bertrande

Had a patch of bad internet so wasn't able to complete the Hue review. Here goes...first up, a picture of us trudging back to the bus:

We then proceeded to lunch at Tropical Garden (tourist restaurant with typical Vietnamese standards, not bad but not fantastic) before heading to the magnificent tomb of the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty - Khai Dinh. With imported materials from Japan, the attention to detail was impeccable and we all thought it well worth a visit.

Something looks out of place here LOL

Our short sojourn to Hue thus ended, we returned to the ship in good time for dinner. I would add that there was a woman with a donation box placed somewhere before we boarded the ship, and she was soliciting for donations for some children's charity in a most unpleasant and aggressive manner. We felt it was very dubious and walked on but I felt bad that some unsuspecting passengers literally had their change wrenched out of their hands with "you give me this, I can put two kids in high school". It really wasn't too pleasant.

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1. Can you tell me about the various singers and bands on board?

 

2. Could you photo a "beer & wine selection" menu?

There is Jonny Mantra (guitar/vocals), Joe & Liv (Irish acoustic duo), Soulstice (Jazz band), and Sea Breeze (classical duo) as far as I know. Will try to take a photo of the alcohol menu at Luminae tonight!

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Day 5: Chan May

Waking up to an overcast morning, we got off the ship and met our guide. We took a private excursion to Hue and it was lovely, although the weather was not kind and poured buckets at Hue (Chan May seemingly remained dry the entire day).

It was a comfortable 1.5 hours' drive to Hue and our first stop was the 400-year old Thien Mu pagoda.

We were told it was built, together with the temple, upon a vision or a dream. Ornate and grand, it was typical of the architecture dotting Hue, which exuded an old school, classic beauty.

Our next activity was taking a leisurely dragon boat ride along the Perfume river. We enjoyed the ride and seeing the juxtaposition between modern infrastructure and ancient architecture.

We thought this was cute:

We then proceeded to the citadel and the imperial palace, where the weather truly turned.

The grounds were large and expansive with many photo opportunities. The flowers which were there due to Tet (the lunar new year) were gloriously colourful and uplifting.

There was a short explanatory documentary on the layout of the palace with English subtitles and it was very informative. I found it most interesting that the language in which the walls were decorated and edicts were made was Mandarin. The walls are adorned with mandarin poetry which are comprehensible for modern speakers of the language.

As the rain poured, we did not have the opportunity to as many photos as we liked and after a short wander around the grounds and a visit to the ancestral place of worship, we made our way (more like trudged) back to the van.

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Deleted

Menus for Evening Chic:

Blu

Luminae

MDR

The menu looked so good yesterday I had a real hard time deciding! In the end, I ordered two appetisers and two mains, one from each section of the Luminae and MDR menus. Food was uniformly good and there was no room for desserts.

In clockwise direction starting from the top right corner, amuse bouche, Maine lobster salad, chilled pear soup, Colorado rack of lamb and cote de boeuf.

DH had very bad sea sickness tonight and we skipped the shows. I had to go to OV to get some green apples for him - the apples looked green but didn't taste sour so we are not sure what they were. I guess DH's propensity to sea sickness is a factor in considering whether to take an aft suite on future cruises. I have an S1

Aft booked for 2018 on the Reflection and I'm a little apprehensive now.

The next day would be an early start as we dock in Chan May, our second port in Vietnam.

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We are on Connie now and I have to say I am loving the ship and the crew. I don't even feel it looks tired. I would sail on her again in a heartbeat.

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Day 4: Sea Day

Woke bright and early and headed to the gym for the complimentary abs class. The gym was already filled with people - one thing I have noticed is that this cruise has many "gym rats", and serious ones too. Lol. The abs class was way more strenuous than I expected so I decided to skip the Pilates class that immediately followed. Did some running instead and then attended Dr Bill Collins' second presentation, this time on Danang and Hue. The turn out was even better than the first, with many repeat guests. We also found Prof Alan Fishman's presentation very interesting.

We had lunch at Luminae. Menu looked like this:

I had the burrata salad, mushroom risotto and shared the burger with DH. For dessert, we opted for the chocolate fondant cake. The presentation of each dish was excellent and they were all tasty.

Luminae in the day:

Food pics (burrata salad, risotto, burger and dessert):

It was such a filling lunch that I decided to take my first spinning class - let's just say this was seriously challenging LOL. Well, at least I survived!!

They day passed very quickly and it was soon time to prepare for our first Evening Chic night!

TBC...

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Hi

Really enjoying your review ,we are on connie after the refit with our 10 yr old daughter so would love to hear anything about the kids club if you get a chance ,thanks also do you know if it is true about losing ocean liners to qsine after the refit.

There are very few kids on the cruise. Looking at the sign up sheets, there are about 3 ensigns (9-? Year old) who regularly sign in and 4-5 (including my DD) shipmates (3-8 year old) who are there. My DD likes it - she does lots of colouring (with paints and watercolours), beading, and even face painting. The day sessions seem well-attended; the night sessions tend to be super quiet and DD has indicated she doesn't want to go for the night sessions anymore after a few consecutive nights being the Lone Ranger. I think it has a relaxed laid back vibe compared to Adventure Ocean which tends to be more rowdy. I have a feeling my DD actually prefers the Fun Factory program although she hasn't actually articulated it.

Yes, we understand it is currently on the cards to replace OL with Qsine, much to our and even the crew's dismay. We have booked to go OL thrice this cruise and will see if we love it as much as you guys!

Very nice photos!

Thank you!

Can I ask about the visa for Vietnam - was that completed on the ship?

We did not need visas as my group are all from visa exempt countries. However, there was something about it in one of the past Celebrity Today issues. Will pull it up when we get back to the ship.

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When we returned, I was delighted to find that our butler had left a cheese platter, some shrimp cocktail and a fruit platter in our fridge. It was nicely anticipated and certainly much appreciated.

Menus for the evening follow.

Blu:

MDR:

Luminae:

Snapshot of some of our food. Only MDR dish is the Cherries Jubilee.

We skipped the show and opted to have an early night instead. We stopped by Future Cruises and found that the promotion for post-April 2018 cruises is simply one free perk together with some OBC. Not much of a promotion so we decided to think it over.

Another sea day awaited and we were pleased to be able to relax a little.

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We then passed Long Tan Cross:

A house that was built by the charity:

And finally stopped by the Australian memorial. 18 Australian soldiers died during that short but important battle. Our guide recited the oath to the accompaniment of a brief but stirring piece of music.

We then headed back to Ba Ria to a restaurant called Saigon OK for lunch. It was simple hearty fare - the seafood fried rice and pork ribs were particularly good.

We then headed back to the ship. You can see her here in the distance, just after we passed entrance gate of the port.

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We then visited the Long Phuoc tunnels where we entered a section that is open to the public. There is also a small museum which unfortunately was all in Vietnamese. Our guide though was immensely helpful in providing details of the Long Tan war and using the model of the terrain that was in the museum to explain what went on. The tunnels are not as cramped as the ones in South Korea in the DMZ so it was relatively comfortable to go through.

Pictures of tunnels

Bunkers - can you spot them?

Museum exhibit

Day 3 - Phu My

Our first port day was a stop at Phu My. No it's not Ho Chi Minh city which is more than an hour's bus ride away and I do wish the cruise lines would stop advertising it as such - we heard a few fellow passengers complain at dinner about having spent "too much time" on the buses.

Being frequent visitors to HCM, we opted to take a tour to the Vung Tau/ Ba Ria region run by Australian war veterans. The proceeds all go to the Vung Tau Veterans & Friends Children's Fund, which builds schools and houses and supports orphanages in the local area.

After an initial hiccup due to not being able to locate each other (they were waiting at the gate while we were trying to find them amongst the shore excursion buses and vehicles for hire), we were off. Our guide was a war veteran named Jim and he was accompanied by his wife.

Our first stop was to a Buddhist orphanage which the charity helps fund. Most of the children were back in school except for the youngest. We were impressed by how happy and well looked after the children were. The caregivers are all volunteers doing good deeds and on pilgrimage and the orphanage does not offer the children up for adoption due to their religious belief that doing so would somehow be gaining some sort of financial benefit on the lives of the children.

Provisions (mostly donated) and volunteers who manage them

Where the children sleep at night by laying out mats

The youngest kids who don't yet go to school (faces blurred)

We then took a drive around to view significant landmarks during the war.

Century-old water tank in Ba Ria where snipers were perched (see the multiple birds' nests that have sprouted!)

Nha tho duc ba - a Catholic Church first confiscated and later returned to the church by the communist government

Small local market with exotic produce

TBC (as there is a cap of 6 photos a post)...

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When you get a chance can you ask Megan if she will still be the MC Concierge on the April re-positioning cruise from Singapore to Rome in April.

Yes she says she will be :)

Thank you so much for the posts from the Connie....

Thanks so much for sharing. Vicki.

Pleasure! We had reservations about the Connie being a smaller ship and having six sea days and all but we are really enjoying ourselves thus far. The lectures have been wonderful and there are always activities going on. I'm starting to wish we had more sea days lol.

Can you enquire if Sushi on 5 is included in the Dining Packages - we have a 5 night package ?

Will ask if the opportunity arises - they haven't been advertising the dining packages aggressively (unlike the USD319 internet package) so I'm not sure where to ask. But will keep a lookout.

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Menus for dinner tonight:

Blu

Luminae

MDR

Dinner tonight was delicious. The crab cake, tuna, chestnut tortellini, black bass and lamb loin all garnered praise. The desserts were all wonderful - it was a pity I'm trying to control my diet at the moment! Pictured are the crab cake, the lamb and the chocolate tart.

The wonderful staff kept encouraging us to try more dishes but we were truly stuffed to the brim. I love the ambience and vibe of the restaurant. It exudes a genuine service enthusiasm that just makes you happy to be there.

We went to the photo gallery after dinner and had fun doing some portraits before popping into Michael's Club for evening drinks (for those who drink) and to meet the senior officers. We had our photos taken with the captain and spoke at length with the staff captain and head of guest relations and enjoyed ourselves very much. We rounded off the night at the show (kudos to the cast for 50 mins of non-stop performance but we thought the previous night was more polished).

We get to Phu My tomorrow, our first port of call.

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Day 2 - Sea Day

We had a sleep-in today and missed breakfast. The in-laws enjoyed themselves at Oceanview and said the spread was lovely. A few of us then joined the free galley tour along with what must be half the ship! The tour was scheduled to start at 10.15am and when we went down with those participating at 10.05, they were handed out Group 12 stickers! They found the tour very informative and interesting.

We spent the rest of the morning registering DD for Fun Factory, exploring the gym/spa and generally just walking around. We purchased a photo package for the other cabin and because we had pre-purchased ours, we got a 50% discount off the second package. I don't know if this is common knowledge but I saw it on the vendor's website.

We also popped into Michael's Club to book our shore excursion for Manila. Megan the concierge is the friendliest person ever - her warmth is infectious. She helped us to book the excursion and also helped us to reissue the keycards of some of our group who have switched rooms.

As I wanted to catch the lecture at 1pm, we had lunch at Oceanview Cafe instead of Luminae. I thought it had a good spread, with separate stations for gluten free pasta and gluten desserts (pictured).

In honour of Superbowl, this was apparently a themed lunch.

I am not American so I am not sure what the relation is but the spread included clam chowder (very salty!), breaded fish and chips and mashed potato. There was even a large cake.

I had a hurried lunch as I really wanted to catch the presentation on Ho Chi Minh City by Dr Bill Collins. It was short but very interesting and informative. It was also well attended.

After a short siesta, DH and the kids soaked in our outdoor jacuzzi while I went for a Flat Abs class at the gym. Sure, we know all the exercises and can do them ourselves but nothing beats doing it with others around you. It somehow lends a collective mental strength and really lifts you up LOL. After this, it was time to prepare for dinner.

Oh and we were notified this morning that our very capable and friendly stateroom attendant was being switched out. It turns out that our neighbour is French and does not speak English. So they need a stateroom attendant who can converse with them. Our stateroom attendant is from Mauritius so fits the bill. We have yet to meet our new attendant but he's certainly been around.

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I hope things pick up for you -- we loved our experience in Luminae in May very much...Luminae really aims to please!

 

 

 

So glad that Ocean Liners is still on the ship [will probably be replaced with an Olive Garden -- I mean Tuscan Grille -- on the next drydock :eek:] I love their Chateaubriand [they will make it for one if your DH wants something different] and Grand Marnier soufflé. The Chef's Table was also terrific.

Thanks for the recommendations - will try when we go to Ocean Liners. Am happy that we are able to experience it before the dry dock. Food at Luminae was uniformly good tonight; service remained exemplary.

Yes, that's out itinerary too. We're really looking forward to it and so really enjoying your posts!

We do like this cruise so far and hope you will too!

Thank you for taking the time to post the menus for MDR/Blu & Luminae. You often hear that they're serving different food, but it's really interesting to be able to compare them on the same night.

You're welcome - I don't know how long I can keep it up but will try to!

Happy sailing! Will be following along.

Thank you!

Wishing you happy ⛵️ sailing on your cruise.

Thank you! We are enjoying ourselves!

Thanks for providing your day-to-day insights. We will be on the Connie in March. Different itinerary... Singapore to Singapore w/ 3 Vietnam & 2 Thailand Stops (overnight in Thailand). Loved the Connie & the food this past Spring. Looking forward to your posts!!

Thank you! Preparing the next one now.

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Continued from yesterday, we had a late lunch at Sushi on Five. We ordered the beef tataki (pictured), ahi tuna (also pictured), shrimp tempura roll without seaweed (I have thyroid problems so have to watch my iodine intake) and some sashimi.

DH also had some sake to go along. The sake was part of the beverage package. Interestingly, we wanted to order the fresh wasabi but were told we would be charged the additional $10 even though our suite includes speciality dining. We opted not to have it in the end. The appetiser and rolls were very good; the sashimi not so fresh. The tuna and the tako (octopus) in particular tasted very off.

Departure was delayed by an hour as a few passengers failed to hand in their passports. The ship was very tactful at first but when that failed, had to resort to naming the specific passengers over the announcement system.

We had our first dinner at Luminae and service was fantastic. The wait staff was attentive, enthusiastic and anticipated our needs (making very useful suggestions with respect to our children's meals etc). Food unfortunately was hit and miss. The duck breast was tough (the table next to ours requested for a second main due to the same issue) and I wasn't sure I wouldn't have enjoyed the MDR prime rib more than the filet mignon. The burrata on the other hand hit all the right spots and desserts were very good.

We went to the main seating show and it was easy on the eye and the ears. Nice feature aerialists and guest band (Fusion) performing familiar favourites. I felt bad that the theatre looked so empty but many people travelled far to reach Singapore and had retired for an early night.

With that, we ended our first night onboard. One down 13 to go!

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I'm really looking forward to hearing more as well - we're on the Constellation next month and I have a feeling you're going to the same ports! Hopen you have a wonderful cruise and thanks for taking the time to do the review

Thank you! We have two ports in Vietnam, two in Philippines and one each in Hong Kong and Malaysia. Long but leisurely cruise IMO lol. Is this your itinerary too?

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MDR and Blu

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Menus from today...

Sushi on 5

Ocean Liners

Tuscan Grille

Luminae

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I have never done a review of any sort before but will attempt to give updates as and when since many seem concerned about the condition of the Constellation.

Check-in was a breeze - not sure if we were that late (we checked in around 2pm) but we saw piles of luggage neatly stacked when our taxi pulled up and nary a line anywhere. Boarding was delayed as I had to be checked by a nurse (having declared my recent fever four days ago) but we were not in a hurry anyway.

Crew so far seem friendly and pleasant enough. We did not like the in your face pushing of specialty dining from before the gangway until we boarded. It made sipping champagne that bit less relaxing.

DH had to go to guest relations for something and was annoyed when 1) the CSO remarked "oh you speak English" and 2) the guest next to him told him in a condescending manner to step aside as he was giving his Captains club number to the person attending to him. He thought that was quite unnecessary so his initial impressions of the ship have not been good. I'm hopeful he will change his mind - it's been a very long two days for us, attending an Australian Day ball late last night and then the frenzy of organising a group (we are 7) for boarding, most of whom are just waiting to be herded around.

We have just met our butler and stateroom attendant - they both seem nice. Our stateroom attendant has just reported for work after being on vacation. Our butler has already placed speciality dining menus in our suite; we have requested for Luminae and MDR menus as well. Have also made a mental note to tip both at least the standard grats for two additional persons as they are serving 5 instead of 3 in the cabin - the sky suite is so tiny it cannot possibly fit the third adult and the infant who were originally booked so they are migrating to our cabin instead.

We are too late for lunch - the buffet is closed now - so we will dine earlier at Luminae tonight. Or check out Sushi on Five as that seems open still!

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I use an online agency based in the USA. Because we are not based in USA, I have had some of the larger online agencies tell me they can't do international bookings so my choices are limited. I am reasonably happy with my TA - using the website some of the others have posted, her perks have always come in consistently the best. My TA usually gives me about 7% back in OBC and we have been very happy with her - the downside is we are 12 hours apart and she doesn't work weekends so there's some scrambling sometimes. I could call the agency to get another TA on the line but the one time I did, the cover TA quoted me less OBC than what my regular TA had quoted me and when I raised it up, she said oh, then better check with her when she gets back to the office as what I have quoted you is our "standard" OBC offer.

My TA has never given me prepaid grats or bottles of wine but I believe she gives us the equivalent in OBC.

Having said that, they don't monitor price drops at all. I do that through the paid service website that some of the others here use. However, I am happy to note that our prices have always been good and there is almost never any need to rebook - I guess it's a consequence of booking so far in advance. Give and take I suppose. Also, we are starting to look at luxury cruising and my TA has huge volume in the mainstream/premium lines but not so much the luxury lines. Naturally she (and her agency) have little influence (IMO) on getting them to help us out. However, she tries her best so we are still inclined to stick with her for now.

I also don't do any business with any agency that charges cancellation fees - we book way out in advance and things happen now and then so I prefer to keep the flexibility (although our cancellation rate is currently zero because we prefer to shift cruises rather than outright cancel given that the bank and credit card takes a huge spread of the refund).

Wow I had no idea we could ask for water not to be Evian - can we specifically ask for Vettel? When the shoreside concierge contacted me, they gave me a list of alcohol for mini bar set up. We also asked for a dining reservation to be made on Valentine's Day in Ocean Liner. Didn't think to ask for a yoga mat to plank in the suite. Are they able to provide extension cords?

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I don't see anything that mentions cruises later than 4/2018. It's too early to see promos that far in advance. I don't think this is uncommon that it's not listed.

 

However, if I try to book the 2/1/2019 Southern Carib on Silhouette, I'm seeing Big, Better, Best offered.

Both the links that you posted indicate that the sailing range is from 1 March 2017 to 30 April 2018. If I continue to book in suites, the promo doesn't really matter as we currently get all four perks anyway. However, I was thinking of booking an AQ stateroom for our next cruise while onboard and getting the "free" second perk would have been good. Was hoping they would extend the sailing range once 31 Jan had come and gone; looks like that won't be the case!

The current promo only covers cruises until April 2018. If it's extended, does it mean there are (still) no promos for cruises beyond that and therefore there is no incentive for us to book anything onboard when we sail in a week's time?