Long Review: 9/9/13 - Reflection 11 Day Eastern Med plus Rome

[Milhouse]

We sailed on the same itinerary in October and felt starboard had the better views.

 

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[Raschueler]

Thanks for the great review! We will be sailing this itinerary (minus Istanbul) in July. So sorry to hear about your bags :(

[Waihekean]

Melissa,

Thank you so much for this thorough review! My husband and I are finding it very helpful as we plan our cruise for June. Did you find that it would have been better to be on a specific side of the boat when in ports (with balcony)?

Lori

 

 

I have done this itinerary twice, Equinox and Reflection and had a starboard cabin (r/hand side). Both cruises had same and marvellous views, especially Istanbul where view from balcony was of Topkapi Palace, Sophia Hagia and the Blue Mosquee.

[packratprincess]

Thanks for the wonderful review- would love to read any future blogs

[Mel&Ken]

Melissa,

Thank you so much for this thorough review! My husband and I are finding it very helpful as we plan our cruise for June. Did you find that it would have been better to be on a specific side of the boat when in ports (with balcony)?

 

Lori

 

We were on the port side and it became a joke that in every port we seemed to be facing away from shore - so to second another response I think Starboard has the best port views - but in all honestly when we were in port we were off the ship so it really wouldn't change much for us no matter what side we're on. Sailing in to Santorini we had the best view!

 

Any news on the luggage Mel and ken? I always hate leaving my luggage outside my room on the final night. If someone had taken it by mistake they would have returned it by now?!?! :confused:

 

If someone had taken it by mistake there would have been leftover luggage which there wasn't. It was either stolen or dropped in the water as it was taken off the ship - what a thought! :eek:

[Mel&Ken]

Mel,

 

Thank you for your wonderful review. I'm so sorry about your luggage debacle. I hope it works out and Celebrity is able to help in some way. Do keep us posted (I have followed the other thread).

 

You have given me some great ideas for our upcoming trip which overlaps in some ports (looking into St. John's Resort for Mykonos for examlpe).

 

Your tour in Istanbul sounds great. Would you mind sharing the contact info of the woman from Michigan (I think you said her name was Claire) with whom you had the full day tour?

 

My email is jacquegregory536@gmail DOT com if you are able to share it. It sounded like a great tour.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do such a wonderful and detailed review!!

 

best,

Jacque

 

Jacque,

 

Yes I will look for Claire's contact info when I get home tonight and send it off to you. Sorry for the delay - I haven't been online in quite awhile.

 

Melissa

 

Hi Mel,

 

This is such an amazing review - so helpful and in depth! My fiancé and I have booked the same cruise for our honeymoon for next October and we are counting down the days until it is here! I did have one question: do they allow self-disembarkation? We have done this on other cruise lines before but have never sailed with Celebrity and weren't sure if that is an option. I prefer to take my own bags off because it cuts down on the waiting and confusion when getting off, and your story of your bags makes me even more interested in doing this if it's possible.

 

Thanks again for your fantastic review! It will be of a huge help to us in our planning process!

 

Kelly

 

Kelly,

 

I am glad this review was helpful in your planning. They're a lot of work but considering how much help I got from past reviews I figured I owed it to pay it forward. ;)

 

You can self embark and honestly we talked about it. But we had SOOOO much stuff that it seemed like it would be such a pain we decided not to. We just went on a cruise 2 weeks ago with NCL and took our own bags off. 2 suitcases, 3 carry ons, 2 shopping bags....ugh what a pain it was. I was sweating buckets by the time we got to the taxi stand.

 

I've decided I just need a personal butler to travel with me and they can carry all my bags! :p

 

Honestly I don't know what we'll do going forward. Right now its still fresh in our minds and we are very hesitant to trust our bags over night in a holding room again. Ask me again in a few years when I am older how I feel about dragging my luggage around and you may get a different answer. I recognize the odds of it happening to us again are slim.

 

Melissa

[Mel&Ken]

My apologies to those who have been posting questions - I have been awol from CC for awhile now. I just realized I didn't even finish my review - I still have 2 days in Rome to post!!!

 

As for the luggage saga.....Celebrity stuck to their guns as far as monetary compensation goes and we got $600 ($300 per bag) from them as per the cruise ticket. I did get to speak to someone pretty high up the ladder and was able to share some feedback that they appreciated and are going to incorporate in the lost luggage form going forward. If nothing else, it may help future travelers go through the process more informed than we did.

 

As a goodwill gesture we were given two cruise certificates that we can apply toward a future cruise. They have to be used by the end of this year so I don't think we'll be able to use them but I appreciate the gesture. Once that was settled we were able to file a claim through our home insurance which was tedious to say the least; listing every single item and providing receipts for not only what was lost but the when/where/cost of the replacement as well. Twice as much work as the the Celebrity claim and they would NOT accept the claim package I had already prepared - I had to start from scratch. Needless to say I am still waiting to hear the final verdict from them - the total claim was just under $5000 - minus my deductible, Celebrity's $600 & depreciation I am hoping to recoup even half of that. What can you do?! At this point anything is better than nothing. :rolleyes:

 

We just sailed with NCL again and I think we've been spoiled by Celebrity. The food in the MDR was average and the service and timing was horrible. More than once we were brought the next course while we were still eating the previous one. They could take some lessons from Celebrity for sure! So despite our frustration at the "incident", I don't want to sacrifice our vacation enjoyment just to be stubborn about it. I am confident we'll sail with Celebrity again soon.

[elena7seas]

My apologies to those who have been posting questions - I have been awol from CC for awhile now. I just realized I didn't even finish my review - I still have 2 days in Rome to post!!!

 

As for the luggage saga.....Celebrity stuck to their guns as far as monetary compensation goes and we got $600 ($300 per bag) from them as per the cruise ticket. I did get to speak to someone pretty high up the ladder and was able to share some feedback that they appreciated and are going to incorporate in the lost luggage form going forward. If nothing else, it may help future travelers go through the process more informed than we did.

 

As a goodwill gesture we were given two cruise certificates that we can apply toward a future cruise. They have to be used by the end of this year so I don't think we'll be able to use them but I appreciate the gesture. Once that was settled we were able to file a claim through our home insurance which was tedious to say the least; listing every single item and providing receipts for not only what was lost but the when/where/cost of the replacement as well. Twice as much work as the the Celebrity claim and they would NOT accept the claim package I had already prepared - I had to start from scratch. Needless to say I am still waiting to hear the final verdict from them - the total claim was just under $5000 - minus my deductible, Celebrity's $600 & depreciation I am hoping to recoup even half of that. What can you do?! At this point anything is better than nothing. :rolleyes:

 

We just sailed with NCL again and I think we've been spoiled by Celebrity. The food in the MDR was average and the service and timing was horrible. More than once we were brought the next course while we were still eating the previous one. They could take some lessons from Celebrity for sure! So despite our frustration at the "incident", I don't want to sacrifice our vacation enjoyment just to be stubborn about it. I am confident we'll sail with Celebrity again soon.

 

Hi Mel:

 

Very nice to see you posting again. I have to say though, every time I see this thread come up with your name on the last post, I am always hoping against hope that you are posting to let us know your suitcases came home. However, at this point, with all the work you had to do to present your claims, perhaps the money and a fresh start might be the best thing. I hope your insurance company comes through for you.:)

 

I really do appreciate that you come back to this thread to update us.

 

I hope your next cruise is the best ever. :D

[Mel&Ken]

Hi Mel:

 

Very nice to see you posting again. I have to say though, every time I see this thread come up with your name on the last post, I am always hoping against hope that you are posting to let us know your suitcases came home. However, at this point, with all the work you had to do to present your claims, perhaps the money and a fresh start might be the best thing. I hope your insurance company comes through for you.:)

 

I really do appreciate that you come back to this thread to update us.

 

I hope your next cruise is the best ever. :D

 

Haha...you and me both! I still look for luggage on my porch everytime I pull in the driveway! :o

 

For sure a fresh start is what we needed. I think a break from CC; the posting and debating was a good thing. It was way too raw for me and I was super sensitive about the subject so it was nice not to think about it for awhile. We've since been on two trips, have replaced most of what was lost (except the souvenirs :() and are moving on. I finally feel like I can contribute again and not get caught up in the drama of it all.

 

Plus there's nothing like a cruise on a different line to make you appreciate Celebrity and all the things you LOVE about them.

 

Thanks for all your support and kind words the past 6 months - I very much appreciate it!

 

Melissa

[susanw814]

Wow! I just spent hours reading your review - you really did a great job Melissa and I'm going to go back and make notes of all your tips. We are doing a very similar cruise and already booked St John's Resort so very excited for that "rest" day.

We will be heading to Tuscany for 4 days post cruise and will do self embark solely because of what happened to you and Ken. I'm sorry you had to experience such a negative ending to a fabulous trip but thanks to you there will be less theft on a ship with more self embankment .... shame on who ever could have done that!!!

 

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[dateacher]

I have just spent the better part of an afternoon reading your post. It was wonderful to read so many wonderful things. We are considering the same cruise for this summer (I know it's late but there are still cabins). As a Trip Advisor poster for Las Vegas (damama) I started laughing when you had to stop your review for a trip to LV.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post. I just wish CC had a private message component like TA. I have so many questions that I don't want to hijack this thread for.

 

Sorry you lost your luggage. I can just imagine how that can put a damper on your trip.

[Mel&Ken]

We were really looking forward to sleeping in today but at 7am I was wide awake. This apartment has huge windows and there is a ton of light so sleeping late is not easy.

 

I spent the morning updating our online journal and uploading pictures from Pompeii. I also contacted Rome Cabs to take them up on their offer to help with a few calls to the airport/cruise port lost and found to see if the bags have turned up which they were quick to help with. No luck in that area.

 

Today was supposed to be a day where we packed a picnic lunch and rode bikes along the Appian Way to see the Catacombs – something I have wanted to do my last 2 times in Rome but never had the time. Well now we don't have the best clothes with us for a bike ride, we're tired and mostly we want to stay closer to the apartment so when they call with our luggage we can get there quickly. Staying in an apartment it’s not like they can just leave our bags at the front desk.

 

Instead we decide to just wander. My wish list includes Campo de Fiori to experience the Saturday market and we decide we have to at least walk by the Coliseum when in Rome and we head out. It’s funny how magical things are your first time in Rome and how reality sets in during future visits. The market was so wonderful last time and this time it was very pushy and many of the stands were selling cheap knock offs of scarves, hats and oils and it was almost impossible to get past without them bugging you. A part of this trip we will NOT miss for sure.

 

We snag a table on the square for our morning cappuccino which disappoints our server and we add on a few pieces of bruschetta for a strange breakfast of sorts.

 

 

 

Next we make our way to the Coliseum - again passing venders selling the most ridiculous stuff - balls of slime that squeak when you throw them on the ground etc. - who really buys this stuff??

 

Close to the Coliseum we stop for lunch at a place called Cavour 313 – we ate here in 2011 and I loved it. They serve house cured meats, cheeses etc. and we have a great lunch of snacks and a cold refreshing bottle of wine. Ken is not a fan of this type of meal but he humours me and I promise to fit in another pizza at some point. Everything was delicious and by the time we left they were closed and the staff were happily eating their meals.

 

 

Next we do our walk by of the Coliseum which as always takes your breath away. It’s covered in scaffolding now so I am glad Ken got to see it a few years back.

 

 

 

We walk the back way home for something new and find a whole new area behind Circus Maximus, no vendors and beautiful Cyprus tree lined streets. I highly recommend this is a route to get to the Coliseum and avoid the vendor obstacle course along the more traditional route. Although you’d then also miss the Forum so maybe use this as your escape route! It was a lovely walk and we even stopped for a nice refreshing slice of watermelon at a stand. We continue our walk and we see lots of dogs today which really make us miss our Kona.

 

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

 

 

Finally we grab a gelato and rest for a few hours before dinner. We read our messages from everyone back home and really appreciate all the support we have.

 

Dinner tonight is a redo of our last trip - our favourite I would say – Da Danilo. I have made a reservation in advance and requested we sit upstairs as I know that’s where the locals sit. We take a taxi as it’s pretty far away to walk and sadly we are seated downstairs which disappoints me as this changes the entire experience. I realize at this point I have to stop trying to recreate moments from our past. As Ken has said several times we have great memories - leave them be and don't taint them.

 

Anyway, we start with a lovely Amarone and order buffalo cheese and tomatoes to start - delish! Then I have Carbonara and of course Ken has Cacio e Pepe which are also amazing. I stop half way through mine as I am getting full and we’ve each ordered an entrée as well. I find the portions are bigger now than two years ago. It seems so anyway. Last time we always did 3-4 courses no problem and now the portions seem much larger and I am full after two. None of the other tables ordered entrees, they all had pasta for dinner. Very un-Italian!

 

Our main course was grilled lamb for Ken and baccala (salt cod) for me stewed in tomatoes with olives and capers and potatoes. It was fantastic and I did my best to get through half. Then Ken had what he claims was an amazing dessert with chocolate and ricotta and cream and who knows what - I don't because I was so full I couldn't even try a bite! Our server gave us some lemoncello while he called us a taxi and we were off.

 

 

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

 

 

 

In summary I still love this place. If you get to sit upstairs, not only will you get great food but you will likely be amid Italian families laughing and having a great evening, mamma will come out of the kitchen to check on you, make sure you’re enjoying your meal and maybe even send out some of her homemade cookies. It’s a fantastic environment. If you sit downstairs you will enjoy a great meal. Our first reservation was booked by an Italian speaking friend so I think we were seated upstairs under false pretences. LOL

 

Back at the apartment we grabbed a cheap bottle of wine at the corner store and just relaxed a bit before bed.

 

Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and of our vacation. Ken is ready to go home as he doesn't like not having the luggage. We joke about it - make a big fuss over what we should wear, compliment each other on our outfits as if we haven't seen them before - silly stuff. But we have to or else it would ruin our day.

[Mel&Ken]

Today is our last day in Rome and we literally don't know what to do. We decide to only visit places and walk neighbourhoods we haven't seen already.

 

It starts of course with our new breakfast, cappuccino and bruschetta on a piazza.

 

 

 

Then we start to walk. We stay on our side of the Tiber and go past the Vatican (which is crazy on a Sunday) and just keep walking. It’s a beautiful day, not too hot and we're on the shady side of the river. We see beautiful buildings and streets and it feels great to discover new things.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

 

We saw these electric cars. I believe you rent them and just pick them up where they're parked and drop them off where ever you end up. Kind of like the bikes in Paris - pretty neat.

 

 

Finally we cross one of the bridges and stop for lunch at the first place we see. On the menu today; bruschetta, pizza and pasta with of course wine and beer. It was a very busy place, tables were super close together but it was good.

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

Before we left I used the restroom and while I was in there I could here this loud voice outside the door. It can’t be……but I swear I would know that voice anywhere. Yep – it’s the same two couples that sat near us for our Santorini sunset dinner and our lunch in Positano. Now here we are, off the cruise and just out on our own and still we run into them. And as usual they make their presence known – not only can I hear her through walls and doors but when I get back to the table Ken says “I think I heard those people from the ship” which I confirm for him is correct. Too funny.

 

After lunch we head to Piazza Popolo which is just around the corner from the restaurant and we climb the hill to have great views of the entire city. Again a new experience and a treat as it’s just gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

 

 

[Mel&Ken]

 

 

 

Next we enter the Borghese Park which is enormous and we only cut through a small corner of it. We sit on park benches and people watch and it is so peaceful and serene. It reminds us of our day in Madrid at the park there.

 

Finally we start to make our way home. It takes about an hour and my feet are killing me. It was a TON of walking today but so worth it as we experienced a whole new Rome for us.

 

Tonight we have reservations for dinner but we’re tired after walking all day and decide to just stay close to home instead. By now you must realize that I am a planner; especially when it comes to food. I travel with very specific ideas of what foods I’d like to try, certain dishes I’ve heard about and where to try them. We like to taste food anywhere from street vendors to 5 star restaurants and I plan ahead to experience as much as I can. I mention that because for me to just wander a neighbourhood and stop at a random restaurant is very unlike me. People who know me would be shocked.

 

I take the chance as our Rome neighbourhood is known for it’s food with the locals so I figure how bad could it be????

 

Well…..it was awful! I dare say it was so awful I gag just thinking of some of the food we were served. So much for my attempt at spontaneity! LOL We walked around quite a bit before we settled on a place. The menu looked good, there were locals eating there, no pictures on the menu – check.

 

We started with a trio of bruschetta which contained traditional tomato, salmon and “special pork” which in reality was pieces of raw bacon (gag reflex #1). I can still taste that horrible special pork 6 mths later. Next was our usual; carbonara and cacio e pepe which was the most disgusting yellow colour (gag reflex #2) I have ever seen in food. It was nasty and we stopped eating after about two bites. Ugh.

 

I should mention the entertainment you get as you’re eating. As we sat on the cobblestone street we were fortunate enough to have the African vendors come stand right next to our table and try to sell us wooden necklaces, statues etc. while we were eating. And they did not take no for an answer. So here we are trying to eat dinner and instead we’re arguing with two guys on why we don’t want to buy anything. I looked over at the manager/owner who stood watching the entire time to see if he would help us out but no such luck. Finally Ken had to raise his voice and ask them to let us enjoy (ok so we lied) our dinner in peace. It was awful.

 

Now on to the main course….I had veal limone which was edible thank goodness and Ken had Rabbit Cacciatore which came with gravy – the weirdest version of cacciatore we’ve ever seen. It was edible as well so we ate our mains and ran as fast as we could away from this place. I wish I made note of the name so I could warn you but I am afraid it’s wiped from my memory – unlike the special pork.

 

We savour our last gelato on the way back to the apartment and that is it for Rome. 18 months of planning and just like that it's over. We fall sleep sad that tomorrow is our flight home. Note: the up side of no luggage is no packing!

 

The next morning Rome Cabs picks us up at 7am for the airport and our driver is the same woman who dropped us off at the cruise. She asks about our trip and of course we tell her about the luggage. She said she heard about it but didn’t realize it was us. As with all Rome Cab experiences she went above and beyond – when we got to the airport she spoke Italian to someone and asked them to take us to the lost and found to see if by chance our bags were there (they weren’t and really shouldn’t have been). I can’t say enough about how great the service is with this company – they really do care and not just what you think of them – they want you to have a great trip.

 

We checked in our tiny little carry on and the Lufthansa agent commented on how light we pack. Our flight takes us to Frankfurt and then on to Detroit without incident. Due to our clothing situation I end up wearing my shorts and Ken’s t-shirt for comfort and he wears jeans and the t-shirt he uses as pjs. We looked like a bunch of ragamuffins! As we crossed from Detroit into Canada the customs agent was shocked to hear we were gone for 19 days and didn’t purchase a single item. We explained the luggage story and he made us go in to fill out a form because if the bags are found and shipped to Canada there needs to be a record with customs – something like that anyway. So after a crazy long day we stand there filling out more lost luggage forms before we finally can go home and relax. It’s 5pm where we live, our bodies think its midnight and I work at 8:30 am the next day. I always do this to myself because I just can’t say no to an extra day in Rome!!!

 

All in all, take away the luggage issue, it was another dream vacation. So many bucket list dreams fulfilled and more places we want to revisit to really experience them in depth. The Reflection was a beautiful ship, the crew was fantastic, the food was delicious and I recommend this itinerary to anyone who is curious about this part of Europe but perhaps leery to do it on their own. It’s a great way to see and do a lot in a relatively short period of time. I guarantee you’ll be excited to go back!

 

Thank you to everyone for your patience during this long review - both content and the time it took to finish. Your positive feedback has been great to hear and if I can help anyone in their planning then I have served my purpose. :)

 

Happy Travels!!!!

Melissa

[Deb0702]

Brava Melissa, Brava!! I loved every single picture and most of the words. (I only wish we could take out the words about the luggage.) Your observations and writing style are so honest and refreshing. And smart too. People can learn a lot from this review. Research your restaurants and menus and try new things. I also loved the part about not trying to re-create a previous magical experience. Best wishes to you and Ken. I hope someday soon we will cruise together again. :)

[cruiseclues]

 

 

 

 

I guess this was a restaurant of some sort during your tour in the post above the food photos? :)

[travellover39]

I loved your review. The pictures were awesome. The food made me so hungry and the pictures gave me a preview of what I will be experiencing and seeing in June:D

 

Truly a fun review (aside from the missing luggage ) Thanks so much for sharing and all the hard work you put into the review. I just wish your luggage was found.:( so sorry.

[Mel&Ken]

I guess this was a restaurant of some sort during your tour in the post above the food photos? :)

 

This dinner was at Armando al Pantheon - the review is toward the beginning of my post on our first night in Rome. Not part of a tour but a return to one of our favourite spots from the year before.

[Mel&Ken]

Brava Melissa, Brava!! I loved every single picture and most of the words. (I only wish we could take out the words about the luggage.) Your observations and writing style are so honest and refreshing. And smart too. People can learn a lot from this review. Research your restaurants and menus and try new things. I also loved the part about not trying to re-create a previous magical experience. Best wishes to you and Ken. I hope someday soon we will cruise together again. :)

 

Hello my friend! Yes please let's make sure we cruise together again some time! It was nice to even read what I'd written - already it reminds me of things I am starting to forget. ;)

[Mel&Ken]

I loved your review. The pictures were awesome. The food made me so hungry and the pictures gave me a preview of what I will be experiencing and seeing in June:D

 

Truly a fun review (aside from the missing luggage ) Thanks so much for sharing and all the hard work you put into the review. I just wish your luggage was found.:( so sorry.

 

I see you're at less than 90 days until your trip - so exciting!!! Glad you enjoyed my review.