This was our 29th cruise, 4th on Celebrity. Embarkation was a breeze but rooms were not available until 1pm. Also the buffet is not open until noon and many people were waiting at tables until it opened making the area very crowded. We had early dinner seating and were surprised to find the dining room jammed with tables making it difficult to have any privacy (we were a party of 4) much less be able to get into the seats. The decor of the dining room is very bland. Food is typical cruise fare, nothing extraordinary. Service left a lot to be desired, very slow.
We had a balcony cabin with the bed near the balcony. Nice size balcony with teak table and 2 chairs. The bathroom is the most spacious I have encountered and the shower larger than most. There is plenty of storage although the closest door is pretty clumsy. We brought adhesive hooks which I recommend. The bathroom towels were pitiful, frayed and thin. We complained and were given Aqua class plush towels.
The public areas are nicely furnished with interesting seating. The Promenade is a disappointment as there are few seats and it is mostly obstructed by the lifeboats. The running track in where the pool seating is and runners zoom by all day. very annoying, this should be restricted to before 9am--afterwards they can run on the treadmills. The pools are too small, they were wall to wall people on some occasions. The are very few drink stations in the buffet and little access to free drinks at the pool. In general the staff was friendly, the Meet and Mingle included the Cruise Director Paul Baya. The shows were not special except for the Solstice Show which was impressive. Many of the bars inside do not open until 5pm. The shops sell the usual goods from China at 500 percent mark up. I found the activities pretty lame and I wonder about the safety of having those glass kilns onboard.
Disembarkation was very easy, we were in Group 1 and disembarked at 7:30, we were at the airport by 8. All in all, not that impressed by Celebrity.
