This was my third Celebrity cruise and as always, few other mainstream lines can hold a candle to its combination of large ship features and amenities with a more refined and personal touch. Every aspect of the cruise, from boarding to disembarkation, was conducted in a friendly and efficient manner. It did not take long to get on or off the ship. The staff members all had friendly attoitThe ship is going into drydock shortly for a refresh, and certainly a few public areas and carpets could use an update, but overall, the ship had a very modern feel to it. The gym was ample and there was never a wait for equipment. There also were plenty of deck chairs so you didn't have to scramble to get a seat in the sunshine during the sea days. The cabin was comfortable and verandah was kept clean as well as the room. Our cabin steward team was great and unobtrusive. The cruise director was great and had a fun personality without being too over the top or phony. Entertainment such as shows and activities were also fun, not earth shattering or anything, but a good time.

The ports of call were good, the new port at Falmouth was nice to visit as it is an actual Jamaican town. If you walk a few blocks from the port you get a nice slice of local Jamaican life. Also there are some great buildings to look at which date back to colonial times. Grand Cayman was overrun by cruise passengers with 5 ships in port. We took the public bus to the beach and then returned to the ship. The tendering makes this a somewhat annoying port.

The main flaws in this cruise were related to dining services. The buffet restaurant was not terribly efficient. The food in the buffet area was usually fresh, but they had an annoying habit of shutting down various stations throughout the buffet even though the buffet restaurant was still busy. This drove all the dining traffic to the few remaining stations, causing large lines. In the dining room, the food was really below average in terms of quality. You didn't go hungry but nothing was really terrific. Meats generally came out overdone and vegetables seemed limp and lifeless. Our dining room team was friendly and personable but oddly inefficient. Sometimes we would linger between courses for 15 minutes with uncleared plates, only to have 2 subsequent courses turn up all at once. Employees in the dining room also made attempts to solicit positive comments on the comment cards, with a not-so-subtle point to their nametags when doing so. I felt that was out of place on a more upmarket cruise line. Another minor complaint would be the continuing degradation of Captain's Club benefits, which now seem to be reduced to a sheet of coupons of minimal value and a reception scheduled in the middle of the afternoon when many guests are participating in activities throughout the ship. Read more