djdobrott

16 hours ago, Aknayt3393 said:

@djdobrott I have only seen all bar stools open at this point. So you should be fine unless they change things. The staff are really enforcing masks except when actively eating or drinking. I was concerned about the casino being safe because of comments on here, but my husband talked me into stopping this eve after dinner and we played roulette. We were the only ones at the table and everyone in the casino was masked even between sips of our drinks. I’m sure some people won’t appreciate that but it made us feel better about things. The casino did not have many people at all and it felt safe. We still have not heard of any Covid cases.|

Thanks so much for respond back. Masks aren't an issue for our group. We live in Palm Springs and Los Angeles and just lost our mandate a month ago.

I was on a River Cruise out of Amsterdam last month (masks were not being enforced) and came home and tested Positive for Covid and had a bit of a rough go of it.  Personally I don't mind the masks if it creates an environment that keep the crew and guests safe and the ship still operating. 

@Aknayt3393 Thank you for your reporting on the current conditions.  I was curious if the Bar Stool Seats were open for seating or still closed off due to precautions?

 

I was the ship back in February and I was surprised to see the Bar Stool Seats blocked off in Martinis, Horizons, Casino Bar and even those at the pool bar. I had heard that was changing on the subsequent cruise but wasn't sure given the current situation.

Boarding for the May 7th sailing out of Ravenna with 2 other couples and we all like to sit at the bar and chat with the bar tenders; hoping they had opened those back up. 

I've been in the Med numerous times in August. It's usually a lake. Only one night, out of the 30 combined nights I've spent, was there a minor storm and we saw 10-15 swells. I would say with 85% certainty you won't feel a thing. AZ in the med is amazing, I would highly recommend over Cunard.

Just received this update from Azamara. This update reflected their current itinerary plan as of 10/3

 

 

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If I were a betting man, my guess is after April 2019 she'll be heading to the Med for a season.

It depends on where the obc comes from. Obc from celebrity is a no for casino cash. Cash from a travel agent "may" be available fo casino cash, but you would need to ask your TA. Don't forget you can always use Obc to buy apple products in the I lounge.

I'm on the Charter sailing 8/14 and we were told it would be be changing after our cruise.

I heard from a friend who just sailed the Equinox; the Molecular bar staff said that it's not changing until after the Atlantis Charter Cruise this August. My guess would be in its TA back to Miami.

From what I hear it sounds interesting. Not as complicated.

It's a nice way to enjoy the views with friends you are sailing with. Just be mindful when changing in the room to close the curtains or an unexpected visitor might be treated to the less desirable view.

You should be ok then. Obstructive views is more of an issue with Verandah guarantee.

Some A2 cabins can be located directly under the gym where the treadmills are. Some Guest have complained of early morning noise. If you're an early riser or its a heavy port itinerary you might not notice it as much. Other A1 cabins are located under the overhang and those balconies don't get as much direct sunlight, some like that feature some don't. Guarantees are a great option for the price though. I would say if you're a fussy traveler like myself it's probably not worth the risk. If you're more relaxed and or don't plan on spending much time in the room it's a great option. Also after you are assigned if you see its in a noisy area you can call and see if there is another option to switch to.

Happy to hear about the concept not changing too much.

If your are picking up the train at the port station Civitavecchia you'll be fine. If picking this train up in Termini then it's cutting it close but doable.

I think the main issue is the atmosphere at the bar. Given the price of the drinks the space should feel more special imo.

I too found the service level on the Connie to be lacking in certain bars, especially by the pool. I think the service has to do with the the quick itineraries this ship does, I think the staff on this boat is pretty green compared to what I found on the Equinox ship.

I would try to call back. Tell the agent your issues and that it's your first time with celebrity and see if they can help or if a supervisor might be able to help. I hope it works out. I just got a friend the Connie if you're you end up stuck with the ocean view room get an ADA room. I was in room 6004 an OV Accessible room and it's huge, 390 sqft

Have you looked at NCL their new Breakaway class ships offer a variety of activities for younger crowds and probably a variety of itineraries that might be of interest. Also many people rave about their Suites experience in Haven (a ship within a ship).

The hourly wages the majority of the staff make are fractions of what is required in the US and most European countries. Tips is the major source of income for many of the crew. With the drinks packages becoming the standard I feel many increased tip opportunities are gone because there's nothing to sign. I think the minor increase is more than justified. So much of the crew go above and beyond to make the experience delightful and they do this while working non stop and away from their homes friends and loved ones. 18% is in line with many restaurants when you have a large party. My feeling is if I can give a bit of extra cash to the stars that stood out and my my 7-10 days enjoyable it's only a small token of my gratitude and money well spent. I like to generously tip on my last day as an overall thank you. Hopefully it brightens their day and let's them know they were noticed and appreciated.

Don't be too disappointed, like I said it's only about 15%, it's nothing like a Carnival Boose cruise out of Mexico. Just wanted to set expectations for when you do see it and not judge all Celebrity for it. Even on our 4 day we met some very very nice people. We only noticed rude people by the pool bar and the Martini bar, once after avoiding those places we had a great time.

Congratulations on booking your first cruise.

 

A few notes first on Celebrity Constellation. In January I did a 4 day on this ship. Being that it's primary itinerary is 4-5 day cruises right now I found the service level to be lacking in certain areas compared to other Celebrity ships. Mainly the pool bar and Martini bar. The crowd also tends to not be your traditional Celebrity cruiser, a little more rough around the edges and down right rude to the staff at times. Don't let his scare you it was maybe only 15% of the time and by day two I learned to avoid the problem areas / people. Make sure you go see Alex the bar tender in Rendezvous located on deck 4 he us amazing and will take great care of you.

 

Now to your questions:

 

I don't believe the tip is included in the spa price. I remember adding tip.

 

Your sea pass card (your everything card while on board: how you charge things and your room key) will have a Designation on it alerting the bar tender to your drink package. If you both are drinkers of wine and like top shelf cocktails I would highly recommend using some of your on board credit to upgrade to the Premium package. You can do this on board at may bar if you wish.

 

I rember Blu is on deck 5 but I assume your Aqua class or in a Suite it's only available to guests in those categories. It gets a bit crowded sonic recommend shooting for early dinners when going there. I also highly recommend Bistro on 5 it's a small up charge only $7/Person and we'll worth it.

 

For the up charge restaurants a tip is included biut I always tip extra if I feel the service is exceptional. Tips is how the staff make most of their money.

 

Lunch will be available in the buffet once you arrive. I recommend getting to the port around 11/11:30. This way you avoid the lines and are on the ship by noon. It's always better to get on early I feel and get the vacation started.

 

Have a great first time cruise and just remember that some staff are better than others given this boat does shorter cruises and recently had a lot of "new" staff so just find the good ones of which their are many.

Love your review and picture. Thinking about booking a cruise on the Summit next year in the Caribbean for a Charter sailing. I just got off the Connie and prefer S-Class, but this cruise looks fun.

The Hyatt House or Hyatt Place are good options. I believe they have a shuttle service to the airport.

I recently did a 4 day on Constellation. I booked online about 3 weeks before sailing and called a few days after booking to see about an Accessible room, they said that it would count as my Captain Club Complimentary upgrade. We booked an OV Room and was happy to have the upgrade. Room 6004.

Just completed my 2nd cruise with Celebrity on the Constellation. It was a last minute booking and we stayed in Cabin 6004 (Ocean View Accessible). Let me start off by saying that my first experience with Celebrity was on the Equinox on a 10 day charter cruise last summer in the Mediterranean in Aqua class and we had an amazing time.

 

This cruise I would give a B-.

 

The boat is a good size, but there doesn't seem to be a lot going on. I expected less activities on a 4 day cruise, but most of the boat was a snooze fest. I later realized from other guests that the M class tends to be a quiet ship.

 

I really liked our room 6004 (pics attached). It was nice to have an oversized room, and I will definitely be requesting ADA rooms going forward to have the extra space.

 

The service I found to be lacking with certain crew. The martini bar was always packed and one evening myself and another couple next to me waited 15 minutes before even being acknowledged by one of the three bartenders. There was no apology for the wait and when he took our order he looked annoyed. The next day the pool bar had only 1 staff member around lunch time and he too was completely overrun and had a sourpus face. On Equinox there were more visible staff, they always had a smile and I never waited more than 5 minutes for a drink. At least when I did wait the bartender would acknowledge me and let me know he would be with more shortly, not the case on the Connie.

 

I get that many cruisers are now on the drink packages, and being a 4 day cruise many guests are not the most polite, but I was completely surprised to see such a large number of the crew looking so unhappy with curt replies.

 

There were a few bright spots. Alexander in the Rendezvous lounge was always a treat (he was my favorite bartender on Equinox, so it was just luck he had moved to the Connie).

 

The food was very good. Our first night in the main dining room though the service was painfully slow, but then we asked to be seated in a different section the following night and everything was perfect so we always returned to that section and had a great time.

 

I can see why some cruisers who like a more relaxed and quiet pace enjoy the M Class. I'm glad I did the cruise, but going forward I would only book an S Class ship.

 

The ship having less to do was only a minor disappointment, my main concern was the dichotomy of service. There were a few bright stars that we learned to always go to and it made the cruise by day 3, but Celebrity should have great service all around.

 

The port stops were 50/50. We did a Snorkel excursion in Nassau which was well worth the money and a great way to see the island. We walked around the town for 15 minutes, but not being into the diamond exchanges, we returned to the boat for lunch. This is a stop I would avoid on future cruises or opt to stay on the boat.

 

We had a wonderful time in Key west, a rather late start due to some drinking the night before in Reflections, but would definitely go back. The Butterfly Conservatory is worth the visit.

 

Since I've been off the boat I've been in a YouTube video spiral of cruise reviews (Thinking the NCL Getaway might be fun to try). I have to say I still love Celebrity and I'm booked on the Equinox again in Aqua Class for the 10 day Med cruise this summer (Rome to Istanbul). So it was nice to see her in port when we disembarked.