Cruise Ship: Galaxy
Cruise Destination: Italy, Greece and Turkey in the Mediterranean
Cruise Dates: July 2007
Guest Contributor: Sue
We began our cruise on 12 July and completed it on 23 July. Although every vacation has its ups and downs, overall our experience was positive. Galaxy provided us service that "exceeded expectations" just like their motto states. Once we boarded our ship we were escorted to our room and upon arrival decided to visit the spa facilities as the appointments fill up quickly! We were escorted through the facility and given an excellent tour. We were excited to see the different treatments, gym, sauna, and thelossotherapy pool! We immediately booked massage treatments and purchased a pass to have unlimited use of the T-pool. Although it was only mid-afternoon on embarkation day, there weren't many appointments open for massage. Since there was no way to book online in advance, I surmised that the spa's reputation precedes them. I later realized why.
Upon return to our room, we noticed that we had all but one piece of luggage awaiting us. Between the time of discovery and before dinner, our luggage miraculously arrived after we jovially repeated our room number and the color of our missing bag to the room attendants on passing them countless times while trying to navigate our way around the ship. From then on, we had a great relationship with the room attendants. They were more than willing to go above and beyond their typical duty at our request. After noticing the pitcher in our room was filled with water and we had an ice container as well, we asked for two carafes and were pleased to find them refilled each time we'd leave our cabin. The attendants kept our room immaculate and even steamed the carpets, as well as our linens, when we'd discovered a couple of ants scurrying about.
We tried changing our dining from main seating to evening, but gave up after seeing the long line of people wanting the same. Our Assistant Maitre'D was very pleasant. Our table mates were a very nice couple from New York. We had a great time conversing with them and the couple at the table next to us. We didn't have the best table in terms of placement, but I think that we had the best company, waiter, assistant waiter, and wine service. There were several instances where we'd make a request and our waiter was more than happy to comply. I would tell him the time that I'd have my spa appointments and he'd take care of arranging the food arrival so that I didn't feel rushed. I even had ample time for dessert!
The first night of the cruise, I received my first massage from the AquaSpa. I practically lived there for the rest of the cruise. The massage was by far the best I've received. My massage therapist would cater each massage to my personal needs. After my first massage I knew that I had no worries for the remainder of the cruise. I was taken care of so well that although I've had insomnia since I was 10, I was able to sleep like I've never slept before. The spa was nothing short of amazing! We loved working out everyday in their large gym. We would stack steps in order for our DVD player to fit between the windows and we'd work out on the elliptical machine while watching movies or listening to music. The T-pool was helped our overworked muscles relax and was a lot of fun to use. We would go at least once a day, sometimes twice. We also loved going in the sauna after our T-pool session.
Besides hanging out in the spa, we found lying out in the sun was relaxing as well. The deck chairs were very comfortable and there were always clean towels to use. We found the pool staff to be very friendly and kind in bringing us water upon request. Occasionally, they'd offer cold towels, which were rather refreshing.
On our formal night, we had a great time getting ready and walking around in formal attire and being treated like royalty. We were highly entertained in the Celebrity Theatre watching a production encompassing musicals from our favorite operas. We enjoyed dancing until 4 am in the Stratosphere Lounge.
Although it was rather expensive, we enjoyed having internet access on the ship and found that the connection is better at sea than at port. The Rendezvous Square usually was populated with people entertained by musicians or a singing duo. The Martini Bar had excellent service and delicious drinks. Room service was good for the most part, but the pizza and chocolate chip cookies did not live up to our expectations. We were able to order room service during dining hours and our room attendant kept it fresh for us until we had finished our spa sessions, which ended after dining hours. The presentation was amazing.
Page 2 > > Celebrity Galaxy Mediterranean Cruise Review > >
