I have been on cruises every year since 1980 on virtually every cruise line. My last experience with Celebrity was in 2003 and I was very disappointed with that cruise, so it took some soul searching to book with them again in 2013. I was glad I did as almost all of the things that bothered me in 2003 were not present in this latest cruise.

We are a family of four from the U.S. We flew into London a day before the cruise just to make sure we didn't miss the ship. It also helps greatly with the jet lag so you aren't dragging yourself aboard ship which I've done in the past.

The embarkation at Southampton was very smooth. We were booked in Concierge Class staterooms, so they put a little sticker on us which allowed us an express line through check-in. We arrived around 1PM, but I'm sure if we got there around 11:00 or 12:00 it would have really made a big difference. We were on the ship in no time and I found it a little surprising that there was nobody to greet us to point us to our cabin. Some lines escort you all the way to your cabin and some lines have greeters that tell you which way to go, but we just figured it out for ourselves. No big deal. Read more