Embarkation: We arrived at noon and were surprised to find long lines had formed already. Passengers seem to arrive earlier each year. They were already streaming in when we disembarked at 10:00 two weeks later. Anyway, there was plenty of Celebrity staff on hand to expedite the process and we were on board in about 20 minutes.

The Ship: We enjoyed an Indian lunch at the Oceanview Cafe before being let in to our Deck 9 stateroom about 1 p.m. We were located conveniently near the forward elevators and stairs. Imam was our attentive steward, ably assisted. We were as impressed as a year ago by the cleanliness of our cabin and public areas.

Many passengers were from Europe, Canada and Northern states, anxious to sun bathe whenever possible. The result was that almost all lounge chairs were occupied and they were packed like sardines around the pool. This made us realize that, an attractive feature though it is, the top deck lawn makes poor use of precious outdoor space that could accommodate more sun lovers. Read more