A confusing title maybe. We wanted to experience transitting the Panama Canal as I had spent my working life in shipping. We flew to San Diego from London and joined the cruise ship the day after having spent a night at the Sheraton. Very much enjoyed both dinner and breakfast in the Gaslamp area of San Diego. Not to be missed! Joining the ship was painstaking.....90 minutes queuing. Why don't they put on more staff to speed things up?

Once onboard we were surprised to find all the furniture in the lounges to be ingrained with grease from countless hands. I know it isn't a new ship but the general maintenance in the public and cabins seems much neglected. The golf facility was out of action and had apparently been so for some time. Most of the staff were great but others were very dour to say the least. English tea, (so important for the Brits) became unavailable after a few days and remained so for the remainder of the cruise.The entertainment, apart from Zoe Tyler, was very third rate. Food was excellent....great variety and standard.

The Shore excursions were good but were rather expensive. Previously we had cruised with Royal Caribbean on the Independence of the Seas which we understand is under the same umbrella. In our opinion R.C. were faultless. The best were those in Guatemala and Costa Rica. Overall it was a great cruise because of the people we were with and the places we visited (apart from Colon.... a very dangerous place and can only think it is part of the cruise purely for commercial reasons as it is so far from anything. The service we received from our waiters and cabin steward was very good. Would we go with Celebrity again? No....there are better out there.