Cruising Aboard Constitution now

[twototravel]

Hubby and I are aboard the Constitution now. We are at our first port in Portland this morning. Our cabin, 317, is nice. It definitely wasn’t sanitized before we checked in, nor was it cleaned very good. I had to do some cleaning around the toilet (yuck) and around the Keurig. Everything else was fine.  We were told about an amenity issue, so we didn’t have soap, shampoo,etc. Staff left a note stating that supplies reaching the ship were delayed and hoped to be rectified on Monday. Staff is very friendly. Wifi is not great; using my iPhone as a hotspot. First lunch and dinner were excellent and alcohol flows freely at meals. Appears there are plenty of dining room staff. The manager in charge tries to complete tables so everyone is eating the same course at the same time. A nice bonus is that you don’t have to go to the lounge to see the talks, etc. They have a camera on the stage and you can watch on your cabin television. 
 

oh, BIG thrill was that we saw two pods of breaching whales at dinner. A pod on each side of the boat. The Captain notified us and then moved a little to get us closer. 
 

If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer. 

[DarthCruiser]

Thanks for posting!  We board the Constitution for the August 13 Grand New England cruise and appreciate hearing your comments.  It sounds like some progress is being made.  Enjoy the remainder of your voyage.

[twototravel]

Breakfast is served off the menu. Took about 30 mins to get our food. Cabin was much cleaner today. There is only a few hour turnover between cruises so the housekeepers don’t have much time on embarkation day. 

[twototravel]

Breakfast service continues to be a problem. If you don’t arrive as soon as the restaurant opens, you definitely won’t have time to eat your breakfast if you have a early excursion. 
 

This morning is our first at-anchor port…Boothbay. We will see how the tenders work. 
 

Several staff/managers aboard training who will then move on to other ACL ships.

 

Wifi has not worked yet. Using phone as hotspot.

[tipsygirl]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:42 AM, twototravel said:

Breakfast service continues to be a problem. If you don’t arrive as soon as the restaurant opens, you definitely won’t have time to eat your breakfast if you have a early excursion. 
 

This morning is our first at-anchor port…Boothbay. We will see how the tenders work. 
 

Several staff/managers aboard training who will then move on to other ACL ships.

 

Wifi has not worked yet. Using phone as hotspot.

We were on the Constitution's July 4th sailing from Boston. We had issues with cleanliness of our cabin that did not improve. We repeatedly had to go in search of bath. towels and other supplies. We were in 310.

Interesting about the breakfast service. We did not have any difficulty with timing, but did have some days when there was confusion on orders. One of the waiters, D'Artagnan (His mother loved the Three Musketeers) became our favorite and we made a point of sitting at one of his tables for every meal.He was very helpful with checking to be sure that any foods I was served were gluten free and that all our food orders were correct. 

Wifi never got better on the ship. 

They team that handles the tender operation are terrific. We did have some difficulty with the tender schedule.

[antsnanny]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:39 AM, tipsygirl said:

We were on the Constitution's July 4th sailing from Boston. We had issues with cleanliness of our cabin that did not improve. We repeatedly had to go in search of bath. towels and other supplies. We were in 310.

Interesting about the breakfast service. We did not have any difficulty with timing, but did have some days when there was confusion on orders. One of the waiters, D'Artagnan (His mother loved the Three Musketeers) became our favorite and we made a point of sitting at one of his tables for every meal.He was very helpful with checking to be sure that any foods I was served were gluten free and that all our food orders were correct. 

Wifi never got better on the ship. 

They team that handles the tender operation are terrific. We did have some difficulty with the tender schedule.

We will sail on the Constitution cabin 310 on August 19th and I sure hope our cabin is clean as Im a germaphobe.   We are use to sailing on large cruise ships and giving the small ships a whirl.  Were the excursions included?  My brother did the snake river and the hotel the night before the cruise and excisions were all include.   I found out that a hotel the night before isn't included but still wondering about excursions.   Also, I can't find a list of excursions anyplace.  Overall, what did you think?

 

[twototravel]

@antsnanny Some excursions are complimentary and others you have to sign up and pay for. The list of excursions are available online 60 days prior to your embarkation. Of course you could wait to sign up once onboard as they do have a presentation about them, but you have the chance of not getting on one, especially if it's a premium one with limited numbers. Included ones are usually museums that are right at the port where the ship docks or a continuous shuttle into the local town. 

[antsnanny]

14 hours ago, twototravel said:

@antsnanny Some excursions are complimentary and others you have to sign up and pay for. The list of excursions are available online 60 days prior to your embarkation. Of course you could wait to sign up once onboard as they do have a presentation about them, but you have the chance of not getting on one, especially if it's a premium one with limited numbers. Included ones are usually museums that are right at the port where the ship docks or a continuous shuttle into the local town. 

Im not sure if that holds true for ships sailing out of NY and Boston.  They don't include a hotel the night before the cruise and it doesn't mention anything about complementary  excursions either.   Have you done either the Boston or NY cruise?

 

[DaveinCharlotte]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:03 PM, antsnanny said:

I found out that a hotel the night before isn't included but still wondering about excursions.   Also, I can't find a list of excursions anyplace.

 

13 hours ago, antsnanny said:

Im not sure if that holds true for ships sailing out of NY and Boston.  They don't include a hotel the night before the cruise and it doesn't mention anything about complementary excursions either.

 

Have taken two cruises out of Boston and both included complimentary excursions.  Have just checked web for your Cape Codder cruise, and I see that it clearly shows complimentary excursions.  The Boston pre-cruise hotel is not complimentary. 

[BaumD]

I think they offer free hotels on Mississippi and Columbia river trips because those are the locations where they have competition from American queen and soon to have competition from Viking on the Mississippi. Trips on the East Coast do not have that direct competition, so no free hotels

[twototravel]

The hotel used in Boston (at least last year) was the 4 Seasons. Very nice, excellent location, but a very high price. FYI, there is a Marriot close to the where the ship is docked, but not near any of the sites of interest. The hotel we'll be staying at in April with the Puget Sound cruise is the Crown Plaza in Seattle. Much cheaper, less nice, and not so close to sites of interest. 

[Izena]

Two to travel.  Can you give me specifics on the Marriott near the dock.  On the Grand New England out of Boston 6-23-22..   flying on 6/22 trying to devided whether to rent a car for the day  (either go to Connecticut , or drive to Kittery Maine, my mothers childhood home. )   Return car on 6/23 and Uber to dock.   Or just go straight to hotel.  Suggestions would be appreciated

[twototravel]

@IzenaI believe this Marriott is close to where the ship docks. I would call and ask to be sure. Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf

 

[Pokeymon]

Where does the ship dock in Boston?

[DaveinCharlotte]

On our 2 Boston cruises, the Constitution docked at Charlestown Landing -- specifically near Pier 6 (a short distance from the USS Constitution).  Walking distance from the Marriot hotel to the ship would be about 0.8 miles.  Walking distance from the hotel to, say, Old North Church, was also 0.8 miles.  So looks like a good location.

 

Did a dry-run on cost for one night, 6/22, 1 king bed, senior rate:  $424+tax = $494 (and $50/nite to park car).  This struck me as exorbitant until I then compared with the 4 Seasons.  $796+tax = $927!!

 

There used to be a very  modest hotel near Pier 6 called the Constitution Inn, but doesn't seem to be there any more.

[Izena]

I’m on the grand New England leaving June 23.  Arriving June 22 (flight fares high for 3 of us.). Plan to rent a car first day - drive toSalem  only about an hour. - spend the night in hotels that area (much cheaper than in Boston.).  Return car and Uber to pier.   
 

have gotten  pre cruise forms  unable to complete online with my iPad. So called and completed mine over phone and  filled out my son and granddaughter photo and emailed.   Waiting for list of excursions should get at end of week…  looked at excursions from 2019 -20 brochure nothing about whale watching  so going to  schedule on our own.   

[twototravel]

@Izena You most likely will see whales both coming and going outside of Boston while cruising. There is a bay where several whales are usually sighted.

[GT38]

On 7/28/2021 at 6:42 AM, twototravel said:

Breakfast service continues to be a problem. If you don’t arrive as soon as the restaurant opens, you definitely won’t have time to eat your breakfast if you have a early excursion. 
 

This morning is our first at-anchor port…Boothbay. We will see how the tenders work. 
 

Several staff/managers aboard training who will then move on to other ACL ships.

 

Wifi has not worked yet. Using phone as hotspot.

   What time does the restaurant open for Breakfast??

[twototravel]

@GT38 Breakfast in the dining room opens at 7:30. There is an early riser breakfast with pastries, coffee, and maybe some other items starting at 6:30 in one or both of the lounges. If an excursion is due to leave before 8:30, they may open the dining room a bit earlier. The crew eats in the dining room before it's open to the passengers.