how bad galaxy is at this time?

[irkutsk]

planning to do galaxy panama canal over cristmas. i am very apprehensive after reading so bad things about galaxy shape. we have 6 days at sea on this sailing which seems a bit long for us. we sailed on only new ships--- milli, RCC explorer and radiance , holland america ---zuiderdam and zaandam. i just try to decide between carnaval newer ships and galaxy. any suggestions? thank you

[brigittetom]

irkutsk, We sailed on the Summit before the Galaxy and still really enjoyed our cruise. You just have to know in your mind that you will be sailing on an older ship and not to expect all the glitz. It's been a few years but the Galaxy was in great shape and Celebrity is known for maintaining.

 

If dining is important to you, I vote Celebrity over Carnival but that's just a personal opinion because I think the staff on Celebrity is outstanding. Good luck on your decision.

[floridakeith]

We sailed on Galaxy in the Mediterranean on 3 June for 10 nights. She was in fine shape with barely any signs of wear and tear. Sure she is not a brand spanking new ship but unless you have a thing about only sailing on new ships you have nothing to worry about.

[benjamins]

planning to do galaxy panama canal over cristmas. i am very apprehensive after reading so bad things about galaxy shape. we have 6 days at sea on this sailing which seems a bit long for us. we sailed on only new ships--- milli, RCC explorer and radiance , holland america ---zuiderdam and zaandam. i just try to decide between carnaval newer ships and galaxy. any suggestions? thank you

 

Galaxy and Zaandam are around the same age, maybe Zaandam is a year or two newer. I don't consider Galaxy "older", as a ship not even 10 years old she is a young ship. She's my favorite in the Celebrity fleet. I don't agree about her not being glitzy or glitzy. No Celebrity ship is really glitzy, Galaxy has luxurious areas like her Savoy Lounge and her casino certainly isn't plain, and overal, the only thing she lacks next to the newer ships are abundant balconies and on the newer Celebrity ships, a specialty restaurant. She has everything else they have and more.

[excitedofharpenden]

irkutsk, we were on Galaxy last November and had a great time on this trip. I wouldn't hesitate to travel on her again. She's not brand spanking new, but is very well cared for and I thought her public rooms looked warm, inviting and smart.

 

Phil

[chessbriar]

We were on the Galaxy for New Years. Yes, there are some minor signs of wear and tear, but she is 9 years old and takes out 2000 passengers about 36 times a year. She is still in great shape and we had a blast. Would sail her anytime.

 

OH Wait, out of 10 cruises, I've sailed her 3 times. That's all I have to say.

[TEXASMUNK]

OK, here are the things that will TOTALLY RUIN your cruise on the Galaxy:

 

There is a three inch rip in a couch in the Cigar bar.

 

Two windows are fogged over in the lounge.

 

I know, that destroys the entire cruise, just ruins everything.

 

A piece of advise....check out the number of posts from a person knocking a particulara ship or cruise line. Those that had something go wrong seem to go hunting for cruise boards and post their displeasure. You will also find identical posts on "other" cruise boards.

 

PS..I am taking my wife to lunch today so we can stop by our TA and book the Galaxy, again, for April of 2006.

[DonLou]

We took the Galaxy to Panama in February and found it to be in great shape.

 

The facilities were well taken care of, our room was properly serviced (seemed like at least twice a day) and the food was excellent. The only complaint is that the dinner serving portions seemed a bit light but that's only my greedy stomach's complaint. If you wanted another portion, they would have gladly served you.

 

Not too sure what bad things you are referring to, but our overall experience was good.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

While I have not been on Galaxy in a while, Celebrity does an outstanding job of keeping the fleet in great condition. I would not hesitate to sail on her.

[dogsrule]

Please don't buy into all the negatives about the Galaxy. The ship is wonderful and food was better than the Constellation (due to it being a smaller ship). It is an older ship but you will find that most of the negative posts were from cruisers without a lot of cruising experience. If big flashy ships are more important to you than food and service, then you would probably be better off going on Carnival or even a newer Celebrity ship. I would also suggest reading posts from folks who have sailed on her this summer and look at cruisers previous experiences if possible. Not a cheerleader but I am a realist.:)

[geoherb]

We went on the Century for a holiday cruise last year. A month before we left, the Century received a very low CDC sanitation score. There were lots of negative posts. Some people must look for negative things to report about. We had a wonderful cruise.

 

If I had not read some of the negative posts before, I doubt if I would have noticed the few areas that needed a little bit of attention.

[newmexicoNita]

It doesn't matter what line you are sailing there will always be those who blast a ship or two. Of course the older ships (7 years or more) are not going to shine and glow like a newer one, but that does not take away from the crew, the service and the experience. Jim hit the nail on the head: a few little flaws can only ruin your cruise if you let it. NMNita

[GCurry]

We'll be on her for the Jan. 21 cruise, and are really looking forward to the whole Celebrity experience, so much so, we booked concierge class. HAL was good cruising, and we know this will be as well, great ports, and right out of Galveston.

 

Thanks guys and gals for the positive reinforcement!!

[bondsan]

My wife and I just got back from our first cruise--the 11 night Med cruise leaving from Civitaveccia on the Galaxy on July 21. I can assure you that the Galaxy looks just fine. There are a few signs of wear and tear but nothing that will interfere with your enjoyment of the ship. The service in both the dining room and the stateroom were absolutely superb. Great food, very good entertainment. Enjoy!

 

Bondsan

[Queenk2]

I just returned from the Galaxy's July 25 sailing. We had a wonderful trip. If you look carefully you might see a stain here, a rip there. I hardly noticed. The staff, service and general ambiance MORE than make up for any slight need for refurbishment. Rooms do vary..a travelmate had a stained sink,whereas mine was fine...go figure! The cold towels aupon returning to the ship, the sorbet at the poool...these touches make a world of difference, not the carpet!

[Ships R Great]

Bondsan---tell us about your cruise. I am slated for that itinerary in October.

[Liat]

We have sailed on Galaxy twice. The first was a standard Caribbean 7 day cruise in 2001. The second was a TransAtlantic repositioning trip in may 2004. Both these cruises have extensive reviews at http://www.cruisereviews.com.

Briefly, we loved Galaxy and thought it an excellent ship. Despite its age it is maintained extremely well by Celebrity. Its comparatively small passenger complement on a fairly reasonably sized vessel means a high passenger space ratio of 41.6.

The food, as on all Celebrity ships, was excellent. It is true that portions are not huge, but we think that is a great idea since most land restaurants overfill yot plates anyway. We have noted that the dining room service on Celebrity ships has a better server/guest ratio than on other lines, allowing a more pleasant interaction with your wait staff.

We especially enjoyed the daily activities and enrichment programs on our five consecutive sea days sailing to the Azores.

If we find another itinerary and travel time for Galaxy that we would enjoy, we would not hesitate to sail on her again.

[Liat]

Just noticed that you are doing the Panama Canal. We sailed it on Infinity in 2003.

My review appears on http://www.cruisereviews.com.

Anyone planning to cruise the Panama Canal should read “The Path Between the Seas”, David McCullough, Simon & Schuster Press, 1977. Subtitled “The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914”; it is a marvelous account of this immense project, and will certainly create a lasting impression.

I am sure a transcanal trip on Galaxy will be delightful.

[oceanqueen571]

We sailed on Galaxy's July 4th Civitavecchia R.T. and she was wonderful. The service and the food just terrific. Had a great time and the entire trip was A-one with the exception of the person who runs the excursion desk and cancelled a few Istanbul and Ephesus excursions at the last minute because busses were not filled completely (25 one day, 30 the next) and when asked why he couldn't get vans he said it never occured to him....ugh!

[rasyad]

We sailed on Galaxy on the 25th July from Civitavecchia. It was our first cruise, so I can't compare it to any other ship. Fantastic is not enough to describe our experience with the cruise and the ship.

 

Everything on Galaxy was superb, the facilities, the food, recreation, and above all the crew. We had a superb waiter who really took care of my DW (and mine sometimes) very demanding requests. He even managed to get me chocolate sauce for my waffles in the morning!

 

All I can say is that since we came back I've been doing nothing on my free time but looking for our next cruise.

 

The only minor points I could list are:

 

1 - We enjoy dancing in classy environments and Savoy was our favorite. However, the band there should have played every night till late. Many nights we were given no choice but to go to the disco, where generally after 12am the younger crowd will come and from that point dancing was out for us (unless you really enjoy techno/rap music). I also don't understand how they can have karaoke at the Savoy during the formal nights.

 

2 - Despite his/her extensive international culinaire skills the chef or whoever prepares menus doesn't seem to know that waffles are originally from Belgium and the traditional sauce to go with them is chocolate!. I'll be eternally grateful to Dalibor, our waiter, for solving this problem.

 

Anyway those were really minor points that didn't stop us from enjoying the cruise. I hope you also enjoy.

[3girls]

We were on the Galaxy last month. It was our first cruise. We had read about the "condition" of the Galaxy and were a bit apprehensive. Yes...the sink in my bathroom had cracks in it. We did see a foggy window or two in the Stratosphere Lounge. Oh yes...there was that one broken umbrella. I am somewhat particular with places we have stayed. The Galaxy was fabulous! The dining area was beautiful. The ship was clean, the staff, remarkable! I can't imagine not being pleased with your experience on the Galaxy. Have fun. I wish I had another trip planned next year. Who knows...after my daughters wedding maybe I'LL go on a honeymoon!

[BuckGuy]

I found the Galaxy, the public rooms and our cabin, to be in good shape. Nothing in need of repair, nothing worn, everything seemed clean and sanitary.

 

We enjoyed the cruise, the food, the midnight buffets, the ports of call, the shore excursions, the nightly live show in the big theater, the wait staff, our cabin attendants, and the entertainers in the various clubs. A great experience.

[Osnab]

planning to do galaxy panama canal over cristmas. i am very apprehensive after reading so bad things about galaxy shape. we have 6 days at sea on this sailing which seems a bit long for us. we sailed on only new ships--- milli, RCC explorer and radiance , holland america ---zuiderdam and zaandam. i just try to decide between carnaval newer ships and galaxy. any suggestions? thank you

 

I know EXACTLY how you feel right now. I booked the Century before I heard anything negative, then suddenly, all I heard was bad this, bad that, wear & tear, old! It was so much so that I really worried what kind of ship I was going to be on before I got on board. Would she even be able to pull out of port?

 

And it was hardly anything! I did notice one or two MINOR things. Don't do like I did and worry about it. When you get on board, I'll bet you will be laughing about how they exaggerated! :)

Felicia