"Idyllic Aegean - 7 Nights" with Celestyal Cruises
Hello you all!
It’s been a very long time since I last posted here, but you know… Instagram! Even though I post everything there now, I wanted to get into details and share with you my unforgettable experience with Celestyal Cruises!
It all started about a month and a half ago when my phone rang and they asked me if I was interested in joining a cruise with a plus one! Hmmm, let me think… YEAH!!!
I’d never been on a cruise before, so I was super excited! But, enough about that, let’s talk about the cruise!
Before boarding, there were some necessary documents we needed to bring with us.
Necessary documents for the cruise:
ID
The cruise ticket
Covid vaccination certificate
Negative rapid test (not earlier that 24 hours before boarding)
A public health questionnaire
A PLF (Passenger Locator Form)
My embarkation was from Piraeus, the port close to Athens, where there is a special gate for cruise ships. Our departure was scheduled for 16.30, but we were advised to check in until 13.00 to avoid any delays.
Before entering the check in building, there were a few desks with some paperwork we had to fill, in order to get our luggage tags and there was also the baggage drop off.
We received a very warm welcome by the crew, followed by some pineapple juice as a welcome drink. What came next was the check in, where, among other things, we received our boarding cards. Last step on our pre-cruise actions was the security check, and voilá…
Welcome on board Celestyal Crystal
*At this point, I must say that face masks were mandatory at all times while in the enclosed public areas, except when seated in the dining rooms and in the lounges while being served. Not required in outdoor areas unless the area was crowded.
First things first, we went to check our room! It was a bright, super pleasant suite, with a little living room and a king size, comfortable bed and a balcony. A lovely gift bag was waiting for us on the bed with all the essentials, by our fantastic “Celestyal Cruises” family.
We also had “Complimentary Unlimited Wi-Fi” on board.
Then we went for lunch. The ship has 4 different lunch/ dine places to choose from, 3 à la carte restaurants and 1 buffet. The restaurants have different menus every day, depending on the destination, but they all have the same plates.
Being entirely sleepless, we had to get some rest, so we went back to our room and I paid a visit to the spa for a very relaxing massage.
Meanwhile, we had to register our boarding cards at one of the stations and watch the safety video. After that, I went back to the room to get ready for dinner.
Day 1- Thessaloniki
We arrived in beautiful Thessaloniki at 10 in the morning and we had almost the whole day to ourselves.
The cruise offered 3 different excursions we could choose from:
As we had been to Thessaloniki before, we decided to spend our day on our own. We went for brunch at the wonderful “Donkey Garden” and then had a walk around the town all the way to the White Tower!
The ships scheduled departure was at 18.30, so we were back by around 18.00. It was an amazing evening, with calm sea and a spectacular sunset, so we enjoyed some time in our room and balcony.
Dinner hours were from 18.30 to 21.00, but as most Greeks, 18.30 was too early for us, so we went at around 20.00. The restaurant staff was extremely polite, helpful and very quick.
For the best closing of the day, we visited the “Muses Lounge, Deck 8” at 22.30 for the show of the day by the incredible “Cirque Fantastic”.
Day 2- Kuşadası, Turkey
Due to our suite, we had the privilege to have breakfast & lunch at the “Aura Grill”, located on deck 9. Breakfast was served from 7.00 till 10.00, so we went at around 09.30. There was a full buffet that had absolutely everything. I really enjoyed the mini croissants and the pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup.
We had some time off before our arrival, so I took the chance to visit the gym. The treadmills had a window view to the sea and even though the gym space wasn’t huge, it had a little bit of everything.
The ship tied to the dock of Kuşadasi at 13.30 and we had an appointment for our excursion right after.
The cruise offered 3 different excursions we could choose from:
We chose to do the “Ancient Ephesus through the ages Hellenistic and Roman” which was included on the cruise. The drive for Ephesus was 45-50 minutes. We entered the ancient Greek city monuments at around 14.30, where we had a full guided tour until 15.50, where we left. On our way back to Kuşadasi, we made a quick stop for some leather goodies and a fashion show. Soon after we returned to base and had some free time around the city. Of course, I had to try my favorite Künefe in it’s country of origin before our departure at 20.00
The restaurants on board were open until 21.00, so we went for dinner as soon as we entered the ship and then at 22.30 we, as it was natural, enjoyed that night’s show, which had the theme “Welcome to Cabaret”!
Day 3- Rhodes
Our arrival in Rhodes was at 9.00 in the morning. We were a little tired so we skipped breakfast for some more sleep. By 9.15 we had to meet our group for the organised excursion we chose to participated in, the “Acropolis of Lindos and the Citadel of the Knights”.
The cruise offered 3 different excursions we could choose from:
Acropolis of Lindos and the Citadel of the Knights (duration 4 hrs.)
Find more details here. (included)
Philerimos church and the Palace of the Knights (duration 4 hrs.)
Walking tour in the Medieval City of Rhodes (duration 2 hrs.)
First stop was Lindos! The drive is 55 km from the city of Rhodes. All means of transportation are not allowed (actually they don’t even fit), so the bus left us 10 mins walk away from the little village of Lindos. From far away you could easily spot Lindos Acropolis rising dominantly on a steep cliff. We passed through the crowded little alleys of the village in order to hike to the Acropolis. On our way up, we could see, on our left, the natural landscape, enhanced by the picturesque village of Lindos and it’s wonderful beach. Something I skipped, probably due to the overcrowded stairs, but I really wish I saw, was the relief of a Rhodian trireme (warship) cut into the rock at the foot of the steps leading to the Acropolis. We entered the mighty fortress walls, which surrounded the castle, in the time of the Knights of St. John
Climbing up the Hellenistic staircase (2nd century BC), on the summit of the Acropolis are the Byzantine chapel of Saint John, the great Hellenistic Stoa (dating from about 200 BC), as well as the Propylaea (dating from the 4th century BC) and the ruins of the Doric Temple of goddess Athena Lindia (dating from about 300 BC, built on the site of an earlier temple) overlooking the sea.
We had a lovely, detailed tour of the Acropolis by our guide, which continued back to the old town of Rhodes.
We walked through the imposing D'amboise Gate, with the two gigantic round towers, carried on to the street of the knights and by the end of the tour we had some free time to explore the medieval town. We stopped for a quick snack at a beautiful preserved hotel we spotted before we headed back on board at 16.30.
We got some rest and had a last massage appointment at 18.00. Came back to the room for a quick shower, as that evening, we would meet the rest of the Celestyal Cruises team.
We were invited by Mrs. Zaroulea (Head of Public Relations of Celestyal Cruises) to have “My Greek Table Experience by Diane Kochilas”. We had a full-course meal, including appetizer, soup, salad, a couple of main dishes plus dessert.
It was a wonderful evening, followed by our usual daily visit to the cruise’s show with the rest of the team. The entertainment program of the night was “Mythologia”. Cirque Fantastic took us back in time to Ancient Greece!
Day 4- Heraklion
Early morning wake up call for Heraklion-Crete! The cruise-ship arrived at 7.00 in the morning and we had to be ready for our excursion by 7.30.
There was 1 available excursion:
Our time in Heraklion was very limited as we had to be back on board by 11.30. Therefore, we decided to skip the the guided tour and have some time in Knossos on our own. Knossos is place I dreamt of visiting since I was very little. I was always fascinated by Ancient Greece and Mythology and all the history and stories around it. Finally the time had come! Although I was expecting more preserved buildings than ruins, whatever was still standing, it was absolutely remarkable.
After Knossos we headed straight to the ship as it was departing at 12.00. Lunch was served from 12.00 to 14.30 and we had a few hours left to arrive to Santorini.
Day 4- Santorini
Approaching Santorini, you could spot that gem of a place rising from distance. Personally I think that the Caldera is the most impressive spectacle I’ve ever seen. Our ship set anchor at 16.30 and we were going take local transfer boats, to head to the island, which were available every 10 mins from and to the cruise ship. The people who applied for the excursions, had priority.
The cruise offered 3 different excursions we could choose from:
Spectacular Oia Village perched on the caldera rim (duration 4 hrs.)
Cruise to SantorinI’s islands and volcanoes (duration 4 hrs.)
We decided to spend our free time on the island on our own. We left the ship at 17.20 and the ride was 10 mins. The transfer boats left us at the old port at Ormos Firon, which is at the bottom of Fira. Unfortunately there was huge line for the cable cars, but I must say it was moving fast. We finally made it up to Fira by 18.00. One of my favorite friends has moved to Santorini and she picked us up with her car. By the time we arrived to Oia, it was time for the famous sunset. Needless to say that Oia was packed and we couldn’t even walk. As a result we turned down the well known spots and chose to admire the breathtaking view from less known spots.
After the sunset we left for Kamari to find a place to eat, but everything was full, so we got pizza for take away and went to the open air cinema. The last cable car was at 23.45 and we were the last ones to go down and enter the transfer boat, but we made it!
Back to our room to enjoy a one of a kind opportunity, to watch Santorini by night from our balcony at 1 in the morning, just dreamy!
Day 5- Mykonos
The ship arrived at 8.00 but Mykonos felt like a day off for us. We didn’t join any excursions on that day. We were extremely tired from the previous days and decided to sleep a little bit longer. Breakfast was served until 10.00, so we went to grab something briefly 10 mins before the buffet closed and then went back to the room.
Although, the cruise offered 2 different excursions we could choose from:
Mykonian countryside tour with Chora and Little Venice (duration 4 hrs.)
We finally left to explore Mykonos around 14.00. We had the whole day to ourselves so we were very chilled. Believe it or not, that was actually my first time on the island. We did a tour around the town, had an ice-cream and went back to the cruise ship at 18.30. Had a quick shower and got ready for a Mykonian night. We were invited to a private party with Bob Sinclar at Nammos village!
We left sometime around 23.00 and went for dinner before we went back to the ship at 00.30.
Day 6- Milos
Last destination was Milos… As in Santorini, the cruise ship set anchor in the middle of the sea at 9.00 in the morning. At 9.05 we were already in the lifeboats for our excursions.
The cruise offered 2 different excursions we could choose from:
Along with our fellow creators/ friends, we decided to all join the “Nostalgic Milos Cruise – Land & Sea” which was a whole day tour. We started our tour with the hot springs. Milos is one of the 4 Volcanos in Greece. Thanks to the Volcanic hydrothermal action, there are a lot of hot springs around that area.
Next on our tour were “The Saltfields”. Back in the days, they used to flood the place with salt water, drying it off and then collecting the salt manually.
By 10.50 we were at a dock, where a traditional Greek boat took us to Kleftiko. Kleftiko is a famous cove, only accessible by boat. It is also possible to walk there, although it is a hard one. It used to be a hideout for pirates of the Cyclades Islands in Greece. The scenery is spectacular; elaborate caves and white volcanic rock formations, surrounded by crystal-clear water.
We had a couple of hours available to swim, dive and enjoy the magnificent sea!
Pit stop for lunch close to Plaka village, which is Milos capital and then a little tour around the village! Plaka, is located on the top of large rock, overlooking the gulf of Milos. It is a cute village of white houses with colorful shutters, doors and fences. Moreover, cars cannot enter the village due to the narrow alleys between the buildings.
Last spot before we completed our tour was Sarakiniko, Aegean’s natural wonder. A scenic landscape that has extraordinary white volcanic, rock formations, sparkling against the deep blue of the Aegean sea. Most people compare it to the moonscape and I can’t say the are wrong. Unfortunately, our time to explore it was very limited, but luckily, I’ve been there before!
Well, we were back to our cruise ship by 18.30 as we had to depart immediately. We went to our rooms to get ready for our final night on board and had an appointment with the rest of the crew at 20.30 as dinner was served until 21.00. We had dinner at the “Olympus” restaurant, followed by our usual visit to the cruise’s show, which we had missed the last couple of days.
For the last night, the entertainment program presented the amazing “ABBA’S DREAM” by Cirque Fantastic of course! It was actually the best show, I really enjoyed it! Everyone loves Abba!!!
Then, we went to Eros lounge as there was a big party happening and for the best closure, we went to the disco, which was actually pretty full by a really cool, big family. It was so much fun!
I went to my room kind of late and stayed up until around 3 and I could spot from the balcony Fleves island and my hometown, Vouliagmeni! Which means that we were very close to Piraeus at that time.
Day of disembarkation
We had to move out of our cabin by 7 in the morning, so we took our bags and carry-on luggages and went for breakfast. We had already left our big luggage out of the room the previous night, in order for the staff to collect them.
We disembarked from the ship the same way we entered and we handed over our boarding cards to the staff just before we exited the ship. After that we moved to the baggage claim to pick up our suitcases and headed home with the most amazing summer memories!
Thank you so much my lovely Celestyal Cruises for this experience! I hope to see you again soon!
