We booked for Thanksgiving week during a special sale that ran this past summer which included free WiFi, premium beverage package, pre- paid gratuities and an Onboard Credit. (the fifth perk was not having to cook Thanksgiving Dinner!) We had not been on Celebrity for many years and this was too enticing a deal to pass up. Unfortunately for us, the ship was just coming back from Europe that morning, so there were all sorts of inspections before sailing that delayed boarding. Somehow we all managed to get on in the span of 3 and half hours and vacation began! (right after the muster drill of course) The ship is really understated elegance, very nicely laid out and easy to get from front to back. The WiFi was a bit spotty at best – difficult to get on in the morning and at times too slow to be useful. The Premium Beverage package was a delight. We could order wine by the glass at dinner – start with a white and then move on to red for the entrée. We could get bottled water at any bar to bring back to the room or a bloody mary at breakfast. There was a great selection and we were really happy with that perk! We used some of the OBC for an excursion and some at the specialty restaurants. The work out area was very spacious on this ship - there were times you had to wait for a treadmill, but overall a very nice facility.

Cabin 1577 – Aqua Class Forward Deck 11. We did have some overhead noise from the pool area – not as bad as I thought it would be. (chairs moving during the day and the click of high heels at night) Generally a quiet location. The cabin was a nice size with a couch and an oddly rounded bottom bed. This was a bit of a challenge for both my husband and myself as we are both tall people. The closet was large and easily accessed with double bars if you wished to use them. Very limited drawer space (only 3 drawers total) and there were also some shelves with hatch type doors over bed. Shower was delightful with multiple sprays – sadly little tiny shelf for shampoo etc but very nice shower amenities in the aqua class. Note: there were other amenities with this cabin, like the Relaxation Room for a quiet spot. I did not go there very much – there were plenty of quiet nooks to enjoy this ship!

Dining – We are Foodies – Dining out every night is one of the joys of a cruising vacation for us. I don’t think I can possibly say enough good things about Blu, the restaurant for Aqua Class which is open for breakfast and dinner. Superb service, excellent food and a very busy knowledgeable sommelier. That restaurant was the main reason we booked Aqua class and we did not regret it for a minute!! Splurge on the blueberry pecan pancakes in the morning – trust me they are totally worth it. Read more