We booked this cruise because it stopped in Antigua where my family lived in the early 1960's. This was my 8th cruise on Celebrity, but my first in 20+ years. My mother was a smoker and felt that Celebrity was anti-smoking so we migrated to other cruise lines. This was my 80th cruise overall. Both my spouse and I enjoyed the cruise and would book Celebrity again.

Fixed Dinner Sittings. There were no fixed sittings on this cruise – though Celebrity failed to notify people before the cruise which is questionable in my book. If you find a card in your cabin directing you to a specific dining room at a fixed sitting time, go immediately to one of the restaurants to book a time for the first evening, or, alternatively, book a time when you board the ship using the app. You can book various restaurants for the rest of the cruise using the app too. The cruise line did not reserve a table at the Cyprus Restaurant and the wait was 45 minutes to an hour when we showed up. My feeling is that by eliminating the staffing requirements to support fixed sittings, they are able to operate with fewer staff. I’m not sure if this is by design or due to hiring and training problems.

Laundry Packages. Don’t bother with the laundry packages or bag offers. They wash, dry, and fold. By “fold”, they mean that shirts and pants are returned folder over and wrinkled. If you want to wear anything, pack an iron as we did in the old days. I personally can’t imagine a cruise line pulling that type of stunt. Read more