First Cruise as Honeymoon

My fiancee and I are (early-30s male couple from NY) taking our honeymoom as a 10-night Eastern Mediterranean cruise next June aboard the Celebrity Reflection. It's the first cruise for either of us, so we would welcome any advice from the group here about how to most enjoy ourselves on our honeymoon. I've heard good things about the experience for LGBTQ-identified passengers (gatherings at one of the bars on a different line for example), but is there anything we need to know.

Thanks.

Just be yourself and enjoy. It's you honeymoon. The bar your referring to is the Martini bar. Celebrity is a little more reserved than other lines and a great choice for you guys. Doing the Med cruise is a good choice.:D

Just celebrate and enjoy !!! Celebrity is a great line for gay people and we have always had a great cruise vacation traveling with them.

Speaking in terms of it being your first cruise, a few words of general advice. Plan ahead as much as you want, and focus on the important things, but don't plan too many activities or heavy port days. Allow yourselves "time off." We had a port-intensive cruise once where we planned an excursion in every port but the last, and by the end, we barely wanted to get off the ship to see that last island. Plan for down time to just relax and enjoy each others' company.

Do your research to know what to expect, but expect that things may change at times or not go as planned. I'm not a patient person, so I've learned to have something to occupy wait times (e.g., waiting to board, which can get delayed, waiting to get off in port if that is delayed, etc.).

Joe,

Thanks for the support!

Barry

Phx,

Thanks. From your list of past and future cruises, it certainly seems like you've had a great experience with Celebrity. I can only hope that ours will be comparable! We considered all the other mid-size and large cruise lines, but I already feel like there is something special about Celebrity.

Barry

CntPA,

Thanks for such great advice. On this trip of trip, I have a tendency to and do everything I possibly can in any given city, and then I feel like I didn't enjoy it because getting to every site was more important than enjoying each one. I will have to let go of that desire if this trip is to be laid back and enjoyable.

I'm thinking that we need to prioritize the one or two things we want to see/do in each port, and then wing it. If it's offered, maybe only take a half-day excursion in the morning and then return to the ship? Or vice-versa? Neither of us are huge beach people, so I'm thinking that maybe enjoying the pool on board while the ship is tendered at one of the small island will be just as nice as relaxing on the beach. Some of the shorter itineraries we looked at had only one sea day, so I like the two days on this trip to let us really enjoy all that the boat has to offer. We'll definitely bring a book/tablet for those delays you are speaking about.

Thanks,

Barry

We did a Reflection Eastern Med last year and thoroughly loved every minute of it. I'm a planner and I really pushed ourselves to see everything possible. The sea days in the Solarium definitely saved us!

Grab a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Port Guide. I thought it was a great resource (along with the port forums on CC) to see what was possible to do on our own and sort of prioritized the key sights at each port. With the Greek islands, simply walking around was the most enjoyable.

Also, join your Roll Call for the sailing. We shared port transfers and an organized tour with others. We clicked with a few of them once we met in person and we ended up doing a lot together on the ship.

Murano would be a good spot for a romantic dinner. I believe you can book times online beforehand. There are usually discounts available once you get onboard, but the dining times might not be ideal.

Enjoy!!

Phx,

 

Thanks. From your list of past and future cruises, it certainly seems like you've had a great experience with Celebrity. I can only hope that ours will be comparable! We considered all the other mid-size and large cruise lines, but I already feel like there is something special about Celebrity.

 

Barry

you are most welcome. There is, for us, something very special about Celebrity. Azamara, owned by the same company, is just a step above, but more expensive. They have smaller ships (2) and can get into the smaller ports and it is a more personal cruise. That being said, Celebrity staff has always been warm, welcoming and awesome. There is way too much to see in the Med. What ports are you stopping at, maybe I can be of some help..... Since it is your honeymoon, do what you two enjoy, see the sights, but do find time for just yourselves :-) As suggested, a reservation for a specialty restaurant would be a very nice touch. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance

Hi Jayson,

Thanks for the feedback. My fiancee knows that I'm a planner, he just told me to leave him out of everything except the most critical decisions; I can drive myself nuts, but not him! I figure that if I know what options are available, and then make a Plan B or even C in case things go array we'll be in good shape. Only one day in port seems like it affords only a taste of each location, so I want to prioritize sights and maximize our time.

You are the second responder to one of my posts to suggest Rick Steves. I've seen some of his specials on TV, and it seems like he really gets to know each location he visits. Definitely worth picking up that book with the gift cards to Amazon and B&N I just found.

I've already looked at the Roll Call for our sailing. I'm waiting to book it before we join, but it's pretty empty so far. I figure that's only a factor of time, so I'm thinking it will grow as we get closer.

We plan to pick up at least a 4-night (if not 5-night) specialty dining package so we'll have at least one meal at Murano. Should we not by in advance, and wait to get on board to capitalize on discounts?

Thanks,

Barry

CntPA,

 

Thanks for such great advice. On this trip of trip, I have a tendency to and do everything I possibly can in any given city, and then I feel like I didn't enjoy it because getting to every site was more important than enjoying each one. I will have to let go of that desire if this trip is to be laid back and enjoyable.

 

I'm thinking that we need to prioritize the one or two things we want to see/do in each port, and then wing it. If it's offered, maybe only take a half-day excursion in the morning and then return to the ship? Or vice-versa? Neither of us are huge beach people, so I'm thinking that maybe enjoying the pool on board while the ship is tendered at one of the small island will be just as nice as relaxing on the beach. Some of the shorter itineraries we looked at had only one sea day, so I like the two days on this trip to let us really enjoy all that the boat has to offer. We'll definitely bring a book/tablet for those delays you are speaking about.

 

Thanks,

 

Barry

We've often taken a shorter morning excursion and then, after getting dropped off back in the main port city, enjoyed walking around, exploring, shopping, and possibly trying some local cuisine before heading back to the ship. It's low-key, unplanned time, and you can quit whenever you get tired and head back to the ship for hydration and relaxation.

Phx,

Thanks. I can see from your list of past and future cruises that you are clearly partial to Azamara and Celebrity. Until I began my research, I had no idea they were both owned by Royal's parent company! My fiancee has a cousin who did and Eastern Mediterranean cruise with Azamara, so we looked into it. I love the intimacy, and my grandmother sailed twice on a ship of similar size with only good things to say (different line), but Celebrity was in our price range (of course at the high end). Hopefully we can try Azamara down the line, but for now I'm really excited about this trip! Celebrity appears, to me, to be smaller in capacity than some of the other major cruise lines, so I'm hoping for a state of that intimacy and personalized service.

Thanks for your help with ports. We are leaving from and returning to Rome, where we plan to spend a few days pre-cruise. Then, we dock in Naples, Messina (Sicily), Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, and Epeheus (Kusadasi). I like your suggestion to sightsee but save time for us to just enjoy each other's company and the amenities of the ship; that's what we want to do. Just need to figure out how to balance and prioritize!

Thanks,

Barry

Congratulations on your first cruise and your engagement!

As this is cruise #1 for you, I guarantee that although you may try to spread things apart for some R&R, as everything is new/exciting you will be exhausted and trying to fit everything in. The sea days are perfect for catching up on some sleep during the day.

One item I would like to say is if either of you are prone to any type of motion sickness to take precautions with you. The ship you are cruising is large with stabilizers, but you will still feel movement while at sea. I've known a few people where most of their vacation time was spent in bed rather than touring the sites. I personally use the prescription patch Scopolamine that's put behind the ear and swear by it. Just remember that if you do excursions, sometimes this involves sitting in a bus or van which can cause the same problems.

Ship excursions may be the way to go for the first few outings as the ship will wait for you in case your trip is delayed. Also check out third party sites that also sell similar packages where they guarantee arrival back to port for a lesser price.

Congratulations on your engagement and your first cruise!

We are doing the same itinerary and ship this October as our "honeymoon". We are getting married Monday :D after 27+ years together. We wish you all the best!

As far as advice, it seems like you have been given some great info already. This will be our first Celebrity cruise so cannot advise on that. Some of my best cruise memories are down time. Make sure to fit that in somehow.

My future MIL had a horrible time with scopolamine (memory loss and disorientation) so IF you are prone to motion sickness, I would try to do a trial run with one patch a few days before departure. I personally carry Bonine for motion sickness just in case but have never used it on a cruise ship. Have only had to use it for scuba trips once or twice (smaller boats are much worse). Dramamine can cause a lot of drowsiness. Just do your homework and maybe a trial run before hand if you think you may need one of these products.

We have been to Rome a few times and there is so much to see you will just have to pick and choose the best for your schedule. Pompeii is very interesting if you can swing that as part of an excursion. Since we have already been, we booked a private excursion from Naples down the Amalfi coast for the day we are there.

So happy for your both! Have a great trip!!! :)

Congratulations!

A few things come to mind from having cruise over 50 times - sorry it's a bit of a steam of consciousness.

I am also a planner and tend to over do it. Especially since we're getting older, I have to reign it in! My advice is to use the cruise as a way to get a taste of the different ports. Keep track of which cities you like and plan another trip back so you can spend more time there. Also, in each port, pick one or two 'must do' sights and just realize that you can't see an entire city in one day. Since European cities are relatively close together, there are few sea days and it might not seem like it now, but several port days in a row gets very tiring. If you're exhausted after the tour, you probably won't enjoy the evenings on the ship as much so try not to over do it (naps are a good thing!). We have friends who do zero planning when going to a new port then take a generic bus tour and think they've seen it all. They are constantly amazed at the stuff we saw vs what they saw. If you book ship excursions look out a few key words in the descriptions like 'time for shopping' which means LOTS of time at a crappy tourist stop; 'you will see' probably means a drive by and not an actual stop especially if it's a large coach tour. Independent tours can be great if through a reputable company - TripAdvisor is a great resource for rating tour companies. Remember the ship won't wait for you if you are on an independent tour but will if on a ship tour - they also know where you are since the ship tours communicate with the ship.

If you have an early tour departure, you might consider ordering breakfast from room service. You can eat and get ready without rushing to/from the restaurant. It can also double as an alarm clock. Also, keep your watch on ship time even if different than shore time (happens on occasion).

Regarding sea sickness, I'd not been sick for a number of years and our last trip from LA to HI, we were on the Golden Princess in Skywalkers for our CC meet and greet. It was beautiful weather but the ship was rocking. That high up, we were kind of doing a corkscrew motion. I didn't realize it but I was getting sea sick! I broke out into a full body sweat, got a little dizzy so decided I would head back to the cabin. I spent the entire afternoon inside watching Glee not really getting any better but never threw up. Late in the afternoon, my husband came in and asked I had taken any Bonine - it never occurred to me to take it since I never didn't think I was sea sick. Weird - I know.

If you want to dine in any of the specialty restaurants, make your reservation(s) soon after boarding so you get your choice of date/time and not have to settle for a less desirable time - I forget if on Celebrity you can do this before boarding or not.

On our Equinox transatlantic, they had sushi each evening in the Oceanview Cafe so we would go up about 6:30PM and get a few pieces before heading to the Martini Bar for cocktails then on to dinner. The Martini Bar will become the gay bar on board!

Look for and join a CC roll call - we've met really great people on every one of them we've joined - probably a dozen at least. Someone usually plans the meet and greet, someone will probably have a private tour booked you can join in on and it's nice to know some people on board before you actually get there. We've never had a bad experience on any of our cruises with the CC group.

In the evening, take a walk on the upper decks under the stars. You may get great views of the stars depending on how many lights are on - Soltice deck forward is probably a good bet or deck 15 aft around the Lawn Club. Unfortunately, ships now a days keep lights on for fear someone will trip and sue them which makes star gazing hard to do. If you have a balcony, you my get a better view from there with all the lights off.

Most important - enjoy yourselves! Ignore the small stuff that will crop up and enjoy your time together. There is nothing like your first cruise!

Doug

absolut,

Thanks for your warm wishes and your input.

I've traveled before, first as a participant on a few teen tours and then as a leader, so I know the pace of sightseeing trips can get very exhausting. I've already told my fiancee he needs to take off an extra day or two after we get before going back to work to catch up on sleep! I'm hoping that if we go in with the notion that we may only get to do 1 or 2 things in each port, we will be happy with what we see and not try to do too much.

How much motion do you feel in the ship? Is it like turbulence on a plane that lasts for a few minutes and then passes? Or is a persistent motion that may cause you to get sick or even doubt the ship's integrity. I'm not worried about either, but I know my fiancee is. We'll plan to bring a slew of drugs, patches, etc.

I'll look into third party excursions. I'd want to see if others' have had good experiences before booking one of these, of course.

Thanks,

Barry

Richard & Danny,

Thanks so much for your wishes. And congratulations on your upcoming wedding. It's clear you've had many happy years together already, but I wish you many more. What an exciting time to get married!

How bad has it been for your experiencing the motion of the ship? Most people I've spoken to say they are so worried about motion sickness and never have a problem, though a few have said it was an issue of them? Is it like turbulence on a plan that lasts a few minutes and then the flight is smooth? Or more serious and constant? Either way, we'll plan to have the drugs with us just in case.

We're both history people, so I certainly see Pompei on the short list for our excursions. But I also want to visit Capri. So we will have to make some hard choices?

Any recommendations for Rome? Place to stay? Restaurants? Worth booking the Celebrity pre-cruise? Or should we just do it on our own?

Thanks,

Barry

Hi Doug,

Thanks for warm wishes and for such a comprehensive note. Your 50+ cruises have certainly given you a wealth of expertise, and I appreciate that I am able to utilize all the wisdom you've gained. I would never thought to read into the descriptions with the a magnifying glass!

I will certainly take all you've said into consideration. Makes sense to take the drugs few days ahead of time, just in case, and walking on the deck at night.

Too much to type to address each of your points individually, but thanks so much for sharing all of them!

Thanks,

Barry

Richard & Danny,

 

Thanks so much for your wishes. And congratulations on your upcoming wedding. It's clear you've had many happy years together already, but I wish you many more. What an exciting time to get married!

 

How bad has it been for your experiencing the motion of the ship? Most people I've spoken to say they are so worried about motion sickness and never have a problem, though a few have said it was an issue of them? Is it like turbulence on a plan that lasts a few minutes and then the flight is smooth? Or more serious and constant? Either way, we'll plan to have the drugs with us just in case.

 

We're both history people, so I certainly see Pompei on the short list for our excursions. But I also want to visit Capri. So we will have to make some hard choices?

 

Any recommendations for Rome? Place to stay? Restaurants? Worth booking the Celebrity pre-cruise? Or should we just do it on our own?

 

Thanks,

 

Barry

Hi Barry,

Thanks for the congrats as well. We are married now!! :D

After reading some other threads I remembered that I did get seasick once in Hawaii on a Norwegian ship (RSVP cruise). We were in an outside area with an overhang around a pool and someone was smoking a cigar somewhere and I just happened to start feeling really strange and didn't even know I was getting seasick. It is not like turbulence for me. It just slowly escalates to really strong nausea. We left the area and found a crew member in the Lido area (they are all experts in treating). She got me a ginger ale and added some bitters to it from the bar. I slowly sipped on that and within an hour i was totally fine. It is a very strange feeling which I hope you never have to deal with. Just have things on hand just in case.

We have always done Rome on our own. There are soooo many hotels and places to eat you will have no problem getting either. Italy is my favorite food country so have pasta and gelato for sure. Small out of the way places seem to be better than the tourist traps. Always check with your hotel staff for recommendations. The last hotel we stayed in was Hotel Navona about 2 blocks from the Pantheon. It was really nice for Europe. It was easy to a lot of things from there and cab rides to major attractions were not bad either from that point.

You guys will have a fantastic time!!

Barry,

Sorry to be a little late to this thread. First, let me (the planner half of a longtime married lesbian couple) offer you and your fiancé huge congratulations on your upcoming marriage, and on your first cruise. You have picked a great cruise line, and while we haven't sailed on the Reflection, we have sailed on two other S-class ships, and they are simply stunning ships, just stunning. And gay friendly.

You've gotten a ton of great advice above. Let me add or underscore a few things. Do join your Roll Call. In the Med ports in particular, taking private shore excursions is a great way to go, and geting together with others on your Roll Call to do so will make this much more affordable. And you'll get to meet others who likely share your interests.

Particularly since you mentioned an interest in history, I would like to strongly suggest you do a private excursion in Ephesus. The ruins are spectacular. The day we spent there on our first Med cruise with a great guide was the single best day of our entire trip. You'll find a number of highly recommended private tour operators for Ephesus in the Ports of Call/Europe/Other Med Ports forum here on CC. (It will be HOT there in June, and no shade. Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, and water. Yes, Mom. :) )

Rome is very do-able on your own, no need to book through Celebrity. Head over to the Ports of Call/Europe/Italy forum and you'll find a ton of info on hotels, getting around, etc. and a bunch of friendly folks willing to offer great advice. We were just in Rome for several days last fall before our TA on the Silhouette, and I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can. I would suggest booking a hotel in the Central Storico; you can then walk to pretty much everything you are likely to want to see.

In terms of specialty dining: on the Silhouette, we loved Tuscan Grille much more than Murano, but food is subjective, and you should try both! Also the Lawn Club Grill, which is a great and fun place for dinner. Don't miss the shrimp on the skewers and the warm cookie dessert. Lunch at The Porch... Okay, I'm getting hungry now... BTW, what dining are you doing? Late, Early, or Select?

As others have said, don't over schedule yourselves. A Med cruise is port intensive, not to mention this will be your honeymoon. :)

The thoughts above are random, I would happily provide additional info.

Again, huge congratulations to you both, and, indeed, congratulations to us all, as we now have marriage equality in the U.S. !!

Be prepared to never do a land holiday again! Our honeymoon was eastern med on Equinox and we loved it. We were a little reserved initially then met a male couple who were expert cruisers made us feel at ease with being a couple on board! It's your honeymoon after all!! Congratulations to you both :)

Sara & Lyn,

Thanks so much! I can see from your list of past cruises that you speak from experience. We are already taking about future cruises, and we haven't even left yet. We are big Disney people, so we are hoping we can take a Disney cruise at some point in the not-to-distant future.

I've been getting some very good vibes on CruiseCritic about LGBTQ cruising, so we are much less concerned compared with a few weeks ago. Thanks!

Barry & Matthew