Host Andy - Live From Century (February 2014)

[trabeler]

If Michael's club is VIP 24/7 and Jordan has been moved to Cova, have they cut back on the entertainment?

 

In December, Jordan was in Michaels almost every night and there was a duet in Cova as well. Have they moved the duet to a lounge or just dropped one more entertainment option?

[TommyD3]

What are the new custom menus?

Thanksa

 

At the Senior Officers tables only. They are personalized with the passengers name and offer a different selection than the rest of the MDR. Some of the items are the same as offered on the MDR menu that night and some items are from the Murano menu.

 

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[TommyD3]

Andy, May I ask a couple of questions.

 

1. If I do not have any drink Pkg, can I still get coffee, juice, water, soda at the buffet? I understand if I am in the MDR and I order a coke, I will be charged for it.

 

2. I have "hotspot" on my phone which allows me to connect to WiFi even while riding in the car. Can I use this on the ship at no additional charge?

 

Thanks. Hope you are having a great time. See you tomorrow!!!

 

Soda pop is always extra cost on Celebrity unless you have a beverage package (like was offered as part of 123Go).

 

In order to connect to the internet while on the ship you have to purchase a package. There is WiFi everywhere on the ship but it costs money to use it. Starts at $0.75 per minute and goes down as you buy more minutes in the package. Many ports support US mobile carriers (St Thomas, San Juan, etc). At those ports you can use your phone like in the US.

 

I hope this helps.

 

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[2theship]

Andy, May I ask a couple of questions.

2. I have "hotspot" on my phone which allows me to connect to WiFi even while riding in the car. Can I use this on the ship at no additional charge?

 

In theory, you could do it. While you wouldn't have to pay for wifi, your cellular data charges would be somewhere between "ouch" and "BOINGGGG!"

[2theship]

Andy,

I apologize if you've already mentioned this but, since I'll be on the Century in a couple of weeks - who's the Cruise Director?

[MissBreezy]

 

On the other ships the craft beer will be moved from the Michaels Club to Cellar Masters so that non-VIP's still have access to it.

 

WHEW!

 

I mentioned that Michael's Club was going VIP to my husband last night and you should have seen the look on his face! I'd been talking up their beer selection to him for months now and he was pretty upset at the idea. This news will make for a nice Valentine's "gift".

[kayehall]

Thanks everyone. Leaving computers at home!!! Going to disconnect from the world!!!

[Cruise Raider]

I sailed on Century when she was new and a couple of times after. We were in an aft cabin once and the vibration was the same as the Mercury. It woke us up in the morning when pulling into port and you could hear it in the evening. It is from the aft thrusters and the whole room vibrates....You can also feel it in the MDR when they put the thrusters on usually leaving and pulling into a port. Fortunately it only lasts a few minutes.

 

I was a bit afraid somebody was going to confirm this. I remember those back windows just rattling away in the aft dining room. I really need the break from getting up at 4 AM every day and am ok if the ship pulls into port around 8 AM -- but really don't want to be awakened before then while on vacation. That room on the Mercury was pretty special as it was actually one of the aft family size oceanview they had before then changed them into balcony cabins. I don't remember it being intolerable during the day, or even at night but when pulling into port, WOW ...thought the ship was just hit my a 747. I might try to move more midship....even if it costs a few extra dollars. Such a toss up.

[Andy]

Andy,

I apologize if you've already mentioned this but, since I'll be on the Century in a couple of weeks - who's the Cruise Director?

 

Hi 2theship,

 

The Cruise Director is Rich Clesen. We've sailed with Rich previously, and he's very personable and enjoyable. Hope this helps !

Edited February 15, 2014 by Host Andy

[Andy]

I was a bit afraid somebody was going to confirm this. I remember those back windows just rattling away in the aft dining room. I really need the break from getting up at 4 AM every day and am ok if the ship pulls into port around 8 AM -- but really don't want to be awakened before then while on vacation. That room on the Mercury was pretty special as it was actually one of the aft family size oceanview they had before then changed them into balcony cabins. I don't remember it being intolerable during the day, or even at night but when pulling into port, WOW ...thought the ship was just hit my a 747. I might try to move more midship....even if it costs a few extra dollars. Such a toss up.

 

Hi Cruise Raider,

 

It's good that you have heard from CC folks who have aft cabins. As I mentioned earlier, I've only felt the vibration 1 time so far, and that was in the MDR. With that said, as this seems to be a concern for you, and that's totally understandable - you may wish to look into a cabin that's mid-ship. You are right that it's a toss up, but I say - why worry about it ? If you are mid-ship, you know it wont be an issue. After all, it's your well earned vacation. Hope this helps !

[Andy]

Day 2 - Nassau 2/13/14

 

Hi Everyone,

 

We had a much better day today. Unfortunately, we also had rainy weather, but it was a heck of a lot better than many other US regions, so I'm not complaining.

 

Breakfast was fairly good, but issues remain. Most items arrived at proper temperatures, though my Uncle ordered the French toast, and it was served barely warm. I ordered the smoked salmon and toasted bagel, and the bagel seemed to be toasted some time ago. The smoked salmon was delicious, but a small portion - very unlike Celebrity, but there's always the option to order another portion if need be. My eggs arrived perfect, but the waiter forgot the toast. By the time the toast arrived, the eggs were cold. I left it over. The chocolate croissants are as good as ever.

 

Lunch was excellent. We opted for Burgers at the Pool Grill, and they were served hot, juicy and delicious. Spent some time chatting with Mr & Mrs Orator from Cruise Critic. We've known each other for years on here, but have never met until this cruise. What a delightful couple !

 

I'm still seeing a huge amount of misinformation & confusion with the crew. I'm hearing that Century had a large crew changeover during the Drydock, with many new crew members joing the ship on Wednesday, so that may be what is causing the issues. While the crew is very friendly, and trying their best - they seem to be making stuff up as they go along. I'm not blaming them, but it seems as if little to no training is given prior to joining the ship, and they are on their own to learn on the fly. Not good.

 

Even with the rain, I was having a wonderful relaxing aftenoon, parked on a lounger by the Pool... only to be awoken by the Miami DJ's, to give us a blast of boom boom boom. I hope the 1 couple that danced to the DJ's enjoyed the experience. She had more shake in her, than a 9.0 earthquake, but it was fun to watch. It was the least Celebrity could do, for ruining my nap :). All kidding aside, it was an enjoyable day.

 

This afternoon, I had a brief conversation, with the Restaurant Manager about last night's Dinner experience. He promised to make things right. Well, he sure did ! We had a wonderful table tonight, with outstanding service. Everything arrived as ordered, delicious, and cooked to perfection. The Shrimp Cocktail, Filet Mignon & Rack of Lamb were outstanding. On a scale of 1-10, Dinner was a 10, and I'm very pleased that the MDR Manager made a kind & welcome effort to resolve last night's shortcomings. Thank You to MDR Manager Eduardo & Maitre'ds Bruno & Jayson.

 

Tonight's show was Celebrity Rocks. Sorry to say, it was disappointing. We walked out after 25 minutes, as we could not take it any longer. I do not believe it was the fault of the singers and dancers, but more about the content. I noticed a steady flow of Guests walking out of the theater, so I wasn't alone. To be fair, My Sister saw the show and thought it was pretty good. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

 

We ended the evening enjoying the Cova Cafe. We are loving the new Elite Plus benefit of complimentary specialty coffee. Yes, it's still called Cova on Century - but it doesn't matter, since Century will be leaving the fleet in 14 months. Several CC members commented to me, regarding confusion on what is complimentary and what is not at Cova, so Celebrity should work on explaining the rules to their crew members. At any rate, the Cova team is absolutely wonderful, though they seem short staffed, due to the added Elite Plus & Zenith benefits.

 

Tomorrow is the last full day of our 3 night sailing, and I will try to post again tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying my insights !

Edited February 15, 2014 by Host Andy

[Biker19]

Century is coming into Port Everglades just behind the Oasis OTS - live on the web cam.

[robtulipe]

We were on Century for a 15 night Hawaii cruise in the late November to early December so had 10 seadays onboard her.

In our opinion this ship wasn’t in terrible condition then. The only really obvious thing was a half dozen or so thermopane windows in Hemisphere lounge had broken seal thus were fogged up. Our C1 cabin was in very good shape although some on our very large roll call mentioned their cabin’ carpet was showing wear. The public areas we thought were fine.

Food is very subjected and our opinion was it was very good and even excellent on that cruise.

We are on the Ruby Princess sailing into PE right now and we expect and are looking forward to being back on Century by noon.

[cruisinelsewhere]

I was a bit afraid somebody was going to confirm this. I remember those back windows just rattling away in the aft dining room. I really need the break from getting up at 4 AM every day and am ok if the ship pulls into port around 8 AM -- but really don't want to be awakened before then while on vacation. That room on the Mercury was pretty special as it was actually one of the aft family size oceanview they had before then changed them into balcony cabins. I don't remember it being intolerable during the day, or even at night but when pulling into port, WOW ...thought the ship was just hit my a 747. I might try to move more midship....even if it costs a few extra dollars. Such a toss up.

 

It has been a few years since I sailed Century. I was excited by the prospect of having a Century Suite aft cabin until......(and I laugh at it now) until I was literally thrown from bed in the pre-dawn hours while docking. Now I am a relatively small woman but...on the floor? That and the idea of the horrendous noise from the chairs scraping away above...lol...I am far more choosy about my cabins since. I would move in a heartbeat!

[Quendryth]

No myth; early April 2013 we had a 5 nighter on Connie with Graeme as CC host and the Elite nightly function was in Michaels every evening.

 

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We had a 7 nighter on the Infinity to Alaska in 2010 & all the Elite functions were in Michael's. We were even served fresh cheeses from the specialty restaurant in the evening! We had maybe 20 people - it was great! Those days are gone forever I'm afraid!

 

Faith:)

[TourDeCruise]

We were also on the 3-night Century cruise and will be here for the two 8-night cruises that follow. I concur with comments posted so far. On the 3-night cruise, there was a lack of cohesiveness. Whatever the reason, we experienced various cabin problems with malfunctions or missing items to be resolved. We now have a working phone, toilet that flushes without delay, hot shower water, and the items originally missing in cabin, so all is well and improving.

 

As I mentioned on Andy's other "questions" thread, I have not seen any evidence of carpeting and upholstery upgrades and the track has multiple large areas of missing surface and some other areas of small, irregular bumps of surface repairs. We use the track a lot, and I am watching my footing.

 

Our meals and service, for the most part, have all been excellent except for a few things I have noted and a 1/2 hour tomato-juice delay and a near room temperature Greek Frittata which was a sliver of quiche, not a frittata at one breakfast.

 

I apologize in my post on Andy's "questions" thread that I called Jordan Peterson "Jon" but I did tell him his parents said "hi" and it was in the Cova Cafe. He may only be performing in the Cova Cafe; I'll verify during this cruise by looking at Celebrity Today.

 

On the Feb. 23rd cruise, we will be staying in the aft-most, corner deck 9 Concierge Class cabin, so I can report on vibration and noise during that cruise. We often stay in an aft or near aft cabin and have experienced vibration. While it is not a problem for us, some people do not like the vibration, which usually only occurs for fast accelerations and pulling in and out of port. I'll report my experience on the Feb. 23rd cruise, but I am expecting aft vibration consistent with previous cruises.

 

Kathy

[CHEZMARYLOU]

As for the Michaels Club, it has been converted to a VIP lounge. This is the very first Michaels Club to undergo the conversion. The conversion involved adding a desk for the VIP lounge concierge. The new concierge on this ship is a WONDERFUL lady. The new VIP lounge is open 24 hours a day for VIP's only. On this ship those in a Century, Royal or Penthouse suite plus Zenith cruisers are considered VIP's. They chose the Century suites since there are only a few of them. There are WAY too many Sky suites on here. In total there are 40-50 guests considered VIP's. During embarkation all VIP's were escorted from the terminal to the lounge by shore side staff. All of the other ships will have the Michaels Club converted to a VIP lounge by early April. On all other ships the VIP's are the Celebrity, Royal & Penthouse guests plus Zenith.

 

On the other ships the craft beer will be moved from the Michaels Club to Cellar Masters so that non-VIP's still have access to it.

 

If there are any questions please ask:)

 

With the move of craft beer to Cellar Masters, will Cellar Masters still serve wine or will it be more like Michael's Club? We are wine drinkers and would hate to see Cellar Masters totally repurposed.

 

Mary Lou

[takemewithyou]

Thank you, Host Andy, for your insights!

Who is the CC Host on board?

Also, do you know how long Rich Cleason will be on board?

I am hoping through the Alaska season as we really enjoy him as our CD...!!

Thanks :)

[TommyD3]

With the move of craft beer to Cellar Masters, will Cellar Masters still serve wine or will it be more like Michael's Club? We are wine drinkers and would hate to see Cellar Masters totally repurposed.

 

Mary Lou

 

I heard that they will be removing the self serve wine dispenser machines because they are rarely used. They still plan to have the waiter requested wine.

 

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[TommyD3]

Thank you, Host Andy, for your insights!

Who is the CC Host on board?

Also, do you know how long Rich Cleason will be on board?

I am hoping through the Alaska season as we really enjoy him as our CD...!!

Thanks :)

 

Jonette just left on vacation before the drydock. We have a new to the position hostess Elaine. She was just promoted from guest relations on the Eclipse. Elaine is a Filipino just like Jonette, Rose and Ti-Ann. She is GREAT just like the others I mentioned.

 

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[CHEZMARYLOU]

I heard that they will be removing the self serve wine dispenser machines because they are rarely used. They still plan to have the waiter requested wine.

 

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Thanks, I read earlier that they are removing the machines. We never use them, just get the wine from the wine menu. Glad to hear they are not totally repurposing Cellar Masters. Might have to look at another cruise line if the do.

 

Mary Lou

[cadburysmom]

Hi Andy

 

Thanks for posting and glad you are having a nice time.

 

I have one question and hoping others will answer so as not to use up your precious internet minutes...

 

On Century, is the Elite breakfast served in Michael's or is it somewhere else?

 

Thanks!

[cle-guy]

Thanks, I read earlier that they are removing the machines. We never use them, just get the wine from the wine menu. Glad to hear they are not totally repurposing Cellar Masters. Might have to look at another cruise line if the do.

 

Mary Lou

 

I read an earlier CC thread (perhaps I read it in November or December) that they were pulling them off fleet-wide and had started on some ships already as of Jan 1.

 

When I boarded Connie in January, they were still there, 1 was out of order though. I asked the Wine sommelier there when they were coming of the ship, he said they weren't, I explained what I heard, he said he had heard nothing of it.

 

So not sure what's really happening....

Edited February 16, 2014 by cle-guy

[TommyD3]

Hi Andy

 

Thanks for posting and glad you are having a nice time.

 

I have one question and hoping others will answer so as not to use up your precious internet minutes...

 

On Century, is the Elite breakfast served in Michael's or is it somewhere else?

 

Thanks!

 

Michaels Club is now a VIP lounge for use by Zenith and high end suite guests only. The Elite breakfast and happy hour are both being held in the Crystal Room. We have over 500 Elites on this sailing - it will be interesting to see how that works:confused:

[cadburysmom]

Michaels Club is now a VIP lounge for use by Zenith and high end suite guests only. The Elite breakfast and happy hour are both being held in the Crystal Room. We have over 500 Elites on this sailing - it will be interesting to see how that works:confused:

Hi Tommy, thanks for answering. :)