Yet another 5/11/12 Equinox Mediterranean review! :)

[Shooraq]

Great review Robyn. Loving the photos and the thoughtful commentary. Can't wait to see you and Ben in Blighty next May!

 

Cheers

 

Rich

 

I can't wait to see you guys next May, too! It'll be so much fun!! :D

[Shooraq]

We are really enjoying the review and the pics....they are amazing. Would you recommend the restaurant you ate at in Santorini? Do you remember the name? One more question, did you do select dining?

Thanks, Kelly

 

I can't remember the name - shame on me! Usually I take a photo so I can remember and add it to my photo captions. But I didn't. I'm asking my friends who we had lunch with if they remember the name. I will let you know if I come up with it. But I did think the restaurant was fine. Was it the best? They may have been better, most likely. But it worked for just ordering appetizers and not spending a fortune.

 

And yes, we did select dining. 6pm is too early for dinner and 8:30 is too late. I like eating at 7 or 7:30pm, so I choose select dining, then pre-reserve dining time for one of those times. Then if I need to adjust on the ship, I can do so. Works great and I will continue doing it that way whenever possible.

[Taylorgal]

Your review is wonderful!! Thanks. We're going on the Equinox later in the early fall.

 

Question: In Athens, would a half-day tour have been equally ok? The one I'm looking at does all of the things you mentioned minus lunch and the National Archeological Museum. How important would you consider that stop? I'd love some shopping time built in somewhere amidst all of these ruins! :))) Typical gal, huh? Is there shopping close to the cruise port or is it far away. Thanks for your advice.

[4getmenot]

How early did you get in line for tender tickets in order to get to the cable car at 8?

 

Thanks for the awesome review!

[Kelly28]

I can't remember the name - shame on me! Usually I take a photo so I can remember and add it to my photo captions. But I didn't. I'm asking my friends who we had lunch with if they remember the name. I will let you know if I come up with it. But I did think the restaurant was fine. Was it the best? They may have been better, most likely. But it worked for just ordering appetizers and not spending a fortune.

 

And yes, we did select dining. 6pm is too early for dinner and 8:30 is too late. I like eating at 7 or 7:30pm, so I choose select dining, then pre-reserve dining time for one of those times. Then if I need to adjust on the ship, I can do so. Works great and I will continue doing it that way whenever possible.

 

Thank you so much for the quick reply and useful information. I am anxiously awaiting the review for Myknos:)

[Shooraq]

Your review is wonderful!! Thanks. We're going on the Equinox later in the early fall.

 

Question: In Athens, would a half-day tour have been equally ok? The one I'm looking at does all of the things you mentioned minus lunch and the National Archeological Museum. How important would you consider that stop? I'd love some shopping time built in somewhere amidst all of these ruins! :))) Typical gal, huh? Is there shopping close to the cruise port or is it far away. Thanks for your advice.

 

I think it all depends on what you want to get out of Athens. I love museums and saw a lot of really cool things there. But to be honest, Ben could have done without it. So if you have travellers that can't be bothered with 8 hours days, then the half-day tour is just fine. It's just that the full-day is more cost effective, I think. But I think your strategy seems good. I cannopt recall if there was a lot of shopping near the dock... I was so tired from the tour that all I wanted to do was crash back on the ship!! :eek::D

[Shooraq]

How early did you get in line for tender tickets in order to get to the cable car at 8?

 

Thanks for the awesome review!

 

No wait... I think a lot of people were sleeping in that morning, so it was easy to tender over. Plus with Elite status, you get priority tender tickets. But even without that, the wait was minimal. It may vary, so just be prepared on what time you choose to leave the ship.

[Shooraq]

Thank you so much for the quick reply and useful information. I am anxiously awaiting the review for Myknos:)

 

Ellen remembered the name! It was Skala Restaurant.

[vtwgalmm]

I am really enjoying your review. Hope you'll be able to continue it soon.:)

[BABA 7]

No wait... I think a lot of people were sleeping in that morning, so it was easy to tender over. Plus with Elite status, you get priority tender tickets. But even without that, the wait was minimal. It may vary, so just be prepared on what time you choose to leave the ship.

 

Really enjoying the posts....I and 10 friends sail on the Equinox on the 26th of October...what I would like to know if there are any "must haves" to buy at specific ports....especially since you only have one shot at it!! ;)

 

Thanks BABA7

[Shooraq]

Really enjoying the posts....I and 10 friends sail on the Equinox on the 26th of October...what I would like to know if there are any "must haves" to buy at specific ports....especially since you only have one shot at it!! ;)

 

Thanks BABA7

 

When in Ephesus, we bought a lot of Turkish Delights for friends. You can also buy spices there too. Greece we were looking a lot of jewelry... nice gold pieces.

 

Amalfi Coast- limoncello and dried pasta were musts for us. Otherwise, we honestly did not buy much stuff on this trip. Shame on me. :)

[Shooraq]

Finally have Mykonos/Delos photos done, so the next installment should be tomorrow! (Sorry for the delay... still working off my food from this trip, haha!) :D

[BABA 7]

When in Ephesus, we bought a lot of Turkish Delights for friends. You can also buy spices there too. Greece we were looking a lot of jewelry... nice gold pieces.

 

Amalfi Coast- limoncello and dried pasta were musts for us. Otherwise, we honestly did not buy much stuff on this trip. Shame on me. :)

 

Thanks for your ideas....do love sweets at times, but even as a little kid, never liked the Turkish Delights....:eek:......so spices it is!

 

Thanks BABA7

[Shooraq]

Day 8 – Mykonos/Delos

 

Ah… probably the most challenging day of this trip. Not in a bad way, just different. A lesson-learning experience. :D

 

Prior to today:

 

With such a port-intensive trip, you learn that a lot of days in a row with tours and walking definitely tire you out. I had organized a DIY tour to Delos and lunch afterwards at Mykonos on our CC boards and had 28 people sign up. While in Santorini and on the cruise ship, I had people come up to me and say, “Yeah we are really tired, not really feeling waking up at 8am, we’re just going to sleep in and do our own thing…” Which is totally understandable, but it seemed like EVERYONE was bailing! So now I regretted organizing the trip over to Delos because I had a responsibility to run it. So lesson learned, if creating a DIY tour… make sure everyone is responsible for themselves so if I want to bail, I can do so…. Heehee.

 

Start of the day:

 

Ben and I got up, had breakfast at the buffet, and then headed to Café al Bacio to see if anyone would show up. To make matters worse, the weather forecast for this day was supposed to be thunderstorms. So I was going to be shocked if anyone came. Thankfully, 6 other people decided to brave the elements and see Delos. So we got our tender tickets with no wait and quickly tendered to the shore. We walked around the shoreline of Mykonos until it was time to board the ferry to Delos at 9am , which is literally right next to where the cruise ship tender drops you off at the dock.

 

Delos:

 

The ferry to Delos was I think 17 euros per person. It took 45 minutes to reach Delos. There is both outside and inside seating, but with the potential downpour, we opted for inside. When we arrived, I took my map/guide notes from Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports book. Honestly, I didn’t really use it. With the weather drizzling and the thunderstorms, I was more focused on seeing the actual ruins and taking photos. We walked around the ruins, then went inside the National Archaeoligcal Museum of Delos to see some of the sculptures and artwork of this island, including the original lions. Afterwards, Ben did a little more walking of the ground level while me and a couple of my friends started to climb up to Mount Kynthos. I only walked as far as the Temple of Isis, took some more photos, and headed back down. Something about being on a mountain during thunder and lightning is not entirely appealing…

 

We made it back onto the first ferry back to Mykonos. We lucked out in getting some decent sights and photos of the island. Apparently the weather was much worse at Mykonos and I lot of people we knew stayed on the ship for hours before braving the weather.

 

Mykonos:

 

Back on shore at Mykonos, we met up with another set of friends and looked for lunch. Since the original restaurant our friends looked for wasn’t open, we ate at Niko’s Taverna. The food was okay… Some dishes were better prepared than others. It did give me the opportunity to have spanakopita, tzatziki, and lamb skewers, which were good. After lunch, we headed for the famous windmills. Which was another opportunity for cat photos! I tell you, if you are a cat lover, this cruise itinerary was made for you! We took some photos, visited a couple of shops, and then headed back onto the ship.

 

Evening activities:

 

We had what ended up being our last dinner at the main dining room. Overall, the food was reasonable. Nothing amazing but nothing bad either. It seems like we lean towards the specialty restaurants more and more every time we go on a cruise. And while we can’t afford to do that every night, going 2-3 times during a cruise definitely breaks it up.

 

Since the next day was a sea day, some of us on the roll call tried to meet up at the disco. Before that event took place, there was the midnight dessert buffet going on the sky observation lounge. A bunch of us went there for snacks, drinks and dancing. It was a lot of fun, and once that was over, we moved the “party” to the disco at Quasar. I might be in my early 30’s, but I certainly thought that the music was too loud and not to my taste. Ben was smart enough to head back to the room after the Sky Lounge, so it was me and a few other people that stayed for the “after-party.” I was probably up until 3:30am, a tad buzzed but still in control of my surroundings. I got back to my room and crashed… thank goodness I didn’t have to wake up at 7am this time around!

 

So the reality of this day was that it could have been better if the weather was nicer, but if I had to choose the one day out of this whole cruise to rain, this would be it. If I ever come back to Mykonos, I will explore the area more and take more photos. It's all good though!

 

Photos of the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robynalman/sets/72157630186845010/

 

Next up: The last day at sea!

[jagaul]

Thanks so much for your wonderful photographs and review. I'm enjoying it soooo much!

We will be on the Solistice in October doing the Venice cruise and several of the ports are the same as your cruise....that is what got me interested in reading your review...then when first viewing your photos I was hooked! I am a photographer as well and cannot wait to shoot all the beauty I know awaits us! Also a kitty person so will welcome any I see while in Europe....as we will be missing our guys who will be home waiting for our return.

Thanks again!

[Kelly28]

Ellen remembered the name! It was Skala Restaurant.

 

Thank you so much....I have it noted :)

[Shooraq]

Day 9 - At Sea

 

We got to sleep in today, which isn't saying much since I was up to 3:30am the night before... hence why I typically go to bed by midnight the latest if I want to be functional the next day. We skipped breakfast because we knew we would enjoy both the brunch and dinner at Tuscan Grille.

 

Brunch

 

Celebrity typically holds a brunch on the last sea day in the main dining room. It is an assortment of appetizers, lunch items and dessert, displayed with ice sculptures, food carvings and other decorations. Prior to this cruise, one of our roll call members organized lunch for everyone to meetup and chat about their cruise experiences. While onboard, she was able to arrange it so that a group of tables on the second floor of the MDR were set aside for us. It was a nice turnout. Many of us took pictures of the brunch displays, ate well, and spent more time talking with friends made.

 

During the day...

 

Let's face it, after all these ports, I really wasn't in the mood to do anything. Ben and I spent the afternoon reading out on the Sunset Bar, then playing our card game Ascension in the Card Room. We spent so much time with people on this cruise that a little alone time was refreshing.

 

Tuscan Grille

 

We originally made plans to eat at Tuscan Grille at 6:30pm in order to avoid dressing up for formal night in the MDR. One of our friends had eaten a previous night at Tuscan and the Maitre'D offered a2 for 1 special if he could bring a large group on the 2nd formal night. Since many of us had similar plans to eat there, we joined together and had a group of 10 for 8:30pm.

 

Beware that when you go to Tuscan Grille, that you bring a good appetite. Eat light during the day. Because the amount of food the wait staff brings you is a lot. And it's all yummy. Everything from the bruschetta and proscuitto to the appetizers... all the way to dessert. My meal consisted of fried calamari, the lobster linguine alfredo and the pistachio marble creme brulee. Everything was perfect. I think I give the edge to Tuscan Grille over Murano, although both were wonderful restaurants. We celebrated one of our friend's birthday with a cake and song. We spent so much time at dinner that we missed the show. To be honest, I didn't see a single show on this cruise, other than the hot glass show. And I'm fine with that - Ben is very picky when it comes to entertainment and usually the cruise musicians and entertainers are average. So no loss this time around.

 

Off to bed because the last day of our cruise awaits - Messina and the Amalfi Coast!

 

Photos of our sea day are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robynalman/sets/72157630257857142/

[SkystheLimit]

Great review Robin. Really appreciate the pictures of Delos. We got a late start and decided not to try to get to Delos because of the weather. That was some potent lightening that day!

 

Hard to believe we've been home for over a month. Our friends were in Kusadasi today and the temperature was in the upper 90's. Whew! Except for Mykonos, we were lucky with our weather and temperatures.

 

MJ

[Shooraq]

Great review Robin. Really appreciate the pictures of Delos. We got a late start and decided not to try to get to Delos because of the weather. That was some potent lightening that day!

 

Hard to believe we've been home for over a month. Our friends were in Kusadasi today and the temperature was in the upper 90's. Whew! Except for Mykonos, we were lucky with our weather and temperatures.

 

MJ

 

I wish I could have enjoyed Delos and Mykonos even more, but sometimes the weather is not always on your side. ;)

 

I'm glad we went in May... I'm finding that May is the perfect time for Ben and I to travel to Europe. Comfortable walking weather and cheaper/less crowded than in the summer months. Done Europe in May the last two years, plan to next year, and hopefully 2014 as well!

[Shooraq]

Currently working on Amalfi Coast photos... so hopefully day 10 will be up by mid-week! :D

[abbeycourt3]

We are leaving tomorrow for Barcelona and will catch the rest of your review when we

return but since we are using US Air - what happened on your return trip? Should we

be looking out for something? Thanks

[Shooraq]

We are leaving tomorrow for Barcelona and will catch the rest of your review when we

return but since we are using US Air - what happened on your return trip? Should we

be looking out for something? Thanks

 

It was a combination of things... there was a major delay before the plane came to Rome. No explanation given for an 8 hour delay. So when we finally flew back to Philly, we couldn't catch a connecting flight until the following morning. But they screwed up hotel vochers and overbooked one hotel. So the next available place was 25min away in Delaware!!! And no guarentee of shuttle service until maybe 9am. Unacceptable. we stayed overnight at the airport and changed our flight to the first out at 6:30am. Horrible experience. So just be on your toes, hopefully you don't encounter my experience. :rolleyes:

[Adaj]

Thanks Robin for posting about USAir. I was curious what they did. Their screw ups are legendary.

 

I have so enjoyed reading your notes. If Cruise Critic had an award for the best "review/report". I would surely nominate you. Thanks again.

[Shooraq]

Day 10 – Amalfi Coast (via Naples)

 

Final day of the cruise! Our last full day in Italy.

 

Another breakfast at the buffet, grabbed our lattes from Café al Bacio, and met up with our tour group. This was the only tour that I didn’t organize. I originally planned to do a tour with RomeInLimo (http://www.romeinlimo.com) that included Pompeii. But we changed our mind and went with a more relaxed scenic day along the Amalfi Coast. So we joined another CC member’s tour group where there was just 8 of us – a nice manageable number. Everyone was on time and off the ship we went!

 

Amalfi Coast with RomeInLimo

 

Our driver from RomeinLimo was very pleasant and friendly. I feel bad not remembering his name, but he was the personality we were expecting from such great reviews of this tour company We drove out of the port of Naples towards the Amalfi Coast. Looking at Naples is not pretty. Definitely not a lovely port, but at least it is a means to get to other places. Next time we come here, I will try visiting the island of Capri.

 

While driving the coast, I came to a bad realization. So many hours are spent driving up hill with views of the coastline far below. While that is a beautiful sight to witness, it was NOT a good experience for my husband. He has a fear of heights, is prone to motion sickness, and just doesn’t like not being in control of his surroundings in these situations. So while we are travelling to our first stop of Positano, DH was having a panic attack. He was basically in tears and I felt horrible for putting him in this situation. I kept holding his hand and trying to calm him as best as I could.

 

So this is a warning to you - if you have someone in your group who is afraid of heights for hours, this may not be the tour for you. If I knew ahead of time what the drive was like, I may not have done this for the sake of my husband.

 

We did two photo stops outside of Positano, the second one at this little scenic point that had a couple of stands. We got to see these huge lemons only found in the Amalfi Coast. We bought some delicious bruschetta seasoning, ate some fresh cherries, took some photos and jumped back into the van. We had DH sit in the back and middle of the van to try and help him feel better.

 

Positano

 

We had about 45 minutes to spend in Positano. Ben and I strolled uphill to take photos of the town. Then we headed back down to the shop that sells limoncello and other lemon products. For myself, family, and wonderful cat-sitters, I bought 2 bottles of limoncello, a lemon candle, and some sugar-free lemon candies.

 

Amalfi

 

Next stop on our journey was Amalfi. We had another 45 minutes to spend here. We took photos of the Amalfi Catherdral, then again walked along the streets looking into the shops. I bought some olive oil and more limoncello.

 

Lunchtime

 

After Amalfi we continued our trek uphill to a restaurant outside Ravello called Ristorante San Giovanni. The prices were affordable, and I was able to get my last Italian meal – a delicious Campagnola Pizza. Majority of us got pizza and we got to try a little of everyones. Oh, so good.

 

Ravello

 

Final stop of this tour was Ravello. Here we got an hour to kill. Which is funny, because I felt I could have spent the least amount of time here. I could have used more of that time in the other two towns. It’s probably just us, but Ben and I liked Positano and Amalfi more than Ravello. But it worked out fine because again we got our photography in, then bought some final gifts for friends, and then had lattes and yummy pastries at Caffe Calce. And then, the drive back to the ship…

 

A little too much Limoncello

 

On the drive back, the tour company provided a bottle of limoncello to share. We forgot glasses, so I had to finish my water bottle and pour some liquor into my empty bottle to drink. Let’s just say that the limoncello was a tad strong… because I had a buzz by the time we got back to Naples. I had such a bad headache and I hate to admit it, but I was stumbling back to the ship. We looked at the shops in the cruise terminal, bought a necklace since I still had euros left to burn, then got back on the ship to sleep off my self-induced hangover.

 

A not-so-exciting evening

 

Between me drinking a little too much and Ben still feeling under the weather from the long drive high in the mountains, we decided our stomachs couldn’t handle a typical sit-down dinner at the MDR. We left a message with our friend that we have been dining with that we weren’t going to be good company. Then around 8pm, we braved going to the buffet for dinner. The food was okay… nothing amazing but it did the job and we could easily eat and leave at our own pace.

 

Preparations for disembarkment

 

We started packing before dinner and were actually ready to put out our suitcases ahead of when we typically do. It was a nice relief to have that out of the way. Since we had early disembarkement set up for 6:30am, we couldn't stay out too late. But we managed to hit the Martini Bar and say goodbyes to some of our new friends, exchanging numbers and Facebook contact info. After lingering longer than planned, it was time to sleep.

 

Photos of the Amalfi Coast are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robynalman/sets/72157630273430928/

 

Next post(s) – Disembarkement and wrap-up of cruise

[mjtripper]

Thanks so much for your wonderful review and photos. My mom and I will be sailing this same cruise in Sept. 2013. on the Reflection. This will be our first time with Celebrity and I am really looking forward to it.

 

The two of us have not taken private tours we have always taken ship tours and have been satisfied. After reading your review along with some other reviews from your sailing I am thinking of trying some private tours and have noted the information regarding possible agencies. Since it will be just the two of us I am hoping to join a few private tours from our roll call. At the risk of sounding foolish I have a question what type of information did you ask from the group leader? I am thinking of the following: time allowed at each venue, lunch stop- type of restaurant and cost.

Do you have any further suggestions or am I just over thinking things...

thanks for your help.