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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Jo Knibb Head
Email: CruisinJo@hotmail.com
Age: 65
Occupation: Bookkeeper
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: Oct 30, 1999
Itinerary: Panama Canal
Cabin: 9056
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 98
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 98
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 50
AirSeaProgram: 98
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Nov 1999
Time: 10:10:41
Remote Name: motnt02-145.postnet.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was the 13th cruise my sister and I have taken, the first on Celebrity - the rest
have been on Royal Caribbean.
Our travel arrangements were fine, and embarkation was smooth and rapid. We knew this was
an older ship, but found
nothing glamorous, glitzy, pretty or unusual about the decor and accouterments although it
was clean and spacious.
Except for the pool deck that is - Pool deck surface always looked dirty and outdoor cafe
tile surface always felt slick
underfoot. Our room was on the 9th deck, an outside cabin with an obstructed window. That
was okay as we had been
moved from our original cabin on deck 5 inside - we later found this was because the Spa
was being worked on and
services were being performed in deck 5 cabins.
Word was that the ship had just come out of dry dock after ten million dollars
renovations, which we sure couldn't see, and
there was still work to be done. This happened to us on a Royal Caribbean ship in 1992 and
each passenger was given a
$250 onboard credit to compensate for inconvenience. The sun deck was closed for the first
four days of the cruise, a
real inconvenience as it meant that there was limited sunning area. On an evening when the
country western evening was
held on the pool deck, you couldn't move - the sun deck would have been nice to have
available that evening!
Personnel on board the ships (all of them we've been on, including this one) are wonderful
- they are courteous, funny,
attentive, and do their jobs well. We were well satisfied in this department.
Food - well, Celebrity claims 5 star rating here - and we were expecting a lot. I will say
that the evening meals served in the
dining room were delicious and beautifully presented. However, the buffets in the Windsurf
Cafe left much to be desired.
Usually, by the time I got to the end of the line there was little on my plate, as nothing
looked that good to me. To get to
breads, desserts and coffee was bad - very little surface on which to put trays while
making choices. On all the other ships
we had been on, coffee was easily obtainable in the cafe 24 hours a day, but not here -
sometimes we had problems
getting a second cup because they closed down most of the coffee makers so quickly. We
didn't try to pizza but we did try
the hamburgers at the grill and they were tasteless. (Also one in the dining room at
lunchtime one day was the same -
very disappointing).
Entertainment - the production shows were all superb - we always enjoy these, but some of
the other entertainment was
just okay - comedians, magicians, musicians, singers - nothing outstanding. The pool side
group VOLTZ was wonderful,
as was the orchestra. The Disco was closed for renovation, and we didn't go into the
Rainbow Room. The duo playing in
the Rendezvous Lounge each evening was great. .
Activities - there was a wide variety of activities available, from games pool side to
bingo to trivia to pictionary to lectures
and lessons and exhibitions - you can keep as busy as you want!
Casino - terrible - although a wide variety of machines and tables , there was absolutely
no atmosphere and I have never
seen one as empty as the one on this ship. It was always so cold in there you needed a
jacket, and the music that played
was annoying - never could figure out what type of music it was. Also, had problems more
than once when cashing in
coins - either the slots shorted you or the coin changer shorted you - I know 25 cents or
50 cents is not a lot, but it can
add up!
Ports of call: we stopped at Cozumel, Cartagena, cruised through the Panama Canal, visited
Costa Rica, Acapulco, Cabo
San Lucas - the tours we took at the ports were very good and we enjoyed them. But through
the Panama we were very
disappointed because either the sound system didn't work properly or their on-board
lecturer wasn't doing his job - we
were given very little information other than a brochure on the canal. A sale of canal
souvenirs on the pool deck while
cruising through the canal was an absolute mad house. I personally saw merchandise walk
away from the table which
wasn't paid for, which can explain high prices!
Debarkation was terrible - groups of people were told to be in one lobby or another at 8
a.m. or 8:15 (no seating!) But the
ship wasn't even scheduled to dock until 9 a.m. and it took 2-1/2 hours to off-load
luggage. First passengers were allowed
to leave the ship at 11:30 a.m. and many missed their flight connections.
Saw a slogan on one of the Celebrity brochures which said ‘Let us exceed your
expectations' - we laughed - they had
definitely exceeded them, but in the wrong way.
Would we travel on Celebrity again? Probably. Depending on the itinerary, since that is
important to us, but we would
prefer another line. I know Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, but Royal Caribbean has
them beat in many areas -
although, it may be just this particular ship which was so disappointing.
Name: Christine Gienski
Email: cagiens@webtv.net
Age: 37
Occupation: Computer Scientist
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: November 14, 1999
Itinerary: Trans-canal
Cabin: 5091/Standard Queen
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 93
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 93
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 94
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 88
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 40
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 77
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 96
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Dec 1999
Time: 19:30:22
Remote Name: proxy-328.public.rwc.webtv.net
Remote User:
Comments
Had this been our first cruise, I might not have been so negative about some things. But,
after having seen how other
cruise lines dealt with situations, I was sorely disappointed in some aspects of this
cruise. I must also add that my
comments are probably biased by the vast difference between my age and the average age of
the people on board. This
was definitely a cruise composed of mostly senior citizens, so activities and tours were
geared toward them - not much in
the way of strenous shore excursion choices (like beginning scuba diving, hiking, or even
much walking.) I also have a
feeling that the lack of variety on the buffets and the extremely meager midnight buffets
were caused by the fact that the
ship was 3 hours late arriving in San Diego due to fog, and had to leave port that evening
due to tidal conditions before
18 pallets of food were loaded on board. At most meals, our waiter spent time listing the
items that were NOT available, as
well as describing those that were. Finally, my air/sea rating is due to the fact that we
had a mere 34 minutes to meet our
connecting flight to San Diego from Chicago O'Hare airport.
American airlines assured us that it was a LEGAL connection
(meaning more than the 30 minutes mandated by law) and refused to change us to a later
flight unless we paid $75 per
person. Our flight leaving Baltimore was 20 minutes late, and by the time we arrived in
Chicago, we had approximately 7
minutes to go 22 gates. As one of the youngest in the group, I was sent ahead to try to
hold the flight (my husband carried
our luggage) until the others could get there. This was NOT an easy task as the flight was
overbooked and American
wanted to assign the vacant seats to stand-by passengers. Fortunately, all made the
flight. Our return flight from San
Juan was a direct flight to Baltimore, so it was much easier, although that flight was
also overbooked. All that being said,
this was one of the most disorganized cruises I have ever taken. Embarkation was a
nightmare. As we arrived, we were
told that the ship would not be ready to board 'for some time' - no definite timeframe was
given. Passengers were left to
mill around in the terminal for several hours without any updates.
When Celebrity crew members did appear, they began
handing out cards with numbers on them without any rhyme or reason as to who got what
number. After pinning one crew
member down, I was told that these numbers were to be used to determine order of boarding,
although as soon as there
was activity behind the desks, everyone surged forward into the lines. An attempt was made
to enforce the numerical
prioritization, but no one checked your number once you reached the window.
Our first port of call was Cabo San Lucas and we had to tender in. Another sheer
nightmare. We were 1 1/2 hours late
getting into port. ALL people taking shore excursions were to meet in one of the lounges
and were given first priority to the
tenders. OH BOY! Picture nearly 300 people crammed into a lounge for over 2 hours while 3
tenders, each carrying
approximately 75 people made the 20 minute trip into Cabo. Now, this could have been easy
IF they had lowered all 3
tenders to start with. BUT, they lowered one, filled it, sent it on its way, THEN lowered
the next tender. At the start of the
process, we were told it would only take about 25 minutes to get everyone off the ship.
Well, it took 1 hour for my husband
and I to get out and there were still people behind us. I heard that the average person
not taking a shore excursion had
only 1 1/2 hours in port before the ship left.
On the positive side, we took the Pez Gato snorkeling and party boat tour.
Everyone on board seemed to have a wonderful time and everyone's mood had improved at the
tour's end. Tendering
back was much easier and quicker since all three boats were running. The next port of call
was Acapulco. Again, the ship
was 1 1/2 hours late arriving in port. We opted for the 4 hour city tour, which was pretty
good. We also went shopping on
our own. We found that one of the cruise's recommended stores, La Joyeria Margarita, was
very pricey and quite pushy.
They cornered my niece and tried to sell her an $18,000 bracelet, which she tried to
politely decline. My husband, nephew
and I decided to wait for her outside the store. Suddenly, one of the employees came
running out saying that she was in
trouble and needed our help. We went rushing in to see what was wrong. There she stood,
looking just fine. The man
behind the counter said, 'She needs your help. She needs you to loan her some money so she
can buy this bracelet.' I
was furious and told them so. Their response? 'Relax! Have a beer or margarita!'
Costa Rica was a great stop. We took
the 8-9 hour San Jose and countryside tour with a stop a several villages, including
Sarchi where they hand-paint ox carts.
My husband, niece (age 29) and nephew (age 30) thought this would be an extremely boring
trip. However, we all were
fascinated by the views of the countryside and the knowledge of our guide. He was
excellent - well spoken, intelligent, and
had a great capacity for the English language. The Panama Canal was fascinating. I spent
the entire 8 hours of transit on
the foreward top deck because I did not want to miss anything. The only tour offered in
Cartegena, Colombia, was a 4
hour city tour. Everyone was encouraged to take that tour for security reasons. I would
have liked to have longer that the
alloted 4 hours - actually climbing up into the old fort would have been wonderful, as
would have getting off the bus to look
at other sites more closely. We managed to get on a smaller bus with only 19 people. Many
complained about not being
able to understand the guide. I did not have much of a problem, but did have to listen
closely. Not much time on this tour
was allocated to shopping, which upset some people. We were actually 1 hour early getting
to Aruba. We did some
shopping prior to our snorkeling tour.
Once again, the tour was great fun although very few people actually got in the
water. The best snorkeling was in St. Thomas. Also, the ship was on time and there was
ample time for shopping. The
cruise line offered the greatest number of tour options here and Aruba, but nearly all
were merely sightseeing tours. As an
aside, Celebrity did not send us an advance copy of the tour options prior to our sail
date as they say is the norm. They
said they had to make a lot of last minute changes and negotiations, so our booklets were
ready in our cabins when we
came aboard. My GUESS is that the tours were changed to accomodate the VAST senior
majority. All in all, our cabin was
one of the biggest I had ever had on a cruise in this category and there was a huge amount
of storage. Our cabin steward
and his assistant were friendly and thorough, but did not speak much English. The
assistant ran over my tennis shoes with
the vacuum cleaner the third day of the cruise and ripped up a shoelace. He was MORTIFIED
and profusely apologized as
he brought it to my husband's attention.
My husband told him not to worry and that it was my fault for leaving my shoes in
the middle of the floor, but the man used his shoretime and his own money in Acapulco to
buy new laces and relace the
shoes. We know he had to go ashore because the ship's store carried only men's dress laces
(brown and black). He
refused our attempts to reimburse him. Our waiter and busboy were outstanding and went
above and beyond the call of
duty to make sure we were well taken care of. We spent a lot of time getting to know them
when they had a chance to talk.
They were the best we have experienced. The food was excellent in the dining room -
prepared exactly as we ordered.
The breakfast and lunch buffets had a lot of food, but it was the same stuff every day.
The grill had excellent hot dogs and
hamburgers! The pizza bar served only 3 kinds of pizza. In fact, the pizza and pasta
midnight buffet consisted of only
those 3 pizzas, 4 pans of different pasta types, and 4 different toppings. Oh, and
calzones. As I said, I think this was
because the ship left a lot of food sitting on the docks in San Diego. Our final stop was
San Juan. Disembarkation was
pretty smooth. Our flight back home left at 6:15 p.m., so we opted for the rainforest
tour. It was good, although the guide
had a lot of difficulty with one lady not returning to the bus on time.
As a result, those of us in the back of the line when we
stopped for lunch at 2 did not have time to eat because we had to leave to get people with
4 p.m. flights to the airport. No
big loss for us as we pretty much stuffed ourselves silly the entire cruise. We just ate
at the airport. But a few people
grumbled loudly to a very apologetic tour guide and to a not-at-all remorseful lady. The
ship was well-maintained; you
could always find someone polishing, vacuuming, dusting, etc. They did pick some rather
inappropriate times to spruce up
the ship's appearances, though. Like stripping and refinishing the bar in the lounge where
we were all awaiting tender to
Cabo San Lucas. Several of the passengers complained of nausea from the fumes, which were
quite strong. I was really
disappointed in the exercise room. It wasn't really a room, just a tent-like structure off
the back of one of the decks. It only
had 5 treadmills, 2 stairmasters and 3 exercise bikes. It also had a bench and some
handweights. The real room was
being refurbished, which also meant that the sauna and hot tubs were closed. We were told
that they would open before
the end of the cruise, but this did not happen.
Name: shelly christiansen
Email: grammashelly@worldnet.att.net
Age: 47
Occupation: nurse
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 11-14-99
Itinerary: transcanal
Cabin: 9007/4
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon: 0
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 0
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 60
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 50
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 50
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 25
DiscoNightclubs: 25
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 50
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Dec 1999
Time: 04:27:55
Remote Name: 63.san-francisco-13-14rs.ca.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:
Comments
we chose this 14-day transcanal cruise in part for their advertised 'olympic gym',
whirlpools and sauna, and based on
claim that avg age is 47; the olympic gym was not yet completed (or 'refurbished'), and
whirlpools and sauna were not
available. the avg age was closer to 77 than 47, and majority of entertainment was geared
for elderly tastes; example,
poolside recorded music was mainly big band or jazz; the few times some 'soft rock' was
played, it was immediately
changed as soon as any of the 'oldsters' complained yet the younger complaints were
ignored. ship refused to take
outgoing mail after 2nd port, despite initially stating stamps would be available, etc
(they weren't). toilets in the rooms on
upper decks were too high (at 5'6 my feet dangled 3-4 inches above ground). late night
activities were practically nil, with
5 piano bars and one part-time caribbean band and an inexperienced 'DJ'; ship was dead by
1 a.m. disembarkation was
total chaos, color-coded baggage was very haphazardly unloaded, and passengers even more
haphazardly unloaded too
quickly creating mob scene in terminal; there was also no security checks to verify
luggage belonged to person(s) and lost
luggage reports were not followed up on by the cruise line. theft reports on board were
noted but never followed up on by
security, despite their assurances. excursion rates were exorbitantly over-priced. captain
was arrogant and rude, would
not socialize with guests and even left his own 'welcome gala' after speaking very
briefly. flight arrangements at
termination were atrocious, despite early booking for the cruise/air package, many taking
up to 24 hrs of waiting and
'milkrun' flights from disembarkation to arrival at home ports. port stop in cartagena,
colombia should be replaced with
another 'safer' port (perhaps venezuela?). food was so-so, definitely not 5-star (hint:
NEVER trust european chef who
promises 'traditional thanksgiving dinner', we still have not figured out what he used to
make 'pumpkin' pie but it sure
wasn't pumpkin!). on the plus side, waitservice was outstanding and the 'lower' employees
friendlier and more efficient
than the 'upper echelon' staff, although they were STRONGLY discouraged from any
socialization with passengers, even
when passengers tried to initiate conversation. all in all, i would not recommend this
particular ship to anyone, and would
not personally ever cruise it again, although the ports were lovely.
Name: Jennifer Rolland
Email: rolland@mcn.net
Age: 28
Occupation: self employed
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 12/12/99
Itinerary: Panama Canal
Cabin: 1061
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort:
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 99
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 18:50:05
Remote Name: pm2a-006.glendive.mcn.net
Remote User:
Comments
Embarkation- We sailed out of San Diego, we arrived at the pier around 12:00 and found the
ship
was late getting into port so we were going to have to wait for a while to have our
luggage taken in.
After about 1 hour our luggage was gone and we were in line.Our TA got us membership in
the
Captian's Club, we never sailed Celebrity before so we don't know how she did it, but we
felt it was
$35.00 well spent. Once in the Captians club line we waited about 20 minutes before
getting
checked in.While we waited Celebrity served cold water, and punch. After getting checked
in we
were told to board. Once on board we were greeted by white gloved staff who then escorted
us to
our cabin, we thought that was a nice touch.
We then met our cabin steward Jose who informed us
there was a lunch buffet up on deck 11 so we went to check it out. It was very nice with
prime rib
and waiters to carry your trays to your table for you. Cabin- We had cabin 1061, and found
it's size
to be perfect for my husband , myself and our 4 year old. We had the beds made into a king
size
and also had a samll sofa that made into a bed also. We had a small mini bar, plenty of
storage
space, and a nice size bathroom. I brought my own hairdryer but it made very strange
noises so I
hd to use the one provided. I have long hair so it was not fun! Cabin Steward- Jose was
our cabin
steward and we liked him right away.
The first thing he did was tell us how to reach him if we
needed anything, day or night. He was wonderfull, for example, my husband rented a tux but
didn't
try it on until 20 minutes before the first formal night. The pants were 3 inches to short
and 2 sizes
to small, needless to say they didn't look very good. We called Jose, he said he could
have them
fixed by the next day, luckily my husband had a black pair of dress pants to wear. The
next day
after breakfast the pants were there and were a perfect fit. The next day we got our 4
year olds
pool float out and found it had deflated, it is one that needs an airline to fill it. I
again called Jose
and he said he would see what he could do, 10 minutes later we had a filled float. My 4
year old
thought Jose was a hero. He went above and beyond to be sure we were comfotable and was
very
nice. Dining Room- We noticed a diffrence fron our last Carnival cruise right away.
Celebrity is
more elegant with piano music playing.
The waiters also don't wear silly outfits every night. The
food was exellent, and presented well. They do provide a children's menu but our son
really
prefered the hamburger and fries! Our waiter was very friendly and after the first night
knew our
names and what drinks we liked. Our son never had to wait for his choclate milk. We had
lobster ,
twice and it was very good. The bread is wonderful. Buffets- We always had breakfast and
lunch in
the buffet, and we really liked the food, their was always a wide variety of food. For
lunch we would
usually have burgers & fries or chicken sandwiches that are avaliable on deck. We also
did the
alternative dining one night as we were going to be in port late. You do have to make
reservations.
We were greeted by waiters and had choices of steak, chicken, and I beleive fish.
Appetizers were
also avaliable. It was self serve on dessert and salad.It was good food but we really
enjoy the
dining room. Also be sure to try the pizza, it is served from 3-7 pm and from 10pm-1am, it
is very
good and is avaliable from room service. Children's Program- Our son loved the children's
program, they had video games and art supplies. The staff planned all kinds of activities
such as
ship tours , scavenger hunts, pizza parties, talent show and a clown party. The counslers
were all
very sweet.
Entertainment- I didn't catch many shows but heard from other passengers they were
very good. I did see the magic show and the comedian and they were great. Ship Board
Activities-
We enjoyed the at sea days, they had trivia, scavenger hunts, bingo , movies,lectures and
demonstrations.The library has cards and board games and alot of good books. They also had
pool games.We also spent a little time in the casino, we lost but had fun, we also played
in the slot
machine tournament, lost at that too!!! Ports- We found Aculpulco to be , dirty, and not
very
friendly. I wouldn't want to go back there again.
Cartagena was nice, we had heard it was safer to
stay on the boat. We spoke to one of the cruise staff and he said hire a cab, they took us
around
for 2 hours shopping and waited while we shopped. The venders were PUSHY but we had gotten
the advice to wear sunglasses so as not to make eye contace and it worked really well, I
will use it
in other ports too. Ovreall Cartagena was a beautiful city. This was our second visit to
St. Thomas
and we really like it, good shopping , nice people. Cabo SanLucas was nice, not much to do
so we
wandered around for a couple of hours. Aruba was great, there is a mall close by , within
walking
distance. We also went to a hotel and swam on the beach, beautiful beach and nice people.
Going
through the canal was amazing, it is a must do experience. The only complaint I have was
the
elevators. After a couple days of eating all that food you want to take the elevator. Half
the time
they wouldn't stop even though you pushed the button and they were sooo slow. And no self
service laundry, 14 days is a long time to not wash clothes.Also the in room ordering for
room
service on the TV didn't work, I placed an order for coffee in the morning and it didn't
come, and
was told it is better to put the little card on your door the night before. One nice touch
is if it is early
in the morning, they call you before they bring your order. The great things were, the
staff was
friendly, even if they weren't your room steward or waiter they always had a smile and a
hello. The
food was great, the ship was always spotless, people were cleaning all the time. I will
sail Celebrity
again in the future and can't wait to do so. Disembarkation- Due to being Captians Club
members
we were given #2 for disembarkation, we went to the lounge and waited only about 45
minutes
before customs cleared the ship and we were off.Very smooth and very nice to not have to
sit and
wait for hours.
Name: Mr Neil Connell
Email: neil@anislouise.co.uk
Age: 45
Occupation: hotelier
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 11/27/99
Itinerary: Panama Canal
Cabin: 4074
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall:
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Jan 2000
Time: 16:15:20
Remote Name: webcachew09a.cache.pol.co.uk
Remote User:
Comments
San Juan – San Diego 27th November ’99 The flight from London Gatwick arrived on time around 3pm
and a short taxi ride got us to the Zenith. Zero queues meant we were on board and in our cabin
(outside, deck four) in no time, with luggage arriving shortly after. Twenty-seven people travelling from
San Diego were fogbound and missed the ship (joining it the next day in St Thomas). The public rooms
are smart without being particularly stylish. Apparently the ship was built in 1992 but I would have
guessed she was older. No impressive atrium, nothing exceptional to last in the memory. Cabins were
OK with a bit more space than average. Plenty of room for clothes. However, I can confirm (what I have
read) that the ceiling creaks when in motion. The lifts were excruciatingly slow to arrive and we used the
stairs most of the time.
The air conditioning was rather smelly at times and too cold, but maybe this was
to combat bugs that were going around the ship and causing something of an epidemic of chesty
coughs (no fault of Celebrity, this seems a common problem on board ship). Our first drink that
afternoon was at the new coffee bar/lounge (that has replaced Harry’s Tavern). An excellent
cappuccino. Service around the ship was top class, both in the restaurant and in the various bars etc.
The presence of a wine waiter and cocktail waitress at dinner took the strain off the food waiters and
this led to faultless and prompt service. The tables in the restaurant were curiously undersized: all were
circular with those for four only fit for two. Larger tables for six or eight looked equally cramped and this
would be a major point against a further cruise on Celebrity (apparently the Mercury (and so I imagine
all) have similar sized tables).
The food was very good and the menus had sufficient variety though
lacking that extra sparkle that we have experienced on other cruises. Entertainment in the show lounge
was varied; we don’t go in for ‘circus acts’ e.g. the comedy juggler, but the comedian was a highly
seasoned professional. The singing and dancing routines were very well done, but lacking that extra
something (better costumes and lighting plus a more daring choreography) which would have made
them spectacular. We enjoyed the ‘Fleet Duo’ (violin and keyboard) in the Fleet Bar late on in the
evening. There was plenty of space on board: no difficulty getting into the show lounge, no problems
finding plenty of space on the Sun Deck. The Windsurf Café never had any queues, probably because
the buffet is on islands, which you can pass on either side. Service here i.e. the clearing of tables was,
again, excellent. The content was very good e.g. smoked salmon every other day at breakfast. Midnight
buffets were very tempting (especially the Oriental nights) but we were on late sitting (8.30pm) so
couldn’t do them justice. Pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs (on offer mainly in the afternoon) were also
most acceptable.
The itinerary was good with the Panama Canal transit the highlight. Cartagena
(Columbia) was a trial. We took a taxi into the town and had a wander round but were constantly
worried by traders selling T-shirts and cigars. We felt threatened and would advise an organised tour.
The Mexican ports of Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas were very pleasant, but the tour at Cabo took us
to two hotels and really seemed to be promoting the area for the many Americans on board ship. I am
increasingly of the opinion that most tours are overpriced and you can have a much more pleasant
experience under your own steam (except in Columbia!) Disembarkation must have been a worry for a
lot of people, not getting under way until around 11am. Apparently customs had not accounted for all
passengers and kept calling for them over the public address. Our flight was not until late afternoon so
our late exit (around 12 noon) was of no concern. We had a most successful trip and on the whole
would go with Celebrity again (though they are not on the top of my list). Neil Connell
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