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Name: Peter J Ober
Email: OBER23@aol.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Systems Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Century
SailingDate: 4-25-98
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 93
FoodRoomService: 92
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 89
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 92
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino: 87
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 May 1998
Time: 14:30:35
Remote Name: 168.175.254.61
Remote User:
Comments
My Wife and I along with my sister and brother in law took the April 25th Eastern
Caribbean cruise on Celebrity's Century. I have been on five previous cruises
with NCL, Holland America and Costa. All of us were amazed at the beauty of the ship, the
friendliness of the crew. The only other ship that came close for me
was NCL's Dreamward (now Norwiegean Dream). I've broken my comments into several sections
below:
THE SHIP: This was by far the most beautiful ship I've ever been on. The interior was full
of dark woods and tastefully decorated. The three story atrium was
great especially with the coffee bar and tables. Many times we sat there drinking coffee
and watching the people pass by. The ship was kept in top shape by the
crew, both inside and out. The other thing I noticed was the ship was kept at a nice
temperature all the time. Other ships I've been on have been hot at times.
This is especially bad on the formal nights. There was plenty of deck space throughout the
ship which I especially enjoy. The pool deck was spacious and we
never had a problem getting four lounges together. The cabins were larger than NCL and
were designed well for lots of storage. While a large ship, we never
felt crowded except at the gala buffet on Thursday (unless your really hungry, skip it or
show up at 1am after the lines are gone). Its amazing how Celebrity
seems to disperse people throughout the ship to avoid crowds.
THE FOOD: Celebrity advertises that they are a premium line with food quality a step above
others. They were not lying. Breakfast, both in the dining room or at
the Island Café was pretty much standard, as was lunch. The dinners were where you really
noticed a difference. Great service along with great quality food
made for a wonderful experience every night. During the day you could get hot dogs and
hamburgers as well as pizza around the pool. The pizza was really
good. I kept thinking of how much my kids would have loved getting fast food whenever they
wanted. The only thing that was not above other lines I've been on
were the midnight buffets. They were good, but no better than other lines. The only
exception was on two nights instead of the typical buffet they had what they
called "gourmet bites". They had servers in all the public rooms come around
with a nice selection of hor's derves. This was nice as you did not have to go to
special place and stand in line. For me it was nice since I did not have to leave the
casino to eat.
THE ENTERTAINMENT: I've come to realize that the "lavish" shows are not all that
great on any cruise line. This was true of Celebrity. There was a good comedian
who gave two shows that were very funny. The band on the pool deck was a typical calypso
band. There was a great band each night in the night club on the
top deck. The simulated golf was cool and reasonably priced at $25 per 90 minutes for as
many people as you wanted, but the limited the hours so it was hard
to get a time while at sea. If your interested go straight to guest relations as you board
and get a time. The daily activities were OK but the cruise director did not
seem to seek out those who may have wanted to participate but were not with a crowd. The
casino was also only OK. The slots were very tight and not much of a
variety. They had the standard table games and the staff was very friendly. The most luck
I had actually was with the poker you could play in your state room.
Don't worry, they have a lock out option if you have kids with you.
OVERALL: I've been 5 previous cruises with NCL, Costa and Holland America and this was the
best so far. The ship, the food and the amount of outside deck
space made it for me. If your afraid of the extra money on Celebrity, don't be….It's
worth it.
TIPS: When you get to the airport in Fort Lauderdale take a cab. Its only 5-6 minutes and
about $8.00. If you have the cabin tags on your luggage they will go
straight to the ship. Don't bother getting off the ship in Old San Juan to shop. The area
is dirty and no real good buys. If you want to get off the ship take a tour
or a cab to one of the nice hotels or night clubs on the strip in "New" San
Juan. At times we did not feel real safe, especially when we saw the police wearing
bullet proof vests. If you don't want to lie on deck with a breeze get up there early so
you can get chairs on the pool deck. There are always lounges on the
deck above (which overlooks the pool), but at sea it does get breezey. If you must, try
one of the shows, but there really more like a high school show. DO go to
the disco on the top deck at night as the band they had playing (Sorry guys I forgot your
name) was really good. Kids will enjoy this room during the day as they
have free video games and telescopes to look at other ships or islands.
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