Let me start by saying that we have about 15 previous Celebrity cruises under our belt - and 30+ in all. We started with X back in the early days of Chandris, sailing on the Meridian, Horizon, Zenith, up to the largest ships. We prefer smaller ships but have enjoyed the Aqua Class/Blu experience so much that it offsets the size issues. We have done holiday cruises many times on Celebrity and other lines, including RSSC, Oceania, and Seabourn. This year we liked the prospect of leaving from San Juan so we booked Summit 12 months out.

Our cabin on Deck 11 was absolutely fine with terrific stateroom service. Only negative here was that our balcony overlooked the Sunset Bar and we had to contend with music every evening until 10.30 or 11.00 pm. We loved the aft location.

Two concerns pretty much tainted our interest in any future trips with Celebrity. There has been a significant decline in the quality of food and food service, even within the past 12 months. Even in Blu, which we think is an inspired concept, I had ahi tuna one evening that was inedible because of the fishy taste. The Ocean View Cafe has been reduced to a glorified strip mall cafeteria. Nowhere do they post the menu being offered - the only way to find out is to wind your way through every serving line in the restaurant. Signage is incorrect or missing for many items. One of the best was "Barbarian" Sausage (Bavarian maybe?). Red Jello/Vanilla was actually Yellow Jello/Vanilla. Servers don't know what they are serving. One dish looked to me like orzo or rice, I couldn't tell which. I asked the server and she pointed to the sign which said "Mixed Vegetables." Veal Piccata had no lemons or capers but a thick gooey brown gravy and mushrooms. Previously, servers would remove plates etc from the tables almost before you could put your fork down. We saw tables with empty dishes on them for 15+ minutes. Read more