Overall, I think this is an okay cruise and itinerary for a first time cruiser as everything was adequate. But, having been on several cruises and most recently a new ship, we were very disappointed. We expected more from "Celebrity" and felt it was more expensive than it was worth.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy check in in and embarkation-- liked being able to to take our own bags to the room and appreciated that the room was ready for our early check in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was mediocre and extremely repetitive. I expected more from Celebrity as I thought they were the high end of Royal Caribbean, but I've had much better food on RC cruises. Also, the non alcoholic drink package only included canned sodas-- no bottled waters or anything else (again, on other RC cruises, the drink package included more.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We weren't expecting the same level of activities as larger ships, so overall it was fine, but we did get bored.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows were good, but not spectacular like we experienced on our last cruise. We wonder if longer e with higher quality shows and performers?
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
Our 14 year old went to the teen lounge, but it was pretty small and she didn't have many amenities.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
We didn't find the staff as warm, friendly and attentive as previous cruises. We only saw our cabin steward twice the entire time (and one of those times was b/c we needed towels). She was never around. Many of the kitchen staff didn't look happy to be serving people. Again, way different than our most recent cruise a few months ago when every single person was such a delight to interact with.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I would say the ship was definitely very clean, which was great. You could see it was refurbished and made to look more modern, but the middle was not open like newer ships so everything felt very segmented. We prefer a large, open atrium or main street type feel through the middle and now we know we will only target new ships in the future.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
This was one of the more annoying issues we had-- the layout was terrible with the bed as soon as you walk in and the pull out chair (not sofa bed as advertised) at the back next to the veranda. You had to constantly walk around the narrow space between the bed and the wall to get to the veranda or desk area. Horrible design! Also, the pullout chair was the worst-- small and extremely hard so it made for uncomfortable sleeping. The shower floor in the bathroom looked like the grout had not been cleaned and didn't drain well, so it was not a pleasant shower experience.
Ship tip
Fine for a first time cruiser it you don't know any better, but don't bring kids as they will be bored.
Grand Cayman was a little nicer, but most of the stores were closed because we were there on Christmas Day. That was a bummer and should have been disclosed.
My daughter (14) wasn't impressed with the teens club either. The activities she thought were fun and the other kids she met were nice but the club itself is small and kind of boring. Not unexpected as celebrity doesn't focus on that age group but still. Thanks for the review
Yikes, that would be horrible if the food was worse than RC. At least the menu is much better. Well at least you now know that a smaller older ship is not for you and that shops may be closed on Christmas day.
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