Thursday, September 15, 2011

Eastern Mediterranean Cruise, Aug. 29 to Sept. 9, 2011


I was thinking of a South American cruise or a land tour but I was told that the best time to go there is early in the year so I was prevailed on by my wife to take another Mediterranean cruise instead, this time, to include Istanbul, Ephesus and Athens. Might as well go! I've been inching to go anywhere to get some distance from the sight of our recently renovated kitchen which I think was a waste of good travel money. My wife better start feeding me with good homecooked meals or I will paddle up the Amazon and live on piranhas... if I'm lucky to catch any LOL. If I know my wife as well as I do, she'll probably tell me to keep paddling upstream until I reach the Amazon's source water and email her when I get there...then she will lovingly tell me to stay there for good LOL.

Our trip started well because of scheduling luck - we picked  Detroit to catch our connecting flight to Rome. Had we decided to get our connecting flight in NY, we would have run into problems because of the hurricane. We arrived in Rome with plenty of time to spare to get to Civitavecchia where our cruise ship, the Celebrity Equinox, was at berth. The ship was a let down compared to the newest and largest of the cruise ships, the Allure of the Seas, which we tried last January to visit some Western Caribbean islands. I'm not complaining though, Equinox's food is good, it is less crowded and more importantly, they let me bring in my favorite recreational drink at check-in.     

                                     
On the way to Civitavecchia


D'Revelation, a popular Pinoy dance band on board. They are good!!


A lucky shot of Stromboli


An early morning view of Oceanview Cafe

                                     
An entertaining culinary demonstrations while we were spending the day at sea





























Did you say you are on a diet? Good luck!


Poolside, just about the only crowded spot on the ship


No comment


Their theater
       
                                    

These are some of the guys who will make or break your trip. The guy with the hat on is the ship's executive chef, a swiss married to a Pinay from Cebu.

15 comments:

sheng said...

I laughed loud when i reached the photo with a no comment caption. LOL. Again, very nice travels you got there!

Grace said...

The food looks great! Have never been on a cruise and not sure if I can do one!

George said...

Some of that food looks too good to eat, but I could probably force myself to take a bite or two.
I think your 'No comment' caption was very wise.

bertN said...

sheng, you'll seldom see nicely scultured young bodies on cruise ship. Most of the ones you will see poolside are old, overweight and...I hate to say, not generally pleasant to look at and that includes me LOL.

Grace, do it and do it now. Don't wait till you reach our age, you are not going to have as much fun.

George, after the presentation, all the food there were up for grab. Just my humble opinion, the food looked better than they taste.

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

So you've been sailing again!

It really depends on what part of South America you want to visit. Countries like Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia are best from June to September while Argentina & Chile are good in November-March.

I'm thinking you're probably planning an Antartica cruise, in which case, yes, it's gotta be from late November-late February. This is a trip of a lifetime!

BlogusVox said...

Napansin ko lang, parang puro pinoy ang staff ng cruise ship nyo. : )

Why are wives like that? They want the best place in the house is the kitchen. My wife is also like that, as if she knows how to cook.

bertN said...

The Nomadic Pinoy, I'll probably reserve the Antarctic cruise to myself. I don't think I can convince my wife to go there with me, unless I tell her I'll be sailing with a young, blonde chick...in which case, I'll be dead meat before I even leave the house LOL.

BlogusVox, I think you are describing my wife LOL. I kiddingly told her that the best remedy to my aching wallet is a good home-cooked dinner with a view of her nice kitchen.

Believe it or not, there are Pinoys in all the cruise ships we've been on so far...a LOT of them and they are GOOD and vital to the operation of the ship. I do not think all the world's cruise ships can run, as well as they do, without Pinoys on board. They can, but they will not make any money.

docgelo said...

finally, the traveler in you had another cruise adventure series! iba na talaga ang pa-cruise cruise na lang *just teasing!*

i had my biggest smile when you opted to reserve your caption to those gorgeous in skimpy bikinis.
feeling safe ka, sir bert kay misis, hahaha!

sumakay din kami ni gabby sa barko sa latest blog post ko; hindi nga lang sa cruise, haha!

ps : shall i begin not to eat and save whatever i can for me and my family to experience cruise ships when i retire? haha!

bertN said...

docgelo, mayroon namang mga cruises that do not cost more than the land tours you are doing now with your family (if you factor in the lodging, free food and drinks and entertainments on board cruise ships).

docgelo said...

fact is, your cruise and travels really inspire me; thank you for sharing! happy weekend! :)

Kura said...

love the 3rd shot.. and lots of food porn. hahaha! grabe ang pool na yan. Uber crowded. Talon talon na lang. hahah!

iba ka. Cruise talaga ang forte ng travel blog na to. heheh! i love it

bertN said...

docgelo, the weekend is almost over but have a good one, too!

Malditang "Kura"cha, second time I so Stromboli but I've never set foot on it yet. If you go to the pool early, you'll have it to yourself. I think most people go there not to swim but to show of their bodies.I go there to watch them.....not all of them, just the ones na hindi masakit sa matang tingnan LOL.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! And all that delicious food!

Merry Christmas, bertN ... am back into blogging as Tito Eric of Turning Boholano!

Jovial Wanderer said...

natawa din ako dun sa photo na may "No Comment" :P Love your photos especially the food! Parang nakasama na din ako sa cruise. :)

Gulet Cruises said...

Hello all,

The Eastern Mediterranean is an enchanting place filled with excitement. Experience diverse cultures, marvel in its beaches, and explore some of the most interesting historical sites on the planet. Spend your days in a whirl of intoxicating history and culture. Thanks...