I recently returned from a one week cruise from Istanbul to Rome on the Equinox. I have not been on Celebrity in awhile although this was my eleventh cruise on Celebrity. (BTW, I only have 330 Captain's Club points and am at Elite status needing over 400 points to the next level. Eleven cruises, one a 14 day cruise in the Penthouse suite and one in a Royal suite, never less than a veranda, shouldn't I have more points?)

The ship is nice, clean and well appointed, the cabin as expected. What seems to have changed is that once you are onboard, everything has an upcharge. I even went to have lunch at the Bistro only to find out that there would be a ten dollar per person charge just to be seated. $40 pp to sit in one of the specialty restaurants (that's what you would spend in an upscale restaurant in Atlanta after the food, not before.) Want a spin class? Extra fee, Yoga? Yep, pony up. Ice cream cone (really)? Well sorry not part of the cruise fare.

Alcoholic beverages, once one of the real values on cruise ships has now become another profit center. I paid $9 for a glass of Pinot that sells for $7 a bottle (!) wholesale in Atlanta. A 2.5 oz. martini will set you back $11. A $45 bottle of wine in the dining room is $12 wholesale in Atlanta (I worked as a wine consultant for a major wine retailer in Atlanta after retirement so I am confident about these prices.) Read more