First Time Celebrity Cruiser planning a Med Cruise

[katmu]

Hello Celebrity Cruisers-

 

My friend and I are trying to plan a girls trip to Europe for 2023.  We have settled on a Mediterranean cruise between 7-10 days, and prefer a one-way itinerary and will do both pre and post cruise stays.  I have been to Europe on land vacations several times but my friend has never been to Europe before.  I am encouraging her that a closer to 9 or 10 days would be better than a 7 day given how long the flights are to Europe.  Our first cruise together was on the Sky Princess in 2019 to the Caribbean in a mini-suite, so we would like a roughly comparable cruise experience.  We may need to go with a balcony this time around.  The cruise that so far seems to fit our needs best is a 9 day Celebrity cruise on the Reflection leaving May 13 from Barcelona and arriving in Rome (Civitavecchia), with stops in Marseille,  Villefrance, Santa Margherita, an overnight stop in La Spezia, Messina and Naples.  These are my questions that I am hoping some experienced Celebrity cruises can answer:

 

1. With the overnight stop in La Spezia, if we wanted to spend the night in Florence would that be allowed?  
2. Is the Solarium pool generally pretty warm?  I do pool therapy at home, so I would like to do a session or two on the ship.
3. I’ve been looking at the Deluxe Veranda rooms on Deck 8 aft, like 8345 that seem to be a bit larger with a larger balcony?  I found some photos of the balconies but I’m trying to gauge where the extra space in the room might be.

 

Thank you.

[lola2013]

Welcome to Celebrity...you will love it!

My first Celebrity cruise was also to the Med and I have followed with seven cruises on Celebrity since then with two more booked...two of those cruises were on Reflection.

I can't answer the question about getting to Florence.

The Solarium pool is usually warm.  We spent five days there on a cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver.  The closer we got to Vancouver, the chillier it became on deck so Solarium was our go to spot.  I spent a lot of time in the pool, and the water temp was comfortable.

The verandah cabins are pretty much the same size; but you are correct, the 8345 balcony is a bit larger than the others.  There is plenty of storage space (when I travel with a friend, we have enough space and we are chronic overpackers!).  There is over the bed storage; we use packing cubes and it works out great.  There is also plenty of space in the bathroom.

Hope that helps and you have a great cruise.

Susan

[jelayne]

The veranda cabins are all the same size. The balcony is a bit larger than the normal veranda balcony.

 

In the past we have stayed off the ship  when it overnighted in a port. You can come and go from the ship while in port but it is good to let guest services know that you will be away overnight.  

[Denny01]

On overnights, you aren't required to return that night so you can spend the night in Florence - great idea. Yes, let the ship know where you will be and contact info...just in case prior to departing the ship.

 

As in any situation that varies a bit, always a good idea to doublecheck when you make your reservation and I recommend using a good local Travel Advisor. Especially If you are going to spend time prior in Barcelona (our favorite Med port!) and the Roma area, they can help a good deal. And you can still use Celebrity Air if you wish and vary dates. 

 

The S-Class (which Reflection is one of) Solarium pool is warm. I'm a Panhandle Floridian so anything below 80deg is too cold!

 

Tha aft cabins are very popular and there is a spreadsheet near the top of this forum which lists info on specific SR for each Celebrity Class ship. Look at S-Class. Even if the specific SR isn't listed or its on a sister ship, that should help and will be close.

 

Enjoy! 

 

We do the same. when flying to Europe, we add days prior and after. 

 

den

Edited March 10, 2022 by Denny01

[Jim_Iain]

On an overnight you are permitted to spend the night ashore without making any formal request.   For that matter you can spend all night out at a bar.  LOL   An overnight is like a regular port stop and you can come and go from the ship at anytime.

 

 

 

[gordylad]

That's a nice cruise you have picked. If you can squeeze in another day the Reflection 10 night is recommended.

Rome/Civitavecchia, Katakolon, Thira/Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Athens/Piraeus, Valletta, Barcelona

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, katmu said:

Hello Celebrity Cruisers-

 

My friend and I are trying to plan a girls trip to Europe for 2023.  We have settled on a Mediterranean cruise between 7-10 days, and prefer a one-way itinerary and will do both pre and post cruise stays.  I have been to Europe on land vacations several times but my friend has never been to Europe before.  I am encouraging her that a closer to 9 or 10 days would be better than a 7 day given how long the flights are to Europe.  Our first cruise together was on the Sky Princess in 2019 to the Caribbean in a mini-suite, so we would like a roughly comparable cruise experience.  We may need to go with a balcony this time around.  The cruise that so far seems to fit our needs best is a 9 day Celebrity cruise on the Reflection leaving May 13 from Barcelona and arriving in Rome (Civitavecchia), with stops in Marseille,  Villefrance, Santa Margherita, an overnight stop in La Spezia, Messina and Naples.  These are my questions that I am hoping some experienced Celebrity cruises can answer:

 

1. With the overnight stop in La Spezia, if we wanted to spend the night in Florence would that be allowed?  
2. Is the Solarium pool generally pretty warm?  I do pool therapy at home, so I would like to do a session or two on the ship.
3. I’ve been looking at the Deluxe Veranda rooms on Deck 8 aft, like 8345 that seem to be a bit larger with a larger balcony?  I found some photos of the balconies but I’m trying to gauge where the extra space in the room might be.

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, you can certainly do spend the night in Florence which is a very good idea.  No permission is required, but Guest Relations appreciates being notified of your intentions.

[katmu]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. My TA is holding a Deluxe Veranda for me while we decide for sure if that’s our final choice.  

 

I definitely need to stop looking at cruises though, as tonight I spotted a 10 night on Oceania that also looks interesting from Barcelona to Istanbul.  It’s not until 11/19/23 though.  I do like traveling in Europe at that time of year as it still feels warm to us Minnesotans, and the smaller crowds are nice.

[RichYak]

11 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

For that matter you can spend all night out at a bar. 

Are you speaking from experience, Jim? 😄

[Loracpin2]

44 minutes ago, katmu said:

Thank you all for the helpful replies. My TA is holding a Deluxe Veranda for me while we decide for sure if that’s our final choice.  

 

I definitely need to stop looking at cruises though, as tonight I spotted a 10 night on Oceania that also looks interesting from Barcelona to Istanbul.  It’s not until 11/19/23 though.  I do like traveling in Europe at that time of year as it still feels warm to us Minnesotans, and the smaller crowds are nice.

Stay with your first Itinerary the May 9 nighter for your first trip to Europe!! It's hitting ALL the must sees and when in Naples make sure you book a tour that will take you to Amalfi!! The drive there alone is a phenomenal experience!!   

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, katmu said:

Thank you all for the helpful replies. My TA is holding a Deluxe Veranda for me while we decide for sure if that’s our final choice.  

 

I definitely need to stop looking at cruises though, as tonight I spotted a 10 night on Oceania that also looks interesting from Barcelona to Istanbul.  It’s not until 11/19/23 though.  I do like traveling in Europe at that time of year as it still feels warm to us Minnesotans, and the smaller crowds are nice.

November in the Mediterranean can be cold and wet…I speak from experience! You can be lucky but equally we have spent a full week in the Balearic Islands (late October)  only seeing the sun once and   I have memories of Crete where not only was it wet and cold it was really windy too. We have cruised or land visited the Mediterranean end of October/early November on many occasions (school half term) and the weather really is on the change….You are  right about the crowds being less but some ports can have that ‘end of season’ feel….

 

14 hours ago, gordylad said:

That's a nice cruise you have picked. If you can squeeze in another day the Reflection 10 night is recommended.

Rome/Civitavecchia, Katakolon, Thira/Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Athens/Piraeus, Valletta, Barcelona

 

Lovely itinerary visiting my two favourite Mediterranean ports, Santorini and Valletta…

[sunlover33]

18 hours ago, katmu said:

 

 

1. With the overnight stop in La Spezia, if we wanted to spend the night in Florence would that be allowed?  

Yes absolutely, however getting to Florence from Genoa is approx a three -four  hour train trip so you would have to factor this in when looking at departure times the following day, but train travel in Italy is very easy and May is a lovely month in Europe, not too hot but pleasantly warm. 
 

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiwu5DB2732AhUMO8AKHSo5Co8QFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetrainline.com%2Fen%2Ftrain-times%2Fgenoa-to-florence&usg=AOvVaw3p8Zxd6c3pgYcn0lVs6221

 

Our July 2022 Reflection cruise  itinerary   has been changed from Genoa ( la spezia) to Livorno much to our disappointment, as we planned  to spend the day in Cinque Terra having been to Florence many times before.  It may be worth double checking your itinerary to ensure yours has not been changed too. We have still not been  informed of the change  and only found out via our roll call although it has changed on the website. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time sailing on Celebrity, aft balconies are wonderful, hope you  enjoy Italy. 

 

[JBare]

3 hours ago, sunlover33 said:

Yes absolutely, however getting to Florence from Genoa is approx a three -four  hour train trip so you would have to factor this in when looking at departure times the following day, but train travel in Italy is very easy and May is a lovely month in Europe, not too hot but pleasantly warm. 
 

 

The Reflection actually docks in La Spezia itself and its a very pleasant 20 min walk to the train station once dropped at port entrance by the shuttle bus. Its an approx 2hr 15mins journey to Florence.

[dateacher]

This doesn't answer your question but it's something we did.  Our last stop was Naples (before a return to Rome).  We disembarked in Naples and went to Sorrento for three nights.  This gave us the time we wanted on the Amalfi Coast as a one day stop on the ship wasn't enough. We then took a car to Rome to return home.  All we had to do was let Celebrity know we would not be returning to the ship in Naples.  The only mistake we made was not changing our return flight from Rome.  We should have left from Naples as it was a 3 hour ride to Rome but we didn't decide on "jumping ship" until long after we had made the plane reservations. 

[katmu]

I think we will try to stay with the end of May. If we stay with the 9 night, I think we would stay in Italy through the weekend as it’s Memorial Day in the US so we’ll be using 1 less vacation day.

 

 I did also send my friend the 10 day Reflection as one of the options as well.  It’s a little more Greece focused, but it may be a bit more relaxing.  I only wish that Athens was an overnight.

[Fishboy1947]

23 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

On an overnight you are permitted to spend the night ashore without making any formal request.   For that matter you can spend all night out at a bar.  LOL   An overnight is like a regular port stop and you can come and go from the ship at anytime.

 

 

 

If I can piggyback on this comment, we have an overnighter in Venice, actually Ravenna, to begin our cruise. Can we stay in Venice and arrive at the ship on day 2? Or do we have to check in on day 1? Don’t see any benefit of an overnighter in Ravenna, would rather have a couple days in Venice