Century - Should I do it?

[Breezey]

We booked a 2A balcony because I didnt think concierge is worth the extra money on this ship since the cabin and balcony are no bigger than others.

 

But now am thinking, should I splurge a bit (ok more than a bit) and go for a Sky Suite (still need major convincing to my DH)? It's our 35th anniversary, its to New Zealand so its almost 2 weeks long and there a few sea days in a row. We lucked out on our last cruise when they posted seniors rates and we were able to change our CC to a Sky Suite for the same price.

 

So for those who have cruised the Century what are your thoughts? Plus its still not very clear to me as to which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies and do they have lounge chairs etc? (The reason I ask this is on our recent cruise on the Allure of the Seas, we paid a bit extra for a large balcony only to be disappointed that the furniture was the same as the regular sized balony as we were hoping for at least one lounge chair).

 

Thanks

[Bruin Steve]

We booked a 2A balcony because I didnt think concierge is worth the extra money on this ship since the cabin and balcony are no bigger than others.

 

But now am thinking, should I splurge a bit (ok more than a bit) and go for a Sky Suite (still need major convincing to my DH)? It's our 35th anniversary, its to New Zealand so its almost 2 weeks long and there a few sea days in a row. We lucked out on our last cruise when they posted seniors rates and we were able to change our CC to a Sky Suite for the same price.

 

So for those who have cruised the Century what are your thoughts? Plus its still not very clear to me as to which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies and do they have lounge chairs etc? (The reason I ask this is on our recent cruise on the Allure of the Seas, we paid a bit extra for a large balcony only to be disappointed that the furniture was the same as the regular sized balony as we were hoping for at least one lounge chair).

 

Thanks

 

It's always a judgment call in my book...What is the incremental cost from one type of cabin to the next...and what else could you use that money for?

 

I always say I don't care what sort of cabin I am in, just get me on the ship...For me (and I have cruised in both balconies and in Sky Suites), I find very little difference between the two to justify the expense...Sure I like extra room, but how much time do I spend in the cabin anyway?

 

OTOH, it is an emotional thing...If you are going to splurge, a major anniversary is a reason to do it...

 

And I find I am fairly inconsistent myself...

For this Australia/New Zealand cruise, we are actually booked in an INSIDE cabin (though I keep watching the rates for an opportunity)...But, for US, this is our "inbetween" cruise...it is an "extra" wedged in between our 30th Anniversary celebration on Oceania Marina (for which we are in a 1030 Square foot Oceania Suite) and our 31st Anniversary on the Eclipse next summer--when we will be back in a balcony to view Iceland and the Norwegian Fjords...The Century is only for my birthday...and, at my age, I no longer feel like celebrating adding another year!

 

Yes, for this one, it would be nice to take a balcony ...Which would add $2400 to our price and, for that, I will sit up on the open deck when we cruise the New Zealand Fjords...

 

But, for YOU, it's a question of splurging because it's something special...the view off the balcony in the Sky Suite is the same as the view off the balcony in a regular balcony cabin...BUT, if money is no object, go for it...

[red919]

We booked a 2A balcony because I didnt think concierge is worth the extra money on this ship since the cabin and balcony are no bigger than others.

 

But now am thinking, should I splurge a bit (ok more than a bit) and go for a Sky Suite (still need major convincing to my DH)? It's our 35th anniversary, its to New Zealand so its almost 2 weeks long and there a few sea days in a row. We lucked out on our last cruise when they posted seniors rates and we were able to change our CC to a Sky Suite for the same price.

 

So for those who have cruised the Century what are your thoughts? Plus its still not very clear to me as to which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies and do they have lounge chairs etc? (The reason I ask this is on our recent cruise on the Allure of the Seas, we paid a bit extra for a large balcony only to be disappointed that the furniture was the same as the regular sized balony as we were hoping for at least one lounge chair).

 

Thanks

I totally agree concierge is not worth the extra money on the Century. 2A cabin locations are just as good. I just recently upgraded to a concierge on the Summit to Bermuda but that was mainly for cabin location rather than concierge benefits.

 

Also, the longer the cruise, the more concerned I am about my cabin. I'm one who really uses my balcony,rarely poolside or on deck, so that is important to me. I wish I knew more about the Sky Suites so I could advise you but seeing how this is a longer cruise and a special occasion, I'd DEFINITELY grab one if the price drops even a smidgen. Sounds like you really want one. :)

[Breezey]

Hi Steve

We are on the same cruise and chatted a bit on the roll call. Wow you have some great cruises before and after. And you are right, its a splurge. It's not like we dont have a balcony already.

 

Red919 - sounds like us. We love our balcony and do enjoy hanging out in the cabin sometime. Since the cruise is 13 nights, thats the only reason I was considering it. Its more the balcony size difference I want.

 

Anyone know which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies?

[vvnh16a]

For the century, the CC cabins were the most recent additions/upgrade. Although it has been a couple of years ago, would having a newer cabin influence your decision if all other things were equal?

[BarbJ52]

Hi Steve

We are on the same cruise and chatted a bit on the roll call. Wow you have some great cruises before and after. And you are right, its a splurge. It's not like we dont have a balcony already.

 

Red919 - sounds like us. We love our balcony and do enjoy hanging out in the cabin sometime. Since the cruise is 13 nights, thats the only reason I was considering it. Its more the balcony size difference I want.

 

Anyone know which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies?

 

Sky Suite balconies on deck 12 are huge. When we booked one in 2004, those balconies were larger than other Sky Suite balconies. I'm not sure if that changed (as in, others made larger) during the refurbishment. We were in 1209 and LOVED it.

[jt1120]

For the most part, I would agree that Concierge class isn't really worth the extra money. BUT, with a couple of Cc cruises, I'm now at diamond level, which isn't so bad. As to your question, what are you waiting for? Century is a great ship and we would highly recommend it. Heck, the way things are going, I'd suggest sailing her before =X= pulls the plug and gets rid of her like they have been doing to their other "older" ships.

[ledodeck01]

We booked a 2A balcony because I didnt think concierge is worth the extra money on this ship since the cabin and balcony are no bigger than others.

 

But now am thinking, should I splurge a bit (ok more than a bit) and go for a Sky Suite (still need major convincing to my DH)? It's our 35th anniversary, its to New Zealand so its almost 2 weeks long and there a few sea days in a row. We lucked out on our last cruise when they posted seniors rates and we were able to change our CC to a Sky Suite for the same price.

 

So for those who have cruised the Century what are your thoughts? Plus its still not very clear to me as to which of the Sky Suites have the larger balconies and do they have lounge chairs etc? (The reason I ask this is on our recent cruise on the Allure of the Seas, we paid a bit extra for a large balcony only to be disappointed that the furniture was the same as the regular sized balony as we were hoping for at least one lounge chair).

 

Thanks

 

We are just off the Century- I would think twice about using this ship at all. We were on the concierge level. Balcony furniture was stained and/or badly in need of painting. (actually it needed to be thrown out). There was even mold on the bathroom ceiling. You will pay a lot for an upgrade and you deserve better. It seems that Celebrity has simply given up on this ship. Many passengers commented on the sorry state of the vessel. Two weeks is a long time to spend aboard ship, you need a cheerful stateroom on a well maintained ship- the Century isn't it. I can send pics if you need them. If you go on this ship- I would go with the less expensive suite- We had CS cabin at the back of the ship but it wasn't much different or better that other cabins. Good luck- we are approaching our 25Th as well-new Zealand sounds nice.

[Bridge Maven]

We are just off the Century- I would think twice about using this ship at all. We were on the concierge level. Balcony furniture was stained and/or badly in need of painting. (actually it needed to be thrown out). There was even mold on the bathroom ceiling. You will pay a lot for an upgrade and you deserve better. It seems that Celebrity has simply given up on this ship. Many passengers commented on the sorry state of the vessel. Two weeks is a long time to spend aboard ship, you need a cheerful stateroom on a well maintained ship- the Century isn't it. I can send pics if you need them. If you go on this ship- I would go with the less expensive suite- We had CS cabin at the back of the ship but it wasn't much different or better that other cabins. Good luck- we are approaching our 25Th as well-new Zealand sounds nice.

 

ledodeck, Century was a beautiful ship in its day and it is sad that Celebrity does not keep up its aging ships as well as some other cruise lines do. In my opinion, Celebrity now has a two tier system with beautiful new ships that are more expensive and aging ships that are priced accordingly. It also appears that there are some cruisers who feel nostalgic about Celebrity's aging ships and don't care about their condition.

[Bridge Maven]

Sky Suite balconies on deck 12 are huge. When we booked one in 2004, those balconies were larger than other Sky Suite balconies. I'm not sure if that changed (as in, others made larger) during the refurbishment. We were in 1209 and LOVED it.

 

BarbJ, we also had a sky suite on deck 12 when Century was a relatively new ship and I loved that cabin. Aside from its huge balcony, it was the only cabin I can remember where part of the balcony was exposed to the sun while part of it was covered.

[Breezey]

Yikes such mixed feelings about the Century. We only chose it because of the itinerary not the ship. We preferred Celebrity's itinerary and dates over Princess and RCI for a December sailing of NZ and cannot afford the luxury lines that also go to NZ. Interesting though that for NZ 2012/2013, I see that Century is being replaced by the Millenium and Solstice. Pretty telling.

 

But we booked a few months ago so that is not the question. I think will stick with the cabin we originally booked. Thanks.

[goodearth]

We too, just came off the Century and although we did not have a balcony, the interior Vista deck room we had was GREAT! I looked for "things" that have been written about her demise, but in all honesty the only issues I saw were two places where carpet seams had come undone and that was in public high traffic area's. I rather liked the old gal for the 8 day repositioning and found opinions I had read about her inaccurate to our experience. There may be some cabins that have issues---but not fair to say every cabin is the same as that. Have a great cruise and you may be pleasantly surprised............We are younger cruisers and enjoyed the cruise!

[ledodeck01]

ledodeck, Century was a beautiful ship in its day and it is sad that Celebrity does not keep up its aging ships as well as some other cruise lines do. In my opinion, Celebrity now has a two tier system with beautiful new ships that are more expensive and aging ships that are priced accordingly. It also appears that there are some cruisers who feel nostalgic about Celebrity's aging ships and don't care about their condition.

 

 

Good Summary- you are probably right about the two tier system. The new ships are spectacular. Still, Celebrity demands a premium for its older ships. We are not very demanding cruisers, but we expected better than a soiled bacony with and mold in the bathroom. I met quite a few passengers who were also first time Celebrity users- they were less than impressed as well. How many new customers are lost- doesn't make sense to me. This is Royal Carribean Company, YET our experience on an older RCI ship was entirely different.

[Bridge Maven]

Good Summary- you are probably right about the two tier system. The new ships are spectacular. Still, Celebrity demands a premium for its older ships. We are not very demanding cruisers, but we expected better than a soiled bacony with and mold in the bathroom. I met quite a few passengers who were also first time Celebrity users- they were less than impressed as well. How many new customers are lost- doesn't make sense to me. This is Royal Carribean Company, YET our experience on an older RCI ship was entirely different.

 

ledodeck, I agree with you that Royal Caribbean does a better job than Celebrity of maintaining their older ships, which is ironic since they are sister companies and Celebrity is supposedly a step up from Royal Caribbean. That is the main reason why we are taking our Alaskan Cruise Tour next month on RCI's Radiance of the Seas. We did our first Alaska cruise on Celebrity's Infinity and loved it, but that was ten years ago when Infinity was a brand new ship.

[BettyCruiser]

I sailed the Century twice last year, April and December, I have no complaints about the ship. In fact I loved my room, an inside on deck 12. The Century is now my favorite ship. I have heard that the Sky Suites on deck 12 are nice with a huge balcony. I wouldn't change my plans based on someone's shower complaint. I loved my shower, it was clean and at least four times bigger than my shower on Princess, which is the smallest shower I have ever encountered.

 

 

Beth

[Lois R]

We too, just came off the Century and although we did not have a balcony, the interior Vista deck room we had was GREAT! I looked for "things" that have been written about her demise, but in all honesty the only issues I saw were two places where carpet seams had come undone and that was in public high traffic area's. I rather liked the old gal for the 8 day repositioning and found opinions I had read about her inaccurate to our experience. There may be some cabins that have issues---but not fair to say every cabin is the same as that. Have a great cruise and you may be pleasantly surprised............We are younger cruisers and enjoyed the cruise!

 

We were on the same cruise and I had a window cabin. My bathroom

was clean as well.:)

 

Every cruise I take I meet other people who are having a wonderful

time and I also meet people who are not.....It is not unusual to me

anymore. I always have fun and this cruise was no different for me.

I loved my 8 nights:D

[Bruin Steve]

Let's take a step back a second here...

 

What do we really have on this thread?

Well, first, we have an OP who was asking NOT whether they should cruise on the Century at all, but rather whether they should upgrade to a higher category cabin...

 

Then, a couple of posters came on and went back and forth complaining about the maintenance and condition of the ship...based purely on anecdotal evidence--ie "my shower had mold!"

 

After a few posts back and forth, their conclusion became a sweeping "Celebrity doesn't maintain its ships"...

 

Now, I happen to be on the same cruise as the OP...

Although I am a frequent Celebrity cruiser, this will be my first on Century...in fact, my first on any ship smaller than the M-class...

 

But I have no concerns at all...

I have been a very frequent contributor and reader of Cruise Critic...and I am well aware of an overwhelming number of posts and reviews praising the Century...

 

Add to that my sister and broter-in-law cruised on Century not that long ago...It was their FIRST Celebrity cruise, BUT they are hardly cruise neophytes...They have multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean...and on Princess...and Carnival...and Costa...and Azamara under their belts...and they came away with nothing but praise for the Century...and, believe me, I know my sister, if there was anything to complain about, she would have...

 

A while back, I was on a cruise on the Summit...

Just before I went, someone posted on here that they were on Summit, the ship was TERRIBLE and in bad condition and it was the worst cruise ever...Of course I went anyway...and the ship was hardly in "terrible" condition...For a ship of its age, it was in remarkably good condition...and, of course, the food, service and everything else was right up there with expected Celebrity standards...

 

Over the years, I have seen plenty of posts on these boards with people complaining about things like the "condition" of the ship--on every cruise line...and they can usually seem to find one or two kindred spirits to pile on--just like here...

 

I even recall one such post where the poster posted "actual photographs" of the "evidence"... a rust stain here, a tear or stain on a sofa there...a 70,000 or 90,000 or 120,000 gross ton ship and threee of four tiny pieces of "evidence"...

 

ALL ships--even brand new ones--will have some rust...they sit in the water 24/7...Any ship can have a stain or a tear somewhere--2,000 or 3,000 passengers and 1,000-1,5000 crew live, eat, sleep and play on these things...people spill something or break something...You may see it before the crew can clean or fix it...

 

Now, is it possible the complainers here actually had mold in their shower? Or a rip in the upholstery on their sofa? Or whatever else they felt was "poor maintenance"? Of course it is...and it may be something that happened or just became apparent just that week...It may be that the following week, it was cleaned or fixed...and then, of course, something else pops up...

 

Years ago, I started my career in the hotel and restaurant business...I am well aware of maintenance issues...

 

I have also been on a good number of cruises...on seven different cruise lines, on 20+ different ships...of all sizes and ages...Am I worried about the Century? No...

[Lois R]

Let's take a step back a second here...

 

What do we really have on this thread?

Well, first, we have an OP who was asking NOT whether they should cruise on the Century at all, but rather whether they should upgrade to a higher category cabin...

 

Then, a couple of posters came on and went back and forth complaining about the maintenance and condition of the ship...based purely on anecdotal evidence--ie "my shower had mold!"

 

After a few posts back and forth, their conclusion became a sweeping "Celebrity doesn't maintain its ships"...

 

Now, I happen to be on the same cruise as the OP...

Although I am a frequent Celebrity cruiser, this will be my first on Century...in fact, my first on any ship smaller than the M-class...

 

But I have no concerns at all...

I have been a very frequent contributor and reader of Cruise Critic...and I am well aware of an overwhelming number of posts and reviews praising the Century...

 

Add to that my sister and broter-in-law cruised on Century not that long ago...It was their FIRST Celebrity cruise, BUT they are hardly cruise neophytes...They have multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean...and on Princess...and Carnival...and Costa...and Azamara under their belts...and they came away with nothing but praise for the Century...and, believe me, I know my sister, if there was anything to complain about, she would have...

 

A while back, I was on a cruise on the Summit...

Just before I went, someone posted on here that they were on Summit, the ship was TERRIBLE and in bad condition and it was the worst cruise ever...Of course I went anyway...and the ship was hardly in "terrible" condition...For a ship of its age, it was in remarkably good condition...and, of course, the food, service and everything else was right up there with expected Celebrity standards...

 

Over the years, I have seen plenty of posts on these boards with people complaining about things like the "condition" of the ship--on every cruise line...and they can usually seem to find one or two kindred spirits to pile on--just like here...

 

I even recall one such post where the poster posted "actual photographs" of the "evidence"... a rust stain here, a tear or stain on a sofa there...a 70,000 or 90,000 or 120,000 gross ton ship and threee of four tiny pieces of "evidence"...

 

ALL ships--even brand new ones--will have some rust...they sit in the water 24/7...Any ship can have a stain or a tear somewhere--2,000 or 3,000 passengers and 1,000-1,5000 crew live, eat, sleep and play on these things...people spill something or break something...You may see it before the crew can clean or fix it...

 

Now, is it possible the complainers here actually had mold in their shower? Or a rip in the upholstery on their sofa? Or whatever else they felt was "poor maintenance"? Of course it is...and it may be something that happened or just became apparent just that week...It may be that the following week, it was cleaned or fixed...and then, of course, something else pops up...

 

Years ago, I started my career in the hotel and restaurant business...I am well aware of maintenance issues...

 

I have also been on a good number of cruises...on seven different cruise lines, on 20+ different ships...of all sizes and ages...Am I worried about the Century? No...

 

Your post is thoughtful and spot on......

[Sail Girl]

We sailed on the Century 3 times this year and found her to be a warm, wonderful ship. The Officers, Staff and Crew were top notch. If there were maintainence issues, they were so minor we didn't take notice. (And as Bruin Steve said about his sister, I would notice and comment on dirt and disrepair!)

 

Our only problem with Century is that she won't be sailing from Miami so we won't be able to sail on her next Winter.

[Lsimon]

I'll agree with the others - if you book a Sky Suite get on on deck 12. The cabins and location are great. Do check some of the comments on this board when selecting a cabin (do a forum search using the cabin number) there are 1 or 2 cabins at the forward part of the deck 12 suites that are odd shaped and I can't remember if these layouts are more or less favorable than other cabins (I think less).

 

We are just off the Century... There was even mold on the bathroom ceiling....

 

Just curious if you asked to have this corrected and if it was? A couple of times we've been in cabins that had some mold or mildew in the bathrooms and had it corrected on request. I agree that this shouldn't be something that you need to ask about but some cabin attendants are better than others and this type of thing is problematic on ships and easily taken care of with a little special attention. So I hope you had the problem corrected ASAP rather than living with it and letting it disappoint you afterwards.

[Breezey]

For the record, ditto what Bruin Steve has posted and thanks for clarifying my original point.

 

While I have only been on 8 cruises (the Century being our 9th) if I made decisions on which ship to sail based on the CC message boards, I would be scared off cruising. So am not looking for advice as to whether to go on the Century or not. That decision has been made.

 

All I wanted to know was to hear from those of you who have actually been on the Century and in a sky suite. I have already booked a balcony but wanted to know which of the Sky Suite balconies had the larger balcony and whether they have lounge chairs etc. so I can decide whether to upgrade.

 

Thanks.

[jt1120]

Props to Bruin Steve for an excellent post. I'll just say DITTO! Century is a great old girl and I just hope that Celebrity keeps her around instead of offing her like they have all of their other smaller ships.

[Bridge Maven]

If someone asked a travel agent for their opinion about various cabins on a particular ship it would not be uncommon for that TA to let that person know if there were issues on that ship. So why is it wrong to do that on cruise critic? After all isn't cruise critic a place for people to share advice based on their personal experiences? If not it is simply another social networking website and a place for people to blindly agree with what someone else has posted.

[ledodeck01]

I'll agree with the others - if you book a Sky Suite get on on deck 12. The cabins and location are great. Do check some of the comments on this board when selecting a cabin (do a forum search using the cabin number) there are 1 or 2 cabins at the forward part of the deck 12 suites that are odd shaped and I can't remember if these layouts are more or less favorable than other cabins (I think less).

 

 

 

Just curious if you asked to have this corrected and if it was? A couple of times we've been in cabins that had some mold or mildew in the bathrooms and had it corrected on request. I agree that this shouldn't be something that you need to ask about but some cabin attendants are better than others and this type of thing is problematic on ships and easily taken care of with a little special attention. So I hope you had the problem corrected ASAP rather than living with it and letting it disappoint you afterwards.

 

Sorry to cause such a controversy. I was just trying to give my answer to the origional post that asked about an upgrade. In general we are very forgiving about faults both in service and minor maintenance issues. Did we have a good time on this cruise- absolutely. Still I felt the overall experience. We had a good time in spite of Celebrity not because of it (relative to other lines we have travelled on). I am not fixated on a little mold in the bathroom. It was the overall condition of the ship that disappointed me- bacony furniture that should have been disposed of years ago, soiled and unpainted bacony floor, tired and worn public areas. None of these things are a big deal and none of them spoiled our vacaton. Still, If I were to choose again, I would look elseware for a cleaner more modern ship. There are lots of choices out there. My mistake was expecting the "step-up" that is promised in the marketing. In my opinion, the Century did not provide the step up. I hope that does not put me in the category of "complainer". As one poster said: any cruise is better than no cruise. Still, one advanage of these pages is that they help us make more informed decisions.

[Bridge Maven]

If someone asked a travel agent for their opinion about various cabins on a particular ship it would not be uncommon for that TA to let that person know if there were issues on that ship. So why is it wrong to do that on cruise critic? After all isn't cruise critic a place for people to share advice based on their personal experiences? If not it is simply another social networking website and a place for people to blindly agree with what someone else has posted.

 

I meant to add this to my previous post quoted above. I realize that what one poster considers to be normal wear and tear can be perceived as deferred maintenance to someone else. However, I don't feel that gives anyone the right to criticize someone who doesn't agree with their opinion of what is a acceptable for the condition of an aging ship and what is not.