Just returned from Galaxy 10 Day Med Cruise

[NHRedSoxFan]

The Galaxy 10 Day Itinerary is great!

 

Tours/Ports:

 

Naples - Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii

 

Comment- Wonderful day. We saw so much in one day. Capri, which was the first stop, was gorgeous. Rode the funicular to Capri Town and shopped and took pictures, had a gelato even though it was between breakfast and lunch time. The stop in Sorrento included lunch at a good restaurant (but without a view). Had about an hour to shop before boarding a bus (try to sit on the side behind the the driver for best views and photos). The sea is on the left driving to Pompeii. Pompeii=fascinating & also a good place to buy souveneirs from outside vendors, especially those glass beads made into necklaces, bracelets, etc.

 

Mykonos- No excursion, went to the beach at Plati Giolos. This is a good beach choice if you only want to spend a couple of hours, since it's close to the port ($5 Euro cab ride) and has comforable beach chairs which you are free to use if you purchase a drink or food from the restaurant (I recommend the Greek Salad, which is big enough for two or the fruit plate.) Also walked around the town (the ship provides shuttle bus service). This is a good place to shop or sit at one of the outdoor cafe's to soak up the scene.

 

Santorini- Oia, wine tasting and Thera tour. Santorini is my favorite port of this cruise. Breathtaking scenery, wonderful climate (air is dry and comfortable with no humidity). Visiting here made me want to come back and stay in a cave house. Someday............

 

Messina- Took the tour to Tairomina, which is so interesting I wish we had taken the other tour... "Tairomina on your own" which provides an extra 1 1/2 hours to spend there.

 

Villefrance- Lovely little town on the French Riviera. We took the tour "Nice, Eze, Monaco" Another long day but a chance to see so much if you've never been to this port before. I thought the best part was Eze. That "Eagle Nest Village" was built in the 1100's bc. Most of the shopping is art & french perfume and soaps. ( I thought 3 bars of soap for 10 Euros was a great deal- very nice) Lunch was included in the tour and was at a restaurant in Eze. Delicious french food and bread with a nice local wine and bottled water. Yummy!!!!!

 

Genoa- "Beautiful Portofino". This tour was so popular, I think half the passengers on the ship took it. There were about 8 bus loads of people going there. It was exactly as described "beautiful!!!". A great way to spend the last day of the cruise. Returning to the ship at about 2pm, it left enough time to have lunch and pack before watching the ship sail out of the port of Genoa.

 

Let me know if you have questions or want pictures (I took hundreds).

[sunfish lady]

So glad to hear your trip was wonderful. I'm leaving this week to be on the ship the 15th. Were a group of 40. I was curious to hear about the condition of the ship. I was on the Constellation a few years ago and it was fabulous. We are all so excited! Thanks

[CrusinBabe]

It's so good to hear from someone who's been there. My daughter and I are going on the same cruise Aug. 5. I'm in my late 60's and somewhat worried about the length of the 1st tour to Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii - you know, jet lag, etc. We've already signed up for it - so should I worry? Also, did you spend any time in Rome? We're staying for 3 nites after at the Empire Palace.

 

I wasn't sure about the tour that included Ese but since you loved it so much, I'm ready to sign up. Thanks for that. Also, the Portifino boat that sits low in the water. Was that hard to get in and out of? Thanks so much for any reply.

[KruzinAl]

If you read other posts on the Europe board and elsewhere, you can book a comfortable private limo/taxi trip in Naples on your own. driveamalfi, driverinrome, rometaxi,limousineinrome and benvenuto limo. We booked benvenuto limo, minivan for 6 on the Galaxy 09/26. You can pace yourself, tell the driver where to stop etc, no large bus crowd to get in and out of and its less $ than the Celebrity trip. You can book the hydrofoil yourself at the dock in Sorrento, after getting a taxi from Naples. Other ports can be booked on your own, to save $ and tailor your trip. Also all the ship tours stop at cameo factories, leather, gold etc. These are a waste of time when you can see the countryside. The only upside are the good restrooms, as clean public washrooms are hard to find in Europe. Bring euros with you to pay for most.

Al

[Andy]

Hi Ladcad !

 

Glad you had a great time. Nice Review !

[BettyBoop3850]

So glad to hear your trip was wonderful. I'm leaving this week to be on the ship the 15th. Were a group of 40. I was curious to hear about the condition of the ship. I was on the Constellation a few years ago and it was fabulous. We are all so excited! Thanks

 

 

 

sunfish lady I was on the galaxy about 2 years ago to the Carribbean and I loved it. Glad you liked the constellation going on her in October for the first time.

 

Michelle

[teedee]

LADCAD - What was your opinion on the condition of the ship? I'm booked on the Galaxy transatlantic in October and I've read recent reviews saying how bad a shape the ship is in. I have a hard time believing it could be that bad, just wondered what your opinion was.

 

Terri

[Trixsea]

Thanks for the info. What time were you able to disembark? I will be on the 10/7 sailing.

[landraceem]

I'm anxious to hear what you have to say about the condition of the "Galaxy" as well. Four of us just booked the same 10 day Med cruise on the Galaxy next June for a marriage/honeymoon combo and only AFTER I booked did I read reviews telling of a shabby ship.

 

What was the condition of the ship? Rooms? Food? Extra fees?

 

Thanks for any help.

[mlevinger]

We're scheduled on the Galaxy in August. Sounds like it was great. How did you get around Santorini? Should we rent a car?

 

Thanks!

[julinue]

We just came home from the 10 day Med cruise (ended July 4th). Galaxy is in fine shape! It's a lovely smaller ship but with many of the big ship niceties. I had read the posts about conditions and must admit that for the first day I was walking with my head down,looking for the frayed carpets! Didn't find any! Our cabin was fine and so was the rest of the ship!

We had a great time, met some fun people and are already looking forward to our next cruise!

[teedee]

Julinue - Thanks for posting. It's good to hear you enjoyed the ship. I really don't think I'll have anything to be worried about, but it's good to hear it confirmed.

Terri

[luvstosail]

Such a great trip !! I must have been following you, since I did almost everything you did on the Galaxy 10 day Med cruise. What a nice reveiw you did. I feel it was one of the best trips we have taken. We cruise twice a year and did the same trip last June, on the Brilliance. I would do it again.So many people are concerned about the condition of the Galaxy and it is just fine. The only problem we did notice was the airconditioning in a couple of areas the temp was too warm. The ship is older, but the staff is superior.The service the food was greatand the great friends we made, what more do you need. Enjoy.

[Joanne G.]

A friend and I just returned from the same cruise as the original poster. I will confirm that it is an outstanding itinerary - lovely ports and 3 sea days to rest and relax.

 

I, too, had read the reports that made it sound like the Galaxy was ready for the scrap heap. What hogwash! Never really believing the reports of horrible conditions, but being curious about what on earth those people saw, I went looking for problems. This is what I found - and they are pretty minor to me. A hard-water stain in the bathroom sink in our cabin. Some small areas of worn upholstery on a few chairs in public lounges. That's it. I wouldn't have noticed these things if I hadn't been looking. We thought the ship looked great.

 

I did find the ship to be warm. Not miserably uncomfortable, just warmer than I expected. I'm used to frigid air-conditioning on previous cruises in the Caribbean. We couldn't seem to adjust the control in the cabin to get the room cooler, and most public areas seemed warm to us. But then it was pretty hot outside for most of this trip, so maybe the airconditioning was just overworked.

 

We had a wonderful time on this cruise. We did the "Taormina on your own" excursion that the original poster mentioned, and we were very happy with it. We had transportation and a guide on the bus for some background information, but then we were free for several hours to roam around the town on our own. We did the same type of excursion from Villefranche - it was called "Nice and Monaco on your own." These tours had the simplicity and comfort factor of a ship-sponsored excursion, but without that herded-around feeling. We thought they were great.

 

Like the original poster, I took hundreds of photos. Everything was so beautiful.

 

Trixsea, we got into port very early on disembarkation day - I think like 4:00 AM. I think people were starting to get off at 5:30. We were staying over one night in Rome and were among the last to disembark at 9:00.

 

Mlevinger, we took a tour in Santorini that included the town of Oia, which you definitely want to see. If you don't want to take a ship-sponsored excursion, I understand public buses are easy to use. If you do a search on the Ports of call/Europe board, you'll find information about getting around this scenic island. I'm sure you could rent a car, but I don't have any specific infomation on it.

 

To all sailing on the Galaxy in the future, have a great cruise.

[landraceem]

Were any of you in the CC class on the Galaxy? Were all the amenities listed to be included with the CC fare provided? I'm so glad the ship is not as bad as everyone says...

[cechase]

I had to smile at the posts on this thread. Last Fall we started reading several posts which really put Century down. Reading them, you figured that you were going on a "mud scow" :(

 

We were booked on Century for February 2005. It turned out that it was really one really mad and persistent poster who had nothing good to say about Century, and had many negative things to say about her. We had been on Century in May of 2004, and had not observed any of these negative things.

 

Well, after embarking on Century, like Joanne G. we really gave her a looking over. She was squeaky clean and shinning brightly. We saw nothing that the sour puss had pointed out. There was one slightly frayed carpet adjacent to a metal divider in a very heavyly travelled area. Oh, and in the marble toilet area of the bathroom in our RS, there were several stains in the marble which were caused by perfume or nail polish, which we were told could not be removed. [this is going to spoil your cruise? :rolleyes:]

 

We had a marvelous cruise on a ship which has in our opinion the best staff of all of Celebrities vessels. We noticed that they were constantly cleaning all of the public areas, and shinning all of the brightwork. The furnishings in our RS looked like they were brand new. So those of you going on Galaxy, don't believe everything that you read here from the few, and perhaps listen to the many. :D

 

We will be joining Trixsea on Galaxy on October 7th.

[Trixsea]

Hi Charlie!! Just counting the days.:D

[CrusinBabe]

Thanks everybody for all the info. I didn't get an answer to the boats that sit low in the water in Portifino question. Why would they point this out if not a problem. I guess I'm worrying for nothing. Just not as active as I used to be. Don't want to have to stay on the boat. Ha

 

CrusinBabe

[Cinder]

Can anyone who has just been on the Galaxy explain the differences between the CC cabins and the SS cabins? If I read another post correctly, there are more amenities with the CC cabins, but more space in the SS cabins... huh?!

Also, I think we will be in Mykonos on a Monday and a lot of tourbooks indicate that museums,etc. may be closed. Did anyone notice anything closed on either Sunday or Monday, so we can plan different activities? If the museums are closed, maybe that's a good excuse to go to the beach?

[mlbcruiser]

Just adding my 2 cents. For anyone who has an opportunity to visit Eze, DO IT! It's so charming, beautiful, and unusually "perched". You won't regret it. We were on a RCCL cruise 4 yrs. ago and I'm SO glad we saw it. Capri is also georgeous. Be sure to go to the top in the ski lift chairs! (The whole Amalfi coast is stunning.) We were lucky and were able to go to Pompeii after our cruise by land, and also stay in Positano. What a memorable place! Hope you all have as great a time as my husband and I did! We plan to go on the Galaxy next June only on a slightly different itinerary which includes Turkey. Just hope the recent problems in Turkey don't prevent this. (I know last summer they had to change the itinerary for a while due to similar problems.)

[Queenk2]

We are going on the itinerary that you mentioned on July25th. So far, we have NOT heard of any changes being made. I called CC yesteray and they said we will still be going to the original ports. I hope things do not cahnge!

[eskie9]

To Ladcad, Julinue, Luvstosail,

 

My family is sailing on the Galaxy on August 5th. Could you please tell me which nights were the formal nights on the ship? I am just trying to plan everything out. I am such an organization nut. I am so glad to hear that your cruises were great! I just can't wait. We leave two weeks from today for Rome. I can't believe it's almost here! Thank you so much for your help and guidance. It is so beneficial!

 

Lad cad, We also plan on just going out on our own at Mykonos. My kids really want to visit a beach since most of the other ports we will be sightseeing. Is the Plati Giolos beach a clothing optional beach? We will have our 19 year old son and 24 year old daughter with us. I want to make sure we are at a beach that has clothed bathers! Did the beach have nice sand or do you need water shoes to go in the water? Thanks for your help!

 

Kathy:)

[Joanne G.]

Kathy, since the others haven't answered you yet, I'll chime in. The formal nights are the 3 sea days.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[mlbcruiser]

Queenk2,

Regarding the effect of the recent bombing in Turkey: I recieved an email from a tour guide today replying to my reservation. He offered information that there have been no changes to the cruises that were/are scheduled to stop there as a result of the bombing.

[mckay1]

We just came home from the 10 day Med cruise (ended July 4th). Galaxy is in fine shape! It's a lovely smaller ship but with many of the big ship niceties. I had read the posts about conditions and must admit that for the first day I was walking with my head down,looking for the frayed carpets! Didn't find any! Our cabin was fine and so was the rest of the ship!

We had a great time, met some fun people and are already looking forward to our next cruise!

 

Thanks for the info. We are booked on the Transatlantic from Rome on October 17th, 2005 and I was getting panicky reading all the storieas about stains, rips, holes and broken sinks?!:eek: We have had four fabulous cruises with Celebrity and I was concerned that this one would be disappointing. It is the most wonderful part of a cruise holiday, living in that marvelous environment, with all the staff only wanting to make your experience evenbetter!:)

 

Roll on October 17th! I can hardly wait!!:D :D :D