Let me start by saying that this is probably our 15th cruise but first to a non-caribbean destination. It was also our first time on a Celebrity ship & we were very pleased. We were by far the youngest couple on the ship (40yrs old). The average age was probably 70yrs old. We didn't mind. It was a nice change from the young college kids on our spring break cruises. Details about the ship: Very clean, nice open areas for sitting and reading, nice cabins. It was our first time to have an inside room and we were very happy. There was plenty of storage & a decent size shower compared to other ships. We've cruised with Disney, Princess, Carnival & Royal Caribbean and this ship was every bit as good if not better than all of the above (other than Disney...no one beats Disney at anything). The food was very good. Our waiter, Jimmy Carter from India (that's his real first name), was fantastic. The Oceanliner Restaurant was expensive & not any better than the regular dining room. The atmosphere was very elegant though. If you want a romantic dinner this would be great. The only complaint we had with dining was that the wine Sommeliers? would come by EVERY night to try to sign you up for a wine event of some kind. They should advertise outside but not bother people while they are trying to enjoy their dinner. Since it was colder weather we didn't use the outside much. The pool looked nice. We did use the indoor pool a few times. There were always a lot of people there. The ship has a really nice gym. We used it several times & there was never a problem getting a particular machine.
Moving on to entertainment. We enjoyed all of the shows. The comedian was excellent and the broadway show was really good. We also enjoyed the guy who plays a xylophone type instrument with four mallets (not sure the correct word) at one time. He was amazing. There was also a wonderful pianist two nights. Our favorite entertainer was Perry Grant. He was normally in Michaels lounge (TOO SMALL). He NEEDS a bigger room. The little bar was always standing room only. The night he was in the big theatre he almost filled it. Even though we are only 40ish we really enjoyed his Frank Sinatra-type music. I would like to see him play a few newer songs like 70's or later....just a few. Don't want to ruin his routine. I forgot to mention their enrichment series. My husband went to an estate planning seminar (3 part series). He found it very helpful & informative.
Now for the best part...excursions. We did not book any excursions through the ship. We find we get better service & have a whole car to ourselves for the same price. I'll try to give as much info about who we used at each port. Our first stop was Bar Harbor, Maine. It was beautiful. What a quaint town. We took a tour of Acadia National Park. It is fantastic in October. Lots of color. You can book a tour online with Ollie's Trollies. It is located right at the port so no need for a cab. After the tour of Acadia National Park we walked around a bit & stopped for lunch at THE THIRSTY WHALE. YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER LOBSTER ROLL ANYWHERE. We tried several others in different places & none were as good as the Thirsty Whale. They use a buttery toasted bun...yummy!