PurpleTraveller

June 5 - Katakolon/Olympia Some days, which happen very rarely, are just about as perfect as you can get. This was one of those rare days. First we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise. When we got to the rear balcony of the Oceanview Cafe we looked out and saw that we were docked at the most gorgeous Greek fishing village. After a quick breakfast we left the ship at 8.00 am as we knew it was going to be a very warm day and wanted to get to Olympia before it got too hot. We had heard that when we got to the port entrance there would be a booth selling tickets for the train to Olympia. There was no booth but we assumed that it was because we were so early. Not to worry, we set off to walk the short distance to the station. It appeared that there is now only one train each way per day but the station was very quiet. We saw some workmen and asked them about the train but they told us that there wasn't a train today. Hmmmm, how would we get to Olympia? As we walked back to town we passed a couple sitting on a bench at the station. They asked us about the train and we told them that it wasn't running today. They also wanted to go to Olympia so after a chat we all decided to see how much a taxi would cost to take the four of us to Olympia. We went to the taxi stand and found that a taxi to take us to Olympia, wait two hours for us and then bring us back to Katakolon would cost €80.00 or €20.00 each. Great, let's go! We arrived at Olympia at 8.45 am after a 30 minute taxi ride. We discussed where to meet the taxi in two hours and then walked down to the entrance. Our tickets cost €12.00 each. We separated from our new friends and set off to explore Olympia. We decided that this was the first example of Lego! When we got to the stadium we watched some mad tourists having running races. It was getting rather warm now. On to explore some more.

June 4 - Sea Day After a great night's sleep we woke to a lazy Sea Day. As we went for breakfast we could see that we were about to sail past Stromboli. There was a sea mist and the volcanic island appearing above the mist looked quite ethereal. We had breakfast on the balcony at the back of the Oceanview Cafe. We enjoyed having our breakfast there so much that we ended up having breakfast there every day of the cruise. A lazy morning then ensued with us lying on sun lounges on the Solstice deck. This area was so quiet we ended up there a number of times throughout the cruise. Late in the morning we sailed through the Messina Strait. After a light lunch we spent some more time laying on sun lounges. The water was very calm with barely a ripple to be seen. Mid afternoon we decided to get a coffee and a tea so we went to try out Cafe Al Bacio. As Princess cruiser we are used to the wonderful tea and coffee from their International Cafe. Gosh, were we disappointed! We ordered an English Breakfast Tea and a Cappuccino. I took one sip of my tea and almost spat it out it was so terrible. DH took a sip of his Cappuccino and screwed up his face and said that it tasted awful. So after one mouthful of each we left our tea and coffee and never went back there again. I'm not sure how anyone could make such terrible tea and coffee but we were just glad that we hadn't paid for them. This was the only miss throughout our cruise. It was Evening Chic night which we don't do, so we had dinner at the Oceanview Cafe. We then went to a show in the theatre with Stephen Barry. It was an enjoyable show with a great singer. The people in the theatre sat well spaced apart and all wearing masks.

June 3 - Embarkation Day We had a relaxed morning enjoying a good breakfast and a short walk. When booking a time to embark it was when the testing requirement was still one day prior to the cruise so I left time to get a Covid test in the morning in case we hadn't been able to get a test on Republic Day. When the testing requirement changed to two days prior to the cruise I left the time so we could have a relaxed morning. We checked out and walked to Termini train station to get the train to Civitavecchia. We had bought our tickets earlier in the morning during our walk so we didn't have to deal with a ticket machine and luggage. The tickets cost €4.60 each. We got the 11.12 am train that arrived in Civitavecchia at 12.16 pm. As we were a little early for our 2.00 pm check in time we walked across the road the the sea front promenade to check out the market there. With nothing interesting to buy we then went back to the station to get a shuttle bus to the ship. Since the resumption of cruising from Civitavecchia after the suspension of cruising the free shuttle stop for shuttles to and from the ships has changed (to a less convenient spot to walk to from the station) and a pay shuttle from the station directly to the ship has been introduced. It cost €3.00 each and is a very convenient service to get to the ship easily with luggage. We got the shuttle to the ship and in just ten minutes after showing our passports, vaccination certificates and Covid test results we were walking on to the ship. We left our last cruise on June 29, 2019 so after 1071 days or one year, 11 months and 5 days we were finally stepping on a cruise ship again. We were so excited! When I had originally booked our cruise on Infinity it was when there was a sale of ocean view cabins and I had intended to watch out for a drop in prices for a balcony cabin. When we "lift and shifted" to this Reflection cruise the price of balcony cabins was more than three times the price of our ocean view cabin so we stayed in an ocean view. We had however managed to get an ocean view at the very front of the ship on deck 8. When we got to our cabin (8106) we were delighted at how spacious the cabin was and knew we would enjoy the view over the helipad. Dropping off our bags we set off to explore the ship. This was our first Celebrity cruise and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful Reflection. After a walk around we just knew that we were going love Reflection and have a fantastic cruise! Back to our cabin to unpack and then to the Sunset Bar to meet up with our Cruise Critic Roll Call for a sail away party. There were many lovely people to meet and the Sunset Bar turned out to be our favourite place to spend sail aways at and to have a drink. Yes, we were going to have a wonderful cruise!

This was our first cruise in almost two years so understand how you feel. Hope you enjoy your trip down under!

Thanks! We love Rome and are great believers in making the most of every moment particularly after the last couple of years. A three year honeymoon! Hope you had a great time.

Thank you! Hope that you enjoy the rest. 😊

Thanks! I still can't believe I managed to get them and with such a great background!

Thank you so much. I love taking photos and really enjoy sharing them.

Thank you. We also love Santa Maria Maggiore. In 2014 we saw Pope Francis there which was wonderful and make sure to go there on every trip to Rome. I will have to look out for the statue with the ball fringe next time we are there.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the review. So glad you enjoyed your visit to Sydney. Hope you have a great cruise in October.

Thanks. We love Rome and after waiting two years to get overseas again we wanted to see and enjoy Rome as much as possible. Hope you enjoy your trip in October.

We stayed at Hotel Contilia a couple of streets away from Termini train station. A basic, no frills hotel with simple rooms and traditional Italian "towels" in the bathroom. The staff are friendly and helpful, there is a good included buffet breakfast each morning and is reasonably priced. Not for everyone but we like it and have stayed there four times.

Thank you! We find that if we put ourselves on the local time of where we arrive and sightsee, eat and sleep accordingly we don't get very bad jetlag. We saw Beyond when we docked to disembark and she looked wonderful. Hope you had a great cruise.

Darn auto correct! The name of the church that the Elephant Obelisk is in front of is Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

After a rest we then headed out for dinner and some more sightseeing. Along the way we saw this building that had vines drapped over it and the power lines. It looked lovely. We had dinner at a little restaurant in a laneway near the Victor Emmanuel Monument. We then walked past the monument and the statue of Romulus and Remus at the Capitoline. We arrived at the viewpoint to look over the Forum just before dusk. We then walked down to the Colosseum along Via dei Fori Imperiali, past the spectator stands where the earlier military parade had marched past and were starting to be dismantled. By the time we got there the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum were lit up beautifully. Rather than walking uphill back to the hotel we decided to get the Metro from Colosseo station to Termini. We bought tickets at a ticket machine as the station was unmanned and had to use a credit card as the machines don't accept cash. Cost was €1.50 each. We wanted a good night sleep as tomorrow was cruise day,!

After leaving Piazza Navona we had a very important stop to make. By now it was getting very warm so it was time for our first gelato of our trip. The very kind shop owner let us sit in front of his air conditioner to have our gelato. Yum! After our gelato stop we walked past the Column of Marcus Aurelius on the way to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain was very crowded. As we walked on we came across some Fiat Bambinos. Our last stop for the afternoon was Santa Maria Maggiore. We then headed back to the hotel for a well earned rest before venturing out again for the evening.

Our next stop was some lunch at a "pizza by the slice" cafe. Then on to San Luigi dei Francesci. An unassuming church from the outside but gorgeous inside. There are three Caravaggio paintings in one of the chapels - The Calling of Saint Michael, The Inspiration of Saint Michael and The Martyrdom of Saint Michael. We then headed to Piazza Navona. It was here, just as I was about to take a photo of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers, that the most exciting thing happened! For the first and probably last time in my life, I was facing the right direction, with my camera on and about to take a photo when the Frecce Tricolori planes flew past with the three colours of the Italian flag streaming from them! I couldn't believe that firstly I got to see and hear them again and secondly I actually managed to get photos! I was so thrilled I was like a small child dancing on the spot! Once I got myself together again we took some time to enjoy Piazza Navona.

As we have been to Rome many times there is no need for us to race around to see the major monuments. We like to revisit our favourite places and there are so many churches in Rome we can still find ones to visit that we haven't been to before. We started by visiting Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di Loyola. A beautiful church with a stunning ceiling and lovely to sit in for a while after standing in the sun. Onwards to the Pantheon which we didn't go into. The square was very busy. Then it was time to see my favourite monument in Rome. Just around the corner from the Pantheon is Piazza della Minerva where the church Santa Maria doors Minerva is. The church was closed for renovations but we were there to see the Elephant Obelisk in front of the church. Designed by Bernini and unveiled in 1667 it is my favourite Roman monument.

June 2, Republic Day After an excellent night's sleep and a lovely breakfast we set out to walk to find a place to see some of the Republic Day parade. The day starts with the President of Italy laying a wreath on the Shrine of the Unknown Italian Soldier at the Victor Emmanuel Monument, followed by a flypast of the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Tricolour Arrows aerobatic team, and a parade of military vehicles and armed forces. I was especially looking forward to the flypast as my eldest son is in the Australian Airforce. We managed to find a front row position near the Victor Emmanuel Monument and it was very crowded. We could see movement at the monument but we were a fair way away. The president arrived, the ceremony took place and the national anthem was played by the band and the locals all sang the anthem. Then the flypast went straight over our heads. The noise was incredible and sight wonderful but it was so fast I didn't get a chance of getting a photo. Oh well, never mind - at least I saw and heard it! Then the president left driving past us and then the horse guards. We waited a while but as we could only see the military parade from afar we decided to leave and do some sightseeing.

Thanks, I hope you enjoy the review!

We flew out of Sydney on May 31 and landed some 24 hours later in Rome on June 1. Combined with the travel from our home in a country town west of Sydney and getting into Rome it was around 40 hours of travelling from our home to the hotel in Rome! Upon landing we were through immigration in a matter of minutes and hopped on the Leonardo Express train to Termini train station in Rome. We bought the tickets at one of the ticket machines using a credit card. The cost was €14 each. From landing to getting to Termini train station was about 90 minutes and the train journey was 32 minutes. Our hotel was walking distance from Termini train station so we were able to check in and drop our bags. But even though we were exhausted we couldn't stop now! Before the cruise the Celebrity requirement to get a Covid test prior to boarding the ship had change from one day prior to two days prior then back to one day prior. Normally it wouldn't matter whether it was one or two days prior but for us it was a problem if it was one day prior to the cruise. June 2 in Italy is Republic Day, a national holiday when most pharmacies and testing centres would be closed. The changing requirements caused much angst for us and our fellow cruisers but fortunately Celebrity changed the requirement again to two days prior to the cruise. So before we could sit down we had to go and get our Covid tests done so that we could enjoy our day in Rome tomorrow. We walked to Farmacia allo Statuto and paid €22 each. We waited about 30 minutes to have the test and another 15 minutes to get the results. We were both Negative! Back to the hotel for a much needed rest and we then headed back out for a walk. We have stayed at the hotel on previous trips to Rome so know the area well. It was lovely to just wander and stretch our legs. A stroll past Santa Maria Maggiore, our local church, and the surrounding streets was just what we needed before dinner.

This is a delayed review of my first Celebrity cruise on the lovely Reflection that departed from Civitavecchia (Rome) on June 3, 2022. Previous to this cruise I had only cruised with Princess (ten times) so I was really looking forward to trying the Celebrity cruise experience. But first an introduction. We are an Australian couple in our late 50's and early 60's. We usually travel to the northern hemisphere during our winter to escape to warmer temperatures for a month or more. We love cruising but don't like large bus groups and usually combine a cruise, doing as much DIY as possible, with an independent land tour. Like many of you we had a number of trips cancelled for 2020 and didn't even try to travel overseas in 2021. 2022 was the year to try to enjoy an overseas trip again! Originally we had planned a six week trip starting with a flight from Australia to Milan, a number of days in Venice, then embarking on Celebrity Infinity for a seven day cruise of the Adriatic leaving on June 4 from Ravenna, before going to Bologna to fly to Madrid to continue our trip. Those plans had to be changed when Celebrity Infinity was redeployed to the Caribbean and our cruise was cancelled. A mad scramble later we were "lift and shifted" to the ten day Celebrity Reflection cruise departing from Civitavecchia on June 3. It was the only cruise that we could fit in with our flights without enormous penalties and still get to Madrid for the next part of our trip. Fortunately we were able to change our flight from Sydney to Milan to Sydney to Rome and our flight from Bologna to Madrid to Rome to Madrid at a relatively small cost. The great thing was we got an extra three days on a beautiful ship and even though we lost Split as a port we still had Dubrovnik and also picked up three Italian ports. If there's anything I have learned in recent times it is that to travel internationally at the moment you need to be flexible and adaptable! So let's get started!

We probably should have but I think we were in such shock we didn't even think to. We were so busy trying to contact Royal Caribbean that took all of our attention. We have now tested negative but I feel that we may have been positive five days ago because I'm sure we'd been exposed somewhere with all the coughing and sneezing here in Spain with almost no mask wearing, even though we have been wearing our masks.

Just wanted to update everyone who has been so kind and helpful. I just received a reply to one of the many emails I have sent in the last few days apologizing for the delay in responding to me and they will process the cancellation of our reservation and the refund will take 30 - 45 days. It doesn't excuse the appalling lack of assistance but it is definitely a relief to have some contact and a refund on the way. Thanks to everyone for your comments and advice. 😊

Yes, the ship has sailed. During one of the many phone calls made yesterday I said that I would go to the port and I was told not to. I would never risk endangering anyone else's health but it could have been interesting!