Extreme makeover: Celebrity's Century

By Anita Dunham-Potter

Travel columnist

updated 1:58 p.m. ET Dec. 15, 2006

Anita Dunham-Potter Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

The story of Celebrity Cruises' 11-year-old ship Century could easily be an episode of “Extreme Makeover.” This past spring, the ship was gutted and fitted with all the latest amenities that today’s cruisers demand. The revitalized Century emerged from its $55 million surgery in May with 314 new balconies, upgraded staterooms, a martini bar, a Persian Garden and other new public spaces that bring the ship up to date with Celebrity’s popular Millennium-class vessels. After seeing the ship up close, I found the makeover to be impressive, with just a few easy-to-fix wrinkles remaining.

The 71,545-ton Century entered service in December 1995 and carries just 1,800 passengers, making it a middle-aged, medium-sized ship by today’s mega-ship standards. I asked Celebrity’s President Dan Hanrahan why the company spent $55 million (the cost of a Boeing 757 aircraft) to refurbish the ship. Why not just build a new one?

“It’s in our DNA to revitalize and refurbish ships,” Hanrahan said, underscoring Celebrity’s commitment to building quality ships that last. But there are economic forces at play, too. In today’s big-ship, high-glitz market, it’s cheaper to refurbish a small ship than build a new one. “The shipyards costs are the reasons that cruise lines keep building bigger ships,” Hanrahan says. ”Bigger ships are more profitable and cheaper to operate on a per-passenger basis.” In that economic climate, as in Hollywood, aging celebrities head for a makeover.

Extreme makeover results
The Century came to the makeover with one very serious problem: It needed balconies badly. The ship had only 49 balcony staterooms, the fewest in the Celebrity fleet. At a time when most cruise ships boast a high percentage of balcony cabins, Century’s lack of balcony space was certainly hurting business. Another reason to update the ship was to incorporate amenities found on Celebrity’s newer and popular Millennium-class vessels.

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After five weeks of work, the results are impressive. The ship is now fitted with 314 new and 49 refurbished balconies — a huge engineering feat; moreover, all the balcony structures and furnishings are made from noncombustible materials, a safety measure enacted after the tragic balcony and stateroom fire last spring on board Princess Cruises’ Star Princess. Besides the new balconies, Century is sporting 14 new suites, 10 new staterooms and an increased number of Concierge Class staterooms. All staterooms have been upgraded with Celebrity’s new luxury bedding and flat-panel televisions.

The balconies have made the ship more passenger-friendly by opening up room and changing the traffic flow inside the ship. Despite a full passenger load, the ship rarely seemed crowded. The balcony work also resulted in upgrades to the public areas, a decision that evolved so the makeover wouldn’t look patchwork. Upgrades were made to the ship’s two-level Grand Restaurant; to all the clubs, lounges and retail shops; to the Internet area (which now has extended Wi-Fi hot spots); and to the art gallery. Many of the upgrades were also calculated to “maximize onboard revenue opportunities,” which Hanrahan sees as a strategic decision and a major trend in the cruise industry.

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