JackieOlympia Archives – All Things Cruise

Celestyal Olympia cruise: Greek cuisine a cruise delight

October 10, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

One of the things I enjoy most on a cruise is getting to try various foods. Sometimes the choices are very difficult. But I had no problem deciding what to order aboard the Celestyal Olympia. I just went with the “Chef’s Specialty” option on each lunch and dinner menu. I had no idea what some of those specialties were but they were always delicious. At lunch today, for example, the Chef’s Specialty was Kotopoulo Pastitsato. The description …

Celestyal Olympia Cruise: Visiting Patmos cave where St. John wrote Book of Revelation

October 9, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

The dreaded Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The terrifying Beast with Seven Heads. The scary opening of the Seven Seals. The Final Judgement with its brimstone vision of hell. How could all these horrific things detailed in the Book of Revelation have been written in such a beautiful place? Although our Celestyal Olympia cruise ship stopped for less than six hours on the island of Patmos, I was eager to visit the cave where St. John the …

Celestyal Olympia Cruise: Ruins of ancient Ephesus filled with historic treasures

October 10, 2017October 8, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

The statue of a large ball with a foot atop it might not seem unusual. But it certainly is. Touring ancient Ephesus, we came across remnants of a statue honoring Emperior Trajan who ruled the Roman Empire in the 2nd century. “You see that his right foot is on the ball, the globe. That means he ruled the world,” said tour guide Nevin. It also means that those ancient Ephesus folks knew the world was round long …

Celestyal Olympia Cruise: Mesmerizing Mykonos a major mecca for travelers

October 6, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

Very busy day. Checked out of InterContinental Hotel in Athens. Took shuttle ride to Piraeus. Boarded Celestyal Olympia. Met ship captain Stathis Romeos. Did mandatory safety drill aboard ship. Ate lunch at ship’s Aegean Restaurant (yummy!). Arrived at Mykonos Island about 6 p.m. Whew! No way was I going to miss Mykonos. Mesmerizing Mykonos is definitely one of the most popular and most-visited Greek isles. The first cruise ship docked here in the 1920s. But jet setters …

Celestyal Olympia Cruise: Arriving in Athens for night before cruise

September 30, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

If I could give one piece of advice to fellow cruisers, it would be to arrive in your cruise departure city at least a day ahead of the cruise. As Geoffrey Chaucer said, “Time and tide wait for no man.” Or woman. Flights can be delayed or cancelled so it is best not to plan to arrive the day of a cruise, especially when it is an international flight to board a cruise ship. I’ve been on …

Celestyal Olympia Cruise: Heading to Greece for ‘Iconic Aegean’ cruise

September 28, 2017 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

When I was in grade school, my favorite class was Greek & Roman mythology. I eagerly awaited hearing the teacher share stories about those ancient gods and goddesses. Athena – the goddess of wisdom – was my favorite. Her tale was enthralling. The daughter of Zeus, Athena didn’t have a mother. Instead, she sprang full grown and clad in armor from the forehand of Zeus. Naturally, the Greek city named after Athena was a place I always …

Award-Winning Journalists

Heidi Allison, Editor-In-Chief, writes for numerous travel publications and has worked extensively as a consultant to the career and travel industries.

Gerry Barker is a life-long journalist, and he has been on more than a dozen cruises, from Barcelona and Rome to the Panama Canal.

Dennis Cox is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who has visited over one hundred countries on all seven continents.

Judi Cuervo is a New York City native who has been writing about travel for over 20 years.

Jackie Sheckler Finch has cruised on large and small vessels on numerous rivers and oceans.

Alexander & Rachel Garrett are experienced world travelers with a young and fresh point of view.

Renee Goyeneche is our Research Editor, and a writer and contributor to several prominent travel websites.

Julie Hatfield is a freelance travel writer and an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).

Cynthia Boal Janssens is the award-winning editor of ATC. She has cruised extensively and loves small ships.

Debi Lander is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in travel, food and lifestyle.

David Molyneaux has cruised on more than 50 ships and is president of the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Bryce Sanders has traveled the world extensively and is now concentrating on writing about his adventures.

Judy Zimmerman has been a travel editor and award-winning freelance travel writer for 27 years. She’s been to over 100 countries and has taken 65 cruises.

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