Background I'm 47 and a Marketing/PR Professional. I traveled with my mom who is 70 and retired. This trip was my Christmas gift to her...just us girls, we left the guys home. I chose this cruise because of the size of the ship, length of cruise (5 days) and itinerary (Jamaica and Grand Cayman). Mom has emphysema and COPD and this suited her needs. We had a forward inside cabin (1043), port side on Penthouse Deck 10. I am well traveled, tho take more land vacations. This was my 6th cruise. My last cruise was this past May on another line. This was Mom's 9th cruise. We both have sailed X before, however it's been a while (six years). We both agree that this was by far the most disappointing cruise we've ever taken. Our sentiments stem from the overall poor service and lack of attention to detail. Our experience leaves me to wonder if, during training, the service staff is instructed to ignore guests and avoid eye contact at all cost.

I'll start with a brief overview:

Embarkation We arrived at the pier at about 11:30am. No lines. Were offered champagne/orange juice as we walked on. We went to Islands Cafe to eat lunch and await the announcement that the cabins were ready. Note: The guys taking the luggage at the curb actually asked for a tip, which really, really annoyed me (they are Port of Miami workers and not employees of Celebrity). Read more