Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Ryan Bennington
Email: bennington@netcarrier.com
Age: 15
Occupation: student
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: July 25,1999
Itinerary: New York-Bermuda-New York
Cabin: 5080
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 99
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 99
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 92
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 91
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Aug 1999
Time: 23:23:24
Remote Name: pcache1.netcarrier.net
Remote User:

Comments

Background: After sailing on cruises for nine years now and having a total of six cruises under my belt, by the age
of fifteen, I pretty much know exactly what to expect. I have sailed to Bermuda four times now and have been to
the Caribbean two times. I have also sailed on both Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruise line.

Embarkation: New York City is a very interesting port to sail out of. The terminals are all laid out fairly well and it is
quite easy to get a porter to help you with your bags. Make sure though that you do have all your paper work filled
out in the back of your tickets before you get to pier, it will save you some time. Once you go through the
preliminary line, you go through double doors where more Celebrity people and a complimentary copy of a
Bermudan newspaper greet you. From the doors on you have about an hour and a half wait so bring something to
sit on and possibly something to read. If you are apart of the ‘Captains Club’ remember to bring your card with
you, you will not have to wait in this line!

The Ship: The Horizon is a very nice, clean ship. After her recent dry dock she had some improvements made on
her. She is now as good as new with a piano bar, new interior in the show lounge and so forth, it really makes a
big difference. Once you have been on many cruises you can really see the abuse these ships take from
passengers for being ten years old this ship is in perfect condition.

Entertainment: My philosophy is once you’ve seen one show you’ve pretty much seen them all. We went to the
first production show the day at sea and it was pretty enjoyable, yet nothing great. I did hear though that the
comedian from the first night was very funny. The one place on this ship where the entertainment really showed
was in the Plaza Bar or piano bar. This space is between all the shops in the ‘mall’ are. Marilyn the pianist was
fantastic! She really made the cruise fun and truly enjoyable and everyone that sat down for a few songs usually
said the same remarks. The violinist at dinner is a nice touch, but makes it hard for conversation at dinner.

Food The food on this ship is unbelievable! Chef Roux really made a fantastic menu. The best meal on board was
definitely the rack of lamb; it was the best food I think I have ever had. Celebrity’s food is ten times better then the
best dish on an NCL cruise

Service: I must say our waiter Kaya was the best waiter we have ever had! He talked when it was appropriate and
said not a word when it was a ‘family’ moment. The bus boy was also very good. Our cabin Steward was very
efficient and always had a smile on his face. There was never an unhappy crewmember that passed before me.

The Cruise Director and Entertainment Staff: The cruise director was not very good at all. He never seemed to
really care about the passengers, just about his phony BS attitude. The entertainment staff was very good though
with the exception of one. Mark was actually the only unpleasant crewmember. He said many rude comments to
me that offended me and seemed not to care when I confronted him. Celebrity should save some money and ax
him. The rest of the “Entertainment Hosts/hostesses’ were excellent.

Deck Space:

Some complaints about this is that there is no deck that does a complete circle around the deck, except for the top
deck that gets very windy. We have enjoyed that amenity on every other ship we sailed on. The other complaint is
the deck chair hogs or savers. You will have to be able to wake up at about six in the morning or sleep with on the
deck chair to be able to get one. People wake up early put a couple towels on them and then go to breakfast. I
know it’s hard to do and Celebrity even makes a note in there daily about reserving deck chairs. Some people just
don’t have the common courtesy towards fellow passengers.

Bermuda:

Bermuda is a terrific place for a first time cruiser or some one who just wants to relax. With all the recent growth in
the tourism industry in Bermuda, the local government has made it a lot easier to travel to and around Bermuda.
The one must is the bus pass. The bus pass costs $10 for a 3-day child’s (anyone under 16) and I believe $30 for
a 3-day adult’s pass. The bus pass works on any public transportation including the bus and ferry. The bus pass
is a lot cheap then a taxi too. Some places to see in Bermuda include the Aquarium, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the
caves, and one of the ten best beaches in the world, Horseshoe Bay Beach.

Disembarkation:

Very easy and relatively painless. You are given a number and called over the loud speaker. Number ones
include wheelchairs, Number twos are Captain Club members and Suits, then down the order of importance,
ending at number 13 who usually get off around 12:30

In Closing:

This is a great cruise for everyone in the family! You will love the food, attention to detail, and all the great people
you will meet.

Have fun and Happy Cruising, Ryan Bennington

Name: Jeff Coudriet
Email: JeffCoud@aol.com
Age: 36
Occupation: Government Employee
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 09/05/99
Itinerary: Bermuda
Cabin: 4
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 99
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Sep 1999
Time: 12:41:03
Remote Name: adsl-151-200-23-49.bellatlantic.net
Remote User:

Comments

Jeff's Horizon Journal - Sept. 5th, 1999

This was a very nice cruise and we would take it again, although I guess only the Zenith will be going to Bermuda in
2000. The Horizon is a ship which is being rehabbed and brought up to date by Celebrity marking their continuing
commitment to the ship. The sailing was smooth (wedged in between Dennis and Floyd as we were) and the weather
very sunny in Bermuda, although humid. The crowd aboard was the peppiest we've ever encountered and Bermuda
itself was very nice.

For you lazy readers out there, here s my quickie guide to this cruise:

Cabin: B- Food: A Staff: A Activities: A- Ports: A-

Horizon - Food Greatest Hits

You can't talk about a Celebrity Cruise without talking about the food. It's a major attraction for us. If you're strictly a
"surf and turf" type person you might not notice much of a difference between lines. There are only so many ways to
cook a steak or make a shrimp cocktail in my book. You can find that in spades on Celebrity, never fear, but for those
who want a little more adventure too:

Chilled Gin and Tomato Consomme with Straw Mushrooms Supreme of Chicken Terrine with pistachios Leek and
Potato Tart with Apple the Filet Mignon (yum) Coffee Profiteroles with Jamaican Sabayon Swan Puffs (of course)
Chilled Pear and Ginger soup (amazing) Apple Tart Tatin with Calvados Sauce Vegetable Terrine with Sauce Verte
Chilled Black Cherry soup Mohr im Hend (a Viennese chocolate pudding) the Ploughman's Lunch (a collection of
pates and cheeses) French Potato Pie Chilled Apricot soup with Toasted Almonds Beef Esterhazy and of course, the
French Toast and the Eggs Benedict (or what I call "heart attack on an English muffin) and the Bananas in Cream at
breakfast. Any steamed vegetable at dinner--very nicely done (and arranged on plate in interesting ways) A
cauliflower mousse that was on the plate with the entree on 2 nights--incredible

As you can see--I am a big fan of the cold soups which Celebrity does wonderfully. The salads were very good I
thought but hey, a salad is a salad no matter which way you slice it so I haven't made specific reference to it other than
I will say some of the vinaigrettes were very interesting and quite tasty. I left off most of the main courses since I tend
to be a big meat eater--found everything very well cooked and presented beautifully on that front. The presentation of
the dishes was uniformly excellent--very pretty to look at as well as being tasty. The seafood lovers at the table were
quite happy as well. We egged people on to try new things too--much to their enjoyment.

Day One - Sunday

We began our day very very early. It's not normal to get up and be out of the house by 7:30 am but we did it. We
found a cab to Union Station pretty quickly and were among the first to meet the bus. Of course, but the bus wasn't
there yet, but would be soon enough. The ride to NYC was uneventful but it did rain off and on. Fitful reminders of
Hurricane Dennis I suppose. We pull into the Passenger Ship terminal and sitting there are the Royal Princess, some
Premier ship, the RCI Nordic Empress, and the Deutchsland, not sure who owns that. The Deutschland did have some
beautiful teak lounge chairs lying all over the decks in the rear--very nice looking small ship.

We find a nice Celebrity representative and ask her where to go since we are Captain's Club members and she whisks
us past the inevitable long line right to the front where the CC members check in. She checked our docs quickly and
handed us off to another nice lady who checked us in. Less than 10 minutes all told. With several busses arriving at
once we were quite glad to beat the line. Worth the $35 investment for that alone.

A cabin steward in white gloves takes us to our cabin, a Category 4 on the Galaxy deck. I always like to be a little
higher on the ship so it's only 1 or 2 decks up or 1 or 2 down to get anywhere you want to go, so there was a bit of
stair walking in our future. The cabin was nice--but I have to say it was sad not having a veranda. You really do get
hooked on having one. The 2 beds hadn't been pushed together so I did that hoping our cabin steward would get the
hint and fix it up, which he did while we were at dinner. Waiting for us was a bottle of white zinfandel from our travel
agent. Thanks Allen! That was nice. The cabin was the same size as the one we had on the Galaxy but laid out with
the desk and chairs and cocktail table near the hall and the bed pushed against the far wall under the decent sized
window. A harsh reminder that we didn't have a veranda! There is not much to this room decor wise. One modern art
print on the wall, cute carpeting, cute bedspread, but that's it. It's a very white room. The nice "wood" look of the
Galaxy cabin (and the Rotterdam for that matter) was missing. So sort of drab looking I would say. We wouldn't be
hanging out in this room so much as we have in others I suppose. We poked around the cabin a bit more and
freshened up and headed upstairs to the Coral Seas Cafe for a buffet lunch.

Being a smaller ship, there are just 2 buffet lines and there was a long line on either side, but we managed. I had some
nice roast beef and scalloped potatoes. Had 2 wonderful desserts (there's no time like the present for starting in on
that) one of which was a slice of chocolate something or other. Very rich, like a cheese cake but it was all chocolate
and little cheese. Met a nice couple who had just arrived in NY after sailing in on the Royal Princess that morning. Off
one ship and onto another! Sounds like a good idea to me! They commented that they liked the Celebrity food much
better than Princess. We haven't sailed on Princess but I think we're going to have to sample for ourselves! After lunch
we explored the ship, of course. Aft of the Coral Seas cafe was a grill area with outdoor tables that looked very nice.
As it was rather misty/rainy not many people were out there but it looks like a space we might go back to. We checked
out the pool area and that looked fine and I guess cabins were in front of the pool area on that deck.

We explored the rest of the ship and the Horizon seems like a ship in transition. I was aware that they had been
"updating" the ship in several ways to make it more like the Century-class ships, at least in terms of amenities. There is
a new Michael's Club (cigar bar) which is absolutely beautiful. Very woody/gentlemen's club look. Near it are a new
library and card room with the same emphasis on wood. Very nice. Also new are the Cova Cafe (which has very
excellent espresso and capuccino for a price) and the Martini Bar, which we proudly tried out today. After the lifeboat
drill we were to meet some folks from AOL and the internet in the Rendezvous Bar at 5:30 pm. It was very nice meeting
them! Robert found us and after everyone left (everyone who we met had early seating for dinner) we sat down and
had a nice martini! The two women working there were very nice and we'll have to go back! We wandered around a bit
more and wasted some money in the slot machines and looked around in the stores which were now open since we
were out to sea. I made a mental note that they had small photo albums with the Celebrity Horizon embossed on
them--I always like to get those for my pictures! No sign of feminine hygiene products on prominent display!

Dinner was late at the Starlight restaurant--which is midships one deck up from our cabin. Very easy to get to from
where we were but we found out that our cabin was right under the galley and we had some concerns about
noise--there has been some but not bad at all. Tonight was casual night of course and we were the first to arrive at
table 32, a large round table for 8, which was to become 9! Besides us were a couple from Harrisburg who were on
their first cruise. They have been to Bermuda many times though, and to our left were three older women from NYC.
We were later joined by a couple from Pittsburgh to make 9. There was a slight screw up with table assignments I
guess but it seemed to work out fine. We were all astounded by the sheer numbers of cutlery at each place setting!
The orchid on the table was very nice too. For dinner I had the vegetable terrine, which wasn't as good as last
December on the Galaxy, but still tasty, the Mesculan salad with red wine vinaigrette and the veal piccatta, which was
pretty good. They served a risotto with the veal which had some white wine in it--very tasty. And for dessert--what I
have been eagerly awaiting for several weeks now--a Swan Puff!!! And for you folks out there who requested I eat one
for you--I did!

We rolled out of dinner around 10:30 or so and headed over to the show. It was the typical sort of first night thing with
introductions of the staff and whatnot and a featured singer who was very good with her torch songs but not so good
on some of the other cheesy material. She should stick to the ballads I guess. Some lame attempts at humor too.
Earlier in the evening we did see a woman in the Cova Cafe/Plaza Bar who was playing the piano very nicely. That was
relaxing. Saw some other entertainers here and there but didn't stop long enough to see or hear much. The Celebrity
singers and dancers--a homelier lot I have never seen on a cruise ship. Hopefully they will get better, and I know, it's
terrible to judge people on the basis of their looks. It's not like I could fit into tights and do any better! LOL! In any
case, the opening night shows are always awful so we'll have to see what tomorrow night is like. After the show we
headed to the casino for a little more slot machines (no luck). The casino was crowded--it was good to see. Nothing
worse than a casino that doesn't have any life in it. Maybe there are a lot of NYers on board and they like to gamble?
Who knows. In any case, it was back to the cabin and bed. We had to set our watches forward an hour tonight so no
sense staying up too too late! The light rocking of the ship would lull us to sleep (no big Dennis-related waves here!)

Day Two - Monday - At Sea

Miraculously we woke up early today, around 8 ish, so I decided we had to get marginally presentable and go to the
Starlight Restaurant for a sit down breakfast. That is what at sea days are for after all! Our waiter and busboy (whose
names I've not yet mastered) were there to cheerfully greet us at our table. To think we just saw them at 10:30 pm last
night! What hard workers these folks are! I love a nice leisurely breakfast and so I got some of my favorites--bananas
and cream and the eggs benedict washed down by some Earl Grey tea. It was the perfect breakfast. None of our table
mates were there, which is just as well as we are none too chatty in the morning! Other than that, we just mulled
around pretty much this morning. Found some nice places to read our books. Especially nice was the America's Cup
Club way at the top of the ship. It had a nautical theme as you can imagine and was fairly comfortable. We had to
vacate there around 11:30 because they were having a special party just for newlyweds! So we moved to the back of
the ship to get out of the wind (we were at sea after all) and find a nice lounge chair to continue our reading. Really we
were just killing time before lunch is what it was. Finally lunch arrived. Had a very nice cold tropical fruit soup and for
the entree a potato casserole in puff pastry which was to die for. It was very good. Robert had the beef Esterhazy
which was very nice too. After lunch I just mulled about. There was some sort of pool games which was a bit annoying
so I vacated that area for a while and went back to my secret hiding places on the rear decks for a while. I was really
plowing through the book I brought with me--good thing I brought 2! I explored the ship and found the gym and the spa
area which looked like it had been recently redone as well. Small but nice enough.

We had a nice lazy afternoon and ended up taking a nap, another important vacation activity. There is nothing like late
seating to make for a nice long full day. Tonight was going to be a formal night so I had to think about showering and
getting dressed up. I was going to wear my nice new pinstripe suit tonight. We thought we would bring a bottle of wine
to the table to share but we had some time to kill before the doors were going to open (and we skipped the Captain's
cocktail party) so we headed for the casino where I won some small change at the slots. We were the first to dinner so
we sat down and waiting a bit for the others. I would say the highlight of the dinner tonight was the very interesting
sorbet they served between the salad and the main course, which was a Rose wine sorbet--very tasty, and the dessert
I had, and apple tart Tatin, which was drizzled in about the best butterscotch sauce I have ever tasted with a dash of
Calvados. Very good. For the main course I had the Beef Toredor or whatever it was called, which was like a filet
mignon and cooked perfectly to order. Everyone looked so nice all dressed up tonight too but I did notice very few
tuxedos, most men wore dark suits with a few exceptions. That was one strange thing about the dress code for this
cruise--we were expecting 2 formal nights, 3 informal, and 2 casual but on the first day the Horizon Daily said that it
was going to be 2 formal, 1 informal, and 4 casual, so I definitely brought too many dressy clothes but I guess I will just
ditch the jacket and tie and make my outfits 'casual'. This is probably a very practical idea since we will be in port for
several days and you can stay out on the island until 7 pm or so and come back for dinner.

After dinner we went to the show, "Broadway Classics" which was just terrible. Ok, maybe that's an overreaction. There
are just 2 singers in the company, the 'boy' singer and the 'girl' singer. All the other cast are just dancers but strangely
there were background singers, I suppose they were on tape. The only redeeming value about the show was the 'girl'
singer was actually pretty good. Her name is Mikki Spoon. She could belt out a show tune pretty good. The boy singer
wasn't nearly as good and he had a very cheesy haircut and mustache. I thought I was looking at Tony Orlando. Very
70's look, which I know all that stuff is coming back these days but isn't there some way we can prevent that from
happening?? In any case, while we are in port Bermuda doesn't allow professional entertainment so I don't know what
to expect for the next couple days. It does look like (from our Horizon Daily for tomorrow) that there will be bands
playing on deck and Marilyn the piano player down in the Plaza Bar right next to the Cova Cafe. She really is quite
enjoyable and a pleasure to listen to playing. There is apparently a movie theater at King's Wharf so maybe we'll be
adventurous and go see a movie onshore. It says in the daily program that the gangplank will be open 24 hours so I
guess we can come and go as we please, although I can't imagine that Bermuda is a late night kind of island--that
whole British reserve thing you know. Well, off to bed...

Day Three - Tuesday - King's Wharf

Woke up to another beautiful morning today. Sun was bright and skies were clear. While Robert was still sleeping I got
all cleaned up and walked around the promenade a bit as we were nearing Bermuda. I guess we saw land near St.
George's and then you take the ship channel to King's Wharf so you don't hit any of the reefs. Don't want to do that
and make the coral and the fish unhappy! We ordered a huge pot of coffee and 2 of the big chocolate chip cookies
from the interactive TV menu for breakfast. To clear up a continuing controversy--yes you can order the full dining
room menu to be served in your cabin during dining room hours. I don't think we'll take up this offer though since who
wants to eat in their stateroom? Maybe if we had a suite or a veranda this time. Any pretention of eating nutritiously is
going out the window I guess! But those chocolate chip cookies are darn tasty! I went down to guest relations to buy
two 3-day bus/ferry passes for $21 each. A good deal I think for unlimited transportation around the island I think. I
also started planning our day. We are going to concentrate on the West End today and see some things we didn't get
to see in April--such as Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Somerset Bridge, a fort or two, and then the Botanical Garden. We'll
end up in Hamilton and take the ferry boat back to King's Wharf , so that's what our day looks like thus far.

continued--What a very hot day it is out there today! We finally did motivate and get off the ship. We weren't officially
docking until 11 am and that's about what it turned out to be. I ran upstairs and grabbed some yogurt since I felt like I
hadn't eaten enough. Chocolate chip cookies don't cut it for a breakfast after all. Getting off the ship the 'pileup' to get
on a bus was quite a mess so we opted to hop on the ferry to get to Somerset bridge. We wanted to see it since it's
the smallest drawbridge in the world. It was a nice little ferry ride and it was a cute little bridge but once we were there
we were hard pressed to figure out where the bus stop was, but we found it, and waited and waited for the #7 bus to
go to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. The bus, once it came, was quite crowded with beachgoers but we managed to get on. We
passed some gorgeous beaches on the way and will have to get off and look tomorrow. In any case, we got off the bus
at the Gibbs Hill/Sonesta beach stop and walked uphill to the lighthouse. It was steamy outside! But the view from up
there was worth it! We could see the Horizon docked far off in the distance across the Great Bay. It was worth the
effort to get there. There is also a little tea house at the top that I'm sure you could have a nice lunch at, but we were
moving on. We hopped back on the #7 bus hoping to go to the Botanical Gardens, but I guess you have to speak up
and say something--the bus doesn't stop at every stop unless you ring the bell so off to Hamilton we went, passing the
Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on the way. I suppose the day we're in Hamilton we can go back and find the
botanical gardens. We walked around Hamilton a bit but didn't do any of the stores yet since I think we're going to do
that tomorrow night when on Wednesday nights they close off Front Street and have a street fair type thing. We did go
and find the internet cafe in Hamilton and I checked my AOL mail. I wasn't bold enough to put my diskette into the
computer and upload this travelogue yet, and the internet connection there was rather slow so I didn't want to mess
around with it. Maybe tomorrow. The price for internet access was $10/hour. Not bad I thought. The guy charged me
$5 for the half hour I was there. The other nice thing about being there was it was very heavily air-conditioned in the
Onion (the internet cafe) which we liked. Docked in Hamilton we saw the Celebrity Zenith and the Norwegian Crown. I
wonder if we could take a tour of the Zenith with our Celebrity card? We'll have to try that tomorrow. We took the 3 pm
ferry back to King's Wharf and were back on the ship in no time. We had missed lunch and the grill so we ordered a
sandwich, a pizza and a salad from room service. The pizza is quite tasty! The sandwich was smallish and the salad
was ok (according to Robert.) I also got a cheese plate with crackers which is always nice. Celebrity's room service
menu is limited as I have noted in the past.

Robert wanted to stay and read in the room for a while to enjoy the AC, but I wanted to explore the Dockyard area a
little more since we didn't see that much of it when we were here for 1 rainy day in April. There is a big craft market
which had a lot of interesting things which I will have to check out again tomorrow. I was also looking for the Neptune
Cinema thinking it might be fun to go to a movie tonight, and I did eventually find it but the movie that was playing
didn't interest me. So who knows what we'll do tonight? In Bermuda the casino and the shows have to be closed on
ship by law so we'll have to see what might be fun. There is some movie playing late tonight in the show lounge and a
deck party too so maybe we'll go check that out. Since I brought this laptop with me I have the DVD Rom player so I
brought a couple of DVD movies with me so maybe we'll watch "Shakespeare in Love" on the computer screen tonight!
I am looking forward to going up to St. George tomorrow. There is a direct ferry tomorrow at 10:30 am right to St.
George so we're going to go do that. St. George is referred to as the Williamsburg of Bermuda and it was the first
capital of Bermuda as well.

When I was up on the deck this afternoon I was scoping out the decks to see where I can start getting a serious
suntan. I know, I could go hang out at the beach and have a nice time I'm sure, but the beach doesn't have all that
nice food and other things to do. Robert can't do much sun so we don't hit the beach too often. In any case, my rear
decks of the ship look like they get very good sun late in the afternoon so I'll have to go there. It will be off the beaten
path too which I like.

Have I said anything about the passenger mix yet?? Very diverse range of ages, even a bunch of kids which surprises
me with school going back in September. So I guess they are playing hooky although some families look like the kids
are still preschool so I guess that's not an issue. There are a good bunch of young adults on board in their 20's and
30's who are more or less acting like adults. So far I'd have to say it's the liveliest ship we've ever been on (if you don't
count the Finnish vodka cruise we took several years ago, but that's another story.)

It's funny how different people have different perceptions of things--we didn't like last night's show "Broadway Classics"
but everyone else at our dining room table did! Go figure! Tonight up on the Pool Deck they had the Tropic Fruit and
Sorbet buffet which was very lively not to mention tasty! Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

We also kicked some serious Broadway Trivia butt tonight in the Plaza Bar with Marilyn Woods the piano player and
the cruise director, Dave Cole. We were joined halfway through the game by a couple from NY who had the crucial
answers to a couple of questions we just had no idea about, so with their help we emerged victorious with 20 out of 26
answers right! For our efforts we got Celebrity visors, which we ended up giving away to some of the ladies at our
table. Coffee cups would have been nice, hint hint Celebrity, or maybe a t-shirt. I had won a t-shirt last December on
the Galaxy at the Roulette table. Speaking of roulette--I did terrible, but there was this one old man, who we shall refer
to as the "troll" who was at the roulette table nearly every hour the casino was open. He won thousands of dollars on
this cruise. But it was annoying to see him there all the time so I didn't play too much on this cruise. He played multiple
chips on multiple numbers at all times and was bound to hit something--thus he kept raking in the money.

Day Four - Wednesday - King's Wharf

Today we were determined to hit the special ferry to St. George's so we could go and see that and so we did. It left at
10:30 am from Kings Wharf and took just over an hour. We sat in the airconditioned part of the ferry (of course since
we're wimpy Northerners) and enjoyed the scenery and read our books as we sailed to King's Wharf. Once we got
there we saw a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship and the Celebrity Zenith I guess, which had moved there that morning
from Hamilton. Right in the port area was a replica of the "Deliverance" the ship which the first "accidental" Bermudians
landed on the island with. They were on their way from England to the Virginia colony but didn't quite make it! I'd say
Bermuda is a heck of a lot nicer than Virginia so they got the better end of the deal! We also saw the "town crier"
dressed up in period costume right in that main square (King's Square?) and then went off to find the Bermuda
National Trust Museum at the Globe Hotel. This museum used to be called something like the History of the
Confederacy in Bermuda or something like that and the exhibits were all about the Confederate sympathizers and
blockade runners who called Bermuda home during the US Civil War. It was fascinating. We then went over a few
blocks to the Tucker House museum, which was the home of a prominent Bermudian family and very nicely restored
with period antiques and the like. We walked a few blocks uphill in St. George's to the Unfinished Cathedral, which was
interesting enough. Just a shell of a building there. I guess they never finished it years ago since they ran out of
money and needed the money to fix the beautiful cathedral in Hamilton after it got hit by a big storm decades ago. We
nosed around some shops a bit and had a very tasty ice cream cone and then decided to catch the ferry back at 2:00
pm. Not really enough time to explore everything but Robert was getting tired. We could have taken the bus to
Hamilton and then the express ferry back to King's Wharf which would have been faster, but we decided to take the
scenic route via the water. I got a lot of book reading done on this trip!

I guess I finished off the afternoon by finding a place to sit out in the sun on the ship and continue reading my books.
Tonight was the one informal night so I was going to wear a blue blazer and some khakis. I had brought 8 ties--another
sign of overpacking once again! Oh well. We enjoyed going off to the "Not So Newlywed Game" before dinner for the
late seating and once again wondered why anyone would get up and humiliate themselves by participating in this! Of
course, it was fun for us to enjoy but who would consent to such a thing?? We also went to see the "Liar's Club" which
was rather funny as well. Tonight in the Palladium show lounge (a room that needs a makeover--I didn't like the dark
colors and the balcony sight lines were bad) there was going to be a Rock-n-Roll party which we skipped. I think we
were just being lazy tonight! So we decided to hole up in the room a bit and watch "Shakespeare in Love" on DVD on
my laptop. What a good movie that was! Needless to say, we spent some time in the Plaza Bar tonight before dinner
listening to the piano stylings of Marilyn Woods--she really has made this cruise a pleasant one. We also got to see
our cheerful waitress Renata bring us some drinks as well. We shall have to tip her extra at the end of the week. Have I
mentioned how good the capuccino is down at the Cova Cafe/Plaza Bar?? Very tasty. Worth the 2 bucks. They also
bring you a very very tasty piece of chocolate from Cova, a famous cafe in Milan. Yum yum yum.

I was starting to get that feeling that our cruise was just about halfway over and that we would have to go home soon. I
hate that feeling!!!! Do we really have to leave?? Life is so unfair.

Day Five - Thursday - King's Wharf/Hamilton

Today we were feeling rather lazy, or at least Robert was feeling a bit tired of exploring the island so I got up and went
out on my own today. I wanted to go see the Aquarium in Flatt's Village and such. So I took the ferry across to
Hamilton and found the bus terminal easily enough (2-3 blocks from the ferry wharf in Hamilton) and hoped the bus
east. The Flatt's village area of Bermuda was quite charming and there was a quaint bridge over an inlet where the
water rushed through from a bay to the ocean. The Aquarium was interesting enough and I had a nice time there and
took pictures of the seals. I got to see Sea Horses there for the first time which was nice too! There are other
attractions up in that neighborhood to see such as some underground caves and the perfume factory but I was just
out for the aquarium and soon heading back into Hamilton. In Hamilton I found a different internet cafe on Queen
Street called Chit Chat that had a much faster connection to the internet and AOL access! So I got to check my mail
and post a few things on the Celebrity Cruise board live from Hamilton! Today was the day that the Horizon was going
to change ports from King's Wharf to Hamilton and so I walking around in Hamilton waiting for the ship to dock around
3:30 pm. After nosing around some stores I went to the docks to watch the Horizon pull in, assisted by tugboats. It was
quite a sight as the Horizon "parallel parked" right behind Royal Caribbean's Nordic Empress. I had actually met an
older man on the ferry this morning who was on the Nordic Empress and he had negative comments about the food.
Oh well. While I was watching the Horizon pull in who should I see standing on the promenade deck waving but Robert
himself! I felt like a sailor's wife welcoming the fleet back or something like that LOL! I got back on the ship and made a
beeline to the pizza place and got some very tasty pizza and some wonderful desserts (hey, late seating was hours
away!) Before dinner we enjoyed our nightly ritual of going to see Marilyn Woods play piano and played a little "Name
That Tune" trivia. We got there late so we were unofficial players at best. Didn't see that other couple we played with
the other night. Oh well, our winning streak would not continue I guess. I kept thinking that I needed to go see Rebeka
to find out about future cruise information to see if she had any nifty stuff about the new Millennium ship but I never got
around to that. Tonight's show was going to be a comedian which we didn't feel like doing so we arranged to go the
alternative dining up in the Coral Seas Cafe so we could get off the ship tonight in Hamilton and go into town to see a
movie. The alternative dining was not much to write home about. I had a steak which wasn't that great and Robert had
a salmon steak that wasn't that great. It's the only food disappointment we've ever had on Celebrity. There was this
young couple next to us and they were out of the Flintstones or something. The guy ordered 2 steaks and told them to
hold all the vegetables. We had a laugh about that. And I thought the only fussy eaters were 2 year olds! In any case,
there was a very decent Black Forest cake awaiting us for dessert but otherwise I wouldn't recommend the alternative
dining. We got off the ship and walked several blocks to a movie theater in Hamilton to see Runaway Bride with Julia
Roberts. It was ok. But it was a nice diversion. Making our way back towards the ship after the movie we looked in
several bars and restaurants on Front Street there in Hamilton and saw lots of crew in one of them--they need to party
every now and then too I guess! You can't even imagine how hard those folks work I'm sure. Plus it must get lonely on
the high seas if you know what I mean!

Readdressing the coffee issue--other than the Cova Cafe, which you pay for, the best coffee on the ship is from room
service, according to my in-house coffee expert, Robert. Although he did think the dining room coffee was the best
we've ever had in a dining room of a cruise ship.

I was starting to get extremely agitated that our cruise was coming to an end soon! Oh, another issue, hot water in the
cabin--there was a never ending supply. In fact, with the sunburn I wished I could have gotten the water a bit cooler at
times!

Day Six - Friday - Hamilton/Sail Away

Today was the shopping "do or die" day. If you weren't going to get it today it was going to be too late tomorrow. I had
arrived on a mission to get a wedding gift for my brother's wedding in October and found a lovely Waterford vase in
Trimingham's Department Store in Hamilton that fit the bill. It was a decent price, a few bucks cheaper than it would
have been in the states. I also had to pick up some of the wonderful scented soaps that are made by the Bermuda
Perfume factory. They are powerful smelling tropical flowers, very nice. They will make a nice gift to some of my female
relations. I also picked up a six pack of Ginger Beer, which is a very strong soda and quite tasty, and a six pack of
pre-made "Dark and Stormy" the Bermudian cocktail composed of ginger beer and Bermudian rum. It packs a punch!
Needless to say, I had no trouble bringing these items onboard the ship. Later in the day once we set sail we would go
to the duty free shop onboard and buy some things. Celebrity would hold any liquor you bought on board for you until
we set sail from Hamilton. Being the clever people that we are, we brought 2 bottles of wine (and got one as a gift from
our travel agent) so we were set for in-cabin cocktails for the entire week regardless. We are not big drinkers, and we
ended up taking the wine to dinner to share. I guess without having the veranda this time we didn't feel like cracking
open the wine in the cabin anyhow! We must have a veranda on our next cruise, oh how we miss it!!! LOL!

I decided I would work on my tan some more today so I was around the pool area a bit (and enjoying my private deck
space at the back of the ship) but went to see the "King of the Horizon" contest in the pool area which was silly but I
was glad the old Italian-American guy with the potbelly won. He had the most charm by far! There was a young
bodybuilder type guy there but he just didn't have the personality the old guy had! There were a variety of personal
enrichment lectures to attend as well but never made it to any of those. Tonight was our 2nd formal night so I had to
get cleaned up at a reasonable hour. We got gussied up and went and spent some time down in the Plaza Bar, of
course, to listen to Marilyn Woods. She takes requests by the way! The show tonight was going to be the Best of
Times, but we only sat in on it for a few minutes. I will say, the stage on the Horizon is very limited in what you can do
so it would necessarily limit what sort of production values you can have (such as scenery changes and moving risers
and that type of thing...) It was nice to be at sea again, as sad as we were to be leaving Bermuda and sailing towards
home. Tonight was the Grand Buffet in the Starlight Restaurant and I managed to sneak in by the back just to get in to
take pictures. It was lovely! All those ice carvings and breads in interesting shapes--and of course--swan puffs! Can't
miss out on those!

Day Seven - Saturday - At Sea

I don't want to go home. Life is truly unfair! Obviously we have been having a good time. We have enjoyed our dining
room table mates, the food, Marilyn Woods the pianist, and just the relaxation of being at sea. Did I mention it has
rained every day?? Don't get upset--it was only for a few minutes each day, but somehow we never managed to see it.
We were always too busy doing something I guess! But 2 of our dining room mates told us about the rain and our
reaction was--it rained?? This morning I went off to a culinary demonstration which was very interesting. The french
pastry chef onboard showed us how to pull sugar and make it into interesting things like flowers and ribbons. I shall
have to try this at home. I'm sure I won't do it nearly as nicely! But it didn't look that hard. I went up to the pool area to
catch some of the "Blue and White Olympics". This cruise has had the most pool games I have ever seen on any of
our 3 cruises thus far. I found the pool area actually a bit small so I didn't hang out in the sun right there too much, but
if I wanted a quiet environment that would not have been it. Actually, ever day in the Horizon Daily they published a list
of quiet areas for that day, both indoors and out, which I thought was a nice touch, but nothing would supplant the
Cova Cafe/Plaza Bar, the America's Cup Club, or the back decks on the ship for my quiet areas of choice! I think on
this day also was the Captain's Club party, which was at 11:30 am! I do think that's a weird time to have it but we had a
mimosa each, which was appropriate for the hour. There was a receiving line to meet Captain Lefteris Konstantinides
on the way in. I did wonder who was steering the ship during that party LOL!

The high tea was today but I didn't feel like dressing up (again, since I put on long pants to meet the Captain, which I
thought was respectful) and wanted to concentrate on tanning and reading my book. They had to do a medical
emergency airlift by helicopter today so the grill area on the back of the ship and all the back deck areas were closed
for a while. We heard wildly conflicting stories about what the problem was--it was either a young lady with appendicitis
or an old man who had a heart attack. I saw the Coast Guard planes fly by scoping out the scene but didn't stay up
near the pool to watch the helicopter. Too scary to watch for my money. So I easily found amusement elsewhere. We
went to lunch in the dining room, which was tasty as usual. I think I snuck a hotdog in there somewhere before the grill
area closed down which was very good!

Today I had fun with fruity drinks--I had a Crazy Pineapple which was basically a Coco Loco inside of a real pineapple.
I felt like a true vacationer then! All I needed was a big beer gut and a tacky t-shirt which said "I'm with stupid" or
something like that. In short, I was without shame at that point. But I just had to try one.

Tonight was our final dinner in the dining room, a depressing though. My thoughts started to turn towards the ugly
reality that Cem and Mukesh would not be serving me dinner tomorrow night at home. Where was I to get my veal
medallions?? My swan puffs? My panna cotta!?? Tonight we would skip the show again, "Jump, Jive, and Rock -n-
Roll" in favor of a little time in the casino and of course listening to Marilyn Woods at the piano. We just did not win any
money in the casino this time. And the troll was at the roulette wheel again. Thoughts turned to throwing him
overboard! I like a lively, friendly table of people in good spirits but this guy was all business. It was rather depressing
to watch actually. I guess the first night out my favorite number, 16, kept hitting on the roulette table. Of course that
was the night I wasn't playing!!!! Oh well.

Before dinner I managed to pack up my bags and lay out some clothes for the morning. I hate this part. I scooped up
all my bar bills and my Horizon Dailies so I could save them for my ever-larger archive of such materials. I had to go
down to guest relations to make sure I bought some of the souvenir "mini-menus" from the chef Michel Roux. They are
cute and have recipes on the back! That will help bring back memories of the trip and tide us over until the next cruise!
They also sell a number of cookbooks by the Roux brothers but you have to get them from Guest Relations as well.
Considering how much they promote their cuisine you would think they have these things in a nice display right in the
gift shops?? That would make sense. They should make that change. I think they could sell a whole bunch of those
things!

Day Eight - Sunday - Disembarkation in NYC

I hate this part.

We had a very nice breakfast in the Starlight restaurant and got to see our dining room companions once more. The
guy at the table next to us who had the bad moped accident was up and walking much better now. I got to have the
bananas and cream once more. Everyone was sad to be leaving of course. Since we were Captain's Club members we
had to go to the Rendezvous Lounge to wait to get off the ship--we had #2 as well due to the Captain's Club thing. I
guess it took us over an hour and a half to disembark but went fast once it got moving. There were non-US citizens
who had to go to customs on the ship and I had to go pay some duty on the extra things I bought above my duty free
allowances on liquor and cigarettes. They were both still a very good deal with paying the duty. These matters were
efficiently handled on board. We disembarked and then went to the Custom's cashier to pay and were on our way to
find the luggage (easily) and get to the bus. The one bad thing about getting off early when we had the Celebrity bus
to take back to Washington was everyone else was not getting off early, so we waited around quite a while near the
bus waiting for everyone else to get there. The bus was rather pokey getting back to Washington so I don't know that
we'll do that option again, but it was free so I shouldn't complain too much. Amtrak Metroliner to/from NY would have
been much faster but costs money, of course. Getting home we unpacked and started doing our wash.....boo hoo!!!

All and all it was a very nice cruise. I'd say as good as any of the others. The food was definitely better and more
imaginative than on the Rotterdam, maybe a little better than on the Galaxy, but the cabin was rather plain and no
match for either the Rotterdam or the Galaxy. But then again, we didn't have a veranda so I'm sure that's coloring our
impression. This cruise was more lively than either of the 2 previous, but not so much so that we couldn't find nice
quiet areas to read our books or take in some sun. All and all, the combination of a healthy dose of at sea days and
time in Bermuda was a good one. While King's Wharf doesn't have all that much to do, it is very convenient to good
beaches by way of bus and it's a quick ferry into Hamilton if you want to walk around there. Considering this sailing
was a few hundred dollars cheaper than the comparable one on Zenith, which docked in St. Georges instead of King's
Wharf, I would rate it as a very good deal. St. Georges isn't worth the big difference in cost in my opinion. As quaint as
it is, I suspect most people are going for the sun and beaches, and the beaches on the South Shore are more
prevalent and closer to Hamilton and King's Wharf. The decent number of children we saw seemed to be largely well
behaved and having a good time. The food and our wait staff and cabin steward were all excellent. In short, this is a
wonderful and convenient getaway to paradise for anyone in the Northeast USA with a convenient sailing out of NY for
those who don't want to fly! I would highly recommend the Horizon as a good buy for the money.

Please feel free to ask me any questions whatsoever as I am happy to be of any help I can be.

JeffCoud@aol.com

Name: Antony L Evans
Email: antonye@mail.excite.com
Age: 34
Occupation: Maintenance Supervisor
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Horizon
SailingDate: 09/05/99
Itinerary: Bermuda Kings Wharf and Hamilton
Cabin: 4032/6
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 96
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 97
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 91
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 96
DiscoNightclubs: 93
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 96
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Sep 1999
Time: 02:32:15
Remote Name: gk-east-2.usps.gov
Remote User:

Comments

This our my first cruise and it definitely won't be the last. This was our 10th anniversary vacation and we had a great
time. Our package included coach transportation from the Baltimore Travel Plaza to New York. The ride up was
uneventful and comfortable. Once we got to the pier, a Celebrity rep. told us that if our luggage had either the tags
that were sent or any tags identifying us with name, address , etc., then they would reach our room ok. If they didn,t
have any tags on them, we would have to stay on the bus and get off at the baggage offload area and tag it. I had to
do this with one of our bags and met my wife upstairs. We went through a doorway and stood in a line that was about
120 feet long. From reading other reviews, I figured I would be there long enough to read a few magazine articles but
in the time it would have taken to read one article, we were on the ship being guided to our room by a cabin
stewardess. From the time we got off of the bus to the ime we got to our room was about 20 minutes. Our room was
nicer that I thought it would be.

We had an outside cabin on level 4 of the ship. We were pleased at the size of the
room. hte bathroom was outfitted with a hair dryer, 4 glasses, lotion dispenser shampoo dispenser in the shower, and
an electrical outlet that didn't work. We never did mention it to our cabin steward, Jude, (who did an excellent job by
the way). The had two nice sized closets. One contained a safe and eight drawers. We used the bottom half of the
other for our large suitcase. The rest our luggage fit easily under the bed. There were twin beds but Jude pushed
them together for us and used king sized bedding. The room also had a color tv, a large dresser and a nightstand with
lamp. The window in the room was about 3 feet by 3 feet. Overall, we were very pleased with the room. When we got
there, our Celebrity ID cards were there and we used them for all shipboard purchases (except bus passes) and ID to
get back on board.

The next thing we did was head for the welcome-aboard buffet. On the way we noticed that the
ship doesn't have a lot of eye-candy like multi-level open areas with glass elevators, but it was very nice and well kept.
There were very little signs of wear throughout the ship. The best thing about this entire cruise was the food. The
combination of quality, variety, and quantity was like none I had ever seen. Fresh from day one until the last. Every
buffet had some combination of fruit, pasta, chicken and either beef, veal, roast pork, turkey, ar a combination cooked
different ways. And don't forget the dessert. Every day was a dessert lover's paradise. After the buffet and the cruise
down the Hudson, it was close to time for our early seat at dinner. Our waiter Mazy from India and bussboy Hose from
Honduras were the best. They didn't tell jokes or do tricks like I've heard others do, but they were very pleasant,
professional, and accomidating. The only negative was a couple times, the dishes were not clean and my wife's steak
was not done well enough but Mazy took care of both problems. Anything we wanted, we got. We had a table for two
and felt special the entire time.

We never saw a look on their face that showed any dislike for what they were doing.
Each night had a different menu with items such as fish, lobster, rack of veal, rack of lamb, filet mingon, shrimp scampi,
etc. There was a buffet option during dinner (with reservation) and a buffet between breakfast and lunch and between
lunch and dinner. Also the midnight buffet was pretty good. Some nights, the buffet came to you as you sat in any of
the lounges onboard. Speaking of the lounges, there was the Americas Cup, the Zodiac Club, and another midship.
Also, the Palladium show lounge featured shows every night. Most of these were not our cup of tea , but the older folks
seemed to enjoy them. One exception was a comedian who had us cracking up mostly at the expense of Carnival
Cruise Lines. There were some decent Broadway type shows also. As for Bermuda, get the bus pass, spend about 35
minutes at the mall at the dockyard (good 1/2 price deals) and head straight for either the beaches or St. Georges.
Our ship only stayed at Hamilton for one night but we wished it were longer. We went to Horseshoe bay with a couple
we met on the bus and it was postcard beautiful. The only other island we ever went to was the Bahamas and
Bermuda is MUCH cleaner and seemed much safer. We didn't do any excursions because the prices seemed a little
high. I don't suggest you get a scooter unless you are used to very narrow winding streets, left side driving and
unforgiving bus drivers.Our cruise director warned that every ship has at least one injury and ours was no exception. A
man with a broken leg and woman with a large gash. The shipboard activities consisted mostly of trivia, poolside fun
games, karaoke, and more trivia.The band, Xtasea was excellent from country to pop to R&B to Calypso. Overall, we
had a great time and cannot imagine a better value for the money that cruising. We will definitely go with Celebrity
again on one of their larger ships due out this year.

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