Review(pics included) of Century Pacific Coastal 26 April

[spookwife]

Last week Johnny_B and I took our first Celebrity cruise after 3 on Royal( and a few on other lines). I confess we chose it for ONE port: Monterey( more on that later) but at the same time Celebrity had been vociferously praised by friends we met on our Ca/NE cruise on Grandeur last fall that we felt like expanding our horizons.

 

there will be pics throughout(once the camera stops downloading to iPhoto and I copy to photobucket.)

 

We arrived the Friday before at LAX from BWI. stopover in Vegas, never needed to get off the plane. Booked a cruise and stay package with the Crowne Plaza. Never again, and here's why:

 

you get off the plane and find the Prime Time Shuttle peeps at the airport who are supposed to know you are coming and whisk you off to the hotel about 45 minutes away in San Pedro. yeah. no. no record of us having a reservation, but they took us anyway. the girl who checked us in at PT told us to tell the driver he had to go inside the hotel to get the voucher for our fare. he had never heard of that but shrugged and eventually( 2 hours later...NEVER EVER fly in to LAX at rush hour on a Friday!) we arrived at the hotel and he followed us inside and got paid.

 

Check in went so so.. I kept having to ask questions as the guy at the desk never volunteered squat..to include making arrangements to get picked up at the cruise terminal at the end of the cruise to be brought back to LAX. I gave me this thing to fill out THEN KEPT THE ENTIRE THING. Pay close attention, it becomes VERY relevant later. got our room keys. opened the door to find a maintenance guy in the room with the A/c all torn up. umm okay... he promise us he was nearly done and he'd be out of our hair quickly. since we were beyond starving we just left our stuff and went downstairs to the restaurant. saw/heard a rather large and rowdy group in the bar and just KNEW it was the gang from the roll call( Hi Guys!) we ate first as we were not pleasant company. did meet them for about 5 minutes before they headed off.

 

the room was beautiful and huge. the restaurant was very nice. the bar was smallish and rather impersonal but I suspect that had more to do with the fact that most of the customers all had free drink vouchers( part of the stay and cruise package) and there was only one bartender that I could see.

 

next morning comes with breakfast included. the package stated just Breakfast for 2, the coupon had 'breakfast buffet' crossed off of it but when we handed them to the waiter he told us to head toward the buffet. I dunno, maybe on weekends that is all they have? Fairly decent selection, including made to order eggs, omelets and waffles.

 

the shuttle to the pier is only to the pier, which is fine but there was little to no signage or communication to that effect. you stood around until the driver showed up and then prayed everyone else didn't rush in front of you to snag their seat first despite you actually having been standing out there a lot longer than they were. not the hotel's problem I know. got dropped off( it's maybe a ten minute ride, if that) but still had a fairly decent walk to the terminal. luckily the porters were at the stop and took our bags for us immediately.

 

we arrived 1030? ish I think and the lines were already pretty long. security went as security ALWAYS does no matter where you are or how you are traveling so I won't bore you with the details. we got sent over to the suite line and stood behind 2 other groups. people from the other lines kept grabbing an open check in agent as their line was closer until an agent came over and started holding them back and directing the suite line to go every other free spot. actual check in was very quick and easy and we got sent behind the orange barriers. they began boarding about 1130. by quarter of I had my mimosa in hand. we headed straight to the buffet.

 

First impressions: Ignore any and all negative comments about Century's overall appearance. she's FINE. better than fine in fact and I found her to be perfectly charming. The buffet area esp. impressed me as being decidedly NON cafeteria like or cold/impersonal. the seating is laid out very cozily indeed. the food was pretty dang tasty and this from a person who loathes buffets on general principals. I would classify it as at least one step above Windjammer on Royal.

 

Off to explore!

[bachcruise]

Thank you for posting! It sounds like you had a positive experience. I was on this cruise also and had a wonderful time. I love the Century.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited May 6, 2014 by bachcruise

[bookcat]

We will be boarding the Century Sat. Anxious to read more.

[wallie5446]

Cant wait to see the pic's! We were on the Century in '96 & '98 and are glad to read she still looks good. A bit sad we dont have time to sail her one last time.

[spookwife]

We will be boarding the Century Sat. Anxious to read more.

 

 

just be warned that it may take longer to get on.. this week's cruise is a clothing optional swinger's charter. the crew was talking about having to deep clean and sanitize EVERYTHING at the end.

 

I went to add more but my real laptop needed one of them super long updates so it was tied up most of the afternoon. but the pictures are downloaded now and I'll get to 'em tomorrow, promise.

[cruise47]

Thanks and waiting for more.

[spookwife]

After lunch we wandered forward. Johnny_b wanted a picture of our pier mate:

 

 

She looks pretty good for an Old Lady, doesn't she?

 

pool Deck:

 

 

 

I think we noticed exactly one spot in the Rendezvous lounge where the carpeting had a run/worn spot . other than that she is well maintained. We found the crew to be polite, but remote. they'd quickly and efficiently do anything you asked but I felt no real warmth or personality from most of them. This was hoenstly the first time we thought no extra tips were warranted save one occasion

[spookwife]

we had a Sky Suite, 1068. Midships and just off the elevators. when comparing to a GS on Royal, it's much smaller( but the balcony makes up for most of that) . I did think the bathroom was much too small, esp after having the double sinks in a GS. decent storage options though so we didn't feel like stuff was just laying about all in the way.

 

 

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see that "Save the Waves" tag? they actually DID that! the only item that was regularly replaces all week was the washcloth. was refreshing to see actually.

 

Just don't ask me why there is a phone in the loo....

 

 

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and don't ask me why the makeup mirror was so high.. it didn't do me any good at all.

 

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one thing I did like better than a GS was the tub.. the sides were NOT 4 feet high and it was much easier to get in and out of. no bruises this time! and the pressure was better than my house.

 

 

 

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plenty of little cubby holes to tuck things away.

 

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comfy bed, but the covering was very lightweight and the first 2 days I was almost but not quite chilly/cold. When Jose the steward stopped by randomly one afternoon, I asked for and received a blanket in like 5 minutes which made the rest of the week much better.

 

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the furniture was less comfy, but serviceable. The couch was too short for DH's 6 ft tall body, and you couldn't see the TV from it. The iPod dock was great and we used that all week. the problem was the exactly ONE plug. when the dock was using it, we couldn't charge anything else. like the camera.

[spookwife]

but man o man the balcony! twice as deep as I am used to and wonderfully covered all the way! ( we don't do sun) and since we had like the best.weather.ever. all week, we spent many an hour enjoying every square foot. mysteriously, one of the chairs disappeared the next day. Luckily we only needed 2.

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty impressive Grand Foyer. it encompassed three decks with shops on 5 and 6.

 

As we pulled away right on schedule, we were waved goodbye to:

 

 

[spookwife]

We opted for MTD/Select and decided up front that we would ONLY do the MDR. frankly Murano's menu didn't excite either of us and we prefer to make first impressions based on the included offerings before expanding to fee dining.

 

we didn't make any advanced reservations and usually was in the line between 530-6 every evening. never waited at all. had the same waiter( Ignatious and Reymund) all week except one night when we ate with another couple and there wasn't a 4 top open in his section.

 

I always swear I am going to do food porn and then I never do. It's sad.

 

Dinner every night was very good to excellent. the one ..disappointment, and really not even that harsh a term.. was the broccoli soup. I expected a cream base but it was broth based. and one lousy little sliver of 'crouton' with a dollop of cheese. it was okay, but I was expecting/craving something else.

 

The ravioli on the first night was incredibly good.. and this from an Italian/Sicilian who ate waaayyy too much of that stuff growing up. Johnny_b opted for the shrimp cocktail and prime rib and he was quite happy. throughout the week we never had a real dud. The short ribs, lamb and duck entrees were drool worthy.

 

Dessert: well, I'll be honest..the apple pie a la mode on the every day menu was rather icky( but the homemade vanilla bean ice cream with it was terrific). it really tasted like a pre made frozen pie that had thawed out wrong. otherwise everything we tried was well worth skipping an earlier course for.

 

speaking of ice cream: there is a section of the buffet that served up hand packed/homemade ice cream sorbet and yoghurt plus some NSA or FF choices. The vanilla, Cinnamon and peanut butter ice creams were beyond divine. I could have eaten that Peanut butter all week, with some chocolate sauce drizzled over it and a pile of rainbow sprinkles. they also had a machine that did soft serve. I heard a few people asking but never actually saw anyone eating it.

 

the pizza in the buffet: surpassed us, in a good way. we are not huge pizza eaters on the best of days (and I really am not a fan of red sauces) but for a quick snack because it was too early for sushi it hit the spot. Johnny_b really enjoyed it.

 

Lunch: with so many port days( all of them in fact) the MDR was open for only one day with a late port arrival. The BBQ chicken I had was very good and Hubby loved his panini thing. Otherwise we did the buffet. again I am not the world's biggest fan of buffets but I didn't starve. Johnny had curry a few times, I usually ends up with a salad or 'Anatevka'( A little bit of this, a little bit of that) there as always something being carved.

 

Breakfast: okay some hiccups here. MDR service was ABYSMALLY slow . I mean Beyond acceptable slow. Lunch and dinner were great.. breakfast, not so much. the food was very tasty( my eggs Benedict were perfect each time) and it was impossible to run out of coffee, juice or water. the bacon was WAYYYYY too salty. I love bacon and usually have 4-5 slices at a time. I could barely choke down one. it was the same in the breakfast buffet as well. I tried English bacon on the second day and that was MUCH better but I think everyone else did too because by day 3 they were out of it all over the ship. the sausage links were fine( and the turkey sausage looked okay) but the reg patties swam in grease so I avoided those. there was an English side and an American side in the buffet . English side has hash browns( McDonald's style patty) and American side had breakfast potatoes. Corned beef, blood pudding and other 'regional' specialties like grits, muesli and oatmeal were prevalent. MTO eggs and omelets were a big hit. I did notice the dude making the omelets was NOT practicing cross contamination prevention though.. he would use the same spoon to add whatever you asked for, so if you are allergic to things like onions or tomatoes you will need to watch carefully and ask for a clean spoon.

 

The toaster was balky all week.. it would eat english muffins, and spit them out the back. also nothing got really browned( at least not enough for me and I don't like it burnt) and nothing was really hot enough to melt the very cold butter patties.

 

I tried room service once. I had a (non alcohol induced, I swear) headache one day so while he went traipsing about the ship, I stayed in the room and ordered a salad and burger from the very limited RS menu. decent, with the usual 30 minute wait. If you wanted to order form the MDR menu I guess you needed to call as there wash't that option on the TV screen. (or not that I saw at least)

 

Poolside: the fries were pretty dang tasty. in fact we munched on those at the Sunset Bar during sail away with our first informal get together of the CC gang. until it got way too bloody windy and we bailed for inside.

[happy cruzer]

Love your pictures and the review. The info on Select Dining is much appreciated? How was wine service at dinner?

 

Thanks for taking the time to share.

[spookwife]

Love your pictures and the review. The info on Select Dining is much appreciated? How was wine service at dinner?

 

Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

 

the somallier stopped by within minutes of us sitting down. we actually only bought on the two formal nights. a bottle each night. the first night we choise a particular bottle but he was out so he replaced it with one that he had suggested and charged us the same price ( $10 less) as the one we had picked and gave us the coupon discount( we are Select by reciprocal C&A level)

 

we opted for OBC on the 123 promo but after keeping track of our spending( and passing up a few drinks as we didn't want a $500 bill at the end of the week) we think we will do the beverage package next time and be able to drink a glass every night at dinner since we were not eligible for Michael's

 

we did do two wine tasting events on board though, a food and wine pairing in the DR and a wine around the world in the Grand Foyer. Both were a lot of fun and informative and a good value for the price.

 

it's a decent wine selection, although I am not sure how many of the $7k bottles they sell in a given (year) cruise.

 

it was a CA wine country itinerary but we never bought a bottle in port or tried to bring anything on board and never saw anyone else who did so honestly could not tell you what the procedure was for anyone who did buy in port and wanted to bring one back on.

[happy cruzer]

Sounds like I need to request the section you sat in. I think I will check if Ignatius is still working in select dining.

 

Thank you.

[spookwife]

Normally, we are a 'sail for the ship' kinda couple. This time, not so much as we were desperate to revisit Monterey and since the Navy has neglected to send us back there on their dime, we had to suck it up and pay for it ourselves. I preferred it when the Navy paid for it but oh well....they would never have given us such nice accommodations and they sure as heck wouldn't let us drink on board!

 

Santa Barbara: never been here before and had made plans to do the zoo. yes we are weird. the weather was beyond gorgeous all day. we pulld in early and had been advised both the night before at the show and in the 'morning show' on the TV that tenders before 9 am would be nearly empty but after that it sou dget hectic. now, being in a suite we had priority tendering anyway but i was still noxious to get off. now you have to understand that the Zoo did not open until 10 am, the shuttle up and down he waterfront did not start running until 10 and pretty much nothing was going to be open at that hour. We got off anyway. My husband seems to think I am a fragile little flower that cannot handle much exercise. ( he's right but I will never admit it)

 

the sign at the base of the tender pier says that it would be about a 35 minute walk down Cabrillo to the Zoo. we took about an hour, but for legitimate reasons. even at that ungodly hour( 8/830 am isn) there were artists setting up their wares. I scored the cutest little set of hand blown pyrex salt and pepper shakers. tiny enough to fit in my carry on luggage for home and just different enough to scream 'Santa Barbara' to me.

 

Along the way we did get a little distracted:

 

 

this little guy was just hanging out on the beach, totally ignoring the two guys fishing not 100 feet away.

 

 

he got pretty close to take the picture. a gentleman walking his dogs stopped to star and remarked that this was very rare in this section of the beach.

 

 

Just off screen s the public restrooms about halfway to the Zoo.

 

[spookwife]

the walk was level the whole way which was nice and even having to cross the street to get to the Zoo it wasn't bad. we still got there about half an hour before it opened which allowed me to rest and him to add more sunscreen. it's a very nice zoo with NESTING bald eagles and a couple of California Condors thad had a pretty sweet set up( I am used to the San Diego Safari Park and it's excellent program of breeding and rehabbing/releasing into the wild)

 

I did relent and take the shuttle back. 50 cents(exact change only) and you can snag a free transfer to the other route, the Funk Zone which is whee all the shopping, galleries and wine tasting is.

 

Tonight was also Formal Night. I would say about 10% totally thumbed their nose at the suggested a tire, 10% went whole hog( tuxes/gowns) and the rest were in between. Johnny_b wore his kilt and Mess Dress Jacket. I actually stepped it down a notch and wore palazzo pants and a sparkly top. Normally I do the gown thing.

 

 

 

 

the Lamb and duck breast were amazing, and the French onion soup on the every day menu became a must do/favorite. the honey pear chilled soup was more like runny applesauce in consistency but very refreshing nonetheless.

 

Desert: ah desert. Johnny_b got the NY cheesecake on the everyday menu and I got the No Sugar Added Phyllo tulip with citrus cream. I SHOULD have made Ignatious bring me about 6. they were very very small.. only about 2-3 bites each but oh my gawd was it tasty. He loved his cheesecake and found it not heavy at all.

 

 

San Francisco:

 

Day One. we were SUPPOSED to dock at 430. but SOMEONE ( yes I am talking about YOU Grand Princess) was late leaving so we had to putter around the Bay.

 

 

 

 

we did end up docking just about an hour late and it was a mad rush as there were 2 ship tours scheduled to leave at 530 and one at 6. John the CD was right there trying to get the dock workers/Security to expedite permission o disembark. we chose to stay on board and have a nice quiet relaxing meal in the MDR. I had the flank steak, he had the veal.. both were yummy.

 

 

 

apparently we brought the Zoo back with us. they were on the desk, not on the bed and stayed there the whole week.