Just Back - Zenith Thanksgiving 4 Day Sailing - Save your money for longer cruises!

[micheleg]

Hi everyone...well...I wish I had more good things to say about the Zenith and her new short itineraries...but unfortunately, this is not the case. Also, let me add, that typically we don't do short or holiday cruises, so we knew going in that this would not even compare to our previous cruises on the Summit or Infinity.

 

Embarkation and Debarkation:

 

Great...speedy and quick. We were onboard by 11 and off the ship by 9:00. Beware though..you will be asked to buy a drink in one of the Celebrity glasses every 3 seconds by every bar waiter on board. This will continue from the minute you walk on board until the next day. It was totally annoying, we were shocked. Water will be hawked every day until you disembark.

 

Ship and Cabin:

I had sailed on the Zenith twice before when she was brand spankin new and remembered how quaint and elegant she was...this hasn't changed and is one of her best features. Ship was very clean and really looks good despite her age.

 

The cabins are all pretty much the same except for the suites and have the most closet and drawer space than bigger cabins or suites on other ships. Unfortunately, the beds are hard as rocks, they don't have pads for them, and all the stewards can do is put blankets under the sheets which don't help. We did not sleep much. Our cabin steward was great, cabin clean, and except for some spots on the sink, really didn't show much wear. There were a couple of mornings (including this morning) when the toilets didn't flush, but the outages were not too long. It was however a nuisance.

 

Room service menu on the Zenith is better than most others. More on the food though...

 

Dinining Room, Buffet, and Food in General:

 

Forget about the dress code. Jeans everywhere...informal on Formal night. No one was asked to leave the dining room. Maybe they were more lenient because it was a holiday cruise and there were lots of families, but when you are a repeat Celebrity cruiser, you still have certain expectations. 4 Nights...3 Casual and 1 Formal. It was very odd. There were no added decorations on the table for Thanksgiving, and other than having some Turkey on the menu, you would never had known this was a holiday cruise. We knew a lot of staff from our previous cruises, but to be honest...they just had different attitudes on this ship.

 

Menus were dull. Food was totally mediocre, and never hot. Our waiter and assistant waiter were great, but they didn't have much to work with. You will not be offered lobster on the 4 dayer. Until we reminded them that we were celebrating our engagement on the last night, they did nothing. Those tip envelopes held hostage, still mean something! ;)

 

Buffets:

 

Crowded...presentation was sloppy...and the food again was generally bad. Again, hot food lukewarm or cold and cold food lukewarm. Glasses were usually out and you had to wait on long lines for everything. It was a disaster if you were an experienced Celebrity cruiser. If the ship is full or you have a sea day with bad weather, you're probably better off in the dining room.

 

Entertainment, Captain's Club, Miscellaneous:

 

We really believe that Celebrity needs to update their shows and costumes. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Nothing spectacular here. Can't really comment on the cruise staff...we never really saw them. Entertainment in the lounges was ok. But..even my parents commented on how lousy the music was (They're in their 70's...we're in our 50's)

 

All Captains Club events were on Sunday starting at 11:15 am with the party. You're kidding right? No...needless to say..we didn't go.

 

Pool Deck:

 

Chair hogs...no cold towels offered by the pool butlers (when you saw a pool butler)...need I say more? Kids running all over the place...jumping into pools and whirlpools.

 

Ports:

 

Key West - Still love this place. We just walked around and looked at the usual suspects. It's always fun here. Limited time though, from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM. No cold towels offered before boarding the ship when coming back from port.

 

Cozumel - Used to be one of our favorites until Wilma. Since we live in Miami and had our own bout with Wilma, we really didn't care to go ashore, especially since our favorite beach at Mr. Sanchos was gone. My brother did go ashore and said it was depressing. The tender service looked much better than before because they're using the gigantic tenders. I didn't hear any complaints about that. A lot of folks did say that it was a waste of a day. We were happy, we had the ship to ourself and hung out on aft deck 12 by the whirlpools. (Of which there were plenty of kids in them whenever they were open). No cold towels offered before boarding the ship when coming back from port.

 

Martini Bar - Awesome!!! Say hello to Anna Marie. She makes a wicked martini and is a sweetheart!!!

 

Rescue at Sea - We had to stop and rescue a boat full of refugees on Sunday. Seas were very rough and they would have surely been killed at sea. Captain & Officers did a great job. Stopped again on Sunday night for the Coast Guard to get them off the ship.

 

Ok...so we tried to keep our expectations at a minimum. Sorry...couldn't do it. Still figured the Celebrity basics would be there. They weren't. Did first time cruisers think it was the best ever! You betcha they did. So there you have it. We'll stick to the longer cruises...where everyone knows your name...and you are treated famously. Also...just our opinions...but we were happy to get home today and I never thought I'd say that ever! :(

 

If anyone has any questions...I'll be as honest as possible.

 

Michele

[rucruisn2]

Michele,

Wow! I'm almost ready to cancell our cruise. But were really not expecting much, we were on the Horizon and didn't like it, compared to the larger Celebrity ships weve been on. This is just a quick 5 night get-a-way for us. At least I won't have to cook or clean, right?

[Heaven2]

Michele,

 

We sailed on Nov.14th and posted a review also.

 

Agree with your comments. Esp. the beds. Ours was the most uncomfortable bed we have every had on a cruise. Food was just bad.

 

We are long time Celebrity cruisers ( 10 years ) and were appalled at the cruise.

We too have sailed Zenith years before and were sad to see this type of cruise on her.

 

The cruise is just selling too cheap to provide a true Celebrity experience. I don't know what RCL is thinking by doing this to the Zenith and the Celebrity name.

 

If I could advise people of one thing, spend a little more for a 7 day cruise.We had never done a short cruise before but were counting on the longer than usual Zenith drydock to really spruce her up. We were wrong on that point.

 

If you have been a former Celebrity customer, I don't know if you can lower your expections enough to enjoy yourself.

 

First time I ever came home from a cruise and was not unhappy about being home.

[bsdmhutch]

Thanks for the honest opinions. I am still looking forward to my trip in a little over a week. Someone else posted about a cruise in between the two mentioned here and for the most part had all wonderful things to say. And have also read other reviews on these shorter cruises that were wonderful, so not everyone has had a bad experience.

 

I'll post my review and thoughts when I get back in two weeks.

[Lisaanne]

Wow-what a difference a day makes. We were getting off the ship when you were getting on. We had an absolutely fabulous time. Probably my funnest of eight cruises! The staff could not have been better. And everyone that had seen our name, called us by name the entire cruise. As far as the drinks the first day, we bought one, and weren't really bothered again, sure they asked, but they smiled and said thanks, when we smiled and politely send "no thanks". Yes, water was hawked all day, every day, but we made it fun by joking with the poor server who got stuck with the job. When he saw us, instead of saying "Evian, water" he said, fruit punch, cold beer.

Buffet food was , well, buffet food-just fine, wraps and hambugers at the grill were great!

Entertainment was also great!!! Did you see the broadway review? Also, the pool band, Changez, were fantastic, and they played other venues at night.

Our itinerary changed after we got onboard, and I never heard anyone complain. We ended up going to Jamaica and Nassau and had a great time.

I guess every cruise is what you make it. We had a great time.

 

rucruizn2: just curious, why would you pick the Zenith when you didn't like the Horizon? The are just about identical.

[CarnyMan]

Hey Micheleg: What happened to your 5th night? I was on the same cruise, but it was 5 nights, not 4.

[rcicruiser]

It is amazing how a ship can be good one cruise but bad the next. I guess I will just have to judge myself in a few weeks

[rucruisn2]

Lisanne,

We decided on the 5 night Zenith because we will be in Florida for the winter. It is already costing us a bundle to be there for 4 months, so didn't want to spend alot of money on a cruise, but wanted to get away for a few nights anyways. I think the problem with the Horizon was we were on her for 12 nights and it was too long to be on such a small ship.

[newmexicoNita]

I think we all know the shorter cruises do not compare with 7 plus days so when we cruise in 3 weeks we do not expect the food or anything else to be up to par with longer cruisers. We have done 4 day cruises several times, never have they been as awesome. Entertainment, again never as good as the longe cruises and I think all lines need to work on the entertainment. Our experience lately hasn't been terribly favorable. NCL does have the best we think, still doesn't change much from year to year. As for food, same as everything, never as good as the week long adventure. I am a bit disappointed to hear about the dress code, again, this seems to be a constant complaint from us veteran cruisers. Maybe being Thanksgiving week did make a difference. Decorations for Thanksgiving? When we were on the Connie 2 years ago we experienced the same, except for turkey there was nothing to remind us of what day it was. i am glad you enjoyed Key West and hope your next cruise is a bit closer to your expectations. NMNita

[BrooklynGirl2]

I was apprehensive when I heard that Zenith was doing these really cheap, short cruises. Seems I was right. Zenith is getting a bad rap because the food and service cannot live up to the experienceo of taking a 7 day or longer cruise on her (which would also be more expensive). I don't think it's fair to judge Celebrity or Zenith by the shorter cruises. It is just not representative of what a cruise should be and what Celebrity truly excels at.

 

Of course anytime you sail during a holiday that means more kids on board.

 

I am dismayed to hear that they are not enforcing the dress codes. I am also dismayed to hear that is is necessary to enforce the codes. People should be aware of how to dress before boarding.

 

I was glad to hear that Zenith is NOT doing these shorter cruises again next season. From what I understand, unfortunately, Century has been given this role?? Personally, I don't believe Celebrity should offer these type cruises. It seems to be hurting their image and reputation more than enhancing it. And veteran Celebrity cruisers with a history of longer cruises are bound to be disappointed in the experience.

 

Just my opinion.

[Outlanderssc]

Menus were dull. Food was totally mediocre, and never hot.

I'm really sorry to hear this. We've sailed on NCL and HAL, and when I saw the 5 day I thought it would be a nice birthday present for Lynne, and a chance to sample Celebrity's famous food. (and get away from NYC in January)

 

Perhaps I made an error this time.

 

Well, at least we'll get a chance to get away from the slush and snow for a few days - and visit a few Mayan temples. I'm thinking I should have been an Archeologist rather than and Architect.

[newmexicoNita]

I was apprehensive when I heard that Zenith was doing these really cheap, short cruises. Seems I was right. Zenith is getting a bad rap because the food and service cannot live up to the experienceo of taking a 7 day or longer cruise on her (which would also be more expensive). I don't think it's fair to judge Celebrity or Zenith by the shorter cruises. It is just not representative of what a cruise should be and what Celebrity truly excels at.

 

Of course anytime you sail during a holiday that means more kids on board.

 

I am dismayed to hear that they are not enforcing the dress codes. I am also dismayed to hear that is is necessary to enforce the codes. People should be aware of how to dress before boarding.

 

I was glad to hear that Zenith is NOT doing these shorter cruises again next season. From what I understand, unfortunately, Century has been given this role?? Personally, I don't believe Celebrity should offer these type cruises. It seems to be hurting their image and reputation more than enhancing it. And veteran Celebrity cruisers with a history of longer cruises are bound to be disappointed in the experience.

 

Just my opinion.

I think it is important to remember there is a demand for the shorter cruises. As long as cruisers know what to expect it can be a wonderful experience and a great way to spend a few days away from the busy life we all lead. NMNita

[SS Cruise Lady]

I was apprehensive when I heard that Zenith was doing these really cheap, short cruises. Seems I was right. Zenith is getting a bad rap because the food and service cannot live up to the experienceo of taking a 7 day or longer cruise on her (which would also be more expensive). I don't think it's fair to judge Celebrity or Zenith by the shorter cruises. It is just not representative of what a cruise should be and what Celebrity truly excels at.

 

Of course anytime you sail during a holiday that means more kids on board.

 

I am dismayed to hear that they are not enforcing the dress codes. I am also dismayed to hear that is is necessary to enforce the codes. People should be aware of how to dress before boarding.

 

I was glad to hear that Zenith is NOT doing these shorter cruises again next season. From what I understand, unfortunately, Century has been given this role?? Personally, I don't believe Celebrity should offer these type cruises. It seems to be hurting their image and reputation more than enhancing it. And veteran Celebrity cruisers with a history of longer cruises are bound to be disappointed in the experience.

 

Just my opinion.

 

My husband I have only taken one Carnival Cruise and it was a short six day/five night cruise from New York to Halifax six years ago. We were somewhat apprehensive about sailing Carnival but in light of its enticing low price, convenience of sailing from New York, and newness of the ship, we decided to do so anyway. During that cruise, many passengers also wore jeans on formal night and everything else about that cruise was tacky, as well. At the time, we felt that the experience just validated all the negative things we had heard about Carnival, but maybe we blamed Carnival for problems that are inherent to short cruises. I am now starting to wonder if itinerary, duration, price, etc are more significant factors in the quality of a cruise than the the Cruise Line itself.

[bananavan]

SS, I agree with you.

I took a last minute RCCL cruise with my Mom at the beginning of November. It was a five day out of Bayonne going to Bermuda. I have previously only cruised Celebrity and only the longer itineraries. I have also always had either CC class or suites. For this one I took the Promenade, inside cabin on the Voyager. It was inexpensive. That is the positive part. The rest was dreadful. The room was in poor shape, the food and service was weak. Jeans were accepted on formal night. I am almost totally over the idea of cruising as a result of this last trip.

 

Dear Celebrity:

I apologize, I will never stray again. I will also NEVER take a trip of less than 10 days again.

[micheleg]

Hey Micheleg: What happened to your 5th night? I was on the same cruise, but it was 5 nights, not 4.

 

Hmmm...let's see...we left on Thanksgiving...so..Thursday (Night 1), Friday (Night 2), Saturday (Night 3), Sunday (Night 4)....home on Monday (during the day)....either I didn't drink enough (yes...I already have one set of the Celebrity glasses ;) ) or CarnyMan bought waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many!!!! :eek:

[marshabear]

i have been on many cruises -from 2 nighters to 8 nighters...

 

i understand that on the shorter cruises it can be harder on the crew as they have 2 sets of passengers in a weeks time...

 

i understand that shorter cruises generally mean more "partying" because they usually fall on weekends and attract a more younger, perhaps partying crowd....

 

i cannot understand why there has to be so much difference in the quality of the food, as well as what is offered...(like lobster, for instance)

 

i, too, would love to cruise for a week or longer, but circumstances make it hard to do that right now...(mainly because my father lives with us and i don't feel i can be away that long)

 

so i gladly take the opportunity to cruise for a shorter time -knowing it will be different than our prior longer trips...

 

however, i do expect the food to be just as good as any of our cruises....is this wrong???? if it is, why????

 

 

Marsha

[Kay and Hal]

:eek: Well, I'm starting to feel a *bit* anxious - we are sailing on the Zenith this coming Saturday, Dec. 3. We just booked this cruise a few weeks ago, wanted a quick getaway before the end of the year. We were on the Horizon last fall for 11 nights and couldn't have enjoyed it more - that cruise really sold us on Celebrity. We are also booked on the Constellation in November of 2006.

 

The dress code thing could be a disappointment, for sure! Our first cruise was on Carnival, and as much as I looked forward to the formal and informal nights, I was pretty bummed that people just wore what they felt like wearing, including jeans. Last year on the Horizon, folks stuck to the dress code, which certainly affected how *I* felt about the cruise. The formal nights - all three of them - were just that - formal - and were completely enjoyable.

 

I have to say though, that our first cruise on Carnival was over Thanksgiving, and in addition to the crowd being a more typical Carnival-type crowd, there WERE tons of kids being that it was a holiday for most folks. Perhaps this was part of the reason for your bad experience.

 

This Zenith cruise will be our shortest cruise - we actually prefer 7 days or longer - 10-12 night cruises are perfect, IMO. I'm just hoping this was the exception rather than the rule. At any rate, 5 *bad* days on the Zenith has got to be better than 5 *good* days at home, any day!

 

:( Michele, sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise, but I'm (selfishly) hoping we enjoy ours.

[Gypsea]

How do rock hard beds and lukewarm food translate into --- if the itinerary was seven nights all would be right with the world?????

Seems to me if things are that bad five nights is enough, how is two more going to fix beds and food temperature???

 

As for dress codes I guess I never let it bother me too much. I enjoy dressing up but do not bring any fabulously expensive dresses. If others risk being turned away at the dining room (and embarrassed, though some are not capable) that is their rather controversial business. It is Celebrity who is partially at fault here for allowing entrance once the rules are stated. Again I cannot believe two nights is going to be the decision maker. Policy is enforced or it's not. The line needs to get it together and if this is not the same on each ship it's time things changed.

 

Bananavan,

 

I took a five night Voyager ot the Seas to Canada last year and was unimpressed (my first RC). The ship was toooo big for the staff to take care of it and all the guests it carried. They were clearly overworked and cranky in the dining room by breakfast time on the last day. That size is too big for me too. I just didn't like it or the layout. I did enjoy Millenium though so it's not that I don't like mega liners-just not Voyager.

 

Marsha bear and Karen,

 

Five days will be fine. We will have fun or die trying bad shows and luke warm food or NOT!

 

Micheleg,

 

Entertainment on every ship I've ever sailed needs updating. I have seen enough Liars Club's, Not so Newlyweds, Millionaires and Broadway Reviews to hold me for awhile, a long while!! Sock hops and such can be fun but they need to be done right. Elvis and Sonny and Cher have been done to death (no disrespect intended). They should hire someone once a year to keep that stuff new and fresh. Especially if the entertainment during the day is going to be minimal. I am sad to hear there is not much on the dailies for fun during the day. Cruising life is suffering from our ecomony maybe. The fuel will be compensated for in some way and they are not charging big bucks for the cruise so.....

Thanks for your opinions.

 

We'll let you all know how the 3rd goes.

 

Rita

[newmexicoNita]

:eek: Well, I'm starting to feel a *bit* anxious - we are sailing on the Zenith this coming Saturday, Dec. 3. We just booked this cruise a few weeks ago, wanted a quick getaway before the end of the year. We were on the Horizon last fall for 11 nights and couldn't have enjoyed it more - that cruise really sold us on Celebrity. We are also booked on the Constellation in November of 2006.

 

The dress code thing could be a disappointment, for sure! Our first cruise was on Carnival, and as much as I looked forward to the formal and informal nights, I was pretty bummed that people just wore what they felt like wearing, including jeans. Last year on the Horizon, folks stuck to the dress code, which certainly affected how *I* felt about the cruise. The formal nights - all three of them - were just that - formal - and were completely enjoyable.

 

I have to say though, that our first cruise on Carnival was over Thanksgiving, and in addition to the crowd being a more typical Carnival-type crowd, there WERE tons of kids being that it was a holiday for most folks. Perhaps this was part of the reason for your bad experience.

 

This Zenith cruise will be our shortest cruise - we actually prefer 7 days or longer - 10-12 night cruises are perfect, IMO. I'm just hoping this was the exception rather than the rule. At any rate, 5 *bad* days on the Zenith has got to be better than 5 *good* days at home, any day!

 

:( Michele, sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise, but I'm (selfishly) hoping we enjoy ours.

We have done 4 nighters on RCI and Carnival: no the formal nights were not quite as dressy as on longer cruises, but we did see people in tuxes, formals and other forms of formal attire. We intend on dressing accordingly on the Zenith. NMNita

[tadjr]

I have only done 1 sailing less than 7 days and it was on HAL repo along the West Coast. We were advised NO formal nights so didnt bring clothes, only to find out there was 1 formal night. Our options were khakis or room service. We decided room service. I dont know why they would do a formal night on these short cruises since it appears that most people are doing it to "get away" and not really to have a total cruise experience hence not planning on packing a lot and the dress clothes get left behind. Also the service onboard was not up to par with a longer cruise because they knew you were only going to be there 2 more nights after the first one so no need to invest any time in getting to know you or serve you like on a longer trip. I personally wouldnt do anything again under 7 days unless it was a real bargain and I just "wanted to get away" and didnt care about the overall experience. We basically just bummed the days away anyway so even though it wasnt as great as some of the trips I've taken, I still had a good time for what I paid and what I expected.

[pamkev]

I just loved Anna in the Martini Bar she is a sweetheart. I'm so glad she is still there. We sailed the Zenith in June. I was hoping Theresa was there also, another sweetheart. She was getting off and wasn't sure she was coming back, she wanted to stay home with her kids. I hope Anna is there next Oct would like to see her again Pam

[Outlanderssc]

It is Celebrity who is partially at fault here for allowing entrance once the rules are stated.

 

In Celebrity's defense, since I booked a 5 day for Lynne and I in January I have received three(3) separate emails outlining (among other things) the policy regarding dress in the restaurants on formal and informal nights.

 

They seem to be trying to get the message across to people who may not be "hard core" cruisers.

 

I can understand how turning a paying customer away at the door because they failed to bring a suit or dress can be very difficult for the staff.

[bostom]

Elvis and Sonny and Cher have been done to death (no disrespect intended)

 

But while Cher's been done - and done and done and done - she still appears relatively life like despite (because of?) all the surgery.

 

As to the rest, geez, I hope they listen: cruises like this won't bring the first-timers back but they will drive the regular Celebrity customers away. I'm not expecting much for $50 a day, more or less, so I'll go with an open mind.

[cruiseyguy]

I don't understand how a short cruise would/should be any different than a long cruise, quality-wise. I asked my waiter on my two-week South America cruise last year whether she preferred longer or shorter cruises and she said it made no real difference to her--a day was a day, although it was easier to get to know the guests on longer cruises. As far as dress codes are concerned, perhaps Celebrity should do as Radisson does for short cruises--adopt a "country club casual" code for anything five days or less.

[CarnyMan]

I was on the Zenith for the 19-24 Nov sailing. We ate every night in the dining room. The night that the ship was docked in Jamaica a young woman at the table next to ours wore her Jamaican souvenir for dinner. It was a two-piece, skin-tight, midriff bearing, cleavage revealing, hot pants ensemble with JAMAICA emblazoned across the chest. It was green knit with white trim and had to have quite a bit of spandex to hold what it was holding. Now I don't know about you all, but I would much rather have seen some nice jeans and a t-shirt that covered her than what she was wearing. I really don't think Celebrity is enforcing these dress rules much at all.