When on is sailing with Sue Denning as Cruise Director, you pay little attention to age and size of the ship. Sue Denning created a new standard that other Cruise Directors would find hard to match. Beyond a positive attitude, she was entertaining, informative and thoughtful. As for the ship, yes it is true the Century is aging a bit, but the facelift is obvious in some areas, not so much in others. Yet, with great shipmates, good food, good entertainment and good activities and ones willingness to get involved, any shortcomings are easily overlooked. I am actually scared at the thought of booking a cruise on one of the larger vessels for fear of getting lost in the shuffle. The intimacy of the Century allowed one to get to know almost everybody in some way. Celebrity does not skimp and they do not nickle and dime. While it is fair to charge extra for certain luxuries, I was pleasantly surprised to see certain things one would consider upgrades to be complimentary. Such as eating in the AquaCafe and the healthy meals provided their. Also, tapas and other dessert items in the CovaCafe were complimentary. Other cruise lines charge for such items. True, they were trying to sell gourmet coffees, espresso and cappuccino, but it was not a mandatory purchase. I believe every ship wants to keep you on board as long as possible as it produces more revenue. I suppose that is why this trip took 7 days to see a port instead of the more customary 5 or 6. In addition, some port time was limited such as in Cadiz with a side trip to Seville. If going to Seville, you only had a few hours to explore, way to little for such an important city. I can tell the cruise line works at compromising and that it is aware there is a large portion of passengers who sail because of ports. But as this cruise was relatively inexpensive compared to others, they needed to make their numbers and keeping us on board was one way of doing it. The entertainment was good, not necessarily great. A few flown in entertainers were spectacular but the ships troop needs a bit of work. Their lead male singers, especially the younger one, needs to work on his voice to stand out more as a lead singer. He was young and obviously inexperienced. A little more creatively in the activity department should be considered as well. One could overdose on the number of trivia contests. All in all, I give the cruise an A- and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I listed Lisbon as port #1 when it was actually Ponta Delgado in the Azores, Portugal. Port was not on the list. A charming island with beautiful lakes and hot springs. A charming day with visits to tea plantations and pottery making as well.
Lisbon is a historic city with much to see but pack your walking shoes. The city is built on hills and you feel it. Anyone into architecture will adore this city along with its historic district.
Inside cabins are notoriously small and this is no exception. While I travel with friends, I now book my own cabin for just such a reason shopping for the best available single supplement. Celebrity offered a great one on this transatlantic aboard the Century.
The cabin is nicely appointed but aging and it is starting to show. While placing a mirror where a window might be, one gets the feeling of being watched by one way glass!! While the mirror is supposed to make the room look larger, perhaps a better alternative would be a nice curtain acting as if there were a window behind it.
The cabin comes with everything one needs from bathroom soaps, locked wet bar, flat screen tv, two chairs with one for the desk, ample closet space, etc;;;
Make sure you have the attendant make the bed into a queen/king. Much more comfortable.
And of course, location on the ship is crucial. Mine was perfect with little to no noise from the ship but occasionally hearing another passenger through the relatively thin walls.