Galaxy/E. Med 7/2/07 cruise and port reviews

[Donnaluv2cruise]

I am loving your review and can't wait to hear about Naples.

 

What were some of your favorite dishes in the dining room?

[british betty]

. (remember Pat Boone?) .

....remember him!!!...when I was a little girl he was my heart throb!...loving the review, thanks!

[CAT GIRL]

This is like reading a great novel. I look forward to each new chapter.

[plane2port]

We got to Naples early, and realized we were in for another hot day. I also suspected that Pompeii would be crowded, so decided to wear my hat instead of toting the umbrella.

 

As we left the port, we saw the newstand we were looking for. They sell metro tickets. We asked for two all-day passes. The tram stop is right next to it. You want to head south, or right as you leave the port. The tram you want is #1. It takes you right in to the Circumvesuviana rail station. At the train station take the train that goes to Sorrento. The first train we got on immediately went out of service and we had to change. I got really confused because I did not see the Herculaneum stop on the map. When I asked a train employee he pointed to the stop named "Ercolano." I felt like an idiot--must have been in brain fog to not have made the connection.

 

Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are on the same line. Pompeii is the furthest away. We decided to visit it first, and then pick up Herculaneum on the way back. Pompeii is quite a ways down the line--at least a 30 minute ride.

 

The stop for Pompeii is called Pompeii Scavi. The ruins are right there at the stop. We bought a combination ticket for both Pompeii and Herculaneum for 18 euro. The site was a little confusing to us. For one thing it is huge, and for another many streets were closed off. Don't worry, there is plenty to see, but I think we did alot of unnecessary walking getting from one place to another. It would have been great to have a map with a route already mapped out. Does anyone know if the audioguides come with this? We were in the mood to do things on our own that day, and we saw alot, but we got too tired to be excited about going to Herculaneum.

 

Whereas Pompeii was a large thriving commercial town, Herculaneum was a seaside resort for rich people. I actually had been looking forward more to visiting Herculaneum. We left the Pompeii site about 1 or 2. Since we were tired and a little hot, we decided to stop and have a snack. We stopped at the cafe beside the train station. We ordered a pizza and a panni sandwich which were both good. If you had a choice between a beer and Coke, each of which are priced at $2.50 euro, which would you pick? No choice, its the beer.

 

We got back on the train headed towards Naples, which stops at Herculaneum. The only problem is that we got off at the wrong stop. Many of the signs at the train stops are completely covered with grafitti to the point that you can't even read the signs. We then had to wait 40 minutes for another train to take us on to Herculaneum, which was the very next stop. (Don't forget, its really called Ercolano). As you leave the train station, you'll see signs pointing to the site. You will walk about 5 or 6 blocks downhill.

 

Since Herculaneum was buried under a mud slide, you have walk down into the site. We only had an hour to take a whirlwind tour. You could see that the people here were more well-to-do. The tile floors were much more intricate. We had heard that the inhabitants had tried to escape into tunnels when the volcano erupted. So we walked through the only tunnel we saw, but it leads right back up to the site. Don't know if this was "the" tunnel.

 

By this time not only was I really tired, but was super heating again. I took off my shirt in the bathroom and got it completely wet and then put it back on. I also wet the crown of my canvas hat. It was hot but the air was dry so the shirt and hat functioned as swamp coolers and really cooled me off. It made the walk out of the ruins and back uphill bearable. By the time we reached the train station my shirt was dry.

 

I realize that we tried to do too much that day. We should have decided on either Herculaneum or Pompeii and done our choice in depth. Still, it was another full and interesting day.

 

We had no trouble getting back to the ship. You ride the train back to Naples and get off at the end of the line. The tram stop is right outside the train station. Just remember you are taking the tram, not one of the many buses that also stop there. Your tram is #1 and you want to get off at "Il Porto."

 

Our only disappointments of the day were that we didn't have time to visit the archeological museum and we didn't see any gelati for sale.

 

I may have made a mistake in my previous post. I think the big production show by the Celebrity singers and dancers was the Naples night, not the last sea day night. Sorry... We went up on deck after the show and had our last stroll and coffee. We were in bed by 11:00 because we had to leave the ship by 5:45 am. to catch our plane.

 

Next-- Reluctantly leaving the ship and some closing remarks.

[plane2port]

Our flight out of Rome to Atlanta was scheduled to leave at 10:00 am, so we were given a ship departure time of 5:45 am. We were issued luggage tags and were told to report to the Celebrity theater at 5:45. We did not put our luggage out the night before, because all we had were two carry-on size bags each, and one was a roll-on. We always use self-disembarkation and thought we didn't need to use luggage tags. Mistake.

 

They opened the buffet at 4:45 am for the many who have to leave the ship early. We had a very light breakfast and then went to the theater. They called up promptly and we went to the shuttle bus area. They didn't know which bus to put us on because we didn't have our tags. So they just let us put our bags on a bus. I think we ended up leaving with the very first bus out.

 

We got to the airport about 7 am. After going through all the usual procedures, we arrived at the departure gate at 8:00. The Rome airport is not a bad place to kill a couple of hours. They have over a 100 shops, and while I am not a shopper, I enjoyed browsing. All the designer shops are there, Gucci, Prada, etc. If you are in the market for a 400 euro blouse or 200 euro belt, this is where to buy it.

 

We had a couple of euros to get rid of, so I ordered a cafe americano at the coffee bar. After 11 days of drinking the puny Celebrity coffee, I felt as though I had injected the caffeine right into my bloodstream. A decent cup of coffee at last!

 

The Delta non-stop back to Atlanta was the best long-distance flight I've had. They were constantly offering coffee, tea, and water. We ate three times and had the regular beverage service about 3 times also.

 

Now that I'm done with my review I have to accept the fact that I'm not on vacation anymore and have to go back to the daily grind. It's been great doing the review--it's let me experience the cruise all over again.

 

Some things I liked about Celebrity:

 

1. The slightly more formal attitude of the crew to the guests.

2. The lecture series.

3. No announcements throughout the day

4. The cool towel as you come back on board after being in port all day.

5. Being greeted by senior staff as you return to the ship each day.

6. Children and teenagers were under control.

 

Some things I didn't like:

 

1. The deadline for prepaying gratuities is two days before the end of the cruise. We missed it.

2. Closing of the pool and hot tubs at 10 pm.

3. The coffee is terrible and they don't provide half-and-half.

4. Poor selection of wines in the less than $35/bottle category.

5. Poor customer service. We were charged for a bottle of wine out of the fridge that we didn't drink. No response from CS.

 

Hope some of you have found my review helpful. I will try to answer any questions that you may have.

 

Leigh

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Leigh,

 

Thanks for the great review. I'll be sailing on The Galaxy in March and love reading anything I can about the ship.

 

Donna

[Literary Lynne]

This has been one of the most interesting reviews that I've read. Each day I've been looking forward to reading of your adventures. I've enjoyed every minute but not had to suffer the poor coffee or the debilitating heat (loved the tip about the wet shirt and hat).

 

Today I feel just like I do when a cruise is over - when's the next?

 

Thanks very much

Lynne:)

[Inneedofvacation]

Thank you so much for the review. We are taking this cruise on Aug 3 so I really enjoyed reading yours, and others. I'm most worried about the heat and the crowds, knowing we are doing this in August, but at least I'm anticipating it. Now, I can also anticipate the "quality" (or lack there of) of the coffee as well. Can't wait for all of it!

[Lady Chew]

Leigh,

 

what a great review!! lots of helpful info as I'm planning our trip in September. Many of the same ports!

 

I hadn't thought about using an umbrella for the heat ... and I always carry one in my luggage anyway!

 

thanks!

Laura

[Muskoka2]

with extremely comfortable weather. Ephesus and Cornith will remain in my mind and memories forever. Still hard to believe we were actually there. Trying hard to imagine what it was like way back then. I could have spent days in both places. Note please: do visit the Harem when in Turkey. It should be included in a tour but is not.

We did all Celebrity tours and found they covered most everything we wanted to see. The islands we did on our own. I did not like the job the donkeys had to do and would never hire one. Sad to see so many stray dogs and cats. Understand the people feed them but they would never see a vet in their lives.

Did some good shopping in Santorini.

I would like to go on a cruise that had more sea days and lectures on the history before arriving in the ports. This is such an interesting and important part of the world.

Travel in May is comfortable. Thank you for your review. Glad to see they had Greek night better organized and experienced staff.

[MAXII]

Capnlei, Just want to say a huge thankyou for this fabulous review - sure is helping dh and I plan our upcoming cruise.

[captainK]

Some things I didn't like:

 

1. The deadline for prepaying gratuities is two days before the end of the cruise. We missed it.

 

 

Thanks for the great travelogue!

We depart on Galaxy on Monday. Can you charge the gratuities to you on board account?

Thanks again.

[CaribbeanBound]

To prevent being charged for items missing from the fridge:

Upon arrival in the cabin on the first day, immediately inform the cabin attendent to remove everything from the fridge. They will.

 

This way, there is no way you can get charged for stuff in the fridge and it will free up the fridge for your personal use.

 

Also always check your onboard account every couple of days to spot and dispute any suspicious charges as soon as possible.

[plane2port]

Captaink, you can charge the gratuities to your onboard account. Just don't wait til the last evening to do it. The deadline on our cruise was the day preceding the last day.

 

Caribbeanbound--re: having the refrigerator contents removed. I knew this. I was too lazy to do it. Thanks for reminding me though. I will do this without fail on our next cruise.

[captainK]

Captaink, you can charge the gratuities to your onboard account. Just don't wait til the last evening to do it. The deadline on our cruise was the day preceding the last day.

 

Caribbeanbound--re: having the refrigerator contents removed. I knew this. I was too lazy to do it. Thanks for reminding me though. I will do this without fail on our next cruise.

 

Very good.

Thank you both for the information.

Looking forward to Monday's departure.

[Montanabound]

Thanks so much for this wonderful review. My sister wants me to go on this cruise with her in a few years - I'll save the information.

[YoPhilly]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such thorough reviews. We're cruising to the Eastern Med. & Cairo in November and will be in several of the same ports. I hadn't even thought about the Straits of Messina or the Dardanelles...something else to look forward to!!

[llbiopoet]

Really fabulous review. Thanks for the detail. We're sailing on Millie on 8/5 with some of the same ports....

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for the review and all the great info!

[Dbedros]

Thank you capnlei, you made me remember all of the wonderful things about these ports. You could be a travel writer! Some of them I have visited more than once as we tend to cruise for specific ports and the standbys are always included. I started reading this because we plan to do an Oceania cruise next year which will include the Greek Islands such as Delos and Mykonos that we have not visited.

 

Can someone tell me where most folks get Turkish lira before getting to either Istanbul or Kusadasi?

We buy all of our currency prior to the cruises from Bank of America online and it is delivered to our home within a week or delivered within 2 to 3 days if we elect our Banking Center that is close to the house. Their exchange rates are comparable to others, they will take it back if we have alot left, and it is convenient.

We did research on these boards and settled on Ekol travel for our private tour of Ephesus. We chose their tour number 4, which included the ruins, the terrace houses, St. John's basilica, The House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. The cost was $75 each for a guide, private van and driver. You can pay in any euros, dollar, lira, cash, travelers checks, or credit card. You can pay ahead of time or upon arrival. We chose to pay upon arrival with dollars.

We used this company, but did not do St. John's Basilica and actually stopped to buy Turkish Towels at the end at a shop owned by our guide. She was wonderful as must be all of there guides because I have yet to read a bad review. I have bought towels there since returning.

 

For those that cannot walk as much as capnlei and her DH this is what we did:

 

Naples - Take the hydrofoil. There was a station about a half block from where we docked. Took it to Capri, almost directly in front of the funicular to go up. It was beautiful and wonder views. Took the hydrofoil from there to Pompeii and the walk to get inside to the ruins was longer than the walk from the pier. The views from the hydrofoil were wonderful as you could see the traffic backed up on the Almafi Coast. I think you can use them to get to most of the cities. I cheated in Pompeii by watching for an English speaking tour group. I then followed them around and got an excellent tour in a short time. Please do not flame me as I admit it was wrong.

 

Athens-We walked outside the pier and the guy in charge of the taxis gave us one to take us to the train/subway station which is the end of that line. We took it to the Plaka station. From there we walked to the Acropolis and had lunch in the Plaka and walked around there. There is a walking trail below the Acroplis where you can see some of the other sites. It has very good views. We went back the same way. There is a station that we got off at to look around (can't remember the name) that has statue and etc.. that were found while building the station. The last time we were there was before the Olympics.

 

Istanbul-We used a young man that was one of those approaching about rug shops to guide us to the sites we wanted to see and gave him money at the end. We took a chance but he was well dressed and his English was very good. We will be going back next year and I am currently looking for a guide with a car and driver.

 

Anyway, thanks again capnlei for sharing your wonderful trip with us and I hope these additional tips are helpful to someone.

[TomMMD]

I have a question regarding the tv in the stateroom.

 

I'll be uploading my pictures to my Ipod and need to know whether I should bother bringing along the attachment for the Ipod to show them on TV.

 

What kind of input does the tv have? Is there an RCA input jack on the tv?

[plane2port]

I have a question regarding the tv in the stateroom.

 

I'll be uploading my pictures to my Ipod and need to know whether I should bother bringing along the attachment for the Ipod to show them on TV.

 

What kind of input does the tv have? Is there an RCA input jack on the tv?

 

I don't know. You may find your answer by posting this question on a separate thread. Good luck.

 

Leigh

[YoPhilly]

We buy all of our currency prior to the cruises from Bank of America online and it is delivered to our home within a week or delivered within 2 to 3 days if we elect our Banking Center that is close to the house. Their exchange rates are comparable to others, they will take it back if we have alot left, and it is convenient.

 

What a great idea...thanks for sharing.

[canlobef]

Thanks so much capnlei for a thorough review. We were on the same cruise last year in June and had a fantastic time.. excellent service, wonderful exotic itineraries, my favorite, Santorini and Sorrento. We actually just got back from the Scandinavian cruise aboard Century and while we cannot compare two different itineraries, i actually enjoyed my east med cruise aboard Galaxy much more than the Century. In fact, me and my sibs are all planning to do a 10 day Eastern Med tour on summer of 2009 aboard Galaxy, hopefully the T POOL is still intact... Thanks again.. Angel

[MartiniWabbit]

enjoyed all your reviews. We are on Splendor of Seas Greek Isles on Sept 29. We are stopping at a couple of the same ports on that cruise and then will be on Princess for a couple of others. I do have a question about Santorini:

 

I don't do heights, so the cable car is out for me. My sister and I both have knee problems so was wondering if it is hard to walk the steps up to town from where the tenders come in. Or, can you take a taxi up to Fira and back down again. I think there is also bus service. I did read you can ride a donkey.....ha ha.....wouldn't want a picture of me on a donkey up/down. But not sure if that is up to Fira or another town. I saw a show on Food Network which featured Santorini.

 

Thanks for help ...........Lynne