Anyone back from Zenith 2 Bermuda yet?

[LindaandJeff]

Okay...I know you just got back this morning...but I am anxiously waiting to find out how Zenith's 1st trip to Bermuda went...

Was it rough waters out of Jersey?

Who was the Captain and the Cruise Director?

What shouldn't we miss in Bermuda?

Which nights were formal nights?

 

Thanks!

[I Luv Crusin]

At least I know someone who will have first hand experience! We aren't going until fall of 2007 and a lot can change between since now and then!

 

I hope you have a wonderful time!

[LindaandJeff]

At least I know someone who will have first hand experience! We aren't going until fall of 2007 and a lot can change between since now and then!

 

I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

Thanks Lesley ! I'll let you know when we get back...the comments about Zenith seem to be pretty inconsistent - so it should at least be interesting!

[PreciousPetal]

I am just back... and one word...

FANTASTIC!

I will get back to you with the details...or feel free to ask away.

[PreciousPetal]

Just to answer the questions you already had...

1.) Jeff Potts, CD....Captain Margaritas

2.) Water was very rough-both ways. Coming back was

beyond rough--lots of sick passengers. But for

of us that faired well on just some wrist bands and

1/4 tablet (every 3 to 4 hours) of Bonine...it was

an adventure! Something about the Gulf Stream this

time of the year... Were told that it calms down in

later May.

3.) Formal nights are Sunday & Thurs. Thurs. is the

big Midnite Gala as well.

Hope this gets you in the mood. And really about the

seasickness...one person in our party even had to get a shot and pills...which only took the edge off...and she still says the trip was great!

[imakiwi]

That is great to hear your trip was fantastic preciouspetal. We are getting very excited about our trip in a few weeks. What excursious did you do or recommend? How warm was the weather and the water? How was the check-in and debarkation process in Bayonne? Any information you can provide on your cruise is much appreciated. Do you have any great pics?

[PreciousPetal]

Sorry no pics...I just do video.

The water is rather cool---I think some said around 69...but once you were in it, it was fine.

Didn't do any excursions this time...just got the bus/ferry 3 day pass for $28. In the past excursions were the trolley tour for about 1 hour in Hamilton...which was a nice overview.

Our friends did the glassbottom boat and helmet diving during the summer and liked both. Spoke to several passengers and they liked the Catamaran trips and snorkeling this time. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the excursions offered. We have been to Horseshoe Beach and it is beautiful if you want water. It is such a safe and wonderful island...where you can go off on your own and feel at ease.

Check in was fantastic! We were the 3rd group on the ship...took all of 20 minutes from check in to being on board!

Getting off also was sooooo well organized and easy. Lots of help and convenience. We left our car there and that was great. $15/day.

Some things I recommend...

-ask for shrimp cocktail every night at dinner

-get the bananas & cream at sit-down breakfast

-see all the shows by the Celebrity Players group...Broadway

night is as good as Broadway

-enjoy 11aft eatery deck...there are omelettes for breakfast there and chicken/burgers/french fries/fast food stuff there

all afternoon.

-enjoy "Elegant High Tea" hour on the last full day of the cruise in the dining room

-if you like sushi...every evening (6-10 pm)...another snack before dinner!

-play bingo (especially the last night--$6500 won be a passenger!)

So much more I will remember later...so ask away!

[LindaandJeff]

Check in was fantastic! We were the 3rd group on the ship...took all of 20 minutes from check in to being on board!

Getting off also was sooooo well organized and easy. Lots of help and convenience. We left our car there and that was great. $15/day.

-if you like sushi...every evening (6-10 pm)...another snack before dinner!

 

Thanks Precious...glad you had a wonderful time! What time did you get to the port and what time did you end up getting on?

Which seating did you have? We love 2nd seating because it means we don't have to rush...but then we are always too full to take advantage of the buffet ;)

Did you go back to the ship for all your meals or did you stay in port? Are the beaches public or do you have to use a hotel's beach? Are the pools and spa open when the ship is docked or does everything on the ship pretty much close down?

 

Thanks!

[janeandneil]

Just back yesterday. Fantastic cruise and Bermuda was just beautiful. The seas to and from were very rough, and quite frankly at times frightening. On a larger ship, might not be quite as scary. Just take 2 bonines, 1 to 2 hrs before setting sail, and you will be fine. Can't say enough good things about Celebrity. The staff, production shows, etc. etc. were all wonderful. Yes, Zenith is old; but her charm outweighs the few worn spots. The highlight of our trip were meeting some fantastic people. Thanks to Cruise connections, we had a wonderful time with Kathy and Jim and Debbie and Bob, and oh, so many others. I was disappointed with the low turnout for the connections party. Sailbad, where were you? Diane, hope your sail home was better than your sail to Bermuda. Hi Bob and Jean. Ha Ha Kathy, I beat you to posting a post cruise thread, and we had a longer ride home, than the four of you.

[Sky Sweet]

If you usually book a cabin with a balcony, did you miss not having one on the Zenith?

[PreciousPetal]

Yes the water was rough, and Diane is all better now and doesn't regret coming. She really got the worst of it, but was out and about the last night for dinner and the show.

We arrived at the terminal at 11 a.m. We knew this was the first run, so there would not be delays from people coming off. We were on the ship by 11:20 and went right to our rooms. We arrived and departed as scheduled each day in Bermuda. While on the island we were always within walking distance to reboard for our meals. If you are close...no need to eat off. We too were at the second seating and loved it.

The pool is open while docked...but cannot say if or not the spa is, since I never used it. While in dock all the shops and casino are closed. But the clubs and entertainment still go on.

Let me know any other questions you have...

[PreciousPetal]

Regarding balconies...I did not miss it one bit. The weather is too cold during the spring and there is a wonderful back deck to mingle on.

[Cachecara]

SkySweet: we did Zenith last summer to Bermuda and rebooked again for this summer. We usually only take a balcony, so I was leary about going on Zenith the first time round. Because you are docked so much of the time--you really don't miss the balcony--or I should say we didn't. We spent so much time off the ship--we didn't miss the balcony because we weren't in our room.

[LindaandJeff]

Thanks for all of the info! Much appreciated...

[stefhef]

We're back too. Hello Kathy120!

 

The seas were rough coming back but if you take a Bonine IN ADVANCE, you should be fine. If your symptoms are already happening, then it is hard for it to work.

 

We had a great time. The service was probably the best we have had in seven cruises. That being said, I did miss not having a balcony and a larger gym. Also, there is WAY too much smoking on this ship. Hint to the non-smokers: The card room, library and Michael's are beautiful, peaceful and smoke-free. Also, a nice pianist in Michael's at night.

[I Luv Crusin]

We're back too. Hello Kathy120!

 

The seas were rough coming back but if you take a Bonine IN ADVANCE, you should be fine. If your symptoms are already happening, then it is hard for it to work.

 

We had a great time. The service was probably the best we have had in seven cruises. That being said, I did miss not having a balcony and a larger gym. Also, there is WAY too much smoking on this ship. Hint to the non-smokers: The card room, library and Michael's are beautiful, peaceful and smoke-free. Also, a nice pianist in Michael's at night.[/quote]

 

Oh, dear this is very bad news! Both DH and I are very sensitive to cigarette smoke....it will make our trip miserable. There is no smoking in the main lounge and dining room too, I'm sure. Casino's are known for being very smoky. Does the pool deck have a non-smoking section?

 

I thought since I was getting away from the "wal mart" of cruiselines that there would LESS smoking!!! Doesn't seem to be the case.

[Sky Sweet]

We're back too. Hello Kathy120!

 

The seas were rough coming back but if you take a Bonine IN ADVANCE, you should be fine. If your symptoms are already happening, then it is hard for it to work.

 

We had a great time. The service was probably the best we have had in seven cruises. That being said, I did miss not having a balcony and a larger gym. Also, there is WAY too much smoking on this ship. Hint to the non-smokers: The card room, library and Michael's are beautiful, peaceful and smoke-free. Also, a nice pianist in Michael's at night.[/quote]

 

Oh, dear this is very bad news! Both DH and I are very sensitive to cigarette smoke....it will make our trip miserable. There is no smoking in the main lounge and dining room too, I'm sure. Casino's are known for being very smoky. Does the pool deck have a non-smoking section?

 

I thought since I was getting away from the "wal mart" of cruiselines that there would LESS smoking!!! Doesn't seem to be the case.

 

A few weeks ago I did a poll on smoking and learned that the percentage of Celebrity Cruisers who smoke is higher than those who smoke in the general population.

[Lois R]

I Luv Cruisin, you are correct, dining room and theater is no smoking

At the pool....(when I sailed) most folks were adhering to the rules.

Anyway, poolside...PORT IS the smoking side.

If you find an area Starboard you should be ok.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise though and that the smoke

will not ruin your entire week.

[LindaandJeff]

How was the smoke smell in the rooms? Especially since there are no balconies, it will be difficult to air it out.

[Lois R]

:D

How was the smoke smell in the rooms? Especially since there are no balconies, it will be difficult to air it out.

 

I guess that depends on each person.

I never noticed a smell....maybe my nose is not that sensative?

 

Oh whoever just returned....I am soooo glad ya'll had a wonderful

time:D I love Zenith and I am hoping next summer will be my

chance to sail her to Bermuda:)

[Merrilymeggily]

Lois, I've been following your Zenith posts and I checked out your pix. They've made me miss her big time ... we sailed her to Bermuda last May. They also helped allay some of my wariness about booking her to Bermuda again in June 2007. We toyed with the idea of switching to RC because we had wanted to go to the Caribbean again and X doesn't seem to be sailing there. But we hated the idea of leaving X. Keep posting. And if you don't, I'll just keep reading your old ones and looking at your Zenith pics all over again.

 

Funny thing, too. You met George and Kathy on your last Zenith cruise. They are cruise friends of some good friends of mine. It's sure a small cruisin' world, ain't it? :) My buddy Laura is cruising the Baltic with Kathy this summer!

[I Luv Crusin]

 

A few weeks ago I did a poll on smoking and learned that the percentage of Celebrity Cruisers who smoke is higher than those who smoke in the general population.

 

I'm thinking that the general cruising population smokes more than than on land. Maybe it's because smoking is so controlled on land and so on vacation smokers smoke....

 

I think smokers should be allowed to smoke if they wish but I also don't like to breath their smoke.........there is no simple answer!

[PreciousPetal]

I agree...we noticed the smokey smell...but only on deck 8--Cova Cafe & casino area. No odor in the rooms whatsoever on Deck 9 in the halls or rooms. Also never noticed it anywhere else on the ship.

[kerrydee]

Just to answer the questions you already had...

1.) Jeff Potts, CD....Captain Margaritas

2.) Water was very rough-both ways. Coming back was

beyond rough--lots of sick passengers. But for

of us that faired well on just some wrist bands and

1/4 tablet (every 3 to 4 hours) of Bonine...it was

an adventure! Something about the Gulf Stream this

time of the year... Were told that it calms down in

later May.

3.) Formal nights are Sunday & Thurs. Thurs. is the

big Midnite Gala as well.

Hope this gets you in the mood. And really about the

seasickness...one person in our party even had to get a shot and pills...which only took the edge off...and she still says the trip was great!

do you know who the CC hostess is?

[stefhef]

Also much smoke in the Rendez Vous lounge on 7. Need to stay far to the starboard side.

 

There is supposed to be no smoking in Michael's but sometimes they do there and the staff did not enforce the rules.

 

Never noticed any in the hallways or in the cabins. No smoking in Celebrity lounge or dining room.

 

Smoking needs to be banned on ships. Hasn't the industry learned their lesson yet? At most, it should be outside.