Eastern Mediterranean on Celebrity Equinox

Russell Forgham, KVI's agent in the UK, reports on his 10-day cruise in the Eastern Med on one of Celebrity's new Solstice class ships in November.

We thought we were going to see downfall of the Euro at first hand as most of the ports we were due to visit were in Italy and Greece, two of the four ailing economies of the Eurozone, so we christened it the Great Euro-Crisis Cruise. But on reflection we should have called it the Absolutely Fabulous Equinox Cruise.

During the entire cruise we didn’t seen anything resembling a crisis and the people in all the ports we visited all looked happy as they went about their daily business. And even the captain’s warning on our flight from London to Rome that we might be delayed for nearly two hours because of the general strike in Italy that day came to nothing, for as soon as our plane pushed back at Gatwick we were told that we had a slot and we arrived in Rome on time to find the buses and trains were all running and not a demonstration to be seen.

We stayed overnight at the four-star Hotel Artimide on the Via Nazionale right in the heart of Rome and it was delightful, if a little pricey. We were upgraded to a suite and, wonder of wonders, the minibar was complimentary. We’ll definitely be staying there again.

Check-in for the Equinox at Civitavecchia was the fastest and easiest we’ve ever had on any of our 20-plus cruises and we were on board the ship and in our cabin within 10 minutes of entering the terminal.

The Equinox is a very modern ship, with very modern décor, and all the crew we spoke to seemed to love her. And after 10 days on board so do I.

Our balcony cabin was very comfortable and spacious, with probably the biggest bathroom on any ship we’ve been on. The only downside was that the drawer space was a bit limited but there was plenty of storage space elsewhere.

We had Select (ie anytime) dining in the Silhouette Restaurant and apart from a couple of tough-ish steaks the food was excellent. The service was exceptional, especially from the sommeliers Dan and Fernando who seemed to know everything there is to know about wine.

The buffet (aka the Oceanview Café) has a no trays policy and plenty of serving stations, so the queues were always much shorter than on most other ships, even at breakfast, and the food quality was again excellent.

The entertainment was first class, especially hypnotist Christopher Caress and the acapella group Full Tilt, the lectures were very informative (thank you Professor Lisa Didier). And all the places we visited (Sicily; Malta; Crete; Rhodes; Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens and Naples) were full of history.

All in all it was a brilliant cruise on a brilliant ship and I only have one criticism: in their pre-cruise documentation, Celebrity are adamant about the dress code for dinner being “smart casual or above” on non-formal nights, yet there were people in old jeans in the restaurant every night – and even people in hoodies on some occasions. They should either enforce the dress code or scrap it.

This was our first cruise with Celebrity but it definitely won’t be the last and it’s now become our favourite cruise line, knocking Holland America and Cunard down into second and third places.

Russell Forgham

KVI Travel - UK

russell@kvi.travel

(+44) 845 165 1599 

Cunard Queen Mary 2 - July 2011

Hi everyone!

Elisabeth Gesell, KVI's Agent in Austria, has recently returned from a trip aboard the Queen Mary 2.  Here is her review...

Cruise company: CUNARD
Ship: QM2
Date of cruise: 12-20 July 2011
Itinerary: Norwegian Fjords and Waterfalls
Cabin: Balcony cabin 11061

Overall experience: excellent

Cabin...
Interior: light beige colors, sophisticated
Bathroom: large shower, lots of space
Balcony: furniture very comfortable

Service...
Cabin: excellent
Breakfast service: very good
Britannia: impeccable, like it should be in a first class restaurant
Buffett: ok, a bit unorganized,
Todd English: US$ 30 —extra charge, not worthwhile, much less attentive, the place was empty.

- Fitness club: excellent
- Spa: beautiful, very relaxing
- Entertainment: very good, especially the Lectures were outstanding
- Food: quantity as well as quality very good
- Pool area: several nice, but not big pools, 1 hot tub,
- Shopping: rather plain
- Observation Deck: very interesting place, one can watch bridge activities
- Elevator area: spacious and very fast, no long waiting even the ship was fully booked.
- Shore Excursions: we only took one and this was in Alesund. Well organised, no waiting lines.
- Transfers: highly recommendable, boat leaves from Southampton, which is quite a distance from London, approximately 11/2 hrs by coach. Transfers are from all airports and the main train station Victoria. For U.K. price standards the transfer Cunard asks for is very moderate.
- Guest nationality: 80 % UK, 18 % US and Canada, the rest Europeans.
- Recommendation: couples or singles over 50 years, not a family or young couple boat.

Notes...
We always wanted to go on a QM2 cruise, no matter where to. Having just this week available on our rather busy schedule we took the next opportunity and that was Norwegian Fjords.
Let me state right away: This is our boat!!!

We left from Victoria Station by bus, an easy way to start your cruise vacation. It’s otherwise not that easy to reach Southampton, so I strongly recommend taking the transfer option offered by Cunard.
Once one arrives at the terminal and sees for the first time this huge boat one understands that this is an Oceanliner not a cruise boat. Its just stunning beautiful.
Check-in is fast, efficient and extremely helpful without being overwhelming.
Entering our balcony cabin on Deck 11 immediately gave us the feeling that there designers have been working to prove their very best. Warm beige colors, a big bathroom with a much bigger shower we ever had on other cruises. The balcony furniture invites to enjoy sunsets in a private atmosphere.
The first thing we normally do on board is roaming the boat.
We consider a cruise a vacation from the beginning to the end. So we do not want to spend too much time looking for something we could have localized the first couple of hours when still in port. My husband, as usual, found the best bar, the COMMODORE, where one can just sip on a lovely Black Prosecco before dinner or have an after dinner Martini. The Commodore staff is multi national, making great conversation partners. Very attentative, knowing ones name, cabin number and preferred drink right from your first visit.
But there are many cosy lounges throughout QM2 .

Normally we do not like to eat every time in the same place, this cruise was different for us.
We were assigned a table for 4 in the Britannia. We had the pleasure of having two ladies at our table which we immediately felt comfortable with. The four of us stayed for the whole trip at our assigned table, enjoying our conversations during dinnertime. The Britannia Restaurant is a remarkable place itself. Quite big, but at the same time, elegant, with an atmosphere which only first class restaurants provide. We had 3 formal nights. At least 95 % of guests were in tuxedos and long gowns. These were not parades of designer clothes; it was just nice to see that QM2 guests add with the appropriate attire to the exquisite surroundings. Quite a number of guests continued on to the dancing floors. There is every night ball room dancing and disco night.
Otherwise Entertainment is Movies, the great Cunard Dancers and Singers (excellent with stunning performances) stand-up comedians and even Hamlet in a 1 hour version. (!!!!)

During days at sea (weather was not always great) we set in the library, which boasts 8000 books. And what a variety of subjects.!!! Or we joined the lectures, a speciality of Cunard. A wide spectrum of subjects, e.g. environmental issues or lectures on Outerspace in Cunard’s own Planetarium.

The itinerary proved to be quite nice, especially Alesund and Bergen.
Bergen has several recommendable museums, e.g. The Edvard MUNCH Museum, which houses a large collection of this most famous Norwegian painter, and the HANSE Museum, which gives an interesting overview of trade between the 12th and 17th century in Europe and its connections to the East. The city itself is quite lovely, with lots of multi colored houses, very lively, especially around the FISHMARKET. which should not be missed, when going ashore.
The Fjords are stunning, especially in Geiranger, very well commented by the Commander (mind you on QM2 it’s not a captain it’s the COMMANDER).
All in all: This is a boat for people who enjoy cruising while indulging in interesting conversations, who like dinner dancing, and dressing up in the evening.

Elisabeth Gesell
KVI Austria
elisabeth.gesell@gesell.com
+43 6644 207 533