Century Europe and transat 14Oct. review

[oceandrive]

Embarkation: Very quick with ExpressPass system (less than 15 minutes) A+

Food: Average for Celebrity. Nothing bad but nothing outstanding. A-

Service: Superbe as usual. 1 mishab but superb recovery. A++

Ship: beautiful but needing a lot of work in drydock. C-

Really well below Celebrity standard.

All the Sony TVs in public rooms are dead.

Tvs in stateroom barely work. Interactive systems are dead

Some public washrooms out of order for the entire 2 weeks

Leaking ceiling in Hemisphere bar

Many windows in Hemisphere bar corroded by salt water

All the sinks are stained

Many benches in Island Cafe needing constant repair

Mattresses should have been replaced a long time ago !

Entertainement: Probably underfunded...Just O.K. B-

 

Ports of call: wonderful ! (Rome, Villefranche, Ajaccio, Malaga, Azores)

 

The ship is suitable for first time cruisers, not for the seasonned cruisers.

 

I would like to stress that we did have a wonderful cruise. The staff is absolutely wonderful. But the ship is no match to the newer ships out there.

[Coolcruise02]

Wow, this does not sound good! I am not a first time cruiser, but it is our first time on Celebrity. I understand that Century is not a "new" ship but this sounds bad.

[lel5344]

This will be our first cruise on Century (as well as our first cruise on Celebrity), but the above review does not in any way disappoint me. No ship will ever be "perfect."

 

We don't spend that much time in our cabin, and I'm sure if the bed is truly uncomfortable, we can request an eggcrate mattress or something similar.

 

We generally don't eat in the buffet, so the benches won't bother us.

 

We don't expect the world's greatest entertainment. We are happy to be mildly amused.

 

We're not gamblers so we don't need the interactive TV.

 

We cruise for the itinerary, for the opportunity to try new foods, for the service, for the opportunity to meet new friends.

 

We are excited and one week from right now, we will be so very close to boarding! We have never had a bad cruise - our worst cruise was still among our very best vacations!

[Lois R]

Century will be going into a major drydock spring of 2006. They are

essentially turning her into an M-Class ship....specialty restaurant

included.

 

I am sorry to hear your view of her is so bad:( I sailed her back

in March and had a fantastic time. It was my 3rd time on her and I loved it:)

Have they really let her go over the last 6 months?

I fell in love with cruising the first time I stepped foot on her..... I would go back

again in a heartbeat.

[geoherb]

We cruised on the Century last December--right after the disastrous CDC rating came out in November. I had read about some of the shortcomings, especially the things that need repair. Our cabin sink was badly stained. There were other areas where I noticed torn upholstery, stains, and peeling paint. Many things needed to be repaired or replaced, but that did not affect our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

[sammiedawg]

This sounds like the Century I sailed 11 months ago. Our cabin was no better than an aging airport Holiday Inn and many common areas were shabby and dirty. Celebrity seems to be very lackadaisical about routine maintenance and replacement of furnishings. I've sailed brand new ships and I've sailed 10 year old ships and I expect the physical plant to be in good condition. Other than the Century I've been pleased. My experience on the Century was very disappointing. Cruiselines dont have to wait for full drydocks to change out pieces and parts. When I check into a hotel or eat in a restaurant I have expectations about the physical plant, a cruise ship is no different. I know the people on this board are fanatically loyal to Celebrity but please dont shoot the messenger for telling the truth or make excuses for this shabbiness .

[oceandrive]

Sammiedawg,

 

You really understand my thoughts about this cruise. Again make no mistake it was a very good cruise, but the condition of the ship is very substandard for Celebrity (How tidy will the Millenium Class ship be in 3 years ???). You are right, Sammiedawg. I've seen RCCL keep their ships in much better shape (Sovereign and Vision). I applaud Celebrity for upgrading the Century next year but in the meantime, Pleeeease....

[C 2 C]

Sorry you had such a bad experience. In May we sailed Century for over 3 weeks and loved it. She is my favorite ship and was spotless throughout. our normal traveling companions were also on the crossing and just noted the TV problem.

[sammiedawg]

Ocean Drive,

Normally I would be so envious of anyone lucky enough to sail for 14 days. Luckily our cruise was only 7 days, plenty long enough to look at the deeply stained and worn carpets upholstery and bathroom fixtures in our cabin. not to mention long enough to worry about health and sanitation in the back of the house. We sailed the week after the failed CDC inspection. Home never looked so good as it did after a week on the Century! We are not difficult customers and had never even turned in a negative comment card before this, we love travel and cruising and get away as often as possible. We're taking cruise # 10 next week

A few ideas

1. Make sure you post a full review, I wish I had

2. Share comments with your TA, the owner/ manager of our travel agency forwarded my written comments to his liason at Celebrity. The Celebrity contact didnt bother to follow up with me but at least I shared the information

3. Dont give up on travel and cruising, try something else

[caviargal]

Sammiedawg,

 

You really understand my thoughts about this cruise. Again make no mistake it was a very good cruise, but the condition of the ship is very substandard for Celebrity (How tidy will the Millenium Class ship be in 3 years ???). You are right, Sammiedawg. I've seen RCCL keep their ships in much better shape (Sovereign and Vision). I applaud Celebrity for upgrading the Century next year but in the meantime, Pleeeease....

 

I have to say this is very true. Vision is an RCI ship almost twice the age of Mercury and she was beautiful last June. Mercury looked much more worn. I was surprised at her general condition. Yes, she is a fine liner and it was great cruise but her physical condition put me off.

[C 2 C]

Ocean Drive,

Normally I would be so envious of anyone lucky enough to sail for 14 days. Luckily our cruise was only 7 days, plenty long enough to look at the deeply stained and worn carpets upholstery and bathroom fixtures in our cabin. not to mention long enough to worry about health and sanitation in the back of the house. We sailed the week after the failed CDC inspection. Home never looked so good as it did after a week on the Century! We are not difficult customers and had never even turned in a negative comment card before this, we love travel and cruising and get away as often as possible. We're taking cruise # 10 next week

 

Sammiedawg: You must have had a really bad experience aboard Century to continue this anti-Century crusade. We have cruised nearly 70 weeks on Celebrity, HAL, Princess, RCL, NCL and still would rate our back to back across the Atlantic and Baltic cruise near the top of all our experiences. Century was clean, the rugs were being replaced on a daily basis and there was no dust in any lounge. The food was great, the service even better. Entertainment was just OK. There must have been a major cleanup after your experience because we found nothing to complain about.

[Danno]

Wow...she must have seriously deteriorated in 9 months...I'll believe it when I see it :rolleyes: ...ask me after the end of Feb.

[Cruise Junky]

Wow...she must have seriously deteriorated in 9 months...I'll believe it when I see it :rolleyes: ...ask me after the end of Feb.

 

Isn't she going into a five week dry dock in January? I think you'll be seeing the better side of her.

[donnaw]

Isn't she going into a five week dry dock in January? I think you'll be seeing the better side of her.

 

We booked on board the Galaxy on Sunday and were told that the drydock is currenlty scheduled before the 2006 Europe Season.

[Cruise Junky]

We booked on board the Galaxy on Sunday and were told that the drydock is currenlty scheduled before the 2006 Europe Season.

 

You're right, it's June, not January. Got my J's mixed up :)

[Elaine0138]

Century is long over due a refit she looks tired and very shabby.

 

The matresses were awful, springs poking through even with a foam pad on top you could still feel them.

 

Our interactive TV worked, it was just one section of the ship that was out. You can use the interactive for more than just gambling, ordering room service, booking excursions to name but just a couple of things. The television reception in the staterooms was dreadful, it was like they weren't quite tuned in.

 

The entertainment was a bit hit and miss, but that comes down to individual preferences.

 

There were bench seats being replaced in the Island Cafe, but this was because drinks and food had been spilt on them, nobody would want to sit on a damp seat.

 

If this had been our first Celebrity cruise it would have been our last, the ship just let them down so badly. I'm sure after her refit she will be a pleasure to sail on again.

[Elaine0138]

Something else that was noticable in various corridors was the smell of cigarette smoke, never noticed it on other ships. The people in the next room to ours must have been heavy smokers because the smell of smoke seeping through the walls woke me every morning!!

[PJPH]

We were also on the Oct. 14th sailing of the Century and can agree with most of the comments already posted.

 

The embarkation and disembarkation were both smooth and presented no problems. This was especially impressive since were arrived in Port Everglades in the wake of hurricane Wilma!

 

The Century is indeed tired and in need of its overhaul next spring. (For example, some seats in the Celebrity Theatre were threadbare and had holes in them.)

 

We were pleased to find that our cabin had more than adequate space for storage on a long voyage.

 

The food was good but not up to the quality of the cuisine we had experienced on the Infinity and the Zenith. NOTE: If you have a food allergy BEWARE. Except for the Assistant Maitre'd in the dining room the staff, including the waiters and chefs, were completely untrained and uninformed in this area. One comment given was "This food contains no nuts just almonds!).

 

The quality of the Island Cafe buffet was not up to Celebrity standards. However, the omelet stations at breakfast and the sandwich / salad station at lunch were outstanding! The food service in the dining room was excellent. However, Celebrity, if you insist on having a dress code, please enforce it! After hauling formal and informal attire (on airlines with decreasing luggage allowances, it was disconcerting to see passengers arriving for dinner in casual attire on dress up occasions.

 

The ports of call were excellent and the shore excursions (Imperial Rome, Les Calanches and the Alhambra) were worth the money.

 

The entertainment was hit and miss. The Finkel family was amazing but some other performers left much to be desired. Non-American passengers with whom we spoke (and there were many!) found the "flag waving" in the production show on the last night a bit much.

 

Cudos to cruise director, Alan King. He is certainly one of the best we have encountered. We loved his team trivia sessions and even his "groaners".

 

All things considered, we will sail with Celebrity again.

[kruisecat]

It is so interesting to read these comments. My good friend and neighbor was on this sailing and she couldn't stop raving about how wonderful it was and how great the ship was. I'm not sure if it was because she was one of the younger passengers on the ship (35) or if it was just that it was her first cruise in many years but it sounds like she was on a completely different ship than the rest! We love Century and are looking forward to booking her next year while she is in the Carrib. again.

[sammiedawg]

We sailed 11 months ago, the ground in dirt and shabbiness did not happen overnight. When I got home I searched this board for posts on Century and found previous references to these conditions going back at least a year. I would not give this cruise line another red cent of my hard earned $. We lost a prized week of vacation x 2, air fare for 2, cruise fare for 2, miscellaneous costs with going away, etc. I filed a formal written complaint with my TA and didnt even get a phone call from their Celebrity liason.

The cabin we had compares with aging Holiday Inns about to be sold off to Days Inn, this type of hotel room is available through Priceline in most cities for about $39 per night, 2 star rating. Our TV worked off and one but our phone didnt work at all, we couldnt retrieve messages or use the wake up service. I wont gross people out and describe the disgusting bathroom, it was really unbelievably bad

The open decks carpets were so filthy that huge sections of the golden colored carpets were black with dirt, especially forward areas.

It was difficult to find a clean seat in the Islands cafe that wasnt on a broken bench or table. The Rendevous lounge cushions were in terrible shape and you sank so far it was hard to get up. We also saw many broken seats in the theatre.

I was just thankful we didnt ask friends or family to accompany us, if my kids had been along their comments would be "digusting" "yuk" "you're not making me stay here for a week".

[PharmLarrynAtlanta]

She is definitely in need of a facelift. However, it was not horrible. It is definitely not a Millennium class ship.

We met some wonderful people on the cruise. There will be individuals that I will miss!

[RMSeadog]

Embarkation: Very quick with ExpressPass system (less than 15 minutes) A+

Food: Average for Celebrity. Nothing bad but nothing outstanding. A-

Service: Superbe as usual. 1 mishab but superb recovery. A++

Ship: beautiful but needing a lot of work in drydock. C-

Really well below Celebrity standard.

All the Sony TVs in public rooms are dead.

Tvs in stateroom barely work. Interactive systems are dead

Some public washrooms out of order for the entire 2 weeks

Leaking ceiling in Hemisphere bar

Many windows in Hemisphere bar corroded by salt water

All the sinks are stained

Many benches in Island Cafe needing constant repair

Mattresses should have been replaced a long time ago !

Entertainement: Probably underfunded...Just O.K. B-

 

Ports of call: wonderful ! (Rome, Villefranche, Ajaccio, Malaga, Azores)

 

The ship is suitable for first time cruisers, not for the seasonned cruisers.

 

I would like to stress that we did have a wonderful cruise. The staff is absolutely wonderful. But the ship is no match to the newer ships out there.

 

I would disagree in part with OceanDrive. The food: Beef, Veal, Lamb, Chicken and Duck (did not do the pork) was as good as any of our 27 “X” cruises. The Fish was over cooked, dry and tough as well as the Lobster.

The TVs in Images lounge worked well all cruise, I stopped by every day to check score and see what was on. The TV in our room was terrible. Repeated complaints to Guest Relations and the Assistant Hotel Director resulted in being moved to an outside room with an excellent TV. The Celebrity Network worked great in the new room and we were able to order room service, shore excursions and reconciled our account.

All the benches in the Islands Café were removed, recovered and replaced during the cruise, Mostly at night, there were some that remained closed during the day but were fixed the that night.

I did not observe any heads that where under repair for the entire cruise, admittedly I did not have occasion to visit all the restrooms on board.

The mattresses in both our rooms needed to be replaced; other CC members had been poked and prodded by springs sticking out of their mattresses.

The entertainment ranged form outstanding to fair, Lindsey Hamilton, Jack Walker, Elliot and Ian Finkel where great. The Dancing Magicians and English comedian where okay. We only saw 2 of the production numbers. One we saw in May and again this cruise. The show was much better this time, the troop changed or had gotten to know the show much better. The new show “Dance Around the World” was great. We almost blew it off to start packing, glad we went.

Ports of Call, weather, service, attitude and cleanliness of the ship were all top shelf.

Oceandrive did not mention the outrages price of internet that all levels of Captain’s Club members are subjected to, $.75 a minute and than they give you ten free minutes after you spend tens of thousands of dallors to get to the Elite status. Other lines give you free internet after just 5 cruises or so I've been told.

We have had five cruises in Century, three this year and would go again next week if we where not doing Hawaii in Infinity.

We cruise almost exclusive with “X” and have not been out from under the Royal Caribbean Umbrella in our 29 total cruises since 2000 so I may be a wee bit bias. ~ Rick

[seagulls]

I was also on this cruise. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Century and so it pains me to say that I have to agree, she is badly in need of a facelift. The ship is very clean. The service impeccable. The shows good. We did notice the leaking ceiling in the Hemisphere lounge and some thread bare couches. Food in general was very good with the exception of the fish which is very difficult to cook to perfection for so many people. My biggest complaint was the mattresses, they were a disgrace! I don't think that Celebrity should wait until the ship is refitted to replace them. For a line that states "We will exceed your Expectations" it should be a no brainer to make sure the guests have a decent bed to sleep in!

 

Nevertheless, while on board we booked the Summit for a January 2007 Panama Canal cruise.

[donnaw]

I was also on this cruise. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Century and so it pains me to say that I have to agree, she is badly in need of a facelift. The ship is very clean. The service impeccable. The shows good. We did notice the leaking ceiling in the Hemisphere lounge and some thread bare couches. Food in general was very good with the exception of the fish which is very difficult to cook to perfection for so many people. My biggest complaint was the mattresses, they were a disgrace! I don't think that Celebrity should wait until the ship is refitted to replace them. For a line that states "We will exceed your Expectations" it should be a no brainer to make sure the guests have a decent bed to sleep in!

 

Nevertheless, while on board we booked the Summit for a January 2007 Panama Canal cruise.

 

Prior to doing my review of the Galaxy, a question for the Century TA passengers. When did you lose CNN? Did you have it at any time or at any location during the crossing?

[seagulls]

Donna we lost it for most of the trip. When we finally started to get it back it would fade in and out . Sometimes we would get a message on our screen informing us that it was the Galaxy transmission. Even the local channels were terrible, often times you would be listening to two channels at the same time. So how were the mattresses on the Galaxy?