Gracie115 Posted October 12, 2011 #51 Share Posted October 12, 2011 The Dead Sea IS very interesting but one of the things that needs to be mentioned to anyone who has not been there before are the "holes" in the bottom of the sea as you walk out into it. I guess it's where people dig the mud out but if you have any mobility challenges at all it's very ease to fall into the water and since the salt content is so high it not only tastes bad if you get it in your mouth but it burns the eyes and can be dangerous if inhaled through the nose. We enjoyed it but sure wish I had known about this before hand!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCA REP Posted October 12, 2011 #52 Share Posted October 12, 2011 The Dead Sea IS very interesting but one of the things that needs to be mentioned to anyone who has not been there before are the "holes" in the bottom of the sea as you walk out into it. I guess it's where people dig the mud out but if you have any mobility challenges at all it's very ease to fall into the water and since the salt content is so high it not only tastes bad if you get it in your mouth but it burns the eyes and can be dangerous if inhaled through the nose. We enjoyed it but sure wish I had known about this before hand!!! I had problems with the "holes" as well... and I do not have any mobility issues. That is a very good point to share with everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minoushka Posted October 12, 2011 #53 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hello Gonzo WE also had Mickey from Guided tour and she was a Hoot I called her our Gazelle she moved so fast Did you do lunch in TIBERIUS ...with the fish It was the BEST They prepared all fresh salads for me because I am allergic to GREEN PEPPERS THey were unbelievably nice and treated us so well. I loved our visit to Israel but oh so short RE food ...as a "joke" I suggested they get the executive chef to fix things because we did have issues with MDR dinners so you LUCKED out Good Silly will now be ,more like Millie food on Millie was outstanding I'm glad Celebrity listened Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 12, 2011 Author #54 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hello Gonzo WE also had Mickey from Guided tour and she was a Hoot I called her our Gazelle she moved so fast Did you do lunch in TIBERIUS ...with the fish It was the BEST They prepared all fresh salads for me because I am allergic to GREEN PEPPERS THey were unbelievably nice and treated us so well. I loved our visit to Israel but oh so short RE food ...as a "joke" I suggested they get the executive chef to fix things because we did have issues with MDR dinners so you LUCKED out Good Silly will now be ,more like Millie food on Millie was outstanding I'm glad Celebrity listened Michele Hi Michele, Yes, we went to the restaurant with the St. Peter's fish in Tiberius. Good food, but a tad pricey. My favorite meal in Israel was at a little felafel restaurant in Jerusalem. Thanks for having the chef fix the food quality. Hopefully it will consistently be this good, but it is possible it had something to do with Jacques Van Staden being on board - I am sure all the chefs were working extremely hard to do their best with him around. Both my wife and I thought it was definitely the best main dining room food we have had on any of our cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 12, 2011 Author #55 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hi Erick, You did a great job reviewing our cruise. I concur with everything you said. We really enjoyed meeting you and Jen. It is hard to believe we are now back at work and reality. Take care nad we hope to see you again on a future cruise. Hi Cathy, It was a pleasure meeting you and your daughter. You did an awesome job navigating us through Athens. This was such an amazing cruise; it is definitely tough getting back to the daily grind (I am still a tad jet lagged too). That would be nice if we cross paths again at some point. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minoushka Posted October 12, 2011 #56 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Good for you Who says it does not pay to BEYOTCH Obviously it did LOL :) ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jspirit Posted October 12, 2011 #57 Share Posted October 12, 2011 What a wonderful , thorough review, Gonzo. You have always contributed so much to these boards .Nice to see who you and your lovely wife are! Did you miss having the Hot Glass Show on board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 12, 2011 Author #58 Share Posted October 12, 2011 What a wonderful , thorough review, Gonzo. You have always contributed so much to these boards .Nice to see who you and your lovely wife are!Did you miss having the Hot Glass Show on board? Thanks for the kind words. I did miss the Hot Glass Show; on Equinox we attended shows just about every day (often twice a day on sea days). This cruise was so port intensive compared to our transatlantic last year, so at least we were so busy we did not notice the absence of this venue as much as had there been more sea days. The Molecular Bar turned out to be our regular hang on this cruise; I think we were there all but two nights for a pre dinner cocktail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieV Posted October 12, 2011 #59 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thank you so much for the detailed review! I've been waiting not-so-patiently to see the menus of the beer pub and the Porch and was very happy to see that you'd shared both. I can't wait until January! Do you have any more details about the Wine Connoisseur dinner? Is it actually for folks who are somewhat knowledgeable about wine or do they pass off low end stuff as they do on other cruiselines when wine is included? Is the menu different from the usual Tuscan Grille offerings? It looks like you had a lovely trip, thank you for posting your review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 12, 2011 Author #60 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Do you have any more details about the Wine Connoisseur dinner? Is it actually for folks who are somewhat knowledgeable about wine or do they pass off low end stuff as they do on other cruiselines when wine is included? Is the menu different from the usual Tuscan Grille offerings? It looks like you had a lovely trip, thank you for posting your review. My wife and I are only recently getting into wines, so are not very knowledgeable about how high end the wines were that were part of the Connoisseur dinner. We did really like one of the wines and had the sommelier write down the name for us so we could purchase it at home (Chappellet Napa Valley 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon). When I googled it, it looks like it sells for about $45 per bottle at wine stores, so that might give you an idea as to the approximate quality (or at least price) of the wines they used (of course the other wines may have been less or more expensive; this was the only one I wrote the name down for). I believe the menu was the same as the general menu; there were two choices for each of the courses but they were OK subbing something else for one course for my wife. There may have been 1-2 items that were not on the regular menu, not sure. It was a bit pricey, but they did top off the wine glasses, so we definitely got our money's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #61 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Haifa Gardens Not a sign I see often in Chicago Atop Masada gazing towards the Dead Sea Making friends with one of the IDF's finest Jerusalem has lots of great non tourist trap shops; this was our favorite store where we purchased a dreidel that transforms into a menorah made by a local artist The churches in Israel had some amazing artwork Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #62 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Shot of the poached fruit at the Aqua Spa Cafe; they have six different fruits soaking in spices and some in honey; such a great snack Filet Mignon Dish at Qsine Jacques Van Staden Dining at Qsine Back Stage at the Theater - Make Up Room Shot of the Overhang and Window Washing Equipment Impacting Some Aqua Class Staterooms Bridge Officers Watching Us Join The Balcony Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #63 Share Posted October 13, 2011 My favorite art exhibit on the ship Now that's a cocktail; Dragonfly from the Molecular Bar Picking my cut of meat at the Lawn Club Grill Dinner is served Josip; our favorite barista at Cafe al Bacio; consider yourself lucky if he is on board your ship Sipra - the Party Band; my favorite source of live music on board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #64 Share Posted October 13, 2011 The Captain celebrating scoring a point in the Officers vs. Guest Volleyball Tournament Don't miss the tasting event at the Molecular Bar - featuring four very tasty concoctions; the one featuring Pisco was my favortie The lovely Suzana preparing Amuse Bouche; my wife's favorite cocktail Not a drop was spilled This was the first cruise where I purchased something in a shop; a watch from the Michael Kors shop; I guess my wife's shopping addiction is rubbing off on me At least I did not purchase it here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Booper Posted October 13, 2011 #65 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Sipra - the Party Band; my favorite source of live music on board Sipra on the Solstice June 2010. Same group. Funny thing, when they sang, no accents. When they talked, very accented English. Obviously they memorized the songs in English but when they spoke, they filtered from their native tongue and converted to English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #66 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Sipra on the Solstice June 2010. Same group. Funny thing, when they sang, no accents. When they talked, very accented English. Obviously they memorized the songs in English but when they spoke, they filtered from their native tongue and converted to English. Yes, definitely the same Sipra. :) Interesting observation; I hadn't noticed that, but looking back you are spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Booper Posted October 13, 2011 #67 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Yes, definitely the same Sipra. :) Interesting observation; I hadn't noticed that, but looking back you are spot on. Slightly off topic, I noticed your location is Chicago via Boston. Looks like Theo is following in your footsteps, unless you follow the ChiSox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 13, 2011 Author #68 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Slightly off topic, I noticed your location is Chicago via Boston. Looks like Theo is following in your footsteps, unless you follow the ChiSox. I am still loyal to the Boston teams, but the Cubs are my second favorite baseball team. Hopefully Theo can bring them a long awaited World Series. The Cubs have been really inept of late, so they need a big shake up. Theo might just be what they need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lais Posted October 16, 2011 #69 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Civitavecchia is a beautiful area and a nice place to stay pre-cruise if one wants to relax versus take in the sights of Rome. I highly recommend the hotel where we stayed: http://www.tenutadellargento.com/ The hotel is a working ranch with large rooms (for Europe), a great restaurant, wonderful views of the mountains, sea and port as well as outstanding service. Outdoor pool with view of mountains: View of port at sunset from the hotel's outdoor patio; we were enjoying a carafe of Italian wine during the sunset the night before our cruise: We missed our cat terrible while gone, but befriended the hotel's cat, "Meow": The hotel is an active ranch and has cattle (hence very fresh beef at their restaurant), bulls, horses and cowboys as well cowgirls). Depending on the time of year they offer activities such as horseback riding. What is your wife holding in the pic with the cat? It looks too small to be an Ipad and I am just wondering if it is some kind of wireless device. I am always looking for a small wireless device I can take on a trip with me that will work. These are all fabulous pics and your review is fantastic. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 16, 2011 Author #70 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks for the compliment. My wife is holding an Ipad-2. Came in handy while in ports (and our precruise hotel) for utilizing wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lais Posted October 16, 2011 #71 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks for the compliment. My wife is holding an Ipad-2. Came in handy while in ports (and our precruise hotel) for utilizing wifi. Thanks. I thought the Ipad's were bigger. Maybe I can put that on my Christmas list and then I can add another electronic device to the x-tra suitcase I will need to carry all the cords and extra batteries, Kindle, cell phone, ipod speakers, camera, ect. ect........ Glad to hear the good review on Guided tours israel as I am booked with them for next May for the Dead Sea. Loved the Dead Sea pics and can't wait to float. Regina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted October 16, 2011 #72 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi Gonzo, thanks for the review. As usual, very informative:). Sounds like you both had a marvelous cruise.:DHopefully one day I will have the pleasure of meeting you and Jen. Question...would you know or maybe have heard, besides the European sailings, are they now offering the Wine Connessiour Dinner on other ships/itineraries once again? I went to one a couple of years ago and if available I would splurge and do it again;). I will be on Eclipse next month (Caribbean) and wondering if they will offer it on her as well. I know I can ask after I board the ship but was just curious if you had any first hand knowledge. Again, the photos are terrific and thank you for sharing them with us:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted October 16, 2011 Author #73 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks Lois, I am not sure about the status of what ships are currently holding the wine connoisseur dinner. Hopefully there will be one on your sailing. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted October 16, 2011 #74 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks Lois, I am not sure about the status of what ships are currently holding the wine connoisseur dinner. Hopefully there will be one on your sailing. :) Oh, ok....thanks anyway:) and I love the Molecular Bar too:D I know when I was on Solstice they ran out of the (can't remember the name) where it causes the smoke in the drink? Oh...I want say laughing gas but it is not that LOL..so the Dragon Fly was not smokin'.......... Liquid Nitrogen...thats it! They ran out of it when I sailed Solstice last year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua Posted October 18, 2011 #75 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Gonzo, Do you have any suggestions of where to buy Christmas ornaments or crosses? Is the store in Bethlehem a good place? We will also be in Jerusalem and Haifa. I would like to bring some gifts back. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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