Celebrity Century vs. NCL Spirit

[mikefromny]

We are planning a family cruise for Feb 07 and I think I have narrowed it down to two choices: NCL Spirit 6 night (Pt Canaveral, Nassau, Great Stirrup Cay) or Celebrity 5 night (Key West and Grand Cayman). I am anticipating that with the air fair to get to Ft Lauderdale both cruises will be about the same money (we life in NY, so NCL is easy). We have three kids (B-13, B-11, G-7). Any input as to which would be appreciated. One of my big concerns about February is the weather leaving from NY and going to the Bahamas.

 

Thanks in advance,

Mike

[chessbriar]

Based on ports alone, I would take Century. When you add in the fact they are doing a major refit on the Century that will enable her to compete amenitywise with the newer ships, I'd take Century. Based on the higher level of food and service, I'd take Century. Due to the fact, Century has a good kids program I'd take Century.

 

These are all things to consider and are valid reasons to take Century. On the other hand, I don't care for NCL's freestyle cruising. And have no interest, so if everything was exactly the same, I'd take X. But they aren't the same and X offers a better cruise.

[Drew358]

I was on the NCL Spirit and felt that the ship always felt crowded. There were major passageway jams and overcrowding at the buffet. I personally did not like the ship set-up and the food left a lot to be desired. I have not sailed on the Century, but from what I have read regarding both ships and my personal experience on one of them, I would without hesitation take the Century. I will not sail on the Spirit again.

[goldmom]

While I personally enjoy the traditional style cruising on Celebrity I think with teenagers you may want to consider the Spirit. I haven't been on the Spirit, but have been on the Dawn twice. The convenience of leaving fom NYC is great and while many don't like free-style I had no problem with it. I found the food ok.

 

Having traveled for many years with our children, we're now empty nesters, they enjoyed many different types of cruises. Depending on your children, if they enjoy the dressing up and formality then Celebrity is great and in some ways a good experience for teens to learn proper manners. On NCL, the meals and dress codes are much more flexible and this sometimes suits parents with children better. Although be warned that if you don't have a reservation for dinner, you may have to wait for a table or opt for the dinner buffet.

 

Hope this helps and I'm sure you'll enjoy either trip.

[newmexicoNita]

It probably depends on whether or not your group have been to any of these islands and how they feel about activities and casual versus formal, dress up dining. With teens I think I would lean toward the Spirit. The food on Celebrity is a little better, not much, but somewhat. There are more activities on the Spirit and probably more young people (teens that is) On the Century you will be assigned an eating time for the entire group, on the Spirit you can choose when it is convenience for everyone or the kids can go to the dining room alone. We did the Key West, GC 5 dayer last month on the Zenith, had a great time and both ports are nice. With the Spirit you do get one more port, Cape C has lots to offer, different from what the islands have, the private island is great but Nassau isn't my favorite place. Now, you have a lot to think about. NMnita

[wiselindag]

Our family of three (including a 16 year old boy) just got off the Century Christmas/New Years cruise and I was on the Norwegian Spirit last January on a cruise with my mom (celebrating her 80th birthday).

 

I'll start with the food:

The food on Century last month was as good as any I have had on any cruise ship.The dining room was outstanding and the breakfast buffet (and especially the waffles) was terrific. I also enjoyed the new Caesar Salad Bar, the Pasta Bar, and the addition of items such as ribs and onion rings to the outside barbeque on the pool deck. I was very surprised by the quality of the food on the Spirit last January (much better than I expected!) We ate in the main dining room, tried two of the specialty restaurants, used the buffet and snacked in several of the snack spots and enjoyed every meal. The food wasn't as good as that on Celebrity, but it was enjoyable.

 

I don't like freestyle as much as assigned dining, but found the staff of Spirit very eager to improve my opinion. (When asked how I was enjoying the dining on the morning of the second day I stated my dislike of freestyle based on poor service the night before. In the blink of an eye the dining room Maitre D' was at our table and wanted a fuller report. He promised we would have better service in the future and that I should always check in with him when I got there. Sure enough, he found us a much better waiter and made sure we were happy with our seating assignments for the rest of the cruise!) We did have to wait for a table in the main dining room on the last night and I had to ask for chairs for the two 80+ year olds in our party, but other than that the reservation system was fine and we had no problems on the other nights.

 

Cabins:

I was in an outside cabin with my family (including a bunk for our DS). Last year I was in a balcony cabin on Constellation. Mom and I had a balcony on the Spirit. The Spirit balcony was definitely smaller than the Connie balcony and although it was fine, it wasn't as nice. Next door a traveling companion had the same balcony on the Spirit, and shared it with her mom and sister. It was very tight, especially when the pull-out was set up at night... wall to wall bed essentially. On the Century our DS was in his bunk, up above our queen, and that worked great for us. He didn't mind climbing up (not too much anyway) and his bed wasn't in our way (except for the ladder and my DH was a good sport about that!) You should check about the cabin configuration if you are sharing with your children. One more thing, our storage space on the Century was plentiful for the three of us... barely adequate on the Spirit for two of us. Much has been said about the toilet and shower partitions in the bathroom. I thought the partitions made the bathroom feel smaller. There wasn't much elbow room when I was putting on make-up at the sink.

 

Children's Facilities:

Celebrity is really not known for its children's facilities and they are lacking on the Century. There is a room for younger cruisers and some space set aside for older teens, but it's not very good. My son reports that the arcade on the Century is awful, but it's possible that with the new Century children's facilities will improve.... I just heard a description of the changes, but I forget whether they were dealing with the children's areas ... I just tuned into the balconies and the spa changes. I don't remember the Spirit's arcade, but there is a huge back deck area for children including an pirate's ship and separate children's pool.... looked really nice! If you check the recent reviews of this ship, it sounds as if people still really like her.

 

Entertainment:

I had trouble getting into the show room on the Spirit -- part of the problem with freestyle eating. By the time we got there, the show had usually begun. I think the entertainment on the Century was better, and the entertainment on the Constellation last year was especially good.

 

Pool Area:

The main pool area on the Spirit is small in comparison to every other ship I have been on. I never once got to sit in a lounge chair.

 

Weather:

Big question! As a New Yorker, I would worry about bad weather and several days of less than great sailing weather getting down to the sunny South. In February even your destination weather could be less than hot. Grand Cayman, at least, is sure to be hot. On the other hand, skipping the flying to Florida part appeals to me.

 

Good luck with the decision. As you can see, I like both and think your family will enjoy either cruise experience.

[Tatka]

We sailed on Century 2 years ago and will be on NCL Spirit this August (8 dasy)... I will let you know.

 

Century is my favourite ship up to this date..and it was my very first cruise, so it will be tough to compare ;) . Cruise on Century and future Spirit cruise will be to East Caribbeans which I like more than Western.