Just back from Constellation 3/5 - 3/12 (very long review)

[Galaxy2004]

We just returned from the Southern Caribbean and 7 days aboard the beautiful Constellation. Below are my thoughts on our trip. As background, this was our 2nd cruise with Celebrity. We cruised last Spring on Galaxy. We traveled with another couple and together our ages range from 30 - 52. We all really enjoyed this cruise, though aside from the waffles, sushi bar, Aqua Spa Cafe and Cova Cafe pastries and cookies, we were a bit disappointed in the food (San Marco's food was not bad, just did not leave us going "Wow"). We loved the itinerary, though 4 straight port days can wear you out. We had very good service from our waiter, assistant waiter, assistant maitre'd, and room attendants. All of the public areas were gorgeous and the ship certainly more modern feeling than Galaxy.

 

I have pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisingcupcake.

 

Booking - We purchased our cruise on the Internet, which, counting cash rebate incentives, saved us just over $150 pp off Celebrity’s price for our family view room. We booked air separate, again on the Internet, and saved $175 a person off the air packaged with the cruise by Celebrity. We booked 6 weeks in advance and amazingly landed Room 9158, a family view aft cabin! Our companions booked an inside around the corner from us.

 

Room Notes - Our cabin had a sleeping area separated from a sitting area by a sliding door. The sitting area had 2 pullout sleeper sofas, a tv and a vcr. The sleeping area had a bed, 2 end tables, a closet, a curio cabinet, a tv, a vcr and a minifridge. We absolutely loved our balcony. It easily accommodated 2 lounge chairs, a drink table, and a breakfast table with 2 chairs, with plenty of room left over. We were beside one of the corner units and much preferred our view (glass versus metal) over the extra space of the corner balcony room. Our unit was no concierge class, but the unit to the right of us was cc. They had pads on the lounge chairs and we saw flowers and nicer linen delivered. No cc aft room was available when we booked, so I don’t know what the price difference would be or whether it would be worth it. We did note a bit of vibration when going almost full throttle, but nothing extreme. The vibration was more extreme when the ship was docking. As noted by several other reviewers, there was quite a bit of chair scraping from overhead dining, particularly in the mornings and late afternoons. It was not enough to keep me from reserving the room in the future, though I would first try for a room on 7 or 8. It was nice to hear the low-key music flowing from the aft bar in the evenings.

 

Food notes - The waffles on the aft deck were outstanding, as was the sushi bar. We also loved the cookies, pastries and desserts at the Cova Café in the afternoon and frequented the Aqua Spa for some light offerings (white tuna salad, fruit plates, raspberry tarts). While we really enjoyed all of these, we were disappointed in the Seaside Café lunch offerings and the dinner at San Marco. Because of the extra cost, we avoided the Ocean Liners Restaurant. Also, there were several times when the orange and apple juice appeared to be watered down and we could not find orange juice two mornings.

 

General note - We found upon return from our first hot shore excursion that Constellation does not provide cool towels when returning to the ship. Maybe this is a change for Celebrity?

 

San Juan Departure- After our arrival in San Juan, we took a cab from the airport to the cruise terminal. The cabs are waiting right outside the luggage pickup area and the charge was only $25.50 for 4 people with 11 bags.

 

We were onboard by 5:30 pm. Dining the first night was open seating and dress was casual. The food was okay, a bit cold. As could be expected, service was a bit slow. Food was nothing spectacular. At 10:30 we all attended the muster drill. Then grabbed a few bites at the Caribbean sail-away buffet (again, okay but nothing spectacular) before returning to the room. We set for a while on the balcony listening to the wake and watching the San Juan lights recede into the darkness.

 

Day 1, Casa De Campo, Dominican Republic - We arrived in Casa De Campo at 1:00 pm, allowing for a late wakeup and restful morning time on the balcony. We also made our greatest discovery of the cruise -- freshly made waffles offered in the Aft Grill. Three in our group picked these yummies as our favorite food item of the cruise. We did not try San Marco (the main restaurant) for breakfast during our trip.

 

Against recommendations on the board, we did not use this as a ship day, though it appeared that many did stay on board. Instead, we opted for the ship excursion to Catalina Island. The boat was standing room only, so this appeared to be a popular excursion. $24 covered the ferry ride, a free rum drink when you reach the island and a free lounge chair. The ferry ride was between 30 and 40 minutes. We were greeted by Dominican dancers and offered a free rum drink (with little rum according to my friends). The beach area was beautiful, with deep white sand and was very clean. We found 4 chairs under a cabana and read and lounged for a few hours. We were not bothered by people selling stuff as the hawkers on the island are restricted to the inland side of the boardwalk. Other than bar service we encountered no one trying to sell anything. Those venturing across the boardwalk seemed to face high pressure selling. A hard Caribbean rain came in and sent us all scurrying back to the boat about 30 minutes early. Everyone was trying to fit on the lower covered area of the ferry, but a few of us toughed it out on top to avoid the crowd. It was a steady downpour, but at least the rain was warm. Note that there is no option to return to the ship early. You are dropped off at around 1:45 - 2:00 and then leave as a group at 5:00 (though we departed early due to the rain). There was a food bar on the island for snacks. I would highly recommend this excursion and think this stop makes for a great first day.

 

After we returned to the ship, we decided to warm up a bit after spending an hour in the rain by going to the Thalossotherapy pool. The T-pool area was a bit crowded (a lot of people came in after the rain), but most seemed to spend only a few minutes in the pool. Spots in the pool to relax and rejuvenate were readily available. The T-pool is very relaxing and the enclosed area has some very nice lounge chairs and dining tables and chairs.

 

The first night’s dining was informal dress. We ate in the San Marco restaurant. Again, food was okay, but not great.

 

Day 2, At sea - The day at sea is when we really appreciated our large private balcony. Much of the time throughout the day we had enough sun on the balcony to cover four loungers. This was the first formal night. Again, San Marco offerings were okay but not outstanding. Not surprisingly, the shrimp cocktail appeared to be the most popular appetizer. One thing we did note that was an improvement over our Galaxy experience was the temperature of the food. On Galaxy the food was lukewarm. This trip the soups and entrees were warm and even hot most times.

 

Day 3, Bridgetown, Barbados - Since we had been to the island previously (once for a land vacation and last year as part of the Galaxy cruise), we decided to hire a driver for a private tour. Based on recommendations on the board we hired Cameron Reid to drive for us. He charged $150 for the four of us for a little over 6.5 hours. He met us just outside the terminal with a sign with our name. He had a very comfortable, air conditioned Camry, which appeared much nicer than many of the other for-hire vehicles. Since I had stayed on the island in 2002, we had our own itinerary, though he offers some standard tours. We went to Ragged Point, which took about an hour, including a stop at another lighthouse made completely of metal. Nice views, but maybe not worth it considering the long drive. I was interested in seeing Sam Lord Castle (an old pirate’s place) which was supposed to have been reopened a couple of years ago by Marriott. However, according to Cameron, this project resulted in the first ever corporate bankruptcy on Barbados and the hotel is still closed. We went next to St. Johns church which offers wonderful views and an interesting cemetery. Next was the Bathsheba area on the East coast. This is a beautiful area, offering much nice views than along the West coast. Cameron recommended lunch at Atlantis ($20 with tip), which was authentic Bajan and not particularly to our liking but offered wonderful views of the Bathsheba area rock formations. We then drove a bit along the East coast before heading West inland to Harrison Caves ($16). The caves are a very nice stop (though not equal to Mammoth Caves National Park by a long shot), particularly considering the standard beach and view offerings of most island excursions. The tour starts with a 10 minute video on the history of the caves and ends with about a 20 minute tram ride through the cave, with stops in a couple of spots for pictures and getting out to look closer at some formations. After the caves, we stopped for some shopping in Chattel Village, which offers small bungalow style shops with the regular tourist fare and is located near the exclusive Sandy Lane resort.

 

Having been to Barbados three times now, I would recommend that you hire a private driver in advance (Cameron was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed his railing on politicians) and head straight to Harrison Caves, detour to St. Johns Church then the Bathsheba area. Head North and catch the Wildlife Reserve and on North to Animal Flower cave (to see the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean). You can then return along the West Coast, stopping for beach and/or shopping time.

 

After returning to the ship, we dressed for dinner. It was a casual night but the food was the best of the cruise. I had a fantastic scallop and shrimp dish. Tenderloin medallions were on the menu, so we ordered an extra entrée to share. I also had delicious pistachio ice cream for dessert.

 

After dinner we decided to venture to the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. We did not attend the white ball the previous night. There were about 20 people waiting for the bar to open, which it does at exactly 10:17pm. Overall, I would describe the “experience” (as Celebrity touts this) as odd, bizarre, even weird. We talked with others who also described it as somewhat erotic, based upon the interaction of a couple of the characters with some of the patrons. A couple of characters did a short interpretive-like routine behind lit curtains then move out into the audience. I would estimate that there were 100 people in the lounge by 10:35, but by the time we left (just after 11:00) the crowd had dwindled to around 30.

 

Day 4, St. George’s, Grenada - After a couple more of those scrumptious waffles, we disembarked and, after a short walk to the terminal, met our private guide for the day, Mandoo, for a tour of Grenada. I pity the souls who chose to stay on the ship in Grenada. Not only did Mandoo show us some wonderful sites, but we learned a tremendous amount about the history of Grenada, the impact of Hurricane Ivan (Sept 04), and the vision Mandoo has for his island. To those who say “why does Celebrity stop here,” I say it is because of cruisers like me who love to venture more than two blocks from the ship’s terminal. This is an island that is unfairly judged if judged only by the downtown area. Away from what Mandoo himself called the “concrete jungle,” was mile after mile of lush, green agricultural land, a working spice plantation, a beautiful “crater” lake, monkeys, beautiful waterfalls, cocoa, nutmeg and banana trees, and a perfect sandy white beach with a restaurant trying to make do until the tourists return. Yes, there were spice and jewelry hawkers, as well as young men jumping from the top of falls in hopes of landing $20 from a tourist, but Mandoo alerted us in advance and a simple “no thank you” sufficed to direct their attention to other tourists. Mandoo is very proud of Grenada and its people. However, he also shared with us the problems facing his island, including the spread of AIDS, an expected baby boom, and youth no longer interested in farming. Their problems should sound familiar to many Americans. We opted for one of Mandoo’s standard tours, which involved about 5 ½ hours of travel in an air-conditioned bus. There were 10 others on our tour. I would warn that you spend most of the time in the bus, with short stops at a spice plantation and a lake, then about an hour on the beach. Mandoo does offer private tours where you would have more time at sites. His website is at http://www.grenadatours.com/.

 

After returning to the ship, we all showered and dressed for dinner. Dress for the night was informal. We got a couple of cookies at the Cove Café, which offers cookies and pastries from 3:00 - 5:00 - not to be missed. We then grabbed some sushi at the always popular sushi bar (one of our traveling companions had been waiting for the sushi bar since we first booked our trip). At dinner I had a wonderful fish dish. Two friends ordered the sirloin, which both reported to be tough. One traded for the fish dish and agreed with me that it was wonderful. Escargot puff was yummy.

 

After dinner, we returned to our room and all of us sat on the balcony staring at the stars before turning in after a very enjoyable day.

 

Day 5, St. John’s, Antigua - For Antigua we reserved the Eco-Tour offered by Adventure Antigua (Eli Fuller) about 1 month before the cruise, which was good since Eli took only 24 passengers and was fully booked (though his boat had a 50 person capacity). This appears to be a favorite tour of many cruise critic members, and with good reason. We started with a tour viewing some of the popular beaches. After sighting a whale, we detoured out towards the Atlantic to get a better look but never saw anything but a few spouts. Eli told us about a very interesting marine conservation program run by the University of Georgia which monitors the nesting of sea turtles. We then toured some mangroves, which are threatened with development by a rich Texan. We stopped at Bird Island and took a walk through some grassy areas, then up a fairly steep and rocky trail to the top of the island for a wonderful view of the Atlantic and Antigua. We then lunched on some awesome barbecue chicken, pasta salad, fried plantain, and banana bread. During lunch we saw quite a few young sea turtles surface for air. Our next stop was at Hell’s Gate where we had the option to snorkel close to the boat, follow Tony out for snorkeling over a reef on the Atlantic side, or climbing through a cave on Hell’s Gate. Three of my group opted for the cave, which was fantastic. The tour involved a short swim from the boat to the small island, then fairly steep climbs and descents over jagged rock formations. Definitely not for everyone, but the views inside and outside were awesome. The other of our group snorkeled with Tony. He said the seas were a bit rough, but they were able to see quite a few fish. Our last stop was for some snorkeling in a nice calm cove. You had the option for a long tour with Tony to a shorter tour with Ebby. Saw several colorful fish. On the way back we enjoyed some rum punch. This was a great tour, though you do spend most of the time on the boat. Also, if you are one of those unlimited rum punch at 9:00 am persons, forget it. Eli served some delicious fruit juices early, soft drinks at lunch, then rum punch only after the snorkeling.

 

After returning to the dock, we had about 45 minutes before we were scheduled to return to the ship so we shopped through a few of the shops. The store personnel were very friendly.

 

This was the second formal night. They served lobster tail. It was also the night of the baked Alaska parade and the Grand Buffet. We filled up at dinner but did return for pictures at the Grand Buffet. Much like when were we on Galaxy, quite a few people showed up to take pictures but few seemed to stay to eat. We were all tired so decided to return to our room and order a fruit and cheese tray, a pizza and a cookie from room service.

 

Day 6, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas -We began the day with the U.S. immigration check. We had an assigned time to take our instruction sheet, pass card and passport to the Celebrity Theatre. We walked through and showed an office our documents. This took only a couple of minutes and the ship was cleared around 9:00. Last year we had snorkeled in St. Thomas; however, we decided to walk into Charlotte Amalie for some shopping. It was an easy 30 minute walk from port, but very hot and little shade. We shopped for a couple of hours before returning to the ship for lunch -- pizza and some delicious blueberry dessert from the Aqua Spa café. Our friends took the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St. John’s Island then a taxi to Trunk Bay. They said it was gorgeous, but that there was little beach area for sunning as the waves washed all the way to the tree line. Tonight was a casual night. They served filet, which was very good and I had a nice fish dish. Also they had a very good After Eight ice cream.

 

Day 7, San Juan - Much to our dismay, the waffle bar was not open for our last morning. I did grab a delicious cheese omelet. Since we had a 5:20 pm flight to Knoxville, we signed up for the El Yunque Rain Forest tour ($40 pp) so that we did not have to worry about our luggage. We met in a designated area at 8:00 and finally disembarked at around 8:20, with about 20 minutes thereafter to get through customs and loading luggage in van that delivered it to the airport. Passengers went in a separate air-conditioned bus. We rode for about 1 hour then stopped at a gift shop for a refreshment and bathroom break then headed on to the park. Air conditioning was off during ascent and it got very warm inside the bus. We stopped for a few minutes to take pictures at La Coca waterfall, then stopped for about 20 minutes for a walk to a pool area and along a short walking trail. The final stop was at Yokahu Tower, which offers a nice view at the top of 98 steps. Overall, this was a nice tour; however, it was a full 5 hour tour with almost 4 hours of that riding on the bus through bumpy, rough roads. Last year we opted to leave our luggage at a little jewelry store in town that the ship recommended (Barrachina) and walk through the downtown area. Next time that is what we will do.

[AFT_LOVER]

I enjoyed the read of your S Carib sail on Connie. Disappointed to hear the food wasn't up to par for you. We never had a bad meal last Sept on her with chef Marcus. But also no 2 folks are the same with their likings. So like lots of seasonings, other none. So meals may be fabulous to one group & subpar to another.

 

No mention of entertainment offered during your sail, as I am guessing S Carib is quite different from Trans Atlantic.

[njhh]

Rupert, thanks. Your review makes me wish we would of done more island touring on our recent Connie cruise. Sounds like a great time.

[Grumpy8]

How was the entertainment. Who was playing onboard?:D

[darkauf]

Thanks for the review. I took notes. We sail on the 9th of April.

 

Darlene & Larry

[Galaxy2004]

MACOP and Grumpy8 - Sorry, but other than short periods waiting for dinner, we really did not take advantage of the ship's entertainment. I have the activities sheet and can tell you that Toby Beau played in the Rendez-Vous Lounge. The times we passed through they were playing a mix of 70's and 80's, with some country music from time to time. You could also listen to them while in the Martini/Champagne bars. Les Dranicki played guitar at the Seaside Cafe bar on the Aft. Because of our room location, we were able to enjoy listening to him late into the night from our balcony, which was a treat. Onyx, a very lively band, played poolside and everyone seemed to enjoy them. We did catch about the last 20 mins of "Fantasea" on the 3rd night of the cruise. There were a couple of acrobats/dancers (possibly Dominque and Clarisse) that did some amazing stunts in one of the final parts of the show. The theatre was full and the show received a standing ovation. There were also the typical Newlywed game, Bingo, pool games, etc., as well as some classes on computer software and digital photography.

 

If we ever tire of touring the wonderful islands in the Southern Caribbean (which results in us having to take naps before and after dinner -- always late seating for us), maybe we'll actually test the entertainment offerings!

[Grumpy8]

MACOP and Grumpy8 - Sorry, but other than short periods waiting for dinner, we really did not take advantage of the ship's entertainment. I have the activities sheet and can tell you that Toby Beau played in the Rendez-Vous Lounge. The times we passed through they were playing a mix of 70's and 80's, with some country music from time to time. You could also listen to them while in the Martini/Champagne bars. Les Dranicki played guitar at the Seaside Cafe bar on the Aft. Because of our room location, we were able to enjoy listening to him late into the night from our balcony, which was a treat. Onyx, a very lively band, played poolside and everyone seemed to enjoy them. We did catch about the last 20 mins of "Fantasea" on the 3rd night of the cruise. There were a couple of acrobats/dancers (possibly Dominque and Clarisse) that did some amazing stunts in one of the final parts of the show. The theatre was full and the show received a standing ovation. There were also the typical Newlywed game, Bingo, pool games, etc., as well as some classes on computer software and digital photography.

If we ever tire of touring the wonderful islands in the Southern Caribbean (which results in us having to take naps before and after dinner -- always late seating for us), maybe we'll actually test the entertainment offerings!

 

 

Now are you saying Toby Beau was a group and not one person?

What type of music was Les playing?

Checking your activity sheet, in the theatre what acts were there beside the cruise ship dancers and Fantasea. Was there a comedic etc.?:)

[desiro]

Hi - we were on your cruise and got the cool towels at every port except Casa de Campo - and I think that was because it was pouring rain when we got on board! We also had a great time on the trip! Have a great trip to all of you future cruisers!

[jimbham]

Rupert - Thank you for such a thorough and timely review!! We sail on April 9th. I thought we had decided what to do at each port, but now, with all of your wonderful island tours, we really need to rethink it.

[Nitemare]

Was that THE Toby Beau of the late 70's? Had a hit called "My Angel Baby", IIRC?

[Galaxy2004]

Hi Grumpy8 and Nitemare - On Toby Beau, I wrongly assumed it was the name for the duo. I checked for info on TB on the Internet and he looks like the guy that was singing, so I guess the female was backup. I never saw a sign or anything, so I'm going solely by the activities sheet. The other entertainment: Elvy Rose (Vegas entertainer?) and Matilda with Patrick Murray (comedienne) - sorry didn't see either. On the guitarist (Les), I would describe it as soothing after dinner music, though we really just had it as background so I didn't pay real close attention.

 

Desiro - Somehow our group missed the towels. I'm glad to hear they are still doing that and will look closer next trip.

 

Jimbham - Isn't this board a great source of information! Like you, we had some ideas but since we had not been to Grenada or Antigua we checked here and that totally changed what we were going to do on those two islands. It worked great for us. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

[mfabz]

Nightmare --

 

Yes. It was Toby Beau who had the hit "May Angel Baby". His partner is his wife who he originally wrote the song for. They were on our trip in February.

[Nitemare]

mfabz:

 

I consider myself a music trivia afficionado (ask anyone who was on the Connie last year -- I have the trivia prizes to prove it!), and had ALMOST forgotten about that one hit wonder. Did recognize the name, but had to look him up on the Internet to find the song title. I'll probably download it tonight (don't tell the RIAA!) and listen to it, and I bet I delete it soon thereafter!

[cruisebunny32]

I also sailed this same week. Rupert...did you join us at the Connections party? We had a pretty good tread going in the roll call section and met a few nights! Thanks for the review!

 

Yes, Toby Beau was a man an woman duo. They were really good and played some great 70's and 80's music. They did say they were playing a song they wrote themselves on the first Formal night, we were there before dinner. I really enjoyed them.

 

They also had a good pianst in the Michaels club. Onyx played by the pool and they were outstanding!

 

The Bar at the Edge of the earth was okay, a bit odd. But it was a neat experience. I didn't attend the white ball either, but heard it was a lot of fun!

 

I agree with the waffles...outstanding! I thought the food was very good myself. We ate in the Ocean liners on Wed--outstanding. Also they have tea sandwiches and cookies in the Seaside Cafe from 4-5pm. One of my favorite parts. Don't forget the yummy pizza! 12-6 at the grill and 6pm-1am in the seaside. I heard the Informal dining was lousy. Never tried it myself!

 

Happy sailing

[Galaxy2004]

Cruisebunny32 - Sorry, but we did not join in the Connections party. We are new to Cruise Critic (used the heck out of the information on the boards for this cruise) and were a bit shy. But, we will definitely join in next time around as it sounds like you guys have a lot of fun.

 

Oh, yes, I had forgotten to mention the delicious pizza they have on board. After coming in from a day of island touring, 6:00 pizza (we always felt it was better at 6 then from the grill during the day) and sushi was always there to get us through until our late seating.

 

I also enjoyed the tea sandwiches. We sailed Galaxy last year and don't recall quite as many "light" offerings as we found on Constellation. Again, I fell hard for the light offerings in the Aqua Spa Cafe.

 

Sounds like we made a mistake on skipping Oceanliners (trying to save a few bucks so that we could pay for that aft cabin). We'll have to catch the specialty restaurant the next time around. I don't mean to down the main dining food. It was good, but on Galaxy last Spring we really walked away from the table going "WOW" on several nights.

 

Hope to catch you next time.

[angelminx]

Rupert-

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Your review is exactly what my friends and I have been looking for...soooo helpful.

 

We sail on 4/16. My first cruise.

 

Truly appreciate the time it took to post that.

[angelminx]

Was the Cirque du Soleil "experience" on your cruise? I've read some postings that say it is not because they moved it. While I haven't read the best about it I was still curious and looking forward to this.

 

Thanks.

[missyal]

Angelminx--If you are on the 4/16 Connie sailing please join us on the roll call board. We have a nice group over there!

 

Missyal

[Galaxy2004]

Angelminx - the Cirque was on our cruise. We did like the decor in the Bar at the Edge of the Earth, but didn't care much for the "experience." Here's an excerpt from my longer review.

 

After dinner we decided to venture to the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. We did not attend the white ball the previous night. There were about 20 people waiting for the bar to open, which it does at exactly 10:17pm. Overall, I would describe the “experience” (as Celebrity touts this) as odd, bizarre, even weird. We talked with others who also described it as somewhat erotic, based upon the interaction of a couple of the characters with some of the patrons. A couple of characters did a short interpretive-like routine behind lit curtains then move out into the audience. I would estimate that there were 100 people in the lounge by 10:35, but by the time we left (just after 11:00) the crowd had dwindled to around 30.

[sunpsyche]

Great review...loved reading about your interesting off the beaten track excursions.