Jim_Iain – Edge Live Post – B2B – Greek Islands and West Bound TransAtlantic

[VitaminSea53]

We are the same Greek Islands itinerary next May so I follow along with great interest. Thanks for all your time and effort.

[Jim_Iain]

35 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

My understanding is that Capt Kate is returning for the Transatlantic. 

 

Since there were 6 ships in Santorini when we were there...and we'd been before....we made it a Sea Day and enjoyed the ship. 

That would be fantastic if Captain Kate returned for the TA. 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, Reel Love said:

Thank you Jim, for once again taking us along on your vacation/cruise!  I thoroughly enjoy your live blogs and am very much looking forward to your reviews, especially as we are also looking into booking a Greek Isles cruise in the (hopefully) near future.  Your reviews are always well written, fair and offer a lot of good information and fantastic pics!   Wishing you and Iain a fabulous cruise ☺️

Thanks. Really getting ready to board.  Looks like a lot of cruisers are staying at the Hilton.    Celebrity has a hospitality desk set up in the lobby. 

 

1 hour ago, wv4891 said:

 

We did the ship's tour that started at Akrotiri.  You take the tender to the other end of the island, away from Oia, and tour Akrotiri.  It is quite a large ruin and is covered by tarps and temp roofing to shield from the sun, highly recommend.  Then you are taken by bus and tour all the way back to Oia, arriving near sunset on our tour.  

 

Did that coffee shop serve "Dutch Coffee"?  😉

 
LOL. Some how I do t think they were serving coffee

[Jim_Iain]

Just got back from dinner and drinks in the executive lounge. 

 

Sometime you can’t make up things you see.  While sitting sipping wine a portly gentleman came walking by our table carrying a plate of food and a wine.  In order to get between chairs he must have sucked in his gut.   Next thing we saw, his shorts had fallen down and were around his ankles.  Unable to rectify with his hands full he waddled to his table before being able to pull them up.   

[Boscodog]

5 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

You’re welcome!

I am excited to follow your trip report and your impressions of the Edge.

 

 We were in Santorini a few years ago and did the walk down to the tenders.  You will have no issues with walking down but just know that you are sharing the path with the donkeys and the “presents” they leave behind.  The steps are very slippery  so make sure you wear shoes or sneakers with good traction.   You will also want to look where you are stepping as you walk down.

 

We first took the ferries to Oia and then the bus back to Fira.   It is one ticket for both modes of transportation.  You will see the vendors selling the tickets. I don’t remember the cost.   When we were there in August it was very crowded so going to Oia first made sense as it wasn’t as crowded early in the day.
 

Santorini is absolutely beautiful and I hope you enjoy your visit.  I look forward to your report.

 

Regards,

Karen 

[njmelis24]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Just got back from dinner and drinks in the executive lounge. 

 

Sometime you can’t make up things you see.  While sitting sipping wine a portly gentleman came walking by our table carrying a plate of food and a wine.  In order to get between chairs he must have sucked in his gut.   Next thing we saw, his shorts had fallen down and were around his ankles.  Unable to rectify with his hands full he waddled to his table before being able to pull them up.   

Looks like he’s a week late with his full moon 😂

 

But in all seriousness what a sight. Poor guy however my inner teenager would have to stifle a giggle. 

[hcat]

4 hours ago, wv4891 said:

 

We did the ship's tour that started at Akrotiri.  You take the tender to the other end of the island, away from Oia, and tour Akrotiri.  It is quite a large ruin and is covered by tarps and temp roofing to shield from the sun, highly recommend.  Then you are taken by bus and tour all the way back to Oia, arriving near sunset on our tour.  

 

Did that coffee shop serve "Dutch Coffee"?  😉

Thanks for this update...seems progress is being made there.

I bet it was amazing... might be worth another visit to Santorini....

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

56 minutes ago, Boscodog said:

I am excited to follow your trip report and your impressions of the Edge.

 

 We were in Santorini a few years ago and did the walk down to the tenders.  You will have no issues with walking down but just know that you are sharing the path with the donkeys and the “presents” they leave behind.  The steps are very slippery  so make sure you wear shoes or sneakers with good traction.   You will also want to look where you are stepping as you walk down.

 

We first took the ferries to Oia and then the bus back to Fira.   It is one ticket for both modes of transportation.  You will see the vendors selling the tickets. I don’t remember the cost.   When we were there in August it was very crowded so going to Oia first made sense as it wasn’t as crowded early in the day.
 

Santorini is absolutely beautiful and I hope you enjoy your visit.  I look forward to your report.

 

Regards,

Karen 

I agree Santorini is beautiful!

 

I am not on the Edge until Feb for a Western, but I plan to do a trip report - hopefully “live-ish” - as it will be my first time on Celebrity at all. 🙂

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

That would be fantastic if Captain Kate returned for the TA. 

Wonder if she is hitching a ride or   staying on  at Port Ev...that's when we are back on the EDGE???

 

Wishing you bon voyage!

Edited October 20, 2019 by hcat

[Schmoe38]

38 minutes ago, hcat said:

Wonder if she is hitching a ride or   staying on  at Port Ev...that's when we are back on the EDGE???

 

Wishing you bon voyage!

Wish Captain Kate was coming back to Edge early. Her Instagram suggests she is coming back on to Edge in December of this year.

 

Randy

[Schmoe38]

Jim

 

You may already be aware of this......

 

Priscilla Schmitt is currently on Edge as the Retreat Manager. She is our absolute favourite.

 

If you haven’t met her before, hope you get a chance to meet her while on board. You’re in for a treat.

 

Randy

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I agree Santorini is beautiful!

 

I am not on the Edge until Feb for a Western, but I plan to do a trip report - hopefully “live-ish” - as it will be my first time on Celebrity at all. 🙂

It’s beautiful, but not when there are five or six ships there so check the port load beforehand.  I’ve been the only ship (fantastic) and also queued 2 hours to get the cable car down when it’s been busy (there’s no way I would walk down the donkey track when the light is fading).  You need to plan your day accordingly because of the access issues.  

 

Phil

[ecslady]

9 hours ago, vtcruising said:

We were told that there is a lot of donkey excrement to avoid by our tour guide (and can be slippery due to that). Is that true? We waited for the cable car in the hot sun for about an hour, but had some great people watching. 🙂

 

I don't remember that from a few years ago when I walked down. 

[KruznKimmie]

13 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Jim, glad you landed safely and are soon going to be living on the Edge! 🙂

 

When on the Reflection, for Santorini, we did a private tour with Santorini Tours (in case anyone is in the planning stage).  We went early to get a tender (probably 8:30ish) and had very short wait for the cable car. We met our guide at the top at 9:15 and took off for Oia to get there before the buses and had the place mostly to ourselves for about 10 minutes. Our guide and driver were wonderful - tailored the day to us and ended up going to the Crazy Donkey Brewery (still have the hats and t-shirts 🙂) and the amazing Argyros winery nearby for an elegant wine tasting with local cheese/meat. It was so good that we bought some wine to take with us and toasted a full moon on the balcony one night. At the end, they brought us to a gorgeous restaurant right on Black Beach and we had a memorable lunch there.

 

Itin: Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani, Prophet Ilias, Pyrgos or Megalochori Venetsanos Winery, Black Beach

https://santorinitours.com/

That looks like a great plan we might arrange as well,  Do you need to pre purchase tender or cable car tickets?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us again! Looking forward to reading more [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[abbydancer2003]

Hi Jim

 

Following along as usual.

 

By the way we had friends do the walk down in Santorini and they said never again.  They found the donkey poo situation difficult.  YMMV.

 

And let me know if you want me to water your plants or something ....

[Jim_Iain]

Previous Blogs -

I was asked for a list of some of my previous blogs.  Luckily I had saved them under Favorites

 

November 2017 -  FLL to Buenos Aires B2B

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2475333-live-journal-%E2%80%93-b2b-fort-lauderdale-to-buenos-aires-%E2%80%93-come-along-for-the-adventure/

July 2018 Constellation 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2563249-live-blog-and-some-pre-cruse-chatter-constellation-721/

Live Blog! – B2B2B Seward to Japan – Millennium 2018

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2582318-live-blog-%E2%80%93-b2b2b-seward-to-japan-%E2%80%93-millennium-2018%E2%80%93-join-us-for-our-next-adventure/

 

Live Blog – Silhouette Nov 3 – Beaches to Broadway – Pull up a seat and Join

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2598732-live-blog-%E2%80%93-silhouette-nov-3-%E2%80%93-beaches-to-broadway-%E2%80%93-pull-up-a-seat-and-join/

Jim_Iain Live Blog - Infinity B2B - Carribbean and East Bound TA

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2654853-jim_iain-live-blog-infinity-b2b-carribbean-and-east-bound-ta/

Celebrity Edge - Westbound Transatlantic, November 1, 2019

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2479767-celebrity-edge-westbound-transatlantic-november-1-2019/

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, njmelis24 said:

Looks like he’s a week late with his full moon 😂

 

But in all seriousness what a sight. Poor guy however my inner teenager would have to stifle a giggle. 

 

All I can say was his wife was mortified.

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, Schmoe38 said:

Jim

 

You may already be aware of this......

 

Priscilla Schmitt is currently on Edge as the Retreat Manager. She is our absolute favourite.

 

If you haven’t met her before, hope you get a chance to meet her while on board. You’re in for a treat.

 

Randy

 

I hope she is still aboard.   She is one of my favorite's.     She was on our B2B to Buenos Aires and was FANTASTIC.

[Jim_Iain]

October 21 -  Cruise Day

Well it is finally cruise day.    We stayed up last night until 10:00  and  slept pretty good.    We booked a car with Rome Cabs for noon -   The cost was 125 Euros and they give the option of paying in advance using PayPal which we did.  

 

So far a really lazy morning.    We got up around 9:00 and had a nice breakfast at the hotel.   They put out a really nice buffet.    The first thing I did on return to the room is get our passports and money out of the safe to make sure we don't forget them. 

 

I did a quick search and looks like there will be 6 ships in Civitavecchia today.   Should be a busy port today.

21/10/2019	AIDAnova	6.600	1.500
21/10/2019	Celebrity Reflection	3.655	1.000
21/10/2019	Celebrity Edge	3.373	1.377
21/10/2019	MSC Poesia	3.060	1.039
21/10/2019	Jewel Of The Seas	2.573	859
21/10/2019	Oceania Nautica	803	372

[excitedofharpenden]

Have fun Jim. I have a friend getting on Jewel of the Seas in Civitavecchia today.  You shouldn't be too bad in Santorini and the only ship it seems of note in Mykonos. 

 

If you are going to Oia, have no set plan and haven't tried the place then lunch at Thalami is really nice. Good food, great view and friendly service. 

 

Phil 

[dani negreanu]

44 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Previous Blogs -

I was asked for a list of some of my previous blogs.  Luckily I had saved them under Favorites

 

November 2017 -  FLL to Buenos Aires B2B

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2475333-live-journal-%E2%80%93-b2b-fort-lauderdale-to-buenos-aires-%E2%80%93-come-along-for-the-adventure/

 

July 2018 Constellation 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2563249-live-blog-and-some-pre-cruse-chatter-constellation-721/

 

Live Blog! – B2B2B Seward to Japan – Millennium 2018

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2582318-live-blog-%E2%80%93-b2b2b-seward-to-japan-%E2%80%93-millennium-2018%E2%80%93-join-us-for-our-next-adventure/

 

 

 

Live Blog – Silhouette Nov 3 – Beaches to Broadway – Pull up a seat and Join

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2598732-live-blog-%E2%80%93-silhouette-nov-3-%E2%80%93-beaches-to-broadway-%E2%80%93-pull-up-a-seat-and-join/

 

Jim_Iain Live Blog - Infinity B2B - Carribbean and East Bound TA

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2654853-jim_iain-live-blog-infinity-b2b-carribbean-and-east-bound-ta/

 

Celebrity Edge - Westbound Transatlantic, November 1, 2019

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2479767-celebrity-edge-westbound-transatlantic-november-1-2019/

 

 

Thanks, Jim. Appreciate the quick reply. Looking forward to reading (and enjoying) them all, 

[cmhdoogalsatsea]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

October 21 -  Cruise Day

Well it is finally cruise day.   

Jim

Already enjoying your newest blog, thanks and bon voyage! 

If you guys haven't visited the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia and are at loose ends on turn-around day when back @ Civitavecchia,

you might check them out.  It's not a long car/taxi ride from the port and they're pretty impressive. Last time I was there with a friend we had most of the site to ourselves.  The museum in the town is also worth a stop.

Good website regarding the tombs: Etruscan tombs.

 

David

 

 

[Yoshikitty]

15 hours ago, singinalot said:

we were just there last week and walked down. donkey doo on the trail? yes. so much you can’t walk around it? no.
we love the walk down and have done it twice in 2 years


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Does that mean that we are in for another amazing trip report of yours?

 

 

[lola2013]

Getting to/from Oia is worth any minor inconvenience.  The views are spectacular.  In June, we did wait for about 45 minutes to take the cablecar down but I would not have missed it.