at the entrance were interesting, as were the displays of the Parthenon freezes, but, generally, having seem many museums of this type, I have to say that it is not the best I have ever seen. I wish I had not bothered and had headed directly for the National Archaeological Museum, which I am told was wonderful. The metro station back to Piraeus was just around the corner and we planned our return trip to take into account the closed line. No problems. As we left the metro station in Piraeus, we crossed the road to catch the bus back and found an 843 bus stop a few yards away. We used our metro ticket bought at the Akropolis in a machine (in several languages and easy to use) on the bus too. We waited a few minutes at the stop to catch the bus, which travelled around the port road, but sailed right past the entrance to the port. Initially, we were worried, but it stopped about 200 yards further on and we simply walked back to the port and down the relief road we had initially walked up that morning. Going through customs was easy and we were back on board in time for dinner. I would not have liked to have tackled more in that heat.

[portofrome]

Thank you very much for the review.

[purplethorn]

Thank you for the review...

One question about the tipping , you mentioned that you gave an envelope of cash at the end of the cruise , was that in addition to the base tip that is outlined by the cruise line ? thanks!

[Januarysent]

Thank you for the review...

One question about the tipping , you mentioned that you gave an envelope of cash at the end of the cruise , was that in addition to the base tip that is outlined by the cruise line ? thanks!

 

 

Yes. I had prepaid tips, but I gave a small amount in an envelope that could be obtained from Guest Relations.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for writing and posting such an extensive review.

 

Keith

[joanne59]

Thank you very much for providing such a long detailed review. It was a pleasure to read a complete review all at one time. Although I do understand the reasoning behind it, I find I lose interest when folks chose to post long reviews over the course of a few days. I never seem to find my way back to finish reading. It is interesting to have a birds eye view on how folks from many countries, various backgrounds and different nationalities, spend their vacation time. How nice that you and your daughter were able to enjoy a wonderful cruise together.

 

Happy cruising....Joanne

[Januarysent]

Thanks for writing and posting such an extensive review.

 

Keith

 

 

Keith

 

I hope you found it useful. I would like to have read one prior to my cruise, but most are in bits and pieces and did not answer a lot of my questions.

 

Januarysent

[Januarysent]

Thank you very much for providing such a long detailed review. It was a pleasure to read a complete review all at one time. Although I do understand the reasoning behind it, I find I lose interest when folks chose to post long reviews over the course of a few days. I never seem to find my way back to finish reading. It is interesting to have a birds eye view on how folks from many countries, various backgrounds and different nationalities, spend their vacation time. How nice that you and your daughter were able to enjoy a wonderful cruise together.

 

Happy cruising....Joanne

 

Joanne

 

Glad you enjoyed the review. As a first time cruiser, I would have liked to have read such a review.

 

We had a great cruise. Some places we plan to go back to. Corfu had incredible views, as did Santorini, of course. Athens we will definately go back to. Certainly not enough time in a day to do all the main sites. Naples I would not bother with again. Turkey, except for pushy salesmen, was one of our favourite places, but we would like to see other areas; Istanbul perhaps.

 

Enjoy your cruising.

 

Januarysent

[Essiesmom]

Januarysent...If you check back into your roll call, I posted pictures from webcams of your arrival into Venice. EM

[Januarysent]

One thing I did not mention in my review was the dress code.

 

Although it is discussed at length by posters, on the cruise, it was a non-issue.

 

Whatever anyone wore, they would have felt comfortable.

 

Personally, I would say that the 6:15 sitting is a little more casual than the 8:15 sitting in the Silhouette Dining Room, particularly on formal nights when most of the second sitting appeared to be in gowns. On the first sitting, many wore them, including myself and my daughter for the fun of it, many more wore cocktail dresses and some wore simpler dresses, dressed up with jewellery. A few wore pants and sparkly top. All looked lovely and appropriate. Some men wore dinner jackets and bow ties and looked fabulous. I am certain that their wives/partners were very proud of them and they certainly made the evening special. Thank you to them. The vast majority of other men wore dark suits and ties and looked great. Some wore a jacket and pants and did not look out of place, but I personally would have liked everyone to have treated the evening as special. Nevertheless, I was glad to see them enjoy themselves without any apparent criticism from fellow passengers or being prevented from entering the dining room. On non-formal nights, many ladies dressed up in dresses or skirts and tops with jewellery and made and effort. Some wore cocktail dresses every night. Being my first cruise and not knowing what would be appropriate to wear, I took four cocktail dresses, as well as a gown and was able to wear them for dinner without feeling overdressed. Some wore very casual day clothes at dinner, which appeared to be because they had just returned from sightseeing and had had no time to change. Some men wore jeans on occasion and were not turned away, which could have been for the same reason. Some came in in jeans after dinner had started to be served and may not have been 'caught' because the main door was no longer staffed. I don't think it spoiled anyone's cruise except their own because everyone else appeared to be thoroughly enjoying watching everyone else in their fancy gear and the ambiance that created.

 

I hope this helps all you new cruisers make your decisions about what to take.

 

Happy cruising.

[Januarysent]

Januarysent...If you check back into your roll call, I posted pictures from webcams of your arrival into Venice. EM

 

 

Wow. Thanks. I'll take a look.

 

Which ship were you on? I have tons of photos of all the ships in Venice on those two days and can post yours if you would like.

 

It was fantastic watching all those cruise ships snaking through Venice ....

 

Januarysent

[DivasDare]

Wonderful review. I remember you and your daughter, glad that you enjoyed your trip. As for the tipping of the service providers, i.e, tour guide/bus drivers, it is just a common courtesy to show appreciation of their time and effort. Nothing to do with *assuming* that they were less fortunate as you. Just a gratis.

 

Oh and you were so right on about the Marco Polo Aeroporto... Our BA staff did not arrive until three minutes prior to gate opening and did not take the first customer until exactly two hours to the minute of the flight.

[Michidoeme]

Thanks for lengthy review. I wish you could give me some lessons on packing as I understood you had only hand luggage, yet brought a gown and 4 cocktail dresses (in addition to other clothes and even hairdryer).

How on earth did you manage that ?

[dalitos]

Januarysent, thank you so much for your thorough review, I enjoyed very much reading it.

We will be on the Equinox soon and I'm glad to read you found it so beautiful and with great staff.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Wow! What a great review, particularly since you are new to CC. Very generous to put in so much detail that will be helpful for people who come after you on the same cruise. Really enjoyed reading it!

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

[Januarysent]

Thanks for lengthy review. I wish you could give me some lessons on packing as I understood you had only hand luggage, yet brought a gown and 4 cocktail dresses (in addition to other clothes and even hairdryer).

How on earth did you manage that ?

 

I enjoyed writing the review, but you are welcome and hope it answers a lot of questions for future cruisers.

 

I don't know how I managed with just hand luggage either, but I did. As I say, I would not attempt it again. Taking only one pair of evening shoes that went with everything, one pair of sandals and one pair of flip flops saved a lot of room. The bags were very heavy nevertheless and difficult to cart all the way from London to the ship. I expanded the case on the way home and checked it in.

[Januarysent]

Wonderful review. I remember you and your daughter, glad that you enjoyed your trip. As for the tipping of the service providers, i.e, tour guide/bus drivers, it is just a common courtesy to show appreciation of their time and effort. Nothing to do with *assuming* that they were less fortunate as you. Just a gratis.

 

Oh and you were so right on about the Marco Polo Aeroporto... Our BA staff did not arrive until three minutes prior to gate opening and did not take the first customer until exactly two hours to the minute of the flight.

 

I enjoyed writing the review.

 

There was no mention in my original post about *assuming* anything and you have not quoted me correctly, which is, I am sorry to say, one of the pitfalls of writing anything on this site and, probably why many don't. I did not use the word *assume* and never intended to. I clearly stated that I had taken money with me to tip, but found it unneccessary and, in the main, not expected.

 

I would avoid Marco Polo Airport like the plague whenever possible. Might be more fun to travel to Rome by train and fly out from there. If you must use it, take supplies with you to the airport. The newsagent is the size of a large bathroom, toilet fascilities are totally inadequate, as is seating and restaurant fascilities. Staffing levels were minimal on the day we flew out, particularly in relation to BA staff.

[Januarysent]

Wow! What a great review, particularly since you are new to CC. Very generous to put in so much detail that will be helpful for people who come after you on the same cruise. Really enjoyed reading it!

 

 

I am glad you enjoyed it and thank you.

[Januarysent]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

 

I hope it was useful. That was the intention.

[Januarysent]

Thanks for writing and posting such an extensive review.

 

Keith

 

 

Keith

 

You are welcome.

[DivasDare]

I enjoyed writing the review.

 

There was no mention in my original post about *assuming* anything and you have not quoted me correctly, which is, I am sorry to say, one of the pitfalls of writing anything on this site and, probably why many don't. I did not use the word *assume* and never intended to. I clearly stated that I had taken money with me to tip, but found it unneccessary and, in the main, not expected.

 

I would avoid Marco Polo Airport like the plague whenever possible. Might be more fun to travel to Rome by train and fly out from there. If you must use it, take supplies with you to the airport. The newsagent is the size of a large bathroom, toilet fascilities are totally inadequate, as is seating and restaurant fascilities. Staffing levels were minimal on the day we flew out, particularly in relation to BA staff.

 

*Assuming* was my addition based on your words...

 

On our return home, during the Airport Transfer, some Americans felt the need to tip the man putting their suitcases in the coach/driver, and guides during the tours, but they certainly were not looking for one and some seemed embarrassed to be offered one. Please do not worry about tipping. If you feel the need because you feel they are poorer than you, do it, but if you don’t want to, there really is no need.

 

That is the assumption. Tipping is more about appreciation of service provided and not feeling that you are better then another. I know anyone who pulls over-packed bags on and off a bus or has to be responsible for a group of people with their own agenda's, they deserve the small token of appreciation. Just my opinion. But I am a bleeding heart conservative liberal. LOL

[jg51]

Thank you very much, "Januarysent."

I hope that you will be willing to post your review in the "Members' Reviews" section of the CruiseCritic site:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=382

 

I'm sure that I am not the only member who would appreciate being able to access it there, as soon as possible. Thank you.

[Essiesmom]

Wow. Thanks. I'll take a look.

 

Which ship were you on? I have tons of photos of all the ships in Venice on those two days and can post yours if you would like.

 

It was fantastic watching all those cruise ships snaking through Venice ....

 

Januarysent

I was not on a ship, not even in Venice. I was sitting in front of my computer, watching the ships come into Venice and capturing them on the webcams. EM