Celebrity Constellation 12/10/2023 Ultimate Caribbean & The Americas Review

[tjunmin]

We sailed on the Constellation from December 10th to 22nd in a Royal suite. The itinerary was the 12-night Ultimate Caribbean & The Americas, with ports of call in George Town (Grand Cayman), Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica) and Cozumel (Mexico).

 

This was our first cruise since the pandemic. We were two weeks away from our South Pacific cruise on the Solstice at the beginning of 2020, when all cruise travel came to a halt. I was unsure how much the Celebrity experience had changed in the past few years.

 

After having read so many negative reviews of the Connie on the CruiseCritic board, I was relieved to see that she is in good shape and carrying her age well [photo]. Rust was visible, but it did not impact our enjoyment of the ship. I witnessed the crew working on ship maintenance [photo], and during our sailing, the railing on our balcony was repainted. FYI the photos I took of our balcony with rust [photo] were prior to the paint job.

 

The ship atmosphere was festive, with Christmas decor in the Grand Foyer [photo] and other venues throughout the vessel [photo]. The crew on board was friendly.

 

EMBARKATION

 

The Retreat area for guest check-in in Terminal 3 of the Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal offered seating and a selection of snacks - cookies, brownies, macaroons, croissants, pastries, canapes, fresh fruit - and hot&cold beverages [photo].

 

The updated muster drill process is a vast improvement over the old one. I appreciate having the ability to watch the safety video at my own convenience, and then just checking-in at the muster station, instead of spending time doing the drill, packed in a crowded room full of people.

 

ACCOMMODATION

 

Royal suites on M class ships are spacious and offer a large balcony [photo]. Pre-revolutionized suites offer plenty of storage space, comfortable furnishings, and beautiful wood paneling that elevate the space [photo]. The updated bathroom was a significant improvement over the original dated design [photo]. Le Habo bathroom amenities were nice.

 

The two TVs do not offer a library of movies to watch or HDMI port to connect a laptop, but according to our butler, those features will be available after the Connie goes to dry dock in Spring 2024. I very much enjoyed having the ability to connect my laptop to the TV using an HDMI cable when sailing on the revolutionized Millennium.

 

The large balcony received a lot of salt water spray, especially at the beginning of our sailing, from Tampa to Cartagena. I asked the suite attendant for pool towels, which I used to cover the balcony furniture before seating on them. The balcony was washed, after the ship's arrival in Cartagena.

 

Our butler Vishal [photo] was friendly, courteous, professional and ensured we had our needs looked after. In the words of his boss, Jess, he is passionate fulfilling his duties in his milieu. On embarkation day, Vishal first introduced himself when we were enjoying lunch at Luminae; later he welcomed us in our suite, gave us an orientation, assisted us connecting our devices to the ship's wi-fi, and addressed our questions. Unfortunately shoreside concierge failed to pass our requests to The Retreat team on the ship; fortunately, I had my list of requests printed, which I shared with Vishal and he took care of them in a timely manner. It seems like the two bottles of premium spirits I requested required approval from Celebrity, but Vishal advocated on our behalf and ensured we received them. During the cruise, we hosted two intimate get togethers in our suite, and Vishal provided us an assortment of cheese, crackers, cold cuts, canapes and fruits to entertain our friends. We were delighted to discover that Vishal decorated our suite and arranged a cake to celebrate my spouse's birthday; it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

 

Our great suite attendant, Meggon, was also friendly, professional, and quickly learned our daily routine, providing the twice daily housekeeping service in as unobtrusively as possible fashion.

 

RESTAURANTS

 

Luminae

 

I like the intimate Luminae space in M class ships [photo], paired with superior service and refined menus. Service was friendly and attentive. Many of my favorite items were no longer offered in the menus, but our waiter Nolan [photo] offered spot-on recommendations upon request and provided great service alongside Hannah [photo].

 

Luminae caters to guests with special dietary needs; chef Jay/Jeffer [photo] provided my spouse tasty and (for the most part) nutritionally balanced meals throughout the cruise.

 

In this particular sailing, my favorite appetizer was the Slow-Poached Lobster [photo] and my favorite main course was the Grilled Lamb Chops [photo]. The biggest disappointment was the anemic Creamy Lobster Roll [photo]; what a fall from grace, compared to what was served in my previous two sailings here [photo] and here [photo].

 

Tuscan Grille

 

What Tuscan Grille lacks in terms of ambiance, sitting by the jogging track on deck 11, it more than makes up when it comes to food quality and service. Maitre d' Juan leads a solid team, with Navaneet [photo] providing fine tableside service, alongside Richard as the attentive and knowledgeable in-house sommelier.

 

The Crab Cake and Berkshire Pork Belly are solid appetizers. My favorite pasta was the Lobster Rigatoni Alfredo. The Beef Ribeye (10 oz) and Broiled Filet Mignon (8 oz) were fine cuts, cooked as ordered. The Limoncello Cheese Cake failed to impress, but I had better luck with the Spumoni Donuts; and chocolate lovers will be delighted with both the Tiramisu and Pistachio Marble Creme Brulee.

 

Special thanks to the Tuscan Grille chef for catering to vegan needs.

 

Qsine

 

A lovely well executed concept, pairing entertaining animation with fine cuisine. Memories of Ratatouille anyone? The Braised Short Rib of Beef was the highlight of the meal. The Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes and the Poached Shrimp & Persian Cucumber Salad unfortunately were not up to par.

 

Special thanks to the Qsine team for going above and beyond, providing a vegan meal for my spouse and surprising us with a vegan birthday cake alongside dessert!

 

Sushi on Five

 

Hard working serving team, aiming to please. Unfortunately the food failed to raise to the occasion.

 

VENUES

 

Michael's Club

 

Service at Michael's Club was friendly and attentive. Jario was The Retreat Concierge, and was very helpful addressing a request I had. I much prefer the existing furniture [photo], as opposed to the uncomfortable ones in the revolutionized Michael's Club on board the Millennium [photo].

 

Cafe Al Bacio

 

Good service from the staff at Cafe Al Bacio. They serve the best hot chocolate on board.

 

The Theatre

 

Good bar service; one of the waiters (unfortunately I did not manage to get his name) soon learned my beverage of choice and would offer it when he saw me in the theatre.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

 

Honestly, these are very minor issues, but if Celebrity is monitoring this board, here are opportunities to improve the experience for future guests. There were other minor issues, but these are the ones where where I believe I can share constructive feedback.

1. Embarkation: The Retreat check-in signage was poorly placed at the Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal, by the elevator instead of the actual entrance, leading to confusion. This should be an easy fix.
2. Embarkation: escort to The Retreat check-in area through security was poorly executed. Guests who were not escorted were going through much faster. Individuals escorting guests should use common sense and better judgement on how to perform their escort duties.
3. Royal Suite: outdoor whirlpool tub will greatly benefit from an update/replacement.
4. Royal Suite: appreciated if TVs have HDMI ports to connect laptops to them.
5. Royal Suite: add more power outlets, including the bathroom, where they are needed to recharge electric toothbrushes and razors.
6. Luminae: there were a few of occasions where rice and pasta in the vegan dishes were undercooked. Kitchen's reply was that they were cooked al dente. Let me be very clear, they were definitely undercooked, not al dente.
7. Sushi on Five: noticeable decline in the quality of the rolls served, compared to past experiences. Baked Scallop, Eel Dragon and Green Roof Tuna rolls were ordered in two separate occasions, and were disappointing both times. I thought the first time was a fluke, so I went a second time, unfortunately with similar results. The rolls felt cheaply prepared and were not very tasty.
8. Cafe Al Bacio: the size, variety and quality of pastries and cakes seem to have gone down since I last sailed; I did not feel compelled to try them on this sailing.
9. The Production Cast shows: I always enjoy attending the production cast performances, but on this sailing, they failed to captivate my interest. Elyria was listed in the Celebrity app at the beginning of the cruise as one of the upcoming shows - I added it to my calendar - but it failed to materialize during the sailing, which was disappointing.
10. Guest Relations: mid-cruise, somehow the staff made a mistake when I tried to settle my spouse's account balance using cash, and they were unable to fix it in a timely manner, which was inconvenient and annoying; honestly, by the end of this interaction, I was extremely dissatisfied with the crew member, to put it mildly. On the last day of the cruise, when already docked in Tampa, I requested a printed copy of the Final Guest Statement, but was given a Mid-Cruise Guest Statement and told that they are the same. After insisting, I ultimately received a copy of the Final Guest Statement, but it should had been easier to fulfill such a simple request.
11. Shore Excursions: I took part in two long Celebrity offered shore excursions; in the past, a meal used to be included, but not anymore. For long shore excursions (e.g., 7.5 hours) it will be appreciated if meals are included again.

 

FINAL WORDS

 

In broad terms, it was a delightful experience to be back onboard the Constellation in an upper suite. There were minor issues which did not significantly detract from the overall experience. Royal suites are a good product, sure to delight guests. 

 

PHOTOS

 

Celebrity Constellation: [photo album]

Luminae Restaurant: [photo album]

Specialty Restaurants and Venues: [photo album]

Ports of Call: [photo album]

 

[Galaxy2004]

Your pictures are great. Thanks for taking all the time to label each. So helpful to be separate from the post here!

[JDPCruisers]

1 hour ago, tjunmin said:

We sailed on the Constellation from December 10th to 22nd in a Royal suite. The itinerary was the 12-night Ultimate Caribbean & The Americas, with ports of call in George Town (Grand Cayman), Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica) and Cozumel (Mexico).

 

This was our first cruise since the pandemic. We were two weeks away from our South Pacific cruise on the Solstice at the beginning of 2020, when all cruise travel came to a halt. I was unsure how much the Celebrity experience had changed in the past few years.

 

After having read so many negative reviews of the Connie on the CruiseCritic board, I was relieved to see that she is in good shape and carrying her age well [photo]. Rust was visible, but it did not impact our enjoyment of the ship. I witnessed the crew working on ship maintenance [photo], and during our sailing, the railing on our balcony was repainted. FYI the photos I took of our balcony with rust [photo] were prior to the paint job.

 

The ship atmosphere was festive, with Christmas decor in the Grand Foyer [photo] and other venues throughout the vessel [photo]. The crew on board was friendly.

 

EMBARKATION

 

The Retreat area for guest check-in in Terminal 3 of the Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal offered seating and a selection of snacks - cookies, brownies, macaroons, croissants, pastries, canapes, fresh fruit - and hot&cold beverages [photo].

 

The updated muster drill process is a vast improvement over the old one. I appreciate having the ability to watch the safety video at my own convenience, and then just checking-in at the muster station, instead of spending time doing the drill, packed in a crowded room full of people.

 

ACCOMMODATION

 

Royal suites on M class ships are spacious and offer a large balcony [photo]. Pre-revolutionized suites offer plenty of storage space, comfortable furnishings, and beautiful wood paneling that elevate the space [photo]. The updated bathroom was a significant improvement over the original dated design [photo]. Le Habo bathroom amenities were nice.

 

The two TVs do not offer a library of movies to watch or HDMI port to connect a laptop, but according to our butler, those features will be available after the Connie goes to dry dock in Spring 2024. I very much enjoyed having the ability to connect my laptop to the TV using an HDMI cable when sailing on the revolutionized Millennium.

 

The large balcony received a lot of salt water spray, especially at the beginning of our sailing, from Tampa to Cartagena. I asked the suite attendant for pool towels, which I used to cover the balcony furniture before seating on them. The balcony was washed, after the ship's arrival in Cartagena.

 

Our butler Vishal [photo] was friendly, courteous, professional and ensured we had our needs looked after. In the words of his boss, Jess, he is passionate fulfilling his duties in his milieu. On embarkation day, Vishal first introduced himself when we were enjoying lunch at Luminae; later he welcomed us in our suite, gave us an orientation, assisted us connecting our devices to the ship's wi-fi, and addressed our questions. Unfortunately shoreside concierge failed to pass our requests to The Retreat team on the ship; fortunately, I had my list of requests printed, which I shared with Vishal and he took care of them in a timely manner. It seems like the two bottles of premium spirits I requested required approval from Celebrity, but Vishal advocated on our behalf and ensured we received them. During the cruise, we hosted two intimate get togethers in our suite, and Vishal provided us an assortment of cheese, crackers, cold cuts, canapes and fruits to entertain our friends. We were delighted to discover that Vishal decorated our suite and arranged a cake to celebrate my spouse's birthday; it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

 

Our great suite attendant, Meggon, was also friendly, professional, and quickly learned our daily routine, providing the twice daily housekeeping service in as unobtrusively as possible fashion.

 

RESTAURANTS

 

Luminae

 

I like the intimate Luminae space in M class ships [photo], paired with superior service and refined menus. Service was friendly and attentive. Many of my favorite items were no longer offered in the menus, but our waiter Nolan [photo] offered spot-on recommendations upon request and provided great service alongside Hannah [photo].

 

Luminae caters to guests with special dietary needs; chef Jay/Jeffer [photo] provided my spouse tasty and (for the most part) nutritionally balanced meals throughout the cruise.

 

In this particular sailing, my favorite appetizer was the Slow-Poached Lobster [photo] and my favorite main course was the Grilled Lamb Chops [photo]. The biggest disappointment was the anemic Creamy Lobster Roll [photo]; what a fall from grace, compared to what was served in my previous two sailings here [photo] and here [photo].

 

Tuscan Grille

 

What Tuscan Grille lacks in terms of ambiance, sitting by the jogging track on deck 11, it more than makes up when it comes to food quality and service. Maitre d' Juan leads a solid team, with Navaneet [photo] providing fine tableside service, alongside Richard as the attentive and knowledgeable in-house sommelier.

 

The Crab Cake and Berkshire Pork Belly are solid appetizers. My favorite pasta was the Lobster Rigatoni Alfredo. The Beef Ribeye (10 oz) and Broiled Filet Mignon (8 oz) were fine cuts, cooked as ordered. The Limoncello Cheese Cake failed to impress, but I had better luck with the Spumoni Donuts; and chocolate lovers will be delighted with both the Tiramisu and Pistachio Marble Creme Brulee.

 

Special thanks to the Tuscan Grille chef for catering to vegan needs.

 

Qsine

 

A lovely well executed concept, pairing entertaining animation with fine cuisine. Memories of Ratatouille anyone? The Braised Short Rib of Beef was the highlight of the meal. The Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes and the Poached Shrimp & Persian Cucumber Salad unfortunately were not up to par.

 

Special thanks to the Qsine team for going above and beyond, providing a vegan meal for my spouse and surprising us with a vegan birthday cake alongside dessert!

 

Sushi on Five

 

Hard working serving team, aiming to please. Unfortunately the food failed to raise to the occasion.

 

VENUES

 

Michael's Club

 

Service at Michael's Club was friendly and attentive. Jario was The Retreat Concierge, and was very helpful addressing a request I had. I much prefer the existing furniture [photo], as opposed to the uncomfortable ones in the revolutionized Michael's Club on board the Millennium [photo].

 

Cafe Al Bacio

 

Good service from the staff at Cafe Al Bacio. They serve the best hot chocolate on board.

 

The Theatre

 

Good bar service; one of the waiters (unfortunately I did not manage to get his name) soon learned my beverage of choice and would offer it when he saw me in the theatre.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

 

Honestly, these are very minor issues, but if Celebrity is monitoring this board, here are opportunities to improve the experience for future guests. There were other minor issues, but these are the ones where where I believe I can share constructive feedback.

1. Embarkation: The Retreat check-in signage was poorly placed at the Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal, by the elevator instead of the actual entrance, leading to confusion. This should be an easy fix.
2. Embarkation: escort to The Retreat check-in area through security was poorly executed. Guests who were not escorted were going through much faster. Individuals escorting guests should use common sense and better judgement on how to perform their escort duties.
3. Royal Suite: outdoor whirlpool tub will greatly benefit from an update/replacement.
4. Royal Suite: appreciated if TVs have HDMI ports to connect laptops to them.
5. Royal Suite: add more power outlets, including the bathroom, where they are needed to recharge electric toothbrushes and razors.
6. Luminae: there were a few of occasions where rice and pasta in the vegan dishes were undercooked. Kitchen's reply was that they were cooked al dente. Let me be very clear, they were definitely undercooked, not al dente.
7. Sushi on Five: noticeable decline in the quality of the rolls served, compared to past experiences. Baked Scallop, Eel Dragon and Green Roof Tuna rolls were ordered in two separate occasions, and were disappointing both times. I thought the first time was a fluke, so I went a second time, unfortunately with similar results. The rolls felt cheaply prepared and were not very tasty.
8. Cafe Al Bacio: the size, variety and quality of pastries and cakes seem to have gone down since I last sailed; I did not feel compelled to try them on this sailing.
9. The Production Cast shows: I always enjoy attending the production cast performances, but on this sailing, they failed to captivate my interest. Elyria was listed in the Celebrity app at the beginning of the cruise as one of the upcoming shows - I added it to my calendar - but it failed to materialize during the sailing, which was disappointing.
10. Guest Relations: mid-cruise, somehow the staff made a mistake when I tried to settle my spouse's account balance using cash, and they were unable to fix it in a timely manner, which was inconvenient and annoying; honestly, by the end of this interaction, I was extremely dissatisfied with the crew member, to put it mildly. On the last day of the cruise, when already docked in Tampa, I requested a printed copy of the Final Guest Statement, but was given a Mid-Cruise Guest Statement and told that they are the same. After insisting, I ultimately received a copy of the Final Guest Statement, but it should had been easier to fulfill such a simple request.
11. Shore Excursions: I took part in two long Celebrity offered shore excursions; in the past, a meal used to be included, but not anymore. For long shore excursions (e.g., 7.5 hours) it will be appreciated if meals are included again.

 

FINAL WORDS

 

In broad terms, it was a delightful experience to be back onboard the Constellation in an upper suite. There were minor issues which did not significantly detract from the overall experience. Royal suites are a good product, sure to delight guests. 

 

PHOTOS

 

Celebrity Constellation: [photo album]

Luminae Restaurant: [photo album]

Specialty Restaurants and Venues: [photo album]

Ports of Call: [photo album]

 

We were on the same cruise in a Sky Suite and agree with her comments re: overall condition of the common areas and the crew constantly cleaning inside and out, the food (hits for me though some misses for my wife) and service in Laminae was very good (Arif the Matre'd, Royce was our server with Hannah assisting, and Zhou as the sommelier). We chose not to dine in any specialty restaurants other than Sushi on 5 and agree with her assessment, as well. In fact, having done Sushi and Raw on 5 we do not care for either. 

 

On the other hand, our SS was old, and while kept clean by our wonderful attendant/host Sharon, it was worn and in dire need of a complete upgrade, so glad to see your RS had been redone and looked great. Retreat Team concept is not working to the level of dedicate butler that we experience on all previous X cruises, so we certainly miss that aspect. We have only one more non-E class cruise booked for 2024 and 2025 (the rest are E-class) which is on the Eclipse which has not been upgraded and have considered cancelling until it is in 2025, but we love the Boston to Quebec overnight and back itinerary but after that likely all E-class or upgraded M or S.    

[hcat]

very nice review, well organized..liked the format for photos!  Thank you!

[tjunmin]

20 hours ago, Galaxy2004 said:

Your pictures are great. Thanks for taking all the time to label each. So helpful to be separate from the post here!

Thanks for your message, @Galaxy2004. I've learned so much on the boards from other cruisers. I wanted to give back to the community and offer as much helpful information as I could from my own experience. 

[LaCal]

Thanks for such a detailed and Excellent review 

 

We’ll be on the Constellation for the first time in February for a 12 day New Orleans Mardi Gras and then onwards to the Caribbean 

 

We paid to upgrade to a Sky Suite and really looking forward to the cruise 

 

It covers Super Bowl, 3 days in NOLA for Mardi Gras, the Caribbean and throw in Valentine’s day…..It’s Vacations inside of Vacations 🍹🍹😜

[LaCal]

13 hours ago, tjunmin said:

Thanks for your message, @Galaxy2004. I've learned so much on the boards from other cruisers. I wanted to give back to the community and offer as much helpful information as I could from my own experience. 

What’s the easiest way to the Retreat waiting area inside the Tampa terminal?  I see you stated it was confusing with not much signage 

 

Thanks very much again 

[tjunmin]

8 hours ago, LaCal said:

What’s the easiest way to the Retreat waiting area inside the Tampa terminal?  I see you stated it was confusing with not much signage 

At Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal 3, check-in is on the upper level. Take the escalator up and proceed to the entrance. There should be a staff member with a printed list of The Retreat passengers. Once it is confirmed you are on the list, you'll be escorted to The Retreat area for check-in.

 

The minor issue I mentioned in my review is that we walked to the entrance on the upper level, and saw The Retreat check-in signage further away, by the elevator. It was incorrectly put there. We walked all the way down to the signage, just to find out that it was placed there incorrectly, and had to walk back to the entrance. The fix is really simple, the cruise terminal staff should just move the signage to where the person with The Retreat passenger printed list actually is.

 

The second minor issue I mentioned at embarkation is really silly. The escort was obviously instructed to skip the lines when escorting The Retreat guests to check-in. She proceed to attempt unhooking the retractable stanchions, to allow us to skip the line. The issue is that she was unable to do so, but there was no line. The people walking by us were getting to the security check, while we were still waiting behind the escort, who was trying to unhook the retractable stanchions to "skip the line". It took us much longer than everybody else to clear the area, since she had to unhook the retractable stanchions twice. Common sense would have her to simply walk us to the security check like everybody else. If I knew where to go for The Retreat check-in, I would have dismissed the escort.

 

Hope this helps!

[thebutlerdidit]

Thank you for the very organized review. Constellation is the only M-Class ship that I haven’t yet sailed. It sounds lovely.

[tjunmin]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:32 AM, thebutlerdidit said:

Thank you for the very organized review. Constellation is the only M-Class ship that I haven’t yet sailed. It sounds lovely.

The Constellation is a lovely ship indeed.

 

And I hope she will be even better and regain her sparkle after the Spring 2024 dry dock, like the revolutionized Millennium that I sailed in 2019 [photo album].

 

It is my understanding that many cabins feel tired and need to be refreshed. I believe that the vast majority of passengers will benefit from the updates, although I personally do not look forward to the changes to the suites and Michael's Club.

 

Nonetheless, it is always a wonderful experience to sail on her and be pampered by the friendly and hard working crew!

[oslofjord]

loved your review. thank you so much for the pictures, too. We are sailing on the Connie 1/12. My question, how much walking is involved to get to the Retreat Check In and onto the ship.  My friend has mobility issues and if it is too long a walk, she may want to request to use a wheelchair.  Again, thank you so much for your excellent post

[tjunmin]

11 hours ago, oslofjord said:

loved your review. thank you so much for the pictures, too. We are sailing on the Connie 1/12. My question, how much walking is involved to get to the Retreat Check In and onto the ship.  My friend has mobility issues and if it is too long a walk, she may want to request to use a wheelchair.  Again, thank you so much for your excellent post

There is some walking required to get on the ship. Take a look at this [photo].

 

[1] is the location of curbside baggage drop off [photo].

[2] is the location of escalator and elevator to go up to the upper level to the check-in area [photo].

[3] is the security check area.

[4] is the main check-in hall.

[5] is the location of The Retreat check-in [partial photo].

[6] is the access point to escalator and elevator to go up to the next level, for ship access.

[7] is the access ramp to the ship.

 

Hope this helps!

[abbydancer2003]

Thank you.  We board in just under 2 weeks for the same itinerary.