Zenith or RCL's Explorer to Bermuda?

[cruiseforus]

Ready to book our trip to Bermuda for August (kind of a last minute trip) and can't decied between the two. We've been on both ships and prefer the Explorer but 5 days just doesn't seem long enough so we're thinking about the Zenith for the 7 day.

 

Really torn because the Explorer is my favorite ship.

 

Any thoughts?

[caviargal]

These are two really different ships:confused:.

 

It all depends on if the itinerary or the ship is more important to you.

 

I have been on both. Personally, Voyager class is not my cup of tea but if that class of ship and the many activities and options it offers are a big part of your enjoyment, you might not enjoy Zenith.

 

I was on Zenith when she was new and she was stunning! I also like smaller ships. However, I have not been aboard in many years and the reviews on her present condition are certainly mixed, except in the areas of food and service where she consistently gets praised.

 

Personally, I thought Voyager had the worst food of any RCI ship I have ever cruised :( and there have been a lot.

 

Seems like two extremes and a tough decision if you are set on Bermuda.

[Susan-M]

My vote would be for Zenith - we've done the Bermuda cruise twice on it and although there are nicer ships out there, the itinerary of 2 days each in Hamilton and St. George's is much better than 2 days at Kings Wharf. Zenith has it's good points and the only complaint I had was the cabin (we went 'pre-refurbishment').

 

I think you would be disappointed to be leaving Bermuda after 2 days on Explorer, knowing that you could have had another 2 days there had you chosen Zenith. It's a beautiful island and this is one cruise where destination should be given more weight than cruise ship.

[momofmeg]

The explorer is so big the ship can only go to King's Warf. Yes you can ferry over to Hamilton and st. George but the ferry closes at 6 pm-so then you are looking at a $50 plus taxi ride.

 

I did not myself care for the voyager class ships,WAY too big. I was on Mariner of the Seas in October and then on Celbrity Zenith in February and I loved the Zenith much more! Service, food etc. much better on the Zenith!

 

The only advantages to the Explorer is if you want to rock climb or ice skate-I am not interested in either. In my mind, the only REAL thing Explorer has over the Zenith is balcony staterooms. I guess it boils down to-do you want less ports, a crowded ship, and poor quality food for a balcony?

 

I would take the Zenith myself.

[bilgeboyPa]

I just got off Zenith this past Saturday.

I would do Zenith in a heartbeat!! It is 7 days,she docks right in town..no tendering or docking in an out of the way place.

I thought EOS, sister of VOS had LOUSY food and service. Zenith was just wonderful. Food was excellent. Service was outstanding. The ship, though older and smaller was in great shape. I just can't say enough about the staff.

I can't tell you how many crew members that you come across in the course of that cruise who remembered your name and greeted you as such.

Hope it helps

 

Jeff

[momofmeg]

These are two really different ships:confused:.

 

It all depends on if the itinerary or the ship is more important to you.

 

I have been on both. Personally, Voyager class is not my cup of tea but if that class of ship and the many activities and options it offers are a big part of your enjoyment, you might not enjoy Zenith.

 

I was on Zenith when she was new and she was stunning! I also like smaller ships. However, I have not been aboard in many years and the reviews on her present condition are certainly mixed, except in the areas of food and service where she consistently gets praised.

 

Personally, I thought Voyager had the worst food of any RCI ship I have ever cruised :( and there have been a lot.

 

Seems like two extremes and a tough decision if you are set on Bermuda.

 

Caviergal-the Zenith still looked pretty good back in Feb. Yes the tiles in the bathroom were worn in my oceanview stateroom but also that bathroom was three times the size on my MOS atruim stateroom bathroom! I believe I enjoyed a bigger bathroom more then I did new bathrom tiles! and that was the only place I saw wear and tear on the Zenith!

[slotaddict]

Having been on both ships, I think I would opt for the Zenith. I was on her in January post refurb and she is great. Service and food, couldn;t ask for better. I too prefer to be docked in Hamilton, we did Kings Wharf one year on the Horizon, but it really was a pain. The ferry is fine, but if it closes at 6 it severly limits what you can do at night time.

I do love the Explorer as well, and in all fairness although it was awhile ago, the food was wonderful. Alot can happen in a few years. Go for the Zenith, she will not disappoint. We were on the 6 th floor, room was fine, a few chips in bathroom, nothing would have a negative impact on my trip. Which ever you choose have a wonderful time.

[Leela]

I sailed Zenith about three weeks ago, and while we were there saw the Explorer of the Seas docked. Even though my Zenith trip did not live up to the expectations set by previous Celebrity cruises in terms of what kind of shape the cabin was in (and I have been made to feel like a nit-picker who isn't thankful enough that I am able to cruise for saying so), I would still sail Zenith to Bermuda again.

 

Here is why, in no particular order:

• Ship is smaller and docks in both Hamilton and St. George's. The convenience of being able to walk off the ship in Hamilton and go one block to the ferry terminal is wonderful. (By the way, in the summer time, the ferries run later than 6pm.)
  
• Food is very good, tied for 2nd best on any cruise I've been on (Century in 2004 was the best).
  
• One day, while riding the ferries, we pulled into the Royal Dockyards to see a LONG line of EoS passengers trying to get back on to their ship. We like that Zenith has fewer passengers, and every time we needed to get on or off there were no lines.
  
• Another day, again while riding the ferries (we loved riding the ferries), we returned to Hamilton to see an incredibly long line of EoS passengers trying to catch the ferry back to the Royal Dockyards to get to the ship in time for dinner. Some people were complaining that they had been waiting on line for over an hour. Again, we were glad we didn't have to deal with that.
  
• Overall service and entertainment was what I have come to expect from Celebrity.
  
• Martini Bar staff (Ana and Daisy) were the best I've experienced in my four cruises on Celebrity.
  

 

The only negative is that Zenith is an older ship, and while I think she is very cute and the public areas are comfortable and nice to look at, my cabin (1025) was disappointingly run-down (worn, faded sofa, a tear in the drapes, bleach-stained towels, slightly lumpy and rather stained mattress) and very poorly decorated (the carpets, drapes, and bedspreads did not coordinate, so the whole thing looked like leftovers put into someone's family room).

 

NOTE TO ANYONE ABOUT TO POOH-POOH ME FOR BEING PICKY OR NEGATIVE: This is just what I saw. It didn't ruin my cruise, but it was a disappointment. I am reporting it here in the interest of full disclosure and honesty. People staying in other cabins will have different experiences. I have no axe to grind, and am in fact booked on a different Celebrity ship for next yer. Heck, my Mom had such a good time on Zenith to Bermuda that she's already rebooked for next year -- but in a different cabin.

 

I did see into another cabin in that same category, and it looked a lot nicer than ours. So, avoid 1025 until you hear otherwise :)

 

While we were in Hamilton the maintenance staff was busy varnishing railings and painting the outside of the ship, so she definitely looked nice in those areas.

[Leela]

I was on her in January post refurb and she is great.

Ahh, so I'm not crazy! I thought I had read here that she was being refurbished, which is why I have been expressing confusion and disappointment about the condition of the cabin I was in. It definitely looked pre-any-kind-of-referb to me. Someone else pointed out on another thread that cabins are redone on a rolling basis, so I must have gotten one of the last few to be taken care of.

[momofmeg]

Having been on both ships, I think I would opt for the Zenith. I was on her in January post refurb and she is great. Service and food, couldn;t ask for better. I too prefer to be docked in Hamilton, we did Kings Wharf one year on the Horizon, but it really was a pain. The ferry is fine, but if it closes at 6 it severly limits what you can do at night time.

I do love the Explorer as well, and in all fairness although it was awhile ago, the food was wonderful. Alot can happen in a few years. Go for the Zenith, she will not disappoint. We were on the 6 th floor, room was fine, a few chips in bathroom, nothing would have a negative impact on my trip. Which ever you choose have a wonderful time.

 

I agree slotaddict-I did not care for King's Warf at all-the other two ports are much nicer and the great pink beaches are close to Hamilton and a pretty inexpensive taxi ride.

[momofmeg]

Ahh, so I'm not crazy! I thought I had read here that she was being refurbished, which is why I have been expressing confusion and disappointment about the condition of the cabin I was in. It definitely looked pre-any-kind-of-referb to me. Someone else pointed out on another thread that cabins are redone on a rolling basis, so I must have gotten one of the last few to be taken care of.

 

My cabin was on deck 9 and had not been redone. Our friends were on deck 4 and theirs had been. The only differance was our cabin was in blues and greens and theirs red and orange and ofcourse our linens were a little worn-but I actually thought our room looked better- I wonder who decided red and orange look good together? except for in a sunset-that is.

 

Our friends' bathroom tiles had not been redone.

[dkjretired]

Ahh, so I'm not crazy! I thought I had read here that she was being refurbished, which is why I have been expressing confusion and disappointment about the condition of the cabin I was in. It definitely looked pre-any-kind-of-referb to me. Someone else pointed out on another thread that cabins are redone on a rolling basis, so I must have gotten one of the last few to be taken care of.

 

Zenith did not go in for a refurbishment it went in for a regular drydock and there is a difference. The purpose of a drydock is to take care of mechanical things that can't be done while the ship is in the water. This is what Zenith went into drydock for not to have a major refurbishment. Anything that was done with cabins, etc. was just extra.

[Leela]

The only differance was our cabin was in blues and greens and theirs red and orange and ofcourse our linens were a little worn-but I actually thought our room looked better- I wonder who decided red and orange look good together? except for in a sunset-that is.

Ahh, more clues!

 

The cabin I saw on the opposite of the ship from ours was done in reds and cream, whereas ours was still thinking about being blue and green but had a tropical color bed spread (purple, turquoise, blue, green), burgundy oriental-print drapes, and a grey or brown (couldn't tell) sofa.

 

So, the one across the ship must be one of the new ones. I liked it, but then (and this is just a matter of preference) I love orange and red together. (My bedroom at home is done in oranges, reds, browns, and cream.)

 

Regardless, a trip to Bermuda on Zenith is a fun time!

 

And thanks for the clarification, Don, about the drydock (mechanical) versus refurb (hotel space).

[slotaddict]

My room was blue and green, and it was redone. I think the purpose of the soft colors were to create a homey feeling. I didn;t see any red, cream, orange rooms. I guess all of the room were not done the same. I know my room had new carpet. In any event I was satisfied and will be sailing on the Zenith again next year to Bermuda. The family is giving my neice a cruise for her birthday, so it will be a family affair.

[momofmeg]

My room was blue and green, and it was redone. I think the purpose of the soft colors were to create a homey feeling. I didn;t see any red, cream, orange rooms. I guess all of the room were not done the same. I know my room had new carpet. In any event I was satisfied and will be sailing on the Zenith again next year to Bermuda. The family is giving my neice a cruise for her birthday, so it will be a family affair.

 

What deck were you on? We were on deck 9 and our friends deck 4. They decided to join us several months after we booked and the only deck 9 rooms left were inside cabins. Their carpet and bedding did look newer then ours-but ours did not look bad-no holes as some reported and if I had not seen my friend's room I would not have realized our room had not been redone.

 

another thing too-the carpet in the hallways outside our room matched the carpet on mariner of the Seas- it was new-so you could tell the same company owns both lines.

[Leela]

My cabin's bedspreads looked new, and they were in blue/turquoise/green/lavender purple. Maybe that was just the first step in redoing the cabin, and the drapes, sofa, and carpet hadn't caught up yet. It's interesting to see how this all works.