Zenith to Bermuda on 6/4/05

[NancyCapri]

Hello, :D

My husband and I are sailing out of Bayonne, NJ to Bermuda on 6/4/05 in the Zenith. First time sailing on a small ship and first time in Bermuda. I know Bermuda is beautiful, but need some info regarding the ship since I am a little nervous. I am hearing rumors that the Zenith is an old retired ship and attracts an older crowd (i.e. 60s and 70s). We are in our early 30s and would prefer a bigger crowd within our age group. Please no offense to anyone.

How is the food and service?

 

Confused and nervous.

Nancycapri :confused:

[Lois R]

Hi Nancy:)

I have sailed Celebrity 4 times since 2003 and will be going on Horizon to Bermuda in May!

I haven't been on Zenith... but you are correct, she is smaller and older.

 

For more information about her, you might want to pop on over to the Celebrity Boards and post this question over there.

 

I am a bit older than ya'll.......46...I have met people of ALL ages on all of my cruises...from 20's upward to 80's....cruisers are everywhere:)

 

I LOVE Celebrity...definitely my cruiseline of choice:D and I cannot wait to see Bermuda either!!!

When you say " she is an old retired ship"....yes, compared to the ships built now...she is older..but retired? Nope, she is sailing all the time:)

[Swizzle v2.0]

Don't feel nervous about being on a smaller ship. In my opinion the smaller ships are better when cruising to Bermuda. The large ships can only dock at King's Wharf whereas the smaller ones can dock at Hamilton and St. Georges, which I think are better ports.

[OTTER]

I'm going on the Zenith on 7/30/05 and we are in our 30s, so I hope like you that there are couples in our age range.

 

I've been on a smaller ship before (Carnival Celebration) and thought it was much better than the megaships that are out there. We found service to be better and the ship never seemed crowded.

[NancyCapri]

Hello Lois, Swizzle and Otter,

Thank you so much for your information. I greatly appreciate it. I feel much better now.

Swizzle, I also heard that there is nothing to do in King Wharf and that it is a waste to dock there. I am so happy I did not book the 5 night cruise to Bermuda docking in King Wharf. :) I hope you guys have lots of fun and enjoy your cruise.

 

NancyCapri :D

[Lois R]

Hi Nancy:) after you finish reading these replies...scroll on down to the bottom of the page.....you will see some "ZENITH to Bermuda Reviews"....you might want to take a few minutes a read them:) ....will give you some idea of other people's cruises.

[ineedacruise]

I have cruised to Bermuda on the Horizon and it was the best sailings yet. The crew and food was wonderful. The ships are showing their age but dont let it stop you. The small size makes them great to get to know your fellow passengers.

[Optifire]

Please do not worry about a thing. You are going to have a great time as you are going on a great ship.

 

We were always on bigger ships and had never been on a Celebrity ship...so I too was nervous. I was all set for eveything going wrong as we had always done Carnival and larger ships...I had a great time on Carnival and could not imagine anyone being able to surpass them in my eyes.

 

I still Love Carnival, but Celebrity proved my worries all were needless. The ship was smaller, however I loved it...as it was easier to get around and to learn the ship faster. On the larger ships, you never know your way around until the day you are geting off. The Zenith was easily laid out and by knowing my way around better and where I was going took the edge off my nerves. By the time the meals came around, sorry Carnival, the food was excellent...it did surpass Carnival. The Gala Buffet is not to be missed, even if you don't eat from it, still try to make it there to get pictures.

 

As far as the older crowd rumors, I didnt see that at all. I thought it was a very nice mix of everyone from children to adults. Please, dont do as I did. I sat and worried about every thing negative I read. Use the time from now until you sail, to find excursions and the "must see's. Bermuda is beautiful and the ship is great. It is a sure thing. Happy Sails.

[Monthend]

We went on the Zenith last June to Bermuda and loved it. The ship is beautiful-not showing it's age at all. Of course that's my opinion. I had only been on one other cruise and it was the Majesty of the Seas. The Zenith crew was just great. I think the crowd was mixed as far as age was concerned. I did notice that the bars did clear out a little early though.

 

We are going again and will be on your cruise on June 4. You will love it.

[jmarilyn]

Hi Nancy. My husband and I are also booked on that same cruise! We are also in our early 30's (husband is 31 and I am 32), so at least you know there will definitely be one other couple in your age range! I took a cruise on Celebrity to Bermuda when I was only 18 yrs. old and have always wanted to go back! They retired the ship I took back then (SS Meridian), but my travel agent recommended the Zenith. Our other option was to go on the Norwegian Crown, but my travel agent was very against it... She said the Zenith is a much nicer ship and I know the food on Celebrity cruises is by far the best! I think this ship will have all ages, just like when I sailed on my previous celebrity ship... I went on the Carnival Ecstacy when I was in my 20's because that was supposed to be a predominately young crowd, but I found it to be a guido meat market and did not have nearly as good of a time on that ship as I did on the Celebrity cruise... It's nice with a mix of everyone. And Bermuda is the most beautiful island. :o

[bbcstt]

Have taken both the Zenith (8/2002) and the Horizon (9/2000) to Bermuda. The Zenith is a little newer (1990) than the Horizon (1988), and is about 1 GRT bigger. As for the age of the passengers, my wife and I were then just hitting 40. And yes there were many in their late 50's and 60's and some even older. I remember helping an old lady from the Zenith who had fell walking to the Crystal Caves, I believe she was in her late 80's. BUT there were many people in their 30's and 40's and we had a grand time at the Martini Bar. Arnie was the head bartender there in 2002.

 

The ship is old and small by today's standards, and there are NO balconies. We had a Category 2 suite with butler. She was in fine shape and in good repair, nothing was worn, as a matter of fact they had just redone the carpets and drapery on the Atlantic and Bermuda decks. The ship is classy, lots of wood and brass. No neon and overdone colors and mirrors like the older Carnival ships. Took Carnival's Legend 2 years ago and it was not over the top neon, mirrors and such. They have toned itdown a bit I think.

 

I remember worrying before going on my first cruise in 1998 about how old the people were going to be. Yes there are some old timers, BUT some of my best and funniest memories of past cruises were with folks 25 years or so older than me.

[celbercrz333]

Nancy,

Food on Zenith is fantastic. All those french pastries, you know. I've been to France, and the pastries on Zenith are comparable. Other food was good too. We did Zenith from NYC to Bermuda in October 2003. We hit a tropical storm the first night out. Our first cruise and our first time to Bermuda. The ship handled the 11 foot swells fine. (crew told someone who told us the swell size). If we can survive that, you can. LOL. Crew kept things immaculate and the rooms were nice too. We've since done a Carnival cruise and it just wasn't the same.

[ZAMOST]

While we parents will may not lower the average age of cruisers on the Zenith from NY to Bermuda for July 23, our three children 25,23,19 will. Hopefully there will be others of similar age.

[chrissieo]

We'll be going on Zenith in June as well with my parents to celebrate my 30th bday. My boyfriend is 28, and my brother and his gf are 25, so we'll be some of the younger ones, I'm sure, but we'll make sure it's a good time no matter what! It's a celebration! Happy cruising! :)

[barbels]

My family will be on this cruise. While my husband and I are in our 50's- our children range in age from 23 to 30. We are also cruising with our 9 month old grandson so I'm sure you'll figure out who we are on the ship. This cruise is to celebrate our 5th anniversary.