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Name: Sandy McDougall
Email: denise@magi.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Public Servent
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Century
SailingDate: March 21, 1998
Itinerary: Western Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 96
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 96
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 96
GoodForSeniors: 97
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 99
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 94
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 93
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Mar 1998
Time: 13:37:41
Remote Name: 198.53.6.32
Remote User:
Comments
Comments > >My wife and I spent a very enjoyable week on the M.V. Century on the
>western Carribean tour. The
embarkcation process was quite efficent. You >are >given a number when you first
arrive and when they start calling
out the >numbers, it does not take long for them to move through the list. Once
>your >number is called, it only takes
a few minutes to go through the process >and board. When we first boarded the ship, we
were immediately struck by
>its >beauty and elegance. It reminds one of a first rate hotel in its design
>and ambiance. The second thing that
struck us was how clean it was. >people >were always vaccuming, cleaning or
polishing all over the ship. It is >clearly a
very well maintained vessel. > >Cabin: We were also very impressed with our cabin.
We had an inside >stateroom on
deck 8 located near the middle of the ship (room 8107). >Tip: >Inside staterooms are
dark and we never knew what
time it was when we >woke up. Next time we would bring a glow in the dark portable
clock for >convience. There is only
one electrical outlet so if you have alot of >electrical stuff, you should bring along
a multi-outlet extension cord. >The
>stateroom was larger than we had expected and had lots and lots of >closet space.
We requested that the beds be
joined together (it was our >anniversary afterall) and we found it to be very
comfortable. It was >difficult to tell that it
was two single beds joined together.
Like the >rest of the ship, >the cabins we kept very, very clean. The bathroom
was
nice and the >shower had plenty of pressure. Our Cabin stewart (Karina) was excellent
>and >our room was always
attended to promptly. > >There is a minibar in the cabin. We took out the contents
for the >duration of the cruise and
used the minibar as a private fridge for >wine, beer and >soft drinks. Celeberty
advises that you can not bring alcohol
aboard >(even for private consumption in your stateroom). However, this is one >rule
that >you can ignore-so long as
you are discrete in bringing stuff aboard and >in your consumption. We are beer and
wine drinkers and we had no
>problem bringing aboard both items (although we did bury them in our >carry on
luggage). There is also a duty free
shop at the departure >lounge in >Fort Lauderdale where you can buy hard liquor at a
good price which you >can
bring aboard to your room (you have to get off the ship after you >board to pick it up
but it is no big deal). The duty
free shop on board >offers somewhat better prices but will only give you your purchase
in >the >afternoon of the last
day. If you bring a insulated mug, you will have >no problem bring a drink up from your
cabin to enjoy on deck. You can
>also >bring your own wine to the main dining room and have it served for a six
>dollar corking fee (we did that once).
If you bring 12 once cans of Bud, >or >standard bottles of Carona (sp?), Samual
Adams, etc., you can easily >bring the
can or bottle up to the pool deck for consumption as they >can't tell >where you got
it. Again, be discrete if you do this.
In the lounges, its >probably better to buy from the bar. They usually have drink
specials >each day >so the prices are
quite reasonable. > >
We selected Celebrity because of its reputation for excellent quality >food and
service. We were
not disappointed on either score. I found the >food to >be on a par with many first
rate resturants (only you don't get a
bill >afterward!). We were very pleased with service we received from our >waiter
and >busboy. They were attentive
and very pleasent at all times. In fact we >had some great conversations with them and
thought of both of them as
>friends. We generally had breakfast and lunch at the Oasis Cafe by the >pool. The
food there was also generally
excellent and there was a wide >selection of foods from which to choose. I especially
enjoyed the fresh >fruit.
The only
complaint we had was that an omlet that my wife ordered >at the >Oasis was
undercooked. The waiters there will carry
your tray to your >table which I thought was a nice touch. > >The entertainment
on board was good but I would not
say it was >outstanding. We spoke to a number of experienced cruisers who felt that
>Celebrity >was one of the better
lines overall (if not the best) in that market. >However, they felt that some other
lines had a distinct edge on the
>entertainment >front. I actually quite enjoyed the shows, bands, etc. and thought
the >entertainment was certainly
more than adequate but this was our first >cruise so >we had nothing with which to
compare. There are plenty of bars
and >public rooms aboard ship and all are nice. We especially enjoyed a glass >of
port >after dinner in Michael's club.
> >The ports of call were the standard western Carribean itinary. Many >reviews
go into considerable detail about the
ports of call and the >packages >offered.
My comments on each port follow: > >Ocho Rios: We met with some friends
for most of the day so we did not >take any tours. By all accounts, Dunns River falls
is worth the visit. >Out table
>companions went and they all enjoyed it alot. We did some shopping >before we met
our friends who live nearby. We
found the vendors to be >pushy >although most responded well to a polite but firm no
thanks accompanied >with a
smile. We were charged $3.00 per person for four people (total of > >$12.00) for a
three minute cab ride frm the pier
into town which we felt >to be a major rip off. We also bought a hat for $30 which we
later found >for >sale in Key West
for $17. Tip: The best shopping is at Cozumel and Key >West so save your money to buy
souvenirs at those stops. >
>Grand Cayman: Stingray City is suppose to be excellent. Unfortunately, >the day we
arrived the seas were very rough
and the Ship's tour was >cancelled. We did spend an enjoyable day at seven mile beach
frolicking >in the waves, etc. I
noticed that Celebrity sells a Sting Ray city tour >for $38 >while local operators
offer the same tour for only $25 so you
may be >better off not booking on board but rather wait until you disembark and >go
with >a local operator. Be
careful about booking if the seas appear to be very >rough-you could be disappointed.
For seven mile beach, you can
do just >as >well if you taxi to the beach on your own without getting the package
>sold on ship. > >Cozumel: Good
for shopping. There are shops at the pier but you can >usually get better deals in
town. A ten minute cab ride into town
for >four of us >just cost $4 so we were pleased compared to the price we paid in
>Jamaica. Carlos and Charlies is
worth a visit just for the atmosphere. > >Keywest: Conch Train is enjoyable and a
nice way to tour the city. >Sloppy
Joes and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville are full by noon so drop >in early to >get a
seat. Key West seemed to have the
best deals for tee shirts. > >
Conclusion: I found the cruise to be very enjoyable overall and any >complaints we
had
were very minor indeed. The staff was generally >attentive and >friendly. The
facilities and food were first rate. I would
certainly >recommend Century and Celebrity without any hesitation. > > > >
> >
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