14 nights Azores/Canaries

Our second time with Celebrity. Boarding ( no priority boarding for us!!) was quick and hassle-free. Full lunch service available while we waited a very short time for cabins (oops – sorry – staterooms!) to be declared ready. Cabin was spotless and our attendant was meticulous – but discreet – in looking after us. The food throughout was excellent – with their beef dishes memorable! The Breakfast and Lunch buffets in the Oceanview Cafe are streets ahead of their competitors’ offerings. All of the staff were friendly and extremely helpful. The ship’s officers were regularly to be seen walking the decks and mingling with the passengers – and, of importance for me, talking to the staff – not just the supervisors, but the worker bees as well: most impressive, and probably a significant contributor to the positive atmosphere evident on the ship. The ship was spotless.

On the negative side, drinks are very expensive if you are not on a drinks package, and the Coffee Bar is too small for the demand placed on it; the coffee is delicious, but expensive. The speciality restaurants are enticing – but the cover charge is way too high (US$50:00 per person) given that you have already paid for a “full-board” cruise. Entertainment was of a high standard, with some of it quite excellent; however, some of the “old” entertainers need to be retired!! Sound amplification in the theatre was, at times, too loud, detracting from the performances.

That said, Celebrity has got more things right than wrong, and at the moment, they are ahead in our personal preferences when compared to Cunard, P&O, and Fred.

But at the end of the day, the itinerary is all-important, and Celebrity might need to be more adventurous in its UK to UK sailings, particularly during the winter season.