My idea of heaven is watching the ocean wake from an upper deck lounge chair on the aft of a cruise ship.
But if you would rather soak in a hot tub, lounge poolside with a cold drink, play the slots in the casino, create arts and crafts, listen to a lecture, see a movie, nap, ignore your cel- or telephone, take afternoon tea, get a manicure or massage, read a book, tour the bridge or galley, shop in the stores and boutiques, enjoy an espresso, play bridge or check out the next port of call, then maybe cruising is for you, too.
Celebrity Cruise Lines’ Zenith offered these options and more to our group of family and friends on a recent trip from San Juan to San Diego over the Millennium holidays. We booked the cruise in August, liking its itinerary, holiday sailing and price, and departed Dec. 26. Some of our group boarded in San Juan and others came aboard the next day at St. Thomas (along with all our luggage). It proved to be a great 14-day cruise experience aboard a well-maintained ship with excellent service and a superior dining room.
Checking in at the pier, knowing your ship awaits you just beyond the perfunctory paperwork, is a charged and instantly addictive moment: Everything exciting and unknown and luxurious stretches out before your mind’s eye. The anticipation of boarding is palpable, and once aboard, expectations are not long in being realized. From the moment the waiter in white gloves came around with flutes of champagne and trays of strawberries dipped in chocolate, we knew this was going to be special.
Zenith proved to be just the thing for a stressed-out family that hadn’t been off-island for more than a year. A mid-size ship carrying about 1,400 passengers, it spared us the all-too-familiar St. Thomas frustrations of having to cope with crowded spaces and long lines. We set out on an itinerary that would carry us south to Aruba, Cartagena, Colombia and the San Blas Islands, and then west to and through the Panama Canal, northwest up the Pacific coast of Mexico to Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, and finally to San Diego.
On New Year’s Day, we had the distinction of being the first ship to transit the entire Panama Canal (newly under Panamanian government control) from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the year 2000. A crowd of about 100 Panamanians in set-up bleachers cheered us on with flags of their nation!
The cruise gave us views of dolphins, harbor seals, sea lions, huge Mexican iguanas, whales and tropical fish — and all manner of wild African animals roaming the open enclosures in the San Diego Wild Animal Park. At sea, the kids had treasure hunts, made macaroni art, put on a talent show, played Uno, had ice cream madness breaks, went to magic shows, ate pizza at will, and played Ping-Pong, circle games and Nintendo.
And of course, we dined. Endlessly. For this special trip, Celebrity pulled out the stops with imaginative Millennium menus. On Old Year’s Night we were tempted with Filet Mignon and paté de foie gras, caviar and blini, and all manner of sweets and desserts. Bands were playing in the various shipboard lounges that night, and just before midnight everyone — including ship’s officers and crew — was on the top deck with a band playing, champagne flowing, confetti fluttering, couples dancing and conga lines snaking. At that moment I was grateful to be with my family and special friends I have known since childhood and their families. I could only imagine how we would appear if someone were in the peculiar position of being able to observe our ship slicing through the night sea, the very embodiment of “Celebrity" with lights, singing and dancing.
At the farewell Captain's Dinner; we were sated with lobster, cream of broccoli soup, delicious salads, and Baked Alaska carried flaming through the dining room by our excellent wait staff — Calin from Poland and Cajetan from Goa, India. If ever a team could anticipate and your culinary fantasies and make them come true, these two men and the excellent kitchens of the Zenith could.
Add to all these attractions our cozy cabin, the sauna and stretch classes, the beautiful sights on deck of the wide-open spaces, the wondrous scent of the salt air at sea, the fascinating Cuna Indians of San Blas, shopping for Inca gold in Colombia and for Taxco silver in Mexico, and the comedy act of the inimitable Alan King. No question: We were all very happy with our vacation choice.
I’ve been asked if 14 days isn’t a little long to call a cruise ship home. We were never bored. There’s so much to do, and you can’t do it all — especially if your favorite “activity" is sitting on deck reading a good book! We explored every port on our own, by taxi or on foot. We had friends house-sitting, so we were not worried about our property, although we did miss our pets.
The one down side: We had to get off, we had to disembark, we had to say goodbye. But as I always say to console myself, the last day of a great trip means time to look forward to the next one that is now that much closer. It surely won’t be all that long until, as our St. Thomas taxi drivers say, it’ll be "back to the ship!"
