“Live” trip report with pics, Celebrity Constellation, Venice-Barcelona, 8/25-9/03

[cl.klink]

Some friends are driving across Europe and just texted they’ll be in Barcelona when we disembark. So they’re meeting us at the ship, we’ll visit, then they’ll drop off at airport for our late afternoon plane. So nice to have this plum to look forward to st the end of a cruise. 

 

The vibe on the Constellation has felt very positive to me. For some reason I had thought of this ship as a tired version of M class ships, but I’m not sure why I had that thought. I have found Infinity, Millennium, and Summit to be very pleasant ships. Though I like the S class, in a straight trade I’m not sure I’d necessarily prefer it to M class. I think the M class ships have an undeserved less good reputation in comparisons to the S class ships, and now the Edge and it’s sibling(s).  

 

In any event, I now feel that the thought I had that “Connie” was some how behind the times as an M class ship was wrong. I’m impressed with the upkeep and the staff friendliness and overall level of effectiveness. It does not feel shiny or new, and some materials may be a bit worn or less fashionable I suppose. But I think it’s all fine. I would be happy to sail on this ship again. 

 

I feel that the casino on Celebrity ships should be retired. It seems a waste of a huge amount of space. On this cruise I do see people in the casino at times but it’s seemed to be never more than 25% or so occupied. It may be that the ship derives some revenue from a casino, and I’m sure that the people running the business have numbers to address this. But I’d be surprised if there could not be a revenue neutral way (or even more profitable way) to use this very considerable amount of space to put something else in, maybe more than one thing, in a future dry dock. It would certainly be a selling point for me, at least. I wonder if that’s in the planning?  

 

We had thunderstorms at sea yesterday yet the seas have remained very calm, calmer than I’ve almost ever seen. It’s been rare that I could feel we are at sea, except by looking outside. 

 

Earlier in the day yesterday, a school of a dozen or more dolphins played with the ship’s wake while I was sitting aft this morning. 

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

18 hours ago, Tommy3putts said:

I have been doing the one bag travel for our European land vacations for years.  It is such a great way to travel.  The only exception now is for cruises.  I take a few more clothes since I’m only unpacking once.  

 

Agree that with less packing / unpacking less often, one bag is less needed for cruise travel. I still find it works well. 

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

12 hours ago, countess5 said:

Thank you for posting.

Would you be able to tell me what pier you left out of in Venice? We arrive in Venice on Connie in October. 

 

Thanks

 

Marittima

- Joel

[cl.klink]

4 hours ago, pully8 said:

Joel your pictures and cruise report are fabulous.

will follow for more.

 

Thanks on both counts!

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

Day #8!  Greetings from Palma de Mallorca!

 

- Joel

 

[cl.klink]

2 hours ago, cl.klink said:

 

Marittima

- Joel

 

The “x” is where we were moored. 

 

- Joel

 

[cl.klink]

Very hot day in Palma. Lots of tourists come here, over a million a month. Mainly it seems to be for leisure activities. Not as mutch culture or history, which is what I’ve enjoyed in other ports.

 

The cathedral, and area around it, is an exception. Very impressive. Built around 1200 it still dominates the skyline as one sails in. It’s built next to (and dominates) a moorish palace, all atop a Roman platform. We were here on a Sunday so a service was going on (and you can hear in the video below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this photo I used a panoramic feature, so unfortunatelythe cathedral is distorted into a rounded shape.  It does not do justice to the scale or grandeur of the cathedral, but I wanted to capture how the cathedral dwarfs the much older moorish palace immediately to the left. Indeed, the cathedral is really placed to close to it. I think this was the idea, to show a dominance over it, as a kind of statement of what the builders felt was the correct social order of things. 

 

In this video, you can hear the Sunday service underway

Edited September 1, 2019 by cl.klink

[cl.klink]

Wide streets with cafes and stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by cl.klink

[cl.klink]

Treasured finds, shops, hotels, and more to be found in some skinner alleys and narrow roadways. Found several old non-flashy churches, one with a priest pacing with agitation before the open door, apparently with no one who had arrived (yet?).  

 

 

 

 

 

[cl.klink]

We passed on patronizing this fine cafe

 

- Joel

 

 

[cl.klink]

For those of you under a certain age, I will share with you that this artifact is called a phone booth. 

 

- Joel

 

P.S. Maybe I should explain that you operate it by putting coins in the slots.

 

P.P.S.  Maybe I should explain that coins are a way to pay for things. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by cl.klink

[cl.klink]

Returning home for one of the last times on this trip:(

 

The hot days in port make it so nice to return to the ship and get a “welcome back” with an iced cold towel and cool drink. 

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by cl.klink

[cl.klink]

Forgot to include these shots from a park near the Cathedral

 

 

 

 

[cl.klink]

Day #9, last stop Valencia, Spain

- Joel

[cl.klink]

Gray rainy morning, industrial port

- Joel

 

[hcat]

19 hours ago, cl.klink said:

For those of you under a certain age, I will share with you that this artifact is called a phone booth. 

 

- Joel

 

P.S. Maybe I should explain that you operate it by putting coins in the slots.

 

P.P.S.  Maybe I should explain that coins are a way to pay for things. 

Great post!

[cl.klink]

L'Oceanogràfic

 

 

 

 

 

[cl.klink]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

Great post!

 

😉

[cl.klink]

Last sail away, in time lapse, leaving Valencia. 

 

- Joel

 

[cl.klink]

Catalan central!  Ship moored in Barcelona by 6 AM. We went off with self disembarkation that started at 6:30.  Walked off a line-less walkway and were outside in minutes! A dutiful row of cabs were at the ready, lined up outside, and we caught a pleasant bench outside to watch the sunrise and await our friends who will pick us up. So, for all those posts I’ve seen where someone is worried about making AM planes, at least our observation shows that, at least for today, it would be do-able. 

 

- Joel

 

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by cl.klink

[cs2thecox]

Thank you so much for the thread.

In 4 hours I'll be on the ship (or at least queueing!) to go back the other way 😆

[hcat]

We loved Valencia...could spend days there enjoying the old and esp the new!

Great review...thanks for your efforts bringing it to us!

 

[cl.klink]

4 hours ago, cs2thecox said:

Thank you so much for the thread.

In 4 hours I'll be on the ship (or at least queueing!) to go back the other way 😆

 

We left her in good shape for you!

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

35 minutes ago, hcat said:

We loved Valencia...could spend days there enjoying the old and esp the new!

Great review...thanks for your efforts bringing it to us!

 

 

Thanks for following!

 

- Joel

[cl.klink]

Our friends from the US just happened to be vacationing in Barcelona. They had rented a car in Paris and were in Barcelona. So, we arranged that they met us at ship. So nice and a totally serendipitous discovery a few days ago.  We had a nice visit and a terrific breakfast in a neighborhood eatery I found on TripAdvisor.  

 

Nearby, apartments proudly flew the Catalan flag.

 

Our friends dropped us off at the airport where we followed an uneventful process to get to the gate to await flight home. 

 

- Joel