More spacious Aqua Class stateroom than on other ships in the line.  Bathroom was especially nice.  My husband loved the above-bed storage.

Loved Oia, but didn't have enough time there.  Guide only gave us like an hour and fifteen minutes.  I felt rushed and frustrated that I couldn't take more time to look around.  The tour was very interesting, but I'd prefer more time in Oia!

Women must dress modest and cover their heads.  Lines were long the entire time in Istanbul and I thought our group was way too large.

This was such a wonderful way to end the day.  Relaxing... some people actually fell asleep on it!  I was too busy taking photos.  Lasted an hour and a half, and was really worth it.

Interesting, but I prefer smaller groups.  Had to use the ear transmitter to hear the guide.  The units were good and worked well, but the crowds in general lowered my enjoyment level.  I mean the streets and sites we visited were absolutely PACKED with people.

The cruise lines don't do tourists any favors.  Prices really are jacked for cruise passengers.  My advice is NOT to shop in the cruise-line recommended stores.  Carry cash and buy elsewhere.  The bargaining process is fun and the store owners truly have a charm all their own in the interaction with potential buyers.  It's a great experience.

Fabulous!  However, the crowds are once again an issue.  This was one site where I was thankful for the electronic guide transmitter, though.  Our guide did a great job explaining the rich history of the Hagia Sophia.

We didn't buy much but took LOTS of photos!  It's a colorful, fascinating place loaded with intriguing wares.  Ladies, check out the gorgeous linens.

The lunch at the Palace was truly OUTSTANDING, but they don't have adequate bathroom stalls.  Plan ahead and be sure you're ready to wait in a LONG line to use the facilities!  Sad to say, again the crowds were a serious issue.  Guide told us up front we wouldn't be able to see the Palace Jewel Collection, due to the long lines and there not being enough time.  I think they should limit numbers of people on these tours so it's more enjoyable.  Like anything else, early-birds will get the worm if they sign up for the tours EARLY!

This was actually my favorite thing about the Istanbul tour.  It's mysterious and unique.  Really a fascinating site.

The Basilica was fascinating, but our guide gave some serious misinformation regarding some of the surrounding area.  He seemed to pride himself on his knowledge of ancient history, but he was not as intelligent as he wanted to come across.  The Basilica is actually more of a Forum type space surrounding what was once the ancient Church.  Definitely worth a visit, especially for Christians interested in the Apostles.

I'd studied the Library of Celsus in Roman archaeology and always wanted to see it.  It's stunning.  I was also interested in the impressive Arch beside it, dating from Augustan times.  Our guide was clueless about the Arch and offered very little information on it.  He'd obviously only studied certain parts of the city/site and didn't know much about a lot of what was actually there.  I found that very disappointing.

Had it not been for the ridiculous dining/entertainment experience, I would have given this part of the excursion a five-star rating.  The tour was supposed to be focusing on ROMAN Ephesus.  Well, the lunch (I guess) was supposed to be imitating a Roman meal.  It was way hokey.  Servers were in tunics, and the place where we ate had obviously been built specifically to accommodate tourists.  Then we had to sit through a truly BAD "entertainment" of farcical gladiator combat.  If only lunch could have been a bag-lunch on the archaeological site, with a guide who truly had STUDIED the site's history and knew what he/she was talking about!  As much as I absolutely LOVED Ephesus, the guide and lunch experience was a real low point.  Lastly, we were all practically forced to sit through yet ANOTHER Persian Carpet demonstration so they could try and sell us some.  Again, time taken AWAY from the reason I signed up for the tour........ to see EPHESUS!

Best part of my day in Ephesus.  Fortunately, there were well-placed placards describing the site and they were in English, since our guide was truly clueless and by that time, most of the people on the tour KNEW that!  If you go to Ephesus, don't miss these Terrace Houses.  The wall-paintings and mosaics are phenomenal.  There appears to be an extra charge/ticket required to enter the Terrace House area.  Since it's pretty far into the site, be sure to inquire about the necessary admission if you choose to do Ephesus on your own... which I'd urge you to do!  I think they have the hand-held units for self-guided tours.

Again, the crowds were horrendous and we used the transmitters so we could hear our guide on the Acropolis Tour.  However, this guide KNEW HER STUFF!  Maria was awesome and despite the huge throngs of people bumping into each other atop the Acropolis, she made the experience very rewarding.  She also worked in ample free-time which I greatly appreciated.  We used it to buy some Lemon Ice (Mmmmm!) and get my husband a t-shirt.

Basically, it was a bus tour in a crowded city.  Sadly, this was the one area Maria lacked as far as dialogue.  She pointed things out, but didn't divulge in much history behind those things.

The drive to Cape Sounion is longer than I expected... about an hour and a half.  However, the views are fantastic and it was great getting out of the crowded city and see some of the Attic landscape.  Maria again, was very good about describing and interpreting sights along the way.  Cape Sounion was very impressive.  I highly recommend this tour.  It takes you out and away from the zillions of people scrambling over one another.  At Cape Sounion, the Temple of Poseidon isn't crowded at all.  There are lovely bathroom facilities, a restaurant to grab a snack or something to drink, and the views of the Aegean are magnificent!

Our guide was AWESOME!  He knew Herculaneum's history and obviously spent time studying recent developments of the site.  Herculaneum is a smaller site than Pompeii, so in my opinion, it's the best one to visit in one day, when there are only half-day tours of each place.  Definitely got our money's worth.  My husband thought it was great and we got blessed with cooler weather, too!

Granted, I knew it would only be a half day.  We did the "Pompeii On Your Own" tour.  I'd been to the site previously several times and knew my way around.  Turns out, we were only given TWO HOURS at a site that really requires several days of exploring.  Sure, it was supposed to be a half day, but only TWO HOURS?  Then, we find out we have to purchase tickets.  This means that the money we paid at the get-go was basically just for our transport to/from the dock.  I was furious!  We had to spend 30 minutes waiting in line for tickets.  And... yep.  The site was so packed it was absolutely ridiculous.  Crawling with people.  Well, by the time we got in, my husband just wanted out of the crowd, so I took him to Villa of the Mysteries, which is so removed from the rest of Pompeii, no tour groups bother to go there.  Too bad for them!  It's the coolest thing in Pompeii.  So instead of giving this tour a "terrible", I'm giving it a "Poor", since we redeemed the experience somewhat ourselves by using our very little time there so well.  My advice... go to Herculaneum.  And I still question why the Archaeological Museum wasn't even an option on our cruise.  I found that VERY disappointing.

There just wasn't much to this little monastery.  We briefly went to a restaurant for mezes, which were just so-so.  The bus made one beach stop for photos.  That was IT.  Very disappointing tour.  The guide was pleasant but didn't go out of her way to show us anything.  I guess I should've signed up for Delos.

Rome (Civitavecchia)

My husband and I were celebrating our 25th Anniversary, so this cruise was our gift to ourselves!We love Blu; it's wonderful having meals prepared just for yourselves and not a whole slew of people.

Celebrity Reflection Review

Mediterranean MAGIC!

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AquaClass 2

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