My Review of the Arctic Circle and North Cape Cruise on Century, June 26-July 8

[Coco Creek]

My Review of the Arctic Circle and North Cape Cruise on Century

 

I have long wanted to cruise the Norwegian Fjords and the remainder of Norway, from South to North. My June 26 Arctic Circle and North Cape cruise met those objectives and was the best cruise I have taken to date, given a relatively short cruising experience base.

 

The ship was beautiful, the weather could not have been better, the tours and onboard experience outstanding. Some specifics:

 

Itinerary: A: I am itinerary guy. I do not sail for the food or the entertainment or the ship’s activities. It is great when all the above are excellent, but the most important criteria for me is where the ship is going. I prefer Celebrity, but will quickly jump to other lines if they offer me chances to see parts of the world I have not visited. Thus, when it comes to New Zealand-Australia cruisetour or a Far East cruisetour, you will happily find me on Princess.

 

Ship: A: I did not expect an old ship to be in great shape. Century is that and more. It has a certain old world elegance that I bought into. There are great rooms on Century (Grand Dining Room, Crystal Room and others. The staterooms are small (and indeed, I wondered what it would be like to have a second person in the small space), well appointed (except electrical outlets) and very comfortable/ Century has quirks. Deck 5 does run all the way from bow to stern, there are entry and exit doors on the starboard side on one level and making re-entry into the ship in some ports feel like a limbo contest thanks to shifting tides.

 

Food: B+: I am not a foodie and food itself does little to impact my cruise experience. The MDR dining was an up upgrade for my last two Celebrity cruises. The cuts of meat were better and there more vegetables and fruits. Yet, I found the dishes trying to do too much. I subscribe to the philosophy of Chef Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame—good ingredients, good seasonings, good cooking—keep it simple. The everyday menu did exactly that and I ate off that menu on four of the twelve nights of the cruise.

The Island Café was fine for breakfast, not so fine for lunch. But then I found the Aqua Spa Café for lunch and it more than met my needs. The Aqua Spa dishes are low on fact, but delicious as well.

I went to Murano’s one night and, as I expected the meal, was out of this world.

 

Service: A: My room attendant was quiet and very efficient. My first waiter was on his final cruise ever and to some extent, was mailing it in before suffering a groin injury lifting weights. My second waiter was new, but worked hard to impress.

Service is broader than the stateroom and dining room. I received two examples of exceptional service—the photo shop manager opened the photo shop during non-working hours so I could secure a needed memory card and the excursions manager changed one of my tours at the last second, beyond the deadline, when a personal issue arose for me. Excellent, excellent service.

 

The Cruise Director, Rich Clesen, and the Activities Director, Benny Bingo (give me a break), were more involved the passengers than any previous cruise experience for me. The Viking ceremony they presided over as we crossed the Arctic Circle was totally rich and I am now baptized as a Viking.

 

Entertainment: C+: Entertainment is expected, but not a revenue center, so you get the picture. The singers and dancers were new to ship, enthusiastic and will improve with more practice. Otherwise, there were two singers and a piano player, all of whom were re-cycled for “encore performances” two nights later. There was also a Swedish Juggler who managed to consume 45 minutes while doing exactly two juggling feats. I skipped the magician and all encore performances. Cruise line entertainment is disappointingly similar from cruise line to cruise line, cruise ship to cruise ship.

 

Excursions: A: There were only a few choices at each port, but the excursions were really a trip highlight for me (and pretty hard not to be in a scenic country like Norway). Special excursions, for me, included the King Crab Safari in Honnigsvag (Think of Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel), the Path of the Trolls and two sightseeing excursions in fjords, Geiranger, where we traveled to the top of a 5,000 foot mountain for the views, and Olden, where I hiked to near the base of a glacier.

 

I left the trip but with one concern. Century belongs in Europe. It fits like a glove and this season’s itineraries of the Baltics, Norway’s fjords and the Western Mediterranean Sea are perfect for Century. Century does not belong on 4-5 days trips out of Miami.

[C 2 C]

Thanks for the review; it brings back great memories.

We cruised this itinerary last year; one of our best cruises ever!

 

Would you remember perhaps the names of the Captain, Hotel Director and Captain's Club hostess?

[Coco Creek]

Sure. The Master is currently Panagiotis Mantzavinos and the Hotel Director is Anton Winkler.

 

The Captain's Club hostess was Jonelle (last name not remembered).

[C 2 C]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I have not sailed with any of the officers presently on Century. Master, HD, CD, CC Hostess are all new in their positions according to my past summaries.

[Coco Creek]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I have not sailed with any of the officers presently on Century. Master, HD, CD, CC Hostess are all new in their positions according to my past summaries.

 

I have sailed with some pretty good Cruise Direcvtors, but Rich Clesen was a cut above the rest. He made it his business to be part of the cruise life from walking the lounges to visit with passengers, to greeting passengers returning from excursions, to even scheduling games in the Casion with the CD.

[Coco Creek]

We visited the following seven ports:

 

1. Alesund: Situated at mouth of Stor Fjord. Most popular excursion was Path of the Trolls.

 

2. Tromso: First stop above Arctic Circle. I took teh Sommarov Fishing Village excursion. Only disappoing excursion.

 

3. Honnigsvag: 18 miles from North Cape. North Cape Transfer and King Crab Safari were best excursions.

 

4. Molde: So-called City of Roses. I took the Haholmen Viking Adventure (having been baptized a Viking). Great excursion, but no so great when I fell and hurt my knee.

 

5. Geiranger: Best stop and best fjord in Norway. All excursions are great with Kayaking and Hiking for the active. I took the Geiranger with Mr. Daisnibba and Fjord Center tour. It was great.

 

6. Olden: Second sailed into fjord. The excursion, Cruise on Lake Loen, is more than a cruise, the best part being a hike toward a glacier with some the most beautiful peaks I have seen.

 

7. Bergen: Norway's gateway to the fjords and one of two major cities in Norway. I went a concert celebrating the works of Norwegian composer Edward Grieg. With the small concert hall framed on its stage by mountains and Lake Nordass, it was a perfect ending to my tours.

 

I am glad to answer any questions.

[CruisingChick]

Coco Creek, thanks for sharing your experience. I would love to do that cruise someday.

 

Anne Maria

[C 2 C]

it does not get much better than this, anywhere!

Olden:

[Oakman]

Totally agree with your last comment-Century DOES belong in Europe. We have sailed her twice in Europe and loved the size and ambiance of the ship. Easy to get on and off (not to mention tendering), little or no crowding of public areas and an overall understated elegance. The 4/5 night Caribbean itineraries put unneccesary wear and tear on this elegant lady. If she has to sail the Caribbean, put her on extended 10 or 11 night Exotic itineraries. Not everyone loves the new floating "mega resorts".

[Coco Creek]

I have got a great picture of Century in the Geiranger fjord. I wish I knew how to paste it into this discussion board.

[FunCruiser56]

Sounds like a wonderful cruise, would love to see more pictures. By the way what was the weather like?

 

Bev

[Coco Creek]

Sounds like a wonderful cruise, would love to see more pictures. By the way what was the weather like?

 

Bev

 

Bev,

 

You can see many of my pictures by going to Facebook and searching Jim Keenan.

 

The weather was out of this world and we were told several times how lucky we were. In the South of Norway, it was sunny and warm--50's int he morning warming up to 70 by mid-day. In the north, it quite cool and overcast, but still comfortable in a warm jacket.

[Bridge Maven]

Bev,

 

You can see many of my pictures by going to Facebook and searching Jim Keenan.

 

The weather was out of this world and we were told several times how lucky we were. In the South of Norway, it was sunny and warm--50's int he morning warming up to 70 by mid-day. In the north, it quite cool and overcast, but still comfortable in a warm jacket.

 

I tried to do that but there are 393 Jim Keenans :)

[Bridge Maven]

My Review of the Arctic Circle and North Cape Cruise on Century

 

I have long wanted to cruise the Norwegian Fjords and the remainder of Norway, from South to North. My June 26 Arctic Circle and North Cape cruise met those objectives and was the best cruise I have taken to date, given a relatively short cruising experience base.

 

The ship was beautiful, the weather could not have been better, the tours and onboard experience outstanding. Some specifics:

 

Itinerary: A: I am itinerary guy. I do not sail for the food or the entertainment or the ship’s activities. It is great when all the above are excellent, but the most important criteria for me is where the ship is going. I prefer Celebrity, but will quickly jump to other lines if they offer me chances to see parts of the world I have not visited. Thus, when it comes to New Zealand-Australia cruisetour or a Far East cruisetour, you will happily find me on Princess.

 

Ship: A: I did not expect an old ship to be in great shape. Century is that and more. It has a certain old world elegance that I bought into. There are great rooms on Century (Grand Dining Room, Crystal Room and others. The staterooms are small (and indeed, I wondered what it would be like to have a second person in the small space), well appointed (except electrical outlets) and very comfortable/ Century has quirks. Deck 5 does run all the way from bow to stern, there are entry and exit doors on the starboard side on one level and making re-entry into the ship in some ports feel like a limbo contest thanks to shifting tides.

 

Food: B+: I am not a foodie and food itself does little to impact my cruise experience. The MDR dining was an up upgrade for my last two Celebrity cruises. The cuts of meat were better and there more vegetables and fruits. Yet, I found the dishes trying to do too much. I subscribe to the philosophy of Chef Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame—good ingredients, good seasonings, good cooking—keep it simple. The everyday menu did exactly that and I ate off that menu on four of the twelve nights of the cruise.

The Island Café was fine for breakfast, not so fine for lunch. But then I found the Aqua Spa Café for lunch and it more than met my needs. The Aqua Spa dishes are low on fact, but delicious as well.

I went to Murano’s one night and, as I expected the meal, was out of this world.

 

Service: A: My room attendant was quiet and very efficient. My first waiter was on his final cruise ever and to some extent, was mailing it in before suffering a groin injury lifting weights. My second waiter was new, but worked hard to impress.

Service is broader than the stateroom and dining room. I received two examples of exceptional service—the photo shop manager opened the photo shop during non-working hours so I could secure a needed memory card and the excursions manager changed one of my tours at the last second, beyond the deadline, when a personal issue arose for me. Excellent, excellent service.

 

The Cruise Director, Rich Clesen, and the Activities Director, Benny Bingo (give me a break), were more involved the passengers than any previous cruise experience for me. The Viking ceremony they presided over as we crossed the Arctic Circle was totally rich and I am now baptized as a Viking.

 

Entertainment: C+: Entertainment is expected, but not a revenue center, so you get the picture. The singers and dancers were new to ship, enthusiastic and will improve with more practice. Otherwise, there were two singers and a piano player, all of whom were re-cycled for “encore performances” two nights later. There was also a Swedish Juggler who managed to consume 45 minutes while doing exactly two juggling feats. I skipped the magician and all encore performances. Cruise line entertainment is disappointingly similar from cruise line to cruise line, cruise ship to cruise ship.

 

Excursions: A: There were only a few choices at each port, but the excursions were really a trip highlight for me (and pretty hard not to be in a scenic country like Norway). Special excursions, for me, included the King Crab Safari in Honnigsvag (Think of Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel), the Path of the Trolls and two sightseeing excursions in fjords, Geiranger, where we traveled to the top of a 5,000 foot mountain for the views, and Olden, where I hiked to near the base of a glacier.

 

I left the trip but with one concern. Century belongs in Europe. It fits like a glove and this season’s itineraries of the Baltics, Norway’s fjords and the Western Mediterranean Sea are perfect for Century. Century does not belong on 4-5 days trips out of Miami.

 

Thanks for your excellent review. I especially enjoyed it because this cruise is on our "to do" list :)

[Coco Creek]

I am the one from Ft. Lauderdale with a picture of me in front of the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.

 

When I searched my name, I was the first one listed.

[cruisingdelt]

Took this cruise last summer. It was outstanding. I agree with the comment about Century deserving better than 4/5 nite cruises. We have been on it 3 times. It is a great ship.

[nps001]

Thanks for posting your review. I enjoyed reading it. Though I don't agree that Century should be in Europe year round. Being from Miami, I enjoy having her here! :)

[Coco Creek]

Thanks for posting your review. I enjoyed reading it. Though I don't agree that Century should be in Europe year round. Being from Miami, I enjoy having her here! :)

 

I do understand that Century needs a winter port. But year around, doing the Carnival like 4-5 day drinking cruises? No, Century is too elegant a ship for that.

[Dontom]

Thank you for your review and the info on your excursions. We are booked on the Constellation 6/21/2010 for the same itinerary. Your review makes my planning easier. Did you do any pre or post trips out of Amsterdam?

 

Don

[Coco Creek]

Thank you for your review and the info on your excursions. We are booked on the Constellation 6/21/2010 for the same itinerary. Your review makes my planning easier. Did you do any pre or post trips out of Amsterdam?

 

Don

 

Nothing organized. I did a day of sightseeing in Amsterdam on my own--Van Gogh museum, Ann Frank house and a river cruise of the canals (a must).