Currently on Constellation 5-19 February 2017

[bertrande]

Your MMCV tour in Kota Kinabalu is the kind of tour I like. You get to see and feel the culture of the place and people with their attire, and their local food. It's like an immersion. One for the bucket list.

 

 

I would recommend it - we did learn a lot!

 

 

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[bertrande]

Day 13: Sea Day

 

The final sea day of the cruise was seriously chock full of activities. Was up early for an abs class which was so full my mat straddled the carpet. This was followed by our last indoor cycling class which was fun as always. Santos the gym pro is very good. Way better than the other lady who's new on board. I have no idea why her designation is Fitness Director - it should be the other way around. The crew tell me I should have seen the lady she replaced, a 60-year old lady who could pass off for 40 and who kept the classes so high energy you could never tell her age. I did a wide variety of classes in the gym this cruise so I experienced both staff and the gulf between them was wide. Some ladies I knew bought the packages only for Zumba (which was almost exclusively taught by the lady). The last lesson I attended, one of these ladies walked out after 15 minutes. Shame.

 

We then hurried to the talk on Singapore. Having enjoyed Dr Bill Collins' lectures, we were looking forward to it. It was by and large still informative; however, we caught quite a few glaring inaccuracies.

 

Like this slide:

 

DH and I were amused to see only two languages mentioned. The truth is, we have four official languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil) and everyone learns English and their assigned mother tongue in school up to tertiary level. Since 75% of the population is Chinese, that would mean a sizeable number do not speak Malay at all. We also laughed to see some of the superstitions listed - DH and I certainly haven't heard that we should knock three times to enter the room to warn the spirits, or apologise (Sorry!) before going to the washroom. The good doctor said he was in the region some two decades ago so I guess many of these practices (if they existed then) have ceased.

 

We then rushed off for a very fun salsa class taught by two of the dancers before lunch at Luminae. The lobster bisque was very nice (we thought better than Murano's which we have had twice) and DH's lamb confit sandwich was good as well.

 

I had a facial booked immediately after lunch and rushed off fairly quickly. This was followed by a matinee performance of Broadway tunes by the production vocalists. I personally felt the show was under rehearsed and not performance ready. I am a broadway aficionado and I knew several of the tunes performed today. One of them missed a line during Last Night of the World and the poor tenor singing Being Alive totally lost it, repeating and mixing and matching phrases from different verses and missing the entry to the chorus for the first 4 verses. It was rather uncomfortable to watch although the production cast dancers were in the audience and ensured there was warm applause for the performers at the end. This was the poorest show of the cruise and IMO should have been polished further before being presented.

 

We then attended our first trivia session this cruise and were seriously amazed at the turnout. Rendezvous was more than 3/4 full. It was a Broadway trivia contest and our team came in a respectable joint second - the winning team had people in the industry and a score that was behind catching lol.

 

It was then time to prepare for dinner, our third Evening Chic night.

 

 

 

 

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[bertrande]

Menus for tonight:

Blu

Luminae

MDR

 

I chose the chilled soup from the MDR menu and the lobster and lamb from the Luminae menu. DH also ordered the scallops to share. Dessert was baked Alaska and the chocolate bar. Food was excellent all round (again we preferred the lobster to that which we had in Murano!) except the chilled pea soup which I felt tasted a little too unbalanced. Some of the food that I did remember to take:

 

We ended the night taking lots of photos, maxing out our photo packages. DD also had fun with a slumber party organised by the Fun Factory staff - she did not return to the cabin until past the witching hour! We also withdrew the surplus OBC on our account in cash and obtained envelopes for the additional tipping we were going to do. I was too tired though to be the organiser tonight and had a very early evening.

 

Can't believe we are back in Singapore at 2pm the next day!

 

 

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[Nightowl13]

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[FL.OH.TN.]

How do you " withdraw money from OBC account"? I Hightower that money could only be used in purchasing merchandise,food,excursions,etc.

[FL.OH.TN.]

"Thought" not "Hightower".......crazy autocorrect!!

[Nightowl13]

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[Sonjag12]

How do you " withdraw money from OBC account"? I Hightower that money could only be used in purchasing merchandise,food,excursions,etc.

 

You just "spend" it on board using your room card and it gets deducted from your account.

[suekay]

I understand that if you have refundable obc on your account you can get the cash from guest services on the final evening

[bertrande]

How do you " withdraw money from OBC account"? I Hightower that money could only be used in purchasing merchandise,food,excursions,etc.

 

 

 

You just "spend" it on board using your room card and it gets deducted from your account.

 

 

 

I understand that if you have refundable obc on your account you can get the cash from guest services on the final evening

 

 

Suekay is correct. The refundable OBC can be cashed out from guest services on the final day/evening. If you want to withdraw it earlier, you can do so via the casino but there's a fee of I think 5%.

 

 

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[bertrande]

Day 14: Singapore

 

The final full day of the cruise sadly dawned and it was a busy day with many things to do, both administratively and in terms of activities. We understood that about 200 passengers were debarking in the course of today with the rest to follow the next, so it was full on for all crew as well.

 

After a quick solo breakfast at Luminae, I headed to the photo gallery to check out our photos. We had bought the photo package for our cabin pre cruise and then later got the second cabin purchased onboard for 50% of the price. We took over 300 photos throughout the 14 days which made our $400 total spend quite worth it as we had both prints to distribute and CD to bring home. Unfortunately there was some problem with the printing and pressing of the CDs and even after checking a few times throughout the day, the CD eventually had to be delivered via guest relations on disembarkation day.

 

We then went for a jive class in the Reflections Lounge hosted by the production dancers and as usual, it was good fun. We both decided we preferred jive and salsa to tango and were sad to have missed waltz and I think a few of the other classes.

 

We hopped back to Luminae for lunch. The menu was a repeat of one of the days and nothing seemed to call out so I requested for the MDR menu and ordered from there instead.

The chilled blueberry soup was good:

 

Someone asked for the wine list. I'm sorry I forgot to get it until now as I am a teetotaller.

 

By this time I was starting to feel aches throughout my body. I thought it was the effect of all that exercising (which would be strange) but it turned out to be an onset of a viral infection. I spent the whole afternoon in bed nursing a slight temperature before we headed for dinner. We had a reservation at OL but promised our waiter at Luminae that we would pop in for an appetiser and so we did.

 

 

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[bertrande]

Dinner menus for tonight.

Blu

Luminae

MDR

 

I opted for the MDR clam chowder which was again over salted. DH and I then bid a fond farewell to the staff at Luminae and headed down to OL.

 

As I was really not feeling good at that time, I opted for the mushroom cappuccino, the veal tenderloin and pistachio and chocolate gelato. Service again was exemplary.

 

I then retired to bed as I was having a high temperature by that time. DH and DD went for the closing show which they said was good. It featured Jim Mattioli (the magician), Sonz of Soul and two aerialists.

 

 

 

 

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[Eveanphil]

Hi we were on Connie too had a fab time met loads of interesting people too. Meet and mingle worked too with the captain and senior officers but not too sure where to put my thanks to the groups we joined on our roll call. Has it now disappeared?

First time with cruise critic roll call although Def not first time cruisers.

Thanks to all. Now for next cc roll call :D:p:p

[bertrande]

Day 15: Disembarkation Day

 

Disembarkation was smooth - we were told to leave our cabins by 8am (phew). I was still running a temperature despite having had a dose of paracetamol and had to be dragged out of bed by DH who wonderfully took over and settled all administrative matters as I was physically unable to do much.

 

We left our cabin and headed to MC as our waiting area where we waited for one hour before realising we could have walked off as we had no tagged luggage. DUH!! *forehead smacking moment* The reason why we had no tagged luggage was because DH had made two rounds the previous day bringing our large luggage home and bringing the car to park overnight at the terminal.

 

Customs was a breeze and lines moved quickly. Before we knew it, we were on the way home. DH said that all future 14-night cruises should depart from and return to Singapore as it is so convenient LOL.

 

So this sums up our 14-night sojourn onboard the Constellation. A few closing thoughts. We loved the ship and the crew. We felt the officers on this ship were a lot more visible than on our previous cruises. The Staff Captain was everywhere, such a nice man and he had his partner travelling with him. We also saw Jann Ramos the Guest Relations Manager everywhere. We have had better CDs but the CD does not make or break the cruise for us especially if the activities are good, which they were. So kudos to him and the activities team.

 

The photographers were all very nice and obliging. The service staff at Luminae was all round excellent, especially our regular waiter Chitra, who went out of the way to accommodate the no salt menu of our two daughters. We were worried how the suite guests would take to our two young daughters in Luminae but the vast majority were really welcoming and delightful, never making us feel out of place.

 

We also met very nice people while doing the classes and during the Broadway trivia. We were one of the younger couples onboard but perhaps we are old at heart - the activities seemed to fit us to a T. In short, we felt comfortable on the Constellation. The demographics on this cruise was a bit different. There was a relatively large number of German passengers (I heard between 20% to 800) which is unusual for a cruise of this itinerary but I don't think it mattered one way or the other.

 

The food we felt was hit and miss. The misses were largely due to food being over salted. When they weren't over salted, they were generally excellent.

 

Would we sail on the M-class again? In a heartbeat. We didn't find the ship too small, it never felt overcrowded (which surprised us) and the Connie is generally run like a well-oiled machine which belies her age.

 

Oh and one more thing, we are now Elite with the completion of this cruise!! That's a milestone for us, that's for sure.

 

Thanks to everyone for following this review. I hope I have shed some light on some of the more unusual ports and have been helpful.

 

Cheers!

 

 

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[bertrande]

Hi we were on Connie too had a fab time met loads of interesting people too. Meet and mingle worked too with the captain and senior officers but not too sure where to put my thanks to the groups we joined on our roll call. Has it now disappeared?

First time with cruise critic roll call although Def not first time cruisers.

Thanks to all. Now for next cc roll call :D:p:p

 

 

I thought I could still see our roll call as of yesterday. I posted there a week ago during the cruise as I missed the Meet and Mingle because we overslept!! Glad you had a great time too. Our next cruise is on RCL Ovation in April, a short 4-nighter.

 

 

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[Eloise4Ever]

Bertrande, I just want to say thank you for posting such an informative, well-written review. It was especially helpful to see all the restaurant menus.

 

Very sorry to hear you became ill at the very end, I do hope you feel better very soon.

 

Happy sailing :)

[cricketlover]

Thanks very much for taking the time doing the reviews. Really enjoyed them. Glad you had a good cruise.

[tcmagnum]

Bertrand....

 

Thank you so much taking the time to do such an amazing review of your cruise. You have made us so excited and we don't sail until June 15!!!!!

[Von & John]

Bertrande --

 

Thank You for your fabulous review. We will arrive in Singapore in 25 days on the 16th. We get to explore your city for 3 nights & depart on the Connie on March 19th & we get to spend another couple of nights in Singapore at the end of the cruise. Our itinerary is slightly different than yours & your review has helped build the excitement for our upcoming cruise.:D

[bertrande]

Bertrande, I just want to say thank you for posting such an informative, well-written review. It was especially helpful to see all the restaurant menus.

 

 

 

Thanks very much for taking the time doing the reviews. Really enjoyed them. Glad you had a good cruise.

 

 

 

Bertrand....

 

Thank you so much taking the time to do such an amazing review of your cruise. You have made us so excited and we don't sail until June 15!!!!!

 

 

 

Bertrande --

 

Thank You for your fabulous review. We will arrive in Singapore in 25 days on the 16th. We get to explore your city for 3 nights & depart on the Connie on March 19th & we get to spend another couple of nights in Singapore at the end of the cruise. Our itinerary is slightly different than yours & your review has helped build the excitement for our upcoming cruise.:D

 

 

Thank you for your kind words. Eloise4Ever, I think the fever has broken now but will be off to the doctor later for a check anyway. Tcmagnum, enjoy planning for your cruise! You'll get her after the dry dock so that should be lovely! Von & John, I do hope you'll enjoy our city, small as it is. Enjoy cruising this region - we think the Connie has great South East Asian itineraries.

 

 

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Edited February 19, 2017 by bertrande
Spelling correction

[easyboy]

Day 15: Disembarkation Day

 

Disembarkation was smooth - we were told to leave our cabins by 8am (phew). I was still running a temperature despite having had a dose of paracetamol and had to be dragged out of bed by DH who wonderfully took over and settled all administrative matters as I was physically unable to do much.

 

Thanks to everyone for following this review. I hope I have shed some light on some of the more unusual ports and have been helpful.

 

Cheers!

Thank you for that great review. It was very informative.

Hope you recover well.

[FirstCruise2331]

Thank you for sharing your review. We sail on her in Sept round the Adriatic and Med and new to Celebrity so was nice to get a feel for the ship.

[Sunrise913]

That was an amazing diary....I really have a feel for the ship (will sail from Singapore-Abu Dhab April 2). I have one lingering question. Having never sailed on the Connie, where do I find out which areas, cafes, gelatos, etc. cost extra. Is Luminae only for Penthouse Cabin occupants? I know the OL, Tuscan Grille are specialty (upcharge) but not anything else. Thx for your input.

[Beanb41]

That was an amazing diary....I really have a feel for the ship (will sail from Singapore-Abu Dhab April 2). I have one lingering question. Having never sailed on the Connie, where do I find out which areas, cafes, gelatos, etc. cost extra. Is Luminae only for Penthouse Cabin occupants? I know the OL, Tuscan Grille are specialty (upcharge) but not anything else. Thx for your input.

 

 

Bistro on 5 is also a charge restaurant. Gelato has a cost of around $US6 per scoop. There are also some charges for some food in the Aqua Spa café. Café Al bacio - drinks are at a cost but the pastries are free. Buffet and MDR are free

[Sunrise913]

Bistro on 5 is also a charge restaurant. Gelato has a cost of around $US6 per scoop. There are also some charges for some food in the Aqua Spa café. Café Al bacio - drinks are at a cost but the pastries are free. Buffet and MDR are free

Is the Blu restaurant mentioned in this diary also available for anyone or does this ship have different dining rooms based on your cabin class? (I assume the Luminae is just for Penthouse inhabitants.) From reading this do I assume that just the MDR and the Ocean View Cafe & Grille are the only restaurants available to all without upcharge.