Writer M.L. Abbott based this independent review on her 9-night Bermuda/New England cruise departing from New York City.

Zenith is like a club that welcomes new members into a circle of friendship. Starting with the champagne greeting by white-gloved attendants, guests feel catered to and comfortable. No glitz here -- she’s older, and more classic in design with a beautiful library and Michael’s Club, a cozy piano bar. But she’s also hip. Watch the Rainbow Room fill up on sock hop night and see the sizzling dancing on deck under the stars. This is a sophisticated group that enjoys having fun. On her summertime Bermuda cruises, she draws a lot of repeat passengers from the Northeast U.S. -- they know her sailings are good values for this pricey destination and she adds pizzazz to the island.

Why Zenith?

• Smaller size: With a normal occupancy of 1,374, she’s great for those who shun the idea of sailing with 2,500-3,000 people.
• Class act: Notice the parquet, burled wood, and marble; bowls of floating roses in public bathrooms; and comfy cushioned lounge chairs. Attentive staff takes good care of the passengers, and the ship.
• Excellent buy: Get premium quality at prices comparable to the mass-market ships that don’t have the personal touches found on Zenith.

Who should go
Those who want a modern sailing experience on a smaller ship with fewer people will appreciate Zenith. Young professionals who want a sophisticated escape, empty-nesters, the country club set, and those who like an upscale dining experience feel comfortable here. Martini lovers take note: There are more varieties than you can try in a week.

Who shouldn’t go
If you want lots of action and all the amenities of a big new ship, Zenith doesn’t have them. Her children’s center is quite small, though it attracts many families on the summer Bermuda cruises. Young singles might find the action a little slow, unless they bring their own group.

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: The Island Night party has everyone dancing on the decks.
• Best part of the ship: Cova Café Milano is a convivial place for an espresso, cappuccino, glass of wine, or piña colada. Settle into a comfy wicker chair as the brass espresso machine hisses a welcome and live music plays in the evening.
• Best experience: Late at night, stroll the deck and gaze at the stars in privacy as the ship sails alone on the ocean.
• Best shipboard activities: Trivia times in the Cova Café offer high-spirited fun and congenial rivalry.
• Needs improvement: Spa services have an automatic 10 percent tip -- that’s okay, but it’s also added in the fitness center classes. On longer cruises, the enrichment program could be beefed up with entertaining speakers on regional history lore. In lounges, smoking tables shouldn’t be adjacent to the non-smoking ones.
• Activities to skip: It seems such a fitting topic on a cruise: The “Eat More to Weigh Less” fitness seminar. But guests were left hungry for more information, without having to pay the fee for an individual analysis and recommended regimen.

Heard on the deck (from a gentleman sailing to Bermuda): “Some of my friends say they don’t want to cruise. I tell them to add up the costs in two columns and they’ll see that a cruise costs about 40 percent less than a resort.

How to meet the captain
Don’t count on a close encounter. The captain normally welcomes passengers on the first formal night (just before the gala show), and he speaks at a special cocktail party for past passengers with Celebrity. In the dining room, check out the captain’s table: The large one toward the front. A couple of nights, he or a senior officer hosts very VIPs for dinner. When you see him -- or another officer -- anywhere aboard, don’t be shy about greeting them as they usually welcome brief chats with passengers.

Tip: Dining and cabin staff gratuities can be charged to your onboard account, but it’s not done automatically. You must fill out a gratuity voucher and give it to the guest relations desk by a specified deadline.

Celebrity is noted for its cuisine, which is designed under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux. Zenith lives up to the reputation for an all-around excellent dining experience. Unlike Celebrity’s newer ships, Zenith has minimal alternative dining and no specialty restaurants, but not to worry -- the main dining room has consistently tantalizing menus and the kitchen executes them well. The casual café has more than the usual variety of dishes to please different tastes at breakfast and lunch, and offers a table-service alternative at dinner. Of course, pizza is nearly always popping out of the oven, and when hunger pains strike mid-afternoon, you can get frozen yogurt or ice cream from machines in the casual café.

Caravelle Restaurant (main dining room)
Caravelle feels like one of your favorite restaurants or clubs at home, where the waiters know you and your desires (or idiosyncrasies). It feels low key, decorated in subtle blues/grays/corals, and the focus is on the food rather than on any razzle-dazzle show, with well-paced service that’s attentive to detail. The kitchen is strong on meats, but one night when the fish on the menu was unfamiliar, it was no problem to get a simple grilled salmon. Zenith does have sommeliers -- some lines no longer have wine specialists -- but they seem less attentive to a table of women than to couples.

Windsurf Café
With casual buffet dining for breakfast and lunch, Windsurf serves a large number really well, both in its setup and its quality and variety of food. Two buffet lines are located on each side of the restaurant, but don’t stop there. Toward the back, a station prepares waffles at breakfast and pastas and pizzas at lunch, along with a choice of several salads. Nearby, another station serves daily special salads (the Greek one was popular). Just can’t wait for dinner? There’s a casual afternoon tea here, with finger sandwiches and desserts.

Heard on the deck (from a woman enjoying finger sandwiches at tea time in the Windsurf Café): “Who would have thought of putting turkey and pineapple together!”

Windsurf Café (alternative dinner)
In the evening, part of the Windsurf Café becomes an alternative to the main restaurant, with table linens and waiter service. The menu has an abbreviated but good selection of appetizers, salads, entrées, and desserts. Wine is also available. Reservations are suggested and a $2-per-person gratuity is charged.

Other dining options

• Sushi Café: For evening appetizers or dinner, a section of the Windsurf Café goes Oriental in décor, enhancing the setting for freshly prepared sushi. The cute boat-shaped serving plates are a big hit. Sake, beer, and other drinks are available.
• The Grill: Outside the Windsurf Café on the back deck, chefs at the Grill cook omelets and eggs to order at breakfast (even using egg whites if desired). From lunch through early evening, they turn out freshly cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries.
• Cova Café Milano: Those accustomed to a latte or espresso to kick-start the day gravitate to the Cova Café for specialty coffees. The café also serves croissants and pastries in the morning and sweets in late afternoon. Liqueur-laced coffees, wines, and drinks are also available.
• Room service: Returning from a tour tired and hungry? Prop yourself on your bed and order room service. The wraps and sandwiches are hefty and usually come quickly, and are free.

Best dining

• Dish: Caravelle's rack of lamb Provençale is delicious, prepared with an herb-and-garlic crust.
• Dessert: Gateau St. Honore is a divine cream-filled French confection -- don’t even think about the calories.
• Restaurant: Caravelle is a nice dining experience overall, with food that’s above-average in quality and with a well-organized, attentive wait staff.
• Food seminar: Watch the schedule for a culinary demonstration, and get a seat early to these popular affairs. Chefs chat, chop, and cook an entrée; show off special desserts; and demonstrate fruit and vegetable carving. The aromas are divine, and you get a complimentary tasting of the entrée, along with hand-out recipes adjusted to serve four people.

How to…

• Get a table for two: If you can't select a table for two when booking, see the restaurant manager the afternoon that you board. The restaurant has a good selection of tables for two but they’re frequently in high demand. Another option: Book a couple of nights at the Windsurf Café -- it’s quiet and has tablecloths, waiter service, and a short formal menu.
• Celebrate a birthday/anniversary: Order ahead and you can have roses, chocolate-dipped strawberries, champagne, or other goodies delivered to your room. To celebrate with a cake at your table, talk to your maître d’ a day or two ahead of time -- there’s no charge, unless you want a special cake, which must be purchased ahead of time.
• Change seating: If the location of your table isn’t good, or if you’re not compatible with others in the dining party, see the restaurant manager as you leave the restaurant or shortly before the first seating in the evening.
• Dress for formal night: The mood is festive, the look sophisticated but not stuffy. Some tuxes show up but most men opt for dark suits. Women gravitate to dressy pants ensembles and long skirts with beaded tops, with a sprinkling of short dresses and formal long gowns. Take black and you’re in, and pack some jewelry, though it’s not a flashy crowd.
• Dress for casual night: On the Bermuda cruises and longer itineraries, casual night ranges from city-chic pants outfits to comfortable classics in cottons and linens. On shorter cruises, a usually younger crowd leans toward the comfortable.

Tips:

• If you don’t finish a bottle of wine at dinner, ask the waiter to cork it and save it. Don’t worry if you’re dining in another venue the next night -- the waiter will get the bottle for you.
• Passengers can sample Zenith’s fine wines at tastings led by the sommeliers ($8 per person).
• The evening dress code states no jeans but there are no fashion cops. Some guests do wear nice-looking jeans or jean-style pants to dinner, with appropriate shirts, blouses, or sweaters.

Standard cabins win accolades for abundant storage space and comfortably sized bathrooms with wonderfully thick towels and bathrobes. Rooms are cheery and comparatively spacious, measuring in at about 172 square feet each. Nearly every inch of space has furnishings, including either two chairs or a small sofa with a glass-topped table. The silver ice bucket and carafe are attentively replenished. No postage-stamp-sized TV here -- it’s a big 19-inch interactive set. One double closet has ample space for long clothes, and a second closet has short hanging space above eight drawers, with a mini safe on one side. Desk and bedside stands have more drawers. Showers are ample-sized, with turnaround space and a shampoo dispenser. Sinks are good-sized too, though there’s only one long open shelf for toiletries. Hair dryers are mounted on the bathroom walls. Nice touch: Beds have second cover sheets over blankets.

Zenith has no balcony cabins, but she does have Concierge Class: Standard cabins with special amenities -- Frette robes, pillow-top mattresses, duvets, fresh flowers and fruit, and priority embarkation/disembarkation. Two large suites and 20 smaller suites have such luxury enhancements as butler service and full meals served en suite.

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Zenith has four wheelchair-accessible oceanview cabins, all located on Deck 5 amidships. They’re off the lobby, convenient to elevators and the guest relations and shore excursion desks.

Tips:

• Each night, a chocolate truffle on your pillow bids sweet dreams, and a multilingual “good night” card gives the next day’s weather forecast.
• No need to pack cotton balls and swabs -- bathrooms have them.
• Large beach towels are placed in rooms and there’s a tote bag to carry them ashore. Return the towels or you pay for it (but the tote is free).

Inside action centers around two middle decks, the location of most dining, shopping, and entertainment venues. Don’t look for an atrium gathering place -- the rather austere vaulted lobby is on a lower deck and only houses the shore excursion and guest relations desks. Art auctions, with free champagne to toast the bargains, join a variety of mind-challenging games, guest talks, and $1,000 jackpot bingo that keep passengers on the move.

Bars, lounges, and casino
For a cozy tête-à-tête try Michael’s Club, creating an intimate atmosphere with leather sofas, burled wood, and African safari murals. The small Martini Bar is more open and better for people-watching as you sip a properly shaken, and strong, martini (it takes an hour to read the martini menu, so just order the classic one). For a livelier scene: The larger Rainbow Room and Rendez-Vous Lounge have dance floors, and the Rendez-Vous gets the karaoke crowd. Cova Café is congenial, with good listening music. The Fleet Bar high on the ship has great views but doesn’t see much action. The casino is small, filled mainly with slot machines, but you can join tables for blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps.

Swimming pools
Exercise fans appreciate Zenith’s larger deep pool, which has room for laps (be it short ones). An adjacent smaller pool is well suited for families. As with other ships in the fleet, the pool deck has classy covered lounges in sun and shade, and attendants keep towels replenished. (Lounge chairs on upper decks aren’t covered, so on sea days it’s wise to get a covered lounge early. You also can find some covered lounges on Deck 10 aft.)

Shows
The Celebrity Singers and Dancers do two or three big, fast-paced productions featuring up-to-the-minute Broadway hits or popular period songs with quick costume changes. Guest entertainers, from musicians and singers to comedians and magicians, add variety other nights. On my cruise, pianist Elliot Finkel pleased the audience so much that an afternoon concert was added. Both the backup orchestra and the lighting are outstanding for all shows. The Celebrity Show Lounge, a two-deck-high theater, has sight problems: Downstairs, all seats are on about the same level, making it hard to see over some people’s heads; and the balcony has a railing with glass underneath, interrupting views. Best seating may be close to a middle aisle downstairs.

Shore excursions
Excursions are listed on the Celebrity Web site and can be booked online before sailing. The line does hold some space for onboard bookings, though. For many ports, such as those in Bermuda, Celebrity sells dozens of tour options, but most destinations are also easily explored on one’s own. Zenith’s varying Caribbean options focus mainly on water sports.

Weddings and vow renewals
For sailing guests, weddings can be performed onboard the ship at specified ports, by prior arrangement. Zenith doesn’t have a chapel, but a couple of rooms can be used for a wedding, such as Michael’s Club (for small weddings).

Looking for…

• Quietist spot: For sunbathing, head to Deck 10 aft, an uncrowded area with about a dozen lounge chairs and great views off the stern. Inside, Michael’s Club offers a quiet sitting area (and a faux fireplace).
• Liveliest spot: Late in the evening, passengers head to the Rainbow Room for the live band, and even later for the deejay.
• Most popular activity: Everyone twists at the ’50s/’60s sock hop, and the poolside Island Night party goes from the Macarena to the conga line, the limbo, and on to the sizzling dance contests.
• Best view: At the top of the ship, Fleet Bar’s panoramic windows show off sea and sky.
• Best show: “That ’60s Show,” performed by the Celebrity Singers and Dancers, is supported by an excellent orchestra.
• Best drink: The wine flight in Cova Café Milano provides a sampling of three excellent reds or whites -- and a great value at $8.75 for hefty pours.

Heard on the deck: “I like this ship. I don’t need all that stuff on the bigger ships. I can’t do everything they have here!”

Tips:

• Computers with Internet and e-mail access are in the library and the Celebrity Show Lounge (online access costs 50¢ per minute). If you’re an AOL user, don’t count on a compatible connection.
• Watch the schedule for matinee first-run movies in the Celebrity Show Lounge.
• On the promenade outside the casino, notice the glass-encased collection of ancient Greek figurines. They're all reproductions of exquisite works from the Athens museum.
• If you pre-book excursions, tickets are delivered to your cabin the first evening. Be sure to check that they are the tours you booked.

Spa and salon
The AquaSpa is a small, quiet nook with a salon, treatment rooms, saunas, showers, and a gym. Only a few seats are available in the waiting area, but guests are quickly whisked into appointments. About a dozen spa services offer a wide range of feel-good indulgences. The coconut milk wrap with express facial leaves your body feeling silky and your face glowing -- after a milk mixture is smoothed over the body, you’re tucked in a foil blanket (no, it’s not claustrophobic) to relax during your facial. The Ionithermie detox treatment literally pulsates inches off your body. A therapist makes several measurements (say from upper waist to hips), applies a therapeutic solution, and attaches electrodes, which work your muscles to take the detox solution into the body and break up fat cells. At $132 it supposedly took 5½ inches off from me, but the effect varies and some people might not like the pulsating sensation. The therapist tries to sell a home regimen that tallies $600 -– no electrodes in that! Caution: If you are allergic to iodine or react to shellfish, tell the therapist before getting the detox and some other treatments. The Ionithermie treatment can be adjusted for iodine allergies.

Heard on the deck (as a young mother showed off her nails after having an “exotic hand ritual” treatment): “I haven’t had nail polish on in 10 years.”

Fitness areas
This older ship isn’t geared for heavy workout fans. Equipment and class space are limited, but there are good views. There were few waits, even with only six treadmills, four stair machines, two elliptical trainers, one rowing machine, and some weight-training equipment. Several types of classes are offered, some in public rooms with dance floors to have more space. Yoga, Pilates, and balls/bands have a $10 charge.

Tips:

• On embarkation day, the spa staff has and open house, showing the facilities, demonstrating treatments, and providing literature on services and prices.
• Some spa services booked up early, so you may want to make your appointment shortly after boarding.
• A 10 percent tip is added to all spa services, even for exercise classes with fees, such as yoga.
• The spa has port day specials with treatments from $25 up. Watch the daily program for specials, sometimes with free products.
• An onboard golf pro offers clinics and lessons and organizes golf excursions.
• Can’t find the hot tubs? There are three on the top deck aft, beyond the spa.

A niche of shops off the Deck 8 promenade packs in a lot of goodies, particularly large selections of watches and jewelry. Pashmina-like stoles in a rainbow of colors are only $10 -- a great wrap when rooms are chilly. Besides sundries and souvenir T-shirts, you can pick up anything from a beaded top to rejuvenate that black skirt to a sun visor in wild colors. Amber is the “hot” item in jewelry, and among many items on sale, some stylish rings and earrings were under $25.

Tip: The port information/shopping talks are exceptionally helpful, with details about local transportation and costs; independent sightseeing; and the best places to dive, hike, or bike. There’s also shopping data, a map, and promotions for specific retailers.

The children’s playroom is quite small but packed with games, crafts, and goodies to entertain the younger set. Activities for older kids usually spread around the ship in available public rooms. Summer and holiday sailings can bring up to 400 or so children per cruise. Activities are grouped by ages (3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-17). Kids sometimes have their own dinner parties in the casual Windsurf Café. While the young ones have a “night out with Sponge Bob,” the older kids have a talent show, pizza, and sock hop.

Tips:

• A small video arcade is tucked between the casino and upper level of the Celebrity Show Lounge.
• For kids ages 3-9, activities usually end at 10 PM, but occasionally kids may stay until 1 AM for a slumber party, at a charge (the going rate is $6 per hour).

Zenith alternates between Bermuda and the Caribbean. In the summer, she sails seven-night Bermuda itineraries roundtrip from the new Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ (across from Manhattan), calling at Hamilton and St. George. In winter 2004-2005, she sails roundtrip from Jacksonville on 11- and 14-night cruises to the southern and western Caribbean, stopping at varying ports of call, including some in Central America. In winter 2005-2006, she'll sail roundtrip from Miami to the western Caribbean on 4-, 5-, and 7-night itineraries.

• Cruise line - Celebrity
• Ship name - Zenith
• Type of cruise - Sophisticated
• Total cabins - 686
• Private balcony cabins - 0
• Decks - 9
• Passenger capacity - 1375
• Total crew - 670
• Officers nationality - Greek
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 1992
• Tonnage - 47255
• Ship length - 686
• Registry - Liberia