Basic Celebrity Information

[BellaCruiser]

Hubby and I are heading for our first Celebrity cruise 9/11/04 on the Century heading to the Western Carribean.

 

Other than reading every single thread, where can I find the most info from this Board or elsewhere regarding detailed info on cruising with Celebrity.

 

Thinking of booking our own shore excursions. Or should we not consider since Celebrity does such a great job. Previous cruises with Princess has taught me that I can book my own Shore Excursions. Your suggestions welcome.

 

P.S. We do love cruising, dancing, formal nights, meeting people and are trying Celebrity since others cruise lines seem to be changing their styles.

[Seabee]

Bella---I think you are going to have to keep reading to get the best info. You have to weed out the whining to get to the truth but the best info is really on these boards.

 

I generally book my own excursions except in a rare case---I'd check out the Ports of Call board for that info. Celebrity doesn't do "such a great job" in that area...rather they use the same tour companies as everyone else. I assume you've been to the Caribbean before, once you step off that ship, it doesn't matter who you sailed in with, you can book your own excursions.

[sueclark]

As the poster above said, the best information comes from reading the threads. Just scan through the subjects and only read those that you think will interest you.

[lougee1043]

you could also read from the celebrity web site at www.celebrity.com you may be albe to get some of the general info you require there

[dkjretired]

Don't forget to ask questions.

 

Don

[teedee]

Bella - I think the best information is on these boards. There is a great, although extremely long, thread about the Century titled "Tell Me About The Century" that has tons of good information. You could do a search for it, it's not on the front page anymore, but I don't think it's too far back.

 

I'm sailing the week after you. Make sure you keep the ship nice for me :)

Terri

[wv4891]

Bellacruiser,

 

 

Well here is my personal recommendation for Grand Caymen. If you have not done it, Stringray City is a must. I found that a non ship's tour with Captain Marvins to be very enjoyable. They are on the web at www.captainmarvins.com. They go out in boats with perhaps 35 to 40 people (maybe even less) and do two stops for snorkeling in addition to the "RAY" encounter. The ship's tour boats seem to pack 100s on them and really looked overcrowded to me. As to other islands and tours, that I think is a personal decision on your part as to use the cruiseline tours or not. I used about 1/2 and 1/2. Cruiseline tours can be prebooked on the Celebrity website starting about 60 days before you cruise. And they are charged to your credit card at the time you book them online.

 

Bill

[dkjretired]

Here's another tip right from the start of your trip. Since you are leaving on the Century, do not purchase transfers from Century in Ft. Lauderdale assuming you are flying into Ft. Lauderdale Airport. The ride to the pier or any of the hotels is about 5 to 10 minutes and costs about $10.00 plus tip by cab. No waiting for shuttles, just take the cab.

 

Don

[HP_Lovecraft]

I'm on the same cruise.

 

On the issue of excursions, I went to the celebrity website, and downloaded the excursion booklet for the 9/11 Century Cruise. Its about 50 pages.

Its an excellent resource for what types of activities are availible in each port.

 

I still booked my own excursions though.

Phil in Ocho, Capt Bryan and Atlantis in caymans. Tulum in Coz, and a Jet Ski tour in Key West.

 

You save about 20-40% if you do it yourself, but it takes more work, and the boat WILL NOT wait for you if you miss it (unlike a ship-sponsored excursion).

 

So just have fun.

And don't forgot. Wake up at 4am so you can put a towel on a chair at the pool!! (j/k)

 

Nik

[Guest Cookiegirl]

I agree... the best info you'll find is on these boards. We were on the Century Western sailing in April and got most of our info from these boards. Also booked our excursions with Celebrity since it was our first cruise. They do a good job. Loved every minute and can't wait to sail again.

[nealberk]

Hi Bella!

 

I agree with Teedee about the "Tell me about the Century thread (also check it out on the old board).

 

You might also be interested in my web site (which I am constantly mentioning here) http://www.celebrity-century.com.

 

The Century is a great ship. You will love it!

 

Neal

[BellaCruiser]

Thanks so much folks for all your help....expecially with regard to weeding through all the threads to get the best possible information. Will book our own Excursions too.

Ohh do I dislike the entire "Save the Deck Chair" thing. It's so 8th grade. Is it really necessary for Sea Days?

 

P.S. HP Lovecraft have you signed up for the Celebrity/CruiseCritic shipboard gathering? Feel free to e-mail me directly BellaCruiser@hotmail.com

[PeggySand]

Hi Bella,

 

If you are stopping in Grand Caymen, I HIGHLY recommend Nativeway Tours to snorkle at Stingray City and Coral Gardens. We booked this tour for our cruise in May of 2003. The ship was late arriving in Grand Caymen, but Nativeway waited on the dock for us. We proceeded to Stingray City in our boat carrying approximately 20-25 people. When we arrived, my husband said the scene looked like it was right out of the movie Titanic, with hundreds of people in the water with their life vests on!! Our group was small, so we got very individualized attention from the guides, and we were able to stay longer and really enjoy the experience instead of the "cattle" tour the ship tours were offering. After that, we proceeded to an area they refer to as Coral Gardens. It was the highlight of our snorkling experience for our whole cruise (we snorkled in every port). The water was so beautiful and warm, and there were hundreds of fish, rays and nurse sharks. We stayed for quite a while, and felt that we got much more than our money's worth. Of course, the Nativeway tour was half the price of the tours offered on the ship. I will always be grateful that they waited for us even though the ship was about an hour late in arriving to Grand Caymen.

 

If you are interested, the website is: http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/shiptours.html

 

They were very good about communicating with me by email, and booking the tour. If your ship must skip the port for some reason, they will refund your money.

 

My advice is to definitely look into booking your own tours instead of the ship tours unless they are "all day" tours such as Tulum, etc. I would not have felt comfortable traveling that far away in case of breakdown, etc. The tours you book on your own will be far cheaper, and much more bang for your buck!!

 

Enjoy,

Peggy

[BellaCruiser]

Thanks Neil...enjoyed your website, especially since your review is from this year!

[BellaCruiser]

Thanks Peggy for the personal recommendation....just went to the Native Way site to check it out.

[theawesome1]

Many items you can do first thing in the morning, so you won't miss the ship in the after dinner departure. Captain Marvins is #1 for snorkeling & Sting Ray fun. $35 for half day excursion with 45 mins with the Sting Rays not near the 100 people per ship excursions booked by the cruiselines. They keep to 30 or so. Ruth is a great lady who works the web site with booking you. If for some reason the ship cannot dock due to weather, and you will miss them, you are NOT charged! She was just like you & me on a cruiseship for a visit but never went home. You may even be lucky to meet the dear Captain Marvin (about 87) who invented this with his fishing company back in the '50's. He was cleaning fish for sale & the rays came to eat the trash. So he decided to bring tourists out to see them & folks wanted to pet them & now he is famous!!!

[wv4891]

In May 2003 we did this trip with Captain Marvin, yes he was still driving the boat then.

 

Many items you can do first thing in the morning, so you won't miss the ship in the after dinner departure. Captain Marvins is #1 for snorkeling & Sting Ray fun. $35 for half day excursion with 45 mins with the Sting Rays not near the 100 people per ship excursions booked by the cruiselines. They keep to 30 or so. Ruth is a great lady who works the web site with booking you. If for some reason the ship cannot dock due to weather, and you will miss them, you are NOT charged! She was just like you & me on a cruiseship for a visit but never went home. You may even be lucky to meet the dear Captain Marvin (about 87) who invented this with his fishing company back in the '50's. He was cleaning fish for sale & the rays came to eat the trash. So he decided to bring tourists out to see them & folks wanted to pet them & now he is famous!!!

[NnJ2010]

I'm on the same cruise.

 

On the issue of excursions, I went to the celebrity website, and downloaded the excursion booklet for the 9/11 Century Cruise. Its about 50 pages.

Its an excellent resource for what types of activities are availible in each port.

 

I still booked my own excursions though.

Phil in Ocho, Capt Bryan and Atlantis in caymans. Tulum in Coz, and a Jet Ski tour in Key West.

 

You save about 20-40% if you do it yourself, but it takes more work, and the boat WILL NOT wait for you if you miss it (unlike a ship-sponsored excursion).

 

So just have fun.

And don't forgot. Wake up at 4am so you can put a towel on a chair at the pool!! (j/k)

 

Nik

Can I ask what Tulum is in Cozumel and who you booked the Jet Ski tour with in Key West? :)

 

Thanks!

[wv4891]

Hi, I can help you with the Tulum piece of your question. Tulum is a Mayan version of a Caribbean seaside resort. It is located on the Mexican mainland, right on the water's edge. You have to take a ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen and a bus to Tulum. Most people book the tour through the ship. Tulum is quite an interesting and beautiful spot. But quite hot and humid as it sits on open space with little to no shade. Some ship tours will do Tulum and Xel-ha together. Xel-ha is a very large eco type park with snorkeling, Dolphin encounters, and many other activities available.

 

Click here to view the Xel-ha website.

 

 

 

Can I ask what Tulum is in Cozumel and who you booked the Jet Ski tour with in Key West? :)

 

Thanks!

[SoccerMom]

I am going 7/31 & a friend just came back & told me in Grand Cayman to book a private silboat excusion with red baron charters - e-mail mike@sailcayman.com. They said it was very personable & small compared to 100's from the ship. Seven Mile Island is also a must. I heard captain marvin is great & I am also checking our peattaylor.com in Jamaica. Heard he takes you out for 2 hours to Dunn Rver Flls then back to the ship for lunch then back out for 2 hours.