Review of Zenith to Bermuda

[cruzeluvr]

About us –

 

We are in our early 50’s with and have been on 12 previous cruises. This was our third cruise on Celebrity, and the second on Zenith. This was our 5th trip to Bermuda.

 

 

Getting there and embarkation -

 

We sailed out of Cape Liberty, Bayonne NJ, which is about a 30 minute drive from our house on the south shore of Staten Island. We arrived at the terminal about 12:30 PM and were on board by 1:00 PM. No traffic, no delays – a real smooth beginning! Parking at the terminal was $84 for the week. We had lunch at the Wind Surf buffet and then went off to reacquaint ourselves with the ship.

 

 

The ship & the cruise -

 

 

Our cabin-

 

This cruise was a last minute, spur of the moment decision and we booked an inside Category 12 guarantee. We were assigned a Category 9 cabin on Deck 6 (# 6079). It was nice to feel that we were upgraded. The location, mid-ship on Deck 6, was excellent. However, this was the first time we ever had an inside cabin and I must confess, I felt as though I was in a closet. The cabin itself seemed awfully small and we did not care for the layout. We always seemed to be bumping into each other and could not see the TV while laying in the bed. On a positive note, closet and drawer space was adequate for the two of us.

 

 

Our cabin steward was superb! One of the best we’ve ever had. It seemed as though he cleaned and made up the room within minutes after we left it.

 

 

Dining room food and service -

 

Food is a very subjective thing, but I thought the dining room food was generally very good. Our waiter was new (his first cruise as a waiter) and he tried very hard to please everyone. I would give him a B+ for actual service and an A+ for effort. He had difficulty remembering what everyone ordered and our table always seemed to be the last one being served each course. But he was very personable and friendly and kept asking if everything was ok and if anyone needed or wanted anything else. The assistant waiter seemed to be in his own little world and was consistently about 10 minutes behind the waiter with salad dressing, sauces, freshly ground pepper, etc. Our maitre d’ also came by every night to make sure we were satisfied with everything.

 

 

On the second formal night we were invited to dine at the Captain’s table. This was quite an experience! The maitre d’s took turns serving us and the wine glasses were never empty. There were four couples (including us) at the table and each of the ladies received a rose after dinner. A photographer also took a table picture and each couple was given a copy.

 

 

Lido deck food and service –

 

The Wind Surf buffet was good and there was enough variety that we always found something appealing. We had breakfast there almost every morning. For lunch or a snack the burgers and pizza were always very good. It was never too crowded and there was always a waiter waiting to carry your tray to a table.

 

 

Cruise activities –

 

There were the usual activities scheduled throughout the week, but unfortunately some of the outdoor activities had to be cancelled or moved indoors because of the weather.

 

 

We were invited to several special events for Select and Elite level Captain’s Club members – a special cocktail party, an elegant high tea, and a wine blending seminar. Since Celebrity and Royal Caribbean now cross reference their data bases, our Platinum Crown & Anchor status on Royal Caribbean raised our Celebrity Captain’s Club status to Select.

 

 

Entertainment –

 

The entertainment in the lounges was great! We especially enjoyed the entertainment in the Rendez-Vous lounge and the Fleet Bar and that is where we spent most of our time when we wanted entertainment.

 

 

The show lounge entertainment was ok, but nothing exceptional. The Broadway revue was very good, but we didn’t particularly care for the other production shows. The individual acts were varied, but nothing to write home about. The comedian, Joe Mulligan, we had seen before and we enjoyed his act. The xylophonist we could have done without. The singer had a great voice and specialized in 1950’s songs. Unfortunately he had a weird selection of songs and he could have been so much better with a different repertoire.

 

 

The poolside band . . . (how to say this nicely?) . . . was not too good. We didn’t care for their selection of music or their singing voices.

 

 

Fellow passengers –

 

We had a pretty nice group of passengers and everyone we talked to was really friendly. The demographics were very different from our previous Bermuda cruises, which were in the summer. There seemed to be an abundance of older people 65+, and 30-somethings with children (lots of rugrats), not too many folks in our age group.

 

 

 

The ports –

 

Hamilton, Bermuda – We arrived 3 hours late (noon instead of 9AM) because of the storm and strong headwinds we had to sail through. From the time we sailed on Saturday afternoon and for most of the day on Sunday we were in a storm with a lot of rain and wind, and the ship was really rocking & rolling. A lot of people were seasick (fortunately not us). By the time we arrived in Bermuda, the sun was out and we took a taxi to Horseshoe Bay. The beach was as pretty as ever and was not nearly as crowded as when we’ve been there in the summer. The water was a little too cold to our liking, but once you got in it wasn’t too bad.

 

 

The next day I stayed on board (fighting a cold) and spent most of the day laying out in the sun on the pool deck while my DW went shopping on shore. Trimingham’s is going out of business, but there did not seem to be any bargains.

 

 

St. George, Bermuda – We bought a 1 day bus and ferry pass and decided to ride around the island for the day. We wound up back in Hamilton and from there we took the ferry (took the longer scenic route) to the Dockyard, aka Kings Wharf. Revisiting the Dockyard confirmed my feelings that this is a nice place to visit for a few hours but I definitely would not want to be docked there. After some browsing around the shops and sights, we stopped for some lunch and headed back to Hamilton to get a bus back to St. George. We wound up getting back to Hamilton about the time school let out, and there were quite a few school children riding the bus to go home. They were so polite and well behaved!

 

 

We woke up to more rain on Thursday morning, but still set out for some last minute shopping. The ship departed St. George on time at 3PM and everyone was hoping for smoother sailing on the way home. Fortunately it was a much smoother trip.

 

 

Debarkation –

 

Debarkation went very smoothly. Everyone was assigned a lounge to go to at a particular time based upon the color of their debarkation luggage tags. There were no general shipwide announcements calling colors to get off the ship – only announcements in the respective lounges. We had priority debarkation and were one of the earliest groups to get off. The shuttle bus took us to the terminal and we found our luggage immediately. A porter was waiting for us and he took the luggage out to the pick up area. My DW waited with the luggage while I went for the car. Five minutes later we were on the way home.

 

 

Summary -

 

Despite the weather and the inside cabin, we had a great time and would love to sail on Zenith to Bermuda again.:)

[mahdnc]

Thanks for the well written review.....

[karen_cpa]

Thank you for the review.

 

Would you happen to know what time embarkation started? We are from Long Island, so it's about 1 hour door to door to Bayonne.

 

Thank you.

 

Karen

[catmommy]

About us–

 

We are in our early 50’s with and have been on 12 previous cruises. This was our third cruise on Celebrity, and the second on Zenith. This was our 5th trip to Bermuda.

 

 

 

Getting there and embarkation -

 

[snip]

 

The ship & the cruise -

 

Our cabin-

 

This cruise was a last minute, spur of the moment decision and we booked an inside Category 12 guarantee. We were assigned a Category 9 cabin on Deck 6 (# 6079). It was nice to feel that we were upgraded. The location, mid-ship on Deck 6, was excellent. However, this was the first time we ever had an inside cabin and I must confess, I felt as though I was in a closet. The cabin itself seemed awfully small and we did not care for the layout. We always seemed to be bumping into each other and could not see the TV while laying in the bed. On a positive note, closet and drawer space was adequate for the two of us.

 

 

 

Our cabin steward was superb! One of the best we’ve ever had. It seemed as though he cleaned and made up the room within minutes after we left it.

 

Wow. I was really looking forward to seeing reviews of this sailing; we are heading out on May 28.

 

And I'm even more interested since you have the cabin we are assigned!:D:D

 

What about the layout didn't you like? Can the bed be converted to a double/queen? We've only had inside cabins so I don't think the size will get to us; we don't know any better. Mostly we use the room to sleep and change.

 

And what was the condition of the room? I hope we have the same steward you did.

 

Our cabin last year on the NCL Crown had two single beds. When we asked to have it changed our steward told us we really wouldn't like the room this way since we wouldn't really be able to move around. So we had twin beds for the cruise. DH claims I planned it but I point out that he booked the trip and handled all of the arrangements.

Dining room food and service -

 

Food is a very subjective thing, but I thought the dining room food was generally very good. Our waiter was new (his first cruise as a waiter) and he tried very hard to please everyone. I would give him a B+ for actual service and an A+ for effort. He had difficulty remembering what everyone ordered and our table always seemed to be the last one being served each course. But he was very personable and friendly and kept asking if everything was ok and if anyone needed or wanted anything else. The assistant waiter seemed to be in his own little world and was consistently about 10 minutes behind the waiter with salad dressing, sauces, freshly ground pepper, etc. Our maitre d’ also came by every night to make sure we were satisfied with everything.

 

What seating did you have? DH and I have decided on late so that we can spend more time on the beach. This will be our second trip to Bermuda and we decided to make this a mostly beach vacation.

 

On the second formal night we were invited to dine at the Captain’s table.

[snip]

That sounded really fun. I can only hope to take more cruises and get to that point.

 

Lido deck food and service –

 

The Wind Surf buffet was good and there was enough variety that we always found something appealing. We had breakfast there almost every morning. For lunch or a snack the burgers and pizza were always very good. It was never too crowded and there was always a waiter waiting to carry your tray to a table.

 

Did you ever eat breakfast in the dining room? What about lunch? I'm not really a buffet person but I am not sure if items like the fresh waffles are available in the dining room too.

 

Did you eat lunch on the ship or just eat on the island?

Cruise activities –

 

There were the usual activities scheduled throughout the week, but unfortunately some of the outdoor activities had to be cancelled or moved indoors because of the weather.

[snip]

 

Entertainment –

 

The entertainment in the lounges was great! We especially enjoyed the entertainment in the Rendez-Vous lounge and the Fleet Bar and that is where we spent most of our time when we wanted entertainment.

 

 

 

The show lounge entertainment was ok, but nothing exceptional. The Broadway revue was very good, but we didn’t particularly care for the other production shows. The individual acts were varied, but nothing to write home about. The comedian, Joe Mulligan, we had seen before and we enjoyed his act. The xylophonist we could have done without. The singer had a great voice and specialized in 1950’s songs. Unfortunately he had a weird selection of songs and he could have been so much better with a different repertoire.

 

 

 

The poolside band . . . (how to say this nicely?) . . . was not too good. We didn’t care for their selection of music or their singing voices.

 

 

 

Fellow passengers –

 

We had a pretty nice group of passengers and everyone we talked to was really friendly. The demographics were very different from our previous Bermuda cruises, which were in the summer. There seemed to be an abundance of older people 65+, and 30-somethings with children (lots of rugrats), not too many folks in our age group.

I wonder what our group will be like. It is kind of early for school to be over and relativly early in the season for Bermuda, correct?

 

 

 

The ports –

 

Hamilton, Bermuda

 

St. George, Bermuda

[snip]

 

We used the buses as well and found them really good for getting around. DH, who has ridden motorcycles all his life, wants to rent a scooter. :(

 

Debarkation –

 

Debarkation went very smoothly. Everyone was assigned a lounge to go to at a particular time based upon the color of their debarkation luggage tags. There were no general shipwide announcements calling colors to get off the ship – only announcements in the respective lounges. We had priority debarkation and were one of the earliest groups to get off. The shuttle bus took us to the terminal and we found our luggage immediately. A porter was waiting for us and he took the luggage out to the pick up area. My DW waited with the luggage while I went for the car. Five minutes later we were on the way home.

 

Good to hear this. From what I had heard Port Liberty was a problem on some trips.

Summary -

 

Despite the weather and the inside cabin, we had a great time and would love to sail on Zenith to Bermuda again.:)

 

Thanks for the excellent review!

 

Calm seas,

Caroline

[Vic The Parrot]

Thanks Charlie

 

 

Reading your review made me start looking forward to my next Bermuda cruise on Zenith! Won't happen til next year, but still...

 

:)

 

 

 

PS....

 

 

Trimmies is REALLY going out of business????

How sad ... it's an island institution with great heritage.

It'll be missed!

 

 

:(

[Barbie1]

Thanks cruzeluver for your review...

 

We have a cabin on Deck 6 too, we have a OV cabin, midship, just a few away from the cabin you had. We are a family of 4, and will be sailing on June 25th.

 

Glad you liked the Rendez-vous lounge and the Fleet Bar. It's nice to have a place you enjoy to hang out in. We were on the RC Navigator last year and we really loved the Two Poets Pub on the Promenade deck.

 

Did you get off the ship at night???

 

thanks, Barb

[signman]

Did you go into Michaels Club? Is there a piano player there in the evenings? If no firsthand experience, what does the daily program say, if you still have it? Thanks.

[cruzeluvr]

Wow. I was really looking forward to seeing reviews of this sailing; we are heading out on May 28.

 

And I'm even more interested since you have the cabin we are assigned!:D:D

 

What about the layout didn't you like? Can the bed be converted to a double/queen? We've only had inside cabins so I don't think the size will get to us; we don't know any better. Mostly we use the room to sleep and change.

 

And what was the condition of the room? I hope we have the same steward you did.

 

Our cabin last year on the NCL Crown had two single beds. When we asked to have it changed our steward told us we really wouldn't like the room this way since we wouldn't really be able to move around. So we had twin beds for the cruise. DH claims I planned it but I point out that he booked the trip and handled all of the arrangements.

The cabin had a double bed and there was just enough room to walk around it. The TV was alongside the headboard, so you had to lay on your side if you wanted to watch it from the bed. This was the first time we had an inside cabin and I did miss the window.

 

What seating did you have? DH and I have decided on late so that we can spend more time on the beach. This will be our second trip to Bermuda and we decided to make this a mostly beach vacation.

We had second seating, for the same reason - to spend more time on shore and not feel rushed to get back to the ship.

 

Did you ever eat breakfast in the dining room? What about lunch? I'm not really a buffet person but I am not sure if items like the fresh waffles are available in the dining room too.

 

Did you eat lunch on the ship or just eat on the island?

We had breakfast in the dining room twice - the first morning & the last. Had eggs both times. There is an omelet station at the buffet, if you want to have a custom made omelet.

We had lunch on the ship every day except Wednesday when we ate at the Dockyard.

I wonder what our group will be like. It is kind of early for school to be over and relativly early in the season for Bermuda, correct?

This was the first Bermuda cruise of the season, and the NYC public schools were off this week for their Spring break. When you go at the end of May, it will still be early in the season, but most schools are still in session.

 

We used the buses as well and found them really good for getting around. DH, who has ridden motorcycles all his life, wants to rent a scooter. :(

Just be careful - there was a 40-ish couple on our cruise who rented a scooter, had an accident and got pretty banged up. he was walking around with an air cast the rest of the cruise & her arm was in a sling.:(

[cruzeluvr]

Would you happen to know what time embarkation started? We are from Long Island, so it's about 1 hour door to door to Bayonne.

Not sure what time it started. We arrived about 12:30 and people were already on board.

[cruzeluvr]

Reading your review made me start looking forward to my next Bermuda cruise on Zenith! Won't happen til next year, but still...

 

:)

 

PS....

Trimmies is REALLY going out of business????

How sad ... it's an island institution with great heritage.

It'll be missed!:(

Yes, it is sad. The going out of business signs are in their store windows at all their locations around the island. They wil be gone by the end of this cruise season.:(

[cruzeluvr]

Did you get off the ship at night???

We got off one night in Hamilton, but the season had not "officially" started yet so everything was closed. They rolled up the streets by 5:30 - 6:00. Harbor nights don't start until May. We just got off to take a stroll around 11:00 PM. We did see some of the crew getting off around midnight - said they were going to a club.

One discouraging thing we did notice for the first time ever in Bermuda - homeless people. There were a few sleeping on the benches near the ferry terminal and one who followed us up the escalator at the ship terminal begging for money. Security made him leave.

[cruzeluvr]

Did you go into Michaels Club? Is there a piano player there in the evenings? If no firsthand experience, what does the daily program say, if you still have it? Thanks.

Didn't go to Michaels Club - but I'll check to see if we still have the daily programs stashed somewhere in our luggage.

[DENNAS]

I hear you can get YUMMY home-made waffles, in the very front or back? of the ship... did you have them? HOW WERE THEY ?

Any "great dinners" that we shouldn't miss... or appetizers.. or desserts?

Thanks !

[GoVolsTB]

Cruzeluver.......who was the CD on your cruise? Was it Francois?

[cruzeluvr]

Cruzeluver.......who was the CD on your cruise? Was it Francois?

Our CD was Donelle Davis. Very personable, not the best we've had, but far from the worst.

[cruzeluvr]

I hear you can get YUMMY home-made waffles, in the very front or back? of the ship... did you have them? HOW WERE THEY ?

Any "great dinners" that we shouldn't miss... or appetizers.. or desserts?

Thanks !

I saw waffles in the Wind Surf cafe at the back of the pool deck but didn't try them.

As for "great dinners" I enjoyed them all. My favorite appetizer was escargots. Favorite desserts - Tiramisu, all the chocolate desserts (yes I had them all), and an apple crepe.

[LADodger99]

I was on this cruise as well and Harbour Nights did start the week we were there. The Zenith docked in St. George Wednesday morning. I took a bus back to Hamilton that evening to see the performance in the streets. All I can say is WOW!!! Don't miss the Gombey Dancers!!

[DENNAS]

cruzeluvr, glad I asked, reading your response makes me hungry and I love chocolate !!

Ladodger99, we'd love to go to Harbor Nights, we're going to try to get over there. Do you remember what bus number? I wonder how much a cab would be, oh how long was the bus ride?

[Barbie1]

Do buses run at night??? if so till about what time???

[cruzeluvr]

cruzeluvr, glad I asked, reading your response makes me hungry and I love chocolate !!

Ladodger99, we'd love to go to Harbor Nights, we're going to try to get over there. Do you remember what bus number? I wonder how much a cab would be, oh how long was the bus ride?

 

Do buses run at night??? if so till about what time???

 

There are several bus routes between Hamilton & St. George. We rode on both #10 & #11. I think they run until about 9:00 PM. Here is a link to the bus routes and schedules.

http://www.bermudayp.com/islp-busschedule.html

 

You can pick up a current bus schedule and map where you buy the bus/ferry passes.

[Swizzle v2.0]

Buses stop running at different times depending on the route and what day it is (especially Sunday). The #10/11 runs until 11:45pm Monday-Saturday but only once an hour from 9:45 on.

[DENNAS]

Appreciate all the info.

Swizzle, you are a great BERMUDA contact. I enjoy reading your threads on the Bermuda site.

Denise

[Treacher1]

Silly question - is Donelle the cruise director - male of female. Will this CD be on the whole summer - we are going in June:)

Thanks

[Jeanne S]

Thanks for the review. Hope there will be something left for us at Trimmnighams this summer and fall. We love those pumpkin colored bags. You mentioned "High Tea." I was not aware Celebirty served High Tea, was this a supper like tea? In Bermuda and on Celebrity, Afternoon Tea is usually served, although we did not go to a Captain's Club special tea.

 

So we can except our RCCL Crown and Anchor to be credited to Capain's Club and vice versa?

[Leela]

I don't recall them using the term "High Tea" when I was on Horizon a couple of weeks ago. They were calling it "Elegant Tea" to indicate to people that they needed to put on something other than shorts and jeans to attend. I've been to "Elegant Teas" on both Century and Horizon, and in both cases they were held in the main dining room at 4pm. Waiters wore white gloves and brought around trays of canapes and little sandwiches, and little carts with pastries, cakes, cookies, and scones. The scones are nice, but they serve whipped cream rather than clotted cream. The pasteries are excellent, my favorite was a soft cookie/firm cake that was filled with pistachio creme and covered with white icing, with a single pistachio on top. MMMMmmmmm.

 

The tea was Stash brand tea, in bags. Nothing special (it's the brand I buy at home), but the sandwiches and pasteries more than make up for it.

 

I'd definitely say it was more of a "snacky" tea than a "supper" tea. In the US people tend to mistakenly call fancy teas "high" teas, thinking that "high" means "formal", and not knowing that in the UK a "high" tea really means something more like a light and informal dinner or "supper."