Where to start? The sail-in to Santorini defies description. This legendary volcanic island, which is defined by a semi-circular caldera, is other-worldly. I am sure you have seen the pictures for yourself. The ship tenders in (they all do) which is a pain. Once on shore, you have three options for climbing up the 1,000 feet or so from the dock up to the town. If it is a hot day, take the cable car. The donkey trip can be fun but when it's hot out, it's uncomfortable. I love to hike and mountain climb, so I thought I would walk up the footpath / donkey trail. Turns out, it is somewhat dangerous and unpleasant. Take the cable car. Have a drink at "Tropical Bar" which is run by a very nice woman who transplanted from CA years ago. We had dinner at Casablanca, overlooking the harbor. Good food and gorgeous views. 


Santorini

Mykonos is great. See the town, including the windmills. Get the photo w Petros the Pelican. Then head to the beach, away from the tourist crowds in the port. We liked Psarou beach, but there are plenty to choose from. We didn't try Paradise Beach or Super Paradise, but these are the ones with the big-time "party beach" reputations. Also note the mega-yachts floating by...lifestyles of the rich and famous. 


Mykonos

Istanbul is one of the great cities of the world. That’s an indisputable fact. We live in New York…also a great city…and I think Istanbul is comparable. The breadth of history is in the same category as Rome or Athens, and the monuments are stunning. The topography of the place…the Golden Horn, the Bosporous…is awesome. I am thankful that we spent two full days here. That is the bare minimum. We hired a guide (based on a recommendation from our travel agent) who did a tremendous job. We made extensive use of the excellent public transportation in/out of the old city. Most tourists are stuffed into motor coaches, which crawl into the old city at walking pace. But we just whizzed by on the public tram. You should try it. 
We did several fun activities that I would recommend… We took the ferry across the Bosporus to the Asian side. It costs only about $1.50 per person. You ride with the locals, and get a fantastic view of all the sights. Then you get off in a different continent! It was great. 
We ate street food in the local market. I tried the donor kabob. Hey, they’re great in NY, so I figured they’d be even better in Istanbul! And I lived to tell about it! 
We had a fancy dinner at the hotel Marmara Taksim, in their rooftop restaurant. Yes it was expensive, but the modern, continental (and Scandinavian-influenced!) cuisine was very good, and the views were incredible. 
Then we strolled around Taksim Square. Try to do it at night, when everyone is out and about. It’s a great experience. An alternative to a fancy dinner is to have your dinner outdoors in one of the countless cafe/restaurants lining the main street in the Taksim district. We will do that next time. 
The sail-in and sail-out from Istanbul will be among the best experiences you will ever have on a cruise ship. Slowly sailing by the Hagia Sophia…which is 1500 years old…takes your breath away. Look at the vastness of Istanbul. 16 million people spread over untold square miles…an amazing place. 



Istanbul

Ephesus is a fascinating archeological site. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with Kusadasi. The town is a complete tourist trap. You get off the ship and you are attacked by hawkers trying to sell everything under the sun. When you walk down the main street, restaurant hawkers accost you…as if that would somehow lure you into their establishment. Even the excursions are not a safe haven. Be aware that all of the cruise ship’s excursions end with a “carpet demonstration,” which is code for being herded into a carpet shop that pays the cruise line to provide them with a captive audience for their “hard sell” pitch to buy a rug. I wasn’t in the mood to buy a carpet, and I didn’t want to be forced into the sales funnel. Since our “selected” carpet shop happened to very near the dock, we just walked off the bus, bypassed the rug shop and hiked back to the ship. 
Kusadasi’s big attraction is being the gateway to Ehpesus. We booked Celebrity's tour to the House of the Virgin Mary, and Ephesus. We usually avoid big-bus tours, but I have to admit that in this case, the bus is a very efficient way to get to the sites. The cabs in Kusadasi are sporadic, and the whole place is geared to tour buses. So we just went with the flow. 
Visiting the House of the Virgin Mary should be an awe-inspiring experience. But it is so over-run with tourists and buses and souvenir shops, that we were hard-pressed to have the spiritual moment that such a site warrants. Nevertheless, if she really lived here…how incredible is that! 
Ephesus is better. The site is huge and impressive. There are dozens of tour groups, but the site is so vast that it doesn’t matter. Ephesus is one of the great historical sites in the world, and we really enjoyed it. Note that it is hot and dusty, and the marble streets are slick. Bring comfortable shoes…better yet, hiking shoes. There is almost no shade, so factor that in, too. 
I give Ephesus a 5 and Kusdasi a 3, for an overall 4. 


Kusadasi

We arrived in Athens about the same time that there were all kinds of riots and political unrest. Still, we were determined to see the Parthenon and some key museums. The big ships dock in Piraeus, which is a major seaport about 20 minutes outside of Athens. Upon departure from the ship, you enter a cruise terminal. On the outside of the terminal, it is the Wild West. We were accosted by 6 – 8 taxi drivers, all willing to take us anywhere and fighting for our business. Of course we were experiencing this combination of paranoia and indecision that made us struggle with their incessant demands of “where do you want to go? How much will you pay?” We went back into the cruise terminal to regroup! 
OK, by now we decided we wanted to go to the Parthenon and we found a very friendly (and low key) cab driver who would take us around. We added a few other sites to our itinerary, so we had a mini-tour, for which we tipped him well. The Acropolis is great, of course. Afterwards, we had lunch at a taverna in the Plaka district. It was 100% tourists, with everyone speaking English. Not really an authentic experience, but still, it was a good time in a pleasant environment. It made me think about living in New York. I see the zillions of tourists in Times Square, and wonder, “Why do they go there? No real New Yorker would set foot in Times Square!” Yet here I am, in the Times Square of Athens, at the mercy of the hawker pushing his daily specials. I suppose that’s the nature of tourism. 
I dragged my wife through the National Archeological Museum, on the other side of town. It contains some of the world’s most famous Greek Art…including the so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Yes I know that it’s not really Agamemnon’s death mask, but still, for me it was a must-see. 
On the sail-out from Athens, the Parthenon and Acropolis were clearly visible, for a long time. It was definitely “a moment.” 


Athens (Piraeus)

Naples

Ok, so everyone says Naples is awful and dirty, but I wanted to see it anyway.   I left M back in the cabin and spent 3 hours wandering all over Naples.  While yes it’s dirty and gritty, it is also more real.  You heard almost exclusively Italian being spoken, and there were few tourists once I was more than a couple of blocks from the dock.  There is a little bit of street theater on every block, too.  I recommend stopping by the archeological museum.  All of the good stuff from Pompeii has been taken from that site and put on display in the museum.  There is an incredible model of Pompeii in the museum, too.  Unfortunately, the famous mosaic of Alexander and Darius from the House of the Faun was undergoing restoration, and hence unavailable.  Check to see if it is available when you go to the museum.  Note that if you go to the Pompeii site (highly recommended) the House of the Faun has a replica of the mosaic in situ there.

What about pizza?  No time for pizza in Naples.  But we had a great pizza in Pompeii.  We were hungry.  We stopped for a snack at the unassuming pizzeria/café/drink stand outside the main entrance.  Their pizza cost only 4 euros, but it was one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had.  This in spite of the fact that while we were there, Italy was in the process of losing their World Cup match…sending the whole country into mourning.

Naples

Well-located amidships on deck 8; spacious; unobstructed view; bathroom is great; however, closets are hard to use (true of all balcony cabins on Solstice-class ships)

Hey, they're great in NY, so I figured they'd be even better in Istanbul!So the Ensemble Bar, the main bar at the center of the specialty restaurant area, became our go-to bar for the trip.

Celebrity Equinox Review

An Absolutely Perfect Cruise

Rating by category

Additional details

Cabin Review

Find a Celebrity Equinox Cruise from $412