Cruising on Celebrity’s Century

None of us three – not Roger nor Mary nor I – had ever been on a cruise. We’d picked the four night, five day trip as an alternative to the usual holiday expectations that somehow feel forced.
We did a bit of research online but didn’t really know what to expect. With such a short trip, we figured we couldn’t get too much wrong and went into the experience thinking of it as a teaser to find out whether we’d ever be interested in doing something like this again.
Itinerary:

• Day one – Connecting flight from Manchester, NH to Fort Lauderdale. Transfer to the ship in Miami.
• Day two – Half day in Key West and then out to sea.
• Day three – Almost a full day in Cozumel
• Day four – Day at sea
• Day five – Back in Miami for debarkation and the trip home

We were blown away by the Celebrity’s international staff. In particular, Vincey, our stateroom attendant, seemed to have a sixth sense about when we would emerge from our room and return from various activities. He was frequently at the ready to open the door to our room for us. Sudi, the martini mixing magician extraordinaire kept us in stitches.
All of the waiters and bartenders were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed learning where each was from: Thailand, Slovenia, Russia, Mozambique, and the Philippines to name just a few. We were surprised to learn the typical schedule is six months on the ship and two months off. Such a different lifestyle. Kind of like running away with the circus.

Our stateroom was amazingly clever in its layout. Cubbies, closets, and drawers built in everywhere. Two people could have been very comfortable even with a trans-Atlantic crossing. The best part was the unexpected balcony (now I couldn’t imagine being without it, especially as back-up dressing room). Interesting to sit out “on” the water noting our progress both early morning (feeding our new friends was fun!) and late at night (with a full moon), as well as while docked scoping out the other ships in port. Our ship of 1750 passengers and 768 staff was small compared to most others we saw.
The last two nights, I became obsessed with the slot machines. We grew our initial dollar into $40 or $50 at some point, but happily closed out with $7 to the good. The craps table and various poker games looked a little dangerous to me, but taking a chance with quarters I found dropped behind curtains was fun.
In addition to the on board casino, we visited the various lounges, and duty-free shops, and lounged by the pool. We attended the “Broadway Review,” magic show, and second variety show – all better than we expected. We took a pass on the seminars and receptions designed to encourage purchase of artwork, jewelry and vitamin supplements.

Eating in the Grand Restaurant was an amusement, as we were seated with an extended family of five (a young couple, two single parents, and one grandmother celebrating her 80th birthday on ship) for all of our meals. Nice to have something familiar over the few days in different places, but also odd to become an instant group. Overall the food was pretty good. We quickly learned which options would be most promising.
Without trying very hard, we could easily have filled our days with snorkeling at each destination and then swimming, reading, and eating and drinking way too much while in transit.
Ships are designed for romance and adventure, I think. Roger and I decided we’d like to try another cruise, but likely next time as a duo rather than a trio. ;^)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.