Trip Report - E. Med. on Celebrity Equinox – summer 2012 w/ lots of pictures

[wismergirl]

August 2, 2012 (Day 18 con’t) – Anacapri & Capri, Italy

 

After lunch, we started to walk to Augustus Gardens.

 

The view was incredibly beautiful.

 

Wow! Is it real?

 

The famous miraculous view of the Fragolini Rocks

 

The garden itself was also very beautiful.

[wismergirl]

August 2, 2012 (Day 18 con’t) – Anacapri & Capri, Italy

 

We took the Funicular Railway to go down to the Port of Marina Grande. Our private motorboat was waiting for the 6 of us at the Marina.

 

We saw beautiful coral

 

Was that an arch? Sure!

 

The highlight of the boat ride was to have a close-up view of the famous Fragolini Rock and to go through its arch.

 

The world is wonderful! It was definitely a fantastic way to end our East Med. Cruise!

[garrett619]

Was Capri crowded? I'm debating between Capri and an Amalfi coast tour this summer for our Equinox cruise. I originally settled on Capri based on VirtualRains review. Then I figured it would be too crowded end of July (~5000 cruise passengers in Naples our day) and I've read reviews that Amalfi seems more unique than Capri and offers more stuff to do/see. Now based on your review I'm thinking Capri is the way to go. What made you decide Capri over some of the other things offered in Naples?

 

Thanks so much for the review, it has been wonderful!

[wismergirl]

Was Capri crowded? I'm debating between Capri and an Amalfi coast tour this summer for our Equinox cruise. I originally settled on Capri based on VirtualRains review. Then I figured it would be too crowded end of July (~5000 cruise passengers in Naples our day) and I've read reviews that Amalfi seems more unique than Capri and offers more stuff to do/see. Now based on your review I'm thinking Capri is the way to go. What made you decide Capri over some of the other things offered in Naples?

 

Thanks so much for the review, it has been wonderful!

 

I'm glad you find my review helpful! I don't know how many cruiseships will be in Naples on the day you dock there (you can check the link: http://www.cruisetimetables.com), but many people will be going to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast as they are the #1 choices for a full day tour. Usually they would visit Pompeii for a few hours, then move to the Amalfi Coast for towns like Sorrento, Positano, etc. We did that tour in 2007 but we definitely enjoyed Capri more!

 

The cruise passengers would be split into different directions. Those having private tours or ship excursions to Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast would board their vehicles. Those going to Sorrento could take a ferry or use land transportation. Those going to Capri MUST take the ferry as Capri is an island. We didn't feel rushed in Capri and we even had a very relaxing and long lunch in Anacapri. Yes, we did line up for a little bit (5 mins) for the chairlift and about 15 minutes for the funicular.

 

Many people took public transportation to go around the island but they could not do as much as what we did. The earlier you arrived at Blue Grotto, the shorter the line would be, and the lower the tide was. We were glad we booked a taxi tour. If you go on your own, make sure you buy return tickets for the ferry. Our guide lined up for us while he got the tickets from the Port of Naples and we waited for him for about 10 minutes. We got the tickets for 8:35 a.m. (we met him at 8 a.m. at the port) and 4:30 p.m. There were big words on the tickets showing the specified time.

[wismergirl]

August 3, 2012 (Day 19) – Rome, Italy

 

Disembarkation was really easy. Since we left the ship at 8:45 a.m. after a big breakfast in the main dining room, our luggage was very easy to be identified as everybody has taken theirs and our bags were the only ones left in the area. We wanted to be adventurous so instead of getting a taxi, we boarded the Celebrity free shuttle to take us to the port entrance and we walked for 10 minutes to the Civitavecchia train station. It was just 1 straight road if you keep walking by the water and as soon as you see the Hotel della Ville you need to cross the street and walk up the ramp, otherwise you’ll have to take your bags up the stairs right in front of the station. Train fare was €5 to Roma Termini (fast train €9). We got on the regional train and the journey was 1 hour 10 minutes long (fast train took only 45 minutes).

 

We paid €10 to take a taxi to Hotel Eden (close to Spanish Steps & Villa Borghese). It’s a beautiful luxury classic hotel reopened by ex Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1995. The hotel was full so we were not upgraded to any deluxe room, but even the standard room was very comfortable, though nothing compared to the St. Regis hotels. At least we got our room just after 11 a.m. so we could start sightseeing after a quick shower.

 

Standard room at Hotel Eden

 

Bus#116 or 116T was our beloved transportation as it’s a small regional bus that had only 8 seats but ran every 10 minutes. We could take the bus from opposite our hotel and its terminus was only 5 minutes away from the hotel, so the stop opposite the hotel was the 1st stop. It took us to all the main attractions like Spanish Steps, Navona Square, Trevi Fountain & Pantheon. I found that this website was very helpful for checking the bus routes as there was no printed bus map available at the tourist info: http://www.passagetoroma.com/index.php/bus-routes. In order to get some kind of bus info, we bought the 3-day Rome Pass (€34 in 2013) that enabled us to have unlimited public transportation plus visiting the 1st two attractions free. Buying a 3-day travel pass: €16.50, admission to Colosseum: €15.50, entrance fee to Capitoline Museum: €12 and their total was €44, so it’s better to get a Roma Pass to save €10 plus having the advantage of skipping the line.

 

Our favourite Rome Bus #116

 

We went to the “Enjoy Rome” office near the Termini Station to book an English speaking tour for the following day. Apparently “Enjoy Rome” ran most of the English speaking tours in Rome at quite a reasonable price. This is the link: www.enjoyrome.com/walking/combcatanc.html. We booked a combination tour of the Catacombs and Roman Countryside (3 hours) and the Ancient & Old Rome Walking Tour (3 hours). It cost €73 per person and they only accepted cash.

 

Then we took a bus to the Colosseum to check out the meeting place of the walking tour and got some great shots.

 

We got off at Navona Square and had dinner there. After dinner, we walked around the area and took lots of pictures.

 

Navona Square

 

Trevi Fountain

 

Beautiful night view of Hotel Eden

[garrett619]

Thanks for the response. Guess I'm back to the drawing board as trying to decide what to do. There's only one other ship in port that day, but it's a decent size ship (~2100 passengers). We do get in an hour earlier than them though so we have that leg up on the other ship. Decisions, decisions..... Anyways thanks again for the review and the response.

[wismergirl]

Thanks for the response. Guess I'm back to the drawing board as trying to decide what to do. There's only one other ship in port that day, but it's a decent size ship (~2100 passengers). We do get in an hour earlier than them though so we have that leg up on the other ship. Decisions, decisions..... Anyways thanks again for the review and the response.

 

Here is the link to Tours of Capri that we used and they also offer The Amalfi Tour. You can email them and ask them for advice:

http://www.toursofcapri.com/eng/capritours.htm

[wismergirl]

August 4, 2012 (Day 20) – Rome, Italy

 

We arrived at the “Enjoy Rome” office at around 9:45 a.m. The Catacombs tour started promptly at 10 a.m. Georgia was our guide and she was very knowledgeable with good explanation of what the catacombs were and pointed out lots of easy-to-understand facts about underground Christian burials. Since we did the Vatican Tour last time we visited Rome, we chose the Catacombs tour just to have something different. It was a great tour on a hot summer day as it got quite chilly underground. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures underground. This picture posted at the entrance to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus showed the different levels of the catacombs and the burial:

 

We were able to spend some time at the gift shop before we boarded the van to the Appian Way which was the oldest Roman road.

 

On the Appian Way, there was the Tomb of Cecilia Metella.:

 

Opposite the tomb, there were remains of the Church of San Nicola di Bari.

 

As a structural and civil engineer, DH loved the trip and loved it even more when we concluded the tour with a visit to the Ancient Aquaduct.

 

 

We had a quick lunch at Termini Station before taking the Metro to Colosseum where the walking tour started in the afternoon.

[wismergirl]

August 4, 2012 (Day 20 con’t) – Rome, Italy

 

Our walking tour guide Priscilla met us outside the Colosseum Metro Station at the green newspaper booth. There were about 20 of us and we could use our Roma Pass for a free entry. Other group members had to pay the entrance fees but we all got to skip the line. When using the Roma Pass, only the 1st two attractions were free and the others would only be at a discounted price, so it’s better to save it for the most expensive attractions. We went to different levels inside the Colosseum and took many pictures.

 

 

Then we walked to the Roman Forum and other famous Rome attractions.

 

The Roman Forum

 

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

 

Trevi Fountain

 

The tour finished at Navona Square.

 

Since we were so tired after the walking tour, we boarded a Rome bus for more city sightseeing and saw Rome’s city walls.

[wednesday]

August 4, 2012 (Day 20) – Rome, Italy

 

We were able to spend some time at the gift shop before we boarded the van to the Appian Way which was the oldest Roman road.

 

On the Appian Way, there was the Tomb of Cecilia Metella.:

 

Opposite the tomb, there were remains of the Church of San Nicola di Bari.

 

 

As a structural and civil engineer, DH loved the trip and loved it even more when we concluded the tour with a visit to the Ancient Aquaduct.

 

We had a quick lunch at Termini Station before taking the Metro to Colosseum where the walking tour started in the afternoon.

 

How did you like the Aqueduct park and original part of the Appian way? We are doing this when we stop in Rome this summer. They both look fascinating and I can't wait to go! I am an Industrial Engineer which has nothing to do with structural design or highway planning but I find Roman engineering and construction skills very interesting!

[wismergirl]

How did you like the Aqueduct park and original part of the Appian way? We are doing this when we stop in Rome this summer. They both look fascinating and I can't wait to go! I am an Industrial Engineer which has nothing to do with structural design or highway planning but I find Roman engineering and construction skills very interesting!

 

Both DH and I found the Aquaduct & the Appian Way fascinating! The Romans were really clever...that's why they had the glory in the olden days. You wouldn't be disappointed if you go there.

[wednesday]

Both DH and I found the Aquaduct & the Appian Way fascinating! The Romans were really clever...that's why they had the glory in the olden days. You wouldn't be disappointed if you go there.

 

Good to know, very excited about this! We are also doing the Palatine hill and the baths of Caracalla. Not our first time in Rome and we are there on a Monday when a lot of the museums and things are closed.

[wismergirl]

August 5, 2012 (Day 21) – Rome, Italy

 

In the morning we took 2 buses to get to Gianicolo Hill for a panoramic view of Rome.

 

View of Palatine Hill from Gianicolo Hill

 

We took the bus to go to Capitoline Museum and used the Roma Pass again for a free entry (our 2nd attraction). There was the famous symbol of Rome, the Capitoline Wolf.

 

The head of Constantine was huge!

 

We had dinner near Pantheon.

 

Then DH suggested to go to Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II.

[wismergirl]

August 6, 2012 (Day 22) – Rome, Italy

 

Our flight to Canada was in the late afternoon so we used the morning to visit St. Peter’s Basilica.

 

There was a long line to enter the church.

 

Inside the Basilica

 

St. Peter’s Square is HUGE!

 

The square didn’t look crowded at all!

 

Time to say bye to Hotel Eden! Arrivederci, Rome!

 

Thank the Lord for a super amazing Silver Anniversary trip!

[wismergirl]

Good to know, very excited about this! We are also doing the Palatine hill and the baths of Caracalla. Not our first time in Rome and we are there on a Monday when a lot of the museums and things are closed.

 

I have never been to Palatine Hill or Baths of Caracalla, please share when you come back.

[Canadianguy]

Wonderful review and pictures. Thank you!

[wednesday]

I have never been to Palatine Hill or Baths of Caracalla, please share when you come back.

 

I always mean to do a trip report, I will definitely try to this time.

[wismergirl]

Wonderful review and pictures. Thank you!

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

[dobes3kh]

Wonderful pictures and excellent review. We too have taken the Equinox on the Eastern Med cruise and your pictures brought back a lot of memories :) One of the places we hadn't been to was the Blue Grotto. That looked amazing!

[wismergirl]

Wonderful pictures and excellent review. We too have taken the Equinox on the Eastern Med cruise and your pictures brought back a lot of memories :) One of the places we hadn't been to was the Blue Grotto. That looked amazing!

 

DH went to Italy with his family when he was 9 years old (over 40 years ago) and all he could remember was Blue Grotto. I gathered that it had to be a gorgeous place to get stuck in his mind for so long as he is very forgetful now!! :p 3 cheers for him to recommend Blue Grotto to us as I found it the best & most unique tour for the entire trip.

[jimbri]

Wonderful review and photos. Thank you so much for sharing.

[AlaskaGolden]

OP - Again, thank you for posting this incredible review.

 

I can't seem to "see" the last three photos in this post:

July 30, 2012 (Day 15 con’t) – Athens, Greece

 

Any idea what happened?

 

Thank you,

[wismergirl]

Wonderful review and photos. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

 

You are most welcome! Glad you enjoyed my review.

[wismergirl]

OP - Again, thank you for posting this incredible review.

 

I can't seem to "see" the last three photos in this post:

July 30, 2012 (Day 15 con’t) – Athens, Greece

 

Any idea what happened?

 

Thank you,

 

Hi Todd,

 

I'm not sure what happened to the missing photos...here they are:

 

Restaurant:

 

Souvlaki:

 

Beer:

[AlaskaGolden]

OP - Thank you. I can now see the photos. Wouldn't want to miss that great shot of the beer! ;)