Constellation Mar 17-22 Mini-review

[cath7227]

Just a few quick points to address some common concerns that have been brought up lately. Overall a great cruise!!

 

Noise - maybe we were in the wrong places at the wrong times (or the right places at the right times!) but we never found the volume level of any of the music in any of the venues to be an issue. If anything it was very subdued.

 

Aqua Class- we had an AQ cabin on 11 and loved it. Great location, very quiet. No smells from the buffet except for the first sea day when there was some potent garlic odors in the hallway most likely from the pasta station. New toiletries were Gilchrist & Soames - shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and bar soap. I thought the scent was quite pleasant. There was also a nail care kit, sewing kit and shower cap. The only breakfast hang tag in the room looked like a regular breakfast menu, no mention of any Aqua specialties (smoothies, etc). I did not ask if there was an AQ-specific version available. Similarly, we did not receive a sheet about afternoon canapes however we did see some completed ones on the stewards cart. Maybe you have to ask?

 

Blu - we really enjoyed the smaller room and more intimate service. Dinner was hit or miss, mostly hits. The sommelier our cruise was Onur and he was fabulous. We had the premium beverage package and had wines from the glass with dinner. No problems with the selections, they were all tasty. And by the last night of the cruise Onur was pouring us wines not on the "by-the-glass" list at no charge. I failed to see the allure of Blu for breakfast, though the pancakes and french toast did look delicious.

 

Premium beverage package - worth every penny to upgrade, and then some! We definitely took advantage of not needing a designated driver or getting up early with young kids. Between coffee, water, smoothies, pre/post dinner cockails and wine at dinner it did not take much effort to make the package a great deal. We also had no problems getting service at any of the bars. Every time we walked up to the martini bar there were always 2 empty seats together. Other bars were generally the same.

 

Entertainment/activities - we went to one stage show (iHollywood) and was not impressed. Singers/dancers were OK, but the show itself was so disjointed. The comedian was also just OK, maybe the 9pm show was better. Great evening music throughout the ship - we really enjoyed Blue Funk 5 in the Rendez-vous lounge and would hit Reflections for some dance music after that. I scoured the dailies but saw no mention of the much-heralded "Liar's Club". Too bad, I was looking forward to that. Casino was busy, but always room at the slots and tables. During the day there didn't seem to be much on the schedule - some pool games, shopping talks, and spa seminars took up most of the listings. Not sure what I was looking for, but found myself to have a lot of "free time" to spend reading. There was also no buffet on the second sea day.

 

Service/friendliness - did not interact with any disgruntled crew all cruise. Everyone was very pleasant. While knowing that all cruises will have a very international component, it did seem on this sailing that there were many staff having trouble with the English language than I remember before. As an example, it took quite a lot longer than it should have to get the stateroom steward to understand I wanted a firmer pillow (I did get new pillows but they were the same as the first ones). Again, not a problem so much as an observation.

 

Overall we had a great time. For us 5 days was perfect, and we didn't notice any difference between this cruise and our previous 7 day sailings. We booked a family cruise for next summer to Alaska while on board; pick your perk and generous OBC were applied.

 

Happy to answer any questions - happy sailing!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Glad you enjoyed the Connie--she's one of my favorite ships.

 

I'd say you had a lazy cabin attendant. Or new and poorly trained. I've seen more of that lately. He/she should at least have discussed the canape situation with you. Also, you should have had the right room service menus. You didn't get your AQ extras--face spray, slippers, etc. We didn't either when we sailed AQ on the Infinity, but we were more focused on just trying to get her to bring us ice!

 

Too bad you didn't give breakfast in Blu a try--that was one of the highlights of our trip.