Where to start? We are a couple in our 50s who have cruised quite a bit, not just on Celebrity but other lines as well. We had been planning for this cruise for over a year and all of our plans worked out great. We flew into Rome 3 days early to spend more time and see things we didn't see several years ago. As always, Rome is just a spectacular place to visit, but it takes a lot of energy and patience to deal with the crowds and crazy drivers. the weather could not have been more perfect. We stayed at the Deko Rome hotel near Via Veneto and Barberini. It was a great location and nice little boutique hotel.

We used StefanoRomeCabs to get from Fiumicino airport to the hotel, from the hotel to Civitavecchia, and from Civitavecchia to our hotel prior to flying home. Pickups and transport was flawless.

Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived around 11:15 and were onboard by 11:30. We stayed in Aqua cabin 1650 on deck 11 starboard. The cabin was the typical Aqua cabin with a fairly large bathroom (with the great shower, of course). Other than the cabin above us having some kids who liked to run around at night, it was a quiet location. Storage was adequate, but I have yet to get used to the storage bins above the bed. The cabin had the bed by the closet, which makes it a tight fit sometimes when you're trying to get into the closet. The balcony was nice with the footstools. At times we did note the smell of cigarettes when we were out on our balcony. We couldn't tell if it was wafting down from the starboard smoking area on deck 14 or if someone was smoking on their balcony (we could not see anyone doing this). The cabin was aft from the mid ship elevators, but not very much. It was a bit of a hike to get to the Persian Garden/Spa area. Read more