Review of Century Transatlantic April 28, 2008

[sassycruiser]

We sailed on the 14 Day Transatlantic on Celebrity Century beginning April 28, 2008. The trip was wonderful. The luxury of a 14 day vacation was something that we had never experienced. I am writing this review to provide our opinion of the voyage. Many things are subjective to the person so these are my opinions.

 

First, some background. I traveled with my husband and our 18 year old son. We are in our mid 40s. This was our 13th cruise. 10 with NCL, 1 with Carnival and 2nd with Celebrity. We were on the Millennium when it was disabled last year so this was our replacement trip. I will go through our impressions at the beginning of the review and then talk about our days.

 

Stateroom – We had Cabin 1139 an Aft Celebrity Suite. This a “real” suite according to Celebrity. However, I would say the amenities are sorely lacking. We never received any fresh flowers (as per Celebrity's suite perks listed on their web site) and we thought the butler was a waste. He never did anything useful. Everything we asked him to do he pushed off on someone else. He did bring us afternoon tea everyday at 4:00. But Lattes forget it he told me to call Room Service which told me to go to the Cova. . Day 1 I asked him to check our table arrangements and he told me I needed to see guest services. My husband asked him to find out if the ship carried any NHL games and he told him call guest services. So we basically did not use him for anything.

 

Condition of the stateroom - The pillows and bedding in the room were horrible. The pillows are flat as a board and the duvet had holes. I would not put this bedding in any room I was using for guests. The sheets for the pull out where not changed for the full 14 days. In all of our cruises I have never had such bad stateroom services. The bathroom was filthy and it was obvious that all the room steward did was make the beds and turn down the beds. We did get clean towels everyday. The room steward had to be asked for shampoo when it ran out – he never replaced it on his own. Also, the first day we had to clean the veranda of cigarette butts in a bottle and napkins that left from the previous cruise. The chairs on the veranda were disgustingly dirty and remained that way throughout the whole cruise.

 

Location of cabin – we loved it. The veranda was great. However, I will say that it is right under the aft bar. At times we felt like monkeys on display because we would be on our veranda and people would be staring down at us. Also, you feel every motion of the ship and I mean EVERY motion. It also could get quite noisy from chair rearrangement early in the morning.

 

Dining - We were assigned to table 557 in early seating. We had wonderful table mates – a couple from Boston and a couple from Germany. The food was good. Not great – but good. It was adequate portions. Our waiter Lopez and his assistant Erwin were wonderful and definitely a high point of service on this cruise.

 

Other Dining – We ate a lot at the Island Cafe. The buffet selection was good for all meals except dinner. The pasta choices, the omelets and the sushi were excellent. The waffles are just waffles. They are good but not worth all the hype on this board! Also, pizza was good. We did eat one night at Casual Boulevard and it was great. Would recommend highly. We did not eat at Muranos this year.

 

Pool and Hot Tub – The pools were closed most days during the transatlantic due to the weather. The ship has 4 hot tubs on the pool deck. It seems that they would run hot one day, cold the next. Very strange. It is also extremely hard to get drink service on the pool deck. Not sure if this is because they are instructed not to be pushy but it was irritating.

 

 

Act ivies – There were many trivia contests and other activities during the day. There were also a lecturer on economics and a mystery writer. At night there was shows every night. I will say that we did not attend a lot of the on board activities. Most of our day was spent reading on our veranda and that is fine. I found it incredibly relaxing. I will say that there were not many activities that interested our son. However, he knew going into the trip that it would be this way and made his own fun.

 

Aqua Spa - I did not use the Aqua Spa. Our son had a hot stone massage which was $200.00. He said the massage was good and he was not pressured to buy anything. We did not use the Persian gardens because there was a fee of $200 per person for the entire trip and they were only selling 40 passes.

 

Shore Excursions – We took one Celebrity excursion and it was Paris Sightseeing with Lunch Cruise. This was enough to make all 3 of us swear off of all ship shore excursions forever. The 2 hour ride to Paris was not the issue. We knew that was coming. You could see nothing from the bus. The monuments were cut off by the lines of the bus. The lunch cruise had us sitting on top of each other. You could barely move. The food was sub par at best The high point was the wine! The scenery was beautiful on the cruise but you couldn't move to get up to take pictures. This event cost us $600 and it just wasn't worth it. We would have been better off going on the Paris on your own bus and doing the hop on hop off bus. Live and learn!

 

Service on the ship - Overall the service was very good. We did find that there were a lot of inconsistencies in information. The crew members just didn't seem well informed when asked questions.

 

Weather – It was colder than we expected. We had very rough seas days 1 and 2 at sea. It was warm in Miami and Nassau. Bermuda was cold. France was foggy in Cherbourg and LeHavre/Paris were high 60s. Dover it was warm – mid/high 60s.

 

Day 1 Miami – Due to work and time constraints we flew to Miami on Monday morning. We bought our air through Celebrity (never again) and Celebrity booked us on NWA leaving Detroit at 6:30 AM and going to Memphis. When we arrived at the airport the flight was oversold and NWA bumped us to a direct flight to Miami and gave us $300 vouchers. When we arrived in Miami we had the Celebrity bus transfer which was very nice. We were completely exhausted by this time. We boarded with a minimum of fuss and were in our room shortly.

 

Day 2 Nassau – We took a taxi to Atlantis. Atlantis is nice and everyone should see one time. However, everything is obscenely expensive. So be aware of that. Also, Atlantis sells no day passes or anything to use their facilities. We were aware of this and just went to the Casino.

 

Day 3 At Sea

 

Day 4 and Half of Day 5 Bermuda – We loved Bermuda. In all of our cruises we had never been to Bermuda. We were docked at Kings Wharf. The dockyard area is very nice. We took the bus into Hamilton and looked around at the shops. Day 2 we took the ferry to St George. We bought a 2 day public pass and found it very useful and economic. I think it was $20.00 per person. The people in Bermuda are very friendly and we didn't have any issues.

 

Days 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 At sea – see comments above

 

Day 12 – Cherbourg France – In Cherbourg we hired Eric from Normandy Town and Country Tours along with another couple from the boards. I would recommend him highly. If anyone would like his email please email me at epermaloff@yahoo.com and I will send it to you. He took us to the beaches at Omaha and Utah as well and the American Cemetery and numerous other places connected with the Dday events. He was thorough and this tour was definitely highlight of the trip.

 

Day 13 – LeHavre/Paris – see shore excursions comment above

 

Day 14 – Dover. In Dover we took a shuttle bus from the port to the Dover castle. The shuttle is 3 pounds and travels in a continuous loop between the cruise ship, town center and castle. The castle is 10 pounds to get in. We were on a very tight time schedule so we were only able to see the secret wartime tunnels. We would love to go back to the castle as we only scratched the service of things to see. There is a lot of walking at the castle and a lot of it is uphill.

 

Disembarkation – we had ships transfer to the airport. This went very well. We picked up our luggage at the airport and were in line for the plane very quickly. Celebrity booked us on US Air into Philadelphia with a connecting flight to Detroit. The flight from Amsterdam was fine. When we got to Philadelphia our flight to Detroit had been canceled. We finally arrived in Detroit at 1:00 AM. So we were up for 26 hours which was pretty exhausting. So from now on we will book our own air so that we can take non stop flights.

 

So that is my review. I am not sure that we will sail with Celebrity again. We did not find it to live up to their (Celebrity's) hype that they are a premium cruise line. If anyone has a specific question please post or send me an email at epermaloff@yahoo.com and I will answer.

[Texed]

Thanks for your review.

[thepeacha]

Thanks for posting your experiences.

 

I am so sorry you had such a sub-par stateroom attendant, certainly you should have sought out his supervisor and politely made your case. Things would have shaped up in a hurry! A great attendant can make your trip- and a poor one has a big influence on your experience, too! It sounds like your stateroom was lovely, except for the fact that others enjoyed a view of your veranda too. Odd- our bedding was soft and fluffy, and in perfect order al the time. I'd sleep a guest on ours in a heartbeat!

 

We always book our own air and shore, for the exact reasons you outline above. However there is a certain measure of security in booking with the cruise line, and others will speak to this. We are white- knucklers of the first class, backed up by a stellar travel agent, so to each his own, right?

 

We sailed the Constellation on a similar itinerary at about the same time, and had several days where the pools were closed for safety. Sail the North Atlantic, take your chances...

 

I can see your hesitation to cruise X again, esp. in light of your Millennium troubles. Celebrity is my favorite for the food and service and ambiance (and I do love the waffles!) and I am sorry to hear your cruise was not all you'd expected.

 

Happy sails to you and yours!

[YOW]

We sailed on the 14 Day Transatlantic on Celebrity Century beginning April 28, 2008. The trip was wonderful.

 

Good that you began with this. It shows that, despite some setbacks, you were committed to having a great holiday. With the experiences and observations you've described, some would be (and have been) here writing about what a bad time they had as a result of the cruise line's shortcomings. It's nice to see an optimistic attitude combined with balanced observations.

[signman]

Just wondering whether you tipped your butler, based on his uselessness. Not being judgemental, just curious based on your comments.

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

Not getting the kind of service you expect can be very frustrating. Did you speak to anyone other than your butler about your concerns? It's a shame to go 14 days without having the experience you were hoping for.

 

I would suggest that if you are not getting what you expect from Celebrity, you should bring it to the attention of someone onboard who has the authority to make changes. Contact the Hotel Manager, Chief Housekeeper, Asst. Housekeeper or other people who can see to it that you get the type of service you desire.

 

If the sheets haven't been changed for days, call the Asst. Housekeeper. If your butler isn't performing to standards, call the Hotel Manager. In most cases, they are eager to correct any problems.

 

Above all, you shouldn't be miserable for 14 days, and not bring it to the attention of those who can make changes.

[pris993]

I second what others have to say about raising the issues of concerns about bedding and service to someone in charge. We have done so on cruises with a wide variety of cruiselines and all issues (with the exception of "noise" from moving chairs on the deck above us). We even had Princess change the matress in our cabin, with was old a lumpy. Speak up it can make a big difference. :)

[sassycruiser]

The trip was wonderful. And the things that happened were minor but not significant. I agree that we should have brought our concerns to more Senior Management at the cruise line. Some of it got to be a joke - like the butler leaving the fruit that was clearly rotten in the bowl until I would put it on the floor outside the cabin.

 

We prepaid our gratuities. We talked about going to guest services and decided it just wasn't worth it. Our opinion just is that if we cruise with X again it won't be with a butler. And also our waiter/assistant waiter was wonderful. So that made up for some of it.

[sassycruiser]

And in my opinion I could be sleeping in the life boat and it would still be a great vacation and beat being at work. I guess it is the glass half full theory!

[hylasgirl]

Thanks so much for your review. I hoping some more start coming in from Northern Europe. I have emailed you with a few questions. I can't wait until it is our turn!!! I am so glad that we decided against the Celebrity Suite and stuck with our CC cabin.

[jfried01]

We were also on this cruise -- just my husband and myself (we are 60 and 50, respectively). This was our third Celebrity cruise and our second on the Century. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise very much. We were in a Sky Suite and were lucky to have had a much more attentive butler. (But we never got the flowers, either.) And we had a fabulous stateroom attendant who kept the room in impeccable condition--somehow managing to magically clean it within minutes of our departure in the AM. We would definitely sail X again. But I have to say that compared with our cruise to the Arctic Circle on the Century last summer, the service overall was much more hit or miss. We found the photography sales staff unfriendly or even hostile; and the buffet line staff varied wildly from helpful to annoyed.

 

The worst was Sue, the Captain's Club hostess, who was downright rude and acted like she wanted nothing to do with individual passengers -- she only wanted to deal with us at organized events. She didn't even acknowledge passengers when passing them in the hall. We spoke to her supervisor and were told that there were so many Captain's Club members on the ship that basically she had to pay attention to the ones with the most cruises (they didn't say it exactly like that, but that was clearly what was meant).

 

However, our biggest problem concerned the shore excursion to Canterbury Cathedral from Dover. I understand that the fine print says that excursion details may be changed from what is advertised. However, the day we went to Canterbury was a major, major holiday in the Anglican Church and tourists were not permitted inside the Cathedral! This was not told to us until we were on the bus! It is one thing when circumstances force a change in itinerary. However, this holiday was obviously well known in advance. We should have been warned and given the chance to rebook if desired.

 

We were EXTREMELY disappointed, as this was one of the highlights of the whole cruise that we had been looking forward to. When we complained, we were first handed the "fine print". After we objected we were told that someone would get back to us. We got a note, in the end, giving us a 15% discount off the price. That, of course, wasn't the point. The whole attitude of the staff was that they had no obligation to tell us that the main site on the excursion would be closed!

 

Again on the positive side, I do want to put in a plug for Murano's. We ate there on a number of occasions, and the staff really made the trip for us. They were always genuinely warm and welcoming. It was a pleasure to deal with them and I HIGHLY recommend the restaurant. It is well worth the price.

[SusieV]

As far as I know, Celebrity Suites do not have verandas... do you mean a Century Suite?

[hylasgirl]

As far as I know, Celebrity Suites do not have verandas... do you mean a Century Suite?

 

 

Oooh, yes... sorry:o That is the one that I meant.

[nps001]

Your review was very detailed and informative. I realize that some comment that are made on CC can be subjective. However, asking for information and being told to make a call is just not acceptable in my book.

 

Fortunately, we have always experienced the opposite on a cruise from our butler. In fact, the last one told us not to bother to try to get answers on our own. He said it was easier for him to find out and he was happy to do so.

 

I do hope that if you cruise again, you bring these type of situations to the attention of their managers. These are not our of the norm requests. In my opinion, the butler can make the difference between a great cruise and a wonderful cruise (in terms of service). We ordered lattes every day and we got them delivered with a smile from our butler.

 

Just to add....I don't know if flowers have been eliminated. We also did not have any on our past cruise. It made no difference to us. However, if this is a perk that is listed, it should be provided.

[Deeliteful]

I was also on this cruise and will post a review later this week. (Had a fabulous cruise too).

 

Sorry your butler was so bad - my stateroom attendant and his assistant were terrific and kept the room spotless at all times.

 

I'm surprised with your comments about the weather though - we had a rocky night and day coming out of Bermuda and it was in the mid 70s in France, England and the Netherlands (fantastic weather for early May).

 

I agree, of course, that views are subjective re rest of cruise but I'll add mine to my review.

[sassycruiser]

The weather was colder than I expected. That is what I meant about the weather. Actually except for the 2 rough days I thought the seas were very calm.

[AZjohn]

Thank you for your review sassycruiser,

Getting ready to leave tomorrow morning for a cruise Century, I found it very interesting.

We are booked in our first suite and will be a first time with a butler. I hope we do not have the same as yours! I personally would have no problem not tipping someone who did nothing, and it sounds like he did nothing for you.

I’m very concerned about your bed and pillows. We are not picky people at all, but the only thing I do ask for is a clean, quite, and comfortable cabin. The other reviews I have read on Century said the mattresses and pillows were great so I didn’t think there would be any issues. As I said, very concerning and I hope our cabin will be different than yours.

Thanks for the “heads up” about the Paris excursion. We were thinking about doing the exact one you did, but now I know it doesn’t sound appealing if the ship will be that crowded. The other excursion we were thinking about doing was Paris on your own. You have made the decision easy now.

Also it’s good to hear that the casual dinning option was great. We were planning on doing that several times during our cruise.

Thanks,

John

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

We were also on this cruise -- just my husband and myself (we are 60 and 50, respectively). This was our third Celebrity cruise and our second on the Century. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise very much. We were in a Sky Suite and were lucky to have had a much more attentive butler. (But we never got the flowers, either.) And we had a fabulous stateroom attendant who kept the room in impeccable condition--somehow managing to magically clean it within minutes of our departure in the AM. We would definitely sail X again. But I have to say that compared with our cruise to the Arctic Circle on the Century last summer, the service overall was much more hit or miss. We found the photography sales staff unfriendly or even hostile; and the buffet line staff varied wildly from helpful to annoyed.

 

The worst was Sue, the Captain's Club hostess, who was downright rude and acted like she wanted nothing to do with individual passengers -- she only wanted to deal with us at organized events. She didn't even acknowledge passengers when passing them in the hall. We spoke to her supervisor and were told that there were so many Captain's Club members on the ship that basically she had to pay attention to the ones with the most cruises (they didn't say it exactly like that, but that was clearly what was meant).

 

However, our biggest problem concerned the shore excursion to Canterbury Cathedral from Dover. I understand that the fine print says that excursion details may be changed from what is advertised. However, the day we went to Canterbury was a major, major holiday in the Anglican Church and tourists were not permitted inside the Cathedral! This was not told to us until we were on the bus! It is one thing when circumstances force a change in itinerary. However, this holiday was obviously well known in advance. We should have been warned and given the chance to rebook if desired.

 

We were EXTREMELY disappointed, as this was one of the highlights of the whole cruise that we had been looking forward to. When we complained, we were first handed the "fine print". After we objected we were told that someone would get back to us. We got a note, in the end, giving us a 15% discount off the price. That, of course, wasn't the point. The whole attitude of the staff was that they had no obligation to tell us that the main site on the excursion would be closed!

 

Again on the positive side, I do want to put in a plug for Murano's. We ate there on a number of occasions, and the staff really made the trip for us. They were always genuinely warm and welcoming. It was a pleasure to deal with them and I HIGHLY recommend the restaurant. It is well worth the price.

 

We had a bad shore excursion experience on our most recent South American cruise. The trip turned out to be not at all what was described in the promotional information. When we returned home, we told our travel agent about the experience. She contacted Celebrity and got us a partial refund which was credited to our credit card. Sometimes it does pay to use a travel agent who can go to bat for you.

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

The trip was wonderful. And the things that happened were minor but not significant. I agree that we should have brought our concerns to more Senior Management at the cruise line. Some of it got to be a joke - like the butler leaving the fruit that was clearly rotten in the bowl until I would put it on the floor outside the cabin.

 

We prepaid our gratuities. We talked about going to guest services and decided it just wasn't worth it. Our opinion just is that if we cruise with X again it won't be with a butler. And also our waiter/assistant waiter was wonderful. So that made up for some of it.

 

 

In my experience, the Guest Services desk is usually overrun with people having all sorts of issues. I have found that calling the Hotel Manager ( or Chief Housekeeper, etc) or writing a short note (drop it off at guest relations) asking that person to contact you generally gets a better response.

[patience32]

what a shame you had such a bad experience with your butler.we had a suite on the mercury a couple of years back and our butler was wonderful on call 24 hrs a day.He even sewed a button on my husbands shirt just before we went to dinner.I now like to sail out of barbados rather then fly to america but i do miss celebrity and wish they would sail out of barbados and i would be back with them like a shot.:rolleyes:

[yarlenna]

A few years ago, we did a Celebrity Century cruise and I was also very disappointed with our cruise. We were on a sky suite. We also had a lousy butler. He didn't even come to our room to get his tip. I have had 38 cruises. On 37 of them, I didn't want to go home. On the Century, the best thing was going home.

[Dick in Falls Church]

Bedding in our stateroom was excellent and very comfortable.

 

A few years back, we had a butler (last minute upgrade from OV at low price).

Nice guy, and my wife liked having coffee delivered in the morning, but we agree it is certainly not necessary.

 

Flowers in the stateroom were changed at least once. Daily snacks were something else we could do without (and usually did without).

 

Major difference we noted was the absence of cloth towels in the public rest rooms. Not a big deal!

 

Oh, and the interactive TV wasn't working in our stateroom, so I couldn't check on my wife's spending. She thought that was fine.