I believe this was our 5th Celebrity cruise. We chose Celebrity because it always seemed to be a quality cruise line, head and shoulders above similar cruise lines. Food was always exciting, top quality and varied. Ship condition and cabin accommodations were always very good. Ship staff was always attentive and typically went beyond any request.

This time our experiences were quite different, not in all respects, but in those areas we valued most. The food in the main dining room was bland, low cost, and limited. The lobster dinner was good but they charged an additional $16.99 for each additional lobster. Huge, huge disappointment. The ship was very nicely refurbished, but the lipstick, although beautiful, only partially covered the ship's rust around windows, railings, and, most notibly, life boat hardware. Some under-rail lighting was corroded and unsecured. Ship's staff was generally excellent with the exception of some in Guest Relations, who seemed to be in the wrong job. The best crews on the ship manned the Martini Bar and staterooms. We missed "Scoops" by a few minutes and we're told they were closed rather than just give us a couple of soft serve ice cream cones out of a machine that was sitting there, yet uncleaned.

Above all was the illness both I and my wife experienced from the 4th day of the cruise. Later the Captain announced a norovirus outbreak was present on the ship and that the crew was implementing health precautions. After several days of vomiting and uncontrolled diarrhea we called medical. After 8 hours a doctor and aid arrived at our room and quarantined us for 2 additional days. He said there were 2 doctors visiting rooms for the last few days and cases were growing. They would not give us ANY information, but it is estimated upwards of 400 passengers and crew were involved. A couple of days later, we found an envelope giving us a $100 credit toward a future cruise. I called Celebrity to clarify the basis of the credit. Basically, I was told that was what they believed our situation required. I told them to keep it.