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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Donald Willecke
Email: donaldw@gtii.com
Age: 40
Occupation: Ship's Pilot
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 12/18/98
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Jan 1999
Time: 22:18:20
Remote Name: 208.143.16.231
Remote User:
Comments
Let me start out by saying that this was our eighth cruise, and our second with Celebrity.
My 84 year old Mother
was cruising with my wife and I (early 40's), as well as our 5 yr old daughter, and our 11
yr old son. We certainly
had all age groups represented. We booked cruise only, and arranged for our own flights.
Make sure you put your
Celebrity luggage tags on even if you book your own flights, because the cruise line will
pull your bags off the
airplane and deliver them to your ship. We waited at the baggage carousel, and panicked
when our bags never
appeared. When I went to the airline baggage office, they told me the situation, and our
bags arrived later that
afternoon at our cabin....whew! It is a short distance from the Fort Lauderdale airport to
Port Everglades, so we
took a taxi ($8.50 fare). This is the way to go. No waiting for the bus to fill up, etc.
Embarkation was slow. They
assign numbers when you arrive at the terminal (make sure you go in and get one) and then
board by number.
My Mom was in a wheelchair, so they took us right away. Once your number is called, it's
about 30 minutes, and
you're aboard and taken to your cabin. The Horizon is really a nice ship - very clean, and
laid out well. The cabins
are average size. My Mom had a cabin to herself, and it was more than enough room. We had
a quad cabin, and
it was a little tight with four people. Four adults would have been too tight. One of the
nice things about the
Horizon is that the galley is all the way aft. That means that you can leave the dining
room and go forward to the
show lounge on the same deck. This is appreciated when you're pushing a wheelchair. Many
ships have the
galley midship, and when you leave the dining room, you have to go either up or down one
deck to go forward.
Speaking of galley, the food on board was excellent. We have cruised with Holland America,
NCL, Carnival, and
Premier, and this was by far the best food of all. Many choices, and always fresh and hot.
The kids menu could
have used more 'kid friendly' choices, but then again most kids just order hamburgers
anyway. The Coral Seas
Cafe food was not as good as the dining room, although there was always a good variety.
There is a pizzeria that
is open in the late afternoon and again in the evening, and this was the best pizza we've
had afloat. They will even
deliver to your room! This was our first Christmas Cruise, and it was a nice change from
the usual holidays. The
weather was fantastic, and the seas were gentle. I appreciate this, because being a ship's
pilot, I see rough
seas all the time, and wouldn't enjoy it on my vacation! The crew members were all very
helpful and friendly.
There were many more young people on this cruise because of the holiday, and more than one
crew member
told us that it was a nice change. The kids club was fantastic (our kids rated it better
than Carnival), and they
could never wait to get to their activities. A nice touch -- on formal nights, the youth
counselors would take the kids
for pizza, and activities until 1am free of charge so the parents could have a night out.
On Christmas, Santa
arrived on a ships tender, and had presents for all the children, and even the teens. It
was really appreciated. The
entertainment was on a par with Carnival. The Celebrity dancers and singers were tops, as
well as a comedian,
juggler, singer, piano player, and magician. All were above our expectations, and we're
hard to please in that
department. All of the ports were nice, and had many choices for tours, if that's what you
want to do. You can book
your tours with the interactive television in your room, so there is no standing in line
at the tour desk. Tours were
efficient, left on time, and very informative. One note on tours -- in St. Lucia there is
a 7hr tour, called LaSofriere
and the Pitons by land and sea. This sounds like a long tour, but this was our second time
on St. Lucia, and our
second time on the same tour. It is the best tour we have ever taken, and is well worth
the time and money. If you
have a chance, take it! We had one experience with a repair in our cabin, and once again
the service was
excellent! At 11:00 pm our toilet would not flush, so we called cabin services. At 11:10,
the duty engineer was at
the door, and by 11:15 it was fixed, and he was gone. If I could only get this kind of
service at home!!! I would
recommend this cruise (especially Christmas) very highly. Overall this is the second best
cruise we've ever been
on. The best was on Celebrity's Meridian -- we left the kids and Mother home!!!! We are
already booking our next
cruise on the Zenith - South America / Orinoco River in 2000. Hope to see you there!!
Name: Phil and Jan Golland
Email: golland_p@hotmail.com
Age: 47
Occupation: Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: January 9/95
Itinerary: Southern Carribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets: 97
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 96
DeckService: 94
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 94
CasinoStaff: 92
PrivateIsland: 96
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 94
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 93
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 96
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs: 94
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 94
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Feb 1999
Time: 20:29:08
Remote Name: 24.64.191.33
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I took our first cruise in January/95 along with some friends (one other
couple). Our cruise left
from San Juan, Puerto Rico and the trip to San Juan was quite long and tiresome.
However, when we arrived and headed for the ship, we were overwhelmed with the immensity
of the ship. Even
though it was quite late, the diningroom had remained open for passengers boarding the
ship, so we were able
to get something to eat. Needless to say, we were quite starved.
We spent the first night exploring the ship and checking out all the lounges, discos and
public areas. It was
certainly very impressive! I could not believe we were actually there. The ship was late
leaving port because they
were waiting for some German passengers who had become caught up in a snowstorm. The ship
finally sailed
around 2:00 a.m. and even thoug we were in bed asleep, the noise as the boat left the
harbor woke me up.
The first day of the cruise was at sea and of course we had a beautiful day. We spent a
good amount of time by
the pool shaking our heads, trying to believe we were actually there on this wonderful
ship! And wonderful it was!
Everything about the cruise, from the wonderful dinners in the main diningroom, to the
buffet breakfasts on deck,
to the stupendous midnight buffets, to the outstanding entertainment - we did not have a
minute of boredom.
Every morning when we woke up, we were at a different island (Martinique, Antigua,
Barbados, St. Thomas,
Mayreau (private island) and San Juan, and after eating a fulfilling breakfast on deck, we
would all head out and
spend the day on the island, returning to the ship around 4:00 p.m. for high tea. After a
small bite, and a little
snooze, we would be ready for dinner and a night of great entertainment.
To sum things up, the Horizon Celebrity Cruise was a wonderful experience, and we would
not hesitate to
recommend this cruise line to anybody.
It was first class all the way! We are planning to take another cruise in the very near
future (it is our 25th wedding
anniverary this year, so this may be it) and we can't wait. I must admit when my husband
presented me this
surprise cruise, I was a little reluctant since I didn't think it would be something I
would enjoy that much, however,
I changed my mind very quickly once I was there.
Name: Pamela Smith McBride
Email: barry.mcbride@nf.sympatico.ca
Age: 42
Occupation: Air Force Officer
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 29 Jan 99
Itinerary: South/eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 93
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 92
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Feb 1999
Time: 12:26:53
Remote Name: 209.128.34.1
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise with Celebrity, we had previously sailed on the Galaxy, but
this year we were looking
for a 10 day cruise and the Horizon fit the bill.
This was one of the best cruises that we have had. Embarkation for us went rather quickly,
as we were travelling
with Encore Cruises from Canada and our representative met us at the pier with our
embarkation number
already in her hand. Therefore we only had a ten minute wait before we embarked. But the
terminal was very
crowded with not enough seating space so we were very glad that we were able to embark
quickly. We were
quickly escorted to our room, an inside cabin on Florida Deck. Although a small cabin, it
was laid out very well
and there was lots of closet space and drawers. Because we had read previous reviews we
thought that the
room would be noisy but this was not the case. Our cabin steward, Thelma was outstanding
and we never
wanted for anything. There is lots of storage space in the bathrooms as well and the
showers were very good,
easy to regulate to the proper temperature and height.
Although the average age of passengers was probably in their 60s, we found lots of folks
in our own age group
as well. The Cruise Director Dave and his staff were excellent. They were more energetic
that the staff that we
had on the Galaxy and they ensured that everyone who wanted to was able to be involved in
the activites. It was
good to see so much happening around the pool, the band, Voltz, was excellent and sure got
things happening
around the pool. However, there were lots of other areas to go to if you still wanted to
sit in the sun but in a more
sedate location. The activities were many and varied and there was lots to do for
everyone.
As advertised, the food was exceptional, especially in the dining room. We found the
dining room to be very well
laid out and much more quiet than on the Galaxy. Although seated right next to the
musicians, we could still carry
out a conversation at our table for six without raising our voices. We normally ate
breakfast and lunch in the
more casual Oasis Grill, where my only complaint was cold toast and bagels for breakfast.
I guess it is hard to
keep those sorts of things hot for any length of time. There was lots of variety and the
line ups were never that
long, so I think that all in all my cold toast was not a big problem. Our wait staff Dan
and Charly were absolutely
outstanding, our every wish was catered to.
The ship itself was nicely laid out, but we really missed a wrap-around promanade deck. It
is so nice to be able to
take a romantic stroll around the deck in the cool evenings, but this was not to be on
this ship. Other than that,
the ship was clean, beautiful and very tastefully decorated.
Evening entertainment was also very good, There were some exceptional production numbers
as well as
magicians, singers and jugglers. Again, something for everyone.
The one area which did not impress were the shore excursions. They were typical
off-the-shelf variety with not
too much imagination. On our tour of St Lucia we had a guide who was surly to the point of
rudeness to an older
lady who had trouble getting on and off the van. In some cases excusions were cancelled
late the evening before
due to lack of participation, which did not give those whose excusions had been cancelled
a lot of time to rebook
another excusion, many of which were already full. The one excusion that we loved was the
America's Cup
Racing in St Martin, my hisband who had never said before and was a little nervous
absolutely loved it.
But all good things must come to an end. The disembarkation process went very smoothly,
our baggage tag
colour was called and we were able to find our luggage and bus right away. This was one of
the easiest
disembarkations that we have ever experienced.
I guess that I have gone on long enough - suffice to say we had an absolutely terrfic
time, wonderful weather,
met many super new friends and a enjoyed a lovely ship. Alhough my credit card took a
beating in St Martin adn
St Thomas, I am sure that we will be back again sailing with Celebrity soon.
Name: Roman Scharf
Email: romans@digitalexp.com
Age: 55
Occupation: Hospital Administration
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: April 2, 1999
Itinerary: Southern Caribean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 70
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Apr 1999
Time: 21:50:33
Remote Name: dial-11.chattahoochee.fl.digitalexp.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise and we selected Celebrity because of its excellent reviews.
Were we disappointed! We were
ready for the extensive delay in boarding the Ship because we were forewarned by the
research we did on the Internet. It did
us an opportunity to meet some very nice fellow cruisers. After almost 2-3 hours of
sitting and waiting we were able to board
the Horizon. It was too late for Lunch so we ate at the Coral Seas which was very good.
Then came dinner time and we
couldn't eat as fast as they were serving the food. My wife's chair was constantly banged
into by dining room staff moving
back and forth from their tables. As they were taking the plates from the table and
putting them down we were constantly
being brushed by the dining room staff. I had to inform the Maitre'D that the service was
too fast and we couldn't dine without
being rushed. Even so, the waiter at our table apologized and tried to make our meals more
pleasant. We still felt the
pressure through the rest of the crusie.
The ship was constantly rocking and rolling for the first three days that both me and my
wife were seasick. Our previous
cruise on the Royal Caribean Majesty of Seas was so smooth that we were unaware we were on
a ship. The ocean wasn't
that rough for us to have felt the excessive rocking and rolling.
The entertainment was OK but as compared to The Majesty of the Seas the Horizon fell
short.
Celebrity's reputation for service and food was a major reason why we selected Celebrity.
We were not impressed with either
in comparison to the service and food on the Majesty. We really expected Celebrity to
exceed Royal Caribean and it didn't.
On the Majesty, if you asked the staff for assistance their response would be-"let me
check and see what I can do for you".
On the Celebrity Horizon their response was: "NO we don't have! No we can't do
that!" They did not go out of their way to
provide excellent service. One night we were in the Lounge and the waitress took our
order. She recommended a
champagne cocktail which my wife took one sip and told the waitress she did't like it. The
waitress responded "we could
order another drink and would have to pay for that one too".
Leaving the ship on excursions was an adventure. If you needed a towel there was one staff
who carefully doled out the
towels and documented how many. This slowed the disembark process to a crawl. The ship
should have had three to four
staff to provide assistance. By the time everyone got on their bus we heard complaints
from practically everyone. We heard
complaints in the elevators and on the stairs and at the poolside. We were not alone with
our unhappiness with the Horizon
operations.
The excursion Port Lecturer Erica Sacks was the biggest disapointment of all. We asked her
for help and she became
defensive and at time downright rude to my wife. It seemed that she was more interested in
steering the passengers to
certain stores while at the same time misrepresenting the discounts which we knew were no
discounts. We were prepared
with facts, figures, and catalogs of what we were looking for. She discounted what we
showed her and dismissed our
queries. Her attitude was negative and she was difficult to deal with. On the Majesty we
never had this problem.
The Cabin attendent was outstanding and very attentive. He did his work and was never in
the way. He seemed to know
when we were in and out. He was a delight.
We tried Celebrity and it was our first and last time.
Name: Rev. Richard P. Hokanson
Email: perehoke@bellsouth.net
Age: 50
Occupation: Catholic Priest
NumberOfCruises: 16
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 5 February 1999
Itinerary: Ultimate Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 86
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 91
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 86
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService: 86
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 86
LoungeService: 89
TenderService: 91
GoodForSeniors: 94
BeautySalonStaff: 91
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 89
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 86
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 86
Casino: 89
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 91
EmbarkDisembark: 91
DiscoNightclubs: 88
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 91
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Apr 1999
Time: 09:54:31
Remote Name: host-209-214-187-10.clt.bellsouth.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was my second cruise with celebrity. Though I am a Catholic priest, I did not serve
as chaplain. I was a paying
passenger. As I expected, the food on the Horizon was outstanding in quality, freshness
and presentation. Serving in the
dining room was also excellent. This would be good cruise for seniors and adults to like
elegant surroundings and precise,
laid back service. I would not recommend this to younger, firt time cruisers. This is for
those who like to take it easy and relax
alot. There is never a rush on the Horizon. Though the show entertainments was fair at
best, the lounge entertainment was
much better with a quartet in the Observation Lounge leading the way. The cruise staff was
generally good. But, at times,
they seemed more intent on having fun with one another, than providing passengers with
good services. Finally, I just love
the way Celebrity disembarks passengers. It was a breeze. I highly recommend Celebrity and
the Horizon to most cruisers.
Name: Cornell Hopkins
Email: cornellhop@aol.com
Age: 57
Occupation: Professor
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 05/01/99
Itinerary: Bermuda, Hamilton, St. George, NewYork
FoodDiningRoom: 91
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 88
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 93
CabinQuietness: 82
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 88
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 45
LoungeService: 82
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 82
Casino: 92
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 60
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 May 1999
Time: 22:41:33
Remote Name: spider-wi013.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Our cruise on the Zenith began in New York. The terminal is in need of cleaning and paint.
Celebrity personnel were very
helpful. NYC employees not so much. We got right to our room and the luggage arrived
quickly and in good shape. The
steward appeared promply and was helpful. Dinner at the first seating was very nice. The
weather had become rough. A
warning of rough seas ahead could have helped many prepare by applying patches or using
other means. The storm
became fierce, 65 mph winds and 30 ft waves. The crew did a very good job in helping the
passengers and the storm ended
by night the second night. After that everything was very nice, with an exceptionally good
expereince on the 'bottom peeper'
for viewing and snorkeling. Some liked Hamilton better. We liked St.George. Quaint,
interesting, beautiful. Sailing back to
NYC was smooth and uneventful. Disembarkation on May 8, 1999 was relatively unpleasant. On
board bathrooms were
locked. The chief housekeeper eventually fixed that. Ships personnel were very
accomodating. Another trip back thru the
dirty, nasty terminal, ending with getting on the bus to shuttle to Philadelphia. All
passengers were present and accounted
for at 10:20 AM, but some rule follower would not let us depart until after 11:05 AM.
Celebrity is a very good line, we'd travel
again, but not probably out of New York.
Name: Brett
Email: Dutch718@aol.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Retail
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 3/22/99
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: n/a
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: n/a
GoodForFamilies: n/a
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: n/a
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: n/a
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: n/a
MedicalFacilities: n/a
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 May 1999
Time: 22:38:36
Remote Name: slip-32-101-122-156.il.us.ibm.net
Remote User:
Comments
We have sailed on four other cruises; three with Princess on the Star, Sun and Regal and
the other cruise were on
RCCL Enchantment of the Seas. This was our first cruise with Celebrity Cruises. We were
very happy with the over
all cruise. We were a little apprehensive because this was our first eleven-day cruise.
Well it was great; the two days
at sea in the beginning and end were the most relaxing and enjoyable. Dinner: We had
second seating dinner and
were lucky enough to be seated at a fun table of eight. The waiter Angelko and busboy
Zoltan were fantastic. Zoltan
kept us amused with several tricks and mind puzzles. They made coming to dinner a great
pleasure.
The food was
very good. I had wonderful steaks and on most nights my partner had very good fish. One of
the best dishes was
the Duck the first time it was served, the second time it was not as tender. Midnight
Buffets: I went to a few of them,
Tex Mex. and Fruits and Sherbets on the Marina Deck poolside were the most fun events. I
also really enjoyed Late
Night Gourmet Bites, which were served at several bars through out the ship. It was fun
having the waiters coming
around with bites of food to try. Bars: My favorite bar was the America's Cup Club on the
12th floor in the front of the
ship. The view was very nice and at night the Celebrity Strings played there. My second
favorite was the Plaza Bar,
which is where I would sit in the afternoon and have a diet coke and watch the people go
by. It is right by the shops
and outside the Casino.
Cabin: We had an outside cabin with a large window. The cabin was about the same size
as
cabins we have had in the past. The one thing that I miss is a refrigerator, which we have
always had on Princess.
The cabin steward kept the room very clean and was always pleasant when you saw him, which
was not often.
There was enough storage space for all our clothes, which we packed more than we needed.
Ports of Call: The first
island was Curacao. We enjoyed walking the streets of Willemstad. We did take the Hato
Caves and Liqueur
Factory tour. The cave was enjoyable, but very hot; they had fans to circulate the air.
The Liqueur Factory was
okay. It was very nice to see the Island from the bus and the guide was very informative.
Tour (B) Island (B+) The
next stop was La Guaira Venezuela.
We went on the Caracas Half-Day tour, there are only two tours offered. The
trip was very interesting; you did see a lot of poverty and also some beautiful scenery.
This is a place I would not go
out on your own. Tour (B) Country (C) The next stop was Grenada. I took the Grand Etang
Park and Annadale Falls
tour, which was very interesting. We stopped at Annadale Falls first, which was very
pretty with all the spices that
grow along the path to the falls. The next stop was the Grand Etang park which is
beautiful, I wish I would have had
time to spend walking through the area. We also stopped at the fort that overlooks the
harbor and that was the most
spectacular spot on this tour. My partner and our friends went into the market and had a
really nice time walking
through the town. Tour (B+) Island (B+) The next stop was Barbados. We did not take any
tours. We just went into
the shops at the pier and did some walking along the shore. Since it was Sunday the main
part of town was all
closed up.
What we did see of the Island was beautiful. The next stop was Martinique. We had heard
that the
French people on the island were not friendly. Well we met a lot of very nice people. We
took the St. Pierre by Land
and Sea tour, which was great. We started out going up the coast of Martinique to St.
Pierre. We did get to see
Dolphins jumping not far from the boat. The boat trip was great, and then we went by taxi
back to Fort-de-France
through the rain forest. It was a spectacular drive through some of the most beautiful
country. We spent the
afternoon walking downtown. We ate at a restaurant down by the bay named Centre Des
Metiers D'Art, the food was
very good and the waitress was very helpful with the menu, which was in French. Also the
view from the restaurant
was great. Tour (A) Island (A) The last stop was St. Thomas. We had just been to St.
Thomas in October, so we
knew exactly what we wanted to do. We went to Megan's Bay and lay out on the beach for a
few hours, then took a
taxi back to the pier. We walked to the Tram and took it up to Paradise Point. Paradise
Point overlooks the harbor
and there are shops and a bar. You can sit at a table on the patio that overlooks the
harbor and enjoy the views
while having a drink. Island (A)
Overall summary: You should be able to tell by now that we were pretty happy with the
overall cruise. If I had to rate
the cruise line, it would be tied with Princess. One of the things that I missed was not
being able to sit in the atrium
and watch all the activity. I did use the hair salon and was very happy with the service.
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