Bermuda/Zenith Questions/ Obstructed view?

[jenjes3]

Hi everyone.. My husband & I are close to booking cruise to Bermuda. We think we want to try the Zenith instead of Empress of the Seas as it has a better time frame in Bermuda and it leaves from Bayonne. We have always wanted to try Celebrity as we have sailed RCCL 7xs.

 

I hope I am making the right decision as some of the recent reviews of the Zenith haven't been very favorable. Anyone just on the Zenith? How was the ship? Service? Food?

 

We are thinking of booking CAT 8 obstructed view.. anyone have any comments on these rooms? Can you see out a little? Is there some light coming in?

 

Also, how about sailing Labor Day week.... I know I am taking a chance of hurricanes but the price is a lot lower. We really are trying to fit in cruise since we have 2 daughters in college and probably shouldn't be going at all!

But we can't give up our love of cruises and vacations!

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Karen

[skyview851]

We sailed Zenith in Jan of this year & had a fabulous time, in fact it was one of the best cruises we have had so far. The staff was wonderful, and the ship, while not brand new, was fine. Yes, there are dirty spots if you look for them, and there are tiles missing around the pool, but to me those were minor things, and did not distract from our wonderful time. The food was very good. As we were on a five day cruise, I would say it wasn't quite what we experienced on longer cruises, but it was still good. I certainly didn't go hungry.

We visited Bermuda over Labor day last year on Horizon from Philly. It was a wonderful cruise, the weather was very pleasant until the last day when we were forced to leave early due to an incoming hurricane. The ship left port early enough to stay well clear of the weather, so we had a leisurely cruise back into port. The only down side of this week was that our teenage sons were with us and there were very few other kids there age on board. They didn't really mind, they are cruise addicts already, so any cruise is a good cruise to them!

Sorry I can't comment on the obstructed view rooms, but I think you will have a great time on Zenith.

[banderson]

Karen,

 

We sailed on the Zenith last August, for the most part we loved it. The ship is showing some wear, and lacked attention in general housekeeping in some areas. We have sailed on X on two previous occassions, as well as 10+ other cruises, our first trip to Bermuda, if you have not been there before, it is beautiful. We stayed in cabin, 9109 just aft of the obstructed view cabins. Able to look in doors of these cabins while attendents were cleaning, they are quite obstructed by the lifeboats.

The service was excellent in all areas, the shows were not the greatest, but the food was outstanding. Typical X ...

 

We were lucky enough on boarding to run into the waiter and assistant waiter we had on the Summit, Victor and Diana. We could tell there was a little romance going on while on the Summit, and then , here they are together on the Zenith. Both were waiters on the Zenith, so we of course arranged to be at one of their tables.

 

Celebrity is probably our favorite cruse line, leaving for Alaska in may aboard the Mercury.

 

My suggestion, book a unobstructed.

 

If you do sail the Z ,, look up Victor and Diana, if they are still aboard.... say hi from Bruce & Pat

 

Happy Cruising,,

 

Bruce Anderson

[Cachecara]

Hi Karen,

What a coincidence--my name is Karen, too, and we also have 2 daughters in college! :p

 

Last year we did Zenith to Celebrity during Labor Day Week after having only cruised Voyager class RCI. We decided to take that particular cruise because it beat the price PLUS had two more days cruising than Voyager of the Seas from Bayonne. Plus, we had heard such nice things about Celebrity cruises.

 

We had a wonderful time and just booked Zenith to Bermuda Sept 9th 2006.

 

Maybe I can help you with some of your questions/concerns. I found the cabin itself to have more storage space and the bathroom area and shower to be a bit roomier. I did miss having the fridge in my room and the balcony--but Zenith doesn't have balconies! I did enjoy having a pitcher of ice water. I did not find the beds to be "hard" as some claim but then I sleep on an extra firm mattress anyway. I got a great night's sleep every night. I did find the shower area to have a bit of blackish mildew in the grout, but the overall room and bath area were kept immaculate--and I AM FUSSY. Yes, there were a few stains on the carpet and some wear on the bedspreads, but that to me is minor stuff that I don't even think about--I just mention it because so many have noted it in past and don't want to mislead you.

I found the food to be excellent. No complaints there whatsoever. I have had some excellent meals on RCI and some good meals, but maybe give the edge to Zenith. There is sushi nightly from 6-10 and I loved that. We loved the Martini Bar also. The staff was very friendly and efficient, but I never had any complaints with my RCI cruises. It's a smaller ship than Voyager class definitely, but there wasn't really anything I missed. I do like the idea of more shops and mall atmosphere on Voyager, but Zenith did have some shops just on a smaller scale. It had the same type of shop sales also, almost down to a "T".

I utilize the gym quite a bit and though the gym was smaller, it still had equipment available and functional when I wanted to use it. I also used the spa and had just as good of an experience as I had using RCI spas.

I found the entertainment to be fine--similiar on both lines--let me just add--I don't take a cruise for the cruise shows. We are close to NYC and if we want to see a good show, we can see a Broadway production. However, I have no complaints about any of the shows and generally enjoyed them.

I obviously loved the cruise enough to repeat it! Usually we go to the Jersey Shore at this time of the year-when the girls go back to school(YAY a celebration!!) But discovered last year, that it would cost as much to go on a cruise to Bermuda as a week at the shore--so it was a no brainer!

We did encounter a "hurricane" problem last year and had to tender off Hamilton vs docking in St. Georges on Wednesday. We were still easily able to go to St. Georges that day and do what we wanted to. However, due to the threatening weather we left Bermuda a day earlyon Wednesday evening vs early Thursday morning. There is no postive way to say whether or not a hurricane is going to hit. In this case, it did not, but I guess the captian would have rather us have an extra NICE day at sea, than rocky weather/seas. ALL cruise lines had to leave Bermuda to avoid that possible hurricane, so it was not just the captian of Zenith to make this decision. We had a beautiful day at sea on that Thursday and Friday and then docked at Cape Liberty as scheduled on Sat. morning.

Currently the price listing for Sept 2 or Sept 9 is about 20 dollars LESS than what it was last July when we booked that cruise. I am hoping prior to our final payment it may go down some more, but we will see. As it is, I am happy with the price.

As for a Cat 8 obstructed view--I can not answer your questions. Last year we had room 5098 oceanview on the Europa deck a Cat 5. This year we have a Cat 4 on the Bahama Deck oceanview. We were very happy with our deck and room placement last year. This year we switched because I heard such great things about the little slice of deck aft on the Bahamas Deck outside of certain rooms---so I was able to grab one. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! :)

[nmtraveler]

Hi everyone.. My husband & I are close to booking cruise to Bermuda. We think we want to try the Zenith instead of Empress of the Seas as it has a better time frame in Bermuda and it leaves from Bayonne. We have always wanted to try Celebrity as we have sailed RCCL 7xs.

 

I hope I am making the right decision as some of the recent reviews of the Zenith haven't been very favorable. Anyone just on the Zenith? How was the ship? Service? Food?

 

We are thinking of booking CAT 8 obstructed view.. anyone have any comments on these rooms? Can you see out a little? Is there some light coming in?

 

Also, how about sailing Labor Day week.... I know I am taking a chance of hurricanes but the price is a lot lower. We really are trying to fit in cruise since we have 2 daughters in college and probably shouldn't be going at all!

But we can't give up our love of cruises and vacations!

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Karen

 

We have sailed Zenith twice. Once in an obstructed view and once just forward of the lifeboats. Both were fine and we kind of grew to love our little lifeboat right ourside our window (not porthole). The main thing you have to watch out for on Zenith is that all beds are not created equal. They have some cabins that have one double bed. These are indicated by the filled in black circle that is on the ship's layout. If you like a queen or bigger you might try to avoid these rooms. They even have CC cabins with a double bed.

 

We liked Zenith so much we are going to book it agin this winter for a 14 day Caribbean cruise. The martini bar on Zenith is the best in the fleet in my opinion and will only get better when Boom-Boom shows up from Mercury.:D

 

BTW, the service and food are excellent!

[Lois R]

Hi Karen:) I sailed her in February and had a wonderful time.

Such a good time that when I returned home, after a week of looking,

I found out she was listed on Happy Hour for the April 13th

sailing..so I am going again:D Next week!

Yes, the ship is older and smaller than all of the other X ships

but I still really enjoyed myself.

And I had an obstructed view..was on deck 9. It was no problem

at all.

One deck up was the buffet!

She is a lovely ship...has her own personality.

[bauerdogs]

Karen----We will be going on the Zenith Sept.23rd,2006 for the 7th time. All but the first time we have gone we've been in the obstructed view cabin. Whenever we go we try and pick a room between the life boats--this gives you a better view. Even if you don't get that, you will have lots of light from the outside. We like the obstructed view on the Zenith at that price. Most of the time your not in your room that much. We mainly use it to find out if it's raining, or sunny.

Since this is our 7th time on the Zenith, I think you know how we feel about it :) The best part is the service and food--they really take good care of you. Go and enjoy. :) This will be our 17th cruise over all, and we keep going back to the Zenith and Bermuda. Ron

[adegner]

I have just been on RCCL Navigator in January, and I was on the Horizon (was Zenith's sister ship) just last September. I can tell you that you definitely should go for it! I was also lucky to get upgraded from an inside guarentee to an obstructed view on the Horizon. Yes, the lifeboats obstruct the view, but it is sure better than not having a window. We didn't mind it at all. Plus, unlike the big ships, you can exit your room and get out side within practically 2 seconds. The smallness of the ship is so nice to get around in. Think of it as you would going from a mega resort to a small hotel. It is so much more personal. You get to see people and recognize them again the next day. On Navigator, you hardly ever see a person twice. The dining room is very small compared to the Navigator, it has only one level, but the center of the restaurant is elevated a bit to give the room a little interest. I think the Zenith is more like a plain private yaght. You have these nice back doors out each level that have stairs going up the back. Everything outside is very open and you get a great feel of space on top the ship. It isn't broken up with "features". If you love the sea, and love looking at the ocean, this is the ship for you.

 

Also, one word about the Zenith's cabins. They are huge (172 sq feet) compared to the Empress - just ask you travel agent to compare.

 

By the way - we are going to book the Zenith for the 9-16 cruise. And we are booking an obstructed. You just can't beat these prices!!!

[CaribbeanBound]

We enjoyed out trip last october. My wife wants to go to Bermuda again. We have already booked our next Zenith cruise for November.

 

Here is a VERY detailed review of Zenith and Bermuda complete with tips and hints on things like site seeing, transportation, beaches, forts, and sea glass. http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/bermuda.html

[greydog]

We've been in ObsVw cabins twice on Horizon for the price. The first three cabins from front of ship overlook a metal catwalk platform with the 'barrels' stowed that are inflatable rafts. You only have some metal railings to look past. Get you magnifying glass out and look at exterior pic of ship in this area. Put the savings into 'fun 'n sun';) If you are CapnClub you don't get the 1-cat upgrade benny but that often is a small savings.

 

If you're active there is a 20 mile wide walking trail that goes the backbone of Bermuda on old railway line. Get a map at visitor center and there are sections that are most scenic - ask about that area. We took a bus to get to good start point and walked about 4 miles but start early since it can get warm. Its expensive there - $3.50 for a HagenDaz bar and beer costs like on the ship - but then the minimum wage was $16.50. Don't take a long ferry trip on sailing day - afternoon ferry broke down and lots of folks had to pay top$ for cab around entire island to get to their departure.