We are on the ship now. We chose this ship because of previous good experience. We are wondering if they are cutting back on staff. The service in Blu is definitely different this time. They always seem to be understaffed. All of the staff are friendly but constantly on the run. We only have one person assigned to our stateroom now. Two years ago there were two people. We have the premium beverage package. They always seem to be out of the premium beverages we ask for and never offer a comparable item. Instead they offer the cheapest brand as a substitute. Two of the shore excursions we used Celebrity. We went to Berlin on the first day. About 400+ people were sent to the Theater to check in. There were only 2 Celebrity staff members checking in all of the people. It took almost an hour to get our stickers with our group numbers. The groups are large and our group of 43 did not have headsets so the guide was difficult to hear when we were outside. For St. Petersburg we used an outside tour company. The price was almost exactly the same as the 2 day tour for Celebrity. There was no trouble with the Russian company taking care of the visa. The group only had 16 people and they provided headsets. The van had secure WiFi which was awesome (we have unlimited WiFi on the ship, but the speed is comparable to the old dial up modem). We were so pleased with this outside company we signed up to go with them in another port. We do enjoy the spa and love the Persian Garden for relaxation. All of the staff are friendly but seem overworked.
The cabin is very comfortable and clean. It is serviced twice a day and well maintained. The cabin attendant is always very nice and helpful. There isn't quite enough storage space for 2 people on a 12 day trip.