REVIEW---Century February 15

[BettyCruiser]

Hi Beth. I am enjoying our review. Kaye here from cabin 1219. I didn't not get off in St Barts so it was nice to see some pictures. I would not go back there either. In St Croix, I thought the water at Rainbow Beach was a little high when getting off the cat. Some of our elderly had a hard time. And the rocks were terrible walking in. FYI- bring water shoes!!! Beach was beautiful and that restaurant very pleasant!!! I look forward to reliving our cruise thru your review!! Very nice to meet you and Tommy. Blue skies and calm seas!!! Kaye Hall

 

Hi neighbor;) Thanks for following. I also remember both beach in St. Bart's and St. Croix had steep drops just in the water that made getting out of the water difficult. Or maybe I'm just getting old:o

[BettyCruiser]

Thursday February 20 San Juan, Puerto Rico

We arrived bright and early at 7:00AM. San Juan isn’t a favorite port; we will stay onboard and enjoy some pool time with fewer passengers onboard. I took some pictures of San Juan from the ship. We were parked next to Independence of the Seas, we’ll be sailing that ship for New Years Eve this year. We were dwarfed next to it.

I expected my laundry to be delivered when our room was made up in the morning, but nothing. After checking with the cabin attendant we got some of it back. Since the bag was marked one of two I knew there should be more somewhere, we finally got the second bag later than evening.

An unfortunate accident occurred while in port that required our friend’s parents to stay in San Juan to receive medical attention that wasn’t available on the ship. After their hospital visit they spent the night in San Juan and then flew straight home. Our friends were appreciative of the help they received from guest services during this stressful time.

Tonight was our second formal night. Our friends had two open seats at their table, so tonight we ate with them at early traditional dining. The service was slow to start, but then fell into a good pace. The lobster was yummy. After dinner we went to the martini bar for dessert martinis.

 

Some pictures of San Juan taken from the ship

 

 

 

[BettyCruiser]

Friday February 21 Grand Turk

This morning was a lazy morning; we weren’t due to arrive at Grand Turk until noon. The water here is beautiful. There was another ship in port with us that had arrived an hour earlier, so it was already really busy at Margaritaville and the beach right next to the pier. We’ve been to Grand Turk twice before and we always do the same thing. We walk down to Jack’s Shack where we try various dinks and snack on jerk chicken, this visit was the same except this time I also got in the water a couple times too. The beach there is really nice. Jack’s goldendoodle, Topher, is always there digging holes in the sand and playing with the kids. It’s always a fun relaxing beach bar day. There’s always a place about half way back to the pier along the beach to stop for a local beer. Once we made the mistake of ordering a local beer and what was a very small vodka diet at Margaritaville and it cost us $16, that’s outrageous we won’t do that again. We were in port until 8:00PM. We went back to the ship when t got dark. Tonight we ate in the buffet. I love the pasta bar in the buffet.

 

 

 

 

[kayehall]

If you have time, can you explain to me how to post nice big pictures like yours?

[BettyCruiser]

If you have time, can you explain to me how to post nice big pictures like yours?

 

 

The pictures have to exist somewhere online already. I loaded my pictures to a snapfish account, other photo hosting sites should work too. Then I just have to copy and paste.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Just wanted to say how much I'm loving your review, Betty! The pictures are amazing! You're covering a few ports that I've never been to so it's nice to see what's still out there! What is the name of the beach on Grand Turk...it looks gorgeous!! Keep up the great work, loving it!

Cathy

[1cruiselvr]

For sharing your pictures. We didn't take any, forgot our camera, and your review and pictures are helping us remember our great vacation.

[melody hounddog]

Great review! Thanks for sharing.

[BettyCruiser]

Just wanted to say how much I'm loving your review, Betty! The pictures are amazing! You're covering a few ports that I've never been to so it's nice to see what's still out there! What is the name of the beach on Grand Turk...it looks gorgeous!! Keep up the great work, loving it!

Cathy

 

 

I don't know the name of the beach in Grand Turk. The pictures of the blue water are just a little past Jack's Shack, I've never walked all the way down there. The beach at Jack's is nice and closer to drinks;)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Don't know that the beach has or needs a name. It is right there, both to the left and right of where the ship docks. When we were there, most people seemed to go to the left.

[BettyCruiser]

Saturday February 22 day at sea

Once again we started the day at the pool. When checking our bill again on the TV were we irritated to find that the bar charge that we had brought to their attention days ago was still there and there were two more drink charges that shouldn’t be there. Again we went to guest services and again they printed our bill we had to highlight the charges and they said they would be taken care of, but based on previous experience I didn’t have much confidence in them. I just don’t understand why they couldn’t reverse bar charges of less then $10 on the spot when they knew we had the premium drink package. Guest services should be empowered to correct those errors on the spot. After pool time I started packing.

In the afternoon we shopped at the store and gambled just a little in the casino. I also stopped at Cova and had an Aspen, love them, and some very yummy carrot cake and some chocolate goodness. And of course time at the Sunset Bar. During the afternoon while at the Sunset Bar we saw a dolphin or whale come up for air a couple times right along the wake.

We mentioned the bar charges on our account to one of the bartenders and he was nice enough to take our information directly to his bar manager and got the charges taken care of immediately. I really appreciated his help with these charges, although I think guest services should’ve been able to take care of them immediately when brought to their attention.

The last night we ate at the pasta bar in the buffet. We also spent time at the martini bar, and the Sunset bar. At night when the sky is clear you can see so many stars, its amazing.

Sunday February 23 disembarkation day

We were spending the night in Fort Lauderdale before flying home Monday morning, so we weren’t in a hurry to get off the ship. We had number 33 with a meeting time of 9:40AM in the Rendez Vous Lounge. We had to be out of the room by 8:00AM so I had one last breakfast of eggs benedict and sat at a table at the Sunset Bar until it was time to head downstairs. We went to the lounge a little early and our number was called before we even sat down. We found our luggage easily and the line for customs and immigration was short and moved pretty quickly. We were docked at pier 4, we were staying at the Renaissance on 17th Street so we were able to walk pulling our suitcases the three blocks to the hotel.

Summary

We had a great time on this cruise. We spent time on our favorite ship, visited some great islands and spent time with friends and met new friends.

We encountered some hiccups. The broken mirror that took more than four hours for them to remove, similar issues that I’ve encountered on other cruise lines were addressed within an hour. Invalid charges on our account that were never resolved by Guest Services, similar issues that I’ve encountered on other cruise lines were addressed immediately while at the guest service desk. Although we can feel secure that guest services can rise to the challenge to assist during a major incident. The long waits for Select Dining surprised me, we had sailed this ship twice before with Select Dining and never encountered a wait.

It seems that the ship was having some sort of water issues. There were several tanker trucks delivering water to the ship when docked. Often times in the buffet area there weren’t any cloth napkins only paper. It didn’t adversely affect our cruise; I always had enough water when I needed it. I just thought it was odd.

We get to sail Century one more time LA roundtrip along the West Coast. I hope the Select Dining is running more smoothly by then.

[curtdesilets]

We are going on the California Coastal Century cruise on 3/29. I'll give a thorough review and address some of the issues you presented below.

 

We have had similar experiences with Guest Services over the years with Celebrity, even during the years in which their ships were always ranked in the top 5 of all ships in the Conde Naste surveys. On the Summit, we could not get into our stateroom. It was a lock issues, not a key issue. It took several hours for them to address the situation, after multiple checks with the front desk. Guest Services have always been a bit of a problem for us, especially if there is a problem. But we had similar situations on upscale lines like Crystal as well. It may have to do with who is behind the desk at the time of the complaint.

 

The water situation seems like a bigger issue. Hope they fixed it before the Panama Canal transit!

 

Seems like a new and younger staff are on board. Hope they get some on the job training and pick up the pace before our cruise. I'm hopeful.

 

Keep an eye for my review. I think I'll publish it before you leave on your Pacific Coastal cruise. I usually put a copy on the boards before the official review goes public.

 

 

 

 

We had a great time on this cruise. We spent time on our favorite ship, visited some great islands and spent time with friends and met new friends.

 

We encountered some hiccups. The broken mirror that took more than four hours for them to remove, similar issues that I’ve encountered on other cruise lines were addressed within an hour. Invalid charges on our account that were never resolved by Guest Services, similar issues that I’ve encountered on other cruise lines were addressed immediately while at the guest service desk. Although we can feel secure that guest services can rise to the challenge to assist during a major incident. The long waits for Select Dining surprised me, we had sailed this ship twice before with Select Dining and never encountered a wait.

 

It seems that the ship was having some sort of water issues. There were several tanker trucks delivering water to the ship when docked. Often times in the buffet area there weren’t any cloth napkins only paper. It didn’t adversely affect our cruise; I always had enough water when I needed it. I just thought it was odd.

 

We get to sail Century one more time LA roundtrip along the West Coast. I hope the Select Dining is running more smoothly by then.

[kc320]

Thanks for the great review & wonderful pictures!! I am sailing Celebrity for the 1st time in just a few weeks & reading your review has me even more excited!!

[BettyCruiser]

We are going on the California Coastal Century cruise on 3/29. I'll give a thorough review and address some of the issues you presented below.

 

We have had similar experiences with Guest Services over the years with Celebrity, even during the years in which their ships were always ranked in the top 5 of all ships in the Conde Naste surveys. On the Summit, we could not get into our stateroom. It was a lock issues, not a key issue. It took several hours for them to address the situation, after multiple checks with the front desk. Guest Services have always been a bit of a problem for us, especially if there is a problem. But we had similar situations on upscale lines like Crystal as well. It may have to do with who is behind the desk at the time of the complaint.

 

The water situation seems like a bigger issue. Hope they fixed it before the Panama Canal transit!

 

Seems like a new and younger staff are on board. Hope they get some on the job training and pick up the pace before our cruise. I'm hopeful.

 

Keep an eye for my review. I think I'll publish it before you leave on your Pacific Coastal cruise. I usually put a copy on the boards before the official review goes public.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, have a great cruise, I'll be looking for your review:)

Edited March 12, 2014 by BettyCruiser

[BettyCruiser]

Thanks for the great review & wonderful pictures!! I am sailing Celebrity for the 1st time in just a few weeks & reading your review has me even more excited!!

 

 

Thanks, have a great cruise. If you have time come back and let me know what you think, we're on the same itinerary a few weeks after you:)

[CruiseGirlKS]

Wonderful review! Thanks for sharing. :)

[stjames]

In addition to chessbriar's comment regarding vibration, the aft balconies aren't very private. The deck 12 balconys are above the Sunset Bar, so you are looking at the white tarp over the bar then out to the wake. People sitting at a table at the Sunset Bar will be able to see you on your balcony between the ship and the tarp, you will be able to hear music and talking from the bar below. If that is a concern for you, see if there are any deck 9 aft balconies available for the aft experience.

 

Although I love to sail the big new ships I tend to prefer the smaller older ships. On the Century there is less staff than the bigger ships so they seem to be a more connected team and family atmosphere. I also like the ease of getting from one point on the ship to another. On the Reflection our cabin was all the way forward and we like the Sunset Bar there too, but that walk between the two was a long one.

 

Your itinerary sounds amazing, I'm sure it will be the cruise of a lifetime:)

Nice pics, Betty...we were on for the pre three day cruise and b2b for the 2/15 cruise....it was our 4th time on this ship too.....Love it compared to the other C's fleet...Was a great cruise....