PurpleTraveller

I went on my first Celebrity cruise in June last year on Reflection in the Mediterranean and had such a wonderful time I have booked another two Celebrity cruises for June 2024 also in the Mediterranean. Best service I've ever had in a main dining room, loved the design of the ship, met lovely fellow passengers and totally fell in love with the Sunset Bar. Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise! 🛳️

Portofino is a lovely small town and there would be no problem visiting on your own. We enjoyed going for a walk around the headland to the lighthouse, visiting a couple of churches and wandering around the shops. The shops and restaurants are not inexpensive though. It was a very relaxed day in beautiful surrounds.

Thank you for a wonderful and entertaining account of your cruise. I thoroughly enjoyed following your travels. I look forward to reading your next account of your Apex cruise. Happy sailing! 🛳️ Allison

I couldn't agree more. The thing I missed most when unable to travel during the previous couple of years was not being able to meet people from all over the world. I have met many wonderful people when cruising some who have become close friends. One of the absolute joys of travelling!

On my Reflection Mediterranean cruise in June 2022 most passengers were from the United States, followed by Britain then some Canadians and some Europeans. We did not meet any other Australians but I think there would have been a few on board. On previous Mediterranean cruises before Covid there were more Europeans on board than in 2022 but still the majority were from the USA and Britain with a lot more Australians and New Zealanders. I would expect the mix of nationalities will be similar to pre Covid in 2024, once travel is pretty much back to normal. The majority of passengers will speak English.

I was in 8106 on Reflection in June 2022 and didn't have a table and chairs under the window.

We usually stay at Hotel Contilia which is very close to Termini train station. It is a no frills, basic hotel but is clean, the staff are friendly and has a great breakfast buffet included in the room price. The rooms are fairly small and the bathrooms are quite small and they use traditional Italian towels (like a small cotton table cloth). You can walk to most places or get the Metro from Termini. Once we stayed with our adult son and were in a room with a queen bed and a single bed.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. As a long time Princess cruiser it is quite disturbing to read of what cruisers are experiencing on Princess ships. I haven't cruised with Princess since the restart but have an Alaskan cruise booked for June 2023 to use up FCC's. I hope that my cruise is better than yours and that some of the crew shortages being experienced across many ships have been addressed. I went on a Celebrity cruise last June and it was wonderful with excellent service. I have just booked two Celebrity cruises for June 2024 and I hope they are as good as my last cruise with them. Good luck with your future cruises whoever they may be with. 🛳️

When we were in 8106 we were in the Mediterranean and the water was like glass so there was no movement to feel. Fortunately I don't get seasick so a forward cabin never worries me. I guess it is very dependent on where you are cruising, how rough the seas are and if you get seasick.

This is the view from the window of 8106 on Reflection. It cost more than an Inside and less than a Balcony and thought it was a great alternative to save some money but still have a spacious cabin with a view. Check the deck plan as other Oceanviews that are not at the front of the ship are not as spacious.

I stayed in an Oceanview cabin on Reflection (same class as Eclipse) and it was one of my favourite cabins. It was one of the forward facing cabins looking over the front of the ship and is huge. There is noise from the anchor and ropes being deployed when docking and some vibration, which didn't worry us but some may not like. The space and view were great and it was very quiet at night. We were in 8106.

Wow, what a wonderful Christmas, New Year, holiday surprise!!! A Norris trip report to sit back and enjoy and salivate over! As an aside, after enjoying my Celebrity Reflection cruise in June, booked thanks to reading your reports of your Celebrity cruises, I have just booked two Celebrity cruises, almost B2B - a 7 day Greek Isles and Turkey, then three days later a 10 day Best of Italy and Croatia for June 2024. Look forward to reading about your cruise and enjoying your wonderful photos! (I like exclamation marks too!) 😊 Allison

In Australia the prices went up on December 15.

Dubrovnik - We walked from the port to the old city but there was a shuttle for a cost. We walked the old walls (great views) then went into the old city for lunch and to explore. No need to do a tour if you just want to walk the walls. Santorini - We got the cable car to the top then the local bus to Oia before the crowds to explore and see magnificent views. Got the local bus back to Fira to explore more. No need for a tour if you only want to go to Oia. Rhodes - A very short walk from the dock to the old city where it is lovely to walk around. Kusadasi - If you want to go to Ephesus do a tour. If you don't want to do a tour you can walk along the waterfront and visit the markets which are very close to the dock. Nafplion - Haven't been there. Whether or not you do a tour really depends on your interests and mobility. Enjoy your cruise which has a great itinerary. Happy sailing! 🚢

Where is your cruise to? If it is in Australia/NZ or has Australian dollars as the onboard currency, gratuities are included in the fare. If it is somewhere else gratuities are not included in the fare. Princess Plus packages bought in Australia do not include gratuities. If you are cruising overseas you may need to ring Princess and check since you received Princess Plus as complimentary.

Just had another thought. Australians who book in Australia for Australian cruises or ones that have Australian Dollars as the on board currency pay for gratuities in their fare. If they then paid for a Princess Plus or Premium package which included gratuities then they would be paying for two lots of gratuities. While other cruises elsewhere in the world do not include gratuities it is probably simpler to not include gratuities in the packages for Australians rather than have two different packages with and without gratuities.

As an Australian I have been discussing this issue with my PVP and Princess. Cruises booked in Australia that leave from Australia or where the onboard currency is Australian dollars, include gratuities in the fare. Any other cruises elsewhere in the world do not include gratuities in the fare and are added to your onboard account unless they are prepaid. The Princess Plus and Premium packages do not include gratuities but the price we pay converts to a lesser price in USD. For example AUD50.00/pppd for Princess Plus converts to about USD34.00 which takes into account that gratuities are not included. For myself after doing the sums it is better to pay for an occasional drink, one internet device and prepay the gratuities.

Oh, that makes it difficult. We certainly live in a very different world from 2019! Hopefully quarantine will eventually be in the past and in the meantime you can look forward to Alaska!

I haven't stayed in an Inside on Crown Princess but have stayed in an obstructed Oceanview E219. It was a similar size and same layout as a Balcony with the bed on the side wall.

Good to see that you are also going to be on the June 2 sailing! I booked the excursion because even though I have cruised past glaciers before (Amalia Glacier and Glacier Alley in Chile) I haven't been up close to a glacier. This is our big splurge excursion for this cruise and didn't want to take the chance that I might miss out, so booked as soon as it became available. I am really looking forward to it and the cruise. Australia is open for business and tourists again so maybe you could plan to come for Christmas 2023! We'd love to have you back again!

I have a small lightweight cross-body bag that I also use when off the ship. I used to leave my phone in the safe but ever since my last cruise when our cabin was very forward and we were on the back deck of the buffet and I wanted to take a photo, I always take my phone with me. It's also handy to carry other other bits and pieces and I never know when I want to take a photo!

Beautiful photo! I have cruised on Crown Princess previously for a Baltic cruise in 2017 and have booked an Alaskan cruise on her for June 2023. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your cruise. Thank you for posting your review. 😊

I just booked the Hubbard Glacier and Wildlife Exploration excursion for $299.95 an adult for my June 2 Crown Princess cruise. This excursion did not become available until two weeks after the excursions for the other ports became available.

Thank you for your thoroughly entertaining review and wonderful photos. I have previously cruised to all of your ports and also on Regal Princess and enjoyed reading about your experiences. It is always enjoyable to see what others do in ports and also to get ideas for future visits. Thanks again and I look forward to reading your review of your UK cruise.

Wonderful photos! Having never been to Alaska before we are really looking forward to our cruise. Hope you have a great cruise and thanks for your good wishes. 😊