Review for Solstice Mediterranean Venice cruise June 28, 2012

[dln929]

Deirdre!

 

It's so great to find you here. I'm going to enjoy reading your recap, and reliving our cruise. It went by far too fast.

 

To all of the readers, I was also on this cruise and it was a particularly large and lively roll call - we met the best people! Even beyond our cruise critic mob the tone of the passengers was fun and social. I'm sure all you future sailors will have a blast on Solstice.

 

-Al (and John)

 

Al!! Do you see I've given you a mention? Your lecture on contemporary art made our first day at sea the success that it was. You're such a compelling speaker (and this coming from someone whose taste in art veers over to long-ago centuries). It was a treat hearing you speak. My sister collects contemporary art and when she heard we attended your lectures, she was green with envy! If you ever go on another cruise, will you announce it here on CC so we all have first dibs? :D

 

Here's a photo of me from formal night, taken not far from the martini bar . I am wearing the gold necklace I bought in Rome. There was always music coming from the atrium. Celebrity has some fabulous musicians on board, no matter what your taste in music is. That was one thing that we enjoyed tremendously--we never had to walk very far to hear live music, whether it was by the lawn, the pool, the atrium, or any of the lounges. It was simply lovely.

 

[dln929]

Kotor! I don't know if I've awaited any destination more anxiously than I did Kotor. I knew we were in for an incredible sail-in. We were due to arrive at 7 am but I was up on the deck at 4:45 am (too excited to sleep longer than that!). Believe it or not there were about five people already there. Sunrise was at 5:13 am and soon after that there were over a hundred people on the deck with me enjoying the spectacular views. It's jaw dropping bee-u-ti-ful! Cameras were clicking every second and no wonder!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseacecat]

Really enjoying your review and love your writing style.

We are doing an Adriatic cruise in October, so your info. on Kotor is very much anticipated. Plan to be up very early for the sail in.

Cpt. Nestaroudis is one of the nicest young men I have ever met and I am happy for you that you had an opportunity to meet him. Please keep it coming. :)

 

Anne

[dln929]

Rob and I stayed on deck until we docked in Kotor and then headed down to the Oceanview Cafe to eat breakfast on the open deck. It was fascinating to watch the shadows the rising sun cast on the mountains opposite it as it worked its way up from behind the eastern side mountains. After a good breakfast we headed back to our room, drew the curtains, and took a nap for about two hours or so. I found myself doing this a lot. Rob wasn't as fanatical as I about getting up pre-dawn (Kotor and Dubrovnik he made an exception for, but otherwise he slept in mornings like a normal person ;)). I don't know what it is about ships but I must, must, must see the dawns! The funny thing is that at home I'm a bit of a sluggard in the morning. I can only blame the sea air and clear open views for my early morning forays onto the upper decks. It's in the early hours of the day that you see how hard the crew works, too. One morning at 5:30 am I came upon the lawn mower giving the lawn its haircut.

 

[dln929]

In Kotor the ship tenders and like Cannes, we were off the ship so late that the rest of the gang had long since departed. It's very relaxing not to have to wait for your party to be called and wondering if you're going to make it in time for your scheduled excursion. Free form shore trips do have some firm advantages. ;)

 

Our goal in Kotor was to take a look at the walled town and then climb the walls to the fort. You know that saying about mad dogs and Englishmen being out in the noonday sun (and how crazy they obviously are)? Rob and I were the mad dogs that day. It was, once more, a sweltering day but we were undeterred. We filled our water bottle at the last fountain we saw at the entrance to the trail up the walls. We drank it in minutes, no surprise there! Fortunately there were a few men on the trail selling cold water bottles. The first water seller was offering bottles for 1.50 euros. The higher up the mountain you climbed, the more expensive the bottles became. Even still, you can tell how unspoiled and charming Kotor is--the price only went up 50 cents at each water selling station. We'd have gladly paid 5 euros by the time we got to the top~

 

Every other Solstice passenger was smart enough to have already climbed the fort before the worst heat of the day set in, but we had plenty of company from Oceana passengers whose ship docked long after hours. There's a certain comraderie among people doing crazy things like climbing mountains in 100 degree heat and we all had a good time and everyone took everyone else's photo at the top. Proof that where there's a will, there's a way. :cool:

 

It was worth the climb. What views! What a glorious country!

 

Here's a look up to the fort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a photo of breakfast just after dawn in Kotor.

 

[dln929]

I nearly forgot to say that it was the 4th of July when we docked in Kotor. Here's a photo of the Oceanview Cafe just as they were preparing to open up for breakfast. There were red, white, and blue balloons everywhere and even two ice carvings, one of a bald eagle and the other of the Statue of Liberty. It made me mist up a little because I love Independence Day and I love my country. We ran into some Canadian friends we'd made and when they saw my wet eyes they exclaimed "Oh! You Americans are so sentimental!" It was a sweet moment.

 

[librarylady19]

Loving your review Deirdre. So nice you were able to spend time with your daughter too.

[erewhon]

Enjoying reading your review.

Thank you.

[Tara Jane]

Great review, we are sailing on the same itinerary 20 september, so looking forward to reading more of your trip. Thanks for all the links too, very helpful. Regarding Livorno, at 18 euro pp I assume if there were 2 it would almost be worth getting a taxi, or sharing a taxi with someone else in line to the station. Is the station a long way from the city centre? I am just thinking that 5 euro to the city and 18 to the station is quite a difference. We will be spending a day in Florence travelling from Rome pre cruise so from Livorno plan to just go to Pisa and Lucca. From the research I have done it seems a reasonably easy thing to do by train from Livorno.

[travelpeon]

Regarding Livorno, at 18 euro pp I assume if there were 2 it would almost be worth getting a taxi, or sharing a taxi with someone else in line to the station. Is the station a long way from the city centre? I am just thinking that 5 euro to the city and 18 to the station is quite a difference. We will be spending a day in Florence travelling from Rome pre cruise so from Livorno plan to just go to Pisa and Lucca. From the research I have done it seems a reasonably easy thing to do by train from Livorno.

 

Dierdre - will you be taking the ship's excursion again during Reflection's TA stop in Florence? What time did the excursion leave vs time docked? I'm on the TA roll call and plan to DIY Florence via Train like Tara Jane was thinking and was wondering if transporting a care package, heat, convenience, or something else helped make the decision.

 

I have a similar rule about taking the stairs. The exception is when I'm in heels, especially going up, and occasionally giving myself a break when I return from a long and hot excursion.

[dln929]

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone, and thanks for reading my review!

 

Great review, we are sailing on the same itinerary 20 september, so looking forward to reading more of your trip. Thanks for all the links too, very helpful. Regarding Livorno, at 18 euro pp I assume if there were 2 it would almost be worth getting a taxi, or sharing a taxi with someone else in line to the station. Is the station a long way from the city centre? I am just thinking that 5 euro to the city and 18 to the station is quite a difference. We will be spending a day in Florence travelling from Rome pre cruise so from Livorno plan to just go to Pisa and Lucca. From the research I have done it seems a reasonably easy thing to do by train from Livorno.

 

Tara Jane, here's a tutorial on taking the train from Livorno. http://www.mediterranean-cruise-ports-easy.com/travel-to-florence.html From everything that I read, the rail station is not close enough to the city center to easily walk, so you have to take either the bus or a taxi from the plaza where the shuttle drops you off. It's a ten minute bus ride on the #1 bus. If you can get hold of Rick Steves' Mediterranean port guide, he goes into really good detail about how to get from the ship to the train station.

 

It's 5 euros pp round tripfor the port authority shuttle from the ship to Livorno city center plus another 1 euro from the plaza to the train station if you take the bus versus $18 round trip (dollars not euros) shuttle directly to the train station. Or, 7 euros (appx. $9-$10 depending on the day's exchange rate) vs. $18. If you're planning on taking the train, I think it's worth it to pay for the convenience of getting to the station directly, especially given the short amount of in port. Time is money as they say.

 

Dierdre - will you be taking the ship's excursion again during Reflection's TA stop in Florence? What time did the excursion leave vs time docked? I'm on the TA roll call and plan to DIY Florence via Train like Tara Jane was thinking and was wondering if transporting a care package, heat, convenience, or something else helped make the decision.

 

I have a similar rule about taking the stairs. The exception is when I'm in heels, especially going up, and occasionally giving myself a break when I return from a long and hot excursion.

 

Hello Ms. Travelpeon! I saw that you were on our April TA. How are we ever going to wait that long?? I think I'm going to go into cruise withdrawals after the Summit. :eek:

 

About Livorno--although the ship docks at 7 am, the announcement for the all clear clear to disembark doesn't happen until closer to 8 am. Here's some more info from my Celebrity Daily (I'm typing exactly as it's written).

 

Local Shuttle Service to the Livorno Train Station and Back

Tickets can be purchased outside on the pier for US $18 per person charged to guests onboard accounts. Meeting time/place: 8:15 am on the pier.

 

Ship to Livorno Station: bus departs at 8:25 am and will ararive at 8:45 am at the Livorno train station in time to buy the tickets(s) and catch the train leaving from Livorno station at 9:11 am and arriving in Pisa at 9:26 am or Florence at 10:33 am.

 

Livorno Train Station to Ship: The bus will pick up passengers at 5:00 pm from the Livorno train station that will be taking the train leaving from Pisa at 4:35 pm and arriving in Livorno at 4:49 pm or passengers taking the train leaving from Florence at 3:27 pm and arriving in Livorno at 4:49 pm.

 

When Rob and I are back in Livorno next April, we too are going to go the DIY route instead of taking the ship's bus to Florence. We'll simply use the $18 r/t shuttle to the train station because it's a time-saver and very convenient. We might go to Cinque Terre instead of Florence. But to answer your question, the ship's bus departed to Florence at about the same time as the shuttle bus did, just before 8:30 am.

[Tara Jane]

dln929

 

Thank you so very much for the fantastic information. That link is excellent. One mention was 120 euro for a taxi for 4 passengers, return trip to Pisa and 2 hours waiting time, with the suggestion of negotiating to go to Lucca.

 

That is definately for me, works out at only 30 euro each from the ship to Pisa and maybe Lucca, much better than bus to Livorno station and train to Pisa and Lucca. Just need to find another couple on the cruise interested in joining us. Will be a much easier day than bus and train and still having the opportunity to do our own thing at Pisa.

[dln929]

Venice! What a beautiful sail-in and at such a reasonable hour, too. Not the crack of dawn! It seemed like the entire ship was on the upper decks camera in hand. On the loudspeakers Italian themed music serenaded us. Andrea Bocelli sounds fabulous when surrounded by the beauty that is Venice.

 

We're avid walkers so we walked off the ship straight into the city. It's easy enough to do. Just follow everyone else and the yellow lines and within 30 minutes you're already at the central train station. However, if we had been feeling lazy we could have bought a shuttle boat day pass for $22. According to my Celebrity Daily, it would have brought us to "downtown." Presumably this is St. Mark's Square because that's where most people make a beeline to.

 

We wandered around Venice with no particular plan in mind, eventually buying the 24 hour vaporetto pass from a tobacconist near the train station. I am warning you! This is a very very very very very very busy place to start your vaporetto journey because everyone starts from the station! We were packed in like sardines. It brought to mind all those Asian ferry disasters where they stuff 4000 people on a ferry meant for 400. There was no breathing room. Personally, I take it as part of the travel experience but if it's not your cup of tea, I'd suggest walking a bit further away from the train station before hopping on a vaporetto, as people do get off eventually (usually at the Rialto Bridge). We stayed on until we got to St. Mark's Square for an obligatory touristy look-see. Crowded but so beautiful. Then back on with a stop at the gardens (Gianrdini/Biennale) because I'd admired them on a previous visit to Venice. By this time it was close to Happy Hour so we took a seat at a lovely cafe called Paradiso. Sticker shock! Rob's beer cost 7 euros and it was an ordinary Italian beer, not an import. Now I know in the scheme of Venice prices we got off cheap but even still that's a lot for a beer. He ought to have ordered a glass of wine instead!

 

Next stop on the vaporetto was the Lido, or beach. I like this honky-tonk beach neighborhood a lot and if you want to swim at a sandy beach, this is your place. It's free entry onto the beach though there is a nominal charge--just a euro or two--for a changing room and toilet. There are concession stands, too. Fun place if you need a break from the overwhelming beauty of Venice.

 

On to the island of Burano. We'd been there last fall and it was so freezing cold damp that day that we wanted to return in better weather. It's a bit of a distance to get there on the vaporetto. The boat is larger than the ones that ply the Grand Canal, and there's a bathroom on board. That's a 1.50 euro saving right there! ;) Burano is so colorful. It's like being lost in a gigantic box of Crayola crayons. It's small enough that you can easily walk around and cover everything there is to see. There are plenty of small shops and restaurants and it's a relaxing, pretty place to while away the hours. We got lucky, too, in that when we got back on the boat to Venice, the sun was setting. It was like the piece de resistance to a lovely Venice day.

 

We missed dinner at our table, of course, so we headed up to the OceanView Cafe and ate outside on the patio. It was well past 8 pm at this point. I noticed that they'd switched the music soundtrack from soothing (if not slightly too loud) new age music to Italian style music and I thought that was very nice. There was no show that evening in the theatre so we went to the game room and got a game of Scrabble and brought it back up to the open decks to play. Score on last game: Deirdre 302, Rob 200. Go Deirdre!!!!!! :D The Silhouette was docked opposite us and I got a good look at the Alcoves, which I decided blocked the lawn views making me dislike them on the spot.

 

I woke up before dawn and headed up to the open decks per usual. I love having the ship to myself! The light is so soft in the early morning and it's so quiet. I took some photos and after a while headed back to our cabin where I went back to sleep for an hour or so. Also per usual. It's a good thing we hadn't anything planned for the day because we'd have never made it. Rob and I spent the remainder of the morning wandering around Venice exploring the different neighborhoods. It's funny but once you move away from the touristy spots like the Rialto Bridge and San Marco, Venice is amazingly uncrowded. I can only surmise that most visitors to the city don't like getting off the beaten path, but that's exactly what Rob and I like the best. It's fun finding yourself on skinny little alleyways that empty out in the canal, causing you to backtrack and find another route. Like being a mouse in a wonderfully scenic maze.

 

Here are some photos of Burano and Venice. It's not hard to tell which is which!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dln929]

Here are a few random photos taken on board the Solstice.

 

Sunrise by the pool.

 

 

Pre-dawn with the view of the full moon. Look for it; I'm not telling where! ;)

 

 

 

This was such a scenic itinerary that people brought their serious cameras with them. This is from the morning we sailed into Kotor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lawn by the light of the moon. It's a great place for stargazing!

 

[Presto2]

This revew is amazing - thank you soooo much ! We are off on an Adriatic cruise on the Silhouette from Venice in just over 2 weeks time and we can't wait to see the sites you have described.

 

Thank you so much for posting all of this wonderful information

 

:D

[dln929]

Thank you for the feedback!

_____________________________

 

Next up, Dubrovnik and another early morning up on the decks to watch the sun rise. It's another pretty sail-in, not quite as spectacular as Kotor but then again that's a hard one to beat. I like watching the pilot boats come up to the ship. Every port has its own. Some are sleek and fashionable and others are adorably cute. You always know, though, that the action is about to begin for the day when the pilot hops aboard. You're just that much closer to docking and hopping off for another adventure.

 

We walked off the ship with plans to take the local bus to the city but when we saw the sign that said the old city was just 3 km away, we decided to walk it. I'm glad that we did. It's a good walk past interesting shops and buildings and gardens and cliffs and spectacular sea views. You can't get lost if you hug the road to the right when you come to the part where it forms a "Y."

 

There was a line formed outside the city wall at the gate. Welcome to peak tourist season. :rolleyes: Wall-to-wall people inside, too. We headed to the fountain where the tourist desk is, got a map and then filled our water bottles. And proceeded to the far gate where the old harbor is. Destination? Lokrum Island. http://www.dubrovnik-guide.net/lokrum.htm It was really cheap to get there on boat--maybe $5 each way (in local currency of course). We got our tickets and arrived in short order. We had our swim suits with us and we changed, found a comfortable rock to lay our towel on, and settled in for an incredible day of swimming. The water is so crystal clear you have to see it to believe it. There's lot of salt in it, too, so floating (even for those of who naturally sink) is so easy. We swam for a bit in one place then packed up and headed down the trail to what's known as the Dead Lake. It's a natural swimming hole with a cave. Really really cool. Rob could hardly tear me away but you know how it is about ships. When they leave port, they leave port, and you're not on it...:( However! We squeezed in just enough time to sit at an outdoor cafe on the island. We drank a cool Croatian beer while listening to a chain-smoking singing guitarist who was actually very good. Life is good, too.

 

The next morning, no port! Day at sea! Time to rest and regroup. There were a few interesting lectures, one of which was given by the fascinating art curator Al Miner. Yes, we're fans. He gives a great talk and Celebrity was smart when they hired him on for our cruise.

 

The attire was formal and once more the dining room was a sea of sparkle and glitter.

 

Next morning, another day at sea. We went to the Star Chefs Cooking Competition held in the theatre and it was surprisingly entertaining. I had no idea how fiercely competitive chefs can be (and that's all I'll say). It was funny though!

 

We ate lunch at the Cafe al Bacio with friends we'd made from our roll call. Holey moley but those crepes are delicious, both the savory ones for lunch and the sweet ones for dessert. The service is excellent as well, and it was one of our nicest lunches on the ship. And it's all for the little price of $5. Such a deal and such a lovely dining experience.

 

I think we may have gone to a wine tasting on the lawn that afternoon or perhaps it was the day before? It's actually hard to tell on a cruise what you did when--there's simply so much activity all the time and it gets jumbled up in your mind when you combine it with the cumulative exhaustion you feel day after day. In any event, it was fun. Wine, sea air, fine weather, and a soft lawn. What more to love? Rob and I usually drink red wine exclusively but we found many whites that we really enjoyed. The good thing about the wine tasting on the lawn is that the wine is served by the sommeliers who are happy to talk with you about the finer points of the wine. It's really sweet the way people get attached to their sommeliers. Everyone we met said the same thing (us included) "Oh look, that's my sommelier over there! You must meet her/him!"

 

We may have seen the acrobat show that evening (or the night before). Fantastic show. We had a quick dinner at our table--everyone was chewing fast I guess--so we were able to catch the early show. We liked it so much that we went back for seconds.

 

Ah, and then there was the gala brunch on one of the sea days! We got there a little after noon, which I later found out was a good move. Everyone said the first two hours were a mad crush and I don't mind having missed that. It was gorgeous! A visual feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. I treated myself to a Bloody Mary and felt very decadent. ;)

 

One of the sea afternoons there was the Officers vs. Guests Pool Volleyball Tournament. If I had ever worried that compared to Royal Caribbean Celebrity might be a bit sedate, all doubt was dispelled at this game. It was really lively and the "sportscaster's" running commentary was hilarious. There was even a cheering squad complete with blue and white pompoms. Fun fun fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were many ice sculptures at the gala brunch. Pretty impressive artistry all around.

 

 

The leaning tower of Pisa made a presentation at the gala brunch.

 

 

 

[cocobakerchica]

I am LOVING your review! This is a cruise I want to take (hopefully) in the very near future, and reading your review and looking at your fantastic pictures makes me want to see Venice even more! It's also nice that you were blessed to have some extra special time with your daughter in Rome(I already knew about drinking from the fountains, and I've never been there;)), and lucky her to have parents that cheerfully haul hard to find American goodies!

 

I look forward to meeting you in person on the Summit this September, and maybe I can pick your brains some more. My mom did a land tour last year that included Rome and Florence, so be prepared to swap stories, and I'll be asking all kinds of questions about Naples.

 

Ciao;

Geri

[vivavegas]

Amazing is the word that comes to mind for this review! Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review and share your experiences with us! Felt like I was along on your travels. Great photos too! :)

[dln929]

Thank you for the kind comments. I'm glad you like what I'm writing!

_____________________________________

 

Ah, but all good things must come to an end but not before a little bit of nighttime movin' and shakin'. Before it slips my mind I'll have to tell you about one of the most fun evenings on the Solstice. I love outdoor dancing pool parties! It was a little disappointing to go by the pool every night around 10 pm-ish and see the DJ playing songs...and only a handful of kids were ever dancing, rarely any adults (except when accompanied by a kid ;)). All was not lost, however! There was a Michael Jackson theme pool party with a pre-party "learn how to dance the Thriller" dance class. Who could resist? Not me, of course, and apparently not many other people either. Finally there was a crowd at the pool all ready to move it and shake it. We all got on the dance floor (where those little floor lights that shoot water during the day are located). Instantly the mystery of why no no ever danced in the evening was solved. The deck was covered in a very fine layer of condensed humidity. It was slick. This is a curve ball Mother Nature throws you in the summer whenever there's extreme heat, extreme humidity, and a water source like a big sea. It's like the morning dew except that it comes during the night.

 

Were we deterred? No sireee bob. Most of us took our heels and shoes off and bravely attempted to master the Thriller dance steps. Zombies here we come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two sea days meant that we were heading back to Barcelona. I enjoy sea days. Here's a partial list of some of the activities that were available to us. There's always so much going on that you just have to shrug and admit to yourself (however reluctantly) that there's some of it that you're going to miss (and this is when the light bulb goes off in your head and you say "That's okay! Next cruise! :D)

 

--Star Chefs Cooking Competition (even if you're not a foodie, this one is lots of fun)

 

--Hot Glass show

 

--Beyond the Podium Enrichment Lectures. Every sailing has different guest lecturers, of course, but on the whole they're always interesting and we certainly lucked out

 

--Gala Brunch on one of the sea days, complete with ice sculptures and amazing pastry creations. A feast for the eyes and palate!

 

--Food and Wine Pairing hands-on workshop

 

--Tournaments in the casino, such as Texas Hold 'em

 

--Detox for Health, Energy and Weight Loss seminar at the fitness center

 

--Lawn Olympix: Officers vs. Guests Bocce Tournament

 

--"Heartbeat of the Operation" galley tour

 

--Destination presentation

 

We received notification that our group for getting off in Barcelona was at 6:35 am. What the???? This was a no no no for us. But like most things, it was easily taken care of with a walk down to Guest Relations. We had our debarkation changed to a more reasonable 9:00 am. We did not have a plane to catch and there wasn't any reason to be in an early group. Luggage was to be set out in the hallways by 11:00 pm. Now when they say "11:00 pm" that's exactly what they mean. There's maybe a 15 minute leeway but if your luggage isn't outside your cabin, you're stuck with it when you debark. Which, for the most of us, is not very convenient.

[KruseWay]

Thanks you so much for the wonderful review. We are doing a similar itenerary on September 20th (a little cooler then).

 

I only saw mention of two formal nights in your write-up (unless I missed something). We love getting all dressed up so we look forward to these. We also want to hit up the specialty restaurants but do not want to miss the formal nights in the MDR. Exactly which nights were the formal nights if you don't mind responding? :)

[momofmeg]

Thank you for your review. We were on the cruise before you and our ports were in reverse of yours, which was nice as we had two sea days in the beginning to get over jet lag. We also had Split (first port) and Toulon (last port)-so our ports in France and Croatia were different ports from yours.

 

 

We took British Airways instead of Delta as Delta was considerably higher unless we flew in the day off as you did- we did have to change planes in London Heathrow and we had a layover there-but actually I was glad as the flight was broken up instead of one extra long flight-time in air was about the same.

 

BTW if we had taken the June 4th cruise airfare was much less-it seems airfare goes up after June15th-but that cruise was a port in Athens, Greece instead of Venice-I think a couple of other ports were different-but we really wanted Venice so we chose June 16th.

 

Like you I found Kotor very hot-in fact I did not last long out there at all-but I still enjoyed looking at the beautiful fjord from ship. I also found Rome WAAAY too crowded. I do not think summer is the best time to visit Rome. My favorites of the cruise was our gondola ride in Venice in the evening (loved that we overnighted) and visiting a vineyard/winery in Tuscany form the Livornio port.

 

I would love to go back-but I would choose the Venice to Rome or the Rome to Venice cruise, as I want to see more of Rome and Venice and also see Athens. Hopefully we can go again in a few years.

[dln929]

Thanks you so much for the wonderful review. We are doing a similar itenerary on September 20th (a little cooler then).

 

I only saw mention of two formal nights in your write-up (unless I missed something). We love getting all dressed up so we look forward to these. We also want to hit up the specialty restaurants but do not want to miss the formal nights in the MDR. Exactly which nights were the formal nights if you don't mind responding? :)

 

Thanks for the nice words. You are right; only 2 formal nights. This is the line-up.

 

Day 1. Smart Casual on Embarkation Day

2. Cocktail

3. Smart Casual

4. Smart Casual

5. Smart Casual

6. FORMAL

7. Smart Casual

8. Smart Casual

9. Smart Casual

10. Smart Casual

11. FORMAL

12. Smart Casual

13. get off the boat already!

 

Your fist Celebrity Today will have the schedule for the week listed for you so you can plan which days you want to dine in a specialty restaurant.

 

This is what's printed as to what is expected in the way of attire:

 

Smart Casual: Ladies: skirt or pants complemented by sweater or blouse Gentlemen: pants with sports shirt or sweater; shirts must have sleeves

Formal: Ladies: cocktail dress, gown or pant suit Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit or dinner jacket with slacks

Cocktail: Ladies: cocktail dress, skirt/pants complemented by sweater or blouse or pant suit Gentlemen: jacket, collared shirt or sweater with slacks. Formal optional

 

We love dressing up too! Here I am on Cocktail night with my little companion.

 

 

Rob sporting his green accessories here.

 

 

[Presto2]

Thanks again - it is wonderful to read your posts --- we are so excited about our Adriatic Cruise on the 10th August on Silhouette and you have just brought it all to life for us. THANK YOU :D

 

Thanks so much and a safe journey home

 

x

 

:)

[dln929]

The cabin stewards work very hard. And they're always smiling and personable. Here's our assistant steward, Charlie, loading up luggage on the last night of our voyage.

 

[Lastdance]

Florence (Livorno) was our next port of call. To help any of you transportation-wise, here's a bit of info from our Celebrity Today.

 

Local Shuttle Service to Livorno City Center

Please be advised that local authorities do not permit guests to walk on the pier. Guests who are not booked on a Celebrity Shore Excursion and wishing to go to the city center will need to utilize the shuttle service provided and operated by the local port authorities. Journey time is approximately 15 minutes. Round trip ticket can be purchased outside on the pier for 5 Euros per person. Important Note: to avoid lines and delays, we advise our guests to bring with them exact change.

 

Local Shuttle Service to Livorno Train Station and Back

Ticket can be purchased outside on the pier for US$18 per person charged to guests onboard accounts.

 

Rob and I booked the Celebrity Florence On Your Own bus trip. We normally do our own thing when it comes to excursions and it killed us to pay $90 each to get to Florence but the convenience of it was too good to pass up. It actually turned out to be a wonderful value, though. There was a guide on our bus, a young man named Luca. He spoke to us at length and told us all about Italy and Florence in particular. We hadn't counted on getting such an interesting narrative on our bus ride so this was a great bonus! The bus made a quick pit stop on the way to Florence giving everyone a rest room break if they needed it and a chance to buy a pastry and espresso, too.

 

We were so happy to be in Florence! Our 23 year old daughter has a teaching job there and we were anxious to see her again. Philippa left home for Florence last June. We miss her a lot. She misses us too, of course, but she also misses lots of American goodies like lime tortilla chips, Cover Girl face powder, Secret Clinical Strength Anti-Perspirant, etc. etc. Our new Celebrity tote bag was fairly bulging with a laundry list of "must have" items for our baby girl. It was Christmas in July for her! :D

 

We spent the early part of the afternoon in the beautifully landscaped Boboli Gardens, an easy walk from Santa Croce where the bus dropped us off. Afterwards we headed to the museum where we enjoyed the air conditioning every bit as much as the stunning paintings that lined the wall. It was HOT outside.

 

The three of us had lunch at Ristorante Zaza near the Mercado Centrale. http://www.trattoriazaza.it/ Our daughter prefers Mario's which is next door and owned by the same people but the line was too long and our time in Florence too short. So Zaza it was and it was delicious! I had an eggplant dish that was so good that I was reluctant to share bites with my husband or daughter. I like the Florentine bread, too, though it is definitely an acquired taste, having no salt in it.

 

Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow so I will post a happy photo of a happy father and daughter in Florence. The background is the Mercado Centrale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How wonderful to visit your daughter in Florence! I know how happy that made all three of you!:):)