As a point of reference, this was our 50th cruise and our 6th with Celebrity. We normally cruise Royal Carribean for their innovative ships and port convenience, but as we get older and take more cruises as a couple without family, we are coming to appreciate Celebrity more and more for their upscale dining, outstanding service, and less crowded ships with far less out of control children.

From the moment we were dropped off at the terminal at 10:25 am, everything went smoothly. It was a stressful week leading up to the cruise with “Jose” impacting Florida and not knowing if our flight would be cancelled, the port would be open, or if we would have hotel accommodations for the night before. Finally 2 days before the cruise it looked like a “go”! We breezed through security, checked in, and immediately walked onto the ship at 10:40am. We were told the Ocean View Cafe was open and by 10:50 had a plate full of food in front of us! Let the vacation and calories begin! So much for the pre cruise diet.

What makes us state this was our best cruise ever ( I exclude cruises taken with family because anytime we cruise with our children is special for obvious reasons and can’t compare) was the “perfect storm” of all key factors that make a cruise great coming together. In no particular order this cruise featured: Read more