In this age of ultra mega liners plying the bigger-and-newer-is-better seas, what is a cruise line to do with a 10-year-old ship that's functional but perhaps eclipsed by the flash and cache of the competition? The answer from Celebrity Cruises was to send the ship to Sicily  no, not to sleep with the fishes, but to undertake a $55 million refurbishment on its mid-size vessel Century. The results? A ship that competes on par with her turn of the (21st) century counterparts with flair and grace, while maintaining an intimate atmosphere that many newer ships have simply foregone.

Having seen online photos and virtual tours of the revitalized Century, we'd originally eyed her for a Mediterranean jaunt in October 2007, thinking we'd try a different direction (perhaps Holland America or Norwegian) for the 2006 holiday season. A price drop on Century's nine-day Christmas sailing out of Miami, however, was an offer we couldn't refuse.

Our last holiday travel venture featured an all day delay in Detroit and baggage that we'd barely received prior to the cruise sailing, so we knew the travel gods were smiling when our flight touched down in sunny Miami on time and our bags arrived with us and intact. We now had over 24 hours before sailing, and went about our time soaking in some South Beach ambience. Read more