We've been on RCCL, NCL, Princess and Carnival cruises. Every trip has been fun. We were on the Jan 25th-Feb 5th, 2010, 11 night cruise that left from Ft. Lauderdale.We flew Southwest and arrived the day before and stayed at the Comfort Suites. Free transport was provided from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship by the hotel. We called from the hotel phone near ground transportation/baggage and they told us where to stand outside for our pick-up. The hotel is an older one, but for one night, was reasonable and OK. They had a Tiki Bar near the pool with 2 Flat screen TV's showing the play-off games. Drinks were reasonably priced. Everyone congregated there for a good time. Met lots of nice folks. There are several restaurants within walking distance. We chose the Cuban restaurant on a recommendation from someone at the hotel and really enjoyed it. We had a leisurely morning before getting our ride to the Ship. We also pre-purchased a ride to the airport from the ship for our return trip by the company that was stationed in the hotel lobby. It was $8.00 per person to go from the Ship to the Airport and we figured a taxi might be more. It worked out great.

We got to the Ship and waited a short time in line to check-in, but then we were led to a holding area. They were not ready for us due to performing some extra 'viral cleaning' on the Ship from the previous cruise. They had some cases of gastrointestinal issues on the cruise before us, so were taking extra precautions. It was comfortable where we had to sit, sort of like an airport setting, with TV's and they also provided bottled water. Once they were ready, they started boarding us in groups and it went very smoothly and quickly. Cabins were ready right away so we went to drop off our carry-ons and freshen up before exploring. We met our Room Steward, Gabriel, who would be just a dream for this 11 night trip. He was wonderful, anticipated our needs, learned our routines and provided the most excellent service. Cabins are the usual size. We were very forward in the Ship which we will not do again. We don't mind the long walk to the elevators or stairs, but the noise was a tad annoying. We always choose more mid-ship but did the 'guaranteed balcony cabin' to save $$$. We probably won't do that again. We heard every noise required to dock early in the AM's of our port stops, the anchor dropping, etc. We had 2 nights of very heavy seas and the waves hitting the hull sounded like loud thunder claps. We rocked a lot on this ship...we don't get seas sick so that wasn't a problem for us. Storage in the room is adequate. There are 2 large cabinets over the bed we discovered by accident since they contain no hardware on the fronts of them...at first they looked like a decoration. We were happy to discover them. The closet isn't as big as what we've had on other ships, but all our stuff fit. All our luggage fit under the bed. There were 5 drawers in the built-ins by the TV counter area and I filled them all. The reclining chairs on the balcony are a nice touch also. The bathroom was a bit larger than normal and had great storage with a side cabinet and shelves and also drawers. The shower had a rounded glass sliding door so space was a bit larger and I loved not battling with a curtain. The safe was easy to program and we used it all the time. The fridge had some room for extra stuff. We ordered a liquor package and could store juices to mix with vodka, etc. Gabriel was at our door every day between 430 and 5 with our ice bucket. The Ship itself was immaculate, new and shiny, easy to navigate. The colors are serene and calming. The lounges and bars are wonderful to look at and you could breathe well in the casino. Oversized chairs and furniture in all the bars and lounges were really comfortable. Loved the hanging see-through chairs in 'Quasar' too...really cool. The outside areas were beautiful as well, and well kept...seems like we saw someone cleaning ALL the time! Oversized wicker, cushioned furniture outside on some of the upper deck areas was comfy and felt really like you were on a porch. The very top deck is all grass. You can play croquet or bocce ball game and there is an area reserved for the glass blower show. We pretty much found this to be a waste of space, especially when on sea days we had trouble finding a deck chair (amid all those people who 'save' chairs but aren't supposed too...a problem on every ship we've been on). We saw workers tending to the grass every day, filling blank spots with grass plugs, mowing, watering ,etc. Seems like so much energy and work for a space that could be better utilized...put Movies Under the Stars up there instead...more deck space is needed. Our favorite place was the Martini Bar. The bar top itself was ice, and it was fun to scratch your 'message' in it every night. The 2 main bartenders, Togi (Turkey) and Peter (Philippines) were Flair Bartenders and were just exceptional. We were treated like Kings and Queens at this bar and we enjoyed cocktails there every night prior to dinner. The pool bartenders needed to take lessons from them...service was a tad under par in that area. The only complaint we had about the ship were the foul odors in the passageways leading to the cabins. We had seen this mentioned on other cruise critic reviews prior to our trip, and once on board we knew exactly what they were talking about. We were on Deck 6, very forward, and it wasn't bad there, but on the other decks, especially Deck 10 (when we went to the Library), the odors of sewage and a strong urine smell were prevalent. They have received complaints about this, so I expect they will solve this problem. The staff were washing walls, vacuuming carpets and we noted air freshener smells at some times also, so they were trying to combat the problem during the trip. Seems like the problem is in the pipes or ventilation to be so wide-spread. DINING: We ate in the Silhouette Dining Room every night. The service was excellent as was the food. We had absolutely no complaints. We were at table 277, which is a table for 4 and we enjoyed the other couple at our table as well as the location, which was in a small corner near the glass-enclosed wine cellar. It was a little out of the way, and we enjoyed our spot very much. The Oceanview Cafe has the usual large buffet for all meals, and we thought the food in general was a step-up from other cruises we've taken both with quality and variety. Really enjoyed the Asian Station, and the other hot stations had different varieties of foods to enjoy. Salads and fruit were fresh and crisp...we hated coming home to have to clean and cut our own fruit again! We also ate at the Mast Grill...the usual burger/hotdog fare, but it was yummy and made the pool deck smell great at lunch time! We didn't go to the Specialty Restaurants, mostly because we thought we'd spend the $50-70.00 extra fee on other things. The Specialty Restaurants were between $25.00 and $35.00 per person extra to dine. They are gorgeous and we have no doubt that the food was superb. We've done it on other trips, but passed this time. The other place we really enjoyed for food was the AquaSpa on Deck 12. You could get grilled tuna steaks for lunch, salad offerings as well as other well put-together luncheon plates, cold and hot. They were also open for breakfast with fruit parfaits, omelettes made to order, etc. Smaller area to sit and dine, and though the oceanview cafe had many more choices, we ate here several times and enjoyed it so much. It's well worth giving it a try. It's considered a 'healthy alternative' but we found it to be tasty and good too. Sushi was also available in the evenings from 530 to 930 in the Oceanview Cafe. Late night snacks were in the Oceanview Cafe. They consisted of fresh pizza selections, several pasta selections, cold cuts/cheeses with different breads and rolls to make your own sandwiches, a few salad selections and desserts. We only went twice since mostly we were always full from dinner, but the few times we did venture in, we enjoyed it. The first few days on board, the serve-yourself areas such as the buffets were manned with staff who served you. This was due to the previous viral issues on the cruise before us and they were just taking extra precaution to keep everyone healthy. It took a little longer to get through the food lines, etc., but it really was not a problem. After about 4 days we were allowed to go back to serving yourself. Every venue had someone waiting at the entrance with Purell for your hands, even the bars, lounges and theatre....we did tons of hand washing and hand cleansing, and we welcomed that they were so diligent since with this many people on board a vessel, you cannot always depend on your fellow cruisers to be fastidious with cleanliness. The common areas on the Ship are just beautiful, shopping in the stores was fun and that part of the ship is also beautiful, the photography area is set up nice and now you can view some of your photos in on the TV in your cabin which is also a bonus. We didn't feel as hounded by the photographers on this trip, though we did think they were a bit less experienced than on other ships. Seemed like either the hair was messy or a collar was not quite right or the necklace was crooked...those kinds of details I expect the photographer to notice before he clicks the camera. And as always, if they lowered the prices they'd sell more anyway...couldn't believe how many they threw out! PORTS OF CALL Grand Cayman--We booked a trip with a company outside the cruise line called shoretrips.com. We went to Stingray City and 2 other snorkel stops. The sandbar at Snorkel City wasn't as crowded as usual as some of the other cruise ships cancelled their excursions due to the choppy water. Ours was a private company so we got to go and it was wonderful. Snorkeling was great and we really enjoyed the whole excursion. Captain Marvins Watersports handled our boat and they did a great job. A photographer was on board and took professional photographs with you and the stingrays. Wish we had known prior to going as we'd have taken more cash with us that day. We got the web site and are ordering on-line now that we are home. Cartagena, Columbia--Booked a deluxe tour of the City with the cruise line which included a trip to the Fortress, the cathedral (San Pedro Claver),and the Palace of Inquisition, had cool drinks while watching a Native Indian Dancing and Music show, and of course 2 shopping stops. We are not big shoppers, but this was a nice tour of the City and the history was very interesting. "Bert" was our tour guide and at 72, is proud of his country and knew the history well. Colon, Panama--We did the Kayak Eco tour with the cruise line. Drove about a mile in a nice air conditioned, comfy bus to an area near Gatun Lake. Then we took a fast boat ride to get to the kayak area. We kayaked around Lake Gatun, saw monkeys, a sloth, and some beautiful birds, a few gators on the shore line too. Kayaking on the lake was fun and good exercise. After the kayak trip we boarded the bus and went to the Panama Canal where we watched a ship get ready to go through the locks. Very interesting to see it really work, lots of history and old photographs to see there, and a guide also gives you a lesson on the history of the locks and how they work. Costa Rica--we did white water rafting--a cruise ship excursion. It was great fun. It was on a Class II river. We drove to Rios Tropicales and the facility was wonderful. That was our starting point. There were great showers, dressing areas and bathroom facilities for both men and women, a store to buy any needed supplies and gifts, and a whole dining area, under thatched roofs, where we enjoyed a great buffet after the rafting trip. Helmets and life jackets were required for the trip and provided to everyone. We had to walk a good distance across the rocks to get to the edge of the river...that changes with the level of the water...but its not for someone who can't manage that terrain. Our guide on the river, Tim, was in charge of our boat, gave us good lessons and practice before we started out, and certainly made up for our inexperience if we messed up paddling or weren't doing it quite effectively. He had much experience and credentials to be a rafting guide and we were glad we were in his boat. Honduras--We were there 7 years ago, and what a difference 7 years can make!! Totally different pier, shopping, sidewalks, better cars and taxis and vans, more jobs for the native Hondurans..everything was vastly improved. We went to Fosters West Bay Beach Resort with Shoretrips.com. It was a beach and resort not as popular as some of the others, so there were less people. You could swim, sun, get on a boat to snorkel or go fishing, ride the big inflatable banana boat, get a massage or your hair braided, buy T-shirts, etc. There was a place to buy food (the Calamari was excellent) and a bar where you could purchase cocktails and other drinks. The chaise lounges and one cocktail were part of our purchase price. It is always fun to ask a local what's the best local brew. If you hadn't pre-purchased you had to pay for a chaise lounge once you arrived. Hondurans walked around all the time selling their wares/crafts. They moved on if you said "No thank-you" and were very happy if they ended up with a few dollars in their pocket. Many of the young children were also put to work to sell things. It was a great day in a serene and peaceful place. Our taxi driver was there at the pre-determined time we had set up with him to get us back to the ship on time, and it all went really well. Cozumel: We went on a 3-reef snorkel trip with shoretrips.com with Eagle divers on the boat named "Miguelito". The guides were very good. We snorkeled in some deep water in different locations, saw turtles, rays, and multiple types of fish and coral. There were only 6 of us on this excursion and it included lunch at one of the resort restaurants right on the water. After great snorkeling we ate outside at a place called The Money Bar. The food was delicious and plentiful. We swam a lot on this day so got quite a bit of exercise in! Entertainment: The theatre is lovely though there are large columns that make some seats totally blocked...not sure who designed it but that seemed like a large flaw. The theatre was full every night. The 3 Broadway type shows with the cruise line singers and dancers were good...the usual you would expect on any cruise ship and enjoyable. What added some intrigue was the cirque-type folks who were up in the air, doing juggling and other specialty acts mixed in with the regulars. The entertainers were on cables up in the air spinning, hanging from the ribbons, etc. Very interesting and entertaining. Jimmie Walker, from the old sit-com "Good Times" was there with a stand-up comedian type performance and that was just OK. To his credit he never once said "Dyno Mite!" The other comic, Steve Caouette, was awesome...so funny, and used the audience for most of his monologue and the whole place was laughing a lot. Really enjoyed that show. We'd go see him again. Another act that was good was Las Vegas entertainer Mario D'Andrea who played guitar and sang and was also very humorous. He sang a lot of the older songs, and since this was an older crowd, he was a big hit. David Lucas was good too....he's a comic,a juggler, and a musician who started his career as a child with Liberace. We had never heard of him before, but thought his routine was really entertaining. 'Kimika' was really good...Nick and Tina. Very funny, excellent guitar playing by Nick and singing by Tina who was a real 'hoot'....the humor added to their routine was really good and it was a great show. We really enjoyed their performance. One of the other things we did onboard was the modern line dance class and that was surprisingly fun....it wasn't the usual country stuff...up beat and contemporary music, easy to learn and there was a large crowd every day of folks who wanted to learn the next best thing for the next big party. Really fun. De-embarkation--We had a nightmare our last cruise in August with Carnival and almost missed our plane, so we opted for the express check-out plan, carry your own luggage and be the first to get off the ship. We loved it. Customs was a breeze, no long lines, and our van was waiting for us when we came out the door for our ride to the Airport. Can't speak of what regular de-embarkation was like, but if it was like when we boarded, I'd guess it went smoothly. We had to wait a few hours for our flight, but we would have had to wait on the ship too, so it didn't really matter. Much less stress already being at the airport with a good book than worrying if we'd be the group that got off in time. All in all, it was a wonderful cruise, great food and service, great ports of call. We pre-booked another Celebrity cruise while on board. The deposit was only $100.00 per person with no expiration date...we can use it any time and earned on-board credit for doing it before the cruise ended. We'll be looking forward to our next Celebrity cruise.