The Richman family from Baltimore set off on a memorable Mediterranean cruise adventure, traveling with cousins-both families made up of parents and two young adult children. Their journey took them through Spain, France, and Italy aboard the Celebrity Ascent, one of Celebrity Cruises’ newest ships. They especially appreciated the wide variety of onboard dining and entertainment options. To keep costs efficient, they selected two deluxe inside cabins and were pleasantly surprised by the comfort and space.

The families flew into Barcelona (this was a round-trip sailing), and spent two relaxing nights at Hotel Pulitzer Barcelona, conveniently located near Plaça de Catalunya. This gave them time to decompress and explore the city before embarkation.

To help them make the most of their time ashore, we arranged several private excursions tailored to their interests. Their first stop, Marseille, served as a gateway to a six-and-a-half-hour private guided tour of Aix-en-Provence and the charming fishing village of Cassis.

In La Spezia, the group experienced one of the trip’s highlights: a private boat tour of the stunning Cinque Terre. They explored the coastline, went for a swim and enjoyed local cuisine all while avoiding the large crowds typically found in the towns.

Their next port was Civitavecchia, where we arranged round-trip transfers into Rome for a fun and immersive six-hour golf cart tour of the city’s highlights including a private tour of the iconic Colosseum.

The Richman Family shared that each excursion was extremely well organized and seamlessly executed. They felt confident about returning to the ship on time and consistently praised their guides for being knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging. One of the reasons they chose this particular sailing was that it featured only one day at sea as they much prefer maximizing time in port and sightseeing.

Overall, the trip was a great success, filled with meaningful family time and unforgettable experiences.