The trip was good, My issue is that the ports are advertised as the itinerary. The ship should have included all transportation to the actual centers of the cities.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were booked in Aqua Class, so we were the first to embark. Since we stayed in Amsterdam for two nights prior to the cruise, we went at the 10:30 a.m. time as designated by Celebrity. After checking in, there was plenty of time to go back into the city since the pier is right at a tram stop.
Ship Experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We dined in the Blu Restaurant that is designated for the Aqua Class passengers. The service was superb. The menu was very good, but the evening menus could have had some better choices. The buffet in the Ocean View Restaurant was just average.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
These were the average activities found on all cruise lines. We travel for the local culture and sightseeing,
Entertainment
2 out of 5
This is one area that Celebrity needs to spend time reworking the types of shows. This was our fourth Celebrity cruise, and I must say the entertainment other than two of the nights was subpar. Most of the shows were "amateur show specials."
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The dining room staff was excellent. However, some of the guest relations personnel were less than friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is great.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This cabin was as we expected. We have only been in Concierge or Aqua Class on the four cruises with Celebrity.
We were here for two days prior to the cruise and one day after. The excursions offered by the ship are overpriced. We used the public transit. We travelled to the Hague one of the days, and really enjoyed it. We also visited the Van Gough Museum on another day. There is always something to see and do in Amsterdam.
We took an excursion to the Cawdor Castle. It was good, but like so many the excision turned out to be n admission to the castle and a bus ride. However, it is difficult to get to this castle, so we opted for the tour. Loch Ness was mentioned for the tour, but we were never given a stop there. Invergordon is a very small town, and it is footsteps from the dock.
To be docked at Newhaven Harbour is very inconvenient. It was almost 40 minutes each way on the tender. Due to the Tattoo and the Edinburgh Festival, it was impossible to get a taxi into the center. After waiting for an hour for a taxi, and not a single one arrive we took the bus 10 that was inexpensive, and it went right into the center. We bought an all day pass and that proved to be worth every cent.
The location from the port was rather distant. There was a shuttle provided, but they charged for it. We took the excursion to Blarney Castle. The trip was much too short for the price. Much of the time there was in the line to kiss the Blarney Stone. The woolen mill advertised was never seen because we did not have enough time for it.
Keep in mind that Bruges is about 40 minutes away. The shuttle was provided but at a cost of $12 each way per person. It cost us for two people $48. This was definitely overpriced. There is public transit available, but it was complicated as one needed to get from the port gate to the RR station, and then take the train that only ran once an hour.
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