Tad Dunlap

Age 45
4th cruise
Celebrity Century
Western Caribbean
June 10, 2000

The bottom line is - an excellent line, an excellent ship, and an excellent cruise!! 

NOW for the criticism - and information which in part addresses some points raised by previous reviews and realize that we all have different priorities and preferences.

Embarkation was as smooth as possible - the waiting lounge is nicely air conditioned, has a small gift shop and rest rooms - and plenty of seating! BUT - we were hardly there before our boarding group was called (based on numbers distributed upon entrance to lounge and after luggage has been dispatched) - and then we lined up in another large room while our documents were checked - PLEASE fill out the paperwork in advance as requested in the cruise materials - otherwise you will only hold things up as they can not just let you waltz on without completion of the forms. Once they are checked, you do waltz up one more level where the ship photographer will snap you ($8.95 per photo) or in our case will snap you AND some strangers who are queued up behind you.

Then we walked into a very modern and elegant world - immediately taken to our cabin by a steward in white gloves - I really expected to be taken to a lounge or some other holding area. They are great at handling such numbers - the ship was full so approx. 1800 guests in addition to 800+ crew.

The CABIN at first glance appeared to be standard sized - but as we began to unpack we were amazed that there really was room for everything to be stored in the 3 large closets and ample drawers. AND there was room under the beds for all our luggage - now this is NOT the customary cruise experience. The furnishings were spotless and modern - the window VERY large - so much so that we could enjoy sitting in our cabin to watch the waves or the moonlight across the water. 

The shower was the largest I have seen on a ship (haven't been in a suite yet) and the rest of the lavatory was well designed and large enough for comfort and storage of toiletries - again - above and beyond the common cruise experience. Speaking of amenities - the line provides two spotless terrycloth robes - though we did retain same ones all week - maybe fresh ones mid-week would be nice? Also provided is a hairdryer, soaps basket, combination shampoo/conditioner dispenser in the shower, clothes line in shower, safe (about size of a loaf of bread so it holds a lot) behind vanity mirror, a souvenir canvas shoulder bag very handy for shore excursions, the stocked mini-bar, nice silver ice tray and pitcher of cold water, glasses in both lavatory and bedroom, and more hangers than one could ever need. The blankets and sheets were nice and clean but one of the pillows was so hard that it gave us a headache - the cabin attendant was happy to find others for us - in fact we ended up with TWO soft pillows each. This was typical of our cabin service experience - he almost always went above and beyond what we wanted - and even changed towels while we took a walk one afternoon - I had thought we would have to call to ask for new towels and more ice but such things were ALWAYS handled as quickly and completely as one would want. 

The SONY Interactive system which Celebrity makes a big deal about is both a plus and a minus in my book - the audio portion of the on screen booking system worked about FIVE percent of the time - since I had already figured out how to operate the system that was no great loss - but I would have liked to hear the shore excursion presentations as well as see them. It's very convenient to do things with your remote control (as opposed to trying to get someone to answer the phone or go stand in line - two obvious drawbacks to taking a large ship) so we did book one excursion that way as well as check our bill constantly and order room service several times.

PUBLIC SPACE - Just as the beauty of the cabin "grew on me" during the week - the same can be said of the rest of the ship - very nice furnishings and quite a variety from place to place as you explore it all - lots of Andy Warhol pieces and interesting European photography on display. One of the most impressive and enjoyable aspects of this ship is the fact you almost never feel crowded - there are very few people in each of the lounges, on the promenades - even in the movie theater - six when I saw The Red Violin. The gym was well attended when I dropped by (just walk on in - don't stop at the desk unless you have an appointment for the fancy massages and such - and there are floor to ceiling windows looking forward from the gym area - pretty impressive views!!! You can also jog or walk 14 times around the funnel up a few decks from the gym to clock a mile. And again - the decks above the pool aren't crowded at all - and after dark almost no one is up there - very quiet and romantic. And if the partying around the pool gets too raucous for you to read or nap - just walk through the Islands café to the stern and there is no noise distraction back there among the dozens of deck chairs and tables awaiting you.

My mom was also thrilled that she could sleep in since there were NO announcements piped into the cabin and in fact, there were none at all over the PA on some days - very peaceful. (We could of course hear the lifeboat drill announcement - but it was rather a waste of time, as we weren't given one shred of instruction on how to use the life jackets or enter the boats.) On the other hand, the ship was so large and the gangway location changed from port to port - so it might have been nice to know where the heck you had to go to get off when you wanted to - it was only clearly marked at the end of the week when you use the main reception area on FIVE. (Disembarkation was very smooth - and you could have breakfast at 8 am in the Grand Restaurant and thus avoid the masses in the lounges altogether if you were in the first few color groups called - all the luggage is sorted by luggage tag colors distributed on Day Six - and you disembark in the order of those colors - priority given to those with morning flights, etc.)

Speaking of FOOD, some of the best meals I have EVER had were on this ship. I am referring to the dinners in the Grand Restaurant - a nice room (two stories) with dark wood, large floral displays and classical music - live for the most part. Our table of eight consisted of a couple who had done several Celebrity cruises as well as other lines, two couples who had done other lines but were new to Celebrity and one couple who were on their first cruise ever (lucky ducks to start at this level). So when I rave about the dinners I am not speaking of my own opinion but also that of the others at the table - among the dishes we thought were outstanding/possibly best ever: Lobster, Steak, Salmon, Baked Alaska, Bernaise Sauce, Gazpacho - the chef is a master at trying new soups - usually a selection of two warm and one chilled soup (Strawberry, Melon, Cherry) - if you don't like your meal - they are happy to exchange it for another entrée - AND if you want more than one - they will bring an additional dinner plate - you do get the entire plate so be prepared to be a bit wasteful of the starch and veggies if you must sacrifice them to get the 2nd entrée. Very few things went uneaten, only one dish exchanged for another = a few things suited some more than others (Beef Esterhazy, sugar free Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream) but there was no mistaking the fact that Celebrity serves ONLY freshly prepared dishes - just as advertised - the only one of the Big Eight to do so.Minor complaints about the Grand Restaurant: too poorly lighted to read menus at half the table places AND rather boring dearth of variety in breads and salads - but with those soups, main dishes and desserts (do NOT miss the Grand Buffet - cakes like at Harrods and Beef Wellington and on and on 'til 130 am).

Other meals couldn't live up to that standard - breakfasts were rather boring - definitely better in the Grand Restaurant than the Islands Café on Deck 11 - and lunch was usually the same menu whether buffet or in the Grand - not bad but not stunning like the dinners (we were spoiled!!) The Midnight buffets were sometimes as good as the dinners on other lines - so check it out!!! A few nites they don't serve a full buffet but instead send the waiters around with plenty of snacks on silver trays - Sesame Chicken and Key Lime Tarts were my favorites. Room Service is amazingly prompt - came within ten to fifteen minutes -better items were ham & cheese, tuna sandwiches. Do NOT make the mistake we did of thinking you could order the room service breakfast in the morning - you must do so with a form nearly hidden in back of large directory of ship info on your dressing table.

Speaking of tables - here's a helpful hint - there isn't enough space in the cabin for all the drawers and minibar door to open if you don't stow away the portable cocktail table - it fits perfectly under the dressing table - you can still push the big chair most of the way in behind it. You'll see what I mean onboard.

ENTERTAINMENT - there are many activities during all waking hours - but we were there to relax and enjoy the meals so we didn't partake of many - we only went to the main theater once - a very large theater with impressive hydraulic stage maneuvers and spunky Broadway tunes - the lead singers were excellent and the costumes and choreography were good enough for most road shows. One complaint about this theater is that if you sit in the back row for handicapped, you get NO cocktail service.

Several small groups perform in the lounges and poolside - a nice variety - male a cappela quartet, standard jazz, reggae & rock, nice mellow singer and accompanist - Brianne I think was her name.

In-room entertainment consists of the spotty satellite service, which causes t.v. to fade in and out - and a bunch of free movies that also fade in and out unless you are in port - there is a directory of these in the cabin - but just to whet your appetite here's a list of some we could choose from (most of which are also shown in the ship theater with good audio but poor video quality): A&E Biographies, Anywhere But Here, Arlington Road, The Bachelor, Election, Instinct, Limbo, The Limey, The Love Letter, The Red Violin, Rugrats Movie, Step Mom, Stir of Echoes, Two of Hearts, You've Got Mail. There are also a couple of audio channels, CNN, ESPN and a text scroll of news/sports info. There are many pay for view movies available too - but with the poor reception we had, we didn't wanna risk it. 

Casino was fun - saw a few jackpots come in though most weren't so lucky. They have a slots tournament for $20 and also Blackjack for same amount. The casino is open most of the day when we are at sea and every nite once we were out of port. Good sized place with more variety than most ships. 

Onboard SHOPPING was fun - several shops with specials that changed daily - some really good prices on standard souvenir shirts and trinkets, good prices on perfumes (and a free backpack for buying Cool Water). But the greatest deal - and they claim to have it each week to clear out old models - really nice watches - some designer lines worth up to $325 US - all for only $69.95 - dozens of men's and women's styles and available the fifth day of the cruise so save some bucks for that! There is also an art auction on board which we never made it to - we heard someone got a Dali carving for around $900 so there are some bargains to be had there too.

SHORE EXCURSIONS/Ports of Call

A good variety in most ports - and not badly priced either - the ship has a nice sized landing platform for use when boarding tenders or ferries - but there's still a large gap at the other end when you reach shore that can be a physical challenge for some.

Jamaica - we chose the Sundancer trip to Dunns River Falls - it is a very lovely spot on the shore and this boat gets you there in fairly short order after skirting the few hotels and homes along the coast at Ocho Rios. You get some free punch or water and the Sundancer crew has shoes to rent you for the climb as well as guide you up the falls - we saw folks aging from 1 to 85 doing this trek - it's a LONG way up and we did see several fall - you all join hands and the chain of folks mount the large rocks from one pool of water to the next heading upstream. You can also hike up stairs to various landings to view and photograph the hikers and lovely vegetation skirting the waters. Caution - this is a rather tricky undertaking - we saw several folks fall and drop out and even one being placed into an ambulance - take your time if you are gonna do it - but if you have any doubts - just enjoy the view from the dry side of things. There are restrooms and a snack bar and picnic tables there - wish we could have stayed longer. 

We hiked in a couple blocks to the Taj Mahal shopping center - really not much there other than towels and T-shirts, the usual jewelry shops and coffee  and liquor shops - and BEWARE of the cab drivers - they took advantage of  several on our ship by telling them Taj Mahal was closed so they had to drive them farther to the SONY Center, or telling them they had to pay roundtrip upfront and then ditching them so another cab had to be hired for the return - ours merely doubled the price on us and then complained when we didn't wanna tip him.

Grand Cayman - didn't do an excursion - just took the tender in - and shopped around the pier - lots more variety of shops accessible than at Ocho Rios - we found very interesting gifts - including their special Princess Diana  tribute stamps at the Post Office - the panel of four stamps was under $4 US. Had trouble at some of the banks there not taking ATM cards from other institutions - so be prepared to charge or bring cash if you wanna shop - prices weren't great but the things were interesting - some pirate treasure, etc. The beaches look very pretty and our tablemates enjoyed snorkeling at Stingray City and on Seven-Mile Beach accessible by cab if you don't book an excursion. Much safer to walk around than Ocho Rios.

Cozumel - we did the Tulum ruins excursion - very well done - nice guide - Pablo of Mayan descent - some very interesting information on the ride down (45 min.) and then at the sight as well - saw some large iguanas there amid the impressive ruins - the sea below the cliff based city is spectacular - this is the most gorgeous sand and water I have seen anywhere - there was a box lunch on the bus ride back to Playa del Carmen where we caught our own private ferry to the ship pier at Cozumel. Some fun shopping there too - better prices than other ports we visited. And if you're short of time but MUST get in the water, you can use the hotel beach next to the pier for $6 US - the desk clerk let me leave my shoulder bag there so my things were safe - its kind of a drag having to carry your ship ID card and another picture ID out with you to the beach - but you can use a drivers license rather than passport at least. This beach had some okay snorkeling - I hear Chankanaab Park is much better but also the prices are up to $10 each since the guidebooks were written - and I was running out of time and storm clouds were brewing - one added treat to snorkeling here - there's a submerged plane offshore - it was placed there for making a horror film in 1977 - unique experience to see one underwater. Of all our ports, this was my favorite and I wish I could have done more than one excursion.

Key West - I had been there in early 1997, and to me it looks better since the hurricane - fresh paint and less scruffy underbrush I guess - it was hot as heck so my time in town was kinda limited to finding key lime pie and shopping - the ship provides very frequent shuttles right into the heart of town which was nice since we didn't dock in town but just off a bit at a military installation. Most people enjoyed this stop - and some said it had the best water for swimming - right near the pier - hop off the shuttle at the military gate and the driver knows where to direct you along the trees (only about a block).


SERVICE - most of it was great, but some not  The most important players were great, our dinner waiter Walter, our Maitre D' (best ever per some tablemates) and our cabin attendant Menino - we were very lucky to have them and they make a great impression for Celebrity. They may not be on the Century next season so I have to assume they are representative of the entire line as they get shuffled about from ship to ship every nine months or so. 

I really enjoyed the multi-national crew - it seemed most were from India, Philippines or the Slavic nations but also from about 50 or 60 nations - Peru, Canada, South Africa, Belgium. Few from US.

NOT so great - some of the little people - busboys who wouldn't let us have a plastic cup out of their full racks at Islands buffet --said we had to get it out by pool. NO was definitely in his vocabulary. Also my mom had a very rude waiter at lunch in the Grand Restaurant - they throw in replacement waiters so even if you are at your regular table (as opposed to open seating during meals while in port) you might not always get the same one. The others present were talking at dinner about how rude he was to her so that's not a good way to create goodwill and repeat business.

Credit card and tipping policies were also not handled well - they claim to be concerned about how sensitive the subject of tipping is - YET you must hand the tip envelope over to each individual  Some lines would allow all to be placed in one envelope and for that to be dropped in a box. Credit cards are very confusing despite their cashless system. 

Also problematic - we tried to add a second account a few days into the cruise and they had a devil of a time explaining how why and when they submit things for authorization - and then again for closing out the bill - so you  might have an approval for $400 on VISA and then switch that persons account to MasterCard and get the same $400 approved on it as well - this caused one of our cards to go overlimit and be declined for about 36 hours 'til the original approval dropped off when the ship didn't submit the actual charge. Too bad those setting up our second account and moving the VISA from one folio to the other didn't explain any ramifications of doing so. And rather hard to believe that the ship staff doesn't have any way of knowing how much has been authorized or billed at any point during the week - that's all done in Miami they said. Should have stayed on a cash basis and just settled at and of week!!!

BONUS - if you book certain future cruises while on board (you don't have to pay a cent to hold a cabin for one week) you get up to $200 in onboard credit for that future cruise. Returning to the bottom line I stated in first sentence of this review - this is an excellent line so we were very glad to sign up for another cruise - a South American itinerary which is a first for Celebrity. So obviously any complaints I make were less than enough to outweigh the things I raved about - its just too bad that the little nuances had to detract from what could easily be a five star ship - but four star PLUS is pretty darned hard to beat. I will be VERY happy to answer any and all questions should you e-mail me (too bad there is no net access on board - another minor flaw in my book).

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