Celebrity Xpedition Review

4.0 / 5.0
181 reviews

Almost Perfect

Review for Galapagos Cruise on Celebrity Xpedition
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alpinista
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Dec 2016
Cabin: Premium Ocean View Stateroom

We had a prior experience with Celebrity (eastern Mediterranean) with which we were very pleased. There were some negatives with this cruise (food), but the overall experience was nothing less than outstanding.

To get the negatives out of the way at the beginning -- a great deal of the food was served lukewarm. The themed lunches (Mexican, Asian, Italian, etc.) were disappointing. The option of burgers and beer on the aft deck was the best option for a decent meal. The evening menu was varied, but not necessarily appealing. The noise of the dining room, coupled with engine noise, made it very difficult to hold conversations at the tables. On a more serious note, there were many people who complained of illness on board that they ascribed to the food. I, and about 8 others of whom I heard, became ill after the final dinner served at the Quito Marriott. In contrast, the bar service and the refreshments provided at the end of each excursion were at the same outstanding level as the rest of the ship's service.

With the above, you would think that there would be a lot of unhappiness, but my lasting impression of each day was seeing almost a hundred guests smiling when they returned from each excursion. Regardless of the company, every conversation was filled with superlatives about the sights, the nature guides, and the ship's staff. Guests talked of taking thousands of photographs and of the difficulty of editing them down to a presentable number. Every mammal, bird, reptile, insect, plant, or flower described in the trip brochures were sought out and found by the naturalists leading the groups. The applause for the staff at the final evening's presentation was magnificent, sustained, and fully earned. One unexpected item was the aft deck presentation on astronomy by the ship's social director who had an expert knowledge of the planets, stars, and constellations visible to us.

Cabin Review

Premium Ocean View Stateroom

Cabin XP

The cabin was very comfortable in size. My wife especially enjoyed having a slightly larger shower than we expected. The room service was outstanding, with clean towels seemingly showing up every time we left the room. A gift of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries didn't hurt the enjoyment of the cabin. The room was quiet (with the exception of the anchors being dropped/retrieved).

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