We are Celebrity Aqua Class loyalists and chose this 12 night, 8 port cruise because it ticked off many new places on our bucket list. The overall Celebrity experience was exactly what we value and expect: an overall classy product, very well-maintained ship, exceptional dining experience in Blu, and generally attentive service throughout the ship. However, the itinerary that sounded so great on paper translated into an EXHAUSTING vacation with too few sea days sprinkled-in to even begin recovery onboard. Lesson learned.

We arrived in DUBLIN on the morning of Jun 13th, which gave us a full day and night to explore the city before boarding the ship on the 14th. Embarkation was easy and efficient, and we gained access to our stateroom by mid-afternoon. Since we didn't sail until 8 pm on the 15th, we could have continued sightseeing but just didn't feel compelled to do so. Generally speaking, we found Dublin disappointing - not enough of interest to do or see, and a bit 'sad' overall. Weather was cool and misty, which didn't help.

In BELFAST, we did the ship's Game of Thrones excursion to Winterfell, and found the trip entertaining, informative and quite memorable! The Celebrity tour guide was quite good, and the Winterfell personnel (who guided us through all of the onsite activities) were all former extras in the series who shared great insights to what went on both in front of and behind the camera. Highlights: an archery competition, mock sword fights, great scenery, and a chance to meet 2 of the Dire-wolves in person. Read more