Century Just Returned 8th - 11th June 2006

[debbie8888]

Background – my first trip on celebrity but my 15th cruise on various other lines such as Royal Caribbean, NCL, P & O, Orient, Royal Olympic. I’ve been reading the cruise critic forum avidly for info on the ‘new century’ – I’ve not read any reviews since my return today but thought I’d make some of my comments which might be helpful to some people.

Embarkation was very smooth. Ship docked in Terminal 2. Drove straight to terminal entrance – numerous porters on hand to remove all baggage from car and take directly to security checking and then onward to cabin. You are then directed to your coloured car park where mini buses are waiting to return you to the terminal. We arrived at 1pm (the travel documents said embarkation would be from 2pm) already there were many people on the ship. Having already checked in online the procedures (passport check, credit card swipe and key card issued) were very speedy and we were onboard within 20 minutes.

Just after the onboard security check (on deck 5) staff were waiting to hand out glasses of champagne and escort passengers to their cabins. Our cabin was 8122 (a mid ship balcony on panorama deck – not concierge class). We shown to the cabin by Goday (a waiter) – he was very helpful and friendly. I’ve recently been diagnosed with coeliacs disease the treatment of which is a wheat, barley and rye free diet – I had concerns if the ships staff would fully understand the condition – such fears were immediately put to rest as Goday explained I would meet with an assistant Maitre D nightly to arrange my menu for the next day. I was later very impressed that Goday remembered me on the one open sitting lunch I went to and despite not even being the waiter for our table he arranged for the chef to prepare extra vegetables for my meal together with a gluten free sweet.

Our cabin steward was Ronaldo he arrived to introduce himself very quickly – as I was travelling with my father we asked for the double bed to be split to twins and this had been done and our luggage delivered when we returned from the buffet lunch approx. an hour later.

The cabin itself was very ‘compact’ – the storage space was plentiful and very well thought out however this did mean there were very little room for manoeuvre around the fitted furniture and beds. The bed(s) have rounded corners this is probably not a problem in a double configuration but once they are split into twins I did find my feet hung off the end (I’m only 5 foot 4). The flat screen TV is a good idea but as it is directly against the wall you do find you can hear the next door cabin choice of viewing! Balcony lovely – two chairs and a large enough table to eat breakfast in comfort. A good choice of room service food – however a breakfast request card was only automatically provided to us once – I sought out another on one occasion but forgot to ask on the last night. The shower space is perfectly adequate and the bathroom has dispensers for shampoo and lotion.

The public rooms are all sparkling new – the martini bar is great, very different, the colour changing is relaxing (martini’s were all just under $10). The interior public rooms never seemed over crowded and there were always quiet places to read. I didn’t attend the shows myself however my father went to all three and enjoyed them immensely. He was quite worn out by the energy and numerous costume changes of the celebrity dancers! There was a guest singer on board – apparently had a wide repertoire and a very powerful voice.

The main dining room is very nice – the waiting staff service is excellent – particularly in my case (my special diet) – the assistant maitre D in particular was extremely helpful. My food experience was rather different in that I was pretty much given carte blanche in ordering anything I would like 24 hours in advance. My father thought the standard menu food was excellent – the beef was some of the best he’s ever had on cruises. The sweets looked mouth watering – sadly not on my can have list.

On deck there are 3 Jacuzzi’s and two small swimming pools. Numerous sun loungers on two levels (on the lower pool level these are cushioned) – what I did notice is people left towels on unoccupied sun loungers and as these were not removed by staff it was difficult to find a lounger unless you arrive early or unless you remove towels from ‘reserved’ beds.

The casino has the normal mix of slots from 25cent a spin, roulette ($1 min), poker and dice. The shops had a good selection of items – one piece of advice order cigarettes and alcohol early from the liquor store – the well known brands of cigarettes and Gin had sold out by the second night.

Daytime activities were varied – shuffleboard was played once a day at 9.45am (I am now the proud winner of a celebrity tee shirt apparently guaranteed never to be stolen and to shrink completely on the first wash!), there was a trivia quiz around 11am, various art and wine auctions, a name that tune quiz in the afternoon, several showings of a film in the cinema, demonstrations such as flower arranging, acupuncture etc. There is also a basketball court, a video arcade and a golf simulator.

All in all a very positive taster of the celebrity brand. The food and service is exceptional (food is far superior to that of Royal Caribbean), the ship of a high standard, the entertainment good. Sorry I have no pictures and saw no other cabins bar my own but if you have any questions I will do my best to answer.

[C 2 C]

Thankyou for a wonderful review. We will be on Century this fall for an extended stay. The curved bedding is going to be a problem for some pax for whom snuggling in the middle is not an option;). You are the second poster to note its "shortcomings"

[slotaddict]

Thanks for the great comprehensive review. The reports on the new Century are varying, but I know I am going to love her. She was one of my favorite ships before the retrofit. Can't wait to enjoy that Martini Bar.

[jaxon41]

How nice to read that food quality has not gone down -- we are reading on so many of the cruise boards, across various lines, that it has. I have a friend with celiac's who will be sailing with us on the Century in March so I forwarded your post to her -- she needs to let the TA know, to let the ship know of her dietary needs. Thanks for that info.

[JTL11968]

There are a few other threads begun that detail the three day cruise from Dover. Thank you to each of you who has posted your experiences on the new Century. My mother and I are doing the 8/14 Baltic cruise and enjoy reading the reviews and anticipating what, I'm sure, will be a great trip. Kind regards.