Programming

Programming I said I wouldn't talk about the ports, and I haven't changed my mind. The ports (SJU, STT, SXM) were ordinary, and my purpose here is to compare the overall Royal and Celebrity experiences. At Sea: The first day, a sea day, I went to three events. There was an enrichment program with 3 sessions (one on each sea day) teaching about and illustrating Improv, facilitated by a woman from Second City in Chicago. I went to the first one and really enjoyed it. The captain had multiple sessions, similar to the Captains Corner or View from the Top on various Royal sailings. The first one, Navigational Secrets, was quite good, albeit more structured than the similar programs on Royal. After that particular session, there was a presentation about new deployment from the Future Cruise Specialist. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, even though I had already booked 2 of the new itineraries since boarding. By the end of the day, I felt over-programmed. I was not doing some of the things that I like to do on sea days, which often includes just vegetating - carrying a book all day, and fooling myself by thinking I might catch up on some reading. That's just me, I admit. There are certainly enough things to do (both physical and mental), for those who wish to run around, but I was feeling compelled to participate. I quickly put an end to that and was more impulsive the rest of the trip. In Port: There was quite a difference between the two lines when we were in port. Celebrity has activities throughout the day. They even have trivia games every day, in port or at sea, at the same time every day. So, if you want things to do, you'll be able to participate in that structured environment. Despite the preponderance of activities on port days, later on you'll see that I am suggesting that some activities be moved from a sea day to a port day!