Days 4 & 5~ At Sea/Istanbul, Turkey
The 4th day of the cruise was an at-sea day, as we were making our way to Istanbul, Turkey. The kids spent nearly the entire day at the kid’s clubs. I think we only saw them both for meals.
C was playing games, went to an ice cream party, and had his face painted; they even had an ‘Everybody’s Birthday’ theme event after dinner. We did join him for a family bingo game hosted by the Fun Factory, so we could see him and how much fun he was having there.
S on the other hand, we only saw for meals. And only then because we said she had to. She would have stayed at the X Club the entire cruise if we would of let her, doing everything from scavenger hunts and dance parties to classes, such as iMovie lessons, and themed nights like casino night.
The Celebrity Reflection truly had some amazing kids clubs, so much so, our kids didn’t want to spend any time with us!
Corey and I took advantage of the time to check out the adults-only pool, read, talk, and just enjoy each other’s company. After a deployment, it’s nice to have some time to decompress and reconnect. (This was a vacation after he spent almost a year in Afghanistan.) There may or may not have been some champagne on the veranda too… 😉
We arrived in Istanbul on the 5th day at about 7 am, which was earlier than any of us wanted to get up that day. This was an overnight port for the ship, so we knew there was no rush. So after a late breakfast, we made our way off the ship and into Istanbul.
We had booked tickets with a hop-on-hop-off bus here, like in Rome, to easily get around the city to the tourist spots.
At one point we crossed over the Bosphorus Bridge and could say we were in two countries and continents at once (Europe and Asia)- even if only for a minute.
We passed Taksim Square, Sultanahmet Square, and the Hagia Sophia. And of course, hopped off to make a stop at Hard Rock Cafe-Istanbul. I had to get a T-shirt for the collection!
By then we were ready to head back to the ship for dinner. (We didn’t eat lunch after such a late breakfast.) Of course, then both C and S were begging to go to the kid’s clubs again! Fun Factory was doing a campout theme with fun camping crafts and activities, while X Club was getting to have a pool party at the adult’s pool.
So off they went. For a family vacation, Corey and I were getting an awful lot of our own vacation time (and not complaining one bit!). It was like a mini couple vacation amid a family vacation.
Do your kiddos love kid’s clubs as much as ours?
This is Part 4 of Review: 11-Night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise with Celebrity Cruises: Read other parts below:
Part 1-Civitavecchia & Check-in
Part 2- At Sea
Part 3- Santorini, Greece
Part 4- At Sea/Istanbul, Turkey
Part 5- Istanbul, Turkey/At Sea/Kusadasi, Turkey
Part 6- Mykonos, Greece
Part 7- Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Part 8- At Sea
Part 9- Amalfi Coast/Sorrento/Pompeii, Italy
Part 10- Disembark Civitavacchia & Wrap-up
(This was NOT a sponsored post.)
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