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Let me start off with these caveats: We got a great deal, and there were a total of 8 of us spread among 3 cabins on this trip.
Biggest Complaint: There just are not enough staff to get the job done in "loss-leading" areas - you know, areas where they do not make any money by having more people around. This includes cooks in the kitchen, waiters at dinner, service people at the buffet, and so on. The people they do have are giving it they're all, and they are clearly trying to keep up the prestige (or promise thereof) of the Celebrity name. They are just spread too thin, and it showed itself most prominently during dinner service. The first 3 nights, it took over 2 HOURS until the Main Course arrived at our table, at which point we complained to management about the state of things. After that, we were assigned a waiter from the specialty restaurant whose sole responsibility was our table (he was also a great guy), and things improved noticeably - however it was still evident that the kitchen was having trouble keeping up. It must be said, there was no shortage of staff on hand to take a drink order anywhere on the ship, nor where there waits in the casino or a lack of photographers. Anywhere the ship could make money beyond the cabin price was fully staffed.
Biggest Surprise: The staff loved our kids. Absolutely went above and beyond our expectations, both in and out of the Fun Factory.
Itinerary: San Diego-> Cabo San Lucas -> Puerto Vallarta -> Huatulco -> Panama Canal -> Cartagena -> Fort Lauderdale.
We booked all of our own excursions with private guides/buses (we had 8 people - made the most sense), and had wonderful experiences at all ports.
Panama Canal - As an engineer, it was everything we hoped it would be, and then some.
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