Med cruise in May

[pdw26]

I am looking to book a mediterranian cruise next May and have found two good deals. One is on Norwegian Star and the other is on Celebrity Reflection. Does anyone have experience of either of these ships that might help me decide? DH and I went on the inaugural sailing of the Norwegian Escape but we didn't really get on with the party atmosphere on board and the size of the ship. We are in our early 60s and will not be using water parks or climbing walls! We have sailed with (and enjoyed) P&O, Cunard and HAL and tend to enjoy the smaller ship experience, but always keen to try something different.

[twin123185]

My two cents

I have taken 2 celebrity transatlantics the past 12 months. That's the way to go. Prices were amazing. Don't know however what you are looking at here.

Go with Celebrity.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

My two cents. I have taken 2 celebrity transatlantics the past 12 months. That's the way to go. Prices were amazing. Don't know however what you are looking at here. Go with Celebrity.

 

Agree with above. While we have not done the Reflection, we have twice been on her sister ship, the Solstice. What ports are you considering with Celebrity?? Below is my live/blog with many exciting Med stops. Added questions?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 218,861 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[pdw26]

I don't have the ports to hand but from memory, Celebrity start in Rome (Civitaveccia ) and NCL start in Venice. Both go to Rhodes, Mykanos and Santorini, and it is the Greek Isles we are interested in.

 

 

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[pdw26]

Both go to Rhodes, Mykanos and Santorini, and it is the Greek Isles we are interested in.

Forums

 

 

Oops Corfu, not Rhodes.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

I don't have the ports to hand but from memory, Celebrity start in Rome (Civitaveccia ) and NCL start in Venice. Both go to Rhodes, Mykanos and Santorini, and it is the Greek Isles we are interested in.

 

Appreciate your follow-up and assume you are looking at the May 19 Celebrity Reflection cruise from Rom with stops in Messina/Sicily, Valletta/Malta, Mykonos/Greece, Rhodes/Greece, Santorini/Greece, Athens/Greece and Naples/Italy. Right? Lots of great stops and options with those various ports. Departing out of Venice can also be very good, too!! See more below about Venice with its great charm, history and character.

 

Yes, the Greek Isles are totally wonderful. Below are just a few visuals from Mykonos to help build up your excitement!. Keep doing the good research and planning. Don't be shy with any questions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 63,809 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

 

Here’s a sampling of the narrow, flowered street in Mykonos in the Greek Isles with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

 

 

 

This harbor view in Mykonos shows one of the charming windmills. From as early as the 16th century, these are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos. The island is 33 square miles in size and has a population of 9,300, mostly in its main village.:

 

 

 

Ladies and generations from a family are departing a church service in main Mykonos on a Sunday morning. It was nice to see the people who live there and not have things too busy from the tourism masses!!:

 

 

 

At the fish docks in Mykonos near many outdoor dining places that overlook the harbor, there are discussions about some of the recent catches being offered to a local resident.:

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a sampling of the beachside activities. This includes Agrari, Elia and the long sweeping Kalafatis beach that has become famous to wind surfers. The second picture is from Elia Beach. We got an inexpensive rental car to visit these beaches areas and explore the other parts far away from the main village.:

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a longer shot of an overall beachside setting.:

 

[4774Papa]

I am looking to book a mediterranian cruise next May and have found two good deals. One is on Norwegian Star and the other is on Celebrity Reflection. Does anyone have experience of either of these ships that might help me decide? DH and I went on the inaugural sailing of the Norwegian Escape but we didn't really get on with the party atmosphere on board and the size of the ship. We are in our early 60s and will not be using water parks or climbing walls! We have sailed with (and enjoyed) P&O, Cunard and HAL and tend to enjoy the smaller ship experience, but always keen to try something different.

 

We cruise Celebrity and NCL with 9 cruises on X and 6 on NCL.

 

We generally prefer Celebrity, but NCL frequently has better prices. Still, itinerary is our major consideration, balanced by cost.

 

We have not cruised on Reflection, but have cruises on the Solstice, another S class ship. Also did two cruises B2B on the NCL Star out of Copenhagen in September and October 2014.

 

The Celebrity S class is a really beautiful ship, it is well designed and modern. It carries about 2900 passengers, but does not fell like a mega ship (we didn't care so much for the NCL Epic). The buffet on S class ships are very well designed with islands and minimal waiting in long lines. Celebrity has specialty restaurants that are fewer in number than NCL and more expensive. We rarely dine in the specialty on Celebrity, since the MDR food is excellent.

 

The NCL Star is an older ship (about 15 years old), but well maintained. It is somewhat poorly designed, since the buffet area is crowded, with long lines and short on seating capacity. Also, the buffet area, unlike on every other cruise ship that we have been on does not extend to the aft of the ship and include a sunset bar. On the Star, the fitness center is behind the buffet. Perhaps that is a message, that if you put on weight, you can take it off as well.

The Star is not as beautiful as the S class ships, but otherwise functions just fine.

The Star, like on most NCL ships, has a good variety of specialty restaurants, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian Steak, Italian, French and Steak. All are good and now most charge al a carte, but not as expensive as the specialty restaurants on Celebrity. NCL MDR food is not on par with Celebrity, but on our last cruise on the Sun to Alaska recently, the MDR food was almost as good as Celebrity.

 

Entertainment on both is about the same.

Also, Celebrity tends to charge less than NCL for its excursions. Also, NCL

s drinks package comes with a gratuity charge of 18% unlike Celebrity. We don't take the drinks package on Celebrity since we are elite and enjoy a free happy hour. The red wine choices on NCL's drink package by glass is poor.

 

Still, NCL has some great promos that sometimes include the 3rh and 4th passengers in your cabin are free. We invited my Step-daughter to join us on our recent Sun cruise and her cruise was free and the price for DW and self was very competitive.