First time I've tried this: sort of a cruise blog aboard Celbrity Constellation

[cruiz10525]

You mentioned that Rich is the CD onboard, he just came aboard on our 1/14/16 cruise. He is good. You have to see him paired with the Captain. Captain Thasos was the most visible Celebrity captain we have seen. He has a great sense of humor.

 

Enjoy your day at sea.

[2CoolCanucks]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! LOVING your review and how descriptive you are. Wishing you a wonderful cruise :).

Marie

 

Thank you!!

I, like Marie FlorenceItaly, plan to be on the Connie for the TA in less than four weeks. :)I have not been onboard the Connie before so I am really appreciating your day to day review.

You are a talented writer and I love ALL the details you give about the ship.

 

IF you get the chance, I would be interested in knowing what kind of 'canned', back-ground music they have playing in the public areas... i.e.. pool side, buffet area, etc.

I have read comments here on CC that past cruisers have found it to be "very loud, rap, R&B, techno" etc. I am interested to know if you can confirm this or what your impressions are of that background music.

 

Personally, I love the calypso, island style music, or 'baby boomer' style music, but can handle the other if the volume is not aggressively and invasively loud.

 

Hope you are having a wonderful time!!

And thanks in advance for your updates.

Looking forward to pics once you get home and have your band-width back :D

[the kids]

Thanks for your kind and eloquent report. We are boarding on the 14th. Is the mdr open for lunch on boarding day or only the buffet.?

The kids celebrating our 60th anniversary on board.

[torgotom]

whoops, my page refreshed - there's the new reports

Edited March 7, 2016 by torgotom
I'm slow!

[jbuch02]

Day 3: I'll review the MDR in a moment but first answers to questions that have been posted. I believe the same group who a previous poster raved about is still playing in the Rendevouz. They ARE quite good and easy to listen to. The Muzak playing in the public areas is somewhat more subdued that I'm used to on Celebrity ships. I always found the techno music playing at the Martini Bar (Crush) annoying. That's gone on Constellation anyway. There's a DJ that sets up right over the foyer on deck four opposite the stair case. He plays a lot of varied tunes and is called the Emulator. It's a little loud but last evening the Martini Bar was very busy so, didn't bother us.

 

The MDR is not open for lunch on the day of boarding.

 

We did dine there last night. We did not dine their the first night choosing the Ocean Liners Specialty Restaurant. At 8:30, diners were showing up for the traditional seating on deck four port, the San Marco, lining up to find their table numbers. It was crowded and we usually wait until 8:35 to proceed to dine to avoid that. As some of you know, the San Marco has been split up. On deck five port is now select dining, starboard is Blu Private Aqua Class dining and Lumina - suit dining is starboard, deck four).

 

Since this occurred as part of the Solsticization of the M class ships, dining staff who I have inquired about this have uniformly but very politely and not in a critical manner voiced that they were not particularly fond of it. It just doesn't work very well. It's made their job harder and for these people, who thrive on providing gracious dining service it has to be frustrating. I'm sure Aqua and Suite Class guests are fine with it. Since there are way more cruisers who are not in Aqua or Suite Class it diminishes the quality of the dining experience in my view. It's a controversial subject - the traditional versus select diners. So, I'll not go there.

 

Back to checking in. We knew our table number - there will be a card in your room identifying your dining time and table number if you are participating in traditional dining at 6:00p and 8:30p. There will be wait staff stationed along the left side of the corridor leading into the dining area who will guide you to your table if you tell them the number. Just by pass the long line of cruisers who do not know their table number or are asking to be switched.

 

Unfortunately, likely because we did not appear on the first night, one of our seats had been assigned to another person. What happened next is an example of why I like Celebrity and appreciate how hard the senior staff in the dining room work to make your dining experience special. Our escort, summoned the Matre Di' and we were immediately seated at another table. This one for two. We're fine with that although we do like dinner conversation. The Matre Di' commented we were fortunate to not be sitting at our original table. Apparently he had been subjected to some abuse from them. I never understand that, frankly, but it happens.

 

We already met a couple who we're seated at another table but close to us. On leaving, we asked the same Matre Di' who took care of seating us if he could arrange a table for the four of us throughout the rest of the cruise. Of course, he replied. So, we're set.

 

The food: the menu is divided into two parts. On the left is a set of items that are always served. On the right are that night's offerings from the Chef. There are usually 6 appetizers, and 6 entrees. I've never seen a menu that did not have something that was appealing to me.

 

I ordered two apps: grilled asparagus salad and a wedge salad. Both very tasty. One of my favorites, not on the menu tonight, are cold soups. Try them if they are available. The hot soups are also always good. The French Onion Soup is a standard and it is uniformly excellent if you like it. So is the Caesar salad but a little on the small size for me.

 

As I had mentioned previously, in my past experiences with Celebrity, I found fish on the menus left something to be desired. Recently, Chefs have added a fish called Branzino. It is a white fish very much like Sea Bass if not a little less flakey and I've had it several times. I had it again and it was excellent. My wife had a veal parmesan. Also very good.

 

Wine service, again by the glass, was something worth mentioning. We like Argentinean Malbecs and drink them at home frequently because they are inexpensive and very good. One of our favorites we found was no longer on the wine list and had been substituted with another Malbec. The Sommelier told us right off the bat he didn't recommend it but we should see why and taste it. It was, as he had told us before opening the bottle, awful. We substituted another red that we like. I had a white.

 

On to dessert. I have a limited pallet for these. I prefer a steady diet of Celebrity's creme brulette. Love it. It's hard to eat just half, but that's what I do. If I don't I gain too much weight. I also have an Espresso to close out a very fine dining experience. Not as good as Ocean Liners but a whole lot less money.

 

Overall, and as has been consistently my experience, dining in a Celebrity MDRs remains one of the better dinner experiences in the mass market cruise industry. Portion size has declined and that is a good thing. Flavor and how the plate appears has not. As well, I don't believe service has declined at all. Yes, there are less staff but they remain very efficient and productive. I never felt like I wasn't important and deserved excellent and timely service. It was both of those things.

Edited March 7, 2016 by jbuch02

[FlorenceItaly]

Sounds like you are having a FABULOUS cruise. The Constellation has a very SPECIAL crew :). Thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us. I love reading every detail.

 

 

 

 

Marie

[Host Jazzbeau]

In my opinion, the up charge for the specialty restaurants have become too high. Attendance and use have dropped from my perspective and I believe that is because it is just too pricey for most cruisers. Corporate appears to be responding to this by homogenizing their up charge restaurants on the M class ships and eliminating what in my opinion was something varied by ship and very special. I'll be sad to see these elegant restaurants which were modeled after the various liners of another era disappear.

 

Thanks for your review. It's a great update before our Connie cruise in May-June. I agree about Celebrity raising the specialty charges too high, although I would be willing to pay $40 pp (as you did) for Ocean Liners. I'm glad they aren't having a drydock to replace it before my cruise -- it will be sad to see it go.

[DaisyFire]

Looks like several of us reading your blog experience are on the March 28th sailing!

 

Hello! Add one more :)

[DaisyFire]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It definitely paints a picture of what we can expect and has loads of little tips for us as well.

 

One question - we are 8 adults and one child (10). She is a very well mannered polite little girl and while not a fussy eater, she does have a more limited range and prefers to stick to what is somewhat familiar.

 

I was hoping to convince everyone to try Ocean Liners - especially with the threat of it going away before we may cruise again. Any thoughts on whether or not the Ocean Liners menu would be too much for her? She likes most types of chicken, shrimp, beef, and loves soup. :)

 

Thanks!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! It definitely paints a picture of what we can expect and has loads of little tips for us as well.

 

One question - we are 8 adults and one child (10). She is a very well mannered polite little girl and while not a fussy eater, she does have a more limited range and prefers to stick to what is somewhat familiar.

 

I was hoping to convince everyone to try Ocean Liners - especially with the threat of it going away before we may cruise again. Any thoughts on whether or not the Ocean Liners menu would be too much for her? She likes most types of chicken, shrimp, beef, and loves soup. :)

 

Thanks!

 

The Ocean Liners staff is very accommodating, so they can probably whip up something simple for her if the menu is too fancy. She will probably LOVE the theatrical table side preparations, especially those that involve lots of fire!

[Texed]

JB,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[DaisyFire]

The Ocean Liners staff is very accommodating, so they can probably whip up something simple for her if the menu is too fancy. She will probably LOVE the theatrical table side preparations, especially those that involve lots of fire!

 

Thanks JazzBeau. That's encouraging I think you are right about the table side presentations :)

[jbuch02]

Day 4: We're in Cozumel today...... Along with 5 other ships. That means somewhere in the neighborhood of 13,000 people descending upon the city. We've visited many times in the past so, aboard we will stay. We're also expecting many of the spring breakers to have a much better time at places like Senior Frogs than they should. That always makes for an interesting scene worth avoiding.

 

Last time we were here maybe 2 years ago, we found it to be a very nice, cruiser accessible city. Check trip advisor for places to eat. There are some very good restaurants in town if you like Mexican food. The rest is the typical tourist trade shops.

 

Answering a few more posted questions, for DaisyFire, I checked with Ocean Liners and they'd be glad to seat all of you, including your 10 year old child. My advice would be to pick your day and book this as soon as you walk aboard. There will be one of the specialty restaurant hosts booking tables in the foyer after you board. If you can all agree on the first night, that will probably be discounted. The size of your group needs to be identified and planned on by the ocean Liners staff. The earlier the better. Yes, she'll love the flambed foods served at table side. My wife thinks your 10 year old will be fine picking something off the menu but if not, they'll make her something.

 

Spent some time in Cafe Al Bacio yesterday at sea. The music there is delivered by Sean Roach who plays a string guitar without amplification. He is easy to listen to and mellow. Rather like James Taylor and that his style of music.

 

A word on entertainment. We are production show fans and the shows are one of the main reasons we cruise the Caribbean so often and don't get tired of it. We don't have much interest in the comics or the solo performers. We miss a lot because some of the soloists are reportedly very good. We're usually doing something else. We do like the magicians when they are aboard and it works out for us.

 

RCL, Celebrity's parent company, recently completed construction of a multimillion dollar production facility in Miami. The production dancers and singers rehearse the amazing shows that are put on aboard all of Celebrity's and Royal Caribbean's ships in this facility for 2-3 months before they open. The singers, dancers and orchestra usually stay together unless an injury, illness or family emergency requires them to leave. Then, there will be a replacement sent from a group of performers designated as such.

 

The talent level of these performers is very high, Broadway caliber high, they just haven't had the right set of circumstances to fall in place for a Broadway gig. They are typically young, under 25, it may be their first job out of whatever performing arts school they graduated from. They seem to really love what they are doing and consider the opportunity to perform on a cruise ship to be a pretty good deal. Most of them will mention they like to travel but first they like to perform.

 

On this cruise, there will be two theater production shows and two additional small venue shows put on within Reflections Lounge. That's the one on deck 11, all the way forward. They call these small venue shows interactive theme parties. Last night was a Motown Show. We missed it. They are a bit too late for us. We'll try to get to the last one. We did see one of these on our last cruise aboard Millennium, in Asia in January and they are very good.

 

While we have no problems with the MDR, we're going to dine again in Ocean Liners on the last night and in Tuscan Grill this evening. We're doing just what Celebrity wants us to do. Spend money while on board that's not coming from your OBC. ok! We'll do it. My sense is that people book tables at the specialty restaurants quite vigorously. We're wait listed tonight at Tuscan at the most popular dining times between 7:30p and 8:30p. Be aware of these two factors in planning your dining if you choose to try these venues. Staff will try very hard to fit you in. Be polite, it goes a long way. I'll review Tuscan Grill tomorrow.

 

Some thoughts on fitness. This is another reason we cruise. Both of us are avid exercisers. My wife is a dancer, loves Zumba although she absolutely hates paying the $12 fee for a 45 minute class. We exercise together on cruises, something we don't do at home. I like to spin, have no problem paying for it and it keeps the weight gain at bay. There is absolutely no reason you cannot eat healthfully on a cruise. Honestly, as I've aged, I do gain weight but not a lot. If I skip deserts and bread, I do fine. Wine is another thing you have to be careful with. A lot of calories, less in red than white.

 

The gym facilities are a bit small but fine for what we do. The two fitness staff, who are employed by Canyon Ranch, are Giusy, from Italy and Santos from Brazil. I'm not big on going to their seminars but they are informative and while they are part of a sales approach to sometimes sell Canyon Ranch products, there is no pushy sales tactics going on at all. You'll get some of that if you block spa treatments. They are probably priced 30% higher aboard than from the same services in a top spa ashore in the US. Spa treatments are nice. We don't participate. Too expensive.

 

In the gym there are stationary bikes, tread mills, free weights and weight machines. There is a walking track on deck 11 and we are up at 6:30a to walk at 7a. One of the reasons we are done by 10p in the evenings. Then we stretch. If there is a free class we'll do it as long as it is low impact. There are stretching, ab and boot camp classes that are free.

 

Paid classes include spinning, yoga and Pilates. If you like this sort of thing, like we do, go up to the gym on the first day and sign up for the classes you want. Typically spaces are signed up quickly, then half the people don't show up. But it's good to get your name on the list for a class if you plan on doing them.

[FlorenceItaly]

Hello! If the opportunity arises, will you please ask Sean if he will be staying on for the Transatlantic? Thanks so much. I am really enjoying your LIVE report. Thank you for taking us along on your wonderful sailing.

 

 

 

Marie

[FishOn55]

Another thank you for your informative review. I'll be onboard March 19th.

 

I understand that there are 2 or 3 piers in Cozumel. Where does Connie dock?

 

Is the dock walkable to downtown? Last time I was there we walked but I think it was about 3 miles to downtown.

 

Kathy

[suzyed]

The cruise is Constellation, 5n Western Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale. This is our 28th Celebrity cruise out of 35 cruises. Other lines include Oceania, Royal Caribbean, MSC, NCL and Carnival. Obviously we feel at home aboard Celebrity and continue to come back.

 

Day 1: The airport in Fort Lauderdale is very close to Port Everglades and an easy cab ride. Taxis are to the left after you pick up your bags. There can be a wait but it's quick. About $18, metered, there is a $3 fee for entering the port that is part of your fare. Alternatively, you can arrange transport from the cruise line. We've always avoided this. It is usually more than a cab ride and you have to wait for a full load. Who wants to do that!

 

The terminal at Port Everglades where we processed to board Constellation has been remodeled since the last time we departed from here maybe 2 years ago. The updated terminal is about a year old. You'll be dropped off curb side and a porter will meet you and take the bags you want checked and sent to your cabin. If you have luggage tags already, great. If you don't, no problem, the porter has plenty. Just show your Express Pass (the one you did not forget to print out before leaving home). I don't request luggage tags in advance anymore. I just print them out from the on line check in process. I handed these to the porter and he folded and stapled them to our bags. Easy. Tip these guys. They are port employees and union members. Follow the signage to enter the terminal.

 

Inside the terminal, getting through Security and checking in to board is quick and easy. For years, I have carried a packet that I wear around my neck and that hangs in front of me. This is where I put pass ports and tickets. Easy access so I'm not fumbling around locating and getting out what I need. Overall, I find Port Everglades to be well organized for cruise passengers and easy to negotiate the boarding process.

 

Constellation: First impression. An M or Millennium Class ship, Constellation is the newest of the 4 M class ships and was launched in 2002. It was the first M class ship to be solticized in 2010. We've cruised on all the M class ships except this one at least twice. Constellation has darker tones when entering the Grand Foyer. It feels a bit more nautical to me. I like it. A quick walk around the ship showed little wear and tear, spotlessly clean public areas and the ship is easy to navigate and find your way around. The layout on all the M class ships is the same.

 

Tips: Board as lightly as you can, I.e., check as many bags as you are comfortable with. You can board early, usually around 10:30 - 11:00am but your cabin won't be ready till around 1p and that assumes there was no Norovirus outbreak on the cruise before yours that precipitates additional sanitation procedures.

 

If you board early, as soon as you board, take the stairs to deck 4 and walk all the way aft to the MDR. Take th elevator there to deck 10 which exits in the middle of the Ocean Cafe (buffet). You avoid all the traffic milling about in the foyer, not knowing where to go or what to do. You'll beat the crowds. By noon, the buffet will be mobbed. We like to sit outside on the aft deck. There is an awning that you can sit under if the sun is hot and if you board early, few people have made there way up to the aft bar and taken these. Then, have at the buffet. We're biased but we find Celebrity buffets excellent with copious choices beautifully displayed. It is particularly appealing when you are early and few have touched it yet. Walk all around once to see what is available and is appealing to you. Lots of choices.

 

Alternatively, walk up stairs amidships and locate Bistro on Five on deck 5. There's a service charge to dine there but it's quiet and if you want table service this is the only place to find it on day one during the boarding process. Bistro on Five is being re-purposed in the future but for now, it's still operating as a meal crepe and salad spot. We like it and will be sad to see it go although while it is moving to a Sushi menus, it will still have crepes and salads.

 

Bar service starts early. I didn't find anyone pushing upgrades to the Classic Beverage package to the Premium one as has been reported. I did hear wait staff asking but nothing pushy at all. Nothing pushy from specialty restaurant folks either although they asked. We booked the Ocean Liner Restaurant at a 20% discount on the first night. This is a common offering. We don't dine in the specialty restaurants unless there is a discount even though we love the service and the food. Always great. But, it has gotten too expensive at $50-75 up charge.

 

Cabins: we have started booking OV cabins because I feel it is the best value. This is a very personal choice but on this cruise not only was the cabin fare discounted inside final payment date but we got two perks from the good better best plan instead of the standard one. We were in Cabin 3035 on deck 3. Same as the deck that houses Guest Services and everything else. We book far enough forward to avoid the foot traffic on this deck. There's plenty of space, the cabin was spotless, there's a nice shelf adjacent to the port hole (a big one) where we put a lot of stuff. We bring quite a bit of clothing because we like to dress up. There is never a problem storing all of it but we have gotten pretty good with using all the nooks and crannies in the cabins.

 

Off to the muster drill. More tomorrow which will include a review of Ocean Liner Specialty Restaurant. I may try something new like the Dover Sole. Reportedly excellent.

 

What is the charge for Bistro on 5? The MDR is not open for lunch on boarding day?

Thanks for all the great info....this is my first Celebrity and I am boarding by myself and meeting up with family later....so this is very helpful!

[suzyed]

On the Connie in two weeks, looking forward to your blog and hopefully updates on:

-Ship Music, any changes from what Jobeth mentioned? Any guitar player?

-Who is the captain's club host?

-Where is the Elite cocktail party being held

 

Oh, and don't drink all my red wine! :p

 

I am interested in the answer to the Elite cocktail party venue. Can my sister who is sharing a cabin with me, go to the Elite party with me?

 

We are on the "Jets" sailing and it's also during the tail end of Spring Break....I have no idea what to expect!! Should be interesting!! :eek:;)

[suzyed]

I would love to try the specialty restaurants, but will be cruising with my sister, my niece and her husband and their 2 boys (9 and 12).. I'm not sure they would want to spring for dinner at those prices? Do you know if they have a children's price for dinner?

[suzyed]

Thanks again for your great review!

 

Am I to understand that we can't use our OBC to pay for the Specialty restaurants or did I misunderstand?

 

Also, are espressos, lattes and cappuccinos available in the MDR? Is there an extra charge for these? If so, what are the prices?

 

Susan

[DaisyFire]

Another thank you for your informative review. I'll be onboard March 19th.

 

I understand that there are 2 or 3 piers in Cozumel. Where does Connie dock?

 

Is the dock walkable to downtown? Last time I was there we walked but I think it was about 3 miles to downtown.

 

Kathy

 

We will be on the Connie at the end of the month and I needed this information when making arrangements for a private tour and found the weekly cruise schedule on a Cozumel Insider web site. It had the 3/14 Constellation (3/14 departure from FLL - don't remember the exact date it docks in Cozumel) at the TMM International Pier. Google this and you can see it on a map.

[DaisyFire]

What is the charge for Bistro on 5? The MDR is not open for lunch on boarding day?

Thanks for all the great info....this is my first Celebrity and I am boarding by myself and meeting up with family later....so this is very helpful!

 

Here is some info I gleaned from reading other posts on the Celebrity forum...

 

Bistro is $10 pp

 

MDR is not open for lunch on embarkation day and is only open for lunch on sea days.

 

Have a great trip!

[dutchclogs]

I would love to try the specialty restaurants, but will be cruising with my sister, my niece and her husband and their 2 boys (9 and 12).. I'm not sure they would want to spring for dinner at those prices? Do you know if they have a children's price for dinner?

 

I may be confusing myself with Royal Caribbean but I know that I have read childrens prices are available for under 12s?

 

I would certainly recommend asking the maitre d' or reservations desk if they would offer a discounted price for the younger guests. Depending how booked up they are, you may be able to get a 20 - 30% discount.

 

Good luck and enjoy.

[dutchclogs]

Thanks again for your great review!

 

Am I to understand that we can't use our OBC to pay for the Specialty restaurants or did I misunderstand?

 

Also, are espressos, lattes and cappuccinos available in the MDR? Is there an extra charge for these? If so, what are the prices?

 

Susan

 

Bit puzzled why you couldn't use OBC to pay for Specialty restaurants? We have, and plan to do so again.

 

Enjoying this blog. We will be on Connie in the Med in August. Am also interested to hear about specialty coffee in the MDR?

[villauk]

Bit puzzled why you couldn't use OBC to pay for Specialty restaurants? We have, and plan to do so again.

 

Enjoying this blog. We will be on Connie in the Med in August. Am also interested to hear about specialty coffee in the MDR?

 

Gill,

 

You can obtain the special coffees on your beverage package in the MDR. One point, IMHO, they are not as good as those from Cafe al Bacio ;). There was a recent change to the speciality restaurants now allowing children at a reduced price and you can definitely use your OBC.

 

From a recent X link:

Kids ages 6-12 will dine for lunch & dinner at our specialty restaurants at a discounted rate of $10 from the standard dinner menu.

• Ages 5 and under will dine for free.

• Children will be able to dine from the standard dinner menu in each restaurant. In Tuscan Grille, there’s also a separate “Italian Favorites” menu that children can choose from if they’d prefer for the same price.

• Children’s pricing not available for premium experiences including Chef’s Table, Connoisseur dinners, Food and Wine pairing dinners, Top Chef Dinner, etc.

• For pre-cruise purchases guests need to book at full price and once onboard we will apply an onboard credit accordingly (5 years and under full cover charge credit; 6 years to 12 years at discounted rate).

• Note that the cover charge for Bistro on Five is $10 for all guests, so the only children’s pricing will be for children age 5 and under (free).

 

Suzyed,

 

Your companion sharing your cabin can attend the Elite function with you ;).

 

 

 

Thanks, jbuch02, for a wonderful review. Looking forward to sailing Connie again in August :).

Edited March 9, 2016 by villauk

[LF2C]

[

In the last 10 months, we've cruised aboard 3 of the 4 M class ships. Summit is the missing ship and we'll cruise the third time aboard her in June to Bermuda. Constellation, among Infinity and Millennium, seems to me to be just a step above the others so far. The ship is immaculate. Walking around early this morning before most cruisers were up and about, I couldn't find anything amiss. Decks were spotless, everything in its place and given we've got a number of spring breakers aboard, there wasn't a single empty glass, dirty plate or beer bottle discarded haphazardly anywhere. When we debarked today and looked back at the ship, it just appears to be very well cared for.

 

I read somewhere that Constellation is the highest rated cruise ship in the Celebrity fleet. I seem to remember this comes from the on line guest questionairs. I can't remember where I read that but, so far, it HAS been a step above the others we've been aboard in the last 18 months and that includes Eclipse and Equinox, both S class ships. Hearing plenty of comments in various cruise reviews about declining service, cost cutting, dropped ammenities and decreased staffing numbers on the Celebrity line, I don't see or feel any of those things so far. I think last night's dinner had something to do with this view. We'll dine in the MDR tonight and I'll review that tomorrow. I'll revisit this assessment after I'm home. Also, I won't be posting any pictures from aboard. To do this properly requires more bandwidth and time than is available and that I'm willing to spend. I'll try to do a follow-up review back home with pictures.

 

Glad to read your positive comments about Connie as we have two cruises booked on her this year.

Edited March 9, 2016 by LF2C