We hoped to start the cruise stress-free by arriving at Civitavecchia's Hotel Bramante two nights before embarking and it worked. We were collected promptly by a Bramante van driver upon arrival at Rome Airport. The Hotel is newly-renovated, comfortable and the English-speaking staff is very helpful. A good buffet breakfast (just ask if you want cappuccino or latte instead of American) is the only meal available. The Hotel recommended the Ideale Restaurant, a short walk away, for an excellent seafood and fresh pasta dinner overlooking the sea. It's a half-hour walk or Euro 10 taxi ride to the train station downtown, where we got our Euro 9 pp "BIRG" roundtrip tickets into Rome. Even on Sunday morning, trains were quite frequent and after 45 minutes ride we got off at St Peter's Station and joined the throngs in the Vatican City. BIRG tickets include free travel on Rome public transport but a fine day encouraged us to walk over to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps etc before catching an afternoon train back to Civitavecchia. EMBARKATION: The Bramante provides a free shuttle service to the ship at hourly intervals. We chose the 11:40 shuttle and Celebrity's service at the dock was so swift that we were on board in a few minutes. THE SHIP: Awesomely huge, striking dEcor throughout the public areas, 12-storey atrium with tree suspended in the center and ample number of glass-sided elevators to serve the 3000- odd passengers. The Library is visible from the elevators, looks cute but in fact is largely for decoration as the collection of books is dismal: seemingly random $1:00 bargains from The Strand Bookstore. Many shelves are out of reach and sofas are placed so they block access even to some one could reach. I suggest a professional librarian be put in charge to select books and organize their placement. The touted ½ acre lawn is lovely and we enjoyed a round of putting. I question, however, whether the novelty of it justifies the inevitable reduction in usable deck space. I haven't examined the deck plans side-by-side but my impression is that the jogging track is shorter than on the Milennium class ships and in general outdoor space is more crowded. We were in a Sky Suite, an extra-large cabin but "Suite" is a misnomer leading one to expect separated spaces as in a hotel. Our butler Idel and steward Lucas provided impeccable service, always with a pleasant word or useful suggestion about the events of the day. Grand Epernay, the main dining room, is attractively decorated but the tables are very close together. We had a table for two. It was easier to talk to the Canadian lady beside me than with my companion across the table. The distance problem is further aggravated by poor chair design. OK to relax in, they aren't upright enough to be comfortable for dining. DINING: The food in Epernay was excellent, plenty of choices and every night something new to try. We always started with escargots that arrived piping hot. Our waiters Andre and Paul were attentive and sommelier Randi was helpful and knows his wines. Bistro on Five was an ideal venue for a different lunch on sea days. Recommended are the daily soups, paninis and, of course, the signature crepes. Recommended also are two specialty restaurants. We booked weeks in advance, as advised on these Boards, to ensure getting the day and time we preferred. Memorable at Toscana (Italian) was the antipasto, veal and sea bass. Murano (French despite the name) had a fabulous goat cheese soufflE starter, lobster bisque, lemon sole, succulent venison, and scrumptious grand marnier soufflE. In both restaurants the service was wonderful and wine selection extensive. Buffets on Deck 14 offered an amazing variety of well-cooked and attractively presented dishes. Imagine six variations on Eggs Benedict! English breakfasts included favorites such as fried bread, English-style bacon, black pudding, the only disappointment being the tasteless sausages. We enjoyed the Indian foods and couldn't end lunch without a tasty ice cream. The layout of food stations was well-conceived so as to keep the traffic moving. Our only horrible eating experience on the ship was a pre-cooked, reheated hamburger with cold slice of cheese at the Mast Bar. ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT: We enjoyed the most recent James Bond movie and some of the entertainers in the Theatre, particularly a Scottish girl who sings and plays the violin and singer Lindsay Hamilton. Good as she is, Lindsay performed on three of the five Celebrity cruises we have taken, so for us her show wasn't all new and we question whether Celebrity needs to expand their pool of talent. Two disappointments: we had heard that Celebrity was committed on 10+ day cruises to at least one classical music performer in the theatre. Not this time. The other surprise was that there were no Enrichment Series lectures on the historical and archeological sites we were to visit. We expected to arrive at each port fully briefed as we did, for instance, on Celebrity Infinity in South America. PORTS OF CALL: Disembarking and tendering went very smoothly in each port in spite of the number of passengers. On this cruise we took no Celebrity shore excursions, preferring to join other CC Members on private tours or strike out on our own. At Santorini, we opted for the cable car up the cliffs to the town rather than a donkey ride or hike and had no delays up or down. We wandered around charming Mikonos and were back on board after two or three hours, like most passengers. As there is so much more to see in Istanbul, we question why the ship delays departure till midnight and as a result doesn't reach Istanbul till after noon the next day. In Istanbul and Ephesus we joined CC folk in vans of six or eight with an Ekol guide and driver. Istanbul appears very "do-able" on your own if time is not an issue as the main sights are not far apart. However, our highly educated Ekol guide Mehmet ensured we made optimum use of our two half days. We wasted no time between sites and his commentary was illuminating and entertaining. It would be tough to do Ephesus on your own. Our Ekol guide Ilkay Candar got us in to the House of the Virgin first then on to Ephesus without delay and his commentary was essential to understanding what we saw. Afterwards he arranged for us a typical Turkish lunch on a terrace overlooking the centre of Sirince village. Having visited Athens before, we could be relaxed about sight-seeing. We walked out of the port in Piraeus and caught a local number 040 bus to Parliament Square/Plaka for one Euro each! Took an hour but we heard that the excursion buses were no quicker and we had a chance to watch regular Athenians heading for work. The new Acropolis Museum (free entry for EU citizens over age 65) is well worth a visit. We had visited Pompei and Amalfi coast before so opted to stay in much-maligned Naples. Noise, graffiti, poverty and frenzied traffic, for sure, but it's a fascinatingly different city with a vibrant personality and lots more to see than can be fitted into one day. We walked to the first official taxi rank outside the port and for E15 rode up to Capodimonte. I was unaware that I'd left my backpack in the taxi till, hearing shouts from behind, I saw our driver scampering after us to return it. Unexpected kindness and honesty in a city noted for petty crime! In a beautiful parkland setting, the Museo contains an extraordinary collection of European paintings, Goya, Titian, Raphael, El Greco etc, well displayed and virtually nobody but local children on school field trips to enjoy them.The churches and monuments like the Palazzo near the port are also well worth visiting. IN SUM:A memorable cruise in style and comfort to delightfully varied ports. The crew did a great job and all our cotacts with them were cordial and professional, including charming Melanie in the travel sales office, who helped us choose our next cruise -- on Azamara Journey. We are keen to compare our experience with one of the largest passenger ships afloat with life on a ship a quarter the size!