Live From The Decks of The Century Hawaii 11/21/13/to 12/6/13

[tuggers]

Century Hawaii 11/21/13 to 12/6/13

Day 15

As I suspected, I didn’t sleep well so I went up to deck 6 around 5 AM to check the airlines websites for weather updates. After the fiasco with printing boarding passes we (all of us up there having problems) were assured that all the minutes we used had been added back on. Which would have put the account back to 90 minutes. We had saved Roger’s unused account just for the boarding passes and checking the weather. Imagine my surprise when I was informed, via computer screen, that there was only 28 minutes left on the account. Luckily, I was able to get the info I needed in 25 minutes. At least the weather conditions weren’t worse than when we checked in the afternoon before. Charlotte still gave me a chance of getting out of there and into Jacksonville and DC looked really iffy.

No sense trying to go back to sleep so I got everything out of my room and went up to the Hemisphere. Nice to sit looking out the windows watching San Diego come alive. Cil and Roger met me up there at 7. We left our bags as that was our departure lounge and went to the dining room for breakfast.

We were seated promptly but it was a while before our order was taken. I’m sure their staff was dealing with immigration. I had a little oatmeal and two over medium eggs which were correctly cooked and very good. By the time we left the dining room it was almost 8 and elevators were already at a premium.

Back at the Hemisphere our friends came to our regular table after their breakfasts. There were lots of people but we finally managed to get 7 chairs.

I think they called the self carry people about 8:15. Not to begin disembarking but to be on deck 6 so they could get off as soon as possible. You can count on the fact that you will NEVER find me in this group. I just can’t wrap my mind around the idea of taking a cruise, being all relaxed and then having to SCHLEP my own bags off the ship! These folks are NUTS! JMHO, of course.

We were Green 3 which should have put us right after the 'nuts'. Not happening. Now understand that we had been told to meet there and they would have wheelchairs and ‘pushers’. I had brought a wheelchair to the Hemisphere. It was one they had left for me to use when my knee was bad. Cil definitely needs one and Roger does, too. I was ok if there was not a lot of standing. By 9:35 poor Jonette had only been able to get one wheelchair and pusher. And people were giving her a hard time.

We decided we would put Cil in the chair. Jonette had one person who could push. Finally got an elevator and down to deck 3 we went. Get down there, are you ready for this, the guy had no ship’s ID. He couldn’t leave the ship! He was activities staff. Shouldn't he know to carry his ships card? Someone else in a uniform steps up and says I can push her. We walk down the gangway, across a paved area and he says ‘this is as far as I can go’. HUH? Now what are we supposed to do? Right, Roger has to deal with carry ons (which he should not be doing) and I push Cil a pretty long way to luggage. Then I stand in line for a porter (remember I said I can do this if there is not much standing?). Let me tell you, there is a lot of standing!

Once we get a porter we have to stand in the ICE line. Where’s the handicap line? Oh, we don’t have one of those. And only two people checking forms and ID.

We get up for our turn and he says ‘where’s your passport’? I was ready to lose it about that time! I told him that I had asked no less than three people ‘do we need a driver’s license or passport?’ All said DL. In fact everyone one said DL EXCEPT THE ICE GUY! Who then started to tell me that he doesn’t know why the ship keeps telling people this and asks where my PP is. I pointed to our small mountain on luggage on the porters cart about 25 feet away. He looks over there and then says to me ‘oh just go on’. After I told him Cil and Roger had been told the same thing I was I got the heck out of there.

So make a note to self: No matter what you are told, keep your passport on your person! Funny thing is I always do but dealing with the wheelchair and all that mess had me wanting to put everything on that cart and let someone else carry it!

Outside our porter took us to the taxi line, arranged for a van (3 people and luggage is too much for a car) and unloaded our bags.

Cab took about 5 minutes and another 15 to airport. Taxi and tip was $20. Thankfully United and US Air has their outdoor check-in right next to each other.

We stayed together through security and then went to different concourses. That’s the last I saw or heard from them until Saturday. I was saying a prayer for them to not get stuck in DC.

This trip I got tagged both ways for TSA PRE-CHECK. Was that ever nice! No hand pat down, no computer out of bag, no quart bag out, no shoes off! All they do is swab your palms for explosive residue and send you on your way! HUGE timesaver!

My first flight announced that there would be an hour of turbulence and meal service might be late. With no turbulence at all we were soon eating and drinking. The entire flight was smooth until the last 30 minutes. I had gone to the bathroom. As soon as I locked the door they announced to return to your seats and buckle up. Now while I would hate to be the one they pulled from the potty after a crash, I decided to throw caution to the wind and use the thing before I went back to my seat.

We actually arrived in Charlotte 46 minutes early. Only problem was they had no gate for us. So we spent a good portion of that 46 minutes on the tarmack waiting.

But I had made it to Charlotte! Now to get to Jacksonville.

For 8 PM the airport was pretty deserted. One lady I talked too had been there all day trying to get to Jacksonville. She had been set for 4 flights but they all had been canceled. That made me a little nervous but I could always spend the night. That was my Plan B. And it did not include sitting in a terminal all night.

Luck must have been with me because I got on my plane to Jacksonville on time! Would have loved to have had a real drink like everyone else was but I would still have 130 miles to drive home. So I made do with Diet Coke.

Luggage was a little late coming but my two bags were the first off. Again my luck was holding. My shuttle was there within 5 minutes of my call and I was on I10 sometime after 10.

I stopped once for a drive through dinner but that was it. Didn’t even stop for gas so I pulled into my driveway on fumes. The last 30 minutes was rough because I was REALLY getting tired.

 

When I walked through the door and saw how happy my babies were to see me I just couldn’t go right to bed! I stayed up with them until about 3 AM. After letting them out one last time we all went to bed. No one, including me, moved until noon!

Bye For Now!

Edited December 8, 2013 by tuggers

[LuAnn]

you made it home ok!!! I was really worried you would miss your flight!!! And Cil and Roger??? KK is getting ready to call Roger as soon as the game is over!!!

 

It was so much fun meeting you and sharing this cruise!!! And Cil and Roger and our other CC buddies were such a delight!!! We so hope we can sail again...together!!!

 

I'm sure your "babies" were just has happy to see you as our "Stewie" was! Hard to believe we are well into the holidays now....just put up the "basics"...as we are going up to the mountains for Xmas and so don't do the tree etc thing...just some nice wreaths etc.

 

Welcome home, friend. So glad you made the cruise and we had the chance to share so many fond memories. Let me know how the doc call goes with that "bum" knee, ok? LuAnn

[cbmorg]

Yes, they still have coin machines. They are the last ones in the fleet and are to be changed out during the drydock. :)

 

I enjoyed those "old school" type slot machines...I like when you can look at the win line and tell if you got something...

 

BTW, Tuggers, I have your $$$ from the slot pull. LuAnn has my email address, so please get in touch and I'll send you a check (only $8.00, unfortunately!)

 

Cheryl

[tuggers]

After I was up so late (I actually never made it to bed till 5 AM!) we all slept in until 11! Put the coffee on and took the little guy out the front door. He won't go out the back door to the fenced yard with the other guys. He's new and every time I try to discipline him I look at that face and he's so damned cute...:rolleyes:

My neighbors were outside decorating so I talked to them for a while. Went back in to find my coffee waiting but turned off. Seems my pot had one last brew in it and it was gone. Clock wasn't working. Couldn't get any buttons to do anything so I guess it's toast! I hate it because its built in under my cabinets. Guess it'll have to come down. Bummer!

The cruise was great. Met some wonderful people. That's you LuAnn, Ken, Patricia and Tim! And had a lot of fun!

The staff and crew of Century were wonderful and I love the size of the ship. Unfortunately, the food was not always up to Celebrity standards. That was a major downer.

I was told that the 'new' chef was onboard and working with the current chef. Which puzzles me because does that mean that the new guy was learning bad habits from the current one or was he brought in because of previous complaints? I have friends who were on two cruises ago and they also found the food lacking. Hopefully the new chef is great and was brought in to make improvements. I wish it had happened a little faster so our cruise could have benefitted.

In our small group of seven (4 cabins) two cabins on deck ten had plumbing problems. 1044 had several problems over two or three days and they were eventually moved down the hall. The other cabin (sorry, I don't have the number) only had a problem on day 14. They were not moved so they may have fixed their problem. But, like 1044, when they came to fix it they did not clean. Left soiled towels, etc in the bathroom. YUCK!

I had cabin 1042 and can vouch for the fact that you could hang meat in there! I had it COLD!! :D

Never heard about any other problems of that type so those two could have been isolated incidents. If anyone was onboard and had a plumbing problem maybe they will post.

I had a problem with the shops that I didn't put in my other posts. I bought two of the decorated ladies tops and got normal sizes. When I realized that they ran VERY large I went back to swap them out for the exact same items in a smaller size. I had my receipt. I was told that in order to exchange them I would need to go to Guest Relations, have a printout made and bring it back so they could see if I had really paid for them. HUH????

So I went down and got the printout even though I didn't feel it was any of their business what else I had spent my money on. I was in a hurry to meet everyone at the Martini Bar.

When I got back to the shop the original sales person had to call someone else to do the exchange. Weird, but like I said I was in a hurry. When this person came she said they would have to refund the original and charge me again. She charged me but then wrote on my original receipt 'refund'. Now anyone could have written that, including me. When I asked her to initial or sign that I had brought two items back she flatly refused. I don't mean she was polite and said that's not our policy, she said 'no, I'm not signing anything'. This was said as she pushed me the new receipt to sign. Not quite sure she saw the irony in that. I asked for the manager but he 'was not available'. So, being in a hurry I left. I have since been kicking myself for that. Besides I had already missed the Martini Bar meet up.

I told Ashley (onboard marketing manager) and she said the shop manager would call me. I was surprised that he never did. Ashley is very sharp and I'm sure she told him to call. I felt the manager's failure to respond was worse

than the clerks rudeness. After all he is being paid to make things right and keep passengers happy.

A lot of people (me included) did not get a printout of our charges on the last morning. So I have no idea if I was ever given a 'refund' to offset the charge for two more tops. I guess I'll have to wait until my AM EX bill comes. I would have gone to Guest Relations our last monrning except for the other problem...

Which was getting wheelchairs and pushers up to the Hemisphere Elite Departure Lounge. See Day 15 below!

I felt so sorry for Jonette. She was trying very hard to accomodate people but could not get any wheelchairs. Or people who could actually push them off the ship. When we left she was getting a hard time from some people but there really wasn't anything else she could do.

She could use some support on the last morning and I hope she gets it on the next cruise.

I guess that's it. The End. Until the next cruise.

Bye For Now!

Edited December 9, 2013 by tuggers

[gracecarmo]

Thanks so much for this report. I enjoyed every minute!

[tuggers]

Thanks so much! Sometimes I wonder if these things just rattle around in the Internet! Feedback is appreciated! :D

[1cruiselvr]

Hubby and I will be sailing on X and the Century for the first time in Feb 2014 so I found your review very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[tuggers]

I hope you love the line and ship as much as 'we' do! And I'm confident the food will be great by 2/14!

[tteettimes]

Tuggers.....you don't know me from Adam but I have read your "live from" posts before....would like to say "thank you"

Nancy and I have cruised some and appreciate your posts...got to where your knees bother you andwe talk about the Voltaren Gel....thank you for that....works temporally for me too....doc says...."use as needed"----

Sorry you had to go scooter...was that a difficult thing ??

[upwarduk]

Tuggers,

Thank you for your review.

I sailed a very similar cruise on Century's Repo from Sydney to San Diego in March 2012. However we only did the Honolulu to San Diego section. Thank your lucky stars that you didn't have to get off the ship in Ensenada & be bussed to San Diego, while the ship sailed to San Diego. That was the craziest exercise I have ever encountered, all because we hadn't travelled to a distant foreign port!! Many, many, passenger complaints!

 

However, it was interesting to read about your refund problems in the shops. I heard a lady try to exchange some tee shirts which had been bought 'on offer' at a stall they had set up between the lifts and the pool on the last Sea day. She however DIDN'T have a receipt and was trying to exchange for regular priced Tees in the shop. So knowing what you experienced, I can see where the policy has come from.

Edited December 9, 2013 by upwarduk

[tuggers]

upwarduk, I guess the shops get all kinds. I am a pretty honest person and had never thought of someone NOT paying for something and then trying to return it.

tteettimes, didn't understand:

Sorry you had to go scooter...was that a difficult thing ??

 

Give me a little hint what you are asking!

Glad you enjoyed the posts!

Thanks!

[tteettimes]

was wondering how difficult it was maneuvering the scooter thru crowded areas and elevators?? Were fellow cruisers accommodating and courteous ??

Did you run over anyone ;)

 

Again.....enjoyed your posts, thanks

[TourDeCruise]

Hi Gail! Glad to see that you are enjoying yourself cruising. We haven't been on the same cruise since the last Mercury sailing in February 2011. Sorry to hear about your knees giving you a problem. I've certainly had my share of knee problems, so I empathize.

 

We were on the Eclipse (Nov. 16-30) during much of your time on the Century, but I read your thread today.

 

Did you see any officers, crew, or staff from the Mercury on the ship? Good to read that Jonelle and Tanisha are still on the ship and hopefully they will still be on in February when we will be on the Century again. Hopefully our almond croissants with chocolate will be back to the usual standard and the food will be back on track in February when we sail. A few of us from the last Mercury sailing will be on the cruise in February.

 

Thanks for "Live" report, which I enjoyed as always.

 

Kathy (& Jack too)