Overall, this was probably the best cruise we have taken between Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. There was lots to see and do and the excursions we took were all very good. The ship was very clean and well maintained. We slept well every night and were able to truly relax. Some thoughts on specifics . . .
Aqua Class
We couldn’t find any real value for this upgrade this trip. The Blu Restaurant was the only perk offered. We didn’t have access to Michael’s Lounge, which was unfortunate. The Blu Restaurant was never open early enough for breakfast on days when we had an excursion planned. The dinner menu choices in Blu were almost never as good as the choices in the Opus General Dining Room. We don’t think we would pay for this upgrade again.
Pros: Very close to the elevators. Nice, bigger balcony than most cabins (double the depth from the sliding door to the balcony rail). Great view. It is the last room before the forward "bump" but we didn't feel it affected our view at all. The balcony does catch the wind when you are underway, but not bad.
Cons: This cabin is right below the pool and deck chairs on Deck 14. For the first few days, we woke up at night and early in the morning when staff was securing and/or rearranging the deck chairs. We got used to the noise eventually, but not sure we would choose this cabin again.
We walked into town. Lots of white stores and very narrow streets. A fun place to shop.
Recommend you walk to the 22 story elevator along the waterfront to get up to the fortress and city center. Beautiful flowers, lots of shopping and restaurants. At 12 noon and 4 pm, find the crowd along the water side of the fort to see the canon ceremony . . . your children will enjoy it too.
Prior to the cruise, we stayed a few nights at the Palazzo Naiadi Hotel (absolutely beautiful and we highly recommend). We scheduled a transfer from the hotel to the ship (thought we had reserved a Mercedes and got a van, so be careful and check your confirmation for vehicle type).