Century Review 4/5 - 4/10

[chopper825]

Just back from my first Celebrity cruise. I was part of a large group aboard the Century and really feel compelled to write a review.

 

A little background. This was my sixth cruise. Previous lines were Carnival, Holland American and most recently Princess.

 

This was the smallest and oldest ship I have ever been on. When we first boarded, we were a little taken back how small the ship was in comparison to our previous cruises and honestly thought it's age showed a bit in some areas. We instantly thought it was going to be a long five days. I am happy to say we were so wrong. Here is the review.

 

This was the quickest and easiest embarkation we have ever experienced. We literally came off the bus that picked us up at the airport and went directly onto the ship and we were eating lunch by 11:30. We were not able to access our rooms until 1:00, but no big deal.

 

We were in deluxe ocean view room with the veranda #8155. The room was very nice. Plenty of room for all of our things and more to spare. Everywhere you looked there was another storage nook. The shower was about double the space we had on our last Princess cruise. My only complaint was that our bed was rounded at the bottom and while it looked really nice, our feet hung off the ends. We are also used to really large balconies and this one was smaller, but certainly big enough for two. I loved that we had a mini-bar in the fridge, fresh drinking water everyday and an umbrella for our use if it should rain. Really nice touches. Our room was always clean and our cabin attendant was very pleasant. She introduced herself when we first entered our room and explained different things about the room. She was great.

 

We had late seating and I absolutely hated it. My own personal feeling. The first night we did not get out of the dining room till 11:00. Because we were part of a group, we did not try and change the time. Our waiters were excellent. I thought the food was exceptionally good. I don't think I had a bad meal. We did eat in the Casual Dining twice and thought it was fabulous. Service was fantastic. In fact, we got so friendly with one of the waiters, he gave us his address, email and phone number in case we ever go to Bali on the chance he might be there.

The selections for lunch were amazing. Fresh pasta and stir fry made to order were firsts for me. I don't think I ate the same thing twice all week.

 

This is my only complaint. I thought the entertainment was sparse and mediocre at best. We caught only part of one of the song and dance shows and it was actually terrible. No one was in sync with each other, and it was just bad. The juggler was the best show we saw and the comedian had one good show and another not so good. But there was not a lot going on. Usually one show at night (same show repeats for different dining times) and a couple of nights maybe karaoke thrown in. We are used to having to schedule our evening entertainment because there is so much we want to do we don't want to miss anything. No horse races, no newlywed games, nighttime trivia or game shows. I don't know, we just missed some of the silly things we really enjoyed on other cruises. We occupied ourselves in the Casino, or one of the bars. It was just an experience we were not used to I guess.

 

Disembarkation by far that easiest we have ever experienced. We literally went to our appointed area and walked directly off the ship, sailed through customs, got our luggage and was on the bus for the airport in about 15 minutes. Incredible.

 

The service on this ship was the "best" I have ever experienced on any line. The crew was always smiling, always pleasant and always went out of their way to talk to you, and even entertain you in small ways. They seemed to enjoy what they were doing. I never passed a crew member that did not say hello or ask how I was. They really made a difference in our experience. From the waiters, the bar servers, the people in the jewelry store and even the people laying new carpet - they were all as friendly as could be.

 

Celebrity as a lot of really nice touches that we had not experienced on any other cruise line. Little things that were really nice. We had a great cruise, and we really did not think it would be so great. We were wrong. So what if some of the carpet was a little worn and the ship shows some signs of wear here and there - who cares. It only makes a difference if you let it. Not only would we sail Celebrity again but we booked a future cruise while on board. But next time, I think I would like to try a larger ship.

 

Sorry this was so long. Any questions, ask away.

[Karynanne]

Thank you for your review. It's so nice to read a review where someone has an expectation that is quickly changed.

 

We have always found the staff and crew so gracious and friendly on Celebrity. Especially the one's from Bali. They have these wonderful smiles and gentle mannerisms. We had an Asst. Waiter on Mercury that was such a sweet young man, and also a cocktail server in the Champagne Bar that was an absolute sweetheart. I'll never forget her beautiful smile.

 

Thank you again, and glad you had such a wonderful cruise!

[flyboy777]

Hi Chopper,

 

My girl and I are off to Miami for a cruise on Century later today. Thanks for the review. This will be our first cruise and are looking fwd to it. After looking for about 2 weeks online, msg boards and websites, we decided on X.

One thing that seems to stand out is the service and food over other lines.

Don't care much about the destination as long as it is warm. We are on the Vista deck in a cc veranda cabin port side.

We are looking for a low key quiet cruise and X seems to cater more toward the mature rather than party crowds and kids.

Got a few questions for ya.

What did you pay for drinks? I like a couple glasses of wine with dinner.

Did you eat in Maurano's? Reservations hard to come by?

What is your tipping advice?

What was your room service (food) experience if any?

When does the bar open on the pool deck/anywhere?

What are the pool hrs?

Any advise for first time cruisers?

 

Thanks again for your review. We will check our mail before we leave Sun eve if you should reply by then.

 

Thanks for your time,

Matt & Yung

Topsfield, Ma.

[chopper825]

Hi Matt. Based on what you said you are looking for you picked the perfect cruise. We found the service and food on X to be the best we have experienced among other cruise lines.

 

We mostly drank mixed drinks so not sure what wine would be. But for 2 margaritas the cost was about $14.00. That includes the tip that is automatically added. They do have drinks of the day which I think ended up being a couple of dollars less.

 

We did make a reservation for Murano's but ended up canceling when our balcony neighbor said he hated it. However, later in the cruise we met other people who thought it was so good that they ate there 3 nights. I would tend to believe their experience more than the balcony neighbor. Make you reservation as soon as you board. That is what we did and still we could not get the times we wanted. It is really popular. Keep in mind that lobster and prime rib night in the dining room was our fourth night, so if those are favorites keep that in mind when making your reservation.

 

Luckily for us this was trip that we did not pay for. It was won as a promotional incentive from work so our tips were paid for so I can't really help you on that one. We did tip our waiter and room attendant an additional amount due to exceptional service but that was only an additional $10. They do have a recommendation but I don't remember how much. I think it will be in the daily Celebrity Today.

 

The only room service we had was coffee and pastries in the morning. You can order either on-line or on your tv. They were always prompt and they do call your room when it is on the way. Food was always good and coffee always hot. I usually tipped a couple of dollars.

 

The pool opens at 8:00 and closes at 8:00. Chairs are at a premium. It is not always easy to get one if you get outside later than 10:00. If you don't get a chair, check with a pool butler (they have on white shirts that say that) and they may be able to get a couple for you. They did do that for us one day. The pool bar opens at 9:00 am and they will have waiters asking if you want to order drinks all day. Lots of them. You will never have to get your own drinks.

 

One tip that comes to mind is the buffet at the very back of the ship. There is a really nice outdoor eating area there and a buffet that it took me a couple of days to find. It's a great place for breakfast or lunch. They have a section where they will make fresh pasta, fresh stir fry and a great deli. That back deck was my favorite place on the ship.

 

Hope this helps. Have a fantastic trip. We really had a great time. Any other questions I will check back on there mid day.

[Texed]

Thanks Chopper. You didn't mention the waffles. :(

[Tatka]

Nice review. Century is my first ship I cruised on in North America and I am very impartial to her. She does somewhat shows her age, but service is second to none. :)

[bocamimi]

Hi, does anyone remember if they have the martini tasting?

Glad to know the ship is still great.

Can't wait for the waffles and pretzels that no one seems to mention. My Husband made a bee line for them every afternoon at the buffet.

We were on the ship last April as well and I am excited to be going again.

[chopper825]

Would you believe I forgot to try the waffles? I could kick myself. I did read about them on here but they were so out of the way from the buffet we were going to that I just forgot. Oh well, I guess I have got to just book another X cruise. And what pretzels? I guess I missed them too, but this is the first I remember hearing about them.

[Conrycol]

Yeah where can u find the pretzels? I looked for them on the Summit but I could never find them.

[cruisingdelt]

Thanks for the review. Glad you had a good time. Just booked a couple of shore excursions for our July cruise. I can't wait. Third time on the "old" Century.

[Blanco-Grande]

On Century they offer the "Martini Flight" every night 6... 2 ounce martinnis for $10

[meow!]

Sorry this was so long. Any questions, ask away.

Thank you kindly for your review. It is by no means long. If you want to read a long one, the following is an example on the Oceania column of this board http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=528321&page=20 It spans 20 pages with 389 replies! Is that a record? By the way, it ended up published as a book.