This 77,713-ton, 866-ft Malta-registered cruise liner was built in Germany in 1996. She has a beam of 106 ft, a draft of 26 ft, and 10 passenger elevators serving 10 passenger decks. Cruising at 21.5 knots, and carries an international crew of 909 serving 1,870 passengers at double occupancy. Essentially the Century's twin in layout, she is nevertheless slightly larger and shows improvements over her sister, from the retractable glass dome covering one of the pools and its surrounding deck to a spacious children's playroom to complement the wading pool. In spring 2008, a $4 million dollar refit saw her soft furnishings replaced.
Celebrity got its start in 1989 as a more upscale division of Chandris Cruises. The Chandris family sold the operation to Royal Caribbean, which continues to operate it as a separate brand. The bold "X" on the aft-placed funnel represents the Greek letter "Chi", in English "C" for Chandris. The Galaxy, renamed Celebrity Galaxy, along with the same designation applied to the rest of the fleet, has the smaller Century and similar Mercury as its closest siblings.
As the ship divides its time between the Southern Caribbean and the Mediterranean, the passenger age group is much lower, including families in winter, while the group is older on European itineraries. Some South Americans fly to San Juan for the Caribbean-based trips, while Europeans join the cruises based in Civitavecchia (Rome). Children have good facilities with a wading pool adjacent to the playroom, a video-game room and a teenage center just aft of the forward observation lounge. Tipping in the bars is an automatic 15% while for the cabin and restaurant staff, there are suggested amounts that add up to about US$10 per day, paid out by individual envelopes or automatically on the master statement.
Transatlantic positioning cruises sail eastbound in May and westward in December to link up with Mediterranean itineraries that embark and disembark at Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. The itineraries all call at Naples for Capri and Pompeii and then head to Piraeus (Athens), the Greek islands and the Turkish coast for the Asia Minor ruins at Ephesus. Some cruises also stop in Sicily and all include some relaxing sea days near the beginning and end of the cruise. The retractable dome over the aft pool is a real plus on the cool-weather positioning cruises, an amenity that the Celebrity Century does not have. For the balance of the year, the Galaxy is based in San Juan, making 10- and 11-night port-intensive cruises to the Southern Caribbean, calling at a wide selection of large and small ports.
Celebrity has a long partnership with The Wedding Experience, through which it has offered onboard vow renewals at sea and in-port wedding ceremonies. Now that seven of the eight Celebrity ships—and the two Azamara ships—have been re-registered to Malta, the captains have the jurisdiction to perform legal marriages at sea while the cruises are underway.
On this ship, there are two atrium-style foyers, the principal one being four levels high, while the other rises three decks, giving a roomy and stylish feel and connection to the public rooms. Most are located the full length of the Promenade Deck and include Celebrity favorites such as Rendezvous Square, a true meeting place, the trademark Cova Cafe and Michael's Club, the former cigar bar now turned—and yes, still clubby—piano bar for pre- and post-dinner imbibing. Now a rarity on most ships, there is a small cinema for showing films in a proper big-screen setting with the convertible space also used for the special interest lecture program and for conferences. A nearly 1,000-seat Celebrity Theater with balcony boxes is more stylish, with no obstructed seating, than the perfectly acceptable, if ordinary, shows, enjoyed most by those who do not have access to Las Vegas and Broadway-style entertainment near home. The Savoy Night Club, located aft on the aptly-named Entertainment Deck, is another entertainment and dancing venue with a Martini Bar tucked in at the very stern. The shops and smallish casino are also placed on this deck. Of outstanding design, the Stratosphere Lounge is really up there with terrific views over the bow and to port and starboard. Telescopes give you an advance notice of the action ahead. The center portion is raised, thus providing nearly everyone with good sightlines. A pianist and cabaret acts enliven later in the day.
The well-laid out and high-up-in-the–ship AquaSpa by Steiner offers a full menu of health treatments to complement the gym, sauna, steam rooms and beauty salon. The shortish jogging track is happily not located above any cabins. Basketball, volleyball, golf simulator, darts, shuffleboard and table tennis also await the active. A pair of outdoor pools is flanked by whirlpools and the third aft pool can be covered with a sliding dome, extending the swimming hours in cool weather. For a fine dining experience, the Orion Restaurant is stunning and accessed by a dramatic stairway, where upon descending to the lower level the view is aft through huge windows to the sea during daylight and to a galaxy of stairs against a screen depicting the continents at night. Separate galleys for eack level help provide more freshly prepared and hotter food than would be the norm with one vast kitchen. A top chef, Michel Roux, has overseen the menus for years now, ensuring that Celebrity ships maintain their reputation for great food at surprisingly affordable cruise rates. Dinner is at two sittings while breakfast and lunch have an open window of hours. Table configurations from two to 10 are available. A Champagne Bar with caviar and other treats is a delightful, if pricey, stopping place on the way in. For informal dinners on some nights, the Oasis Cafe gets setup up as tablecloth, wait-served restaurant in the evenings. Otherwise, it is a typical lido buffet atmosphere, through with better than ordinary standards. The Pizzeria also has a grill and serves an informal afternoon tea.
Of the 935 cabins, 639 are outsides, 220 step out to verandas, and 170 are so-called mini-suites, which are the same size as standard staterooms with additional services. All show modern art, photographs and sculpture, and come with phones, minibars, safes and radios. Interactive TVs allow passengers to order room service, gamble, watch videos, and check spa appointments, and monitor onboard activities and expenses. Minisuites add balconies, personalized stationery, robes and welcoming Champagne to the standard amenities. Butlers attend to the 24 larger Sky Suites, which have sliding doors to large verandas, and to the even more elaborate Royal and Penthouse suites, which have separate sitting rooms where full meals can be served. Dinner service is also available in other categories during regular dinner hours but the culinary results will be much less impressive than dining in the grand main restaurant.
The Celebrity Galaxy offers creative itineraries for the Caribbean, and a nice balance of ports and sea days on cruises from Italy to the Eastern Mediterranean. She, along with her nearest siblings, Century and Mercury, gives an excellent value for money, with rates just above mass market and food that is well above that, especially when comparing the standards to the same-company-owned Royal Caribbean. Parallel comparisons are with Oceania, but Celebrity's hardware and cabins are better; and with Holland America, though HAL's dining is not quite as good. A sophisticated atmosphere is shared with those two premium lines, and also with Crystal.
