Century broke down week of 12/18

[tidelover]

The Captain is a JOKE. He went into to shallow of water in Jamaica and it broke one of the propellers (sp?). We were delayed in Grand Caymans, waited 2-1/2 hours to get on a Tender. We missed the tour with Captain Bryan. And they skipped Cozumel since the ship could only go 1/2 speed.

One group had planned there wedding there and had to miss it.

There was a lot of unhappy guest on the ship.

 

The curise industry is very poor at letting you know whats going on. keep hidding the little things like the truth.

 

They gave us a 100 per room onboard credit. :(

Not enough as to the many problems it caused the whole ship.

 

We were happy with the service of the room attendant & our waiter Andy.

 

However, my group of 6 has decided that we are not cruisers...

We like to control our vacation and do what we want to not sit around the ship and wait 2-1/2 hours for someone to tell me something.

 

Overheard a store attendant telling a coworker they were going to dry dock the ship for 2 days and delay this weeks cruise.

Could of been worse I guess, as we did make it back.

[bilgeboyPa]

Sorry about your cruise. Nothing more disapointing than looking forwardto your cruise and it turning out to be a disaster. It certainly seems likr the Century has been having a run of bad luck these days. I hope it gets better

 

 

Jeff

[seaair2]

My family and I were also on the same ship and were very diappointed in this cruise. We did try to make the best of things and did have a good time, but not because of the ship's management.

 

Besides sailing with an engine that had known problems, one of the tenders had engine problems also and left several people returning from the Grand Cayman adrift for 2 hours before it was possible to bring the tender close enough to the ship.

 

Because of the broken engine, we arrived off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale a day early and sailed off the coast until 10p.m. when we docked.

 

To compensate for the unpleasant trip, they gave everyone a $100 shipboard credit, but did not return the Cozumel port charges to anyone.

 

I also found the ship to be in poor condition. Deck chairs are quite stained and several were stacked up broken and there is a lot of wear as you look around the ship. The sanitary issues that resulted in the unsatisfactory rating didn't seem to be addressed at all. The old sneeze guards are still in place. The orange juice in the buffet was room temperature and some of the hot foods there were barely warm at all. After one quick experience there, we ate all our meals in the dining room, which seemed to have foods at the proper temperature.

 

The service staff on the ship did everything possible to make the trip enjoyable and they deserve a lot of praise. However, the management didn't seem to care at all about the passengers.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity ships before and never had an experience like this before. Problems on a cruise are certainly understandable, however, the poor treatment we received from the management isn't.

[flashdog_1]

I'd love to know what a sneeze guard is. Anyone?

[Happy ks]

The sneeze guard is the plastic window along the buffet line. Presumably, it will protect the food from people sneezing on it, unfortunatly, the sneeze doesn't know it is supposed to stay outside the covered area. It also does nothing to prevent dirty hands from handling serving utensils and touching food. Call me a buffet snob, I just don't go there unless I don't have any other choice, then I am very wary. Just the fact a sneeze guard is needed is enough to keep me away.

 

Edit to add, I'm sorry your cruise wasn't all you expected, especially because of the planned wedding.

[gracecarmo]

sneeze guard: the plastic piece that is along the top of the counter as you go through the buffet line. People with short arms have to duck under it in order to get food from the back of the buffet table. I have seen many people do this.

 

Grace

[bob278]

I hate to think what it must look like if the poster knows it is an old one. Does it have old sneeze spray on it?

[Jumbie]

One group had planned there wedding there and had to miss it.

Sorry for your experience and for these folks, but that's why they tell you that it's a bad idea to plan your cruise around a specific port or to make plans like weddings, reunions, etc. around a stop,

 

You just never know what will happen...

[Sea Island Lady]

I agree! Not a good idea to plan a wedding on a cruise stop. I have never understood this practice anyway. The wedding is suppose to come first and then the honeymoon.:rolleyes:

 

 

To the OP, sorry about your experience. Too bad your party will not give cruising another try.

[Zigster]

The service staff on the ship did everything possible to make the trip enjoyable and they deserve a lot of praise. However, the management didn't seem to care at all about the passengers.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity ships before and never had an experience like this before. Problems on a cruise are certainly understandable, however, the poor treatment we received from the management isn't.

I agree with you entirely on your quote. We sailed Century 11/27/04 and also found that management didn't seem to care about concerns that we had. While the staff did whatever they could to make our cruise enjoyable, they seemed a bit "off". We've sailed Celebrity 8 times prior and every cruise was wonderful. Let's hope that the Century get's over whatever their problem is soon. That cruise aside, we're looking forward to our January sail on Summitt.

[Andy]

I also found the ship to be in poor condition. Deck chairs are quite stained and several were stacked up broken and there is a lot of wear as you look around the ship.

 

The service staff on the ship did everything possible to make the trip enjoyable and they deserve a lot of praise. However, the management didn't seem to care at all about the passengers.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity ships before and never had an experience like this before. Problems on a cruise are certainly understandable, however, the poor treatment we received from the management isn't.

 

Hi Seaair !

 

I am sorry to hear of your problems onboard Century. It is always a HUGE disappointment, to have a disappointing Cruise.

 

I am also a loyal Celebrity Cruiser, and It very much surprises me to hear of your Comments about Century. I have been on Century several times, including about 6 months ago, and I have never had a bad Cruise on this ship.

 

It is most unfortunate, when mechanical problems occur, ....HOWEVER, I do feel it is very important for the Officers on the ship to keep you informed. From yours (and others) posts, it sounds like that did not happen.

 

As for the ship being showing alot of wear, Century was "supposed" to be going into drydock soon, but that has been pushed back to early 2006. It does look like the ship needs some sprucing up. IMHO, this was a bad decision by Celebrity to defer the drydock.

 

It is very sad to hear several negative comments about Century of late. This ship has historically been one of the most beloved Ships in Celebrity's Fleet, and definately one of my favorites. I have no idea why things have changed of late.... but I truly hope that Celebrity will get their act together, and get Century back on the right path, as soon as possible !

[SeaGams]

Mike,

Do you happen to know if the pilot was on board when Century went into shallow water and damaged the propeller in Jamaica? They usually board the cruise ship while still in deep water, and it is their responsibility to guide (or pilot) the ship into port. If this was the case, Century's captain was not in command at that time.

 

Of course, even if the pilot was at the helm and caused the damage, that does not excuse the lack of communication to the passengers. Things do break on board, but how the situation is handled will directly impact your lasting impression of the overall vacation experience.

[Searanger]

Well...Does anyone know if the problem was repaired? Just because the Century sailed on the 24th doesn't mean all is well.

[sammiedawg]

We were on the Dec 4 cruise, I had several issues I complained about on this board and to the chief concierge. One issue I barely discussed was while we were tendered in Grand Cayman horrible smelling black smoking was pouring out of the smokestacks. People wondered if the ship was on fire. I went to the front desk to inquire and was told it was because "there is no breeze to blow the smoke away". Now that didnt ring true to me having been on 8 previous cruises with other lines. Other people were told the smell was coming from Grand Cayman due to burning hurricane trash. That didnt ring true to me either.

I really think they were having engine problems on that cruise.

The ship is shopworn and has filthy carpet in some cabins (including ours) and on the open decks aft. We were very disappointed in our first Celebrity cruise. I knew the ship was 8 years old but didnt expect this kind of situation.

The sneeze guards someone mentioned in this thread have to do with the failed CDC inspection.

[Zigster]

while on our 11/27 cruise, we also noticed black smoke when we were leaving one of the ports. i also thought the ship was on fire, but my husband assured me that it wasn't. i still don't know what it was, but i don't think that's normal.

[ocngypz]

Black smoke equals one of two things. Poor combustion... or cleaning the stacks (usually done while underway).

[henri]

It's said that Century is completely refurbished in 2002 !!

It is so bad already :confused: ??

I'm opting for the Transatlantic crossing (may 7)from F.Lauderdale to Amsterdam and when we must go half-speed, I will have to take some extra days off ;) .

Hopefully it's working out well, with our memories of Constellation !!

[monicasev]

I was on the 12/18 sailing as well. You can see from the threads what the problems were... Worse yet, they are totally indifferent to any complaints. I'm contesting the charges through my credit card company.

[leerobbs]

The smoke smell that Sammidog was referring to was the local dump on Grand Cayman on fire. I woke up the morning of our day in GC and smelled something burning. I was alarmed somewhat and went up on the top deck and you could see the smoke coming from the Island blowing straight out to where the cruise ships were anchored. I have pictures that show the smoke in the harbor. I asked our taxi driver what was on fire and she told me that the dump was burning. The black smoke coming from the ship was nothing more or less than I have observed on a previous Century cruise. As for filthy carpet, it must have been in individual staterooms, because I did not see filthy stains. I feel that some people exagerate when recounting some of these negative remarks. I was there and I did not see the negative generalities noted in his remarks. The Century is not perfect by any means, but the product I received and the price I paid was extraordinary. I can only speak for my experience and that of our group and we had a wonderful time.

[bilgeboyPa]

Couldn't agree more leerobb. I have seen a bunch of sammydawgs posts' and everyone, in different threads, bash the Century.He definitly has an axe to grind for some reason. He has every right to do so, but I wish he would just go back to RCCL, Carnival,or Princess Land and live a happy life there. Anyone with half a sense could tell where the smoke was coming from and if any one knows anything about clean up after a hurricane, they burn the leaves, trees and any kind of burnable debris because they have no where to go with it.It's an island!! I swear I had seen and heard him him on this past cruise and I bet he's from NY.

[sammiedawg]

I have certain expectations when I book cruises - I expect cleanliness, sanitation and a physical plant that is in good condition. When I saw the dirty carpets and something in our stateroom bathroom I will not even mention on these boards I was alarmed and complained. Nothing was done to appease us, we were not moved to a different cabin and the 2 areas of complaint were not remedied.If you have any reason to doubt my concerns read the full CDC report on the Century and your stomach will turn. I have not received one penny in compensation. I read someone else is contesting credit card charges I hope they are successful. We did not discuss our concerns with other passengers on this sailing, I saw no reason to ruin anyone else's vacation. So whoever you heard complaining also saw deficiencies, it was not me. We thought the food was slightly better than other cruise lines we have sailed on, otherwise we were very disappointed in this ship.

[meisha]

We are sailing on Century 2-12-04 and I am so nervous. My husband and I manage to sail once a year. There must be something good to say...how about the weather...was it good? Were your fellow cruisers nice people?

 

On the roll-calls there is only one other person registered...what does that mean?

[greydog]

We are sailing on Century 2-12-04 and I am so nervous. My husband and I manage to sail once a year. There must be something good to say...how about the weather...was it good? Were your fellow cruisers nice people?

 

On the roll-calls there is only one other person registered...what does that mean?

 

I'll be doing my 3d Century trip this weekend and will post an 'after-action' report on or about Jan 10th. I'll go out on a limb and forecast that I'll be making a favorable report because I've never had a 'bad' Celebrity cruise (this is 8th in last 3 years). I can understand from my own experiences why 32,000 Conde Nast cruisers surveyed have Celebrity dominating the top ten ratings for the last two years. I'm not saying they're perfect but they apparently please most of the people most of the time - me, the wife and relatives included. In the meantime, think 'warm fuzzies" for your Feb. trip.

[meisha]

We'll be looking forward to your report!

[DCosbey]

The Dec 24 sailaway was delayed 7 hours for prop repair with no missed ports. No mechanical/prop problems were detected by us for the entire 9 day holiday cruise.

Incidently, we had no complaints about our Century cruise (this was our 2nd on Century, 3rd on Celebrity). Although this ship does show SLIGHT wear and tear, as a 9 year old ship would be expected to, it still offers a great product and staff.