Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 #1 Share Posted May 13, 2023 This post was recognized by LauraS! "And another from niksmom630! Thank you for generously sharing your time at sea with everyone at Cruise Critic!" niksmom630 was awarded the badge '"Live from...."' and 5 points. Greetings, CC Celebrity fans! I’m pretty excited to be starting my journey to Lisbon today, and hope to be able to share a LIVE report of our travels. Niksmom630, a.k.a. Chris, traveling with a dear friend of mine on our second European adventure. Last May was Rome and Greek Isles on the Celebrity Edge. And my first time on Celebrity . As my signature reveals, I have spent the last few decades working my way up the ranks of the RCI C & A society, and have finally reached the milestone points number that lies between Diamond Plus and Pinnacle. Officially half of a pinnacle ….only 350 more points to go….. 😩 if you have ever followed any of my reviews on the RC board, you’ll know that my reviews follow the same format….mostly photos, some commentary and observations, tips and tricks, and sometimes random musings…..expect a few “comparison” comments, as a long time Royal loyalist. 😉 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barwick Cruiser Posted May 13, 2023 #2 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Looking forward to following along. Welcome to the Celebrity boards too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark.Jules Posted May 13, 2023 #3 Share Posted May 13, 2023 We are excited to follow along. Happy cruising. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #4 Share Posted May 13, 2023 It was an early start to the day with last minute packing / rearranging, but I managed to make it into one suitcase, one carry on, and one “ personal “ item. All are definitely what you would call “oversized” , including the main suitcase which weighed in at 61 pounds. United premier silver status came in handy. Because we are extending our stay a few days post cruise in Barcelona, I quickly learned its nothing like picking for 7 days in the Caribbean. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #5 Share Posted May 13, 2023 25 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said: Looking forward to following along. Welcome to the Celebrity boards too! thanks! Happy to be here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #6 Share Posted May 13, 2023 After we wrapped up our fabulous cruise on the Edge last year, I stated looking at itinerary’s and sailings from Barcelona. this sailing specifically caught my eye because of the extra days and Portugal! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #7 Share Posted May 13, 2023 I wasn’t familiar with the Infinity, but did a google search of cabin photos when this popped up 😳 I’ve heard she’s been “refreshed” which is good to know because I don’t think I could look at that bed spread for 9 straight days ☺️ do people even have bed spreads any more? 🤔 probably dating myself by virtue of the fact that I know what it’s called….. In any event, this sailing was all about the itinerary. This is also my first sailing with an overnight port stay. Will seem strange to not have the traditional sail away on boarding day, but the good news is it means extra time in Lisbon ♥️ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Azulann Posted May 13, 2023 #8 Share Posted May 13, 2023 (edited) I did a 15 day cruise on Celebrity Constellation around the Iberian Peninsula a number of years ago. It was amazing.Did a lot of private tours organized by folks on my roll call. We had an aft veranda that was huge. Look forward to your trip report. Edited May 13, 2023 by Azulann 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #9 Share Posted May 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, Azulann said: I did a 15 day cruise on Celebrity Constellation around the Iberian Peninsula a number of years ago. It was amazing.Did a lot of private tours organized by folks on my roll call. We had an aft veranda that was huge. Look forward to your trip report. Ugh, I was tempted to bid on one of those aft verandas! I bet that was an amazing location to have for that sailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Azulann Posted May 13, 2023 #10 Share Posted May 13, 2023 1 minute ago, niksmom630 said: Ugh, I was tempted to bid on one of those aft verandas! I bet that was an amazing location to have for that sailing Yes, it had a proper table with 4 chairs and two loungers. In evening you could hear the guitarist from the sunset bar while we watched the wake. We had some of our new friends up for a cocktail party. Everyone brought some wine and ordered room service cheese/cracker plates. The was in the" olden days" of Celebrity when they did not charge for any room service. Your ports of call are some of my favorite in all of Europe. I love everything about Spain and Portugal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #11 Share Posted May 13, 2023 (edited) We are currently parked outside the gate at Newark because we arrived early. Nothing wrong with that. Our flight to Lisbon doesn’t leave for another 3 hours….. United club here we come 🥳 I tried very hard to pack strategically for this cruise, but with the extra days, the varying temperatures, it became almost as big a project as trying to pre~book dining and entertainment on Royal 🤦🏼♀️ during one of my random late night Instagram scrolling sessions, I stumbled upon this….. turns out these entrepreneurs were on Shark Tank….and rightly so had a bunch of interested investors…because this…. transforms into this this stashed nicely in my carry on, and if the shopping Gods cooperate, will house all my Portuguese and Spanish treasures as a second “free” checked bag on the way home ♥️ Edited May 13, 2023 by niksmom630 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare theopup Posted May 13, 2023 #12 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Looks like a great itinerary, will look forward to following along 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Norwaylady Posted May 13, 2023 #13 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Have a wonderful journey! we did this sailing before covid, it’s a nice itinerary😎 Keep her well, I’m checking in when you leave😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #14 Share Posted May 13, 2023 We really were impressed with Celebrity and the Edge class following our May 2022 Greek isles sailing. I highly recommend that route, and with an extra few days post cruise in Rome, we got extra time for exploring. We used Rome tours travel and our guide was Sabino Pagano. We enjoyed 4 days worth of private tours. https://rometourstravel.com just some random photos from our last sailing ☺️ some Italy, some Greece, some from the Edge. Santorini is even more beautiful in person if that’s possible ♥️ 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 13, 2023 Author #15 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Woops…. Technical difficulties on that last post. PHOTO OVERLOAD error. The United Club at Newark is huge! And with a view. 😎 Another hour til our flight so snacks and beverages are up next 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggieq Posted May 13, 2023 #16 Share Posted May 13, 2023 36 minutes ago, niksmom630 said: Woops…. Technical difficulties on that last post. PHOTO OVERLOAD error. The United Club at Newark is huge! And with a view. 😎 Another hour til our flight so snacks and beverages are up next Have a wonderful cruise. Would love to hear about your Greek island cruise. We cruised in the edge as first cruise back after Covid in 9/2021 and loved the ship. The new United club is awesome. EWR is our go to airport fortunately and unfortunately 😊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #17 Share Posted May 14, 2023 47 minutes ago, maggieq said: Have a wonderful cruise. Would love to hear about your Greek island cruise. We cruised in the edge as first cruise back after Covid in 9/2021 and loved the ship. The new United club is awesome. EWR is our go to airport fortunately and unfortunately 😊 Lol, ORD is ours….the United clubs there are not nearly as nice, and pretty crowded. All I can say about the Greek isles cruise is “do it”. Covid was still pretty hot when we sailed in may 2022. We had to test 3x! Boarding INTL flight out of Chicago, then before boarding the cruise, then to fly home. Very stressful!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #18 Share Posted May 14, 2023 I have settled into my pod. Not sure this was worth the price of admission, but it’s a one way splurge. Might actually be fresh as a daisy when we land 😉 we have a one night stay booked at: https://www.casabalthazarlisbon.com/m/en/ they have been super accommodating and great communication. They arranged a private car pick up for us at the airport. Could I booked an Uber or taxi? Probably. But this is only my second time traveling aboard and fairly certain I’m already sleep deprived. For 40 euro there will be someone there holding a sign with my name on it…. Easy peasy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #19 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Fairly uneventful flight. There was no gate/jet bridge available when we landed around 8 am, so we got off the flight via stairs onto the tarmac, then into shuttle bus to take us back to the terminal. not sure if this is a rarity, or usual event here, but had a known I would have checked my carry on. It was a LONG walk thru the terminal and the baggage claim area. There are luggage carts available, in retrospect I should have grabbed one 🤗 The driver that the hotel was supposed to send never showed up, so we grabbed a taxi instead. There were signs as soon as you exited the terminal. It was about a 20 minute drive, at a cost of 25 euro. complimentary breakfast a few photos of the lobby area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegal415 Posted May 14, 2023 #20 Share Posted May 14, 2023 14 hours ago, niksmom630 said: It was an early start to the day with last minute packing / rearranging, but I managed to make it into one suitcase, one carry on, and one “ personal “ item. All are definitely what you would call “oversized” , including the main suitcase which weighed in at 61 pounds. United premier silver status came in handy. Because we are extending our stay a few days post cruise in Barcelona, I quickly learned its nothing like picking for 7 days in the Caribbean. We are on this cruise and also were on your plane from EWR! Packing for this trip was as tricky as when we went to the British Isles in late August/early September. My husband and I also traveled with one large suitcase each, one carry on each and one personal item each. I tried very hard to limit what I brought but I kept checking the extended forecast and it kept changing so I kept adding items of clothing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #21 Share Posted May 14, 2023 We were able to get in our room at 12 pm. Woohoo!!!! Lovely room and gorgeous views. Very boutiquey 😎 We are dragging but slammed a Coke down and heading out for our TUK TUK tour 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #22 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Wow, what can I say! What feels like just a glimpse of Lisbon was amazing. ♥️ Confession 😉( because it’s the catholic upbringing in me)….. I am just awed by churches . The detail, the history, the sense of calm that fills you when you walk into one….. it’s hard to describe ….. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 14, 2023 Author #23 Share Posted May 14, 2023 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani negreanu Posted May 14, 2023 #24 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Chris, wishing you a very enjoyable cruise. After reading your post, I was also intrigued about your quite special itinerary, and went to check out cruises. Found one which really interest me (October 21st), but, how shall I say it politely, the reviews about Infinity aren't quite "appealing"... I hope that the itinerary more than makes up for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare niksmom630 Posted May 15, 2023 Author #25 Share Posted May 15, 2023 9 hours ago, dani negreanu said: Chris, wishing you a very enjoyable cruise. After reading your post, I was also intrigued about your quite special itinerary, and went to check out cruises. Found one which really interest me (October 21st), but, how shall I say it politely, the reviews about Infinity aren't quite "appealing"... I hope that the itinerary more than makes up for it. thanks @dani negreanu confession #2..,..as you know I predominately hang out on the Royal boards, so since I had little experience with celebrity, I’m pretty sure I read some of the same Infinity reviews. 😔 I’m reserving judgement and going in with an open mind…I only have the Edge to compare to, which was wonderful, actually ☺️ so much so that I have the Apex booked for later this year and the Ascent in 2024 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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