Mon. 4/19 - 8:30 a.m. flight from Washington National on USAir (very tight seating) to Ft Lauderdale, where we took a short, expensive taxi ride to the cruise ship terminal. Check-in was easy, but there was some confusion about boarding and a one-hour wait -- no early boarding for Concierge Class. We're told by Celebrity staff that "80% of the ship is 'Elite class'' so they will board the 2,850 passengers first-come-first- served!" We feel so not special. Subsequently we found that the only perks Concierge passengers got was four miniscule hors d'oeuvres daily and two tote bags while others only got one!

First glimpses of the ship, with its multi-deck atrium are impressive, as we move slowly in a cattle-line to board. Lunch in the buffet offers a wealth of selections, a few of them good. Our fellow cruisers are a casual (as opposed to "casual chic") group - and there are so many of them. This ship is huge!

After lunch we were able to access our stateroom (2101), which is similar to the one on Crystal, maybe a few inches narrower, but it uses space efficiently. Went up on deck to watch the sail-away of four other cruise ships, but our sailing was delayed until 6 p.m. Afterwards, we sat out on our nice veranda, enjoying the sea breeze and a beautiful sunset over the Florida coast. Read more