CLQ

I am sailing on this ship in September with a group of 10. I have read good and bad reviews, just like any other ship. Our travel agent told us not to expect it to be on the level of a Princess cruise, but it isn't that bad either. The Greek islands are the focal point.

This ship was actually one of the original Royal Caribbean ships. She's showing her age, but on balance we were more than happy. Our expectations were so cautious (appropriately so) that the ship was far nicer than we had hoped.

All a matter of attitude, I think.

I hope you will hear from others, including Oslo.

But, I would say you have your expectations right. Go in with this simply being transportation between the islands. Then, beyond that anything you like will just be a nice surprise.

One point Oslo made is important. We, too, tried the main dining room. Had the same thing happen. They just fill up big tables as you walk in. So, for the rest of the cruise we ate in the buffet on Aft. It was the same food and actually surprisingly good. Entertainment was hit-or-miss. But, with a packed (ambitious) port schedule, we didn't much care to be entertained. So, that was fine.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/09/turkish-government-shuts-down-important-archaeological-dig-apparently-punish-Austria

I'm sure that Ephesus tours will be running wide open. Not sure whether this will affect tours of the Terrace Houses themselves or not, though. Worst case, it gives you even more time to enjoy Ephesus itself.

You may be interested in what I said about Celestyal Olympia in this thread--

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2201242

Celestyal Olympia has several options for shore excursions in Kusadasi.

We want to see Ancient Ephesus, etc...

 

Do we get shorted on that part of the tour if we pick Ancient Ephesus and Terrace Houses? Or Ancient Ephesus - Hellenistic/Roman? What is the difference in the two tours exactly? Does anyone know? Terrace Houses sound interesting, too...

Any help in understanding what is the included in and missing from each of the two tours would be very helpful. Anyone taken one, the other, or both?

Thank you.

To answer another of your questions, I should say that the Terrace Houses portion of the tour might have been 1/4 or 1/5 of the total time at Ephesus. So, it did not short us on our overall tour. We literally walked all of the exposed archaeological site, best I could tell. We went into the Theatre. We had time to pose for pictures, including a fairly good visit at the Library of Celsus.

(Well...I was trying to figure out how to share photos from Shutterfly. I think you can click on them below to open.)

https://pix.sfly.com/POVEjV

https://pix.sfly.com/by4dSs

We were just aboard Celestyal Olympia a few weeks ago. The "Terrace Houses" version of the Ephesus tour is what we did. I can say that, at least with our guide, it was well worth the time. I cannot speak to what the difference would be with the other one. The "Hellenistic..." version was not among the options the week we sailed.

What I can tell you is that we enjoyed the drive from Kusadasi to Ephesus, since the distance is so little. You may know that Ephesus was once a thriving sea port, but hundreds of years ago it "silted in." That is, they didn't have dredging technology back then, so this grand city died once the port literally dried up. It is now roughly 5 miles from the sea.

The ruins are absolutely fascinating. One of the region's grand sites is the reconstructed façade of the Library of Celsus. It is a photo stop at Ephesus that you will want to take advantage of. You will stroll the forum and see ornate detail from their columns and marble surfaces. We had a professor with us who was reading the ancient greek inscriptions along the way. The terrace houses are a fascinating set of "condos" right in the middle of ancient Ephesus. Much of Ephesus' socio-economic upper-crust lived in these grand residences. Extensive archaeological work has already been done. It is fascinating to see how advanced they were. Ancient frescos, tile work and mosaics are around every turn inside the terrace houses. You will walk through and above, all under a protective cover, as you look into the terrace houses. Archaeological teams are there working as you tour, so you can see what they are doing.

You will also go inside the wonderfully preserved theatre there. For any biblical reader, Ephesus is a treasure. Our tour also went to a Turkish rug manufacturer before a return to the ship. We didn't buy anything, but to be honest that was an enjoyable experience as well.

Based solely on the names of your two choices of shore excursions, I don't think you could go wrong. But, we took a lot of photos inside the terrace houses. They were fascinating to see.

We had a 3-night cruise on board the Olympia as part of a larger land-based tour. We made several Greek island stops, as well as one at Ephesus, Turkey. In all, our trip was 10 nights long and almost all in Greece.

Because future cruisers will see this thread and may be wondering, I wanted to say what a fabulous sailing we enjoyed on the Olympia. Yes, the ship is small. Her amenities are less than those we come to expect on the larger, mainline cruiseships we've sailed. She's old, and in some ways shows her age.

However, we went in with none of those "mainline" expectations in place. We let her be what she is. Which is a surprisingly good experience while transporting between the Greek isles! The ship itself is maintained pretty well. She is freshly painted, and the real wood decks are stained and varnished everywhere. The food was well above any expectation we had....meaning it was GOOD! The Horizons Bar up top was a stunning place to be on sail-away from islands, especially at night.

The cruise director was impressive, with a stable of languages he spoke and a great wit. When logistical info (such as tender schedules, etc.) was needed, he was the voice of the ship's operation. He was a good communicator. The entertainment was strong, with a troupe of singers/dancers that were better than some we've seen on quite large ships. Our room was small, as I am sure most on board are. That was okay. There was lots of storage built in. The beds were comfortable. We got easily our best rest of the trip there. Our schedule was busy and full of tours, and once back on board we were busy with shows and dining. We had at least 2 port stops every day. The places we went were amazing.

My point is-- let the Celestyal Olympia be what she is. Transportation and a base of operation for sailing in an area that can be quite port intensive. In this area of Greece and Turkey, the daytrips and tours are the star of the show. Let her, then, surprise you with the amenities she does offer. We would go back and do this all over again. Even a longer cruise. A 5-nighter would probably have been ideal.

Hey CLQ! I wonder if we can still access the old Diamond Lounge balcony? It looks like they still have the tables/chairs set up! We know where the gate is, we should check it out! :D

Bonnie, I'm guessing they've replaced the gate with a door, or at the least disabled the key card access.

But, you know we'll be there to check it out. Because it wouldn't be us if we didn't.

That used to be part of the Diamond Lounge, before they replaced it with cabins. It was a sort of "outdoor" balcony. The interior space was replaced with additional staterooms during the recent refurbishment.

But, we know we'll miss the old one.

Congrats on making Diamond. In 2010, we made Diamond just in time to sail on the Oasis. What a fabulous ship for you to enjoy that with first.

We're going to be back on board Oasis twice this year, so we are following your review with interest!

These scans were exactly what we were hoping to see before we go. I have read them once, and will probably do so again before we sail. Thanks for taking the time and effort!

Here is a short video of a few of these balconies:

 

 

http://travel.webshots.com/video/3087283310096597382tJlItV

 

 

Dotsie

They have the usual balcony furniture, but on the extended balcony there is another set of chairs and a table, and they appear to be teak. Very nice!

 

Ernie

Well, thanks to your heads up we snagged one of those extra large CP balconies yesterday. I was off from work, so I got busy doing some research. One that you had named was available, so we grabbed it. We had found some pictures that show the general area. You're right-- huge.

Great work, and we appreciate you getting the word out.

For anyone interested in booking a Central Park Balcony, I observed the following standard cabins have an extra large balcony (twice the standard size) with extra balcony furniture as well. I was not in one of these cabins, but I might consider one for a future cruise so I really took notice. I loved Central Park and I think I would enjoy looking over it. The Boardwalk would be a little too loud for my personal taste.

 

12629; 11629; 10629; 12229; 11229; 10229.

 

Please note the larger balcony is not indicated on the deck plan.

 

My first choice would be 11629. High enough to get a little sun during certain times of the day, and it overlooks the Trellis Bar which is very nice to look at.

 

Ernie

Ernie, thanks a MILLION for posting this info. I'm currently holding 12229, but haven't made the switch yet. Can you be specific about what extra balcony furniture we might pick up by moving there?

The ones we've had have all been so different--

We had Graham twice and enjoyed him immensely. He's probably our favorite. We would go to breakfast and then come back to see his "Be Very Afraid" morning show. Wouldn't go back out until we had, and often watched it twice.:D I suppose his British humor is an acquired taste. Not all that accessible when "off", nor did we particularly need/want him to be.

Jimmy Rhodes looked to have all the potential in the world...:confused:

Carly B on Serenade came off as the hardest working CD we've had yet. Also was the most accessible, and was extremely responsive on the couple of times when we asked her for/about things.

For the most part, we respect the CD's from a distance. We don't expect them to become our best friends while aboard, nor do we think they're going to differentiate us from the thousands of people they work for during months of sailings. The public (we call it "Circus Barker") aspect of their jobs that cruisers see is only a portion of their responsibility. They manage huge staffs and oversee decisions pertaining to multi-million dollar budgets. One day when our ship couldn't dock at Barbados, the morning scramble that Carly B and her staff had to put in must've been incredible.

It's why they work odd contracts where they sail for a few months and then are off for a few. The pace is unbelieveable.

I went down to both 7688 and 7388 on debarkation morning since I have them each booked when the Voyager gets to Texas. I was just a wee bit disappointed with the size, as I have been spoiled by the Rhapsody's aft wraps 7152 & 7652.

I'm wondering now if we should try Bonnie's fav's 1688 & 1388. If possible I now think I will try to change to one on one of the upcoming Voyager cruises. Closer to Windjammer as well.

Deck 7 aft/corner is one of those part sun/part shade sort of cabins! Yes, you can get sun, sometimes FULL sun, but not always! You can always get shade though!