I’m Onboard Celebrity Century – Got Any Questions?

[avalon1025]

Carolyn,

 

So sorry to hear of your experience in the dinning room, it bought me right back to my similar experience on the Crystal Symphony last year in the Baltic. I often travel solo and usually try to sail on Seabourn or Silversea (lets face it, a balcony cabin at 200% is close enough to the 125% single supplement on Seabourn and Silversea). I tried Crystal and will never forget going to the practically empty dinning room on a night when it was open seating and much of the ship was in St Petersberg for the night, and the matre'd sat me at a table for 8 ALONE!. I asked to be moved to one of the tables for two that were empty and he said they were all reserved. Who shows up to eat at those tables but the cruise and entertainment staff. I was utterly angry. I never felt so unwanted as a single cruiser on any ship. I'll never sail Crystal again. I feel for you and shame on Celebrity for making you feel so on your vacation. Take down names and remember how they made you feel come comment card time.

[Kruisin']

I am sailing Century on your same itenerary, we leave Aug 2. I am not one to blindly accept an inferior product or service, nor am I one to search for things to dislike. I understand that "things happen" and am easily pleased if I know that people are doing their best to make a good situation out of a bad one. Indifference boils my hide.

 

In December I am escorting 800 of my best customers and employees on a 5 night Century Caribbean cruise, so I will be very interested in how things are working out. This is the second year that I have written a check for over a half a million dollars to RCCL. Last year we took Splendour on a western Caribbean run, and for the most part it was a great experience. This year was supposed to be an upgrade, from last. If things work well, we will cruise RCCL again, probably on Radiance, if not there are other alternatives.

[wiselindag]

Dear Carolyn,

 

Thanks very much for the informative and amazing work you have done on these boards. I have read all of the comments along with your ongoing posts and have been very surprised. I first sailed on the Century when she was new and thought I'd gone to heaven -- loved everything about the cruise. My family and I returned last Christmas for the 9-day Holiday Southern Caribbean cruise and I was thrilled with how wonderful it was. I was especially happy with the service and enjoyed our regular waiter and his assistant and a number of the waiters we encountered at breakfast and lunch. I have been on 18 cruises and this was the first one where the Assistant Waiter brought soda refills to the table without a request (we had soda cards). It was that sort of cruise experience for nine wonderful days... excellent service and friendly people all over the ship.

 

That said, your very sad description of the first formal night made me think about my Celebrity dining experiences. I love to sail with my husband and son, but often sail in the company of another female since my husband is not as much of a cruise-lover as I am and my son has to go to school. Although I have loved all of my cruises, my best dining room experiences on Celebrity (I've been on Celebrity six times) has been when my husband is with me. I always ask for a large table (I prefer the largest ones available, but on Celebrity ships there seem to be shortage of really big ones and we often end up at a table for six or eight when I would prefer twelve. Once on the Horizon my sister-in-law and I sat with a rather quiet couple at a table for six. The other two never showed up all week. Another great cruise on the Galaxy was less than perfect because my sister-in-law and I were assigned to a table for four and the other two were at least thirty years younger than we were who showed up only twice since they didn't like to dress for dinner and probably would have much preferred some company their own age. We asked the Maitre' D if we could switch to a larger table, but were told it wasn't possible. The first time we were on the Century we had a better experience, but it seems to me that Celebrity Customer Relations should be more sensitive to the solo female diner or females without male companions. It would be great if they are reading these Boards and if they do something about this issue.

 

I don't recall anyone asking about the CD. Is Alan King back? Last year he said he'd like to return to the ship, but it is unclear if he did and how much of the staff returned after the drydock.

 

I'm also surprised that there haven't been more complaints about the loss of the t-pool. That has been one of my favorite things to do on the Century and Millennium class ships. The spa sounds great, although if you read my review of the Constellation, you would know that I think the Persian Gardens are a waste of money. Some people do like them and, of course, they are a bigger money-maker than the t-pool!

 

I have been considering one of the Century fall five-day cruises to check out the changes and re-visit this ship, which I so enjoy, but after your commentary I will wait to see what others have to say about the service.

 

Thanks again for the great job you have done and for generating so much honest discussion about Century and about Celebrity.

 

Linda

 

P.S. Last winter the fruit for the waffles was fresh and the waffles (and everything else I ate for nine days was wonderful!) Hi to Lois. Hope to see you again on Century or some other Celebrity ship.

[Literary Lynne]

Hi Linda

 

Not wanting to take up space for Carolyn's excellent info on board Century but your comment about the loss of the T pool struck a chord.

 

My husband and I were on the first cruise after the recent refit and whilst most of the refurb was excellent, at that time, there was still a lot of niggling things that were unfinished, which I'm sure have been ironed out now.

 

Alan King was on the ship and did a really good job.

 

I have to say that of five X cruises, the food on the Century was superb - every meal, the best we have had since our first X cruise on the old Horizon. Food on the Summit, Mercury and Connie have all been good but this time was faultless. Our waiters were excellent, the Maitre D was helpful and the Sommelier was fine, though sometimes a little elusive, but we always had good service. I had always thought that a cruise would be one type of holiday that I wouldn't mind doing on my own (if ever my husband didn't want to come with me) but Carolyn's experience has made me think again!

 

We had a wonderful cruise on Century even though some things, at the time, were not quite finished but we wouldn't go on anything other than an M class because we missed the Thelassotherapy pool so much. It was very crowded around the outdoor pools and we had difficulty finding a space (never did find one on the lower level by the pools).

 

Look forward to receiving more updates Carolyn and hoping that you enjoy the remainder of the cruise.

 

Lynne :)

[LOMOND LASS]

Hi Carolyn

 

I dipped into your site as my 84 year old mother is going on Century on 16th October -Tyrennian Sea cruise so I am interested to read your comments. I was also interested to note your comment that you felt it was not a happy ship which is exactly what we felt when travelling on Mercury between 28th April and 19th May (Mexican Riviera then Alaska). We encountered the same things as you did - cabin stewards did not always acknowledge you although I must say if a waiter who had served us in the main dining room either at lunch or dinner saw us in the cafeteria they nearly always spoke. I think these things stem from the top, i.e. the Captain and we all know what happened to our Captain! Hope you have a great trip and that this great weather we are having continues for the duration of your trip.

 

My interest for my Mother is wheelchair accessibility - my TA has assured us it will be fine but you always have that wee doubt at the back of your mind.

 

Regards

 

Jan

[nbb123]

Hi Carolyn --

 

Wanted to see what seems to be the standard attire for children for formal and semi-formal nights. I have an 11 year old daughter who has dresses and skirts with tops to wear that will probably work for the formal and semi-formal nights. My question is for my 9 year old son. He has a double breasted blue sport coat and khakis that he is going to wear with a tie for the formal nights but I was wondering what most boys wear to the semi-formal nights. Any insights?

 

We leave Monday so packing is in progress!

 

Thanks.

 

Nancy

[ND Traveler]

Gitte,

[ND Traveler]

Gitte,

[ND Traveler]

Gitte,

[ND Traveler]

Gitte,

[ND Traveler]

Gitte, I did not get your pictures...I had email problems when I got home to my office--Had 7,000 looped emails--now have new computer, please rresend...are you sure you didn't see you and dogsrule on the archive footage. Cathy says hi.

David

[Meribeth]

Thank you for taking questions!

 

I'm interested in the FV cabins. How large are the balconies?

[Gitte]

David, I didn't see it on the webcam archive.....:o :rolleyes: :D

I sent you the pics.

 

Gitte

[bestz5403]

Hi, Lois, and thanks to all who are kind about my horrid experience.

 

Lois, I wrote the following message before my disastrous and frankly appalling experience at dinner tonight. The irony is that much of the food that was ultimately delivered to my cabin (particularly the escargots, the shrimp and the delicious calvados apple tart) – albeit COLD -- was (still) exceptional. But the experience leaves a bitter taste nevertheless. One would hope that Michel Roux, the line’s celebrity chef, would understand the disparity – he certainly has improved the cuisine but the service is so poor….

 

And yet Princess, which has less of a reputation for food, was, in my experience on the new Crown Princess, much more savvy in service. Sure you expect the extra-fee alternative restaurants to deliver (and if they don’t you should complain, loudly). But the dining rooms? I sampled Crown Princess’ different dining rooms – on my own – for each of three meals – and was pleasantly comforted by food AND service at each.

 

Ultimately, when you weigh one or the other, if you can only deliver, er, one or the other, I’d say deliver good service. Treat people with respect and they’ll forgive a lot of failings. Treat people poorly and the food itself doesn’t so much matter. But Celebrity’s marketing machine naturally elevates expectations.

 

I question myself: Would I have felt so humiliated if I were not alone? A. that’s not the point; people who cruise expect good service regardless. And b? I would have been angry and annoyed and might have left the restaurant (but I will admit that I probably wouldn’t have gotten tearful). Even so, the whole thing was unacceptable. Absolutely, after 100 cruises plus, unacceptable.

 

It’s an embarrassment to Michel Roux and to Celebrity.

 

To my mind.

 

What do y’all think?

 

Carolyn

Ann and I are frequent Celebrity cruisers, and I am a stockholder. We are scheduled to spend 24 nights on the Century - Oct 16 to Nov 9. We are appalled at the treatment you are receiving!

 

We were on the Millennium last March when a number of passengers were killed in an automobile accident. We saw first hand the sensitivity and concern the Celebrity family had for their passengers. Simon Weir, the Cruise Director was flawless in his managing a terrible incident.

 

It is hard for us to relate to the treatment you have been receiving, and can only assume, with your being an experienced 'cruiser' that you have spoken to the Hotel Director, and the Food and Beverage Manager about your repeated incidents. What have they said? What is their plan to ensure that the remainder of your trip will be 'perfect'? Is Miami aware of your reports - I know the Chairman of RCL and the President of Celebrity would not tolerate the kind of treatment you have experience.

 

Have any of the key personnel on the ship done anything to solve these problem?

 

Please respond

[Lois R]

Ira, Hi~ See Post#91 and you can read about Carolyn's meeting

with the Hotel Director.

 

Hopefully the rest of the cruise is going well.

[CaroleLee]

Hi, Lois, and thanks to all who are kind about my horrid experience.

Lois, I wrote the following message before my disastrous and frankly appalling experience at dinner tonight. The irony is that much of the food that was ultimately delivered to my cabin (particularly the escargots, the shrimp and the delicious calvados apple tart) – albeit COLD -- was (still) exceptional. But the experience leaves a bitter taste nevertheless. One would hope that Michel Roux, the line’s celebrity chef, would understand the disparity – he certainly has improved the cuisine but the service is so poor….

And yet Princess, which has less of a reputation for food, was, in my experience on the new Crown Princess, much more savvy in service. Sure you expect the extra-fee alternative restaurants to deliver (and if they don’t you should complain, loudly). But the dining rooms? I sampled Crown Princess’ different dining rooms – on my own – for each of three meals – and was pleasantly comforted by food AND service at each.

Ultimately, when you weigh one or the other, if you can only deliver, er, one or the other, I’d say deliver good service. Treat people with respect and they’ll forgive a lot of failings. Treat people poorly and the food itself doesn’t so much matter. But Celebrity’s marketing machine naturally elevates expectations.

I question myself: Would I have felt so humiliated if I were not alone? A. that’s not the point; people who cruise expect good service regardless. And b? I would have been angry and annoyed and might have left the restaurant (but I will admit that I probably wouldn’t have gotten tearful). Even so, the whole thing was unacceptable. Absolutely, after 100 cruises plus, unacceptable.

It’s an embarrassment to Michel Roux and to Celebrity.

To my mind.

What do y’all think?

 

Carolyn

Hi,

Interesting comments. I used to travel alone and sometimes had the same invisable woman syndrome. Just returned from THE Crown Princess cruise/incident. I agree with you that on the Crown the Crew was very firendly and helpful. Many of the people we meet had sailed with Celebrity and stated that Celebrity was just a cut above-& didn't seem to be charging extra for everything-except that you pay up front in the overall price of the cruise. DH & I are considering Greek Is on either Princess or Celebrity. What's your take?

Carole

[sealover155]

Carolyn,

 

Horrors about the dining room incident. DH and I are on Sept. 2 Century with my 87 yr. old FIL - his first cruise, our 11th (our 7th X. Our last X was May 20 Constellation to Baltics. Absolutely agree about the Swedish archipelago. We are dying to return to Stockholm for a land based trip.

 

Regarding the single woman syndrome - I believe it is pervasive throughout society, even in this day and age. The perception is that the single woman is either waiting for a man to join her and take charge and get that drink ordered, or that she is not interested in drinking alone! I have traveled alone, but not on cruises, and experienced it all. I've learned to accept it and to be as assertive as necessary to get the table or drink or whatever. Having said all that, it's still very demeaning and absurd that we have to deal with it. My husband and I have equal elite status with our preferred airline, and yet he gets marketing offers that I am never allowed, unless I call to protest. The response is always the same: marketing has different strategies for different profiles! Pathetic.

 

As for Celebrity, we have had almost universal exceptional service. We had one apathetic waiter but that was several years ago on Millennium. Our recent cruise on Constellation was over the top fabulous: waiter, room steward, Hotel Director (Niina from Finland and X's first woman in this position) Cruise Director, etc. And, I believe we are fairly discriminating travelers. But your experience is concerning to us. We'll be reading all of your posts.

 

Regarding the removal of balcony dividers, I inquired about the same thing when we were on Constellation. The response was no, so I would assume that is true for Century as well. We have connecting Concierge rooms with the FIL next month and we thought it would be fun to open the balcony.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Mary Anne

[SheilaNC]

C2C,

Interestingly, we just sailed on Mercury and the entire wait staff with whom we came in contact was amazing. Not only did we tip our waiter and asst waiter more than ever (they were wonderful in dealing with our 4 grandsons) but we generously tipped our Asst Maitre D' for his excellent service.

 

I am so sorry that Carolyn experienced such variations in service and the early abysmal service in the Dining Room. I, too, am glad that her meeting with the hotel director was satisfactory. We had a wonderful HD on Mercury (sorry that I've misplaced his name because he deserves to be publicly commended).

 

Having worked in service industries all of my life, I am clear about the need to move up the hierarchy (and go directly to the top when appropriate). Poor and rude service in inexcusable at any time, but particularly in an industry that is dependent on word of mouth advertising and on a line (that I love) whose watch words have been 'treating you famously".

 

So glad, Carolyn, that the cruise has improved. I'm sure that you've made a difference that will be felt by those who cruise after you.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Several folks have written asking about them and no, they do not open. Thanks, Mary Anne, for the info re Constellation and its balconies.

Carolyn

[editor@cruisecritic]

…but Meribeth what are “FV” cabins?

Carolyn

[editor@cruisecritic]

Thanks, Lois, for providing the info on the chat with the ship’s hotel director. Keith really impresses me as someone who really wants to learn from problems that arise and he does seem approachable…came from (then) Radisson (now) Regent Seven Seas.

Bestz5403, do you feel like you’ve gotten a sufficient answer? If not, let me know.

Carolyn

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, Nancy. I think a nice (cotton) sweater or button down shirt is just fine for your son on semi-formal nights….

Carolyn

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, I’m back! There actually is Internet service from St. Petersburg and that has to be a relatively new development. I remember that on my last two visits we were basically out of contact via email (sigh, sort of an appealing concept, LOL).

So some of you – and as disappointing as the dining experience was that one night I really do hope that we can move on cause the cruise has really been delightful (and yet I understand that a chord has really, really been struck in that arena).

So here’s a totally random list of “my favorite things” onboard Celebrity Century (I’ll omit the areas I’ve already, er, fawned over, like Muranos):

*Room service. Absolutely perfect. I’ve taken advantage of room service more often for a variety of reasons – many of which have to do with the fact that this is a busy, port-intensive itinerary and also that I have a lovely balcony and dining table on which to enjoy it. The 24 hour menu is well-rounded, delivery is excellent (always on time, save for the one time I messed up and got the cabin wrong – I still remember that pantry assistant’s gracious efforts to find me, nevertheless), and you can order from the menu during meal times. Last night, I got back from the Moscow trip (more on that later) and was starving at 1 a.m.! Could’ve gone to the buffet (they kept it open for us) but just wanted to chill…and chill I did (it was getting cool, blissfully so), with a glass of rose, a cheeseburger, and a few bites (just a few bites, swear) of the decadent “double chocolate seduction”. Thought I’d have trouble getting to sleep after that indulgence…no problems, though!

*Speaking of double chocolate seduction, the pastry chef onboard is magnificent. I’m not a big dessert eater – or bread fiend – and I blame the pastry chef for contributing to the gain of at least 5 pounds. Just had a highlight at lunch in the Grand Dining Room – a white cake/cream/coconut concoction with fudge syrup. Oh. My. God. No regrets on the five pounds, it’s worth every calorie and I’ll pay for it later.

*I’m in a ConciergeClass cabin and to my eyes there’s not a whole lot of difference between standard balcony and this one (certainly not in décor or amenities – though we do get small bottles of shampoo and lotion to supplement the on-the-wall dispensers; oddly enough they look just like the stuff given to folks in Royal Caribbean suites J) ).

For instance, there’s no pillow menu (though I frankly like the ones that we have so have had no need for it). Love the flowers in the cabin – they’re in a set of 8 test tube vials and are fresh and lush. The early embarkation (and presumably the priority debarkation were I leaving the last day) are absolutely nice touches but I didn’t use them. But: the best thing is that instead of a continental in-cabin breakfast menu you get a much-expanded one, and the best way to start a day in my opinion is with poached eggs, toast, a little bacon, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. You can also order signature dishes – such as baked bananas (tried ‘em, okay, not fabulous), “French toast finger with marmalade butter,” granola berry parfait, and, get this: Russian Sevruga Caviar with traditional trimmings. Alas, the latter was $44.50 extra (the rest fee-free); a bit of a splurge. Probably should have done while docked in St. Petersburg, just in honor of the destination. And oops forgot to mention the Frette robes. N.i.c.e.

*Aqua Spa Fitness. Ginger, my travel pal, is much more knowledgeable about exercise routines and machines than I and she was very impresses with the new equipment in the facility. Admittedly, it’s smaller than big ship fitness clubs but it hits all the highlights. Interestingly, one of the big changes in this arena (beyond the fact that all the equipment is brand new, with flat screen TVs on the treadmills and such) is that the windows, which angled inward (creating a more claustrophobic feeling) were entirely replaced and now angle outward, giving more of a sense of space. The usual fitness class offerings apply – things like Pilates and spinning require a fee; stretching and aerobics do not.

*The concierge. All passengers, regardless of cabin categories, are entitled to the services of the concierge and not only did she provide invaluable assistance when I asked for it (Ginger, boarding in Stockholm, was at the wrong gate and security wouldn’t let her through), she was quite kind and helpful to an older lady whose credit company had refused to let her use her credit card (turns out she hadn’t told them she was leaving the country and they, in fear of it being in stolen, had frozen it; the tip? Make sure you let your credit card company know beforehand).

*Wine Auction. Sure, we all know that most cruise lines offer art auctions, but, and this was new to me, Celebrity was the first to feature wine auctions throughout the fleet. In this case, you can buy lots (cases) of wines that come from boutique wineries from afar (for Americans and Canadians this means Europe, Australia, New Zealand, S. Africa) that simply aren’t sold at home.

*The Internet program is excellent – and there are plenty of stations. Even when the “cafe” itself is closed there are a handful of terminals outside and also on another deck so there’s no time in the day when you can’t get to a machine.

*Cabins. I absolutely adore the décor of my cabin and (having just written a draft of the review I go into more details) but I don’t even notice that it’s smaller than I’m used to (on the bigger new ships). The bedding, too, is fantastic.

And one final thing for now:

*I really like the shower in my bathroom and this is going to sound like a really small thing but it’s longer than the usual cruise ship shower – there’s plenty of room for one (not to mention, LOL, two, though not for me on this trip :D ) and yes, there’s a curtain but it doesn’t get all tangled up in oneself. Also love that there’s a narrow glass panel at one end so the light of the bathroom streams in. It’s a little thing but gives me pleasure each time I shower.

More than you wanted to know. More to come, thanks for being patient!

[Meribeth]

They are the Family Cabins at the back of the ship facing aft on deck 8 & 9. They had a balcony added. They used to have a walkway behend them. That area was used for the new balcony.

 

Thank you so much for taking time during your cruise. We did this cruise on Constellation in 2004 and it is one of our favorites.

[wishingtocruise]

Hey Carolyn!!

Thanks for this trip report. I think you have been well balanced and honest through the whole missive. It's the first thing that read in the morning and look for the updates throughout the day. It's a very nice thing for you to do for us on your vacation.

Enough gushing:) We will be taking our first cruise on the Century in April over Easter. We will be conceirge as well and will have our daughter with us. What are the pools like? Also, I'm sure that on a Baltic cruise there aren't many kids around, but do you have any idea whta the kid's club is like? I don't see her going there too much as we enjoy having her with us, but just curious.

Thanks again :)