Santorini what a neat place, its so cool as you pull into the bay and sea this cliff side town. We actually slept in and didnt get a early tender number so we didnt get on to the island until about 4 p.m. there are 3 ways to the top the cable car the donkeys and hiking it. We hiked it, it was hot and tough dont do it unless you are in great shape otherwise you will have no energy to enjoy Santorini when you get there. We didnt want to wait in the long cable car line, the donkeys are 5 euros and looked fun, but we thought we would get some excercise. The town is mostly shops, we rented a Quad and went to the other side of the island to the beach, we had a great lunch and made it back to the other side for sunset. We took the path back down again which was obviously much easier.  

Santorini

Mykonos, awesome town, cute lots of shops as usual and pricey. we did not do this but after I got back a friend of mine told me there is a beautiful beach on the other side of the island you can get to by bus and it takes about 10 minutes. So I recommened checking it out. Walk the town which doesnt take long and then go check out the beach on the other side.  

Mykonos

Istanbul was our least favorite port. We don't care for big cities and with 16 million people this one is crowded. We took the bus to town through the cruise ship it was $10 each. It drops you off at the grand bazaar which is great if you like looking at 5,000 stores selling the same thing. Not our cup of tea. I recommend you get a map before you get there I had found an information place when I got there and got one, I was a bit lost before that the map the ship gives you doesn't cut it. The Hagia Sophia, the blue mosque and the topkapi palace are all next to each other. You can see these on your own. The ship spent the night there and left the next day at 1. We decided to stay on board and hang out by the pool it was so nice to have the ship to ourselves. We talked to several people that booked the 2 day Istanbul tour and they said it was too much and they wish they had done it on their own so they can experience the culture.  

Istanbul

This is the only port I booked a tour and I did it through a private company you can find on line called tour Ephesus. Ephesus is 20 minutes from the port and there is no train or anything to get there so I figured a tour was the best way and it was. Tour Ephesus was recommended by another person on CC so I checked them out. What I liked was I made the reservation via email, it was $80 each and I didnt have to pay until the tour was over and I paid in American dollars which was great. We had our own private tour for the 2 of us. We had a driver air conditioned van and a private guide. Batu met us at the port with a sign with our name on it and took us to the house of virgin Mary, , temple of Artemis,archeological museum,and EPHESUS including the terrace houses(highly worth the extra $20) he spoke great english and new a lot about turkey. The tour also included lunch. He took us to an authentic Turkish restaurant it was so good. He told us all the ships tours take them to a buffet. So I highly recommend this company I think its about 1/2 the cost of the ship we finished in about 5-6 hours instead of the 9 the ship tour takes because you have to wait for 50 people everywhere you go.  

Kusadasi

Rhodes, is a neat little place the old city which is walled is basically another tourist trap but its fun to walk around see the castles and streets and enjoy a good greek meal.  

Rhodes

Athens, big city, but your there for the same reason as everyone else, the acropolis. I took others advice and tried to get there early, it is crowded so if you can beat the ship tours there obvioulsy alot less people. WE took the train and you can get there in 2 stops. Heres some advice on that. Celebrity docks at terminal b. So get off the ship and grab the free shuttle to the main terminal.  When you come out of the main terminal go to the left under the freeway over pass and basically you have walk around the outside of the port until the road ends. Then look to your right and you will see a big yellow building about 2 blocks away, thats the train station.There is a smaller yellow building but thats a parking garage it a bigger 2 story building in the distance(sorry hope thats not too vague, just ask the Greeks they will tell you. Its got to be about a 2 mile walk at least. Once you get on the train its 1 euro each way look at the map you will see the acropolis and you can get there in 2 stops or 3 if your not familiar with metros. If I were to do it again I think I would grab a cab from the cruise terminal to the metro station, it may cost you 10 euro but will save you 45 minutes. We were not able to beat the cruise ship tours there because of the walk to the metro. Its 12 euros to get into the acropolis and then you hike to the top. When your done right across the street is the new acropolis museum, definitely worth the 1 euro admission price.     
Messina,    
We took the train to Taormina...be aware the first train you can catch is the 9:30 its a good mile to the station so give yourself enough time. Guess what the train is packed if you dont get there early you will be standing all the way to Taormina. Taormina, is another Cliffside town, when you exit the station it is to your right. I recommend when you get there take the bus or taxi, we hiked it again, but it was hot and hard and in I could do it over would have taken the bus. Again another pretty town with more shops etc, we had a great lunch, but I recommend going off the beaten path, you will find cheaper and much better food. It is very crowded so wander the back streets where there are not the crowds and find the hidden gems we did.    
Naples,    
Ok so another tricky port. If you want to go to capri, its packed we didnt go but another couple we met did and they said it took away from the experience. I kind of figured it might be crowded because I know it is a popular destination for vacationing europeans so we decided to go to sorrento instead. We were going to take the hydrofoil, but we didnt know what time we got off the boat about 11 and found out the last hydrofoil to sorrento was at 9:30. The next was 4:30 so we couldnt take the hydrofoil. We grabbed a cab and for 15 euro got a ride to the Train Station. We took the train to Sorrento, this is also the train that goes to  Pompeii. Word of caution, this is basically a metro, it is an old beat up metro with no air and it is 33 stops to Sorrento, it took an hour and 15 minutes and was hotter than hell. So I recommend getting up earlier and catching the 9:30 hydro to Sorrento.  Sorrento was pleasant, not crowded and the start of the Amalfi Coast. We got there and made sure we bought hydro tickets back so we would make departure time. The nice thing about the hydrofoil is that it docks right next to the cruise ship.  Thats it hope it helps for those who do things on your own like we do, I wish I would have had this detailed information before I went.  

Athens (Piraeus)

Cabin was cozy, storage was great, but most impressive was the bathroom, roomy, great water pressure, plenty of hot water. Its midship so didnt even feel like you were on a ship. Also close but not too close to elevators and stairs.

Next thing we booked concierge class it was about $300 more (so I thought I would try it) but I have to say I dont think its worth it, you could use that extra money elsewhere.The boat is fabulous and the prices are very reasonable, I mean if you go to a restaurant you pay $5 for a beer and $7 for a glass of wine so its very comparable.

Celebrity Solstice Review

awesome time in the meditterranean

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