Cruising around the Med, dodging the rain

September 29, 2026 10:22 am

We walked down the gangplank dockside en route to visit Corfu Town with wispy clouds in the sky and a light breeze. A strong gust of wind and threatening cloud cover suddenly emerged and, minutes later, rain cascaded out of the sky for ten drenching minutes, leaving the dockside awash.

As if by a switch, the sky was blue again and the sun shone. Shopkeepers in the narrow streets of Corfu were confident and began to put their stock back out.

One said, no more showers today. She was so, so wrong. A little later and another deluge, forcing and tourists and locals to seek shelter, anywhere.

We pushed a wooden door and luckily it opened into a stairwell. Around ten of us huddled together for a shivering hour, then, with no respite in view, we made a dash to the bus station.

So bad was the rain, that deep puddles, or small lakes, formed quickly. Here, the water goes from gutter to downpipe and then pours out onto the pavement.

No wonder that some restaurateurs were mopping out in the lower section of the town.

The rain teemed down, backed by lightning and thunder, and the force was so great that heavy, street manhole covers were lifted by the force. A rat popped out, like us, seeking refuge. Can’t blame the animal, but not something you wish to see.

We waded through puddles, knee deep, to reach the relative sanctuary of the bus back to the ship, the 140,600 gross tonnage, Celebrity Ascent, with a capacity for 3,260 guests. For those who like stats, it is 1,073ft long and 128ft wide.

On arrival, towels were draped by staff over soaked summer wear. Relief, but my shoes took two days to dry out, it was that bad.

However, this is not the memory we wanted of Corfu Town. We’ve visited before and it is a delightful, atmospheric location with much to offer in retail and food, but it is hard to forget that downpour. One guest described it as biblical. Perhaps overstated, but none the less, disappointing as we saw little of the town on this occasion.

Our first stop had been Messina, a Sicilian seaport town, described as the gateway to Sicily. It is also said to be a historic town with a stunning Gothic cathedral.

The location can be explored on foot, but we didn’t see much as the rain came down as we exited the cathedral and we retreated to a café for two hours. Then we retreated to the ship. Another soggy day.

Next stop Katakolon, the second most visited cruise ship port in Greece, and locals don’t mind the sudden influx of tourists. Without cruisers they would, said one shop worker, not have any jobs.

It is a certainly picturesque seaside village (population 600) and a gateway to Ancient Olympia – 21 miles by bus, by the way and 15E return on a local company – has a vibrant harbourfront lined with cafes and tavernas.

We visited one, Kavos. We noted sardines on the menu and the owner seduced us by claiming they were the best in the area. Big claim and he delivered. A wee squeeze of lemon added to the flavour.

Dubrovnik was our next stop, thankfully, the sun shone. The weather brought out the crowds and we had to queue to get into the walled city,

There, we were offered numerous trips by taxi, bus, ferry and cable car but, after our rain-interrupted start to the holiday, we preferring to stroll in the delightful sunshine.

Sadly, no maps were available at the tourist office, the demand, we were told, had outstripped production. Dubrovnik, is not to be missed, say the guide books, and not just because of the Game of Thrones connections. By the way, a walking tour costs between £23 and £35 and lasts up to three hours.

It is a stunning location, but we felt Split, our next stop, was superior, for a number of reasons.

Here, ancient jostles with modern and the city is an easy stroll from the docks. A market – bags, hats, fringe magnets, olive oil and clothing plus locals selling vegetables – provides a pleasant opener.

Cafes, restaurants and even chain stores like Zara are here if you wish retail therapy and local by-laws posted on lamp posts provide fines for those who don’t toe the line. Great to see.

Prices are cheaper than Dubrovnik too.

On to Bar, a new one on me. It was described by the cruise line blurb as Montenegro’s coastal gateway, where history and natural beauty meet the Adriatic.

The blurb continued: “In the modern town, a lively promenade, inviting beaches, and scenic harbour create a relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere.”

Ok, it was a dull day when we visited, but the statement was OTT.

Yes, we did not venture to the old town, which is said to be filled with stone ruins and centuries of history, but we were not impressed by the beach area. Looked like a run-down British resort and I’ve visited plenty of them.

The final stop was Naples, a bustling and busy seaport which is home to 3.1m people. Diego Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, perhaps not by England fans for his controversial Hand of God ‘goal’ in the World Cup of 1986, played for the city’s football team and his No 10 shirt is everywhere.

So is the blue shirt now worn by Scotland international, Scott McTominay, who now plays for the Seria A side.

We visited on a Sunday morning and the city centre was packed, yes packed, but veer off the main shopping thoroughfare, the Via Toledo, and you find character-filled narrow streets and lots of local shops plus pleasant places to stop and watch the world go by.

However, be ever vigilant. Naples is one of the pickpocket capitals of the world.

Overall, the weather did not take the shine off our cruise, and the adventure began with an excellent flight from Edinburgh by Jet2 to Rome Fiunicino Airport, also known as Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

Chatty crew, good service, including the night before bag drop, a great idea, but our arrival in Rome was chaotic, but not as bad as the departure. The melee in the arrivals hall on arrival was at last cleared when a man appeared with a Celebrity Cruises board held aloft. He led us to an area to check in your bags.

We were then told to wait for an hour. “Get a coffee and something to eat,” were his words.

Shocked? Yes, and we did find a café where one peckish member of our party picked up a cheese and tomato sandwich. Mistake, it was gluten free fodder, but it was awful. Not cheap either.

We were ravenous and knew that it was over an hour from Rome to Chiccieavechia, but the product purchased from Mignon in T3 was binned after being sampled, and rejected, by a taste panel of three. One bite was enough and we all decided not to spend any more cash in this establishment.

Now, the ship. Comfortable, excellent staff, including our stateroom attendant, Kadek from Indonesia, and there was a huge selection of food with cultural changes.

We were offered Greek, Caribbean, French, German, Italian, Asian dishes, and dietary concerns were noted. I noted my weight on arrival back in GB. Diet required instantly.

The restaurant service was excellent but Celebrity, on this occasion, did not offer a wine by the bottle opportunity, just by the glass. An irritant as the facility was offered on our cruise in Asia earlier this year.

Another real downer was the habit of some, emphasise some, guests who walk into dining areas without washing their hands or taking up the offer of hand sanitisation.

I did a snap survey while I was waiting in the ice cream queue. A total of 20 guests walked in and only two washed their hands. Was it any wonder then that a number of people we met were all complaining of virus of some sort or other?

Not having tea and coffee facilities in the room was another irritant, but we coped, and the entertainment and activities offered was varied and enjoyable, and the cast worked extremely hard, but it was not quite in the glowing terms as described by cruise director, Daniel.

The Brazilian did, however, host an extremely enjoyable Zumba session and the on-board sketching class was really informative.

This was our second Celebrity cruise this year, so we can compare, and the one out of Singapore was superior, in our view.

Detailed information on locations to be visited was offered in several promotions in the on-board theatre. No promotions of this type were offered in the Med.

Guests, in my view, need to know about the location, what is available, the prices for trips, and they can be costly, and exactly what you get as part of an ship-organised tour.

Also, some guests prefer to explore on their own. That’s something we enjoy and so information must be readily available on-board on screen in a stateroom or in printed material for collection at the guest services desk.

Overall, enjoyable, apart from the rain.

HARBOUR VIEW: The Croatian city of Dubrovnik in the sunshine. Picture Nigel Duncan