To celebrate our fifth anniversary, my husband and I decided to go on a mediterranean cruise and found a good deal on the Celebrity Constellation with an ocean view cabin, and drinks and gratuities included.
The embarkation process went fairly smoothly although there was quite a line. We arrived via train from Rome, and tried to walk all the way to the ship which didn't quite work. Fortunately we found the shuttle to the boat, although it took awhile for the shuttle to get going (and there was no a/c).
After arriving in the check-in tent, the lines moved quickly and before long, our luggage was handled and we were boarding the ship. We were greeted with mimosas which was a nice touch.
We used the local train to visit Pompeii, and paid for our own tour once there. This was easy to do and much less expensive than the cruise-offered excursions. Pompeii is fantastic! Highly recommended.
Rome is amazing, but the Civitavecchia port isn't much to write home about.
Not taking an excursion in this town was a big mistake. Unfortunately the public transportation didn't allow us many options to see the surrounding areas for which Sicily is known. Messina was a bit of a letdown, although we had a good meal and saw a couple of nice churches.
We absolutely loved Athens! We took a cab in and out of the city and toured independently on foot. It was a wonderful way to explore and you can see a lot on your own.
We used our time in Santorini to hike from Fira to Oia, then took a bus back and roamed around the shops. I highly recommend the hike!
We visited a small, family-run pottery factory, then toured Lindos and spent an hour or so at the beach. The beach itself was gorgeous!