Picture Gallery - Constellation - British Isles +

[Paulmj]

I just posted pictures from our recently concluded cruise on Celebrity's Constellation to France, Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Denmark.

 

The pictures are best viewed in "original size" and the panoramas can be scrolled using the slider bar at the bottom of the screen.

 

You can find the pictures on my website at:

 

http://www.beenthere-donethat.com/

 

Click on the 'Europe' tab and then choose the appropriate gallery.

 

Enjoy!

[10suzy]

great pictures! we did the Millenium in the Med in June - how does the Celebrity/Northern Europe compare with Princess/Med? I would like to go to Northern Europe but the Constellation prices have gone way up so I am considering the 10 day Princess cruise from Copenhagen. (We have two children 11 and 16)

[dbh62ark]

Wonderful photos, and thanks for sharing! We loved our fjords cruise too, and it's nice to see that you had good weather. I thought Celebrity's itinerary combining the British Isles with the fjords was a great one.

 

What kind of camera did you use? It looked like you did a river cruise to see Austria, etc. Can you help me talk my husband into doing one of those? He's afraid he will be bored (we're in our early 40s), but the itineraries I've seen are very port intensive, so I don't think so at all. We're on the Constellation later this summer for a return trip to the Baltics and can't wait.

 

Thanks again,

Donna

[Paulmj]

The camera I used is an 8MP Nikon Coolpix 8700 with an 8X optical zoom. Some of the pictures were edited with Photoshop.

 

Our trip to Austria was not a riverboat cruise. Your husband has wisdom. I would never go on one of these. I'm 71, and other than my wife I think I would be the youngest person on board! The whole notion of being confined in a relatively small vessel and seeing a daily succession of gothic churches floating by is not my idea of a vacation.

 

They tell you how "nice" the riverboats are now. It's like people talking about how they have all the amenities in their 40 Ft. RV, but it sure isn't like spending your vacation in a 4-star resort on the beach.

[Bruin Steve]

great pictures! we did the Millenium in the Med in June - how does the Celebrity/Northern Europe compare with Princess/Med? I would like to go to Northern Europe but the Constellation prices have gone way up so I am considering the 10 day Princess cruise from Copenhagen. (We have two children 11 and 16)

Suzy,

I was on the Connie with Paul for this British Isles/Norwegian Fjords cruise. Great cruise!

I've taken the Millennium in the Mediterranean and took Princess to the Baltics, round trip Copenhagen in 2001. We did that one with our kids (then aged 15 and 17). Frankly, I do not recommend Princess' Baltic cruise. First, our kids hated the fact that the demographics were heavily skewed toward the elderly (Far older than our just completed Celebrity Northern Europe cruise). Second, Princess tends to cut a lot of corners on the itinerary--most notably using Nynashamn for Stockholm--this ends up costing you considerably in both time and money as all excursions are incredibly expensive and time consuming in that it is a LONG bus ride from Nynashamn to Stockholm...Plus, airfares to London are typically cheaper and easier with fewer connections...What looks, on the surface, to be a slightly less expensive 10 night cruise actually ends up costing more in terms of real money--and for a shorter cruise...

 

And we find Celebrity to be just flat out BETTER...I would go with the Constellation...even if it cost a few dollars more...

[dbh62ark]

The camera I used is an 8MP Nikon Coolpix 8700 with an 8X optical zoom. Some of the pictures were edited with Photoshop.

 

Our trip to Austria was not a riverboat cruise. Your husband has wisdom. I would never go on one of these. I'm 71, and other than my wife I think I would be the youngest person on board! The whole notion of being confined in a relatively small vessel and seeing a daily succession of gothic churches floating by is not my idea of a vacation.

 

They tell you how "nice" the riverboats are now. It's like people talking about how they have all the amenities in their 40 Ft. RV, but it sure isn't like spending your vacation in a 4-star resort on the beach.

Well, we have bonded. :) First, you made me laugh out loud. Second, we just bought that camera! And now we have to learn to use it. But I will NOT be telling my husband that he is right about the river cruise! :) We never get too concerned about age of passengers because basically we love everybody and especially appreciate visiting with those who have more life experience than we do, but the other things you mentioned are definitely something to think about. I'm getting too lazy (spoiled???) for extensive ground trips in Europe--it's so nice to leave the hectic schedules at home, unpack once, and then use the ship for transportation--so we may have to split those destinations into pre- and postcruise trips. It's usually easier to use our FF miles to fly into a city other than a port city anyway, and then we can catch a cheap flight or train to the port city.

 

Thanks again for all the great photos, and happy next trip to you.

 

Donna

[Paulmj]

We've taken 24 cruises in about as many years. We have always felt that the experience with RCI, Princess and Celebrity were pretty much the same. I have to concur with my friend Steve that this recent ride on the Constellation was definitely "better". The food, the service, the ship, it was all to the good. I can't remember when we had a better time.

 

We are in fact finally burning out on European cruises. We stopped going to the Caribbean years ago. In the past 10 years, we probably did 7 or 8 European cruises. We always enjoy the ships, but the ports are becoming too familiar. I mean 3-4 times in Athens is enough, especially in the summer heat and smog. We had a Med. cruise already booked on Princess for next summer, but we just cancelled it. I don't know what we'll do now.

 

We're looking now at SE Asia, perhaps China, but not with a lot of enthusiasm. We may try one and see.

 

Last December, we took a Tauck Tour to Australia, and loved it. This December we're taking Tauck to New Zealand. This may be our future for us, although they are quite expensive.

 

"Life's a bitch and then you die."

[Bruin Steve]

We are in fact finally burning out on European cruises. We stopped going to the Caribbean years ago. In the past 10 years, we probably did 7 or 8 European cruises. We always enjoy the ships, but the ports are becoming too familiar. I mean 3-4 times in Athens is enough, especially in the summer heat and smog. We had a Med. cruise already booked on Princess for next summer, but we just cancelled it. I don't know what we'll do now.

 

We're looking now at SE Asia, perhaps China, but not with a lot of enthusiasm. We may try one and see.

 

I hear you, Paul...

 

We were looking at Asia/China for next year, mostly to do something different...but with Beth working for the school district, our cruise window is pretty much July and the first half of August...That pretty much takes away the possibility of South America cruises, Australia/New Zealand cruises, Canada/New England cruises, TransAtlantic cruises and repositioning cruises...

 

--but, for July/August, Asia is pretty much limited to a choice between the Pacific Princess or Viking River Cruises...

But, we're also concerned that Asia is unbearably hot and humid this time of year (Right now in Hong Kong, it is in the mid 90s with 84% humidity and thunderstorms later in the week, Beijing a few degrees cooler, but just as humid and thunderstorms all week...Bangkok is 93 with 92% humidity and thunderstorms)...

The other concerns include bad things we've heard about restroom facilities (one of Beth's personal hang-ups)...

 

I was looking at some other July 2006 possibilities:

Although we've recently done the Mediterranean, the Galaxy has a July 24 11-nighter that goes Rome - At Sea - Mykonos - Rhodes- Santorini - Istanbul (overnight) - Kusadasi -Athens - At Sea - Naples - Rome

Mykonos, Rhodes, Istanbul and Kusadasi would be new ports for us...

 

I've started looking at Oceania...They've got some unique European itineraries...

 

The Nautica has a July 2 sailing that goes:

Athens - Santorini - Kusadasi- Yalta - Sochi, Russia - Sevastopol - Odessa- Constanta, Romania - Nessebur, Bulgaria - Istanbul (overnight)...

...and a July 14 sailing that goes:

Istanbul (overnight) - Kusadasi - Rhodes - Delos - Mykonos - Santorini - Athens - Amalfi/Positano - Taormina (Sicily) - Kotor, Serbia and Montenegro - Dubrovnik - Venice (overnight

 

The July 2 Black Sea would be mostly new ports for us and the July 14 would bring us to new ports in most of the stops...

 

So those are beginning to sound quite interesting to me...at least right now...

[Paulmj]

Georgia teaches too, so we have the same window for travel opportunities.

 

Re restrooms overseas, have you ever seen this site?

 

http://www.poopreport.com/Travel/Content/Italy/italy.html