Exploring the Mediterranean Aboard Celebrity Ascent

I recently explored the Mediterranean aboard Celebrity Ascent and had the most incredible time! Keep reading for a day-by-day deep dive into my trip. 

Pre-cruise – Rome, Italy

The day before we were due to set sail, we arrived in Rome for one-night pre-cruise stay. Rome is a truly jaw-dropping city, where the architecture, the history, the food and the ambience are like nowhere else on earth. We decided to make the most of our time there with a guided tour of the iconic Colosseum, which was one of the highlights. You can look at pictures or even watch videos, but absolutely nothing compares to seeing it in person, it’s an unmissable experience when in Rome. Afterwards, we tucked into some famous Italian cuisine, with a dinner of pasta and wine right in the heart of the city, before heading to our hotel for our one-night stay. 

Day 1 - Embarkation

This morning, we travelled from Rome to Civitavecchia by train. The actual city of Rome itself is not coastal, so all cruises arriving or departing from there actually dock in Civitavecchia, which is roughly a 1.5 hour train ride away. I had worried that the train journey might be convoluted, but it was actually incredibly simple. 

Once there, we boarded Celebrity Ascent and all I can say is WOW! It was an incredibly stylish, sleek ship, utterly immaculate, as you would expect from a newer vessel. The service was excellent right from the start and remained that way throughout.

Day 2 – Sea day

Our second day was a sea day, which gave us ample time to discover everything Celebrity Ascent had to offer. We got stuck into the food, with lunch at Raw on 5, which is a speciality seafood and sushi restaurant found on Celebrity’s Edge-class ships. The food was absolutely exceptional and very good value for money, for a speciality restaurant. One thing that I noticed as I explored the ship was just how vast the choice was when it came to bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and other places to pass the time.

Day 3 – Corfu, Greece

Today, we got off the ship and walked up into Corfu Old Town. It was an incredibly relaxed destination to wander round and explore at your own leisure, without necessarily needing to book an organised excursion. We had a delicious lunch overlooking the port and spent the rest of the afternoon just soaking up the chilled atmosphere.

Day 4 – Katakolon/Olympia, Greece

This morning, we docked in Katakolon and made the journey to Ancient Olympia, where we visited the archaeological site and explored the ruins. It was so interesting to tour the place where the original Olympic Games were held! Afterwards, we got to watch some traditional Greek dancing. It was a great day and we really enjoyed combining a history tour with something a bit more cultural. 

Day 5 – Bar, Montenegro

Once docked, we took a short taxi ride from the port to Bar Old Town, which I’d highly recommend doing if you stop here. The Old Town had the most incredible views and a lovely atmosphere. It felt less touristy that some of the better-known ports and I really enjoyed just wandering around and taking it all in.

Day 6 – Dubrovnik, Croatia

Wow! Visiting the walled city of Dubrovnik genuinely felt like stepping back in time, and it was absolutely one of the standout destinations of the itinerary. We walked right into the city centre and spent the day wandering around. I couldn’t get over how immaculately clean and well maintained it was!

Day 7 – Split, Croatia

Again, we walked straight from the ship into the Old Town and chose to spend our time exploring the narrow passages and little alleyways independently. Split was another port that was incredibly easy to explore on foot and we didn’t really feel the need to book an excursion.

Day 8 – Messina/Taormina, Italy

Today, we docked in Messina and made the journey up to Taormina, which was absolutely stunning; visiting the ancient theatre was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Words just cannot do justice to the incredible views of the landscape, framing Mt Etna in the distance. One of the most memorable moments for sure.

Day 9 – Naples, Italy 

We decided to stay in Naples and spend the day wandering around the city. We had a good day, though it was a much busier, more hectic city that some of the other stops on the trip. With hindsight, I wish we had used that day to visit Pompeii instead—at least I know for next time!

Day 10 – Sea Day

This was our final opportunity to make the most of the ship before heading home. We had a delicious lunch the Oceanview Grill and later, tucked into an impressive farewell buffet organised by Celebrity. There was seafood, desserts, a chocolate fountain and more! It was a really good example of the quality and vast choice of food on board.

General Thoughts About Celebrity Cruises

Food

Overall, I was incredibly impressed by the food throughout. The quality was exceptionally high across the board, including both complimentary and speciality dining venues. Sometimes, there’s a worry that larger ships may struggle to maintain the quality due to the sheer number of passengers being served, but that was not the case on Celebrity Ascent, where every meal arrived delicious and piping hot. 

My personal highlights were Raw 5 and Fine Cut Steakhouse. The steak I had at the latter was probably one of the best I’ve ever had.

Entertainment

Now, this was a real highlight. The variety and quality was excellent and there was always something to do or watch if you fancied it. I especially liked some of the more low-key pop-up performances that happened all around the ship. Some of the shows were very immersive, with performances literally happening around you, rather than on a traditional stage set-up. It meant that the onboard atmosphere in the evenings was really buzzing, something that I personally miss when I’m on a smaller ship.

Ship

Celebrity Ascent was stylish, modern and immaculately maintained. Despite having more than 3,000 guests on board, it rarely felt crowded and there were always enough sun loungers. Passenger numbers were handled very well.

Service

Throughout our cruise, the service was top notch. In particular, my cabin steward was a star, and nothing was too much trouble.

Final Thoughts

Would I sail with Celebrity Cruises again? 

Absolutely!

For me, Celebrity Ascent really hit the sweet spot between personalised service, high quality and expansive facilities—no mean feat!

You can find out more about Celebrity Cruises here.