Century Christmas/New Years Aus and NZ cruise review

[PAFC2004]

Hi all,

 

It's been a couple of weeks since I got off the Century, so I thought it was about time I posted a review. I've not read any other reviews (if they exist) about this cruise, so this will be completely subjective. I will post some photos once I've submitted this review!

 

Embarkation:

 

No one cares about this. We were in a concierge class cabin - was quick. Seemed as if it wasn't too bad for those who weren't in concierge class.

 

Cabin:

As most of you know, the Concierge class cabins on the Century are the same size as the standard balcony cabins. This differs from the rest of the Celebrity fleet, as far as I know. Regardless, they are fantastic. There were 4 of us in the cabin (my parents, my sister, and myself). There was a queen bed, a fold-out sofa, and a top-berth single.

 

The TV was a good size, although the programming was average (CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, SKY News and a couple of other channels). There was plenty of storage space, even for 4 adults. The balcony (my first balcony experience) was amazing. Very well appointed. I have cruised with P&O Australia 3 times before, and those cabins reminded you at every step that you were on ship. This one did not. You could be forgiven for thinking it was a 5-star room, on land (apart from the view!).

 

We received hors d'oeuvres each night, as well as fresh fruit and chocolates. For me, it wasn't worth it. The hors d'oeuvres consisted of fish-based spreads on crisp bread, covered with cling wrap... When the room attendends hand you a plate with hors d'oeuvres on them, wrapped in plastic - the effect is lost.

 

Entertainment

Extremely poor. The crowd on this sailing was skewed heavily towards the 60+ crowd, but the entertainment did not reflect otherwise. There was the standard 'party band' in the rendez vous lounge each night (they didn't want to be there), which was comprised of half a dozen middle-aged muso's who were clearly bored. The female acoustic artist near the Cova Cafe was brilliant though.

 

Richard Rubin (from Beauty and the Geek) played Piano, and did a musical trivia game each night in Michaels club (an old fashioned piano bar, with dark wood book shelves and leather seats). A definite highlight. He is hilarious.

 

The Martini bar was great. Michael had plenty of tricks, and remembered people's names after the first night. Great place to start your night.

 

The casino was ok. There were jackpots and special games each night, but the atmosphere lacked somewhat.

 

Hemisphere, the nightclub was OK. On this sailing, as previously mentioned, the crowd was quite old. There was a group of approximately 20 "younger" people that stayed out until the 3am closing time. I'm 28, by the way. Great venue, however the d-jay was a little strange. It seems that the late-night venue hours are dictated heavily by the audience.

 

Dining

Wow.

We had the first seating each night (6pm). Not only was the view (aft) brilliant, the food and service were amazing. This was only my 4th cruise, but the staff gave the impression that they wanted to be there. This contrasted from my experiences with P&O Australia. My somewhat hard-to-please family were blown away also. The food was just amazing. I highly recommend the french onion soup (available each night, on the non-rotating menu). There was enough choice for meat eaters, vegetarians (my sister), and others. Service was prompt, and extremely friendly. The dining staff were great fun!

 

The breakfast buffet was brilliant. There was both an American style buffet (crisp bacon, bagels etc.) and a british buffet (baked beans, short back bacon cooked less than the good stuff etc.). Also, there were pancakes and waffles before 9am.

 

The lunch buffet consisted of your standard fare: roast meats, several types of potato, sandwiches to order, pizza, pasta, and amazing stir fry to order.

 

Furthermore, room service was available 24 hours a day, and it did not incur a further charge. The burger, chicken baguette, chicken noodle soup and club sandwiches were phenomenal. Great at 4am, after a hard night of dancing!

 

Conclusion

 

Many people will compare the Century to larger ships which cruise the med etc. I am basing this review on the fact we don't get much down in Australia. Hence, this review compares itself somewhat to P&O Australia.

 

Celebrity blow P&O away in every facet. Staff, cabins, food... everything. P&O service is actually great. Celebrity are somehow better. I'm looking forward to cruising on the solstice at the end of this year (we are getting 120,000 tonne ships finally!). I probably won't be able to afford it, as a student, but I can dream.

 

All I can say is: if you are tossing up between P&O and Celebrity - stop thinking now. Celebrity all the way.

 

Dining with Celebrity is a highlight.

[Mulege]

Since you ate a student you probably have limited flexibility to travel. But, if you keep on the lookout, you might come across a good deal on the S class ship. You will love them. Good luck in school! Getting your education will enable you to cruise again in style for sure in the near future.

[germanyboy]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Century in 9 weeks. It is much like the old Mercury, which we sailed in 2010, except they added the balconies instead of selling her.

[MargoK]

Hi all,

 

It's been a couple of weeks since I got off the Century, so I thought it was about time I posted a review. I've not read any other reviews (if they exist) about this cruise, so this will be completely subjective. I will post some photos once I've submitted this review!

 

Embarkation:

 

No one cares about this. We were in a concierge class cabin - was quick. Seemed as if it wasn't too bad for those who weren't in concierge class.

 

Cabin:

As most of you know, the Concierge class cabins on the Century are the same size as the standard balcony cabins. This differs from the rest of the Celebrity fleet, as far as I know. Regardless, they are fantastic. There were 4 of us in the cabin (my parents, my sister, and myself). There was a queen bed, a fold-out sofa, and a top-berth single.

 

The TV was a good size, although the programming was average (CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, SKY News and a couple of other channels). There was plenty of storage space, even for 4 adults. The balcony (my first balcony experience) was amazing. Very well appointed. I have cruised with P&O Australia 3 times before, and those cabins reminded you at every step that you were on ship. This one did not. You could be forgiven for thinking it was a 5-star room, on land (apart from the view!).

 

We received hors d'oeuvres each night, as well as fresh fruit and chocolates. For me, it wasn't worth it. The hors d'oeuvres consisted of fish-based spreads on crisp bread, covered with cling wrap... When the room attendends hand you a plate with hors d'oeuvres on them, wrapped in plastic - the effect is lost.

 

Entertainment

Extremely poor. The crowd on this sailing was skewed heavily towards the 60+ crowd, but the entertainment did not reflect otherwise. There was the standard 'party band' in the rendez vous lounge each night (they didn't want to be there), which was comprised of half a dozen middle-aged muso's who were clearly bored. The female acoustic artist near the Cova Cafe was brilliant though.

 

Richard Rubin (from Beauty and the Geek) played Piano, and did a musical trivia game each night in Michaels club (an old fashioned piano bar, with dark wood book shelves and leather seats). A definite highlight. He is hilarious.

 

The Martini bar was great. Michael had plenty of tricks, and remembered people's names after the first night. Great place to start your night.

 

The casino was ok. There were jackpots and special games each night, but the atmosphere lacked somewhat.

 

Hemisphere, the nightclub was OK. On this sailing, as previously mentioned, the crowd was quite old. There was a group of approximately 20 "younger" people that stayed out until the 3am closing time. I'm 28, by the way. Great venue, however the d-jay was a little strange. It seems that the late-night venue hours are dictated heavily by the audience.

 

Dining

Wow.

We had the first seating each night (6pm). Not only was the view (aft) brilliant, the food and service were amazing. This was only my 4th cruise, but the staff gave the impression that they wanted to be there. This contrasted from my experiences with P&O Australia. My somewhat hard-to-please family were blown away also. The food was just amazing. I highly recommend the french onion soup (available each night, on the non-rotating menu). There was enough choice for meat eaters, vegetarians (my sister), and others. Service was prompt, and extremely friendly. The dining staff were great fun!

 

The breakfast buffet was brilliant. There was both an American style buffet (crisp bacon, bagels etc.) and a british buffet (baked beans, short back bacon cooked less than the good stuff etc.). Also, there were pancakes and waffles before 9am.

 

The lunch buffet consisted of your standard fare: roast meats, several types of potato, sandwiches to order, pizza, pasta, and amazing stir fry to order.

 

Furthermore, room service was available 24 hours a day, and it did not incur a further charge. The burger, chicken baguette, chicken noodle soup and club sandwiches were phenomenal. Great at 4am, after a hard night of dancing!

 

Conclusion

 

Many people will compare the Century to larger ships which cruise the med etc. I am basing this review on the fact we don't get much down in Australia. Hence, this review compares itself somewhat to P&O Australia.

 

Celebrity blow P&O away in every facet. Staff, cabins, food... everything. P&O service is actually great. Celebrity are somehow better. I'm looking forward to cruising on the solstice at the end of this year (we are getting 120,000 tonne ships finally!). I probably won't be able to afford it, as a student, but I can dream.

 

All I can say is: if you are tossing up between P&O and Celebrity - stop thinking now. Celebrity all the way.

 

Dining with Celebrity is a highlight.

 

Hi PAFC2004.

 

I was on this Century along with 80 odd other CCer's. Sorry I didn't get to meet you.

 

What a great cruise - wonderful ship (pity about some of the entertainment - but not a deal breaker!) wonderful staff and a brilliant bunch off CCer's.

 

A couple of us have had our reviews published under "Members Reviews". Plus I have also completed a blog on this cruise - see signature for details.

[Northern Aurora]

The hubby and I were on the Pacific Jewels cruise last November from Honolulu to Sydney. Approximately half of the passengers were Australian. While there had to be some Australians who weren't happy with the cruise or the Century, the ones I spoke with consistently thought that the Century cruise experience was better than P & O.

 

So I have several questions for PAFC2004 or anyone else who cares to chime in. Your review suggests that your Century food and cabin were better than your P & O experiences. Could you compare the general ambience of the Century to your P & O experiences. For example, did you find the Century more modern in decor? Did the indoor spaces of the Century seem larger to you? What about the onboard activities. Did you find more lectures on Century? Were there more announcements during the day on P & O?

[MargoK]

The hubby and I were on the Pacific Jewels cruise last November from Honolulu to Sydney. Approximately half of the passengers were Australian. While there had to be some Australians who weren't happy with the cruise or the Century, the ones I spoke with consistently thought that the Century cruise experience was better than P & O.

 

So I have several questions for PAFC2004 or anyone else who cares to chime in. Your review suggests that your Century food and cabin were better than your P & O experiences. Could you compare the general ambience of the Century to your P & O experiences. For example, did you find the Century more modern in decor? Did the indoor spaces of the Century seem larger to you? What about the onboard activities. Did you find more lectures on Century? Were there more announcements during the day on P & O?

 

Hi there.

 

I cannot help in a comparison to P&O BUT we have cruised on the Diamond Princess and we loved it. BUT the Century has just the edge which we put down to a smaller more intimate ship.

 

The decor is not modern - the ship was built 1995 and refurbed recently. I would decribe as more classical.

 

Onboard activities - less than the Diamond from what we saw, but we don't tend to participate in much (to busy just being lazy :D). I am not much into trivia etc. Nor did we go to any lectures, but I hear they were very good, passengers were raving about them.

 

Announcements - Very few on the Century (way less than the Diamond). The Captain once a day (but I have to admit I missed most of them :rolleyes:, heavens knows where I was???) and when we had arrived at a port - the usual customs and MAF restricitions were read out in English and Spanish. At tender ports for about the first hour there were alot of announcements to do with tendering groups. Overall - hardly any, which was very nice.

 

Celebrity is a 4-5 star line where are P&O Australia is more 3 Star (from what I understand), not that star ratings matter in some instances,

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.