| Having just returned from our first Celebrity | | | | not fit in the bed or in the closet. The room |
| Cruise aboard the Celebrity Century and I wanted | | | | attendant / butler had no alternatives so for 5 |
| to post a review that hopefully others can benefit | | | | days it sat out. So you take a small room to |
| from it. | | | | start with and now have a piece of luggage to |
| Some background on our cruising experience. This | | | | maneuver around for 5 days. |
| is our 6th cruise we have taken in the last 20 | | | | The Bed: I have slept on more comfortable beds |
| years so by no means are we what you would | | | | in a college dorm. The are very flat. Even worse |
| call experts. Nor would you call us rookies either. | | | | was the length. At 6'3' my feet easily hung over |
| In the past 20 years we have cruised with Royal | | | | the edge of the bed. I spoke with a gentleman |
| Caribbean, Disney, Carnival and Holland (twice). We | | | | who was under 6' tall and he said he had the |
| have been also fortunate enough to attain a | | | | same problem. He was not in a suite so the bed |
| financial level where the last 3 cruises have been | | | | length must correspond with the type of room. |
| at the Suite level. | | | | My assumption is the beds were short to allow |
| We booked the Celebrity Century out of Miami | | | | people to walk around them. |
| Florida, as we wanted to take a New Years Eve | | | | Recycling: Non-existent. In this day of being green |
| Cruise. A word of caution if you are looking to | | | | this was a huge shock and disappointment. |
| take a cruise over any New Year you will want | | | | Aboard Holland there is a recycling trash can in |
| to book very early. For example, the first week | | | | every room. Not aboard the Celebrity Century. |
| of October there were several options on several | | | | The good news is they gave you less paper to |
| cruise lines. In the second week of October most | | | | throw out in terms if coupons and flyers, but |
| all of these choices we gone. | | | | there is still a good amount that could be and |
| We left the port of Miami on December 30th | | | | should be recycled. I definitely look on this a |
| 2009 and returned January 4th, 2010. | | | | negative towards Celebrity Cruise Lines vs. the |
| The Good: | | | | Celebrity Century. The age of a ship should not |
| In November of 2009, Celebrity launched several | | | | dictate whether or not you offer recycling. |
| "all you can drink" options. These include: | | | | The Buffet: The food that was offered was |
| - Water | | | | more than plentiful and the quality was fine. |
| - Beer | | | | However, in the evenings the menu remains the |
| - Frozen Drinks (margarita's; daiquiri's, etc) | | | | same. If for whatever reason you did not want |
| - Alcohol (house alcohol) | | | | to eat in the main dining room - the choices were: |
| There were four of us in our party and we | | | | - Create your own pasta |
| purchased one water card and one beer card for | | | | - Stir-Fry |
| the four of us. I cannot recommend these cards | | | | - Sushi |
| enough. On the water you get your choice of | | | | - Pizza |
| Evian stilled and Perrigrino Sparkling. You get | | | | It NEVER changed. All of the above is also |
| bottled water at no charge at every bar, every | | | | available at lunch. I have never been on a cruise |
| restaurant and all day everyday. These are not | | | | and have had this experience. I can tell you that |
| the small bottles either - these are the large | | | | about Holland whatever they offer in the main |
| bottles of water all the way to the 1.5 liter size. | | | | dining room is also offered in the buffet line / |
| During dinner we easily went through 5 bottles a | | | | cafe. |
| night. | | | | The Murano: Like all other cruise lines, Celebrity |
| The same goes for the beer card. The beer card | | | | Cruises offers a higher end restaurant you can |
| gives you every can or bottle of beer at no | | | | enjoy for a fee. This fee usually ranges from $25 |
| charge. This includes both domestic and imports. | | | | to $35 per person. Celebrity advertises the |
| To make the math work on a beer card you | | | | Murano as an Italian Theme. It is not like any |
| need to drink about 6 beers per day. You can | | | | Italian I have ever seen. For example, I have yet |
| only order one beer at a time, but on the pool | | | | to be offer Fuqua (stuffed goosed liver) in any |
| deck there are 4 bars in the immediate vicinity. | | | | other Italian restaurant. I would call it a mish mash |
| At first we simply each took my card to each | | | | of French, Italian and seafood. The issue I have |
| different bar and ordered a beer. Then one of the | | | | with the Murano is not the food but the charge. |
| waiters came over and asked told us that we did | | | | The left hand of the menu is a 5 course food and |
| not need to come to the bar because he would | | | | wine course. At the bottom of the menu it says |
| make the bar "come to us". I then told him we | | | | there will be an $89 charge if you order this meal! |
| were looking for some good service and slipped | | | | So with Celebrity you can have higher end within |
| him a $20 in his pocket. That was it - we never | | | | higher end? It is one thing to offer a higher end |
| had to make another "beer run" the rest of the | | | | dining experience aboard an expensive trip |
| cruise. Regardless of the number of beers we | | | | already, but to then want to charge an additional |
| wanted - he brought them over and put them on | | | | $89 for a menu selection is absurd. The night we |
| the free card. On every cruise you should always | | | | were there we saw no one order the 5 course |
| tip your waiter early in cash and I promise you | | | | meal so I wonder why it is really offered. Perhaps |
| that you will get better service than you ever | | | | they want to limit the offerings in the Murano and |
| have had in the past. | | | | this is a way to do it while still making their menu |
| A note on tipping. At first I felt a little guilty when | | | | appear full. |
| the bartender or waiter gave me a bottle of | | | | 7 Mile Beach Excursion - Grand Cayman: Some |
| water or beer and the charge slip had zero, but a | | | | might say this is not fair to hold this against |
| spot for additional tip. Then I remembered that | | | | Celebrity Cruise or include in a review about the |
| Celebrity had had 15% to the cost of the card | | | | Celebrity Century, but I am well aware that the |
| for the gratuity. In essence the gratuity on these | | | | cruise lines keep a significant portion of the |
| drinks was pre-paid. | | | | money travelers pay for excursions booked |
| Also remember to double check your charge slip | | | | through them. Celebrity Cruises is well aware of |
| to make sure the waiter did not charge you. We | | | | what they are charging for. |
| did have 3 separate incidents where the waiter | | | | The 7 Mile Beach Excursion in Grand Cayman is |
| inadvertently charged us. The good news is as | | | | without a doubt the biggest rip-off for an |
| soon as we pointed it out they reversed the | | | | excursion I have ever experienced. For $35 you |
| charge. | | | | get: |
| A more professional cruise experience? The | | | | - Shuttle bus trip to the 7 Mile Beach (public |
| cruise on the Celebrity Century felt like it was | | | | beach) |
| designed for the more seasoned cruiser. It is | | | | - 1 free drink (watered down rum mixed with |
| highly likely that what I am about to describe is | | | | Kool-Aid in small plastic cup) |
| common through out the Celebrity Cruise Line, | | | | - 1 lawn chair |
| but since this is my one and only cruise with | | | | And what do you get to experience when you |
| Celebrity, I can not say this for certain. | | | | get to the beach? Water, sand and sun! Want an |
| Compared to all of the other cruises I have | | | | umbrella to protect yourself from the sun? $5 |
| experienced, I never felt "sold to". Unlike other | | | | please.. Want to jet ski, parasail, snorkel, etc - |
| cruises there was not the constant | | | | better bring your credit card! |
| announcements about a jewelry sale, art auction, | | | | For the 4 of us it cost $140 for the above |
| bingo game, etc. Our mail box / cabin was also | | | | 10-minute bus ride, drink and use of a lawn chair. |
| not littered with flyers and coupons reminding us | | | | Take the city bus to the same beach - $2.50 per |
| of the same. It was a nice break. This is not to | | | | person. Take a cab ride from the dock to the |
| say that Celebrity did not keep us informed about | | | | same beach - $5 each! I understand that in any |
| what was happening aboard the Celebrity | | | | situation it is buyer beware and you want to be |
| Century. There were occasional announcements | | | | safe on your vacation. There is no amount of |
| and of course the daily itinerary of events was | | | | money that is worth having my family safe. |
| delivered to our cabin nightly. But if you waited to | | | | However in this situation where there is such a |
| be told what to do next aboard the Celebrity | | | | disparity in value received versus what the normal |
| Century you would have missed out on various | | | | fees are - it can be called nothing less than |
| activities. | | | | highway robbery. Shame on you Celebrity Cruises |
| Jamaican Waterfall: This was an excursion in Ocho | | | | for offering this so-called excursion at this price. |
| Rios. If you have the physical ability you should | | | | Conclusion: |
| not pass this up. Basically you climb UP a 650' | | | | I am sorry to say that I have to conclude my |
| waterfall. They have guides to take you up the | | | | Celebrity Century review saying that the bad and |
| waterfall safely. It is a true one of a kind | | | | the ugly far outweighed the good on the Celebrity |
| experience. | | | | Century. Celebrity does note that the Century |
| The Bad and the Ugly: | | | | ship is the oldest ship in their fleet, but it did have |
| Room size: As mentioned earlier we have been | | | | a multi-million dollar upgrade in 2006. Unfortunately |
| blessed with the ability to cruise with a suite the | | | | what we found disappointing about the cruise had |
| last 3 cruises. 2 aboard Holland and this one on the | | | | almost nothing to do with the Celebrity Century |
| Celebrity Century. The suite was less than 1/2 | | | | but rather Celebrity Cruises as a whole. When we |
| the size of a similar suite about Holland and the | | | | got to the airport we took a vote on Celebrity |
| bathroom was about 1/3rd the size. We traveled | | | | and it was unanimous - none of us will probably |
| with 3 pieces of luggage. One of the pieces would | | | | be cruising in Celebrity Cruises again. |