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Name: David & Judith Fontana
Email: dafontana@juno.com
Age: 50
Occupation: engineer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Century
SailingDate: 08/15/98
Itinerary: E. Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 97
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets: 87
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 92
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 87
WheelchairAccess: 96
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 87
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 88
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 87
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 94
Stabilization: 86
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Aug 1998
Time: 19:20:39
Remote Name: 208.198.32.110
Remote User:
Comments
General - Having read all the cruise review reviews of Century,
let me agree with the concensus that the ships are kept
immaculately clean; the food,
especially in the Grand Restaurant, is superb; despite the fact
that the ship was fully booked, there was only one line we had to
stand in (at the Grand
Midnight Buffet); and service throughout the ship was generally
excellent to outstanding. Being first time cruisers (but seasoned
world travelers), we will
concentrate our comments on our likes and dislikes, and tips
others might find useful.
Shore to Ship Transfers - If you fly into Ft. Lauderdale, take a
taxi ($7, 10 minutes) to Port Everglades in lieu of purchasing
the $20 per person transfer
package. You not only save a few bucks, but don’t have to
wait for your bus to fill up when you disembark. If you fly in to
West Palm Beach or Miami, the
transfer packages are much cheaper that taxi or limo.
Embarkation - Arriving early just means you wait longer. The ship
does not begin boarding til 1PM. We arrived at 2:30PM and were in
our room by 3PM
or a little after. It helped a lot to have completely filled out
and signed all the forms that came with the ticket package.
Cabin Choice - Regular cabins are on decks 3 & 4 and 8 &
9; suites and some insides on 10. Be careful what is above you.
Our table mates had a deck
10 inside under the pool/fitness area that was extremely noisy
when those facilities were in use. Our cabin was 9233, an outside
on deck 9, very near the
aft end of the ship. There was more noise toward the aft when the
ship manuevered or reversed engines coming into or going out of
port (sometimes at
5-7AM or 12:30AM), but otherwise it was very quiet. We weren’t
sure if we wanted an outside before we went, but we are now - the
views were great.
We attended the ‘repeaters’ cocktail party and gifts
were give to those the top 3 couples who had cruised the most
with Celebrity (26, 28 and [WOW] 47
times!). When their cabin numbers were announced, they were all
on deck 9 amidships or forward - I guess they know. As to cabin
size, all except
deluxe and suites are about 175 sq feet and have plenty of closet
and storage space.
Food Variety - No dinner items were repeated during the cruise.
There was always 4-5 appetizers, 3 soups (2 hot, 1 cold), 2
salads, 5-6 main courses,
and 4-6 desserts. They also offer a separate vegetarian menu. No
one except the most picky eater will have any trouble finding
something they like. At
lunch, we noticed very little duplication (one entree) between
what was served in the Grand Restaurant and what was on the
buffet in the Islands Cafe.
Breakfast is breakfast - kippers were the only extra available in
the Grand Restuarant.
Wine - We enjoy wine with dinner and have our own cellar at home.
Pack several special bottles in your luggage and the restaurant
sommelier will open
them for a $6/bottle corkage fee, with no hassle. The wine list
is adequate, with pricing similar to regular restaurants. Bottles
start around $17, with many
in the $20s and on up. No great old vintages. Relative bargains
were a respectable Santa Carolina Reserva Cab for $18 and a dry
Rose de Provence for
$17 (although I did send one bottle of this back as corked, again
with no hassle). Wine by the glass runs $4-$6, with a limited
selection available. A 15%
gratuity is automatically added to all wine and bar purchases. If
you buy a bottle and don’t finish it, they will keep it for
you until the next night’s dinner.
Activities - A broad spectrum is available, from bingo to wine
tastings. Free activities in the spa include aerobics 1-2 times a
day, and a couples massage
lesson. As this lesson requires on member of the couple to strip
to the waist in room full of people, it was the guys who got the
massages from their
wife/significant other. I told my wife she was learning a useful
skill she could practice (on me) often! If you attend the art
auction, buy only what you really
like, not for investment. Remember that the firm conducting the
‘auction’ is really just offering art at their retail
price, disguised as ‘opening bids’.
Ports/Shore Excursions - We didn’t do any of the
ship-sponsored excursions, prefering to strike out on our own. We
agree with the many comments
about the short stay in San Juan (4:30PM-midnight). The
historical sights close at 5PM. Having done SJ before, we stayed
on the ship and had a great
dinner. In St. Thomas, we recommend a visit to the recently
reopened Coral World on the north side of the island. Take a taxi
for $5-6 per person.
Entrance is a hefty $18 each, unfortunately. There are several
exhibits: a reef with lots of tropical fish life you can look at
up close from inside an
underwater building, a stingray tank, a shark tank (pet the tail
ONLY!), a large indoor seawater aquarium, etc. There is a beach
adjacent with a snorkle
rental shop. Taxis stop frequently for the return trip to town.
In Nassau, take a 10 minute walk up the hill to the water tower
(you can see it from the pier)
and pay 50 cents each to ride the elevator to the top. Its the
highest point on the island and offers a great view.
Our Favorites - Breakfast (and an evening glass of dessert wine)
on the fantail deck aft of the Islands Cafe. It is sheltered from
the wind by the ship
superstructure. In the evenings, it was nearly deserted and a
great place to watch the sun set into the ocean. Another great
place to watch the entry into
a port is the Hemisphere bar, forward on deck 11. You are never
hassled for drinks - they ask once and leave a napkin if you
decline - that’s it.
One Final Word - Our dinners were really great because we had a
great group of people seated at our table. If you don’t
click, don’t be afraid to ask to
be moved. In general, don’t be hesitant about asking for
something special, like hot sauce for your omelet at breakfast,
etc...its your cruise...enjoy.
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