Celebrity Cruises

With the most elegant big ships in the industry, Celebrity offers a refined cruise experience, yet one that is fun and active. Each ship is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and Art Deco styles and throwing in cutting-edge art collections to boot.

An exceedingly polite and professional staff contributes greatly to the elegant mood. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines with its dashing alternative restaurants on the Millennium-class ships. They're the best at sea for both quality of food and their gorgeous decor.

Like all the big-ship lines, Celebrity offers lots for its passengers to do, but its focus on mellower pursuits and innovative programming sets it apart. Niceties such as roving a cappella groups lend a warmly personal touch, while expert-led seminars on such topics as astronomy, photography, personal investing, and history offer a little more cerebral meat than the usual.

Celebrity gets the "best of" nod in a lot of categories: The AquaSpas on the line's megaships are up there with the most attractive at sea, the art collections the most compelling fleetwide, the decor the most original, and the onboard activities and entertainment among the most varied. Celebrity pampers suite guests with butler service, and a private label wine series. Never one to rest on its laurels, the line is constantly rolling out new innovations, including cruises to the Galapagos with its Celebrity Xpeditions adventure program.

Pros

Spectacular spas: Beautiful and well equipped, the spas on the Millennium- and Century-class ships are the best at sea today.

Best alternative restaurants at sea: Service, food, and wine are excellent; and the Millennium-class restaurants' elegant decor incorporates artifacts from cherished old liners, such as Olympic, Normandie, and SS United States.

Innovative everything: Entertainment, spas, and cuisine are some of the most innovative in the industry. The latest: acupuncture and holistic healing theme cruises, and Cirque du Soleil performances.

Cons

Too much to do: Okay, while this might not actually be a legitimate negative, there really are just so many cool things to do, you may not be able to squeeze them all in.