My first Celebrity cruise, pretty disappointed as I’d heard so much positive about them. Could have been wonderful, pretty ship, good locations, but that boring and chaotic main dining, together with some miserable bar staff, and the ongoing lack of upcoming port educational activities was a daily let down.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Good, fast, went early and sailed through.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Main dining very poor, chaotic, crammed in, massive lines some evenings and very bland food. Mashed potato just about every night. Buffet was good food but poor atmosphere. Speciality dining fun but not “fine” by any means. Bar service very very poor in several locations, staff were rude and slow with the exception of the Martini bar and Worldclass bar.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Weak. Nothing about upcoming locations which was sorely missed, for example would have been good to be warned Rio shuts down for carnival so banks, museums, art galleries all closed while we were there. One quiz at 3:30 after which we were rudely pushed out of the bar every time so they could set up for private parties. no evening quiz.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Ok. Big focus on aerialists but some of the song and dance shows were good. Silent discos very fun. Giuseppe the cruise director utterly charming.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Room stewards good. Restaurant and bar staff generally poorest I’ve seen with a few exceptions. Some bar staff were plain rude. In the main restaurant our bread/water guy, wine lady were super and helpful but we barely saw the head waiter and his assistant the whole trip.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Pretty ship. Spoiled by poorest design of the “jogging track” which was on the main sunbathing deck - crammed with beds with not an inch to spare between them, ridiculous to try and relax when people are walking past your crammed in feet every few seconds.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Had a family suite which was fantastic amount of space, two bedrooms. It could have been really wonderful but it was underwhelmingly spartan in its decor, lots of wasted empty space. Tiny obstructed balcony.
Ship tip
If you’re going to Carnival, be prepared for everything to be closed, take cash with you.
Fantastic views sailing in, lots to see, Christ the Redeemer there’s lifts and escalators if you look for them so easier than it looks, Carnival is late and loud but fun, Copacabana beach good and feels safe. Just be aware other entertainment like museums shut down during Carnival.
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