My husband and I have several cruises with NCL under our belts. We have always heard good things about Celebrity and have been interested in this itinerary for a while. So when friends of our booked this cruise, it was an easy decision to join them (especially as Celebrity was offering their 1-2-3 deal at the time).

This cruise sailed out of Amsterdam. The day we spent in this lovely city the day before the cruise was fantastic. Amsterdam is very compact and easy to get around. If you have the change to depart from this city, definitely spend some time here.

The morning of the cruise, we took at cab from our hotel and arrived at the port shortly after 10:00 am. I couldn't believe it, but we whizzed through the entire check-in process and were literally on the ship by 10:38 am (I know, because I looked at my watch)! I have never seen such a quick embarkation process. DH and I fully expected to sit around for at least an hour before boarding (that's been our experience on NCL). We were able to purchase our dining package, upgrade our beverage package and have a "Woo-hoo we're on the ship!" cocktail before lunch. Read more