Was really looking forward to a better cruise experience than our last Royal cruise on Allure with a lot of folks talking about how good Celebrity is over Royal. We are Diamond on Royal so our status transferred over and we sailed as Elite status, and were upgraded to Aqua Class on this cruise. The ship's amenities are a bit nicer than Royal, most crew member interactions were MUCH better than on Royal, the main dining food was better than Royal, the specialty dining was horribly expensive compared to Royal or Holland for that fact, and the specialty dining that costs extra is much too expensive for the mediocre quality of food that does not best the main dining room (namely Tuscan Grill). One exception was QSine where we had excellent food and service but they don't need to be over charging guests at $45 each for that experience given the prices of the cruises.

The Aqua Class only dining was very good the night we tried them - lamb shank was excellent. On-board activities were enjoyable and plentiful, unlike Holland. I have never seen so many bars on one ship in all our years of cruising. It's plain to see that Celebrity expects to make a LOT of money on alcohol.............and does. Inna at the Pool Bar was so rude, obnoxious, and arrogant that many passengers had issues with her. I'm sure Celebrity will get an earful after this cruise in their online surveys.

Cabin stewards were just so-so. On-board shopping was expensive; much more so than other ships we've been on. So buyer beware and KNOW your prices before you purchase. A $1200 set of Morganite 14k earrings priced WITH the discount was purchased in St. Maarten for $450 from a reputable source. The lounge chairs by the pool were plentiful and padded which was nice. Holland does the same but Celebrity has some nice lounges. Read more