As a first-time cruiser, I thought this was great experience. I would definitely go on cruises again, and from my experience and all I have heard from other passengers, Celebrity is a top-notch line. This a great way of getting a taste of the world; to see places where you'd like to delve deeper into the history and culture.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were given a window of time to check in, and I think overall, from dropping off our bags to standing in our cabin, was only about an hour or so. I think this is pretty amazing to be able to check in almost 3000 passengers that quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room wait staff was attentive and helpful. Very pleasant people. Our table group felt we had some of the best staff on the ship. They took good care of us! The buffets were incredible! Anything you could possibly want and more. Full breakfasts everyday were delicious! We ate in the Qsine specialty restaurant one night where each course is introduced with a video animation projected on your plate. It was fun and food was delicious. The Aqua Spa buffet was a refreshing break for a light lunch.
Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria
5 out of 5
Staff here was very helpful and attentive. Great place to get a cappuccino watch the view.
Oceanview Café and Bar
5 out of 5
Excellent choices of foods from around the world, all deliciously prepared.
Main Restaurant
5 out of 5
Excellent dining experience. Staff was very knowledgeable and attentive.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the trivia challenges and the "Friendly Feud" game. My friend used the fitness track for her daily walking and enjoyed being outside. The hot tub pools in the Aqua Spa area were very relaxing and not overcrowded. I enjoyed the Broadway lectures and would have like to attend several other activities, but I was with a group holding our own seminars, so wasn't able to participate as much as I would have otherwise.
Acupuncture at Sea
5 out of 5
Excellent acupuncture doctor. Very experienced and professional. Relieved my ankle pain very quickly.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Sky Observation Lounge
5 out of 5
Loved this lounge for it's almost 180-degrees view of the ports!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All of the ship's personnel were friendly and courteous at all times. Very helpful with any request we had. Our cabin steward, waiters and all performed their duties quickly and pleasantly at all times. Very impressed with the quality of service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Don't know much about ship design, but the elevators and stairways were all easily accessible, and the distance between the forward and aft accesses was great for getting additional exercise and steps daily.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We were in a balcony cabin, mid decks, mid ship. It was a perfect size for two people. Lots of storage space in closets and over the beds. There was a small desk area for make-up or writing. Sofa was not particularly comfortable for sitting, but we weren't there much anyway. Bathroom was bigger than I had anticipated and had plenty of storage. The cabin was kept very clean daily, and our steward tidied and made up the beds in the morning and evening everyday.
Ship tip
The Sky Lounge on deck 14 has a great view of the ports as you are leaving and is enclosed. The view from the Ocean View deck aft on 14 and 15 is great as well, but windy and can be cold. Great coffee bar on deck 5.
I would love to go back and spend more time here. We did a "hop-on, hop-off" bus tour and got a flavor of what is to see. We saw the amazing Sagrada Familia - don't miss this. We went up in one of the towers, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are skittish about heights. And walked in the areas of our hotels to see the Casa Mila and Casa Batlo. So much more to see and do.
This was our first stop and we took a bus in to the main town square and toured the cathedral. It's a small little shopping area, but beautiful architecture and a taste of what's to come. Possibly some of the excursions were more interesting.
Again, we did our own walking tour. Visited a couple of the cathedrals and watched the clock tower in the main square for the noon display of the lion roaring and cock crowing and the other animation of the figures in the tower. The tower is within very easy walking distance of the port and worth seeing. Other excursions probably saw more of the island.
This was a beautiful island. We did an excursion in the morning to a monastery and had some appetizers and ouzo before heading back to the ship. Then took a shuttle that dropped us a short distance from the town and walked around to where the windmills are. It was a bit cold and windy, but the colors of the water are just gorgeous, changing to all shades of blue and green. We had gyros and coffee (Greek coffee is almost "chewy.")
We took a tour on a bus that showed some of the sites in town and then stopped to walk up on the Acropolis. It was a cold, overcast day, and started raining on the way back down to the bus. It's pretty rocky and a bit slippery in places, but amazing views, and to see this incredible historic landmark was well worth it.
Santorini was the only port where we were tendered to shore. Not a bad experience at all. The weather was pretty bad that day - not the cruise line's fault, of course - but not the sunny Santorini I had hoped to see. We stopped at a winery for samples and shopping and then went up to Oia. Beautiful town and I can imagine quite crowded in tourist season. Would like to go back and spend more time on my own here.
Walked to take a hop-on hop-off bus and drove through city. Not the best tour. The recording kept skipping and didn't match where we were currently. We got off and took some pictures at the place where the Colossus of Rhodes was purported to have stood, then got back on and went to the old town to walk around some and back to the ship. It was very windy here that day and rather cold.
Malta was a beautiful port. Weather was a bit windy but much warmer than a couple of previous stops. We took a tour bus around the island and stopped at an overlook to see the Blue Grotto. The boats were not going in to the Grotto that day because it was too windy and seas were too high. I had heard before this might be case and almost booked the blue grotto excursion on Sicily, but sadly didn't. Would go back to Malta for an extended stay.
Having never done this before, I didn't know what to expect, but the whole process was very easy. Bags were picked up the night before. We went to breakfast the following morning and back to the cabin for last minute check and then went to the Theater for our disembarkation group to be called. We got off the ship, picked up our bags. Lots of taxis available, and we went directly to our hotel and were able to check in earlier than expected.
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