Just Back - Zenith - As Good As It Gets

[seaventurer]

This was a fantastic cruise - 5 nights, 12/3-12/8 - Cayman and Key West. I cruise frequently...and on brands across the board from Costa to Radisson - from Carnival to NCL...

 

I picked this cruise for a couple of reasons - as a single, the rate was great. I also prefer smaller ships - well, ships as they should be, and after coming off the Caribbean Princess in August my greatest fear became reality...anything over 100,000 tons ain't a ship...it's a mall on water with cabins.

 

However, and at only 77,000 tons, I love the Mercury (sailed on her twice) and now, have a renewed liking for the X brand - a renewed interest in sailing again and again with X, but not exclusively.

 

Out of a possible 10, I would rate this cruise - overall, as an 8. Not bad for a 14 year old vessel which in fact is about half of her lifespan...very little wear - where it counts...like in the staterooms, lounges and restaurant.

 

After day one, every crew/staff member that was involved in my routine - i.e., bar, casino, restaurant, cabin, etc., addressed me by name and knew what I liked - whether it was the way the bed was made up, or the beverages at my meals...this brought me back to what cruising WAS, and should be.

 

The food was excellent - there's something very fresh about Celebrity's meals in the literal sense...*when we were disembarking today, I actually witnessed the rejection of a pallet of tomatoes. The poor truck driver had to take it back...only once did I have a problem with a very tough piece of lamb which was quickly replaced with whatever I wanted - a second order of Beef, and without asking.

 

On this ship, the waiters and cabin stewards have less of a burden based on passenger loads and crew ratios, so the service excels. For example, my cabin was made up each morning within 20 minutes of leaving - regardless of the time...buffet lines were almost non existant...*The ship was NOT full however.

 

I really liked this cruise, the ship, and the service. I fear that, say, on the Millie at 100% occupancy, the service, food and personality would be very different. I hope X keeps this baby (The Z) around (but probably won't) for a while...the Zenith has a quality and heartbeat of her own.

 

Couple of notes ...the bathrooms have 0 sound proofing...you can actually hear your neighbors - if you are in the bathrom at the same time, which was rare, talk, breath and brush. Strange design flaw. The chairs in the restaurant were sub-industry and reminded me of banquet chairs at a Holiday Inn.

 

Bottom line - small ship = personal attention unachievable on a larger ship. The Zenith and my X experience this past week put Celebrity back in my arena of many future cruises...thanks ZENITH.

[Lois R]

Hi, Thanks for the positive review. I know, I know, there are people

who say a good review is supposed to include the positives as

well as the negatives but I have read so much of the latter

on these boards lately it is nice to see someone who actually

had a good time!!!

I will be on Zenith in February I look forward to that same

positive experience. Then again, every one of my cruises on X

have been outstanding.

 

Thanks again and I am glad you had such a good time:)

[joeyanddavid]

Seaventurer,

 

Thanks for taking the time to put on paper your thoughts on the Zenith!

 

Glad you enjoyed your expierence!

[tropicalsunset]

I can't wait!! I can't wait!! Thanks for the review...!

[KAJOKG]

Seaventurer - Thanks for your review - including the bathroom negative, which isn't really a problem. We chose to try Celebrity for the first time on the Zenith in January. It was a bargain price and we jumped at the opportunity. From all you say, it does sound like our cup of tea! BTW, I agree with you regarding the Caribbean Princess. Too many people for me, but it is popular and the ship never leaves port with an empty cabin. My two favorite ships of all are the Coral Princess (smaller and friendlier) and HAL's Volendam (smaller, warm and bordering on elegance). I hope I add the Zenith, or at least Celebrity, to my list of favorites. Again, thanks for your honest and forthright review.

[southhavenjen]

Just wanted to add my thanks for your review. We are cruising Zenith in February and looking forward to a good time!

[Luckyroot]

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't WAIT!!

 

<sigh> It's sleeting outside right now :(

[njscuba]

Nice review. We are looking forward to sailing on Jan 23 to get away from a winter in NJ that is starting too early!

[BrooklynGirl2]

Thank you for your review of Zenith. I very much like when you said "Zenith has a quality and a heartbeat all her own". I happen to be very fond of this ship and her crew, having sailed on her twice this past summer. I thought the food and service were outstanding and I enjoy her size very much. I don't know if I'd ever really enjoy one of those huge maga ships which are like floating malls with tons of people milling around. For me, Zenith was perfect.:)

[newmexicoNita]

thanks for a positive review but honest. We will be sailing her next Saturday. Can you answer a question? What is the casino like? Are there lots of slots (of course I realize the ship is small) and was there any activity around the BJ and Crap tables? I think I have asked before and been told no penny slots but nickels. Thanks for any insight. I guess you know where I spend my time? LOL NMnita

[cruise 'n shopper]

Thanks for the great review---it's encouraging that you enjoyed the cruise so much, since we depart next Saturday too!

 

Do you happen to recall if there was a digital photography class given on board? I was talking today with a friend who sailed Celebrity last summer, and she said they had a class on taking and editing digital photos. That would be of interest to us if it's on a sea day.

 

Thanks again,

 

cruise 'n shopper

[mahdnc]

After day one, every crew/staff member that was involved in my routine - i.e., bar, casino, restaurant, cabin, etc., addressed me by name and knew what I liked - whether it was the way the bed was made up, or the beverages at my meals...this brought me back to what cruising WAS, and should be.

 

After having sailed on the larger ships in the fleet, we were able to cruise Horizon this year--and I would totally agree with the above comment. I remember when we sailed on Century during her inaugural season in April 1996, we struck up several conversations with past Celebrity cruisers on board who swore that Century was too big and that they liked Horizon/Zenith better!

 

Anyway, nice review--we hope to sail on Zenith someday soon.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks for the great review---it's encouraging that you enjoyed the cruise so much' date=' since we depart next Saturday too!

 

Do you happen to recall if there was a digital photography class given on board? I was talking today with a friend who sailed Celebrity last summer, and she said they had a class on taking and editing digital photos. That would be of interest to us if it's on a sea day.

 

Thanks again,

 

cruise 'n shopper[/quote']C and S, we got a copy of the dailies last week and it showed the class. I think it's the first day at sea. DH is planning on going to it. We certainly need help!!! What are you planning on doing on port days? We are taking a snorkel and feed the stingrays trip in GC. I guess almost everyone will be doing something like that. We will probably do nothing in Key West as we have been there 2 or 3 times. It's an awesome port. NMNita

[Andy]

Thanks for the very nice review !

[seaventurer]

ORDER SORBET EVERY NIGHT - it's the best...Order shrimp cocktail every night also (if you like it) - even when it's not on the menu - we did. Exploit room service - the lasagne at 3AM was great - and delivered (hot) in less than 20 minutes.

 

Be sure to grab one of those frozen cotton hand towels when you come back to the ship from a day ashore - I have some (of my own) in the freezer now (I live in Miami).

 

The casino has lots of slots - one roulette table (which is where you'd find me) and of course a good number of other gaming venues.

 

I rarely if ever go to the shows - I did twice on my cruise and found them to be superb productions with above average talent - if you like going to shows, you won't be dissapointed and the sightlines are unobstructed. Less than average is the internet service...bandwidth must be low so be patient.

 

One last note, debarkation was smooth and I didn't feel rushed to get off the ship...you are told what time and where to meet and what time you will get off...and we did - to the minute.

 

Any more questions...fire away...

[Barry ATL]

Ken and I were also on this same cruise. We really enjoyed it. I swear that our cabin attendant, Jose, had cameras on us. We went to breakfast one morning for only 25 minutes. When we returned, the room was done. One time we walked in while Jose was cleaning and he seemed embarassed that we caught him. Needless to say, he was very good.

 

I don't remember his name, but there was a pianist who did sing-a-longs in the Cova Cafe at night. He was great! One night we were all singing New York, New York! and ten women got up and did a Rockettes line complete with the legs. Was a real hoot.

 

My partner, Ken, did karioke and made the clips reel they sell at the end of the cruise.

 

The shows were good. The 60's show was the best of the bunch. We also like the comedian on the last night.

 

In the dining room we had GREAT table mates. We also had tea together two different days. The food was good as was the service. Our waiter at table 2 was good, but not great. The assistant matride (spelling?) was excellent. One of the ladies at our table was celebrating her 70th birthday and the A.M. went way out of his way to help us prepare a rum cake we bought in Cayman. He had the chef make a piece of chocolate to put on the cake that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANCES. They also made a special ice cream for us that matched the flavor of the rum cake.

 

The casino is good and roomy for the size ship. Ken and I played in the slots tournement. I made it to the final round. The whole thing was lots of fun.

 

The Zenith is a great ship. We liked the smaller ship. Our room had new carpet and new soft goods. After comparing notes with other passengers, most were in the updated cabins. They are changing out all the soft goods as they change the carpet. The new colors are a softer, pastel look.

 

The reading chairs in the library were really comfy. A big, plush chair with a large foot stool. I read and slept in there several times. I saw others who and started reading and it turned into a nap.

 

The rates have changed on internet connections. The Zenith charges $0.50 per minute. This includes all uses of the computer whether it is internet or using one of the off line applications such as Excel or Word. The only thing free is the Celebrity website.

 

There are a few negatives. Since Ken is in a wheelchair, accessibility issues jump out at us. The dining room is a real nightmare for a wheelchair. There are very few tables that are easy to get to in a chair. We were at table 2 in the corner, aft and two chairs at another table had to be moved to get access to our table. The buffet dining is no better. The entrances to the table areas in the buffet have a large table at the entrance.

 

Disembarkation in Key West is not as smooth as it should be. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to clear the ship. They had to keep calling names and calling names to get folks up to the Celebrity Theatre to check in with customs. Several of us spoke with the hotel director about the situation. They ask all USA citizens to show up at 7AM. If everyone did as asked over 1,000 people would have showed up at the same time. Since everybody knew that there was no way to process 1,000 in a timely manner, they showed up when they wanted to. There has to be a better way.

 

Over all, the trip was excellent. We enjoyed the ship and the excellent service.

[tinker]

We are going to book the Zenith for a Bermuda cruise next fall. Nice to read all the nice comments.

Please suggest best outside cabin locations and has anyone ever booked Cat. 8 obstructed view (lifeboat deck).

[DaisyL]

We are going to book the Zenith for a Bermuda cruise next fall. Nice to read all the nice comments.

Please suggest best outside cabin locations and has anyone ever booked Cat. 8 obstructed view (lifeboat deck).

We were on the Zenith to Bermuda in Oct. for the last cruise before drydock. We absolutely loved the cruise, ship, and Bermuda. We have been on the Horizon (sister to Zenith) twice before and were not disappointed this time either. I would have to say, we did not care for several of the entrees at dinner(very tough filet mignon- 5 at our table, and the veal cordon bleu, absolutely awful-4 at our table, some desserts had no taste) but otherwise the meals were good. We love the production shows and enjoyed the Zenith shows. Bermuda is our most favorite island (been there 5x) so you can't go wrong ... Our cruise was between hurricanes so the weather was beautiful; just lucky I guess, as the week before us was awful (25 foot waves and left Bermuda 1 day early). The elevators are very slow and crowded, so if you require them book your cabin on a convenient deck. We used the stairs a lot ... worked off all the good food and did not need to go to the gym ...

 

My parents were upgraded to the Cat. 8 obstructed view from an inside gty(on the Horizon) and were pleased. The cabin was definitely obstructed but you can get glimpses outside and the deck is higher up so convenient to the buffet and pool decks. All outside and CC cabins are the same size so no difference except deck. The beds are pushed together against the wall on one side, under the window, so it's difficult to get good views outside. We've had both inside and outside on this ship, but for us, we were spoiled with balconies on other ships so on this past cruise we stayed in an inside and spent lots of time outside on the upper decks (plus used the saved $ on drinks and wine ... great martini bar, BTW...).

 

Enjoy your cruise to Bermuda on the Zenith next Fall ... The weather in Bermuda is wonderful that time of year.

[Kay and Hal]

We were on this cruise and agree largely with Seaventurer and BarryATL (Hi Barry/Ken!!!).

 

EMBARKATION was an absolute breeze - it must have taken all of 5 minutes. Yes, it is true we had Priority because we were in a suite, however it looked as though it would have taken only 10 minutes or so if we had not had Priority. I thought I recalled from our last Celebrity cruise, that we were escorted to our cabins. This was not done on the Zenith - the ship is identical to the Horizon so we had no problem finding our cabin on our own, though I realize this may be an issue for some.

 

CABINS -We had a suite on deck 10 (first time ever in a suite), and the room was kept exceptionally clean. Our room was cleaned, bed made, etc. literally within minutes of us leaving it in the mornings. Every time we returned to our cabin there were clean towels in the bathroom to replace ones we had just used. A CON here from me - the shower drained VERY slowly so water pooled in the tub, but that is certainly not a deal-breaker for me. The bed was fairly comfortable, the cabin temp was great - I had an issue on the Horizon last year, could not get the cabin cool enough, but the Zenith's air conditioning works just fine!!! Plenty of storage and closet space in the cabin also. It was great having the extra space that a suite provided.

 

We did have a communication issue with our Butler, John - thanks to the tips on this board we asked him for tropical fruit platters and cheese platters and shrimp cocktail for Hal in the afternoons as opposed to the canapes that are normally delivered, as well as cappuchino from the Cova Cafe. One day the cappuchinos never arrived, and we could not seem to make him understand we did not want the plates of cookies and sandwiches, so we ended up with enough food for an entire meal every day at 4 o'clock. A huge plus though was that he brought three shrimp cocktails for Hal every afternoon! Still not complaining though, you certainly won't get this service on a Carnival vessel. All said, it was nice to have a Butler, but I'm still not sure what it was that he did that the Room Steward could not have done, with the exception of the cappuchino.

 

DINING ROOM - We had second seating, by request. Unfortunately for our waiter, Sulendra, the bar was set so high last year on the Horizon, that any chance he had of equalling the service we received by Daniel (from Poland) on the Horizon, was extremely remote at best. Sulendra was very competent, he was an excellent waiter, but not as outgoing and personable as Daniel. I still correspond with Daniel via email, he is currently on the Mercury, and if anyone is cruising on the Mercury soon, I strongly suggest you ask for Daniel from Poland as your waiter. You won't be dissappointed! Our assistant waiter, Jose, on the other hand, seemed confused often, appeared to be overwhelmed most of the time, and, being generous, would grade him as only fair. After 5 nights, we expected he would know we wanted iced tea and bread WITH dinner, and coffee and NO bread after dinner with dessert. I sort of felt sorry for him - he made a comment one night to the effect of thanking us for putting up with his mistakes, and another comment to the effect of him getting in trouble for not doing something. We had table #68 (for two), and the problem with it was there was virtually no room between it and the table for eight and every time a waiter or assistant waiter attemped to serve the larger table, they brushed against our table, and we were concerned about things being knocked over. PAOLO!!!!!!! The Assistant Maitre'd was fabulous!!!!!! Paolo from Italy is the friendliest, most personable, most efficient (and I have to say, most yummy!) Asst. Maitre'd we have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Hal's birthday was on formal night and Paolo arranged the normal birthday cake and singing waiters. I wanted creme brulee for dessert on more than one night, and not only did Paolo take care of that, he brought it for Hal as well. He stopped to speak with us AT LEAST once every night, and spoke with us elsewhere on the ship. As an aside, his wife Tyra is the lead singer in the shows on the Zenith, which we will get to next. The food was good - not outstanding, but good. Beef was offered every night, the salads were outstanding, desserts were good, we really had no complaints about the food whatsoever.

 

ENTERTAINMENT - The Celebrity singers and dancers are excellent. We went to all of their shows and enjoyed them all, though we thought the 60's show was the best. The Salute to Broadway show was good, but unless you are familiar with current Broadway productions, the songs will be unfamiliar to you, as opposed to The 60's Show. Tyra has an incredibly strong voice, great ear and fabulous stage presence. The entire cast were wonderful singers and dancers, but Tyra excelled, in my opinion, and honestly, I feel she is wasted on the Zenith - I think she is meant for bigger things. However, it was a plus for us that she is where she is because we enjoyed the shows, and particularly her singing, immensely.

 

PHOTOS - I wasn't overly impressed with the photos this time, but that is probably partially our fault for not remembering there would be more than one photographer on formal night. We only stopped at one of them, and the photos were terrible and we did not purchase them. That was a disappointment, however the dining room photographer got a great shot of us in the dining room that night.

 

DRESS CODE - initially it was stated there would be one formal, two informal and two casual nights on the Celebrity website. It was actually one formal, one informal and three casual nights, so if you packed *just* enough of each type of clothes, you may have had a problem. We noticed there seemed to be very little adherance to the dress code, particularly on formal and informal nights. There were numerous people in jeans in the dining room on casual nights, and we even saw one gentleman in sandals in the dining room on the informal night. Probably 20-30% of the men wore tuxedos on formal night. Jacket and tie were worn by maybe 10% on the informal night. We like to think that this was because it was a short cruise - last year on the Horizon, probably 70% of the guests dressed in true formal or informal attire.

 

BUFFET - The lines were not a problem, the food was fresh and well presented. Yes, the coffee is still horrible at the buffet, and the ice machines ran out of ice during lunch. The waffles for breakfast are outstanding, as you already know if you've ever had them. The worst thing about the buffet was the odor that came out of the kitchen area, we noticed the same odor on the Horizon, so there must be something going on there that needs to be addressed. (The CC Hostess on the Horizon mentioned it may have been something with the dishwasher when we questioned her last year.) The best thing about the buffet was getting freshly made Ceasar salad every day at lunch.

 

POOL AREA - After 9 o'clock on the 2nd sea day there were no chairs available, and maybe 80% of them were missing the people that we assumed belonged in them. We ended up on the upper deck, but it was actually enjoyable up there - a little quieter and less traffic, so no serious complaints there.

 

CASINO - the only time we were in it was for the Life Boat Drill. We aren't big gamblers to begin with, we can do that at home if we want to, and honestly preferred not to stand in all the smoke. Which brings me to another small complaint - our table in the dining room was on the port side (smoking side) of the vessel, and if the doors to the dining room were left open during the meal, you could distinctly smell the smoke wafting down the hallway from the lounge. Not an issue for some, but was for me, as I have asthma, and am actually an ex-smoker, and prefer not to be around it. Others may have complained because after the first or second night, it seemed that Paolo made sure the doors were shut.

 

We did not use the library nor the computers. We did not see the comedian either. The one-man band/guitar playing singer ranged from OK to good, depending on which bar he was in. The piano player was OK. I got tired of hearing the theme song from Titanic in the dining room every night, at least 4 times, by both the couple entertaining there and the piped-in music.

 

GRAND CAYMAN - We booked the stingray/snorkeling trip with Captain Marvins, which was within walking distance of the Pier. It was then a short bus ride with Captain Marvins to the boat which we were to go on. Overall, it was an enjoyable excursion, but the snorkeling, with the exception of the moray eel our guide coaxed out, was not as good as we had hoped. You can snorkel right off the beach to the right of the Pier, which we've done previously, and it was better snorkeling, in our opinion.

 

CUSTOMS/IMMIGRATION IN KEY WEST - Yes, it's true that everyone cannot show up at 7 AM to go through the line. We got there @ 7:30, there was quite a line, so we went to grab breakfast, and returned by 8 and there were only a few people there. It's a pain for all of us, but it DOES go quickly, therefore, I was really irritated with the 15-20 people who did not bother to show up, necessitating repeated announcements in coaxing them out from wherever they had hidden, before any of us could leave the ship in Key West. It was 10 o'clock before we could get off the ship, and honestly, if I had had a shore excursion booked for an early time that day, I would have been MOST unhappy. As it is, it did cut into our time there, though not to the extent it could have.

 

DISEMBARKATION - Very smooth and organized, no problems there. We were not rushed nor were we held up.

 

Overall, I'd rate our total experience as an 8.5. This was our 2nd cruise on this size vessel with Celebrity and the experience was good to outstanding on each.

[newmexicoNita]

thanks for you review; it helps us know what to expect next week. As for the snorkeling, after snorkeling several times we realize how bad or good it is depends on the weather more than anything. NMnita

[slotaddict]

Thank you so much for the great review. I am so excited to be going on 1/23. Nita, I hope you have a great time and your grandaughters wedding is wonderful. Please post your review when you get back.

The tension is building Woooooo Hooooooooo

[BrooklynGirl2]

BarryATL and Kay and Hal I really enjoyed reading your reviews. I was able to relive my cruises vicariously through you. We had the greatest waiters on both of our Zenith cruises...Melwyn with Keith assisting and Alan with Jose assisting. Our Jose didn't speak much English but always had a smile and was there after dinner with our decaf tea. At breakfast Keith would make a special effort to get my little son the rolls he liked and Lester was great with him as well. Alan and Melwyn went above and beyond for us at every dinner and fulfilled our every request (sometimes before we even made them ;)). In my opinion, Zenith has a very special crew and they are the heartbeat of this ship.

 

To Nita...have a wonderful time on your cruise and at the wedding. I look forward to reading about it when you return.

[cruise 'n shopper]

Thanks for all the tips and hints about the ship and the time ashore. We've been to Key West several times so don't plan to take a shore excursion. We may do the Trolley on our own because DH's parents will be with us and they haven't been before, and I think the Truman Little White House will really be of interest to them. I enjoy shopping, sipping, and munching along Duval Street myself!

 

On Grand Cayman, we are thinking of doing the ship's 4 X 4 excursion, because the four of us could be in one vehicle and it wouldn't involve too much walking for them. From the description it looks like there is a snorkel/swim stop, but it wasn't clear whether they provide snorkel equipment or not. Has anyone done this excursion, and do you recall if they provided snorkel equipment?

 

Thanks for the tip about photo class, nmnita. I will definitely get there, if it doesn't interfere with sleeping in!

 

We just checked the Web for Grand Cayman weather this week---about 80 and sunny, and the water looks glorious! Hopefully the great weather will hold out for the following week when we're there.

 

Only two more days of work and then off to Florida!

[Arubalisa]

Thanks for all the great info.

 

Does Celebrity allow smoking in the dining room of all of their ships?

[mahdnc]

Does Celebrity allow smoking in the dining room of all of their ships?

 

Smoking is not allowed in any of the dining rooms on any Celebrity ship. Smoking policy