celebrity-galaxy10

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Dave Winters
Email: dcwinters@mediaone.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Learning Disabilities Specialist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Galaxy
SailingDate: 01/29/00
Itinerary: Southern Carribean
Cabin: 1007/Category 2
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 96
CabinQuietness: 96
FoodMidnightBuffets: 94
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 97
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 96
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 93
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 94
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Feb 2000
Time: 09:30:02
Remote Name: rm01-24-131-189-227.ce.mediaone.net
Remote User:

Comments

After many years of dreaming, planning, and saving, my wife and I went on our first cruise, choosing
the Galaxy on the recommendation of our travel agent. We had hoped to celebrate
our 25th wedding anniversary on a cruise, but had to wait an extra 18 months. It was well worth it.
This was the most marvelous vacation we have ever taken and we will be cruising again.

Embarkation: Because we were traveling in the middle of winter, I decided that I did not want to have
any significant worries about arriving in San Juan. Therefore, we used the Celebrity Air/Sea
Program. Overall, we were pleased with it. Because trying to get out of the house for a trip can be
so hectic, my wife and I each took off work the day before the cruise. We spent the day taking care
of all the final details and then went to the O’Hare Hilton for the night. (I got a great room rate from
Expedia.com.) This way we were close to the airport for our 6:30 a.m. flight. We were booked on
American Airlines. One of the few disappointments on this trip was that, even though we arrived at
the airport at 5:00 a.m., the only seats left were not together. So we flew to San Juan in different
rows. At the San Juan airport, a representative from the cruise line was there to meet us, holding up
her white RCCL/Celebrity sign. She was very helpful and led us to the place where we would get on
the bus. Another plus for using the air/sea package was that we did not have to go collect our
luggage!! The bus quickly transported us to the dock. While not particularly eye-pleasing, the dock
was clean and efficient. Possibly because we were fairly early, boarding around 2:30 p.m., there
were no significant lines. We easily checked in with almost no waiting, went through the security
check, had our picture taken, and were on the ship. There we were met by a crewmember, who
escorted us to our cabin on the Penthouse Deck. She showed us the major parts of the cabin and
made sure that we were settled in before leaving. In many ways, we knew what to expect with the
cabin because we had ordered Celebrity’s video on the Galaxy. The video also helped build our
anticipation of the cruise.

Cabin: We had a Category 2 cabin in the forward section of the Penthouse Deck. This cabin had a
veranda. I think we have now been completely spoiled and will only want a cabin with a veranda from
now on! It was wonderful to step out anytime of the day and experience the sights, sounds, and
smells of a sea voyage. I had been concerned that the veranda would be very small, but its size was
adequate. We often spent part of our early evening before dinner and after the sail away reading.

The interior of the cabin was well designed. There was not a lot of extra room, but we always had
adequate space. Between the bed and veranda was a loveseat on one side of the room and a desk
and chair on the other. We found that we had ample closet and drawer space. We especially
appreciated the drawers in the middle closet. Above those drawers was a safe, which was easily
accessible and fairly easy to use. The bed (actually 2 twins put together) was much more
comfortable than I had expected. I must admit that I am not sure who chose the color scheme or
bedspread and draperies. I thought the orange, red and blue in them did not match the style the
rest of the ship was trying to project. There was a television and VCR and little shelf in one corner of
the room, next to the closets. This was nicely situated, and we used the top shelf to place the
flowers and little teddy bear that I had sent my wife. The TV had several movie channels, CNN,
ESPN, and several information and music channels. They even had the Super Bowl broadcast into
the rooms.

We were also impressed with the bathroom. The shower was a nice size and had a place where you
could put your soap and shampoo, although there was a shampoo dispenser in there as well. The
counter and sink area of the bath was adequate, as well. We especially liked the shelving in the
corner so we could put our toiletries. The one thing that was missing in the bath was a plug so my
wife could use her curling iron and own blow dryer. We finally found the sole plug in the room; it was
just above the desk on the wall that had the door to the veranda. We wished we had brought a
multiple outlet adapter or extension cord. Most days, my wife fixed her hair at the desk instead of in
the bath.

Service in our cabin was exceptional! Whenever we needed something, which was not often, it was
provided within minutes of our request. We were amazed that both the ice bucket and water carafe
were consistently filled and fresh. Even on the days that we took several showers, we found a set of
clean towels each time we returned to our room.

Dining: One of the aspects of a cruise that I had anticipated the most was the eating opportunities
on board! I was not disappointed. Except for one steak that was a bit tough, the food was excellent.
It was usually nicely presented and tasted quite good, although, it was not the best food I had ever
tasted. Overall, though, it was much better than most hotel restaurant or banquet facility food,
especially when considering that they were feeding almost 2,000 people!

I appreciated the luncheon in the Oasis Café on the day of sailing. By the time we had boarded the
ship, we were getting quite hungry. The dinner that evening was also welcome; we had thought we
might need to go into the city for something to eat, so it was nice to be able to have a wonderful
meal on board the ship. At first, we thought that 5 courses would give us too much food, but we
seldom left anything on our plates! Maybe the sea air makes one hungrier!

For breakfast and several lunches, we ate at the Oasis Café. We were impressed by the variety of
foods in the buffet. It was especially nice that a waiter met us after getting our food and escorted us
to a table. At breakfast, I really liked the French toast and fruit. Several days they had a berry
medley that was quite good. One day we arrived on the ship too late for lunch, but still had an ample
amount to eat at the afternoon tea.

Neither of us drinks any alcohol, but sometimes we do like to splurge on a non-alcoholic treat. We
were impressed that the cruise had a different non-alcoholic drink featured each day. We really
liked the Strawberry Whip. Because I had read that soft drinks were expensive, we drank iced tea at
mealtimes. Before we left San Juan, we also purchased 4 6-packs of Diet Pepsi at the little store at
the pier. They were $2.95 each compared to the $2 per can price on board ship. We then cleaned
out the minibar in our room and packed it full of Diet Pepsi. We found that 2 6-packs would have
been enough, because we didn’t really drink a lot in our room.

Assigned seating began Sunday evening. We were assigned to a table for four at the back of the
upper floor of the Orion Dining Room. Our waiter, Tayfun, was marvelous, as was his assistant, who
was a young man from the Czech republic trying to earn enough money to go back home and attend
the university. These men worked hard, trying to make our experience pleasant. We were amazed
with the huge loads of food they carried, especially when we found out that they carried them up an
escalator from the galley to our floor! Our tablemates were two gentlemen from New York, also on
their first cruise. One has been in the hotel business for many years, and he often told us how
amazed he was of how smoothly things ran in the dining room, especially considering the number of
people they were serving at once. While we enjoyed our tablemates, my wife felt awkward to be at a
table with three men and just one woman. We had late seating and really enjoyed it; although, we
often were not very hungry for the fabled midnight buffets! We often eat late at home, so the time
was not unusual for us. It also allowed us to go to our favorite place for the sail away and then have
a relaxing time getting ready for dinner. Most nights this included a half-hour on the treadmill in the
fitness center.

The dinners were a wonderful experience. We got to try new dishes, especially appetizers and
soups, as well as enjoy old favorites. Some dishes were especially good, such as the shrimp
cocktails, cream of asparagus soup, lobster tail, and baked Alaska. I thought the lobster bisque had
a strong fish taste rather than a lobster taste, and one night our steaks were tough. The deserts
were always wonderful.

One of the highlights of the cruise was the galley tour we took on Thursday afternoon. While it did
not last long (about 20 minutes), it was fascinating to see where the food is prepared and the
efficient way the galley has been designed. We were amazed to discover that the dishwasher takes
just 90 seconds to wash, rinse, and sanitize each load.

The midnight buffets were quite enjoyable. We especially enjoyed the melon parade. The carved
melons were creative. In fact, I was often amazed at the food carvings and sculptures at each of the
meals. I had never seen it done so extensively. The Grand Buffet on Thursday night was especially
wonderful. There were about 10 ice carvings and the food was attractively displayed. We took many
pictures and video of each section during the ½ hour picture session before the buffet opened. I
was especially intrigued by the penguins made of eggs and black olives. The food on this buffet was
absolutely delectable!

Ship Facilities: We found the layout of the ship to be well planned. Especially helpful were the
listings at each elevator of the various decks and the main facilities on each deck. Several areas
quickly became our favorites. Each night’s sail away was spent on the front of the Resort Deck
(Deck 11). It overlooked the bow and had great views on each side.

We decided to really splurge and each of us signed up for 3 treatments at the AquaSpa. On
Sunday, which was an at-sea day, we had the seaweed wrap and full body massage. About ½ hour
before our appointment, we relaxed in the Thalassotherapy Pool. This seawater pool was both
relaxing and invigorating. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I had put my room card in the
pocket of my swim trunks and lost it in the swirling waters of the pool. Fortunately, Guest Relations
was very gracious and quickly generated a new one for me. We both thoroughly enjoyed the
seaweed wrap and body massage and would heartily recommend it to anyone. Our second
treatment was a hydrotherapy bath. This was nice, but not as much of a highlight as the other
treatments. It was very much like a regular whirlpool. On Friday, my wife had a facial. She did not
enjoy it as much as the other treatments, primarily because the person doing the facial talked all the
way through it. Much of the talk was how my wife shouldn’t be doing some things and how she
should buy many of the spa’s products. In contrast, I had a reflexology session, which was an almost
hour-long foot massage that investigates and stimulates the nerve endings in the feet. This was
incredibly relaxing.

Although we are not fitness fanatics, we do enjoy being able to use a treadmill when we can fit it in.
The treadmills on the Galaxy were on the same deck as the AquaSpa. There were about 8
treadmills and we had to sign up for 30 minutes on the one we wanted each day. These were very
nice treadmills, complete with built-in programs so the workout could be varied. It was nice that they
looked right out a window on the side of the ship; however, most of the time, we had our workouts
after the sail away and it was dark outside. The staff on the gymnasium was very helpful to us as
well. Because of our busy schedule, we did not try out the main pools or whirlpools on the ship.

We also visited several of the shops. On one of the nights, one of the shops had a special watch
sale. Both my wife and I got very nice watches at a reasonable price. We bought a few souvenirs,
but not as many as we would have liked, primarily because the prices were higher than we wanted to
pay. The shops are very attractive and the clerks were friendly.

Shore Excursions: My wife and I like to experience locales as much as possible. Therefore, we
overdid the shore excursions. Before leaving on the cruise, we had read the shore excursion
pamphlet and a book on cruising the Caribbean. We had decided that since we had not been on
most of the islands before, we would use the ship-sponsored shore excursions rather than take a
chance finding a good cab driver. At the end of the cruise, we were very pleased that we had made
this decision. We had mapped out the excursions we wanted to take. We were very pleased to find
that one of the T.V. channels in our room had the Shore Excursion Director, Steve, talking about
how to sign up for the excursions. Most helpful was his lengthy descriptions of each excursion that
included helpful hints. After watching this program, we decided which excursions we wanted and
went down to the shore excursion desk to sign up. Since we arrived before they opened for the
night, we filled out a shore excursion order form. Because we did this early in the cruise, we got to
go on all of the excursions we wanted. Our tickets were delivered to our room and the cost was
added to our bill.

St Lucia: We took the 7-hour excursion, which provided a nice tour of the island. We thoroughly
enjoyed the catamaran ride along the coast of the island. There were some very scenic spots!
However, we were very cramped in the mini-buses that took us on the next part of the tour. They
were small vans that had been equipped to seat 14 passengers plus the driver. However, we found
the seats to be so close together that our knees were sticking into the backs of the persons in the
row before us. Then when they put down the side seat, we felt as if we had no way out and became
claustrophobic; which is very unusual for us. We also sat so high that it was difficult to see anything
out of the window that was not at our level or below. However uncomfortable the ride was, the tour
was interesting. We saw the Pitons and then went to a drive-through volcano, where we could view
boiling mud. It was fascinating. After the volcano, we went to lunch at a lovely restaurant called The
Still. The lunch was very good and the restaurant was attractive. After lunch, we went to a botanical
garden. This garden was very interesting and had some beautiful specimens. The highlight of the
garden was a waterfall with water from the mineral springs we had seen at the volcano. Then we had
a short drive back to the bay where we boarded larger mini-busses. These were much more
comfortable and had air-conditioning. We had an invigorating drive back to the ship; the road was
very curvy and hilly. The lady next to us became ill during the drive; possibly, she had had a bit too
much rum punch and found the motion of the drive unsettling. We returned to the dock about 30-45
minutes before we were due to be on the boat. This was disappointing, because we did not have
any time to explore the shopping in the town. We did hurriedly get some shopping done at the shops
that were right by the dock, but only had time to buy a few souvenirs for our children and their
significant others. Speaking of shopping, at every location on our tour, there were several people
selling items. We didn’t buy anything, but later wished we had; one gentleman offered to sell us a
tiger-eye necklace for just $5, rather than the $10-15 on other islands.

Barbados: We booked two shore excursions on the day we visited Barbados. This was a mistake,
even though both excursions were wonderful. In the morning, we went snorkeling over a shipwreck.
The shipwreck was quite close to the surface and there was an abundance of colorful fish. The
snorkeling equipment the tour group provided was in excellent condition. After snorkeling for 30-45
minutes, the catamaran went on a relaxing sail along the coast of the island. We got back to the
dock around noon. We began looking for our souvenirs at the nice shopping mall at the dock.
However, because we didn’t really have time to eat on the ship, we tried to get something to eat in
the mall. There were no eating-places other than a few carts. We each had a chicken rotis from one
of the carts. This was another mistake; it did not agree with me, and I did not feel very well the rest
of the day. Then we went on our second excursion of the day. We were pleased when the
mini-busses on this excursion were in better condition and more comfortable. This island is not as
mountainous as St. Lucia, which also helped. On this excursion, we visited a botanical garden. It was
more established than the one on St. Lucia and even more beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed the
garden and got many wonderful pictures. After that, we visited Harrison’s Cave. This was a very
interesting tour, with a tram ride through the cave. When we returned to the pier, we were able to do
our souvenir shopping and even had a little time to look in some of the other shops for things for us.
However, we regretted that we did not have any time to go into town for shopping.

Martinique: It was so much fun to go to France for one day of our trip. I had minored in French many
years ago and even had taught some French 1 classes in schools. However, I realized that my
French was rusty, so I did not do a lot of conversing while on the island. We did not have a tour in
the morning, so we slept in a bit, had a late breakfast, and then went into town. The pier at which the
ship docked was very attractive and led us right into the main downtown area. We enjoyed our time
looking in the shops and found some marvelous souvenirs for our children. We stopped in at an
American Express office and emailed our family members. Our message ended up being very short,
because I did not realize that French computer keyboards have letters in different places than
English keyboards! I typed while my wife watched the screen and told me (quite often) to go back
and fix a word. However, the price of $4 for 15 minutes was quite reasonable; much better than a
phone call and we could contact more people. The people were very friendly and the town was
beautiful. In the afternoon, we took a driving tour. It began in a taxi. When we got in, the driver
handed us a brochure and pointed out the English descriptions and map of where we would be
going. However, we soon found that the stops listed on the brochure did not match all of the stops
we made. First, we went to a church that had been modeled after Sacre Couer in Paris. The view
was beautiful; we could even see our ship down in the harbor. Then we went to a botanical garden
(the third of our trip—we were becoming experts!!). This was the most beautiful of the gardens we
visited, although the path was not always well marked and I often wondered if we would really find
the parking lot again. We finally did and found our taxi driver. Then he took us on a beautiful drive
and made a quick stop at a waterfall. Next, we arrived at a rum factory. Here we changed from the
taxi to a large bus. This change was very confusing as it had not been well explained to us and the
people from the bus were changing into our taxis. The bus took us on a guided tour of St. Pierre,
which had been the capital of Martinique until destroyed by a volcanic eruption that killed 29,000
people. The tour was very interesting, although somewhat marred by fellow passengers who were
overly concerned about missing the boat. I think the guide had the driver skip some of the sights to
accommodate these people, which was disappointing. The guide also had an annoying style of
narration. Despite the people’s concern, we made it back to the ship in plenty of time. I think
Martinique was one of my favorite islands; its beauty was incredible.

Antigua: In the morning, we went on a panoramic drive to Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbor.
This was a very interesting tour. English Harbor is a hurricane refuge. The scenery was beautiful
and we had a very good guide. After the tour, we spent most of the rest of the day shopping. We
had wanted to buy anniversary rings for both of us, but were very disappointed with the selection of
men’s rings. We also visited a place so we could send some more emails. The cost was the same as
on Martinique. All day long, steel drum bands were playing on the pier and downtown. This music
was very enjoyable and gave this island a special Caribbean flavor.

St. Thomas: This was our third trip to St. Thomas, and we were met at the ship by a dear friend who
took us around the island for the day. We went snorkeling at a little harbor on the south side of the
island. We had a wonderful lunch at the restaurant by the beach. Then we went shopping
downtown. My wife and I found a beautiful pair of sapphire and diamond bands to use as
anniversary bands. We also bought some camera equipment. We enjoy walking through St.
Thomas, although it can be very crowded.

Entertainment: The Galaxy had a variety of entertainment. We especially enjoyed the Kastior
Quartet in the Orion Restaurant each evening. At each venue or event, the musical entertainment
matched the atmosphere well. All of the entertainers were energetic and contributed to the
enjoyment of the cruise. My least favorite group was the High C’s, an acapella men’s quartet. Their
blend was adequate, but I found the high tenor’s antics annoying and distracting. I especially wished
he had discarded the glass frames.

The Celebrity Theater was perfectly suited to the shows offered. The seats were comfortable, with
plenty of legroom, probably to allow the cocktail staff access to all the guests. The stage was nicely
sized and was complete with visual and audio effects. Using cameras out in the audience that
projected images on the TV screens at the rear of the stage allowed all of us to have several
viewpoints of the action on stage. We also were happy to have this as our muster location. The
shows ranged from acceptable to outstanding. We especially enjoyed the hilarious hijinks of Howie
and Bert, a comedy-juggling act. We laughed harder than we had for a long time! Unfortunately, I
think their stint on the Galaxy ended with our cruise, as we saw them at the San Juan airport. We
also really enjoyed the creativity displayed at the Cirque du Galaxy. I was amazed with everything
they could get on the stage at one time as well as the special effects.

Debarkation: Because we had an early flight, we were fortunate to be in the first group to disembark
the ship. This was especially nice because we would have had to be out of our cabin by 8:00 a.m.
anyway. We found disembarkation quite smooth. I think it helped that we had watched the cruise
director’s discussion on disembarkation on TV while we were packing the night before. We were a
bit late getting the luggage out of our cabin, because the evening was so filled with activities, but it
was gone when we got up. We really appreciated the American Airlines representatives in the
Celebrity Theater early that morning. We went and got our boarding passes for the flight. This time
we were even given seats together! When we got into the building at the pier, there were porters
waiting to help us with our baggage. They took us to a line behind a truck for the American Airlines
baggage. Then we loaded a bus that quickly took us to the airport. We had a wonderful flight; all of
our luggage arrived, and we brought with us many wonderful memories of our glorious cruise.

Name: Jerry Harper
Email: jh1013@aol.com
Age: 57
Occupation: Engineering Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Galaxy
SailingDate: February 19, 2000
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 1008 (Outside with veranda)
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 89
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 79
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Feb 2000
Time: 11:08:41
Remote Name: jrichardson.osec.doc.gov
Remote User:

Comments

I just completed a seven-day (Feb 19 to 26, 2000) Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Galaxy, and
wanted to share what I hope will be a realistic and objective review of the ship and the cruise. In planning
this cruise, I visited the cruiseopinion website a number of times and read nearly all the Galaxy reviews
posted here. My observations were that the reviews posted were either extremely kind to Galaxy (scores
all in the high 90s) or inconsistent (serious complaints, yet high marks). In my review, I have provided
marks which are probably lower than Galaxy’s averages, but feel that they are accurate – after all, marks
consistently in the 90s indicates stellar performance, and in my opinion Galaxy did not perform in that
category. Specifically:

The ship The Galaxy is indeed a fine ship, and she gets outstanding marks here. Every area I visited was
immaculately clean and well cared for. Décor is very tastefully done, and while I can’t provide a designer’s
professional description, I was very impressed. Staterooms are standard cruise ship fare in that space is
necessarily limited, although the balcony is indeed a special touch. Although limited in size, the stateroom
was very comfortable and quiet. Excessive motion was never a problem, and even though located on deck
ten directly under the exercise area, noise was never a factor. The Celebrity Theatre is the finest I have
seen on a ship, as is the Orion Restaurant. Being in late seating, I never felt the much-publicized vibration
in the dining room, but did, on one occasion did notice strong vibrations in the Savoy Nightclub during the
process of getting underway. The dining room, being one deck lower, must have been subjected to the
same vibration and noise. Of the dozen (count ‘em – twelve) bars aboard, Michael’s was my favorite, with
the Ocean and Sky bars being tied for second. Some of the others seemed superfluous, being stuck at
the edge of a passageway or in an area not conducive to relaxation.

The food This is where I felt Galaxy truly disappointed. Celebrity goes to great lengths to publicize their
relationship with Michelle Roux and in their own brochures advertise their dining as a five-star experience.
Dining on Galaxy is definitely NOT five-star, and in fact is far below what I have experienced on Princess
cruises. At dinner, the food ranged from inedible to pretty good. Not once would I have described dinner
as outstanding or even very good. Presentation was very tastefully done, but the quality ended with the
appearance. Appetizers and entrees were dry and tired and salads were unimaginative. Special requests
were simply beyond the capability of the waitstaff. The breakfast buffet was limited in variety, fruits being
limited to melon and pineapple, and pastries consisting of dried-out croissants and sticky buns.
Incidentally, don’t hope for better in the dining room; the one difference is that you don’t load your own
plate. The reason for the poor quality of food is, I am sure, in the vast quantities of meals being prepared
at one time, but if Celebrity is going to publicize their quality as ‘five-star’, they should be prepared to
deliver the same.

The ports There are a number of good guidebooks to the Caribbean ports, so I won’t try to add to what
they can more ably provide. A couple of points though: (1) don’t be put off by what you may have heard
about rudeness on Martinique. My French, consisting of bon-jour, merci, oui, and si vu plais, was all I
needed to get along quite well. You will find less rudeness on Martinique than you will in New York
(although that may not be such a rousing endorsement !!). (2) Skip the shore excursions. There are no
shore excursions offered that you can’t duplicate yourself without the hassle of being loaded into a
crammed van without a dozen other folks, and the cost for a taxi for two is about equal to the over-priced
organized shore excursions.

I want to be careful not to bore anyone by droning on and on, so I will end by saying that the points
presented above fairly well summarize my Galaxy experience. It is unfortunate that the poor quality of food
impacted my opinion so greatly, but please remember that food is only one aspect of a cruise (not the
most important, in my opinion), and that the many other aspects of the cruise led to an enjoyable overall
experience.

Name: Holly Munch
Email: hmunch@hep.hubbell.com
Age: 37
Occupation: Pricing Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Galaxy
SailingDate: 2/26/00
Itinerary: Southern Carribean
Cabin: 9155/cat 2
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 91
CabinComfort: 94
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck: 94
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 92
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Mar 2000
Time: 12:04:55
Remote Name: hubbell-das.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was the first cruise for my husband and I. I can guarantee it will not be our last. We went alone on
this trip it was our first vacation together since having kids. I think for the future it would be fun to cruise
with other family or friends, and we will probably bring our children on a cruise when they are older.

Our vacation began on Friday, February 25 when we flew to San Juan. We booked our own flight
because we were able to get cheaper rates than what the air/sea package quoted. We also wanted to
come in a day early because we were coming from Buffalo, NY and could not be sure what the weather
would be like in February. Turns out it was 70 degrees in Buffalo the day we left! We booked Friday night
at the Radisson-Ambassador Plaza at the recommendation of a friend. The hotel was average, but did
not seem worth the $200 per night we paid. Our flight was late and we did not arrive in San Juan until
10:30pm, so after checking in we went down to the lounge and casino at the hotel and had
complimentary pina coladas. The next morning we took a walk and found a small café for breakfast. We
then returned to the hotel, packed our bags, checked out and taxied to the ship terminal. It was too early
to check in but the porters took our luggage and we did not see it again until we later found our cabin.
We then took a taxi to Old San Juan and did our own walking tour. We very much enjoyed the city and its
history.

We arrived back at the terminal around 3:30pm and had no lines or problems getting our boarding
passes. There was a duty free liquor store in the terminal and we were told we could bring liquor on the
ship. So we purchased some rum, vodka, juice, daiquiri mix, 12-pack of coke and three bottles of water,
all at great prices! The lady checking us out even threw in a complimentary bottle of champagne. Be
aware, you must get your boarding pass before you can make purchases at the duty free store.

Once on board we were shown to our cabin by a crewmember. We were on the Vista Deck 9/category 2
cabin with balcony. As I mentioned, our luggage was waiting for us, along with another bottle of
champagne, which we had ordered previously. Our cabin was wonderful, plenty of room for our clothes,
suitcases and toiletries. The bathroom was supplied with lotion and shampoo, although we had brought
our own. There was also a hair dryer, but I did not find the power to be very strong, so I used the hair
dryer I had brought. The only outlet in the room is next to the desk. We especially loved the balcony. We
spent time out there in the mornings when we awoke, before dinner enjoying cocktails, watching a couple
of sunsets, and at night watching the stars before going to bed. I think we will always choose a cabin with
a balcony, it is worth the money.

The Galaxy is a beautiful ship, always spotless. We visited most of the public areas, then of course
established our favorites. The Rendezvous Lounge and Stratosphere Lounge were our before and after
dinner favorites. We enjoyed the music in each of these. The Savoy Lounge was also very nice. We
participated in the karoke on two separate nights. It was very fun! The pool area was nice. There were
four total hot tubs and two pools. There was a third pool in the aft of the ship, which we did not use. We
never had a problem getting a lounge chair, even on the day at sea; and it was a full cruise. The Aqua
Spa was nice. I treated myself to a seaweed wrap and massage. It was wonderful, but a little pricey! We
toured the workout facility with good intentions of using, but never actually did!

Food: The food was delicious. The Orion Restaurant was very good, especially the appetizers and
soups. Entrées may not have been 5-Star, but they were very, very good considering the number of
people being served. I love beef and ordered steaks three nights; only once was my steak a little
overcooked and tough. The filet mignon was done perfectly. My husband found the chicken dishes to be
ok, but the fish was very good. We usually went with the chef’s recommendations, but not always. We
ordered a bottle of wine with dinner each night and found the selection and prices to be reasonable.
Desserts were good, but started to taste the same after awhile. I really liked the swan cream puff.

The Oasis café was typical buffet food, but I did enjoy the cheese selections they put out each day and
the salads. We only ate one breakfast and two lunches in the Oasis café, and they also had the Midnight
Italian buffet there. We absolutely loved the hamburgers, hot dogs and fries at the Oasis grill near the
pool! The balance of our lunches we ate there, or had pizza served later in the afternoon. My husband
had his pizza fix almost every day.

We had room service for breakfast one day. It was the usual eggs, bacon, toast, juice and coffee. It was
served hot and on time. We also visited three midnight buffets, the Italian, the Pastry and the Grand
Buffet. They were all nicely presented and although we did not eat much what we did have was tasty! It
was hard to eat so late and then go to bed with such a full stomach. No complaints about not enough
food!

Entertainment: There were always activities going on like ‘Name That Tune’, dart tournaments, shuffle
board tournaments, music trivia contests, aerobics, etc…If you wanted to participate you could, if not, you
could do nothing but sit by the pool. I liked that. Simon Weir, the cruise director, was entertaining. As for
the shows, we saw the magician, Zoltan, the comedians and the Broadway singer. All were very good, but
our favorite was Simon’s little skit after the comedians. I won’t give it away for future cruisers, but we
laughed so hard our stomachs hurt! The theatre is quite large and there is not a bad seat in the house.

Service: The service on the Galaxy was terrific. Our stateroom attendant, Bernard, was quite efficient. We
rarely saw him, we kept thinking there must be a hidden camera in our room so he knew when we were in
or out! A couple of times we did have to call for fresh ice for our before dinner cocktails. The ice was
always delivered within minutes of our call. Adonis was our waiter in the Orion dining room. He was also
very efficient, and never rushed us. He made a great attempt at remembering our names the second
night, but we had played musical chairs on him, so he got my name and the other female tablemate’s
name mixed up. We had a wonderful wine steward, Maurice, who took great care of us. The bartenders
and drink waiters were all very friendly and attentive.

Ports of Call: St. Lucia was our first stop and unfortunately we only ventured as far as the dockside
shops. We spent the majority of this day at the pool, due to a little too much partying the previous night.
Next time I would like to see more of St. Lucia as it looked like a beautiful island.

Barbados was our second port. This island was not as pretty as I had expected. It looked old and poor,
and not as lush with trees as St. Lucia. We took a taxi to downtown for some shopping. The streets were
narrow and very congested. Once exiting the taxi other taxi drivers wanting to take us on tours mauled
us. It was annoying. We did some shopping then returned to the ship for lunch. That afternoon we took
the Jolly Roger excursion dubbed the booze cruise. Drinking was the primary purpose of this trip. We did
anchor near a beach and were able to swim around the boat, or take a barge to the beach, but it was
cloudy that day and we only stayed anchored for about 45 minutes. Overall I was disappointed with
Barbados.

Martinique was our third port. This island was beautiful, very green and hilly. We took our own walking
tour of Fort de France, LaSavane Park and the downtown shopping area. We did not find the people to
be rude at all, as I had read in previous reviews. That afternoon we took the snorkeling excursion. The
location was ok; there were no coral reefs but many rock ledges and some fish. We also saw a bat cave.
My husband and I agreed we had seen better snorkeling.

Our fourth port of call was Antiqua. This was one of our favorite islands. Although it is not as green and
lush as St. Lucia or Martinique due to less rainfall, the beaches are beautiful and the people were most
friendly. We took the Kayak excursion. It was a lot of fun, and the guides were the best. They gave us a
lot of history and information about the island. From the dock we took a 25-minute drive to the kayak pier,
then a short boat ride to where we kayaked for about an hour. Some people opted to snorkel after about
a half-hour of kayaking, we stayed with the kayaks. This was our favorite excursion.

St. Thomas was our last port. It too was very beautiful. We took a taxi, $4.00/pp one-way, to Magens Bay.
The drive to the beach was breathtaking, many photo opportunities. We loved the beach. It was very nice
and large enough to accommodate a lot of people. Back in town we stopped at Paradise View, a ski-lift
type car that takes you up to the top of a hill overlooking St. Thomas. The view was beautiful, again many
photos were taken, but I didn’t think Paradise was really worth the $12/pp. We only stayed up there for
about 15 minutes. We finished our souvenir shopping at the stores near the ship terminal. We did not go
to downtown Charlotte Amallie.

We very much enjoyed the dress code for dinners. My husband was afraid he’d be the only one in a
tuxedo on the first formal night, but there were a lot of men in tuxes, and everyone looked dashing. There
were two formal nights, two informal nights and three casual nights. No jeans or shorts were allowed in
the Orion dining room. Everyone adhered to the policy for the most part; I only saw a couple of people in
shorts the first night on board. We had early seating for dinner, which worked out just fine for us. We
always had enough time to get ready after excursions, even time for a cocktail or two. There were many
more people who chose the late seating for dinner, as the dining room seemed only half full at early
seating. Although I like early seating I think I would like to try late seating on our next cruise, just to
compare. We had requested a table for six or eight, but received a table for four. This worked out fine;
we met a very fun couple from New Jersey, whom we got along with very well.

Debarkation: We had an early flight so we got priority disembarking. After assembling in the designated
area by 8:00am, we were directed off the ship shortly after. We located our luggage quickly, cleared
customs no problem, and then proceeded to check our luggage at the American Airlines van. We then
got on a shuttle and arrived at the airport by 9:00am. The whole process was well organized and ran very
smoothly.

In conclusion we loved the cruise, the Galaxy and the people. The age group on the ship varied, but was
primarily 30+, which was perfect for us. There were a few babies and young children, but I rarely saw any
teenagers. I believe they do have activities for children and teens, so they may have just been very busy!
I would strongly recommend Celebrity Cruises and The Galaxy to anyone planning a cruise. I know we will
cruise with Celebrity again, I have already sent in my Captain’s Club request form! Bon Voyage!

Name: K&T Estes
Email: kestes@ns.net
Age: 44, 42
Occupation: Small Business Owners
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Galaxy
SailingDate: 3/4/00
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 8144/5
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 100
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 100
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 50
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Mar 2000
Time: 12:52:20
Remote Name: pm02-23.rose.sac.verio.net
Remote User:

Comments

We selected the GALAXY with Celebrity Cruises, due to the previous reviews listed on this website. We
were not dissappointed. There were four of us traveling together, and we felt safe to travel on our own in
all the ports and islands.

We had left a day earlier and stayed over-night at the Wyndham Old San Juan Hotel and Casino (highly
recommended). TRAVELING A DAY EARLY WAS A VERY GOOD DECISION! The cab rate was $20 from
the airport to the hotel, and $10 from the hotel to the dock. We enjoyed shopping and dinner in Old San
Juan; we were well rested and able to board ship ASAP the next morning. This gave us the advantage to
book the more popular cruise excursions early, before they filled-up (which they did within the first 2-3
hours). The excursions were fun, however, we found better value and more freedom to explore the
islands on our own (rental car or boat).

The hardest part of our vacation was the flight back from San Juan, Puerto Rico to California. For some
reason, Celebrity booked us on an evening flight (there were several earlier flights avaiable) and we did
not arrive home until 2:30 AM PDT. If we were to book this cruise again, WE WOULD DEFINATELY
ARRANGE OUR OWN AIR FLIGHTS (separate from the cruise line) for better convenience and value. I
would also recommend purchasing travel insurance.

The Galaxy was elegantly sophisticated, not too glitzy like some other cruise lines. The cabins were
attractive and seemed larger than those of equal catagory on other cruise lines (nice bathroom, large
closets, vanity, TV/VCR, mini-bar with refrigerator). The atmosphere on ship was festive, and the crew
were very professional and friendly. THE MEALS WERE WONDERFUL! The dining room tables were not
over-crowded. The average age of the clientele were in their 40's and 50's. I would not recommend this
cruise to young families.

Things to bring: your favorite wine ($6 corkage fee), insulated drinking cups to mix your own beverages
on deck (staff didn't care), binoculars, hair/blow drier, and additional electrical sockets for the stateroom.
The dress code was generally followed (2 formal, 2 informal, 3 casual). Tuxedos were nice, but not
necessary.

Hope this review is helpful. Of all of our previous cruise experiences, Celebrity's GALAXY is our favorite
to date.

Back to Celebrity Galaxy