Anyone Just Off Century's "Extended" Sailing??

[BocaRoo]

[i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=indigo]Did you return yesterday, September 6th from your Century cruise? I was just curious to know what your "extra" two days were like:[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[list]
[*][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Where did the ship take you?[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[*][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Was there enough food?[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[*][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Was the Celebrity good about keeping you informed?[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[*][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]How was the service in general and did it remain consistent? [/color][/size][/font][/i]
[*][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]What else can you tell me?[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[/list][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Thanks! Just thought this might be interesting reading![/color][/size][/font][/i]

:) [i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Jill :) [/color][/size][/font][/i]

[sharks48]

Returned home last night from the 9-day Century Western Caribbean!!

After leaving Cozumel, we had the scheduled sea day. Everyone was keeping an eye on CNN for news about Frances and the Captain said he'd keep us informed. We went into Key West as scheduled, but we were told we'd be staying at sea for two extra days due to Frances' approach. We sailed around north of Cuba for the two days. At one point, Havana could be seen in the distance!

The service was the usual high level - no drop-off there. They had special "Frances Menus", with somewhat curtailed selections, but different ones than on the first two nights of the cruise. [One of the extra nights featured caramel creme brulee - YUM!!] Toward the end of the day on the ninth day, they began to run out of lemonade and punch, and the afternoon tea sandwiches were a bit "thin"; they also had no breadsticks at the second seating [darn!].

We got back to Ft. Lauderdale at about 6 a.m. on Monday and were off the ship by 9:30.

The weather the entire time was beautiful, except for some brief showers somewhere along the line [can't remember which day]. The seas were a bit rough the last night, too. But overall, the staff really made the best of things and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

[Shirley and Les]

[quote name='MiamiRoo'][i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=indigo]...I was just curious to know what your "extra" two days were like:...[/color][/size][/font][/i]
:) [i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Jill :) [/color][/size][/font][/i][/QUOTE]What did you expect? I am not trying to be a "flamer" but the tone of your questions suggested a "bread and water" menu for the extra days caused by good old Mother Nature. It sounds like Celebrity coped with the situation. Since I am retired, I don't have a problem with time.
[b]"What, you want to keep us on this ship for two extra days??? Oh, you are going to feed us, leave us stay in our cabins, give us chocolates at night on our pillows. OK, throw me into that briar patch. " [/b]
I know there are people that had work schedules, unchangable air connections, etc. etc. etc., but the cruise line tried to be accomodating.
An Old Fart,
Les

[trcori]

gosh, Les, lighten up. I agree with the original post'er in thinking it would be interesting to read about what the two extra days were like. We were on Century during hurricane time two years ago and the entire itinerary changed -- still an incredible cruise but the question of how well informed we were, etc., was an issue (people with GPS's claimed it was obvious long before the Captain announced the change that we were heading in a different direction) -- then trying to change a lot of arrangements while on board (canceling privately arranged shore excursions, trying to learn about the "new" ports to see what there was to do, etc.) -- Yup, still a walk in the park compared to "real" life. But interesting just the same. I guess this is one of those times when it's GOOD to have TV on board -- I've whined about it as an unnecessary taste of "real life" but at least it let the Century passengers know what they were heading home to! -- TR

[hajekfam]

I was also curious to know - I do know that they carry extra food - but they can run out of some items - they did on our transatlantic last fall during the crossing even though it was a normal cruise. I don't think the original poster was trying to suggest anything other than curiosity.

[teedee]

[quote name='Shirley and Les']What did you expect? I am not trying to be a "flamer" but the tone of your questions suggested a "bread and water" menu for the extra days caused by good old Mother Nature. It sounds like Celebrity coped with the situation. Since I am retired, I don't have a problem with time.
[b]"What, you want to keep us on this ship for two extra days??? Oh, you are going to feed us, leave us stay in our cabins, give us chocolates at night on our pillows. OK, throw me into that briar patch. " [/b]
I know there are people that had work schedules, unchangable air connections, etc. etc. etc., but the cruise line tried to be accomodating.
An Old Fart,
Les[/QUOTE]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS]I don't mean to be rude, but this sure seems harsh to me. I think this is a reasonable question, I wondered what it would be like as well. I don't think the tone of the OP suggested "bread and water" I think they were just curious.[/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS]Terri[/font][/b]

[CruisingChick]

I too was also very curious to know what happened as this is my fantasy to be stuck on the ship for a few extra days. (Not that I want anyone impacted with a hurricane or tropical storm and I don't wish ill on the passengers missing their normally scheduled cruise, but I like to dream that somehow for some reason we HAVE TO stay on the ship for a few extra days.)

I'm glad to know that everything went smoothly.

Anne Maria

[tbelian]

Curiosity killed the cat.

I agree with les.

Let stop trying to look under rocks for bugs.

Film at 11?

[rjack22]

Les,

I didn't take the original post the way that you did. I too was curious about the extra days. In no way did I ever think that would be much different that the "regular" cruise days. But I too enjoy reading about it. As another poster said, lighten up, you are reading morer into it than there was.

[msiowa]

I, too, think Les was being harsh. I think the original poster asked an interesting question. I didn't get a "let's see how Celebrity screwed up" vibe from it at all.

I actually have surfed the boards looking for tales from passengers on other ships to see what their experiences were. I'm just curious about these things.

Tidbit from, I believe, Holland America: The room locks were programmed so that the passengers' keys wouldn't work past noon on Saturday (they were supposed to have disembarked by that time). So they were all locked out of their rooms! The stewards were all standing guard and let people into their rooms and then ran downstairs to get the keys re-programmed. Maybe I'm weird, but I found that interesting.

Glad everyone had a great extended cruise.
Joanie

[tbelian]

[quote name='msiowa']I didn't get a "let's see how Celebrity screwed up" vibe from it at all.

[/QUOTE]

Oh, I dunno, These two questions in particular:

Was there enough food?
Was the Celebrity good about keeping you informed?

Seemed to indicate (to me at least) that there was a little fishing expedition going on. Well anyway, there was a poster who answered the question, so, that's the rest of the story.

" But overall, the staff really made the best of things and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip" ....

[StephenJohnson]

Let's just keep to finding out how it played out, folks.
I'm pretty curious.

[pilewski]

celebrity did an awesome job with those of us stranded at sea for 2 extra days. now a 7 day cruise will never be enough:D

[CelebrityMan]

Pilewski,

Ahhhhh..., glad to have another convert to the longer itineraries! We haven't sailed a 7-dayer since 1998 and don't ever plan to.

[taterules]

I was actually wondering if Celebrity specifically recommended 2 extra days worth of tips for the staff. I wonder how many guests just gave the ~$70 per person they had budgeted for the cruise.

[NiniB]

[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=magenta]i guess if she were asking about the "[b][u]DRESS CODE[/u][/b]" it would have been OK, with you LES???? Go take your Gerital & get off your high horse,,, [/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#ff00ff][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#ff00ff]I think the question would be on every cruisers mind,,, what would happen if YOU were stuck for an extra couple of days on your next cruise????[/color][/size][/font]

[ElaineB2]

Good gracious - lighten up Les & others who think this was a "fishing expedition." And, believe me, if I could use other language than good gracious and get away with it I most certainly would. :mad: I think Les's response deserves a whole heck of a lot more than a good gracious. I guess his signature (Old Fart) tells it all. :eek: If you didn't care to be kind then why couldn't you just keep your thoughts to yourself -- or better yet, why did you even respond? Be gone, Les.

I was wondering the same thing as the original poster -- and, yes, I was wondering at what point they might start getting short on food and have to cut back. They can only stock for so many days. You know, they do not go through the weekly restocking exercise for no reason!

[Tatka]

[quote name='msiowa']
Tidbit from, I believe, Holland America: The room locks were programmed so that the passengers' keys wouldn't work past noon on Saturday (they were supposed to have disembarked by that time). So they were all locked out of their rooms! The stewards were all standing guard and let people into their rooms and then ran downstairs to get the keys re-programmed. Maybe I'm weird, but I found that interesting.
[/QUOTE]
I just wanted to explain situation a little bit... First of all I am still a big X fan (after my Century Cruise) but to be fair...Zuiderdam is a beautifull ship. It's kind of like a museum so many arts she has (paintings, sculpture etc), you can spend hours exploring all of them. Very classy ship.

But they do have some weird problems with safe-system. For example during our cruise on August 21st 2004...safes in all rooms didn't work for 5-6 hours , our particular safe didn't work for two days.(We got chocolate strawberries to make it little sweeter ;) )

[hajekfam]

[quote name='tbelian']Oh, I dunno, These two questions in particular:

Was there enough food?
Was the Celebrity good about keeping you informed?

Seemed to indicate (to me at least) that there was a little fishing expedition going on. Well anyway, there was a poster who answered the question, so, that's the rest of the story.

" But overall, the staff really made the best of things and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip" ....[/QUOTE]
I would wonder about those items. As I stated earlier, we were out of or there was a shortage of a few items towards the end of the crossing days on our transatlantic - equal, bananas, and prune juice to name a few. I have no idea as to how close Celebrity plans the food on board to the number of people and length of cruise.
And I also would want to know if they kept you informed. After all, you would have to be able to make other arrangements if you did your own air or had someone house sitting, etc. It would be nice to know what was going on if you had relatives or friends or even your own home in the hurricane's path.
Sometimes, the ship is unable to pick up CNN so you are totally in the dark.

These are valid questions - based on the answers received from sharks48, I have no qualms about how Celebrity handles an emergency.

[winediva]

As my pal Sharks mentioned, overall it was a lovely cruise. Our itinerary didn't change at all except to add 2 sea days at the end, so no scrambling for new port excursions or anything of that nature. When our extra 2 days were announced lines were long for computers, but most folks waited until we got to Key West the next day to call from cell phones and make arrangements.
To be honest, most folks took the whole thing in stride. It was mostly the overprotective soccer mom types - running around with dour exasperated looks and wringing their hands. Our food the last 2 days was still more than plentiful, but entrees were more pasta and stewed meats than usual. Fresh fruit was a bit scarce and shrimp cocktail was no longer available as an appetizer, but really not that big a deal. We heard from the crew that their breakfast buffets had definitely been paired down, but again - no one was starving. Our key cards worked just fine throughout the journey and guest services was very helpful. Lines were understandably long and waits to speak to guest services on the phone could be long too - but I find this completely reasonable. New entertainment and additional lectures were added for our last 2 days, no repeats of earlier shows or talks. The dress code was mercifully casual for the added days and laundry service was still available for next day service. As for gratuities, the cruise director mentioned in his final talk that folks might want to consider that they were on board for 9 days instead of 7. Folks making credit card arrangements to pay gratuities were also informed that their automatic charges would only be for 7 days and they would have to specify if they wanted to contribute extra. I certainly compensated the staff for 9 days, plus a bit extra for their extra effort.

[BocaRoo]

[i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=indigo]Wow! This is the first time in my three+ years on this board that I've been slammed - what a disappointment! Yeah, Les, lighten up! And thanks to all of you who came to my defense!![/color][/size][/font][/i]

[i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]I asked the questions purely out of curiosity! My husband and I are huge fans of X and are booked in April, 2005. We expect nothing but the best from Celebrity and have never been disappointed.[/color][/size][/font][/i]

[i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]I'd like to thank all of you who so graciously answered my questions! [/color][/size][/font][/i]

[i][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=3][color=#4b0082]Jill[/color][/size][/font][/i]

[nealberk]

Hey I asked almost the same questions on the "big" Celebrity thread without knowing that this one had already started. I too was just curious! Nothing is more interesting than when things do not go as planned (my trip through the Capital parking lot is a prime example)

Joanie - I loved that little tidbit about the locks! Murphy's law hit in spades on that one.

Interesting comment about tips! I hope someone mentioned it to the passengers as that is one thing I probably would have forgotten.....

[TPKeller]

Anybody here ever heard of the Myers-Briggs personality test? You know, the one where you find out if you are sanguine, choleric, melancholy, or phlegmatic?

Sounds like we should all take a short lesson in personality types here.. some of us are into details and nitty gritty planning. Others couldn't care less about how it works, just that they are enjoying their cruise. Some have to have a grand plan, others take it one day, or one minute at a time. Etc, etc, etc.

For example, I was probably one of the earliest posters on one of the threads asking some of these exact questions. Was I fishing for something to complain about? Absolutely not! I am fascinated with how the whole concept of how a cruise ship going on a cruise with thousands of people can work. The logistics, the planning, the details. Anything that is out of the ordinary may offer an insight into how it works. Neato! Just the way my brain happens to work.

What's normal? It all is! We're all different. The more we understand that, the more civil these messages would be. :D

Want to know more? Hit up Google with "personality tests".

Theron

[nealberk]

The last time I tried to take one of those tests I made the person giving the test a bit mad. He asked me if I had any questions and all I did was ask him if he had a personality he preferred that I use for the test......

Computer engineers are the bane of psychologists.

[RSteele]

I, personally, loved hearing what went on those extra 2 days....now I'm thinking maybe Sept. or Oct. cruise would give me a better chance of having extra days. Although having "skirted" a hurricane in '01...between Cabo and Acapulco while cruising.. I know that it can be rough. As long as they didn't run out of diet coke...to wake me up in the morning...I'd be a happy camper :D