The Zenith, did you like it?

[pepelapew]

We are really considering going to Bermuda next October on the Zenith. DH & myself went last year on the Empress of the Seas & had a great first time cruise. Looking forward to seeing more of Bermuda this time. Question is how is this ship seeing it is kinda old? Food on Empress was fantastic, how bout Zenith? How are the staterooms? We had booked a inside cabin on Empress, but was given an upgrade to a oceanview when we arrived at Cape Liberty....That was a nice surprise....Overall if you have cruise Zenith would you cruise on her again or choose another ship? Empress seemed to be just the right sized ship for us! Thanks for all your help...........

Debbie & Carl

[adegner]

Dear Debbie and Carl,

 

If your experience is with the Empress OTS, I believe you will be thrilled with the Zenith. She is a big upgrade in cabin size, service and food from the Empress. All of her cabins are 172 sq feet. She is not a big ship, but you have not been on the "big" ships, so you shouldn't have an issue. She had a nice dry dock upgrade a few years ago and is holding up well. I would sail on her in a minute.

[Gypsea]

I will sail Zenith in a few short months (12/3). If you can wait to book (and being in the business I am sure you can) I will tell you how she fares. I think she is scheduled for drydock in October. I read that somewhere. Anyway, if you write me I'll be happy to tell you..or watch for my review. I love to share my thoughts!

[Ships R Great]

zenith is one of our favorite ships. She is small and not new but the crew is great. If you don't want glitz, she is for you. Small, comfortable and cozy. We will sail her until she is not longer sailing.

[OCruisers]

zenith is one of our favorite ships. She is small and not new but the crew is great. If you don't want glitz, she is for you. Small, comfortable and cozy. We will sail her until she is not longer sailing.

 

:) DITTO! :)

[pepelapew]

You people on CC are great....I knew I could ask ya'll & get a fast response. How was the pool area? Did they have any hot tubs? forgot that question.

Debbie & Carl

[Luv4dacruise]

Actually the Empress of the Seas is older than the Zenith. Out of 11 cruises from brand new large ships to older smaller ships, the Zenith is by far my favorite ship afloat. It combines just enough of the large ship features that one might need and is just a classy lady. Zenith also has a much high passenger space ratio than the Empress of the Seas so you will never feel crowded. I hope you choose to go on her!:):)

[pepelapew]

We are almost neighbors. Rhode Island here.........How many cruises for you?

This will be our 2nd and so looking forward to doing alot more in Bermuda. The first time we enjoyed a full day to horseshoe bay beach. We were like lobsters that night but it was worth every minute there. We also did the train&trolley tour. Next year would like to do at least 4/5 excursions, plus another full day at a different beach. Maybe tobacco bay......

Debbie

[brigittetom]

zenith is one of our favorite ships. She is small and not new but the crew is great. If you don't want glitz, she is for you. Small, comfortable and cozy. We will sail her until she is not longer sailing.

 

 

Ditto from here also. I would gladly sail her tomorrow if I had that option. :)

[hancock]

Zenith's 3 hot tubs are on the back with a beautiful view of the ship's wake. There is a lovely mosaic on the wall in front of them. Love sailing on Zenith!

[psupa]

Haven't been on the Zenith, but have been on her sister ship Horizon and loved it. Like others have said the cabins are a nice size and the food on Celebrity is great. I've been on the Empress of the Seas (Nordic Empress) and the only thing I can say is that the Zenith and Horizon don't have all the glitz that the Empress does. Other than that I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Ships R Great]

GypSea---I will be on Zenith 12/12-12/22. I don't know what they have planned for the drydock. She is a wonderful ship and I love her but even I can see that a sprucing up wouldn't hurt. But, pepelepew, don't let that comment give you pause. She is eleven years old and even eleven-year-olds need new clothes now and then! A face lift only brings back the beauty that was there in the first place.

[Luckyroot]

We will be on Zenith for her first sailing after the October drydock, and I will also be posting my findings. Zenith was our first cruise in July of 2004, and we absolutely fell in love with cruising........I think mostly because of the wonderful crew and service on the Zenith.

[karen_cpa]

We just returned from the Zenith two weeks ago and absolutely loved it!!!! Hubby and I tend to like smaller ships, so this was perfect for us! We didn't feel like we missed anything and the service was top-notch!!

[C 2 C]

We have spent a total of 8 weeks on the Zenith and have booked her again for next year. The service and food are great as on all X ships. For the rest it depends on what other ships you have sailed... It's not our favourite (we like the Century) but it's a great experience for the amount you pay..

[princess pasta]

Thanks to all for those wonderful replies re: Zenith. I'm leaving for Bermuda on the last sailing of the season (10/15). I was hoping that there might be some other Cruise Critic members on board as I'll be sailing alone - a first for me in a very long time. The ship sounds wonderful. I've been on the Infinity and the Millenium and loved them both. One concern I have has nothing to do with the ship but with the crossing- I've heard that the seas enroute can be a bit choppy and am hoping that the older ship will be as stable as the newer ones are. Does anyone have any experience with this??

Also, are there "must sees" in either of the ports? The choices are many but time is short... Thanks for your help. Hope I'll meet some of you aboard.

[davesis]

my family and I sailed on the Zenith in July we loved it! I CAN't say ANYTHING negative about the ship, food, sevice etc it was wonderful .....hey pepilpew we are from Westerly RI !!!!!!!!!!:D

[bauerdogs]

Going on the Zenith Sept.24 / 2005, for the 6th time--We love the ship, and Bermuda, it's just the right size. We've been on a 90,000, and 142,000 ton ship, but the Zenith is special. In 1996 we were caught in a Hurricane and the Zenith gave us one hell of a ride, and got us thru it with flying colors. You will love the food, service, and the room size---Enjoy it. :) Ron

[Ships R Great]

Princess pasts---check out this link; http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=182100 . It is the cruise connections thread for your cruise. If you can't cut and paste it go to Roll Calls and look for Zenith 10/15. There are tons of people on your cruise. Good luck and have a great cruise on the great Zenith!

[pepelapew]

So glad to hear you had a wondrful cruise......Was there anything special about the ship that sticks out in your mind? After checking back with so many here on the cc boards DH decieded this will be the crusie for us next October......Thanks everyone for your help. Anyone else going next October?

Debbie & Carl

[cruisingsaw]

Do you think that there is enough for 25 and 22 year old guys to do? We sailed on the then Nordic Empress 3 times and loved it. I am afraid that the Zenith will just be too quiet. Thanks for your help.

[travelgals]

Just off the 8/27 Zenith to Bermuda. Plenty to do for a 22 and 25 yr old, especially if you like to dance. The ship is older and small- the small is nice, it is cozy, but if you care about spanking clean surroundings- forget it. Both our 10th floor stateroom bathrooms had black mildew and smelled heavily of mold and others we met confirmed this. If you don't care then so be it, but even though service was great, food good too, I was sorry I had booked it because at home I would not live for one day with that gross mildew and mold-and I have an old bathroom. If I could have gotten hold of bleach I would have cleaned it myself.

[davesis]

well the ship was very clean, the food was great and then staff were more than helpful I really can'y say anything bad about the ship we really enjoyed it, it is probably the first vacation we ever took that I can honestly say every thing was great

[lbstein]

Princess Pasta - October is notorious for rough seas but the ship is pretty stable. It is well worth taking preventative sea sick medicine if you are prone to motion-sickness. Definitely spend time at Horseshoe Bay when you dock in Hamilton. Climb Gibb's Hill Lighthouse. Look for the Goombay dancers at Bermuda night. (I am from Bermuda). I love the Zenith and the Horizon, but service and maintenance has been declining from their usual high standards...:cool: Laura

[CaribbeanBound]

Princess Pasta, join us on the Rollcall board if you haven't already.