We have just returned from a very enjoyable cruise of the Eastern Mediterranean on Celebrity Equinox. (Aug 8th - 19th) We had cruised the Caribbean on the same ship last January, so there weren't many surprises on the boat, but the profile of our fellow-cruisers was very different - not nearly so many from the USA and Canada, but a much more disparate and many-languaged group.

The onboard experience was predictably excellent, but on a second experience, perhaps a little too friendly and jolly for my taste. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but I don't need EVERY crew member I encounter, from Captain down to lowliest steward, to greet me with a smile and a cheerful word EVERY time we pass in a corridor. It almost seems like they have been instructed to do it: if it was just the cabin stewards, I'd think they were boosting their tip, but the senior officers surely didn't expect a tip from me. Expect relentless good cheer verging on the holiday camp variety: anyway, we weren't downhearted.

The food was of a very high standard. We ate in Murano twice, and it's pretty good - but they do insist on telling you that: 'Here is our delicious menu... ', 'this is our selection of delicious breads', and the over-elaboration of food description is almost patronising. If you were eating in a good French restaurant in Paris, the Maitre'D wouldn't describe every dish in the most glowing terms and in the most minute detail; he would assume that you know something about food. However, it was impressive to find a beautifully ripe Epoisse on the cheeseboard. (Especially after 3 weeks in the US, where the think crackerjack is a great cheese!) Read more