Celebrity Constellation...why the bad reviews?

[SandiMac]

My husband and I are travelling on CC in June 2015 From Venice on a 10 night Italy and Croatia cruise.

 

Is there anyone also travelling on this cruise?

 

We previously travelled on Celebrity Equinox ex Rome June 2012 and adored every minute of it.

 

I am a bit concerned about some of the negative reviews I have read regarding the Constellation.

 

Is there anyone who has travelled on both who can please give us some insight?

 

We will be booking on CC having travelled Aqua previously.

 

Fingers crossed for some really positive stuff as the Constellation has been refurbed :-)

[Sloop-JohnB]

My husband and I are travelling on CC in June 2015 From Venice on a 10 night Italy and Croatia cruise.

 

Is there anyone also travelling on this cruise?

 

If you are looking to connect with other Cruisers on your sailing the best place to do that is the Roll Call Board. You can find the Roll Call for your sailing by clicking on the link at the top of this page above your post that is labelled NEW ! Find Your CELEBRITY Roll Call

 

This will take you to a page where you fill in a bit f basic info... Ship Name & Sailing Date

 

Roll Calls are a great way to meet other People (be sure & sign up on the Celebrity Website for the Cruise Critic Connections Part) - talk about your upcoming cruise - share tips - save money on excursions etc

 

--- --- ---

 

We previously travelled on Celebrity Equinox ex Rome June 2012 and adored every minute of it.

 

I am a bit concerned about some of the negative reviews I have read regarding the Constellation.

 

Is there anyone who has travelled on both who can please give us some insight?

 

We will be booking on CC having travelled Aqua previously.

 

Fingers crossed for some really positive stuff as the Constellation has been refurbed :-)

 

 

 

As for the Constellation, she is a much beloved Celebrity Ship... I have an upcoming cruise on her and am really looking forward to it.

 

I think for some the issue is that she is one of the M-Class Ships. Celebrity has gained a lot f new customers (myself included) and notoriety in the last few years with the launch of their bigger "modern" S-Class Ships... 5 in 5 years.

 

We certainly love the S-Class Ships... We were on the Solstice in 2012

 

But we have to say we love the M-Class Ships too (there are 4). We were on the Summit in 2013.

 

We have no qualms booking any of the ships M or S Class... Like I said we will be on the Connie soon (and the Summit again in 2015)

 

Guess you could say we just love Celebrity... Because the service & pampering remains across the line no matter what ship you are on

 

Personally, I think that Reviews are just opinions (and everyone has one... No two are ever the same)

 

I definitely read them... But I tend to put more weight in Stats than words

 

Cause sometimes we get bogged down in words... And the opinions of others... Til as they say you cannot see the forest for the trees

 

As I told another poster today (they were wondering about The Infinity which is also an M-Class Ship):

 

I find the same situation you are in when I look at CCs sister website TripAdvisor for Accommodations - Attractions - and Restaurants

 

And like TripAdvisor CC has such a system in place as well for numerical statistic based ratings

 

Here on CC you will find their is a Rating & Review Page for each Ship. It includes a Review written by a CC Editor (Professional Travel Writer) as well as links to all the Reviews written by CC Members.

 

But it aso has gathered numerical data from each Reviewer that it continually monitors / updates

 

As of today ~ September 29, 2014

 

The Constellation has 831 CC Member Reviews, and an overall rating of 4 Stars out of 5, with 82% Pax loving it. (The CC Editor gave the Ship 4-1/2 out of 5 Blue Ribbons)

 

You will find ratings out of 5 for a variety of individual categories as well (Dining - Public Rooms - Cabins - Entertainment - Spa & Fitness - Family / Children - etc)

 

Also the latest CDC Score for the ship is 99% (awesome !!)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=272

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Ps... If you have a ship or two you know you like it might be useful to look up their ratings for comparative reasons to determine your own personal standards on a numerical basis

 

Example when I look at Hotels, I know that I want a Hotel that is 3 Stars or more... Anything less and I WILL BE DISAPPOINTED... Doesn't matter then what anyone else says about it

Edited September 28, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[CCC's]

We cruised on Celebrity Solstice for 12 days Sydney to New Zealand in November 2013. I did my review on my return (absolutely loved everything). However, a small number of fellow passengers were not so happy. It made me scratch my head and wonder ..... "were we on the same cruise" ?? There are passengers who are continually 'half-empty'. By that I mean that they will also write about the negatives which to them become overwhelming without considering the many positives of their cruise. Human nature. You can't change that.

 

I was so happy with every aspect of our cruise that I have now booked an 8 day South Pacific Cruise for April 2016, just so that I can get the same cabin on the Solstice.

 

Enjoy your trip...... I am sure you will.

[The_Big_M]

My husband and I are travelling on CC in June 2015 From Venice on a 10 night Italy and Croatia cruise.

 

Is there anyone also travelling on this cruise?

 

We previously travelled on Celebrity Equinox ex Rome June 2012 and adored every minute of it.

 

I am a bit concerned about some of the negative reviews I have read regarding the Constellation.

 

Is there anyone who has travelled on both who can please give us some insight?

 

We will be booking on CC having travelled Aqua previously.

 

Fingers crossed for some really positive stuff as the Constellation has been refurbed :-)

 

The simplest is to say there are pros and cons to each... Solstice class has more of a 'wow' factor so if you start with that, it's not the same to go on Constellation.

 

For me, I much preferred her (and the rest of the class) prior to refurb. Some of that is again personal preference, but the feel was that they were trying to make her more like Solstice... taking away the stuff she did well, and putting in things that are compromised. Plus adding more cabins by taking away public space always results in an increase in crowding/occupancy that wasn't the case before.

 

It's all about relativities though. Without that prior experience, you only take it at face value, and the only negative aspect then really is a bit of wear. But if you compare to others or prior experiences, that's where you can have damaged expectations.

[lara68]

We have sailed on the S class ships and the M class ones. As previously stated, the S class is newer with more wow and the configuration of the buffet more conducive to easy flow of passengers. That being said, we were on the Constellation last may and although wary, loved every minute of it! The ship is lovingly maintained and the crew amazing! We didn't feel the Millennium was in as good a shape. We would love to sail again on the Constellation. They are two different classes of ships and as such are different. What is the same, is the wonderful service and feel of Celebrity!

[england1]

We were on the Constellation in June and I have also read the "bad" reviews. After reading them I really wondered if we were on the same ship. We felt that the captain and crew were amazing. The ship was well maintained and the food was very good. We were on the Infinity last year and even though the service was excellent we felt that the ship was showing it's age. Hope you enjoy the Constellation as much as we did.

[hcat]

We prefer S class ships these days, but will try Connie again.....first time since she was Solsticized. Booked in AQ for a short cruise

 

,Looking forward to it...hoping the engine repair being made in Nov works out well and we will have smooth sailing!

[TorontoSailor]

Have been on both, and both are very nice ships. Given the choice, however, I'd personally choose a S-class ship over an M-class. Just more sophisticated, more spacious, modern and elegant. Know some prefer the M-class, though; smaller, more intimate, old-style. Don't think you'll be disappointed, either way.

[NLH Arizona]

Even though 2 out of my 3 booked cruises are on S-Class ships, I actually prefer the M-Class ships, because they are smaller. I really like the feel of a smaller ship, not to mention that there are less people.

I never worry about reviews, as some can only find fault with everything. I'm an avid review reader and I get such laughs out of many of the "bad" reviews, because IMHO the items that are complained about are so trivial that most probably wouldn't have noticed. If you go in with an attitude that you are going to have a great time, you will, but if you go in with any apprehensions and worries about what others think of the ship, then you probably won't, because you will be looking for every little thing to go wrong.

Edited September 28, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[SandiMac]

Hello to all...

 

Thank you very much for your replies..

 

We have jumped in head first and booked our cruise today...

 

We are very positive people and will enter into our next fabulous holiday with our usual gusto :)

 

We are now very much looking forward to the "M" class experience. We will also be sure to register for the roll call as we did last cruise.

 

Look for our uplifting review next year ;)

 

I am a great believer in positive breeding postitive.

 

Happy cruising

 

Sandi and Steve :D

[tartana]

Yes, join the Roll Call - we sail on June 21st out of Venice on Connie - looking forward to it! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2100592

[SandiMac]

Thanks for the heads up Tartana.

 

I have jumped straight on and joined the Roll Call.

 

Looking forward to a great sounding itinerary at a great time of the year :D

[prince&princesscruiser]

I just returned from a cruise on Connie on sept 22 2014. It was the worst celebrity cruise I've been on!!! It was boring!!! They didn't have any activities on the sea days! Not to mention the food wasn't up to par! We actually got off a day early in Istanbul because we were that disappointed!

[micruiser12]

We were on the Connie in June to the Baltic and loved our whole experience! The ship looked good, the staff great and food very good. We have been on several other M class and S class ships, but Connie is one of our favorites. If you are a positive person then you will most likely find you enjoy your cruise very much!

[hcat]

I just returned from a cruise on Connie on sept 22 2014. It was the worst celebrity cruise I've been on!!! It was boring!!! They didn't have any activities on the sea days! Not to mention the food wasn't up to par! We actually got off a day early in Istanbul because we were that disappointed!

 

No activities whatsoever? That is odd...did they have an activities staff?

 

what dining room were you in and did you do any specialty venues!

[agathasmum]

We did a Baltic cruise on Connie in July 2014. We had a wonderful time.

 

The food was excellent and the staff were very helpful and friendly. There were evening shows and musicians in the lounges, lectures, trivia, zumba and plenty of activities to keep people busy if that's what they wanted.

 

Our itinerary was very port intensive and we spent long days touring, so were happy to be able to have down time on sea days and recharge our batteries.

 

Connie is one of our favourite ships.

[cruzeluver]

I just returned from a cruise on Connie on sept 22 2014. It was the worst celebrity cruise I've been on!!! It was boring!!! They didn't have any activities on the sea days! Not to mention the food wasn't up to par! We actually got off a day early in Istanbul because we were that disappointed!

 

See when you post false information it makes everything else you state suspect. I am quite sure there were activities available on your sea days, and probably a good number of them. Now whether any of them appealed to you may be another story.

 

To the OP: we have sailed Connie both prior to and after her "Solsticizing" and she is right near the top of our favorites. She is large enough to offer a good variety of options, yet small enough to feel warm and intimate.

[theborders]

Strange I just got off the constellation today 2nd of October on the 22nd September we were in varna not Istanbul. They certainly did have things going on on the sea days. As stated maybe they were not too your taste.

[capecruzer]

:mad: Received the Celebrity Visa this morning in the mail and called the travel agency to make final payment. Apparently, they already used the credit card from my deposit which was on file. Here I thought I was two weeks early but the paperwork says 10/01. Customer services is seeing if they can get the charges reversed or cancelled if they haven't really gone through yet. Was really hyped for the bonus points and free specialty restaurant rewards.

[cruiserone]

After 30 years of cruising I have learned that you cannot make everyone happy. Some people have high expectations of cruising. If you want a party boat you need to go on Carnival. If you read the reviews you know that Celebrity could be a quieter way to go to Europe. RCCL is also a younger crowd. Since we no longer cruise with our children, they cruise with their own families now, we like a quieter time on our vacations. And I have never been on a X ship that did not have activities on sea days!!!!

 

OK venting done:)

 

Happy cruising everyone!

[vulcan1971]

Hello to all...

 

Thank you very much for your replies..

 

We have jumped in head first and booked our cruise today...

 

We are very positive people and will enter into our next fabulous holiday with our usual gusto :)

 

We are now very much looking forward to the "M" class experience. We will also be sure to register for the roll call as we did last cruise.

 

Look for our uplifting review next year ;)

 

I am a great believer in positive breeding postitive.

 

Happy cruising

 

Sandi and Steve :D

 

Hi Sandi -

 

No doubt that you will find the Constellation to be wonder a cruise ship (as are all of the M-Class ships). Here is a link to a YouTube video that I like to share when folks have questions or concerns about what to expect when cruising on one of the M-Class ships. This video specifically highlights all the changes and updates that were implemented when the ship was "solsticized" in early 2013. I will be on the Constellation for 16 days this upcoming November (in an Aqua Class cabin) and very excited to be returning to the M-Class style of cruise ship.

 

 

Congratulations on booking your first Celebrity cruise and have a wonderful time.

Edited October 2, 2014 by vulcan1971

[LKN-NC]

I just returned from a cruise on Connie on sept 22 2014. It was the worst celebrity cruise I've been on!!! It was boring!!! They didn't have any activities on the sea days! Not to mention the food wasn't up to par! We actually got off a day early in Istanbul because we were that disappointed!

 

Quite the opposite here, we were on the same cruise. Loved the ship, the crew and the food in the main dining room was the best we've had in the past couple years (select dining) which includes Solstice, Eclipse, Infinity and Connie. Our traveling companions thought the same.

 

We entertain ourselves on sea days so the only complaint we had as a group was the lack of a card/game room. But there was a normal schedule of activities for Celebrity. It's not RCCL, but enough going on to carry the daily planner with us to keep up.

 

We did mostly private tours, but the 3 ship's excursions we did were excellent.

 

Connie is in great shape -- cabin spotless as was the bathroom. It was a great cruise.

[hcat]

Hi Sandi -

 

No doubt that you will find the Constellation to be wonder a cruise ship (as are all of the M-Class ships). Here is a link to a YouTube video that I like to share when folks have questions or concerns about what to expect when cruising on one of the M-Class ships. This video specifically highlights all the changes and updates that were implemented when the ship was "solsticized" in early 2013. I will be on the Constellation for 16 days this upcoming November (in an Aqua Class cabin) and very excited to be returning to the M-Class style of cruise ship.

 

 

Congratulations on booking your first Celebrity cruise and have a wonderful time.

 

Thanks for posting ..the link.....other than Michaels...now closed to us...we are looking forward to the new look of Connie, I am also probably one if the few who will miss the Conservatory and flower shop...but overall it looks great!

Edited October 2, 2014 by hcat

[susietb]

We just returned from our 14 vacation on the Constellation (starting in Amsterdam and disembarking in Istanbul on September 20th.

 

We had a wonderful time!!!!! The crew and the entertainment staff were wonderful. I don't know about the activities on the sea days, as this was a very port intensive cruise and we shared excursions with to Bruges, Cherbourg, Vigo, Lisbon, Almeria, Malta, Kusadasi and Istanbul with all our cruise critic buddies. There seemed to be plenty of things to do, and we had trouble deciding among all the activities. The indoor/outdoor pools were great and the ship was in great condition.

 

We always found something delicious to eat. It just goes to prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[The_Big_M]

We entertain ourselves on sea days so the only complaint we had as a group was the lack of a card/game room.

 

It used to have one, but that was one of the facilities lost during 'Solsticisation'.