Century 2/4 - 2/9

Just returned Saturday night from a wonderful and relaxing cruise onboard the Century. This review may sound slightly negative, but it is just our opinion in comparison to other cruises and not meant to discourage others.

 

The ship seemed in nice shape overall, and we thought the carpet looked great! In fact, they were changing out some of it outside the elevators one afternoon. There were a few spots on our cabin floor, but the hallway carpet on the Vista deck was in excellent shape.

 

We did feel somewhat cramped on this ship. The Century is the smallest ship we have ever been on and decided we would not book that size again. Just the 100 ' difference from other ships we have cruised, made a big difference. We didn't like the fact that you had to walk through a narrow hallway (that shared the computer station - with no privacy for sending emails, etc.) when going from the theater towards the dining room. Passengers walk right through the Martini Bar, so this bar was not one of our favorites because it was so open and noisy with the disruption of passengers constantly walking through. The gallery around the shops is not large enough to have tables set up around the railings, yet that's where they were when sales were going on. Very hard to walk around without dodging other passengers.

 

Although our CC cabin was smaller than the photos we have seen, the storage was excellent. In our CC stateroom, we had to constantly back up to let each other pass between the bed and the wall. Speaking of the beds...I didn't think that the rounded corner would be a problem, however I am tall (5'9"), and it did bother me to have my feet sticking off the end. We also received all the promised amenities, including feather pillows, chocolate and bags. Loved the TV and had plenty of channels for us. Had it rained, it would have been a different story.

 

The balcony was also so narrow, that we felt we were sitting side-by-side with our neighbors. We could hear every conversation going on when someone was on their balconies, whether we were inside or outside the cabin. On one side, a couple were constantly playing cards. There was a smoker above us, but we only noticed the smell while in port. We had a very good breakfast on the balcony the first morning out, but rarely used it otherwise because of it's size.

 

One other "shortened" item that bothered me were the lounge chairs. They are miniature of any others we have had. My feet hung off those as well, unless I bent my knees. I really felt sorry for a the very large and tall passengers that I saw around the ship. I am sure they had trouble, because the chairs were narrow too.:o

 

 

The show entertainment was not the best we have seen. Unfortunately, the lead singers were very weak and really put a damper on what promised to be excellent shows. The comedians were hilarious! :D There was also a contortionist couple that was outstanding. The music around the pool was pretty good, however the band also had weak singers. Yes, we did have a deck party that was poorly attended. Also, there is no room for dancing in front of the stage, so passengers were trying to dance sideways and around tables and chairs. :eek:

 

We did not think the food on this cruise was outstanding, compared to our past Celebrity experience and from our other cruises on various lines. Really gone down in quality! There were a few good dishes, but overall, the food was just OK. We survived and didn't starve, but didn't gain any weight either!

 

My favorite dinner dishes were the chicken and the Cornish hen. I didn't have the lobster, but DH said it was tough. The vegetables were always pretty good. The asparagus soup and the chilled soups were very good. There were a couple of salads that were very tasty and I loved the Celebrity dressing. I would alternate getting an appetizer, soup or salad and never all three. The desserts were so, so, unless you count the rum raisin ice cream and the heath cookies, served in the buffet. YUM,YUM!

 

We ate in the Aqua Spa cafe for two lunches, because after the first day or so, the buffet started lacking in variety. The Aqua Spa cafe was wonderful! Try their tuna steak. The chef also had a picnic around the pool on the last day. It was a little disappointing, because it only featured taco's and sausages. A little weird for picnic food, but very good taco's.

 

We thought the staff was excellent! Our dining room servers were Miller and Yvonne. Yvonne was the assistant, but should have been the head server. She was so funny and really tried to please. We even had a past waiter (from the Millennium 5 years ago,) come up to us because he recognized our faces.

 

The ship did seem to have a slightly different crowd (rowdy), and one particular loud group was with Nationwide Insurance. We were really only bothered by them when they overtook the lounge a couple of times.

 

Across the hall from us, in an inside cabin, some passengers made quite a bit of noise throughout the week. On the last morning, we had permission from our wonderful steward, Hector to vacate late from our cabin. He said that we could go to breakfast and then return by around 8:30 to freshen up and retrieve our bags (we self embarked.) We were leaving our room for the final time (around 8:45) when we heard a male voice yelling "what the f*#%!" and our stewards voice saying "excuse me, sir", along with a female voice saying "calm down", and then more explicit yelling from the male. Then, we heard the steward say "sir, I thought you were out of the cabin, you are suppose to vacate the ship and you need to leave now." Then, a door slammed. As it turned out, the occupants of the "noisy" cabin across the hall had slept in and had no idea what time it was. :rolleyes: Probably didn't get to bed until early morning. Luckily, we travel with a white noise machine and never heard them during the nights, but we could hear them carrying-on during the day, when both of our stateroom doors would be closed.

 

There was plenty of space outdoors and there is an outdoor promenade deck for lounging or walking...just not wrap around. Our table mates had an SS on the top and they had to call security a couple of times to remove early joggers that had jumped a roped off area of the ship.

 

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. We really didn't go for the ship, as we just wanted a relaxing time at a bargain. That we received! :) The next time, we may book the Solstice. ;)

Forgot to mention that our tablemates thought the same about the food. One couple had never sailed on Celebrity and the other had previously sailed the Millie and a Carnival ship. They thought the Carnival food was better, although we didn't think it was any better or worse than our last Carnival cruise.

Thanks for the review. Sorry to hear about the food. My DH is a Chef so nice to have someone else cooking for him for a change. We are looking for the same, an inexpensive and relaxing vacation. Ok, overall our cost is not that inexpensive, but that has more to do with the airfare for 4 persons and extra day in Miami, and not anything to do with Celebity.

 

Btw, the Noordam is also a midsized ship and I believe not that much larger than the Century. Of course your June itinerary will be a bit more exotic.

 

Did you have the canapes or cheese platter delivered to your cabin in the afternoon? Did you go to any teas or any special CC invites? Where is the best location for sailway? Glad to hear they at least tried to do some BBQ (lunch?) outdoors. My stepdaughter loves tacos, although the food options (tacos and sausage) sound a bit odd.

Is there an outdoor jogging area on the Century, or only for walking?

 

Thanks

Good review and we also came away with lukewarm feelings about the ship. I do think she is the nicest ship in the market offering short cruises.

 

IMO, the cramped feeling is not because of the size of the ship (I like small to mid sized ships personally) but because of the # of passengers as well as the design (only one pool, sales tables in the hallways, etc). It just felt like too many people on that sized ship to me but then our cruise was completely full.

sounds like you were totally miserable--------so sorry---------

did you not know the size of your CC room before you left??????

or that the balcony was only 39 square feet???--------I would certainly know that before I booked

Food----really sorry to hear that-----now that can disappoint on a short cruise

maybe you'll have a better one next time---I hope so---good luck

CIAO

Jade - I remember that your DH is a chef and I look forward to hearing his opinion. As I said, the food wasn't bad...just not memorable.

 

We have been on the Oosterdam and felt the same about the size of that ship. I even mentioned to DH that the Century reminded me of the O'dam. The O'dam is 951 in length with a 105 beam, while the Century is only 815 in length. The O'dam has one more deck. We did have an easy time of getting around. The Vista is a perfect location. I think we only took the elevator two or three times and walked the stairs the rest.

 

We are taking the Noordam to Europe because my parents love HAL. :) Because of the CC on Century, I have decided that I must have an SS to share with my sister instead of the VF we currently have booked. There is no way I can share that small space with her. :D

 

Yes, we had the canapes daily along with a bottle of champagne. We ate the canapes a couple of days, but quickly tired of them. They were always stale. Loved having bananas in the fruit bowl and the flowers stayed fresh all week.

 

Did not go to the tea. We were invited to the backstage tour, but did not partake. No bridge or kitchen tour. Also, our steward gave us the wrong invitation (time) for the CC party, so we missed that. :(

 

We stood on the upper deck, over the pool for sailaway.

 

Gonzo70 - You can jog on the upper deck, but only after a certain hour.

 

caviargal - We too felt it was the design and never thought about the passenger quota. The ship was booked full, but we never had to wait in a long line. The hallways were very narrow!

 

Never seen a ship with an escalator, though!

We loved the Noordam, she is a beauty and we never felt the least bit crowded. And the food was better by a wide margin IMO than Century.

 

Enjoy!

We loved the Noordam, she is a beauty and we never felt the least bit crowded. And the food was better by a wide margin IMO than Century.

 

Enjoy!

Good to hear! We never thought the O'dam was crowded, but the ship was dark and had the narrow halls that led from room to room.

 

We think the Grandeur of the Seas is one of the nicest in the short cruise market. Beautiful ship and love that solarium. I can't remember if the HAL ships have the solarium?

We loved the Noordam, she is a beauty and we never felt the least bit crowded. And the food was better by a wide margin IMO than Century.

 

Enjoy!

 

We are going on Century next week (main reason as you noted above - the nicest ship (upper end of the Mass Market lines) we could find with a 5 night itinerary - we were originally looking at taking my stepdaughter and her friend to Disney World. Than I found this short cruise). We love HAL, had a geat time on the Westerdam last year (which is our largest ship to date) and going on the Noordam in July. Love the Veendam and she is doing the Western Carribean at the same time. But thought we'd try Celebrity for a new experiance. Btw, Veendam is sold out next week and even the best rates were double what we are paying on Celebrity (partly because of the shorter itinerary). Can't beat the teenagers in their own inside cabin at about $300.00pp. Will be interesting to compare. Any Carribean cruise is better than being where there is snow right now.

Any Carribean cruise is better than being where there is snow right now.

You can say that again! :D I am sitting here with freezing feet. The temp is 35 (got down to 18 last night). How I would love to have my feet hanging off that lounge chair in 80 degree weather again.:( Did I mention that we spent most of Key West on the upper deck of the ship and all of Grand Cayman day and also the sea days? We got up on top deck around 10:00 a.m. and didn't go inside until 5:00, with the exception of a lunch and bathroom break. Wonderful!

 

BTW - The lounge chairs were all taken by noon on sea day. On the port days, we practically had the ship to ourselves. :)

 

I got a look at the Inside cabins and they are very roomy. They actually have more room from bathroom to bed for dressing than the CC, which had a little narrow closet hall. As I mentioned before, you had to go to the other side of the bed to dress. I had read that the dressing table was really narrow and not efficient, but I thought it was perfectly sized, with plenty of drawer space.

Did I mention that we spent most of Key West on the upper deck of the ship and all of Grand Cayman day and also the sea days?

 

I got a look at the Inside cabins and they are very roomy. They actually have more room from bathroom to bed for dressing than the CC, which had a little narrow closet hall. As I mentioned before, you had to go to the other side of the bed to dress. I had read that the dressing table was really narrow and not efficient, but I thought it was perfectly sized, with plenty of drawer space.

 

It sounds like you never left the ship. I am looking forward to Grand Cayman since I have not been there.

 

As far as the cabins, based on size, HAL Vista class Verandahs cabins will be larger than Century CC. Almost all cabins on HAL have tubs. We never really used the Verandah in the Med last year as that cruise is so port intensive. But, I do like going out there in the am to take pictures. Now that I had a VA, I want another one as I like the deck location on HAL. The SS and SY are a lot bigger based on the photos, but it depends if you are going to use them as the cost can be double.

 

I will check out the top deck. Is that where the jogging track is located?

We stood on the very top deck (jogging deck) for sailaway and the deck above the pool for sunning.

 

Grand Cayman is nice, but after visiting there about 4 times, we didn't need to go back on shore. Hope you are doing the stingray excursion!

 

I meant to go check out the square footage of the two staterooms for comparison. I'll do that now. I have stayed in an SS before and they are really nice with the second sink. Something I think we need. The bathroom on the Century was pretty snug (smaller than I anticipated) however, it did have a larger shower than most.

Grand Cayman is nice, but after visiting there about 4 times, we didn't need to go back on shore. Hope you are doing the stingray excursion!

 

.

 

If all goes as planned, we are scheduled to do Celebritys stingray excursion (nice & short) with an 8:45am departure and back at the tender dock at 11:15am. Than a cab to the QEII botanic park and a private tour of the Iguana Recovery Program.

 

I wish I could find someone on Celebritys stingray excursion to get an idea if they have been running on schedule. I also can't seem to find which tour company they use to Stingray city. Any idea?

So, what was the gift they gave you in exchange for the fuel surcharge? There was supposed to be a free logo item per cabin.

Hi,:) sorry to read you had a less than stellar time.:(

And really sorry to read about your fellow cruisers across the hall

from you. Very annoying, it sure sounds like it.

 

I love the size of her...maybe its because Century is the first

ship I sailed in the Celebrity fleet and I fell in love with cruising

on her.

I always thought the M class would be way too big for me. Glad

I was wrong about that too~my biggest problem...I love all

the ships I have sailed;)

 

Hopefully your next cruise will be better......it sounds like

it was not a great 4 days for you. So sorry.

Stateroom sizes:

 

Celebrity Century CC - Approximately 175-sq.-ft. stateroom. 42-sq.-ft. veranda.

 

HAL Noordam VF - Approximately 254 square feet including balcony. Hopefully, the extra room is in the width.

 

I forgot to tell you that I took a photo of your stateroom balcony for you. I just have to figure out how to upload to the computer and hopefully the photo turned out OK. New camera. :o

 

 

The excursions ran late on our cruise, because the tenders had trouble getting people off the ship. Many people complaining about ships tours being rushed and cut short. The funny thing was that the water didn't look bad at all, but the Captain said there were large swells. :rolleyes: Most people thought that there were not enough tenders for all the passengers.

 

MisterBill99 - I didn't know about that, but we did receive two types of beach bags. The flimsy cloth bag was delivered the first night and a really nice canvas bag on the last night. I wondered why we received two types. We also r4eceived the leather card holders which I enjoyed using.

 

Another plus for the CC was the lotions, body gel and shampoos. Loved the fragrance!

 

Lois - I believe I said we had a wonderful cruise, not "less than stellar time." Some things just weren't as stellar as we had hoped. ;) Also, we were on a 5 night.

 

I forgot to tell you that I took a photo of your stateroom balcony for you. I just have to figure out how to upload to the computer and hopefully the photo turned out OK. New camera. :o

 

The excursions ran late on our cruise, because the tenders had trouble getting people off the ship. Many people complaining about ships tours being rushed and cut short. The funny thing was that the water didn't look bad at all, but the Captain said there were large swells. :rolleyes: Most people thought that there were not enough tenders for all the passengers.

 

 

Another plus for the CC was the lotions, body gel and shampoos. Loved the fragrance!

 

quote]

 

Did you get both Elemis shampoo and Conditioner? What about the sharp shower gel (mint scent?). I saved some shower gel from Westerdam last year (my fav Elemis product). I am trying to figure out what we need to bring, if anything?

sounds like you were totally miserable--------so sorry---------

did you not know the size of your CC room before you left??????

or that the balcony was only 39 square feet???--------I would certainly know that before I booked

Food----really sorry to hear that-----now that can disappoint on a short cruise

maybe you'll have a better one next time---I hope so---good luck

CIAO

 

Hmm, Op said she "Just returned Saturday night from a wonderful and relaxing cruise onboard the Century" Why do you think she was "totally miserable"?

My mistake, in between the less than stellar food and small size,

glad you had a wonderful time:)

Did you get both Elemis shampoo and Conditioner? What about the sharp shower gel (mint scent?). I saved some shower gel from Westerdam last year (my fav Elemis product). I am trying to figure out what we need to bring, if anything?

 

No, it was a special blend made especially for Celebrity. I just looked and there is no other name or fragrance name on the bottles. There was the lotion and a shampoo/conditioner combo. I used my own shampoo and conditioner. The shower gel was the same fragrance.

They used to have a shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. It seems they now have a shampoo/conditioner combo and a lotion. They are both a neutral fragrance. If you want the shrp shower you can purchase it in the spa or online at elemis.

 

As for the experience of these short cruises, Sea Island Lady seems to have had a similar experience to mine. She did also mention a rowdier crowd which was my take also ( booze cruise ).

 

I think for those of us who have sailed alot or a lot on X find this NOT your typical experience, but a cliff notes version of it.

 

We did have an OK time on our trip even with all of the discrepancies, but for us it was FAR from what we expected and what we have become accustomed to.

 

Dave:eek:

They used to have a shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. It seems they now have a shampoo/conditioner combo and a lotion. They are both a neutral fragrance. If you want the shrp shower you can purchase it in the spa or online at elemis.

 

 

Dave:eek:

 

Last time I checked on HAL is was $27.00 (or was it $37.00?) for a bottle of Elemis sharp shower gel that my daughter would have gone though in a week. I guess I'll pack a couple of mini bottles from home :)

 

It will be interesting to get a teenage perspective. I am bringing two that have never been on a cruise before.

 

Btw, on our date those Sky Suites went as high as $1,700.00pp (5 night) before they sold out a few weeks ago. So, I still think expectations and overall experiance can depend on whether one is paying $1,700.00 (SS) vs. $300.00 (inside) for the cruise. Then there are others who grabbed a SS for $800.00pp and CC for $650.00pp. I have never seen so many fluxuating prices on any cruise ever. More than some airlines.

 

You are going on Galaxy next? Is that before or after drydock?

 

Sea Island received a shower gel and you did not get one? Does that have to do with cabin category or are they just that inconsistant?

The shower gel is in a dispenser mounted in the shower...no bottle.

 

bububr - I really wouldn't call the cruise a booze cruise. I am not sure of the couple across from us, but the other rowdy passengers were with that insurance group I mentioned.

 

Many of the passengers were elderly...lots of wheelchairs, scooters, canes, walkers and slow passengers. There were also young adults, the 50 to 60 group, some teens and some children. There seemed to be many small groups of couples and single women, versus those that were traveling as a couple. There also seemed to be many gay men on this cruise.

If all goes as planned, we are scheduled to do Celebritys stingray excursion (nice & short) with an 8:45am departure and back at the tender dock at 11:15am. Than a cab to the QEII botanic park and a private tour of the Iguana Recovery Program.

 

I wish I could find someone on Celebritys stingray excursion to get an idea if they have been running on schedule. I also can't seem to find which tour company they use to Stingray city. Any idea?

 

We did the stingray excursion... Having an early excursion, we were in the first group to leave the ship... It was a challenge to get on the tenders due to the bouncing with the choppy water however, it sounds like we were lucky as the others behind us were delayed getting off... I'd be sure to have an early breakfast and head to shore as soon as they begin to avoid the issues others faced.

 

Our excursion was right on time, We took a bus ride out to where we got on the boat. We had Captain Carl.... I don't recall the name of his group but they did give me a card (which is downstairs) so I'll look at it tomorrow and post it here for you. I do recommend going on the excursion, the boat ride out is relaxing, the swim is interesting.... I do think I prefer my fish on a plate rather than swimming between my legs and running into you. Initially, I wasn't too excited with the stingrays mostly due to the number coming at me at once, after I realized they had put the bait behind me I moved away from where they had bait it was much better. I did upload photos from the cruise to my husbands myspace, I'll open it to the public for a few days so you can watch the slideshow... just scroll down on the page and you'll see it. http://www.myspace.com/stephenpaulgraham

 

They video your excursion and you can purchase a copy of the DVD for 30.00. They also offer a DVD of jpegs you can purchase that has 5 photos of your experience as well as several jpegs of the coral gardens and a variety of Grand Cayman memories about 70 photos in all. It's another 30.00. I have our 5 individual photos on the slideshow so you can see what type of photos they'll take.