Wonderful Pacific Coast Cruise on Century

[curtdesilets]

We just returned from our March 29 Pacific Coast sailing. It was wonderful.

 

The Ship: It is showing it's age and the long dry dock that was scheduled and then cancelled did not help to remedy this. That being said, it is still a very elegant ship and the staff kept it impeccably clean.

 

The Food: Not much different from 2 years ago when we last sailed her. There were good meals and just fair meals in the MDR. Buffet was just okay, as it had been 2 years ago. Murano is EXCELLENT!

 

The Staff: Still about the best staff we have seen on any cruise. The service was excellent. There were officers everywhere. The Captain sat down and talked to us for 20 minutes. The Restaurant managers were on the ball. Our waiter, butler (Sky Suite) and stateroom attendants were superb.

 

We had a great time. I'll write a more extensive review later.

[BettyCruiser]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise:)

 

A couple questions...

 

Which nights were formal?

 

Did you notice if they we're allowing people to bring bottles of wine back from port visits without having to check them until the end?

[Cruise Raider]

We were on the March 21st cruise, 8 night sailing, and agree with what you have posted.

The staff, crew and officers were all fabulous...some even more than others. The cruise director did the same thing, sat with us for about 15 minutes while having a cup of coffee in the morning at the Cova Café. During the repeat cruisers cocktail event, the officers made a point of coming around and chatting with the couples that welcomed the conversation....they weren't obtrusive but if you wanted to ask a question, they were certainly willing to stay to answer and even shoot the breeze. This is something I have noticed more with Celebrity...the officers are very approachable. They even have the officers involved in a casino tournament in which guests were invited through a free raffle drawing. I actually got picked but didn't win anything....nonetheless, it was so much fun.

The ship is in a desperate need of refurbishment but there again I agree, the staff kept it nice and clean with just a couple of exceptions that we noticed. If they are going to keep it for nearly 2 more years, they really need to spruce her up. Of note, the escalator was hilarious....don't ever think I have seen that on a ship before....maybe did on the Mercury, but cannot remember it.

 

PS -- in response to the wine question, on our boarding, the staff was told to confiscate all wine upon boarding as it was within that spring break period. All wine, even if within the allotted 2 bottles, was being confiscated at boarding and delivered to your stateroom later that evening -- up to 2 bottles only, though. This makes me think that they are strict with this regulation -- and this certainly was not a cruise full of spring breakers -- more people that were our age: 50's and 60's

Never saw anyone sloppy drunk...NICE!!

[koolforkatz]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise:)

 

 

 

A couple questions...

 

 

 

Which nights were formal?

 

 

 

Did you notice if they we're allowing people to bring bottles of wine back from port visits without having to check them until the end?

 

 

We were on the mar 21 sailing. My husband brought on a bottle of wine in san francisco and it was confiscated. I heard that people who were on a ship wine excursion in san francisco also had their wine confiscated. Getting the wine back at the end of the voyage was an ordeal because as it turns out they wrote down the wrong cabin number on the chit.

 

 

 

On our last port, ensenada, i brought on a bottle of wine no problem, i am guessing because it was also the last day.

 

 

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[curtdesilets]

Here is the narrative portion of the review I submitted to Cruise Critic. it should go official in about a week.

 

We just returned from our March 29 Pacific Coast sailing. It was wonderful. My overall rating is 4 1/2 stars, although the format only allows for 4 or 5 stars. Century is sort of stuck in the 90's which is good and bad, but mostly good. She is a much more traditional cruising experience, without all of the bells and whistles of the solstice Class ships. She will be retired in 2015, as apparently she does not fit into the Celebrity vision of "Modern Luxury" I can understand that decision, but she will be surely missed by many of us as she is the closest living example of what Celebrity cruising used to be.

 

The Ship: It is showing it's age and the long dry dock that was scheduled and then cancelled did not help to remedy this. That being said, it is still a very elegant ship and the staff kept it impeccably clean. The public areas are not crowded. The Grand restaurant, Foyer and Crystal Room are beautiful places to behold. There was a public toilet upstairs that was not working on disembarkation day. Bad timing! The ship design is a bit weird as you cannot go from Level 5 to the level 5 dining room without going back up to level 6. And there are no bathrooms outside of the Hemispheres (observation lounge) unless you go outside to the pool area. The Aqua Café is a gem as is the fitness area and Spa.

 

The Food: Not much different from 2 years ago when we last sailed her. There were good meals and just fair meals in the MDR. Buffet was just okay, as it had been 2 years ago. Here are the details:

 

Grand Restaurant: The best meals in MDR were the Lobster Tail on Formal night (absolutely succulent) and just about every fish dish. Cherries Jubilee and sorbets were great desserts. Soups were not as good as I remember them in the past. Two Beef Dishes stand out: The Beef Medallions and the Beef Wellington. Escargots are still offered every night, whish is great (and something the cost cutters have not cut out yet)

 

Murano is EXCELLENT! In Murano, the Venison was incredible, as was the Murano Lobster and the Dover sole. Also the Dessert Soufflés are to die for. Allow 2 hours at least for the meal, and do not forget the CHEESE offering, before dessert.

 

Breakfast Buffet: Try the eggs to order, the omelet station and the eggs benedict station. Aqua Café is a great breakfast alternative, but do not tell anyone. It is very quiet which is nice.

 

Burgers, fries and dogs smothered in fried onions in the pool area were really excellent.

 

The Staff: Still about the best staff we have seen on any cruise. The service was excellent. There were officers everywhere. The Captain sat down and talked to us for 20 minutes. The Restaurant managers were on the ball. Our waiter, butler (Sky Suite) and stateroom attendants were superb.

 

The Ports: Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Monterey, Catalina and Ensenada. Being a native southern Californian who was schooled in northern California, I have been acquainted with the cities for some time.

They are all unique and nice places however. The Tendering service went fairly smoothly, but could be time consuming depending on when you try to depart. Note that SUITE guests do not need to wait for a tender ticket. That is a GREAT perk that is not really advertised anywhere.

 

Entertainment: Was just average, but one comedian (A.J.) was hilarious.

 

Miscellaneous: Trivia was excellent with 4 contests per day. We won a LOT OF CELEBRITY BLING! Bingo was not so good. Just 3 cover-all games and not that exciting. Casino was a rip off. If you do go to the casino, stick with the tables. I warned you.

 

There was evidence of Celebrity cost cutting:

1) No more String quartet or trio (That really sucks!)

2) No more a capella groups (not missing that too much)

3) No more Midnight Chocolate extravaganza (gone a long time ago)

4) No more Grand Brunch

5) No more High Teas (or maybe one "low" tea)

6) Elite cocktail hour used to have GREAT snacks ...not anymore

7) Less or no free snacks/peanuts during bar service

8) Much more work for the stateroom attendants, etc...

9) Baked Alaska and employee recognition ceremonies were nearly non-existent

 

We still had a GREAT Celebrity cruise nonetheless, despite the cuts. There is something about this crew and service that despite it not being as great of a cruise as it could have been, it was still quite good.

[curtdesilets]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise:)

 

A couple questions...

 

 

Which nights were formal? the Santa Barbara and Monterey nights. (Sunday and Wednesday)

Did you notice if they we're allowing people to bring bottles of wine back from port visits without having to check them until the end. 2 Bottles max per room at initial embarkation only. Anything else brought in durng your port visits will be confiscated, kept secure and returned to you at the end of the cruise.

 

Also, we had no sloppy drunks as well. Very nice people on board.

Edited April 7, 2014 by curtdesilets
Clarification

[lovecruzin]

Thanks for your review, we are looking forward to our PC cruise in 2 weeks :)

How was disembarkation? I am trying to figure out if we are among the last to disembark, when we will be off the ship.

[curtdesilets]

Thanks for your review, we are looking forward to our PC cruise in 2 weeks :)

How was disembarkation? I am trying to figure out if we are among the last to disembark, when we will be off the ship.

 

We had requested a 9 am departure, and were off the ship around 930am. They process your immigration on board, which was a bit unusual. If you want to get off last, it would probably be about 1030am. If you want off earlier, you can either take your luggage off the boat yourself for "early departure" or request an earlier departure on your forms. Our parents requested 8am and were off the boat about 830am.

 

Note that you must be out of your room by 8am, and breakfast I think was wrapped up by 830am.

[verodoodle]

curtdesilets- i see you had a sky suite, which deck were you on, we are sailing 4/26 and have SS 1232.

[BettyCruiser]

Which nights were formal? the Santa Barbara and Monterey nights. (Sunday and Wednesday)

Did you notice if they we're allowing people to bring bottles of wine back from port visits without having to check them until the end. 2 Bottles max per room at initial embarkation only. Anything else brought in durng your port visits will be confiscated, kept secure and returned to you at the end of the cruise.

 

Also, we had no sloppy drunks as well. Very nice people on board.

 

 

Thanks for the info:)

 

The absence of the Grand Brunch might be a result of no sea day rather than cost cutting, they did have a Grand Brunch on the Century and Constellation when we were on in February.

Edited April 7, 2014 by BettyCruiser

[curtdesilets]

curtdesilets- i see you had a sky suite, which deck were you on, we are sailing 4/26 and have SS 1232.

 

We were in 1215, on the 12th Floor. This is a very convenient location as you are right above the Lido Buffet and very close to the AFT elevators.

 

These were the new Sky suites that they put in during the 2006 refurbishment. They are medium size for a suite, but ample for us. Shower water pressure was great, plus you get a hand held water-pick style massage head on top of an over-sized Jacuzzi bathtub. Plus fancy shampoos (Bulgari).

 

The Deck was huge with a 50% sun/rain covering. You have a full sized table, 2 chairs and 2 sun lounges, with plenty of room to spare. If you do not have the blue lounge chair pads, request them from your butler.

 

We booked early and got a good rate that was not that much more than the Concierge Class. Suite Class is much better than concierge however since you seriously get the royal treatment.

 

Try booking a suite on Oceania or Crystal. The price is INSANE! So for a minor upcharge, you are seriously pampered on Celebrity, at least we were.

 

If you have any more questions on the Sky Suite, just let me know.

[curtdesilets]

Thanks for the info:)

 

The absence of the Grand Brunch might be a result of no sea day rather than cost cutting, they did have a Grand Brunch on the Century and Constellation when we were on in February.

 

Yes, I was actually surprised that they had as many activities as they did, since basically every day was a port day. We had a great time, but you can see the cost cuts, as we had not sailed Celebrity in a couple years. There is a lot of discussion on the cost cuts on the Cruise Critic forum presently. In actuality, no one would really notice the cuts unless they had had sailed Celebrity several times over several years. A newcomer would still be awed by what they did provide, which was excellent. I'm really happy that Celebrity Century has not lost her charm, and that the staff were equivalent to those that we encountered 2 years ago. You will have a wonderful time.

[BettyCruiser]

I thought of another question, did they have limes onboard? It sounds like the ships sailing out of Florida don't have limes, I need lime with my vodka tonics, wondering if I should bring some from home.

[NOSaints1]

What're they doing with the century? Are they gonna keep the Pacific cruises?

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

What're they doing with the century? Are they gonna keep the Pacific cruises?

 

 

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I understand that they are selling or transferring to another line in the RCCL Group.

 

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[koolforkatz]

I thought of another question, did they have limes onboard? It sounds like the ships sailing out of Florida don't have limes, I need lime with my vodka tonics, wondering if I should bring some from home.

 

I was on the Century for the March 21 California Coastal and we had limes :)

[Dizney]

What, if anything, did you ask of your butler? Thanks in advance! [emoji4]

[HerbalRose]

We had requested a 9 am departure, and were off the ship around 930am. They process your immigration on board, which was a bit unusual. If you want to get off last, it would probably be about 1030am. If you want off earlier, you can either take your luggage off the boat yourself for "early departure" or request an earlier departure on your forms. Our parents requested 8am and were off the boat about 830am.

 

Note that you must be out of your room by 8am, and breakfast I think was wrapped up by 830am.

 

We'll be on the 4/12 sailing this Saturday. Thanks for your reviews! It really helps! We were on this ship when it was very new - back in 1996 during the Atlanta Summer Olympics games and we thought it was great!

 

We always know they would like you to be out of your cabin by 8:00A but we never follow that rule! We just linger in the cabins usually for about an extra 30 minutes to maybe an hour until our meeting time in one of the lounges - the cabin stewards are so busy cleaning other cabins that they often don't mind if we hang for a bit (I asked one of them one time and it's just a way of getting most people moving but we were OK to stay for awhile)!

[koolforkatz]

We always know they would like you to be out of your cabin by 8:00A but we never follow that rule! We just linger in the cabins usually for about an extra 30 minutes to maybe an hour until our meeting time in one of the lounges - the cabin stewards are so busy cleaning other cabins that they often don't mind if we hang for a bit (I asked one of them one time and it's just a way of getting most people moving but we were OK to stay for awhile)!

 

I am sure they were saying that to be nice. With all due respect, imagine if everyone decided to stay in their cabins up to an hour longer :rolleyes:

[BettyCruiser]

I was on the Century for the March 21 California Coastal and we had limes :)

 

 

Thanks for the reply.

[VegasMark]

I was on the same sailing, and while we had a good time, that was mostly due to the ports. We weren't impressed with what Celebrity had to offer as compared to other lines. My review has been submitted and should show up shortly. I will also post it to the thread I created a couple weeks ago related to the recent poor reviews. Don't get me wrong, we didn't have a bad experience at all, it just seems that Celebrity isn't for us.

[curtdesilets]

What, if anything, did you ask of your butler? Thanks in advance! [emoji4]

 

1) A change in fruit...we had two days of rather tart Green Apples. We asked for Grapes. He brought us Green and Red ones. Then he saw an Orange in the room, and proceeded to bring us fresh oranges everyday.

 

2) Around 4pm or so, he brings a cart of food and the GOOD coffee. Ask him for whatever he has. If you aren't there, he will usually make you a plate and leave it in your suite. You can special request ewhat he leaves for you.

 

3) There is no ice bucket or water pitcher anymore in the rooms . Yes, that is ridiculous. Asked for it and voila.....cold ice and water daily.

 

4) Our parents had the nice soft blue pads on their deck lounge chairs. We didn't. Asked the butler and voila...they were installed the following day.

 

5) We had a few cool days and I noticed those wool blankets out in the pool area. Went down later to retrieve one and they were all gone :mad:

So I asked the butler and they magically appeared in our room, nicely folded on our sofa.

 

6) Wife needed a blanket for the bed... got one.

 

7) We needed to pair up with our parents for an early evening Murano dinner. Just ask the butler, and your reservation is taken care of.

 

The list goes on and on.

 

Our 12th floor Butler was Wilfred, who has been with Celebrity for 12 years. His team of 2 stateroom attendants and himself satisfied our every desire, and then some. I had NO complaints whatsoever.:)

 

I highly recommend the Sky Suite, if it is in your budget. Again, it wasn't that much more than Concierge Class, at least for this cruise. But prices vary WIDELY so shop around.

 

I noticed a "Suite Guarantee" on one of the Millenium Alaska Sailings for $1299. For other sailings, the Sky Suite was well over $3000, pp!

Edited April 8, 2014 by curtdesilets
added another question

[Dizney]

1) A change in fruit...we had two days of rather tart Green Apples. We asked for Grapes. He brought us Green and Red ones. Then he saw an Orange in the room, and proceeded to bring us fresh oranges everyday.

 

2) Around 4pm or so, he brings a cart of food and the GOOD coffee. Ask him for whatever he has. If you aren't there, he will usually make you a plate and leave it in your suite. You can special request ewhat he leaves for you.

 

3) There is no ice bucket or water pitcher anymore in the rooms . Yes, that is ridiculous. Asked for it and voila.....cold ice and water daily.

 

4) Our parents had the nice soft blue pads on their deck lounge chairs. We didn't. Asked the butler and voila...they were installed the following day.

 

5) We had a few cool days and I noticed those wool blankets out in the pool area. Went down later to retrieve one and they were all gone :mad:

So I asked the butler and they magically appeared in our room, nicely folded on our sofa.

 

6) Wife needed a blanket for the bed... got one.

 

7) We needed to pair up with our parents for an early evening Murano dinner. Just ask the butler, and your reservation is taken care of.

 

The list goes on and on.

 

Our 12th floor Butler was Wilfred, who has been with Celebrity for 12 years. His team of 2 stateroom attendants and himself satisfied our every desire, and then some. I had NO complaints whatsoever.:)

 

I highly recommend the Sky Suite, if it is in your budget. Again, it wasn't that much more than Concierge Class, at least for this cruise. But prices vary WIDELY so shop around.

 

I noticed a "Suite Guarantee" on one of the Millenium Alaska Sailings for $1299. For other sailings, the Sky Suite was well over $3000, pp!

 

 

We embark Saturday on Century in SS #1208. Thanks for the info. We don't usually eat most if the fruit either. I think I'll request strawberries or grapes. Great tips. Thanks again!

[curtdesilets]

We embark Saturday on Century in SS #1208. Thanks for the info. We don't usually eat most if the fruit either. I think I'll request strawberries or grapes. Great tips. Thanks again!

 

I know you will. They treat those Sky Suite folks on Level 12 pretty well.

[Dizney]

I know you will. They treat those Sky Suite folks on Level 12 pretty well.

 

 

Great to hear! Did you find it to be noisy at all? I know there's a deck above, but from past cruises that area doesn't seem very active. Thanks!