Live From Celebrity Constellation 3/11-3/23

jam19872016 · March 26

8 hours ago, princess76021 said:

You know that one you are definitely going to have to remind me 😁😁

Hugs from Texas

Will do 👍

6 hours ago, laurieal said:

Thank you so much for bringing us along. Hope the return to real life isn't too brutal!

Not too terrible. Had plenty of rest for almost two weeks to prepare me 😆

jam19872016 · March 26

6 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Great! Cruise/restaurant food is salty so some of the gain is water. I've had very good results from intermittent fasting combined with Keto. Keto drastically reduces appetite after the first few days, which makes it very easy not to eat. Although I suspect it will not work for emotional eaters because they will eat when they are not hungry. BTW, I was very happy to see how small the portions are on Celebrity. I like to try things but I don't want the calories or the waste if I don't like it.

I can't do keto, I love my carbs too much 😆. But I get the same results, after a few days I find myself not hungry unless I'm sitting around the house then I get the munchies.

6 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

That first day is rough. You keep looking for the buffet and hoping someone will wait on you or at least bring you a drink 😞

It's especially rough around my mom, she is a very bad influence 😀. She is also quickly taking off the weight she put on at least. She only gained 10 but has already taken off almost all of it. Water weight for sure but her sugar is back in a normal range too.

jam19872016 · March 26

6 hours ago, fla33023 said:

Have you been on Adventure before? I'm debating on a similar cruise but I've never sailed that class (only higher). I'd love your thoughts whenever you are rested from returning to work.

I have not been on Adventure before. I have sailed two Voyager class ships before.

Mariner I have sailed on more than any other ship, close to 50 days onboard. I love that ship. It shows its age here and there but it has been amped and has many wonderful features added to it such as Playmaker's, even though the venue isn't really big enough.

Explorer I sailed once. I was honestly not a fan. The first three ships in the class had a slightly different design and while it is possible I was just used to things being laid out a certain way and perceived it negatively simply because it was not, I felt like the layout was clunky and they made great improvements on the later ships in the class. It was fresh out of dry dock (third sailing post) but it seemed very worn down and tired. It was not amped and did not receive any of the features present on Mariner or other new ships.

The AC was not working well in most areas of the ship, including my stateroom. A talk with Guest Services, who acted like they did not know there was an obvious problem with the AC throughout the ship, did resolve the problem but by the end of the week my room was running hot again so whatever the did was a temporary fix.

The internet was upgraded to starlink, but it did not matter as the ship was not capable of handling the speeds starlink was capable of. I had the slowest speeds I've ever had on an RCL ship, including before starlink, and had no service in my stateroom or the dining room of all places. It was just all around a ship that was past its prime. I could not walk from one part of the ship to another without having to reconnect to the wifi.

Adventure will be more likely to be like Explorer than Mariner as a first generation Voyager ship. That said, for the right price or itinerary, I would still book it, which is exactly what I did 🙂

Just be aware that it may not have the same level of upkeep as the newer classes of ships. Any smaller than Voyager class I would have to really be in love with where it is going, but Voyager class is still an easy sell, especially out of Port Canaveral.

If you have sailed on Freedom class, it is basically a slightly smaller version of that. There are less people, but the venues are mostly the same size. Same number of elevators. The biggest difference is Sorrento's has it's own location which eases the crowds at Cafe Promenade slightly and there is a kids splash pad which does nothing for me personally as an inside person.

jam19872016 · March 26

5 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

We'll be sailing on Harmony that same week but in a different direction. Hope you find something sooner. Don't work too hard.

Oh no, that means you won't be able to follow live.

I love Harmony, wonderful ship! My favorite of the three sisters I've sailed on. Sad to see her leave Florida. First Harmony, and now Mariner. Texas is getting all my favorites.

My boss reads my reviews, so of course I will be working very very hard 😂

exlondoner · March 26

4 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I can't do keto, I love my carbs too much 😆. But I get the same results, after a few days I find myself not hungry unless I'm sitting around the house then I get the munchies.

It's especially rough around my mom, she is a very bad influence 😀. She is also quickly taking off the weight she put on at least. She only gained 10 but has already taken off almost all of it. Water weight for sure but her sugar is back in a normal range too.

Don’t you think also that drinking less booze than on board makes an easy difference? I suspect you don’t take your mobile bar to work.

bluewater1298 · March 26

9 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Oh no, that means you won't be able to follow live.

I know! We need to do better at coordinating our sailings. 😂

Seriously though, I don't think your followers can wait that long for another review. Hopefully, living Florida you'll catch a good deal soon. And please, please let me know! It's such a joy to sail along with you!

fla33023 · March 26

16 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I have not been on Adventure before. I have sailed two Voyager class ships before.

Mariner I have sailed on more than any other ship, close to 50 days onboard. I love that ship. It shows its age here and there but it has been amped and has many wonderful features added to it such as Playmaker's, even though the venue isn't really big enough.

Explorer I sailed once. I was honestly not a fan. The first three ships in the class had a slightly different design and while it is possible I was just used to things being laid out a certain way and perceived it negatively simply because it was not, I felt like the layout was clunky and they made great improvements on the later ships in the class. It was fresh out of dry dock (third sailing post) but it seemed very worn down and tired. It was not amped and did not receive any of the features present on Mariner or other new ships.

The AC was not working well in most areas of the ship, including my stateroom. A talk with Guest Services, who acted like they did not know there was an obvious problem with the AC throughout the ship, did resolve the problem but by the end of the week my room was running hot again so whatever the did was a temporary fix.

The internet was upgraded to starlink, but it did not matter as the ship was not capable of handling the speeds starlink was capable of. I had the slowest speeds I've ever had on an RCL ship, including before starlink, and had no service in my stateroom or the dining room of all places. It was just all around a ship that was past its prime. I could not walk from one part of the ship to another without having to reconnect to the wifi.

Adventure will be more likely to be like Explorer than Mariner as a first generation Voyager ship. That said, for the right price or itinerary, I would still book it, which is exactly what I did 🙂

Just be aware that it may not have the same level of upkeep as the newer classes of ships. Any smaller than Voyager class I would have to really be in love with where it is going, but Voyager class is still an easy sell, especially out of Port Canaveral.

If you have sailed on Freedom class, it is basically a slightly smaller version of that. There are less people, but the venues are mostly the same size. Same number of elevators. The biggest difference is Sorrento's has it's own location which eases the crowds at Cafe Promenade slightly and there is a kids splash pad which does nothing for me personally as an inside person.

Thank you for this write-up! Independence is our favorite ship. Just came back from cruise #5 on her and we've been on Freedom as well. We did Symphony once and while that was fabulous, it's not in our budget nor does it always fit well with the school schedule. We just love the flow and ease of Indy. There's always good music and never too crowded anywhere. I like that Adventure itinerary and we're in Hollywood so PC is still a good choice. I think I'll leave it in the running. Thank you!

#55worktoplay · March 27

21 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Will do 👍

Not too terrible. Had plenty of rest for almost two weeks to prepare me 😆

I’m too lazy to go back to original post but I’m sure you said your number to get off ship was 1 or 2 but your mom’s was 28. That doesn’t make sense if you were both in same cabin. Next time just get your cabin Steward to get you a tag to match yours. I have never been in a cabin or even two where we all didn’t get the same numbers. Your Steward should be able to fix you up.

jam19872016 · March 27

21 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Don’t you think also that drinking less booze than on board makes an easy difference? I suspect you don’t take your mobile bar to work.

Definitely. My drinks alone take up almost 2,000 calories a day.

15 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

I know! We need to do better at coordinating our sailings. 😂

Seriously though, I don't think your followers can wait that long for another review. Hopefully, living Florida you'll catch a good deal soon. And please, please let me know! It's such a joy to sail along with you!

I will be sure to post a link whenever I find myself setting sail again! Hopefully sooner than later 🙂

jam19872016 · March 27

8 hours ago, fla33023 said:

Thank you for this write-up! Independence is our favorite ship. Just came back from cruise #5 on her and we've been on Freedom as well. We did Symphony once and while that was fabulous, it's not in our budget nor does it always fit well with the school schedule. We just love the flow and ease of Indy. There's always good music and never too crowded anywhere. I like that Adventure itinerary and we're in Hollywood so PC is still a good choice. I think I'll leave it in the running. Thank you!

I think you would enjoy Adventure then. It does not have the updates that those two ships have gotten, but it is even less crowded as it holds less passengers while most of the venues are still the same size. The only real difference I noticed was more crowding at café promenade since there was no Sorrento's.

4 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

I’m too lazy to go back to original post but I’m sure you said your number to get off ship was 1 or 2 but your mom’s was 28. That doesn’t make sense if you were both in same cabin. Next time just get your cabin Steward to get you a tag to match yours. I have never been in a cabin or even two where we all didn’t get the same numbers. Your Steward should be able to fix you up.

No we both received late tags. Which was not a problem, we had no need to fight the crowds getting off the ship. I did mention having priority tendering in Grand Cayman while being unsure if my mom had that option since she is not Elite. Perhaps that is what you were thinking of. I did not use the tags they gave me anyway as I do carry on only.

tbmrt · March 27

On 3/19/2024 at 10:42 PM, jam19872016 said:

Éclair, blueberry apple turnover, and beggar's purse.

I won't admit it, but I actually kinda like Sweet Caroline. Especially after a few drinks. I can't say I know any of his other songs, but maybe I will recognize them when they are performed. My mom is excited for the show, so that's enough to motivate me to attend. Especially since she didn't drag me to Barbie today 🙂

There is a standing joke in my family...They know how much I dislike Sweet Caroline song. I think just too many events and happenings with this playing. Oh well, one more won't hurt!

tbmrt · March 27

On 3/19/2024 at 9:18 PM, Travelling2Some said:

I told my doctor that what I really like to do is read books, drink things with umbrellas in them and eat fried carbs. She said, "me too" with a smile. She is a frequent cruiser too. BTW, what is with all the whole wheat pasta on Celebrity?

Can you request regular pasta??

tbmrt · March 27

On 3/21/2024 at 12:52 AM, jam19872016 said:

There are literally zero people at the night club. There was one, but they are still doing Latin music so I left.

So different than Virgin Voyages...The night club was packed.

jam19872016 · March 27

5 hours ago, tbmrt said:

There is a standing joke in my family...They know how much I dislike Sweet Caroline song. I think just too many events and happenings with this playing. Oh well, one more won't hurt!

One more won't. It won't just be one more though 🤣

5 hours ago, tbmrt said:

Can you request regular pasta??

I did not ask but they were very accommodating so it is possible.

jam19872016 · March 27

5 hours ago, tbmrt said:

So different than Virgin Voyages...The night club was packed.

I went on the next to last night at 1145 and there was not a single soul there again. I came back at midnight and they had shut down. Very quiet crowd this sailing for sure.

realnice46 · March 27

On 3/22/2024 at 3:36 PM, jam19872016 said:

Heading to the gym now.

Deck 10 is open, but not 11 or the pools.

We were on deck 10 that day enjoying all the movement, I felt bad for anyone who gets seasick. It would’ve been pretty bad for them. The only time we’ve had worse was sailing in the North Atlantic.

SMLCH · March 27

Well I've found a way to quickly get rid of the "cruise pounds" found on the Constellation. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid Sunday and the desire to eat has disappeared. In the few days we've been home we've both lost the weight we gained on that lovely (except for Friday's rocking/rolling/foghorn) cruise!

I wonder who else came home with Covid?

realnice46 · March 27

9 minutes ago, SMLCH said:

Well I've found a way to quickly get rid of the "cruise pounds" found on the Constellation. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid Sunday and the desire to eat has disappeared. In the few days we've been home we've both lost the weight we gained on that lovely (except for Friday's rocking/rolling/foghorn) cruise!

I wonder who else came home with Covid?

So sorry, not a great way to lose weight. Hope you’re feeling better soo..

hcat · March 27

18 minutes ago, SMLCH said:

Well I've found a way to quickly get rid of the "cruise pounds" found on the Constellation. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid Sunday and the desire to eat has disappeared. In the few days we've been home we've both lost the weight we gained on that lovely (except for Friday's rocking/rolling/foghorn) cruise!

I wonder who else came home with Covid?

Sorry to hear this.. feel better soon!

perfect match · March 29

On 3/27/2024 at 2:58 PM, SMLCH said:

Well I've found a way to quickly get rid of the "cruise pounds" found on the Constellation. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid Sunday and the desire to eat has disappeared. In the few days we've been home we've both lost the weight we gained on that lovely (except for Friday's rocking/rolling/foghorn) cruise!

I wonder who else came home with Covid?

I’m sure that’s not the souvenir you had planned to bring home from your cruise. Definitely not the best way to lose weight either.
Hope you’re feeling better soon. 🤗

jam19872016 · March 30

On 3/27/2024 at 1:10 PM, realnice46 said:

We were on deck 10 that day enjoying all the movement, I felt bad for anyone who gets seasick. It would’ve been pretty bad for them. The only time we’ve had worse was sailing in the North Atlantic.

I took motion pills as a precaution when I saw how much we were rocking when I got up. Glad I did as I had no issues with all the rocking around we were doing. It is certainly up there for the roughest seas I've sailed through, but what stood out to me was how heavy the rains were. I don't think I have ever experienced rains that heavy for that long at sea before. A Carnival ship that got caught in it had flooding that caused evacuations from staterooms. Another Carnival ship got struck by the lightning we sailed through and caught fire damaging the funnel. The same ship I sailed on to Barcelona last year for a new funnel from the last time it caught on fire. What an odd coincidence.

It was a very neat experience but I suspect if we had had the troubles some ships did, or was motion sick, I would not have enjoyed it. I did see some small leaks inside the Ocean View Cafe, and noticed some leaks in the Solarium as well as a couple roof panels that got blown open. I am assuming they were not opened on purpose.

On 3/27/2024 at 2:58 PM, SMLCH said:

Well I've found a way to quickly get rid of the "cruise pounds" found on the Constellation. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid Sunday and the desire to eat has disappeared. In the few days we've been home we've both lost the weight we gained on that lovely (except for Friday's rocking/rolling/foghorn) cruise!

I wonder who else came home with Covid?

My mom has a cold. Of course with no reason to test I can't say it is Covid or the standard case of cruise crud but she has been sick with flu like symptoms since just after returning. She is starting to feel better but still has body aches and the sniffles. She has also lost the ten pounds she gained, as well as two additional pounds.

It's the chance we know we take when we cruise but of course it is still no fun getting sick. Hope you feel better soon.

jam19872016 · March 30

Going to get my final thoughts typed up tonight and posted tomorrow to officially wrap up this review. For now I will share my photos from the aviary in Cartagena. This was such an unexpected treat the first time I sailed here and it really still continued to amaze me this go around. Such a cool experience, no entry fee, and conveniently located right inside the terminal area.

Stepping off the ship, there are shuttles available to take you to the port area.

It is a shorter walk than the pier in most ports so unless you have mobility challenges, there is really no need. The signs said 800 yards and while I did not bring my yard stick, I do think it is longer than that but still a very easy 2 minute walk.

Looks like they also have hop on hop off tours available.

In port with us the first day was MSC Divina, we were alone the second day.

Map of the port area.

Divina was docked where the ship is in that picture, with Constellation on the other side, so as you can see, it is not a long walk at all.

Once you pass the first duty free store (where they said I could not take pictures) you are immediately greeted by flamingos and peacocks (which make a god awful noise) and parrots.

You can see the second duty free shop in the background. This is where most of the good shopping takes place and nobody fusses at you for taking pictures.

jam19872016 · March 30

Wildlife continued..

My mom petting a bird.

Most of the animals here are used to people and do not shy away. I even saw one bird attach to a lady and witnessed her husband trying desperately to get it off her 😂

Be sure to look up and at all your surroundings to take in all the wildlife around you.