Celebrity
Cruises' ZENITH
October 2-9,
1999
New York to Bermuda
by Linda Coffman
CACKLE*
Cruise
*Cruising And Carousing Keep
Life Entertaining
Explaining our zany little group of "chicken
people" is the easy part. A chronicle of Charlie the Rubber Chicken's
cruising exploits is contained in the article, Charlie
"Chicken of the Seas", a light-hearted look
at online cruisers and the coast-to-coast bond Charlie helped them forge. (PHOTO:
standing--Michael, Bob, Sheryl, Judi, Linda, Eleanor, John; kneeling--Mel)
Through a series of events,
including the cancellation of another ship's Transcanal sailings and last minute
decisions, Judi & Michael (Drews), Sheryl & Bob (Hoover), Eleanor &
John (Harley), and Linda & Mel (Coffman) all arranged to sail together on Celebrity
Cruises' Zenith to Bermuda. This is the nucleus of the CACKLErs... folks
who've "known" one another online for years, but who had never all
been together on a cruise.
In our case, we've collectively
been members of the Prodigy Classic service for long enough to qualify as
nerdy. He may not wish to be exposed, but former About.com Cruises guide
George Hall and his wife Linda were honorary members of our flock. Through the years, on
Prodigy's Afloat bulletin board we routinely kept track of one another's
travels, triumphs, and sorrows... the final sorrow was that Classic went to that
great modem in the sky--signaling a final "good-bye" to stalwart
members on October 1st.
We toasted our Internet friends
who couldn't come along and the
online service that brought us together as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty
the next day...
Zenith
CACKLE Cruise in Review
Birds of a Feather
We converged on New York
from a variety of locations--all but the Harleys arranged their own airfare and
pre-cruise accommodations. Arriving at the pier, whispers of
"Captain's Club" brought smiles from shore side personnel and we were
waved to the head of the line waiting to check in. All except the Drews,
that is. First-time Celebrity guests, they had to queue up but the process
was swift and painless--Judi said it was by far the easiest embarkation they
ever experienced.
Paperwork
accomplished and photos snapped, the Coffmans dropped off carryons, admired
their standard outside cabin and headed (where else?) for the buffet. Then
on to the Fleet Bar to meet Peg Caldwell Ott (unofficial "godmother"
to New York cruise liner crews) and George and Linda Hall. The rest of the
flock gathered amid many shrieks of recognition and hugs all around... and we
were finally CRUISING!
Staterooms
Our standard outside staterooms were located on Deck Six
(Drews &
Hoover) and Deck Five (Coffman & Harley). Decorated in soft pastels,
and more spacious than we expected, most astonishing was the amount of
storage--18 drawers, far more than even the most aggressive over-packer could
fill for a week long cruise. Hotel Manager, Filippos Georgiou explained
that the bathroom dispensers for shampoo and lotion and complimentary canvas
tote bags are Celebrity Cruises' response to environmental concerns--no more
plastic (even drinks stirrers are now wood). Additional amenities included Frances Denney soaps and personal
packets containing shower caps, nail files, q-tips, and cotton balls. All
very handy, as were the robes and personal safe.
Dining
Did anyone NOT gain a few pounds? Other than breakfast the last
morning on board, we only went to dinner in the dining room--breakfast, lunches
and snacks were from Room Service, the Wind Surf Cafe, or the Grill and
Pizzeria. Several in our small group favor extremely rare steaks and this
request was well fulfilled for the most part. Our waiter Miroslav advised
against the New England clam chowder one evening but several of us ordered it
anyway. His advice was sound--it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the
best.
Our table for eight
at late seating was a festive one, situated on the port side with banquette
seating. Zenith's dining room is a low-ceilinged room with shiny panels
overhead and can get somewhat noisy as conversations become animated over the
course of the week. However, there is plenty of room between tables--and,
more importantly--AT the table.
Miniature copies of
the menus (with some excellent recipes) can be obtained for $4.95 from Guest
Services. Linda's favorite, Chocolate Mousse Cappuccino, is among the
recipes.
Service
An example of how Celebrity's people go an extra step... Mel is fond of hot
chocolate and teased our assistant waiter Gyula about not having marshmallows to
put in it. During our first day in Bermuda, instead of spending his hour
and a half of free time napping or relaxing, Gyula went to a supermarket in Hamilton and on
his own bought marshmallows.
From boarding, when
white-gloved stewards accompanied us to our cabins, to buffets in the Wind Surf
Cafe, where stewards carried our trays to tables, we didn't have to lift a
finger. During a rainy day in Hamilton, umbrellas magically appeared at
the "beach towel" desk just off the lobby. Now and then bar
servers were sparse, but not often.
Having fun
yet? Don't want it to end? Reserve your next cruise on board with
your Social Hostess. No fear, your local travel agent isn't cut out of the
deal, the booking is transferred to the agent of your choice and any future
"special" fares will be honored as usual.
A View From The
Bridge
Thanks to a nod from Peg Caldwell
Ott, we received an invitation to join the
Captain on the bridge as we sailed from St. George's. What an impressive
sight! We glided away from the dock and past the Norwegian
Majesty--silently. Absolute quiet was required on the bridge and we were
glued to the view before us... sailing the Zenith through the cut was like
threading a needle. With onlookers waving from shore, the Captain inched
us through and we were on our way to sea. It was readily apparent why were
unable to move to St. George's from Hamilton during a windy thunderstorm the
previous day.
Bermuda
Highlights
What can you say about a place that has pink sand beaches, pastel dwellings,
and crystal clear water? Everything is clean and bright and the residents
are cheerful... Bermuda is as close to a perfect destination as a cruiser could
hope for.
While some of us had
"been there, done that," others were newcomers to the island. No
one lacked for diversions--a particular favorite pastime being rides on the
ferry. Following a bit of shopping and a visit to Chit Chat Internet Cafe,
I discovered the Bermuda Historical Society Museum. Located in Par-la-ville, a gracious Georgian style home once occupied by William Perot,
it's a gem tucked away behind a wall on Queen Street. Intriguing
photographs chronicle the growth of Hamilton from a quaint residential town to
present day bustling business center and more recent exhibits include a tribute
to the Chaffee School, closed in 1995 when the US Naval Air Station was
decommissioned. Particularly interesting are the official souvenirs
commemorating the coronation (that didn't happen) of King Edward VIII and the
many china, crystal and silver objects displayed in the dining room
cabinets. The chandelier over the dining table is magnificent.
Stroll through the adjacent park and drop in on the museum--there is no
admission charge but donations are welcomed. The curator offered me a
choice of postcards, "The only thing you'll find free in Bermuda."
As mentioned above,
Zenith was unable to move to St. George's as planned and spent an extra night in
Hamilton. We were pleased that we'd be there for Harbor Night--then
disappointed that the merchants and crafters wouldn't be setting up tables along
Front Street because of the weather.
Our time in St.
George's was short but memorable. Princess Anne of Great Britain
"greeted" us and the Coffmans were off to explore on a moped while
everyone else went to the Swizzle Inn for lunch and what else (!) Bermuda Rum
Swizzles.
Observations
-
Formal nights were quite FORMAL, with glittering gowns and tuxedos in the
majority.
-
Announcements were
curtailed except when necessary. Photographers were somewhat more
aggressive than on Celebrity ships in the past. At the lifeboat drill
every child had on an appropriately sized life vest.
-
Production shows
were high energy and entertaining with very talented singers and dancers. An
Entertainment Host explained the incongruity of American music timeline with a
shrug and, "It's a British production." Made sense to me.
-
The casino was
unkind to us, but George Hall witnessed some winners.
-
Mel found a massage
in the spa after treadmilling to be a satisfying experience. We all
enjoyed the cushioned pads on deck chairs and loungers around the pool.
-
Judi loved being able to pull up
their onboard account balance on the cabin television set. She found it
really was instantaneous..."One night Michael went to get me a Coke for the
morning and before he was back (less than two minutes), it was POSTED! I
tend to check our balance manually every evening, and this made it so much
easier!" Linda is hanging her head in shame... she never figured out
how to use it, but it might have been the bad battery in the remote control.
Memorable Moments
-
Thanks to the creative (or warped) mind of Bob Hoover, we had matching
tee-shirts to wear the first day at sea. Being an old salt, and Zenith
regular to Bermuda, we accorded George Hall the honor of Tour Guide. Eight
of us stood with our backs to George, shirts emblazoned with the official logo
of GEORGE'S BERMOODA TOURS ("and this is the famous Bermooda
Triangle"), and... he DIDN'T notice! Maybe poor George was just too
overwhelmed with the inflatable bucket of Coronas he had just been
presented. Or maybe he needed to increase his medication earlier in the
week. It was a real "gotcha"--on us.
-
Each evening as we
entered the dining room, the Maître D' and waiters asked, "What's for
tonight?" OUR waiter and his assistant were having such a good time that
other waiters would leave their stations (and ho-hum guests) to see what was
happening.
-
Charlie the Rubber
Chicken appearing at formal night dinner in a tuxedo (borrowed from Meghan Anne
and Barbie's
main squeeze, Ken).
-
Eleanor Harley is
known from coast-to-coast as a woman with a penchant for soup--all but the clear
ones (a waste of time, according to the Soup Queen). For consuming EVERY
non-clear soup the Zenith's chefs offered, "Soupy" received the
Campbell's (mmm, mmm, good) Soup award... an inflatable can in the
familiar red, white, and black design that stood nearly as tall as Eleanor. Is someone spending a LOT of time
on eBay these days?
-
The "fish
stories" told by Mel and his fishing pal, Harry Borders.
-
The Drews'
"feather" bed. What? You expected polyester?
-
Trading chickens for
foo foo Bon Voyage drinks.
-
Various special
styles of cocktail napkins mysteriously appeared beneath our stemware. For
inside the stemware, we wish to thank Mary Ann Rizzo and Jacki and Mike
Dalton. Other special courtesies turned up with regularity... the
Wednesday vintage "Cheap Red Crap" that we so generously passed along
to George's table (we were afraid to remove the screw cap), a lovely pizza on
formal night, and the really special bottle of Chardonnay sent from a colleague
on the Horizon.
-
The "chicken
sandwich" prepared by Eno, our favorite bartender in the Fleet Bar (cream cheese
and chives with rubber chicken on white).
-
And... realizing
that Sheryl is the mastermind of the Hoover creative genius.
Back in New
York...
We shared a final breakfast in the shadow the Queen Elizabeth 2 and vowed to
have a reunion one day soon.
Mel and I went off
to gather up things left in our cabin and await announcement of our
disembarkation number. In the mid-ship lobby we ran into Guest Relations
Manager, Nickos Batistatos who helpfully escorted us off the ship the moment the
ship cleared. No waiting for us... VIPs!!!... or, maybe he just couldn't wait
to get us off so things could get back to normal???
By the time we
reached New York all of us were Captain's Club members and we were among the
first to debark. The luggage gathering process was quite easy at that point AND
everyone managed to get a Porter and taxi right away.
Cruising to
Bermuda
- Beautiful
Bermuda -- Pink sand
and sparkling water. A cruise is the ideal Bermuda get-away.
- Bermuda
-- Probably the most
popular misconception about Bermuda is that it’s a Caribbean
island. It isn’t.
