Just home from Century

[MarkandStacie]

and we are ready to be back on the ship. Full report to follow. Mostly good, some not so......

[Kroozin]

Mark and Stacie....the suspense is killing me!!!

How was your cruise? ... Two weeks from today, we will be sailing away. We can't wait. Are breathlessly awaiting your review, hoping that 'our' Century is all we remember the ship to be. Hopefully the "not so good" you teased us with was really not so bad!!!! ;)

[SunLeslie]

Looing forward to your posting also. Looks like we may be going on the 4/2cruise once we are confirmed the Star Princess will not be going (which does not look very likely after the fire). Love to hear more about Century.

[MarkandStacie]

I have cruised Century before and love Celebrity. On this trip I had my wife and 5 kids. Take these for what you will...a posting on the net.

 

Getting started:

 

We drove from Tampa down to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday and stayed at "the Little in by the Sea"; a bed and breakfast in Lauderdale by the Sea. We love this small feeling town just north of Ft. Lauderdale. Cheap place on the beach with neat places to eat. Very nice beach and blue water. When I hear people say the gulf coasts beaches are nicer, I am confused. The beaches from Panama City to Naples are powdery white sand, but the water isn't near as nice. We hit the pool and beach and after walking on the beach; watched a movie together.

 

Sunday:

 

I arranged for three of my ladies to have manicures at 10:00 am, very nice since nobody was open on Sunday morning. I found a place to open early and charged $10 a piece for the manicures. That sure beat the ship price and this way they were set before we board. Now to head to the ship; incredible! Watching my children's eyes light up at the sight of Century, Infinity, Magica, Meditterania, and the poor Princess ship that burned. I noticed months ago the Century arrived on Saturday, but we departed on Sunday....that meant NO offloading passengers! We were there by just after 11 and there were empty lines at most check in points! We were topside by 11:30. I can't imagine a faster check-in.

 

We spent the next couple of hours having lunch (great!) and exploring the ship. Although my wife and I knew the way around, it was so much fun to explore with the kids. I left out many details to them so they would be so pleasantly surprised at places like the Cova Cafe....did I mention I have teens??? We then split a little and met up for the lifeboat drill/ sail away party. Afterwards it was time to prepare for our dinner at 6. Dinner was great except they set us at a table for 6, when we had 7 and a baby. Two year olds love having all that silverware at their reach! We had a nice evening after dinner, but it was an early night for me...

 

Monday, a day at sea:

 

I awoke at sunrise and went topside with my 12 year old. He was in awe looking at the ship and skyline on the open ocean. Later my girls and baby got up and we all did breakfast together. These were the favorite meals. There was so much fresh fruit, a gazillion breakfast items, and *** insert drum solo here*** the waffle bar. This was a big success with the whole family and is the best food on the ship! I sent some time also with my 14 year old who is impressed by little these days, she was awestruck by the beauty and size of the ocean. This entire day was spent poolside or exploring many areas of the ship. My 16 year old discovered the Hemispheres lounge all the way forward and 13 stories in the air. She loved to hang out there and read or with friend/siblings during the week. At some point I saw the cruise critic party going on but had my baby with me, so I skipped it. This trip is for my kids. The day ended with our first formal night. They had replaced our table with a larger one and already my children were falling in love with our waiters; Hugo and Chai. My 18 year old informed me that she would not be returning home to her boyfriend and college, but would instead live her life on the ship! It was great to sea my boys in suits and my ladies were breathtaking! I had the most beautiful women on the ship to be sure. Prime rib for most of us, and my 12 year old had escargot. He said he could handle fish eggs.....when he learned these were snails he tried them anyway. I should say he tried ONE anyway! After two evening of formal eating, my kids were hooked. They loved the dressing up, and multiple courses. That evening the rest of the family did a Broadway show and I hung out with the two year old. We must have spent two hours walking around the ship and on the elevators. Everywhere we went that day people paid so much attention to him. These included the crew and passengers. When the day ended I could not stop smiling at the joy we had had over the first couple of days, as I drifted off to sleep I kept thinking of Jamaica and the adventures that waited......

[BrooklynGirl2]

Mark...loved your review so far. You sound like a very proud father! I too found Celebrity's crews are wonderful with children. I look forward to reading more.

[SunLeslie]

Wow cant wait - we leave Sunday 4/2. We just booked as we were originally on the Star Princess and luckily were able to move to the Century. We are a party of 14 (Sons Wedding). Cant wait to read the rest. Keep it coming.

[MarkandStacie]

Tuesday, Jamaica:

 

We arrived at Montego Bay a little late. This bothered me slightly as we seemed to be going only 8-12 knots most of the night. Jamaica is part of why we chose this trip, and getting in late did not help. I had corresponded with two different private tour companies and was to be met at the pier by Chester from Barret adventures. My wife and I have been to Dunn's falls and chose this time to take the kids to Mayfield falls. Those falls were very small and less impressive than Dunn's but other things made it just as rewarding. First of all the trip up to them is fantastic. After following the coast for 10-15 miles, we turned inland. For the next hour we drove into central Jamaica. Very quickly civilization disappeared. The road was narrow and scary at many points. At times I could not imagine passing another oncoming car which happened infrequently.

Several times there would be cliffs a mere couple of feet from the car. We were thrilled! The girls were scared, but excited.

 

At the falls, we saw one couple there briefly. That meant we had our 7 and a guide and the falls to ourselves. That made it really cool. We swam and splashed and was only slightly scared caring the baby. We took many great shots which I will post soon. One of the highlights was a rock that had a tunnel under it. WE dove down one by one and swam under this huge rock section...except for mom and the baby. The site is primitive but very enjoyable if you like more than the tourist traps of some port activities. Their was a miss up in the pricing and we paid more than I thought I agreed to however. I liked my tour, but would try A-Z planners next time.

 

On the way back to town we stopped several times to give gifts to the young children we saw. We had brought these from home and the experience overwhelmed my family. The people of Jamaica are poor but proud. What I found a long time ago is most are VERY happy. After several trips there, I believe more of them are happy than those of us living with so much prosperity. I often wish I could have the same no worries attitude about life....

 

It turns out that we used to much time so we had to skip shopping/ Margaritaville. Many people seem to dislike Jamaica, but my family voted it our number one stop. At dinner that night we had another very good meal and did the midnight party on top of the ship. I like that one a lot and wish there were more activities at night under the stars. I actually wish there were more lively island atmosphere around the pools all of the time. A late night would be followed by our busiest day of the week....Grand Cayman

[Seabee]

Mark...sorry we didn't get to meet. It was truly a great cruise.

[Lois R]

Hi SEA:D always a pleasure to see you;)

 

Mark, I am definitely enjoying your review and glad you had a

good time!

[JAB8408]

:p Hi Mark,

 

I'm also sorry we didn't get to meet, but it sounds like you had some wonderful quality family time all week long.

 

I did the Orginal canopy tour from Montego Bay, and was amazed at the traffic jam for the tour busses as we left port. Or tried to leave the port. I think we sat for forty minutes.

 

We were on deck 6 that evening, and watched as bus after bus trickled in LATE. First a beach group of twenty came on board after our posted 6:30 departure, then another group of four hurried out from the pier bulding.

 

Next, I saw our cruise director Bruce, come in with about a dozen people, and at the same time, we saw another bus pull into the parking lot. Bruce had been on the Original Canopy tour also, but at a later time than my group. More and more passengers kept arriving, some calling out apologies for holding up Century's departure.

 

We finally sailed just after 7 pm. Two lessions might be learned. First- second seating for dinner, indeed has it's merits. Second- Use a Celebrity sponsored excursion, while in Montego Bay. Traffic in the area is heavy.

 

We came back about 4:30, and there was a long line checking through security in the port building. (Not the Century security, the Montego Bay xray system) At one point, officials called everyone out of line, who were waiting to board a Holland America ship. They boarded a bus, and were driven down to their ship. That ship was already halfway through the harbor by the time I got to my cabin on Century.

 

Judi

[MarkandStacie]

Wed. Grand Cayman:

This was the only morning we missed our family waffle breakfast and our mid morning coffee drinks and croissants. We were on the first tender to shore, not many people fighting for the 7:15 shuttle! We had an early trip planned with Capt. Marvin's tours. He took our 7 and 5 others for a trip to Sting Ray City and snorkeling. Sting Ray city is the #1 must do on any western Caribbean cruise. My wife and I had been before, but for the kids it was exhilarating. My 14 yr old would only go in when she was "held" by me or her sister! All of us loved it and we were surrounded and rubbed by 40-50 sting rays from 1 foot to 5'. After we did about 45 minutes at an off shore snorkel site. Not the most fish I've ever seen, but still fun.

 

 

After a seaside lunch and great rum drink, we headed towards the Nautilus submarine tour. This submerged adventure was more fun than I expected. I like to be in the water, but just to watch my 2 years old yell Nemo many times was too cool. We saw a gazillion fish and they even feed them into a frenzy! We also went over two wreck sites which were amazing.

After that we split into two groups. My wife taking the girls back to the ship, while my 12 yr old son and I went for a brief stop at the worlds biggest skateboard park.

 

Blackbeards was amazing but I can't imagine who spent all that money on a park on an island with less than 70000 people! We hurried back to the tender and this was one of my least favorite moments. First of all, needing to be at the tender at 3:15 is crazy, the other boats stayed longer. Celebrity needs to allow more time in Cayman. Also, Royal Caribbean and others were much better with their tenders. The Navigator is a huge ship, but they plan well with large tenders running non-stop. The line for Century was very long. It made it hard to resist that incredible water...I wanted to jump in quite badly.

 

 

Back on board my wife and I went for a drink before dinner. Here is where I was not nearly as impressed as previous sailings. Maybe my tastes have improved. The dinners were quite good, but not one main course was fantastic. It seems like they have less steaks and more larger cuts of sliced beef like Prime Rib. I LIKED every meal I had, but the dinners were less memorable for me. The service was impeccable, X trains their people well! The highlight was the second formal night with lobster and baked Alaska. The kids did not know this was coming and were thrilled. I should also mention we did have many great soups and ate more great shrimp cocktail than I can believe possible! Opps, I forgot the deserts, we had many great ones; chocolates, cakes, cheesecake, and the best ice cream!

 

That evening the teens did "a taste of Broadway" and I had a nice cigar and a couple of drinks. Speaking of drinks I brought wine/vodka for the room, and wine for dinner. This trip they seemed very relaxed about alcohol. I saw others bringing stuff on openly in Jamaica and when I purchased some on board, they handed it to me! So much for sneaking some on, shame on me. Paying $6 for a Corona, shame on you!

Ahh yes, Corona. We had two more stops left. Two Mexican beach days with no real set plan. Just beach, siesta, and fiesta!~

[MarkandStacie]

Thanks to all.

 

We had little problems arriving back to the ship at about 5:15. I found the place very empty. I was also suprised to see many people carring boxes of booze on the ship. I think that is the way it should always be anyway.

 

I really felt that both Jamaica and GC desreved more time. As for the late seating I would ALWAYS choose that....except with a 2.5 yr old.

[Kroozin]

Hi Mark and Stacie,

WONDERFUL review....We are very much looking forward to retracing your route when we cruise on Century April 9. I was especially interested in your excursion to Stingray City. My hubbie and I are planning to do this trip. However, he does not swim and usually watches from the boat while I snorkel. I have heard, however, that the reefs at Stingray City are shallow enough to stand up in and I am trying to encourage my better half to jump into the water with me (while wearing a life-vest, of course) so he doesn't miss out on a fabulous experience. Can you please tell us how deep the water is?

Thanks....and looking forward to reading the next chapter. :)

[MarkandStacie]

I would doubt even he would wear a life vest. The water is around 4 feet deep. I have been there in the past where they boats actually dropped anchor at about 6-7 feet, but that is not normal. Even if they do, it meant swimmimg 20 feet at most. I'll post pictures soon.

[MarkandStacie]

Thursday Cozumel:

 

We started our morning at ....you guessed it the waffle bar. Afterwards we went for good coffee downstairs at the Cova Cafe. I am a coffee snob and can't drink the watered down stuff served most places. Then it was on to the tender game. This meant some waiting and trying to be patient. Now is a good time for me to tell you how much I love going to all-inclusive or other beach resorts. First of all there is no waiting for tenders or lines, very nice. Second they don't spend much of my week trying to sell me extra stuff: tours, alcohol, pictures, good coffee, sodas. Sodas? Please, these fountain drinks cost pennies. Third, and maybe most important...no schedules. They are much more relaxing. Please notice I did not say better, I love cruising and we are planning our next one already, even if it is a year away. I have been to many places. but none treat me as nice as Celebrity does.

 

When we got to Coz, we caught a taxi to Paradise Beach. This was a lot of fun and the family loved it. The nachos were covered in processed cheese, yuck. The mixed drinks were different each time. Still the staff was great and it was a nice time. The problem is we have spent so much time 10 miles a way on the mainland of Mexico. The town of Playa Del Carmen has incredible beaches that surpass all of those on this itinerary. That is ok though; if I wanted the best beaches, I'd take an Eastern Cruise. The Western is better for undersea life. Between the hurricane and having all of the kids with us, we opted for two strait beach days which were fun and relaxing. The water was also a disappointment, being brown and not near what I have seen in Coz in the past.

 

After the beach, we went to La Choza. This is my favorite Mexican restaurant on earth. Actually I like it better than those off of earth as well! We had a great meal and margaritas. We were also serenaded which was cool. Following that we shopped near the main pier (North) where are tenders left from I do like being at the old north pier better than the new one south of town. Both are still destroyed and I saw no work being done on them when we were there.

 

Thursday night was room service and the ships comedian, he was good. Sadly the ladder guy was off of the ship.

 

Friday Costa Maya:

 

We took a shuttle to town and ate at Pez Quatro. I really liked this little town. It is so different from the other ports and I like the dirt road sea side feel. This is where we did more shopping and relaxing. Again the water was not so great. I had all of my girls get massages on the beach for an hour and they loved that. The middle three kids also went parasailing. It was cheaper here and we had fun watching them get dipped into the ocean.

 

After the beach we headed back to the artificial hub of Costa Maya....that place was fun but fake feeling. My wife and son enjoyed the pool for a very long time. Soon it was time to get ready for the last formal night. This meant lobster, steak, 2 shrimp cocktails, soup, and a salad.....who am I kidding, I barely touched the salad! All of this was followed by the baked Alaska parade. The kids did not know about this and were smiling beautifully. Again I had the best looking ladies on the ship. My wife was stunning. Did I mention we had 2 of our kids with us :(

 

About this time we were all really dreading the end in site......

[MarkandStacie]

Saturday sailing around Cuba,

 

I have done this Western Caribbean before, but this time we seemed to sail much closer to Cuba. This was truly a day for soaking up the sun and smoking a good cigar. In Coastal Maya 20 people offered me "Cubans", I definitely doubt their validity. The kids did many different thing around the ship enjoying the new people they had met during the week.

 

This also made only the third time we were to eat lunch aboard Century. These three lunches were quite good, and the lines seldom worth mentioning. If I were designing a ship, it would have an outdoor grill. The burgers by the pool were ok. If they were cooked openly and served, they would be much better. The pizza served by the pool and elsewhere is not very good. I really am glad they are adding a specialty restaurant to this ship. I have not sailed the mega ships over 100,000 tons, but even with only 2 sea days, I wish there were more onboard.

 

Dinner was good, but we needed to pack and get our luggage ready which my wife did as usual. The kids did the talent contest and the final teen dance that night.

 

Leaving our good friend Century,

 

The final breakfast was one of the low points of the week. For the first time they shut down two entire serving lines and the omelet/waffle station. This made the lines horrendous and little chance for us to eat before a long travel day. We decided to try the main dining room only to receive the slowest service by far. Only when I was blunt with the maitre de did we get served food that was mostly forgettable. This is the ONLY morning where everyone on the ship is trying to eat in a 90 minute time frame. Why on earth they would choose cut there serving areas is beyond me. Color assignment were also 30 minutes or more late leaving common areas crowded and restless.

 

random thoughts....

 

I'm not sure what my review is worth, they are redesigning this ship in a month. But to Celebrity overall....I think you are a great product with well trained personnel. I wonder if your food quality has slipped a notch or my standards raised. One thing that has raised is drink prices. I studied economics and I believe they can make much more money by lowering prices. Cast shame on me for bringing alcohol on board. I intended this to be my pre dinner drink supplies, but with these prices turned into more. I also believe time has passed by ships of this size unless they have other dinner choices. ok, there are all my negatives....I tried to put them at the end.

 

Overall I loved this cruise and you will too. When I next cruise with my wife we will try the next generation of Celebrity. This trip with 5 kids went better than I thought, and will be planning a trip again with them next year. I will probably try Royal or Princess for that trip. Between now and than we are going to Mexico for a week and soak up the sun and eat on our schedule.....

[trcori]

mark, thanks for the review, we are going to those ports plus Costa Rica and Panama on Galaxy in a couple days ... wanted to ask for elaboration on your experience with Barrett Adventures in Montego Bay. We are also booked with them, and Carolyn has indicated that Chester will be our guide. Can you say anything more about the pricing discrepancy? For example, we are going to a different destination, but were quoted an hourly rate. Any specific questions I should ask via e-mail quickly now to make sure we don't befall the same misunderstanding? (Thanks for mentioning the road cliffs ... our plans currently do NOT include the interior ... at one point they did, and that's exactly what I was afraid of, as a white-knuckle car passenger, so I'm glad our route changed ...) -- TR (Galaxy this Saturday!)

 

p.s. re: the buffet lines & waffles the last day, in our past couple cruises (Mercury last August and Millennium the preceding December) I remember the same deal, no waffles on the last morning, fewer buffet stations open.

[MarkandStacie]

We had two different discussions and there was a misunderstanding. Chester was nice enough until the problem came up, he was than silent the rest of the day. If I were going again, I would use A-Z planners.

 

The last day is just not up to the level of service I expect from Celebrity. You will love it overall to be sure...

[jimbham]

I'm not sure what my review is worth, they are redesigning this ship in a month.

 

Well, since I for one and leaving on Century in 3 days, I greatly appreciate your review! It was such fun to read and really helped get me even more excited about Sunday.

:o

 

Lucky you! Mexico for a week in-between cruises? If only...

[MarkandStacie]

I recommend visiting the dining room and requesting Hugo/Chai! Tell them the family of 7 said hi!

[woody14h]

We were on the 3/19 Century cruise stopping at Costa Maya. The town of Mahalual was delightful and relaxing. Beers and lunch on the beach, what's not to like. The terminal area off the ship was crowded and overpriced. One distaining note, if you want to use the large pool there, check the water. We noted scum, oil and UFOs (unidentified floating objects) in the pool. Not very savory. Coz was so-so and we ate at La Choza as well, highly recommended. Our private tour of Coz was depressing as restaurants and bars available in Jan. 2005 along the coast were gone! We never saw any birds on the drive and devastion is everywhere. For those of you who have visited in happier days, this is sad. But shopping prevailed and downtown was as before. Tendering in was not as problematic as expected due to the large ferries made available to the ships. In re. Century, service and food was over the top. Can't say enough about the hard working room and dining stewards. The only annoyance was as indicated in several posts above was that the customer relations desk was less than helpful. They will yes you and promise you to death but with no results. It is better to speak with an officer responsible. We had errors on our bill and items won in quizes which were promised delivery but never showed. The CS desk promised, on several occasions, all would be taken care of but zip! Items were too small to make a fuss and in no way detracts from the X experience but should be known. We were told the new itineraries will be available around April 15. Can't wait to rebook.