Will I like the Celebrity/Zenith

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SHANNON & CATHY

Guest
Hi,

Never cruised with Celebrity before (3 on Carnival Paridise,Pride, and Glory: 1 on RCL Sovereign of Seas) We're considering a 14 day Caribbean cruise (from Jacksonville) in Feb. How does Celebrity compare? are there major differences between them and Carnival/RCL? Is the Zenith a boat you can spend two weeks on without feeling trapped? What condition is she in? The price is dirt cheap should I be concerned...whats the catch? Thanks!!!

SDB
 
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gvb1969

Guest
Hi,
Zenith is a smaller ship with a real homey feel. Service is great, cleanliness the best, food-par-excellance. Been on Zenith twice, both times to Bermuda on7 day cruises. The ship has no balcony's . There are two presidential suites. I think 20 sky suites and all other cabins are the same. The shows are real nice, gambling is fun.. Didn't get to use spa, but whirlpools are real nice. For my husband and myself the Zenith would be fine. We are in our mid fifties and love to read...real life is crazy for us so vacations have to be restful..hope this helps. But you really can't go wrong with Celebrity. We have sailed with them 5 times now and have never had a bad thing to say...

Good Luck
 
J

J.E.

Guest
We have settled on Celebrity as our preferred cruise line. Have not been on the Zenith. We have been on several of their other ships, and have never been disappointed.
 
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BSeabob

Guest
Have spent several 2 weekers on the Zenith and agree with gvb1969. I recommend it without hesitation. The "Smaller ship" was once a big one if you know what I mean. It still seems big enough for me. We have been on the Splendour of the Sea's , the Infinity plus the "Old" and smaller Horizon which is a sister to the Zenith.
 
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Scoozy

Guest
Enjoyed our cruise on the Zenith to Bermuda very much. With that said, I don't think I could do 2 weeks on her...she's beautiful...but on the small side. Food was fantastic!!! If your the type of person who truly cruises to do alot of relaxing, it would be perfect for you. If you like to have a little more activity, this may not be the cruise for you. Either way..have a wonderful trip no matter which cruise you choose.
 
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mads1989

Guest
I am booked on a 7 night Horizon cruise to Burmuda in May and I am thrilled to hear that the food and service is great on Celebrity. I have cruised with Carnival and felt it to be too much of a party ship for me and the service was well below what I expected.
 
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stargazerm31

Guest
The part that you forgot to tell us is what do you like in a cruise? What is important? Do you like just laying out in the sun all day? Are ports a big deal? Is the evening and day time entertainment emportant? Is the dining experience important? Do you want to dance with hundreds of people until 4 AM and drink the night away?

Those are all important questions you have to tell us so we can give you a better idea. Celebrity is different than Carnival. They focus on different areas.

IMHO, if you are board on any ship on any cruise line you have no one to blame but yourself. I found the Zenith to be in good shape but remember it is 11 years old and has close to 4000 sea days. It was cutting edge at its time of entry but looks small and old compared to the megaliners of today. I found it cozy and restful will a lot less people than the 70,000 ton + ships.
 
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SHANNON & CATHY

Guest
I usually cruise for the ports of call, Cathy for more of the ship experience...food is a biggie. Don't care so much about big production shows, but enjoy comedians talent shows and daytime entertainment (game show, competitions and the like) We'd like some quiet time this time around (we usually end up tired from trying to do Everything. Don't care about bars, discos or casinos...just looking for a nice clean well kept ship where you can enjoy vacation staying as busy or as low key as you want. I'd like for there to be stuff to do on the sea days but not a never ending party. Our big concern is wanting not to be stuck on a run down vessel in need of repair for 14 days.

Thanks
SDB
 
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mads1989

Guest
SDB
Sounds like we enjoy the same cruising experience. We dont do the casinos, bars or discos. A vacation for me is time to sit quietly and watch the world go by. The great thing about cruising is you can do what you want, when you want.
With that said..I do not think that the Zenith will be run down. Celebrity has to live up to its reputation and if they let the ships go, their ratings will go down.
I have sailed on big ships and the smallest only held 800 guests. It was cozy and you got a chance to know your ships staff better. Like other people have said, it really has to do with your personal likes and dislikes.

mds
 
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Srpilo

Guest
Unfortunetly in the Zeniith case, Celebrity does not live up to its name..

We just returned from our Bermuda cruise on Zenith last week, and after 13 cruises on all the "Main Stream" cruiselines, this was by far the worst cruise we've ever had.
The cabin noises and vibrations on the lower cabin decks are almost intolerable, and ship in general is showing her age.
The casual dining in the Windsurf Cafe (Buffet) is VERY disappointing in selection and quality, and definate let down for a "advertised" 5 star cruiseline. (Think $3.99 buffet)
While the service through out the ship was good , good service alone, didn't make up for the many negatives.
It seem to Us that Celebrity has just given up on Zenith, and doesn't even try to offer the same cruise expierence as their "Century" and "Millinium" class vessels.

Sadly, there's nothing 5 star about Zenith.

Srpilo
 
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lazy days

Guest
I have just received my papers for 11-23-03 sailing out of Jacksonville. Cat 8 (I apparently didn't get an upgrade) forward cabin with portholes.

Can anyone tell me about a cabin with portholes? We've sailed on Zenith in 1994.

Zenith 1994
Celebration 1998
Sensation 2000
Inspiration 2002
Zenith 2003
 
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BSeabob

Guest
Cabin size is the same........ but you just have a porthole about 18" if I recall. Your cabin is on the curved part of the hull therefore a porthole instead of window.
 
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1stimecrzr333

Guest
Shannon & Cathy,
We have only done one cruise in our life and it was on Celebrity Zenith 10/11/03 out of NYC. We liked it a lot despite the first night tropical storm that we went through. The ship was clean, the food always good and the waiters so willing to give you the best they can do. The room service was good because we went out to play golf one morning and had breakfast delivered to our room. What you do is order it on your tv and even request if you want it say, between 6:00 am & 6:30 am and it came at 6:15. The trivia questions in the different lounges was fun, the ice carving demonstration was interesting. The shows are truely as good as you'd expect on Broadway. They even have a live orchestra (mini) who does the music for the shows. The band Opus is what played in the pool area and some of the smaller lounges and they did Calypso music as well as other types. We really liked the whole cruise. Of course, we have nothing to compare it to but we have no complaints. :cool:
Joanne
 
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