jameybano

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

If either of us get to Coco Cay, it will be a shock!  

This itinerary goes to Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.

 

 

On 5/29/2019 at 6:23 AM, mirnsd said:

Thanks for sticking with the review folks. We have now been back over a week and I wanted to give a final round up of all the things we loved and the few things which could be better on board Constellation. 

 

Firstly, let me say that some of the reviews had me truly worried about our decision to go on this sailing. A lot of reviews were mentioning that the service was bad, that the ship was very tired and that standards were slipping all over the place. I will go into some of these in more detail later but I can honestly say that none of these things ring true from our experience on board the ship for our 9 night sailing.

 

Service - By and large the service from staff around the ship was great. Our cabin attendant Dewi was brilliant. She worked super hard and always made sure the room was clean and she worked around us very well. The servers at the bars were again very efficient but we did notice a few grumpy faces here and there. Nothing that really concerns me - I understand they all work long shifts but I would say that the normal level of service we saw from previous Celebrity sailings was probably higher than on this sailing. Again, nothing that really caused me any troubles. There were always servers around the pool taking drinks orders and they were always very happy and cheery. I know that some people have noted that the number of servers going round the lido deck has reduced in recent years on Celebrity but I have to say I didn't find this to be the case on this particular sailing. Lastly, our team in Blu were brilliant - from Maître d' , sommelier and waiting staff, they were all super efficient. We sat in broadly the same area every night and were normally placed at a window table or one back from the window. This made for some super views whilst enjoying dinner.

 

Food -  On this sailing we didn't do any speciality dining because we were eager to try Blu for the first time. We ate in Blu every evening and did a few breakfasts there too. We aren't super early risers on holiday so I have to admit that we didn't always make the breakfasts in the morning. When we did do breakfast in Blu, the food was always tasty and served very efficiently. On the mornings where we did breakfast in the Oceanview, I have to say we were hugely disappointed. The food was never more than tepid. Eggs, sausages, hash browns - nothing was ever hot for some reason. This is despite it being under heat lamps and in a bain-marie. I've worked in hospitality and I am not sure how you even make that happen. On the few occasions we did try Oceanview for lunch, I have to say that the problem persisted. This led me to either avoid the buffet altogether or to go for cold options when we did eat there. The food was largely flavoursome enough but the temperature issues put me off the whole time. Blu on the other hand was a different kettle of fish. The food was always hot and very tasty. I loved the slightly smaller portions as I get put off by mounds of food on a plate. It was ideal because you could always order another dish if you were still feeling like it afterwards.

 

Entertainment -  We thought the entertainment offerings on board the ship were by and large very good. The evening shows were of a higher quality and less baffling than some we have seen on Celebrity. Even the cast productions were better than on some previous sailings. The Celebrity Life activities were also very good but not always well attended. Bizarrely you could go from Trivia with 15 teams one night to 3 teams the next! The interactive game shows were always well attended and I think they benefit from being on the slightly smaller ship. Sometimes we felt that these events got lost on the Solstice class ships because there are simply too many public rooms to choose from in the evening. Because people tended to migrate towards the Martini bar and the Rendezvous Lounge of an evening, these events tended to get a better turnout. Karaoke and Silent Disco were always a blast, well attended too and the addition of Bandaoke was nice too. We did feel that they sometimes cut the Silent Disco a bit too short. I got the impression that a lot of people were up for some late night dancing on the ship but because of the lack of a night club space, they seemed to edge people back to their staterooms by winding down the music earlier than some would have liked.

 

Bars and public spaces -  We spent less time at the Martini Bar on this ship than we have on any other. Not for any big reason - just that we actually enjoyed Cellar Masters, Rendezvous and the Reflections Lounge. My only grumble about one of these spaces was Reflections - the room sometimes had a very strong waste water smell in the centre of the room. We have no idea what could be causing this but it was very pungent on occasion. We actually left early one evening because it was so strong. We discovered that if you sat slightly off to one side of the room, you could barely smell it. I hope they are able to get to the bottom of it. 

We are not gamblers but did walk through the casino most nights. The bar in there was always busy and the casino seemed to be very popular, with most tables in use and busy every evening. 

Café al Bacio was great and the cakes never failed to disappoint. We made a point of stopping in most days. 

I noticed some people in reviews saying that the furnishings were tired in some places but I can't say that I really agree too much. Yes, there are occasional carpet stains in some public areas. In some spots the decor could do with an update but I guess that's why they have a dry dock scheduled. The slight marks here or there did not put us off and at no point did we feel the ship was dirty or unhygienic. Cleaning crews were evident almost everywhere you turned.

Yes, you can tell the ship is not new but again, she sails with over 2,000 passengers on board every week of the year - the ship isn't going to look like a new build. The places where I felt you could tell her age the most was in the ships windows and some rust spots to some outer decks. Some of the glass is breaking down and the window washing regime clearly wasn't as efficient as on the Solstice class ships. Again, not really that big a deal in the bigger picture but I am sure if these are dealt with in dry dock, they ship will take on a new lease of life.

 

I am hoping I have covered most things. I will post one final review with our thoughts on this ship Vs Solstice class ships and then that will be all from me until we sail again in 4 months on Reflection. 

Thanks again for following along! 

I would agree with OP.  We boarded the Constellation on the date that OP disembarked. We sailed Aquaclass in stateroom 1136.

Yes, the ship is showing her age. Our stateroom bathroom had blacked out edges on the mirror, and there was visible rust on balcony.  Soft good were worn. Towels in stateroom and pool towels were frayed and snagged. Chairs on balcony were faded. Our air conditioner struggled and we lost water pressure and the ability to flush the toilet on the last day. We kept the lid on the toilet shut to avoid a strong sewer odor. Windows were dirty in stateroom and public areas. The carpet in the public areas was splitting at the seams and had visible stains- particularly noticeable in the Reflections lounge.  Seats in the Celebrity Theatre were worn in circular spots and had dents and scratches on tables.

Service was beyond excellent in Blu and the Tuscan Grille. We experienced excellent bar service in the Theatre and pool area. It is in other areas that we both thought service was down in comparison to five previous Celebrity cruises.

Long waits for service in the Oceanview Cafe and Sushi on Five.  We had canapes in stateroom but no napkins and flatware.  No beach towels left in staterooms or available for checkout near gangway. Previously, the restrooms near popular nightly venues we staffed with matrons to keep the restroom clean and tidy and rolled towels supplied.  This was not the case this cruise. Countless times the towel bins were empty and paper towels were overflowing in the trash bin.  Someone vomited in one of the sinks near the Reflections lounge and it took hours for it to be cleaned. A light bulb was burned out in one of the stalls near Blu and it wasn't changed for two days. 

The worse thing, though, is that we docked in Santorini with THREE other cruise ships. My husband got up early to get our tender tickets and we still barely made it to the dock to meet our tour group. It was mayhem on the dock at the foot of the cable car area.  Thira and Oia were chocked full of tourists.  We waited about thirty minutes in the sun and rain to ride the cable car down and made the last tender back to the ship. I will say that Celebrity was the only line that has staff members checking in with passengers in line and had cold towels and water at the tender gangway.  Celebrity should never dock there with so many other ships.  

None of these things will keep us from rebooking with Celebrity. I would not recommend or rebook Constellation until after her refurbishment next year.  

Thank you OP!  My intention was not to highjack your thread, I just wanted to echo your comments.

Once you go Blu, you never go back! Have cruised almost exclusively Aqua since 1st time doing it in 2013.  Last year, we booked last minute on Equinox and Aqua/suites were sold old.  We ate in the specialty dining rooms every night b/c we could not bring ourselves to go back to the MDR.

I think we are not alone in this--- newer Edge class ships offer rotating dining room options.

enjoy your cruise!

My husband and I will be boarding the Constellation on May 21st in Venice! Looking forward to reading your insights and tips!

1 hour ago, StuLaurie said:

Norma, I must tell you that every day I rush home from work to see if you have posted any updates. It has been the highlight of my days. Even though I don’t post very often I am sure there are others like me who truly appreciate all your time and effort that you are putting in to your report. We board the Millennium in a few weeks. Thank you again for taking us with you...

12 minutes ago, Mr. Boston said:

Ditto what StuLaurie said. Except the part about boarding the Millennium in a few weeks 🙁

 

I’ve really enjoyed your reports and beautiful photos. 

me too!

Scallops and yogurt pairing looks about as appetizing as it sounds 😕

I am enjoying your t-blog! Keep it up!

DH and I just disembarked the Equinox! Have a great cruise! We found her to be in excellent condition and experienced wonderful service from the crew.

Bon voyage!

How did you not laugh out loud at that moron.

There may have been clapping when he was directed by the officer to another part of the pool...:cool::cool:

I experienced a chair hog yesterday on Equinox! My husband and I arrived at the pool yesterday around 10am (sea day) . There were tons of chairs with just towels or towels and flip flops, water bottles, celebrity magazines, etc. We went to two chairs - with towels on them and nothing else-and asked a couple next to them if they had been occupied. The couple stated that they had been seated since 9am and no one had been in the chairs. We sat in the chairs.

A man shows up at 1:20pm demanding that we vacate the chairs that he had reserved-- btw he waited until my husband went to the restroom and approached me-- I told him that the reserving of pool chairs was not allowed. He told me that he could reserve chairs as long as he felt like and that he had got up at 8am to get these chairs (mind you it is now after 1Pm). I told him that I had been in the chair for three hours and reminded him of the policy. He then went to a pool butler and complained and then it escalated to an officer. The staff remained true to the policy and directed him elsewhere. As he was leaving he called me a "fu#$er."

I totally agree that Celebrity could do a better job in enforcing this policy. I saw several chairs "saved" and unoccupied the entire time I was at the pool (10am-3:30pm). It could be a simple as signs posted in the pool area warning that unattended items would be removed after one hour.

Yay!

Thank you for posting another review! I always enjoy the photos, information and traveling tips.

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I wish there were a "like" function-- your photos are stunning! Beautiful rainbows!

Thanks! Are you going to see it?

We have made ZERO plans for what we are doing on this cruise !

We are both foodies, so this sounds like a relaxing way to spend the evening!

If you go, let us know how it is!

Bon Voyage!

I read a post elsewhere that the current film is "Chef" The dinner is being held this evening (Thursday)

I am sailing on the Summit June 4th. We are AQ starboard. Which side of the ship sails past Lady Liberty?

Thank you for posting your live wifi-dependent review. Your pictures are phenomenal!

Thank you for all of your wonderful posts. I hope the two of you enjoy the rest of your cruise. Safe travels home.

My friend just texted me to say that the refugees are indeed Cuban. She just witnessed them being removed from the ship by the coast guard.

My friends have said that the refugees were waving their hands frantically to be rescued.

Just received a text that the Reflection is being diverted to Key West to deliver the refugees there.

I am happy that they were rescued from the sea but sad about their fate. I cannot imagine how desperate their situations must be.

I have received several sporadic text messages this morning from friends abroad the Refection. They are currently stopped and providing assistance to a raft with about 10-12 persons, awaiting the arrival of the coast guard.

Thank God they were spotted.

I was also on this cruise!

It sure did feel like there were 700 spring breakers on the cruise!

I was on deck 9 in AQ-- EVERY NIGHT I was awakened at two, three, four in the morning by drunks trying to make their way back to their staterooms. I agree that the pool staff was completely overwhelmed by the crowd-- chairs saved by 8 am, bar service was slow, staff seemed frazzled. I did see bartenders carding people.

Dining in Blu was the highlight of the cruise. Never had to wait to be seated. Service was efficient. Loved the quieter atmosphere and cuisine. AQ stateroom was super clean. Loved the overhang on the balcony which shielded room from the sun.

Enjoyed the comedian and magician as well.

I had the classic alcohol package and never saw the need to upgrade. It was nice to never receive a receipt!

Would not hesitate to sail AQ again, but would probably avoid taking a shorter cruise during Spring Break.

Hey!! Another cruise buddy heard from!! And you are cruising .....like real soon!!! Yes.....retirementland is wonderful!!! Bon Voyage!

Sooooo ready for Spring Break! Every type of winter record was shattered this year :eek:

I am taking my son on his first cruise. We are sailing in Aquaclass, really excited about trying Blu.

So just to be clear, you would advise against this cruise during this timeframe, because it would be too hot?

Yes!

I did a Western Med cruise in late June/early July 2012. It was 106 F the day we were in Rome.