This was our fifth cruise and first on Celebrity. i chose it because I like to try different cruise lines and this one was rated 5 stars. However unless things have gone downhill really fast I don't understand all the raves. The ship itself was very stark and bland. Perhaps that is the preferred look but after seeing some really beautiful decor on other ships we found it rather boring. The embarkation in Vancouver with an absolute nightmare with standing in line time of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It was absolutely painful in addition to a cramped plane ride. We traveled to Vancouver last time and it wasn't like this. In fact my doctor said he went to Alaska on Princess a year and a half ago and it was a breeze going through Vancouver.

The main dining room was very disappointing. And as much as I hate the cattle call of the buffet we chose it half the time because of the poor menu choices but more because of the poor taste. Buffet foot was good but just be ready to deal with mobs of rude people from a certain Asian section of the globe (is that careful enough for the editors). Monday's itinerary said there was a tea in one of the specialty restaurants but when I got there they didn't know what I was even talking about.

On the plus side our inside cabin was very comfortable. Room service was great and the ship was spotless. The entertainment was spectacular. Very high end. The specialty restaurants if you can afford them were all perfect. But I think the goal there is to aim for charging for all food down the line. All in all I probably would not choose Celebrity for my next cruise and will keep experimenting. So far the best has been Royal Caribbean/