I will start with the positives. 99% of the staff were amazing. Nothing was too much trouble and service was always served with a smile. Celebrity should treasure their staff as they are by far their best asset. The meats in the self service carvery were of a very good standard. The gym was well equipped. Our state room was always kept at a very high standard.

Now the average points. The ship itself was fairly clean and in good order. Food at second sitting in the dinning room was fair. There was also a fairly good choice. The show guests were of an average standard and the range varied. Can't please all the people all of the time.

Now the negative points. Price of drinks - based on $1.45 to the pound. Average supermarket wine was £45 per bottle. A glass of supermarket wine was over £7. Beer & Cider £7 for a small bottle. Drinks packages could be bought at £38 or £45 per day. This even had to be paid when you were on an overnight stay in Beijing and not on the ship for nearly TWO days. Oh, and one mustn't forget, the 18% add on for tips. Celebrity obviously knew that passengers were a captive audience and maximum pricing on drinks would ensure large profits. By pricing the drinks as they have, Celebrity has turned the cruise market back years when only the rich could afford to cruise. Shameful!! Entertainment on sea days was PATHETIC. If you didn't like trivia quiz then I think you were snookered. Their was FOUR entertainment staff on board and 2000 passengers. There was extra cost for Zumba etc. Quest speakers were of a very poor standard and were consistently wrong with their facts. The on board show staff were of a very poor standard. The front desk staff did their minimal. Their wasn't much help when it came to local information. The food in the self service dinning room was of a poor standard and was often cold or at best warm. There were two stations for fried eggs or omelettes to service 2000 passengers. Most passengers usually just gave up. Ports of call was usually miles from anything of interest. It was a three hour plus coach ride into Beijing. Shore excursions were over priced and usually included a stop off at a gold, jade or silk shop were people didn't want to go. This was obviously a way for the tour guides to make money by bringing people into the shops. A waste of passengers time. I could carry on but i feel I have got most of my points down. In short, if you are British cruise British. P&O and Thomson's knock spots off Celebrity. Celebrity have ensured that I will avoid any further American cruises in the future.