Celebrity Cruise Line
Century Cruise Review
Joel McGlynn, MCC
joel@thecruisespecialists.com.au
Itinerary: Western Europe /
Western Mediterranean
Sailing Date: September 13th 2008
Age: 70
Occupation: Cruise Specialist Travel Agent
Number of Cruises: Lots!
CELEBRITY CRUISE'S "CENTURY"
8 NIGHT BEST OF EUROPE CRUISE
13 SEPT 2008
I joined the ship in
Amsterdam, check-in was extremely efficient at 1.00pm -
almost no queques. I received my on-board Sea Pass card
which is used for opening my cabin door and for paying for
everything on board ship. A cashless system apart from the
casino. Sailing was at 5.00pm for Zeebrugge in Belgium.
I booked an Oceanview
Stateroom No. 4017 on Continental Deck. The Stateroom was
quite spacious compared to some other cruise lines.
Celebrity spent US$50 million upgrading the ship in 2006 and
the thing you notice most is the amount of space available
for its 1800 guests. The other thing I noticed and a real
feature of Celebrity Cruises is the small amount of on-board
announcements throughout the ship compared with the
continual interruption on similar cruise lines. You are
encouraged to read the "Celebrity Today" daily newsletter
for the next day's activities. Amazing really! On some
cruise ships such as Costa and MSC, you have to listen to
even more broadcasts in both Italian & English everyday.
As on most cruise lines, the
activities arranged can keep you busy every minute of the
day, or you can just find a quiet spot to relax and read a
good book.
I looked through the list of
shore excursions for the cruise and booked some sightseeing
at each stop. I booked main sitting for dinner - 6.00pm and
joined 6 other guests on a table for eight. All were from
the USA. A very comprehensive dinner menu with a choice of
chicken, veal, steak or fish for the entrée (our main
course), plus a choice of appetisers, soups, desserts, or
cheeses. The food was outstanding and professionally served
by our Waiter 'Frankie' and his trusted assistant 'Aston'.
Celebrity has been rated by Berlitz Cruise Guide as the best
food on the high seas. I can now vouch for that.
I went to the 9 o'clock show -
a great A Cappella Quartet, with singers & dancers then
crashed early after a long flight from Melbourne.
14 SEPTEMBER:
Arrived in Zeebrugge at 7.30am. I booked a 4 hour
sightseeing tour of Brugge (US$70). For those that haven't
been to Brugge. Brugge is called the 'Venice of the North'
and is truly a unique city with medieval canals and bridges
throughout the town. We took a walking tour around the town
taking in the 14th to 17th century architecture, visiting
the Church of Our Lady which houses Michelangelo's marble
statue "Madonna & Child". We also took a short canal cruise
to give us a different aspect of Brugge. Wonderful
buildings and market squares and great shopping, especially
chocolates and lacework. Back to the ship by 1.30pm to
relax for the rest of the day.
15 SEPTEMBER:
We berthed this morning in Le Havre, located in the Normanby
area of France. Tours were offered to Paris (11.5 hours).
Cost US$99. Mont Saint Michel - 10.5 hrs. Cost US$167. I've
been there before and it's just a real highlight if visiting
the Normanby area. D-Day Beaches & Bayeaux Tapestries - 11
hrs. Cost US$192. I took a 4 hour trip to Honfleur - US$59.
I've visited all these places before so took the shortest
option. Honfleur is a very scenic little port village
totally relying on tourists. It is a very popular weekend
getaway for Parisians. It has an abundance of restaurants
and art galleries and as it was Saturday morning. It had a
wonderful fruit & vegetable market right in the main square.
They also had fish markets and cheap clothes, shoes, etc.
market. I was back on the ship in time for lunch and an
afternoon siesta.
Casual dinner tonight as the
ship didn't sail until 10.00pm. Plenty to do during the
afternoon - a movie in the cinema, sporting events, games,
bingo, an Irish comedian as the main floor show. He was very
funny, without being smutty.
16 SEPTEMBER:
A day at Sea as we sail around the Bay of Biscay into Spain
for our next port of call - La Coruna. The weather was very
kind to us the first two days, however today is very gloomy
with a few showers, and 12c. A good day for sailing. The
seas have been around 1metre waves so far, so really smooth
for sailing. If you want it to be, today is full of
activities - clothing sales, trivia quiz, lectures on art,
nature, the Empire of Napoleon, sports events, casino
tournaments, aqua spas, gym, cooking demonstration, dance
lessons, bingo, wine tastings!! I'm exhausted just thinking
about it all. The entertainment tonight is "Jack Walker" a
vocal singer from bonnie Scotland. He was very good and
sang a variety of songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Les
Miserables, Phantom, etc. to Tom Jones, closing with
Pavarotti's tribute song.
17 SEPTEMBER:
We berthed in La Coruna, Spain at 7.00am. La Coruna is
located in the northwest corner of Spain. A city of 300,000
people. It's a major fishing centre for Spain with lots of
fish markets by the port. I booked a walking tour of the
town for 8.45am. Cost US$38 for 4 hours. Apart from the
obligatory 16thCentury ABC (another b.... church) tour, and
looking at ironwork on Phoenician balconies, I found the
tour really boring. I think our guide may have been new at
it was she had a mouse voice and you had to really strain to
hear, especially with forty other soles crowded around. One
of the best parts was attempting to walk off all the food
consumed so far.
We sailed at 3.00pm. The
weather was threatening all morning, but luckily it didn't
rain - the temperature was 21c. A sail-away party on the
pool deck - live music, tapas & sangria, plus a
Mediterranean Bazaar. T-shirts, jewellery, etc, for sale.
The evening show was the singers & dancers 60/70's night.
Clocks back an hour tonight as we sail for Lisbon.
18 SEPTEMBER:
We berthed in Lisbon at 12 noon. I booked a 1.25pm "City
of Lisbon" 4 hour tour - Cost US$46. They offered various
walking and panoramic drives around Lisbon - same price.
Fatima on your own - US$79 for 5.5 hrs. Medieval Obidos -
US$46 for 4.5hrs. Lisbon by Tram - US$95 for 4 hrs.
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal is situated 8 miles in from
the Atlantic on the River Tagus - or Rio Tejo Le Tage to the
Portuguese. We berthed under a mammoth suspension bridge -
25th April Bridge -similar to the San Francisco bridge. 3rd
largest in the world. Lisbon is a beautiful city with lots
of parks and gardens. It's surrounded by seven hills as in
Rome. The old city of Alfama is a maze of winding narrow
streets. A lot of houses are tiled with lots of different
colours all over the outside, or white washed with either
flower pots or washing hanging from balconies. There are
lots of monuments to their Discoverers. Even I remembered
Vasco da Gama from schooldays. Impressive is the Lisbon
Cathedral, dating back to the 12th Century. It was damaged
by an earthquake in 1755 and was rebuilt before the end of
the 18th Century. It is as high as it is long. Well worth a
visit.
We sailed at 6.30pm for
Tangier. The show tonight was a Virtuoso Pianist "Tian
Jiang" from Shanghai, now living in New York. He played
Broadway hits, classical, and his own compositions -
Shanghai Dreams. He's played 6 times at Carnegie Hall and
toured the world. "He could really play!"
19 SEPTEMBER:
We woke to a beautiful smooth sea for our cruise into
Tangier, Morocco.. We berthed at 12 noon - 25c. I am booked
(as is the whole ship, almost) on a 4 hour sightseeing tour
- US$55 at 12.45pm. They also offer a 5 hour tour to
Tetouan for US$69. 25 coaches were lined up on the pier, so
1100 plus passengers were descending on Tangier. We started
with a visit to a park which had a large Moroccan tent. We
were herded into the tent and watched a show of music,
magician, belly dancer, sword swallower, acrobats. Fairly
average. Then outside to have your photo taken sitting on a
camel - if you wished. Souvenirs were abound . The reason
we were taken there. Then on to the coaches for a tour of
Tangier. We visited the coastline to see where the Atlantic
met the Mediteranean - no line there though. We visited what
was supposed to be Hercules Cave - mythology only. We then
went back into town to visit the Medina - the old part of
the City -this is a walled part of the city featuring lots
of narrow streets and winding alleys - lots of traditional
markets and craft shops. We were taken to a co-op which
sold everything Moroccan including the obligatory carpets.
We were told they would explain how carpets are made -
naturally we weren't told anything apart from being shown
lots of carpets and "have we got a deal for you".
Unfortunately, you know you are taken to these places to
spend money and your tour guide will get a commission. They
make it blatantly obvious and get rather hostile if you
don't purchase anything. We were rushed through the tourist
places so more time could be spent at the shops. There were
a lot of high steps and up and down sloping streets
throughout the Medina which made it really hard for the more
elderly to keep up. This was undoubtedly the worst tour of
the whole trip and there were a lot of unhappy people around
the dinner tables that night. Tonight was Lobster night and
a special presentation by the waiting staff.
The ship sailed at 7.30pm for
Barcelona. Lots of entertainment on board tonight. Singers
and Dancers were the floor show. Pianist in the Piano Bar.
Part Band in the Crystal Room. Diamonds Quartet in the
Rendevouz Lounge. Guitar & Song in the Cova Café or Karaoke
in the Rendevoux Square.
20 SEPTEMBER:
Today is a day at sea as we sail across to Spain. Lots of
last chance opportunities to purchase all sorts of goodies -
watches, jewellery, shirts, duty-free alcohol, facials,
massages - plus jackpot bingo, etc. Or just relax by the
pool, or continue eating and eating. I went to a morning
presentation by the Cruise Director and Ships's Captain
where they answered questions about the running of the
ship. It was really interesting. For instance, on a
normal 7 day cruise the kitchen will through 15,400 pounds
of beef, 2,500 pounds of lamb, 3,000 of pork, 2,000 of veal,
3,100 of chicken, 4,000 dozen eggs, 20,000 pounds of fresh
fruit, 3,000 gallons of milk, 3,000 bottles of wine, 7,800
cans of beer. This evening has a great floor show - all the
major acts that were on for the week. Casual dinner for our
last night. A chance to say farewell to my dinner
companions and thank our fine waiters with the normal
gratuities envelope. Back to the cabin to pack the suitcase
to be placed outside the cabin by 10.30pm with appropriate
baggage label. Checked the final account from the purser's
office. It was automatically taken from my credit card
account - as agreed.
21 SEPTEMBER:
We arrived in Barcelona at 7.00am. After breakfast we took
ourselves to our designated departure area and awaited
disembarkation. This happened at 9.00am and it took us
about 20 minutes to leave the ship, collect our luggage, hop
in a taxi and head for my hotel for 2 nights.
SUMMARY:
Celebrity Cruises run a fabulous cruise line. The average
age was most certainly 45 . There were some children on
board, but I have to say I can't recall seeing them on board
for the whole trip. They obviously are well organized by
staff during the day. The ship was spotlessly clean. All
staff were extremely friendly and helpful. You couldn't
fault the entertainment on board, even down to the in-cabin
movies and news on the flatscreen TV's. As I said from the
beginning you could be busy everyday with activities from
6.30am to the wee hours of the morning, or you could find a
quiet corner to relax and read a book, either your own, or
select one from the on-board library. You could eat until
you dropped, or even eat healthily from the Aqua Spa café
located next to the gym. You can attend all sorts of
seminars such as computers, art auctions & lectures, wine
tastings, dance classes, etc.
I was able to use my mobile
phone in each port and use my laptop in my cabin (wireless
connection)to keep in touch with the office - however very
slow and a little expensive.
Once again I was not
disappointed with choosing a cruise for my holiday . It's
my fourth cruise in two years and I can't wait to plan the
next one. I would certainly recommend Celebrity Cruises to
anyone seeking a 5 star cruise. It is great value for your
dollar considering almost everything is included in the
cost.
I will most certainly cruise
with Celebrity again.
Joel McGlynn
The Cruise Specialists
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