My Connie Review...5-nights (3.31.14)...Western Carribean

[Anita Latte]

Before we move on from the Martini Bar...or more specifically...the conversation seating across from the Martini Bar and near the casino...I must share...

 

DH took DS into the casino.

 

IDK...our conversation was in that direction...

 

I grew up in California...specifically the Bay Area...and one of the few places my parents would go on vacation was Las Vegas. Now this was OLD Las Vegas, when Circus Circus was AWESOME for a child my age...we stayed at the D.I. (the Dessert Inn) which is no longer standing...

 

We went when The Mirage was first built...experienced it before Treasure Island was built next door...when Caesar's Palace WAS among the biggest, splashiest hotels on the Strip.

 

A LONG time ago.

 

Both Mom and Dad spent time self employed...the fact is, when you work for yourself, if you aren't working...you aren't making money...there's no paid vacations with self employment. My parents worked...A LOT...and didn't take many vacations...because they were focused on earning and saving so that they could STOP working and do little else but take vacations later..or NOW as the case might be.

 

But Las Vegas was the exception...because we could drive there easily enough...and you could get serious deals...you can do Las Vegas on the cheap...or at least you COULD.

 

And so naturally...on Memory Lane...we parked on gambling 101 for a bit...and somehow, this was a teachable moment. :rolleyes: So DH took DS into the casino so that he could observe. I guess it IS a unique opportunity on board a cruise ship...

 

Don't judge.

 

Moving on to dinner.

 

We were seated in short order. No wait again. Different table again. Different server AGAIN.

 

Tonight we were seated right at a port hole window. It was quite lovely.

 

And I'm thinking that I haven't been entirely accurate in what I have thought that I have ordered for dinner... It doesn't really matter though in the grand scheme of things does it? I know that I didn't eat trout the night before, I ate Branzino... And tonight I ate whatever the veal dish was...

 

It was the first time I had ever had veal. DH hunts. I'm a total meat eater. I have no issues with meat...but there's something about veal. But man...it sounded so good...when our server "explained the menu" to us and elaborated on a few choice items...OMG...the veal sounded so good! I thought...I would never buy this at home...here's my chance...

 

Let me tell you...I liked it! :( Poor little, baby cows...:rolleyes:

 

I don't recall any other course...and I skipped dessert! :eek:

 

In fact, DH, DS and I all did.

 

We were having a lovely meal. The wine with dinner was EXCELLENT. Whatever it was. We had wine with every meal... Perhaps this day's consumption of London Prides, Stellas, Martinis...the wine...they are fogging my memory...

 

I know that we had a date to see the show at 9 pm.

 

Or should I say that DS had a date?

 

Either way...I inquired as to what time it was and the answer to that question was...time to leave! And suddenly, we left. We headed over to the show. Mom and Dad stayed...I don't know if they had dessert...but they JUST made it in time to the show...

 

The show was the comedian. He was touted as being on David Letterman, etc. He wasn't so funny. He started in on a topic...the whole audience shifted...I thought to myself, DUDE, couldn't you feel it? CHANGE THE SUBJECT!! The audience was like "cricket cricket." And this happened twice...

 

So I doubt that this comedian will be on board for too much longer. We heard that he was performing on a trial basis and the reviews were not good...so I'm not expecting him to be there for subsequent sailings...

 

After the show...DS left with DF14 to go to the teen club. Mom, Dad, DH and I went back to Latte Land for coffee cocktails and hot chocolate.

 

Again...attendance was light and we could sit in the cushy big chairs. Again...we all ordered a new and different coffee cocktail, except Dad with his hot chocolate. Our lady remembered us and we had nice conversation with her...and with each other...until it was time to turn in for the night...

 

Again...we were in the room well before DS. I had plenty of spacious privacy to get ready for bed. DH fretted just a bit...I was too tired and sleepy to fret...DS came home before DH worried too much...and we all went to bed.

 

With the alarm set. Sigh.

 

We would be in Key West tomorrow and we needed to go through immigration before we could disembark. The Cruise Director had said that it would take more time to get our eggs at the buffet than it would to go through immigration. I really hoped he was right...

 

We had three pieces of paper left in our room by Moreno. They were all the same except for the names...one each for the three of us in the room. Everyone received an assigned time to go through immigration...our time was 7:45 am. Sigh. But you could also go earlier the sheet said.

 

We set our alarm for 7:15 am.

 

It's not really an alarm...it's a wake up call. It's pretty self explanatory...it's automated and you don't have to talk to anyone.

 

Lights out...

[Anita Latte]

I did NOT like the phone call waking me up in the morning.

 

No sir. No howdy. No thank you. What a bummer day on my vacation.

 

Seriously.

 

And Son, there's no choice here...come on. Get up. Let's get this over with.

 

Nice attitude, eh?

 

Mom called at 7:20 am. She had seen the fine print saying that you could go earlier than your assigned time...and she and Dad were ready and going. She just wanted to let me know in case we had thoughts of waiting for them.

 

We also left as soon as we were dressed and presentable.

 

I literally just threw some clothes on. I think I put on my yoga pants from the failed stretch class...some shirt and my pullover. Ugh. I wasn't a happy camper.

 

It's a good thing that the thought of lattes hadn't even entered my brain because you aren't allowed to take food or drink through this process. We noticed that there was quite the collection of paper coffee cups at the entrance to this place...

 

US Citizens went through the RendezVous lounge on Deck 4. Non-US Citizens were to go through immigration on Deck 3. Go through is the appropriate word...

 

See the mass of people forming a line. Enter said mass. Show your Sea Pass card to the crew member who scans your card. This records the fact that you did this with the ship. Continue with the line. Go as a family to show your passports to the next available agent. Please have your passports opened to the photo page... Answer whatever odd ball question your agent throws at you...I can't remember what he asked DS...but it caused a chuckle all around. Continue on. Present your Sea Pass card to a different crew member who will punch it with a star shaped punch...proof that you went through the process.

 

"No sir, the punch does not wreck your card. It COMPLETES your card," the crew member said.

 

And it was time for Latte Land.

 

There's Mom and Dad.

 

Took all of, what, 5 minutes?

 

While sitting in Latte Land, the announcements started. Over the ship's PA system...passengers were being called out by NAME to report to immigration.

 

These people were serious. It is clearly written that if you do not show yourself to immigration by 9 am...9 AM people!...you could be detained and fined up to $3000.

 

!!!

 

That would be some expensive sleep if you couldn't get your rear in gear and just git er done.

 

There were multiple announcements. There were LAST CALL announcements.

 

We weren't in a big hurry to leave the ship. Our first destination didn't open until 10:00 am. We were headed to the U.S.S. Ingham.

 

What's that you say?

 

I asked about this on the Key West board and got ONE response. It seem this is not a popular destination for cruisecritic people. But my family was really excited to tour this ship.

 

The U.S.S. Ingham is a Coast Guard Clipper ship that served for 52 years before being retired in 1988. Built and commissioned in the 1930s, the Ingham served in not only WW2 but also the Philippians and Vietnam. It is the most decorated ship of it's kind.

 

I don't know what I thought the Coast Guard did...but I had NO IDEA that they could see as much war time conflict as they did. That their participation was that high, nor that critical. I never imagined a Coast Guard shipped armed to the teeth and able to sink a U-boat. But they did...

 

The ship is fascinating. Maybe you have to appreciate history...or service...or the ideals of times gone by when men would FIGHT for certain beliefs and be willing to DIE for them...I know this still exists...it just feels like support for the effort can be lacking today...but I'm not looking to start a debate on the topic.

 

When the ship was decommissioned in 1988, they removed all sensitive information from the ship and otherwise left it as is. There are plates in the galleys on the drying racks...table settings on the table...labels on lockers and bunk assignments. You get to walk all over the ship and see it all. It is a constant process to maintain and keep the ship. It is a National Historical Landmark and a Memorial.

 

It's very well done. Certain rooms are behind a plexiglass kind of screen to keep you out...or behind a netting for your own safety (like over the engines and around the boilers)...but you can SEE. It's a self guided tour with the addition of some recorded, repeating audio in a couple of places on board. Here's the link:

 

http://uscgcingham.org/

 

Whenever DS was with us in Latte Land, he partook of the cheese danishes. I have never mentioned it, but there are pastry goodies available in Latte Land. This morning, DH and DS both had cheese danishes and Dad has a chocolate croissant bite with his hot chocolate. (You think he likes chocolate?)

 

After lattes (and hot chocolate), it was time for breakfast at the buffet. More Eggs Benedict. Snag water bottles on the way out. Go change for touring Key West. Wear WALKING shoes. Disembark.

 

You can see the Ingham from the Connie. They are virtually parked next door to each other. There is some distance...and careful observation revealed that there was a chain link fence separating access to the Ingham from the mariner where Connie was docked. As easy as it appeared to be to just walk down the water front...couldn't happen.

 

We walked straight out of the ship and kept going straight.

 

We ended up walking through a neighborhood that we discovered is called the Truman Annex.

 

What pretty houses. I mean picturesque houses!

 

Within this neighborhood is the building that is dubbed the Truman White House...I think, because he spent so much time there conducting official business. More than any other president...although many other presidents spent time there.

 

There are large plaques that will tell the story of this Truman White House as well as many other historical buildings in this neighborhood. We saw that there were free exhibits that could be seen in the Truman White House...but we opted to just keep going to our original destination.

 

If you were to follow in our footsteps, you would go straight, as I said...make your first right which is Front St...which naturally turns into Emma St...which dead ends at Southard St. where you turn right to get to the Ingham.

 

We spent two hours, give or take, touring the Ingham. Towards the end of the tour, one room (the crew's mess) is dedicated as a museum. We took the time to linger here...read a lot...and learn a bunch about the service of the Coast Guard in general and the Ingham and some of her sister ships in particular.

 

All I can say is MIND BLOWN.

 

It was amazing and I'll never forget it.

 

Now I feel like I'm saying too much...but truly...the contrast between spending time on the Connie for leisure v. SERVING on the Ingham for duty...I'm repeatedly amazed by the human spirit...in both positive and negative ways...but this time...it was all positive.

 

I highly recommend touring the Ingham if you are also one that appreciates such things.

 

After our tour...we were HUNGRY.

 

It's crazy...I know...but we were. And we decided that our best option was to go back to the ship and eat there. So we did.

[Anita Latte]

The whole family agreed unanimously that today was the day for BURGERS.

 

I tell you what...we'd been smelling the burgers from the poolside grill all week.

 

All week people!

 

At times...the smell was just too greasy...and at others...it was good, but the thought of eating a BURGER when there were so many other choices available was just too sad for words.

 

It needed to be today. Today was the day to eat that big greasy burger.

 

And LOVE every minute of it.

 

The burgers are kind of premade. They've been grilled recently...and are fresh enough...the point is that you shouldn't have to wait. You tell the server your preference for plain or cheese. You choose between bacon, grilled and caramelized onions, and/or mushrooms for toppings.

 

Ya want fries with that?

 

Tomatoes, pickles, raw onions, and lettuce are self serve. Ketchup, mustard, and mayo is also available.

 

DS has decided that he likes mushrooms.

 

Anyone else have a kid like this? He just decides. He gets it into his head that he is going to like something now...and he eats it. A lot. I can't believe I haven't mentioned this til now...mushrooms on his steak at Outback...mushrooms on his steak at Tuscan Grille...mushrooms in his omelet? MUSHROOMS on his burger!

 

I have never served this boy mushrooms. IDK why. But now...I know...the boy likes mushrooms...and I'm thrilled because there is a mushroom tagine recipe in My Whole Foods Cookbook that is out of this world.

 

Did I have a beer with my burger? You bet I did! (I wasn't alone.)

 

Soon, it was time to head back out to Key West.

 

Unofficially, we wanted to see if we could see any 6-toed cats at Hemmingway's house.

 

Our kitty is named Toby. Sweet...BIG...lovable Toby was home all alone with family members visiting him to ensure that he was okay and give him some lovin' while we were on vacation.

 

We have a thing for kitties.

 

It's not a short walk to Hemmingway's house. And despite what I read online...you can't see much from the street.

 

I could hear the "captain" of the trolleys passing by talking about how Hemmingway himself built the brick wall around the property...which explains why it looks the way that it does...

 

We had already overloaded on touring at the Ingham...I figured we could save touring Hemmingway's house for when DS had actually read a Hemmingway book...and maybe myself too (Is that horrible to admit?) :o.

 

So we stalked the fence and looked over it as best we could...searching desperately (not really) for a glimpse of a kitty...and especially one with 6 toes.

 

Check!

 

Success. And we moved on.

 

DS was interested in seeing Southernmost Point.

 

WALKING on.

 

We continued our walking tour down Whitehead.

 

I forgot! On the way to Hemmingway's house we saw the most amazing Banyan Tree outside the Banyan Inn. Go figure.

 

I've never seen a tree like this before. I may have heard the name...but had no clue. Pretty crazy tree! Now some other weird trees and thoughts of "what is that on that tree?" made sense.

 

On the way to Southernmost Point, we saw the Kapok tree. There's a plaque that details the uniqueness of this tree. Another visual wonder.

 

Finally, we reached Southernmost Point. There was a line that had formed. And in polite order, everyone waited their turn for their personal photo op in this unofficial line.

 

I had to be the one to speak up and declare that yes, I was willing to wait in that line for a silly picture! Which fortunately, Dad could take for me given my camera situation.

 

The two young ladies in line in front of us were also from the Connie. They had also eaten lunch on board. "Why pay for lunch?" Exactly. Time passed quickly with casual and fun conversation...

 

We walked over to Duval and started walking back in the direction of the ship.

 

Having lived for the majority of my life in Texas...for me, Key West was just another beach side town that seemed to cater to the college crowd. Extremely rude (and funny :rolleyes:) T-shirts were displayed all over. The businesses were comprised of places to sleep, places to eat, places to drink, places to waste money on touristy trinkets and souvenirs, and places to spend a lot of money on swimwear and artwork...all housed within buildings that ranged from quaint to trashy and in need of repair/updating.

 

It was hot. We were hot. We decided to stop into a shop that caught our eye to experience some air conditioning and cool off.

 

The label Jam's World is what caught our eye. Expensive but with great sales online for which there is no return...we were interested in checking out the colors and styles in person. The sales woman tried her best...and gave us some story regarding the individuality of the merchandise. But I was unimpressed considering that I had seen the exact same dress displayed in at least 2 other windows before availing myself of her air conditioning...

 

$179 is not in my budget for a sundress. Just sayin'.

 

After we had cooled off...and committed to memory some items to look for online, we continued walking toward the ship.

 

We passed by a hut-like ice cream parlor that was also selling the frozen key lime pie on a stick dipped in chocolate.

 

I know, right?

 

Sweet on steroids.

 

Worth trying for sure, but one and done for me. My teeth aren't that sweet. I could feel them rotting on contact...

 

We continued walking.

 

A gallery caught our eye and we explored. Another gallery dedicated to shadow boxes featuring musicians, actors, and popular films, both current and by gone also caught our eye. We explored.

 

We made our way back to the Connie with time to spare for all aboard.

 

Only after we were back home...and DH uploaded his steps from his pedometer (Virgin Healthmiles...part of his employer's health benefit)...could I tell you that we walked 11.2 miles in Key West...

 

:eek:

 

Walking shoes indeed.

[Anita Latte]

I wrote Coast Guard Clipper ship...should have been Coast Guard Cutter ship.

 

FYI...Mom and Dad arrive today to visit with us some more after their B2B second sailing on Connie. They moved to an Aqua Class cabin...which they have stayed in before on other ships, but never on Connie. They were aft on Deck 11.

 

I know many of you are sailing soon on Connie...or not so soon...but regardless, if anyone has specific questions that would be appropriate to ask Mom and Dad, please feel free to post.

[summer slope]

Boarding her one week from Saturday....you have done a fantastic job of describing everything. Have never sailed on her or Celebrity and what apprehension I had is gone because of you.

Edited April 10, 2014 by dixiefinn

[Anita Latte]

Greater love hath no love than the parents who put on their swimsuits and go to the pool with their son who asks them to when said parents would be much more inclined to NAP than swim.

 

As a family...we took the elevator up to our cabins for the second time on this trip...the second time this day. The first being our trip from Deck 1 to Deck 10 for lunch earlier this day...

 

We were dog tired. I mean to tell ya. The jams were feelin all that walking we did.

 

Technically, I don't think we did that much...lots of steps here and there...and a LOT of time spent on our feet in general.

 

Actually...the coolness of the pool sounded inviting. It wasn't that much of a hardship to change into our swimsuits and hit the pool deck.

 

The House Band was playing poolside. They were good. For the first time this cruise, we were in a public area for a sailaway!

 

One band member caught our eye. His guitar was SO SMALL. At first I thought it was a ukulele. Then I realized it was too big for that. But what it was...couldn't tell. DS wanted to approach the guitar player...again...he didn't want to do so alone...so again, together, we approached the musician at the end of his set to talk.

 

The guitar was 3/4 sized electric acoustic. He didn't normally play acoustic...but had been playing acoustic ever since he started playing with this band. And the acoustic he owned was huge. He formed a picture with his arms to show how awkward his other guitar was for performance. He had been eyeing this guitar in the UK...where he was from...yes, his accent was awesome...and he found this guitar for what amounts to a deep discount compared to the price in the UK. It was made my Martin, IIRC.

 

He let DS play it a bit.

 

If you have a budding musician...our experience on board leads me to say that it is worth your while to talk to the musicians on board...if you are so inclined. They are very friendly and willing to talk "shop."

 

He said something regarding a guitar that he had left on a different ship? And needing to figure out how to get that back. It's a curious comment and it makes me wonder about how the entertainment on board is scheduled and how it rotates and how musicians may perform through cruise lines.

 

Mom had been able to snag one of the coveted bed-like loungers that live on or around the dance floor area of the pool deck. We were able to couch out there for a while in sweet comfort.

 

It was sushi time!

 

Sitting at one of the outside tables, enjoying the outside, the warm air, the view, the breeze...we came to the conclusion that we were just going to eat dinner from the buffet that night.

 

My family was very attracted to the curry offerings that night. I read that these are offered every night...similarly to the way the sushi is...and tonight, we paid attention to the curry side...and we wanted curry.

 

Not to mention the idea that not having to change for dinner has MASS appeal.

 

I had a curry dish and a tiki masala dish. Excellent. The sauce had just the right heat...and big flavors. But after all that protein, I needed some veg.

 

I discovered that there is also a made to order stir fry section. You fill a bowl with what you want from a wide selection...the server will stir fry it in a wok...add one of several proteins, if desired...and also noodles or rice, if desired. His sauces are soy, oyster and the red spicy that are typical. What's not to like?

 

The dessert offerings were the same as for lunch earlier that day...so not super appealing. I did find a blueberry crunch type warm fruity dessert with a sweet white sauce that you could add...yum.

 

We kept eating. And eating. And eating. Someone would find something new and then another person would have to have some too...I think we were at our table for 2 hours going back and forth!

 

My main concern with this evening's plans was to get packed. Get it done earlier than later...be able to enjoy my last evening on board without added stress.

 

Soon we headed to the cabin to pack up.

 

I think our system is pretty good. As I mentioned earlier, we have one suitcase that is so huge...it could never go to Europe...it's best suited for car trips...but we made it work for this cruise because we flew Southwest. We use the scale at home repeatedly to insure that we don't over pack this suitcase which could probably hold close to 80 pounds or more.

 

Our other 2 suitcases are expandable carry on friendly. So when we pack to go home...we expand these suitcases (we don't for outbound packing) and stuff them as full as possible so that we don't over pack the big guy. It's much easier to pack dirty laundry and other things when you aren't concerned with wrinkles or divvying up clothes across luggage for travel purposes and so that everyone has clothes in each bag...just in case.

 

We were packed quickly.

 

We opted to keep one of the expandables in the room so that we could pack our toiletries, night clothes, swimsuits (hopefully, the would be drier, if not dry), etc. in the morning.

 

Moreno had left our luggage tags in the room. We were #30.

 

You are supposed to have your luggage in the hallway before 11 pm. We left ours out when we left to go to the evening show at 9. The crew repeatedly picks up the suitcases throughout the evening so that they don't hang out there for long regardless of when you put them out.

 

The evening show this night was to feature the house singers and dancers again. The theme was iHollywood. DK14 was going early and we were going to meet her and her family.

[Anita Latte]

Boarding her one week from Saturday....you have done a fantastic job of describing everything. Have never sailed on her or Celebrity and what apprehension I had is gone because of you.

 

I'm so glad! Reading this made my morning. :)

[Iamthesea]

FYI...Mom and Dad arrive today to visit with us some more after their B2B second sailing on Connie. They moved to an Aqua Class cabin...which they have stayed in before on other ships, but never on Connie. They were aft on Deck 11.

 

I know many of you are sailing soon on Connie...or not so soon...but regardless, if anyone has specific questions that would be appropriate to ask Mom and Dad, please feel free to post.

 

Were your parents in a very aft with the larger balcony, or near the aft?

 

Next month, DH and I will have a stateroom near the aft (2 doors from the bar staircase - did your parents ever use that door?) while my brother and wife will have 1141 with the large balcony on the very aft.

 

How did they like the stateroom? Any photos?

 

We have also stayed in AQ's on the Solstice class ships and were disappointed to hear that the new staterooms on the Millie class were not the same. :( The layout and bathrooms are not nearly as nice. I did peek into one of the AQ's last week and the lighter color of the walls seems to help a little. Also, since we have a shorter balcony with little overhead, that will brighten things up a bit. Those with the larger overhang will have a darker stateroom.

 

BTW- I thought I had checked this out while onboard last week and did not see any lounges up above on Deck 12. I had been told (from this board) that there were no lounges, so maybe I dreamed that I went up there to look. :o Did you actually see them? We were hoping that there were not any. It would be less noise for us if there were no chairs up above. Jogging has already been disallowed on Deck 12.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Iamthesea

[Iamthesea]

Sorry for all the questions.

 

What did your parents think of Blu compared to the dining room food and service?

 

Being in a Suite last week, my daughters and I had breakfast in Blu every morning. We loved it, and the wait staff was darling! We did not eat there at night, although DH and I have on previous cruises.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Iamthesea

[Anita Latte]

Were your parents in a very aft with the larger balcony, or near the aft?

 

Next month, DH and I will have a stateroom near the aft (2 doors from the bar staircase - did your parents ever use that door?) while my brother and wife will have 1141 with the large balcony on the very aft.

 

How did they like the stateroom? Any photos?

 

We have also stayed in AQ's on the Solstice class ships and were disappointed to hear that the new staterooms on the Millie class were not the same. :( The layout and bathrooms are not nearly as nice. I did peek into one of the AQ's last week and the lighter color of the walls seems to help a little. Also, since we have a shorter balcony with little overhead, that will brighten things up a bit. Those with the larger overhang will have a darker stateroom.

 

BTW- I thought I had checked this out while onboard last week and did not see any lounges up above on Deck 12. I had been told (from this board) that there were no lounges, so maybe I dreamed that I went up there to look. :o Did you actually see them? We were hoping that there were not any. It would be less noise for us if there were no chairs up above. Jogging has already been disallowed on Deck 12.

 

I'll address all the AQ questions after Mom and Dad arrive.

 

You are correct regarding the lounge chairs on Deck 12. My apologies. Deck 12 is that split deck and I had confused which one was aft and which was forward. The Sports Court and the big empty space are aft. The Sun Deck is forward. The forward Sun Deck was filled with lounge chairs.

[Anita Latte]

Sorry for all the questions.

 

What did your parents think of Blu compared to the dining room food and service?

 

Being in a Suite last week, my daughters and I had breakfast in Blu every morning. We loved it, and the wait staff was darling! We did not eat there at night, although DH and I have on previous cruises.

 

No worries with questions! It's what I love about the boards...the ability to share information and get first hand perspectives. Mom is a member of the boards too, so she might just come on and answer the questions firsthand...we'll be talking a lot of cruise talk...I'm very interested in hearing how the cruises compared.

 

I can tell you this...our weather in Cozumel was WAY better than for the second sailing. Mom said the sky opened up and POURED while they were there.

[summer slope]

Another question. I see on the Key west webcam that the Conch train picks up passengers. Is that only for the guests that have booked a Conch train tour? Is it a long walk into the main square?

[summer slope]

And does Celebrity have the purell stations throughout the ship?

[Iamthesea]

Another question. I see on the Key west webcam that the Conch train picks up passengers. Is that only for the guests that have booked a Conch train tour? Is it a long walk into the main square?

 

I am not sure about the train picking up random passengers off of the ship. I think it was probably for a ships excursion.

 

No, the square, and the Conch train stop is not far at all.

 

And does Celebrity have the purell stations throughout the ship?

 

Yes :)

 

I'll address all the AQ questions after Mom and Dad arrive.

 

You are correct regarding the lounge chairs on Deck 12. My apologies. Deck 12 is that split deck and I had confused which one was aft and which was forward. The Sports Court and the big empty space are aft. The Sun Deck is forward. The forward Sun Deck was filled with lounge chairs.

 

No problem...glad to hear that. Wish I had known they had them forward, though. We might have tried that deck. ;)

 

No worries with questions! It's what I love about the boards...the ability to share information and get first hand perspectives. Mom is a member of the boards too, so she might just come on and answer the questions firsthand...we'll be talking a lot of cruise talk...I'm very interested in hearing how the cruises compared.

 

I can tell you this...our weather in Cozumel was WAY better than for the second sailing. Mom said the sky opened up and POURED while they were there.

 

That's too bad. My daughters and I didn't even get off in Cozumel because we have been there a few times. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of the ship.

 

No hurry on my questions. I know your parents will be tired. ;)

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the review of your Connie cruise.

[tinykygal]

Thank you for your review!

I may have missed a post regarding sushi. Is this served in the buffet area, ala carte and what time of the day? DH loves sushi.

Have the craft beers been moved from Michael's.

I will review your posts; thank you for your reply.

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for your review!

I may have missed a post regarding sushi. Is this served in the buffet area, ala carte and what time of the day? DH loves sushi.

Have the craft beers been moved from Michael's.

I will review your posts; thank you for your reply.

 

Here you go! ;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42377217&postcount=64

 

Apparently, the Craft Beers have either been moved, or were never put into Michael's on the Connie. Here is a post on that subject.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42346570&postcount=29

[Anita Latte]

Thanks for the review of your Connie cruise.

 

My pleasure!

 

Thank you for your review!

I may have missed a post regarding sushi. Is this served in the buffet area, ala carte and what time of the day? DH loves sushi.

Have the craft beers been moved from Michael's.

I will review your posts; thank you for your reply.

 

Sushi is served in at the buffet everyday from 5:30 to 9:30 in the evening. There is one station. Nigiri and hand rolls are available. It IS a la carte...you can pick and choose your individual bites...you don't have to eat a whole hand roll. The sushi is well done...but as I said before, I would consider it to be beginner friendly sushi. There are some raw fish preparations, but many of the offerings included cooked shrimp and those Japanese style omelet eggs.

 

There are no craft beers at Michael's. Nor is there a great offering of craft beers anywhere that we could find...and we did search. The widest beer selection was in the RendezVous lounge...and I would describe their offering as more of a specialty Import selection than craft, but there were a COUPLE of craft brews...one Dogfish IPA comes to mind...that was $10 a bottle.

[Anita Latte]

Hello!

 

I'm going to attempt to give you some factual information...Mom and I are a bit concerned that it will come across negatively? And we certainly don't want to do anything to dampen your enthusiasm for your up-and-coming cruise. BUT...I have read your posts in many different places on these boards, and I feel that you are just a seeker of information and can take this information for what it's worth...with the full knowledge that YMMV.

 

Each and every cruise is unique...even if you sail B2B on a ship...each cruise will have pros and cons...and they may differ one from the other...

 

So, please note, in the spirit of sharing information, I'm posting the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding Aqua Class Deck 11 Aft on Connie.

 

First of all. Let's note that Mom and Dad have sailed in Aqua Class on Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, and Deck 9 of the Summit previously. They have some basis for comparison.

 

Were your parents in a very aft with the larger balcony, or near the aft?

 

Next month, DH and I will have a stateroom near the aft (2 doors from the bar staircase - did your parents ever use that door?) while my brother and wife will have 1141 with the large balcony on the very aft.

 

How did they like the stateroom? Any photos?

 

We have also stayed in AQ's on the Solstice class ships and were disappointed to hear that the new staterooms on the Millie class were not the same. :( The layout and bathrooms are not nearly as nice. I did peek into one of the AQ's last week and the lighter color of the walls seems to help a little. Also, since we have a shorter balcony with little overhead, that will brighten things up a bit. Those with the larger overhang will have a darker stateroom.

 

Mom and Dad stayed in cabin 1133, which is a true aft cabin with a larger balcony. Their friends stayed in cabin 1131, which is not a true aft cabin on the port side.

 

The stateroom itself was absolutely beautiful. It is the same layout and decor as the Concierge Veranda staterooms on Connie. All the drawers are soft closing drawers...on the nightstand and on the closet stack. It has a lighted magnification make up mirror. It has the aromatherapy dispenser. All the amenities that you would expect in AQ.

 

Mom says that the shower panel is different...and she has some comical descriptions of adjusting the shower panel...but it is still "nice" she says.

 

The balcony is larger than normal. The exposure on the balcony depends on the ship's orientation. There were times when the balcony was in full sun and the balcony was too hot to enjoy. There were times when the balcony was in shade and it could be pleasant.

 

The Sunset Bar is directly below the True Aft AQ cabins. The Sunset Bar is open from 6 am to 1 am. The Sunset Bar is a smoking bar on port side. Cigars are also okay to smoke at the Sunset Bar. The Sunset Bar also had live entertainment throughout the sailing. The speaker for the musician is mounted right underneath the balconies of the cabins on Deck 11. The cabin's glass doors are not sound proof.

 

If you stand at the balcony door, you can see the last two rows of tables at the Sunset Bar...and be seen by anyone sitting at these tables. You need to draw your curtains for privacy, if you want it...there are people that purposefully look up into the cabins on Deck 11 for whatever reason. If you sit on the balcony close to the glass doors, the guests at the bar can't see your face...but they can still see your feet.

 

There are two supposedly EMERGENCY doorway and stair accesses directly to the Sunset Bar at the aft, one each at the end of the hallways. The exterior door is on Deck 11...there is a landing outside the doors and stairs down to the Sunset Bar. Alarm will NOT sound if these doors are used. There is a light that is ALWAY LIT for safety purposes on the landing. The glass partitions between the balconies does nothing to block this light that is always lit. If you like to star gaze from your balcony...not happening from the balcony of 1133 because the ambient lighting is too strong.

 

If anyone uses these emergency doors, which are very heavy, the doors usually shut with force and cabin 1133 cannot escape this noise.

 

The biggest difference between S-class AQ and M-class AQ is the access to the Persian Gardens and the Fitness Center. On the S-class ships, you can go down the stairs to the Persian Gardens and Fitness Center. You can have a completely interior walk to these amenities. This is supposed to be one of the perks behind AQ sailings. The proximity and ease with which you can access the fitness center and spa services.

 

On the Connie, for Deck 11, there is one set of interior stairs. You land in the middle of the buffet from these stairs. So every time you take the stairs to go anywhere on the ship...you have to walk through the buffet. Even if you were to take those emergency stairs...you still have to walk through the buffet.

 

If you take the elevators...then you can NOT walk through the buffet to get to wherever you want on board. Even still...from the elevators you have to walk across the pool deck to get to the fitness center and Persian Gardens.

 

You can also leave Deck 11 through the two doors that exit onto Deck 11 outside where the old jogging track now deadends. When you look at the deck plan, those doors may appear to possibly access an interior space because the Tuscan Grille is on Deck 11...but it isn't...that hall goes outside again.

 

There are additional noises that affect the Deck 11 aft cabins beyond the obvious from the Sunset Bar below... There is a canvas covering for the Sunset Bar that provides shade...when there is wind...there is noise. Creaking and other stress related sounds as the canvas and what holds it in place moves. Also, the flag for the ship is above these cabins...and it can be quite noisy when whipped by the wind.

 

Please note that this sailing that Mom and Dad experienced was VERY rough with rough seas and high winds. Doors had warnings on them for people to NOT use because of the high winds. The swimming pools were emptied at one point because the ship was moving so much.

 

Sorry for all the questions.

 

What did your parents think of Blu compared to the dining room food and service?

 

Being in a Suite last week, my daughters and I had breakfast in Blu every morning. We loved it, and the wait staff was darling! We did not eat there at night, although DH and I have on previous cruises.

 

Regarding Blu...as far as service is concerned, because we had Select Dining for the first sailing, there was no opportunity to establish relationship with any of our servers. The Blu service was excellent...Mom and Dad had sailed with their sommelier on a previous sailing so they had instant rapport with him.

 

Mom and Dad thought that food in the MDR was tasty...but Mom did experience some water retention issues that she didn't experience eating dinner at Blu.

 

Mom and Dad did not enjoy the aft experience. It may not have been a fair sailing to judge...because the seas were very rough...but the movement of ship, etc., was not as enjoyable as the midship experience for Mom and Dad. The seas were so rough that the Captain went as slow as possible during service hours with the stabilizers on full blast. At 1 am, the captain turned off the stabilizers and "put the pedal to the metal" to make up for lost time. Also...all the servers were nervous during service...there was a very great fear of possible service disaster because of the roughness of the ship.

 

Mom said that the stateroom literally shuddered. The use of the door and those stairs to the Sunset Bar...for whatever reason, Mom was in her stateroom more on this sailing than in sailings past. Dad was finally in the stateroom to experience the noise from those stairs and door and looked at Mom in amazement because they haven't been in a stateroom before that was as noisy overall as this one.

 

To sum...if you are staying in Deck 11 AQ because you are enthused for the AQ experience and want that a more spa-focused, fitness and health focused kind of sailing...than Deck 11 will be frustrating. From Deck 11, it is really easy to hit the Sunset Bar, smell smoke, eat from the buffet, and otherwise surround yourself with food because of the traffic pattern from Deck 11 cabins through the Oceanside Cafe.

 

Again...I've tried my best to give facts. Information. And it feels negative, even as I write it. And again...I only respond fully because it is in my nature to do so...which I hope is evidenced by this entire review.

 

If you have any other questions or need for clarification, please don't hesitate to post.

[summer slope]

Again, thank you for your comments. I can't wait until next week. We are on deck 9 forward, starboard side. Hopefully will be smooth as my companion has never sailed.

[Iamthesea]

Thank you, Anita. ;)

 

All the issues that your parents brought up, we already knew about except the one about the overhead covering. As I said, my brother and SIL are staying in 1141. They shouldn't have any problem from the slamming door. Hopefully, no noise issues, either, since they are in one more cabin. I tried to warn them not to take the aft. Told them about smoke, music, etc. They decided to keep the stateroom anyway. Luckily, my brother is deaf as a doornail. I will tell them to take a white noise machine, as well.

 

Hopefully, DH and I will not have any issues with noise being in 1132. No smoke, either.

 

On the Connie, for Deck 11, there is one set of interior stairs. You land in the middle of the buffet from these stairs. So every time you take the stairs to go anywhere on the ship...you have to walk through the buffet. Even if you were to take those emergency stairs...you still have to walk through the buffet.

 

I had to laugh at this. Every time my girls and I went anywhere, we ended up having to go through that darn buffet. So I am prepared. We could not figure out why, or how to get places on that ship.:rolleyes: We were on deck 6, aft.

 

We booked AQ for the newer cabin and to be able to dine in Blu. Not for the spa amenities. there will not be time to use them on our cruise.

 

Glad to hear that your parents liked Blu. I am sorry that they had such lousy weather. :( Thanks again!

[travelingirl70]

Anita, we are at the Embassy Suites now, boarding tomorrow (Monday). I'm trying to judge what time to head to the port. Reading your posts, it sounds like you left the hotel around 10 am? Wonder if you just got lucky boarding so early. I'm the kind of person that just wants to get there so we will probably head over on the early side and take our chances.

 

 

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[Iamthesea]

travelingirl70 - I'll answer for Anita about our experience on the same cruise. We left our hotel room (in the same vicinity) around 10:15. Took about 15 for the cab to come, get through the check point and then drive into the port dock. No traffic what-so-ever. This was on a Sunday, so it could be different if other ships are in port. We checked our luggage, walked into the building with no waiting, and were on the ship... all within another 15 minutes. So onboard by 10:45.:) The lady checking us in said that we came at just the right time. There had been an earlier rush of passengers (the early birds that were there and waiting before check-in started) and then there was the rapidly forming, long line behinds us. ;)

[Anita Latte]

Anita, we are at the Embassy Suites now, boarding tomorrow (Monday). I'm trying to judge what time to head to the port. Reading your posts, it sounds like you left the hotel around 10 am? Wonder if you just got lucky boarding so early. I'm the kind of person that just wants to get there so we will probably head over on the early side and take our chances.

 

 

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I remember seeing 10:23 am for either arriving at the port or getting into line. Embassy is so close. Leaving at 10ish sounds about right. They try to clear the ship around 10. A porter will know if the ship has been cleared.

 

Bon voyage!!

 

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