I always wanted to try a transatlantic cruise and, when I received an email for a soon to depart 13 day cruise with a balcony for an unbelievable price, I jumped at it. I'm retired and live in Florida, so can take advantage of last minute deals. The ship was wonderful, as were the passengers we met (many of whom have done this trip many times) and the specialty dining was superb -- we tried 4 different restaurants other than the main dining room and the buffet. We would have enjoyed having breakfast brought to the cabin so we could enjoy it on the balcony but, after the first morning ordering scrambled eggs that were awful, we opted for the Oceanview Cafe where they would make us Eggs Benedict to order. Wonderful! We were able to grab a morning cup of coffee right down the hall at the Hideaway. The ship stopped in three ports: Lisbon Portugal, Vigo Spain, and Le Havre France, before disembarking in Southampton England. The weather was good until out tour to Mont St Michel, but all our excursions were delightful (except it's a LONG bus ride, 3 hours each way, to the abbey). One highlight of the trip was lectures given by scholars and adventurers, especially a woman who had rowed the Atlantic and raced sailboats. The ship's singers and dancers were professional and the captain was delightfully humorous. The ship is so stable that we hardly noticed when we hit 74 mph wind and 28' seas.

My friend and I had such a good time, we're considering doing the reverse trip this November. I highly recommend it if you're like me and love having days at sea rather than always hitting a port. There were neat little rooms with creative cocoons in which to read. Getting around the ship was easy and we enjoyed looking at their diverse artwork in the halls and stairways. Speaking of which, we always used the stairs to work off some of the dessert calories; the elevators always looked crowded anyway. We used the fitness room which always seemed to be crowded, though it was large. I never used the spa, which is totally unusual for me.

Celebrity is my favorite cruise line and I've cruised on almost all the different ones. My criticisms are that the liquor is too expensive, as is internet, and I was disappointed that they charged for classes on Apple products. Also, immigration by England was done on the ship before we reached port and the lines were hours long, but had to be completed. Read more