CaribbeanBound

10% off isn't that good of a deal and would pass unless you really plan to drink all those items on the nicer drink menu.

We received offers for 20% off somewhere between 1 and 2 months prior to sailing, so that may yet appear.

You can also upgrade on the ship. And if you don't choose to upgrade until say day 5 of a 10 day cruise, you'll only be charged for the remaining days.

You can also just pay the difference between the drink prices.

So you really need to drink at least 3 - 6 premium drinks a day for the upgrade to be worthwhile.

'Course this is only logic speaking.

hubofhockey... Good call on the steak sandwich. I've done the exact same. However, OP wasn't asking for a great steak sandwich. Now you've let cow out of the bag.

Lawn Club on Celebrity Reflection did offer a lunch or two where they featured gourmet hamburgers for a $15 or so upcharge. We did not try them.

Rome is a great place to locate good bank ATMs to get Euros.

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.

By the way, we had no problem exchanging large euro bills for smaller euro bills (50's for 10s and 5s) at Celebrity's Guest Relations desk. No charge.

Very detailed information on Rome and other ports as well as handy pre-cruise information:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

It's 10-15 minutes by shuttle or port bus, or about 35-45 minutes of walking, to the terminal on the edge of Ibiza New Town. Add 10-15 minute walk to get inside the old town walls --- all the while you're walking through new town. If you plan on hoofing it, I recommend you google it first. Use Terminal Formentera as your destination and Estación Marítima Ibiza-Botafoc as your dock. The walk didn't look inviting but it shouldn't be hard. It's the sun and heat that'll get you.

We just got back and I've posted very detailed hints and tips for over 16 Mediterranean ports here: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

This includes your destinations of Rome (Civitavecchia) and Nice (Villefranche).

Guy's Burgers are by far the best burgers I've had at sea. Celebrity has decent burgers, but not as good as Guy's Burgers on Carnival. (Sorry folks, but that was really one of the unexpected highlights of the Carnival cruise). If you really want to seek out good burgers, I would look for them on land during your port calls.

I agree:

1. you want the earliest entry possible. In our case, they opened at 9:00 am. This will SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on your crowds for the first hour. If the sun is up, you'll enjoy the light coming through the windows. My pictures (below) were taken between 9:00 am and 10:00 am.

2. you probably don't want to count on the HOHO bus getting you to the basilica in time for your entry. Miss your 15 minute window and they will not let you in. A taxi or metro would be a better idea.

While we explored totally on our own, others have expressed how great the official tour guides are --- as well as how good the audio guide is. You apparently can't go wrong with either.

Here's my quick review:

The #1 tourist attraction in Barcelona is Sagrada Familia, a basilica unlike any other in the world. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, its a work still in progress. While the exterior is genuinely unique --- my wife thinks it looks something like a sandcastle --- it's the interior that is jaw-dropping. Nothing really prepares you for the experience that awaits once you set foot inside.

We bought the "Basic" self-guided tour tickets (€15 pp) online at their official website for the 9:00 am entry time, which is when they open. All tickets are time-controled and they only let a set number of visitors in at 15-minute intervals. Miss your interval and you will be refused entry. However, once in, you can stay as long as you like. And they do have restrooms in the complex, but outside of the basilica on your way towards the museum, souvenir shop, and exit.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/barce...dafamilia2.jpg

Note that you cannot upgrade your tickets upon arrival. So if you want an audioguide, a guided tour, and/or wish to climb the tower, you need to make this choice online and pay for it in advance. We bought our tickets online over a month in advance of our early May visit. No tickets were available on site the day we visited. It had sold out online. If you enjoy sightseeing without the crowds, I highly recommend you get tickets for 9:00 am.

We got off the ship at 7:30 am and shared a taxi with 2 other couples (€30 total / €5 pp) to Sagrada Familia. We arrived before 8:00 am and got a good look at many of the statues on the exterior prior to getting in line at street level for security which opened about 8:30 am. We queued a second time in the courtyard one floor above security.

If you prefer to take the metro, and the Cruise Bus is running, take the Cruise Bus to the Christopher Columbus statue. Then walk NW 2 blocks from the Christopher Columbus statue to the Drassanes Metro station. It's located just the other side of the Comandància Naval de Barcelona building. Take the green L3 metro 1 stop to Paral-lel station, then change to the L2 Purple Metro and take it directly to the Sagrada Familia stop. The Sagrada Familia can be seen immediately upon exiting the metro.

At 9:00 am the Sagrada Familia doors opened and welcomed the first group of ticketholders. There is some massing just inside the door as you become enthralled at the grand beauty and begin capturing the first of over 400 pictures. Thank goodness for digital photography! The beautiful colored light you see in my photos is natural sunlight coming through stained glass windows. The colored glass and window placements were carefull conceived and orchestrated to provide a changing light show from sun up to sun down. No artificial colored lighting is used, and most of the pillars are actually white.

We spent close to 2 hours exploring the basilica, watching the lighting change as time passed, and visiting the museum displays below the church. The church was practically empty for the first 15 minutes, but got fuller every succeeding quarter-hour. There were maybe 100 visitors when we arrived and few thousand (inside and out) when we left about 10:45 am.

Here are my detailed notes on Barcelona and other ports we visited in the Mediterranean:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/medit...n-secrets.html

Have a great trip. If per chance Dark Rome oversells your tour or there are more groups in the Sistine Chapel for the first 15 minutes when you arrive, be sure to call them out. I sent them a pleasant email telling them it was a worthy tour but they didn't fulfill their promises. They quickly gave me a 10 euro refund. Not a big deal. Had they not promised otherwise, I would have been just as happy with this early entry tour. I just felt someone needs to hold them accountable.

eurocruiser... thank you for chiming in.

shenkean...

You ask good questions. Since we've never been to Pisa I can't post definitive answers. I posted those notes from my pre-cruise research. Search the Italy ports-of-call board for Pisa. Yes, you can find a train schedule online. It may require a brief explanation on how to read it. I'm not qualified.

I understand "San Rossore" is the station where you get off since it's only a 5 minute walk to the tower at Piazza dei Miracoli. (Don't wait for "Pisa Centrale" which is a 20-30 minute walk).

Final boarding call on Celebrity is 30 minutes before the posted sailing time. You'll want to plan to be on board no later than 60 minutes prior if you want to avoid the stress. The ship will leave without you. We even left several ports early, though I'm assuming it was because everyone was accounted for.

3rd Option, how about finding another real tour from a reputable tour operator that runs the tour you want to do, and does it earlier? You'll save up to 50% off the ship's tour cost and have a much smaller group. This way you can go to Fira and Oia after, and not waste time.

In our 20+ years of cruising we have only ever taken the ship tour 3 times. Since you aren't getting off the ship as soon as they arrive, and there is no way you'll be late getting back, there is little benefit to the ship's tour.

Once on board, a 50% discount was offered for all of the specialty dining restaurants on the ship, subject to availability of course, for the first night. 25% off discounts were available almost daily to all venues except Murano. Heavier discounting was available when Lobster was being served in the MDR too.

Agios Stefanos is a VERY close beach to the port. It's even closer to the port than the town is but its in the opposite direction. There is no sidewalk from the port to town or this beach. The roads aren't very safe to walk. (I sure wouldn't). It should be an inexpensive taxi ride however.

Well, looks like you got your answer.

We did the Southern Caribbean on Celebrity. Here's some detailed info if it's of interest:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/southerncaribbean.html

We took them from the port. Worthy tour. Note that they do not take you inside Segrada Familia. They do go inside Park Guell however, which is also fun.

Len,

If it were me, I would take the luggage straight to the hotel and let them store it until its time to check in. We did this in Rome since our plane arrived early. We cleared the idea with the hotel when we made reservations. They even gave us a free breakfast when we dropped off the bags. When we came back to check in they had already taken our bags to our room.

Staying in the port area makes sense, especially since that's also where most of the sights are. Taxis are plentiful and the Metro is very good.

The single most spectacular site in Barcelona is the interior of La Sagada Familia.

Here are my detailed notes on Barcelona and other ports we visited in the Mediterranean:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

THE VATICAN

What some responses miss here is that the early tours take care of the ticketing and get you into the Vatican museum up to 90 minutes before the general public who buy tickets online or wait in line.

I think it is worth every penny to get in early. First your day gets off to an earlier start, and you get to see a lot of the museums before their are "crowds" and trust me you'll be ear to ear with people after the official opening. If you like to take pictures and avoid crowds it's worth prearranging a tour with an official vatican partner. And you also get to skip the lines for the Basilica (which can easily stretch 2.5 hours in the sun).

We got up early and took a 6:15 am bus to The Vatican (the smallest county in the world at 109 acres) for our "First Entry: Express Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums Entrance Tickets" tour, prebooked online with Dark Rome (City Wonders) for $58.75 per person (after discount). This tour granted us pre-ticketed special entrance access to the Sistine Chapel at 7:30 am. The selling point for this tour was access "30 minutes before any other group and 90 minutes before the general public, finding this incredible room empty" along with a group size of 20 people or less. We met our group across the street from the Entrance to the Vatican Museum at 7:00 am. Our tour guide led us into the museum, through the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Tapestries, and Gallery of Maps, to the Sistine Chapel where we had a lot of room to view and enjoy Michaelangelo's work. At 8:30 am, we had the option to exit the Sistine Chapel via a special skip-the-line exit to St. Peter's Basilica, or go back into the museum, unescorted, to explore. We chose to explore.

Our tour guide was good, the museum spectacular, the 90 minute jump start on crowds and the special skip-the-line access to St. Peter's Basilica were priceless. With 20,000 visitors a day, the Vatican gets very crowded. While the tour was entirely worth it, City Wonders didn't meet their promises. Our group was over the size limit by 15% and we had around four dozen other visitors in the Sistine Chapel with us when it opened. However, contrast this with the enormous hard-to-move-around crowds we encountered after 9:00 am and we considered ourselves very fortunate to have selected an early-entry tour.

Our second tour for the day was "The Scavi Tour". It was scheduled for 11:15 am, with an 11:00 am meeting time about a block from St. Peter's Basilica. This gave us only about 90 minutes to explore a few key exhibits in the Vatican Museum before exiting at 10:00 am via a special skip-the-line tour group exit for a quick visit to St. Peter's Basilica. This exit allows you to enter St. Peter's Basilica without going all the way back to the museum exit, walking 10-15 minutes to the Basilica, and then waiting in a two hour line! I'm told that this line, which we saw snaking all the way across St. Peter's Square in the sun, is a fairly constant 2.5-hour line all day long. While it's actually free to get into the Basilica, it's worth booking an official vatican partner tour just to skip this line.

St. Peter's Basilica is the largest "church" in the world. The opulence is breathtaking, from the high ornate ceilings (the dome is 385 feet up) and statuary to the marble and gold that is employed throughout. If you have time, visit The Vatican Grottoes. They are in the level below the floor of St. Peter's where many popes are buried. You can access the Grottoes by taking the stairs near the papal altar.

Below the Grottoes is the ancient Necropolis and excavations of St. Peter's tomb. These can only be seen on The Scavi Tour. The tour features everything from papal tombs to an ancient Roman street and St. Peter’s mausoleum. This incredible 90-minute escorted tour into the Excavations of the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath St. Peter's Basilica, is one of the most fascinating tours we took our entire trip. It's also one of the toughest tickets to come by in the Eternal City. Only around 250 visitors per day are permitted to enter, and groups are composed of approximately 12 people. Tickets (a bargain at just €13 per person) can only be purchased in advance (typically months in advance), via their official website.

The Scavi office is accessed on the left (south) side of the colonnade (columns) as you're facing the Basilica, through the Sant' Uffico gate. They do not let you go through security until it is almost time for your tour. Go through security, show the Swiss Guards your reservation and say "Scavi". You then walk to the Scavi office which is a short walk up a driveway and to the right where you'll be checked in. If you are late, they will leave without you. Our tour guide was excellent and he was full of good historical information. This tour literally ends inside the main floor of St. Peter's Basilica. Had we not already explored it earlier, this would have been a good time to do so.

COLOSSEUM

We booked a 1:30 pm 2.5 hour tour "Colosseum Arena Floor with Roman Forum" online in advance with The Roman Guy for €49 per person (using a 10% off "ricksteves" discount code). It was well worth it. Our meeting place was just outside the Metro station across from the Colosseum (one of two places on this trip that gave us goosebumps just being there. It truly is an impressive site). Our group was small, with only 9 folks including our knowledgeable English-speaking guide. She gave us some history and an overview before we went inside. We skipped the ticket line and our security line took less than 2 minutes since we were able to enter through the lesser used "Gate of Death" on the backside of the structure. We went up some stairs, through an arch, and found ourselves on the reconstructed arena floor for about 15-20 minutes. This was AWESOME!

Only about 25% of the arena floor has been rebuilt, giving you a glimpse at what it once looked like as well as excellent views of the underground hypogeum and a rebuilt animal trap door. From here we explored a couple different levels of the Colosseum (but not the underground nor the recently opened upper lever Bob Uecker seats, which require a different access pass).

Leaving the Colosseum, we walked past the Arch of Constantine to the Arch of Titus at the entrance to the Roman Forum. Our escorted tour included Julius Caesar's Temple, The Eternal Flame, Vestal Virgins Atrium, Senate House, Basilica of Atoninous and Faustina, Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. Following the tour, we briefly hiked up Palatine Hill for some light exploring before heading back towards our hotel.

Here's our complete, very detailed information page on all of our Mediterranean Ports, with pictures: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/mediterranean-secrets.html

You are smart to prearrange your transportation.

We had prearranged a pickup with RomeCabs from Civitavecchia Port to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) for a party of 6 at a price of €170. A bargain at just €28 pp plus tip. Our driver was waiting on us. (I highly recommend prebooking transportation so you are not waiting in a long line for taxis or overpaying for bus transfers). Good experience.

If you're interested, I've posted very detailed info about the cruise, ships, and ports here:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/western-mediterranean.html

It's really a win-win either way in Mykonos.

Thanks for the nice comments. Agree with scluvsrain, as the inside exceeds any expectations.

I totally agree that Naples is a port with too much to offer. Among your tour choices here:

• Explore the city of Naples: Highlights include Duomo di San Gennaro, the city's cathedral, which is filled with frescoes; the Royal Palace; Castel Nuovo, a 13th-century castle; the spectacular Piazza del Plebiscito; Maschio Angioino castle, surrounded by deep moats; Galleria Umberto I with its marble floors and world's largest glass-roofed arcade; and several museums including The National Archaeological Museum of Naples, displaying the most valuable heritage of works of art and archaeological artifacts in Italy (including some of the best finds from Pompeii).
  
• Visit the Island of Capri: One of the most picturesque and visited locations in the region. Also features the Blue Grotto, a dark cavern where the sea glows electric blue due sunlight passing through an underwater cave.
  
• Visit the Amalfi Coast: Explore the picturesque coastal towns of Sorrento and Positano.
  
• Peek inside Mt. Vesuvius: Journey to the top of this still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
  
• Explore Pompeii and/or Herculaneum: Explore the ancient ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii which are now vast archaeological sites.
  

The one place my wife specifically requested to visit on this entire trip was Pompeii, so we set our sights on seeing Pompeii and the lessor-known city of Herculaneum. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can find tours and taxis to both ruined cities, or you can get there easily and inexpensively on your own. Pompeii is just a 30-to-40-minute train ride away, and Herculaneum is just 15 minutes away. Thankfully they can both be accessed from the same trains, but you still need to get to the train station from the port.

Whatever you decide, I agree you should make tour arrangements (or decide to DIY) before you go.

If you decide on Pompeii, here are VERY detailed instructions on how to do Pompeii and/or Herculaneum on your own, as well as info on other Eastern Mediterranean ports: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

We docked and got off the ship at 7:30 am and took the first free shuttle bus to town (about 8 minutes). Walking takes about 30 minutes, but I'd advise against it. There is no sidewalk or shade once you exit the port and the road doesn't look safe due to the turns, hills, and traffic. Another option is to take a Sea Bus Water Taxi for €2 from the port directly into the heart of town.

Complete very detailed review of the ship, Mykanos, and other Eastern Mediterranean ports:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

The chic nights on the Western cruise were the 3rd and 8th nights (Nice and Gibraltar respectively).

I think I got an email within about 4-6 weeks of the cruise departure date. It was definitely after the cancellation time.

The European Roulette table has just one "0". American is "0" and "00". We had both tables on the Reflection.

While subject to change, our chic nights were the 3rd and 8th nights (Nice and Gibraltar). Neither were sea days.