cavaaller

We particularly enjoyed the detour to the city beach. The water was 22°C (at least that's what a nice Greek guy told us who told us his life story on the beach). It's a shame that we didn't have any bathing suits with us, it would have been really great to swim here.

Nafplio The tender process in Nafplio started at 7 a.m. this morning. An escort was organized for retreat guests for that you had to report to Michael’s Club. It went absolutely smoothly. The tenders anchored directly opposite the old town of Nafplio. Taxi and HoHo tours were offered here: and you can also explore the city very easily on foot. We walked up to the fort (white arrow) we also wandered around the old town a bit. we saw the Venetian lion:

Forgot to add: taxi prices in heraklion

We used the afternoon for a trip to the gym and then headed to Luminae again. Roasted Carrot Salad (which I did not really care for: The Carrots were dry, the pickled veggies were much too sour) Smoked Potato Soup (was really good) Grilled Veal Chop (a huuuuuuuuge serving - suitable for 2 people) The Chocolate Pill (Daniel Bouloud) and Banana Foster (Main Dining Room) and the chocolate soufflé

This (blue dot) is the location the shuttle bus dropped us off. There were plenty of taxis waiting for tours and/or trips to Knossos (fixed price) Our taxi took us back to the port entry, where the Inter-Port-Shuttle took us back to the ship.

We then continued on to see the Venetian aquaduct near the palace of Knossos. It supplied water to the city from the mountains from the 17th century until the early 20th century. The monument has a lot of holes in it - our guide told us that they are meant as an entry-way for the crows who eat all the animals that died in the water so that these don't rot and don't pollute the water.

We drove through wine yards, olive farms, saw an original cretan village. And our driver taught us a little greek history. The story that I loved most was the one about the Island Dio. He told us: The island represents a crocodile (you don't need too much imagination to recognize one in the outline of the island...) that is hunting a turtle (the "knubbel" = turtle shell). And then Zeus intervened and warned the crocodile: leave the poor turtle alone, she is just as much a creature created by me as you are. But the crocodile didn't want to listen - it was probably more hungry - and kept on pursuing. Whereupon God, Zeus, or whoever, got really angry and - boom... sent lightning down to earth, turning both crocodile and turtle into stone. And since then there have been these two islands north of Heraklion, kept at a safe distance for eternity. Love the story 😄

The sun was shining on us today again. I think it is really remarkable that Celebrity provides a free shuttle at every port where it is “necessary”. Here in Heraklion we were driven to the old town again. We could have easily explored Heraklion here, but reading the travel reports and looking at the travel logs got the impression that it wasn't really worth it. That's why we asked one of the taxi drivers standing by if he could take us to the mountains. He was happy to do it for 40 E an hour. So we got a little history lesson and got to know the hinterland. The 80 (100 with tip) euros were very well spent.

@Shimsdan This is the current Staff:

Back on the ship, we recovered from our long walk and then enjoyed a little tea time in the Michael’s Club Lounge, which was almost empty as usual. Afterwards it was time for our dinner at Luminae: Ravioli: Veal: Venison: Crème brûlée after which we watched the magician's show in the theater. I'm not a fan of magic shows - but I'm sure this one was comparatively well done. At least the theater was well filled and the applause was correspondingly loud.

At the end of the tour, which lasted a little more than 1.5 hours, we walked along the beach promenade to the harbor entrance where the Colossus of Rhodes is said to have stood, but where only two puny deer live now. Here we marveled at the yachts and were enchanted by the crystal clear water. You could also swim in this bay - not only locals took advantage of this opportunity. A short distance back towards the ship you could walk on a small tongue to a tower-shaped fortification. From here we had a beautiful view of our ship and the old town. Unfortunately we couldn't climb the tower.

First we passed the gate of Agios Athanasios We passed the Church of the Virgin de Burgh (14th century) and marveled at the very well-preserved arches We then walked through the magical old town with many small cafés and shops from which friendly people wished us good morning without trying to talk us into anything or persuade us to do anything. We continued through the small streets to the city wall: Here we could also see the famous clock tower (from 1852):

Rhodes When the ship moored at the harbor, we could immediately see: Ideal docking position in the middle of the beautiful old town. We didn't spend too much time eating breakfast either. French Toast and Pastry but we set off very soon to do this walkingtour: A is the docking position

Afterwards there was a meet and mingle event with the officers in the grand foyer, which was accompanied by live music from Southern Groove - fabulous aswell. There's always something going on here on the ship. Lots of very good live acts, really good musicians and artists - celebrity doesn't miss a beat here!

In the afternoon we ordered room service and then we watched the show that was absolutely amazing. We particularly liked the artists. There are quite a few children on our trip due to the school holidays. Many of these children are also taken to the shows and even though the vast majority of these children behave well, there are unfortunately exceptions. Screaming, whining, crying children should not stay in the theater, they are clearly not having fun - it would be nice if the parents could be considerate of these children and the other guests (and the artists)

Rhodes was by far my favourite port so far. I will continue my review later today.

Thanks everybody for your comments, @ZESTER michael‘s. Lub can only be accessesed of you have booked a suite or are zenith. @travellerin1984 for us personally, the retreat is worth the money. We like the extra space in the suite and the intimate atmosphere and wonderful service in Luminae. But: Service is great anywhere on the ship so it is really a matter of personal taste.

Speaking of great service: Michael's Club - top notch . I already raved about the concierges but the bartender (?) is equally great! I especially love the little nibs they serve during tea-time

Since an Easter buffet had been announced for lunch, our expectations were of course correspondingly high. In fact, many other guests probably had similar expectations, because the buffet was packed for the first time. However, I personally think that the buffet did not live up to these expectations. Overall, I think there is a weak point on this trip: the buffet is not particularly good. However, I would like to exclude the desserts, which are always high quality and very tasty. I also think it's great that gluten-free foods (and desserts) are clearly signposted. But again: Service is great: Staff are constantly bustling through the restaurant removing plates and taking drink orders:

We slept in a little today because it is Easter Sunday - went for breakfast in Luminae and then to the gym. I already said that there were three Pelotons - the problem is that two of them need to be activated and can not be used at the moment. They said that they already emailed Peloton and are hoping to receive a renewal code very soon. Until then you can only use them for trial runs. But there is so much other equipment to use so it is not a problem.

Let's continue with yesterday evening. After dinner we went to see the cellist Andrei Cavassi. He was excellent - so much so that we went to see him perform again today in his matinée show

I had not been on the Infinity before but I was told that they renewed almost all carpets. The ship looks brand new if you ask me. That however does not apply to the technical equiment/devices: The AC in our room eg. is ridiculously loud (50 db - I measured the noise lying in the bed level with my watch because noise perception is very subjective) and can not be turned off. It is much less noisy in my parents room but this just goes to show that it is an old ship. The toilet gets clogged from time to time - there are funny smells from time to time. But still: If I had to choose between the Apex and the Infinity I would probably choose the Infinity. This ship has soul, beauty and grace, it is sophisticated and feels intimate.

Of course we had to end this fantastic day with dinner at Luminae. Amuse Bouche (Watermelon- Cheese) Salmon Poke (sooo tender, so spicy and soooooooo good!) Corn Soup (My son's favorite soup in the world, he desperately wants to know the recipe) Trout Pork Tender Loin (was not the best part of the meal) (it was a little dry) and the Chocolate Sphere