Celebrity Cruise April 27th to May 8th

[jfancy]

Hi Everyone.

 

We are going on our first Mediterranean cruise April 27th 2015. I chose early traditional dining but I'm thinking now I should have chose anytime dining so there is no pressure to eat at a certain time.

 

There are a few excursions we would like to do. We were going to go with the excursions put on by the ship but I'm told by a friend who goes on a few cruises a year to do the excursions with other people who want to do them on their own instead of through the ship.

 

Any thoughts out there? We are very much looking forward to this cruise.

 

Thanks. Joanne:)

[Arusha]

You may get more responses if you go to the Roll Call for your cruise. Here's a link to the Celebrity Roll Calls. Click on the name of your ship, then look for the name/date of your cruise. If there's not a roll call for your cruise, you can start one! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=206

[puppycanducruise]

Also, check out the Med Ports of Call section on Cruise Critic, lots of good advise there.

You can also get info from Rick Steves, check your local library for his books, also on many PBS stations.

We were on a Med cruise last year in April/May and the weather was wonderful. Only one evening of rain when we were in Rome pre-cruise. The daytime temps were in the low 20s to over 30 in Athens!

Enjoy your cruise. :)

[sandinmyshoes]

One thing to consider is the jet lag. Unless you are arriving several days early, your body will not be in a routine as far as meal times are concerned, so it won't matter when you eat. Also, anytime gives you the opportunity to stay in port a little longer if you see something else you must do before getting back on board. If you start the cruise and decide you would like traditional dining better, the Celebrity staff can make a standing reservation for you in the anytime dining room where you eat at the same time with the same waiters each night for the rest of your cruise. We like the flexibility Anytime offers, but I understand those who prefer traditional as well.

 

We have taken two Med cruises and have joined our roll call so we could get included in other passenger's small private tours. Lots of people will do groups of 6 tours and they are only a couple so are looking for 4 other people to join them. Sometimes the tours accommodate 16. It just depends on the tour. Our thought behind these private tours is they are reliable in getting you back to the ship on time (because they would be blackballed on the internet if they ever missed the ship) and you get to see a lot more for less than the cruise lines charge for the over crowded 50 person buses.

 

Either way, the Med is fantastic and you will be pleased you did it. Enjoy!

[paul929207]

The Roll Call is a great place to meet others sailing with you. People exchange info on the cruise and the ports. People plan private tours and are often looking for others to share.

[Algebralovr]

We did a mix of private and ship's tours last summer, depending on where we were. Read on the ports of call boards and trip advisor to decide what is best for you. One thing I like about the ship's tours is that we can change our minds at the last minute and get a refund. That becomes important if someone has a health issue. If all are healthy, it is not an issue.

[Sauer-kraut]

If you are on a tour and don't want to rush for dinner, the buffet is available AND you don't have to dress up to eat there.