Is the Reflection too big for Europe itineraries?

[cruising_Bif]

We are looking into a 2016 Mediterranean Cruise. We would prefer one that focuses on Greece, and so far, the itinerary that appeals to us the most is on the Reflection, with the Constellation in a close second. I'm wondering, is the Reflection too big for a Greek itinerary? I'm imagining that it would bring heavier crowds in the port areas and longer lines to get on/off the ship. However, I absolutely love the S-Class design and am worried about "downgrading" to the Constellation.

[Wiltonian]

Not an issue apart from Venice. Cruised in the Med on the Equinox in October; the only tendering was at Santorini, and was accomplished with remarkable efficiency. When docked, getting on and off was very quick indeed. I wouldn't worry.

 

Stuart

[softail]

No problem cruised on the Reflection last year to Greece,Turkey and Italy. We were in Athens,Mykonos,Kusadasi,Istanbul,Naples and Santorini of which that was the only tender port and it went extremely smooth. Go and enjoy this beautiful ship. Larry

[lovemylab]

We cruised on the Solstice (sister ship to the Reflection) two years ago and didn't find it too big. We had no problems with lines as not everyone is coming and going at the same time. We enjoyed it so much we booked the Reflection for next year.

 

The crowds in the port areas will depend largely on how many other ships are in port with you.

 

Go with the one that has the itinerary you prefer :)

[cynbar]

We did the 10 day Med itinerary this May, and didn't find the ship too big at all. The one issue to look at however is the port schedule --- we had several ships in port at Santorini with about 9000 passengers, leading to a very crowded island, but that is a function of the number of ships so could happen on Constellation too. We docked in most places --- Athens, Kusadasi, Sicily, Naples, Mykonos, Rhodes. Plus we loved the fact it was round trip Rome, we spent 3 days there pre cruise. You can research the port load for prospective days in each destination, just google it.

[stickey_mouse]

We did the 10 day Med itinerary this May, and didn't find the ship too big at all. The one issue to look at however is the port schedule --- we had several ships in port at Santorini with about 9000 passengers, leading to a very crowded island, but that is a function of the number of ships so could happen on Constellation too. We docked in most places --- Athens, Kusadasi, Sicily, Naples, Mykonos, Rhodes. Plus we loved the fact it was round trip Rome, we spent 3 days there pre cruise. You can research the port load for prospective days in each destination, just google it.

 

That is the exact same itinerary we're looking at. I would guess that flights from the US will be easier to come by and cheaper if the cruise starts and ends in the same city.

[nekzaadvakil]

Our last 2 cruises were European Itineraries on Celebrity's S class ship - The Silhouette. I honestly think the S class ships are the ideal size and we never had any issues in a number of ports where we were docked - Venice, Dubrovnik, Naples, Sicily, Malta, Athens, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Crete as well as in smaller ports where we were tendered - Kotor, Santorini, Mykonos(we docked there instead of the usual tendering), Split.

 

A cruise is as much about a ship, as it is about the places you see. I would not downgrade from an S class ship as I personally love big ships (atleast S class on Celebrity and Voyager Class on RCCL). Unless ofcourse the itinerary is brilliant and there is no other choice (like in Asia)

 

Unfortunately the S class ships no longer go to Venice, so if that's a stop you definitely want to do, you will have to go with the smaller ship. If you are going towards Venice, try and choose an itinerary which includes Kotor, it was the most outstanding port.

[Hlitner]

That is the exact same itinerary we're looking at. I would guess that flights from the US will be easier to come by and cheaper if the cruise starts and ends in the same city.

 

Not quite true. All the airlines accommodate what is called "open jaw" fares which often cost about the same as a round trip. This permits passengers to fly to one city and home from another (the distance between the two cities is the "open jaw"). We actually prefer cruises that begin and end in different ports since it makes it more fun to spend land time at both ends of the cruise. We will often fly-in several days (or even weeks) prior to a cruise, take the cruise, and then spend several days (or weeks) after the cruise in Europe. One of our favorite cruises was between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Istanbul. We were able to spend several weeks driving in France and Italy and then dropped our car at Civitavecchia to take the cruise. After our voyage we spent a few days in wonderful Istanbul.

 

Hank

[LabGuy64]

What was it you liked best about Istanbul, I have not made it there yet...but, I was not that impressed with the exposure to Turkey that we have had.....lol...my wife especially did not like the attitude towards women....she still is not over the time we passed by a shop and a woman was trying to get my wife to look inside....I did not like to look of the place and said...No...lets go....when the woman tried again to interest my wife a man came out of the shop and basically told the sales girl to stop...that I had said no, ....so that was the end of it....My wife was not amused....though I was....a bit

 

 

Not quite true. All the airlines accommodate what is called "open jaw" fares which often cost about the same as a round trip. This permits passengers to fly to one city and home from another (the distance between the two cities is the "open jaw"). We actually prefer cruises that begin and end in different ports since it makes it more fun to spend land time at both ends of the cruise. We will often fly-in several days (or even weeks) prior to a cruise, take the cruise, and then spend several days (or weeks) after the cruise in Europe. One of our favorite cruises was between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Istanbul. We were able to spend several weeks driving in France and Italy and then dropped our car at Civitavecchia to take the cruise. After our voyage we spent a few days in wonderful Istanbul.

 

Hank

[cynbar]

That is the exact same itinerary we're looking at. I would guess that flights from the US will be easier to come by and cheaper if the cruise starts and ends in the same city.

 

This is a great itinerary, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It has a nice mix of more intense ports (Athens, Naples, Kusadasi) and quiet ports where you can just walk off the ship and explore at leisure (Rhodes, Mykonos.) We joined people from our roll call for a private tour in Sicily with Mario (wonderful, well worth pursuing) and a full day tour in Athens. I would check the port schedule for Santorini and if it will be busy, consider the ship's tour to Oia. If you don't book a tour, you have to wait in line for the cable car or donkey to take you up the hill from where the tenders drop you, and on our day the waits were very lengthy in the hot sun. But, Santorini is very popular and you can run into that no matter what ship you are on. Flights to Rome were not difficult to book, but I have done open jaw itineraries on other trips and that's not really a problem either. All flights to Europe are expensive these days, I don't think you can get around that.

[Hlitner]

What do we like about Turkey? Nearly everything :). Istanbul is a fascinating city with so much to see and do, and there are many other great places within Turkey (many not reachable by cruisers). On our numerous trips to this country we have always found that Turks quite friendly and enjoy their entrepreneurial spirit :). DD and her fiancé recently spent 2 weeks in Turkey (on our strong recommendation) and absolutely loved the trip.

 

Perhaps our positive viewpoint is different from some folks since we do not generally take tours/excursions or get ourselves involved with large groups. When we travel in most countries (China is an exception) we generally do it on our own, doing what we please, when we please, with whom we please. DW and I might have a different feeling if we were stuck in a large group of mostly Americans being herded around like cattle.

 

Hank

Edited December 24, 2014 by Hlitner

[countess5]

No problem cruised on the Reflection last year to Greece,Turkey and Italy. We were in Athens,Mykonos,Kusadasi,Istanbul,Naples and Santorini of which that was the only tender port and it went extremely smooth. Go and enjoy this beautiful ship. Larry

 

Amen! We sailed Reflection in September and you will not go wrong. Few ships in port when we were in any port. Santorini we were the only ship in other than one small ship and getting up and down the tram was easy. Plenty of tenders to take you in.

 

Go and enjoy! We have sailed Reflection twice, once also in the Caribbean.

[LabGuy64]

Good, I had always wanted to see Istanbul....I am really into the Roman Empire and had wanted to see the Capital of the Eastern Empire.. Hopefully the prolems we ran into were just isolated incidents. Was there one thing you think is a DO NOT MISS under any circumstances sight to see?

 

 

 

Our last 2 cruises were European Itineraries on Celebrity's S class ship - The Silhouette. I honestly think the S class ships are the ideal size and we never had any issues in a number of ports where we were docked - Venice, Dubrovnik, Naples, Sicily, Malta, Athens, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Crete as well as in smaller ports where we were tendered - Kotor, Santorini, Mykonos(we docked there instead of the usual tendering), Split.

 

A cruise is as much about a ship, as it is about the places you see. I would not downgrade from an S class ship as I personally love big ships (atleast S class on Celebrity and Voyager Class on RCCL). Unless ofcourse the itinerary is brilliant and there is no other choice (like in Asia)

 

Unfortunately the S class ships no longer go to Venice, so if that's a stop you definitely want to do, you will have to go with the smaller ship. If you are going towards Venice, try and choose an itinerary which includes Kotor, it was the most outstanding port.

[ghstudio]

Good, I had always wanted to see Istanbul....I am really into the Roman Empire and had wanted to see the Capital of the Eastern Empire.. Hopefully the prolems we ran into were just isolated incidents. Was there one thing you think is a DO NOT MISS under any circumstances sight to see?

 

If you are looking for an exciting excursion in Istanbul, take a taxi ride but take a blindfold so you don't have to watch what's happening :). Irrespective of that experience, I would go back...the blue mosque and other "tourist" sites are magnificent .

[LabGuy64]

or at least blindfolded here...so I don't have to read some of the posts

 

If you are looking for an exciting excursion in Istanbul, take a taxi ride but take a blindfold so you don't have to watch what's happening :). Irrespective of that experience, I would go back...the blue mosque and other "tourist" sites are magnificent .

[waterbug123]

That is the exact same itinerary we're looking at. I would guess that flights from the US will be easier to come by and cheaper if the cruise starts and ends in the same city.

 

Not necessarily. We've taken several lanld-based trips to Italy, where we ended up flying into Rome and out of Venice. We've researched to see if there were price savings if we, say, took the train back to Rome to fly home f from there, but any difference was negligible.

 

Unfortunately the S class ships no longer go to Venice, so if that's a stop you definitely want to do, you will have to go with the smaller ship.

 

IMHO, Venice is a city where you really need to spend a couple of days, so if you find a cruise itinerary that suits you otherwise, simply plan a couple of days there before or after the cruise.

 

We are going on Equinox (sister ship of Reflection) in July. Leaving from Istanbul with stops in Mykonos, Malta, Sicily, Naples, and finishing in Rome. They took out the port call in Athens for some reason, which disappointed me because we were looking forward to taking the hydrofoil to Aegina and spending the day there, but c'est la vie. We are spending 2 days pre-cruise in Istanbul and are really looking forward to that.

[Erikamac]

We just did a greek isles on the reflection in Sept if was a fabulous trip. The ship was not too big.

[Kevnzworld]

The Celebrity sized ships are fine for visiting Greece and other Mediterranean ports if you either haven't been there before, or don't cruise the Mediterranean often.

The number of ports, the size and the amount of other ships and people there at the same time is a factor when cruising on large ships. There's a limited number of ports that can handle them.

Smaller ships, ( 500-1000 passengers ) can dock at places the big ships can't, and often visit smaller ports that provide a somewhat less crowded and more intimate experience .