Mediterranean magic! Holiday of a lifetime!

Where to begin?! As expected, being only a couple of years old, the ship is in fantastic condition & looks amazing. Just take it in & enjoy it. We went Aquaclass which cost a bit more but meant we had a cabin where we wanted it. Deck 9, towards the back of the ship but away from any possible noise. We're not Spa fans so didn't use the Spa or Thermal suite but it looked good if you're into that. The cabin itself was clean & modern & the bed was so comfortable. Our cabin steward was top quality as expected. The infinite veranda balcony had me in 2 minds a bit. On the plus side it looks amazing to have a full length view, particularly so when we were in Istanbul & were able to look up & down the Bosphorus at the city & the boats going back & forth - for me this alone was worth doing the cruise for. The only negative for me was that you have to close the window to get air-con on - you can't just close the doors to the balcony. This wasn't a great problem for us apart from 1 really hot day but it was a shame to have to close the window & block out the sounds & fresh air from whichever port you're in. I think you have to shut the door to your balcony on other ships anyway to get air-con? Blu restaurant was brilliant. The food was delicious, in particular the soups which were the best I've ever tasted. We had breakfast there most days apart from 1 excursion day & departure day. We had dinner there every night apart from 1 in the Tuscan, which was fine too - Moussaka was delicious. The staff in Blu were so friendly & helpful with their advice & recommendations - we knew most of them & they knew us on first name terms by the time we left. For lunch we either ate out in port or in the buffet - we are not usually buffet fans but there are buffets and there are buffets. Celebrity is easily the best we've had ony cruise. The quality & choice of food was incredible. Entertainment was the best I've ever experienced on a cruise. The shows we saw were top quality. I don't know if I can name names so can I just say that the lady singer/trumpet player from Wigan & the Irish crossover opera singer/ showman/ comedian were both brilliant & well worth watching. A mention too for the entertainment in Eden & main Plaza - singers & musicians of a very high standard all round. Definitely go to the Truth or Lies show in the theatre with the Captain, head chef & entertainments director - it's one of the funniest things I've seen in years! The only negative entertainment wise was one young American singer/pianist who wasn't as good as she thought she was & seemed to have a bit of an attitude problem towards Europeans - again no names. The ports/excursions were mostly brilliant & lived up to our expectations. Chania, were we have been before was beautiful & Istanbul, Santorini, Mykonos & Naples were just WOW! The only slight disappointment was in Kusadasi. We went on an excursion which was Ephesus at a distance & it was at a distance, with a lot viewed from the coach, though included a visit to the Isa Bey mosque, the oldest active mosque in Turkey & this was fine. The last stop on the trip was to a carpet weaving factory which was very interesting but at the end of the presentation a large group of carpet experts/salesmen entered the room, obviously to try to get sales. Don't get me wrong, they were not aggressive just insistent but my wife felt a little intimidated by this. The carpets are beautiful but very expensive so sadly it's best to show no interest unless you do want to buy one. On the sea days we had no problems getting beds somewhere. We're not particularly bothered about being near the pool anyway. We just like to find a sunny spot & relax all day. There's plenty of entertainment & things going on around the ship on the sea days. It's easy to keep up with this on the app. Embarkation/disembarkation went without a hitch for us. To all the friendly crew on the Ascent, especially Captain Tasos, thank you for a wonderful holiday! You're welcome!

Exceeded our Expectations - New brand loyalists

Interior Stateroom - Good size and very modernly appointed. I loved the ability to control lights and such from the app. I am not sure what kind of plugs are bringing with them, but I found the "power box" and outlets to be more than adequate and sufficient for all our needs. Super quiet and pitch black. Never had any issues resting. Stateroom Attendant: Anthony from India - super friendly, met all our needs even before we knew we had them. Captain: Tasos (Anastasios Kafetzis) - Captain Tasos was an amazing host and Captain, so unlike any others I have ever seen. He is friendly, approachable, and has an uncanny sense of humor. He clearly excels as a leader as everyone loves to work under his command. Cruise Director: Luigi (Dominican Republic) - Super high energy, motivational, yet relatable. Ship Entertainers: The dedicated entertainers and shows were top notch and highly talented. The theater is well equipped with the latest in technology that really makes shows pop. The dance routines were a little too oversexualized and risque for our taste. Guest Entertainers: A few of the guest entertainers were great, but most really missed the mark. I don't know if it's the time crunch to prepare and only 45 minutes to perform. Main Dining Rooms: As you have probably already read,. there are four main dining rooms: Tuscan (Italian), Cypress (Mediterranean), Normandie (French), and Cosmopolitan (various international). While each dining room has its own "exclusives," menu items only available in their location; all four have certain "classics" that are available in all four. A portion of the menu changes daily, where there may be a featured ingredient (e.g., a certain fish - cod, hake, mahi, haddock, etc.) that is prepared according to that restaurant's theme or style (e.g, French, Italian, Mediterranean, etc.). While you don't have to "dress up" to eat in these dining rooms, you are not allowed to look like you did came out of the gym or pool deck either. Service is superb (special shout out to Robert and Meghan at Cypress). For our cruise, we were assigned a dining room and time for the first night only, then we were welcome to dine at any location by reservation (7-9pm) or walk-in (we eat early at 6pm). Specialty Restaurants: We did not partake in any. Upselling Dining / Drinks: For the first few days there was a constant push to upsell dining and drinks packages. Spa: We had an amazing couple massage by very talented message therapists. The pressure to upsell continuously gets a little annoying. Did not feel crowded: I am unsure of the occupancy % for our voyage but we never felt crowded or like we were missing out on anything because it was full, sold out, etc. Naturally people tend to hog the deck chairs, but eventually, you'll find one but perhaps not poolside but some more isolated corner. Shops: Naturally the ship is full of high end shop and there are subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to get you to spend, spend, spend. The most obnoxious was the Effy store which had loud and boisterous events every night and practically try to drag you in. Civitavecchia: Don't expect much scenery at the port or getting there. The ship was docked alongside industrial shipping activity. The "terminal" was a tent. Regardless of appearances, the embarkment process was smooth. Ports of Call we could have passed up on: - Katakolon/Olympia, Greece. We did not go to Olympia, as we didn't care much about the history and the overpriced tours. Katakolon was a quaint little one-street town with plenty of shops and cafes, but not much else. - Bar, Montenegro. I think we were ashore for 1.5 hours at most. Boring waste of time. Sights we loved: - Mount Etna (Messina, Sicily) - Corfu, Greece - Naples, Italy - Split, Croatia (We rented e-bikes and toured Marjan park, almost got hit by a bus)

Second time Ascent Transatlantic

This is our second transatlantic on Ascent and it was great once again. The ship is designed very well, especially with the four themed dining restaurants. Most of the entertainment was first rate and we enjoyed the shows very much. The buffet always had a great assortment for breakfast and lunch, and whoever bakes the wonderful breads deserves a raise! We ate dinner in the Cosmopolitan and were so very well taken care of by Komang and his assistant Gede. After being in service for about a year and a half the ship is still kept in first class condition, my only criticism is that the solarium needed more attention. Last year there was a young woman who kept the place spotless and that was not the case this year. As in any organization the responsibility for how well things are run starts at the top and Capt. Tasos is a great leader and you can tell he has a well trained and happy crew.

Overall, we enjoyed the Celebrity cruise.

The Ascent is a beautiful ship with excellent food and outstanding entertainment. The cabins are very comfortable, spacious and have good sound attenuation. The new balcony concept with a full window that opens, provides more space inside the cabin. Celebrity needs to figure a better process to ensure the large glass panes get frequent cleaning. We were in the uppermost deck and our windows were always covered with salt spray and visibility was not good throughout the cruise. If the glass cannot get regular cleaning, I would opt for a ship with conventional balconies. For the duration of our 15 day cruise, the Magic Carpet was never in operation due to maintenance. Also, we absolutely detest when a cruise director or any other staff member say “I can’t hear you” when introducing entertainers, shows or performances. It’s not very professional. Aside from that, Celebrity contracts for top caliber performers; all were exceptional.