Constellation Northern Europe

[susie Q]

We are considering a cruise on the Constellation for summer 2007. There are two different cruises available for the 14 day cruise. I'd love to hear from folks who have taken the cruises...one goes to St. Petersburg, the other the fjords, (I think!) We have been on the Summit and the Millenium, so I think the ship is similar. My questions deal with...which itinerary would you suggest and which summer month would provide the best (i.e. little or no rain) weather? We took the Western Med. cruise this June, and while lovely, boy! was it hot! I would think the Northern European cruise would provide cooler weather...just hoping for sunshine, not rain and fog. Thanks in advance for any replies .

[LHT28]

We did both on another cruiseline It was mid- June and the fjords were breatrhtaking waiting later in the summer the waterfall may not be as spectacular.

The weather was 60's + and little rain ..some sprinkles but they didn't last long.

Check out my photos

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lht28/album?.dir=4883&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lht28/my_photos

[susie Q]

Thanks so much for the photos.....they were beautiful and I appreciate the advice!

[kennelgang]

Susie Q,

 

My wife and I are planning to take a Norwegian Fjords/Northern Europe Cruise in the Summer of 2007.

 

We were on Celebrity's Constellation earlier this month on its New England Canada itinerary, which was as wonderful as ever!! While on this cruise I inquired if the Constellation will do the same cruise to the Norwegian Fjords/Northern Europe in 2007 that it will be doing this coming July, 2006 (July 15th sailing). The response was that this was one of Celebrity's most popular Europe itineraries and that for sure they will be doing this itinerary again in 2007!!! If so, the itinerary is the best I have seen between the other cruiselines. I was told that the books for this 2007 cruise would not open up until Spring 2006.

 

Lets stay in-touch.

 

Bob

[Bruin Steve]

We did the Baltic (Copenhagen - Stockholm - Helsinki - St. Petersburg - Tallinn - Gdansk - Oslo - Copenhagen) on Princess in 2001 and the "Northern Europe aka British Isles and Norwegian Fjords (Dover - LeHavre - Cork - Dublin - Belfast - Glasgow - Olden - Geiranger - Bergen - Copenhagen - Dover) this past July on the Constellation...

 

Both were great itineraries (though, if I had to do it again, I would definitely have gone on the Connie OVER Princess for the Baltic)...

 

Choosing between the two itineraries, if I could only do one, I'd take the Baltic...

Of course, a lot depends on whether you prefer "scenery" or history, culture and architecture (and, of course, for some folks who have Irish or Norwegian heritage, there is a special allure to the Fjord route)...But, for me, I prefer the culture and history, so...

First, St. Petersburg blows away any port on the Fjord route...The history of the Czars, the palaces and museums are just unmatched...We also did the Ballet at night...It's a special experience...

Copenhagen is my second favorite, but it's on both itineraries...

Tallinn, Estonia and Gdansk, Poland are really neat ports (Of course they're not on all Baltic itineraries)...Stocholm is nice and the Wasa Museum is fantastic)...Oslo and Helsinki merely okay in my book...

 

For the Fjord itinerary, the Norwegian Fjord towns are rather ordinary but the scenery is flat out outstanding...but the history and culture sort of pales next to St. Pete, Tallin, Gdansk, Stockholm...

 

The Irish stops are very interesting...Cork, Dublin, Belfast...We particularly enjoyed our excursion over to Londonderry...

 

My best advice is to do BOTH...whatever you don't do first, do in a subsequent year...

 

Go mid-summer...it never gets too hot...and too early or too late in the season may give you lesser weather...which could wreak havoc with something like the Fjords...Even in July, when we were in Geiranger and got to the top of Mt. Dalsniba for the views, the whole fjord was completely clouded in...

 

Yes, the Connie is a sister ship to the Millie, Summit and Infinity...all are virtually identical...

 

Good luck and have fun...

[belgiancruiser]

I have done neither, though I'd love to.

 

If you can, I think a cruise which would include midsummernight would be the most atmospheric ; there are lot of festivals in Scandinavia that day, and I St-Petersburg there are the "White Nights", and I guess sailing on nights it doesn't get dark has a very special feeling.

 

J

[JeanneF]

I have been looking at the Celebrity Constellation that just goes out in July for 14 days. Coud not make it last year and it appears that it is pretty much booked this year. My concern is, how rough are the seas in northern Europe?? In the lower price range the only availability is the very front of ship, which I believe will have lots of rocking.

So... could anyone who has done this itinerary give me any advice as to the stability of the ship in those waters?? Thanks

Jeanne:)

[susie Q]

Hi there! Thanks for the info. We are also planning to take this cruise in summer 2007, there will be two couples going. Do you know how to find out when the booking will be open for that time? I asked my TA and he doesn't even know! We want particular cabins and don't want to miss out. Yes, let's keep in touch as this cruise gets closer. (Seems like ages, but it will be here before you know it!)

[kennelgang]

Susie Q,

I recently checked with Celebrity and was informed that the books for Europe 2007 will not open up until late April/early May.

Bob

[kennelgang]

Susie Q,

 

Forgot to ask you what cabins you where looking at? As you know my wife and I were on the Constellation in October this year and know a little bit about the ship and the cabins, and perhaps could give some advice.

 

Also I plan on setting up a "cruise critic party" with Celebrity as soon as I make my booking. I did this on the Constellation last October and it worked out very well. We past on a lot of infomation at the party and through-out the cruise. Made for some new found friends and we were able to get groups together to reduce tour costs, etc.

 

I have already done some research on hotels in London...just for the fun of it and to determine preliminary budget. Have some good ideas on where we might stay.

 

Bob

[kennelgang]

Just thought I would bump this thread to see if anyone else out there is doing the same long term cruise planning as others on this thread.

Bob

[CruiseAdmin]

We completed a 14-Night Northern Europe Sailing on the Constellation beginning June 19th 2004. The weather was beautiful and our cruise visited the following ports.

 

Dover, England -

Le Havre (Paris), France -

Oslo, Norway -

Copenhagen, Denmark -

Rostock(Berlin), Germany -

Gdynia (Gdansk), Poland -

Muuga (Tallinn),Estonia -

St. Petersburg, Russia + Excursion to Moscow -

Helsinki, Finland -

Stockholm, Sweden

 

Excellent cruise, excellent ship & crew and I wouldn't be hesitant to recommend it.

[dbh62ark]

I have been looking at the Celebrity Constellation that just goes out in July for 14 days. Coud not make it last year and it appears that it is pretty much booked this year. My concern is, how rough are the seas in northern Europe?? In the lower price range the only availability is the very front of ship, which I believe will have lots of rocking.

So... could anyone who has done this itinerary give me any advice as to the stability of the ship in those waters?? Thanks

Jeanne:)

I've been on two Baltics cruises, and I think the motion of the ship varies greatly from sailing to sailing, which is probably the reason why you haven't received a reply to your question. I don't have motion sickness, so I don't know whether or not I would notice minor motion. I don't recall any rough seas on our 2003 trip, but we had a rough day or two (on a 14-day cruise) on the Constellation in 2005. In fact, some people had problems walking around the ship one night going to dinner and the shows. I was just glad that we didn't have any rain to speak of because that is more of an issue in that part of the world. 14+ days without rain is very unusual. If you are particularly sensitive to motion on the ship, I would advise that you save up and book a mid-ship cabin because there's a good chance that you will experience at least moderately rough seas in the Baltics.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[Morgans]

The North Sea and the Baltic can be a bit of a gamble at any time. Living near the North Sea coast, I would say the best months for weather would be July and August. We have done two Baltic cruises, both in August, and the weather and crossings were fine. You must remember that it can be quite changable,however, at any time.

[Shelley G]

Hi Everyone!

My husband and I are doing the British Isles/Norwegian Fjiords cruise this July. We are going to fly to Paris first and spend three days there, then take the Chunnel to London and go to Dover and spend the night before the cruise there. This way, when the ship stops at Le Havre, we can go to see the beaches at Normandy, instead of going in to Paris.

We are going to spend three days in London after the cruise, but don't know what would be the best area to get a hotel. We want to do the usual tourist things. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Shelley

[Bruin Steve]

We are going to spend three days in London after the cruise, but don't know what would be the best area to get a hotel. We want to do the usual tourist things. Any recommendations?

Shelley,

When we did the Constellation Fjord cruise this past July, we spent two nights pre-cruise (after 4 nights in Madrid before heading to London) and one post-cruise in London...

We stayed at a charming and well-located little hotel: The Rubens at the Palace...

Got a great deal at 109 British Pounds per night plus tax including Full English Breakfast and a "Welcome Drink"...

The hotel was originally built as housing for debutantes attending balls at Buckingham Palace (right across the street)...But has been beautifully refurbished and run as a 4-star hotel by Red Carnation Hotels...

The original reason we chose it was location...Since we were arriving in London by way of Gatwick and the Gatwick express train brings you to Victoria Station and since we were using Celebrity transfers to and from the ship in Dover...and the Celebrity transfers pick up and drop you off at Victoria Coach Station (this hotel is two blocks from Victoria Station and three blocks from Victoria Coach Station)...

It is also walking distance from many London sites...Buckingham Palace is across the street (the front gates are just around the corner)...Westminster Abbey is a few blocks easy walk...We even walked across Belgravia (upper class section of London) to Harrod's Department Store...

 

The Hop-on-hop-off bus tours stop right in front of the hotel and take you to all the London tourist sites...

 

We would gladly stay there again...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=224816&goto=newpost

[dbh62ark]

I've stayed in a number of hotels in London and also recommend the Rubens. If you look on the Red Carnation web site, there are great specials in advance. I think we paid approx $200 U.S. last year for a room with buffet breakfast; for the location and amenities in London, that's a great rate.

 

I have a tip for you that I discovered last year that will save you a few hours, some dollars, and a lot of inconvenience. When taking the Chunnel train from Paris to the U.K., there is no need to go all the way into London if you plan to spend the night in Dover. You can get off the Chunnel train at the Ashford station before you get to London so that you don't have to backtrack out of London. Dover is a pleasant taxi ride from Ashford for approx 30 pounds. I'm so glad I discovered this option while doing trip research in 2005 because it was a much better plan for us. We got off our ship, took a taxi to the Ashford train station, and then boarded our train to Brussels. Using that option, we saved a half day commute into London to take the train from there, so we were very pleased with the extra time it gave us in Brussels.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[estebofarr]

I thought I would resurrect this thread as it has lots of information for those of us that are going to Europe next summer. We are thinking of getting into London perhaps a week before the cruise and taking a train to Land's End and renting a car to bring us back to Dover. Is this feasible? Can you rent a car in one place and drop it off in another?

[dbh62ark]

Can you rent a car in one place and drop it off in another?

My husband and I have not done this (we usually take the train but have also traveled via private transfer with others from our roll call board), but I've read many posts for passengers who have rented in London and dropped off in Dover or vice versa.

Have a great trip,

Donna