Cruise Reviews
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship: Galaxy
Date of Cruise: January 12 - January 20, 2001
Southern Caribbean on the Celebrity Galaxy
By: Tiffany
tburch@home.com
My husband and I just returned from our first cruise with 6 other friends on Celebrity's Galaxy out of Puerto Rico. Best vacation ever! There were three married couples in our early 30's and two single girls (29,30). Six of us decided to arrive in San Juan the day prior to departure and stayed at the Hilton Caribe in San Juan. We had an easy flight, got our luggage immediately and enjoyed complimentary Pina Coladas from the PR division of tourism located near the baggage claim. It is about a 15 minute taxi ($5/each) from the airport to the Hilton. It recently underwent a renovation and was large and very nice. We spent the next 24 hours by the pool and enjoyed a fine dinner at Morton's Steakhouse in the hotel. We decided to board the ship 'early' and make a day of it in San Juan. The embarkation started at 2pm and we were there about 2:30. By 2:45 we were having pictures taken at the gangway! The embarkment process was smooth - submit your forms, hand over the credit card and they were carrying our bags and escorting us to our rooms.
Once on the ship, all thought of spending the afternoon in Old San Juan went out the window! We couldn't leave the ship - it was already in full swing!! Between the 4 couples, there were two suites (cat 1) on the Penthouse (10) deck, we were also on the penthouse deck (cat 3) - rear panorama room (1163) and then an Ocean view of the 9th deck. We were very impressed with the Panorama room - would be ideal for a family as the large bed is in on area then you can close a sliding door and there is a separate sitting area with the TV. There is a pull down bunk and additional bed in this 'second room'. Would be idea for children to have them in their 'own' area. The suites were very nice and reminded me of a large hotel room. I think the closet space was better in our room but the veranda was nice in the suite. Their butler service was nice and they enjoyed the 'perks' of the suite.
We sailed to St. Lucia, St. Croix, Barbados, Antigua and St. Thomas. We did many excursions on each island through the cruise ship such as Snuba on Barbados, Catamaran on St. Croix, Scuba on Antigua and the St. John Safari and Snorkeling on St. Thomas. We did our own excursion on Antigua that was great! Had the local taxi driver (with a bus) take us for a tour - ended up being over 4 hours and only $20/person! I think the ship excursion was about $40 and not as long or quite as detailed. We enjoyed a few lunches at 'local' places rather than returning to the ship.
As far as the ship and the service - can't say enough! Our stateroom attendant was excellent! The room was always clean, always with fresh towels and turn down service at night. When we first got on the ship, Lasselle (from Jamaica, a server, greeted us and was everywhere we were for the rest of the cruise! When part of our party was by the pool, he would see the rest of us and direct us to them! He knew all our rooms by heart and was really outstanding! Our waiter and waiter assistant were also spectacular. We were always the last ones to leave late seating talking and laughing with them. The food was excellent and the 'baked Alaskan parade' was entertaining the last formal night.
What entertainment we caught was pretty good. We did not see any of the musical shows but did see the comedian (Jimmy Carrol) who was great as well as a magic and juggling act. We caught part of "Cirque du Galaxy" but was a little 'corny' for our tastes. The lounges were not too crowded and always a server could be found for drinks. Most of our evenings ended about 2:30am in the casino. There was a slot machine competition and a blackjack competition one day, two of our party made each of those finals! Although I did not use the facilities, the feedback about the spa was excellent. Seaweed wraps and massages got good feedback. If I could recommend anything on the trip - the Snuba in Barbados - outstanding - takes you to a wreck. it is 'new' and was not in the excursion book but was added as an additional trip. The Jolly Roger in Barbados. If you want a crazy, fun time, was like Hedonism for 4 hours. The other Jolly Roger trips came back much quieter and tamer than the Barbados trip. Also recommend LATE SEATING. If you go out and do excursions, time to get back, nap (if necessary) and shower for dinner.
The debarkation was also smooth. We were #18 and were off the ship by 10:30. We were staying for an additional night in San Juan but a pending snow storm at home forced us to come home on a late night flight. We are already making arrangements for another cruise next year on Celebrity to the Western Caribbean! We are definitely hooked on cruising and was an outstanding trip. The staff on the cruise was top notch - really work hard to provide a fabulous vacation. There is not enough space or time to list everything but hoped this helped!
