This was the itinerary we wanted and we had recommendations about Celebrity from family. As this was our first ocean cruise we were - frankly - skeptical. We've traveled the globe extensively but not by sea. Slowly we were won over. The ship was just out of dry-dock and was in excellent shape. We found the meals and entertainment to be outstanding. The personal approach to customer service by our room attendant and dining room staff was impressive. Our complaints are primarily around communication (or rather, the lack of good, clear communication). Celebrity does little to help first time cruisers (or first time Celebrity cruisers) understand how things do and don't work. That would be so simple for them to fix, with a day 1 or 2 "orientation" program. We had a beverage package and would highly recommend that so you're not paying the high per drink charge. The dining room was very good but the Ocean View Cafe really exceeded our expectations. This is not your mediocre buffet by any means but a number of excellent food islands with a broad range of good and diverse cuisine. Our ship Captain Tasos was personable, humorous and very entertaining. All in all, we were won over by the Celebrity experience and have booked another for next winter.
Room was better than we expected & our expectations were on the low side.
Took a Rebuild tour of Christchurch. Highly recommended - very poignant and moving.