Wonderful 13 Day Holy Land Cruise from Civitavecchia with stops in Piraeus, Kusadasi, Haifa, Ashdod, Alexandria (overnight), Messina, and Naples. The itinerary is what sold us on this cruise - had previously booked aboard Eurodam, but it had more Greek Isles and less Holy Land. Arrived in Rome four days early to tour and acclimate. Spent four nights at the wonderful Cavalieri where we met several couples going on the same cruise.

Celebrity Equinox is as good as everyone says. Quick and efficient check-in; greeted onboard and met with champagne or Mimosa. It's a big ship with all the big ship amenities, but there are lots of uncrowded places on board. Booked in Aqua Class so that meant deck 11 and dining in Blu. Aqua brought a lot of special amenities - daily ice tea and water, canapEs (if desired), but most importantly dining in Blu. Wait staff was superb - Jose was our waiter ably assisted by Artur. (Jose is going home to Honduras at the end of October for Christmas with his family and will return on January 7, 2011.) The food and service were great. Blu is open dining with most tables set for two. Not a problem to join a few together for larger groups. There are a few round tables away from the windows for 6-8. Several commented that the food and service in Blu was as good as, and in many cases better than that in the specialty dining rooms. We agree.

Took tours in each port booked through the ship. Tour departures were quite well organized. Some were very good; others left a lot to be desired. While the points covered were as advertised, the quality depended on the guide. Our guide in Haifa was a musician who had problems with English while the guide for Amalfi/Pompeii was excellent and professional. Read more