I have cruised on Royal Caribbean four times previously, and I decided to upgrade to Celebrity for this trip due to the itinerary, which included Rome (departure port), Santorini, Istanbul, Ephesus, Mykonos, Athens and Naples.

The embarkation process was easy and smooth. I immediately loved the ship. It was the same general design as some of the Royal Caribbean ships, but Celebrity kicked it up a notch with artwork and special effects. Though the ship is large, it never felt crowded and there were always plenty of places to go without large numbers of people and lines.

I reserved regular balcony rooms and I was very happy with them. Since cruisers don't spend a lot of time in their rooms normally, I didn't think it was worth the extra money for suites. The rooms were spacious and the balconies were a nice addition. Read more