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Name: Eva Alonzo
Email: EAlonzo@crewcall.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Business Owner
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Century
SailingDate: 5/30/98
Itinerary: Western Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 199
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 98
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Jun 1998
Time: 12:43:26
Remote Name: 209.118.217.12
Remote User:
Comments
We just returned from our 5/30 sailing of the Century to the Western Carribean. First let
us say out of our previous 2 cruises - this one was definitely our best by
far. We travelled with our two children on this one. A 5 1/2 year old and a 9 1/2 year
old. All of us had a simply marvelous time, as the Century is definitely a
classy ship.
Embarkation/Disembarkation We drove down from Orlando and obtained embarkation number 11.
We were on the ship by 1:30. When you first enter into the
ship, there are lines of people waiting to escort you to your cabin, so there are no
wandering passengers looking for their cabins. The gentleman who showed
us to the cabin was very nice, and even took all of our carry on luggage from us, and
placed it in the cabin for us. When we disembarked the ship, we were
Captains Club members (well worth the $35 to join, if just to get off the ship early) so
we had number 3 to leave, and were driving home before 9am.
Cabins and Cabin Service We were in cabin number 5023, outside cabin on the Plaza Deck,
which is the deck that we entered in on. The cabins on the ship are
so well organized, that we honestly had enough space to put belongings for 4 in. There
were two upper bunks for the kids, so in essence they slept in bunk
beds, and loved every minute of it. Admittedly, we were a bit cramped being 4 in the
cabin, but all in all it was just fine. More than ample closet space, drawer
space and bathroom space (for all of your toiletries). A seperate note on the bathroom,
the Centurys bathrooms are quite large, which amazed us. Our cabin
stewardess and her assistant kept the cabin immaculate the entire cruise. She even emptied
the mini bar for us before we sailed, so we were able to put in our
own beverages and such. All in all, the cabin service was top notch.
Food There is nothing bad to say about any of the food service on Celebrity. Everyone
raves about the food on Celebrity cruises and they are certainly right.
Ever meal was a delight. We were in the Main Seating for dinner, on the upper deck in a
table for 4, directly behind the string quartet (which plays throughout
the meal, and really adds a wonderful ambiance to dinner). All of the buffets in the
Island cafe were also wonderful. There are choices for both hot and cold
entrees (at both breakfast and lunch) and the best part about the buffets were that there
were always waiters waiting to help you carry your tray to a table of
your own choosing. We really liked that added touch, as sometimes it is hard to balance
trays, while holding kids hands, etc. The Century also has a grill that is
open for the lunch hours which has standard fare of hamburgers, hotdogs with all the
fixings plus an additional hot entree. Our kids truly enjoyed their burgers!
We also got room service on a couple of occasions. The room service menu is extremely
limited, but what we did order came to us promptly and was also very
good. Don't miss out on the pizza, which can be delivered by room service, or you can pick
it up at the Grill(which is also the pizzaria during off hours).
Food Service Our Dining room staff was the best on the ship by far!!! We loved our Waiter
Joey, and his busboy Guillermo. Both never steered us wrong as to
selections, and both made us feel like Kings and Queens. They were always there, knowing
what we needed, even before we knew it. Plus, both of them
entertained our kids and really made them feel special. They made them Origami figures
every night, as well as cooled their food for them, even cut the meat for
them!! They also let our son order from a mix of the adult menu and the kids menu. Both of
them still talk about the two of them, and how they both miss them.
On a seperate note, our bar server for the dining room was also top notch. Bailey even
taught our daughter a Jamaican poem which she says with a Jamaican
accent. I cannot say enough good things about the care that we got from all of them.
Entertainment We are not much on going to the shows, but had alot of friends onboard who
loved the shows. There is a great band playing by the pool, who
constantly had the crowd moving to the beat. The string quartet that plays at dinner also
played throughout the ship, and all of them were excellent. There were
other lounges and such throughout the ship, with various forms of entertainment, either
day or night. One of our disappointments was the lack of personnel in
the casino (which I am including in the entertainment section). I was never once offered a
drink during any of my times at the casino. Plus there were never any
personnel wandering around the casino, all with the exception of the maintenance crew, who
were constantly fixing broken machines. I found the last of bar
service during my time at the casino a bit annoying, as I truly enjoy sipping a drink
while I play the slot machines.
Ports of Call The Century stopped in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel,
Mexico and Key West. It also included 2 days at sea. For our time in
Jamaica, we hired a driver from Maxi tours to take us on a tour of the area. We really
enjoyed our time with Neville, who was a super sweet man, who showed us
everything we wanted to see. On Grand Cayman we took the Pirate Encounter shore excursion
through the ship. It was a replica of a pirate ship, with unlimited
rum punch and a short stop for everyone to walk the plank into the Carribean Sea. It was a
nice time, but be warned, a definite booze cruise (not appropriate
for kids by anymeans. We were misled as to the type of cruise it was). In Cozumel (our
favorite stop by far) we rented a jeep and toured the island ourselves.
We stopped when we wanted to, saw everything we wanted to see and even had time to have
lunch at Carlos and Charlies. That place is WILD!!! Even our kids
enjoyed it after a while (we sat in the restaurant part of it). Save all your money to
shop in Cozumel, as the prices are dirt cheap and all the locals really make
you feel welcome in their shops. In Key West we took the Conch Train, and headed back to
the ship to enjoy the peace and quiet while everyone else was on
shore. All in all, all the stops were fine.
Kids Programs I cannot say enough good things about the Kids Programs on Celebrity. Both
of our kids really loved spending time with the counselors and their
new found friends. We had them in two different groups - Shipmates (ages 3 - 6) was where
our daughter was, and Cadets (ages 8 - 11) was where our son
was. The shipmates always met in the Fun Factory - which is the Kids room on the ship.
Inside there was a ballpit, computers and games, and TONS of arts and
crafts stuff to do. The older kids met at the sky bar, where they too had games to play,
basketball tournaments, art scavenger hunts (which our son won and has
a really nice medal from Celebrity). Admittedly, the older kids didnt have as much to do
as the younger ones, but both of our kids were well cared for, and totally
entertained. The hours of operation for the kids programs are 9am - 12pm, 2pm - 5pm, 8pm -
10pm with slumber parties in the Fun Factory from 10pm - 1am
(nominal charge for the slumber party). During the slumber parties, the kids were on clean
mats, with pillows and blankets provided, all while a childrens movie
was playing. Our son never slept there, but would lay down and watch the movie. Our
daughter was sleeping before her head hit the pillow every time she was
there.
Overall Review Since this was our first time on the Century, we just had our two previous
Carnival cruises to compare it to. We absolutely loved this ship, as it is a
stunning one. There were some minor glitches during our cruise. The interactive TV did not
work for the first 2 days, but once it was fixed it worked well (the
entire Interactive system was down). We also noticed that the other computers and such
aboard needed some maintenance, which we felt the Century staff was
lacking in that department. The lack of service in the casino definitely put a damper on
my casino time. But on the good side, on Carnival ships the
photographers were always in your face, but not here on the Century. Yes, they were out
and about on the ship, and in port trying to take your picture. But if
you told them no, they just smiled, said thank you and were on their way. Not like
Carnival at all, because they never took no as an answer. Everyone on board,
from the Officers (who were constantly out and about on the ship) to the maintenance
people all had smiles on their faces. All had a kind word to say to you no
matter what time of the day or night. All in our our experience on the Century was a great
one, and we are looking forward to our next Celebrity Cruise!
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