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Century Review from May 20-27 Cruise


Tweedy

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This will be posted shortly under the review section but I thought I'd share it with you guys first.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the port around 11:30 and to our surprise there was a minimal wait. Going through security was quick and the customs check was even quicker. The customs officer didn’t even speak with us. He just ran our passports and handed them back. Maybe he said have a nice trip but I don’t recall. Check-in with the cruiseline was also painless. We were given our cards and were onboard by noon.

 

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There weren’t many people ahead of us so we headed up to the Island Cafe and enjoyed lunch out on deck by the sunset bar. Unfortunately it was raining but fortunately the deck is covered.

 

Cabins: By 1pm, the announcement was made that passengers could go to their cabins. We headed up to deck 12 to our cabin. We found it to be a nice size, not large and the balcony was huge! We’ve never had a balcony this large before. It had two chairs, a table and two lounge chairs. One thing I found very odd about the bathroom is that the door opens into the bathroom instead of out. The door hits the toilet as there isn’t enough room for a proper swing. Very strange. Even though we didn’t use the jetted tub, it was nice having the larger space in the shower. I think it may be time to change out the mattresses though. I did not do well on this bed with my back. I probably could have asked for the mattress to be swapped out or given an egg crate foam top but didn’t think of that until I got home.

 

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As for noise from the sun deck above, it wasn’t really noticeable. Occasionally you heard kids running but they were chasing the dolphins they saw. I could see noise being an issue on a warm weather cruise though. Occasionally we could hear our neighbours, especially when they were on their balcony but that didn’t bother us. The location of the cabin was great. It was close to the aft elevators for easy access to the dining venues and the casino. There was also easy access to the mid and forward elevators.

 

Dining: When we booked, we originally booked traditional early seating. We liked our waiter and the couple we were sitting next too. Unfortunately, the table we were seated at had one chair and a bench. The table was so close when sitting in the bench that it wasn’t comfortable and of course the table is affixed to the floor and you can’t move it. We requested the change to anytime dining and enjoyed our meals much more. We ended up with a great waitstaff (not that the one we had for traditional seating was bad) and a really nice table for two by the window. It is table #6 if anyone is interested.

 

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We had most breakfasts and lunches in the Island Cafe. They had good choices and the stir fry stations were very popular. I enjoyed the Panini style sandwiches that you choose what you want on it. The grill station out by the pool made good hamburgers. If you wanted to wait for a turkey burger, you could have one of those. The pizza was the best pizza I have ever had on a ship.

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Staff/Service: I don’t think I’ve ever been on a ship where I have seen the crew, including Senior Officers, interact with passengers so much as I did on this ship. That really impressed me. You always saw the staff wandering around the ship and they always addressed you. John, the cruise director, was friendly and could be found many of the activities. He was always willing to give you time and answer questions. The Captain was out and about as well, not just at the Captain’s welcome/farewell. Our stateroom attendant Gratiela and butler Kolja were friendly. Gratiela always had a smile on her face and Kolja was attentive and knew what we liked from his afternoon tea cart even when we weren’t in the room to choose. This was our first experience with a butler. Was it nice to have... sure. Did we really use his services... not really.

 

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Condition: The ship was spotless. As soon as we boarded, we just had a really good feeling. We also found that it was a quiet ship. I don’t mean sleepy, it just wasn’t loud like other ships we’ve been on. Maybe it had something to do with the carpeting. For an older ship, she was in great condition. We liked the size of the ship and the fact that there was tons of seating throughout the different lounges.

 

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Entertainment: We attended all the shows in the Celebrity Theatre and enjoyed them all. The comedic magician was okay, not great. The show was late in the evening and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open so I may have missed one or two things. I liked the comic who did impersonations of Bill Cosby, Stevie Wonder, etc. It was really funny when people were still arriving after the show started and he started picking on them. That’s what you get when you show up late to a comedy show.

 

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Food: We enjoyed every meal we had on the ship. The desserts were delicious and there were many chocolate selections (my fav). They had a candy, chocolate and dessert journey in four different areas of the ship one evening. It was a very smart way of spreading out the 1800 passengers. As many of you may know, cake pops are now very popular. Well, let me tell you, Celebrity went one step further and had cheesecake pops. These were to die for!! I took several back to the room to place in our fridge and enjoy over the next couple of days. There was also a brunch buffet held in the Grand dining room one morning. It was overwhelming. There was so much good food to choose from, you didn’t quite know where to start. It started at 10am but we went about 11am. We were shown to a table on deck 6 and went down to deck 5 to get the food.

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Disembarkation: Disembarkation was just as simple as embarkation. The staterooms had to be vacated by 8am and we were to be in Michael’s Club by 8:15am. The crewmember popped in at 8:05 and said our luggage had been offloaded and we were welcome to disembark at our leisure. We ran our cards through one last time and headed for customs. Once through customs, we picked up our luggage and were headed home. It took no time at all. We were on the Canada Line by 8:35.

 

Weather/Sea Life: Except for the day we sailed away from Vancouver, we had pretty good weather. Hubbard Glacier was chilly but we were prepared for that and had our winter jackets, scarves and mitts with us. On a couple of the days, we were out on deck sunning ourselves. We saw lots of whales, dolphins, eagles, and even sea lions. In fact, we saw more wildlife in 7 days then we did on 20 days in the Caribbean last year.

 

Overview: For our first Celebrity cruise and being on the oldest ship in the fleet, we were left with a wonderful impression. We look forward to booking a future cruise with this line.

 

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Tweedy thanks for the pictures and review. We sail 17 June and I learned alot from your experience.....like 2nd formal nite is not Ketchikan like I had read and brunch is not to be missed - also on Ketchikan day if I remember from your blog. Appreciate your post and will take your advice and ask for an egg crate if the mattress is still lousy. Which ss did you have?

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Tweedy thanks for the pictures and review. We sail 17 June and I learned alot from your experience.....like 2nd formal nite is not Ketchikan like I had read and brunch is not to be missed - also on Ketchikan day if I remember from your blog. Appreciate your post and will take your advice and ask for an egg crate if the mattress is still lousy. Which ss did you have?

 

Yup, brunch is the morning on the day of Ketchikan. We were in S1 1225.

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Hi Tweedy,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for your excellent review and photos. I'm happy to hear you had a great Cruise on Century. Welcome Home !

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......... We ended up with a great waitstaff (not that the one we had for traditional seating was bad) and a really nice table for two by the window. It is table #6 if anyone is interested....

Hi Tweedy, Thanks for your eXcellent review, photos & blog! We are booked for Hawaii aboard Century next Feb. My wife is in a wheelchair & we're booked in one of the accessible Sky Suites on deck 12. Wondering if you might have a copy of the current Main Dining Room layout? If not, could you please describe the location of your table #6 relative to the entrance? Would it be accessible by wheelchair? My wife would transfer from wheelchair to dining chair & could walk past another table if needed. The first time we were aboard Century was 5 years ago & I think we must have had one of the tables you were originally assigned based on your description. It was very close to the next table for 2 & a bench on one side. The good thing for us was that the couple assigned to the next table showed up only twice on a 10 day cruise so we had the privacy we preferred. Will appreciate your reply about table #6.:)

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Amazing panoramic views! What type of camera did you use.

 

The panoramic photos I took were on my little pocket Fuji camera (JX520 I believe). I only picked it up about a month ago specifically for the panoramic feature.

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Hi Tweedy, Thanks for your eXcellent review, photos & blog! We are booked for Hawaii aboard Century next Feb. My wife is in a wheelchair & we're booked in one of the accessible Sky Suites on deck 12. Wondering if you might have a copy of the current Main Dining Room layout? If not, could you please describe the location of your table #6 relative to the entrance? Would it be accessible by wheelchair? My wife would transfer from wheelchair to dining chair & could walk past another table if needed. The first time we were aboard Century was 5 years ago & I think we must have had one of the tables you were originally assigned based on your description. It was very close to the next table for 2 & a bench on one side. The good thing for us was that the couple assigned to the next table showed up only twice on a 10 day cruise so we had the privacy we preferred. Will appreciate your reply about table #6.:)

 

Table #6 was located on deck 6, not deck 5 where the traditional dining is and was located at the very back corner of the dining room. Unfortunately we didn't grab one of the dining room floors plans and we had a couple of opportunities to do so. It appeared that most of the passengers with mobility issues were given a table close to the entrance and there were plenty of tables for 2 there. The tables also weren't as close as those on deck 5 where the benches were. I went through all my pictures and I didn't take a good photo of the dining room. One the first day, the doors were open to the dining room so you can poke your head in and check out of the table locations. This was where we saw the floor plans for deck 6 seating.

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Thanks, Tweedy.... Do you know if deck 6 MDR is all "Select" and deck 5 is all "Traditional"? Do you recall if there were tables for 2 beside the railing on deck 6?

 

Oooh, I'm not sure whether deck 6 was all 'select'. I know that deck 5 was all traditional. As for tables for 2 by the railing, I don't think so. I believe they were all tables of 6 or 8 or 10.

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TWEEDY, Thank you so much for your feedback.

You have corrected a perception a lot of us have, that formals were Monday ( at sea ) and Friday ( Ketchikan)....I also thought all along that the brunch would be Wednesday ( on way up to Hubbard ).

Thanks for setting folks straight on that.

Formal are now Monday and thursday , right ?

 

What's the name of the Master, that jolly-looking chubby fellow ? Seen him before on other cruises....but I'l be damned if I can recall his name....:D( you know,...senior moments....:rolleyes:)

 

Did you have fairly quiet seas, specially on Monday, , up and down on Hubbard day, and evening after Ketchikan ? Those are the spots where

Mother Nature gets cranky at times...;)

 

Thank you

Cheers

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Oooh, I'm not sure whether deck 6 was all 'select'. I know that deck 5 was all traditional. As for tables for 2 by the railing, I don't think so. I believe they were all tables of 6 or 8 or 10.

Tweedy, Thanks for the info. :)

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Hi Tweedy,

Thank you so much for your excellent review, we appreciated the time you have put in to it.

We are booked to go on the 10th of June, on the Century to Alaska for 7 nights,this will be our first sea voyage on the Century.

Just wondering if you went on any tours,we are booked on a tour from Juneau to Mendenhall Glacier,by Helicopter and guided walk.

Best wishes from Steve and Joy.

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TWEEDY, Thank you so much for your feedback.

You have corrected a perception a lot of us have, that formals were Monday ( at sea ) and Friday ( Ketchikan)....I also thought all along that the brunch would be Wednesday ( on way up to Hubbard ).

Thanks for setting folks straight on that.

Formal are now Monday and thursday , right ?

 

What's the name of the Master, that jolly-looking chubby fellow ? Seen him before on other cruises....but I'l be damned if I can recall his name....:D( you know,...senior moments....:rolleyes:)

 

Did you have fairly quiet seas, specially on Monday, , up and down on Hubbard day, and evening after Ketchikan ? Those are the spots where

Mother Nature gets cranky at times...;)

 

Thank you

Cheers

 

Hi c-legs -

 

Formal nights are Monday and Thursday. The candy, chocolate and dessert journey is on Wednesday night and the brunch is on Friday morning.

 

The captain's name was Isidoros Karamaounas and the CD was John Grantham.

 

The seas were very kind to us on both full sea days and the morning of Hubbard Glacier. There was a little bit of rocking but nothing to worry about. However, I did find it odd hearing the passengers say that the swells were upsetting their stomachs. There were no swells to speak of in my opinion but the crew did put sickness bags out by the elevators.

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Hi Tweedy,

Thank you so much for your excellent review, we appreciated the time you have put in to it.

We are booked to go on the 10th of June, on the Century to Alaska for 7 nights,this will be our first sea voyage on the Century.

Just wondering if you went on any tours,we are booked on a tour from Juneau to Mendenhall Glacier,by Helicopter and guided walk.

Best wishes from Steve and Joy.

 

Hi libbyloo -

 

Since this was my 3rd visit and my Mom's 4th visit to Alaska we didn't do any planned excursions and just went off the ship to wander around the towns. I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip. Alaska is beautiful.

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One thing I didn't mention in my review but probably show have was the Executive Chef announced that there will be menu changes coming. He mentioned June 1 so I'm not sure if the menu changes will be taking place on this current cruise or the start of the next cruise. He didn't mention what those changes would be but he sounded excited about the change.

 

For those traveling to Alaska this summer, don't forget the chapstick. You'll need it. The lips dry out quickly.

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thanks for your review and especially the photos. My wife and I are on the Century to Hawaii and back on October 5. We sailed previously on the Galaxy and the Mercury, both gone now, so we know what the ship is like but we were pleased to hear that it is in good condition.

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Hi c-legs -

 

Formal nights are Monday and Thursday. The candy, chocolate and dessert journey is on Wednesday night and the brunch is on Friday morning.

 

The captain's name was Isidoros Karamaounas and the CD was John Grantham.

 

The seas were very kind to us on both full sea days and the morning of Hubbard Glacier. There was a little bit of rocking but nothing to worry about. However, I did find it odd hearing the passengers say that the swells were upsetting their stomachs. There were no swells to speak of in my opinion but the crew did put sickness bags out by the elevators.

Thanks, Tweedy.

Much appreciated.

We're on July 1st....and already decided we will ''dine'' in town in Juneau rather than have to cut short on our port time just to get back and get

''spiffied up'' for formal dinner.......DW is placated by my unconditionnal participation in the 1st formal dinner ;):rolleyes: and I get my way for the 2nd one.(:D). DS, DDIL and the 2 granddaughters are not swayed either way.

How was John as a CD ? We're reading mostly positive feedbacks on this chap.

Cheers

:)

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Thanks, Tweedy.

Much appreciated.

We're on July 1st....and already decided we will ''dine'' in town in Juneau rather than have to cut short on our port time just to get back and get

''spiffied up'' for formal dinner.......DW is placated by my unconditionnal participation in the 1st formal dinner ;):rolleyes: and I get my way for the 2nd one.(:D). DS, DDIL and the 2 granddaughters are not swayed either way.

How was John as a CD ? We're reading mostly positive feedbacks on this chap.

Cheers

:)

 

The ship was definitely quiet both nights while in port in Juneau and Ketchikan since we were scheduled to leave port at 8pm and 8:30pm.

 

As for John as a cruise director, let met just say that we've never really paid attention or determined that a cruise director will make or break our holiday and we've had some bad ones (especially last year on Princess). Having said that, I would have to say John was probably the best cruise director we've ever had. He was always spotted around the ship and willing to take the time to speak with the passengers if they wanted to chat with him. He's currently on a four month contract which by my calculations means he may not be around for the entire Alaska season.

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