I have always loved cruising with Celebrity, however this cruise was not my favorite. The ship is showing its age and the food was ok. The usual WOW factor was missing this time. The food in the Oceanview Cafe was almost better than what the unimpressive menu in the Trellis Dining Room. They had a wine testing for the Captain Club's people at 11:00 am. Who wants to try wine after breakfast?

The ports were not very exciting. The best part of Cabo San Lucas was arriving. Beautiful rock formations, 30 min. tops. Unless you go snorkeling or scuba diving, there is nothing to see or do. Puerto Vallarta was a little better. We took a public bus to The Malecon and walked around. The port in Puerto Quetzal has nothing to offer. It is an industrial zone and we were told it was not safe to go into town, therefore, we did a tour of Antigua, 1 and a half hour bus ride to this colonial town. The town itself was ok and the best alternative to staying on board. The government of Panama should be ashamed of bringing people in to Panama and the first they see is Colon. The town is falling to pieces. We were told they are going to fix it and that it should be read in 5 years.... The best Colon has to offer is its "Zona Franca" or Free Zone. Not that the Celebrity people tell anyone it exists just a few blocks from the ship. Great bargains to be found. The best port by far is Cartagena, Colombia. There are great tours for $20 ea just outside the port Don't pay top dollar on board.

To be fair, Celebrity had very good speakers for their Beyond the Podium series with a lot of interesting information regarding the history and building of the Panama Canal. The shows and guest entertainers were also pretty good. Read more