Currently on Constellation 5-19 February 2017

[bertrande]

They are making us very excited for our cruise in June on the Connie.

 

 

Thank you Amy! I hope you'll enjoy her as much as we are.

 

Do you know who the cruise director is?

 

 

Rich Clesen is the CD. Not the best but not the worst by far, gets things done. Yesterday he was feeling under the weather so the Activities Manager took the stage after the evening performance for the usual debrief.

 

We will be on the Constellation on May 2, different itinerary, Italy and Spain. Looking forward to it.

 

 

We have Italy and Greece booked on the Reflection next year and are wondering whether to change to the Connie instead!

 

One question if you don't mind: I see you are posting Blu menus; as a suite guest, can you order from that menu (and have delivered to Luminae) or can you eat at that restaurant

 

 

We can eat in Blu subject to space (our butler said to just tell him when we want to do so and he will make the arrangements). We have never been offered the Blu menu at Luminae (unlike the MDR menu, which has been provided every evening) but have never asked either. Blu is on deck 5 and Luminae on deck 4 so what I have been doing is making a photo stop at Blu in the evening before heading down for dinner. :)

 

 

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[hammo]

"We decided to eat at Sushi on Five instead. I miss Bistro on Five, the crepes were always excellent on both our previous cruises. I know they did the replacement as Bistro was not earning its keep but, on this cruise anyway, Sushi doesn't appear to be well-frequented. We have eaten here twice but every time we have walked past the venue, it has been near empty. "

 

 

Just rechecking on an earlier question here if you dont mind --- was Sushi On 5 only a la Carte , or available as part of any Dining Package or any set price or discount offered ?

Thanks again for your posts - the menus look excellent.

[bertrande]

Just rechecking on an earlier question here if you dont mind --- was Sushi On 5 only a la Carte , or available as part of any Dining Package or any set price or discount offered ?

 

 

I'm afraid I can't shed any light on the dining package and whether it's included therein. However, I have not seen any discounts offered for any of the specialty dining restaurants. As we have specialty dining covered within our suite, we had the entire bill charged to our room at no extra cost yesterday. The sake at $14 a glass was also covered under the premium alcoholic package. I didn't try re-ordering the wasabi so I'm not sure if we would have been charged the $10 supplement. Doesn't make sense for us to be charged but we didn't care to find out.

 

The MC concierge did say though that our OL booking on Valentine's Day would be charged the $99 per pax due to the "special" menu. Also, there is a special grill night that has been advertised for $65 a pax (see picture) and I am not sure if it's included under our suite. We are still debating whether to go for it.

 

Sorry that we can't be more helpful - perhaps there are others who can respond more definitively.

 

 

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[Omokoroa2s]

Thank you, i found it very interesting. We are on the March 5th cruise. Not sure about those swells you experienced though

[caribill]

A couple of questions:

 

Was any Internet package offered on board that was not just the expensive unlimited use package or short term package that had to be used within one continuous hour or one 24 hour period? In other words, could someone get a number of minutes that could be used anytime with no restriction on when they had to be used other than the end of the cruise?

 

Also, the "Inside Access Behind-the-Scenes Ship Tour" is being offered pre-cruise for $79. Is the price the same if booked on board?

 

Thanks very much

[bertrande]

Thank you, i found it very interesting. We are on the March 5th cruise. Not sure about those swells you experienced though

 

 

Hopefully those were a one-off. Our Luminae waiter told us tonight will be a rough night but we will see.

 

A couple of questions:

 

Was any Internet package offered on board that was not just the expensive unlimited use package or short term package that had to be used within one continuous hour or one 24 hour period? In other words, could someone get a number of minutes that could be used anytime with no restriction on when they had to be used other than the end of the cruise?

 

Also, the "Inside Access Behind-the-Scenes Ship Tour" is being offered pre-cruise for $79. Is the price the same if booked on board?

 

 

Re the internet package, the only one that was advertised was the unlimited package. It was $319 until a couple days ago when price was revised down to $219. The discount was 50% off the second device but as far as I am aware, no short term package was available for purchase.

 

I believe the inside access tour is not cheaper onboard (they might push price downwards as we are into the second week of the cruise but it hasn't happened so far).

 

 

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[tde1969]

We are sailing on the Connie March 19th. I am loving the reviboards.cruisecritic.comt's getting me even more excited for our trip if that's possible.

 

We had thought about going to Ocean Liners before it closes. Did you find it to be worth missing a night in Luminaes??

[bluwes]

Thanks you Bertrande for this live report. It's great to follow your trip. We'll board the Constellation on April 2 from Singapore to Abu Dhabi. Keep the stories and pictures coming :)

Do you know who the cruise director is?

 

We are looking at that itinerary for 2019. Hope it goes well. Please do a review :)

[aka_bitsy]

Bertrande, I get more and more excited for our cruise on Connie with each update you post - thank you Less than 2 weeks to go now until we jump on board. It's lovely to read such positive posts and to know that you're having such a wonderful time!

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review and the nice photos.

[bertrande]

We had thought about going to Ocean Liners before it closes. Did you find it to be worth missing a night in Luminaes??

 

 

Because specialty dining is included in our suite, I would say yes. Otherwise most days between the Luminae and MDR menus, there are always good options when dining in Luminae. We are going to OL again tonight for their special Valentines dinner which costs a whopping $99 per person. I will let you know how it goes lol.

 

It's lovely to read such positive posts and to know that you're having such a wonderful time!

 

 

This is so kind of you, thank you. It has been a lovely time on the whole so far - my next post will contain a few negative experiences but these are just overshadowed by the positives so far.

 

Enjoying your review and the nice photos.

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

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[caribill]

 

 

Re the internet package, the only one that was advertised was the unlimited package. It was $319 until a couple days ago when price was revised down to $219. The discount was 50% off the second device but as far as I am aware, no short term package was available for purchase. If one person has an unlimited package, then, in our case at least, there is no need for a second package. When using the Internet for much less than an hour a day, two people can easily share one unlimited package.

 

I believe the inside access tour is not cheaper on board (they might push price downwards as we are into the second week of the cruise but it hasn't happened so far). I was not expecting the cost to be lower on board. I was wondering if it was higher on board as I really do not want to purchase it in advance.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

See my comments in red above

[grprk02]

fantastic reviews. We get on board when you get off. your reviews are helping so much. How is michaels ? What suite type are you in ?

 

 

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[bertrande]

Day 8: Manila

 

Weather was sunny and bright in the morning as we pulled into Manila bay. We were on our only ship shore excursion so it was an early start. Our butler brought a simple continental breakfast and we then headed to the Celebrity Theatre. That was where things went downhill.

 

It's been 10 years since we have taken a group shore excursion direct with the cruise line. A number of factors converged to make this happen, namely an abundance of OBC (which we didn't know whether was refundable or not until a couple of days into the cruise), the reputed traffic in Manila and basically lack of information on the boards as to where we were docking etc. Not many ships call at Manila so there was a paucity of information and prior research attempts on the destination boards weren't too fruitful. Turns out the ship docks right at Manila (unlike the ports that were named "Ho Chi Minh" and "Hue/Danang") so it would have been perfectly fine to walk around on your own if you so wish. Anyhow, we signed up to take an excursion to Panaromic Tagaytay.

 

Making our way to the theatre along with a million others and knowing it was a 1.5 hour drive to Tagaytay, MIL and I decided to make a beeline for the bathroom and DH and the other five in our group went ahead to get our stickers. When we attempted to rejoin our group however, we were rudely rebuffed by our fellow passengers who thought we were attempting to queue cut. They refused to listen to our explanations and used hands to stop us from proceeding inside with lots of "to the back!" And "queue is behind". And then there were the others who were speaking English only moments before and who suddenly turned mute when I asked for clarification, only showing us their tickets and nudging us behind. It was a horrible and embarrassing experience. In the end, I had to phone DH (wifi and 4G both seemed to not work in the morning for some reason so he was not responding to my whatsapp messages) to come out and get us, all the while enduring the withering looks from the other passengers, some of whom shook their heads and pointed their fingers at us. I felt like a criminal and seriously regretted our decision to go with the ship at that instant.

 

Thankfully, things picked up once we got on the road, although there were further minor kinks before we got going. We were delayed as there were two missing passengers and the bus actually departed without them. However, the couple caught up and we stopped by somewhere along the road to pick them up. It was a full bus of 45 and we had to travel convoy style with the other two buses on the same excursion for security purposes. There was very loud feedback from the mike so the poor tour guide had to alternate between lowering the volume and shouting but we made do. Also, the seat in front of us was broken and could not be set upright. I am not of a large built so wasn't uncomfortable even with the restricted space but I felt sorry for the poor passenger occupying the seat proper. She said it was very uncomfortable but as the bus was full, she could not find an alternative.

 

As the three buses travelled together, there was always a big crowd at each stop, although movement was largely smooth and unhindered. Our first stop was to see the only bamboo organ in the world at the St Joseph's church. We arrived during the annual festival:

 

The church is next to a well built, beautiful school.

 

Inside the church, there was an exhibition area where you could see the mechanics of the organ and even hammer on a few keys.

 

The interior of the church was lovely, and the organ itself was imposing. We heard it being played while we were there so it was a nice treat.

 

We then reboarded our coach to carry on to the next stop:

 

I have to pause here to comment on the wonderful warm welcome the Filipinos gave us upon arrival. There was much dancing and music and it was a beautiful colourful sight to behold. One could not help but smile. Also, many Filipinos would wave at us as our buses passed their shops/vehicles/roads. It was truly lovely!

 

 

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[bertrande]

Our next stop was a brief visit to a jeepney assembly workshop. Jeepneys of all sizes could be found, with people working on them:

 

I wonder what if we had arrived on motorcycles instead?

 

And a nice euphemism for the WC:

 

We then left Manila and made the 1.5-hour journey to Tagaytay, which was supposed to be the highlight of the tour. This is where we felt it was a little of a let down - the highlight of the tour was, according to our guide, the buffet lunch at the Taal Vista hotel. We were all a little surprised to find that all we would do at Tagaytay was to have lunch and take pictures of the view from the hotel. The food was very nice but nothing you cannot get at any good hotel (as one of the passengers put it "we get off the cruise ship and travel for 1.5 hours to have more food?").

 

Here is the view from the hotel. I imagine it would be much nicer if the fog lifts but this is the best I could do yesterday lol.

 

We spent about 1.5 hours at the hotel and then headed back to the ship where again we were greeted by an enthusiastic band of performers.

 

On hindsight, we would not have taken this tour had we known what we know now regarding where the ship would dock and what the tour truly was about. We would have opted to tour or explore Manila instead. Our excursion to Tagaytay was, for the 8 hours, a little of a non-event. Also, as we had a group of 7, I should have explored doing a private tour ordered from the ship instead - yes it would cost us a lot of money but the traffic in Manila is every bit as bad as it seems so ensuring the ship wait for us is critical. Many crew members who went to the nearby mall were almost late for their all-aboard time. Their journey to the mall took 15 mins but the return journey was almost an hour for some. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20!

 

In summary, I felt we didn't get as much out of Manila as we could have and our choice of excursion was a poor one. For a first timer to Manila, I would not recommend it; it is more suitable for repeat visitors who wish to try something else.

 

One thing that was really heartening was how so many family members of the crew met them, both on and off the ship. Celebrity even organised a buffet on deck 4 for the visitors, which was a nice gesture on their part! It was the first time this season that Celebrity was visiting Manila and it was good to see them take care of their crew in this manner. Our butler told us they also had a buffet for the family members of the Indian crew during the stop at Goa earlier. Of course, the farewells were bittersweet but the crew we spoke with still appreciated the number of hours they had with their family (however short) so, way to go, Celebrity.

 

 

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[bertrande]

Thanks,

 

See my comments in red above

 

 

I think you can go ahead and book it pre-cruise unless you have a chunk of OBC waiting to be used. I have to say I have not seen it widely promoted, unlike our previous cruise on RCL (where the price pre-cruise was $150 and dropped down to $75 (buy one get one free) during the cruise due I suppose to poor response). Internet is very important to us as both my husband and I need to work throughout the cruise - unfortunately that's the only way we can take two weeks off. For that I'm glad it came as a room perk.

 

How is michaels ? What suite type are you in ?

 

We are in one of the Penthouses. Went from an S2 to a RS to a PH. MC is wonderful! Megan is bubbly cheerful and so keen to make our cruise a wonderful one. The bartenders are friendly and really try to make the drink you want. My DH ordered an Iced chocolate for me not knowing they didn't have the ingredients at the bar. The drink magically appeared in ten minutes. They also have music every evening at about 745pm so it's really a nice place to sit and just chill. Enjoy your cruise! We will be sorry to disembark on Sunday...

[bertrande]

Short final post on dinner and menus.

 

Blu

 

Luminae

 

MDR

 

The shrimp cocktail amuse bouche was fresh and crunchy but we have been spoilt by our butler who delivers a plate of it every other day. For the first time, nothing on the Luminae menu screamed out and I went for two MDR options. The cobb salad and the prime rib (no longer to be seen on RCL cruises) were both excellent. The palate cleanser was a slice of tangerine which was sweet and refreshing. Did not want to stuff myself after the heavy lunch buffet so had a simple chocolate ice cream for dessert.

 

 

We meant to catch the Not So Newlyweds Gameshow but our eyelids couldn't keep open (and DD came down with a high viral fever as well) so that was the end of our day.

 

 

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[bertrande]

Hope you have a great time, we are on it next week x Any tips gratefully received x

 

 

Having a wonderful time. I don't notice the age of this classy lady at all - everything is running well. :) I do not think you are stopping in Manila but if you are and are a first time visitor, I would not recommend making the trip up to Tagaytay (see my review above). Sushi on Five IMO is also hit and miss in relation to the food - much preferred the old Bistro on Five with its crepes and soups.

 

 

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[grprk02]

thank you. we will be in 6148 on Sunday and so excited to finally have PH.

 

 

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[waggie]

Thank you Bertrande, this has been a joy to read - I too cannot wait until we join the ship on Sunday 19th.

grprk02 - we will wave from 7208!

Waggie

[bertrande]

thank you. we will be in 6148 on Sunday and so excited to finally have PH.

 

 

That's our stateroom! It's wonderful. When we arrived, the previous occupants had spoilt the automatic rollers but they fixed it the first opportunity they could. Enjoy, we will be leaving it very reluctantly.

 

 

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[bertrande]

Thank you Bertrande, this has been a joy to read - I too cannot wait until we join the ship on Sunday 19th.

 

 

Pleasure Waggie, enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[bertrande]

Day 9: Boracay

 

The ship was supposed to anchor at 8am and, following clearance, start tender operations shortly thereafter. At 8am, the Captain's voice rang loud and clear through our stateroom. Never a good sign as typically his announcements can only be heard if you tune in to a particular channel in your stateroom or are in the public areas. The captain said the winds were too strong for tender operations and we would wait for two hours to assess if things improved. We later found out that it wasn't the then current conditions that were worrying but the fact that the winds were forecast to grow stronger over her course of the afternoon, which would mean a real possibility that tenders would have to cease operations early, leaving behind passengers who might still be on Boracay. As expected, things did not improve and we left the Philippines with an additional sea day. This was the view that we left:

 

A lot of us were disappointed but I think none more so than so many of the crew members who had scheduled to meet their family at Boracay. My heart went out to them. Some people questioned why, if the forecast had already been known the day before, the captain had not prolonged our stay in Manila. However, we were told by Megan the Michael's Club concierge that the captain had made the decision to try anyway, in case conditions improved. It was just too bad that his gamble did not pay off.

 

There was the usual mad scramble to put together more activities for the day and a revised schedule was printed and circulated. DD was still running a viral fever that peaked every 6-8 hours so for us, the day was spent very leisurely and slowly. We had lunch at Luminae which was hastily opened with the following menu:

 

I had the burger (pictured) and lava cake while DD had the tuna and DH had the lamb burger. All were tasty, although the lava cake was not quite lava-ish as I preferred.

 

We literally lazed the day away, with me moving my spa appointment from tomorrow to this afternoon and before we knew it, it was time to prepare for our Valentine's Day dinner at Ocean Liners.

 

 

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[villauk]

Thank you Bertrande, this has been a joy to read - I too cannot wait until we join the ship on Sunday 19th.

grprk02 - we will wave from 7208!

Waggie

 

You have a great balcony cabin ;). We've previously sailed in that C1 cabin on Connie and have also had the inside opposite for the kids :). Have a great cruise :).

[bertrande]

Before heading for our dinner date, I called room service requesting for the broiled salmon and steamed chicken breast (both sans salt and from the MDR Classics section) that my two girls have been taking every night. While I was in the shower, our butler called. Apparently room service had dumped the order responsibility on him as they don't do the "no salt" orders. We had to direct him to our regular waiter in Luminae who informed him it was a standing instruction for the galley. He then asked the galley and found out they knew. We will know better next time who to call. It is our first time in a suite on Celebrity (and only our third cruise on the line) so we are still getting our feet wet so as to speak.

 

We were in OL tonight but here are the menus from Blu, Luminae and MDR (in that order):

 

On the face of it, dinner tonight should have been much like a regular experience at OL. The menu wasn't all that special - as you can see, most of the items were available on the normal menu that I posted earlier:

 

The cost of this menu was also not included in our suite specialty dining. I don't drink at all so it would have been quite expensive ($99) given that many items were found in the usual menu. To our delight (or relief?), there was a no pairing option of $59 which DH and I gladly took.

 

My choices were the lobster bisque, the salad, the pork belly and the sole. Here is a picture of the food I remembered to take:

 

Dinner was fantastic. Every dish with the exception of the pork belly (which was hard rather than crunchy) hit the right note and was properly balanced in taste and texture. Service was top-notch and the dining experience was truly enjoyable, way better than our first night. We didn't eat the dessert because I had requested that the dessert from Luminae (chocolate sphere) be served instead, which they very kindly obliged. It is not our first time seeing the dish served but I still like to see it presented each time.

 

It tasted every bit as good as it looked. Stuffed to the brim, we made our way out of the restaurant, agreeing that it was one of the best meals we have had on a ship.

 

 

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