galaxy

Where shall I begin? How about a quick summary: With the exception of a room problem on board the Galaxy (story to follow below) and very cold weather in Odessa (about 47 degrees and windy), I had a fabulous time! I had a great time in Rome, as well as in the various ports. I met a lot of wonderful and fun people, and really enjoyed the food on board the ship. I could have used a few more days at sea, as it was quite a “port intensive” itinerary (Rome, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Istanbul (with an overnight stay), Yalta, Odessa, Ephesus, Athens, and Naples).

Before I begin, I know a lot of people are interested in hearing about the Galaxy ship than reading journals, so here’s a summary of the ship:

Condition of the Galaxy: The Galaxy, for her age, is in excellent condition. Yes, there are stains here and there on the carpets and some of the furniture is worn out and YES the windows in the stratosphere definitely need replacing, but overall the Galaxy is in great shape. My beds (in three different rooms) were comfortable and since I was traveling alone, I had plenty of room.

Dining room food: Overall the food in the dining room was very good. Some dishes were excellent, especially the meat dishes. I think they did an excellent job in that arena. The soups were good too, although one or two were a little on the salty side. Salads were boring, so I ate mostly Caesar salads. Skip the tuna – it’s pre-cooked and you won’t get it seared and rare/raw on the inside. The chicken dishes were very good. The vegetarian dishes weren’t that great according to my friend Deb. I’m not big on desserts but the sherbets were delicious, especially the guava and raspberry flavors.

Buffet food: Average, although I enjoyed the lamb curry, turkey cutlets, and seafood salads at lunch. Breakfast was the norm: assorted fruits, lox/cream cheese, pickled herring, scrambled eggs, daily egg specials (such as eggs benedict), pancakes, waffles, breads, pastries, etc. They did a great job at the German Oktoberfest on one of the sea days. I dined in the dining room only one time.

Sushi: Excellent! However, I only ate there one time. I’m surprised at myself because I love sushi. I did ask for sashimi and got a huge portion. They even have the tobiko (flying fish roe) that I topped my California rolls with.

Ice cream bar: Usually several choices with various toppings, but I didn’t have any.

Grill: I saw lots of people lining up to have burgers. I heard mixed reviews.

Pizza and Pasta station: Pretty good pizza for a cruise. I didn’t have any of the pasta, although a few people stated they enjoyed it.

Entertainment: I went to just a couple of shows and they were very good. I also went to a lecture, which was interesting.

Service: A lot of us felt that service has gone down. We wondered if it was because Celebrity is about to put the Galaxy in dry dock. We didn’t see employees polishing and cleaning like on our other cruises. Trays in the buffet area on tables sat for a while before being picked up. I will say our waiter and assistant waiter were excellent and attentive. They knew what we liked and Jesso would always guide me through the menu, as he knew how I liked my meats. Both of my room attendants were great and anytime I asked for something I got it right away.

Officers: Claudio was in charge of managing the entertainment programs. About ¼ of the way through the cruise I talked to him and had him change the time set for the Friends of Dorothy gatherings. They were set for 8:30pm, which was dinnertime, so he changed it to 8pm. Claudio was very prompt in responding to my change request and he always had a smile on his face. Anytime he saw me he said hello. As for two other officers I met in person – well, read the story…

Now onto the journal.

October 8, 2007: I spent four nights in Rome, arriving Tuesday October 9th, 2007, one day after my 19th wedding anniversary. Tony was supposed to travel with me, but the airlines, as usual, screwed him once again with vacation time. So he drove me to the airport while I carried a dozen red roses in hand all the way to Rome. The flight was over an hour late due to a/c problems. I met up with Beth and Harry, who were also going on the cruise, so when we were informed the flight would be delayed, I said, “Let’s to go the bar and get a drink.” The bar was just down from the gate area. About 45 minutes later we decided to head back and sit in the waiting area. As we walked (with Harry in a wheel chair) I heard an announcement, “This is the last call for flight 718 to Rome.” We ran! Apparently when we were told the flight would be late an hour, they must have changed their minds just after we walked away. The airline had decided to let everyone on board so that the flight could take off as soon as the a/c was fixed. My heart was pounding for a long time!

October 9th Rome: The flight was uneventful. Because of the late departure, headphones and the first drink were complimentary. I had arranged transportation with Romecabs.com and Lucca was waiting for us just after the customs area. We had gone through passport control very fast since Harry was in a wheelchair. We arrived to an overcast day but that didn’t matter to me. I was in Rome!! I was looking forward to exploring various areas of Rome and having some good food for dinner.

Beth and Harry were dropped off first, so by the time I arrived at my hotel (Hotel Giardino), my room was ready. Thank goodness Lucca was kind to carry my two suitcases up the two flights of stairs, as I would not have been able to manage them myself. After checking into room #32 and freshening up, I headed out for a few hours to wander the area around my hotel. I walked by the Trajan’s forum and column, Victor Emanuelle’s monument, up the via dei Corso, to the trevi fountain (with a ham/cheese sandwich in hand purchased from a sandwich bar), and then to the Spanish Steps where I saw many tourists sitting on the steps watching the afternoon activity. I met an older French couple that asked me how to use the zoom on their camera. They were thrilled to with my help and happily snapped away. I continued down to Largo del Tritone where I purchased a bottle of red wine and water for the room, and walked by the four seasons fountain to the Quirinale – just a couple of blocks up from my hotel.

Dinner my first night was at Armando al Pantheon, located only a few steps from the Pantheon. I had a good meal there: Verdi antipasti followed by roast lamb chops; vin santo and biscotti (41 euros). I felt very comfortable dining alone (as well as walking alone in Rome at night), as the waiter took good care of me. I enjoyed walking around at night seeing the Trevi fountain lit up, while crowds of people tossed their coins into the fountain.

October 10th: On Wednesday, I filled my day visiting several ancient Rome sights. I started my morning with breakfast and then headed out to visit the San Clemente church. It was fascinating with its lower levels (a total of three churches on top of the next), the frescos, and the beautiful mosaic of the Cross of the Tree of Life. Next I visited San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) to see the statue of Moses, which Michelangelo created, and had been used for Pope Julius II’s funeral. It was beautiful!

I had plans to meet up with fellow cruisers Mark, Carolyn, Barb, and Marguerite, friends from Maryland, at 1pm at their hotel on via Cavour. I enjoyed my afternoon with them, especially Mark because he was a walking Rome history encyclopedia. Mark is very passionate about Roman history and I learned a lot on our “private” tour. We walked around the Roman forum while Mark pointed out things here and there. He could describe a small portion of building or block without any hesitation. Amazing! We purchased our tickets at the Palatine Hill and headed to the colosseum. There is a small museum of artifacts on the upper level, which were quite interesting to see. After, we visited the Palatine Hill. It drizzled every now and then. Around the colosseum, “gladiators” posed with tourists. It was funny to see men in skirts with their hairy legs smoking a cigarette.

After our tour I headed back to my hotel. I enjoyed a glass of wine while talking to friends Deb and Robert, who arrived in the morning without any luggage. Deb headed out to purchase a few clothes while I wrote in my journal.

Shortly before 8pm, Deb, Robert and I headed out and walked to Gioia Mia on via Degli Avignonesi, 34 (phone 06 4882784). We had an excellent dinner! In fact, I liked my meal more than at Armando’s’. The place was packed and diners at the door were turned away if they didn’t have reservations. The three of us enjoyed the antipasti: eggplant, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, cheese, etc. For my entrée I had papparadelle (wide ribbon-like pasta) with bacon and mushrooms in a light cream sauce. The ¼ liter of red wine was only 2 euros. Deb and Robert shared the same pasta dish and a veal dish, all very good. Deb and Robert treated me to dinner. Thanks! After dinner, we had a nice walk back to our hotel, stopping at the trevi fountain and piazza Quirinale to take some night photos.

October 11th: Thursday was spent at Vatican City. Deb, Robert and I had breakfast at the hotel before taking a taxi to the Vatican for our 9:15am Scavi excavations tour (I reserved our tickets before leaving the USA). It took us a little time to flag down a taxi driver, as most cars that passed by were filled with customers. Once we got a taxi, it was a short ride to the Vatican (just under 6 euros, which I paid). We had to wait about ½ hour before our tour began. As others commented on fodors, what a fascinating tour! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and pleasant to listen to. After our tour, we headed through the Basilica and then lunch at Tre Pupazzi on Borgo Pio 183. Very good spaghetti puttanesca. Deb had pizza, which I tasted and was delicious, and Robert had melon/proscuitto and minestrone soup. There were a lot of restaurants along this street.

After lunch, we walked to the Vatican museum for our afternoon tour. Along the way we passed via d. Grazie where I saw a long line of people waiting to get in for lunch. It was a small pizza place. I have it marked on my map for a future visit! I had asked Katie to fax our reservations for the museum and Sistine Chapel. I had our reservation sheet with me and we walked inside the glass door (left side to avoid the long lines) to the ticket office to pay for our tickets. Deb and Robert weren’t feeling well, so they took a taxi back to the hotel. In the meantime, Mark, Carolyn, Barb, and Marguerite arrived, as they had the same time slot for the tour. I tagged along with them as we went on our tour. The last time was I was there was in 1990, so it felt like a first visit to me. I was amazed with the long corridor/hallway with the decorated ceilings. I loved seeing the tapestries and marble statues. The Sistine Chapel was packed with tourists gazing at the ceiling. The tour lasted two hours and it was a rush tour to go through so many rooms and down long hallways. My neck was sore the rest of the evening from looking up for so long! How did those painters manage?

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking back to the other side of the Tiber river with a pistachio gelato in hand. Delicious!! I stopped to see the Piazza Navona, which was filled with artists and tourists. Cafés were filled with people enjoying a late afternoon snack and drink. I ended up at the Campo dei Fiori, also busy with people and met up with a bunch of cruise friends for pre-dinner drinks at café Farnese. For dinner 13 of us dined at Ristorante del Pallaro 9 (Largo del Pallaro 15, just around the corner from Campo dei Fiori), a place that serves a full fixed priced meal with house wine and water. The tables inside and outside were completely filled and we had to wait about five minutes for them to clear a large area for us. We sat outside, although the restaurant had set up heating lamps and plastic coverings to keep the cold air out. We all squeezed in at the tables and had a very good time. Everything was really delicious but the meat course was a little on the dry side. That really didn’t bother me, as I filled up on the antipasti and pasta dishes. Dessert was also served – a tart. What bothered me was when the bill arrived and the money was collected, we were short 46 euros: the price of two people. I was very unhappy and upset to say the least because I figured there would be no money problems with a fixed price dinner. Some added more from their pocket to make up for the missing money.

Deb, Robert, and I walked with David and Larry to their hotel so I could email home. They had complimentary internet access in their hotel (Best Pantheon). I was glad to be back in my room, as it was a full day of sightseeing, walking, and dining. I was definitely ready for bed.

October 12th. Friday was my last full day in Rome and I spent my morning getting money from an ATM machine (my card worked without any problems!!!), visiting the Gesu Church (fabulous and a must-see!), petting some of the cats at the Largo di Torre Argentina and checking out the fresh fruits and vegetables at the Campo dei Fiori, which was in full swing when I arrived. There were other vendors selling clothing, leather purses, and costume jewelry. I sampled some olives and spreads from another vendor. She also had a bottle of limoncello on hand to try but declined her offer to taste it – I make my own and didn’t want any so early in the day.

I walked around Piazza Navona, Pantheon and trevi fountain before heading to my hotel to drop off my umbrella and jacket. The sun was out and getting warm. Just as I left the building I saw a huge dark cloud, so I went back to my room to get the umbrella. I was very glad I did because as I was eating pizza for lunch it poured (Pizzeria Wanted, via Leonina, 90)! The rain lasted through my lunch and stopped in time for me to meet Mark and the gang for our afternoon tour of the Domus Aurea, “Golden House” which is now open to tourists. This was Nero’s palace and there is still much to be excavated. We were told 30 million euros will be needed to continue working on the site and only 3 million euros has been collected. The tour was short but quite interesting. Everyone had to wear hardhats for safety reasons and of course we had to have our photos taken. Mark was a little disappointed in the tour, as he was hoping to see certain areas of the palace.

Next we visited the San Giovanni in Laterno with its beautiful cloister. While the three women headed back to the hotel (and probably with a little window shopping and gelato on the way), Mark and I continued walking towards the colosseum seeing a few portions of the Roman aqueduct along the way. We stopped at another church, S. Stefano Rotundo. According to Mark it was, “built in about 470 with a portico added about 1140. The paintings were added in the 1580's.” These paintings depicted various types of torture methods. It was very gruesome.

Heading back to my hotel, I stopped to buy a couple bottles of red wine for my cabin on the ship. I bought a Montepulciano wine for 2.80 euros, which was actually quite good for house wine.

Deb, Robert, and I took a taxi to Trastevere for dinner (pricier than our ride to the Vatican, as we were stuck in the evening traffic), meeting up with Mark and the gang. Another excellent dinner (vegetable gratin; eggplant parmesan) at Al Fontanone (Piazza Trilussa 46) along with very friendly waiters. This restaurant is located just a block from the Tiber river and Ponte Sisto. Everyone had ordered dessert except me. However, the owner gave me a plate of biscotti and vin santo to enjoy. The three of us walked back to our hotel, while the rest took a taxi home (Nicolas B&B on via Cavour).

October 13th: Time to head to Civitavecchia for my 2-week cruise. I ate breakfast and then headed out to get more euros. However, I couldn’t get any euros because I had gotten some the day before and I guess I was under the 24-hour period. No big deal, as I could get more in one of the ports. Since it was early, I took a walk to the Campidoglio, and then through the Roman forum to the colossuem. Not many people were out, so I enjoyed my morning walk taking lots of pictures. I headed back via Trajan’s forum where I noticed a few gypsies eyeing me. No, I didn’t have any money with me and I gave them a firm look as if to say, “Don’t mess with me.”

I arranged the transportation for 37 of us cruisers, which the bus was to pick us up at my hotel at 10:30am. The driver showed up an hour early at the reception desk just as I was paying my bill. He had to park the bus down the street at the roundabout on the corner of via Maggio, via, Nazionale, and Largo Magnanapoli, as there was no room on my street to park a large 50-seater bus. Fellow cruisers started to show up from various areas of Rome and we all had to lug our luggage to the bus. Deb took charge of collecting the driver’s tip up front due to the dinner/payment problems the other night.

The drive to the port went by quickly and when we arrived, several porters took care of the luggage in the bus. Five of us were standing around while the rest of the group simply walked into the terminal. The head man in charge of the luggage round up asked me, “Now, who’s going to pay the tips to the porters?” There I was standing in total surprise while he was expecting me to pay everyone's tip!! No one thought about the tips and the porters were there one minute and gone within minutes with our luggage. I know to tip porters and was expecting to do so, but they disappeared so quickly. So I said to my friends, “I’ll pay the tips and I’ll get the monies from the rest of the group.” Larry stopped me by stating I couldn’t be responsible for the entire group. So the five of us paid our own tips and we went into the terminal to check in. I wondered if everyone’s luggage would make it on board the ship.

Check in was fast and smooth and we were on the ship within 10 minutes. We were greeted with a glass of champagne on board and were sent to the 11th deck (Resort deck) for lunch, as our rooms would not be ready until 1pm.

After lunch, I checked out Deb and Robert’s room and then headed to my room (#4062), which is located on the Continental deck, about mid ship, starboard side. I met Rudy, my room attendant. I had to go to the dining room to change my table because it was different from Deb and Robert’s. The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking, checking out the ship and meeting a bunch of the cruise group for “sail away” drinks at the sky bar at 4pm. It was lots of fun. Everyone went through the ships lifeboat drill at 5:15pm. It’s funny that my “station” always seems to be at the casino.

I enjoyed the martini tasting event with Karen and Charlie, who paid for my drinks. Celebrity always does this the first day of the cruise where one can try a sampling of martinis. I love the flirtini and pomegranate martini.

Most of my friends and I chose the late dining – 8:30pm. 6:00pm was too early for most of us since we didn’t want to rush from the port to the dining room. When I had changed tables, asking for an 8-seater, I was told it would be a table for ten. I dined with six others (Deb, Robert, Gail, Abe, and Beryl and John) and after our first night of not being able to converse because of the noise in the dining room and sitting at a large table, we asked the Maitre'de to change our table top to a smaller one accommodate the seven of us. Our first evening was casual wear and dinner was good: Veal picatta and crème brulee for dessert. I also had the guava sherbet, which was very good.

October 14th, Day at Sea. Today was a relaxing day. I wrote a little in my journal, sat out on the pool deck and talked to friends and met new friends. I also went to an enrichment lecture on Greek myths and art (Justin Newell), which was very interesting. This evening was our first formal night and everyone was dressed up. There are always comments about people wearing jeans into the dining room, but I didn’t see any at all. Dinner was excellent: Filet mignon – cooked to perfection! I usually have to re-order my steaks and they always come out overcooked for me. I like it rare! The evening entertainment was “The Voice of Broadway” with Michael Bell, who was with the 5th Dimension. He was very good!

Everyone had to change his or her clocks an hour forward this night.

October 15th, Mykonos. I have never been to Mykonos and was really looking forward to wandering the many small streets with its whitewashed buildings. Our ship was supposed to dock at 2pm, but we arrived at 4pm cutting into our day due to the weather. The Delos tour was cancelled and many people, including Mark, were very upset about it. Deb and I, along with Gail and Abe, headed to town on the shuttle bus ($8pp) since the road was too narrow to walk along. Deb and I wandered around town, window shopped in the stores, and ended up in “Little Venice” where many people were waiting for the sun to set while having drinks and eating Greek food. I took many photos. Stairs and doors were painted in blue, matching the color of the sea, as well as some of the domes of the churches. Deb and I walked up to the windmills for more photo ops and then found a place to relax and have a bite to eat. Of course we were near Little Venice and all the restaurants in that area cater to tourists. Some of our mezes were very good while the Taramasalata (fish roe spread) was terrible! The wine was cheap (4 euros for ½ liter) and pretty good for local house wine. Mark and his group sat at a table next to us. Gail and Abe showed up and sat with us while we watched the sun disappear. It was beautiful!

After our meal, Deb and I walked around and saw Petros the Pelican. I decided to walk around for a bit longer while Deb took the shuttle bus back. I purchased a gold charm of a windmill for my bracelet. Everyone was back on the ship earlier than the due time, so the ship left almost an hour early. I was in bed as we left Mykonos. My room problems began. I heard metal banging below my room. The deck below me and just two doors down/forward is the gangway exit. I called guest relations and someone came to listen to the sound. About 40 minutes later it stopped (or maybe it didn’t and I was just sound asleep).

October 16 Rhodes: I woke up at 6am to more metal bang noise, like a metal door hitting a metal wall. I immediately called guest relations and two men (one an engineer) listened to the sound. The engineer though it might be a steam pipe. Hmmmm, steam pipe on this type of ship? They left and I just got up and showered, as there was no way I could go back to sleep with that kind of loud, obnoxious noise. The noise lasted for about 1.5 hours.

The Galaxy arrived in Rhodes at 8am just as I was on deck to watch us arrive. I headed out alone and walked the old town area, which is a well-preserved medieval city surrounded by thick walls. This area is filled with many jewelry and gift shops, as well as cafés and restaurants. There are mosques and Byzantine churches, as well as Knight’s street with its castle and walls and moat. Since it was a beautiful day, I stayed outdoors to enjoy the views. Rhodes is a beautiful city, especially the old town area.

I was glad to have found an internet café in the “new” town area- only 1 euro for half hour – and sent out an email to family and friends. I was hoping to send emails more often on this trip but I was either too busy or couldn’t find an internet café. I walked along the port and marina area and took pictures of the deer statues, which are located at the entrance of the port.

I ran into Ken and Marg, who suggested a place for lunch. I had my own list of recommendations, but they told me it was highly recommended by a local. It was not easy to find with my map, but I eventually found the restaurant hidden away from the tourists and main streets. There were only a couple of people dining. After I ordered my meal (eggplant dip, pork souvlaki and wine), friends Craig, George, Mike, and Mike showed up. Small world! Or I should say small town. We had a great lunch together along with some good local wine. The guys picked up my tab, which was very nice of them. Thanks again!!

The afternoon I spent a little time looking for some gold earrings. The price of gold has climbed very high. I did purchase a pair with the Greek key design, as well as a charm of the Colossus of Rhodes for my bracelet. These were my anniversary gifts from Tony.

Back on the ship, I went to the guest relations desk to talk about my room noise problems. Flavio, one of the managers at guest relations was absolutely rude to me. When I told him about the metal banging on both the previous night and morning he stated, “My room is right below yours and I didn’t hear any noise.” Well, good for him that he can sleep through that kind of crap! I asked for another room and was told I could try out 4131. Flavio had an “I don’t care if you can’t sleep” attitude. I had told him I paid a lot of money for the cruise (having paid the single supplement since Tony couldn't go with me) and wanted to be able to sleep well each night. I looked at the deck plan and told him the kitchen was above that room. He stated it really wasn’t noisy after 12:30am. I knew then this wasn’t going to work out. I left and got ready for the evening.

Craig and George invited me to their room for cocktails before dinner. They had wine and finger foods on hand. Both Mikes and Vicki and Alex showed up too. I had a very nice time with everyone. For dinner I ordered salmon, which was very good.

Bed time. I went to my original room and got some things for my temporary room. Sure enough, I heard the kitchen above me. I heard metal carts rolling across the floor. Silly me, I moved from one twin bed over to the other one thinking a few feet “away” from the noise would help. It didn't, but I eventually fell asleep.

October 17th Santorini. Ugh! I woke up to the sound of the ships engines as we slowed down. Time for another call to customer relations, which was frustrating, as I had to explain the whole story all over again. I told the woman I would come to guest relations when I was back on the ship at the end of the day. I headed back to my room and got ready for the day. After a quick breakfast I got my ticket for the tender and headed out.

Santorini is my favorite Greek island! I just love all the white washed buildings hugging the cliffs of Fira and Oia along with the blue-domed churches. Our ship was tendered and I got on one of the boats by 9am. I had planned to walk up along the donkey trail, but when I saw how “poopy” the street was I decided the cable car (4 euros) was the better option. It was a pleasant day as I headed to Oia with three other fellow cruisers in a taxi. We would have had to wait almost an hour for the local bus. I walked along Oia and went down some narrow streets that I hadn’t been on before. Oia wasn’t as crowded as Fira but there were still lots of people enjoying the views. There are also fewer shops than in Fira.

For lunch, I had a gyro sandwich and bottled water while waiting for the local bus to go back to Fira. I chatted with Nick, one of the taxi drivers trying to find a customer or two. His brother owns the gyro stand in the square. Nick kept telling me he could drive me to Fira for 15 euros. No thanks. Eventually he agreed to 10 euros, as he couldn’t get anyone in his cab, so we headed out. It was my splurge ride on this trip. We stopped at the far end of Oia where I took some beautiful photos of Oia. Nick also took a few photos of me with Oia in the background. I don’t think anyone else had this great vantage since one would have to walk about mile from the town center, unless one rented a car.

Back in Fira, I walked along taking photos and window-shopped. The display of jewelry was amazing, especially with the 22k gold jewelry! I had a snack of taramasalata with Vicki and Alex at Zafora, a restaurant I had dined in twice before. The views are great from this terrace restaurant. More walking after my snack and lots more photo taking. Santorini is a great place for photographers. I hiked up to one area to take some photos of the blue-domed Kimisis Theotokov Church, which is on posters and postcards. The little street is not easy to find, but Tony and I found it on our last trip together.

Our ship was due to leave at 4pm, so I headed back down to the cable car and back to the ship. It was really a beautiful day and I enjoyed my time in Santorini. Back to guest relations I asked to speak to Flavio’s supervisor (telling my story all over again). I figured it was time to climb the ladder and get better results. I was told I could meet with Sonia, the hotel director at 6:15pm. I went to the Captain’s Club cocktail party and had a glass of champagne.

I met Sonia at the allotted time and we talked at length. I told her I could not go from one noisy cabin to another noisy cabin. She told me there were no other cabins with windows but there was an interior room I could try out. I told her if I was satisfied, I could move the next day but expected compensation since I was loosing the window view. She kept telling me she would have to contact the Celebrity headquarters and may not get an answer for a few days. I just repeated, “You need to compensate me.” I went to look at the room and fortunately it was on a deck with cabins below and above the room. So, I figure I would just ‘sleep around’ on the ship until I found a quite cabin. Back in my room for only 15 minutes, the phone rang. It was Flavio. He told me two women who had their own cabins, decided they wanted to spend the rest of the cruise together in one room and that a window cabin “just became available.” What a crock of horse shit (or donkey shit since I saw some in Fira)! Fine Flavio, lie to me if you want. Who would spend money on a cruise, pay the single supplement (like I did) and then decide to share a room with someone else? That’s money down the drain!! I met Flavio at the cabin to check it out. It looked nice so I told him I would try it out this evening.

Done with that mess for now, I went to Craig and George’s room for cocktails and snacks. This became the routine for the rest of the cruise – either their room at or at the Stratosphere lounge. The gang was there plus David and Larry. I had duck ala orange for dinner, which was excellent and it was a huge portion! Back in my room, I gathered some things and headed to my “new” room for the night.

October 18 Istanbul. Finally! I slept very well in my new cabin. Not a sound of any kind. I didn’t even hear my neighbors. My new room attendant told me the cabin had been empty until now, which confirms the lies told to me by both Flavio and Sonia. Moving was a hassle. I had called guest relations and told them I would accept the new cabin. I was told to pack my things that were in the drawers and someone would come with a hotel cart and take everything for me and would even take my clothes on the hangers and re-hang on the cart. What happened next was a disaster! The man arrived with a dolly cart! He didn’t speak a word of English, and began to throw my belongings onto the cart. As he walked away, I asked, “What about my clothes in the closet?” pointing to the closet. He looked dumbfounded and became frustrated as he opened the closet door. I turned away for a minute as I gathered a couple of items and when I turned around he had taken some of my clothing and tossed them on top of each other onto the cart! My stomach was turning. Just as he was about to put my shoes ON TOP of my blouses I shouted “No!” He got a large bag and placed my shoes in it. I took several photos of the pile of now wrinkled clothing. What a mess. Back at guest relations to get a new room key, I told Anna the story about the move, who barely replied with, “Oh, sorry.” Celebrity, the quality of service is sinking!

I met up with Deb, Robert, David, and Larry to plan our time in Istanbul. I had ideas, but wanted to get everyone’s input. We came up with a plan and even made plans to meet up with Gail and Abe, who joined us for lunch, at 7:30pm for dinner in town.

One of the highlights for most people on this cruise was our visit to Istanbul, which included an overnight stay – leaving at 4pm the next day. We arrived in Istanbul at 2pm after passing the many freighters. The pollution in the air was terrible, as there was a thick haze in the distance. We passed the Topkapi palace, St. Sophia, and Blue Mosque, and in the distance I could see the Suleyman mosque. We docked on the European side between the Galata Bridge and Dolmabahçe Palace.

The five of us squeezed into a taxi (10 euros) to get to the St. Sophia before it closed: David up front with the driver and the rest of us in the back with me on Larry’s lap. As we drove through the city, other drivers were smiling at our crowded cab. Or it could have been the slightly revealing v-neck blouse I was wearing as I sat facing out the window…not that I have huge breasts to talk about! I had my camera in hand so I took a few photos in the cab.

We were able to see a few sights in a short time: St. Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Hippodrome, and some shopping time at the Grand Bazaar, all within walking distance of each site. We didn’t have time to visit the underground cistern.

We tried to get back to the ship by 7:30pm to meet up with Gail and Abe, but the traffic was absolutely horrible! Cars and busses were stuck in traffic for a while and we finally got to the port around 8:30pm. We decided to head out to dinner at Taksim square, as we agreed the other two were long gone to dinner. We squeezed again into another taxi, but thankfully it was a short ride to the square. More laughs and smiles along the way. All of us were amazed at how lively Taksim square was. Tons of people out for the evening and it was still pretty early! One of the streets was lined with lights. There was gyro and kebab shop after gyro and kebab shop. We ended up dining at a cafeteria-like place where lots of wonderful cooked food is on display. We ordered a variety of foods to try and it was delicious and cheap.

After a short walk we grabbed a taxi back the port. The driver didn’t take us all the way to the ship because the traffic going in the direction of the port was at a standstill. So we had a 10-minute walk but it was a nice evening. On board the ship, I headed to the top deck before bed, as I wanted to see if I could take some night shots of the city; however, it was too far from the ship to make out anything.

October 19 Istanbul: I met Deb (Robert decided to spend the day on the ship) just after 8am at the gangway after I cashed some travelers checks. Our next two ports/cities (Yalta and Odessa) don’t accept euros, so I wanted some USD on hand. Deb and I walked to the closest tram (about a 10 minute walk) and headed to the Topkapi palace. I had talked to Ed at breakfast and he told me the ropes about using the tram. It’s really easy and cheap. Deb and I were amazed at how quiet everyone was on board the tram and even though it was packed with people, no one was pushy.

We got off at the Gülhane stop, just before Sultanahmet stop. We ran into Ed and Cathy, who were on the same tram but in a different car. We toured the Topkapi palace together (we got there before it opened and beat the crowds), along with a tour to the Harem rooms, and the kitchens. At the palace we had time to see some of the rooms, including the fabulous treasury room. The most outstanding piece was the diamond ring, weighing in at 86 carats! I wondered if the Sultan had a servant hold his arm while he wore the ring. It was enormous! For the Harem rooms, we arrived just as the tour began. About 3/4 of the way through the tour I started to ask our tour guide about the diamond ring. He looked astonished and asked me if I had been to the treasury room. Yes, I told him. Today? he asked. Yes! Well, it turned out that Deb, Ed, Cathy and I barged into a private tour! The guide was taking his group around the palace and had not been to the treasury yet. We felt bad but stayed with the tour anyway. He didn’t seem to mind since the tour was almost over.

Moving on, we walked to the Hamdi restaurant next to the spice bazaar and across the street from the Galata Bridge, stopping along the way to buy a few small souvenirs. Lunch was wonderful. We didn’t have reservations, but were able to get a table on the top floor with the glass walls taking in the views of Istanbul. Some of the windows were open to let in the air and at one point we could hear the call to prayer on a speaker from one of the nearby minarets. What an amazing sound! We could hear the call to prayer several times in the day. For lunch I enjoyed the lamb kebabs, which was very tasty and tender. Cathy and I ordered a glass of white wine. We should have asked for the wine list because the glass of wine was the same price as the lamb dish! (12 TL each)

After lunch, Deb and I headed to the spice bazaar while Cathy and Ed went off on their own. The spice bazaar was a fun place to walk around, but just like the Grand Bazaar, the shop sellers were pushy. One person at the Grand Bazaar said to us, “Hey rich Americans, let me help you spend your money.” The best thing to do is just keep on walking. We saw many spice shops and boxes of Turkish delight.

Deb and I headed back to the ship on foot, walking across the Galata Bridge on the lower level. There are several fish-type restaurants with many fishermen on the upper level. Our walk back to the ship took about 40 minutes, although it could have been a little shorter had we not stopped along the way to take pictures. The Galaxy left port at 4pm and we sailed up the Bosporus strait passing by palaces and fortresses. The strait is about 20 miles long. We headed into the Black Sea.

The evening ended the same way – cocktails with the group and dinner.

October 20 Yalta. Another reason many people booked this cruise was for the ports of Yalta and Odessa in the Black Sea. And this was new to Celebrity’s itinerary. Everyone on board the ship had to have their passports with them for stamping at the gangway and all non-European union passports had to be turned in upon returning to the ship in Odessa. Everyone could pick up their passports on the next sea day.

I arranged a tour for 11 people (Bruce, Gail, Deb, Robert, David, Larry, Cathy, Ed, Wendy, Tom, and me) while Bruce arranged a tour for Odessa (same group minus Wendy and Tom; plus Alan), using the same company. When we arrived at the port a woman was waiting for us with my name on a sign. We had to pay for both tours so Bruce and I gathered all the money. We didn’t mind paying upfront because we had booked our tours last year and the company never asked for any payment.

Our guide for Yalta was Nadia. Her English was very good as she told us about the city and sights. We first visited Livadia palace, which was the summer home of Nicholas II and his family, as well as the place where the Yalta conference was held in 1845 with Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. The original table where the meetings took place was on display, as well as many photos. We visited the private rooms of Nicholas II and his family, including the small schoolroom where original drawings of the Romanov children were on display. Outside in the gardens we saw a young bride and groom and wedding party having their photos taken.

We continued on to the Massandra Palace, which was surrounded by a large park and vineyards. This was the summer palace of Alexander III. Both palaces were filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, and other artifacts.

Back in town, we toured the city and stopped at the beautiful gold onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Church with its cream and white exterior. We walked along the water front promenade and once the tour was over Ed, Cathy and I visited the outdoor food and clothing market. It was wonderful! We purchased jars of caviar for only $2 each! I wanted to buy a bottle of vodka for Tony, so we found a liquor store. USD was not accepted, so Cathy charged everything and I reimbursed her. I bought a bottle for under $4. We ran into Craig, George, Mike and Mike who told us about a great little restaurant they found. We were very hungry and figured we’d eat back on the ship since everything was written in Russian. The guys told us the place had bi-lingual menu, so we set out to have lunch. It was great! I had a green borsch soup with veal and vegetables, almost like a beef stew. Ed had a soup with four kinds of fish and Cathy had and eggplant and tomato dish topped with melted cheese.

Back on the ship, I chatted with Gabriel, one of the bar managers. I met him on my Bermuda (Zenith ship) cruise last October. He’s moved up in position. I had told him about the terrible time I had with my room and he asked for my room number. He said he would have a bottle of champagne delivered to my room! How nice of him to do this for me. I never got a call from Sonia or Flavio asking if I was comfortable in my room. I did see her the other morning and briefly mentioned about my wrinkled clothing and the moving disaster, but she only stated she would work something out later.

I had delicious beef tips for dinner. The portion was very large and I could not eat all of it. My usual dessert was their sherbet of the day.

October 21 Odessa: What a cold day! We arrived in Odessa to an overcast day with temps around 47 degrees. I didn’t bring a heavy jacket so I bundled up with my cardigan and light jacket. Our tour began at the outdoor 7km market, at least one hundred acres in size of shipping containers and stores. It was amazing. Boots, leather jackets, shoes, dresses, suits, sweaters, etc were on display row after row. It would have been fun to spend a few hours there but it was too cold outside for everyone to enjoy, so we headed on after an hour. Some of us first used the toilets at the market – oh my god, it smelled so bad! Squat toilets too and no doors for privacy.

We drove on to visit the Catacombs. During WWII Ukrainian partisans hid and lived in the catacombs. The tour was very interesting. A local talked about the catacombs while our tour guide, Ulia, translated for us. She’s a young university student studying travel and tourism. It was her first visit to the catacombs, so she was quite excited. The underground catacombs went for miles, including under the city of Odessa. The material that was excavated to make the tunnels was used to build the city of Odessa. At end of our tour we visited the museum, which was really just one room with some artifacts and photos of many partisans. The museum replaces the photos (copies) often because of the moisture in the catacombs.

Back in Odessa we wanted to go to the Privoz market in town, one of the largest farmer’s market in the world. Ulia kept telling us there was not much to see but we convinced her to take us there. A few of us joked that Ulia was KGB because she kept a tight hold on us and didn’t want us to go wandering off on our own. The area surrounding the market looked like the slums. There was also a tram that passed through the area on a dusty “road.” Along the market edge, there were vendors selling clothing and other products. Cathy and I took some photos but one man jestured us not too. Some vendors were selling illegal products and Ed thought we should put our cameras away for a while. Inside the market were many tables filled with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, pickled foods, etc. We felt more comfortable taking our pictures and even a few locals motioned us to take their pictures. Some smiled exposing the gold in their teeth. One woman posed with her small red pepper plant.

Ulia was ready to take us to the center of town so she could show us “her” city. We drove to the waterfront and walked around seeing many beautiful buildings. She was quite proud of her city and didn’t care for the market stating, “I’ve never been there.” Around the corner of the theatre were bathrooms that Cathy and I used. More squat toilets. Stinky! Ulia had told us earlier that there was no middle class, so we were certain she was of the upper class. She was one of 400 students (out of 100K I believe) that had the opportunity to go to school in the United States. “I see Wal-Mart in my dreams,” she said. We all laughed.

I wanted to walk back to the ship – we were at the top of the Potemkin stairs and could see the ship, but it was too damn cold outside and the ride to the van sounded great. We thanked Ulia, tipped her and the driver, and were back on the ship warming up.

Back in my room I received a phone call from Sonia stating she was expecting my room attendant to take my wrinkled clothing to be pressed. I told her not to bother, that although I was upset with the wrinkles, I could handle it. I was more upset with the way the man handled my clothing, that it was so disrespectful. I told her about the dolly cart, which she was surprised to hear about. She wanted to make amends and offered a complimentary body massage for the next day, which I accepted. My appointment was for 5:45pm – 8am was offered but that was too early for me.

I had the bottle of champagne (Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut) that Gabriel had delivered to my cabin chilled while I took a hot shower. I felt better afterwards, as I was cold down to the bones. 7:30pm cocktails again and I brought the champagne. I had called Craig asking him to have his butler bring several champagne glasses to the room. Mike had purchased caviar the previous day, so we all enjoyed the food and drink.

My dinner wasn’t that great: Overcooked tuna – it was pre-cooked according to my waiter, so I couldn’t order it rare. I did try some of Gail’s turkey breaded scaloppini and it was excellent. I headed to Michael’s bar after dinner and hung out with Mike, Mike, Vicki and Alex. A jazz quartet was performing and they were excellent! I saw Gabriel as I headed to my room and I thanked him for the champagne. He told me if I would like another bottle of champagne to just let him know.

October 22, Day at Sea: I think everyone on board was happy to finally have a day at sea. We had been going for a whole week of ports without stopping. I slept in and really didn’t do much. I ran into some of the guys at breakfast and later went to the movies to see Mrs. Henderson Presents – a very funny movie with Judy Dench.

Lunch was pizza. There was also Oktoberfest at 1pm but I figured the food would be bad just like on the Zenith last year. Too bad I didn’t wait to see the food. It looked great! At least they make good pizza on board.

I enjoyed my 1-hour body massage and was ready to have another one. But at the prices Celebrity charges, no thanks! It was very relaxing and enjoyable. The young woman was surprised that she felt no tension in my muscles.

Cathy and Ed joined the gang at the stratosphere at 7:30pm for cocktails. What a fun group of people!

Dinner was excellent: Chateaubriand was served. Again I got my meat the way I like it! After dinner, I met up with Cathy and Ed at the Stratosphere lounge for some disco and Latino dancing. It was a lot of fun. Too bad I didn’t discover the dancing opportunity earlier in the cruise. Shari and Doug were also enjoying the evening and even the Captain showed up! He sat with us for a few minutes. A martini bar was set up with a beautiful ice “fountain.” As drinks were made, they were poured from the top of the ice sculpture and by the time it got to the bottom and into a martini glass, the drink was chilled. Gabriel offered me a martini to enjoy.

I was back in my room at 1am! This was the latest I had stayed up. In my room was a plate of 10 pieces of chocolates. Anthony, my room attendant, would place a couple of chocolates on my pillow. After the second night, it was down to just one. I guess he figured he only needed to put one for the one person in the room. So I asked him for a few extra, after all, I did pay the single supplement for my room and deserved at least two pieces! For the rest of the cruise each night Anthony left me a bunch in my room.

October 23 Kusadasi/Ephesus: Deb organized our tour to Ephesus for a spectacular price of $39 per person to include lunch at a local restaurant. We didn’t want to dine in any touristy place with bad food. Genghis was our guide, who was very informative. Our tour began at 10am. I was thrilled to tour Ephesus, especially after reading about it and seeing photos of the Celsus library and Temple of Hadrian. The outdoor theatre seats about 40,000 people and is still in excellent condition. We also saw the latrina, marble street, and Prytaneion.

We drove to see the House of the Virgin Mary, where she apparently lived out her life. The building is very small and one could feel the spirituality of the place. Several of us drank the water from the spring, which is supposed to have healing properties.

For lunch we dined at Ege in Selcuk, which serves ground beef meat kebabs. We all had a delicious bean salad and meatball kebabs with onions, tomatoes and rice. We also ordered some tzatziki to go along with the bread. Everything was very good and we were the only tourists in the place! It rained a little while we were having our lunch. Our next and last stop was to the Ephesus museum, which is also located in Selcuk. We were there for about an hour. There were lots of sculptures and artifacts and a special exhibit on Gladiators.

Back in Kusadasi, we were dropped off at the ship and I went off to do some shopping in the bazaar. Alan, David, Larry and I walked together for a short while before splitting up. There were many stores in the area, including a mosque. Kusadasi is a lovely resort town, a place I would like to return to some day and to spend some time there. I felt very comfortable walking alone and wasn’t really bothered by the sales people like in Istanbul. I bought a beautiful Turkish plate. I almost went for a smaller one but knew I’d be happier with the larger one. I had bubble wrap in my suitcase and would have it in my carry-on bag. I also bought a charm – the evil eye Amulet. I ran into Larry, who had left David back on the ship. I continued my walk along the water where I saw some men fishing.

Back on board the ship departed at 7pm. I meet the gang at the stratosphere lounge. For dinner I had the chicken cordon blue and Deb and I shared a filet mignon that Jesso served us. My appetizer was also delicious – a spinach gnocchi with a slice of fried parmesan cheese.

October 24 Athens: Down to our last three days on the ship. I met up with Larry, Craig, George, Mike and Mike and we spent the day together touring Athens. This was my fourth trip to Athens, so I was their tour guide for the day. We walked about 30 minutes to the metro, hugging the port as we walked. For some reason Larry and I ended up paying 1 euro for our ticket rather than .80. Not sure why the guy gave us a different ticket. The ride to the Thissio station took only 20 minutes or so. We walked along Apost. Pavlou to the Parthenon, arriving before the crowds did (although there were plenty of people climbing the acropolis). The Parthenon was completely covered in scaffolding. We walked around the area for a while and tried to visit the museum; however, it was closed. The artifacts in the museum are being moved to a new museum in the city. This project will take about 10 months to complete. The Greek government is hoping the British will return the Elgin marbles now that there is a new acropolis museum. We will have to wait and see.

After hiking back down, we stopped at a café for coffee and snacks. Our acropolis ticket included sights such as the temple of Olympian Zeus, which was across the street from the café. It was completed during Emperor Hadrian’s time. It was an overcast day, so it was difficult to get a good shot of the temple.

Our next stop was to the parliament building to watch the changing of the guards – the Evzones of the Presidential Guard. They looked regal in their pom-pom shoes and navy blue skirts in front of the tomb of the unknown solider.

Heading into the plaka, we window shopped along the way. We visited inside the Metropolis Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which the façade was under scaffolding. There is always something under scaffolding in Europe!

Lunch time! We headed to Platanos Taverna (4 Dioyenous in the Plaka), where Tony and I dined a few years back. It’s set in a very quiet square away from the crowds. We sat outside underneath a large plane tree. For lunch we ordered a variety of mezes and meats: pork and lamb souvlaki. The bottle of white wine was the most expensive on the trip so far, as far as local house wine goes. But it was very good, as well as all the food.

After lunch we walked through the Agora, which was included in our acropolis ticket. It wasn’t very crowded. We continued on to see the Kerameikos Ancient Cemetery. It was one area of Athens I hadn’t visited before. It is located just west of the Monastiraki metro station. We didn’t have the time to visit the museum there since time was running short. A quick hop on the metro and we were back at the port. Larry and I went off on our own to find batteries for his camera – he missed taking photos after we left the acropolis. The sidewalks along the port were completely filled with people. I guess it was rush hour. Up on deck I watched the city skyline disappear as we left Athens. I later took some pictures of the sun setting with some islands in the distance. It was beautiful!

Craig and George were running out of wine for our cocktails, so I brought two bottles of red wine from my room. Craig kept telling me he would pay for them, but I refused. After all, they have been so nice to include me in their evening gatherings and I enjoyed their wine and food in their room.

After dinner (yummy french onion soup; filo pastry filled with seafood; chicken kiev; crème brulee (horrible!!)), Cathy, Ed and I went to the stratosphere to enjoy the Greek White Night Toga party. Crew dressed people in white sheets. I was wrapped too tight to dance – almost mummy like – that I had to take it off after a few dances. Plus it got too hot to wear. The captain showed up again to say hello. Who’s driving the boat??

October 25, Day at Sea: A relaxing day at sea! I slept in a little and packed most of my things into my suitcase. There wouldn’t be too much time to pack the next day. At 11:30am I went to the captain’s club officer’s party where wine and champagne was served. The officers were supposed to mingle with the guests, but only a few showed up. Deb sat with me and we notice that Flavio looked at us and walked in a different direction. Deb had room issues too, so I suppose Flavio wanted to avoid talking to us.

On deck I wrote in my journal while listening to my mp3 player until the band started playing. They were too loud and I couldn’t hear my own music, so I moved inside for lunch.

Earlier in the week I was invited by Bruce and Gail for drinks in their room, so I went at 4pm. Cathy and Ed were there too – the four of them met on a previous cruise. Bruce and Gail also invited a friend that they discovered only the day before that she was on board! We had a nice time together enjoying some wine and pistachios that they bought in port.

As usual, drinks at the stratosphere before dinner. Fun, fun!! It was our last formal night and lobster for dinner! Surprisingly I only ate one lobster tail. But overall, throughout the cruise I didn’t eat everything on the menu. Sometimes I skipped the soup and dessert. (I even came home 1/2 pound lighter!) During dinner, Gabriel came to the table and whispered in my ear saying “I have something for you…if you remember our conversation.” Another bottle of champagne! He would have it delivered to my room this night. It was very nice of him to remember me.

After dinner, I went to the show to watch the singing comedy impressionist Scott Record. He was very funny! I think I saw him on another cruise. I stopped by the Michael’s lounge and sat with Cathy, Ed, Vicki, Alex, and the two Mikes for just a short while. I was getting very tired and we had one last busy day ahead of us.

October 26 Naples: Our shipped arrived in Naples at 7:00am. I got up early to get ready and to have a light breakfast before meeting the group (Deb, Robert, Craig, George, Mike, and Mike) at 7:30am. We headed out to buy a tram/train ticket for Pompeii across the street from the port at the newsstand. Tickets were 2.30 euros and I had asked the man, in Italian, the cost and directions. As we waited in the middle of the street for the tram, Mike told me he was shortchanged by 10 euros, so I took him back to the newsstand and demanded his money back. I don’t speak Italian well, but enough to let the man know he owed us money. The man didn’t say a word but after hesitating a minute he pulled out a 10 euro bill and gave it to Mike. We all wondered how much money he makes a day ripping off tourists!

The tram ride lasted about 10 minutes. Everyone validated his or her tickets on board. Thank goodness because a conductor came around checking all tickets. If we didn’t have any time constraints, we could have walked to the train station. We got off one stop too late and had to walk back a couple of blocks. Our train pulled out at 8:36am, right on time and there were 21 stops before getting to Pompeii Scavi. Craig and I tried to negotiate with a couple of tour guides, but all of them were charging the same: 95 Euros for a group. Figuring that we couldn’t find another guide, we settled with Luigi. Everyone paid 15 euros plus the 11 euros to get inside the ruins.

The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and we barely scratched the surface! The place was crowded with people, but Luigi did well in avoiding most of the crowds. There was a long line of people waiting to get inside the brothel and Luigi talked to two other guides (they had had least 25 people each group) and convinced them to let us pass the lines and get in first. We were a small group after all. Inside the building were beds made out of stone and pictures of the walls showing various sex positions.

With our tour over the gang and I took the train to Sorrento, which was about a 20 minute ride. My original plans were to go back to Naples with Deb and Robert but after hearing the guys were going to Sorrento and my thinking of “ceramic shopping” and “limoncello” we changed our plans. Even Deb just about drooled when she heard “ceramics.” In town we ran into David, Larry, Cathy and Ed who were having pizza for lunch. Cathy knew I was interested in buying some ceramic doorknobs for one of my cabinets and she had found a place that sells them. She was sweet to remember this and even gave me the stores brochure, located only a block down the street. I went ahead of the group and purchased four of them. They were only 8 euros each, which was in the range I wanted to pay.

I asked the store owner to suggest a good place for lunch. She suggested da Gigino’s (via degli Archi, 15). Good choice. It’s located on a side street and was filled with lots of German tourists. There’s both indoor and outdoor dining. We were able to grab the last two outdoor tables. Service started slowly but was fine after we ordered our meals. I sat with Craig and George and the other four were at the next table. My pizza was excellent! Quattro Stagioni or “Four Seasons” made with ham, artichokes, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. I also ordered sautéed spinach (in olive oil and garlic) to share along with the green beans that George ordered. Everything was very good, including the house wine. While we ate, a few musicians played for us.

After lunch we split up and planned to meet back at the train station by 3:10pm for the 3:26pm train to Naples. The guys headed to the upper end of town to see the port area while Deb and I dropped Robert off at a café so he could enjoy some coffee while we shopped. I found a small grocery store and purchased a bottle of limoncello for only 6 euros. Most of the shops were selling bottles for 10-14 euros.

Gathering up Robert, we slowly walked back to the train station, window-shopping along the way. The guys showed up at the train station soon after we arrived. Tickets were cheap, just under 4 euros and the train left on time. Back in Naples, we caught the tram to the port and walked to the ship. The man was still at the newsstand, probably steeling more tourist money.

After a short rest and last minute packing I got ready for the evening. My bottle of champagne had been chilled in the afternoon, so I took it with me to the stratosphere lounge where I asked the bar tender to supply some glasses. The bottle went quickly. Bruce and Gail showed up just before dinner. Dinner was excellent!! Rack of lamb. I was waiting for this one meal, as the one on the Zenith last year was fabulous! This was too. The lamb was very tender and cooked the way I like it.

After dinner, I met Cathy and Ed at the stratosphere but stayed for a short time. I was very tired and needed to get my luggage out into the hallway for pickup. We said our goodbyes and promised each other we would keep in touch. I had such a great time with them (and everyone else too – really good group of people on the cruise). I was unsuccessful in looking for Gabriel to thank him for the champagne. I will have to send him an email and send him some photos from the cruise. Back in the room, luggage packed and moved outside into the hallway, I was in bed and asleep quickly.

October 27 Civitavecchia: Time to go home. I got up very early, but could have slept in a little. I had red #7 tickets to get off the ship by 6:15am. 7am would have been just fine and I could have walked right off the ship via deck three rather than going to the rendezvous lounge. By the time I did get to the lounge it was empty. I had arranged transportation for 14 of us to get to the airport. Two vans arrived at 7:30am. Our luggage was split between the two and we piled in. It took 50 minutes to get to the airport and there was no traffic at all.

The vans stopped at terminal B, but I think most people needed to be at terminal C. Not a big deal, as it wasn’t a long walk, just crowded inside with people. My flight was delayed an hour so I hung out with Mike, who was on my flight. I had called Tony the night before stating we would drive Mike to Baltimore so he wouldn’t have to take the train from downtown Philadelphia.

The flight was uneventful but with some turbulence. My t.v. (seat 12B) didn’t work at all, so I spent most of my time writing in my journal and trying to nap. Lunch was … ick … terrible. I had the ravioli and should have asked for the chicken.

Just as we were about to land the pilot changed course climbing up very quickly, probably to avoid another airplane in the air or runway. Who knows, but I was not a happy camper. The air space around Philadelphia is too crowded with plans and I decided at that moment no more flights to/from Philadelphia.

Luggage collected and through security, Mike and I waited for Tony outside. I brought my cell phone and had it charged up the night before, so I could call him in the terminal. He showed up … with my car … newly painted in gold!!!! What a surprise, but not really. I had told him for my next car I wanted one with a champagne color. For the last couple of months he would point out a car and say, “Is that the color you like?” It’s beautiful.

We dropped off Mike, had a quick dinner, and were home around 7pm. Lucy was so happy to see me. Laundry completed the next day and most of my things were put away.

The cruise is over and I had a great trip! As I said in the beginning, we visited some great ports and I enjoyed meeting everyone on the cruise. It was a great group of people and I think everyone had a good time.

Now to work on my photos and get them posted. And now it’s time to plan my next big trip: China October 2008!

Ciao!

Monica

Web sites:

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

Scavi Excavations tour in Rome:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome/scavi_tour.htm

Tourist boards and other travel web sites for each port:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=6849273&postcount=66

My list of Rome hotels:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=7011515&postcount=127