We loved the cruise and are excited to book another. This was our first cruise ever. We are planning on taking our adult children and our grandchildren on a cruise next year and are trying to decide what ship. We will most likely book with Royal Caribbean because we were told it has more to offer for younger guests. We were very impressed with Celebrity and are happy that they are owned by Royal Caribbean. Thank you for the great experience. (:
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was very easy to drop bags off before boarding. We were early but they were okay with that. We showed our negative Covid tests, passports, answered our health questions, and were onboard very quickly. We found our cabin, dropped our backpacks off and enjoyed lunch in the cafe while others were boarding.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We did not upgrade our dining and did not order a beverage package. We were very satisfied with what was offered every day in the Trellis and the buffet. My husband especially enjoyed the ice cream counter several times a day, LOL.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The pools were usually too crowded to get in. We enjoyed Deal or No Deal, the magic show, the captain's talk, archery, bingo and a couple of others. The group that danced and sang were horrible and hard to listen to. We left about fifteen minutes in. We were disappointed to see that they were taking up another show time. We are in our 50's and although we enjoy relaxing, we are active people. We didn't find that we had enough to do on this cruise while at sea. We walked around a lot but couldn't find really much to do. We would have enjoyed an organized Euchre tournament and an organized board game time. An organized Family Feud game would have been fun in the Constellation Lounge or the theater.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We enjoyed the group (that the captain played the drums with), the magician, and most of the other musicians. However, the dance/music group that sang early in the cruise were horrible. We left after only fifteen minutes or so. We were disappointed to find that they were singing again and taking up another time slot in the entertainment.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We could not have asked for better service from anyone! Our room steward, Sanhash, was outstanding. When he found out that I was going to put ice in a baggie from my room, for me knee, he quickly ran to the kitchen and brought back a bag of ice for me. He took great care of us, and I was not at all concerned with him being in and out of our room. Our waiters, Blake and Ger Winson, were also outstanding. They made us feel like royalty. We are going to miss these three as they were true representations of the Celebrity Cruise line. They exceeded our expectations. They deserve a raise and recognition. All other staff we met on the ship were equally respectful, nice, and would always greet us. I know they have bad days like everyone. However, you wouldn't have ever known it by their cheerful dispositions and attitudes. Treat your staff well, Celebrity, and it will continue reflecting on your guest's impression of your cruise line!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was always very clean. We were so impressed with this. This is a reflection of your staff and how serious they take their jobs. They layout could be a bit confusing, but we got the hang of it after awhile.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We have no complaints with our cabin. It might have been nice to have the television straight in front of the bed instead of the side, but I know it might not have been possible with the layout and dynamics of the cabin. I appreciated having a place to sit and do my makeup and hair. The hairdryer was a bit frustrating as I had to keep my finger on the button to keep it on.
Ship tip
Have dinner early and enjoy sitting on the top deck watching a movie on the lounge chair with your honey at night. Also, enjoy taking small spoonfuls of different foods from the buffet to try foods that you normally wouldn't. We would usually make one trip around before making any decisions.
We found a beach that didn't cost us to use it but it had trash all over the beach like all of the rest of the beaches at this port. We rented a golf cart and it had a lot of issues. Another couple, who also rented one and stayed with us, had to take theirs back because it wouldn't steer and had no brakes. We ate conch ceviche at Joe's and also had conch fritters on the island. They were good but the establishment looked very sketchy. I would say that most of the island had a third world feel. This is not a port that I would purposefully book for another cruise.
Hurricane Lisa hit this port and we were diverted to Costa Maya instead. We missed the window to book an excursion for Costa Maya and were only able to walk around the little shopping area. We were relentlessly hounded to buy things. We appreciated a couple of the shops where the shop keepers left us alone so we could look in peace. These are the two shops were purchased from because of that.
Great shopping area. Felt like most shop keepers were trying to take advantage of us. We shopped, took our purchases back to the ship, ate lunch on the ship, and then returned at noon for our excursion. We weren't impressed with the excursion. We paid over $80 each for a Mayan Ruin stop, a lighthouse and the beach. They Mayan Ruin was a very tiny building five feet tall or so. The lighthouse was okay but again, we were hounded by shop keepers at the lighthouse to buy things. The beach was wonderful but there weren't enough lounge chairs that we were allowed to use as part of the excursion. The bus was absolutely horrible! a "canvas covered bus" ended up being an old school bus with the windows removed with a tarp over the top of the hard roof. The seats were old and broken down and so close together that my knees were smashed against the seat in front of me. I'm a small person at 4'11" so you can imagine how most people fit in the seats!
We received a message on our apps with the process and how we would be notified when it was our turn. We were group 11, tag #4. However, over the speaker, they said listen for your tag number. Then, they said tags 1-5 to come through, however, our app still said to wait. We went through and were told to sit against a wall. Then immediately told we were in the wrong waiting area (that they originally told us to wait in.) Then, we were told we didn't need to wait after all. We walked off and went to #4 and immediately found our luggage, went through customs and walked out. That was confusing and frustrating as it seemed the staff was also very confused.
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