Solstice Live/First-Timer Reports/Pix’s: Italy/Croatian June 7-19

[TLCOhio]

Loved your commentary, as I did on your past Crystal cruise. We have sailed on Crystal twice, and recently sailded on the Eclipse. Booked the Eclipse again for next year, with kids and grandkids. And we are considering another Crystal for next May. I am curious as to your comparison between the 2 lines. Of course Crystal is "better", but I'm not sure it is 3-4 times "better". Your thoughts?

 

Good question on Crystal versus Celebrity. In certain ways, Crystal is "better", as you noted. BUT, when you compare the costs and "value", a person might or might not be able to justify that much higher of a cost. For us, ports and where traveling/stopping have been very, very important to us. With Crystal having only two ships, it is impossible for them to match the wider range of stops and travel options that Celebrity can offer with a much larger fleet of ships.

 

Clearly, being smaller, Crystal and other 200-900 passenger ships can be more "personal" in how you connect with other people, staff, etc. That's nice, but, how much MORE are you willing to pay for that factor? Clearly, ALL of the cruise lines are facing major market competition and needs to fill their ships. There are many "little" or secondary factors that can be discussed and subject to analysis. Those lists can go on and on. All four of our cruises have worked well for us and our needs. Our approach is to look first at when and where we want to travel and then evaluate our options, the costs per day, etc., etc. Happy to provide more details if any specific areas are of major interest.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[homeinboca]

Terry, All I can say is WOW. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your amazing pictures and share your cruise experience with us. You do CC proud. This had to be the best review/posting I have seen in my time being on the boards.

 

We are doing our first Grand Mediterranean cruise on the Star Princess in about a month, and will be visiting some of the same stops you did. Your photo's are amazing and I love the angles and placements of your shots. A great photo tells a story, and along with your commentary, I was enthralled with your whole trip.

 

Thank you again.

 

Ron

[NancyIL]

Terry - thank you so much for your very detailed and wonderful report about your cruise! We'll be on the Silhouette roundtrip from Venice next May - going to some of the same ports. Your photos are beautiful, and I can't wait to see those sights in person.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, All I can say is WOW. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your amazing pictures and share your cruise experience with us. You do CC proud. This had to be the best review/posting I have seen in my time being on the boards. We are doing our first Grand Mediterranean cruise on the Star Princess in about a month, and will be visiting some of the same stops you did. Your photo's are amazing and I love the angles and placements of your shots. A great photo tells a story, and along with your commentary, I was enthralled with your whole trip. Thank you again. Ron

 

NancyIL: Fabulous trip report! Terry - thank you so much for your very detailed and wonderful report about your cruise! We'll be on the Silhouette roundtrip from Venice next May - going to some of the same ports. Your photos are beautiful' date=' and I can't wait to see those sights in person.[/b']

 

Appreciate the super nice and kind comments from Ron and Nancy. If Ron is right, I'll be looking for that check in the mail from Cruise Critic. I won't hold my breath waiting for it to arrive. This posting is now over 21,000 views and it has not even been a month since we returned to Ohio. What are your specific port stops, Ron?

 

For both of you and other future travelers to any of these wonderful ports, it is a great collection of stops and world-class places. That helps make the photographs look better. Still am going through my large number of photos from the various port stops and being on the Solstice. Hope to post more as time permits. Working makes things more challenging. Need to build up more money for future cruises. And, pay the bills from this cruise.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 46,449 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

[deltacharlie58]

Excellent photos !!!!

My wife and I and our friends will be able to spend a couple of post cruise day's in Barcelona, before we fly home. Hope the weather the end of September is as nice as yours was.

[TLCOhio]

Excellent photos !!!! My wife and I and our friends will be able to spend a couple of post cruise day's in Barcelona, before we fly home. Hope the weather the end of September is as nice as yours was.

 

Appreciate the kind comments on the pictures. YES, Barcelona is super wonderful. Spending extra time there before and/or after your cruise is very smart . . . and enjoyable!!

 

I'll send an e-mail to the "right people" requesting great weather for your trip. It worked for us. If things don't work perfectly with your weather, let me know and I'll refund, double, your fee you paid to me.

 

THANKS! Enjoy your Solstice cruise! Terry in Ohio

[newaggieparents]

Terry,

 

We so enjoyed your fantastic pictures and reading your cruise notes. We did a similar cruise on the Brilliance in 2007 with our teen sons and it was truly magical...

 

Thank you for bringing back the wonderful memories and for all you do in sharing your experiences with your Cruise Critic friends!

 

We will be celebrating our 35th anniversary this fall on a Med cruise and transatlantic and are counting the days...

 

Many Thanks Again!

 

Deb and Jim

[familyman5821]

We will be on our honeymoon as well

 

Jeff and LuAnn from Dallas

[TLCOhio]

Terry, We so enjoyed your fantastic pictures and reading your cruise notes. We did a similar cruise on the Brilliance in 2007 with our teen sons and it was truly magical... Thank you for bringing back the wonderful memories and for all you do in sharing your experiences with your Cruise Critic friends! We will be celebrating our 35th anniversary this fall on a Med cruise and transatlantic and are counting the days... Many Thanks Again! Deb and Jim

 

familyman5821: We will be on our honeymoon as well. Jeff and LuAnn from Dallas

 

Congratulaions to Deb and Jim for their upcoming 35th anniversary this fall. Enjoy your Med cruise. Glad I was able to bring back nice memories from your 2007 cruise.

 

Best wishes to LuAnn and Jeff for their upcoming wedding and we hope you enjoy your honeymoon.

 

These postings are now at 23' date='332 views [/i']for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity. I really appreciate those who have tuned-in, commented, asked questions, etc. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 47,088 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Paulchili]

Terry,

I am a big fan of your posts since your travelogue on Silversea - love all those beautiful pictures.

As we are planning a cruise on the Solstice (first time on Celebrity in a long time) I "stumbled" on this post by doing a search.

At this time I only went through it very fast, mostly enjoying your wonderful pictures; later I will take the time to read through it for more information.

I have been to Barcelona countless times (last time this spring) but have never been able to see the inside of Palau Guell - it must have just opened to the public. I have visited all the other Gaudi masterpieces several times over the years.

Enjoyed the pictures and as always - next time in Barcelona, I will try one more time to see it.

Thank you for the great post and amazing pictures!

Paul

Edited July 25, 2011 by Paulchili

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I am a big fan of your posts since your travelogue on Silversea - love all those beautiful pictures. As we are planning a cruise on the Solstice (first time on Celebrity in a long time) I "stumbled" on this post by doing a search. At this time I only went through it very fast, mostly enjoying your wonderful pictures; later I will take the time to read through it for more information. I have been to Barcelona countless times (last time this spring) but have never been able to see the inside of Palau Guell - it must have just opened to the public. I have visited all the other Gaudi masterpieces several times over the years. Enjoyed the pictures and as always - next time in Barcelona, I will try one more time to see it. Thank you for the great post and amazing pictures! Paul

 

Appreciate, Paul, your kind comments and follow-up. YES, the Palau Guell, just re-opened after a multi-year and costly re-do and upgrade. We were very impressed to see all of the details on this first Gaudi project. The creativity and scale are pretty amazing. It's definitely worth the visit. Enjoy your first Solstice cruise. After you review things in greater details, feel free to ask any added questions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[easy spirit]

Terry... your photos are AMAZING. I"m in AWE.... Possibly the scenery, the good weather and indeed your Nikon D3100 & professionalism helped a lot.

 

I think that type camera will be way beyound my knowledge. Could you give me any camera recommendation that could possibly suit me better..... There is so much out there that is making my decision super difficult. Perhaps your input will help me decide.

 

My requirements for a camera will be user friendly, lightweight, adequate zoom, good night shots ???. An SLR could be but not a necessity.... the budget is no problem.

 

Thanks so much for any help.

 

Doris

 

PD. We are going in the Solstice in October 23 ,2011, a very similar itinerary as the one you just did so I copy & paste some of your notes. They have a ton of info that will become very handy.

[drco]

In Venice Connected website, I saw that they are also selling tickets to public washrooms. When you were in Venice, did you have to pay to use the public washrooms?

 

Thanks and enjoying this thread. :)

[TLCOhio]

In Venice Connected website, I saw that they are also selling tickets to public washrooms. When you were in Venice, did you have to pay to use the public washrooms? Thanks and enjoying this thread. :)

 

easy spirit: Terry... your photos are AMAZING. I"m in AWE.... Possibly the scenery' date=' the good weather and indeed your Nikon D3100 & professionalism helped a lot. I think that type camera will be way beyound my knowledge. [b']Could you give me any camera recommendation that could possibly suit me better[/b]..... There is so much out there that is making my decision super difficult. Perhaps your input will help me decide. My requirements for a camera will be user friendly, lightweight, adequate zoom, good night shots ???. An SLR could be but not a necessity.... the budget is no problem. Thanks so much for any help. Doris

PD. We are going in the Solstice in October 23 ,2011, a very similar itinerary as the one you just did so I copy & paste some of your notes. They have a ton of info that will become very handy.

 

For drco, we didn't see or use any public toilets requiring tickets. After arriving in Venice around 2 pm, we had a brief late afternoon coffee break, using their restroom at this place. Then, we had dinner at 7:30 pm in Venice and used the restroom at that place. There are other places in Europe, where you might need some currency to cover restroom costs. Fortunately, we didn't have that need in Venice.

 

For Doris, here are my reactions on buying a camera and how sophisticated to buy. My Nikon D3100 camera can be a very complicated camera, depending on what settings you using. BUT, in most all cases, I am shooting in the A (automatic) or P (program) setting. With both of these setting, the camera is doing the "thinking" and work. It's autofocus and auto exposure setting. For me that is far, far quicker and easier than me trying to do those tasks. In a very small number of cases, I am doing some manual settings. So, therefore, you don't need to worry about things being so complicated. It can actually be fairly simple. The D3100 is fairly light and the basic 18-55mm lens gives you a good range of shots, zoom and angles. If and if, later, you want to do more, then you can with that type of camera. Since this camera is quickly getting focus, exposure, etc., right, then I can concentrate on what I'm shooting, trying for different/better angles/views, etc. I don't know what city you live in, but hopefully there is a "real" camera story there where you can look this or a similar camera, consider how easy are its automatic features . . . and the great results. This type of Nikon camera can be complicated and do a wide range of fancy things, but in most cases, that's not needed or used.

 

Reactions? Added questions/thoughts?

 

THANKS for the nice comments and glad that my postings/details have been helpful in planning your upcoming cruise. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Xtchr]

We enjoy seeing all your pictures so very much! What kind of a camera do you have, and it must have a wide angle lens?? Your pictures are gorgeous.. You should get a job with National Geographic.. you're that good.. very professional pictures! Love them ALL!

Thanks for sharing them.

[easy spirit]

Terry.... after doing a lot of research that I "copy & paste" for future reference & reading many reviews for the Nikon D3100, I'm SOLD.

 

Your pictures were an inspiration. It's true.... she can be complicated but at the same time very simple to use, exactly as you said. I think I will be able to handle it.

 

Unfortunately at home, the only place that might have it is Best Buy. I could go to see it personally, but I got some prices online.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time & giving us such a wealth of information.

 

Doris

[TLCOhio]

Terry.... after doing a lot of research that I "copy & paste" for future reference & reading many reviews for the Nikon D3100, I'm SOLD. Your pictures were an inspiration. It's true.... she can be complicated but at the same time very simple to use, exactly as you said. I think I will be able to handle it. Unfortunately at home, the only place that might have it is Best Buy. I could go to see it personally, but I got some prices online. Thanks so much for taking the time & giving us such a wealth of information. Doris

 

Appreciate, Doris, your follow-up. Glad to hear that you're moving forward. My next key suggestion is that you shoot lots of pictures. Practice!! Practice!! The more you do and learn, the easier it will be. Your confidence and excitement will build and improve your results. And with digital, it's not like you are wasting film and/or running up costly processing charges. As I mentioned, I shoot virtually all of the time in the "P" setting, auto focus, etc. You'll be amazed at the results.

 

What type of lap-top do you have for downloading and viewing your pictures? Have you reviewed these various photo tips?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

Don't be shy! After you get your camera and work with it, let me know how things are going, any questions, etc.

 

OVER 25,000 VIEWS: This posting is now over the 25,000 views level. Glad many have tuned in and seen many of these great places in the Med.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Edited July 29, 2011 by TLCOhio

[freddie eddy]

Loved living your trip! We are going Oct. 8 on Royal Car. Liberty. We plan to can Rome in Limo & ask for Carmine! My question is, we get in fairly early to Barcelona our first day. How or who can we set up a mini tour with? Thanks!

[ging466]

Awesome pics Terry!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[port345]

thanks for great report -- I wish I could find photos like this from a St. Petersburg tour -- our camer malfunctioned at Peterhof

 

Your info was very enjoyable

 

port 345

[ging466]

thanks for great report -- I wish I could find photos like this from a St. Petersburg tour -- our camer malfunctioned at Peterhof. Your info was very enjoyable. port 345

 

How about we send Terry to take the photos?:D

 

Terry, I emailed u last night, did u get it?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[TLCOhio]

thanks for great report -- I wish I could find photos like this from a St. Petersburg tour -- our camer malfunctioned at Peterhof. Your info was very enjoyable. port 345

 

ging466: Awesome pics Terry! How about we send Terry to take the photos? Terry' date=' I emailed u last night, did u get it? Cheers Jennifer [/quote']

 

freddie eddie: Loved living your trip! We are going Oct. 8 on Royal Car. Liberty. We plan to can Rome in Limo & ask for Carmine! My question is' date=' we get in fairly early to Barcelona our first day. How or who can we set up a mini tour with? Thanks! [/quote']

 

Appreciate the nice follow-ups, comments and questions. Here goes on some reactions/answers:

 

1. St. Petersburg?: We had two super days there with a private guide and driver in 2008 on Crystal, plus a day flying to and back for Moscow. Just go to the Northern Europe/Baltics board at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192

and post a question titled "St. Petersburg Pictures: Peterhof?". I'll follow-up and share more of the many pictures I took there at Peterhof. Others might add more. We had a great day there and in St. Petersburg overall. Below is just one of my sample Peterhof pictures.

 

2. Just sent a follow-up to Jennifer. Love your nice comments and great judgement, classy taste, etc. Agree that I'm available for hire (just pay my travel costs) and I'll be happy to travel along and/or do special assignments in taking pictures, documenting your travel trip, etc. Glad I've got you as my "agent". Sorry for my delay in responding. We hooked up last night with friends who just got back from two weeks in Cambodia, plus seeing their pictures, too, from their wild and exciting trip last summer in India. Both are future to see places, but wife is a little worried that parts of India can be a little "too challenging".

 

3. Barcelona/Carmine: Glad you've ask for Carmine. He's wonderful. Tell him we said "HI!". We had been to Barcelona in 1998 and we did our "own independent thing" on this visit to that great city. We rode the "hop on" bus on both of their routes that allow us to see from their upper level so much of the great sites and sights, charming architecture in this super city. By riding this bus on a day arriving after a long flight schedule, things were not too taxing on the tired bodies. We used that bus to just ride around with dinner as a middle break before taking the second routing. Barcelona is so much fun and exciting that it really energizes you after all of the time zone changes.

 

Keep the good questions rolling and coming! Very helpful and interesting! These postings are now at 27,209 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Lots of great fountains and water are at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg:

 

Edited August 6, 2011 by TLCOhio

[Texed]

Ravello has many nice ceramics shops with locally-made pieces of many sizes. Here is the owner making a welcoming toast to come in and shop.:

 

 

 

Great pictures. The ceramic shop brings back memories. My wife bought a ceramic dinner table with four chairs they shipped back to Texas. The Fed Ex driver asked if we had a fork lift to unload it at our house.:rolleyes:

I think we could have bought a small car for what that table cost. :eek:

[drco]

If you can only choose one, would you go to Pompeii or Herculaneum? It will be our first time to either one.

 

Since we are doing it on our own, I think we will only have time to visit one ruin as I want to go back to Naples and grab a pizza. :D

 

Thanks.

[skandls]

Thank you so much for all the information you have posted. We are sailing next May Barcelona to Rome with friends - so the tour and pictures will be of great help with my planning.

 

I am just curious - will you book another mainstream cruise line? Or are you back to the luxe lines?