Maybe it was the season -- hot, humid, and crowded in every port.
Maybe it was the ship -- beginning to age, pools too small, repetitious entertainment, recreational facilities lack "pop".
Maybe it was the policy of confining shore information to what would be lucrative to the company.
Maybe it's the after-feeling that to get more value out of a cruise like this, one must sacrifice convenience and safety in lieu of cost.
We had a bad experience with a private tour operator in Civitavecchia, but paying quadruple the amount for the ship's own bus tour of Rome was unaffordable.
Although we loved the trip, we would be more inclined to return to Celebrity if you also offered conflict-free, detailed port information, that is helpful to the independent, economy-minded traveler.