LIVE from Celebrity Reflection - 4/27/18 - 10 nt Italy & Greek Isles Cruise

[kikki21]

Fabulous photos! I did this itinerary with Kusadasi not Valletta on the old Celebrity Galaxy & absolutely loved the cruise ports. It is a shame that the excursions don’t give you enough time in Taormina.

I visited again last year on an MSC Cruise & although we made it to the theatre, we didn’t have enough time to go in & then shop through the town.

We were back 3 hrs before the ship sailed so another hour would have been great. I think next time we go, we will get a taxi!

I also love the Greek islands too. I also climbed up to the same windmill but you can go a bit higher & then dine at a restaurant in a Boutique hotel with fabulous food & equally fabulous views of Mykonos town.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

Hi Adam. We're taking this same itinerary on the 18th of May and I would like to know where on Mykonos did the tender drop you off/pickup? We would like to stay in town and hang out after our 3-hour guided tour. Thanks

 

 

 

We were supposed to tender but we docked instead so I don’t know where the tenders drop you off.

 

 

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[Jim_Iain]

Really enjoying your live blog, Adam. The pictures are really beautiful, showing you have a great eye for photography.

[suzzek]

Really enjoying your review! We were in some of the same ports several years ago, so now I’d love to go back and pick up where we left off. Thank you for taking the time to post your wonderful experiences and fabulous pictures!!

[Lastdance]

Information on Speedboat to Oia...Prices...

 

This was our third time to Santorini and this beautiful island did not disappoint. Since we have been here twice before, four of us opted for the speedboat to Oia with bus returning on the hour. Being the first tender allowed us to get their early, before the crowds and heat...all you do is walk like you are taking the furnicula and the boats are on the left. €15 pp. You do have to take the furnicula back down for €6 pp. I just wanted to share, as this way is also economical too.

[WonderMan3]

Information on Speedboat to Oia...Prices...

 

 

 

 

Good to know it was running. That was our plan to use but when researching I kept getting so much conflicting information from travelers and local sites I couldn’t be sure it would be operating. It seems that the boat will suddenly just stop operating at times with no notice due to local politics according to some previous cruisers. Didn’t want to take the risk and booked the Celebrity Oia excursion. (Ugh, more on that shortly).

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

Thank you again to those who have been following along and enjoying my photos. Photography has become a recent passion of mine and I have even started selling some of my Cape Cod work where I live. If you want to see more you can follow my photo posts on Instagram at adam_a_rose.

 

Still catching up with my “LIVE with a delay” posts. Here is Thursday’s Daily as well as the info they left for us for tendering as both a suite guest and Elite Plus.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

On Thursday morning we arrived in Santorini (yay!). We had an early excursion meeting time of 7:30am so we got up at 6:15. We skipped breakfast as we would’ve had to get up around 5:30-5:45 for that to happen. The excursion we booked was called “Village of Oia on your own”. Now as I mentioned a little further up, the only reason we booked this excursion was because I was totally unsure about the status of the boat from Fira’s port to Oia. It tends to come and go due to local politics. I did not want to risk getting over to Fira, finding no boat, then have to cable car it up to Fira with possibly a long wait in line, to then have to catch a taxi or the bus to Oia. It was too complicated. So we booked the excursion. We went down to the theater a little before 7:30. It was already crowded at that time. And here is where the frustration began. We got our stickers and then waited... and waited... and waited. I didn’t realize until after we had been sitting awhile that our tickets said departure time of 8:15. (Even though online when I booked the start time was 8am) Not sure why we had to be at the theater 45 minutes in advance then. I guess it’s their way of crowd control on tender days. So they kept calling group after group starting at 40 and working down. We were group 28. At 8:20 they finally called our group to head down to the tenders. We boarded relatively quickly and then were off. Note that all Celebrity excursion tenders do not go to the pier at the bottom of Fira, you go further down the island to another port. We disembarked there at 8:45. Then it was on to a bus that would take us to Oia. The bus left after we loaded at 8:50. The drive to Oia took 40 minutes due to winding roads and traffic. The guide gave some history and cultural info about the island as we rode. So we arrived at 9:30. Then the guide walked us to the central square from the parking area. This took ten minutes due to the size of the group and because she stopped to show where ATMS and restrooms were. So it was at 9:40 that the group was free to wander but they had to be back to the bus at 11am. From there they would drive 20 minutes or so to Fira to catch the cable car back down. Tickets for the cable car are included in the price and given to you when you board the tender. So basically people only had 1hr 20 min. to explore Oia. Some people were angry and one couple started yelling at her saying that she told them earlier that they would leave at 11:30. I think that may have been the time she gave as the end of the tour, meaning when everything was done in Fira, and they misunderstood. Anyway, it didn’t matter to us as we are not going to return with the group but we’re going to stay longer in Oia and find our own way back. I told the guide this and at first she said no. But I told her we would find our own way back probably by taxi. She told us where to find one and said it would probably cost us 20 Euro per person which was outrageous. I figured we’d look into the bus later then as I knew it was much cheaper.

 

So I caution anyone wanting to book this excursion that you will have very little time in Oia and since they count the start time of the trip from the moment you get on the tender any delays you might experience along the way to Oia will likely take away from your time there. It might be better to take the risk that the boat to Oia might not be running and get off on your own early especially if you have priority tendering as Suite or Elite/Zenith. Especially since the price of this excursion is $69 per person. Definitely not a good value.

 

Will share photos and discussion of our day in beautiful Santorini shortly.

 

 

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[Lastdance]

Good to know it was running. That was our plan to use but when researching I kept getting so much conflicting information from travelers and local sites I couldn’t be sure it would be operating. It seems that the boat will suddenly just stop operating at times with no notice due to local politics according to some previous cruisers. Didn’t want to take the risk and booked the Celebrity Oia excursion. (Ugh, more on that shortly).

 

 

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The bus that takes you back to the ship stops running at 2:00 PM, so that is part of the conflicting information found on different sights...the boat stops running too, so you need to possibly take a taxi if you leave too late and need more time. There are two boats that leave one after another, depending on which fills first. In our case, it was the first vender on the left; the second vendor left 10-15 min. later. Just eyeball which boat has the most people. That is the boat you want. They are not real speedboats!!! Also ask what time the last bus leaves and if you can, choose the one before it. Since this is early May, the summer may have more options. Just because they say they will leave in 10 minutes, realize that it is Greek time...LOL! There is a small, steep hill that you must walk up too!

 

 

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[Cruisin caper]

On Thursday morning we arrived in Santorini (yay!). We had an early excursion meeting time of 7:30am so we got up at 6:15. We skipped breakfast as we would’ve had to get up around 5:30-5:45 for that to happen. The excursion we booked was called “Village of Oia on your own”. Now as I mentioned a little further up, the only reason we booked this excursion was because I was totally unsure about the status of the boat from Fira’s port to Oia. It tends to come and go due to local politics. I did not want to risk getting over to Fira, finding no boat, then have to cable car it up to Fira with possibly a long wait in line, to then have to catch a taxi or the bus to Oia. It was too complicated. So we booked the excursion. We went down to the theater a little before 7:30. It was already crowded at that time. And here is where the frustration began. We got our stickers and then waited... and waited... and waited. I didn’t realize until after we had been sitting awhile that our tickets said departure time of 8:15. (Even though online when I booked the start time was 8am) Not sure why we had to be at the theater 45 minutes in advance then. I guess it’s their way of crowd control on tender days. So they kept calling group after group starting at 40 and working down. We were group 28. At 8:20 they finally called our group to head down to the tenders. We boarded relatively quickly and then were off. Note that all Celebrity excursion tenders do not go to the pier at the bottom of Fira, you go further down the island to another port. We disembarked there at 8:45. Then it was on to a bus that would take us to Oia. The bus left after we loaded at 8:50. The drive to Oia took 40 minutes due to winding roads and traffic. The guide gave some history and cultural info about the island as we rode. So we arrived at 9:30. Then the guide walked us to the central square from the parking area. This took ten minutes due to the size of the group and because she stopped to show where ATMS and restrooms were. So it was at 9:40 that the group was free to wander but they had to be back to the bus at 11am. From there they would drive 20 minutes or so to Fira to catch the cable car back down. Tickets for the cable car are included in the price and given to you when you board the tender. So basically people only had 1hr 20 min. to explore Oia. Some people were angry and one couple started yelling at her saying that she told them earlier that they would leave at 11:30. I think that may have been the time she gave as the end of the tour, meaning when everything was done in Fira, and they misunderstood. Anyway, it didn’t matter to us as we are not going to return with the group but we’re going to stay longer in Oia and find our own way back. I told the guide this and at first she said no. But I told her we would find our own way back probably by taxi. She told us where to find one and said it would probably cost us 20 Euro per person which was outrageous. I figured we’d look into the bus later then as I knew it was much cheaper.

 

So I caution anyone wanting to book this excursion that you will have very little time in Oia and since they count the start time of the trip from the moment you get on the tender any delays you might experience along the way to Oia will likely take away from your time there. It might be better to take the risk that the boat to Oia might not be running and get off on your own early especially if you have priority tendering as Suite or Elite/Zenith. Especially since the price of this excursion is $69 per person. Definitely not a good value.

 

Will share photos and discussion of our day in beautiful Santorini shortly.

 

 

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Thank you so much for all of your great information. We are also booked June 8th trip on this excursion but are going to cancel. We are not elite or suite - do you have any idea what time the tenders go for people on their own? We are interested in an Oia experience from Olympic Traveller but meeting time is 9:15 in old Port. Thank you again. We love your updates. Anne and Rex

[saphir]

We chosse Oia and Winery excursion (3:30). It ends a Fira, with tickets to cable car. I hope that we can stay a little longer and come back later. :o

[WonderMan3]

Continuing with our day in Santorini with some photos at last!

 

After we left the guide for the Celebrity excursion Mike went to one of the ATMs we saw to grab some cash and then we proceeded to explore this beautiful town. We started at the far left of town (when facing the caldera). We went as far as the walkway would allow us without having to go out onto the road. There weren’t many tourists down at this end and there were a number of scenic spots. We then strolled down the main walkway with little detours down the pathways that wound their way down the cliff side, or more specifically I went up and down the cliff side paths while Mike stayed up on the main walkway. I was eager to capture as many views as I could. So this basically turned out to be a day of photo taking, and popping into a few shops. Oh, and we also bought some art. A gallery in that area near where we started our walk caught our eye as we passed and we wound up buying three pieces for our home. They included free shipping in the price which was great. The gallery is the Opera Gallery and the artist is Mariusz Stokowiec. Definitely check it out if you are in Oia. He has some beautiful pieces.

 

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant called Pelekanos which is just down from the central square a bit. They have a roof top seating area with spectacular 360 degree views of Oia. The food was also fantastic! We ordered a group of appetizers and it was just enough. We had the meatball skewers, tzatziki with pita, a grilled local cheese topped with a marmalade and tomato fritters. It was a bit pricey but pretty much everything on Santorini is overpriced.

 

After lunch we continued our walk all the way to far end of town where the sunset views are then wound our way back again. We were at the taxi and bus area a little after 2. A bus had just arrived but the line was enormous so we decided to just grab a taxi. We waited for 5 minutes with none in sight so decided to call one. They told us 15 minutes. Of course the moment we got off the phone another available cab showed up which we had to pass up, and then another a few minutes after that. Our cab showed up after 15 minutes as stated. When we asked the price he told us 25 Euros (it’s normally 20 but they charge you 5 Euro extra if you call one). At least it was not 20 Euro per person like the guide had told us. The drive to Fira from Oia took 15-20 minutes. The driver left us off at the end of a street that he said would take us right to the cable car. It was 2:45 at this time, and while we had until 5:30 for the all aboard we were tired from all the walking in Oia and decided to skip walking around Fira and just head back down. Luckily the cable car line moved fairly quickly. We only waited 20 minutes in line. (Sometimes the wait can be an hour.) Once at the bottom you reach a pier where you catch a tender back to the ship.

 

Overall it was a great day in one of our favorite places on the planet, and we can’t wait to return on a land vacation and spend a few days there. Hope you enjoy the photos! I had taken more than 400 of them that day so it took awhile for me to sort through them to post.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

Here are photos of the three paintings we bought.

 

 

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[AidenL]

Those paintings look lovely.

 

We make a habit of buying one everywhere we visit, hope we see some as nice as yours.

[WonderMan3]

Lunch at Pelekanos.

 

 

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[Crissi the crazy cruizer]

We are on this cruise 18 th May. Thankyou so so much for a wonderful timeline of your days events and trips. Especially the daily cruise sheet. (Wondering if I could be cheeky to ask. I would love if You could scan each day sheet with your phone and email to me if that wouldn’t be too much trouble.

Ita been amazing cruising with you. You are a fun couple.

 

Also wondering. We are on a classics drink package. Do u think we need to upgrade to enjoy the matini bar drinks or would we be ok in the martini bar on classic package.

 

Are there many gym classes to attend and if so is ther any informon the classes so I can pre plan ?

 

How are the shows.

 

Many many thanks again your reviews are awesome.

 

After our day exploring Rhodes we relaxed for awhile in our cabin. I popped up to the Pool Bar to get a Pina Colada as I was pretty hot after our walk through the Old City back to the ship. We enjoyed some of the treats we had accumulated on the islands like baklava. Dinner was at 7:30 at Luminae again. We started with a special chef’s treat of a stuffed cucumber. We followed with the Corn Soup as an appetizer. For the entree Mike had the Roasted Pork Tenderloin which he said was excellent while I had the Bacon Wrapped Trout which was just okay; tender but could’ve used a bit more flavor. For dessert Mike chose the flaming Chocolate Sphere while I had them bring me some gelato with caramel sauce.

 

 

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