Princess cruisers take the kids to the Med on the Equinox 6/6/11

[junglejane]

We are a family of four including 2 DD’s ages 14 and 10 and this is our review of our June 6 cruise on the Celebrity Equinox. Reviews are always influenced by the reviewer’s prior experiences and perspective. We’ve mostly cruised on Princess and almost exclusively on the grand-class Princess ships. Most of our Princess cruises have been to the Mexican Rivera, plus one in the British Isles and one in the Caribbean. So in part this review is a grand-class Princess versus Solstice class Celebrity comparison. Princess has kept us coming back through a combination of itineraries that work for us, great past passenger perks for us non-Elite cruisers, and a reliably good cruise experience. We have to confess, however, that we were getting a tiny bit bored with the fact that the grand-class ships all look pretty much identical. So we jumped at the chance to book the 11-day Med cruise on the Equinox with its great itinerary including Rome and Istanbul. We had a great Roll Call that was lots of help in planning the trip.

 

Pre-cruise visit to Rome/Embarkation:

 

We started with a 5 day pre-cruise visit to Rome, where we stayed in an apartment by Campo de Fiori. We had a great visit and hit all the major sites, such as the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel St. Angelo, Trastevere, Pantheon, Capitoline Museums, Borghese Gallery, Capuchin Crypt, and many of the must-see churches. We shared an excellent private guide at the Forum/Colosseum/Palatine with a family of 3 we met through our Roll Call. The guide was an American who married an Italian and settled in Rome, and she gave us a fascinating tour. She was especially good at finding shady spots at the Forum for us to sit and listen, and she really went out of her way to involve the kids by asking them questions about what they saw and what they thought the buildings were for, or why they were built a certain way. It's so much better to see Rome in a pre-cruise visit than to try to do it as a port day (as we did in 2008).

 

On embarkation day, we shared a private transfer to Civitavecchia with a family of 4 that we met through our Roll Call. Once in Civitavecchia, we asked our driver to stop at a supermarket so that we could buy bottled water and wine. We arrived at the cruise terminal, which seemed much smaller and more crowded than what I’ve come to expect. Embarkation initially looked chaotic and crowded, but after about an hour we were onboard. We had two rooms and so were entitled to 4 bottles of wine. In my hurry at the supermarket, I stuck them in the most convenient place which was my 14 year old’s backpack. Port security was unfazed by a teenager with 4 wine bottles. At check-in, Celebrity collected our passports and gave us a receipt. They were returned on the last sea day.

 

Onboard Experience:

 

The Equinox lived up to the hype we had read on the Celebrity boards. It’s a gorgeous ship. Everything about the public spaces is classy and elegant. The design seems modern but not in a jarring way. The central glass elevator elevator/atrium area over the Grand Foyer is dazzling. I loved looking at the beautiful library and the huge globe while traveling up and down and glass elevators. Not to mention the living tree suspended in the air! The ship never felt crowded. At the same time I was surprised to find a younger and more international mix of passengers than I expected. There weren’t that many kids and teens onboard (more on this later), but I was surprised to see a substantial number of people in the 20-40 age category. The majority were probably in the 50-70 age range, but the younger adults had a sizeable showing on a cruise that I thought might skew much older. Also I would say that while the ship maybe had a majority of English speakers (Americans, Canadians, British, Aussies), there were definitely lots of other countries and languages represented. I don’t know any statistics, but I definitely heard lots of people speaking Spanish, as well as German, Russian, French, Greek and Japanese. Celebrity’s attempt to market to an international crowd has succeeded.

 

DH and I have been on enough cruises now that we are sort of burned out on production shows. We attended a few lectures on the history and geography of the ports, but we skipped most of the shows in the Equinox Theatre. I did keep the dailies in case someone has a question. On the few times we went to the Equinox Theatre, it was nice to be able to show up at the last minute and still find a seat. One notable exception was the Cirque du Soleil style show. That one was filled to capacity and was very fun to watch and a refreshing departure from the usual cruise show song and dance show.

 

Celebrity is great at hosting live music in multiple public spaces. We’ve felt that Princess has been cutting back on live music. On the Equinox, you’d turn a corner and find a string quartet playing outside the specialty restaurants, or an a capella group singing in the atrium, a jazz singer in one of the lounges, or a band or vocalist performing by the pool. Canned music seemed more the exception than the rule. The Grand Foyer was used for a lot of musical performances and some dance parties and dance contests, and you can easily see and hear the activity while going up and down the mid-ship stairs and glass elevator bank. This created a sort of “buzz” that I haven’t seen in quite a few cruises.

 

On sea days the pools were busy, but I didn’t notice a shortage of lounge chairs. The entertainment staff organized various poolside games and contests but they seemed more tasteful than hairy chest contests. There was a pool volleyball game that first pitted the Marine Officers vs. Hotel Officers. The winners then played the winners of the Guest Volleyball Tournament. The officers were in the pool in their white uniforms which was quite hilarious to watch. The Guests won in a dramatic finale (probably a fix, lol). Anyway, I’ve never been one for watching pool games but that was fun and contrary to the stuffy image Celebrity often seems to have on the boards.

 

I had read about the lawn area and the Corning Hot Glass Show and thought they sounded sort of lame and gimmicky. But the lawn area was pretty and soothing, and the hot glass show was great entertainment. Whoever recruited the 3 young people who run the glass show knew what he or she was doing. They were not only talented artists but great entertainers as well. It was also fun to see people playing bocce ball or mini-golf on the lawn, or couples sunning themselves on the lawn in the afternoon with a bucket of beer, or lying on a blanket at sunset with a bottle of wine by candlelight (the ship provides some fake candles to use on the lawn).

Let me comment on two public areas that were often unbusy. The Cellar Masters wine bar on deck three had a small crowd in the evenings and hosted dedicated fee-based wine “events.” But all day long this 1500 square feet of ideally-located space sits empty. I wonder. In the same vein, the $5 cover crepe-based bistro on Deck Five seemed to be begging for business. We ate there one lunch (it was OK) and were the only customers the first 30 minutes we were there.

 

Norovirus Precautions:

 

When we embarked in Civitavecchia, we discovered that the ship was using enhanced norovirus precautions. You could not serve yourself in the buffet. In the MDR, the waiters had to use the salt and pepper shakers and they handed you sugar packets with tongs. All the books were removed from the library. I asked the CD and he said that the prior cruise had had 58 cases of norovirus, as compared to a typical number of 6-7. Anyway, after about 5 days the enhanced precautions were lifted, the library books were re-shelved and everything was back to more or less normal.

 

Stateroom/Room Service/Laundry:

 

We had booked 6224 and 6226, which are connecting 2B balcony cabins on the starboard side of Deck 6, on the middle of the hump and directly over the promenade area on Entertainment Deck. This proved to be a very convenient location, with easy access to the elevators and directly above Café al Bacio. DH bought the premium non-alcoholic beverage card, so he made countless trips to Café al Bacio for specialty coffees and bottled water. I was also amazed that I wasn’t bothered by noise from the glass elevator bank given all the activity in the Grand Foyer. But they’ve done a pretty good job with the sound-proofing because although the music flowed into the elevator area, it didn’t reach the stateroom.

 

The connecting room setup on the S-class ships is clever and convenient. You can close an outer set of doors, leaving a sort of vestibule in the entry way that enables you to have privacy while going from one room to the other. At the same time, you can keep the individual cabin doors either open or closed as you prefer. In addition, we had the room steward open the partition between the balconies. All in all, it is the best arrangement of connecting rooms that we have ever encountered. Also, one of the pair of rooms was a quad and could’ve slept four by using the trundle bed and drop-down bed. So a family of 5 or 6 could use this connecting room setup easily.

 

The bathrooms in our cabins were nicer than Princess – mainly because they are roomier and you have a real shower door. I’ve read many criticisms of the lack of storage space in these staterooms. Storage is tight, but we found it mostly adequate except for our shoes in the closet. DH and I each brought 5 pairs of shoes and they couldn’t possibly be kept straight. The Princess closet is very spacious by comparison. I’m also not fond of the rounded ends on the Celebrity beds because I feel that my feet are cramped on the shorter side of the curved end. But the flat panel TV was very nice, and it was great to be able to check our onboard account on the interactive TV. Even a standard balcony room such as ours has a nice sofa. Princess has some catching up to do here.

 

Our room steward and his assistant were excellent and very attentive. We used room service on most mornings to get at least coffee and sometimes hot food on an early port day. It was very nice to be able to get a large selection of food from room service even though we were in a standard balcony cabin.

 

One thing we missed from Princess was the self-service laundry. I know some people are horrified at the thought of doing laundry on a cruise, but I appreciate the convenience with a family of 4. We were able to do some laundry in our Rome apartment, so we boarded with mostly clean clothes. We spent $100 on laundry services for the 4 of us. There were no “stuff the bag” coupons or promotions like on our Summit cruise, but we did get some 10% Captain’s Club coupons, so that helped a tiny bit.

 

MDR, SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS, BUFFET, BEVERAGE PACKAGE, ETC.

 

So . . .what about the pivotal and always touchy subject of the food? Based on our 10 prior cruises, we went into this cruise with the opinion that Celebrity main dining room food was a half-notch above Princess. We believe that this has changed. The dining room food was perfectly fine and occasionally good, but not up to the standards we remember from 2006 and 2008. Less expensive options predominate (more pasta and chicken). The food itself was unambitious and sometimes frankly bland. And portions have shrunk—when did a “rack of lamb” become three thin silver-dollar-size chops that might each be plausibly taken in a single bite? Alas, across eight nights in the main dining room not a single dish truly wowed us. One day for lunch in the MDR I ordered the “curried chicken salad.” It consisted of a raw pineapple ring that was mostly exterior husk with almost no pineapple (I guess it was just decoration) and two tablespoonfuls of something that was vaguely curry flavored but had no detectible chicken component.

 

Simply put, it’s not that the MDR food was bad. It’s that cruise cuisine ordinarily presents some disappointments and some pleasant surprises. The latter category was in short supply on this cruise. Princess may have pulled ahead in the MDR cuisine category. We will seriously consider booking Aquaclass next time in order to be able to eat in Blu.

 

When we were on the Summit in 2008, we absolutely loved the Patisserie. The croissants, pain au chocolat, and savory bites were fresh and delicious. By contrast, the desserts and mini-sandwiches offered at Café al Bacio were dry (sandwiches and pastry options) or the now-ubiquitous mousse in a shotglass. There is the option of Bistro on 5 if you are willing to pay the $5 cover charge. The International Café on Princess is clearly superior to Café al Bacio, IMHO.

 

In contrast, the specialty restaurants were great. Murano was top notch, as was Tuscan Grille. We would rate both above the Crown Grill on Princess, although Tuscan Grille could dial down the bountiful cheese they seem to use on almost every dish. We ate once in Murano with our 14 year old, and twice in TG with all four of us. The staff in TG bent over backward to welcome our 10 year old, and we saw other families with young (by which I mean ages 7-10) kids in the TG. We did not see any toddlers or babies. Our 10 year old said she wished she could eat at TG every night. A big part of the attraction of Tuscan Grille is its aft location with a panoramic view of the wake of the ship -- gourgeous at sunset. Both times we went on smart casual nights, and people were well dressed. Some men had jackets, some did not. My DH wore a long sleeved button down shirt and his khaki pants and fit in fine on smart casual night.

 

The MDR suffers by comparison to these venues. Our fear is that Celebrity is gradually moving to the approach taken by Norwegian, where you can eat for “free” in the main dining room if you are not picky, but if you want good food you need to pay the upcharge for a specialty restaurant, or book Aqua Class so you can eat in Blu.

 

We ate a few meals in the buffet and were generally pleased. The layout of the buffet is definitely superior to the crowded Horizon Court on the Princess grand-class ships. Much easier to move around from station to station without so many line-cutting concerns. However, Princess wins when it comes to pizza and poolside grill.

 

DH bought the premium non-alcoholic beverage plan. DH loves soda, and made a heroic effort to get his money’s worth out of it. He ordered sodas several times a day, got specialty coffees at Café al Bacio and kept us well supplied with bottled Evian water, especially when heading out to port. However he figured by the end that he had not come out ahead, despite trying hard. Of course it would be different if we hadn’t been gone to port so much. With the exception of sharing the bottled water, DH did not “cheat” by buying the rest of us sodas, etc. So next time we would think harder about whether to get that beverage package.

 

DRESS CODE: I would say that people adhered very well to the dress code. This may have to do with the itinerary and the large percentage of non-Americans onboard. Whatever the reason, I thought people were generally dressed appropriately and rarely underdressed. I didn’t see that many tuxes on formal night, but lots of suits and jackets and ties. Even on outings in port, many of the ladies seemed glammed up (especially Mykonos). Of course, half of my cruises have been to Mexico, where you always see lots of people pushing the envelope.

 

KIDS/TEEN PROGRAMS:

Our 14 year old and 10 year old DD’s both participated in the kids and teen programs. The activities are divided by age into 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, and teens are divided 12-14 and 15-17. However, on our cruise there weren’t that many teens so they combined all the teens together. Our kids have participated in the Princess kids program on all of their prior cruises, and this past March our older daughter participated in the teen program on the Sapphire Princess during Spring Break.

 

Teens: overall the activities were very similar to Princess. The first night is sort of an ice breaker, and after that there were organized activities like pool volleyball, ping pong tournaments, dodge ball, bocce ball, scavenger hunts, teen dance night in Quasar, teen free bingo, etc. Surprisingly, our DD liked the fact that there were fewer teens onboard because it made it easier to make friends in the smaller group. Our DD emphasized that teens shouldn’t be put off by some of the “lame” names given to activities (e.g., 007 Swank Formal Night Party or Mission Impossible Hunt), because most were just launching points for groups of teens to meet up and then go off on their own. Going the first night is super important, according to DD, so that you meet people to hang out with later. DD says that the program itself was very similar to that on the Sapphire Princess, and that the success of the experience depends a lot more on the mix of teens and how they get along than it does on the activities themselves.

 

Kids: Our 10 year old enjoyed the Fun Factory. They did activities such as dodge ball, Chuck the Chicken (a team game that somehow involves throwing a rubber chicken in the air), Gaga Ball (similar to dodge ball), some arts and crafts, etc. On the last sea day, they met the Captain and had their photos taken with him. There was also a special hot glass show for the kids and teens. They had a talent show, although my DD didn’t want to participate. Her only negative experience was during a scavenger hunt. When you first register for the kids’ program, they ask the parents whether or not they consent to let the kids do an unsupervised scavenger hunt (sometimes it’s more of a clue hunt) around the ship. The kids are divided up into smaller groups and sent off to retrieve items or find the answer to questions (e.g., how many bar stools in the Oceanview Café). On one evening hunt, DD’s team sort of degenerated into tears and arguments (remember these are a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds). She also found it a bit scary to be out unsupervised on the open decks (like the lawn club) in the dark when it was windy and drizzling rain. After they got back to the Fun Factory, DD signed herself out and tearfully came back to the cabin.

 

Despite that one experience, DD liked the Fun Factory. On the day we went to Ephesus, she wanted to stay behind in the Fun Factory. Believe it or not, she was sick of ancient ruins. We were doing a private tour and were scheduled to be gone from 10 am until 5 pm. On Princess, kids can be authorized to sign themselves out of the kids program, but that permission is automatically revoked while the ship is in port. I was surprised to find out that Celebrity will let kids sign themselves out of the Fun Factory while in port, if the parents consent. I think the Princess system is more prudent. Celebrity also has a rule that you’re not supposed to leave your kid for more than 6 hours in the Fun Factory. However, I asked ahead of time and they said it was no problem for her to stay for 7 hours on a port day. They charged us $12 for the “Lunch Party” from 12 noon to 2 pm.

 

I'll follow with a post about the ports.

[junglejane]

Sorry this is so long. I've tried to break it up so that you can skip to the parts (if any) that interest you. :)

 

PORTS:

 

Let me start by saying that we benefited a lot by taking this cruise in early June. We still encountered crowds and heat, but we know it is worse later in the summer. Our guide in Ephesus, for instance, told us that if we came even one week later there would be a much bigger crowd, and that August is the worst month for heat and crowds.

 

Santorini – Sorry to start the port portion off with negative comments, but here it goes. This was my second time here, and frankly I don’t care if I ever make it back. I know it’s pretty and represents the iconic Greek island experience. I’m sure it would be wonderful to rent a place and avoid the daytime cruise crowds. But the quick trip on a cruise ship is way too hot and difficult due to the need to tender and then find a way to get up to the towns. This was the only town where we did a Celebrity shore excursion, just to ensure that we could get off the boat early and not have to deal with the cable car. We talked to others who waited hours to get off the ship when they operated independently. We did the Oia and Fira excursion with a stop at a winery. We got dropped back off in Fira with a cable car ticket. There were several other cruise ships there, so the town was packed wall to wall with other hot, sweaty tourists. The line for the cable car back down was an hour long, with lots of line cutting going on. We decided it would be a family adventure to walk down the donkey path. Never again! It was hot, stinky and crowded with donkeys, donkey poop and other tourists. By the time we made it back to the tender boat, I was very grumpy. And did I mention hot? Mykonos, by contrast, was a much more pleasant experience for me. I should say that our dinner companions loved Santorini, so I recognize that many people wouldn’t agree with me.

 

Athens/Piraeus: We were in this port on our Summit cruise in 2008, at which time we took a private taxi tour to the Acropolis, Parthenon, Olympic Stadium, Plaka, National Archeological Museum, changing of the guard. This time we hired the same driver to take us to see the new Acropolis Museum which was not yet open at the time of our previous visit. We then drove to Corinth to see the Corinth Canal and the ruins of ancient Corinth. Ancient Corinth was great, if you are into ruins. Not very crowded. It was also interesting to hear our taxi driver’s take on the Greek economic and political crisis. He complained bitterly about the cost of gassing up his taxi and – no big surprise – was very negative about the Greek government.

 

Istanbul: For this port we booked a private guide whom we shared with others from our Roll Call. He was a licensed guide and we had a separate driver. He picked us up at the port in a van and we took off for the Topkapi Palace, including the Harem, the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, and the Cisterns. We also used him on the 2nd day to tour the Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian side, and the Galata Tower. We started the second day by going to the Blue Mosque but decided the line was too long, so instead we went to the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. There we all sat in a circle on the carpet while he told us more about mosques and the differences between Turkish Muslims and Arab Muslims. He also walked us through various restaurant and shopping areas near Taksim Square.

 

I know that many people say it is easy to DIY in Istanbul, but we felt we definitely benefited from our guide. He gave us lots of history about the sultans and the Ottoman Empire, told us stories about the Harem, and gave us lots of insights into the daily and political life in Turkey. He told us he’s Eastern Orthodox Christian, and has always felt completely in harmony with his Muslim neighbors. He talked a lot about the geography of Turkey and its tricky relations with its neighbors, such as Syria, Iraq, Greece and their concerns about the ever-present threat from Russia.

 

Our tablemates at dinner did official Celebrity tours, which naturally included a Turkish rug demonstration. They also did an evening excursion for dinner and a belly dancing show, and were pleased with their outings.

 

Kusadasi/Ephesus: Once again we used a licensed private guide whom we shared with a family from the Roll Call. Our guide and her driver picked us up at the dock and drove us straight to the ruins of Ephesus, arriving there around 10:45 am. She explained that there were actually four sites of Ephesus, because the city was moved several times as the harbor filled with silt and became unusable. She took us through the ruins, explaining the history and telling us about the goddess Artemis of Ephesus, about the vomitorium in the theatre, and about the social and practical rituals of using the public latrine.

 

Then we paid an extra admission to tour the Terrace Houses. I didn’t know beforehand what these were (and the name is not a grabber) but they were a big highlight. They are essentially an archeological dig in process. The archeologists are excavating and restoring the ruins of what could be called a Roman condominium complex, complete with indoor plumbing and heating, private baths and steam room, kitchens, music rooms, etc. I believe only one of the Celebrity tours included the Terrace Houses (which have the further bonus of being totally shaded with a huge canopy), so that’s something to investigate. After leaving Ephesus we enjoyed a great lunch at a nearby restaurant (I think it was called the Agora Restaurant). Our guide helped us order and we enjoyed lamb, hummus, tzatziki, grape leaves, pomegranate wine and Turkish coffee. She also helped us explain our kids’ food allergies to the owner. After lunch, we ordered some Turkish coffee and she explained how her mother used to tell fortunes from the coffee grounds.

 

We then proceeded to the House of the Virgin Mary. We couldn’t help but think that the entrance gate looked like just the entrance to an American national park. Our guide explained to us the claimed historical basis for considering this to be the House of Mary. After paying our respects to the House of Mary, we walked through the ruins of St. John’s Basilica. We had time for a brief photo stop at the Temple of Artemis (one column is all that is left) and then returned to the dock by 4:45 pm.

 

Mykonos: After we came back from Ephesus, DH started to feel under the weather. By morning he was running a fever of 101. We didn’t have any excursions planned and he didn’t want to leave the ship. So I called up one of the other families from our shared tours (we had shared with them at the Colosseum and day 2 in Istanbul). I knew they were talking about going to the beach, so I asked if the girls and I could tag along. The Equinox was originally supposed to tender at Mykonos, but instead we docked. Because we docked at the new port, we had to pay $10 pp to be shuttled to the old port. So I paid my $30 (charged to the seapass account) and rode the shuttle. We then walked from the old port out to the windmills and then to the public bus stop. We rode the bus to the beach at Platis Gialos. Our new friends had been to Mykonos before so they knew where they were going, which was nice for us.

 

At the beach, I paid 10 euros for a pair of loungers under an umbrella in front of Atlantida Restaurant. My 14 year old and I relaxed while the 10 year old played on the beach with the other family’s 7 year old. There were a few beach vendors but they weren’t overly aggressive. If we had eaten at the Atlantida restaurant we would’ve gotten a 10 Euro credit, but we didn’t eat there so I can’t report on the food. I used the restroom and was impressed by its cleanliness. There was also a small supermarket there with snacks so DD got her Pringles fix.

 

Naples: We had a sea day before Naples, and DH spend basically that entire day in bed. It was clear that he had some sort of virus, but it seemed more upper respiratory than gastrointestinal. He also refused to go to the medical center and just took Advil and slept. When we visited Naples in 2008, we had taken a Romeinlimo tour of Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento and Positano. This time we had planned to take the train to Herculaneum. But when the time came, DH didn’t feel that ambitious. So we just walked to the Naples Archeological Museum. It’s about a one mile walk from the dock, although we got lost so we walked a bit further.

 

The walk was an experience in and of itself. It is just astonishing how much garbage and graffiti is tolerated on the streets of Naples. No one seems to care or blink an eye at the shocking mounds of garbage. We passed one public fountain that was probably once very beautiful but now was almost obliterated by graffiti. The museum itself was well worth the visit as it has many of the frescoes, coins, jewelry and other objects that were excavated from Pompeii and Herculaneum.

 

Disembarkation: This was easy and relatively painless. Our flight was at 11:30 am. We booked a private transfer from RomeCabs and scheduled a 7:30 am pickup. We got off the ship at 7 am and found our luggage and walked outside with it around 7:15 am. Our driver was waiting and before long we were on our way to the Fumicino airport. We got to the airport about 8:15 am. The process of checking in was very time consuming. It probably took us an hour to go through all the security, passport and luggage checking lines, including taking a shuttle to the actual gate. In any event, we had plenty of time before we boarded our flight, but I can see the potential for more delay.

 

Our final impressions: We came away very favorably impressed by the Equinox. We definitely will book another cruise on a Solstice-class ship if we find one with a price and itinerary that work for us. While we no longer think Celebrity has an edge over Princess in the MDR, we really like the ship design of the S-class ships. On the other hand, we will certainly book again with Princess because we have enjoyed all our Princess cruises. We’ve really never had a bad cruise so far (just a marginal one once on the Sun Princess). I hope this has been helpful if anyone has questions I’ll do my best to answer.

[skiiergirl]

Thanks so much for the review!

[A1000]

Thanks for the comprehensive review.

[elena7seas]

Wonderful review! and I loved the level of detail. Thanks so much.

[austinlw]

Thanks for the informative review. We have been on Royal Caribbean 3 times, Princess twice, and Carnival once. We have not yet been on a Celebrity ship, but we are booked on the Equinox Oct 20 (same ports, different order). We were originally scheduled to be on your June 6 cruise, but had to postpone, so I took a personal interest in your report. Been looking forward to trying out Celebrity and doing this itinerary for a couple of years. I hope we have a better experience with the MDR, but you convinced me that we need to try out Murano's and Tuscan Grill at least once each, and we will definitely make good use of Cafe al Bacio and Bistro on Five. Thanks again!

[rwr235]

Thanks for the great review...we did that cruise last June, so it was fun to read your opinions and compare to our experience !!

 

Happy cruising !!

[epixx]

Hello junglejane. We will take our teens on a Celebrity Med cruise from Civitavecchia later this summer. We also have sailed Princess (Ruby) in the Med and loved it.

 

1. For pre-cruise in Rome, how would you rank the following with respect to the teens' interest? Castel Sant'Angelo, Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Museum. Did you visit the Via Appia Antica? We don't have time to visit all of these places, so I'm trying to prioritize.

 

2.What time was your ship in Santorini? Our ship is scheduled to be anchored from 2 until 10 pm. Do you think the queue for the cable car was long because many people were trying to return shortly before scheduled ship departure, or was that not the case when you were there? I was hoping that with our port time late in the afternoon, fewer people would try to return at around 8 pm.

 

Thank you.

[tocruiseguy]

Hello Jane, or should I call you Jungle....:), a couple of questions. Firstly, I believe you indicated there weren't a ton of kids on board but there were some, so enough to keep your kids company? We have booked the same cruise and it straddles over Labour day so we are a tad concerned about the number of kids. I think Italian schools are still out when we cruise so that may help. Do they have PS3 or Xbox in the teen lounge (my son is 12)?

 

How dressed up are people on the ship at night, not talking about the eating venues but just going for a drink in a lounge? (hopefully the dress code police don't discover this thread). I don't want to be walking around in a suit after dinner at night being on my vacation and all.....

 

BTW, great review, thanks.

[junglejane]

Hello junglejane. We will take our teens on a Celebrity Med cruise from Civitavecchia later this summer. We also have sailed Princess (Ruby) in the Med and loved it.

 

1. For pre-cruise in Rome, how would you rank the following with respect to the teens' interest? Castel Sant'Angelo, Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Museum. Did you visit the Via Appia Antica? We don't have time to visit all of these places, so I'm trying to prioritize.

 

2.What time was your ship in Santorini? Our ship is scheduled to be anchored from 2 until 10 pm. Do you think the queue for the cable car was long because many people were trying to return shortly before scheduled ship departure, or was that not the case when you were there? I was hoping that with our port time late in the afternoon, fewer people would try to return at around 8 pm.

 

Thank you.

 

My 14 year old said she liked all 3 but probably Castel Sant'Angelo the best. Borghese Gallery is cool but kind of a hassle with timed tickets and a strictly enforced requirement that you check anything larger than a smallish handbag. Capitoline Museum may actually be the best IMHO because of its great central location near the Forum, plus it's indoors which is nice when it's hot.

 

We were in port in Santorini from 2:00 pm until 10:00 pm. Last tender was at 9:15 pm. We tried to go back around 6:30 pm, which is when we encountered the large crowds. Check to see how many other ships are in port. It was probably easier around 8 pm because some of the other ships would've left by then.

 

Hello Jane, or should I call you Jungle....:), a couple of questions. Firstly, I believe you indicated there weren't a ton of kids on board but there were some, so enough to keep your kids company? We have booked the same cruise and it straddles over Labour day so we are a tad concerned about the number of kids. I think Italian schools are still out when we cruise so that may help. Do they have PS3 or Xbox in the teen lounge (my son is 12)?

 

How dressed up are people on the ship at night, not talking about the eating venues but just going for a drink in a lounge? (hopefully the dress code police don't discover this thread). I don't want to be walking around in a suit after dinner at night being on my vacation and all.....

 

BTW, great review, thanks.

 

DD says there was a Wii and either a PS3 or Xbox, she doesn't remember which. Our cruise probably had a lower amount of teens because it was so early in the summer. But as I said in my review, my DD had no complaints about that because she found a group to hang out with. Make sure your son goes on the first night so he can meet people.

 

DH was actually sick on the last formal night. He stayed in the room while the girls and I got dressed up and ate in the MDR. But we convinced him to go with us to the Cirque du Soleil show, so he went to the theatre in khakis and a polo shirt. While many people were still dressed up, there were definitely others who had changed back to smart casual. So I wouldn't worry as long as you're still in "smart casual" attire of some sort.

[Canuckjammer]

Thanks for the great detailed review!

I'm considering the similar 11 night Equinox on Oct 20th.

[zepned]

Hi Jane - thank you for the wonderful review. We are also going on the same cruise in 8 days and the information that you shared is invaluable.

 

If you don't mind, I was hoping you could answer a few more questions:

 

1. How was the weather throughout the cruise? Hot, humid, sticky or pleasant? Any need for a light jacket or sweatshirt or sweater at any time during the cruise or at port?

 

2. How were the seas? We have 2 front cabins and are hoping that we will not get seasick.

 

3. Could you see the sunset in Santorini from Oia or Thira or from the boat? I believe the sunset is at 8:40pm or so and don't we have to be on the boat by 9pm?

 

4. Was there any Indian food at the buffet?

 

Thanks again for providing such a fine review.

[junglejane]

Hi Zepned. You will have a great cruise. Here are my answers:

 

Hi Jane - thank you for the wonderful review. We are also going on the same cruise in 8 days and the information that you shared is invaluable.

 

If you don't mind, I was hoping you could answer a few more questions:

 

1. How was the weather throughout the cruise? Hot, humid, sticky or pleasant? Rome was somewhat hot and humid. Santorini was very hot and humid. It actually clouded over and rained slightly in Ephesus, but I think that was unusual. Basically, I think you should expect heat and humidity. Any need for a light jacket or sweatshirt or sweater at any time during the cruise or at port? Actually, the only times I felt cold were onboard -- for some reason the hallways were quite cold -- and on the plane home. Never in port.

 

2. How were the seas? We have 2 front cabins and are hoping that we will not get seasick. We had very mild, calm seas so I think you will be fine.

 

3. Could you see the sunset in Santorini from Oia or Thira or from the boat? I believe the sunset is at 8:40pm or so and don't we have to be on the boat by 9pm? We ate in the Tuscan Grille on the Santorini night, and watched the beautiful sunset from there. The Equinox departed at 10 pm but the last tender was at 9:15 pm.

 

4. Was there any Indian food at the buffet? Yes, definitely and it was good. More flavorful than the Indian food which occasionally turned up on the MDR menu.

 

Thanks again for providing such a fine review.

[Esprit]

What an excellent review. We too are big fans of Princess and wholeheartedly agree that the International cafe, poolside grill and Pizza bar are infinitely better compared with our Constellation exprience.

 

We will be trying Solstice for the first time and will have our 20 yr old son and 23 yr DD on board with us so we were pleased to read there were many more young adults on your cruise than you expected.

 

Like you, we have grown a little tired of the Grand Class ships so we are eagerly waiting for the new Princess ship in 2013. In the meantime we are pleased we have chosen Celebrity and looking forward to our forthcoming Med' cruise.

 

Thanks again

Peter

[deanatulsa]

Thanks so much for the review, JungleJane. We have sailed Princess, NCL, RCCL and Celebrity and sailed on the Solstice last year. As a fellow passenger on the Equinox, I concur with much of what you reported. My husband and I traveled with our three daughters, ages 17, 15, and 11. If I were to go back to Santorini, I don't know how I would choosse to travel up the cliff. We rode the donkeys up and walked back, both of which are fairly dangerous. Riding the donkey, you subject yourself to having your legs banged up as the donkey jams you up against the walls. If you walk, you risk being caught in a stampede of donkeys as they make their way up or down. A donkey crushed one lady's foot while we were there. Our waiter said he hears of many injuries as tourists go up the cliff. There are only six cable cars which hold six passengers each so with the thousands of ship passengers, it is terribly inefficient and results in long waits.

 

My girls all enjoyed the kids and teen programs. So much so that they didn't want to come back to the cabin in the evening. My 15 year old was pleasantly surprised when the hot glass blowers chose her drawing to replicate in glass. The gaffer signed the piece and we now have it at home. While RCCL has more varied opportunities for kids and teens, there certainly seems to be enough on Celebrity to keep young ones occupied. We were told that although there were few school aged chldren on this sailing, the next few weeks will see greatly increasing numbers.

 

The MDR food was mediocre at best. You are correct in your assertion that the portions are relatively small. That part I didn't mind so much since I was more than full after eating an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. I felt like the menu could have benefitted from something spicier and a little more adventurous. The food wasn't bad but seemed rather bland.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the live music on the ship. I was very content to read a book by the pool while listening to the musicians. We loved the comedian and piano player who were featured for two of the evening's main shows. I only wish more entertainers had been brought in for shows on the other evenings. Most of the other shows featured the ship's singers and dancers and we were less than impressed by them. I remember our one Princess cruise as having the best evening entertainment with multiple shows and venues and varied acts including comedians, hypnotists, and musicians.

 

The Solstice class ships are beautiful but one drawback for me is the lack of a dedicated jogging track. What they call a jogging track is very small and also serves as a walkway to the mast bar, mast grill, ocean view cafe, sky bar, etc. Not to mention that there are lounge chairs lining both sides so it is difficult to pass those people who are on their motorized chairs or who are walking slowly. It is impossible to walk fast, let alone jog or run.

 

What I most enjoyed about the cruise, besides the awesome ports that JangleJane described, is having room service bring coffee and breakfast and enjoying it out on my balcony. I also love that fact that Celebrity is very restrictive with its smoking policy. Because of this, you can spend time in the casino and other public areas without reeking of smoke. I also appreciate how each person, from officers on down are willing to keep the ship so clean. I witnessed an officer stooping down to pick up paper which had blown on the deck.

 

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a bad cruise. We enjoy every one of them and are looking forward to the Allure next March.

[junglejane]

Hi Deanatulsa. How exciting that your 15 year old's drawing was selected and that you got to take home a glass creation! We have been on the Mariner OTS and while it's nice for the kids to have a rock climbing wall, etc, it's not really necessary for a fun time -- especially on such a port intensive cruise. Our 14 year old thought the best part was making some new friends and just hanging out. (BTW Heidi says hi to Maggie.)

 

When I was huffing and puffing down the last part of the donkey trail in Santorini, I encountered two Celebrity officers. I later heard that they were on the lookout for guests in need of medical attention.

 

You make a good point about the lack of a dedicated jogging track. I was probably one of the slow walkers you were dodging. ;)

 

Speaking of wheelchairs, it looked to my untrained eye as though Celebrity was doing a good job of accomodating disabled cruisers. I saw several people in wheelchairs who seemed to regularly hang out in the lawn area. There's an accessible bathroom there with a sliding door. Also saw a lady being lowered into the Solarium pool with a lift. I meant to mention that in my original review but forgot.

 

Also, I forgot to mention that we had to tender in Naples. That was inconvenient. The Liberty of the Seas, Norwegian Epic and Carnival Magic were docked, along with other smaller ships, so the Equinox had to tender.

[elena7seas]

Thanks so much for the review, JungleJane. We have sailed Princess, NCL, RCCL and Celebrity and sailed on the Solstice last year. As a fellow passenger on the Equinox, I concur with much of what you reported. My husband and I traveled with our three daughters, ages 17, 15, and 11. If I were to go back to Santorini, I don't know how I would choose to travel up the cliff. We rode the donkeys up and walked back, both of which are fairly dangerous. Riding the donkey, you subject yourself to having your legs banged up as the donkey jams you up against the walls. If you walk, you risk being caught in a stampede of donkeys as they make their way up or down. A donkey crushed one lady's foot while we were there. Our waiter said he hears of many injuries as tourists go up the cliff. There are only six cable cars which hold six passengers each so with the thousands of ship passengers, it is terribly inefficient and results in long waits.

 

When we were in Santorini in 2009, we took the Celebrity excursion that I have posted below. We will be in Santorini again this July, and I have booked the same excursion again, because it maximized our time in Santorini (by getting us off the ship in Athinios before the ship moved over to tender below the cable car), and it solved all the other issues of getting up the cliff. We climbed the long winding road that scaled the 800 foot cliff in the comfort of a new, air-conditioned coach, and had a lovely tour of the Island and Oia with a charming guide. We felt it was money well spent.

 

SO01

Village of Oia & Santorini Island

 

PRICES: Adult 72.75/Child 43.75 USD

DEPARTURE TIMES: 9:15 am, 1:00 pm

 

After going ashore by local tender boat to the port of Athinios, your coach will climb 800 feet to the top of the caldera. Your guide will point out the still active volcanic islet in Santorini Bay and discuss the geological upheavals, which gave the island its overwhelming and unique form. Driving through the picturesque scenery and small villages from the southern to the northern end of the island of Santorini, you'll travel across rich, volcanic countryside.

 

The beautiful village of Oia is perched atop a craggy cliff at the northern most point of the island offering panoramic views of steep plummeting cliffs and nearby small islands surrounded by the deep blue sea. The charm of this lovely traditional and somewhat removed village lies in its very narrow, twisting cobblestone alleyways and steps. Walking through the village one can enjoy the panoramic views, admire the Cycladic architecture for which the town is well known, and visit many of the art galleries.

 

After your visit to Oia, continue to a local winery for the opportunity to taste Santorini mezes (Greek Snack) and a wine tasting while enjoying the magnificent views. You will visit the bodega where the wine is aged and have the chance to purchase some of the locally produced wines. The tour concludes at the hilltop village of Fira, walk uphill to Mitropolis church beginning of the pedestrian zone where you'll have the option of returning directly to the ship or remaining in town to shop or explore independently.

From Fira, join the cable car (ticket provided) and descend independently to the old port. A local tender will ferry you back to the ship, which

will be anchored offshore.

 

Note: Guests must be able to walk approximately 1 mile over uneven surfaces, steep inclines, and 20 to 30 steps. Guests must be able to walk 0.5 mile in Fira on their own in order to reach the cable car. Waiting and queuing time are expected to enter the cable car station. Due to occasional low level fog, visibility may be impacted. Please note that in October and November some stores in Fira town are closed.

DURATION: 3 hr(s) 30 min(s)

RESTRICTIONS: N/A

[ariawoman]

When we were in Santorini in 2009, we took the Celebrity excursion that I have posted below. We will be in Santorini again this July, and I have booked the same excursion again, because it maximized our time in Santorini (by getting us off the ship in Athinios before the ship moved over to tender below the cable car), and it solved all the other issues of getting up the cliff. We climbed the long winding road that scaled the 800 foot cliff in the comfort of a new, air-conditioned coach, and had a lovely tour of the Island and Oia with a charming guide. We felt it was money well spent.

 

SO01

Village of Oia & Santorini Island

 

PRICES: Adult 72.75/Child 43.75 USD

 

DEPARTURE TIMES: 9:15 am, 1:00 pm

 

After going ashore by local tender boat to the port of Athinios, your coach will climb 800 feet to the top of the caldera. Your guide will point out the still active volcanic islet in Santorini Bay and discuss the geological upheavals, which gave the island its overwhelming and unique form. Driving through the picturesque scenery and small villages from the southern to the northern end of the island of Santorini, you'll travel across rich, volcanic countryside.

 

The beautiful village of Oia is perched atop a craggy cliff at the northern most point of the island offering panoramic views of steep plummeting cliffs and nearby small islands surrounded by the deep blue sea. The charm of this lovely traditional and somewhat removed village lies in its very narrow, twisting cobblestone alleyways and steps. Walking through the village one can enjoy the panoramic views, admire the Cycladic architecture for which the town is well known, and visit many of the art galleries.

 

After your visit to Oia, continue to a local winery for the opportunity to taste Santorini mezes (Greek Snack) and a wine tasting while enjoying the magnificent views. You will visit the bodega where the wine is aged and have the chance to purchase some of the locally produced wines. The tour concludes at the hilltop village of Fira, walk uphill to Mitropolis church beginning of the pedestrian zone where you'll have the option of returning directly to the ship or remaining in town to shop or explore independently.

From Fira, join the cable car (ticket provided) and descend independently to the old port. A local tender will ferry you back to the ship, which

will be anchored offshore.

 

Note: Guests must be able to walk approximately 1 mile over uneven surfaces, steep inclines, and 20 to 30 steps. Guests must be able to walk 0.5 mile in Fira on their own in order to reach the cable car. Waiting and queuing time are expected to enter the cable car station. Due to occasional low level fog, visibility may be impacted. Please note that in October and November some stores in Fira town are closed.

DURATION: 3 hr(s) 30 min(s)

RESTRICTIONS: N/A

 

For the above mentioned Celeb excursion, do you remember how much time you were given in Oia? We took one with HAL last year but I felt I wanted more time in Oia than we got.

[junglejane]

Elena7seas: The excursion you mentioned is the one we just took on our Equinox cruise, and is also the same excursion we took in 2008 on the Summit. Taking the excursion solves the problem of getting up to the towns, but doesn't solve the problem of dealing with crowds to get back down. You still have to either wait in line for the cable car or walk down the donkey trail. My advice is to avoid the donkey trail. If there's a long line for the cable car, just put up with it because it's better than the donkey trail.

 

Ariawoman: We had about an hour in Oia. Maybe an hour and 15 minutes. The trouble was that we were just one of several ships in port, so the streets were very crowded with tourists.

[Esprit]

The climb up the Santorini steps negotiating the donkey packs was one of the best things I remember from our 2006 Grand Princess cruise. We returned on Emerald Princess in 2008 and the wife said she wanted to do the cable car. The queue wasn't too bad but the ride was no where near as fun as the walk so I made sure I walked back down.

 

I'd happliy return to Santorini everytime than go back to somewhere like Jamaica or Cozumel.

[Member123]

Jane,

Thank you! Your comparison/contrast with Princess echoed our sentiments, precisely. It is interesting to read your analysis of the MDR, as well as the buffet. We had great difficulty navigating the Horizon Court on the Ruby Princess (if I remember the name of the buffet, correctly).

 

Could you please share the contact information for the private guides that you used in Athens, Istanbul, and Kusadasi? We are considering this same cruise in June of next year!

[junglejane]

Jane,

Thank you! Your comparison/contrast with Princess echoed our sentiments, precisely. It is interesting to read your analysis of the MDR, as well as the buffet. We had great difficulty navigating the Horizon Court on the Ruby Princess (if I remember the name of the buffet, correctly).

 

Could you please share the contact information for the private guides that you used in Athens, Istanbul, and Kusadasi? We are considering this same cruise in June of next year!

 

In Athens we used a taxi driver named Jimmy (I think his real name is Dimitris). We hired Jimmy through Spiros Taxi Service (just google Spiros Taxi and Athens and you'll find Spiros). We also used Jimmy in 2008 when we went to the Acropolis, Pathenon, National Archeological Museum, Olympic Stadium, Plaka, saw the changing of the guard, etc. He is not a licensed guide and cannot accompany you to the sites, but he is knowledgeable about Athens today and he was very interesting to talk to during the taxi ride.

 

In Istanbul we used Kagan Kosagan (just google his name) both days. Kagan (pronouced like Khan in Genghis Khan) is the BEST. He is a licensed guide and will accompany you into the sites to give you a fascinating history of what you're seeing. He uses a separate driver so he can devote his full attention to you during the car rides. He can also jump the lines at the museums and palaces (but not the mosques). The vehicle he used to drive us around was sort of a minibus and could comfortably seat 12.

 

In Kusadasi/Ephesus we used Kagan's colleague, Yelda Celik. She works for Kagan but also freelances for other tour companies if he has no booking for her on a particular day. Yelda was outstanding.

 

Kagan and Yelda are a great team and I cannot recommend them highly enough. I would recommend you reserve them asap. We reserved him a year in advance, and he did not require any deposit but simply asked us to be courteous and let him know asap if we had to cancel. We reserved him and then later (much closer to the cruise date) recruited others on our Roll Call to join us.

[fleckle]

Junglejane, another thank you for the excellent review.

Especially want to express appreciation for the thoughtful way you organized it so well and separated it into sections with headings, making it a pleasure for the reader.

[ariawoman]

Thanks for your review JungleJane. I'm taking a similar itinerary in October on the Equinox, so it was good to read. I'm looking forward to the vacation either way, any day on a cruise ship is better than a day at work! :-)

[junglejane]

Junglejane, another thank you for the excellent review.

Especially want to express appreciation for the thoughtful way you organized it so well and separated it into sections with headings, making it a pleasure for the reader.

 

Thanks. I worked on this in Word on my laptop, but when I copied it into a post, I initially lost all the formatting. I had to go back in and manually put the paragraph breaks back in and underscore the headings. I'm not sure why that happened. Anyway, I know that when I read a long review, it helps to have headings so that I can skip to the part that interests me the most.:)