zactak

The studios are more for just sleeping for the most part. If you're concerned that you won't meet people, I don't think you'll have any problems with that at all. Transatlantics tend to have an older average age than a cruise to the caribbean. I was on the EPIC in a studio almost three years ago and there was a wide range of ages there. I was 29 when I went on the cruise, and some of the best people I met on the ship were probably around 55 and older.. there are several people I still keep in touch with. One woman I keep in contact with recently retired. The group of people I hung out with were in their 20s and well into their 60s, I am sure.

I recently booked the transatlantic that you're interested in and there are already a couple of other solos that have checked in on the roll call. You can check it out here, if you haven't already! I haven't introduced myself in there yet, but I have been lurking: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2251961

I have only been on one cruise in which the time on the ship changed to local time instead of ship time. We were notified in our staterooms on our dailies as well as on a little piece of paper near it. There was also a couple of announcements from the captain letting us know that was going to happen. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll most likely be informed, and if not, feel free to ask a crew member.

I hope you enjoy your cruise! I was in Grand Cayman many years ago and really enjoyed the island. You could see the other side of the water from the ship!

I went on a short four-day cruise to the Bahamas and Key West at the end of March this year on board the Celebrity Constellation. I will preface this with I am a very easygoing guy that is easy to please. I likely would never go on another Celebrity cruise again. I had problems with the company from the start and my cruise wasn't that great, although some Celebrity enthusiasts told me shorter cruises are not the best way to experience their product.

When I originally booked the cruise, I placed a courtesy hold for 24 hours to ensure my partner at the time was really committed to go. Placing a courtesy hold on the cruise locks in that pricing. Within the 24-hour window, I booked he cruise, but I was given a price about $300 more than what my hold was for. I called them and the customer service representative fell just short of calling me a liar. He kept saying, "This can't be possible," and that I have to be mistaken. He booked my cruise, but upon my card being charged, he still overcharged me by about $100. I called back and basically got an apology. Since they weren't willing to change the amount I was charged, my partner and I wanted to upgrade our room and pay the difference. They said they could do that, but I would lose my perks, despite the promotion still going on, because we were beyond final payment... I'll note this was within 48 hours of booking my original cruise. I actually had to come on here and complain in order to get someone to look into my problem. Someone from their "executive team" contacted me. She did end up giving me onboard credit equal to what I lost, a bottle of wine and a free meal at a speciality restaurant of my choosing. I ended up getting charged for the restaurant and had to call afterwards to get reimbursed for that.

Upon boarding the cruise, we were immediately hounded about buying drink packages. This seemed endless and was very pushy. While going to our muster drill, a staff member told my partner and I to walk to the other side of the ship to clear up space on the stairways. We were stopped by a steward that told us to turn around and go back. I refused to do so and walked past him, letting him know we were told to go that way. At the muster drill, the captain came over the loud speaker and announced the various rules passengers were expected to follow, including dress codes. I knew and understood there was a dress code on the ship, but I was missing NCL's laid back attitude. This was my vacation after all, and I should be able to dress and act how I see fit, within reason of course.

One thing I love about NCL is the freestyle cruising. I loved being able to eat whenever I wanted. We had anytime dining on Celebrity. Our first night we waited almost an hour to be seated. When we went to check what the holdup was, we were told that they had forgotten about us. My partner requested a manager and when he came over, the manager seemed more interested in other things than hearing our concern. He kept looking away from my partner. He said, "Oh, sorry. What is your cabin number?" and then left without another comment. We had a wait for dinner every night.

The food was OK for the most part. Nothing spectacular by any means. The entertainment was mediocre to poor. The only show I enjoyed was a comedian the first night. We, along with many other people, actually walked out of another show. The ventriloquist was not funny, or entertaining and was degrading audience members instead of being playful as most people jokingly criticizing passengers are.

They were also having a half-charter, which I only knew from this site, so some of the venues were closed to us at times. We usually spent time in the Thalassotherapy indoor pool area before dinner, which was an adults-only area. We were told we had to leave at one point, because the area was being closed for a private charter party.

Our shower rarely had cold water and the water pressure was terrible.

In the end, the ship was OK and Key West was really nice. I didn't do any excursions with the ship, though. I really missed the laid back feel of NCL. I felt Celebrity was a little to stuffy for me, and I do like finer things in life. I'd say Celebrity is more regimented compared to NCL.

I'm gonna go over there and check it out now! I took a solo cruise about 2 1/2 years ago on Norwegian and am going on another with Norwegian again next year. After my solo cruise in 2013, I flew to Singapore by myself for about 2 1/2 weeks. I really enjoyed my time in the country!

I look forward to reading your review.

I was on the Epic a couple of years ago as a solo traveler. I booked my reservation ahead of time, but ended up going with a group of people a different night. I missed my reservation and went to the show with the group on a whim. At first the lady made me wait in the stand by line, but ended up letting me join my group that had reservations. The group wasn't coordinated by the solo director.

I say book it if you're concerned about being able to go, but know that you can definitely be flexible too!

In regards to the groups being in the studio lounge, there are a couple of scenarios that could be possible. The groups could have been traveling together and they each wanted separate rooms, or they may have been groups of people that met on the cruise. When I was on the EPIC two years ago, several groups that met that day had already formed by the end of the first night. One group that I met on my first night on the cruise that I hung out with on occasion was actually a group of people that came together and stayed in the studios. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Yes, studios cater to the solo traveler, but it's not exclusively a solo feature. Also, often times groups of people met in the studio lounge, especially late at night.

I don't blame you for feeling awkward with groups of people you were not used to being in the lounge. I would definitely feel the same way if I was you. With that said, I wouldn't let that impact my cruise experience. I either would have found an area of the lounge where I could be alone, or gone somewhere else where I would feel more comfortable.

Good luck with your travels. I am glad you enjoyed yourself for the most part. Cruises are a lot of fun. I think shopping around on other lines is always a good thing, especially to figure out what you do and don't like. I went on a Celebrity cruise earlier this year and did not like the cruise line.

Thanks BirdTravels, that was really helpful and put my mind at ease. The options look very appealing.

 

Are you allowed to ask fro more than one dessert? :)

You definitely can! What has already been said is true. There are a few staples on the menu that are the same every night, and then they have new options each night as well. There was one night that there were two entrees I couldn't decide between. I ordered both without a problem! I also ordered two desserts one night with no trouble at all.

I went on the EPIC a couple of years ago and I think we met at 5:00PM, but quite honestly after a couple of days, we all started making our own plans with each other and created our own groups. Our coordinator was really good at getting everyone to know each other and allowing everyone to just kind of do their own thing.

Should be interesting. Hopefully the weather will be nice.

 

As for you traveling alone, usually many friendly people aboard. We can at least have a birthday drink to celebrate your day![emoji512][emoji324][emoji485] my friend is usually very interesting, she can usually draw a crowd.

 

Hopefully my husband will be able to do one of the weeks? Work could interfere.

 

Anyway looking forward to meeting you.

I'm sure hoping so. I went on a Celebrity cruise in March and it wasn't that great, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one a bit more. Having a birthday drink sounds like a great idea for me :) Hopefully your husband will be able to join us or the other leg of your cruise.

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If you're who I think you are, there are a lot of us who posted encouragement in your thread and wanted you to continue.

All of you that were supportive definitely didn't go unnoticed. I appreciated the support. Even though I was very open on the review, people still only got a small snippet of what was going on to cause those stressors beyond the cruise.. I come on here to gain knowledge, but also for entertainment. Coming on here seeing the negativity was the last thing I wanted to do. I'm sorry for not finishing it :( I actually didn't even come back to the forums until a week or so ago, and even then I was just lurking.

Hi Zactak,

 

I have never been on the Constellation, but we've sailed the Summit three times, with our 4th cruise on the repo October 18th! In fact, this will our 3rd time doing this itinerary. We love the combination of a pre-cruise in NYC, days at sea, caribbean ports (SXM being one of our favorite cruise and vacation destinations) - PLUS - we're big fans of San Juan. When you factor in the price, it's a win all around. The Summit is a great ship and even though I like the overall feel of the S-class better - we still love the Summit.

That's great to hear! I was in SXM two years ago on the Norwegian EPIC and absolutely loved my time there. It's by far been my favorite destination in the Caribbean. I also love sea days and I'm excited to go to Puerto Rico. I plan to be there the 24-27.

I don't understand this. The ships are essentially identical. Yet so many people say they prefer the Summit to The Constellation. In fact the reviews for the Summit seem to be better than the Constellation. So often someone says, but my trip of The Constellation what the least enjoyable of all that I have done with Celebrity. Is it the entertainment or what is it? I am baffled. And here I am; I enjoyed the Summit and now I will be heading out on The Constellation with maybe not such high hopes.

I obviously can't say anything about the Summit, because I haven't sailed on her yet, but I will say that I think cle-guy is onto something about the shorter cruises on the Connie. I didn't feel the customer service was on par with past cruises I've done and the entertainment was hit and miss. There was a comedian the first night and he was great. The ventriloquist a few nights later was so awful a lot of people in the theater walked out.

I was following your review and was hoping that you'd finish it. Since you didn't finish I don't know all of your complaints about service on that cruise but I do know one was w/ the Select Dining process and waiting. Since you said you are going to be solo I'm guessing you may choose Traditional dining in order to have tablemates during dinner. That will eliminate the issue w/ wait times (or being overlooked) at the Select Dining. (but I may be wrong in my assumption). I also never experienced anyone asking me to purchase/upgrade a beverage package or book a specialty restaurant.

 

 

 

If memory serves from your review you sometimes have anxiety or may be a little introverted vs. extroverted. You're attitude and openness will also have an effect on how much you enjoy the cruise. If you are open and willing to meet new people or be willing to strike up conversations with other people you should have a great time. Also you won't have anyone else you are travelling with to make you feel guilty/pressured about doing something you are not wanting to do (again something I think I remember about your review that caused you some angst). You only have 1 person to make happy and that's yourself.

 

 

 

I was on the Summit last March as a solo traveler. I experienced excellent service and had a great time onboard. We had a great roll call and I met many wonderful people who made the cruise exceptional. I'm actually booked on the Summit again next March.

 

 

 

I say go in w/ and open mind and just enjoy yourself.

I actually have most of the last two days and debarkation written out. I just never posted them. There's already a waiting list for traditional dining, but I didn't really have a problem with Select Dining, per se. I just think the process could be better. When our pager didn't go off the first night, it made me not trust it anymore. It also would have been nice to know how long the wait would be. I'm sure we could have asked, but that should be info they give up front.

I do have a lot of anxieties, but I think I'm a shy extrovert. I'm outgoing, just shy in some circumstances. This will be my second solo cruise, and I've already connected with the roll call. I'm sure I'll easily be able to meet people on board. I'm glad to hear you had excellent service last year. I hope I experience the same. A big reason why I chose to reconsider Celebrity was all of the comments on my review where people said the short cruise was not an accurate picture of the cruise line. I guess I will now see :)

And yes, not having someone with me, nagging that I do things I don't want to do will be a great chance from March... Being able to do my own thing is one reason I love to travel alone.

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Hey there! I'll be on the first leg of your cruise on the Summit from Bayonne to PR. I'm traveling solo and will be celebrating my birthday.

I have heard that there is going to be about 400-500 gay travelers on this cruise through a charter. I'm not part of the charter.

I did the opposite. I sailed on the Summit last November and the cruise of The Constellation is coming up. When I was on the Summit, they were experimenting with unusual, avant-garde entertainment, although it was often late at night so I more heard about it then actually saw these shows. I was wondering if they were doing the same things on the Constellation?

I don't remember this occurring on the Connie in March. I only remember the regular evening shows. Those were hit and miss. There was a ventriloquist act one night and we actually left during that show along with many others because it was terrible.

Hi Zactack, I have done the Summit several times. The cruise in question specifically. The Summit was great every time. The ports of call are nice as well. We usually do a CC, Aqua or Small suite, depending on the price and have always been happy. I was following your previous post of your Constellation, to bad you did not finish it, it was a good read. Believe me many reviews are not. :p Hopefully we will like the Connie, we are doing the transatlantic this November. We like the seven days at sea. A week in Rome and Naples before, Pompeii is on the bucket list. One more aspect is that sailing from New Jersey is a great sail away, nice dramatic exit. Be sure to write a cruise review.

 

 

 

Have fun and a happy birthday.

 

 

 

Mark and Josh

That's good to hear. I've been wanting to go back to St. Maarten since I left a couple of years ago.

And thank you. I just got really frustrated with it, so I didn't finish :( I did have most of it written out to post though.

I haven't been on Constellation since 2006- so it's not fair for me to say what the condition of the ship is today. However, I preferred Constellation to Summit (sailed her in 2012). They are identical hulls- with different decor- but the layouts and size of the ship is identical. I am sailing Summit for the second time at the end of July. I like the M-class ships very much. I like the walking tracks, having all the glass windows looking out at the sea.

 

 

 

So yes- give Summit a try.

Thank you for your insight. I was curious about the decor, primarily. I looked at deck plans and saw they are fairly similar.

To me the only difference between Connie and Summit, is Connie has Tuscan, Summit has Qsine instead.

 

 

 

Any other variances are quite minor.

 

 

 

I'm on the Summit reposition to San Juan you are looking at with several cruise friends I've met along the way, there are a couple of specialty groups booked as well, so it will be a fun cruise. I think our group (BearCruise) has about 400 to 500 in it from what I've been told. Last year there was also a singles group as I understand.

I actually saw the roll call for that sailing. I saw it was lively, so that was a draw for me too. I'd be sailing solo and hope to meet people on the ship, and roll calls seem to be the best way to. The other cruises I was considering have pretty slow roll calls... One of them was even over Halloween!

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Exact replica - no Similar - yes I say give it a try, that cruise price is running quite low. If you can get a reasonable airfare, you will get a weeks travel on the cheap. Since you like to write, the worst you will get is a lot to write about.

 

Enjoy the cruise - Don't sweat the small stuff.:)

That is very true! I also forgot to mention that I love sea days (possibly more than port days), and the three sea days on this cruise is a huge pull for me too. I live close enough to NYC that I could take a Mega Bus... I'm all for value traveling!

Hey everyone!

So, I have been researching cruises to possibly take for my birthday in October. I found a repositioning cruise on board the Celebrity Summit. The dates work, the price works, I love St. Maarten, I've never been to Tortola or Puerto Rico and I think celebrating my birthday in Puerto Rico would be a lot of fun. My problem is that I cruised on the Celebrity Constellation in March of this year and the cruise wasn't exactly what I expected. I came on here afterwards and started a review that I unfortunately didn't finish, because of some unfavorable comments towards me and personal reasons. Many replied that a short cruise is not a fair representation of the Celebrity product, which makes me wonder if I should give the cruise line another shot.

I didn't have any problems with the ship itself. My primary problems were with the customer service I received pre-cruise and during the cruise.

With all of that said, if I was to go on this cruise, would I feel like I am on a different ship, or is the Summit an exact replica of the Constellation? Thanks for all of your comments!

There was one more thing that I wanted to address. Thank you for those that stood up for me. I did check this review throughout the day and was very disheartened by some of the things people said. I do get fairly personal on my reviews. I don't post about my anxieties to glorify them, or to ask for sympathy or pity. I post about them so that people can understand why I might react to certain situations. In my experience, talking about mental disorders reminds others that are also afflicted that they are not alone. Sometimes it can also give each other motivation to do something they otherwise thought was impossible.

On boards like this, it's important to remember that we don't get the full picture of each other's lives and we shouldn't make rash judgments about them that go far beyond what is explained on a message board.

I'm enjoying your review and this is really not a criticism - it seems that many things you disliked were not Celebrities fault - third party excursion, agoraphobia, overwhelming emotions and panic attacks...taking these things out of the picture, I feel Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line that often goes the extra mile ($100 OBC, free specialty dinner, bottle of wine)

Thank you. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I faulted Celebrity for the canceled excursion, or my anxieties. My review isn't just about Celebrity, it is about the whole aspect of my trip. I don't fault Celebrity for anything that was beyond their control. Also, the $100 OBC was a refund of sorts since I paid $100 too much.

I've been following your adventures. I will have to comment on one thing. PLEASE be sure to stay hydrated when on a ship. If you feel nauseous after drinking (hangover?) that's your signal to begin to drink water. Many glasses of it. I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know, but it's always a good reminder. You may be more susceptible than others. I have to drink about two glasses of water for every glass of anything else. If the 'anything else' is alcohol then maybe three to one. Plus the drying effect on the closed environment of a ship seems to intensify that.

 

 

 

You might have been able to get a better room service menu by picking up the phone and calling your room steward. I know you said you're shy, but those people are there to help you; all you need to do is ask. You *can* get the main dining room food delivered to your room.

Oh yes, I definitely know to drink plenty of water. I tried to on our first night, but I guess it still wasn't enough. Next time, I won't drink as much and will drink more water.

It's good to know that you can get food from the dining room in room service, I wish I had known that while I was on the cruise, or that they would advertise that somewhere.

I don't know what your pricing structure was, but when I figured in the prepaid gratuities, beverage package and $600 OBC, it was cheaper to book a Concierge Class cabin than an inside cab!

This was actually an issue I had with Celebrity after booking. We attempted to upgrade two days after we booked. They would let us upgrade, but we couldn't have the 123go incentives. I know they're under no obligation to provide us with that after final payment, but I don't feel that was great customer service, especially since I later found out that others were afforded that opportunity. It would be understandable if our original booking was outside the incentive window, and hadn't just been two days before.

Sorry, hit the save button too quickly. Adding so,e replies soon.

Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas

I woke up to Philip yelling, "We're coming into port! I'm gonna go up and watch!" I wish I could have joined in on his excitement, but something was off. I really didn't feel good. I was nauseous and dizzy. Philip went up to watch the Constellation come into port and to get breakfast. I decided to sleep for a while longer. I was bound to sleep whatever this was off. Philip had to be ashore to meet with the Ultimate Bahamas Adventures by 9:30AM for his snorkeling trip, which I was still adamantly against going on with him (I'm really really really stubborn). I was still feeling sick, so after he tried and tried to get me to go, we decided that I would sleep a while longer and he would meet me back in our stateroom around 12:30 or 1 when his excursion was over so that we could sightsee together. Honestly, I wanted to go with him, even if I just sat on the boat, but I just wasn't feeling well. Philip left for his excursion, and I will spare you the details of what happened next for me. I was happy that I'd be able to sleep a little longer and be able to venture out in Nassau a little later. Nassau was busy today, as there were six different ships in port at once.

About 20-30 minutes later, I heard our door slam. It was Philip. The Ultimate Bahamas Adventure had changed his excursion to 2:30PM and they were not returning until 5:00PM, so he had to cancel his excursion. With my canceled excursion and Philip's excursion getting rescheduled, I would definitely not recommend going through this company, if you are looking for third party excursions. They didn't let me know I was on a waiting list and they had not informed us beforehand that times could change and that Philip's had changed (They did reimburse our deposit for the excursion).

I still really wasn't feeling well, but I really wanted to experience the island with Philip. He talked me into going ashore with him. I got to the elevator shafts and I was just too dizzy and nauseous. I apologized and told him that I just could not make it. Disappointed and sad, I went back to our room. I really wish he could have went on his original excursion, because I feel that I would have been able to meet up with him afterwards. Alas, that did not happen. I didn't want Philip to miss out on Nassau, so I told him to go have fun. He was reluctant, but he did go. Ronnie, our room steward came to our room a couple of times before, so I looked for our 'Do Not Disturb' sign, but could not find it. I fell back asleep until about two.

I was feeling better, but I still wasn't 100%. I took a shower and headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for something to eat. The buffet was already closed, and the lines for the sandwiches and pasta was long, so I settled for a salad and some pizza. I got a balsamic vinegarette on my salad, which is usually one of my favorite dressings, but I really didn't like this one. By the time I got to the pizza station, the number of slices left was dwindling and people were calculating how many they should take so the person behind them wouldn't be left out, or have to wait for a new pizza to come out. I'm sure there would have been more pizza coming quickly, but no one wanted to be the last to take the available slices. With four or five trays, it seems like it would have been better to rotate the pizzas. When one was empty, another one quickly replaced it. That's not really a negative, more of just an observation. I enjoyed the pizza, although it was slightly flimsy.

I took my time eating and sat on the side where we were docked next to the Disney Wonder. It was a nice ship, but I just couldn't help but to think about all the kids on that boat. Speaking about kids, there was a decent amount on our sailing. I was actually surprised about that. From my observations they were all well-behaved... I'm sure their parents would disagree at times, though... Lol. After eating, I went to the Oceanview Bar and took some pictures of Nassau. Despite not really liking Nassau, I did wish I was out there. I found a lounger and just relaxed for a bit by the pool after taking the pictures. For those that might be wondering why I didn't quarantine myself since I was feeling ill, it's because I knew it wasn't the flu or any other communicable illnesses. I think it was a really bad hangover coupled with some irritation from the ship's movements (I usually don't get seasick).

It was getting closer to when I thought Philip should be back, so I walked up to the 11th deck and looked over to where the gangway was. I was probably up there less than a minute or two when I saw him getting ready to board. I practically ran down the stairs to Deck 3, where I figured he'd be getting off the elevator to go back to our room to greet him. The elevator went to Deck 4. Philip stopped off at the Martini Bar to get an Evian water, and I intercepted him.

We headed back down to our room, where Philip told me about his day and showed me some pictures he had taken. He booked a snorkeling trip with a third party on the port and said he enjoyed the trip. He told me he ate conch fritters, which was all I talked about wanting when we were planning our trip. He must've went to a touristy spot, because he said he paid eight dollars for four fritters. When I was in Nassau two years ago, my group went to a restaurant frequented by the locals, and I don't remember spending that much for fritters. Philip really wanted to see Atlantis, but didn't want to spend the money on an excursion there. He was able to go into some areas for free. He paid a taxi driver $4 each way from the port to get there. He did say another taxi driver tried to rip him off and charge $20 to get around. They told him this before he got in, so he didn't go with them. He also said the taxi drivers kept asking if they could give him a tour of the island and give recommendations on where he should go, including where to get drugs (Which neither of us are into). I'd highly recommend negotiating a price with a driver before getting in. We got duped by a driver when I was there two years ago. Philip also visited the straw market. I had warned him that it's not that great. He realized after going there why I told him that. He didn't enjoy the market.

We again headed up to the Oceanview Bar to watch the sail away after Philip stopped at the Martini Bar for a martini. He got a martini with lychee in it and he wasn't too fond of the flavor. It didn't have to do with how it was made, so it wasn't the fault of any of the bartenders there. I got nothing as I was in no mood to drink alcohol. Philip got some pasta at the pasta bar in the Oceanview Cafe, which he enjoyed.

After Philip ate and we were on our way to Key West, we grabbed a couple of loungers by the outside pools. Philip finished his martini, and I ate some pasta salad I got from the Cafe that was now open for dinner. I'm obsessed with pasta salad, but I was not impressed. The pasta was drying out, and there wasn't much flavor to the salad. Philip had gotten too much sun, so he wanted to go into the Solarium. I quickly got into the Thalassotherapy pool. We got into one of the hot tubs when one was free and spent the rest of our time in there. Around 7:30, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. I was hoping this experience would be different from last night.

I was excited for tonight. I had been looking forward to this night since we had booked the trip. While I didn't like the idea of the formal night being obligatory, unless we wanted to go to a specialty restaurant or the buffet, even though I wasn't against dressing up. I had bought a sports jacket a few days before the trip, and Philip bought one before we left Pittsburgh (I say he couldn't handle me being dressed up better than he would be). I was excited about getting our picture professionally done and was planning to buy the photo if it turned out well. There was a large group and a small line to get your picture taken on the grand foyer, so we opted to just go to dinner and wait for the photographer to come around. We were handed the dreadful pager as there was a wait again. Philip asked to make sure this pager was in working order. The maitre d kind of looked at him like he was crazy, but said it would work. We waited inside Cellar Masters until it buzzed less than 10 minutes later.

The manager that came over and apologized to us the night before seated us tonight. I was starting to feel nauseous again, but I tried to suppress the feeling. I looked at the menu and was thinking, "I don't know what any of this stuff is!" I thought the food choices were exotic ingredients and that's why I couldn't understand the menu. Philip said something about lobster being on the menu. I assumed he had the same menu as I did, so I asked where he saw that. At that point, I realized my menu was in French. The maitre d that was so nice and immediately got us seated the night before came over and asked if my menu was in English. I hadn't said anything, so I wonder how she knew. I lightheartedly told her I didn't think so. She switched out my menu and I could finally understand what I was about to eat. We all had a good laugh at that. I ordered a Caesar salad and the Caribbean lobster. I can't remember what else Philip ordered besides the lobster.

My nausea was getting stronger again, and it was triggering my anxiety. I have agoraphobia (Fear of not being able to escape) and I felt I was about to vomit and have a panic attack because my irrational mind thought I was trapped at the table. I excused myself from the table and told Philip that I'd be back. After calming down a little bit, I came back to the table and picked at my salad. I couldn't handle my nausea anymore. I told Philip that I was going to go lay down in our room. I informed our assistant waiter that I was leaving. I'm not sure if he was concerned I may have norovirus, or if he didn't understand what I was saying, because he kept asking me what was wrong. He also thought I asked him if I could take my food back to our room, which I never asked that. Food was the last thing I wanted to think about. Apparently he also asked Philip was what wrong with me I never got that formal night photo :(

I fell asleep for a couple of hours while Philip finished his dinner and went to the late show. I felt a lot better after I woke up and my stomach was growling. I ordered room service through my TV. I was disappointed at the limited selection. On NCL, you can normally order what was offered in the main dining rooms. Any of the appealing foods that were offered were upcharged of at least $20. My room service came fairly quickly. I'd say it arrived within 10-15 minutes. The attendant was very polite. He asked if he could come in before he entered. He set my tray on the desk in the room. I handed him a tip and at first he just sort of looked at it in my hand. He almost seemed shocked I was giving him a tip. I ordered a cup of chicken noodle soup, which was rather disappointing. It seemed more like spaghetti with chicken broth rather than a hearty soup.That didn't stop me from devouring it all though. I also got a Caesar salad. I had been craving it for days. The salad was very delicious. I also ordered a piece of cheesecake with blueberries which was also good. I watched Top Chef episodes while I ate. The channel selection on the tv was abundant. I don't remember watching TV on other ships, so what I saw may be standsrd on most cruiselines today. I felt significantly better after eating.

Philip came back a short while later after he went to the late show and a bar after the show. He enjoyed the Captain's Gala, which was accompanied with a complimentary glass of champagne. He said iHollywood was just OK. Philip said the bar died off fairly quickly. I want to say it was Rendezvous, but I could be mistaken. I do know it wasn't the Reflections Lounge. We watched another episode of Top Chef before nodding off to sleep. I just hoped I would feel better tomorrow.

Next up: Day 3 - Sea Day

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting a follow-up, and thank you for your kind words. Things have been a little hectic for me over the last few days. Don't worry, I would never let someone else's negativity or bullying govern whether I write more or not. Writing is a passion of mine. I've also been working to relaunch my personal political blog. I'll probably get the latest entry out tonight after I edit it some for our day in Nassau.

I am very much enjoying this review. I do have to chime in about the short cruises not being representative of the product. I go on mostly longer cruises (more than 10 days), but went on a 4 night cruise on the Constellation last year and was surprised at the difference. For one, the crowd was remarkably younger than what we are used to. For another, on the first day, we must have be approached about booking speciality restaurants at least 5 times before dinner. Never had that before. It really is a totally different experience than a longer cruise.

 

It's unfortunate the LGBT get-together was not well attended. On some of the cruises I've been on, the martini bar was a real hot-spot for those get-togethers and it look like everyone was having a blast.

 

I hope we get to read the rest of this engaging story.

I'm unsure as to whether the LGBT gathering was well attended or not. Philip and I are just really shy, and painfully so sometimes. We did notice a decent group of gay guys hanging out together sometimes. I assume they all met at the gathering.

Isn't that a Cardinals shirt you're wearing in your avatar?

That is actually a Cardinals windbreaker :) I'm originally from St. Louis. I see you live in southwest Missouri. I went to college in Springfield and lived there for just over seven years before moving to Pittsburgh in 2011.

Thank you for appreciating my humor! :) I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your voyage. My DH and I were on the same sailing, our second voyage on Connie, and we had a great time. We were not approached regarding a drink package at all. We received the basic drink package when we booked as part of the 1-2-3 GO promotion. The basic package worked well for us. I agree with the other posters that 4 days is just too short for a cruise but luckily we had a much different experience then you did. The following is WinksCruises's (my DH) review of the same voyage. I look forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190818

I could tell you were being funny.. Lol. Which is a good thing when you're online. We didn't necessarily not enjoy our trip, it just didn't quite live up to our expectations. I think it's almost impossible to not enjoy a vacation. I will definitely check out your husbands review. I actually started reading some of it last night.

Looking forward to reading the rest of this.

 

We booked our 3 night honeymoon on this ship in January of 2016. We own a rather large business and have two young children, so I am reading up as much as possible.

 

Your writing draws me in! Keep it up.

That's really awesome. Congratulations. I hope you have a good time. I try to read up on everything about a cruise before I go too. Most of us here probably do...lol

This reminds me of "Pillars of the Earth".:)

 

 

 

Keep it coming.

 

 

 

I think a longer cruise might fit you better. It seems to take me at least seven days to "unwind".

I definitely agree longer cruises are the way to go. I wouldn't swing for a shorter one, I don't think.

Hey everyone, thank you for all your comments and compliments. I really appreciate them. I was hoping to get my next day posted today, but I woke up late and am about to head out to a baseball game for my father's birthday... I might get it out tonight after the game, or sometime tomorrow.

Crying?? There's no crying in cruising!!

Lol, that's what I thought too, but when you have to let it go, you have to let it go. :)

There are reasons why Celebrity has decided to end cruises of less than 7 days. A 4 day "booze cruise" cannot be taken as representative of the Celebrity product. Of course they push drink packages on these cruises. I'm surprised that the OP received a bottle of wine in an OV cabin,unless it was sent by an Agent or friend. There is a line and cruise to meet everyone's needs.The trick is to find what works best for you.

 

Look forward to reading more.

This was my second short cruise. I think the Big Red Boat was a three day cruise. I definitely agree that anything shorter than probably at least five days is too short. We're starting to talk about our next cruise and it won't be shorter than six days. We didn't know how much time we would be able to get off of work, and I wasn't sure if Philip would enjoy the cruise.

And yes, as someone else pointed out, the executive customer service team provided a bottle of wine for my troubles.

Waiting to hear why this is the last cruise on Celebrity Constellation... we did a 5 day in Jan to Cozumel and KW and had a great time...ship condition,.service, food, everything excellent...except loud DJ

I wondered what some people thought of the DJ. While they didn't bother me, I noticed a lot of people with books leaving Deck 10 and 11 after the DJ and saxophone player started playing. I enjoyed the saxophone player.

I suffer from insomnia, which really impacts my ability to fall asleep. I'm sure my insomnia mixed with the excitement of boarding the Constellation made it difficult for me to sleep that night. I only got a couple of hours before we had to get up and check out of our motel room. We had to be out by 10:00AM.

We had another coupon for a free ride on Uber, so we hailed one to pick us up and take us to the cruise port. I just have to say that I have trust issues with taxis, and while it is slightly awkward riding in a private citizen's car, I trust Uber far more than a taxi. A really nice and personable guy picked us up and took us to terminal 4 where the Constellation was boarding. It was after 11:30AM by the time we got to the terminal, so we were able to board without much of a wait. The terminal wasn't very busy either, which was a nice surprise. I was happy that Philip and I were able to set up our own credit cards to our own sea passes. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to do that being in the same stateroom. We went through security, got our passes, our security pictures taken and the obligatory picture in front of the Constellation picture. Within 15-20 minutes of getting to the terminal we were on the ship.

As we were walking up the gangway, I asked Philip if he believed we were going on the cruise now. He had previously made jokes that we weren't really going. We boarded on deck 3 which was also the deck our stateroom was on. We got our complimentary glasses of champagne and walked around the different tables they had set up for the various amenities available on the ship. Philip is all for massages, but after he saw their costs, he decided he would not be getting one... He didn't seem to believe me when I had previously warned him they are costly on cruises.

Since our staterooms were not available yet, we decided to head up to Deck 10 where we could check out the pools and get a bite to eat. While there's no doubt that the Constellation was a beautiful and a well taken care of ship, Philip and I were both underwhelmed at the grand foyer. We both expected something more "grand." I had imagined a promenade like the one I remember on the Majesty of the Seas.

As soon as we got up the staircase to deck 10, we were asked by multiple staff members if we had their drink packages. We were asked at least five times by five different people within 10 minutes of being on the deck, which seemed pushy. I read previous posts on Cruise a Critic about this prior to our trip, and at the time, I dismissed this as people over exaggerating. In fact, they were not.

After looking at the pools, we went into the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. We found a table to sit at. I sat down while Philip got his plate of food. While Philip was gone, two more people came up asking if I wanted a drink package. I ordered a mojito from one of them. After seeing the receipt for $9.10, I started thinking that maybe getting a drink package was economical for me. One more guy asked if we were interested in the package and we told him we'd think about it. He came back twice more before we decided to go for it. I am a lightweight at 110lbs and 5'9", so I went for the classic, while Philip splurged on the premium package.

Our lunches were good for the most part, but nothing really stood out for me, except for Philip's salad. He got a salad with his favorite kind of dressing, bleu cheese. He did not like the taste of the dressing. Bleu cheese is disgusting to me, so I wasn't even going to go there. We finished our lunches, found a couple of loungers by the pool and just hung out for a little bit. My insomnia often causes me to sleep late into the day, so my parents are always worried I'll miss my cruise. I called them to let them know we had made it. Shortly after, there was an announcement that our staterooms were available. I'd say it was a little after 1:30 by this point.

Philip and I headed down to our room on deck 3. By the time we got there, Philip's suitcase was already waiting for us, which was very quick from what I have previously experienced on cruises. I received mine a couple of hours later, which was still pretty quick. We had Oceanview room number 3059. The room was clean and a good size. The window was far larger than the only previous Oceanview stateroom I have had, which was on the Big Red Boat. The room was just about what I expected it to be. The complimentary bottle of wine was waiting for us in the room. Our room steward Ronnie knocked on our door and introduced himself letting us know to contact him if we needed anything. We took a few photos of our room and changed into our bathing suits. I looked at the gap between the edge of the wall to our room and the window. I jokingly told Philip that if we got into a fight, I would sleep there. I wish I could show you all the picture of me laying in the window sill. Luckily I didn't have to resort to sleeping there on our trip :).

I'm an advocate of using the steps on the ship, so we walked up the stairs to deck 4 where Philip ordered a martini at the martini bar. I felt kind of left out since I wasn't aware of which martini I could order under my package, and I didn't want to ask. While Philip got a martini, I scoped out our muster drill station, which was A4 and in the theater. Once I found it, I met Philip back at the martini bar. He was slightly agitated and I asked him what was wrong. He said the bartenders were refusing to give him a water. Since I had researched things previously, I told him he can only get one drink at a bar at a time with the drinking package. He calmed down quickly and we went on our way. I understand why they have that in place, but it may have been better if they would have offered him a glass of water instead of telling him he couldn't have a premium water.

We went back up to Deck 10 to hang out by the pool again. I ordered another mojito at the poolside bar. Philip jumped in one of the pools, and I dangled my feet in the water. I'm not much of a swimmer in public pools. I was spoiled as a kid with my own pool in our backyard. Philip went to order another drink at the poolside bar, but was turned away because it was getting close to the time for the muster drill. He was irritated, but as a seasoned cruiser, I was well aware of this as this is usual practice on every cruise I've been on. There was an announcement that our muster drill would commence in 15 minutes and promptly at 3:30PM, so we headed down to Deck 4. There were crew members stationed at every floor asking to see our sea pass cards. I was getting aggravated because I knew where we were going and just wanted them to let me be. As we went further down, a crew member on one level told us to go to the other stairwell on the other side of the ship. We walked through the corridor where a room steward stopped us and asked where we were going. He told us to turn around and go back to where we just were. Honestly, I can be a pushover at times and I hate confrontation, but I was irritated. I told him we were told to go that way and we were not turning around. He let us proceed to the forward staircase. I think this would have gone much smoother if they would have only stopped people that had questions and didn't know where they were going rather than stopping everyone.

We finally made it to our muster station in the theater. The process was quick and painless. I will say the crew members had a difficult time getting passengers to stay quiet and listen to the directions, which was distracting. The captain made a few announcements and told us about the dress code and how it was a strict policy that everyone must adhere to. It seemed like there was a laundry list of rules we had to adhere to. While I knew and understood the dress code, I thought that I was on a vacation to relax and not worry about rules. Dressing up also doesn't bother me. It's actually something I enjoy. I actually wanted to rent tuxes, but it just wasn't in our budgets. Others besides Philip and I concurred that announcing the rules was annoying.

After the drill, we headed up to the Oceanview bar, where others from our very small Cruise Critic roll call had planned to meet for the sail away. We agreed to wear bead necklaces so that it would be easy to identify each other. As I was packing for our trip, my beads broke, so I ended up not being able to wear mine. Philip and I grabbed a couple of seats at the bar and ordered a couple of piña coladas. I noticed two people sitting next to us wearing beads. I assumed they were with Cruise Critic, but I was far too shy to ask them. We're both very shy. Philip and I grabbed a table near the back of the ship, snapped a few photos and anticipated our departure. We finished our piña coladas. I ordered another one from a waiter and Philip ordered a strawberry daiquiri.

I checked my phone and noticed I had a missed call. I checked my voicemail, and it was from the Ultimate Bahamas Adventure. Philip was dead set on snorkeling in Nassau and I absolutely hate snorkeling with a passion. I had found an excursion through a third party that would allow me to kayak while Philip snorkeled on the same trip. The man on the voicemail said that I was on a waiting list for the kayak and since no one had canceled, I would not be able to kayak. I was never informed I was on a waiting list, so I was not too happy. When I'm angry, my release is to get emotional. I wanted to cry, but fought off the urge. Philip could tell I was really agitated and just wanted to be left alone. He went inside and grabbed a couple of slices of pizza in the a Oceanview Cafe. I had calmed down quite a bit by the time Philip got back, and it was finally time for the long awaited sail away. Cruisergirlgina must have recognized me from my photo on here. She came up and asked if I was Zach and introduced me to her mom and a solo traveler from CC. I wasn't in the best of moods and I was waiting for my piña colada, so I told them I'd come over and talk once I got my drink. They were gone by the time I got my piña colada. So, sorry for those that I missed!

It's not the greatest picture of me, but I'm on the left and Philip is on the right. This was departing Ft. Lauderdale

Afterwards, Philip and I headed over to the Solarium to relax for a bit. Before heading in there, we went to the poolside bar. I had seen that pomegranate mojitos were the deal of the day. I ordered one, but was told that it's not included in the classic beverage package. I felt that if it's a deal of the day it should be included, even if it was usually a premium drink. I settled for a regular mojito. Despite not liking to swim. I jumped into the thalassotherapy pool and really enjoyed the water. It was a smidge on the warm side, but that was OK. I'd prefer a hot pool over a cold one. We headed over to one of the hot tubs in the Solarium that was open and relaxed in there for a bit. When we were all hot tubbed out, we vegged out in the sauna for a bit. I really loved the large porthole that allowed us to look out into the endless blue ocean as the sun began to set. We were getting hungry again, so we headed back to our cabin to freshen up for the evening festivities.

It was eating at me that I had to worry what was included in the classic package and what was not. I figured I'd get my money's worth if I upgraded to the premium package, so I headed over to guest relations while I waited for Philip to get ready. I waited in line at guest relations only to be told I had to go to a bar to upgrade. Annoying. I went into the casino and upgraded.

Philip and I went up to the martini bar for the 7:45 meeting of the LGBT Meet and Mingle. We ordered a couple of martinis and scoped out the gay people. We noticed a few guys that looked gay, but we were too shy to go up to them. We were also worried that our assumptions could be wrong and we'd offend the guys. We decided to venture over to the San Marco for dinner, instead. We had booked select dining as that was the only option available when I paid for our cruise. We entered on deck 4 where we were informed we had to go up a floor. I feel every entrance should be prepared to accept any passenger, regardless of their seating preference. We headed up to the fifth floor entrance where we were given a pager and told it would vibrate and light up when our table was ready. We sat at the large round table right inside Cellar Masters and waited, sipping on our martinis. This is where I think NCL far exceeds Celebrity. If there is a wait, you are given a complimentary glass of wine. It also would have been beneficial to know how long the wait could be. Even when there was a wait on NCL, we were seated fairly quickly.

As we were waiting, Philip and I got into a small squabble. He really wanted me to go snorkeling with him in Nassau and he just didn't understand how much I hated snorkeling and how boring it was for me. After a little bit, we looked around and noticed we were the only people in the bar and people that came in after us had been seated in the dining room. I was at my wits end. I had wished we had never gone on the cruise. With the customer service I received pre-cruise, the canceled excursion, arguing with Philip and now waiting almost an hour for dinner, I couldn't handle it anymore. I sat in Cellar Masters and just let it go. I was embarrassingly crying in the middle of the bar. All I really wanted do was go back to our room, but I was afraid Philip would interpret that as me being mad at him. For those that are thinking maybe the pager went off and we didn't notice it, that was impossible. It never went off. Philip went to the maitre d, who was different from the person that originally greeted us. She was shocked to learn what happened and seated us immediately. I was still slightly tearful and highly embarrassed.

We waited several minutes before anyone came over to us. The sommelier greeter us first, and I feel sorry she was our first contact. We still hadn't even received water. The sommelier asked if we wanted any wine. Philip told her he just wanted some water. The sommelier seemed kind of confused and didn't acknowledge his request and asked if we wanted wine again at which point Philip asked for a manager. A gentleman came over, but did not introduce himself as a manager. After Philip said he wanted a manager, the man introduced himself as such. He apologized and moved on. We were irritated, but we just let it go.

I ordered a spring roll appetizer and the prime rib with spinach, which was all good. Philip ordered French onion soup and a dish with salmon and steak. He couldn't finish his, so I ate all of mine and some of his. Philip ordered apple a la mode for dessert. I'm lactose intolerant, so when none of the desserts appealed to me, I decided to skip that.

After dinner, we went to the late show in the theater, where a comedian by the name of Steve Marzan was going to perform. Alejandro, the cruise director was having a contest with some of the passengers on the stage. I do believe we noticed Cruisegirlgina up there, although she unfortunately did not win. Steve Marzan was funny and entertaining, which was exactly what I needed. We planned to rest in our cabin for a little bit before venturing out to check out the nightlife on the ship, but it was an emotionally draining day. We ended up falling asleep and called it a night, instead.

Next up: Day 2 - Nassau, Bahamas

Well, now I'm curious as to why you struggled with whether or not to post your review. :)

Hehe, things just didn't go right, and I'm sure our experience wasn't common practice, so it's not indicative of how most people's experiences are with Celebrity.

Will we be getting to the "onboard the constellation part soon?"

Yes, I will :) I'm about to post it. I just want to edit it one more time. I actually finished it last night, but was too tired to begin editing it.

I've gone back and forth on whether or not to post a review of my latest cruise on board the Celebrity Constellation. While I may be going against my better judgment, I do enjoy writing. So, with that I have decided to go ahead and review our March 26 4-day Bahamas cruise that went to Nassau and Key West. I've only reviewed one previous cruise on Cruise Critic. If you've read it, you likely noticed it was photo intensive. I apologize ahead of time because this one isn't going to have many photos. We took pictures, but I currently don't have a computer where I can upload the photos and post them here.

When I'm writing a review about something, I always like to start off with a disclaimer. So, before I begin.... We are all different. Some things that bother me won't bother someone else, some things that bother others won't bother me. If I say things that are critical about Celebrity, the ports or the Constellation, it's because of my own tastes.

Here's a little background about us. I'm 31 years old and live in Pittsburgh, PA. My boyfriend, Philip is 27 and he lives about 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh. We've been together for almost five months and one of our passions that we share is traveling. Sailing on the Constellation was my fourth cruise, and Philip's first. We booked this cruise about a month ahead of time directly through Celebrity. We both knew we were ready to take our first vacation together, and since I love cruises (and I get what I want...jk), we decided to go on a cruise. We both worked in healthcare, and with this being our busy season, we worked an enormous amount of overtime. I was also laid off shortly before we left, so getting away was exactly what we needed.

Some of you may have seen that I was charged $100 more than what I should have been, and I kept getting the runaround with Celebrity. Celebrity contacted me on here to try and remedy the situation, but nothing ever came from that and I ended up escalating my problem to Celebrity's corporate office. I had previously been given $100 in onboard credit to mitigate my losses. A few days before we set sail, I was contacted by a very nice woman in Celebrity's corporate office. She gave us a bottle of wine and a complimentary dinner at one of the speciality restaurants, which satisfied me.

We traveled to Ft. Lauderdale the Wednesday prior to our cruise. Philip thought that was sort of odd, but as our plane was delayed by two hours, he realized why it's better to travel at least one day in advance. We stayed at the Galt Villa Motel for the night. I snagged a pretty good deal online and I had a $25 coupon which allowed us to stay there for just over $93.00 including taxes and fees. There was a sign at the reception desk stating there was a $20 deposit for the motel key, but I was never asked to pay it. The motel room was nice, quiet and clean with two double beds. It was also in a good location. The motel did not provide any shuttles, so we took a taxi from the airport to the hotel.

After checking in and getting situated, Philip and I headed out to get dinner at Rosie's Bar and Grill in Wilton Manor. Instead of getting a taxi, we used Uber to get there. I had a coupon for this, and was able to get there without spending a dime. While Rosie's caters to the LGBTQ community, everyone is welcome. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice with paper lanterns on their back patio. It was a nice evening and a nice break from the Pittsburgh cold, so we chose to sit back there. I guess everyone else there had the same idea. Many Yelp users recommended the mahi mahi as it was fresh, so thats exactly what I ordered and I wasn't disappointed. Philip got a blackened fish sandwich, which he also enjoyed. Our meals were pretty good, and our waiter was nice, but we had to wait a while to place our orders and get our check. We weren't in a hurry, so that didn't bother us too much. When I'm in the area in the future, I'd likely go there to eat again. I heard they have a great Sunday brunch.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks down the road to Hunter's Nightclub, which also caters to gay clientele. This bar had two sides to it. There was a more intimate bar, which was practically dead except for one or two people. The other side had a guy singing live. He was pretty good. There were quite a few people enjoying his music. The bartenders were nice, but the drinks were a little pricey. We both drank long islands. After the guy was done singing, the bar died down considerably. When we were done with our drinks, we went over to Alibi, another gay bar that was suggested by one of Philip's friends. Leaving Hunters was a big mistake as Alibi only had two other patrons in there and our drinks were disgusting because they tasted like pure liquor. Neither of us even drank 1/8 of our drinks before hailing another Uber driver to head back to the motel. Alibi will always stick out in my mind though, as Philip and I decided to take our relationship to the next level while we were there. We plan to move in together this summer. We paid about $12 to get to the motel, which was really reasonable. It was after two by the time we got back.

I like to break up my posts, so you don't get lost in an endless wall of text. I'll leave my review at this for now, but I will probably get day one on board the Constellation done soon.