We flew United out of SFO to Chicago and then Chicago to Rome. We arrived early in the morning in Rome, reasonably well rested after being able to lay completely flat on the sleeper seats in United's First Class cabin. While we were well-rested, we were quite hungry because of how bad airplane food has become, even in First Class. Considering these were newly configured jets, we were really let down by the experience. Moreover, during the layover in Chicago, United lost my brother's bags. It took us 2 days for the bag to arrive in Rome. It was incredibly stressful for him, to say the least.
In Rome we spent 4 nights at the Hotel De Russie in a well decorated and comfortable 2 bedroom suite with an adjoining room. The hotel had a beautiful courtyard that the balcony of our room took full advantage of.
Rome served its purpose: provide us with shopping and a few days to get adjusted to the time change. We had been there twice before so the Coliseum, the Forum, the Vatican and the other major sites didn't present anything new to us. Instead, we opted to workout and shop all day. Amazingly we found a gym, the Rome Athletic Club, that had all the weights we needed, a locker room and even a lap pool. The shopping was very good. Not as good as Paris or New York, but it was all that we needed to fill our quota of designer sunglasses, jackets, and shoes. We ate dinner one night at the Hotel Eden, another well known hotel in Rome. What the meal lacked in taste it made up for in view.
Enough of Rome, lets get to the entree, our cruise aboard Celebrity's new boat, the Equinox. We love cruises and this particular cruise was our 4th(Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean). Every cruise that we have gone on, we have gotten the Penthouse or the equivalent, as well as adjoining rooms. Staying in the nicest and most expensive rooms on a cruise ship provides you with countless amenities and privileges you otherwise would not have access to. The first example of this is when you arrive at the ship in port. Before boarding, you are ushered to a line that is exclusively for penthouse guests. From there you are escorted by a butler through the long lines, and to your room where you are introduced to your own private butler, and his staff, all of which exist to make your stay as unforgettable as possible. Here is a video of me giving a tour of our suites aboard the Equinox. I highly recommend that you watch it to see just how big and nice our suites were. A side note- I will later make a post about our July 4th cruise of the East Coast onboard the Cunard's Queen Mary 2. I also have a video of that room and it has over 23,000 views on YouTube!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DaXO70rxFg
Now that you've seen the video of our penthouse suite and 2 adjoining suites we are ready to dive into the trip. You may be thinking to yourself that it was ridiculous for my brother and I to have our own suites, but I assure you...well actually yea, it is ridiculous but that is how we travel. The thought process behind having our own suites is that we sleep better, and when you travel this far and spend this much money, you want to get the best night sleep possible. I mean, what if I had to sleep on a fold out bed, or what if we disagreed about what pay per view to watch on the giant flatscreen? You can see how that would be a problem.
The first thing we did onboard the ship was sit down with the butler, get to know him and let him get to know us. While we did this, the other staff members unpacked our bags and hung up our clothes. Primarily, we told the butler what food/items we would like to always have in the room(mayonnaise and chocolate syrup for my dad, iced tea for my mom). My brother and I slid a notepad over to the butler with our requests written on it: Man sodas, Patron Silver, snake skins, ping pong balls, and rubber ducks for the outdoor bathtubs. The butler, looking at the note and subsequently at us, nodded as if to say "I got you, no problem." He then told the 4 of us about the restaurants onboard and asked if we would like him to make any reservations for us. Per usual aboard cruise ships the guests of the penthouse or nicest suite are invited to dine with the captain at his table in the center of the main dining room. We've done this before and it was pretty interesting so we decided to do that the second night of the cruise, the formal night, where you are supposed to wear a tuxedo. A formal night on a cruise ship is interesting, because you get some people wearing a tuxedo as requested but you also get some guests whose idea of formal wear is dressy Tommy Bahama or a synonymous brand that says "I've given up."
Cruises are the best trips in the world. For young people 16-25, its like a summer camp filled with booze, hot girls, and nightclubs. Just like summer camp, your first 24 hours on the boat is all about meeting people. My brother and I, as you will see, love to party. So we wasted no time the first day in breaking open the bottles. I mean, it must have been 5 o'clock somewhere. That night, after we dined in one of the specialty restaurants, my brother and I hit the nightlife hard. We started at the martini bar, made our way to one of the smaller nightclubs and eventually to the large nightclub in the front of the boat. Here is a picture of us the next day in Santorini running into some girls that we had met the previous night.
Santorini is one of the most photographed places in the world, and for good reason. Simply put it was stunning. We took the tram up to the city and were met by a private driver who took us around the island. We eventually found the rooftop of a restaurant where we lounged and took in the scenery.
The next day we arrived in Mykonos, the Greek island known for partying and "happy" people. We walked a little bit through town before making our way to Paradise Beach where we had lunch and I "iced" my brother with a Smirnoff Ice. It was a relaxing day, nothing special, and we were excited to get back to the boat and our room, where we knew the butler had prepared and set up our afternoon snacks. This consisted of small cakes, a charcuterie plate and fresh fruit. Here are pictures of Mykonos, including my brother getting "Iced", the "before its time Occupy Mykonos bus", and the famous windmills.
One of the most spectacular experiences in the world is leaving a port in a cruise ship. It is often the late afternoon or evening and the captain comes over the loud speaker announcing our departure. Subsequently all of the guests flock to their balconies, nearly 10 stories above the ground, looking out over the port and city, as if to say goodbye and thank you for the memories. While all of the ports are great, they are not created equal. Some are better than I can ever describe, so I advise you to experience it yourself. Santorini, Istanbul, Glacier Bay in Alaska, St. Thomas in the Caribbean, Vancouver.
Afternoons on the boat are the steak and potatoes of a cruise vacation. The cruise ship offers an array of activities, from bingo and karaoke to zumba fitness classes. My family and I prefer to open up all the balcony doors in our rooms, turn on the hot tubs, and blast the CDs that we've brought with us. Laying in a hot tub on the deck, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing about the Marquesas, sipping cool drinks and watching islands pass by on the horizon is how we spent our afternoons and early evenings.
Once the sun set, we retired to our own rooms to relax and get ready for dinner. That night we ate at Murano, the nicest of the specialty restaurants onboard. After dinner the four of us made our way to the casino. We aren't big gamblers but we enjoyed playing craps together before my brother and I and our parents went our separate ways. By this night, the third of the cruise, we wasted no time at the other bars or clubs and went straight to the nightclub in the front of the ship where we were planning to meet the young adults we had befriended thus far. Drinking and dancing ensued and the night ended with another party back in our suites. For those 10 nights aboard the boat, our suites were transformed into the only nightclubs in the world traveling 18 knots directly into a pitch black abyss sprinkled with city lights twinkling in the distance. I crawled out of bed the next morning to find my living room and dining room table a mess... meaning it was a great time. If an empty beer can is a wounded soldier then my room was Gettysburg.
The next day was a day at sea. When you have a long distance between two ports, the boat will spend a full day at sea, usually traveling a slow and comfortable speed. While a full day at sea may sound horrible, it is usually very enjoyable as it provides an opportunity to relax and fully enjoy all the ship has to offer. We played bingo, worked out, got spa treatments and had the butler set up lunch in the room. Because we were staying in the penthouse and had a butler, we were able to order from any of the restaurants onboard. For instance, I had chicken from the italian restaurant while my dad had a hamburger from a different specialty restaurant. What is also incredibly unique about having the nicest suites aboard a cruise ship is that a few days into your trip, the whole crew knows who you are. This is for a couple of reasons. First, every time you pay for something onboard, you give them your room number. It is important to understand that the crew lives on the ship for months, if not years, at a time so they know what room number corresponds to what suite. Second, when we go on cruises, we not only get the nicest room onboard, but the second nicest room as well. Our butler told us that we were the only people he has ever known in his many years onboard cruise ships, to get not only the nicest room but the second nicest rooms and have them all adjoining. When you do this, the rest of the crew hears about it and assumes you are a big deal or a celebrity, whether or not you are. To further prove this point, the person staying in the other penthouse aboard this cruise was Shahrukh Khan, Bollywood's version of Brad Pitt. He is so incredibly famous and fabulously wealthy that every single crew member from India was elated to have him on the boat. Our butler even told us that if we wanted to meet him, he would set up a special occasion. We told him no because we felt it would be an invasion of privacy. I mentioned earlier that in the main dining room, the nicer the room you have the nicer the table you have, which is ironic because the guests with the nicest rooms rarely eat in the main dining room. This also applies to the specialty restaurants. When you arrive, they know who you are, they've reserved you the best table, the service is much better and you even sometimes catch the staff talking about and looking at you. This whole description of the notoriety we get when on cruise ships may sound unbelievably narcissistic but I assure you it is completely true. And when you think about it, it makes sense. A lot of the crew members make money off of tips so it behooves them to give outstanding service or special attention the the guests who are likely to tip the most.
We woke up the next morning in Istanbul, Turkey. Every morning when you wake up on a cruise you cannot wait to tear open the curtains to see what your new destination looks like. It is like opening presents on Christmas and the skylines and vistas never disappoint. Waking up in Istanbul and seeing the skyline was like looking at a picture book of history. On one side of the Bosphorus you have Asia and on the other, Europe. Scattered amongst the skyline are minarets 10 stories high, palaces surrounded by lush trees and fortresses that stood the test of time.
Istanbul has so much culture and history that it is almost hard to know where to start or how to learn about it. As I said earlier, my family is not the sightseeing type but we do appreciate history and recognized this as a place so rich in history that we had to do at least some sightseeing. We were set up with a tour guide named Alf, who our other family members had used several times and raved about. Having this guy as our personal tour guide was the biggest mistake of the trip.... We had a check list of what we wanted to do in Istabul: briefly see the major historic sites, go to the best rug dealer in the city and buy rugs for our house, go to the grand bazaar and buy gold jewelry, old swords, and other trinkets. Instead of seeing the city our way, this is what happened...
The tour guide and driver met us that morning when we got off the boat. He wasted no time scolding us for getting off at 9 AM, instead of 6 AM, because he felt there were so many important sites to see. Apparently we had kept him waiting a half hour, oh no!!!! He told us about the city's history as we drove to our first sight, some hugely historic but totally forgettable church. My brother and I were brutally hungover from the night before and the tour guide, Alf, noticed this. He gave us a 2 hour tour of this church, the size of a McDonalds, which should have taken 20 minutes. As the day went by and he caught on to the fact that my brother and I felt like the worm inside of a tequila bottle he became visibly upset with us. It was as if we were being disrespectful to him. He had forgotten the first rule of the service industry: the client comes first, not the other way around. He then took us to the Hagia Sophia, one of the most famous religious sites in the world. This was amazing but again, he gave us a 3 hour tour which should have taken 45 minutes. Moreover, when my dad told him we wanted to speed up, he told my dad that he did not know what he was talking about and advised him to let him do it his way.
Finally we were able to break away from Alf to see the palace. But even then he insisted that he and the driver shouldn't come back to meet us for 2 hours because it would take at least that long to see the palace. We saw the palace and were able to coerce him into picking us up early and taking us to a rug dealer to buy rugs for our home. We arrived at a rug dealer he recommended, were directed straight to the manager and taken to a private rug viewing room. We were let down by the rugs and asked Alf to take us to another dealer. When he got upset we realized that he had taken us to this first dealer because he was going to receive a commission on whatever we bought. What an Alf-hole. Often on a vacation where you are spending a lot of money people think they can take advantage of you. They forget however that to make a lot of money, you usually have to be intelligent and thus can see through their bullshit.
After seeing another vendor, we didn't purchase anything and headed to the grand bazaar, a centuries old market where bargaining and deal making has been crafted over the many years into an art form. I wanted to buy a gold ring so I walked into one of the numerous stores selling rings and picked one out that I liked. The owner told me it costed $500 dollars. I countered with $50. Eventually I got him down to $200 but by the time I did, I came to the realization that at age 20 I didn't need a gold ring anyway. So we went back to the boat, relaxed and met Alf-hole at 8pm to take us to dinner in Istanbul. We wanted to eat at a restaurant right on the Bosphorus with great views and food. I believe there was a Four Seasons hotel there that we researched but Alf didn't want to go to a nice, fancy restaurant because his wife was joining us. We settled with letting the Alf-hole take us to dinner with his wife in one of the more lively areas of the city. I don't remember the name of the area but there was a large street, probably 40 yards wide, with no cars and it was absolutely packed with people. It was definitely a unique cultural experience seeing fresh fruit stands, street vendors, and performers as well as listening to live music and smelling the cooking spices from the nearby Orient.
We told Alf that my brother and I wanted to go out in Istanbul that night so dinner should be relatively quick. It was not, and it lasted 2 1/2 hours. The restaurant, like all the others in the neighborhood, was on top of a four story building. The atmosphere was electric: people dancing on their chairs, warm breezes blowing through the white sheet awnings above our heads, laughter, music and plenty of drinks to go around. By the time dinner was over, my brother and I decided not to go out on the town but rather return to the boat where there was a dance party on the top deck. These sisters from Tennessee that we had become close with wrangled us onto the dance floor and then, against my will, made me be one of the 10 guests to be taught how to belly dance and do other traditional Turkish dances. I enjoy dancing and fancy myself a good booze dancer but sober and in front of the whole boat is a different story. Nonetheless I throw my inhibitions to the wind and had some fun with it. Ultimately, I've learned that it is these kinds of experiences, the ones that put you outside of your comfort zone, that are the most rewarding and memorable. Not to mention that at this point, a few nights into the cruise, you've developed a comradery and sense of adventure with the other guests aboard the ship.
I believe the next day was a day at sea, spent mostly in the spa and on the top deck getting our tan on. The one notable thing that we did that day was take a tour of the bridge. It was interesting, lots of buttons, etc. but I hardly noticed all that because I kept trying to figure out where the weapon cache may be hidden. The rest of the day was rather uneventful, but enjoyable, as all days at sea are. The next port was Ephesus, Turkey. The port itself was nothing special but the ancient city of Ephesus, originally Greek and then Roman, was phenomonal. Alf had arranged to travel to Ephesus to meet us(kill me), and so he picked us up at port and drove us to the house of Mary. Yes, the house that the Virgin Mary lived in. My brother and I had been out partying the night before and my brother looked as if he was going to die. We packed into a van and drove up windy roads en route to Mary's house. The combination of the van's poor air condition, the windy roads, the rear facing seats and my brother's hangover spelled disaster. I started to imagine us arriving at the house of Mary, my brother puking inside of it and the subsequent holy war it would have incited. Instead we stopped so he could get out and make peace with his insides.
The House of Mary was good. Lots of people, and reasonably well intact. We were also able to sit down, look at the scenery and relax. From there we drove to the ancient city of Ephesus, survived the heat(90+ degrees), and found a very nice hotel by the water to each lunch at.
That night we stuck to our routine of eating at a specialty restaurant and my brother and I partying in the nightclub with our new friends. The next day we arrived in Athens, a historic city but surprisingly unattractive city, much in the same way that many people are disappointed the first time they see Honolulu. We had finally gotten ridden of that blooduscker, Alf, and were met by the type of tour guide you'd hope to find on a trip: pleasant, knowledgeable, unobtrusive, and most importantly focused on us. The highlight of the day was the Acropolis, which lived up to its hype and more. My brother and I had studied Greek mythology for the better part of our lives so we had a special affinity for the site and its significance. Afterward, the guide took us to the best/quick restaurant in Athens which was also located in a good shopping area. We all bought some vests, shirts and shoes and then got back on the boat. Below are pictures from Athens, including one of a delicious dessert shop.
Our next and last stop was Naples, Italy. We had been to Naples before on a previous cruise so we knew that our two options at this port were to take a ferry to the beautiful and famous island of Capri or see the historic ruins of Vesuvius. Of course we opted for Capri. We knew from our previous trip to Capri that the best thing to do there was shop and then spend the afternoon at one of the islands many beautiful and luxurious private beach/cliff clubs. So we got off the boat and took the 45 minute ferry ride to Capri. The island first served as a getaway for Roman Emperors because of its stunning cliffs and views and the way that it juts out of the water thousands of feet into the sky. Centuries later, the island is still fit for royalty. When we arrived we took a cab to the center of town where there is exquisite shopping. There were of course the designer stores such as Loro Piana, Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli where we bought slippers and shirts. What really makes Capri's shopping special however were the one of a kind specialty stores they have, such as a candle store where they have beautiful candles made into the shapes of flowers, cakes, and animals, sandal stores, and a plethora of linen shops. I was reading Mark Twain's Huck Finn at the time and loved the character. I liked to pretend that me cruising through the Mediterranean was like a modern day version of the literary character's trip down the Mississippi: stopping along the way, having adventures, and being mischevious. To complete my modern day portrayal, I found a wooden pipe at a smoke shop in town much like Huck Finn's.
After shopping we got into another cab and drove to the private beach club we had made reservations at. The club was built into the side of the cliff and had an exquisite restaurant, a big pool and private lounging areas. The club was about 50 feet above the beautiful blue water and nearby there were boats in line to enter one of the famous Capri grottos. We ate lunch, which consisted mostly of fresh fish and then sunbathed and swam at the club. It was very exclusive and private. Being at this private club, laying in the lounge chair with the sun beating down on me and the sound of the Mediterranean bath tub colliding with the cliffs below made me feel like I was in a James Bond film.
This was a great last day to a great trip. We got back onboard the boat, opened up all the outside doors to the balconies, turned on the soundsystem and toasted one last Mediterranean sunset from the deck.
That last night we ate at the Tuscan Grill at the table next to the window looking out to the back of the boat and the large waves created by the boat. It was fitting that we faced backwards as we ate and reflected on the trip. We talked about the many great days we had, ranking each of them as well as the ports, restaurants and experiences. We concluded that Istanbul and Capri were the best, while Mykonos and Ephesus were the most disappointing. The highlights were the Acropolis, the crowded street in Istanbul, the Bazaar, and everything about Capri. The mistakes or things that we would not do again were having Alf-hole, and not picking our own place for dinner in Istanbul. After dinner my brother and I went to the nightclub in the front of the boat to spend one last night with the friends we had made. It sounds weird but you really do make connections with, and form bonds and friendships with the people on board. Just yesterday, almost 2 years now since this cruise, I received a text message from one of the people on the boat. While you're on the cruise, you're a part of it. Once you leave, it becomes a part of you.
For a sneak peek at the next review I'll write, check out this pad in Cabo San Lucas. We stayed there for 4 nights over Spring Break. It is ranked as one of the top vacation rentals in the whole world...
