Celebrity Century vs Ms Zuiderdam

[freakZ]

Hi. I'm a first timer to cruising.Planning a cruise trip to Alaska with my mum this August. Preferably round trip from Vancouver. Quick check showed my current best options (price and date) is between Celebrity Century and Ms Zuiderdam. I have not decide to take either a inside stateroom (both almost same price) or to take a verandah room (would see which one has better last minute deal). Any reviews on both of these ships? My main priority is the food. I prefer the one with more food options (those without the need to pay more) and if possible if there are Asian food. Itinerary, I think both are pretty alright; even the staterooms are quite similar I think.

[KAYEF]

When we tried Celebrity I was amazed at how much smaller their cabins were but it may depend on which ship................

I would always choose HAL over Celebrity, but that's just me/us maybe..........

larger cabins and much better service IMO.

[Aquahound]

I've been on the Century and a HAL ship very similar to Zuiderdam. I prefer Celebrity over HAL for many reasons, not the least of which is the smoking policy. But to be honest, I'm not a Century fan. I would probably book Zuiderdam over Century. Zuiderdam also has the benefit of a covered pool.

[freakZ]

Thanks Aquahound for that very important piece of informtaion.smoking policy. I couldnt imagine if you paid so much for a verandah and then you get people smoking their hearts out beside you and i would have to close the windows. it defeats the purpose. are the staterooms in HAL better than Celebrity ?

[freakZ]

Thanks Kayee. I like those with bigger cabins too. Wanted those with verandah but celebrity's is really expensive and HAL allows smoking.

[Aquahound]

Thanks Aquahound for that very important piece of informtaion.smoking policy. I couldnt imagine if you paid so much for a verandah and then you get people smoking their hearts out beside you and i would have to close the windows. it defeats the purpose. are the staterooms in HAL better than Celebrity ?

 

Yeah, the policy is very different between the 2. When I cruised Alaska last year, one of my mian priorities after choosing my itinerary was a cruise line that did not allow balcony smoking. I just cant imagine those beautiful sail-ins/aways next to a smoker. That would have sucked (literally)! Also, on Celebrity, smoking is banned 100% inside the ship.

 

I think the rooms are very similar between Z and C, but where Z is much better is the balcony. C's balconies just look old and frankly, a little uncomfortable. Z's balconies have a nice faux teak deck and the furniture is more comfortable.

 

It really is a toss up between these 2 ships. I do give the edge to Z for being a nicer whip, but like you keyed in to, it's tough to get past their smoking policy.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Aquahound

[vbmom87]

I personally, do not care about food, cabin size etc. When I go on a cruise it is for itinerary. Because that is my priority, I would choose the Zuiderdam because it includes Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The Zuiderdam also offers the add on excursion to Tracy Arm. For anyone who loves scenery, this is an amazing tour of a very scenic area. The cruise itself does not include Tracy Arm. Rather you get dropped off and boarded onto a small boat that will take you through Tracy Arm Fjord. Awesome side trip on a small boat!!!! Those who do not purchase this trip (book ahead if interested) will continue to Juneau on the cruise ship and those who booked Tracy Arm will be taken to Juneau on your small boat when the tour is concluded. I do not know which glacier Celebrity includes since you did not say, but I do know it is NOT Glacier Bay. Celebrity was fined and denied permits for Glacier Bay because of illegal dumping years ago.

 

Now if itinerary does not matter at all to you, then you are looking for something different than myself and hopefully others can help you find the perfect cruise for you. Personally I have been happy with the food on HAL. My daughter has been on HAL and NCL and definitely liked the food on HAL better. (She recently sent some cruise tips to her friend's mom who is going on a HAL AK cruise this summer and my friend said 80% of her tips were about food not to miss on HAL) ;)

 

I also like that the HAL ships have a wrap around promenade deck (not sure about Celebrity) and they open the bow on the scenic sailing days which is a big, big plus for me. I cannot imagine cruising through a very scenic area and not having a bow to go out on. I do not know if Celebrity has bows that are open. I do recall reading some complaints about their plexiglass. I guess this bothers the professional photographers. However, again, I have no direct experience with Celebrity ships.

 

I would not sail HAL if I wanted a balcony. Like you, I would not be happy if my neighbors were out smoking. So, for HAL cruises I will continue to sail in outside cabins. We were on the Promenade Deck on our last cruise and we really enjoyed it. For the price, we thought it was a great choice.

 

I wish you luck finding that perfect cruise for you. Alaska is a beautiful and majestic place. I would go every year if I could.

[freakZ]

Thank you vbmom87 and aquahound. your feedback definitely helps and seem that its pointing towards HAL; which gave me a better first impression before I posted here. I might just scale down to one of the staterooms :). Hv a good day!

[freakZ]

One question vbmom87, What do you mean by outside cabins ? Do you mean oceanview staterooms ?

[vbmom87]

One question vbmom87, What do you mean by outside cabins ? Do you mean oceanview staterooms ?

 

Sorry, I meant to say ocean view. Brain sometimes does not function properly.