This was a great cruise choice for me and my wife, one of us recovering from surgery and using a cane and walker, the other needing a break from several months of caregiving. We've cruised on Princess 6 times, but never on Celebrity. We've also, in the past, chosen cruises because of their destinations (Alaska, Baltic, Black Sea . . .). This was the first cruise we've been on just to be on a ship & where we needed disability access. We didn't much care where it went, as long as it left from NY and returned.

Arrival at the port was easy from Manhattan via car service (45 minutes, $75 including tolls & tip). Bags got took, we got directed to the disability-embarkation line & then onto the shuttle bus to the ship (ramp access for walkers & wheelchairs). Boarded fast (ramp attendants helped with the walker), went to deck 10, where I'd spotted a good-looking teak-furnished bar (the Oceanview) aft, got beers & buffet lunch (lots of choices, but the salad & panini bar was closest), enjoyed the view starboard to Statue of Liberty, port to the Verrazano Bridge. We got to the terminal at 11. By noon we were seated & drinking & eating.

At 1:30 the cabins were ready, so we took the elevator one floor down to our balcony cabin on deck 9, directly below the buffet & next to the elevator. Our steward Wilfred saw the walker & asked what kind of assistance we'd be needing through the voyage. We simply asked for some flexibility on his part, because the post-surgery patient would likely be in the cabin a lot, sleeping & reading. Wilfred worked around our schedule the whole trip, with ease and grace. (I like to tip the room steward on arrival as well as on departure.) Read more