After many years cruising mostly on RCCL, it was time for a change of scenery and we were pleased with what we found on Celebrity's smaller ship. We had only experienced Celebrity on very short 1 & 2 night no-where cruises, so we looked forward to a real cruise with them. I am the type who looks at the glass half full, therefore, it takes a lot to cause me concern while on a vacation. Even the wet start to our cruise, and the damp day in Key West did little to make this trip anything other than a fun 4-day weekend with my DH. We've booked inside and balcony/aft cabins on all types of ships, so our accommodations are not really an issue when it's just the two of us. I'd rather save $$ and eat more often in the alternate dining venues than book a balcony and not be able to use it if foul weather is around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I love a water view, however we live on the water in FL and it's just not always my first choice when cruising. Hubby loves the dark cabins, so we mix it up a bit from one vacation to the next. I'm the thrifty one and to me a couple inside cabins=more cruises per year...there's always a trade off somewhere.

We found the food to be good to very good, depending on the venue. The buffet had nice choices, although with the older ships, we have found the selections limited because of space. We never went hungry and always enjoyed ourselves during mealtimes--we tried the buffet for lunch & breakfast, aqua-spa cafe for lunch & breakfast, dinner in MDR one night (we were very pleased to be invited to dine at the captain's table hosted by the Chief Engineer), Murano for 2 nights and the alternative dining in the buffet area one night. Room service was quick and offered enough choices to keep hubby happy, so all in all, the food will bring us back for next year.

We enjoyed Michael's club for coffee and danish in the morning, then returned for the cocktails in the evening each night. The crowd was very quiet in the am and we were always able to find a seat in the pm before heading off to dinner. The staff in all the venues were helpful and we always appreciate their smiles and getting to know them if only for a short while. Read more