jenZ

Lots of card players at tables outside Art Club on Reflection, near Sunset bar on starboard side. Before you get to Lawn Club Grill.

Specific answers to your questions in all caps below. Walk is long but time went fast. It was cloudy when we went so heat was not a problem but would certainly be a different experience on a summer mid-day. It took us 4 hours! We had two water/bathroom breaks and lots of photo stops.

Enjoy!

I assume the walk back from oia to fira is not along the road the bus takes but along the crater edge between the two towns. YES

 

 

 

 

 

is it easy to find in oia? YES. TOWN STOPS, HILLS BEGIN!

 

 

 

 

 

is it possible to buy just the ferry part? YES, ferry is €15. Does include bus back to Fira but as you said, that is not much

 

 

 

i assume these are private buses? not the public buses, do they leave from the same place at the back of the town. NOT SURE- two buses, one from ferry dock ( seems like it could be a private), the other bus is a public bus that runs every hour between Oia & Fira ( the €1,80 one included in your ferry ticket)

 

 

 

BTW i'm sure the local bus is only a euro or two. - €1,80

 

 

 

 

 

Does anyone know if its possible to walk up to oia from the ferry drop off? like at fira? DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD STOP YOU! IIT IS A VERY STEEP AND WINDING ROAD. THE FERRY SERVICE INCLUDES A BUS UP.

 

 

 

we have seen similar paths goging down from oia, but don't know if they lead to the ferry point.

 

 

 

 

 

so far been to santorini 4 times and never yet taken the cable car up ( always walked up)

 

 

 

 

 

However it gets harder each time ( getting older is no fun :mad:)

The app Shipmate has most deck plans.

 

 

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I use the ShipMate app too- especially good when planning pre-cruise.

However, it did not work onboard the Celebrity Reflection (did not have internet package) when my iPhone was in airplane mode. I thought I had tested it before I left and that it did work to access deck plans without Internet, but apparently I did not test it correctly!

Still a handy little app...

We just returned from our cruise, and can confirm the ferry ride is easy and fun. We took the first tender off ship at 7:15 am and found only one ferry boat ticket office open (or more properly stated, we just went to the first one we saw when walking left of the tender drop-off!).

This one, offered two types of tickets- €20 includes ferry, bus, and cable car; €15 for just ferry & bus. Not all in our group understood the two options as not all ticket takers explained it; however the signs were very clear. We did not wait long for the ferry to leave, but we had a group of 11 and at least 4 others were also on the ferry. I have read that they wait until they have at least 10 passengers.

We arrived at Oia approximately 8:15 am. The bus was at the dock level, so no walk up that steep road for us! It was a bit scary riding the bus!!!

The town was just waking up when we arrived so the quiet was as enjoyable as the views. We arrived just as the ship tour arrived so it wasn't crowded.

I did not hear any hints to set your watch to the bus times but that is good advice: the 9 of our group that took the bus back got split between two buses due to being at the end of the queue and not all got on the same bus.

The two of us that didn't ride the bus took the hike back to Fira. After exploring Oia for one hour, the buses from Fira started arriving and the town got more crowded quickly. So by 9:30 it was no longer a sleepy village but a tourist Mecca. The rest of our group seemed to enjoy it still and by then more of the shops were open.

I asked the ferry station why there was no return ferry, and was informed that it is the rule of the Port Authority. I speculate this is to keep the ship tourist revenue flow balanced between the two towns and to fund both the capital & maintenance investment in the cable car infrastructure. Fira was quite crowded at 1:00 even with less than 5000 cruise passengers in port that day.

For reference about the cable car line: by 3:00 or 3:30 the line had snaked past the intersection at the restaurant with the two level large patio that overlooks the cable car (the one towards Oia; the path winds all around so not sure how many restaurants there are that overlook the cable cars) One in our party took the cable car down and two of us took the steps. ( others were still shopping!) The cable car was down in 20 minutes including waiting in line, while it took us 45 minutes to walk from the cable car line through the village and down the stairs to the dock. Ironically both parties got on the same return tender, as the tender line was quite long when our friend got down from the cable car- there were two tenders at that time, and of course, she picked the wrong one! The second tender was still waiting to leave when we got to the dock. We got right on it.

So if you see two tenders when you are there, pick the line for the smaller tender regardless of the length of the line- it will fill up sooner and leave sooner!

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We enjoyed the Lawn Club Grill on our Reflection eastern Mediterranean cruise. Most of our group felt it was their best meal onboard ( including the MDR, Tuscan Grill, Qsine) Service was great (no cooking by us), my rib-eye was yummy and perfectly cooked rare. Only venue in my experience on ship to offer baked potato! Evening was cool, but plastic screens kept us warm while still affording great views, until the wind picked up toward the end and sneaked through the gaps. ( did not put a damper on evening tho). Highly recommend.

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SHIP: Reflection

CABIN #: 9267

DECK #: 9

CLASS: C3 Concierge Veranda

AREA: Aft/midship

BED NEAR: Balcony

QUIET: Yes*

BALCONY VIEW: unobstructed**

BALCONY SIZE: standard

WIND A PROBLEM: No

SOOT A PROBLEM: No

COMMENTS: location not too far from stairs/elevators. Balcony chairs DO have footstools ( saw photos elsewhere without footstools). Did receive sparking wine, daily fruit and good appetizers, but no flowers 5/6/2016 sailing. Good service. Opened up balcony dividers between three rooms. Bed against aft wall, and companion travelers were aft- so open dividers did not expand our water view as if we had been in further aft cabins. * bed wall vibrated at times. Those with the sofa in this location in adjacent two cabins aft said the same wall also vibrated. Did not really bother us, but it was noticeable at times. Also, the unknown occupant in adjacent cabin forward- whose cabin door shared the same vestibule - sometimes let go of the door when leaving, causing a slamming noise and vibration. ( I tried to hold the door when I closed it, but alas, sometimes I caused slamming sounds too [emoji57]) no noises from hallway or between rooms. ** when looking down from balcony, the orange lifeboats are visible. I prefer the clear water view from the bump out cabins at mid-ship or forward. Since the water in our Mediterranean ports did not afford clear bottom viewing and when you sit in the balcony you see no obstructions looking out, this was not a problem. In the Caribbean, I might choose otherwise.

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We also enjoyed the new embarkation day lunch in the MDR for Concierge Cruisers - a very nice way to start a cruise - good food, great service, beautiful dining room- after a few exciting days in Rome pre-cruise. We traveled with group of 16, arriving in port from three transfers, so it was also a good way to connect before our rooms were ready. The invitation was included in our embarkation package. The menu seemed to please all- I enjoyed the lamb- what a treat for a lunch!

The only new information I can share is that the lunch service ends at 1:00 and we weren't sure if we would make it onboard in time. Our transfers left Rome between 10 and 10:30 am and the boarding process was quick and easy at Civitavecchia. We made it into the dining room around 12:30-12:45. Our rooms were ready by the time lunch ended.

All in all, a gracious start to a fabulous cruise!

Hello fellow hikers, just back from my awesome adventure that included this hike in reverse- from Oia to Fira. It absolutely is a spectacular visual and visceral experience and a great way to get the real essence of the amazing geology of the island.

Quick summary: 4 hour hike for us active 60 year olds with ample picture taking time with a couple of water/snack breaks, mostly uphill this direction with three or four mildly strenuous uphill treks but mostly flat-easy walking. No map, easy self-evident navigation with just a few places to make choices where we either asked others, used the outward bound approach to decision making or back-tracked as necessary.

We took the first tender off the boat at 7:15 am, the first ferry to Oia (€15 w/o cable car ticket, including bus ticket, easy to find - head to left at dock), arrived in Oia by 8:15ish about the same time as one of the ship tours but before the masses and as the shops were setting out their wares. Allowed us to enjoy the quiet beauty of Oia without crowds ( and frankly it would have been a completely different experience with crowds- the walking alleys are very narrow, barely two people wide).

Of course, we weren't able to enjoy the beautiful views in Oia while sitting at an overlook sipping our favorite beverages either and we somewhat rushed through our Oia exploration so we could hike before it got too hot. We did luck out and randomly caught a young couple getting pre-wedding photos against the background of the picturesque five blue domes. Weather note- it was overcast the entire time, so the seas were dark blue and the skies cloudy. No rain. No humidity. Still beautiful.

I speculate the hike in this direction was a bit longer and more strenuous but less crowded and equally enjoyable. I am glad we chose this road less traveled. As we got closer to Fira the trail was full of hikers. Fira streets were crowded and we only had three ( 2 small) ships in port that day. We did enjoy lunch close to the cable car overlook and took the steps down ( 45 minutes for us with more picture stops! no issues with slippery or smelly steps, but then it was early in the season and I always breathe through my nose if I want to avoid noxious smells!)

Well worth the time and effort. Enjoy your hike!

Just wanted to report back as I am the original OP of this thread.

 

 

 

We were early enough in the season that ours was the only ship in port that day. Took the first tender off the ship and the first cable car of the morning up to Fira. We left Fira at 7:45am and arrived in Oia at 9:45am. So the hike took us 2 hours.

 

 

 

It was a sunny 70 degree morning with a nice sea breeze. The scenery and views are tremendous. You do not get the same views from taking the bus between towns, the bus route is further away from the ocean and the view is often blocked. The walk part of the journey takes you between/through/among some of the beautiful resorts/spas/restaurants. The hike part of the journey takes you along the mountainside and edge of the caldera. There is some change in elevation but nothing strenuous. Footing is not a problem at all. Definitely worth your time. An absolutely beautiful way to see the island.

 

 

 

Oia is a nice place to wonder and enjoy the Greek style. We took the local bus back to Fira for 1.80 euro each. The bus trip took about 25 minutes. Then we explored Fira.

 

 

 

We walked down the donkey path to the tender pier. It took 20 minutes to walk down.

 

 

 

For those asking about hiking from Oia to Fira, speaking only about the hike, there is no difference in my opinion, on which way to enjoy the hike. Just look to your right instead of the left to enjoy the beautiful ocean views.

 

 

 

Hope you all get to enjoy your travel as we did.

Hello DownUnderMatt, have no idea, really, but I have also researched this with no information forthcoming, leading me to believe that a return boat from Oia to Fira is not an option. . I have read speculation on these forums that there is the possibility of technical reasons for this- quality / safety of water ride related. I speculate it is more of an island policy from an economic point of view [emoji854]

There are boat sunset cruises available that may or may not originate at the Port dock at Thira and while I never found one that advertises a stop at Oia, perhaps a direct inquiry might elicit a response?

I will be in Santorini on May 12th ( with the weather cooperating- some forecasts for 15-20 mph winds!) and will ask the questions I couldn't find answers for myself and report back. May be too late for your planning....

Enjoy whatever comes your way!

Seeking timing & priority guidance from you logistical & well- traveled experts: We are a group of 6 spending three nights in Rome- essentially 2 days. 4 have been to Rome before. One day will be a private tour of the Vatican and a separate tour of the Pantheon. For our first full day we have a driver for 6 hours ( for structure -6 people! less stress, and less walking for some. We WILL get plenty of street/ neighborhood walking time on each of our three nights as we are staying near Piazza Navona) One of the group will be attending the Papal Audience and we need to link up at a certain time/place. Some of the group have expressed interest in going to the catacombs. ( which can happen during Papal Audience but not sure how that affects options for Colosseum below) I know 6 hours is a lot of time if we just go to the piazzas and don't spend time in a museum and we don't really have a specific itinerary. We will take a lunch break.- maybe just w quick pizza? We do want to go to Trastevere and Campo De' Fiori which are definitely walking neighborhoods. Maybe drop off locations if we don't end at Colosseum as optioned below.

My dilemma: what time to start, where to link up? And do we give up the Colosseum underground tour or staying until the end for the Pope's blessing?

Issue: we have the pre-purchased Colosseum tickets that can be used over two days. However, the original plan to take the 3rd ring/ underground tour at 4:30 was nixed because no tickets were available at that time. ( due to construction I have read). We have two tickets for the 12:20 tour. Our tour company says the security lines are so long that they are advising that people don't go in to the Colosseum these days.

choices:

1) leave Papal Audience at 11 ( ends at noon) to meet group at Colosseum. Not sure how long the security line will take, eating up our driver time. Not sure if the start time for driver group is 11? Can one person stand in line for the others?

2) stay until noon at Papal Audience ( where to meet group?) and skip underground tour but get dropped off at Colosseum at 4:30. This sets the start time at 10:30 and link up time st 12:30.

3) find a private underground/third ring tour for 2:40 ( one of two private tours time slot) where probably still only two of 6 will attend.

Insights? I know you can't tell me what priority to put on the choice of which activity to give up, but the timing considerations will help me plan for the optimized experience! Waiting in lines is not fun for anyone!

Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom! ( sorry for the length! Thank- you if you stayed until the end!!!)

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Thank-you for sharing, njsonja! Good info

FWIW: if you have American Express Platinum, you will be reimbursed for the $100 Global Entry fee.

Heck, I am no longer a teenager (sigh) and I lost track of my sea pass card at least twice on my last cruise. Guess I still act like one... Or is it because my fashion choices don't include deep pockets or lanyards?

Thank goodness for honest people. And to having fun on vacations.

One consideration for a C3 guarantee- on my pending cruise, the only C3 cabins left on the Reflection just after final pay,want were on deck 10 very close to the bridge. Since the bridge is on deck 10, when you are on the balcony your forward view is essentially the bridge. You can of course look above or below the bridge. [emoji18]. There are photos online to help you visualize whether this is a concern to you (if you do a thorough search!)

Oops, pressed wrong button and posted before I was done!

Continuation:

I personally love forward cabins with a view of the bridge, but not on this deck this close to the bridge.

The other cabins available in c3 were aft, usually within 3 cabins from the furthest aft point. These were on deck 9 and deck 10 on the Reflection. I have no experience in these locations so cannot comment on their perceived value. Probably wouldn't select these cabins but that doesn't make them bad. Since i prefer to walk the ship on the public corridors I like to be closer to the stairs ( either forward or aft) so I can avoid walking long double banked room corridors with nothing interesting to look at, I might compare the corridor walk distances to the stairs between your mid-ship 2b to the aft location of a C3 - if the they are the same distance or less, then I would choose the C3.

Unless you get seasick! I don't have any personal insights on aft or forward cabins in this regard, but others feel the motion more if not at mid-ship.

I think the value of concierge is the upgraded breakfast room service ( real eggs) , the footstools , and the extra Captains Club points. Would I pay extra for that value? Not much. Delicate dance between location and price.

Good luck choosing. Most of all, enjoy your cruise!

One consideration for a C3 guarantee- on my pending cruise, the only C3 cabins left on the Reflection just after final pay,want were on deck 10 very close to the bridge. Since the bridge is on deck 10, when you are on the balcony your forward view is essentially the bridge. You can of course look above or below the bridge. [emoji18]. There are photos online to help you visualize whether this is a concern to you (if you do a thorough search!)

Hello Tarika, Your university project sounds interesting! And having first hand experience ( well, at least tangentially!) with your target brand and subset audiences should certainly enhance your understanding for your end product.

Attempts to answer some of your questions:

1) yes, you can join a roll call after the sailing. Not sure how many of this community will respond after the fact. If nothing else you will be able to gather data from this community and may be able to ascertain other subset communities from the prior postings. Additionally, if you are seeking two way feedback, you can 'join' ( follow, really) any roll call. Not sure how the community would react to an active roll of a non- sailor. Probably depends on the individual make-up of any particular community. But no one can stop you from lurking! May I suggest you lurk on some transatlantic cruises? You will find a more active community on these that may help on your research. Don't think this would be unique to the Celebrity brand however.

2) regarding various communities within the Celebrity brand- here are a few I can think of-

-first, would be the Cruise Critic community., which is not just your particular sailing as in the roll-call but also a community to learn and share more about the cruise line and its offerings. Celebrity does offer this community a 'Meet & Mingle Cruise Connections' gathering on board with refreshments and attendance by one or more of the ship's officers. It is by invitation only after 25 or more Cruise Critic participants register online at the Celebrity website for your particular sailing.

- another community would be the Captain's Club, essentially a rewards program for frequent sailors; you can read about the benefits at their website. The upper tiers do get special offerings that you may have observed.- specifically the Elite tier gets a cocktail party every evening ( or if there are a lot of 'Elites' on board a specific sailing, they may get drink vouchers. )There are other benefits too, such as priority boarding for tenders at those ports, where you may have observed groups.

- a third community I can think of that is related to Celebrity's branding is the class of cabin service you book for your cruise. Above the standard verandah cabin, different cabins classes have different benefits and you may have observed some group gatherings for these. Suite class cabins have access to special dining room (Luminae) and a private lounge (Michael's Club). These are recent branding enhancements. Aqua class cabins also have a separate dining room (Blu) and other benefits related to the branding of the 'Spa Experience'. This class has been around since the introduction of the S-class ships. This community does not necessarily have special events for gathering opportunities but there are passionate members if evidenced by the Cruise Critic feedback. It might be an interesting case study for your project to assess the changing perspective of value of these various cabin classes. You will find a myriads of opinions on these boards!

Just a quick overview. Hope this helps you get started. Enjoy your research!

Jen

Yes, thank- you!

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Last Oct., we took the ferry to Oia. If I remember correctly, it was very inexpensive. Once we arrived a bus took us up a hill. From there it was a very short walk into town. A few hours later, we took the bus, that was part of the package, back to Fira. Very nice day.

Yes, thank- you Chloe Kitty. I am most interested in the timing (what time did you tender off ship? What time did you arrive in Oia? What time did you catch the bus back to Fira? What time did you start down to get back to the tender dock?)

Plus how were the crowds at each of those times?

Trying to plan for two groups - the adventurers & the enjoy- the - ride group!

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I have the Chase Explorer card and the coverage for cancellation is worded exactly as above for the Sapphire card. I spoke to an agent when considering other travel insurance and my cursory understanding is that cancellation is possible if there was a terrorist attack in your destination(s) within 90 days of your arrival at ( or through?) that destination.

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Thank-you all for your insights. I already have my admission tickets as well as my tour tickets. I understand there are two lines- one to buy tickets and one for tickets holders to go through the security check. Now I know that there is only one entrance! ( thanks cruisemom42 for that awesome aerial) I am hopeful that early May is not the most crowded but I suspect it will be longer than 10 minutes to get through security- it is a busy May in Rome this year, I understand.

Maybe 30 minutes in advance may be a good guess?

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Following this too... I have read that the entrance from the Roman Forum side has shorter lines. I have 12:20 tickets for underground /3rd ring tour in early May. What time do I need to be there to get in?!? No guidance on ticket except lines are long even for tour ticket holders.

Advice anyone?

Thank-you for that tip Fincabiggs. I have searched extensively for an option such as this, without luck. Is this company new? Do you have personal experience with them? I see this is your first post!

On this thread : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2034534 Fincabiggs shares that AgeanTravelers offers a fast ferry transfer from the old dock to the bay at the base of Oia. Includes bus up to top and return bus to Fira. Can book online and use PayPal. €15e or €25 ( not sure the difference between the two).

Thank-you to all of you who post experienced rational perspectives for our considerations. I read all these 'travel concern' postings and amazed at the collective wisdom and viewpoints that help so many in their decision making.

One tool I found helpful is the US State Department App for smart phones: Smart Traveler. Not only is it easier to sign up for the STEP program via the app ( I now have two accounts [emoji15]) but it highlights 'WARNINGS' ( eastern Turkey, Syria, Libya etc ) vs ALERTS ( Europe etc) BIG difference. and a good filter to media hype.

Also helpful on the app that I never noticed on the website: a color coded map showing alert levels, similar to Homeland Security and other governmental indications of threat levels. Southern and Eastern Europe ( Spain, Italy, Greece) is relatively low in threat level compared to current hotspots; and some, such as Portugal and Bosnia are grey, which I interpreted as low threat. ( did not zoom in to view legend on my tiny phone screen!)

As has been shared, good information is important to help ascertain risk.

And thank-you, CruiseMom42 for the link on how to be vigilant while traveling. Helpful for my first visit to Europe in over 40 years coming up in 38 days!

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While not a first timer cruiser, I will be sailing for the first time on the Reflection and since it has been a few years since I sailed my previous cruise, I like a primer to remember all the deck plans and features.

I am finding the Ship Mate app the easiest way to refer to deck plans. You can zoom in easily. You can load your own cruise with a countdown clock, itinerary links, photos, reviews. And I just learned that while your own cruise needs an Internet connection to load, you can still view deckplans without internet if you go through the Cruise Ship icon and select your ship.

I am thinking this will be more handy onboard than folding over the maps or searching for the section of the ship at the elevators. I like to walk through the public areas when changing decks instead of walking through the room corridors and so plan my route even if I go up or down one or two floors to do that! Not only do I get to enjoy the beauty and the art of the ship more this way, but love the serendipity of 'finding' entertainment that I hadn't expected.

Note: on all my previous 4 cruises I have stayed in the forward sections, which leads to a tendency to the long corridor walls if you use the mid-ship elevators/stairs. I learned to avoid those by walking to the forward elevators/stairs through the public decks so I could enjoy the interesting spaces more. However, then you miss enjoying the interesting spaces on each deck at the mid-ship elevators such as the library and hideaway. Then you have to plan your visits to see those!

I am looking forward to a mid-ship location on my upcoming cruise as I am sure it will be a different experience navigating! Whether I am discombobulated ( is that a real word?!) or not remains to be seen!