Century review from 2/1, 4 night

[Loralu]

I know there are other reviews - but I wanted to add my 2 cents on our cruise experience.. and remember these are my opinions.. not meant cause an argument or anything - just notes from my perspective.

 

:) Good stuff :)

• Embarking/disembarking very very smooth, best ever for us!
  
• SS suite huge balcony - very nice
  
• Michelle, Room steward - fantastic
  
• Public rooms - nice and open.
  
• Cat's Pajama's - excellent entertainment
  
• Main dining - excellent waiter (his name: Gracias)
  
• Food - Prime rib very good, deserts good, everything else just ok
  
• mix of cruisers - very good, not as old an age group as on HAL, but a good mix.
  
• Beds: comfortable
  
• walking back on ship at a port: they give you ice cold towels and water or lemonade.. how cool is that? I loved this little extra!
  
• Can coke is $1.95... HAL is more expensive
  
• My cingular phone worked throughout the cruise.
  
• Public announcements kept at a minimum.
  
• Flat screen TV on the wall was nice.
  
• Nice terry bathrobes in cabin, and towels for the beach.
  
• Very fair to smokers, one side of the ship seems to be smoking.
  
• Sky bar on deck 11 aft - very nice place to hang out, have a drink, or even eat lunch, plus live entertainment early evenings.. very nice.

:mad: Bad stuff :mad:

 

• Butler - useless, only saw him once.
  
• vibrations in aft cabins.. noisy
  
• end balcony with staircase right next to balcony - noisy
  
• room service coffee like warm water.. yuk!
  
• overall entertainment - nothing special
  
• Trivia games - not enough of them
  
• Food - the lobster was simply terrible, eggs not so good
  
• Itenerary: 1/2 day in Key west, 12 hours in Cozumel.. I wish it had been the other way around, enjoyed Key West more.
  
• Drinks in bars already have 15% gratuity.. and servers not all that friendly, even when you tip them extra.
  
• No towel animals on our beds.
  
• NO midnight buffett, you can get salad and soup or pizza but that's about it - and no desserts.
  
• Cova cafe has little sandwiches and desserts - but for only about an hour a day - this should be longer - especially when at sea day.
  
• Casino: machines tight in our opinion, based on comparisons with other cruises.
  
• Main pool: ladder is not designed for Seniors to use, many would just not go in and were complaining, they should install steps for safety reasons.

Overall - nice experience although 4 nights is not nearly long enough. Compared to HAL, I think HAL has better service and food, but RC and Celebrity have better designed ships to navigate with wider more open public rooms.

 

Final note - our cruise ended on a bad note as we flew out of Ft. Lauderdale Airport on Spirit Airlines.. See under general topics Cruise air for thread. To sum it up, Spirit fumbled the ball and lost our business at least at the FLL airport, it was terrible.

 

Happy Cruising everyone!:D

[flamingo21401]

Loralu, It was really hit or miss about the towel animals. Our room steward, Michelle, gave us animals, our elephant was great and my sister and her husband got kissing swans with scatterd rose petals that streached across their bed. It was so pretty they didn't want to disturb the display. (but you've got to go to sleep sometimes). My brother who was on deck 8 had no towel animals all cruise.

I also found the already made eggs lacking warmth and a bit moist for my taste. BUT then I discovered the made to order omlette bar in the stern of the ship. I had never had HOT eggs on board a cruise ship before this. They came with all sorts of toppings.

I agree about the casino, mom and I lost on the slots but my brother did win the Texas-hold-em tournament. So I guess over all our family might have come out slightly ahead.

Our balcony, 1253, sunset verandah was great for listening to Brian (the guitar player). He played all sorts of music but mostly the Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor mellow stuff. It was wonderful for watching the ships wake and ports as we left. On the other hand, I was startled a few times by people peering over the railing above and talking to me. We also got whatever debris had been blown off the decks. Cigarette butts, straws, wrappers and on one occasion we woke up to shatterd glass. It was big enough for a lounger but only had 2 chairs and a very wobbly table. We tried to keep the slider shut but it continued to slide open as the ship would move.

[Loralu]

Laura, it was nice to meet you and the other CC'ers on the cruise. I'm bummed now - how come we didnt get towel animals? I should revoke some of her tip now. Oh well, still we had a good time.

Bon Voyage!

[SeaUL8tr]

:mad: Bad stuff :mad:

• Butler - useless, only saw him once.

Loralu,

 

WOW, you only saw your butler once? Not a very good record for a Butler on a 4 day cruise!

 

We also thought our Butler was useless (and the ringing of the doorbell drove us crazy!). If we dared ask for anything from our butler, the response we always got was, "What would you like?" No interest shown in learning what we liked or choice of options ever offered.

 

Yes, the Sky Suites are very spacious and beautiful and the verandas are larger and extremely desirable. Points to consider: choose a Sky Suite on the port side if you don't like sitting outside in the afternoon sun and one on the starboard side if you're there for a tan and a SS on the Penthouse Deck if you like being closer to the sight and sound of the moving water.

 

Did anyone else notice that not everything stated on the Celebrity website as "Celebrity's Butler's Service on the Century" and "Sky Suite Indulgences" were actually included, such as:

 

"Fresh cut flower"--not a one graced our stateroom although we sure heard about how beautiful they were from the Concierge Class passengers we met and saw them daily on the counters in the restrooms. Even called Guest Relations & were told no--no flowers for you in the Sky Suites.

 

"Menu of pillows"--never saw one mentioned or offered onboard.

 

"Complementary espresso & cappuccino"--no way, really?!?!?! When we asked for them, our butler told us to go to the Cova Cafe to get them!

 

"24-hour Butler Service"--right! Our butler told us we could call between 7 am & 9 pm.

 

"Private portrait sitting"--not offered so don't know if we would have liked it.

 

"Opportunity to book in-suite massage"--ditto/not offered so don't know if we would have liked it.

 

"Food - the lobster was simply terrible, eggs not so good"--Agreed! Lobster was cold and it had been too long from cooking pot to table. As for eggs, our first try of a room service breakfast was so terribly awful & pathetic that we left it on the table and went to the buffet to eat while we heard the Concierge Class cabins were enjoying morning smoothies and granola parfaits in private on a new CC balcony. BTW, the wonderful service and helpful attitude of the buffet staff was TERRIFIC!

 

"room service coffee like warm water.. yuk!"--Right on! Shouldn't have to drink this if "complementary espresso and cappuccio" is part of the "Celebrity Butler Service on the Century."

 

The Celebrity is a beautiful ship. We just wish we had received the service Celebrity promises on the website.:(

[jaysbears]

We just got back from a 5 day cruise on the Century. In general, we had a great time. I don' t recomend the taste of Jamaca tour, to long and did not give us much time to shop.(This could be a good thing). The food was very good, the Celebrity singers and dancers put on a teriffic show, and you don't want to miss the Cats Pajamas. Our suite was 1246, one of the Sun Set varandas. We were right over the bar overlooking a large white cover which blocked a lot of our view. I think they should consider this a obstructed view room. Also it was very bumpy and at times I thought I was in one of those beds you put quarters in. Flat TV Very nice but not much to watch. Michelle was our house keeper and yes we had towel animals. Room was nice and beds very good. Last day of cruise our air was not working and we had no hot water. I like Celebrity a lot but I will never book a Sunset suite again. I will go for something midships for a better ride.

[moofus]

We are booked in a SS on the sports deck. # 1241

From what I am reading here the CC suites are better? They get better service? We actually had a CC suite, but upgraded to a SS.... did we make a mistake... I was sooo looking forward to flowers every day... and I would simply have to sleep in one of the public areas if my air conditioner didn't work.. I am at "that" age ;) and air conditioning is very important to me.

Did I make a mistake?

[jerseygirl3]

Geez, I'm really getting nervous. My family has 5 Sky Suites booked on Century and the reviews are making me very nervous. No pillow menu? No fresh cut flowers? We were told when we booked that everything available to Concierge Class would be included in Sky Suite, plus more. Lazy butlers? No free cappuccino or espresso? So, really then, we are just paying for extra space with no added amenities.

 

If our butler is that pathetic, it will definitely be reflected in his tip. If we are expected to tip extra (in addition to the cabin steward) to have a butler, then I would expect him to earn the tip. I certainly don't expect him to be at our beck and call, but showing some interest in accommodating requests would be nice.

[eroller]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I always find it fascinating how two people on the same ship can have such different experiences. I also sailed on the 2/1 sailing and noted my experience on this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=490613

 

Most of your negative issues were not applicable to me so maybe that is why they didn't bother me.

 

* Coffee - don't drink the stuff.

* Butler - I wish! I was in a standard outside. Our cabin steward might as well have been a butler .... he was fantastic!

* Vibrations - my cabin was forward. No vibration.

* entertainment - I agree the production shows were bad, but I liked the bands and solo singers in the various lounges.

* trivia games - don't play them

* food & service - excellent. Actually I was impressed they served lobster on a cheap 4-day cruise.

* itinerary - I agree. Would like more time in Key West.

* drinks and 15% gratuity - this is common practice on 99.9% of all cruise lines. As for the bartenders, most are great but not 100%. Same with every cruise line I have sailed.

* Towel Animals - I don't really expect them on Celebrity. I feel this is something you find on more mass-market lines like Carnival, NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean.

* No Midnight Buffet - there hasn't been one on Celebrity for years. They have "celebrity bites" and this is nothing new. If I want a late night meal I order room service.

* Cova Cafe - agree about the sandwiches. They should have the sandwiches there all day like Princess does in the International Cafe.

* Casino - I don't play, but I hear the word "tight" on just about every cruise I take, and I take a lot.

* Main pool - although I am not a senior I can understand your point of view. The ladder is very steep and something better would be appropriate. I loved the pools though. They were deep and salt water, my favorite.

 

My friend and I explored the ship quite extensively, and to anyone booked in those aft "Sunset Verandas" CHANGE YOUR CABIN. They look horrible! We were walking around on the deck above and could look right down on them. Also, they look out over the canapy covering the Sunset Bar below and the view is ugly. If you want an aft facing cabin, book Vista Deck or below.

 

All in all I found the service to be on par with HAL, but I thought the food was better. I also like the design and decor of the ship much more than HAL, but I admit I prefer a more contemporary atmosphere. My next cruise is on HAL in two weeks so it will be fun to compare.

 

Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

Ernie

 

ps - sorry about the experience on Spirit. Sounds awful. I was able to catch an 11:20am flight out of Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta on Delta and it went without a hitch. We disembarked early with our luggage and it was so easy. No lines!