Zenith Review (LONG) - 3/20-3/25/06

[delyn]

Monday, Boarding, 3/20

 

Traffic & Directions – We printed the directions from the Celebrity website to park at the port, unfortunately they were WRONG! The directions indicate Pier #’s and the signs all have Terminal LETTERS. After much confusion and several U-Turns we found our way to Terminal J and the parking garage. Once we found it, the garage was quite convenient. Cost is $12/perday and paid as you pull into the garage, which makes for a quick and easy getaway when your cruise is over.

Boarding – While this process was fairly simple it was interesting to find out that those inside the building doing the check-in process really have no idea what goes on once you are on the ship. We asked several questions and were told yes, we could limit our credit card authorization for DD just go to Guest Services and we can purchase her soda card there as well. Wrong – you can only get the soda card from one of three bars and there is no way to limit the charging ability on a minors sea pass, except not allowing them to charge anything.

Buffet Lunch – Everything was great! The food was fabulous and we were able to get into the room by 1PM.

Room (1086) Clean and Neat, but CROWDED and not what we expected. There was a pull-out sofa that was so GROSS it was not fit to sit on never mind have someone sleep on. The desk in the room was huge and only served to hold stuff, you could never actually sit at it, there wasn’t enough room. The overhead bunk was uncomfortable according to DD and the main beds weren’t great either. My DH was happy with the pillow options he had though. The bathroom was small, the sink definitely showed it’s age, but the shower was decent. Towels were very faded and not very soft. As this was Conceirge Class, we got Champagne in the room at departure (terrible) and fresh fruit every day (grapes were good) and canapés (ok, not great) around 4:30PM too.

Dinner – Casual night - We had a table of six, which was very nice. We were seated with a couple and their teenage son, which was a great match for us and our DD. The dining room was very tight, at least at the tables around us. It would be better if there was more room for the waiters to negotiate through the tables. Our Asst. Waiter was GREAT…the regular waiter was ok. Food was delicious tonight.

The singers and dancers did Around The World – it was good, but other shows later in the week were better.

We went to bed early (10PM) as it was Key West the next day.

Tuesday, Key West, 3/21

 

Up early and off to the breakfast buffet….All those things people have said about the waffles can’t even begin to describe them! YUMMY! Everything was good at breakfast, although crispier bacon would have been appreciated!

We meandered down to the Excursion desk to see about possibilities for Key West and ended up going on our own. We departed the ship about 8:20AM, but only because we asked if we could get off, as there had been no announcement by then.

We trollied from the ship to Mallory Square and walked the area, shopping, etc… We visited the Pirates Museum on Front Street – about 3 blocks from where they drop you off – an easy walk. It was fun, a little cheesy, but a good way to spend some time. (FYI- if you go to the Chamber of Commerce building they have books with $1 off coupons – bring one for every person going to the museum)

Lunch was at Sloppy Joe’s – ok food, great drinks – a fun time.

After getting our fill of shopping we found the trolley again about 1PM and headed back to the ship. It was HOT and we needed to rest. The ship was docked until 5PM so there was 3 hours of unscheduled shore time, but it was FORMAL NIGHT, so we wanted to have time to clean up and relax.

Formal night – didn’t make a lot of sense to us to have this when there were 2 sea days where it would have been easier! Dinner had slim selections – DH had escargots and was happy, I picked at my food – think I ended up with Beef for a main course (not my favorite).

The show tonight was Thoroughly Broadway – it was good…..toe-tapping and song inducing. The singers and dancers shined.

Wednesday, At Sea, 3/22

 

DH went to the fitness center and loved it. Free weights, an elliptical, treadmills, bikes, a rower and 2 steppers all in good condition. Weather was not great, a bit overcast and choppy and I was a bit off because of it, so we did a lot of lounging and not too much else.

We did stop into the Casino, lost $18 by the end of the day, but not bad.

We didn’t like the regular dining room menu, so we decided to try Casual Dining Blvd. It’s very different from our time on RCCL as it’s not a buffet, but service in the Windsurf Café with a different menu from the formal dining room. Seemed like a training area for the waiters looking to move up to the dining room and the service we had there was actually better than our dining room waiter. You do need to make a reservation to eat there and then leave a cash tip each night, but it was a great experience and I wish we had done it more. You still receive a 5 course meal maybe with a few less options, although the food was GREAT and PLENTIFUL and seems a bit more like a restaurant.

Tonight’s entertainment was the Illusionist. He was great….funny and amazing.

Afterwards we stopped at the Sushi Bar – as I’m not a huge fan myself it was only ok, but DH loved it!

Tonight was the Island Party by the pool, which DD attended and had a great time. Us old-fogeys went to bed.

Thursday, Grand Cayman, 3/23

 

Tenders – interesting – about a 15 minute ride, but very bumpy.

We signed up for the Cayman Highlights Tour with a Beach photo stop, Tortuga Rum Co, Hell and the Turtle Farm.

The turtle farm was interesting, but was really a lot of turtles in pens and a gift shop. There was no signs or anyone giving a talk explaining anything. It was really neat, but you need to LOVE turtles.

Tortuga Rum CO. – How can you complain about samples of rum cake and rum?

Hell – it’s a dive, but a great place to send a postcard.

The tour was a great way to see the island, but the biggest problem was there wasn’t much time at any of the stops – about 20 minutes each. Our driver, Wilmot, was very experienced and good, even dropped people off at the beach on the way back before returning to town. They had to grab a taxi to get back.

Shopping was not what we expected. Hard Rock Café had the best t-shirts. Jewelry was plentiful, but expensive.

Dinner tonight was the lobster tail….it was good, but I think they need to work on their choices. Formal night was after Key West and Lobster after Cayman, yet we had 2 days at sea with nothing special to look forward to!

Tonight’s show was the best! The 60’s – what a performance and the costumes were great! A colorful and lively performance….this was the last show by the singers and dancers of the cruise and they really saved the best for last!

Friday, At Sea, 3/24

 

At 10am there was a disembarkation seminar in the show lounge. It was definitely a good idea to go, as we hadn’t received some of the paperwork we needed to get off the boat the next day.

Today was a rough day for me. Water was choppy all day and I just did not feel great…even DH and DD started having a problem in the late afternoon.

We went to the Art Auction, but be prepared to spend over $1,000 – probably not unexpected by some, but it stunned us, especially for an unknown artist.

We had lunch in the Windsurf Café – it was good as usual. I had the BEST turkey burger from the back grill.

By the mid-afternoon I was not feeling well and even had to skip dinner and the show.

DH & DD went to the comedienne and came back to re-do his skit for me – they loved him.

We turned in at 11PM since tomorrow it was time to go home.

Saturday, Docking, 3/25

 

We got up early and had breakfast in the buffet then went to our appointed debarkation area – the Fleet Bar. We docked in Miami around 7AM and we were the first group to get off around 9AM. By 9:20AM we were in the car with our luggage and speeding towards home.

All-in-all it was a good cruise. The staff was very friendly and the entertainment was good. The ports were easy to get in and get out of and were fun. The ship was old, but not horrible as some had suggested. Waffles were awesome and Sushi too. Afternoon activities, like trivia, etc… were a bit lame. Their questions were really old (1999) and no one showed up for them – cruisers not staff, although they showed up late a lot.

Biggest issue – Handrails – seemed like no one was cleaning them and they were GROSS! I mentioned it loudly by Wednesday afternoon in front of several staff members and someone started to spray them down….although it appeared like it was with bleach and then not wiped off. Haven’t they heard of Lysol??

Since this is insanely long, if there is something I missed that you want to know about, please let me know.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Thanks for the review Delyn. Sorry to hear your stomach was queasy. Did you take anything for it? I find that Bonine and Seabands help me.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the production shows. We enjoyed them too last year and attended on both of our Zenith cruises.

[sillystringtheory]

We were in room 1045 on this cruise. We found it to be pretty decent. Yes, the sofa was a bit worn but the beds were comfortable with the exception of the bunk, which I tried one night out of curiosity. The mattress was meant for children so I let my 5 year old son sleep in it for the rest of the cruise. Our room attendant was very nice. The bathroom was decent. A little rust on the shower floor but hey, it's a ship in the middle of the ocean. As Neil Young said, "Rust never sleeps..." Upon first entry, I took to the room with a huge can of Lysol just to be sure but it looked clean to start with.

Honestly, I went into this cruise expecting the worst and was pleasantly suprised. Zenith is not the rusty old tub some have made her out to be. We have stayed in so-called 5 star carribean resort hotels that were just filthy and awful. The El San Juan being the worst ever. So bad in fact, I took pictures of the filth because I knew no-one would ever believe me back home. It could be that we have had so many bad vacations that this one just had to shine. I could get very used to being treated like a king on these cruises. Every, and I mean EVERY crew member was curtious and friendly. So refreshing.

We have taken 2 cross country Amtrak trips in the last 2 years. The crew on those trains treat the passengers with at best, mild disdain and at worst, total racially motivated hatred. This was just such a fresh change.