I booked two weeks on the Marella Celebration last minute after our original plans fell through. I've cruised before, though never Marella and never on a ship as old or small as the Celebration and after reading some of the reviews here, and watching YouTube videos of noisy cabins, I was wondering if I'd made a dreadful mistake. Fortunately things were great and we had a wonderful time.

Our cabin was easily the largest I've ever had on a cruise and was mercifully very quiet, despite being deck 1 midship, It also had ample storage space (four wardrobes and ten drawers!) so there was no need to live out of a suitcase. Having a kettle in the room was very handy too. The furnishings were a bit dated but there was nothing wrong with them. We did notice however it was pretty noisy towards the back of the ship (and presumably in the cabins too) so do keep this in mind when selecting.

The ship itself was fine too. Having recently been refitted the lounges and bars feel very modern and stylish. As other reviews have noted the ship does noticeably vibrate, particularly towards the stern and when in port though I can't say this bothered us very much. The ship is very small so don't expect a huge American style experience but there are some perks to smaller vessels: in Antugua we were the only ship able to dock because of strong winds which were too much for larger, taller vessels! On ship services were fine, photography one of the best I've had on a cruise, good enough to make me break the habit of a lifetime and buy some of the photos taken, thanks to Carlton's excellent skills. Other staff were always very friendly and attentive. Read more