Century Review Western Med.

[Rogers_Place]

My brother and I just finished a week long cruise in the Western Med on the Century Ship and felt there were a few things that needed to be mentioned. First of all, we both are fairly new to cruising, having only been on two other cruises and both of them were on the Princess line. We encountered several people who had been on over 25 cruises and they also had some of the same concerns and disappointments that we encountered.

First the positive experiences:
The process of getting on and off the ship in Barcelona was painless. We arrived early and basically did not have to wait in any lines. Upon arriving we briefly toured the ship and, being impressed with the beauty of the Spa area, we each booked a massage for later that afternoon. That was an excellent way to start the cruise.

Now for some of our disappointments:
The dining policy on the Century is the old traditional 6 pm and 8 pm seating, not the open seating we experienced on the Princess Line. Since we are not early eaters we had requested the 8 pm seating. Upon arrival we noted that they had us down for a 6 pm seating. We requested a change to 6 pm but we were advised that the 6 pm seating was filled. They did put us on a wait list but mentioned that there were about 400 ahead of us. About two days later we did receive a notice that we could make the change to the 8 pm seating but by then we had become friends with our table mates and elected to keep our current seating. The basic problem with the early seating is that several of the shore excursions we had booked did not return back to the ship until 6 pm. We then had to rush and normally did not make it into the dinning room until around 6:30. I would much rather have open seating where we could go when we wanted to.

Since both of us enjoy a cocktail in our room before dinner and wanting to respect the ship’s policy of not bringing liquor on board, we opted to purchase a bottle from the ship upon arrival. While we have no problem paying a reasonable inflated cost for a bottle of ordinary bourbon, paying close to $90.00 is excessive and left us feeling it would be better to bring our own next time.

We ate most dinners in the main dining room where the menu provided a fairly good selection, however the quality of some of the meals was very poor. Both of us, and another table mate ordered steak on the first evening however none of us could eat it. Upon notifying the dinning staff they acknowledge that there had been complaints and readily offered to bring us something else. In general the food was average, nothing exceptional.

We had wanted to have our last night something special so we had booked a reservation in Murano, their specialty restaurant. While the service was excellent, again, the quality of the food left us very disappointed. We both requested the steak and lobster, and while the steak was very good the lobster was a big disappointment. The lobster tasted very fishy, and after the first bite I was afraid to eat any more.

While the stateroom was very nice, the service was spotty. The toilet quit working for about 6 hours one day and then on-and-off the following day.

Overall, on a scale of 1-10 we would give the cruise a 5 and would probably go back to Princess for our next trip.

[fllchick]

Thanks for the review. I'll be doing this cruise at the end of October.

Not sure if you knew, but Celebrity has introduced open seating, so maybe you'll want to give them another chance once it's rolled out on more ships?

What time did you get to the pier in Barcelona? You said early, but I'm trying to decide what time to go.....

I realize that you were disappointed with some of the aspects of the cruise, but what did you think of the ports?

Thanks!

[Alan2504]

Rogers Place

Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your cruise.

We will be on the same itinerary, so was sorry to hear that your dinning experience was not what you were expecting.

European cruises do tend to have long intensive port days and in our experience with fixed sitting the late sitting works best.

As the previous poster mentioned Celebrity are in the process of rolling out open sitting over the next few months, just a shame this wasn't available for you.

Glad to hear disembarkation is running smoothly at Barcelona as we have a tight time schedule on our return.

Can you remember who was the Captain for your cruise ?, we were on the Century earlier in the year and just wondered if it might be the same Captain.

Once again thanks for the review!

[nps001]

I am surprised about the quality of the food, especially Murano. Do know that all food on ships is frozen. I heard this from a Food and Beverage Manager that this is regulated by the US. Having said that, I had some of the best fish ever on a ship.


As others have noted, open seating will soon roll out on all ships. I hope you will give Century another try as she is one of my favorite ships. Thanks for taking time to write your review.

[skyview851]

We just returned from this same cruise (9-19 thru 9-26). We arrived at the port in Barcelona around 1p, and while there were many people in line, we did not wait more than about 5 minutes to check in, get our passes, and board the ship. We we allowed to go directly to our staterooms at that time, although our room steward was still finishing up last minute items when we arrived.
We booked this cruise due to a last minute special that was being offered, and had oceanview rooms on deck 5. We usually book balcony cabins, but for this cruise, I did not really miss the balcony at all. We were so busy, we just didn't spend any time in the cabin.
This was not our first cruise on Century, so we were familiar with the ship. There are some signs of wear & tear, but not as bad as I had feared, based on other things I had read on the boards.
One thing that I was not aware of, was the VAT being added to all purchases on board. It was not a big deal, but I must have missed this point when I was reading earlier reviews. I can attached the letter outlining the tax rules, if anyone is interested in the details
The ports on this cruise ranged from enjoyable to amazing. This was our first Med cruise, so it was all new & wonderful to us. We tendered into both Cannes & Portofino, and walked around each port. In Cannes, we took the Petit train tour (10Eu each) and got to see many things that we would not have been able to see otherwise. In Portofino, we took the ferry over to Santa Margherita. It was an enjoyable ride, and on the way back, a pod of dolphins put on quite the show behind the ferry. Lots of jumping & flipping. It was like watching a show at Sea World!
For the next 3 ports, we did private tours with All Around Italy (www.allarounditaly.net). At each port, Livorno, Rome & Naples, they picked us up right at the ship and returned us 8 or 9 hours later. I can't say enough about these tours. THEY WERE WONDERFUL!!!Because we were in a minivan for these tours, we were able to go directly to each of the sites. At Pisa, we stopped right in front of the leaning tower, at the coloseum, right at the gate. We spent less time walking and then had much more time to sightsee and take pictures.
On the last sea day, the pool area was crowded, but we were able to find chairs & enjoy the sun. We heard that there was a "altercation" over the saving of a chair, but we missed that entertainment
We did attend the new Captains Club Celebration, mainly just to see what it was all about. We felt that it was an improvement over the previous parties, and we did enjoy the improved captains club amenities. The free laundry & free internet were our favorites. I have a copy of the Elite offers if anyone would like to see them. Just let me know & I can upload them.
If anyone has any questions that I can answer, I would be happy to do so.
Alan2504 - The captain was Anastasios Lekkas

Lisa

[Smoke Fan]

Hi Lisa - Enjoyed your review. I'm interested in the VAT info, as I'm pretty clueless on how things work on European cruises as 2010 will be our first. Was the Cannes train tour a ship excursion? We're looking at Rome in Limo, but now will also check out All Around Italy. Appreciate the information.
Patty

[Explorer5051]

Hi Lisa, really appreciate your review and am taking your advise about the tours in Italy. If you decide not to do a tour in Cannes, how easy is it to just walk around. Concern because of some minor limitations with walking and climbing up steps. Thanks for your help.

[joandbun]

We did a western MEd cruise on Century a couple of years ago & were charged VAT in addtion on any purchases on baord. Apparently its because the cruise started in Spain (Barcelona) & did not visit any ports outside the EC. It we had gone to Casablanca morocco for example then the Spanish VAT would not have been charged.
hope this helps.

[Smoke Fan]

Originally Posted by joandbun

We did a western MEd cruise on Century a couple of years ago & were charged VAT in addtion on any purchases on baord. Apparently its because the cruise started in Spain (Barcelona) & did not visit any ports outside the EC. It we had gone to Casablanca morocco for example then the Spanish VAT would not have been charged.
hope this helps.

Thank you for the information. I didn't realize that you were charged the VAT for on ship purchases.
Patty

[skyview851]

I've attached the letter that Celebrity left in each stateroom. It explains the VAT pretty well.
The Cannes tour was something we happened on by accident. It starts right at the end of the road that leads to where the tender docks. You can certainly walk around the harbour of Cannes and see a lot of what Cannes has to offer.

[Smoke Fan]

Thank you Lisa.

[dodger1964]

Originally Posted by skyview851

We did attend the new Captains Club Celebration, mainly just to see what it was all about. We felt that it was an improvement over the previous parties, and we did enjoy the improved captains club amenities. The free laundry & free internet were our favorites. I have a copy of the Elite offers if anyone would like to see them. Just let me know & I can upload them.
If anyone has any questions that I can answer, I would be happy to do so.
Alan2504 - The captain was Anastasios Lekkas

Lisa

We are doing the same cruise in November...Just signed up for cruise this week, so feel way behind on planning shore exursions.

This will be our first cruise as a "captains club" member...what can we expect for the party?

I would appreciate posting of "Elite Offers".

Also, who gets free laundry and free internet? Is free internet fast?

Thanks
Trent

[Smoke Fan]

Hi Trent - Captain's Club party offers complimentary drinks and hors d'ourves, music and dancing. The Captain and ships officers attend. Benefits are listed below (taken from Celebrity website):

Elite Member Benefits (*After 10 earned tier credits)

Existing Benefits
•Complimentary use of the Loyalty Desk member service center between cruises•Complimentary access to the onboard Loyalty Host during your cruise•A premium onboard discount booklet filled with special offers during each cruise•Complimentary custom air request when booking your cruise•Pre-sailing specialty restaurant reservations available before your cruise•Annual member reunion cruises which include member events and discounts•One category upgrade prior to sailing (when available)•Complimentary online Captain's Club newsletter with the latest program news and information•Priority embarkation while boarding the ship•Invitation to a complimentary wine seminar event•Priority status on the shore excursion waitlist•Invitation to the exclusive Senior Officer's Cocktail Party•Access to the private shipboard departure lounge with continental breakfast during disembarkation•Priority tender service status•Priority waitlist status for dining room seating•Invitation to attend the Elegant Tea Service event•Complimentary use of the Thalassotherapy Pool. (Celebrity Mercury only)•Ability to enroll in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society Diamond Tier
Added Benefits (Available on All Celebrity Cruises EXCEPT Celebrity Xpedition)
•Exclusive Captain's Club Celebration event•Complimentary pressing of 2 garment items•One complimentary bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) on every sailing**•One standard bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) at a discounted price of $20 on all Celebrity cruises of 12 nights or longer•Complimentary dry cleaning of 1 garment item•90 complimentary Internet minutes (no purchase necessary - can be redeem as is or applied towards a larger internet package)•Access to the Captain's Club Lounge at Michael's Club for daily coffeehouse style breakfast and evening social hour•Complimentary access to Persian Garden (on one (1) port day of your choice)

Hope this helps.
Patty

[Lois R]

Originally Posted by dodger1964

We are doing the same cruise in November...Just signed up for cruise this week, so feel way behind on planning shore exursions.

This will be our first cruise as a "captains club" member...what can we expect for the party?

I would appreciate posting of "Elite Offers".

Also, who gets free laundry and free internet? Is free internet fast?

Thanks
Trent

Hi Trent, I went to the "Captain's Club Celebration" last month
while on Mercury and everyone I spoke with gave it a big
Thumbs up....they had food stations with all sorts of
appetizers and complimentary drinks and one of the bands preforming
and people dancing and overall it was very nice. Folks were
honared for "most cruises" and lots of Sr Staff attended. I felt
it was a big step up from the old cocktail parties. Felt more
welcoming (to me anyway).

Elite benefits are quite good now but since you are only on your first cruise you won't be eligible for them....or was your question
just for knowledge about it?

[Smoke Fan]

Hi Lois - Wow! Alot has changed since our cruise in March, which was before the new and improved Captain's Club. The "Celebration" sounds wonderful and we're looking foward to the new Elite benefits as well. Can't wait to be a part of it all on our next journey - too bad it's almost 1 year away. Maybe I can talk Bill into a 4 or 5 day before then.
Patty

[Texed]

Originally Posted by Lois R

I felt
it was a big step up from the old cocktail parties. Felt more
welcoming (to me anyway).
Elite benefits are quite good now

Lois, I agree.

[hcat]

Always good to find an itin with one port out of the EU to avoid the VAT--Gibraltar is one & also Turkey (for now)

We enjoyed Century for our W medit cruise, but now prefer the S class ships--even with more pax they have more places on board to enjoy Wehad a great E medit cruise in Sept & food was excellent--

[dodger1964]

Originally Posted by Lois R

Elite benefits are quite good now but since you are only on your first cruise you won't be eligible for them....or was your question
just for knowledge about it?

Thanks...I checked and I have 2 credits...so after this cruise I will have 4...only 3 more cruises to go to get ELITE!!

[Lois R]

Originally Posted by dodger1964

Thanks...I checked and I have 2 credits...so after this cruise I will have 4...only 3 more cruises to go to get ELITE!!

Hi Trent, you need to have 10 credits for Elite
2+4=6, + 3= 9
Unless of course you go for a longer sailing...or a suite or
CC class. I believe you get an extra credit for those....

[librarylady19]

Hi Lois,
The Captains Club Celebration you mentioned - is this for all CC members or just the Elite? Hope it's for everyone as it sounds like fun! What type of attire do people wear to this - it's an afternoon event right?