We travelled on Celebrity Reflection, departing Rome on the 10th July with an Eastern Mediterranean itinerary.
We had arranged flights directly with Celebrity and our Jet2 flight from Manchester was uneventful. Representatives were very visible at the airport and cases were tagged and left there for transportation to the ship. The journey to the port takes just over an hour and check-in was quick and efficient, with cold drinks available while you waited. We were on board within about 20 minutes of arrival at the port and offered a glass of fizz on boarding. Our cabin was ready when we boarded about 2pm but after finishing our drink we went up to the Oceanview cafe for lunch.
A good variety of food is provided in the Oceanview at lunchtime but the full lunch service stops around 2:30 with almost everything bar pizza and pasta being cleared away until the afternoon cakes/sandwiches about 4pm. This caught us out one day when we arrived back on board about 3pm and found limited choices in food.
Forward facing veranda on the "hump". Nice big balcony, good quality chairs. Cabin clean, tidy with sufficient sockets and interactive TV.
Private tour with sicilywithmario arranged on cruisecritic rollcall forum. Toured Castelmola and Taormina. Lots of time to wander and have lunch. Finished with short tour of Messina. Enthusiastic and informative guide.
Tendered port. Easy and pleasant to wander independently. Had a drink and a gyros pitta (junk food of the gods).
Private tour with Ephesus shuttle. Small group of 6 arranged on CC rollcall. Conducted tour through Ephesus followed by authentic Turkish lunch and brief visit to remains of Temple of Artemis. Air-conditioned minibus with informative guide. Lovely buffet lunch.
Another ideal port to wander independently. Excellent shopping. Lots of history in Rhodes, an underrated treasure.
Private tour with Santorini Private tours with Kostas. Toured Oia, Akrotiri, Prophet Elias Monastery and Santos winery. Lots of photo stops.
Took public transport (tram & train) to Herculaneum. Hired audio guide and toured at our own pace. Much smaller than Pompeii but better preserved.