Anyone Back From Century Yet?

[Sparkle 123]

Let me clear this one up for you as it involved me.Its now sorted with the moderators and all is well.

Phil yes it was a lovely day as all the football fans went ashore and we had the whole ship to ourselves,it was bliss we could have been in the caribean it was so hot.

[TourDeCruise]

Thanks, Lisa. We appreciate the information as my husband and I spend a lot of time in the fitness center, t-pool, and/or AquaSpa areas (whichever applicable on X ships) on seadays, along with walking on the track (including with Phil if he's on our cruise!). We'll miss the t-pool, but it will be nice to have the AquaSpa cafe. Excellent enhancements, except for eliminating t-pool. Pictures are great. Looking forward to the others.

[Sparkle 123]

Kathy

Have added some more pictures with quite a few of the Aqua spa and fitness center on this link:

http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=2884

Also added a few more on my original link on this thread.

[Literary Lynne]

:confused: Hi - tried to post on Friday as we returned from the Barcelona to Dover cruise but for some reason my review just wouldn't post!

 

Anyway, hopefully I can add my twopennyworth now.:)

 

Embarkation in Barcelona was slow but once on board the same champagne welcome and smiling staff compensated. Our cabin was inside on Penthouse deck 10 - 1003. Everything worked - the tv, electrics, toilet, phone (although the speed dial went down for a day). The room was beautifully refurbished with superb bed and an extra mattress topper; the fridge got really cold, the hairdrier very powerful and the shower was brilliant. All these things I know have been problematic for people in the past.

 

Just like other posters have mentioned, things weren't finished - cleaning around the edges on the pool deck, dirty windows, lots of rough edges etc., but I'm sure given another week all will be fine. The biggest loss is the thelassotherapy pool. Now there just remain the two pools and three jacuzzis on the open Pool deck and we didn't go in at all. Normally, we spend hours in the thelassotherapy pool - Millennium class only for us from now on.

 

We've been on five other X ships and the food this time was the very best we have ever had. I am staggered that another poster had problems with the food - everything we had was absolutely superb. Room service was great and every morning our order came exactly on time too.

 

Captain Pagonis was the most charming, accessible and attentive Captain we have ever met. He was always walking through the ship, talking to people. He did a presentation of the refurbishment - with a question and answer session and was always trying to ensure people enjoyed their cruise.

 

As we were disembarking in Dover, there was a problem on deck 10 (not guilty) and water came gushing down through the lift - burst pipe? Not sure what the problem was with disembarking but from the web cam it looked as though there was a problem with the gangway. I do hope those people with early flights made it. We were an hour late disembarking but we only had to get a train into London.

 

A big pain for us was the fact that an added 16% Spanish tax (on top of the 15% service charge) was added to all purchases (except bar charges, where it was 7%). The kiosk was not open at all for the whole cruise, due to Spanish law! Visitors from places other than the EU could claim back the tax. It certainly added a huge amount to Spa treatments, gift shop purchases etc. Does this always happen with Med cruises?

 

The theatre entertainment was good, but not outstanding, although I loved the daytime activities - notably, the Adobe photoshop seminar, the history lecturer, the music lecturer (both on three times each, talking about the history and music of Spain, France and the UK), the quizzes, wine tastings/seminars, health and beauty seminars and yes, I managed to read two novels as well. The other entertainers in Michael's Bar, the Sunset cafe and the restaurant were very good. A great mix of things to do and some great ports with excellent, well organised, excursions. Some we did with X and some on our own.

 

For those of you going on Century in the next few weeks, I'm sure that these minor glitches will be ironed out and you will have a great time. I have to say that the price for this cruise was about half of comparable X others so I feel we got great value for money and had built into our thinking that things might not be quite ready so we were pleased rather than dissappointed. :)

[teejayess]

my parents just got back from this cruise - cruised twice before Royal Princess and Norwegian Dream. Their opinions:

 

• ship absolutely beautiful - v. impressive
  
• cabin fantastic (they raved) they were in one of the new balcony CC class. Chilled champagne, luxurious linens/towels etc. They had no problem with the rounded bed - Dad's 5'11"
  
• Entertainment v. good
  
• Food - not as good as previous cruises. Dining room cramped - waiters asking guests to move so they could serve others at the table
  
• Dining room staff disorganised
  
• Overall, fantastic - wanted to stay on longer and would definately cruise on her again.

[Sparkle 123]

Lynne

We had the Spanish sales tax last May when we sailed out of Barcelona on Brilliance. It was just introduced last year I think. It is a bit of a liberty especially as non Eu can claim it back and us poor Brits have to pay up and look happy. I wonder if this is on all ships in the Med or just RCI/Celebrity?

[C 2 C]

Rules can be pretty weird. When we left Galaxy June 2nd in Rome we were told that the shops would all be closed for the next cruisedue to some EU rule???

[ali-ali-oh]

[cechase]

Rules can be pretty weird. When we left Galaxy June 2nd in Rome we were told that the shops would all be closed for the next cruisedue to some EU rule???

 

When we took the 10 night Oct. 2005 cruise on Galaxy in the Med, the duty free shop was closed and sealed for the entire cruise. So no purchases of liquor and cigarettes could be made. Celebrity was apparently complying with some EU regulation. We still were able to have our bon voyage liquor packages for our suite! Thought it was somewhat screwy.

[tarheelmjfan]

Maybe I missed it, but have the beds in the CC cabins been changed? We've stayed in a CC cabin on Century, & the beds were normal. Did the refit necessitate rounded beds? Sorry, if this has been discussed many times before. I'm in the process of planning a RCCL cruise & a land vacation, & can't seem to stay caught up on everything. :o

[AgSg]

I am not offended by anyone thinking I'm a disgruntled cruiser. I usually view things from a positive aspect and there WERE positive aspects to our cruise. However, there were many things that were not positive. I did not list all of the negatives, as they did not belong on this board. Overall, IMO, the ship looked great. They really should have kept it in drydock another week, in order to finish what they started, and not inconvenience the passengers any more than necessary. It was very frustrating to have so many things go wrong. I'm thrilled that not everyone had the experiences we did. Someone had to have them, since the ship wasn't ready, and I guess that someone was me. The lack of electricity was a problem. Traveling with a child, it's difficult when that child has to get up to go to the bathroom at night in a strange place, with no lights. It's also uncomfortable when you wake up during the night, sweating, and have to open the balcony door to get some cool air into the room. As to the food issue: I am not a picky eater, but there are certain foods that I just do not like. Among those foods are sushi and lamb - both of which were regularly offered. I chose to eat fish, as there weren't any other options "that I like" available. But 9 days of fish is a bit much, unless you happen to be a vegetarian, which I am not. I read 3 books because there just really wasn't anything else to do - and - I enjoy reading. I went to the things that were interesting to me, there just wasn't much offered. The activities were geared for relaxing, not entertainment. People take cruises for different reasons. I take them because it is my mode of transportation to different places I want to visit, my room and food are provided, and I meet a lot of interesting people. I don't know of anyone who has traveled, to any extent, who ALWAYS had a perfect trip. That won't stop me from traveling. Another poster asked about the ship and the cruise, I was merely answering their questions - to the best of my ability. Yes, I have written a letter to Celebrity. I feel one is deserved. They cannot correct the problems I had, but maybe they can use the information when making future plans - sort of like, learning from your mistakes. The crew/staff: I understand that "some" of the crew was new, but, for the most part, they were seasoned staff. They were at a point in the cruise where a lot of the staff had completed their contracts and were getting ready to leave the ship. That may have had something to do with their attitudes (the servers). They were just tired and ready to go home. But, when you are in the service industry and you depend on tips for your income, mind over matter sometimes needs to be in control. Will I take another cruise, most assuredly. With Celebrity, I doubt it, but who knows. Will they all be perfect, more than likely not. Will I get over it, of course.

I would suggest giving Celebrity another chance at a later date. We have sailed with them 15 times and have had one not so perfect experience which occurred a couple of months after 9/11. This was during a very difficult period for the cruise industry and they had a green crew.

Albert

[TenerifeSharon]

Maybe I missed it, but have the beds in the CC cabins been changed? We've stayed in a CC cabin on Century, & the beds were normal. Did the refit necessitate rounded beds? Sorry, if this has been discussed many times before. I'm in the process of planning a RCCL cruise & a land vacation, & can't seem to stay caught up on everything. :o

 

Several cruisers on one of the other X threads have mentioned the new rounded beds on Century. The biggest problem occurs when 2 people want to have the beds separated as twin beds. Then each one of them is missing quite a large lower corner of their bed and some have had problems with their feet "dangling over". Not such a problem for those cuddling in the middle of the double bed!

[AgSg]

The beds on your picture do look shorter. We are used to the rounded corners on the Millennium class ships, but the bed lengths are pretty standard. I am 5'11" and do not have a problem in those beds.

[bandit0000]

I am really unhappy about this new spanish tax:mad: , I have never come across this before, so it must be relatively new!

I am also not happy about the shops being closed the whole cruise, I really enjoy having a look round the shops.

 

Can anyone tell me more about this tax please & what it entails.

Many thanks,

Lisa

[tromvest]

Does anyone have any pictures of the new fv cabins on the century?

[Andy&Mary]

 

The biggest loss is the thelassotherapy pool. Now there just remain the two pools and three jacuzzis on the open Pool deck and we didn't go in at all. Normally, we spend hours in the thelassotherapy pool - Millennium class only for us from now on.

 

 

I enjoyed reading your informative review! :)

We will also miss the telassotherapy pool as our previous 2 cruises were on M-class and we used that pool exclusively. In November, maybe check out the spa or Persian Gardens...

 

Mary

[Char]

The beds on your picture do look shorter. We are used to the rounded corners on the Millennium class ships, but the bed lengths are pretty standard. I am 5'11" and do not have a problem in those beds.

I think the bed looks short because of all the pillows ~~ 4 deep! :D

[Char]

Where do the stairs lead to at the end of the Bar?

[SkystheLimit]

We sailed on the 9 day from Barcelona to Dover. Just got back today after a few extra days in London. The itinerary for the cruise was outstanding and the ship's excursions were the BEST we have ever experienced. We picked this cruise to be in Normandy on the anniversary of D-day. It was was worth the entire trip to be there on June 6th--incredibly moving.

 

The ship was very pretty. I know that the staff and crew did everything they could to make our trip wonderful. However, we also felt that the ship could have used another week of preparation before sailing. The Captain was great and I know he wanted to please everyone. I think the powers that be in Miami put him in a very difficult position.

 

Food was good to excellent in the dining room. Started out slow but got progressively better. Breakfast buffet was really good with lots of variety. Lunch was weak. There were many days on this particular itinerary with long excursions. Later and more casual dining would have been an asset. Tried the sushi bar a couple of nights. The area is converted at night for that purpose. It could be a little more intimate.

 

The martini bar is stunning. However, the kinetic lighting needs adjusting. It was in overdrive the couple of nights we were there. Just too hard on the eyes. This should be adjustable so hopefully with enough input they will tone it down.

 

The sunset bar is really pretty. It was our favorite place to sit and watch the day go by. Our days in the English channel and the Bay of Biscay were, remarkably, smooth as glass. Our last day at sea we spent sailing up and down and around in circles in the English channel. The sunset bar was the place to be.

 

We had one of the new verandah cabins on Deck 9. The interior decor was beautiful. Yes, the bed does curve at the bottom and our feet did hang off the bottom. It didn't really bother us once we got used to it. The verandah has a really nice teak table and chair set. The table is large enough to actually use for having breakfast, cocktails, etc. We liked that fact that the door slides open rather than swings inward. There is lots of storage space in the built-ins and closet area. Bring a multiple plug for the desk as there is only one outlet.

 

I guess it is the case with all Celebity ships now but the beverage prices are very high. So much so, that we often did not order a second drink. I ordered a glass of white wine with lunch one day. There was only one type of wine available in the bar. After all the added charges, the glass of wine was over $15.00.

 

The ship's photographers were wonderful. They are the ones that took all of the pictures during revitalization. It was a lot of hard work for them and they seemed genuinely pleased to be recognized for their efforts.

 

There is so much to say but I will wrap this us. The room stewards, waiters, bartenders, security personnel, pool butlers, sommeliers, fitness center staff, concierge staff, etc. were the best we have ever seen. They could not do enough for us. It's important to remember how hard they worked during drydock and they had to be completely exhausted but they never let on!

[ali-ali-oh]

Where do the stairs lead to at the end of the Bar?

They lead to the Sunrise Deck where the golf simulator is situated. There are also beds up here that are used for sunbathing during the day.

[cruiselover20]

Kathy

Have added some more pictures with quite a few of the Aqua spa and fitness center on this link:

http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=2884

Also added a few more on my original link on this thread.

 

Nice pictures. Do you know if they are still charging to use the spin cycles. It was $10 for a class on the Summit, and my DH rides his bike about 3000 miles a year, and doesn't need a class. The seats were removed during the day

[TourDeCruise]

Lisa: Thanks again for your additional fantastic pictures. I enjoyed some right away and will be returning shortly to enjoy each one. They are really nice.

Does anyone know if the Persian Gardens on Century are free of charge for Elite Captain's Club members? Probably not; I think they are not free for Elite members on the Millennium class ships.

I'm interested in hearing more about the 16% Spanish tax too and shops being potentially closed. Is it only when Spain is on the itinerary (which will be the case for us in September with 3 ports in Spain)? We didn't have the tax on our Eastern Med on Galaxy in May 2005. But Spain wasn't on the itinerary. It will be a disappointment if the shops are closed. That is a crazy EU rule – I can see while in port but while at sea? In 2004 a day or two before the cruise debarked, Celebrity cancelled Malaga from our itinerary because Spain wasn’t allowing passengers into Spain after visiting Gibraltar (we heard because of the quarrel over Gibraltar ownerwhip). Where do they come up with these rules!?

Cruiselover20: We cycle a lot too; in fact, my husband and I met cycling, but sorry I can’t answer your question about the spin cycles on the Century.

[Sparkle 123]

cruiselover

They were charging $10 for a spinning class although I didn't notice if they removed the seats at other times!

Tourdecruise

The Persian Gardens are not free, you can buy a day pass or a cruise pass, I think it was about $18 for a day although I'm not certain.

[SkystheLimit]

On the first cruise after drydock, the Persian Garden was not open. Spa cafe opened the last two days. Spa opened after the first couple of days.This area of the ship was the area that was the furthest behind when we sailed. The Captain explained that each day there would be more available. He was true to his word.

 

With a few exceptions, there were charges for all classes in the fitness center. The spin bikes were not available except for classes. There are a total of 6 other cycling machines. All the equipment was new.

[bilgeboyPa]

Where do the stairs lead to at the end of the Bar?

HI Char,

Deck 12 I beleive

 

Jeff