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My second cruise with Celebrity was about the same as the first. Bordering on spectacular to begin but more ordinary and disappointing as the cruise progressed.
I'm a solo cruiser. That means I pay for two people even though I'm the only one in the stateroom. I make this choice as I need alone time once or twice a year, and I have to keep only one person happy on vacation. My yearly cruise is in February due to work responsibilities. Just some background.
Positive: My "deluxe ocean-view with veranda" stateroom was clean, comfortable, and the room steward was attentive.
Negative: The cabin refrigerator emitted so much heat that the chocolate I put in the drawers next to it melted. I couldn't sit on the balcony as the people next to me were so loud. After the second night, I gave up and stayed inside.
Positive: The first two dinners. Prime rib the first and lamb chops the second.
Negative: Seated at table 575 in the back (I prefer to dine alone). Table 301 was no better. Service truly sucked. I'm assigning this to my solo status (although I do buy wine by the bottle).
Positive: Creme brulee.
Negative: Atlantic salmon so "fishy" I couldn't stand the smell or the taste. No escargots on the menu during the entire cruise.
I attended the Q&A for advantages of onboard future cruise booking. After the session, I asked why a solo cruiser had to pay for two. The rationale was the cruise line depends on two people in a cabin as two will spend more money on drinks, spa visits, etc. Since a large number of passengers were in their late 70's, 80's, and probably some older, I doubt this particular cruise filled the ship's alcohol/spa coffers to overflowing.
I will continue to cruise alone, and I most likely won't cruise with Celebrity again. I'd like to try smaller ships, but they're out of my "solo" price range.
One more comment. I signed up for and paid for a wine seminar. I never received the ticket. The sommelier did contact me and tell me she'd called my cabin, but I wasn't there. Obviously, since I thought the wine seminar was full, I did other things that day. I was comped a $15 wine and food pairing for the last day at sea.
I paid $3660.00 (included prepaid gratuities)for the cruise and another $840 in on-board expenses (wine, beer, spa, gifts, etc.) and who knows how much in the slot machines. Without the slots, that's over $400/day.
I would expect much better service for this price.
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