We flew into Rome early so that we could spend three nights, four days touring before the cruise. As we had done two years ago, we had contracted with Rome in Limo (www.romeinlimo.com) and we were met outside of baggage by very congenial Salvatore who stowed all our luggage then drove us into Rome to begin our City Highlights tour. 
We saw all the big sites, plus had delicious pastry and cappuccino at a neighborhood spot in the morning. Later we drove the Appian Way and toured the Callixtus Catacomb. After the tour Salvatore took us to a family-owned osteria in the countryside, Soro Rosa, for a delicious and relaxing al fresco meal. We hit a few more sites in the afternoon before being dropped at Hotel Isa. 
Hotel Isa was lovely. We arrived and were in our rooms within 15 minutes. The decor of the hotel is very modern, and it is extremely clean. They offer free wi-fi in the lobby, a full breakfast buffet every morning, and they have an evening buffet as well. Our room (510)was huge with a very comfy bed, two closets, a mini-bar and a lovely modern bathroom. We also had a small balcony overlooking the courtyard. Whenever we asked the front desk personnel for help of any kind, they were happy to do so. Check-out was very efficient. 
The next morning we walked to St. Peter's to do our Scavi Tour. That must be booked months in advance through the Vatican website. We met the Swiss Guards at the gate and waited for our appointed time. Our guide for this tour was a very knowledgeable and dramatic woman, and she made the history come alive for us. One of our group is slightly claustrophobic and worried that she might not make it, but really there is only one tight squeeze. The necropolis is fascinating and seeing St. Peter's ossuary was was very meaningful. Be aware, though, it is very humid & close, which could be a problem for some. 
After that tour we were met by Sarah from RIL who took us on a walking Angels & Demons tour. We had met Sarah two years ago when she guided us through the Vatican Museum, so it was fun meeting up with her again. Her knowledge of art & architecture & church history is vast! 
That night we taxied to Alle Fratte di Trastevere for a wonderful homemade meal. Yummy!! We had eaten at this osteria two years ago, and made our reservations online from home. It was so much fun being there again. 
The next morning Salvatore collected us and drove us to Tivoli, where we enjoyed touring Villa Adrianna, Villa d'Este and Castel Gandolfo. It was so beautiful, and while we were visiting the sites (which Salvatore had told us all about before leaving us off) he went & bought us newly bottled wine from a farm nearby for us to taste & enjoy. On the way back to the hotel we stopped for delicious gelato, then back to dinner and sipping wine! 
Promptly as scheduled, Monday Salvatore picked us up and drove us to Civitavecchia to meet our ship! I cannot say enough good things about Rome in Limo. We always felt safe & secure in the company, and we learned so very much about every place we saw. I cannot recommend them highly enough! 



Rome (Civitavecchia)

We used a ship's excursion here, and I think we were spoiled by our Rome experience. The tour was for Oia and Fira. While the tour leader was quite nice & lovely, she did not use a microphone. Sitting in the back of the bus we could not hear anything, so we pretty much saw some beautiful sights, but we learned very little. 
We did get to tour the Santo Winery for a tasting, which was enjoyable, then we returned to Fira where we walked about and enjoyed a cold drink at a clifftop bar. After many warnings on ship about not taking the donkeys, we took the cable car back to the pier and reboarded. It was extremely hot that particular day or we might have stayed in town longer, but while we found Santorini to be beautiful we probably would not return there. 


Santorini

Our time at Mykonos was also spent with a ship's tour, though we probably could have done this on our own. We did have a very good guide who obviously loved the island and learned much about life on Mykonos...the people, the geography & climate, the history, etc. 
It's a beautiful island, and the beach that we stopped at was absolutely gorgeous. We also toured a monastery there in Ano Mera (?) and after, we stopped at a taverna for mezas and ouzo. Very nice! Once on our own, we did some shopping along the narrow streets, met up with Petros II, the local mascot, and then walked to Little Venice for pix of the windmills. An enjoyable day! 


Mykonos

We had two days in Istanbul. What a sight to see from our veranda!! Leaving the ship we were entertained by a group of musicians in native dress. A fun way to start our day! 
We easily found our guide,Omer (Ertunga tours) who was easy to talk to, had a sense of humor and was very knowledgeable. We all enjoyed his commentary and his company. With Omer we explored a great deal of the city, including Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, the Grand Bazaar, the Basilica Cistern, etc. We did alot of walking so that we could get around quicker (the traffic is terrible) and saw everything that we'd hoped to see. 
Omer did suggest we go to a carpet store to see how the rugs are made and enjoy a refreshment, but we all were pretty tired by this time and opted out. Upon leaving us, Omer told us a good place to go and tour the next day on our own. 
We got back to the ship just in time for a quick clean-up and dinner. It was lovely on deck & on our balcony later as we enjoyed the sparkling lights of Istanbul, the calls to worship and the fireworks display across the bay! 
The next morning four of us walked to Dolmabahci Palace, which was quite impressive and well-worth the entry fee. It sits right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous views, and we learned alot about life in that time. Finally we walked back to the ship and prepared for our next port call. 


Istanbul

This port was so surprising for us. The beautiful view from the ship really engaged us so that we were very excited to begin our journey. We left the ship as dancers entertained us to meet our guide, Ertunga, a lovely young man who owns the tour company. 
We boarded a large van, and Ertunga took us first the House of the Virgin Mary. When we first pulled up I was a little dismayed. Tons of buses were parked and vendors lined the walkway. But as we approached the house and gardens, even though there were many other tourists, a sense of peace & serenity pervaded. There was actually a mass being said at the time. We walked through the house and soaked in the atmosphere. From there we visited the fountains, then the wishing wall. I don't think any of us wanted to leave there, but we had more places to see. We met up with Ertunga at the entrance and left there to explore ancient Ephesus. 
What an experience that was! The "ruins" are in amazing condition considering all that had befallen the town through the ages. Ertunga taught us much about the town and the times when it flourished, then some of us accompanied him into the Terrace Houses where we viewed incredibly preserved homes, mosaics and frescoes. As we finished touring Ephesus to meet up with the rest of our group we were treated to a reenactment of Cleopatra's visit to Ephesus, complete with a gladiatorial battle. Quite fun!! 
Then we were off to Selkuk to see the Basilica of St. John (from where we also could see the remains of the Temple of Artemis). It was very moving to see the Basilica and to realize that St. John had lived there and brought Mother Mary there with him. It was also overwhelming to see his memorial tomb. 
Another treat was to see the storks that nest in the towers all over town (where the call to worship is trumpeted). We didn't get to spend any time in Selkuk, but it looked like an interesting town. 
We then returned to Kusadasi where Ertunga showed us around the port area before we said good-by, then went to an Irish pub for a cold beer. We did some shopping before returning to the ship, and had planned to come back into town after dinner, but we all were beat. 


Kusadasi

We had booked another private tour for this port. Nikos,PrivateGreeceTours, met us outside of terminal A. He had us wait in the shade while he retrieved his very comfortable van, and as soon as we were seated, our introduction to Athens began. 
It was obvious that Nikos is very, very knowledgeable and that he loves his city, which made our tour very enjoyable. Though he could not enter the historical sites with us, he gave us background about every stop we made, even sending us in with books to the Acropolis so we could identify each of the buildings we saw. Also, he lent us his cellphone so we could always phone him when we were ready to be picked up or if we had any questions, etc. 
We saw so much in our 8 hours together! Besides the Acropolis we saw the Temple of Zeus, the Ancient Agora, stoa and Temple of Hephaestus, the Museum of the Acropolis, the Presidential Palace for the Changing of the Guard, the city park, the government center, the financial center and the cultural centers of town. 
We ate at an outdoor cafe at the edge of the Plaka, which he recommended, and had wonderful gyros and Mythos beers! We did some more touring, then shopping and then we stopped at a Replica of a Greek trireme before returning via a coastal road to Piraeus and our ship. 
It was a wonderful day, and Nikos is an excellent driver and guide. We highly recommend him! 
We only had room in this review for 6 ports, but we also stopped at Naples, where we took a ship's tour to the Isle of Capri. We took a hydrofoil to the island and spent several hours there touring Ana Capri and Capri town before heading back to ship. Our guide, Connie, was an excellent "shepherd" of us all and we thoroughly enjoyed Capri!! 


Athens (Piraeus)

Cabin 7130 was roomy with more than enough storage. The bathroom & shower were so much easier to use than on other ships. We had no public rooms above or below us, and we were not too neary any elevators, stairwells, etc., so we had complete quiet. The balcony was big enough for both of us to sit and enjoy, and no one above or below could see us. We were on the port side. I would absolutely book this room again!

The ship is so large that we rarely felt any movement.The balcony was big enough for the two of us to sit out and enjoy the lovely weather & views.

Celebrity Equinox Review

Celebrity Equinox Exceeds Our Expectations

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Deluxe Veranda 2B

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