CaribbeanBound

And think of all that money you just saved and can now use elsewhere on your trip.

wranglerkb...

I'd like to swap pics with you. I've got a DVD full I can send you from the cruise. I can post my email address on our roll call if you have any interest.

I frankly thought it was a pricey option and passed on it.

We were exceeding happy with our DIY tour. It covered everything we wanted to see on a quick day trip to Monte Carlo.

 

If you wish to extend your DIY tour, consider visiting Jardin Exotique which features beautiful cactus gardens and city views high above Monte Carlo as well as a neat cave with stalactites and stalagmites. We opted to return to Villefrance and explore there instead.

Just did a B2B in the Mediterranean and didn't do a single ship tour. All of my private tours had 6 - 12 passengers, and were less expensive, than the ships tours. All of the tours got us back to the ship in plenty of time. Never a worry. Check out the individual ports of call chat rooms for recommendations of private tours.

Yes, Captain Kafetzis has a very refreshing sense of humor, and runs a very good ship.

While the HOHO will give you an overview of the city, actually spending time in the top 2 sites that Barcelona has to offer will give you a much more enriching experience that you'll never forget. Your plan to visit Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia is a good one.

 

I too agree. Get the earliest tickets possible for Sagrada Familia. Then have lunch. Schedule Park Guell for after lunch. Park Guell does have shade and lots of benches.

However in the bigger picture, you "can" do Park Guell in an hour, especially of you have a guide. So its possible to do Park Guell at 8:00 am with Sagrada Familia at 9:30 but you will feel rushed at Park Guell. You cannot miss your entrance time at Sagrada Familia. Of course this assumes you have no problem getting off the ship by 7:00/7:15 at the latest.

 

If you're interested, I've provided details on these two sites here: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html Just jump down to the ports. We were in Barcelona for two days.

Thanks Julie, have a great trip!

There are too many good options for the Naples port. However, since we don't know when or if we'll ever get back, Pompei and Herculenium are a great way to spend the day.

VacationLove15...

We did exactly what you're planning. Just got back last month. Caught the redeye and spent 3 days in Rome prior to an Eastern Mediterranean cruise.

 

I agree with flying in early. We came in 3 days early. I would even try 4 or 5 days if I had it to do over again. There is a ton to do in Rome and The Vatican. Great city.

I agree with Harrijc --- and recommend staying in the city center. I would disagree with a stay near the airport, unless like The Wood Duck, it's short after-cruise stay. My suggestion is to stay within a couple of blocks of the Pantheon where you can easily walk to most of the sites. If you do stay near the airport it gives you a perfect opportunity to explore Ostia Antica (5-10 minutes away).

 

I disagree with taking a nap unless nightlife is what you're in to in which case a nap makes sense. Personally, we find the best way to get on local time is to stay up and don't nap. We can't keep our eyes open past 8:30 pm, sleep really well, and wake up around 5:30 - 6:00 am. Sun is already up, but hardly any people yet. It's a great time to explore several popular outdoor sites on your own and then enjoy breakfast.

 

Here's my entire very detailed review of our pre-cruise preparations, and our ports, including our stay in Rome: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

Regardless whatever you decide about any of the above, you should still have a good time. Enjoy your cruise.

euro cruiser... thanks for that update.

Most taxis are regulated. Is it possible the authorities charge taxis a higher rate for port access like is done at a lot of USA airports, and allow a higher fare? Also curious where the closest off-port taxi stand might be and if that would avoid the higher fees? I didn't look into that question.

Agree. Policy applies all over the ship. If you see something you want on the menu, just order it. Two entres? Sure. 6 appetizers? No problem.

 

By the way, Murano is hands-down the highest rated specialty dinning on the ship (by passengers). Therefore they are often booked and therefore rarely offer discounts. However, there may still be discounts available, starting with a 50% discount on the first night and on lobster night, subject to availability. Keep in mind these are also the best nights to eat at no additional cost in the MDR.

We just got back from a 21-day B2B on the Reflection. She isn't perfect, but there is a lot to like. I just posted a very detailed review:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644656

She can absolutely make the change at the port upon check in. In fact, if you don't bring the same card with you that you used during for your online paperwork, they will ONLY take the card you bring with you. They have to run a real card through their machinery.

Thank you. I appreciate the comments.

Sunkissed Mommy...

 

Frankly, if you only looked at the outside, you might not even consider going inside. I highly recommend getting tickets online for the 9:00 am admission. There is no way to adequately describe how incredible the inside is. Few churches are as breathtaking (or different) as Sagrada Familia. It's a must-see.

The #1 tourist attraction in Barcelona is Sagrada Familia, a basilica unlike any other in the world. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, its a work still in progress. While the exterior is genuinely unique --- my wife thinks it looks something like a sandcastle --- it's the interior that is jaw-dropping. Nothing really prepares you for the experience that awaits once you set foot inside.

 

We bought the "Basic" self-guided tour tickets (€15 pp) online at their official website for the 9:00 am entry time, which is when they open. All tickets are time-controled and they only let a set number of visitors in at 15-minute intervals. Miss your interval and you will be refused entry. However, once in, you can stay as long as you like. And they do have restrooms in the complex, but outside of the basilica on your way towards the museum, souvenir shop, and exit.

 

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/barce...dafamilia2.jpg

Note that you cannot upgrade your tickets upon arrival. So if you want an audioguide, a guided tour, and/or wish to climb the tower, you need to make this choice online and pay for it in advance. We bought our tickets online over a month in advance of our early May visit. No tickets were available on site the day we visited. It had sold out online. If you enjoy sightseeing without the crowds, I highly recommend you get tickets for 9:00 am.

 

We got off the ship at 7:30 am and shared a taxi with 2 other couples (€30 total / €5 pp) to Sagrada Familia. We arrived before 8:00 am and got a good look at many of the statues on the exterior prior to getting in line at street level for security which opened about 8:30 am. We queued a second time in the courtyard one floor above security.

 

If you prefer to take the metro, and the Cruise Bus is running, take the Cruise Bus to the Christopher Columbus statue. Then walk NW 2 blocks from the Christopher Columbus statue to the Drassanes Metro station. It's located just the other side of the Comandància Naval de Barcelona building. Take the green L3 metro 1 stop to Paral-lel station, then change to the L2 Purple Metro and take it directly to the Sagrada Familia stop. The Sagrada Familia can be seen immediately upon exiting the metro.

 

At 9:00 am the Sagrada Familia doors opened and welcomed the first group of ticketholders. There is some massing just inside the door as you become enthralled at the grand beauty and begin capturing the first of over 400 pictures. Thank goodness for digital photography! The beautiful colored light you see in my photos is natural sunlight coming through stained glass windows. The colored glass and window placements were carefull conceived and orchestrated to provide a changing light show from sun up to sun down. No artificial colored lighting is used, and most of the pillars are actually white.

 

We spent close to 2 hours exploring the basilica, watching the lighting change as time passed, and visiting the museum displays below the church. The church was practically empty for the first 15 minutes, but got fuller every succeeding quarter-hour. There were maybe 100 visitors when we arrived and few thousand (inside and out) when we left about 10:45 am.

 

 

Complete detailed review of Celebrity Reflection and 8 Western Mediterranean Ports

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/weste...terranean.html

 

Secrets of the Mediterranean: details, hints, and tips for over 20 Mediterranean Cities

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/medit...n-secrets.html

Thank you for the nice comments.

I appreciate the comments.

10 hours is lots of time. Have a great trip.

Interesting cut off date. It worked on Reflection as of May 17.

We were on a back-to-back cruise on Celebrity Reflection to 15 ports where we visited over two dozen cities.

This review is about the ship experience.

 

For very detailed information on the ports with lots of pictures jump to:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

or for individual ports, check the Cruise Critic "Ports of Call" boards (which also allows you to ask questions).

 

Part I - Precruise

For really helpful precruise information (packing, useful apps, passports, ATMs, etc) see:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

 

II. Embarkation (Departure) From Rome By Ship

A. Back to Back Passengers (B2B)

We were among approximately 56 passengers who had booked a back-to-back cruise. Some of the benefits included: $50 cruise discount on the second cruise, lunch in the Opus Dining Room on the changeover day, a special Transit Pass that allow you to skip the general boarding process if you decide to leave the ship, the ability to stay on the ship, full access to your cabin if you keep the same cabin, and a genuinely easy immigration and changeover process.

 

We changed cabins and it also couldn't have been easier. We simply packed our suitcases, except for everything that was hanging in the closet and vacated our room around 8:30 am. Our bags and closet items were all relocated by ship personnel. Around 1:00 pm we moved into our new cabin.

 

We did not wish to leave the ship for an excursion. Instead we took it easy, stayed onboard, and basically had the run of the ship. All B2B passengers that stayed onboard met around 9:00 am outside Cellar Masters. We settled our bills, turned in our old Seapass cards (which they gave us back later as souvenirs), completed a new express pass and health form, got our new Seapass cards and had a new security picture taken. It took no more than 5 minutes per couple to complete. It was a ridiculously easy process which was greatly appreciated.

 

B. Civitavecchia, Italy

Originally, we flew into Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) four days early to explore Rome (details under "Ports") and help avoid the stress of travel delays. We left our hotel at 11:00 am via Rome-Airport.net Shared Shuttle Transport to the port. Cost was €75 per couple with pickup at your hotel and dropoff at the ship. Check their website for rideshares that need more passengers or start a rideshare yourself. This is one of the most efficient ways to arrive. It's a lot more trouble if you arrive by train (requires walking, shuttles or taxi upon arrival) or by bus (dropoff is outside the port with shuttle service to each ship).

 

C. Security Processing and Boarding at Civitavecchia

When we arrived for the first half of the cruise at the pier about 12:45 pm, gave our luggage and a tip to a baggage handler and immediately entered the terminal. Security took 5 minutes and we headed to Celebrity Check-in. Priority lines were set up for Suites, Aqua Class, Concierge, Elites and Select members, and a line for all others. In any case, the lines were minimal. Once in line, we waited until being directed to one of about two dozen Celebrity check-in agents. The agent checked our passports, credit card, and embarkation form. Within 10 minutes we had our Seapass (which is used as your ship ID, ship credit card, and door key) and a couple of security checks later we were on the ship.

 

C. Explore The Cabin

We were in cabin 9310, a category C3 Concierge Class Stateroom with about 194 square feet of space, plus a 54 square foot veranda, on Deck 9. With the exception of the balcony, it seemed identical in size to our 177 square foot OceanView cabin we were in on the first half of the cruise. We were located slightly aft of midships, starboard side. The location was great, and serviced by a bank of 6 elevators just down the hall.

 

The cabin was well laid out. Lots of drawers and enough room in the closets and over the bed for our clothes. The bathroom had a toilet, sink, and a spacious glass-enclosed shower. Hangers and small light robes were provided. The small safe had plenty of room. The desk featured a number of informational brochures including Monday's event newsletter "Celebrity Reflection Today" as well as a note informing us of our 6:00 pm dinner seating and table number. Our veranda had two lounge chairs, two footstools, and a table.

 

Being Cruise Critic members, we received an invite to the gathering scheduled for later that day. We asked our cabin attendant to empty our mini-fridge, which he did before we retired for the evening. All of these items were taken care of promptly by our efficient and friendly cabin attendant, Dewa.

 

Although we were on the "starboard" (right) side of the ship, we often had the best view of the port. It all depended upon where our specific pier was located in relation to where the most interesting views of the port were.

 

D. Tour of Ship and Search For Food

The ship is gorgeous, and really well laid out with ample sets of stairwells and elevators. 8 elevators can be found midship with 3 additional elevators forward. We found sustenance in the Oceanview Cafe on the Deck 14 for a buffet lunch.

 

E. Dinner in the Main Dining Room - 6:00 pm "First Seating"

Opus Restaurant is the main dining room (MDR), located on Decks 3 and 4. Passengers with assigned dining times (Early or Late) ate on 3 while passengers with anytime dining at upstairs on 4 (with some accommodated overflow on deck 3). The dining room is beautiful.

 

F. Lifeboat Drill

At 4:15 pm (about an hour prior to leaving port), we participated in the mandatory lifeboat drill at our assigned muster station. We were not required to wear lifejackets. We simply had to get to our muster station, watch a humorous lifejacket demonstration, and listen to announcements from Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis and our muster crew.

 

Part III - Food!

Celebrity has a good reputation for their cuisine. The meals met our expectations. Not only was it good, it was downright outstanding on many nights. There was excellent variety throughout the ship.

 

A. Our Favorite Items

 

• The Best Breakfast Items: Made-to-order eggs and omelets, fresh fruit, oatmeal with choice of toppings, and smoked salmon in the Oceanview Cafe; and the donuts and pastries at Cafe al Bacio.
  
• The Best Dinner Appetizers: Escargot, dill salmon, anything with goat cheese, roasted beets, and meats in puff pasties. There were at least 6 appetizers each night. All appetizers were well presented. You can't go wrong.
  
• The Best Soups: Butternut squash, French onion, and Mushroom.
  
• The Best Lunch Items in the Oceanview Cafe: Fresh fish and chips, a buratta station, grilled colossal shrimp, salad bar, caesar salad, fruits, pasta bar, and daily grilled special.
  
• The Best Entrées in the Main Dining Room: Prime rib, Portabella mushroom with spinach and goat cheese, Lamb chops, Veal, Roasted trout, Australian Sea Bass, Lamb shank, Braised beef ribs, Seared Salmon, Mediterranean seafood with orzo.
  
• The Best Desserts: Baked Alaska, cheesecake, ice creams and sorbet; and the coconut macaroons.
  

B. Opus Restaurant

Opus Restaurant is the main dining room (MDR), located on Decks 3 and 4. Passengers with assigned dining times (Early or Late) ate on Deck 3 while passengers with anytime dining at upstairs on Deck 4 (opposite the dedicated dining room for suites). The Opus dining room is beautiful with nicely plated presentations at dinner.

 

Meats were cooked to order, including Medium Rare upon request. We never needed to send back an undercooked or overcooked item. Our Waiter (Carlos), our Assistant Waiter, and our Sommelier were all very friendly, efficient, and offered good guidance.

 

In addition to the daily menu, the following items are available every night: shrimp cocktail, escargot, seasonal fruit, French onion soup, Caesar salad, chicken, salmon, NY sirloin steak, NY Cheesecake, creme brulee, apple pie, and chocolate cake.

 

On our first cruise we requested a large table and were assigned a table for 4 with a delightful couple that was also on a Back-to-Back cruise and had ironically also requested a large table. Between cruises, the four of us once again requested a large table for the second half of the cruise. We were accommodated with a table for 12. Unfortunately, we averaged only 6 passengers per night at this table. Apparently we should have specifically asked for a large table with passengers actually assigned to the seats.

 

C. Specialty Restaurants and Premium Casual Dining

Reflection has four premium "dressy" specialty dinner restaurants for which a cover charge applies. Murano is very fancy and serves a "blend of Classic and modern continental cuisine, freshly prepared in multi-course meals, as exquisite European-style service attends to your every need". Qsine is now exclusively featuring Le Petit Chef, an animated character that appears beside your plate via an immersive table display technology and prepares each course you’ll be enjoying right in front of you before you’re served the actual dish.

 

Tuscan Grille is an italian-themed steakhouse that serves pastas, seafood, steaks and salads. Lawn Club Grill is a casual outdoor grill with an expansive salad bar, build your own flatbread pizza, and several grill specialties, including USDA Choice Beef, poultry, seafood, and vegetables.

 

 

 

We ate at Lawn Club Grill twice. Both times my wife ordered a beautiful, huge, filet mignon; and both times I ordered the milk-fed veal chop (essentially a bone-in veal ribeye). Both are really good. The veal chop is simply incredible --- very tender and flavorful. A secret gem of the Lawn Club Grill. We did not visit any of the other three venues, though fellow passengers gave especially high praise to Murano.

 

There are also two premium "casual" restaurants on Reflection that charge a cover. Sushi on Five (formerly Bistro on Five) offers freshly prepared sushi and Japanese favorites; while The Porch features fresh seafood and raw bar.

 

We enjoyed a meal at The Porch while watching Greek islands pass by. We enjoyed the Seafood Tower (cold lobster, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and seafood salad) as an appetizer followed by lobster bisque and a lobster roll. The mussels are the tastiest I've ever had and everything else was also quite good. Most passengers never find The Porch which is hidden on Deck 15 next door to The Lawn Grill Club. Seek it out if you like seafood. For just $30, you'll be glad you did.

 

Most of the restaurants are located on Deck 5. Lawn Club Grill and The Porch are on Deck 15. While the food in the Main Dining Room was quite good, we ate at the Lawn Club Grill and The Porch as a change of pace. The cover charges run $15 to $50, but discounts of 10% to 50% can be found most nights at one or more of the venues --- depending upon the current bookings. You'll find representatives from the restaurants each morning outside of the Oceanview Cafe on deck 14 at breakfast and sometimes at lunch. Ask them about any available discounts.

 

D. Oceanview Cafe

Found on Deck 14 aft, Oceanview has several hot, cold, and carved meat buffet stations which change daily; as well as a salad bar, pasta bar and pizza station. Be sure to wonder around to check out all of the offerings before plating. Surprises abound. The food was generally quite good. Hint: at breakfast, check both grill areas. Although both offer omelets, one seemed to always be busier.

 

E. Cafe al Bacio

Hit up Cafe al Bacio on Deck 5 for a variety of espresso, cappuccino, latte, mocha and macchiatos; as well as a dozen premium hot teas and premium iced teas. My wife fell in love with the Cafe Mocha and the Caramel Machiatta on a prior cruise. Once I discovered the Raspberry iced tea I would pick one up as soon as we got back from each day's port excursions. Very refreshing! It is also a great place to stop in the morning on the way to breakfast. If you want a quick bite to eat, they offer free croissants, brioche, fresh muffins, berliners (great jelly doughnuts) and apple turnovers in the morning; light lunch items; and desserts at night. The baristas at this cafe are very friendly and efficient.

 

F. Gelateria

Located next to Cafe al Bacio, the Gelateria offers 12 flavors of Italian gelato. We enjoyed a refreshing gelato after one of our day's excursions. The mint chocolate chip is a winner.

 

G. Mast Grill

Located midship on Deck 15, Mast Grill offers limited bar service, hamburgers (beef, turkey or vegetable), chicken breast, hot dogs and french fries --- along with favorite toppings like sauerkraut, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, American cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Yes, you can ask for just a BLT. Hint: there is a softserve ice cream station here and the flavor changes daily, and almost nobody knows it exits. My wife loved the fudge brownie ice cream.

 

H. Aqua Spa Cafe

The Aqua Spa Cafe is open for lunch and is located midship in the Solarium on Deck 14. They only have about 7 tables which is usually plenty since most folks either don't know it's here or think it's only for Aqua Class passengers. Hint: The food is free but it's no lounger the gem it once was when they offered poached salmon. There is only a surcharge for fruit juices, smoothies and parfaits. They offer grains, fruit plates, and salads. The food is good but very limited.

 

I. Room Service

You can order from morning to late night. We didn't order anything from room service this trip. From past experience, they are generally punctual and they don't just drop the order off at your door --- they come in and set it up for you. Be sure to tip!

 

J. Classic Drink Package

We had the Classic drink package on this trip. Bars are plentiful and the bartenders and service staff (looking at you Alexandra) did a great job of getting drinks out to everyone. We enjoyed wine each night at dinner. Plenty of red and white wine choices. If you have a package (or not) you won't go thirsty.

 

The Classic Drink Package includes an array of beers, spirits, cocktails, liquors, frozen drinks, wines (up to $9 per serving), sodas, basic bottled water, and premium coffees and teas from Cafe al Bacio. Although it was never necessary, we could have simply paid the price difference to upgrade to any premium beer, wine or liquor selection on an as needed basis.

 

Part IV - Entertainment

A. Celebrity Shows in the Reflections Theater

Reflections Theater is located on forward on Decks 3, 4, and 5. The theater itself is beautiful and the viewing is excellent downstairs and with few exceptions the second floor as well. Almost all of the third floor seating is partially obstructed by high glass safety walls, safety rails, or the occasional pylon. Sound and lighting is excellent. The Stars of Reflections Production Cast (aka Celebrity Singers and Dancers) took part in 4 shows (Elysium, Intimate Broadway Cabaret, Broken Strings, and Euphoria). They are a very talented and energetic group. We felt many of the song selections were pretty obscure. The finale "Euphoria" is not to be missed! My wife caught it twice.

 

B. Guest Appearances in the Reflections Theater

Our guest artists included: Christopher Caress (hypnotist), Claire Maidin (singer, pianist, entertainer), Peter Grant (singer), Rob Lewis (Tribute to Phil Collins), Anthony Scott (comedian), Ragar (a Rock/Country Duo), and The Sammy Tones (Reflection's house band) headlined "Beatles Around the World" for one night. We enjoyed most of the guests, especially Claire Maidin.

 

C. Celebrity Orchestra and Other Ship Bands

The Celebrity Orchestra was truly excellent and performed at most of the shows in the Celebrity Theater as well as occassionally at other venues. Among the other entertainment we enjoyed was Fiesta Duo (Classical Strings) our favorite, The Sammy Tones (House Band), 4 Elements (Fusion Quartet), Devico (Contemporary Duo), and Charlotte Jones (Solo Guitarist). Most played at various venues on the ship.

 

D. Shows in the Celebrity Central

Celebrity Central is an all-purpose venue. They offered movies, guest speakers, and travel talks (information about ports that Celebrity sails to to encourage bookings).

 

E. Enrichment Speakers

Sea Days are typically when you get to hear at least four fascinating topics from engaging speakers. Celebrity calls it "Beyond The Podium". The topics are endless, but at a minimum you can expect to see credentialled experts providing good historical background to the ports we are visiting. Unfortunately, this cruise was devoid of any enrichment talks from outside speakers.

 

On the second sea day, Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis gave a presentation entitled "Oceans Ahead: Secrets of Ship Navigation". The Captain, full of humor and interesting information, played to a full house.

 

F. Port Talks

If you like to shop and only take shore Celebrity excursions (or are otherwise looking to take a nap) then "Port Talks" are for you. They will highlight the excursions available through Celebrity and the port shopping opportunities that partner with Celebrity. I understand this is a commercial venture. Conversely, there is a definite hunger for good port information for do-it-yourselfers that is severely lacking on Celebrity.

 

Along this same line, Celebrity provides each cabin with a map of the next day's port. The bits of the town that they map is very clear and easy to read. However, this is not a map you want to use for sightseeing. The map is typically only useful for finding the recommended stores mentioned at the "port talks". Either bring good port maps with you or seek out Tourist Information booths for free maps.

 

Booths aren't always open and the maps vary significantly in usefulness depending upon the port. In general, fee maps from Western Mediterranean ports were better than those from Eastern Mediterranean ports.

 

G. Casino

The Fortunes Casino (amidship Deck 4) is filled with slot machines, two Craps tables, two roulette tables (1 American, 1 European), a few blackjack tables, texas hold 'em table, three card poker table, and a bar with flatscreen tv's. The casino was open while at sea and closed while in ports. The Casino is a fresh-air, non-smoking, environment. Kudos to Celebrity for their non-smoking policy.

 

H. Movies and TV Channels

Movies are available on your TV and nightly in Celebrity Central on Deck 4 and occassionally on the Jumbotron on Deck 15. Some of the movies shown included "Shape of Water", "Earth: One Amazing Day", "The Square", "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", "Loveless", "The Time of Their Lives", "Una", "I, Tonya", "Thor Ragnarock", and "Red Sparrow". Your TV includes both pay-per-view and a dozen free on-demand movies (some of the same offerings as above). Satellite TV channels were very limited. They included several ship-related channels, 4 news stations, 3 sports stations (MLB is not shown), Travel, HGTV, and Food Channel. You can also order room service and check your current account balance on the TV as well.

 

I. Canyon Ranch SpaClub

This full-service spa is located on Deck 12. "The Persian Garden" (free for AquaClass passengers, fee for others) features steam rooms, infrared sauna, aromatic steam room with a mixture of warm steam and aromatherapy, sensory rainforest showers, and a dozen heated-tile loungers with awesome floor to ceiling exterior views accompanied by the calming music.

 

J. Outdoor Pools and Hot Tubs

There are six hot tubs and two outdoor pools along with an indoor pool (Solarium) on Deck 14. We did not use the pools. I found the hot tubs needed to be at least 10-degrees hotter.

 

K. The Lawn Club

Located on open-air Deck 15 aft, The Lawn Club features real grass to enjoy under foot along with lawn games like Bocce (lawn bowling), putting, and croquet.

 

Part V - Parties

A. Cruise Critic Rollcall Gathering

Our rollcall group met for sailaway drinks shortly after muster drill at the Sunset Bar, Deck 15 aft. This is a great bar for frozen drinks. The mango daiquiri is excellent.

 

B. Cruise Critic Connections Party

We signed up for the Cruise Critic party on the Celebrity web site. We received an invitation to the party taking place just after sailaway in the Conference Center on Deck 4. It was packed! We had a great time meeting and greeting other addicted cruise critics. The Cruise Director was in attendance along with several of the ships key officers and the Captain's Club representative.

 

C. Theme Parties

Due to being late at night, we missed all of the theme parties: Totally 80's Party, Silent Disco, Full Moon Party, Masque Interactive Theme Party, Mirage Party, ABBAmania, Groove Interactive Theme Party, Silent Disco Part II, Disco Never Dies, and a British Invasion Night.

 

D. Captain's Club Parties

Members of Captain's Club had access to parties depending upon your level. Elite members were invited to a Captain's Club Celebration and a Senior Officer's Party.

 

 

 

Part VI - The Ports

Here's a link to the complete port reviews, with pictures.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

 

Part VI - Health Concerns

A. Smoking

Celebrity does this right! There was no smoking in the restaurants, casino, lounges, Reflections Theater, cabins or verandas. Smoking was permitted outside on the port side and rear of the ship. We are very sensitive to smoke and applaud Celebrity on it's smoking policy. The ship's environment was very enjoyable. We did not observe anyone abusing the smoking privilege.

 

B. Pools and Hot Tubs

We did not witness any babies in the pools or tubs.

 

C. General Cleanliness of the Ship

You could not take a stroll without witnessing some type of cleaning going on at all hours. The ship was constantly being cleaned or painted: floors, walls, fixtures, everything! The ship appears to be in really good shape.

 

D. Viruses

To the best of our knowledge, there was no outbreak on our ship. Kudos to our fellow passengers and Celebrity personnel for their personal diligence.

 

E. Seasickness

Overall, we had beautiful weather and fairly calm seas. Almost like glass a couple of days. Until a couple voyages ago, I always alternated half of a patch behind my ears for the duration of the voyage. This trip I again tried going unmedicated. It generally went well as I never got seasick. I did get low-grade headaches on our two roughest days at sea, despite waves being no worse than 2-5 feet.

 

F. Drinking Water

All Celebrity ships have their own desalination and purification process. The drinking water on Reflection was excellent.

 

Part VII - Ship Notes

A. Ship and Crew

The ship was under the command of Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis. We were very impressed with the ship, captain, and his crew. Very friendly and competent. The ship and furnishings were in very good shape. She was very clean.

 

B. Our Cabin Steward

Our room steward (Dewa) did a great job with our cabin (no complaints). He kept the room clean and bed made.

 

C. The Shops

We're not shoppers. You'll find jewelry, watches, clothes, sundries, and souvenirs. Merchandise did not rotate very much. There was something on sale each day.

 

D. Internet Service

There are about 16 computers available in the Celebrity iLounge located midship on Deck 6, and while busy at times there always seemed to be an available computer to use. All had internet service and free printing capability. It was nice to be able to use our Elite benefit good for 90 free minutes. The internet was slow, but better than what we experienced on Equinox three years ago. Wi-fi was also available for use on your phone, and there is a keyboard to access the internet in your cabin too (though we didn't test it).

 

How to Access the Ship's Wi-Fi:

• Turn on your phone's Wi-Fi.
  
• Open Chrome or another browser and go to site: Logon.com
  
• Create account
  
• Select a plan (including the 90-minute free Elite benefit option)
  
• Enjoy the internet. It works best in public areas. Not so good in most cabins.
  
• Important: when you finish using the internet, your time will continue to tick unless you specifically logout.
  
• Open Chrome or another browser and go to site: Logoff.com
  
• You'll see a screen showing your remaining time left that you can use. At that point you're officially logged out.
  

E. Kids

We saw a few kids and a couple of babies on board. All were well behaved.

 

F. Dress Code

Formal nights have been replaced with "Evening Chic". We had 2 evening chic nights and 9 smart casual nights. Most men were well dressed (with jackets and ties) on evening chic nights, and most of the women dressed up.

 

Evening Chic is dressier than Smart Casual but intended to be less dressy than Formal attire. "Get glamorous and be sophisticated in your own way". Women should feel comfortable wearing: A cocktail dress or a skirt, pants or designer jeans with an elegant top. Men should feel comfortable wearing: pants or designer jeans with a dress shirt, button-down long-sleeve shirt or sweater. A sport coat or blazer is optional but was also the norm.

 

With "Smart Casual" women should feel comfortable wearing skirt, pants or jeans with a casual top, and men should feel comfortable wearing pants or jeans with a sport shirt.

 

Note that T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main dining room or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. Guests are asked to follow the dress code in the Reflections Theater for all evening performances.

 

G. Time Changes

The ship stayed on "local/port time". All of the ports from Italy to Gibraltar are all on the same time zone.

 

H. Tendering

The ship docked at all but one port, which made getting off the ship really easy. The gangplank was typically on Deck 2, but was sometimes on Deck 5 --- depending upon the tide and facilities at the port. We tendered in only one port: Villefrance (Nice). Tendering involves taking a small boat of 100 to 300 passengers from ship to shore, and back again. Tender priority is first given to passengers on Celebrity's tours (which is as good a reason as any to book a ship's tour in a tender port, especially if it's an ocean-related tour), then to Suites, Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith.

 

On prior cruises we received tender tickets. Essentially the lower your number, the earlier you can get off the ship. On this cruise we were simply invited to report to a specific lounge between 8:30 am and 11:00 am (the expected busy tender time) to be escorted to the tenders, but we didn't take advantage of this service. Instead, we simply went straight to the tenders on Deck 2 at 7:00 am when we were cleared and caught the first tender off the ship.

 

I. Upon Returning to the Ship

When you return to the queue to re-board the ship after a day in port, you are greeted with ice cold hand towels and fruit-infused water. This is a really nice Celebrity touch.

 

J. Solstice Deck

At the very top of the ship (forward) is a nice, quiet deck with lots of chairs and loungers available. While it can be breezy with little shade here, the deck is also uncrowded and pretty quiet. There is no elevator access.

 

Part VIII - Tipping

The service personnel on Celebrity receive meager wages and rely on your tips for income. While Celebrity says it is customary to offer gratuities to the ship's personnel who service you on the voyage, it is now entirely expected and you should figure the cost into your cruise budget. The ship's personnel work long hours to service you and the other passengers, and the bulk of their pay has increasing been borne directly by the passengers rather than the cruiseline.

 

Celebrity Cruises automatically adds gratuities to your onboard Seapass account. The "suggested" gratuities can either be prepaid or added to your account on a daily basis. The cost is $13.50 per day, per passenger for most cabins. It's $14/day/pp for Concierge Class and AquaClass, and $17/day/pp for suites. The gratuities are shared by your stateroom service, waiter, assistant waiter, dining room management, other service personnel (and concierge or butler, if applicable). If you wish to adjust the amount you pay (up or down), this can be done onboard the ship at Guest Relations on Deck 4. Gratuities for 10 days for two passengers in an Concierge Class Cabin totalled $308.

 

An 18 percent gratuity is automatically added to all bar bills, unless you have a beverage package --- in which case it's already built in. You should also tip for room service, extra to your favorite bartenders, the Sommelier, and any other personnel you wish to reward.

 

Part IX - Captain's Club

If you have taken a previous voyage and are not a member of the Captain's Club, sign up. It's free. Benefits include a Captain's Club express line at Embarkation, priority Disembarkation, some small cabin welcome gifts (my wife likes the Celebrity travel tote), casino and spa discounts, and a one cabin upgrade when booking. Some exclusions apply. Elite members also receive 90 free minutes of internet, and some valuable laundry services. Elite members were invited to a free wine-tasting seminar, a Backstage Tour, and an Elegant Tea; as well as breakfast in the Tuscan Grill and a Private Departure Lounge. Elite members also have access to the Sky Lounge for free drinks and canapes between the hours of 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. If both husband and spouse are members, then you each get all of the benefits.

 

Here's a review of the Elite Benefits

A. Priority embarkation while boarding the ship

On the first half of this cruise, we arrived at the pier about 12:45 pm, gave our luggage and a tip to a baggage handler and immediately entered the terminal. Security took 5 minutes and we headed to Celebrity Check-in. Priority lines were set up for Suites, Aqua Class, Concierge, Elites and Select members, and a line for all others. In any case, the lines were minimal. Once in line, we waited until being directed to one of about two dozen Celebrity check-in agents. The agent checked our passports, credit card, and embarkation form. Within 10 minutes we had our Seapass (which is used as your ship ID, ship credit card, and door key).

 

Boarding had begun before we arrived, so we headed straight for the ship. A couple more security checks later, we were on the Reflection. An attendant greeted us with champagne. Cabins were already ready, so we headed straight for our cabin.

 

B. Access to the Captain's Club Lounge for daily coffee house style breakfast

This lounge is located in the beautiful Tuscan Grille, located on Deck 5 aft. It's open daily from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. This was formerly a continental-style buffet. Now it's a full-service venue with a limited menu. Food quality is high and service is attentive. Despite this, my wife preferred the former arrangement.

 

C. Captain's Club Elite Cocktail Hour (excludes embarkation day)

This lounge is located in the Sky Lounge on Deck 14 forward and is open from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Menu-specific drinks included wine, well drinks, soda, juices, Heineken, Bud light, and O'Douls. They also served appetizers. Due to the number of Elite members on this voyage, the Seapass was loaded with 3 free drink coupons each night good at any bar in lieu of Sky Lounge-only service, though the venue was still reserved for Elite members during this time and canapes were served.

 

D. Complimentary 90-minute Internet package

The Celebrity iLounge is located amidship on Deck 6. They have about 16 computers and 2 free printers. It's open 24 hours with limited staffing during daylight hours. It was nice to be able to use our Elite benefit good for 90 free minutes. The internet was slow, but better than what we experienced on Equinox three years ago. Wi-fi was also available for use on your phone, and there is a keyboard to access the internet in your cabin too (though we didn't test it).

 

E. Complimentary access to Persian Garden (on one port day of your choice while ship is in port)

"The Persian Garden", located in the Canyon Ranch SpaClub on Deck 12, features steam rooms, infrared sauna, aromatic steam room with a mixture of warm steam and aromatherapy, sensory rainforest showers, and a dozen heated-tile loungers with awesome floor to ceiling exterior views accompanied by the calming music.

 

F. One complimentary bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold)

This is one of the most appreciated benefits as it allowed us to pack lighter. They will wash and fold up to 30 pieces. On day 2 we gave them a bag a laundry and again on day 8. You also can get 2 items pressed and 1 item dry cleaned.

 

G. A private shipboard departure lounge, serving continental breakfast

We had the option to sit in the Elite departure lounge located in Tuscan Grille.

 

H. Priority Tender Service in Tender Ports of Call

We tendered in only one port: Villefrance (Nice). Tender priority is first given to passengers on Celebrity's tours (which is as good a reason as any to book a ship's tour in a tender port, especially if it's an ocean-related tour), then to Suites, Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith. On prior cruises we received tender tickets. On this cruise we were simply invited to report to a specific lounge between 8:30 am and 11:00 am (the expected busy tender time) to be escorted to the tenders.

 

I. Priority wait list in Main Dining Room

We requested the 6:00 pm "Early" seating in the Main Dining Room and we got it.

 

J. Elegant Tea invitation

We received an invitation for tea for the final sea day. It was held in Blu Restaurant. Due to competing events, we did not attend the tea.

 

K. Backstage Tour invitation

We received an invitation for a Backstage Tour on Day 8 in the Reflections Theater. Due to competing events, we did not attend the tour.

 

L. Other coupons and benefits that may also be applicable to Classic and Select club members

Complimentary Wine Tasting: We received an invitation for wine tasting in the OPUS Restaurant at 2:00 pm on the day we left Gibraltar early.

Senior Officers Party: We received an invitation for this cocktail party on day 9. It was held in Sky Lounge.

Gift: My wife received a rose and a nice note on day 2.

Other useful coupons: Double payout on any $5 1-to-1 Roulette or Blackjack wager, discounts on wine and various spa services.

 

Part X - Concierge Class Benefits

A. Cabin Upgrades

Concierge Class cabins on Deck 9 all have a veranda (balcony) and feature a few upgrades over regular Veranda Staterooms: a Concierge (Estelle) who can "arrange anything from specialty dining reservations to shore excursions" as well as reconfirm air reservations and seat assignments at the end of the cruise; a bottle of sparkling wine; selection of fresh fruits and canapes delivered each afternoon; nice thick bathrobes (the regular ones are rather small and thin); use of a golf umbrella and binoculars; a rather nice Celebrity tote bag (gift); Celebrity embossed key holder (gift); enhanced room service breakfast menu; complementary shoeshine service; a fancier showerhead (yes, it was good); footstools on the veranda; a pillow menu; and 5 Captain Club points per person per night (a bonus of 2 over a standard Veranda Stateroom, and 3 more points per day per person than our Oceanview Stateroom). This last benefit is rather important for folks working their way up in the loyalty tiers.

 

B. Special Event

Concierge Class passengers were invited to a Sail In To Barcelona Experience with some Senior Officers on the Helipad for about an hour as we were coming into port. Yes, this was a very cool experience and the officers were friendly and provided a lot of good port information to anyone asking questions.

 

C. Pillow Menu

We were invited to use special pillows. Simply ask your cabin attendant and he will bring them.

• Body Pillow (fellow and down)
  
• Hypo Allergenic Pillow
  
• Swedish Isotonic Pillow (I used this one and enjoyed it).
  

Part XII - Disembarkation, Customs, and the Airports

A. Disembarkation (Departing the Ship)

Two days before the end of the cruise everyone was given numbered luggage tags. Bags had to be packed, tagged, and set outside your cabin by 10:00 pm the night before Disembarkation. The number corresponded to a specific meeting time in an assigned lounge, and the system was based upon your travel arrangements. The folks that had the earliest flights or other arrangements were assigned earlier exit times.

 

Disembarkation went smoothly once we were cleared. Meeting times began at 6:45 am. We were docked in Civitavecchia by 4:00 am and the ship received clearance to allow passengers to depart around 7:00 am. Guests were escorted by group number to the terminal to claim their baggage. An exception to the above called the "Self-Assist Program", allows passengers to skip this entire process, hang on to their bags, and walk off the ship at their leisure anytime after clearance .Passengers were expected to be off the ship no later than 9:30 am.

 

Breakfast and coffee was available in Cafe al Bacio from 5:30 am - 8:30 am, Oceanview Cafe from 6:00 am to 8:30 am, Opus Main Dining Room from 6:00 am to 8:00 am, Blu from 6:30 am to 8:00 am, and Luminae from 6:30 am to 8:00 am. Room Service closed at 1:00 am.

 

We chose "Self-Assist Program" and kept our bags in our cabin until we were ready to leave the ship. We had breakfast in the Oceanview Cafe, grabbed our bags, and headed to the 2nd deck. Whoa! The exit was a bit overcrowded as the ship was not cleared quite as early as anticipated but it was no big deal. We waited about 15 minutes before checking out at security with our Seapasses for the last time.

 

It was a short walk past the terminal to the transportation area. Our driver was waiting on us. We had prearranged a pickup with RomeCabs from Civitavecchia Port to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) for a party of 6 at a price of €170. A bargain at just €28 pp plus tip. (I highly recommend prebooking transportation so you are not waiting in a long line for taxis or overpaying for bus transfers).

 

The other 2 couples who joined us in the van were off just behind us. We found them on our Cruise Critic Rollcall thread and saw them throughout the cruise. I'm guessing we were off the ship between 7:15 am - 7:30 am and we were at the airport no later than 8:00 am.

 

B. Customs Allowance

Each US citizen returning from Europe is permitted $800 worth of Duty Free goods, and adults 21 and older may include 1 liter of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, and 100 cigars. All you needed to do was to declare the total value. Anything greater had to be itemized (declared) and a duty paid.

 

C. Arrival into Rome: Customs and Passport Control at the Rome Airport

Most international flights arrive into Terminal 3. There are no Customs to be concerned with upon arrival in Rome if you have nothing to declare. You do need to get into a potentially long line to have your passport stamped prior to proceeding to baggage claim.

 

You’ll walk a couple of blocks from your arrival gate to the Passport control, wait in line to get your passport stamped, then walk another couple of blocks to Baggage Claim. No matter how long the Passport Control line is, you're likely to have to wait on your baggage. Once you retrieve your bags, it’s a short distance to the Customs and the exit. (For all of this, just follow fellow passengers and the signage.) You’ll exit through the “Nothing to Declare” door, and then you will be in the main arrivals hall where lots of drivers will be waiting with placards to pick up passengers.

 

D. Departure from Rome: Customs and Passport Control at the Rome Airport

Most international flights leave from Terminal 3. Once again there are no Customs to be concerned with when departing Rome if you are flying directly to the United States. We arrived early to the airport, yet we still encountered a 45 minute wait just to check-in at the airline counter and drop off our bags.

 

You’ll then follow the herd through security. If you have TSA Precheck, get in the line for "Fast Track". Everyone else will be herded into the regular security screening. Fast Track took us 15 minutes. Upon exiting security, follow the signage to walk a to the Passport Control for USA-issued passports, and wait in line to get your passport stamped again. This took just 5 to 10 minutes. Then just follow signs to your gate.

 

E. Arrival into the United States: Customs and Passport Control back in the USA

Assuming you are flying directly back to the USA, without a change of planes in other country, you will need to go through Customs upon arrival. Upon exiting the plane, follow the signs to Customs. If you have "Global Entry" (which also includes TSA Precheck eligibility) you can shave your customs time from an hour or more to just 10 minutes. Get into the Global Entry lane. Walk to an open GLobal Entry kiosk, scan your passport and fingerprints and smile for a picture, and answer up to 8 yes or no questions. A receipt will be printed. This all takes 5 minutes. Flash your receipt to a Customs Agent and continue to baggage claim. If you have items to declare that are in excess of the allowance they may have questions for you. Claim your bags and take all of your baggage to yet another agent who will want to see your passport yet again and collect your receipt. Only then are you done being processed and are free to exit the airport.

 

F. Back to Back Passengers (B2B)

Last time the ship arrived in Civitavecchia, we were among the fortunate passengers who had booked a back-to-back cruise. Some of the benefits included: $50 cruise discount on the second cruise, lunch in the Opus Dining Room on the changeover day, special passes that allow you to skip the general boarding process if you decide to leave the ship, the ability to stay on the ship, full access to your cabin if you keep the same cabin, and a genuinely easy immigration and changeover process.

 

We changed cabins and it also couldn't have been easier. We simply packed our suitcases, except for everything that was hanging in the closet and vacated our room around 8:30 am. Our bags and closet items were all relocated by ship personnel. Around 1:00 pm we moved into our new cabin.

 

We did not wish to leave the ship for an excursion. Instead we took it easy, stayed onboard, and basically had the run of the ship. All B2B passengers that stayed onboard met around 9:00 am outside Cellar Masters. We settled our bills, turned in our old Seapass cards (which they gave us back later as souvenirs), completed a new express pass and health form, got our new Seapass cards and had a new security picture taken. It took no more than 5 minutes per couple to complete. It was a ridiculously easy process which was greatly appreciated.

 

If you were on a B2B and decided to get off the ship, you did not have to wait for the 9:00 am meeting. You could get off anytime and get processed when you came back. B2B passengers were provided a special Transit Pass which would expedite getting back on the ship.

 

Part XIII - Praises, Gripes and Your Questions

A. Praises

Reflection's personnel are very attentive, friendly and helpful. Officers made themselves very accessible. Food was very good to outstanding, and the drinking water was excellent. The ship is clean, beautiful, in very good shape, and built with a lot attention to detail with a layout that makes sense. It's nice to see Celebrity still believes in live music for the production shows as the Celebrity Orchestra was outstanding. The perks for repeat cruisers are worthy. And we really appreciated Celebrity's smoking policy.

 

B. Gripes

We certainly didn't have much to gripe about. The internet is a bit slow. American sports rarely air on the ship. We would like to see a better selection of songs performed in the Reflection Theater. (Celebrity tends to perform a lot of obscure songs and broadway selections). There were no enrichment speakers (other than the Captain) on this cruise. Port talks should include more than just Celebrity excursions and shopping partners. Port maps could be significantly improved.

 

Feel free to ask any questions.

Gibraltar, United Kingdom

Gibraltar is a small British territory off Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast just 2.6 square miles in size. It's the only port where the British Pound was the currency of choice. It's a heavily fortified British air and naval base that guards the Strait of Gibraltar (the only entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean). The Rock of Gibraltar is made of limestone and shale and is the focal point of the peninsula.

 

Not really sure what was going on in this port. All signs pointed to the port being over-booked. Our original schedule was cut back by 5 hours (thankfully we got a couple months advance notice) and we saw other ships waiting in the harbor for an opportunity to berth (including the Celebrity Constellation which we passed on our way out. At one time they were scheduled to dock at 9:00 am).

 

There is a lot of cool things to see in Gibraltar. With our abbreviated stay, we thought it best to take a private tour that would shepherd us to all the major sights while allowing us the some flexibility at each stop. We joined the "Intermediate Tour" booked arranged by a fellow cruise critic member through Gibraltar Inside Out Rock Tours (£55 pp, plus tip, for a group of 8, which included all admission fees).

 

The tour takes approximately 3.5 hours and consists of 7 stops which include: 100 Ton Gun, Europa Point, The Pillars of Hercules, St Michael's Cave, Top of The Rock, Upper Apes Den, the Great Siege tunnels, Europa Point, and The Moorish Castle. We also saw the continent of Africa from several viewpoints, drove through the old town and over the airport runway towards the Spanish border.

 

Our first stop was St Michael's Cave inside the Rock of Gibraltar. Upon arrival we found ourselves in The Cathedral Cave, a very large cavity with great acoustics (it's even used as a concert hall) and beautiful stalactites and stalagmites highlighted by green, blue, and purple spotlights. There are several staired pathways that allow you to venture deeper. They all work their way back to the Cathedral.

 

From here we headed up The Rock to visit the "Rock Apes" --- about 160 tailless Barbary macaques living on the rock. They are the only population of wild monkeys in Europe. The apes are really fun to watch. Lots of picture opportunities to be had with the apes and the views. We ascended the top and headed down.

 

The Great Siege tunnels were built inside The Rock in the late 18th Century to defend Gibraltar against the Spanish and French forces who were trying to recapture Gibraltar from the British. The tunnels include defensive gun emplacements, uniformed mannequin, dioramas, and window holes from which you can take great pictures. It's worth walking all the way through to the other end of the tunnel. Tunneling was expanded during the wars that followed. There are now 34 miles of tunnels, most of which are off-limits. It would have been cool to visit the World War II tunnels had we more time in Gibraltar.

 

There is a statue commemorating the Pillars of Hercules, the top two peaks on either side of the straight with The Rock being one of them. Jebel Musa in Morocco is thought to be the other. Beyond the pillars is the Atlantic Ocean. In antiquity, the pillars were the point of no return if you ventured beyond.

 

"The Moorish Castle" is really a complex with the "Tower of Homage" being its main feature. Rebuilt around 1333 AD, it's a great example of Islamic architecture. 30 minutes is plenty of time to explore the tower and climb to the top to take pictures. It's pretty steamy inside though and the passages leading downstairs were off-limits during our visit.

 

The 100 Ton Gun is one of two left in the world. (The other big gun is in Malta). Gibraltar's gun was never fired, and frankly it's not all that interesting. However, it does provide a good opportunity to visit the restroom here.

 

Europa Point and the historic 1841 Trinity House Lighthouse occupy the southernmost tip of the peninsula and offer views across the Straight of Gibraltar to Ceuta (a small independent Spanish enclave) and Morocco. Having never been to Africa, it was genuinely cool to see the Dark Continent on the other side of the Straight, less than 15 miles away. Had we been given an overnight stay in Gibraltar, I would have liked to take a day tour over to Morocco (less than 90-minutes by speedy ferry each way).

 

Europa Point is also home to the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque built in the mid-1990’s with money donated by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, as well as views of the backside of The Rock.

 

The Gibraltar Airport's terminal building is adjacent to Gibraltar's border with Spain. The easiest way to cross the border into Spain is on foot and supposedly takes less than two minutes assuming your passport is in order. (Taxi's are prohibited to cross). The ONLY road from the boarder (Winston Churchill Avenue) literally runs across the airport's runway and is closed temporarily anytime a plane arrives or departs. We drove across the runway to the boarder and back.

 

This was a really fun port that I wish had a longer stay. Back on the ship, around 3:45 pm, we spotted a large pod of dolphins off the starboard side jumping out of the water 2 and 3 at a time.

 

 

Complete detailed review of Celebrity Reflection and 8 Western Mediterranean Ports

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

 

Secrets of the Mediterranean: details, hints, and tips for over 20 Mediterranean Cities

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

Ibiza, Spain

We were up and off the ship by 8:30 am. Today's goal was to explore Ibiza Old Town (aka Dalt Vila), an UNESCO World Heritage site. The Old Town is encircled by colossal 16th Century protective walls reaching over 82-feet in height and include seven bastions (each providing picture worthy views).

 

Dalt Vila plays host to Ibiza Castle, also known as Eivissa Castle. As you would expect, it sits atop the hill overlooking the port. The town is a joy to explore. Most of the pleasure is in the walk and seeing what's around the next corner. You cannot go in the castle, but if you are determined to in something, there are museums, old villas, churches and a necropolis.

 

Transportation from the ship will take you to Terminal Formentera on edge of town. There are fours ways to Terminal Formentera from our dock at Estación Marítima Ibiza-Botafoc:

• Take the ship's shuttle for €10 roundtrip.
  
• Ignore the overpriced ship shuttle and simply ride the blue "Ibiza Port Bus" which leaves every 30 minutes (at approximately '15 and '45 after the hour) from the same parking lot. Costs €2,50 one way or €4,50 roundtrip.
  
• Take a taxi
  
• Walk 1.7 miles (35 minutes) on relatively flat terrain to the bus drop-off point at Terminal Formentera. I recommend you map this out ahead of time. If you make a wrong turn the walk will get a lot longer.
  

Upon arrival at Terminal Formentera building, walk about a half block towards town and stop in at the small air conditioned Ibiza Travel information booth (it's easy to miss) for a great map entitled "Ibiza: Routes Through Dalt Vila". It's similar to this map except it actually shows three suggested routes with detailed information about the sites.

 

With map in hand, we continued straight up the road and made a left at Carrer d'Annibal (just a block before the street deadends into the old fortress wall). Two blocks later on your right you'll see the ramp that will take you over a small drawbridge and into the Portal de Ses Taules entrance to Old Town. This entrance, flanked by a pair of statues, was featured in an episode of Game of Thrones. There are other ways in. This is the most dramatic. And it's only a 10-minute walk from Terminal Formentera. We arrived here about 9:15 am.

 

You'll find yourself in a beautiful cobblestone courtyard with a huge stone fireplace and several support arches. Pull out your map and start following your route of choice. We primarily took the red Classic Route but quickly adopted the blue route at times to explore the Bastions, starting with the Santa Llucia Bastion which offers the best pictures of the ships in port, and when you turn around you'll be able to capture iconic pictures of Dalt Vila.

 

We had the town pretty much to ourselves for the first hour then we began to encounter pockets of tour groups around 10:15 am. We spent about 2.25 hours exploring the Old Town before heading into New Town and working our way back to ship via the Ibiza Port Bus at Terminal Formentera.

 

Terminal Formentera is also host to 4 different ferry companies that do a booming business taking passengers to, well, Formentera, a 32 square mile island about 12 miles of the coast of Ibiza that can easily be seen from Old Town. Known for its bright green lizards, clear waters, snorkeling, caves, and long stretches of beach, Formentera is a very popular day-trip destination.

 

The closest beach to the ship is Playa de Talamanca. It's a nice big sandy beach with full service and clear water, just a 3/4-mile (15-minute) walk to the northeast.

 

The port terminal situation here is rather annoying. On the way in, they make you walk a long way out of your way to force you through the terminal building for the benefit of a couple of shops. On the way back to the ship you also have to take this circuitous route but Ibiza also throws a really poorly executed security checkpoint in there too. I'm guessing they either charge ships for this pretend service or its simply an employment gimmick.

 

 

Complete detailed review of Celebrity Reflection and 8 Western Mediterranean Ports

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

 

Secrets of the Mediterranean: details, hints, and tips for over 20 Mediterranean Cities

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

Cartagena, Spain

The port is in town, next to the marina, and doesn't require any transportation from the ship. This was a good port to sleep in since nothing opens until 10:00 am. Still, we were in the mostly vacant city by 8:30 am since it's nice to explore unimpeded by crowds. Siesta is generally from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm during the heat of the day. Shops then re-open until 10:00 or 11:00 pm.

 

We exited the ship, walked though the port security gate and found ourselves on a wide walkway splitting a marina in two. We wondered around town, taking exterior pictures of interesting buildings, Parque Arqueológico Cerro del Molinete, and a few other parks while we waited for the Castillo de la Concepción to open at 10:00 am.

 

From the port walkway, walk to the first street and turn right (don't go up the stairs). Turn left at the next street you come to and walk until you come across the Ascensor Panorámico (Panoramic Lift, €2 or €4,25 with admission to Castillo de la Concepción; climbing the lift is free). Walking to the narrow observation point as you exit the elevator to the right is a bit scary as the walkway moves a little with the wind.

 

Upon exiting the walkway to the left, you'll find yourselves in Parque Torres which offers walking trails, wild peacocks, and good views of your ship in port, as well as Torres Park Auditorium, and Roman Amphitheatre beyond that; especially from the expansive Plaza Puerta del la Villa lookout.

 

The best views of the surrounding area are reserved for visitors to the rooftop of Castillo de la Concepción, aka Castillo de los Patos. Offering 360-degree views with picture boards that pinpoint the most interesting buildings and places, the rooftop can be reached via an interior ramp or turret stairwell. The castle has some interesting displays inside as well.

 

Exiting Plaza Puerta del la Villa via a stairway to the north, will take you to the Puerta del la Villa ("The Door of the Villa"). Walk through this short archway tunnel and down the ramp and you'll find yourself overlooking the Roman Amphitheatre, a must-see site in Cartagena, and ruins of the Old Cathedral of Cartagena "Catedral de Santa María La Mayor" beyond.

 

You can get good pictures from several vantage points as you walk along the top of the amphitheater. If you wish to walk inside the amphitheater, tickets are available for €6 at the Museum (MVSEO) directly across the street from the distinctive Palace Hall of Cartagena on Plaza Ayuntamiento (about three blocks to your west).

 

Since the ship was so close and easily accessible, we headed back to the ship to drop off the light jackets we didn't need, stayed for lunch, and then ventured out again. We set out to see a pair of museums, the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology and the Maritime Museum.

 

National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (€3) is located on the marina, just 5 minutes from the ship. The Museum has a permanent exhibition in which the methodology of underwater archeology is discussed as a scientific discipline. Models, and actual recovered artifacts, help tell the story of over 2,500 years of navigational history. One highlight is a large display of coins from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a galleon that was sunk by the British navy in 1804. 594,000 gold and silver coins were among the items salvaged.

 

We walked along the marina to The Maritime Museum only to discover that it was closed that day. Now tired and enjoying stellar warm weather with nice cool breezes, we took a siesta under the shade of a Palm Tree in the Plaza de los Héroes park next to the Palace Hall clocktower.

 

Rested and comfortable, we checked out the art statuary in the immediate area, then walked along the marina until we found an empty bench. We sat looking at the marina and decided to watch people go by until it was time to return to the ship. A huge futuristic silver sailing vessel caught our attention.

 

We were looking at the world's largest sailing ship, an 8-deck superyacht, 468-feet in length with ship masts nearing 300-feet high, owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko. (Note how it dwarfs the shipping cranes). Named the "A", with a crew of 54, it was berthed in the harbor. The hull is made of steel and carbon fibre. Security is enhanced with bombproof glass and 40 CCTV cameras. In addition to the expected helipad and pool, it also features a 193-square foot glass underwater observation pod in the keel which is 1-foot thick.

 

 

Complete detailed review of Celebrity Reflection and 8 Western Mediterranean Ports

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

 

Secrets of the Mediterranean: details, hints, and tips for over 20 Mediterranean Cities

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

Malaga, Spain (7:00 am - 7:00 pm)

Be sure to take water today. Celebrity offered a shuttle bus service for €5 pp roundtrip between the ship and Plaza de la Marina port gate. It's about a 10-minute ride. We were off the ship about 8:15 am and opted to walk into town. The ship will tell you it's a 40-minute walk. It's not. It's an easy 25 to 30-minutes --- only 15-minutes if you're just going to the marina shops (on the left) or beach (on the right). This was the largest and one of the most accessible beaches we saw the entire voyage.

 

Our first stop was Alcazaba, an early 11th century fortified palace featuring arches, gates, towers, and marble columns. The entrance can be difficult to find. Head for the Roman Theater entrance (to the right of the theater) and then look for signage to Alcazaba. There is also a secret entrance/exit with an elevator across the street from Calle Francisco Bejarano Robles on Calle Guillen Sotelo.

 

It's open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm from April 1 to October 31. Cost is just €2,20 or you can buy a combo ticket with Gibralfaro Castle for €3,55. Both are also free every Sunday from 2:00 pm to close. However, it's worth paying a couple of euros to avoid the Sunday afternoon crowds. To get back down to the city, you can either return back to the Roman Theater or take the elevator from the Nazari Palace down to the secret street level entrance. Just for fun, we took this exit once we happened upon the elevator.

 

After exploring Alcazaba, we walked 10 minutes to meet up with our Free “Explore Malaga” Walking Tour that met at southeast corner of Plaza de la Constitución. We made reservations online. The tour started at 11:00 am and lasted about 2.5 hours. Our guide provided a ton of information as we made our way around town. The Malaga Cathedral is really interesting both inside and out. We tipped €25 for the two of us. The suggested tip for "free" tours is €10-15 pp.

 

The Roman Theater (Free) was build in the 1st century AD and used for about 200 years. A lot of its stone, marble, and columns was appropriated in the construction of Alcazaba. It's open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm / Sundays and holidays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Even if it's closed you can still get good views of the theater from several vantage points.

 

Malaga is known for its tapas bars. We ate a light lunch, sharing 1 dish and 2 tapas at one of the cafe's near the Roman Theater before heading up to Gibralfaro Castle. The castle, built in 925 AD, is located on the hill above Alcazaba, with no easy access between the two. You can take a taxi, bus 35 (€1.95 fare), or you can do like we did and walk. (Admittedly, our first choice was the bus, but we had just missed it).

 

It was a 30 minute winding uphill walk with stops for pictures. (Okay, they were rest stops where we also happened to take pictures). Walk up Calle Cister, turn left onto Plaza de la Aduana, then a quick right onto Paseo Don Juan Temboury and keep left. Turn right onto Subida Coracha. Take the stairs on your left. Turn left. Quick right. Take the stairs. Long walk. Your destination will be at the top of the hill.

 

Since it was after 2:00 pm on a Sunday when we arrived there was no entrance fee. (Normally the cost is just €2,20 or you can buy a combo ticket with Alcazaba for €3,55). We explored the castle and took lots of pictures of the surrounding area.

 

Upon exiting, we bought soft drinks at a little shop near the bus stop. Before we could begin our descent, bus 35 arrived so we hopped on (€1.95 pp), rode it down to the Plaza Marina stop, and walked back to the ship from there (via a walkway past the busy marina shops).

 

After we departed Malaga, and just before 9:30 pm, we watched at least 5 pods of dolphins playing off the starboard side. Some pods had more than a dozen dolphins.

 

 

Complete detailed review of Celebrity Reflection and 8 Western Mediterranean Ports

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

 

Secrets of the Mediterranean: details, hints, and tips for over 20 Mediterranean Cities

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html