My husband and I have only cruised 7 times before and one of those was on the Celebrity Equinox. We booked this cruise to see a bit of Europe and because of the amazing deals that Celebrity was offering. I also like large ships and preferably newer ones.
The cruise package included two nights in Rome at one of two hotels. We were at the River Palace and although it was clean anc the bed was comfortable it was TINY! Really, really tiny. But the breakfast was good and we spent two days touring the city. The transportation from the hotel to the ship was also included and we arrived at the port around 1:30. The embarkation was smooth and it only took about 10 minutes to get on the ship. The ship's dock is at a container pier and the "building" is actually a very large permanent tent structure.
Once on board we were hoping to be able to drop our carry on luggage in our room even if it wasn't completely ready but the corridor to the cabins was actually closed off.
Deck 11, Aqua Class, Cabin 1518 Forward, AftRoomy balcony, good furniture, comfortable bed/beddingGood TVQuiet cabin close to Aqua Spa. Not enough storage: 3 drawers and a closet with a shelf over the top of the bed. The drawers are about 14 inches wide. Bathroom is good with storage shelves for toiletries.