The 71,545-ton, 1,814-passenger Celebrity Century debuted in 1995 as the last of three Century-class ships. Century's sisters, the former Celebrity Galaxy and Celebrity Mercury, are pleasing German passengers for sister line Tui Cruises as Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2, respectively.

While the mid-size Century has been surpassed in tonnage and innovation by Celebrity's 2,850-passenger Solstice-class quartet, the goal here is to provide a best-of-both-worlds experience -- one featuring a comfortable blend of today's required amenities (plenty of balconies, 314 of which were added during a 2006 refurb, and a sumptuous French-Continental specialty restaurant) along with the more intimate ambience offered by smaller vessels. Century has a few unique-to-Celebrity touches, too, including line's only stand-alone AquaSpa Cafe, which offers healthy (but very tasty) cuisine. (On other ships it's a buffet line tucked into the solarium pool area.)

Moreover, Celebrity uses Century as its dedicated pathfinder. The ship spends the summer months sailing Alaska's Inside Passage, then repositions to Australia for the winter (the southern hemisphere's summer). Panama Canal and Hawaii cruises, typically around two weeks in length, are sandwiched in between.

Celebrity Century Fellow Passengers
Passengers fall mostly into the 40--to-60-plus demographic and hail from a variety of places, although primarily the U.S. and Canada with increasing representation from Europe and Latin America. On the ship's Alaska itinerary expect more families and different ages traveling together.

Celebrity Century Dress Code
Country club casual is the buzzword onboard, both day and night -- though of course the evening version of the dress code is a bit more elegant than the daytime one. There are several formal nights, and folks primarily dress in cocktail garb with men in jackets and ties (only a few sport tuxedos).

Celebrity Century Gratuity
For passengers occupying standard accommodations, Celebrity automatically adds $11.50 per person, per day to the onboard account. It's $12 per person, per day for passengers in Concierge Class cabins and $15 per person, per day for those in Suites. Gratuities can be adjusted in either direction at the guest services desk. Fifteen percent is automatically added to all bar bills.