JUST BACK FROM THE EQUINOX - 6/4/10- 10 Night Mediterranean - LONG HONEST REVIEW

[Bababooey Land]

Feel free to ask questions and/or comment:

 

PART 1:

 

A little background about myself and wife. I am 38, she is 33. This was our 3rd cruise, all 3 on Celebrity. Our last cruise was 3 years ago on the Millennium in the Mediterranean as well. We live in Northern NJ and typically stay at higher end hotels when we travel. And since we are foodies, we tend to eat in a lot of very good restaurants in NJ and NYC.

 

I read a lot of excellent reviews on here before we left and got a lot of good information. I will try to add some helpful information in this review that has been discussed at length on the boards and hopefully some things that haven’t been discussed yet.

 

We used private transfers to/from the port. And also private tours in many ports. I’d be happy to give reviews of them as well if anyone is interested.

 

We arrived in Rome 1 day early. We stayed at the Grand Hotel de la Minerve. Great Location, so so room. Needed a renovation. We checked in at 10am...but room wasnt ready until 3pm.

 

Embarkation:

 

Arrived at the port around 4pm. We were on the ship within 15 mins.

 

Room:

 

We had Sky Suite 8345 located in the Aft. Room was ready when we got there and luggage was delivered within 30 mins. The room was great. New, nice, clean and huge. Plenty of storage place for 2 people. Veranda was massive with great aft views. We had no Soot problems. Bed was extremely comfortable..linens were nicer than a lot of hotels. Nice size Samsung LCD TV with plenty of TV options. Our butler and stateroom attendants were excellent. Best out of the 3 cruises we have taken.

 

Passengers:

 

We thought the avg age of the passengers was 7-10 years younger than on our last cruise 3 years ago. Lots more people our age and younger than what we have previously experienced on Celebrity. There were a handful of babies and toddlers. And plenty of teenagers. The avg age of the passenger was probably in the low 50’s. If Celebrity is trying to get the younger passenger, they are doing an excellent job!

 

 

More to come in a few!

[Jdell]

Bababooey Land--

 

Looking forward to the rest. As a fellow Northern NJ resident (and former NYC one), you seem to have established a similar taste pattern to mine.

 

We are on the 7/16 Eastern Med. sailing so your honest comments and tips are much appreciated.

[Bababooey Land]

Part 2:

 

 

Public Areas:

 

As noted on here many times, the ship is great. very easy to get around. It’s in great condition. Elevator was a long walk but nothing we couldn’t manage. We thought the Lawn Club was a nice touch.

 

Pool Chairs:

 

Even though we didn’t use the pool area that much..I noticed on both sea days that there were plenty of chairs available both in and out of the shade. It seemed very quiet in the pool area.

 

Tuscan Grille:

 

We ate here twice. The first night was 2 for 1..so keep that in mind before you book online and pay full price for the first night. Overall the food and service was excellent. I thought the Filet was top notch. Location of the restaurant is excellent, located in the aft of the ship with lots of huge windows. Easy to get table for 2 by the window.

 

Murano:

 

Ate here once. Again, food and service was excellent. I thought the atmosphere was a little stuffy although the wife liked it. We thought the food in Tuscan Grille was a touch better. Murano has an extensive but expensive wine list…and they are the only restaurant on the ship that is “supposed” to use Reidel glasses.

 

Silhouette (Main dining room):

 

We had the 6:15pm seating:

 

Even though the time is a little early for us to eat, we didn’t want to deal with the anytime dining and 8:45pm is too late. You are allowed to sit down up to 30 mins late…so almost every night we sat down between 6:30 and 6:45pm. By the time we got the menus, ordered drinks, etc..we were eating more towards 7:15 – 7:30pm.

 

Our expectations for food in the MDR were low going into the cruise based on our last cruise and reviews on here. However, we were pleasantly surprised that overall we thought the food was very good. We had some excellent dishes such as the Mahi Mahi to some mediocre dishes. Thankfully most of the food was good to very good. Everything was fresh. The waiter and assistant waiter were both excellent and made eating in the MDR very enjoyable.

 

We requested a table for 2 ahead of time. After reading a lot of negative comments about the table for 2’s on here being very close to each other and not private, I was bracing myself for the worst. As soon as we boarded the ship, we went to the MDR to check out our table assignment. Indeed, the table was horrible. Located downstairs next to the staircase right on top of another table for 2 in the middle of the dining room. Needless to say, im not a happy camper right now. I approached the Maitre’d to request a better table for 2. He said he would look into it and leave notice at my cabin by the next night. I tipped him $50. Sure enough the following day we were given a new table assignment. This time we had a table for 2 right next to a window located in a nice corner area. It was well worth the $50 IMO as we were eating there for about 7 nights or so. There are a few of these tables scattered around the MDR. So yes, many of the tables for 2 are not great…there are some nicer tables to be had.

[jerandder]

We will be on this itinerary next week, so I thank you for your timely review. We have 3 teens with us, so I am glad to hear that there were plenty of them on your sailing. I expect there will be just as many, if not more on our sailing, since all schools should be out by then.

 

I would love to hear about your private excursions. We have 4 of them booked, so any tips on what to see/avoid would be appreciated.

 

Lauren

 

btw...love your screen name. I am a HUGE Howard fan, as well! :eek:

[Jo and Rob]

Thanks for posting. I hope you had a fantastic time and I look forward to reading more. We are sailing on the Eclipse in the Med next year and I am keen to find out as much as possible in advance.

1. Excursions. What did you do in the ports? play it by ear or book excursions? Did you stay local? Any trips through Celebrity?
   
2. Drinks. Was fruit juice available throughout the day or only at breakfast in the dining room and bars? How much was a coffee at the cafe? I'm trying to work out whether a non alcoholic drinks package is worth it or not. How much is a glass of wine?
   
3. Pools - thoughts as regards cleanliness and temperature
   
4. Icecream - opinions on complimentary icecream please
   
5. Room service. Did you use it? How long did you wait? What was on the regular room service menu?
   
6. Highlights - what was the best thing about your cruise and why?
   
7. Disappointments? - were there any?
   
8. Recommendations. What would you recommend and why?
   

thanks in advance

[Bababooey Land]

Part 3:

 

Smoking:

 

There are only a handful of places you are allowed to smoke onboard, all located outside. I think it’s a great policy that all ships should eventually go towards.

 

Bridge Tour:

 

We asked Guest Relations for a bridge tour the first day we got onboard. On the second sea day (which was our last) we were invited to the bridge tour. It was a 15 min tour of the bridge. It was excellent! I highly recommend it!

 

Dress Code:

 

Huge difference from 3 years ago. It was a lot more casual this time around. 3 years ago probably 40-50% of men (including myself) wore tux’s on formal nights. This time around, maybe 10-15% wore tuxs. Most men on formal nights did wear a jacket and tie or suit. I didn’t see many that were underdressed.

 

All other nights, there was huge diversity. From someone wearing a jacket and tie to someone wearing a casual short sleeve shirt and slacks. There were a few in jeans but not many. It was a relaxing atmosphere. I would wear what you are comfortable in!

 

Spa/Salon:

 

We both got a massage on the first sea day. If you want a service on a sea day, book them as soon as you get on board! They book up very quickly.

 

I booked one for each sea day but then cancelled my second massage after my experience below.

 

I was extremely disappointed in my massage. The actual massage was mediocre, honestly, one of the worst I’ve had. The kicker at the end was I booked a 75 min massage but the actual massage was only about 60 mins. I was taken on time…but this is where the process broke down. There was wasted time before the massage, there was wasted time after. It took her over 5 mins to get my water and my “prescription” as she calls it so she can sell me products on MY time, instead of hers. Then at the end instead of checking out at reception, she hands me the bill to sign. I was not going to tip extra..but since she is sitting right there, I felt like I had to tip extra. The spa only adds on 10% tip, so I left her another 5%. But boy that was a $10 bill I would like back!

 

Bars:

 

We loved the Martini Bar..the martini’s were excellent! They were $10 each with grey goose vodka.

 

There is a really cool Vodka bar next to the Martini bar where you can try shots of different vodka’s. My wife and I really loved the Gold Flakes Vodka!!

 

Molecular Bar – We had a couple drinks there as well…$12 each. Its hard to explain what these are but you should at least check out the menu. These drinks were specially formulated by Junior Merino, the Liquid Chef. There are 12 different drinks you can get. My wife loved the drinks, I personally didn’t like them.

 

 

 

Entertainment:

 

Lots more music around the ship this time around than 3 years ago..which was nice. Most of the music was good but its typical cruise ship quality. We did not attend any of the shows.

 

Casino:

 

Nice Casino. It got crowded on sea days and some nights. I was able to play a couple poker tournaments which was nice!

 

Foul Odor:

 

I know a lot has been discussed about this….I did smell some foul odor in the hallways from time to time. My wife commented on it once. But honestly, it was nothing. You smell it for a few seconds as you walk by and then its gone. Nothing in my stateroom.

 

 

Water Package:

 

My wife had the premium water package, the new one. We opted to get the package for 1 person. It worked out great. We definitely got our money’s worth. If you have specific questions about the package, I’d be glad to answer. It was easy getting small or large bottles of water. Keep in mind, some bars are only open after 5pm. so it makes getting water in the morning a little more difficult. Most bartenders were pleasant when getting the water there were 1 or 2 that gave a look. They all swiped the card after giving us a bottle. If you want to share water, it is not difficult to do with this package.

 

Café Bacio and Gelato Bar:

 

They make a great cappuccino! Desserts looked good but we never tried them. We had the Gelato once, it was good but not like Italy of course! $3 for Gelato in a freshly made waffle cup with toppings.

OceanView Café:

 

We had breakfast here one morning..it was very good. well organized and clean. Food quality was typical buffet food.

 

I would like to highlight we ate here for lunch on the first sea day…I thought the buffet was excellent (for a buffet of course). They had an Indian station, Asian, taco bar, pasta, pizza, etc..alot to choose from and I thought the food quality was very good.

 

Brunch on last sea day:

 

This is the grand brunch instead of the midnight chocolate buffet or midnight brunch. We were disappointed. It was only OK. Couple of ice sculptures. But honestly, I thought the lunch buffet we had was better. A lot of the food at the brunch was food we already had during the cruise..not a lot of new choices. i.e…they had breads, omelets, lox, waffles, sliced beef, sliced turkey, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc…nothing special.

 

 

Art Gallery:

 

Park West is gone…British Auctioneers are in. Artwork is a lot less expensive then Park West. I remember Park West had a lot of artwork north of 10K per piece. This was more affordable. Except, it wasn’t a true auction. They only auction off pieces that you are interested in. so before the auction if you are interested in a piece you put a sticky note on the piece, that piece goes into the auction process. There is a “starting price” that they will tell you ahead of time. The only time it actually becomes an “auction” is if 2 people are interested in the same piece, which they auctioneer admitted is unusual.

[Bababooey Land]

We will be on this itinerary next week, so I thank you for your timely review. We have 3 teens with us, so I am glad to hear that there were plenty of them on your sailing. I expect there will be just as many, if not more on our sailing, since all schools should be out by then.

 

I would love to hear about your private excursions. We have 4 of them booked, so any tips on what to see/avoid would be appreciated.

 

Lauren

 

btw...love your screen name. I am a HUGE Howard fan, as well! :eek:

 

Hi Lauren,

 

I will write about the excursions tomorrow. i need a break from writing tonight :)

 

glad to hear you are a Howard fan! I am a HUGE fan as well!

[Bababooey Land]

Thanks for posting. I hope you had a fantastic time and I look forward to reading more. We are sailing on the Eclipse in the Med next year and I am keen to find out as much as possible in advance.

1. Excursions. What did you do in the ports? play it by ear or book excursions? Did you stay local? Any trips through Celebrity?
   
2. Drinks. Was fruit juice available throughout the day or only at breakfast in the dining room and bars? How much was a coffee at the cafe? I'm trying to work out whether a non alcoholic drinks package is worth it or not. How much is a glass of wine?
   
3. Pools - thoughts as regards cleanliness and temperature
   
4. Icecream - opinions on complimentary icecream please
   
5. Room service. Did you use it? How long did you wait? What was on the regular room service menu?
   
6. Highlights - what was the best thing about your cruise and why?
   
7. Disappointments? - were there any?
   
8. Recommendations. What would you recommend and why?
   

thanks in advance

 

Hi Jo and Rob,

 

I will do my best to answer all your questions.

 

1) I will review ports tomorrow.

2) I believe the fruit drinks (like orange juice and apple juice) are available at the Oceanview Cafe for free all day. The coffee at Oceanview cafe or in your stateroom or dining room is free. (although i have to say it was almost undrinkable). The cappuccinos were about $3 each at Cafe Al Bacio or in the dining room. ( i dont remember the exact price). Glasses of wine ranged from about $6 to $12. most of them were $7-$9.

3) I did not use the pool...but they looked extremely clean.

4) Ice Cream in the Oceanview cafe is free. The Gelato is $3.

5) room service: We only used it for breakfast. Since we were in a suite, our butler delivered it. It always came on time. although the food was consistently cold. We never ordered room service during the day.

6) food and service was top notch.

7) Spa

8) Tuscan Grille, Murano, & Martini Bar and must do's onboard.

 

hope this helps! As I write more tomorrow, it will probably answer more of your questions in more depth. but you will have a great cruise!

[Jo and Rob]

Hi Jo and Rob,

 

I will do my best to answer all your questions.

 

1) I will review ports tomorrow. Thank you

2) I believe the fruit drinks (like orange juice and apple juice) are available at the Oceanview Cafe for free all day. Do you know if you could also get it in the dining room all day?The coffee at Oceanview cafe or in your stateroom or dining room is free. (although i have to say it was almost undrinkable). What was wrong with the coffee? Too weak or strong? The cappuccinos were about $3 each at Cafe Al Bacio or in the dining room. ( i dont remember the exact price). Glasses of wine ranged from about $6 to $12. most of them were $7-$9.

3) I did not use the pool...but they looked extremely clean.

4) Ice Cream in the Oceanview cafe is free. Did you see the self serve? If so what were the flavours? The Gelato is $3.

5) room service: We only used it for breakfast. Since we were in a suite, our butler delivered it. It always came on time. although the food was consistently cold. Hopefully this is only a problem at breakfast. We never ordered room service during the day.

6) food and service was top notch. Fantastic!

7) Spa why did you tip extra???

8) Tuscan Grille, Murano, & Martini Bar and must do's onboard.

 

hope this helps! As I write more tomorrow, it will probably answer more of your questions in more depth. but you will have a great cruise!

 

Thank you for your quick response. Just a couple more!

1. Where did you eat lunch?
   
2. Can you remember what the menus were like on formal nights?
   
3. Is the welcome fizz for everyone or just for Concierge class and above? (we are in a 2B cabin)
   

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Wow. Great review! We just finished an Equinox cruise about 2 long weeks ago, and I agree with most of your comments. If you're going on the ship you have a lot to look forward to!

[Solstice23]

Great to know!

 

we head on her July 16th! Solstice class is our favorite

[Bababooey Land]

Thank you for your quick response. Just a couple more!

1. Where did you eat lunch?
   
2. Can you remember what the menus were like on formal nights?
   
3. Is the welcome fizz for everyone or just for Concierge class and above? (we are in a 2B cabin)
   

 

We usually ate lunch in the port city. The first day at sea we ate lunch in the oceanview cafe and the 2nd day at sea was the brunch.

 

The 2nd formal night was lobster night. I dont remember what the main dish was the first formal...i think it might have been Filet.

 

I am not really sure about question #3. It probably tells you on their website if you get it or not.

[txsloth]

We usually ate lunch in the port city. The first day at sea we ate lunch in the oceanview cafe and the 2nd day at sea was the brunch.

 

The 2nd formal night was lobster night. I dont remember what the main dish was the first formal...i think it might have been Filet.

 

I am not really sure about question #3. It probably tells you on their website if you get it or not.

 

Everyone gets the free glass upon entering; the free bottles are CC and up.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks to the OP for taking the time to post your reviews..........:):):)

 

Bob

[luskin]

Thanks for the great review my wife and I are on the equinox 16th july and looking forward to this cruise with gusto. Did you think the port excursions booked through the ship were value for money. Did you do any privately organised tours.

[Bababooey Land]

Part 4:

 

Internet Service and Ipad:

 

We both used the Ipad via Wifi. It was surprisingly decent. A lot faster than a few years ago. We got the $99.95 package and then we got 25% off with the captains club coupon. That lasted us about 8 days or so. Just remember to LOG OFF when you are done or else the minutes will continue ticking by! There is a link that you can bookmark once you get on the ship that logs you off. I also purchased the ATT international plan 3G plan for the Ipad. That worked well too.

 

PORTS and TOURS:

 

Sicily (Messina):

 

We used Sicily Life for our private tour. We were very happy with them...we had an English speaking driver; he was extremely friendly and drove a newer very clean Mercedes sedan. I would highly recommend them. We went to the Alcantara Gorges, an old Sicilian village (where a scene from Godfather 3 was shot), he also took us to a nice spot to take pictures close to castelmola and then we had almost 3 hours in Taormina. The Gorges were extremely nice to see, although it’s a long drive to get there. I loved driving around seeing the villages. Taormina, although very nice, is mostly eating and shopping. We had lunch at Grandduca Pizzeria, which was excellent, great views and food. Sicily was one of our favorite ports!

 

Athens:

 

We used Paul from Athens Taxi. This was the second time we used him. Again, we were very happy with their service. Taxi driver was extremely friendly, very good English skills and drove a newer clean Mercedes Sedan. Since this was our second time in Athens and we already did the top attractions, we decided to do a Half Day Cape Sounion Tour + we added on some time to walk around the Plaka. Cape Sounion was only OK…I wouldn’t recommend it. There are better things to do in Athens.

 

Mykonos:

 

This was the only Celebrity Excursion we took (we are not a huge fan of being carted around in buses with 50+ people). We went to the Island of Delos. It was excellent, I highly recommend it. Especially since you can see the town of Mykonos in 2-3 hours, so there is plenty of time to do both. Try to book the EARLY Delos tour as there is very little shade on the Island..it gets HOTTTT!!! We were on the 8am tour..they dropped us back to the town of Mykonos around 12:30pm and gave us a free shuttle pass to get back to the ship at the end of the day. The town of Mykonos was a slight disappointment as we were expecting a little more. It tries to be like a Santorini, but its not!! Its really just shopping and eating. Next time we are in Myknonos, we are going to hit the beach. Having said that, I like what we did. Delos in the morning, lunch and walking around in the afternoon. You can easily be back on the ship by 4pm. One tip, try to eat lunch in the Little Venice section…its not that crowded, and you have great views.

 

Ephesus (Kusadasi):

 

We used Ekol for a private tour. Again, we had a great English speaking tour guide + you get a driver. We got picked up in a clean VW minivan. I would highly recommend them. This was our first time in Turkey and we were not disappointed. This port was the highlight of the trip. Ephesus was spectacular! One of the best ruins we have seen. The one thing that is a MUST DO are the Terrace House. There is an extra charge to get in, but its well worth the money!! We had lunch at Ejder. Instead of going to one of the usual tour guide places, we chose to go off on our own. We found Ejder on tripadvisor and we were not disappointed. The food was great! We passed on the Carpet store but we decided to go to a Ceramic store. The ceramics there were great..no high sales pressure. Extremely nice. The trick that the tour guide told me is to go to a Govt certified carpet or ceramic store. If not, you may have a bad experience.

 

Rhodes:

 

We decided to relax at a beach on this island. The Beaches at Rhodes are extremely nice! We contacted the Lindian Village Resort which is a luxury hotel and they were nice enough to allow us to use their pool and beach area free of charge. If we wanted a room, the day rate was 60 euros. Pool and beach area was extremely nice. We ate lunch there too, very good greek food! We had the hotel taxi driver pick us up at the port and take us to the hotel, its about an hour drive. He spoke very good English and picked us up in a newer Mercedes Sedan. On the way back to the ship, he also told us about the Island and gave us a quick tour. I have his contact info if anyone is interested. He charges 60 euros per hour of touring. He dropped us off at the old city of Rhodes..we walked around for about an hour and we were back on the ship by 5pm.

 

Santorini:

 

We rented a car via Tonys Rent A car. We got a new Smart car in Automatic. 45 euros + 12 euros insurance. Driving is very easy on the island. We went to a beach (which was only OK), Oia (ate lunch here) and then walked around Fira. One tip, get to Oia early, as it gets crowded and HOT! What can I say about Santorini, it’s a gorgeous island! We really enjoyed renting a car.

 

Naples/Capri:

 

Last time we were here we took a private tour around the Amalfi Coast (that was spectacular). This time around we took the ferry boat to Capri. I prefer the Amalfi Coast drive, although Capri is extremely nice and has great views!! It was very easy to take the ferry back n forth.

 

I think this is it! If anyone has any questions or wants more details, I would be glad to try to answer any questions!

[Woobstr112G]

Part 4:

 

Internet Service and Ipad:

 

We both used the Ipad via Wifi. It was surprisingly decent. A lot faster than a few years ago. We got the $99.95 package and then we got 25% off with the captains club coupon. That lasted us about 8 days or so. Just remember to LOG OFF when you are done or else the minutes will continue ticking by! There is a link that you can bookmark once you get on the ship that logs you off. I also purchased the ATT international plan 3G plan for the Ipad. That worked well too.

 

PORTS and TOURS:

 

Sicily (Messina):

 

We used Sicily Life for our private tour. We were very happy with them...we had an English speaking driver; he was extremely friendly and drove a newer very clean Mercedes sedan. I would highly recommend them. We went to the Alcantara Gorges, an old Sicilian village (where a scene from Godfather 3 was shot), he also took us to a nice spot to take pictures close to castelmola and then we had almost 3 hours in Taormina. The Gorges were extremely nice to see, although it’s a long drive to get there. I loved driving around seeing the villages. Taormina, although very nice, is mostly eating and shopping. We had lunch at Grandduca Pizzeria, which was excellent, great views and food. Sicily was one of our favorite ports!

 

Athens:

 

We used Paul from Athens Taxi. This was the second time we used him. Again, we were very happy with their service. Taxi driver was extremely friendly, very good English skills and drove a newer clean Mercedes Sedan. Since this was our second time in Athens and we already did the top attractions, we decided to do a Half Day Cape Sounion Tour + we added on some time to walk around the Plaka. Cape Sounion was only OK…I wouldn’t recommend it. There are better things to do in Athens.

 

Mykonos:

 

This was the only Celebrity Excursion we took (we are not a huge fan of being carted around in buses with 50+ people). We went to the Island of Delos. It was excellent, I highly recommend it. Especially since you can see the town of Mykonos in 2-3 hours, so there is plenty of time to do both. Try to book the EARLY Delos tour as there is very little shade on the Island..it gets HOTTTT!!! We were on the 8am tour..they dropped us back to the town of Mykonos around 12:30pm and gave us a free shuttle pass to get back to the ship at the end of the day. The town of Mykonos was a slight disappointment as we were expecting a little more. It tries to be like a Santorini, but its not!! Its really just shopping and eating. Next time we are in Myknonos, we are going to hit the beach. Having said that, I like what we did. Delos in the morning, lunch and walking around in the afternoon. You can easily be back on the ship by 4pm. One tip, try to eat lunch in the Little Venice section…its not that crowded, and you have great views.

 

Ephesus (Kusadasi):

 

We used Ekol for a private tour. Again, we had a great English speaking tour guide + you get a driver. We got picked up in a clean VW minivan. I would highly recommend them. This was our first time in Turkey and we were not disappointed. This port was the highlight of the trip. Ephesus was spectacular! One of the best ruins we have seen. The one thing that is a MUST DO are the Terrace House. There is an extra charge to get in, but its well worth the money!! We had lunch at Ejder. Instead of going to one of the usual tour guide places, we chose to go off on our own. We found Ejder on tripadvisor and we were not disappointed. The food was great! We passed on the Carpet store but we decided to go to a Ceramic store. The ceramics there were great..no high sales pressure. Extremely nice. The trick that the tour guide told me is to go to a Govt certified carpet or ceramic store. If not, you may have a bad experience.

 

Rhodes:

 

We decided to relax at a beach on this island. The Beaches at Rhodes are extremely nice! We contacted the Lindian Village Resort which is a luxury hotel and they were nice enough to allow us to use their pool and beach area free of charge. If we wanted a room, the day rate was 60 euros. Pool and beach area was extremely nice. We ate lunch there too, very good greek food! We had the hotel taxi driver pick us up at the port and take us to the hotel, its about an hour drive. He spoke very good English and picked us up in a newer Mercedes Sedan. On the way back to the ship, he also told us about the Island and gave us a quick tour. I have his contact info if anyone is interested. He charges 60 euros per hour of touring. He dropped us off at the old city of Rhodes..we walked around for about an hour and we were back on the ship by 5pm.

 

Santorini:

 

We rented a car via Tonys Rent A car. We got a new Smart car in Automatic. 45 euros + 12 euros insurance. Driving is very easy on the island. We went to a beach (which was only OK), Oia (ate lunch here) and then walked around Fira. One tip, get to Oia early, as it gets crowded and HOT! What can I say about Santorini, it’s a gorgeous island! We really enjoyed renting a car.

 

Naples/Capri:

 

Last time we were here we took a private tour around the Amalfi Coast (that was spectacular). This time around we took the ferry boat to Capri. I prefer the Amalfi Coast drive, although Capri is extremely nice and has great views!! It was very easy to take the ferry back n forth.

 

I think this is it! If anyone has any questions or wants more details, I would be glad to try to answer any questions!

 

Thanks for the great port reviews.....:):):)

 

Bob

[craig0304]

3. Is the welcome fizz for everyone or just for Concierge class and above? (we are in a 2B cabin)

 

 

Only CC and above, we were in a 1a on same cruise.

[Jo and Rob]

Part 3:

 

Bridge Tour:

 

We asked Guest Relations for a bridge tour the first day we got onboard. On the second sea day (which was our last) we were invited to the bridge tour. It was a 15 min tour of the bridge. It was excellent! I highly recommend it!

 

 

Do you have to pay for this?

[Bababooey Land]

Do you have to pay for this?

 

Ha! great question..no, its one of the Freebies on the ship! but dont worry, they will find other ways to take your money! ;)

[jerandder]

Thanks for the port reviews. When you were in Ephesus, you said that you decided to "go on your own" for lunch instead of letting the guide dictate where you would eat. Did they take you to your restaurant of choice, or did you have to make your way there yourself? If they took you there, did you have to direct them to the place, or was it a popular enough place that they knew where it was? I know that this seems like a silly question, but these are the details I worry about! We have a private tour lined up, and I want to make sure we don't get stuck in the carpet stores that so many others complained about.

 

Lauren

[Bababooey Land]

Thanks for the port reviews. When you were in Ephesus, you said that you decided to "go on your own" for lunch instead of letting the guide dictate where you would eat. Did they take you to your restaurant of choice, or did you have to make your way there yourself? If they took you there, did you have to direct them to the place, or was it a popular enough place that they knew where it was? I know that this seems like a silly question, but these are the details I worry about! We have a private tour lined up, and I want to make sure we don't get stuck in the carpet stores that so many others complained about.

 

Lauren

 

That is not a silly question! Because we had the exact dilemma you just mentioned. Ekol and the tour guide Ali were hands down excellent...but, he did not know where Ejder was...(thankfully we had the address). He said we should eat at his restaurant that he recommends, etc,etc (he didnt push us..but did "suggest it" a couple times)...we drove by it, it was littered with tour buses...probably over 50 people eating there. it was a typical tour bus tourist restaurant. After we told Ali a couple times we wanted to eat at Edjer, he was fine with it. He had the driver park the car and walked us to the restaurant. it was very easy to find, just a couple blocks from the place he wanted to take us to. we also invited him and the driver to join us for lunch, which they did. The tour guide stayed with us at all times during the tour, except for a few mins at the ceramic store.

 

bottom line..whoever you get as a driver..be firm. if you dont want to visit a carpet store, then state..NO carpet store. Ali was totally fine that we didnt want to go to one.

 

i purposely paid a few extra bucks to go for Ekol over the other tour companies..and I was very thankful I did. Ekol and Ali were top notch the entire trip.

 

hope this helps you!!

[sagekelbi]

This was an excellent review, we are going in Sept 2011 on the Equinox to our first Meditteranen cruise ! I am going to save this thread to show to my husband to help us plan!! ;)

[satchiesmom]

Thanks Bababooey Land, great review.

[jg51]

Part 3:

 

Dress Code:

 

Huge difference from 3 years ago. It was a lot more casual this time around. 3 years ago probably 40-50% of men (including myself) wore tux’s on formal nights. This time around, maybe 10-15% wore tuxs. Most men on formal nights did wear a jacket and tie or suit. I didn’t see many that were underdressed.

 

Thank you, Bababooey Land, for all the information. I'd like to ask you something about the passage that I quoted above.

 

You said that "Most men on formal nights" wore "a jacket and tie or suit."

This implies that some did not. So, did you mean ...

1. ... that some men wore a shirt and tie, but no jacket?

2. ... that some men wore a shirt and jacket, but no tie?

3. ... that some men wore various kinds of shirts, but with no jacket and no tie?

 

You then said, "I didn’t see many that were underdressed." This implies that you saw some "underdressed" guys entering (or trying to enter) the MDR or an SR on a formal night. What happened to them? Which, if any, of them were allowed to enter? Group #1, #2, #3?

 

I think that a guy is considered "underdressed" only if he dresses in one of the above ways AND goes to dine in the Silhouette MDR or in a Specialty Restaurant. In other words, a guy is not considered "underdressed" if he goes to eat anywhere else without a tie and jacket (e.g., Oceanview Cafe [buffet], Mast Grill, Bistro on Five). Am I correct?

 

Do I recall correctly reading that Oceanview Cafe, although it is a buffet for breakfast and lunch, has casual dining (with waiters and menus) at night?

 

Thanks, in advance. ;)