Celebrity: Eastern Mediterranean & Rome - Very Detailed - Part I: Precruise

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Part I - Precruise

A. Cruise Critic

I over-research every port and possible tour excursion. The good news is that our excursions at each port have almost always been worthwhile. We always start our search at Cruisecritic.com which is helpful in securing key information for all of our ports of call and getting to know some of our fellow travelers before the cruise.

 

B. Choice of Route

We were interested in a Mediterranean cruise and ended up booking a back-to-back cruise out of Rome (Civitavecchia) and spending 3 days exploring Rome and The Vatican prior to the cruise. The first half we sailed to the Eastern Mediterranean ports of Messina (Taormina) and Naples (Pompeii) in Italy; Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, and Athens in Greece; and Valletta (Mdina) in Malta.

 

While this review focuses on our Eastern cruise, the second half of our trip we sailed to the Western Mediterranean ports of La Spezia in Italy; Nice (Villefrance) in France; Barcelona, Malaga, Cartegena and Ibiza in Spain; and Gibraltar. The cruise left from Civitavecchia (the port city closest to Rome). This was our first trip to all of these cities. We looked forward to exploring all of the cities on this cruise.

 

C. Choice of Ship

We chose the route first, but were also happy to be cruising on a Celebrity ship we had not yet cruised on. The Reflection is the largest ship we've ever been on. Built in 2012, the Reflection is the newest of Celebrity's five Solstice class ships, and currently its flagship. Reflection weighs in at 125,000 gross tons and has an occupancy of 3609 passengers, although it never really felt crowded.

 

D. Choice of cabin

My wife lives on the balcony when we book them so a cabin with a veranda is our first choice. However, this 10-day cruise was not inexpensive. The cost difference between an oceanview cabin and a balcony cabin was significant, so we settled into a comfortable oceanview cabin midship on Deck 3.

 

E. Timing

We chose to travel in late April/early May as opposed to the Peak Season of Mid-June through August for 3 primary reasons: 1. it's less expensive, 2. it's a lot less crowded, and 3. the weather is significantly nicer.

 

F. Passports and Other Documents

Passports are required for airline travel, upon arrival and departure at airports, and upon checking in at our hotel and the seaport. We were able to leave them locked in the cabin safe the entire trip once we were on the ship. We were never asked for identification of any kind other than our "Seapass" card. None of the ports we visited requested our passports. The Seapass card is issued by the cruiseline. It's used for charging purchases on the ship, access to your cabin, and for identification to get you through port security and back on to the ship. Most travelers do not need a VISA or any special immunizations.

 

G. Insurance

I insured the trip through Travelex, which I concluded was a good choice due to: relative cost comparisons, ease of access and booking, good disclosures, excellent coverage for what I needed, well rated, and especially because their insurance is "primary", meaning that I do not have to involve any other insurance in the claims process.

 

I had no interest in proprietary insurance offered by a travel agency or cruise companies because if either goes under your insurance is worthless and defeats the purpose. We bought the insurance within 14 days of our booking to assure their would be no questions about "pre-existing medical conditions", although I am not aware we have any. Thankfully we never had a need for the insurance.

 

H. Prebooking Excursions

Based upon the recommendations we got off the Ports of Call threads on Cruise Critic, we decided to prebook excursions in most of our ports --- which we arranged privately via email. More details later. We have found that researching excursions ahead of time and making arrangements directly with the tour operator has resulted in more enjoyable, and less expensive, tours than can be arranged through the ship. Tour group size typically runs about 8 to 24 passengers versus the hordes typical of a ship's tour.

 

I. Packing

The ship had 2 Semi-Formal nights (suit and tie / dinner dress), and 8 Casual nights (polo's/dress shirts, blouses and skirts). Although it was a 10-day cruise, we packed for 5 days and gave the ship our laundry on days 2 and 6 using a Captain's Club benefit. Among the most helpful "extra items" we packed included a roll-up shoe rack (we use the pockets to store useful things), sunscreen, highlighters, clothes line, collapsible dirty clothes bag, wide-brim hats, magnets (to keep announcements and invites handy --- since the walls are metal), a 30x zoom digital camera, our phones, and a pair of external batteries to charge our phones. We used our phones primary as cameras, and for texting when we could find wi-fi.

 

Solstice ships all have storage above the beds but it's tough to do much with it. We saw a recommendation on Cruise Critic to use ClosetMaid fabric drawers. These lightweight collapsible $6 square drawers are 10.5 x 10.5 x 11 inches, fit nicely in the above-bed storage, and make it easy to store everything from socks to miscellaneous cruise things. They fold flat for easy packing.

 

We also made eleven 8x10 posters for our cabin door (one for each day, "If this is Wednesday, it must be Rhodes, Greece!" and the like). The cabin doors are metal. We held up our signs with little magnets. Not only did they help us keep track of the day and our cabin location, we struck up a few conversations with our neighbors who appreciated the signage.

 

More details on the clothes: 1. we packed underwear, t-shirts, shirts, shorts, and pants that were easy to hand wash and dried quickly overnight. 2. I also brought 5 dress shirts and a pair of pants that were a little past their prime (minor discoloring, slightly small, a small hole) that I simply threw away at the end of the trip which allowed a little extra room in the suitcases for things we accumulated. 3. My day clothes included 3 pairs of my pants, 1 pair of shorts, and 1 shirt that were made by Clothing Arts. These are comfortable, quick-dry, "pickpocket-proof" clothes.

 

J. Pickpockets

Barcelona, Rome, and Athens are 3 of the world's top ten worst cities for pickpockets. This shouldn't stop you from traveling to these cities, but it should get your attention. We never felt unsafe, and we had absolutely no problems with pickpockets. We did hear firsthand from two women who had a purse stolen from the chair they had absentmindedly draped it over. We took the following precautions. I highly recommend all of these (or use something similar).

• We read up on pickpocket methods and watched videos so we were better educated on how to help prevent becoming a victim.
  
• I wore comfortable "pickpocket-proof" shirts and pants.
  
• My wife carries an anti-theft purse. She likes these so much she now has 5 different colors and uses them as her primary everyday purse.
  
• My wife wore a travel belt which was so comfortable it was easy to forget she was wearing it.
  

K. Cell Phones

Cell phones can be an expensive proposition when traveling internationally. We did not wish to be tethered to our phones for work or family purposes but we did wish to keep in touch when it was convenient. Our goal was to incur no data or voice charges for the entire time we were overseas while still having GPS, and the ability to text photos and messages, as well as taking pictures and using a few other useful apps. We succeeded!

 

Set up your phone as follows to prevent unwanted data charges. As long as you maintain all of these settings, you shouldn't incur any data charges. Settings vary by phone.

• Turn off data: Phone Settings > Data Usage > Cellular Data.
  
• Turn off data roaming: Phone Settings > Data Usage > Settings > Cellular Networks > Data Roaming.
  
• Turn on Airline mode. (Very important that this is always on the entire trip).
  
• Turn on Wi-Fi (when desired).
  

Free or low cost wi-fi can be found in every city. We found the following free apps very useful.

• WhatsApp: this needs to be installed on your phone and every phone you wish to communicate with. You can then text anyone with WhatsApp in real time via wi-fi, as well as send them photos and even conduct choppy video calls. I made a group "Europe Trip" chat and added everyone to it so we could simply post to everyone at once.
  
• Google Translate: easily translate text, spoken words, or use the camera to translate in real time.
  
• Airline App: download and logon to the app for your airline.
  
• Virtual Private Network (VPN): A virtual private network extends a private network across a public network. This will protect any of your data that you send while using a public wi-fi. I found two free VPN's (supported by ads) that we used: Yoga VPN and Turbo VPN. Activate the VPN immediately after you logon to wi-fi.
  
• Currency Converter: easily find and calculate the current conversion rates.
  
• Rick Steves Audio Europe: install and then download free audio tours.
  
• Google Maps - Navigation and Transit: GPS works without data or wi-fi, but the map itself requires data UNLESS you download offline maps of each city you will be visiting before you leave. Then when you arrive in each city, simply load the applicable offline map.
  
• City Specific Metro and Bus Apps: these can be very helpful.
  

We also used a cool wrist/neck strap for our cell phones that kept the phone secure from drops as well as thieves. It features a strong peel and stick grip patch that you can attach to the back of your phone or inside your phone case. It includes a wrist strap and neck strap for wearing your phone which doesn't interfere with your USB charging port.

 

L. Credit Cards, Securing Euros and Finding ATM's

We each carried an ATM card from our bank (which rebates all ATM fees up to $5) and a credit card which doesn't charge foreign exchange fees. We notified our bank and credit card companies of the dates and countries we were visiting so they didn't refuse our overseas charges.

 

When we took this cruise the US Dollar was worth about 0.82 to 0.84 Euros (€). In other words it took about $1.20 to $1.24 to buy 1 Euro. Despite the US Dollar being worth about 20% less than the Euro, the value received oversees was very good.

 

Since bank ATM's are plentiful in most large cities, you should only need to take 1 to 2 days worth of Euros with you on your trip and hit the ATM as needed. Bank ATM's are generally more secure and will usually give you the best exchange rates. Use your debit/ATM card and never use your credit card for an ATM cash advance. Be sure to take your 4-digit numeric pin with you.

 

When possible, withdraw cash from bank-run ATM's located inside, or just outside, the bank. Ideally use them while the bank is open so that you can go inside for help in the rare event the machine eats your card. Many European banks place their ATM's in a small entry lobby. If feels more secure and gets you out of the weather. Look for a credit-card-size slot next to the door and insert your card to gain entry.

 

Avoid "independent" ATM's and currency exchange kiosks such as Travelex, Euronet, Moneybox, Cardpoint, and Cashzone. These have high fees and/or high exchange rates. "Independent" ATM's are often found near bank ATM's in the hopes of tricking travelers.

 

M. Choice of Airplane, Hotel and Transportation from the Airport

While checking airfares some time ago, I discovered we could use airline miles to book our flights quite reasonably, so we used points to fly United over, via a connecting flight, and flew American back. Direct flights are the best way to go! We flew into Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) four days early to explore Rome and help avoid the stress of travel delays that might occur on cruise day. We prearranged with RomeCabs for transportation from the airport to Vittoriano Luxury Suites (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 21, 00186 Roma RM) for €50, plus tip. They met us in the airport lobby just past baggage claim and drove us to the hotel. It was a good experience.

 

Vittoriano Luxury Suites is on the 4th floor of a building in a great location just 3 blocks south of the Pantheon. The hotel is serviced by a small elevator and a very friendly and helpful staff. They only have 6 rooms of varying sizes. We booked the Matrimoniale Superior (Room 102). It is a very modern and comfortable room with free wi-fi, and includes a nice buffet breakfast each morning. Highly recommended.

 

We walked to many of the major sites in Rome from our hotel (for example: Pantheon - 5 minutes, Emanuele Monument - 10 minutes, Capitoline Museum - 10 minutes, Piazza Navona - 10 minutes, Trevia Fountain - 15 minutes, Colosseum - 20 minutes, Spanish Steps - 20 minutes) and caught a bus to The Vatican. Although The Vatican is also walkable in 35 minutes, a bus stop is just a half block away.

 

Entire review, parts 1-12 with images: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

Edited June 2, 2018 by CaribbeanBound