Just back - Century

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lysolqn

Guest
Just returned from Century nine-night Caribbean cruise - our fifth time on Century and our 23rd cruise on Celebrity. The itinerary was a perfect mix of four port days (Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Aruba and Curacao) and four sea days; the weather was consistently warm and sunny (except for two very brief showers on our first sea day), the skies were blue and the sea was as calm as a lake. Though ten years old, admittedly showing some signs of wear (to be addressed) and soon headed into dry dock for a major overhaul, Century remains a beautiful and elegantly appointed ship.

From the captain on down to every staff and crew member, everyone on Century was friendly and eager to please. Service was just what we’ve come to expect from Celebrity – excellent. Our cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter, assistant maitre d’ and everyone else with whom we came in contact were as welcoming, sincere and as accommodating as one could hope for and all this was accomplished without anyone being gushy or obsequious. In line with X’s goals, we were treated famously. Say what you will about Celebrity, but service does seem to be one of its strong suits. As a poster in the crew area says, at Celebrity a perfect ten just isn’t good enough.

Food in the dining room was, as always, very good to excellent. We were a bit surprised, however, to find that one of our favorite dinner choices, rack of lamb (always offered at least once on a seven-night cruise and often more than once on longer cruises) was not available at all during this particular cruise. No one seemed to know why, but for some reason (cost-cutting, perhaps?) it wasn’t available. That aside, there were lots of other delicious choices and it was impossible to go hungry! With respect to the lunch buffets, we found them to be a bit lackluster in presentation and variety. Perhaps that’s because we’ve become accustomed to the M-class ships which have a larger buffet area and therefore a seemingly wider variety of offerings. Also, there appeared to be more repetition at the lunch buffet than we’ve noticed before. For instance, adjacent to the pizza/pasta station at the pool grill, there’s a Caesar salad and special-of-the-day station. During the nine days there were only three alternating “specials†- a curry station, a baked potato station and a taco station. Also, at the sandwich station in the rear, despite the name change, the hot sandwich seemed to be the same almost every day. No great shakes, just something we noticed which seemed to differ from X’s usual standards.

Entertainment was varied and quite good with three production shows, a comedian, a violinist, a singer and the “ladder†guy (if you’ve cruised Century, you know who I mean). While perhaps not the greatest entertainment offered on the high seas, the evening entertainment provided on Century was certainly enjoyable. The cruise director, Allan King, is a pro and probably one of the best in the industry - he and his staff are very accessible and do everything possible to make sure there’s plenty going on around the ship to keep everyone happy.

In recent months, much has been written on this board and others about the condition of Century now that she’s ten years old. I’ve read posts that would lead one to believe Century is a barely sea-worthy old rust bucket, and other posts that maintain she’s as pristine as she was the day she embarked on her first revenue-generating cruise some ten years ago. The fact is the truth rests somewhere the between the two extremes. We first cruised on Century during her inaugural year, then three other times before this, our fifth cruise on her. Century remains a beautiful ship and is in incredible shape considering she’s been carrying 1600 passengers every week for the past ten years. Century is the perfect size ship for those who shy away from mega-ships, and despite her size and passenger load, she never feels crowded – even on sea days. IMHO Century’s design is almost flawless. In fact, the only flaw I’m aware of is the limited access available to the dining room entrance on the fifth floor, and therefore the need to go up or down when getting to or from the dining room. Century’s public spaces are as lovely as ever and her classic, understated elegance is still present, even though she is showing some understandable signs of wear and tear.

While I wouldn’t call the ship old or worn, I would have to say it appears a bit tired, particularly with respect to the Islands Buffet and the theater, both areas of the ship which are well-used and abused by passengers, and now appear somewhat dated. That said, Century is still immaculate. No matter where you go, someone is always cleaning, polishing, varnishing or painting and that constant care goes a long way. Our cabin was in decent shape and true to other cabins we’ve had on Century, provided the best storage arrangement of any ship we’ve ever sailed. Nevertheless, after ten years of service, the bathroom fixtures were a bit discolored, the bed was terribly uncomfortable (until our cabin steward added a foam covering which immediately remedied the situation), and the frame of our desk chair was wrapped in masking tape. Did any of this adversely affect our cruise? Not a chance – and I still maintain that overall Century is in great shape, albeit a bit tired in some places. I’ve no doubt whatsoever that when she emerges from dry dock, Century will still be one of the most beautiful ships afloat. My one regret is that she will be sailing three- and four-night itineraries and because we prefer longer cruises, we’ll not likely have the opportunity to enjoy what X is now calling, the New Century.

Finally, a subject that is sure to evoke strong responses as it always does – the ever-controversial dress code issue. One of the things that makes Celebrity our cruise line of choice is the traditional cruise experience it offers its guests and that includes the continuation of formal and informal nights, something most other lines have all but eliminated. Let me say outright that, no, we really don’t care what other people wear and no, someone’s mode of dress doesn’t make or break our cruise, but…

While many passengers did respect the evening dress code on our cruise, too many did not. On both formal and informal nights, passengers were allowed into the dining room in shorts, tee shirts, bathing suit cover-ups, sweatpants, jeans and other clothing that didn’t even loosely qualify as formal or informal. On the two informal nights, perhaps only half the men wore jackets and that includes those whose jackets were windbreakers. On informal nights in particular, those who did respect the dress code actually looked out of place.

We overheard one passenger ask the maitre d’ why passengers who were clearly inappropriately dressed were permitted in the dining room, especially on formal nights and the response was simply, “there€™s nothing we can do.†Well, I think there is something they can do. If X is going to continue to have an evening dress code and ask passengers to respect it, there should be some effort (even minimal) by X to see that those who refuse are likewise refused entry to the dining, and very politely directed to an alternative dining venue.
 
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Ted_D

Guest
Sounds just like the Century we know. We too think its a great ship. Thanks for the "review".

I couldn't agree more about dress in the dining room. Someone else's dress is never going to ruin our
evening, but it seems silly for X to advertise that they're different and then not enforce their own policy -- even if it is gentle enforcement. Interestingly, DW and I just returned from a Constellation cruise out of San Juan and the percentage of formal night men in tuxes was way higher than on any cruise we have taken in years. I would venture it was 80%, which is probably double what we normally experience. And, there were definitely no jeans, pool wear, etc in sight. Go figure.

Ted
 
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Jen&Rich

Guest
Rich and I are booked onthe Century for this coming March. Our first time with Celebrity. When we were crusing with HAL back inOctober we also had several people inthe dinning room wearing sweats and such. Though I dont have a problem so much with jeans, because they can be dressed up,the sweats I thought were pushing it. One woman wore them at dinner everynight and when we seen her out and about on the ship she was wearing them then as well!! So heres some advice people...packe more then just your sweatsuits and swimwear!!!! : )

HALs ZUiderdam Oct 05
Celebrity Century 3/19/06
 
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BSeabob

Guest
nice review thks. Will be interesting to see what the refit next yrear does to the Ship !!! have yet to sail on a century class ship but I think it's going to happen one of these days.
 
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