Review - June 25, 2012 - Constellation - Norwegian Fjords

[lj77346]

We just returned from the Constellation's Norwegian Fjord cruise on which we had a great time. We are a couple in our early 60's. This was our 3rd cruise on Celebrity and our 42nd cruise overall - most of our recent ones were on HAL.

 

We flew into Amsterdam from Houston on the morning of the cruise and took the train from Schipol to Amsterdam Central Station. We walked from the station to the cruise port, which is possible if you don't have too much luggage, in about 20 minutes. Embarkation was painless - at the terminal around 11:30 a.m. and on the ship by noon.

 

The experience on the ship was very enjoyable - the ship was in good shape and the staff was friendly and helpful. We had an inside cabin (2062), which was quiet and well maintained by Andrew our cabin steward. We used the open seating dining option that worked very well. We had a table for 2 and liked the waiter we had the first night so we asked to be seated at his station every night. For the entire cruise we had excellent service from Santika and his assistant Carlos.

 

Every morning we ate breakfast at the buffet on deck 10. We never had to wait more than a few minutes for omelets or eggs Benedict. The waffles were good and are located in the far aft section of the buffet area. We're not big fans of the lunch buffet, so we ate most lunches at the Aqua Spa Cafe on deck 10 where they grill chicken breast, pork or salmon on request and have a nice selection of salads and fruit. The burgers and hot dogs at the pool grill were good as well.

 

We ate all but one dinner in the main dining room. The selection of food was good, but although not gourmet, everything we ordered was well prepared and served promptly while it was still hot. One night we ate at Ocean Liners, one of the premium restaurants. The service was excellent as was the quality of the food. If you are celebrating a special occasion, Ocean Liners is a nice place to go especially if you want to try something that you don't normally eat.

 

The only dining experience that we found disappointing was the Bistro on 5. In my opinion, the crepes were not very good and the service was very poor considering that there were very few customers when we tried that venue for a meal.

 

The entertainment on board was typical of most cruise ships - 3 production shows that were good and a number of guest performers - singers, violinist, magician, juggler, etc. all of whom seemed to do a good job, if you were interested in the style of entertainment presented on a specific night. Except for the production shows that had lots of singing and dancing and big crowds in the audience, the audience was pretty sparse for the early shows for the other performers. On the morning of the last sea day there was a crew talent show that was pretty entertaining, especially the comedy of the the international hosts Bart and Michael. The cruise director Steve was low-key, which I think is great, and his staff was friendly, enthusiastic and prompt in presenting the various activities during the cruise.

 

The itinerary was port intensive - Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Geiranger, Alesund, Skjolden, Bergen, and Oslo. We docked in all the ports except Geiranger, and there the tender ride was only a few minutes. The scenery was spectacular. Most evenings we were sailing in fjords with views of waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, and green fields with small villages along the shores - it doesn't get much better than that. In all the ports but Skjolden we wandered off on our own. In Skjolden we took one of the ship's excursions to an open air folk museum and to see a stave church in Kaupanger and had a very enjoyable time.

 

We were staying in Amsterdam after the cruise, so we were in one of the last groups to leave the ship. Disembarkation day was a breeze - breakfast at the buffet, pick up our carry-on luggage from the room, and head off the ship without any lines. Then, we walked back to the train station, checked our luggage in a locker there and spent the day sight-seeing in Amsterdam before heading to our hotel at the airport.

 

We're not cheer leaders for Celebrity, but this was a cruise that we truly felt was excellent - itinerary, service, and overall shipboard experience.

 

Respectfully, Larry & Janet

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[dobes3kh]

Thank you for the review. We are sailing on the Constellation this Fall and haven't tried the M class of ships yet so your review is encouraging!

[TeaBag]

Thank you for your review. This cruise is on our bucket list.

[c-legs]

Did the exact same cruise late July 2012 on Connie; the OP's views and comments echo ours 100%.

So far, the best voyage on our memories list.

Cheers

[Syrreal]

Were you able to take pics inside the church? We did the Urnes Church and Deer Farm in Skjolden and were not allowed to photograph the inside at all. They didn't even want people photographing the door.

[Texed]

. The waffles were good and are located in the far aft section of the buffet area.

 

Absolutely! ;) Thanks for the review.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post a review of your cruise. Sounds like you had a great time.

[lj77346]

Were you able to take pics inside the church? We did the Urnes Church and Deer Farm in Skjolden and were not allowed to photograph the inside at all. They didn't even want people photographing the door.

 

We were able to take pictures in the stave church in Kaupanger. The door was open for the tour and our group went in and we started taking pictures. When the young woman who gave us the presentation about the church came in, she requested that we not take pictures using flash, but pictures without flash were okay. Prior to that request, I took a few flash pictures and after a few without flash. I'll look for a place to post them online and will give the location in this thread.

[lj77346]

Here's the link for the Kaupanger stave church pictures - www.kaupangerstavechurch.shutterfly.com and then click on the "pictures" link either in the text or at the top of the page. If you click on one of the thumbnails, the pictures will come up in a viewer.

[Hawaiian]

Thank you for writing your review! I enjoyed reading it. We sailed on the Constellation last fall in the Greek Islands and had a great cruise, so much so that we booked another cruise on the Constellation this fall on the Wine Immersive cruise.

I must say one thing though, you are very brave to schedule your flights to arrive at your embarkation point on day of departure! With the way airlines are today, anything can and often does happen! I'm glad it all worked out for you!

I loved my Norwegian Fjords cruise that I took 2 years ago. One of the most memorable trips I have ever taken. Did you have nice weather?

 

Thanks again for writing.

 

Aloha,

Matt in Hawaii

[clemigo]

That's a wonderful review, I have done the same cruise once before, and it's so beautiful in Norway! Amsterdam was fun as well! :)

[lj77346]

In answer to Hawaiian's question - the weather was actually a little warmer than I expected. In the 60's most days, except for the drizzly days in Molde, Geiranger and Bergen where it was in the upper 50's. In Oslo, it was very warm - probably well into the 70's as was the day back in Amsterdam. However, compared to Houston heat in summer, the weather and temperatures were very nice.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for your review. I'm doing the fjords next year and looking forward to it!

 

The Connie has always been my favorite ship--she seems to have an exceptional crew.

 

Interesting to hear you had the same bad experience we did in Bistro on 5, although ours was on the Eclipse. There were more staff than customers and we still couldn't get waited on. I'm constantly amazed at the rave reviews that place gets.

[TLCOhio]

The itinerary was port intensive - Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Geiranger, Alesund, Skjolden, Bergen, and Oslo. We docked in all the ports except Geiranger, and there the tender ride was only a few minutes. The scenery was spectacular. Respectfully, Larry & Janet

 

Appreciate your posting and details. YES, these are great areas in Norway!! It's a good area to have for your future bucket list. As noted below in my live/blog, we have did Geiranger, Alesund and Bergen two Julys ago, plus Oslo in 2008 on a Baltics/Russia cruise. Bergen was super special for us with its charm, setting, architecture, etc. Lots of interesting things to see and do in these ports and areas. PLUS, cooler during the summers there than many of experienced here this summer.

 

We have only sailed on Celebrity's Solstice, but have heard good things from others about the Constellation. Glad to know they have kept her in good condition and that the staff is excellent.

 

Sorry about the above heading being wrong. It was supposed be about Norway and Bergen at the top.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 76,235 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923