Writer M.L. Abbott based this independent review on her 7-night Western Caribbean cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Century certainly is modern and wired, yet nicely seasoned with Old World traditions. Here and there are the touches of classic ocean liners and even a little sidewalk café/bar evocative of Europe. Yes, that’s ciao, bonjour, and a half dozen other languages heard among the international mix of passengers.

A mid-sized ship with a graceful three-deck Grand Foyer, Century has a warmth and casual sophistication. The Martini Bar develops a devoted following among upper-middle–class guests. Don’t expect as much rah-rah, go-go as may be found on some other ships, but don’t think it’s a too-formal crowd. Guests pack the deck at midnight for the island party, joining the twisting conga line or jumping to the Macarena. Viva!

Why Century?

• A superior experience: At competitive prices, Century delivers a high-quality cruise, better-than-average food, and gracious service from staff that seems to enjoy their work.
• Touches of class: Expect cushioned lounge chairs, cloth placemats on buffet trays, and frosty face towels that await you when returning from touring.
• The nostalgic and the contemporary: Watch the sea from deck chairs along a teak promenade reminiscent of the great ocean liners, then head to the ultramodern spa with thalassotherapy pool, where jets and steel rollers massage the body.

Who should Go
Baby boomers and empty nesters, the country club set and international travelers mix comfortably in an easygoing, upscale atmosphere. Many Canadians and Europeans come to soak up the sun. Parents and their adult children and multi-generational families can go their own ways yet have together time.

Who shouldn’t go
Singles seeking other singles might be disappointed, as may those looking for a variety of dining experiences. Century delivers extras but not as many as her younger sisters. Families with kids who are expecting non-stop action should steer toward Celebrity’s sister line, Royal Caribbean.

How to meet the captain
On the first formal evening, join the Bon Voyage Gala Toast to see the captain and his mainly Greek staff. Sorry, they no longer do the reception line for everyone to shake the captain’s hand. Watch for him and other officers around the ship, perhaps having a coffee at the Tastings Cova Café Milano. In the Grand Restaurant, the captain’s table is the large one by the lower-level windows, but he may be there only on formal nights. Unless you’re a VIP, in one of the top suites, or have sailed repeatedly with Celebrity, don’t expect an invitation to dine with him. Sail more than once with Celebrity and you’re part of the Captain’s Club, and that nets you a special cocktail party with the ship’s officers. You also might chat with the social hostess.

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: Michael’s Club -- sink into a leather chair, order a single-malt Scotch, and admire the signed Picasso on the wall (No. 28 of 50)
• Best part of the ship: A tie between the sidewalk café setting of Tastings Cova Café Milano overlooking the Grand Foyer; and, outside it, the wide teak promenade with cushioned lounges (ah, Cary Grant, where are you?)
• Best experience: Thalassotherapy pool, a soothing retreat in the spa -- walk into the large European-style whirlpool and let the warm seawater and minerals work their magic, then ease onto a cushioned lounge chair, cover up with a towel, and fall asleep before you read a page of your book
• Best shipboard activities: The festive Island Night Deck Party -- a parade of carved melons, trays of crazy coconut cocktails, a conga line swaying around the pool, and the Macarena going faster and faster
• Needs improvement: Built in 1995, Century shows some aging -- buttons for the elevators don’t always work well, some letters have faded on the ship layout signs, and outside tables for the poolside grills are quite limited
• Activities to skip: Port shopping talks, which are mainly promotions for onshore merchants, and push the “If you see it and like it, buy it” mentality; the cruise director’s port talks are more informative

What’s your dining whim? A made-to-order BLT by the pool? Afternoon tea with white-glove service? Century has a sprinkling of options beyond multi-course dinners and expansive buffets. A small bistro and a sushi café give a change of pace in the evenings. With an emphasis on freshness, eye appeal, and gracious service, the dining experience consistently wins accolades from passengers. Yes, it’s banquet-like dining in the main restaurant, but food and service are above average. Each day brings a new discovery, like ice cream with toppings served mid-afternoon in the Islands Café.

The Grand Restaurant (main dining room)
The inviting two-level dining room has the right balance of formality without stuffiness. A string quartet plays softly, and two-story windows across the stern provide a stage for dramatic sunsets and starry skies (or elegant mural screens). Muted burgundies and greens make it a warm, welcoming room, without pretense. Even if you’re seated on the upper level, at least once stroll down the staircase to make a grand entry into the lower level. Tables for six, eight, or 10 are most common. The team of waiters is well-organized and congenial. No song and dance routines -- they concentrate on attentive, well-paced service. Food and service are above average for this size ship. European Master Chef Michel Roux consults on menus, and his influence shows in the artful nouvelle cuisine-style presentation. The escargots are buttery and garlicky, the prime rib always on target as ordered. Salads are a little wimpy but the chilled black cherry soup is a surprisingly tasty change. Of course, there’s a lobster night, and everyone brings cameras for the Baked Alaska parade.

Sky Bar
The casual Sky Bar, open for dinner only, is a small bistro with an open galley and ocean views. It’s a quiet spot for a tête-à-tête away from the formal dining room. A limited set menu includes a good Caesar salad and choice of entrées, including steak and fish. Waiters here are in training and eager to please. Call for reservations. There’s no extra charge, but a gratuity of $2 per person is requested.

Sushi Café
Evenings, a part of the casual Islands Café takes on a Japanese flair, complete with bamboo placemats, chopsticks, and sake. The sushi is fresh, and the wasabi authoritatively sinus-clearing.

Other dining options

• Islands Café – This popular spot for casual breakfast and lunch buffets is large enough to handle crowds well. And it has class. Attendants put cloth placemats, napkins, and cutlery on trays. A waiter usually awaits at the end of the line to carry trays to tables. Breakfast brings out beautifully fresh fruit and hot entrées. Lunch often brings a theme – Mexican, Asian, Italian – with a wide choice of salads and entrées, often including a carved meat. Few pass up a cone at the soft frozen yogurt machine.
• The Grill – On Pool Deck, two grills do great quick bites. One offers waffles and omelettes to order in mornings, then freshly made sandwiches for lunch. The other has hamburgers and hot dogs all afternoon, and fresh pizza – excellent thin crust versions – from noon to 1 AM.
• Tastings Cova Café Milano – This charming “sidewalk café” above the Grand Foyer serves coffees, teas (extra charge), and pastries in the daytime, and wine and cocktails at night.

Best dining

• Dish: Coq au vin in the Grand Restaurant -- yes, chicken, but with the most flavorful seasoning and sauce of the week (the seared salmon with claret sauce in the Sky Bar was just right)
• Dessert: Crepes Suzette, a light delicate ending to the meal; chocoholics get a good variety of dark, rich desserts
• Restaurant: The Grand Restaurant lives up to its name, creating a festive experience nightly

How to…

• Get a table for two: The day you embark, ask to see the assistant maitre d’ (be forewarned: Smaller tables are limited to about a dozen); tables for two are available in the by-reservation casual Sky Bar café
• Celebrate a birthday/anniversary: Order flowers, chocolates, champagne, and honeymoon/anniversary packages (that include breakfast in bed) at least one week before embarkation; for cakes, soon after embarkation, see the restaurant manager with your request and your waiter will bring one for the entire table the night you wish
• Change seating: On embarkation day see the assistant maitre d’ (he’ll be in a specified area), but he may not be able to make the change until the next day; or stop to see the manager as you leave or come to the dining room before early dinner the next night and ask for a change
• Dress for formal night: Long dresses, flowing pants, and flirty cocktail wear for women; dark suits and ties (and the occasional tux and dinner jacket) for men; most guests do dress up though it’s not a show-off-the-diamonds crowd
• Dress for casual night: Go colorful -- bright island shirts and vivid floral pants outfits to show off suntans

Tips:

• Chefs do an unbelievable display for one midnight Grand Buffet. Even if you have late seating and can’t eat another bite, go to photograph the ice statues and artistic carvings. Other nights, waiters offer gourmet bites on trays in public rooms at midnight.
• The Grill that does sandwiches for lunch also often has specialty hot dishes, such as spicy Indian food.

Heard on the deck (on the last day of the cruise): “Well, tomorrow it’s back to the real world -- and grocery shopping again.”

Standard cabins are welcoming and well-designed. Each is about 175 square feet, but a variation on the standard boxy layout gives a roomier feel. Inside the entryway, the walls are angled into the bedroom, with recessed cabinetry for the dresser to one side and TV-minibar to the other, leaving more maneuvering room at the end of the bed. Above the dresser, a large mirror adds dimension and conceals storage shelves and a small safe. Twin beds can convert to queen size. The snug sitting area offers two upholstered chairs and a small glass-top table, perfect for morning coffee. In oceanview cabins, a Roman shade for the window adds warmth. With two full-length closets (and mirrors), 14 drawers, and four open shelves, storage is adequate. Bags usually can slip under beds.

Bathrooms are comfortable for one person, with adequate turnaround space in the shower and standing room by the sink. Besides the wall-mounted hair dryer and bathrobes, there are nice extra touches: Wall dispensers of shampoo and lotion and a jar of cotton balls and cotton swabs. Beach towels are supplied, but no irons, though there is pressing (and laundry) service. Stewards replenish the ice bucket and carafe of ice water – great welcome-back treats after a hot day of touring.

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Century has one inside and seven oceanview cabins that are wheelchair accessible.

Tips:

• Look for a chocolate truffle on your pillow each night, along with the next day’s weather forecast tucked inside a multilingual “good night” card.
• Upgrade to concierge class for only slightly more. Cabins are standard size but come with a VCR and such perks as priority embarkation/disembarkation, welcome champagne, fresh fruit, and flowers.
• Century has only 61 rooms with balconies and they’re all suites. Among the extra perks: Butler service and complimentary hors d’oeuvres.
• Seeking more room for your family? Close to 20 slightly larger cabins (210 square feet each) have extra berths and convertible sofa beds. Do beware: They book up quickly. If you have teenagers, it’s wiser to get an oceanview cabin for yourself and an inside for the kids -- more room and two baths.

The schedule pulsates with options, but relaxing by the double pool takes top priority on Caribbean itineraries. In sun or shade, the classy cushioned lounge chairs are the most favored spots. Some guests take time out for an informative financial seminar, while more go to hear tips on shopping in ports. A free glass of champagne draws a turnout for the art auction, but some auctions have few bidders, despite a few excellent bargains on prints by Picasso, Dali, Rembrandt, and others. Bingo attracts many devotees, and new converts as the jackpot grows.

Bars, lounges, and casino
Three great bars cater to varying moods. In a nook of the Crystal Room, the Martini Bar invites sampling some of three dozen specialty martinis -- “shaken, not stirred” in the James Bond tradition. The best people-watching spot is the Tastings Cova Café Milano overlooking the Grand Foyer, a little sidewalk café for sipping a specialty coffee or Italian wine. The intimate Michael’s Club is reminiscent of a wood-paneled bar on an ocean liner -- behind a nondescript door lies an intimate piano bar. In late evening casino tables are hopping, and even later the disco livens up the otherwise sleepy Hemisphere Lounge. High atop the ship, the lounge is worth a visit just to enjoy the views of the Caribbean through the panoramic windows.

Heard on the deck: “We come for the Martini Bar.”

Shows
A variety of live entertainment serves those who want to cozy up, swing around the dance floor, or enjoy a big show. The two-level Celebrity Theater, the major venue, has an excellent open design, with upper-level boxes like an opera house. Viewing is good from nearly all seats, with only a few support poles to avoid. The Celebrity Singers & Dancers usually do four high-energy revues with fast-paced changes of costumes, alternating nights with variety acts. Somewhat a rarity among ships today, Century also has a movie theater, showing first-run films several times daily -- no popcorn, though.

Weddings and vow renewals
Though there’s no wedding chapel, it’s possible to have a ceremony and/or reception on embarkation day. Venues include the attractive Crystal Room, the dining room with its grand staircase, or the intimate Michael’s Club. Couples also can arrange weddings at a port on the itinerary. Watch the daily schedule for a wedding vow renewal ceremony.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: For sunbathing, on the bow on Deck 14; for relaxing, reading, and snoozing to the sound of the sea, a cushioned lounge chair on the teak promenade of Deck 6
• Liveliest spot: Pool Deck -- or the bingo game when the jackpot hits $3,000
• Most popular activity: Island Night Deck Party… what a feast for the senses, with the whole ship turning out to sip crazy coconut drinks, dance the Macarena, and join in a wild conga line
• Best view: Hemisphere Lounge -- day or night, sink into a seat by the panoramic windows
• Best show: Comedian Michael James, aka the “Ladder Guy,” performing funny and amazing feats on a straight ladder to the gasps of the audience
• Best drink: Martinis -- you might celebrate with the Century martini (vodka, blue curacao, and a dash of lemon juice), while purists stick to the traditional straight up with a twist; second choice is a peaty single-malt Scotch in Michael’s Club

Tips:

• Check the daily schedule for show times. Sometimes it’s a pre-dinner event, and other times a late show.
• The best seats in the Celebrity Theater are the upper-level boxes tiered toward the stage.
• Sports fans can catch games on multiple monitors at the Images Bar.

Spa and salon
Only steps from the lively pool area, the AquaSpa is a serene retreat that immediately puts you in relaxation mode. On embarkation day, make a point to tour the facilities and checkout services. One of the ship’s best spots is the spa’s large thalassotherapy pool. Let its jets swirl healing seawater with minerals around you, then slip into the sauna or fall asleep on a cushioned lounge chair -- often the room is empty. At $20 to use the pool, it’s the least expensive and one of the best services of the spa. Among treatments: A lime-and-ginger body exfoliation ($120) leaves skin feeling silky and is followed by a 25-minute massage. Masseuses, of course, can vary. The best ones rub and roll the tenseness right out of the whole body.

Fitness areas
The fitness center serves both beginners and die-hard devotees, with great views while working out. The class area is small, but two fitness directors put guests through the paces with free exercise sessions, plus yoga, Pilates, cardio kickboxing, and fitball at $10 a time. Treadmills, cycles, step machines, ski-walkers, toning equipment, and weights let vacationers keep up with their home gym routines. An onboard golf pro gives clinics and lessons, and guests can use a golf cage and simulator. Golf excursions are offered at ports.

Tips:

• Most treatments run above $100, but watch the daily schedule for specials. Services often are packaged with several components, but ask for the individual treatment you want.
• Be prepared for therapists to pitch the spa’s products, but it’s not the hard sell seen in some ship’s spas.

Tips:

• Watch for merchandise to go on sale starting about mid-week.
• Port shopping talks are heavily geared toward promotion of merchants who pay to be in the shopping pamphlet given for each port. There’s also a heavy sell for the VIP Passport coupon book, but for $20 it does net a lot of free merchandise and discounts.
• There’s a big push to buy gemstones and diamonds at duty-free savings in island ports. If you think you might do this, check prices before leaving home to know what kind of bargains you’re getting. Be sure you get certification of any items you do buy on the trip.

As if on a street back home, browsers and buyers drift in and out of a half dozen attractive shops around the three-deck Grand Foyer atrium. Merchandise ranges from fine jewelry to $1-an-inch gold chains, from formal dresses to souvenirs. Some items are pricey, others quite reasonable. A dress purse cost $10 and name-brand watches $49.95. Art auctions have good deals – and free champagne – for both collectors and first-time buyers of fine art originals or prints by name artists. Some artwork goes for under $100.

Overall Century is not as geared toward families as some other ships, though its program certainly fosters happy campers. Summer sailings on Century can bring aboard 400 or so children, and the Fun Factory swings into action. Kids normally are grouped by ages 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-17 for day-camp activities that can entertain them with arts and crafts, games, and adventures all over the ship. The headquarters, on low Deck 4, is a small but colorful playroom for the younger set. Look for the older groups to be challenging each other at basketball or other games on upper decks. Hours are 9 AM to 10 PM, with meal breaks to be with parents. On formal nights, kids can go for their own buffet, freeing Mom and Dad for an “adult” evening. For a small fee the kids can stay for movies and a slumber party until 1 AM. Teens gravitate to their own late-night disco action. Babysitting is available for a fee. Note: Age groupings can vary by sailing.

Tips:

• Check about a soda card, particularly popular for kids. For $5 a day, the card holder gets unlimited soft drinks from cafés and lounges.
• Round up the family for a portrait. You probably haven’t had one done in years, if ever, and this is an opportunity to get one reasonably priced. Photographers do these several nights and there’s no obligation to buy one.

Heard on the deck (from the mother of a five-year-old): “He can’t wait to go to the Fun Factory every morning.”

Century departs from Fort Lauderdale on Saturdays, alternating between Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries. Both choices are nicely paced, with the first day at sea, three port days, another day at sea, and one more port. May through October 2005, Century will sail in Europe, mainly on 12-night Baltic cruises from Amsterdam followed by 10- and 11-night Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. She'll return to the Caribbean in early November, 2005.

Heard on the deck: “My husband liked the excursions because they kept us from shopping.”

• Cruise line - Celebrity
• Ship name - Century
• Type of cruise - Sophisticated
• Total cabins - 877
• Private balcony cabins - 61
• Decks - 10
• Passenger capacity - 1750
• Total crew - 858
• Officers nationality - Greek
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 1995
• Tonnage - 70606
• Ship length - 807
• Registry - Liberia