Constellation Feedback

[May B]

Have you read recent reviews? I just glanced, but they’re mixed with lots of positives.

[AstoriaPreppy]

I haven't sailed on the Constellation recently, but have experience on the Infinity in South America in March of this year.

 

We found the ship to be in poor condition, especially compared to the revolutionized sister ships Summit and Millennium. Lots of issues in public spaces: worn finishes, carpets in bad shape, lighting out or non-functional. The staterooms were poorly maintained: drawers that were off the tracks, lighting that didn't work, fixtures that would just fall off the wall, etc. We also ran into some issues with hot/functional water some mornings. It was a general vibe of disrepair and patch jobs. The staff seemed unable to fix or resolve most of the physical issues onboard.
 

We were surprised after arriving at home, and posting on Cruise Critic, to find a TON of people who insist the Infinity is still well-maintained and a fantastic experience and absolutely the best thing Celebrity has going right now. I think nostalgia plays strongly for a lot of guests who sailed on Infinity previously, and I'd assume the same is the case for guests on the Constelation. The non-revolutionized ships still have an "old-Celebrity" vibe to them that some people find nostalgic, despite the physical issues... we just found it felt tired and in desperate need of a refurb. When one third of the lights in the Rendezvous lounge are non-functional, seats in lounges are sagging, and the front of a drawer falls off if you pull it, it just reads shabby, not sentimental. 

 

We still had a great cruise, but realistically wouldn't recommend the Infinity to anyone expecting a Celebrity-quality experience in 2023. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

just off the Connie TA 
A lot area on the Connie were Redone from our last cruise on her in 2017 

 Rendezvous lounge looks a lot better with bright carpets and furniture 

I thought most of the public areas were in good shape 

 

[Barb1403]

On the Connie now for a six day holiday cruise. Do not fret, the ship is in good shape- not new but definitely well cared for.The food is not what it used to be however we are not going hungry. Upcharge lunch in Tucson on sea days is pretty decent and well attended. My husband had a filet and said it was good.We have a sunset veranda which has a very large balcony. The room is in good shape an a/c is great.

[broadwaybaby123]

On 11/24/2023 at 9:42 PM, May B said:

Of my 21 Celebrity cruises, eight have been on the Connie, since our first one in 2008. Always loved the ship, the crew, the dining, the entertainment, until Dec. of ‘22, when things started slipping. Food was not quite as good. In March of ‘23, food had slipped a bit more. We chose to have dinner at OceanView, a few nights, and ate breakfast in MDR. Crew still seemed to be a great asset. We still had a great time.

 

We now will board on Dec. 22nd, and will see how it goes. I think we can work around whatever might not meet our expectations. I think OP that you will do fine as long as you keep your expectations reasonable. Actually, there’s a dry dock before your cruise, so the  ship will look better than now. I just hope for your sake (and mine, since Connie sails out of my backyard) the crew stays great and the food bounces back!

 

 

Thanks! We decided to book. We have a TA that we've been working with for years who is very honest with his experiences on ships. Last year he took his family on The Connie on this itinerary and loved it. He even advised doing the Roatan zipline tour. 

 

We've been on all her sister ships and loved them so much we went on one of them twice...The Celebrity Summit. I just got off The Summit and her remodel was stunning, so if The Connie's remodel is anything like that, we're in for a treat. 

 

Our TA did say that The Connie has a loyal following, I'm hoping that I'll be one of her followers too. My family is full of cruisers and if we like a ship, we'll go again and do things we didn't get to the first time around. Classic examples in our family include The Grandeur (4x), Anthem (2x), and The Summit (2x).

[SusieAV8R]

On 11/16/2023 at 5:10 PM, broadwaybaby123 said:

Hi all,

 

I'm looking at a cruise for 2025 on the Constellation. I love the itinerary: Costa Maya, Tampa, Roatan, and New Orleans. 

 

I'm looking for feedback from recent cruisers on the ship. This will be my 33rd cruise, so I'm by no means a first timer. I've been on the Summit, her sister ship, twice and loved it. I'm looking for feedback specifically for the Constellation. 

 

Any advice?

We have a B2B2B (21 days) this Christmas/NYE so I will try  to get back to you with our impressions when we return in mid-January.  (but obviously we are not overly concerned.)

[jshli]

There is a “refresh” of the Constellation scheduled for the beginning of April, 2024.

Not sure exactly what will be done, but any improvement is better than nothing.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, jshli said:

There is a “refresh” of the Constellation scheduled for the beginning of April, 2024.

Not sure exactly what will be done, but any improvement is better than nothing.

It is only 2 weeks , so basically a maintenance drydock

 

[cruzeluver]

Constellation was our first cruise with Celebrity back when she was the new kid in the fleet. We sailed her a second time a few years later and are booked on her this February. I expect to have an excellent time! We were on Infinity on one of her first post-pandemic cruises and had a marvelous time! Had I listened to all the dire warnings we would have missed out on a great experience. We have sailed all classes of X ships and enjoy them all.

Edited November 28, 2023 by cruzeluver
spelling

[wrk2cruise]

11 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

I just got off The Summit and her remodel was stunning, so if The Connie's remodel is anything like that, we're in for a treat.

 

Just be aware the Summit had a full 80 mil Revolution where all staterooms were gutted to the bare walls and refurbished.  This has not been done on Connie, the staterooms are feeling the wear of 20 years of service.   Some of the public spaces have had some of the touches of Summit but just have your expectations set correctly or you will be disappointed.

[AstoriaPreppy]

11 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

We've been on all her sister ships and loved them so much we went on one of them twice...The Celebrity Summit. I just got off The Summit and her remodel was stunning, so if The Connie's remodel is anything like that, we're in for a treat. 

 

The revolutionizing that the Summit and Millennium went through was a multi-month process that involved stripping the staterooms down to the wall studs, gutting the MDR, reconfiguring the buffet, etc. The short dry dock Constellation goes through will likely be mechanical, and possibly some new soft goods in public areas... so I'd set expectations accordingly. 

 

In your case, I'd say the Constellation reads more like the Grandeur of the Seas, while Summit reads more like Anthem. Grandeur of the seas has a very Royal Caribbean 30 years ago sort of vibe, and Infinity has a very Celebrity 25 years ago vibe... while the Summit is very Celebrity 2020. 

 

 

[hcat]

sounds like the Infinity is about the worst...glad Connie not terrible!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

42 minutes ago, hcat said:

sounds like the Infinity is about the worst...glad Connie not terrible!

Just did the 16 night Connie TA 

I could see them replacing carpet and furniture in Bacio and OVC , not that it is bad , but to light it up 

I prefer the Connie over the Apex for a TA 😁

we were in a V2 balcony , which could use some TCL , it was clean which is the important thing 

no mold on the shower curtain 🤣

 

[May B]

4 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

The revolutionizing that the Summit and Millennium went through was a multi-month process that involved stripping the staterooms down to the wall studs, gutting the MDR, reconfiguring the buffet, etc. The short dry dock Constellation goes through will likely be mechanical, and possibly some new soft goods in public areas... so I'd set expectations accordingly. 

 

In your case, I'd say the Constellation reads more like the Grandeur of the Seas, while Summit reads more like Anthem. Grandeur of the seas has a very Royal Caribbean 30 years ago sort of vibe, and Infinity has a very Celebrity 25 years ago vibe... while the Summit is very Celebrity 2020. 

 

 

The big redo was scheduled for spring of 2020, which of course didn’t happen. Before she came back into service post-pandemic, the public areas got new soft goods, and I thought it was quite lovely (Dec. 2021) in the public areas. I generally don’t notice the physical as much as I notice the crew, the food, the entertainment and the activities. Those things were fine in 2021. In 2022, the food had slipped a tad, then a bit more in March of 2023. When I board in 3-1/2 weeks, I expect the food to have bounced back a bit and the crew and staff to be happy when we show how happy we are to be cruising over Xmas.

[SusieAV8R]

13 hours ago, cruzeluver said:

Constellation was our first cruise with Celebrity back when she was the new kid in the fleet. We sailed her a second time a few years later and are booked on her this February. I expect to have an excellent time! We were on Infinity on one of her first post-pandemic cruises and had a marvelous time! Had I listened to all the dire warnings we would have missed out on a great experience. We have sailed all classes of X ships and enjoy them all.

Cruzeluver, you are so correct!!  If we had listened to all the negative comments on CC about the M and S class ships over the past 18 months, DH and I would have missed 8 glorious sailings filled with relaxation, meeting new friends and looking forward to future cruises.  X is a good fit for us.  Nothing is perfect, but like you, we prefer to focus on the positives.  (Our favorite 5 star hotel could probably use new furniture and carpeting but it does not stop us from staying there.  😄 )

[malted muse]

just got off and made this - had a great time despite there being Nora virus on the ship -- 

https://youtu.be/jiQOXcvBrjA