sweat the small stuff

arrived at heathrow as requested at approx 03.30 for flight to Rome only to find along with about a hundred other passengers that Al Ital.staff do not do early mornings and kept standing over an hour before anyone could be bothered to book us in and allow us to get a much needed hot drink.for info please note just a very dry biscuit for breakfast on flight so make sure you get something to eat at airport before boarding
.good,efficient changeover at airport and quick process onto ship to very pleasant balcony cabin[stateroom]noted no kettle available and at first opportunity spoke to cabin steward who informed me there were none on board[company policy].I later met a staff officer who confirmed no kettles but assured me hot water would be swiftly available as needed for me to brew my own white tea[i do not drink black tea/coffee.
the ship itself is very well designed with plenty of space on deck even on sea days[P&O could learn from this]and the spa pool is superb.
dined in cafeteria for breakfast/lunch and main dining for dinner.the food without exception was excellent but first night dinner where about a hundred guests had not been allocated a table,including us,was frustrating as we were sent from one restaurant to another because the computer said no!after a very long day travelling this is just not good enough.
i avoided the organised tours because they were to my mind vastly overpriced as against doing it yourself[on average at least half official price]these are to be avoided if at all possible.hats off to the captain for arrival times at the ports of call,always in by 07.00 giving opportunity for an early start if required.staff generally without exception were the best on any ship i have sailed on[including cunard]always smiling and genuinely looking to help.this leads me back to kettles and my need for hot water.at any busy period[first thing in the morning/late evening there was an inevitable delay sometimes over half an hour and when for the second time i was presented with hot water with a very strong coffee flavour i put in an official complaint and guess what a kettle appeared!problem solved.
entertainment was first class with excellent shows and some very original guest entertainers.shops on board leave a bit to be desired with limited range other than the inevitable jewellry/gold.
overall i would give this cruise 9 out of 10 [despite the Al Ital flights-pkt of dried cardboard pieces for lunch on return].in all the major ares Celebrity have got it exactly right its just the irritating small stuff that needs attention