Name: Douglas Gillaspie
Email: PrincData@aol.com
Age: 42
Occupation: consultant
NumberOfCruises: 10
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 10/24/98
Itinerary: Panama Canal
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 50
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Nov 1998
Time: 08:52:26
Remote Name: 207.140.194.240
Remote User:

Comments

13 Night Panama Canal Cruise New York City to Acapulco 10/24/98

Planned Itinerary

Day/Port Arrive Depart Sat 10/24 New York 4:30p Sun 10/25 At Sea Mon 10/26 C. Canaveral
12:00pm 9:00pm Tue 10/27 Ft. Lauderdale 10:00am 4:30pm Wed 10/28 At Sea Thu 10/29
Cozumel 8:00am 6:00pm Fri 10/30 At Sea Sat 10/31 At Sea Sun 11/1 Panama Canal 8:00am
6:00pm Mon 11/2 At Sea Tue 11/3 Puerta Caldera 7:00am 7:00pm Wed 11/4 At Sea Thu 11/5
Huatulco 12:00pm 6:00pm Fri 11/6 Acapulco 8:00am

Actual Itinerary (Thanks to hurricane Mitch and other oceanic phenomenon)

Day/Port Arrive Depart Sat 10/24 New York 4:00p Sun 10/25 At Sea Mon 10/26 C. Canaveral
2:30pm 9:00pm Tue 10/27 Ft. Lauderdale 10:00am 4:30pm Wed 10/28 At Sea Thu 10/29 At Sea
Fri 10/30 Catagena Colombia 8:00am 6:00pm Sat 10/31 San Blas Islands 8:00am 6:00pm Sun
11/1 Panama Canal 8:00am 4:30pm Mon 11/2 At Sea Tue 11/3 Punteranus 7:00am 7:00pm Wed
11/4 At Sea Thu 11/5 Huatulco 2:30pm 6:00pm Fri 11/6 Acapulco 8:00am

This was the 10th cruise for us (1 BRB, 1 HAL, 1 Carnival, 2 NCL, 4 Princess) and the first on
Celebrity. We are a midwestern couple in our early 40's Celebrating our 20th anniversary. At least
that was the excuse we used for this trip.

GETTING TO NEW YORK We usually fly out the day before embarkation when we make our own air
arrangements but given the time of year and the number of flights to NYC we felt comfortable
flying the same day we were to sail. We flew from Chicago into Laguardia on American Airlines.
Our flight was on time and pleasant arriving at 10:00 a.m. Laguardia is a nice small older airport
(it reminded me of Chicago's Midway Airport) that was easy to navigate. We took our time,
stopping at a couple of shops before gathering our luggage. This proved to be a mistake. When
we arrived at the baggage claim area two of our bags were all that remained on the carousel.
One bag was missing. We immediately went to the baggage claim office and after a few anxious
minutes they located our wayward suitcase. The staff were very helpful and courteous and we
were very grateful. The ride to the cruise ship terminal took about 30 minute and the fare was
about $27 including tolls and I tipped the friendly driver $5.

EMBARKATION C-

First impressions are important and Celebrity dropped the ball here. There was no one at the curb
instructing or directing people and no one actively collecting luggage so we entered the terminal
building luggage in tow. The terminal is an old and drab structure when compared to terminals in
Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral. Once inside, again there were no signs or personnel giving
direction. There was a person waiving a blue piece of paper that people were taking and filling
out. I acquired one of these forms and then looked for a flat surface upon which to fill it out.
People were scattered everywhere filling out this form, on window sills, on top of their suitcases
virtually on any flat surface that could be found. The form requested return flight information and
was required before you could get in line to check in. With our form filled out we passed a
security checkpoint to take a place in line waiting for check-in to begin. After standing in line for
about 10 minutes I had my first encounter with a Celebrity employee. She looked at my wife and I
and said, ‘you need to check your luggage outside’. I left my wife in line and dragged our luggage
back past the security check point and outside where I located a man with a cart. He was very
friendly and took care of our bags quickly. Then I had to proceed back through security to rejoin
my wife. Embarkation was supposed to commence by 11:30 but did not actually begin until nearly
1:00 p.m. During the hour and a half wait I had ample time to watch the lack of care with which
Celebrity made it's first impression on guests. I watched as time after time people came through
the security check and meandered around trying to find the end of the ever lengthening line while
a Celebrity employee engaged in banter with the security personnel. A great number of the
people on this cruise were elderly and some quite frail. The terminal had virtually no place for
people to sit. By the time embarkation began every available ledge, shelf or counter was occupied
by people scratching for a place to sit down. Some resorted to sitting on the concrete floor. At
about 12:30 a table was set up offering water and punch to those waiting in line. To Celebrity's
credit when embarkation started they processed people very quickly and efficiently. The counter
staff were very friendly and helpful. To say the least my expectations were not exceeded during
this procedure.

THE SHIP A- We are partial to midsize ships so the 47,255 ton Zenith was much to our liking. It
was logically laid out and had good places for seclusion or gatherings. The only point of confusion
was that not all the elevators serviced all decks. As a matter of personal preference we like ships
that have promenade decks that encircle the ship. The Zenith's promenade is ‘U’ shaped.

CABINS A- We booked and odd shaped inside cabin on Caribbean deck (deck 6) cabin 6072. We
were pleasantly surprised by its spaciousness. We had more then enough drawer and closet
space. The deck plans in the brochure stated that the cabin had a double bed. This was of
concern to us because we are used to a King. The bed was in reality at least a Queen but could
not be separated into twins. The only drawback to the cabin design was that the location of the
television on the desk next to the bed made viewing from bed awkward. The bathroom was good
sized for shipboard facilities. It had a weak hair dryer but a nice sized shower. Water pressure
and hot water supply were ample. The cabin had a TV that had two movie channels, CNN and
ESPN. You could also use the TV to view pay-per-view movies, book shore excursions and
gamble. The selection of movies was pretty good but began to repeat pretty early in the cruise.
We also bought two of the pay-per-view movies.

CABIN SERVICE A+ Our cabin Steward Philippe was great and virtually invisible. He handled each
request with prompt ease. Because of the length of this cruise I made extensive use of the on
board laundry service. Philippe made sure that I had my laundry returned when needed. The room
service we used was always prompt and was quick to correct the order the one time there was a
mistake. We mainly used this 24 hour service for late night chocolate cookies and milk.

ENTERTAINMENT B+ I will admit to being hard to impress in the area of entertainment. On this 13
night cruise there were 3 live production shows. The first of these was performed by the dance
team that had been on board for the Zenith's summer sailings to Bermuda. This show was well
done. The other two show were done by a new dance team that came on board in Florida. Along
with the dancers a new male vocalist also joined the team. These other shows were high energy
but had obvious rough edges. The new male vocalist being one of the weakest points. Our
favorite entertainer was a juggler/comedian who was very funny. The stand up comic was also
pretty good. The mindologist (kind of a mind reading act) was lame. Our least favorite was Steve
Fowler. He has sung in the show Star Light Express on Broadway. While he was talented he was a
bit condescending and showy. The oddity on the entertainment schedule was a guy who
performed traditional Bavarian music using voice (yodeling), cowbells, musical saw and bull whip.
He was unusual to say the least. On a side note, we took the behind the scenes tour of the show
lounge and I spent some interesting time with the sound technicians and the stage crew. I was
inquiring about their educational background as we have a son interested in working in the area
of professional sound.

The entertainment in the other lounges throughout the ship seemed to lack variety and grew
tiresome on a cruise this long.

ACTIVITIES A- The Cruise Director Dennis Sciortino and his staff did a very good job. The age of
the clientele probably averaged 65+. There were a handful of honeymooning couples and a few
other couples in their 30's and 40's. This group as a whole was a bit sedate but there were
enough active folks to provide a core group for pool games and other shenanigans. The cruise
staff were friendly and accommodating to a sometimes complaining crowd. We would have liked
more pool side games and more planned activities in the evening but understand that the
schedule was geared for the ages of the majority of cruisers on board.

Some high points were the 50's & 60's party the Country Western Party and the Caribbean Night.
The Caribbean Night was really well done. The decorations and food were the best we have seen
on any cruise line. They even had a volcano floating in one of the pools.

FOOD A Please read these comments understanding that I am not difficult to please in the dinning
room. I felt that the food in the dinning room surpassed every one of our other cruises. Both
presentation a quality were very good. The portions were a bit on the small side which was fine
for us. Menu items did begin to start reappearing after about a week. I ate exclusively seafood
the first week. The length of this cruise allowed me to sample the beef offerings as well. All were
at least very good. Lobster was offered twice as was prime rib and filet mignon. Each evening
there were four appetizers, three soups (two hot and one chilled), two salads (with unusual
dressing choices), four or five entrees. The deserts were above average. The wait staff brought
a desert tray to the table so we could see and hear each offering described. This was a neat
service that we appreciated. This practice also sometimes caused me to have to sample more
then one desert.

We only ate one lunch in the dinning room and it was fine. For lunch and breakfast we frequented
the buffets in the Windsurf Cafe. These were very good, on a par with those on Princess or HAL.
The lines at times could be long. Late in the cruise we also became aquatinted with the grill
which had good burgers and hot dogs and great fries. The deserts were again a high point. Great
snacks were offered in the late afternoon and there was pizza available in the evening and late
into the night.

FOOD SERVICE A+ Our waiter Reynaldo (from the Philipines) and Cedemir (from Croatia) did a
great job. They were efficient, pleasant but not too familiar. The service staff at the buffets
were equally attentive. The lady's food trays were always carried to the table for them by
waiters. The dinning area was kept clean and presentable.

OVERALL SERVICE A+ The service staff were as good as any we have encountered. It is no easy
feat to provide flawless service for 13 days. Our cabin steward was absolutely invisible but
thorough. Out waiter and busboy never had an ‘off’ night and often seemed to read our minds.
The few times I stopped by the pursers desk the staff were friendly and helpful. The bar staff
were omnipresent but not too pushy.

KID APPEAL N/A As amazing as it may seem there actually were a few children on this 13 day
cruise. What this cruise could have possibly offered to them escapes me. When we have cruised
with our kids the key to their enjoyment has always been similarly aged kids to ‘hang’ with. So for
our kids, had they been along, this cruise would have been a bust. The kids that we saw seemed
to be having fun.

PORTS/EXCURSIONS B The itinerary had some points that had prompted us to book this cruise.

New York: My wife had never been to New York City and the thought of sailing out of the Hudson
River past the Statue of Liberty was very appealing. The weather really cooperated as it was 70
degrees under sunny skies as we glided past the ‘grand lady’.

Port Canaveral: It had been 10 years since our last visit to the Kennedy Space Center and the
prospect of seeing a Space Shuttle on the launching pad made this port of real interest. We
seldom book shore excursions from the cruise line but given our arrival time into Port Canaveral
(12:00 noon) and the difficulty arranging transportation to the KSC we bought this tour on board.
Our arrival into Port Canaveral was delayed by unexpected currents until 2:30pm. The $48 per
person tour was really a nightmare. It was to include a 30 minute IMAX movie, a 2 hour bus tour
of the space facility as well as time to view exhibits and shop. We arrived at the KSC around
3:30pm. Our ‘guide’ raced us through the facility and then promptly abandoned us at the IMAX
theater sans any instructions. I helped negotiate our way into the next show. After the movie our
‘guide’ herded us to waiting buses for a 30 minute drive, in the fading daylight, past the vehicle
assembly building and the hordes of media waiting to document John Glenn's return to space. The
highlight of the bus tour was seeing several alligators along side the road. After the bus tour we
were given 30 minutes to shop. Shopping was the only real option as most of the exhibit building
were closed by this time. On the bus ride back to the ship I could tell that it was not going to be
a good night for the people at the shore excursions desk. The howling and complaining was
deafening. We got back to the ship at 6:45 (dinner for us began at 6:00) and were instructed to
go to the dinning room even though we were so late. Where the excursion had failed the dinning
room staff really picked up. Our orders were quickly taken and we were served swiftly. After
dinner I filled out the comment/complaint form for the shore excursion. Celebrity did the right
thing by crediting everyone the full cost of the excursion. With that gesture they had in my view
redeemed themselves.

Ft. Lauderdale: We took a taxi to Las Olas Boulevard to shop ($12) and walked almost all the way
back to the ship before grabbing another taxi. By this time we had heard that Mitch was going to
alter our itinerary but plans were not finalized yet. The rumor was that we were to stop in Aruba
so I picked up a guide book that included Aruba in it.

Catagena: As fate would have it we did not go to Aruba (a port we had never been to before)
but rather sailed to Colombia. We had just visited here last year but wanted to buy more coffee.
We are not faint of heart so we ventured outside the gate of the terminal and negotiated with a
guide for a $20 shopping trip. His English was marginal but he provided both safety and great
flexibility. After some shopping we inquired about a visit to the street market where the locals
shop. We had seen this area on our last visit. We had purposely not brought any cameras or
valuables with us in case we had the opportunity to experience this place. We set off on foot
with our ‘guide’ breaking trail for us. We browsed and bought a few items and our ‘guide’
functioned as our currency exchange. When we were ready to move on to more westernized
tourist grade shopping he quickly arranged for another taxi. He assured us that he would take
care of each taxi driver. After buying more coffee we were escorted in our third taxi of the
morning back to the ship. We were let out of the taxi outside the terminal gate and I paid our
guide the agreed to $20 and tipped him $5. He gently pressed me for a little more because he
provided such good service. I had to agree that we had a good time and we never had to retrace
our steps as he arranged for our next taxi ride. On those grounds I added another $5 and he was
happy. $30 plus tip was the posted cost for a shopping trip by taxi so not only did we get a good
value we had a bit of a cultural experience as well.

San Blass: We had visited this unique place just a year earlier and so opted to stay on board
ship. The Zenith stopped in a different place from our last visit. The single shore excursion
offered was an island hopping tour by dugout canoe. We watched, through binoculars from deck,
as our dinner companions were ferried from one little island to another. They said they had a
good time but it was incredibly hot out.

Panama Canal: We had sailed through the Panama Canal on the NCL Dynasty last November and
looked forward to the transit again. This time we entered from the Atlantic side. I don't remember
traveling as fast as we did through the canal on our last visit. The pilot had the Zenith listing
hard as we zipped toward the continental divide where the canal is much narrower. Mercifully it
was overcast so being on deck was a pleasant experience. Occasional drizzle also had a way of
freeing up viewing space on the rail from time to time.

Costa Rica: Our Canal cruise last year had also introduced us to Costa Rica and we wanted to
return there to try the white water rafting offered on the NCL cruise. Unfortunately Celebrity only
offered a shopping and city tour plus the tour to the Poas volcano that we took last year. The
published port was Puerta Caldera but we actually docked a few miles from there at a new cruise
ship pier in the town of Punteranis. This was a pleasant surprise because Puerta Caldera was only
a container ship dock and had no amenities. We decided to go into town. As we walked down the
pier the tour buses were loading up for their excursions. We happened to see the same tour guide
that had taken us to the Poas Volcano ayear ago waiting to host that same trip. We stopped to
chat with him for a few minutes. This port is in the process of gearing up for tourists. There were
a few vendors set up at the end of the dock and the a couple of shops across the street. The
main town is just a normal Costa Rican town. We enjoyed walking around and being stared at by
the locals. We ended up buying some coffee and a few trinkets then re-boarded the Zenith.

Huatulco: Our late arrival at Huatulco was exacerbated by the fact that we had to tender to
shore. All the excursions had to be canceled because of our tardiness. When I was finally able to
get on a tender it was nearly 5:00 pm. I just walked around town a bit and bought a coffee mug
and tendered back to the ship.

DEBARKATION A We had a 1:10 pm flight so we were in no particular hurry to exit the ship. As
usual Celebrity used a color coded debarkation system. One nice thing was that Celebrity
delivered our luggage to the airport even though we had made our own air arrangements. By 9:30
we were sitting in the air-conditioned terminal trying to decide if we wanted to do any shopping
before heading to the airport. By a little after 10:00 we had decided to just head for the airport.
We stepped outside and a taxi driver offered his services. We waited as he brought his car up
and were pleasantly surprised that it was a nice air-condition Suburban. We enjoyed the drive to
the airport in comfort. When we arrived we claimed our luggage and stood in line for over an hour
waiting to check our bags and check-in for our flight. The port lecturer had stated that there
was absolutely nothing at the airport so it was best to do any shopping before getting there. In
reality there was plenty of shopping at the airport including a very nice duty free shop. American
Airlines flights do not originate from the terminal building so we were bused out to the plane. We
flew first to Dallas with a connecting flight on to Chicago. Both flights were on time and
uneventful.

SUMMARY/OVERALL RATING A/A- It is interesting that with a cruise of this length any problems
encountered at the beginning are nearly forgotten by trips end. So it was with this trip. The
disappointments of embarkation and our first port had faded from our memory by the end of the
cruise. I can't think of any reason that I would hesitate to book another Celebrity cruise. The
cruise product we received was probably the best cruise experience/value overall of any we have
taken.

Name: Ed Berman
Email: spoiled@sunline.net
Age: 59
Occupation: Pharmacist
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Celebrity-Zenith
SailingDate: 11-16-98
Itinerary: Transcanal-Sanjuan-Acapulco
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 60
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Nov 1998
Time: 14:25:09
Remote Name: 207.30.255.150
Remote User:

Comments

We found this cruise to be one of the best we have ever taken. Embarkation was a little ragged at the start,but progressed smoothly after a few
minutes. Food in all areas was better then we expected,so good in fact,that we came home with 10 pounds extra baggage. The cruise director was a
real pro,along with his staff,but I did find his assistant cruise director to be a mite abrasive.The service was excellent in the dining room,friendly yet
formal. The guest relations people were very pleasant and helpful,and the same can be said of the shore excursion people. The entertainment was
hot and cold,some of the acts such as an 'instrumentalist' from Scandinavia who played multiple instruments,long horn,wash board,bells,glassware
were so bad as to be funny,they also had a harmonica player who was actually pretty good until he started to tell the story of his life. The had a singer
who was very talented,along with 3 production shows which were pretty las-vegas'y. The lounge acts along with the caribbean band Sunset were ok.
The ports were all fascinating,and I would take this cruise again in a heartbeat,in fact we are booking the Horizon for next year. Forgot to mention the
on deck buffets at night,,spectacular

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