Cruise Recap: Short Version

Well, we made it back from our second Celebrity cruise aboard the Millennium. It's going to take me awhile to give a complete recap/review, but here's a quick overview:

* Celebrity misdirected our luggage. All we had for the first two days was one garment bag with Rich's tux in it, two of my informal night outfits (sans shoes) and the clothes on our backs. We were not alone: all 24 people who were on our Celebrity transfer bus did not have their luggage for the first three days of the cruise.

* Four out of our 5 missing pieces arrived in San Juan on Day 3. The largest piece--with all of the clothes for my two youngest children--did not meet up with the ship until Day 4, in Tortola.

* The ship itself was every bit as grand and beautiful as I remembered. The service in the dining room was top notch, and the food was excellent.

* The ship's photographers were very aggressive and annoying, one in particular.

* They no longer have Cova chocolate for sale! The horror!!

* The stop in Labadee, Haiti was wonderful, and we wished we could have been there two days.

* Swimming with the dolphins in Tortola was a highlight for the entire family.

* As one of the comedy acts onboard said, "Casa de Campo should be re-named Casa de NADA because there is NOTHING THERE."

* All of the shows and entertainment were terrific. Great band, too.

Okay, that's the best I can do with only a few hours' sleep. I will go into a day-by-day recap as time permits. Overall, it was a nice vacation, but fraught with stress over the luggage situation and not the relaxing escape I had hoped it would be. We still don't know how Celebrity is going to make it up to us (so far, all they've offered is a $100 credit per stateroom). Uh, I don't think so.