We wanted to try this new ship and it was going to islands we had not visited, Grand Cayman, Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba. It had three at sea days which we did not mind as we like to find a quiet corner and read. There were price drops after we booked so we were upgraded to Concierge Class, cabin 11163. Cabin was very nice and it had the infinity balcony. Mixed feelings as it made the cabin bigger but since it had an automated roll down blind, there was no peeking outside to see the weather, especially if your room mate was still asleep. Also when you sit down, the cross bar is directly at eye level so you have to duck to look out. Concierge class is not worth the extra money. While you get nibbles each afternoon and one free bottle of sparkling wine, it was just OK. Also the Concierge has weird hours and when we tried to change our dinner time from late seating to select, we had to try three times to get it changed. She did not return phone calls so you had to find her during her hours. We tried to go to the Captain’s Club desk but he could not help us. Not sure what he does. Our steward was excellent, Wayan. He was there all the time and could not do enough for us.

The first at sea day was the cruise critic reception and while the captain and cruise director said a few words, that was it. No food, beverages, raffles or other items we have had at other receptions. Very disappointing. Entertainment was mixed, the Celebrity singers and dancers were talented, but the comedians were flat as was the band pretending to be the beetles. Also some of their venues were awkwardly designed for some of the shows, such as the Club. Very hard to see the main floor from the balcony. Entertainment during the day was your typical fare of trivia, pool games, etc. Nothing special. One of the best presentations was done by the Captain giving a background on the ship.

Food was good and surprising the buffet had some of our better meals. It also had better desserts than the main dining room. When we switched to select dining, we tried the four main dining rooms. Cypress was the best and the lamb shank melted in your mouth. The worse was Normandie where service was poor. The Cosmopolitan had good service but OK food. We did not try any of the specialty restaurants as we felt they were overpriced. Read more