Celebrity Century British Isles May 17 - 29

SYNOPSIS

We have just returned from a 12 day British Isles voyage aboard the Celebrity Century. We purchased a last minute special package deal from a major on-line agency, and in essence got free return business class air upgrades and a “sky suite” (mini-suite). This voyage was enjoyable and of excellent value.

The food was good enough and with a wide variety. The service was polite and efficient. The sea was calm except for one day which resulted in skipping Guernsey. The cabin, however, could be better designed to make better use of space, while the mattress and towels could be replaced.

Fellow passengers were helpful to one another. The atmosphere was comparatively quiet for a large ship, with few announcements or intrusions. For those who savour privacy, there were ways to avoid crowds. On the whole, it should be classified as “gentle mass market”.

INTRODUCTION

We have cruised on the Celebrity Mercury twice before, so we are quite familiar with what it offers. Last December, we just crossed the Panama Canal aboard the Silver Shadow, and we have booked the Greek Islands on Oceania Nautica this October. We were not planning on a trip in-between. Suddenly, late April, we received this advertisement for a package deal with “sky suite” and return “business class air” from a major on-line agency (cannot be named). We had wanted to visit ports of the British Isles sooner or later. Since this itinerary covered our desires, and the deal practically saved us 2x$2000 (compared to what we would have to pay if we purchased the cabin and “reduced fare business class” ourselves), it was too good to be missed.

The gateway ports offered on the West coast were San Francisco and Los Angeles, so we chose the former. As the air tickets included were on “group rate”, no deviation whatsoever was allowed. The flights were on United Airlines and the routing was reasonable, with only one stop over change of planes each way (in Chicago and Washington, D.C. respectively). As ordinary cats of limited means, we are price sensitive and appreciative of the opportunity to lie with all paws stretched out on a business class seat (we usually fly economy on our own).

The timing was such that our few days stay in San Francisco coincided with a cardiologist convention requiring 7,500 rooms (are there that many cardiologists?) This drove up the hotel rates and we had to swallow that hard. Besides, the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel was under renovation (for which we were warned), but we did not know the electric drilling all through daytime was that loud and annoying. On the good side, San Francisco was an interesting city and a great place to visit if not for the sudden heat spell under the afternoon sun on those days.

THE SHIP

The Century was very similar to the Mercury which we had been on twice before in 2000 and 2002. Unlike the last two times, it was quieter, with few announcements. In fact, we had to open our cabin door in order to listen to the announcements – somehow they were not piped into the cabins, and we couldn’t find it on the cabin TV either. It would be nice if they could designate one TV channel in the future specifically for announcements (possibly in the form of text messages), such that passengers could read them at their own convenience.

The previously rather aggressive ship photographers had become more passive. Once they sensed that you were not receptive, they would not snapshot on you and pin your likeness on public boards waiting for you to purchase. That was a real improvement. The sommeliers also became more gentle, if you declined, they would move on, and after several times, they would know to leave you alone. Those art auctions were conducted quietly, and you wouldn’t be disturbed at all.

If you made some efforts to avoid crowds (to be discussed later), you could have a rather private cruise experience despite this being a large ship. Passengers in mini-suites and above were given “priority tender tickets” (put inside their cabins the night before by their butlers) and would not have to join the long queues to obtain their tender tickets before lining up again for boarding the tenders.

The tenders themselves were not well designed, however. Besides the main deck, there was this “loft” on a second level, accessible by climbing steep open steps. With the tender rocking and rolling, it was quite conceivable that those who were not particularly agile or nimble could fall while climbing up or down (or for just sitting on those fiberglass benches with no armrests) and seriously injure themselves. Fortunately, fellow passengers were all helpful and lend hands to one another. While the tenders probably met federal safety regulations, they were not suitable in our opinion.

We will slowly section by section post the rest of this rather lengthy report over the next week or so.

… to be continued

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THE CABIN

The outer dimensions of the cabin interior was 12’10” wide and 18’6” long, or 237 sq.ft. The balcony glass sliding door railing was 6” wide. So you have to count that railing as interior space to come up with the 244 sq.ft. as claimed by Celebrity. The balcony of this “sky suite” was a huge 12’10” wide and 10’10” deep. Considering that the balcony would not be always “usable” (depending on the weather), it would be more practical to move the glass sliding door outward by perhaps 5 ft. This would still leave a good sized 75 sq.ft. balcony, while increasing interior space by 65 sq.ft., enough to include a walk-in closet, a slightly roomier washroom and perhaps a “make-up module”. This suggestion would make this minisuite both more functional and elegant, more like standard cabins on those luxury cruise lines.

The washroom measured 7’0” x 6’0” exterior dimensions. It contained a rectangular-oval sink measuring 20” x 12.5”, quite sufficient for most purposes. There was also a tub-shower, 23” wide and 53” long at the top, and 14” deep. It even had half a dozen whirlpool jets (which we did not try). The height from the tub floor to the ceiling was only 6’2.5”, so those of you who are tall beware! As with most ships, the bathroom floor was raised, and there was a 6” high step between the room and the bathroom. The toilet was “suction type”, similar to those on aeroplanes.

The washroom door opening was 21” wide, but it had a serious design flaw, in that it could only open partially at an angle, being hindered by the toilet bowl behind. With such limited space, they should either use a sliding door, or at least move the toilet bowl 4” inward, such that the door could open fully, perhaps held by magnets when fully open. The way it was, though it had a door regulator on top, the door still swung on its own when the ship rolled. That was dangerous, as once its metal edge caught the heel of the male cat’s hind paw and scraped a piece of skin off him, meoow! It was fortunate that the cut was only skin deep (though there was blood) and there appeared no rust on the door edge, so a piece of band-aid took care of that.

The entire bathroom was marble clad, and the carpet in the room appeared quite new. The furniture was of average quality, with a marble topped desk with four drawers plus some kind of a marble topped credenza with drawers beneath. There was a ship-type love-seat measuring 58” long, with slim (only an inch or two thick) armrests. There was also a 29.5” diameter round glass centre table, which could be used for eating your breakfast, for example. The bed was 65” wide and 77” long, with a total of 2x3 pillows. The two single-sized mattresses used to make up this bed was sagging in the middle, they must be quite old and should be replaced. Moreover, the towels supplied often looked soiled (some folks might have used them to polish shoes, and no shoe polish cloth was supplied). Towels which could not be washed clean should also be replaced.

The cabin door was 24” wide and there was a doorbell outside with a chime. Right inside the cabin door was a sectioned closet, with full length mirrors on its doors. The clothes closet was 20” deep, barely enough to hang suites, etc., and the hangers supplied were of mass market quality. There was only one 110 volts and one 220 volts electric outlets, both right above the desk, and no electric outlet in the bathroom, which had a built in blow-type hair dryer which was not so good. There were two telephones, one in the room and one in the washroom. There were two sprinklers on the ceiling, and the cabin itself had a ceiling height of only 6’10.5”, which was slightly on the low side for a modern ship. The newly installed LCD television measured 26” diagonal, and was mounted on the wall between the desk and the love seat, a convenient position. This TV was interactive, you could order room service through it, though it tended to respond slowly to the remote control.

The glass sliding door to the balcony was full height and 5’7” wide, though it could only slide open by 27”. On the balcony, there was a wooden table, two regular chairs, plus two full-length reclining deck chairs. The balcony floor was presumably teak. There was a thick curtain and shear inside this sliding door and it could shut well, forming a good heat and light shield. The heating - air conditioning inside could be individually rather accurately controlled, and the air vent was a strip on the ceiling facing downwards which ran the full width of the room. By the way, the clearance under the bed was 10.5”, for those who wanted to store luggage underneath.

The above information could not be found in any brochure. It was meant for those interested in cabin details, those who might be tall or chubby, who might use walkers or cribs. We hope that it would be helpful to some people.

… to be continued

Thanks for the review! We are going soon! Any chance you spent any time in the fitness center on board? I was wondering if you knew if there was a Stairmaster type cardio machine??

Thanks again!

Thank you for the first reply to this thread! Sorry that we did not go to the exercise room, walking around such a big ship and ashore was quite some exercise .. meow!

As we are on Century in a few weeks time, which suite were you in and who was your butler

A

We are on deck 10, midship. We had a nice Asian butler.

Thanks for the info,,we have never sailed Celebrity and are considering a 5 night cruise on Century..so this is very helpful..Do you know anything about decks and or places on the decks which are good locations for Oceanview rooms..

Is there a better area to be in on this ship? or a deck you like better?:)

You can find the Century's deck plan on this website http://www.celebritycruises.com/plancruise/ships/deck.do;jsessionid=0000RwYsRMmbdTRR9zuKBV9FTkv:12hdebebp?shipCode=CN

Our cabin on deck 10 midship was a very good location. We could just walk up one deck to the buffet restaurant, where we ate most of our meals. (Besides breakfast and lunch, at dinner time, it served as an alternative restaurant.) We will continue with our report this week, and will slowly cover the various topics. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

HI Meow, we were on the same cruise, I posted elsewhere. To answer the question, the gym is well equipped and we didn't have to wait for machines. There were stairmaster type machines as well as traditional treadmills and exercise bikes, plus weight lifting equipment. There were two attendants who helped anyone unfamiliar with the equipment and who conducted some exercise classes. I was pleased with it.

HI Meow, we were on the same cruise, I posted elsewhere. To answer the question, the gym is well equipped and we didn't have to wait for machines. There were stairmaster type machines as well as traditional treadmills and exercise bikes, plus weight lifting equipment. There were two attendants who helped anyone unfamiliar with the equipment and who conducted some exercise classes. I was pleased with it.

Thank you very much! I appreciate your reply:) I can't wait until my turn!!!

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THE FOOD

On the whole, the food was quite good, with a wide variety. They no longer offered lobster tails and king crab legs as they did half a dozen years ago, and the seafood was mostly fish. However, all cruise lines have cut down on their food budget over the years. They still offered steaks on the voyage quite a few times, and the steaks were of good enough quality.

The buffet restaurant at the stern of deck 11 was the most popular for breakfast and lunch. For some reason, smoked salmon seemed to be the common daily staple for all cruise lines we had been on. We liked smoked salmon, just curious as to its indispensability. There were four groups of food serving stations, around the “food circle”. Passengers lined up to pick what they wanted and found seats at tables on their own, sometimes with the help of attendants. The attendants were very efficient in clearing away finished dishes and plates, and if you left for picking up some more food, you would likely find what you left behind on the table gone by the time you returned.

You got just about all the popular items at these buffets, and some more. Often, at one of the stations towards the stern, they offered Oriental congee and “Pao” (some kind of bun with meat inside). This was the kind of variety not available on smaller luxury cruise ships (unless you pre-order overnight). It was nice to try something different from time to time, especially for folks from California who were well exposed to various ethnic foods. Of course, there was also Italian pasta, often cooked to order, with you choosing the ingredients from their selection and even the type of pasta. They would cook it individually right in front of you. This type of personalized service should be commended for a large mass market ship.

There was the poolside grill for the whole afternoon. You could have hamburgers, hotdogs, etc., though there was often a line up. In this case, you could go back to your cabin, and order it on your interactive TV, and someone (often the butler) would bring it to you fairly shortly.

There were two sittings for dinner at the main two-storeyed restaurant, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The food was reasonable, with a fair selection, but since the waiters had to serve several groups of people simultaneously (over several tables), the items (appetizers, soup, salad, main course and desert) would have to come at a prescribed pace. If you ate quickly or skipped a course, you just had to wait, and the whole dinner would take two hours. As we had jet lag coming from North America, we slept in the afternoon and woke up half an hour late, then the dining room door would be closed (you couldn’t upset the prescribed order). Also, we usually ate quickly, so most of the time we had to sit there straight like school children attending class (on small ships where dining would be individual, we would easily finish in an hour). So we ended up forsaking the main dining room many days.

That was no problem, as the buffet restaurant on deck 11 would become an alternative restaurant in the evenings. You could get food on the same menu as in the main restaurant here, only without the scheduling restrictions. Even better, you could get the personalized pasta described above in the evenings as well. Or, you could tell the cook to stir fry your chosen items individually for you. So while food on Celebrity was not as “expensive” as on the luxury ships (no caviar or foie gras), it could be just as interesting in its own ways. Also on Celebrity, food was available from early morning to late night, you could just about always get something to eat, and not have to be restricted to the room service menu. Overall, we were quite pleased.

The only drawback was that the male cat gained four pounds over the journey (with pre-cruise in San Francisco) while the female cat gained two pounds. It would take us a month to shake that off. We cannot blame anyone for that though.

THE SERVICE

The service was good enough, and it was evident that all staff members worked very hard and were very efficient. They were polite and greeted just about everyone they met. We had an Asian butler probably in his thirties. He delivered those cakes and little sandwiches to our cabin every afternoon, sometimes he even delivered our room service food. He would take requests from us and pass them on to other staff concerned, as a central organizer for serving our needs. He was the most comprehensive butler we had had. However, unlike the claim on Celebrity’s brochures, he could not arrange for taxis for us at ports, we called the concierge, which couldn’t either. So while butlers were very helpful on board the ship, you could not count on them on shore in ports. Nevertheless, since our butler was so nice, remembered our habits and paid attention to the details, we eventually tipped him at twice the recommended rate.

As mentioned above, we ate at the alternative restaurant on deck 11 on a frequent basis. There were no assigned table, and we didn’t know who to tip, so we didn’t tip anyone there. We hoped they would somehow get their fair share for the work they had done.

We had one cabin attendant with one assistant. They were fairly efficient in cleaning our cabin quite quickly. While sometimes they had to be reminded to replace our supplies (lotions, paper napkins, etc.) they were polite and friendly. We were reasonably satisfied with them as well. Given the fact that the staff to passenger ratio would be lower on a large ship, the service and attention we had been offered by all staff was very good.

… to be continued

Hi meow! Thanks for the review. We were on the sailing previous to yours, (5/12/08, 5 nights Scandinavia). When I asked our Maitre D' about the new menus, he told us they would start using them from the next sailing on, so the one you were on.

We DID have lobster and strangely enough, it was on a casual night. It was kinda weird, lobster and baked alaska parade in a casual atmosphere. But the food was delicious, like always.

One thing that dissapointed me on the Century were the hamburgers : I always loved the hamburgers at the pool grill, on every Celebrity ship : tasty and pure meat. Always nice after a swim or just as a quick snack. But this time they were totally different, not to say gross. I tried one but didn't go back.

I hope this was just temporary (right after a Transatlantic ?) and they will serve those tasty burgers again on our next cruises. AND lobster tails. ;)

Can you tell me what else they had outside in the afternoon as far as the grill goes? Anything besides hamburgers and hotdogs? On HAL they have a taco bar set up in addition and I love that about them.

Thanks for any info!:)

We were on the same sailing as meow! and we had lobster tails in the main dining room.

There is a taco bar and nachos available at the outside grill as well as chicken wings.

Perhaps we missed that night in the main dining room as we have mentioned in our narrative. However, six years ago, it was available several times in a seven day Alaska voyage. This time, even if it was available, perhaps once or at the most twice in twelve days, that would be rare compared to before! Only fish was available on a regular basis.

P.S. If you read "Celebrity Today" Wednesday, 28th May, insert, it says under "Store Supplies": 900 lbs of lobsters, compared to 15,400 lbs of beef, that is quite rare, isn't it? 900 lbs of lobsters for 1,800 passengers for 12 days, that is only half a pound per passenger for 12 days.

We were on the same sailing as meow! and we had lobster tails in the main dining room.

There is a taco bar and nachos available at the outside grill as well as chicken wings.

You have made me a very happy woman!:D I can live on tacos and nachos.:D

Perhaps we missed that night in the main dining room as we have mentioned in our narrative. However, six years ago, it was available several times in a seven day Alaska voyage. This time, even if it was available, perhaps once or at the most twice in twelve days, that would be rare compared to before! Only fish was available on a regular basis.

 

P.S. If you read "Celebrity Today" Wednesday, 28th May, insert, it says under "Store Supplies": 900 lbs of lobsters, compared to 15,400 lbs of beef, that is quite rare, isn't it? 900 lbs of lobsters for 1,800 passengers for 12 days, that is only half a pound per passenger for 12 days.

Lobster is limited to one night per cruise, doesn't matter if it's 5, 7, 12 or 14 nights. And not everyone orders lobster.

Let's say 70 % orders lobster : that's 0.71 lbs per person, which results in about 1 1/2 lobster per person. So if 1 person only eats one lobster, I can have a second.;)

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THE PASSENGERS

This cruise started and ended in Amsterdam, so it would be minimal cost for Europeans, especially Dutch to travel to the ship. The average cost of this voyage was $1,200 to $2,000, or only 750 to 1,300 euros per person, so it was expected that possibly more than half the passengers were Europeans. The majority looked in their sixties and seventies, with significant numbers in their fifties and eighties, and fewer in other age groups. We met one six-month old baby in her mother’s arms, and she was cute and quiet when we saw her. There were few teenagers, and therefore no noisy physical activities. Unlike those “activity mass market” ships, this one was pleasantly “gentle mass market”, nice and comfortable despite its size.

Fellow passengers were polite, and happy to lend a hand when needed, such as on board the tender. Many would gently nod at one another in elevators even with those they didn’t know. On our flights to and from San Francisco, perhaps three quarters of the passengers on the aeroplanes were from our ship, and they looked familiar towards the end of the journey, smiling at one another. That on-line travel agency (cannot be named) seemed to arrange the trip quite well, and fellow passengers looked rather happy, with good memories of this journey.

AVOIDING CROWDS

While fellow passengers were nice, and we enjoyed meowing with a few from time to time, as cats, it was not our nature to congregate in large numbers. We did not join any group activity as such (and we never did on other ships either, such as the Oceania Regatta in 2004 and the Silver Shadow in 2004 and 2007, in which cases there were not many group activities anyway). We savoured quietly enjoying ourselves and had found ways to do so most of the time, making a large ship experience not that different from small ships while paying substantially less for similar itineraries.

1. Go to the buffet breakfast either early, before 7:30 a.m. or late, after 9 a.m. Usually there would be empty seats farther away from the doors.

2. Avoid the main dining room, you can get similar food in that deck 11 (buffet in the morning) restaurant, or go to the stern portion of that restaurant, where you can get individually stir-fried dishes or customized pasta.

3. At ports, wait till the crowds (especially those ship organized excursion groups) depart before you disembark. Then you can get off the ship (and the security) at your own leisurely pace.

4. Take taxis if at all possible. With a couple, it is not that much more expensive than two times the excursion fare the cruise line charges. You save a lot of time not having to wait for forty people on the bus to get on and off, and you don’t have to abide by their route and schedule. You have freedom, privacy and convenience on your own.

5. Don’t go to the shipboard shops on the first or last day. People tend to scope out the shops at the beginning, and to buy what they can to use up their shipboard credits towards the end (to avoid just losing them).

6. Have poolside grill items or other snacks delivered to your cabin, you can do so on the interactive cabin TV.

7. If you are in an inside cabin, you will feel more urge to wander in the public areas of the ship, thus having to contend with the crowds. Unfortunately, windows for outside cabins cannot be opened, and it will be nice to have direct access to fresh air and the soothing sound of the waves below. A balconied cabin may be the minimum if you intend to mostly stay in your own room, and a slightly better spaced mini-suite with butler service may be of better value, as the difference in fares may be small if you purchase your ticket at the right time. So be attentive, do research, and get a balconied cabin/mini-suite on sale for the price of an outside cabin.

Celebrity should be commended for not only supplying but having attendants at restaurants and gangways urging all passengers to use hand sanitizer tissue both before meals and after shore excursions upon return to the ship. With colds, flus, Norwalk viruses and large numbers of people on a ship, the spread of contagious diseases was a real concern. (And this is true not just on ships, but also on buses, trains and planes). We all understand that there are risks to any activity, the important thing is to have fun and enjoy life while making it as safe and comfortable as possible.

… to be continued

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EDINBURGH

After a full sea day, our first port of call was Edinburgh. Somehow our ship had to anchor and tender instead of dock (does anyone know why?) We were fortunate to be given those “priority tender tickets” the night before by our butler, and took the fast track on deck 3 (instead of having to go to deck 7 to get a tender ticket and line up all the way down). We waited for only ten minutes and got on the second tender we were waiting for. The tender landing was a long strip ending with a guarded gate and hardly anything else. There was no taxi. Fortunately, there were several souvenir shops right across the street, and one of the shopkeepers was nice enough to call a taxi (a Kia car) for us, which came in ten minutes.

The taxi rate was GBP30 per hour, we had a three and a half hour taxi tour, and ended up paying the driver GBP100. The taxi took us to see several castles, the city centre, and some university buildings. There were supposed to be three university-colleges in Edinburgh, a city of only half a million population, and there was a famous medical school, with a Royal College of Physicians/Surgeons granting medical specialist designations, so we were told. Most buildings were old (some centuries old), several storeys high (the tallest were perhaps ten storeys). The streets were very steep (local folks must be well trained in climbing) and we were told that the average house here would cost GBP150,000 (US$300,000).

Unlike in the United States, where all US$ notes are issued by the Federal Reserve (albeit by branches in different cities), British bank notes are issued by quite a few different banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the Bank of England issuing the lion’s share, of course, and only this dominant type is recognized overseas. Locally issued notes are however recognized throughout the United Kingdom and have the same value in sterling. We were told to change the local notes back to the Bank of England type (with Her Majesty’s image) before leaving, but we deliberately kept a few of the local variety for souvenir.

There was no tourist district in this city as such, and shops tended to be spread out rather than concentrated in a block or a mall. It looked like a city of history and tranquility rather than a vibrant commercial centre. We bought a cashmere scarf, some magnets and postcards to send back to ourselves in a local souvenir shop which was nearly big enough to be a quasi-department store.

INVERNESS

The next day, our ship docked at this port, and a Scottish piper serenaded the ship by its side for hours. There were several taxis close by and one man was in charge of arranging taxi tours. The rate was again GBP30 per hour. We again took a (Pergeault?) taxi tour for three and a half hours and paid GBP100.

Inverness was a town of roughly fifty thousand people, and it did have some kind of a town centre composed of a modern two-storeyed mall (with mostly American brand name stores and fast food outlets), and a traditional arcade “Victoria Market” nearby with local shops (which would be more appealing to tourists than that mall). The taxi took us outside town, where we could see hilly slopes covered with little yellow flowers and some cows and sheep grazing on the grassland. This reminded us of some books we read on Scotland decades ago, and together with those little streams with anglers fishing formed a very poetic picture. It was a scenic view of natural beauty.

The driver also took us to Loch Ness, the site where that cute yet dangerous mythical dragon on the lagoon was supposed to live. We took pictures in front of that “museum” and bought a little cloth dragon magnet. Then he drove us through those winding hilly roads back to the ship. The weather was nice enough, around 60*F, somewhat windy though. So far the sea remained calm, with hardly any rocking or rolling, only some "resonating vibration" caused by the engine at certain speeds at some parts of the ship from time to time. While this did not cause sea sickness, it could be irritating at times. Any ship can have this kind of zig-zag resonance just by chance though.

... to be continued

Just a couple of points of clarification

Despite what X might have told you, you were never going to dock at Edinburgh as none of the port can take a ship the size of the Century, that terminal is not due for completion until 2012 at the earliest. - it is still in the planning phase. I think X confused things by saying you might tender at Leith - again that was debatable given the size of the ship and that it would inhibit the Navigation channel. Azamara is going to be able to dock in August.

Oh that our house prices averaged £150k ($300K) The average is well over £200k in Edinburgh, you need to live quite far out to come down to that level

If you want to come to a centre of tourism in Edinburgh head for the Royal Mile you will find a lot there

Ann

Hi Meow,

I have enjoyed reading your review and agree with most all points you have made.

Phyllis and I had a great time on the cruise except for the fact the flight out of LAX was delayed and missed out connection in DC. Bottom line is we made it to the ship with a half hour to spare (lol), but sadly our luggage was lost:( . But that is why I purchased insurance and it finally appeared in our cabin after we departed Edinbrough.

We only eat once in the main dinning room and all other dinners were at the casual dinning area. Ended up getting to know the staff very well there and had a better experience with them than any other dinning room staff we had on all our previous cruises. Someone mention the hamburgers at the grill during lunch not being that good, and I will agree with that 100%. Very strange but the meat just didn’t have any taste to it at all??? And for those that got excited about tacos being offered at the grill, please keep in mind that they only have chili to put inside the shell, which was kind of strange for us.

I was really hoping you two cats got upgraded to a Royal Suite, I think you would have really enjoyed that experience. Look forwarded to reading more of your review!

John

Thank you kindly UKtog for your informative clarification.

Thank you so much AZjohn, for your kind comments. Our flight from SFO to Chicago was delayed by half an hour, for an original 55 minute connection. Luckily, the two planes were parked literally side by side (adjoining gates) and we made it, along with our luggage that is (we were told that when we boarded the connection flight), that was a real relief! We were not upgraded to royal suite, but were reasonably satisfied with the sky suite, except for the male cat losing a piece of skin at the bathroom door .. meoow!

Wish you all the best.

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KIRKWALL

The next day, our ship docked at Kirkwall, a village of only 5,000 population on an island at the northern tip of Scotland. This time several Scottish pipers (and not just a lone one) greeted our ship. Celebrity provided free shuttle bus service to go into the village (perhaps a couple of miles from the dock). This was the only port where the Celebrity shuttle was free of charge. As taxis were difficult to come by, we took that shuttle, the only time we did so.

This village basically had one shopping street, complete with most things people might need, including quite a few restaurants, two pharmacies (one of them being the famous Boots), and shops of all kind. The local folks were genuinely good natured and very charming. Despite the significance of tourism, it was comforting to sense the local’s friendliness and innocence, unfettered by problems of the outside world.

We bought a locally made silver pendant for GBP60 as a souvenir. The female cat found a pink, soft, thin and light underwear she had wanted, for only GBP11. After returning to the ship and trying it on in our cabin, she liked it so much and the fact that she couldn’t find it elsewhere made her quickly rush back to that shop by herself to buy a second one before the ship sailed. This little village was one of the loveliest places to visit.

BELFAST

Then we had another sea day. The North Sea, well known for its waves, was unexpectedly calm and the ship hardly rolled at all (other than that occasional engine induced zigzag resonance). We were wondering whether a large ship like Century would be substantially more stable than smaller ships like the Oceania Regatta or the Silver Shadow (the other ships we sailed times before). The weather was still quite good, cool but not cold, a bit windy and overcast without raining while we were on land.

Then we docked at Belfast and there was an Irish musical group to greet the ship. There were several taxis close by. Again, they wanted GBP30 per hour (is this a rule for all of Britain outside London where it was GBP35 in 2000?). We again took three and a half hour for GBP100, this time in a Ford Focus station wagon.

The driver took us to see two dozen “murials”, wall paintings outside residential houses depicting the twenty-five year sectarian war in the recent past. He also showed us barricade walls created on residential streets to segregate the warring factions. With the local economy booming in this present decade, the troubles had subsided and both sides agreed to look forward to the future and make economic progress their goal. Nevertheless, it was apparent that while the hate might have fizzled, the hurt still simmered beneath the skin.

He took us to the city centre square, only this weekend, there happened to be a street market (Victoria day long weekend?) It was interesting, with perhaps a hundred temporary stalls, selling food, toys and all sorts of other goods. We bought a small bag of Irish cream coffee beans to take home with us. We then went through Queen’s University at Belfast, and then Stormont, the Northern Ireland Legislature where we were given a cursory security check and allowed to enter. We bought some bookmarks in its gift shop.

Then he took us to George Market, which was only open on Fridays, where we bought some Irish linen for only GBP1 apiece. We also went to the Belfast Castle, which was rather small for a castle, and had been turned into a restaurant. Finally, we went to the new and futuristic Victoria Square, with a dome centre and several multi-storeyed wings with numerous shops. This mall complex was impressive, and it was supposed to symbolize the future of Northern Ireland, in contrast to its recent past. It had been quite a tour, we then went back to the ship.

… to be continued

continued from above …

DUBLIN

The next day, the ship docked in Dublin, which was a city of around a million, double the population of Belfast. Other than tour buses, there was only one taxi by the side of the ship when we disembarked. We asked the driver for his rate, he wanted 50 euros per hour. Since no other taxi was in sight at the time, we couldn’t bargain with him, and took his Renault station wagon for four hours, a total of 200 euros. This was substantially more expensive than when we visited Italian ports in 2004 with Oceania’s Regatta. Then it was 220 to 250 euros for the “whole day” of seven hours. We didn’t know whether it was inflation or Ireland would be more expensive than Italy.

It was 60*F with some breeze, and under the sun it could be a bit hot. That car was the only one without air conditioning in our whole trip and we had to half open the windows. He took us to Trinity College, with those classic styled buildings surrounding rather large lawns in the form of squares. It was Saturday afternoon, and there were a lot of students sitting all around the lawn. We went into the library souvenir shop and bought a bookmark and a piece of Irish craft knitting. Avoiding a long queue, we did not go upstairs.

Then he took us to the Dublin Castle where we bought a beer opener and a magnet in its gift shop. We then went to the city centre shopping streets, and saw a Brown Thompson department store, with Channel, Hermes and LV. The female cat was ecstatic to see those brand names, but items of interest were all beyond our means, and in any case, we shouldn’t keep the taxi waiting with the clock running! The female cat hoped that she could come back some day.

One point of curiosity, in every port, the female cat would ask to see the shopping district, not to buy things, but to size up that port’s characteristics. Just about every time that happened, the taxi drivers would mumble about how come women always wanted to shop, including their own wives. The male cat tried to explain that perhaps through evolution, the female of the species (and across cultures) had to gather extra material for their young, and such genetic programming persisted. The drivers thought while that might be a “scientific” reason, they wouldn’t condone such behaviour!

We also drove by a Guinness factory and the “Half-Penny Bridge” which the driver thought were “must sees”. Due to traffic, we were not able to get off the taxi, and tried to take pictures from within the car. The male cat ate ice cream at a convenience store, and the female cat nearly fell down some unmarked stairs, luckily she was not hurt.

When we drove by one of the beeches, we saw rough waves with “whiteheads”, we knew that our calm sea days were over, and we would be heading into something. A few hours after the ship set sail, the sea became rough and there was substantial rolling. The female cat quickly took meclizine hydrochloride (Bonamine), while the male cat made do with dimenhydrinate (Dramamine).

LE HAVRE

While we were supposed to arrive after another sea day at Guernsey, the wind was 30+ knots, and the captain was advised by port authorities that it would be dangerous to tender. So “for the safety of the passengers”, Guernsey was skipped, without even an apology, as the cruise line could not be responsible for the weather! Since Guernsey is a small port not on the cross roads, there is slim likelihood of our ever seeing it in the future.

So the ship sailed straight on to Le Havre, arriving at 5 p.m. of the same day. (Apparently the sea calmed by the afternoon, but it was already too late.) So the stop at Le Havre became an overnight. That evening we took a taxi (8 euros each way) to go to the centre of town to scope it out. (Purchasing a day pass with the ship’s shuttle bus would be $16).

The next day, we walked from the ship to the Cruise Welcome Centre close by. It was like a hall containing a number of shops and a fast food stand, and there were rows of chairs for people to sit on. From here, we got a taxi, this time at 40 euros per hour. We decided not to go to Paris as we had been there three times before, and we did not go to see the D-day shores as we couldn’t walk long distances especially over more difficult terrain.

The driver took us to see a forty seat chapel, “complete” and nicely decorated despite its small size. He also took us through the city streets and showed us a beech before dropping us at the Coty mall, the only mall in this town, after an hour. There was a supermarket, quite a few shops and a couple of restaurants in this mall. There was nowhere to sit down unless we entered a restaurant, so we ate some ice cream, a crepe and had a cup of coffee for 7 euros. We stayed inside for a couple of hours before roaming the streets nearby for a couple more.

While all through the afternoon, we saw taxis lining up at their stands, but by the time we wanted to get back to the ship, it was rush hour and no taxi was available. An elderly passerby used his mobile phone to call a taxi for us, it didn’t come for twenty minutes, so we asked a shopkeeper to call again. While the local folks hardly spoke any English at all (except that taxi driver we were lucky enough to get at the Welcome Centre), we managed with single words augmented with hand signs. The local people were very kind.

The ship did not leave till 11 p.m., so we had time to write our diary, prepare our envelopes for tipping and began to pack up our luggage, which they would collect the next evening. This voyage was coming to an end. We were sorry to have missed Guernsey, but the rest was nice.

… to be continued

RETURN

After another sea day, we docked at Amsterdam. We were one of the first called to disembark at 7:20 a.m. Staff told us that our luggage was “already” at the airport. We were herded on the Celebrity provided bus. It waited for half an hour to get more passengers on (some folks complained), and we arrived at the airport around 9 a.m. Our flight wouldn’t be until 12:30 p.m., so we had to sit (fortunately with business class we asked and got permission to wait in a lounge) for more than two hours before boarding our plane. The flight was very similar to before, again stretching our paws on those nice seats and had a nap. We had to clear customs and change planes at Washington, D.C. That airport was old and not well designed. We wondered how those VIPs in the national capital put up with such an airport. Then we finally flew back to San Francisco, where this packaged journey ended.

DISCUSSION

As previously mentioned, other than some minor problems (the soiled towels and sagging mattresses which could easily be changed) and some cabin design flaws (that washroom door and the advantage of annexing half the oversized balcony inside for a walk-in closet, which could only be done in the next major dry dock renovation), the rest was nice. We liked the freedom of eating in alternative venues and the variety of food available, and the diligent service especially by our butler. We really appreciated the ports of call, except missing Guernsey due to bad weather. We got a really good deal with what was tantamount to a free business class return air upgrade. All in all, it was worthwhile and enjoyable.

As the announcement on the public address system said, they tried hard to make this “once in a lifetime” cruise for many people as enjoyable and memorable as possible. It was not once in a lifetime for us. However, with so many different places in the world to visit, and looking forward to land trips (especially to lower currency destinations) besides cruises, taking a voyage of this rather expensive Northern European itinerary had been rare and precious indeed.

With the fast sinking U. S. dollar (we had never seen it drop so much, from an “almighty” currency to a “basket” currency in the short span of the last eight years), it was lucky that for a cruise, other than taxi fares in ports, we were relatively “shielded” from the effects of currency fluctuations. Imagine on a land trip, when you have to pay for hotels, food, everything in the soaring euros. While the domestic inflation rate is still relatively low (other than fuel prices), “inflation” in dollar terms for American travellers abroad have been appalling. It is the Europeans’ turn to “fling” around their currency and travel the world!

CONCLUSION

It had been overall a nice and memorable trip. We enjoyed it and were thankful that we had such a chance. Celebrity was a “gentle mass market” cruise line. With some good planning, you could get a very good price and avoid crowdedness. It had been the kind of voyage we could recommend to those interested. Thank you all for taking the time to read this rather lengthy thread.