Above: Celebrity Cruise
Lines Century Cruise Ship.
Ship info
The Century cruise ship departs from the Port of
Fort Lauderdale, FL, Barcelona Spain, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Throughout the year, she offers ocean cruises to Europe, Bahamas,
Eastern Caribbean, and Western Caribbean.
Check Dates & Prices for cruises to Europe,
Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean.
Began service: 1995 Guest capacity: 1,750 Total staff: 843 Length: 815 feet Passenger decks: 12 CDC
inspection score: 96
Century Overview
Century, the first in a series of three vessels, debuted
in December 1995. Celebrity
Cruise Line is a premium level cruise line, meaning that their
target guest is looking for a cruise experience that includes some
of the amenities and refinements of the luxury lines without losing
the element of fun. Century accomplishes this admirably by concentrating
on sophisticated levels of food and beverage service most often associated
with pricier lines: martini and champagne bars, cigar lounges and
caviar service, while not skimping on shipboard activities for passengers
who like to let their hair down. Century's art collection features
some of the world's masters: Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns.
Cabins
Century has 569 outside cabins, 52
are suites measuring from 313 to 1219 square feet. The 306
inside cabins are 172 square feet. All standard cabins are
pleasant and airy whether inside or out. Even the lowest category
cabins have large amounts of storage space to accommodate bulkier
wardrobes. There are no staterooms with obstructed views. Room service
is available around the clock, and guests may order from the dining
room menu during designated mealtimes. Eight staterooms are handicapped-accessible.
Amenities in all categories include toiletries, hair dryer, Interactive
TV system, and telephone with voice mail, minibar, and safe. Suites
have VCRs.
Dining
Celebrity's menu was designed by Michelin 3-star
chef, Michel
Roux. Fresh seafood and produce are provisioned on the fly, and
much of the food is cooked to order. The cuisine is classical and
well executed. The menu features nightly spa and vegetarian choices.
There is a children's menu on request, and special diets can be accommodated
if requested at the time of booking.
There are two facilities serving the pool area, the Islands
Cafe and the Grill. The Cafe
is the basic lunch and dinner buffet operation, with a good variety.
There are a handful of assistants available to help passengers to
their tables. The Grill serves tea in the afternoon
and pizza at various times during the day. They also do burgers and
hot dogs at lunchtime. The grill also serves an alternative casual
sit-down dinner on long port days, for which reservations must be
made.
Entertainment
Celebrity Theater, Century's two-level main
show lounge, is one of the best designed we've seen. The production
shows are still your basic cruise fare. The ship did have, however,
an extensive slate of individual performers and lounge acts, including
two comedians, two pianists (with very different repertoires), individual
singers, and an a cappella group. We also liked the presence of the
String Quartet, which provided the soothing counterpoint of classical
music at various times and places throughout the ship.
Fortunes Casino is quite small for a ship
this size, having a few blackjack tables, one craps and one roulette
table, plus video poker and slot machines. The ability to gamble in-cabin
through Century's interactive TV system might own up to why
the casino didn't seem overcrowded.
Fitness & Recreation
The AquaSpa, a
signature element of Celebrity Cruises, is a huge fitness/spa facility
found on all the Century class ships. Operated by Steiner's of London,
these facilities are larger and offer a far more extensive array of
services than a typical shipboard fitness/beauty/massage center. The
centerpiece of the fitness area is the giant Thalassotherapy pool,
a massive, saltwater jacuzzi. This airy room is highly atmospheric,
relaxing, and gives the sense of having retreated into a different
world altogether. There are numerous smaller rooms for Rasul, facials,
seaweed wraps, massage, etc. The gym is quite small. There are only
a few treadmills, Stairmasters and other exercise machines for a ship
of nearly two thousand guests. The equipment was all up-to-date and
state of the art.
The main pool and sunning area is amidships, with two pools
and whirlpools with plenty of deck chairs. Other fitness offerings
include a golf simulator and a short jogging track on Sunrise
Deck.
There are numerous daytime activities, even on port days, including
all the standard cruise fare. Daily movies are offered in the onboard
cinema.
Public Areas
Century's wide spectrum
of design serves to satisfy different preferences in different people,
and most everyone finds a room which appeals most to his or her individual
tastes. Because of this, we found little overcrowding and few lines.
At one extreme are Century's dramatic, large public rooms,
the Celebrity Theater and Sports Deck's
spectacular Hemisphere, her top-of-the-ship, forward-looking
observation lounge. There is an elevated bar and additional seating
area in the center, so everyone has a view. Then there are the smaller,
intimate lounges around the main public gathering areas of the vessel.
Rendezvous Square fronts the two-deck entrances to
the GrandRestaurant -- with its
sweeping stairway and piano music -- makes an excellent pre-dinner
cocktail and meeting spot.
Kids
Celebrity offers the basics with
their Youth Program. In-cabin sitting is available
for $8 per hour (two kids max); requests must be made onboard through
the ship's Guest Relations or Stateroom Services departments. Group
baby-sitting is available in the children's playroom for ages 3-12
from 10pm - 1am.; cost is $3 per hour for one child, $5 per hour for
two or more kids in the same family. "Parent's Night
Out" is a formal-night only program where counselors
host kids for a pizza party; there's no charge. Celebrity has an "unlimited
soft drinks" program for those under 18; cost is $4.50 per day
plus 15 percent tip.
Expert Century reviews are edited by Michelle, and provided by Ian and Cruise Critic.com, an
award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help
you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation.
Check Dates & Prices
for cruises to Europe, Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean.
Century cruise reviews
Cruise
Ship Inspection Report
All passenger cruise ships arriving at US ports are subject to unannounced
CDC inspection. Century Score:
96
