CELEBRITY Cruises has welcomed the newest addition into its Century Class fleet following a $55 million makeover completed in just five weeks.
The 1,814-berth Century left Amsterdam to begin its ‘best of Europe’ voyage and marked the most extensive refurbishment to date for the cruiseline.
Having originally entered service in December 1995, additions to the 77,713-ton ship include 314 new balconies, 14 new suites, 10 new staterooms, a speciality restaurant and an expanded AquaSpa.
“We’re really on a roll in terms of the Celebrity brand and the product,” said UK Celebrity Cruises managing director Robin Shaw.
“A lot of that is down to the support we’ve had from the trade. The challenge is getting our customers to see what a great product this is. We believe Celebrity is the unsung hero in the cruise market.”
The decision to focus on elements such as dining and the two-to-one staff-to-guest ratio is indicative of the market Celebrity is targeting the new-look Century at.
UK Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises sales marketing director Jo Rzymowska said: “The feedback we’ve had was that there wasn’t much differentiation between the two brands [Royal Caribbean and Celebrity] and in some ways they were merging into one.
“We’ve conducted a lot of research and now we think we’ve got a clear distinction between the two, with Royal Caribbean being activity and fun-based for families.
“When you come on board Celebrity it’s clear that it’s more about the service, cuisine, and the speciality dine experience.”
Rzymowska said more than 90% of all sales were now coming through the trade, adding that Celebrity has its own agent website.
“Using this, you can construct and download a custom made brochure tailored to individual needs: we provide all of the imagery, content, deck plans, and web footage of all the decks,” she added.
Century facts
- Century was built in Germany in 1995.
- The ship weighs 77,713-tons, is 248 metres long and has a cruising speed of 22 knots.
- The maximum number of passengers is 1,814.
- Of the 907 cabins, 590 have an ocean view and 314 have balconies.
- Facilities include: state-of-the-art AquaSpa with gym, steam room and beauty salon; sushi bar; casino; nightclub; cinema; basketball court; outdoor whirlpools and extensive shopping.
- The entire ship is wireless Internet enabled.
What they said
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“Every minute of every day the service is perfect; the staff cannot do enough. People who are worried about cruising needn’t be, you can just be yourself and there is nothing stuck-up about any of the service. The food is to die for as well.” 
“The staff are very attentive, the ice-bar is modern and different, and the staterooms are bright and a good size. It isn’t as expensive or high-brow as you might expect. This is a premium five-star product but accessible and good value. Century has changed my perceptions of Celebrity, it is definitely not out of reach for my customers and I know I can sell it.” 
“The ship is lovely, with nice décor and a great ambience. I can sell this to customers from their early 30s up to late 60s. It’s a classy and intimate experience, the staterooms are really spacious and I’d love to sell the Penthouse to four adults looking for a perfect holiday.”
“I’m very impressed, especially as this is an older ship, and the contemporary designs really work. The ship has been brought up to date in an impressive fashion. More balconies are a big advantage as that is what people are looking for when booking a cruise.”See more news and features on cruising