Cruising the Med on-board Celebrity Reflection
Kerry Graham reports Back during her cruise.
After traveling from France to Italy, and a short stay in Rome, Kerry and friends boarded the cruise ship ‘Celebrity Reflection’ in Civitavecchia. Here’s Kerry’s report. “First stop La Spezia, gateway to the Cinque Terre. We caught a boat to Monterosso al Mare, the northern most village. The boat stopped at most of the villages on the way. It was really busy even this early in the 'silly season'. A 2 hour strenuous walk had us in Vernazza for lunch. Sadly (or fortunately?) we did not have time to walk further so then caught the train back to rejoin the ship. The villages are extremely busy during the day. If you want to stay, there is a 3 night minimum requirement. If you’re not cruising and want to visit the Cinque Terre I would recommend this over a day trip, as you can explore the higher paths and avoid the main trail during the busy part of the day, and enjoy the villages after hours and in the quieter evenings.”
“Next stop the lovely Villefranche-sur-Mur, gateway to the South of France. Having previously visited Monaco and Nice we headed to nearby Eze and Saint -Jean-Cap- Ferrat, some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Everyone owns a yacht, and a helicopter. Personally I prefer a chateau in the Loire!”
“From Malaga we joined a ship excursion to Alhambra at Granada. The ship excursions are very good, but generally expensive. In most places you can arrange your own, especially if there are 4 or 6 people to share a van. If you are on a ship excursion they will get you back to the ship. If you arrange you own and the ship departs without you then it’s your cost to catch up and rejoin at a later port. We decided not to risk it as this was a full day!!
The Private Travel Company can advise which you should book in advance.
Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex. Originally established by the romans in AD889, but then ignored until the mid 13th century. It was rebuilt by the Emirate of Granada. Napoleon destroyed it when the French abandoned it after losing some war, but much of the Moorish castle and palaces and the Christian church were saved. The gardens were established by the Sultan as a place of rest from the stress of his rule and dealing with his 4 wives and 40 odd concubines. Water and reflections were a strong feature and it is said that his reflection pools were the influence for the Taj Mahal pools.”
“Highlights of Gibraltar...there is the Rock itself of course and the monkeys (rather sad). The town is very English with Pubs and Fish and Chips on offer everywhere. There is also Saint Michaels Cave. The Rock is dramatic rising steeply from the ocean and it has a vast network of caves. Its location at the narrow entrance to the Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco is very strategic. Excavations show it was used by Neanderthal man as early as 40,000 BC. The Rock is also considered to be one of the Pillars of Hercules and the caves an entrance to Hades or Hell. One of the large caves Saint Michaels was prepared for use as a hospital in the 2nd world war but was never used. It is now is a regular venue for concerts with fantastic natural acoustics.
A main highway linking Gibraltar to Spain crosses the very busy airport runway and all traffic is stopped for aircraft. A commuters nightmare.”
“Fun times at Sea! Thanks Celebrity Reflection for a wonderful 10 days. We travelled with 4 first time cruisers, all are now converts. There is a ship to suit everyone. Celebrity are relatively large but there is space for all and plenty of quiet spots to soak up the sun or read a book. A huge list of daily activities for sea days or after your shore trips. A few things.... a silent dance party. We found this one night and it took a while to figure it out as everyone was dancing very independently. You are given a headset and can select one of three channels with very different music. So if you get bored or don’t like a song - change the channel. Strange to watch as you can’t hear the music, just people going wild on the dance floor. Hilarious! Movie night on the lawn, real grass. Watched The Chef and they provided the food to match the dishes in the movie. A cooler night but blankets and wine kept the cold at bay.
The Petite Chef. A tiny chef runs around the table creating your dinner and then you are served the dish. Great fun! Then International Gay Pride night at Sea/Pool Party.”
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