OCTOBER 2019 had us cruising again, in the Mediterranean, for the 4th time in 8 years. It was getting to be a habit (once which we would not be breaking anytime soon, but would instead, accelerate, as we cruised again in the Mediterranean in 2020, 2021, and 2022).
If you are one of those "gluttons for punishment" who happen to read both of my blogs: "Lightcentric Photography Blog" (a more photography-oriented blog) and "I am a Celebrity" (more "cruise" oriented) [THANK YOU!] - recently you might feel like you are bouncing in and out of a time warp. Yesterdays Lightcentric post covered our 2022 trip (on the Celebrity Edge) back to the Mediterranean. I am a couple years behind that here. But I will get us there 😅
THIS TIME, the "new" experience for us was cruising on Celebrity's relatively new class, The Celebrity Edge. While a few of our cruises have been shared with friends, this one was solo. But as always, we met some great people and eventually departed with friends from around the world. One of the fun things about cruises in Europe is that the ship is usually well-populated with Europeans, so we get to make friends from other countries, and get some "culture," too. This cruise was no exception, and we count among our permanent friends two couples from England, as well as other acquaintances from "Down Under" (not exactly Europe, I know) and other parts of The U.K. and Ireland.
ONCE AGAIN, we cruised in and out of "Rome." Those who have done so (or paid attention here 😮), know that no ships come into or out of Rome. Rather, the port city is Civitavecchia. Although Google Maps identifies it as "Metropolitan Rome," it is a good 40 miles northwest of Rome, on limited access highways. For anyone who is wondering, it is also just about 40 miles from Fiumicino Airport (the main airport serving Rome). It is an oft-mentioned pet peeve of mine that all the cruise lines call this port of call: "Rome," when it is really Civitavecchia. In years past, when we have spent time in Rome, we have gone to Rome and stayed there. But depending on how early our boarding time is, we have also traveled to Civitavecchia, and stayed in a hotel there the night before. Generally, I would recommend allowing at least an hour (and probably more) travel time from either of those places to the Cruise Port.
AS I have mentioned in prior posts, it is not uncommon for us to arrive in Europe someplace a few days before the cruise begins. One of the reasons for this is that having spent the big dollars on the flight across "the pond," we think it is relatively inexpensive to stay a few days and take advantage of a new location for more than just an onshore excursion day. But another, perhaps compelling, reason has become evident in recent years, particularly as the world comes out of the 2019-2021 pandemic and businesses (including airlines and airports) struggle to get back to pre-pandemic standards. While we have been fortunate, we have read and heard horror stories about luggage not making it to the destination, and flights being cancelled and rescheduled, sometimes resulting in missed cruises. So a few days - especially on the way in - seems prudent to us these days.
BUT PRE-PANDEMIC, in October of 2019, for whatever reason (I honestly don't remember), we planned to arrive directly at the Cruise Port and leave for home directly after the cruise. We didn't spend any time in Rome (that would come later, in 2022, when we spent several days there - something I would highly recommend and will cover in a coming post). In 2017, we opted to spend our several days in Venice with our friends, Paul and Linda. Rome is amazing, but if I had to choose, I will take Venice every time! But for this trip we flew in, and with pre-arranged transportation to Civitavecchia, we pretty much directly boarded our ship.
OUR FIRST port - the next day - would be Naples. We have been to Naples numerous times, including the (infamous?) aborted cruise on Princess on our very first Mediterranean Cruise, where we actually spent a couple days at the port. Naples is a really good springboard for many attractions. I am told the city itself has some interesting things (and supposedly Italy's - maybe the world's - best pizza). But for some reason, we have never been compelled to explore the city.
BUT BEFORE we arrived in Naples, we had an opportunity to explore and compare our newest ship - The Celebrity Edge. The first of the newest, most modern, and (only slightly) largest class of Celebrity's three main classes (Millenium, Solstice, and Edge), the Edge was decidedly more modern feeling (though the Solstice ships feel pretty modern already). The design also "feels" more spacious. I am not certain there is that much more space, as the ships are only marginally larger than the Solstice ships. But Celebrity has achieved a more open plan. Like any new ship, there are some "wins" and some "losses." I cover the differences between the Solstice and Edge class ships in some detail in "A Celebratory History," published in October 2022. For me, the biggest "win" was the smoking area. I know. OMG, how can I be so politically incorrect! 😧But as I have previously said, I don't think this subject is near as emotionally burdened a "hot button" in the world outside of the U.S. While I truly appreciated the smoking area on the back deck of the Solstice ships (I was just on one this past February), the Edge smoking area is - for the most part - well thought out. It is very much more spacious and is well separated from the rest of the seating for the Sunset Bar on the back of the ship. Its design lends itself to groups, and we found ourselves joining others often, and learning that this was the place where we made our friends the easiest. I look forward to my "cigar time" back there as much as anything else on the cruise.
RATHER THAN rehash the other differences and my take on them, if you are interested, I recommend the "Celebratory History" link above. In the end, let's just say we have become fans of the Edge and its siblings, but have equally good feelings about the Solstice ships (Especially our personal favorite: The Celebrity Reflection). Now, on to Naples.
THERE ARE three principal excursions that people take out of Naples. The first is the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. We have been there twice. If we could somehow reserve our day without the 1000's of other tourists, I would do it again and again. But having braved the traffic and humanity, I would only go back if it were for someone else to see it.
PERHAPS MORE (certainly equally) attractive for excursions are the nearby ancient ruins of Pompei and Herculaneum. We had not been there and wouldn't make it until our 1922 post-pandemic cruise. It was worth the wait (more on that in an upcoming post).
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