Mediterranean Cruise

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Brucenlynn

Guest
Has anyone done the 11-night med. cruise on the Galaxy? We are going to be on the 5/31 sailing and curious about what to expect. Everything I see re. the Galaxy is just Caribbean cruises. Perhaps this is a new schedule for them. Has anyone sailed the Med. with Celebrity?

Lynn
 
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geezer

Guest
Hi Lynn

We sailed the Med on Celebrity in October.... however, it was on the Millenium... but we have sailed on the Galaxy... and to be truthful, the Galaxy is my favorite ship. My opinion is that you can't go wrong with Celebrity in the Med... we did a 12 night cruise from Venice to Barcelona... and had full days in all ports affording us ample time to see these wonderful ports...

This was a trip of a lifetime... and we enjoyed every minute... if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask... either on the board or email... i will be happy to answer.

Frank
 
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Brucenlynn

Guest
Hi Frank,
Thank you for your response. I have heard so many nice things about the Galaxy. Our only other experience with Celebrity was on the Century (W. Carib) and we enjoyed that very much.

My concern right now is I need to make arrangements in Rome for transportation to and from the port and I have no idea of time. The ship apparently sails at 7p.m. -- do you have any idea what time we are required to be on the ship? I assume we'll get some information from Celebrity the closer we get to sailing but I need to make arrangements now. Also, it looks like we dock at 8:00 a.m (or is that what time we can get off) and I'm wondering how long that process takes? Most likely the transportation company knows the answers to these questions as they probably deal with people cruising all the time!

One thing I do like about the itinerery is that it looks like we stay in each port for many hours which allows a good amount of time for sightseeing. I've never been to the Greek Islands and I'm very excited. Any "must sees" you'd like to share are appreciated.

Thanks again,
Lynn
 
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DeeBee

Guest
Hi Lynn,
My husband and I will be on the Galaxy on 5/31 also. At this point we are tentatively planning to take an early train out to the port and maybe a cab from there (I understand it is about a mile or so from the metro station.)
I haven't been on Celebrity before but did take a Med cruise two years ago on Orient's Crown Odyssey. We were allowed to board the ship about 2p.m. Upon return, we docked at 7am and were on the ground ready to board the busses after picking up our luggage around 9 or 9:30.
Like you, I've seen few posts regarding this particular cruise. I was dissappointed that Istanbul and Ephesus was cancelled but everyone raves about Dubrovnik. We've been to a few of the ports before but are looking forward to enjoying them at a more leisurely pace. Are you and your husband travelling by yourselves? E-mail me if you would like to stay in touch.
Doreen
 
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geezer

Guest
Hi Lynn,

You will love the Galaxy... very pretty ship and very easy to get around...

to (hopefully) answer some of your questions... usually you need to be back on board about one half hour before sailing... the trip from Livorno (where the ship docks) to Rome is about one hour. The process of getting off the ship is very smooth.. (except on disembarkation day)... but in ports you will have no trouble.. as long as you have a picture id and your sail card.

Before our trip we toyed with the idea of using local guides to show us around rather than using a ship excursion due to the high cost of the ship's excursions. We even emailed with a couple of tour people requesting rates, etc... but after serious discussions we decided to use the ship's tours just for the fact that should there be trouble on the road, the ship will wait for you as long as it's one of their tours. If you are on your own, it will be your responsibility to meet the ship at the next port if you miss it. We just didn't want to take the chance.

Dubrovnik was a stunner for us... truly beautiful walled city... ceramic tiles on the walls of the houses... marble for streets... very beautiful.

Please don't miss Santorini... we were staying late in port.. (i think around 11 PM) so we decided to stay there...and have dinner at one of the local restaurants... it was the best night... gorgeous sunset, greek music playing throughout... and a wonderful open air restaurant overlooking the bay... we didn't want to leave.

Not sure what your likes or dislikes are.. but i found Pompei fascinating.. to see how they are still uncovering this buried city is amazing... and to see the bodies of people and animals was incredible.

the rest of the trip was wonderful... our trip of a lifetime... and you will be doing it on a gorgeous ship too...

Also, if you're interested.. i have a photo gallery of our trip in the gallery section... it's labeled "Millenium-Mediterranean 10/03.

Anything else, please let me know... i'm happy to answer

Frank
 
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Brucenlynn

Guest
Frank, thank you for all your information. We were scheduled for another Med. cruise in September 2001 -- matter of fact we were on our way to the airport on 9/11/01 -- needless to say we never made that trip! If anyone ever questions the need for travel insurance I'd have to say you never know what life may throw your way. We were fortunate to get all our money back because we had it. So we have been waiting a long time to finally take a cruise and we are excited.

Doreen, I look forward to meeting you on the cruise. I believe you said you are hosting the cruise critic party. I guess I need to sign up for that -- as well as the other 4 people traveling with us. I agree that a stop in Istanbul sounded interesting but I'm very pleased with the change. At first we just planned a tour of Italy but then I discovered this itinerery on the Galaxy and we decided instead on a cruise. So I'm glad for the stops in Naples and Sicily.

Other than the issue with luggage, I think taking the train to the port sounds good. We've found a private van to take us but it will cost almost $200 each direction. Luckily, we can split that between 3 couples. We are staying at the Hotel Les Chambres d'or in Rome. Sounds charming -- only 9 rooms on the 3rd floor of what used to be an old palace. It is steps away from the Vatican and we wanted to be in the heart of things. Are you arriving early and where are you staying? So many difficult choices.
 
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MCD

Guest
We're going on the same Millenium European cruise in May. We are a group of 12 and would like to book a dinner in the special restaurant (can't recall name right now) or the wine cellar. Did you do this? Did you book prior to sailing? Anything else you would recommend on the cruise? Did you take the train to Monaco on your or the tour? Any tips to have the best time while on the boat? thanks, I'm sure first time cruisers drive people batty with questions!
 
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DeeBee

Guest
Lynn,
My husband and I are flying to Rome on May 27th (I teach high school and it is the last day of school). We are staying at the Casa di Francesca Romana..the private home of Saint Frances of Rome which is now a boarding house. It is in the Trastevere District by the Ponte Rotto. My husband stayed there with my son in 2001 and it is supposed to be very nice.
With the spending power of the dollar down by 40% in Europe, I believe that our cruise will prove not only enjoyable but also economical. I'm looking forward to meeting you and your friends. When are you flying out?
Doreen
 
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Brucenlynn

Guest
Hi Doreen,
One of the other ladies on the cruise with us is also a high school teacher (math) which is why we had to wait until late May. We leave from Florida on the 29th which puts us in to Rome at 9:45 a.m. the 30th. I agree that a cruise is the best bargain with the dollar being so depreciated. It is nice that everything on the ship will be in dollars. Those bar bills can sure add up fast! We were just counting down the days tonight and we are at 114 to go! Seems like a long time but it will go quickly.

Lynn
 
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Brucenlynn

Guest
BruinSteve:
That was a terrific trip report. We won't get to visit all those ports you mentioned but most of them. I know a lot of people stick with the ship's excursions for safety reasons but I think for the most part we'll venture off on our own. I haven't even perused the available excursions as we are so far out from our trip. I have difficulty just getting the rest of my group to decide on a hotel! They leave everything up to me -- I'm the unofficial travel agent. At least a cruise makes it pretty easy. Last year I planned every detail of our Costa Rica vacation -- now that was an adventure!
Next year I think we're going to do an Alaska cruise and I see you have one planned this summer. I'll be anxious to hear all the details!
Thanks again,
Lynn
 
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