Connie Repo Review-Mixed

[goldmom]

Just returned from the Repo cruise on the Constellation. While we enjoyed ourselves, there were a few problems. These did not in anyway ruin our cruise, but did detract from the overall experience. DH and I are both veteran cruises and have many cruises to compare our experience to.

 

We flew to San Juan the day before and stayed at the Marriot Courtyard in Isla Verde which was very convenient to both the airport and pier. Got to the pier around 11:30. Embarkation was a breeze. This is one area where Celebrity really excels. The same was true for debarkation. They do everything in small groups, so there is never a mass cattle call and virtually no waiting on endless lines which seems the norm on other cruises we've been on.

 

We had booked a verandah GTY and were assigned cabin #9023. The cabin was not overly spacious, but was comfortable with plenty of closet space and storage in the bathroom. The beds, as mentioned here, are not the most comfortable and the pillows are flat but we had no real problem with it. DH has medication which needs to be refrigerated. From the great advice I received on these boards, I had the room steward remove all the mini-bar items and asked to have an ice bucket filled and kept in the frig. While it still never got really cold, it was enough to keep his medication cool. Thanks for the tip.

 

The ship itself is lovely. Lots of public spaces which are very comfortable. The T-pool is fantastic. We did the couples night in the spa which was a lot of fun and the product sell at the end was not too hard sell. The Cruise Director and his staff were great. Very fun and personable. The Captain is also very approachable and a real gentleman. We ate at Ocean Liners and did the wine pairing menu. The food and service there is exceptional and I would recommend that everyone try it at least once.

 

We had a great Cruise Critic group. We met at the Martini Bar the first night and saw many of them throughout the cruise. Our Connection Party was the first sea day and we had a good crowd, around 50 of the 100 or so who signed up. The CD stopped in and chatted for awhile. A big hello to all my fellow CC'ers.

 

I realize that food is subjective. We found the food in the dining room for dinner good but not great. Breakfast was probably the best meal there. We enjoyed the waffles upstairs and also the wrap and sandwich area. The hamburgers and french fries by the pool were also very good.

 

Ok, now onto the not so great things. Maybe having read so much here in anticipation of our cruise, I was expecting too much, but I did not feel especially pampered other than the fact that I was on vacation. I felt that the service was equal to other cruises we've been on, but certainly not better or exceptional. When we received our luggage the zipper on my suitcase had broken. An engineer was sent to see what he could do. He ended up having to break the zipper so I could unpack. He told me that he might be able to fix it and to have my room steward bring it down to him. When I explained this to my room steward, he said that this wasn't his job and that I would have to go down to the guest realations desk to make the arrangements. In addition, many forms were not delivered to our stateroom. We would read in the program about something which needed to be filled out and would have to go down to guest services and wait in the line to get the forms. Our Captain's Club gift was never delivered and we had to go and request it.

 

In the dining room one evening when there was nothing on the menu which appealed to my DH, he asked our waiter if there was a steak in the kitchen he could have. Our waiter said "No, there's no steak tonight." However we found out from other passengers that this was not the norm and that they were getting shrimp cocktails, caesar salad and steak every night even if it wasn't on the menu.

 

While our waiter and cabin steward were both very pleasant, they certainly didn't go out of their way to do anything extra. I realize that this was just the luck of the draw, and while it certainly didn't ruin the cruise for us, it did detract from the overall experience. DH and I both feel that while we wouldn't rush back to Celebrity we would consider it if it was a great deal. I felt that our Celebrity experience was similar to other cruises, but not any better.

 

I'm sure that some of the Celebrity diehards will take exception to my comments, but I am just trying to be honest. Hopefully if we end up on another X cruise we'll have better luck.

[Brucemcdou]

Hi, Goldmom - Thank you for your balanced and honest review. I'm glad to hear that you had a good cruise and would consider Celebrity again. Your comments sound right on the mark - while we're big Celebrity fans we've never had a "bad" cruise no matter what line - just some better than others. We've had unimpressive cabin stewards or waiters or whatnot on Celebrity just like on other lines. Celebrity is a mass market line, and I'm glad that it fits our desired vacation "style." Others may prefer Princess, HAL, RCCL or NCL, all of which cost about the same but provide a different style. When and if we ever cruise on a sooper-dooper ultra-luxury line I'll expect a completely different level of service, but in the meanwhile I'm very content with Celebrity.:)

 

We hope you'll think of Celebrity again.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

It seems to me to be a fair and honest review. You had some things happen that were not so pleasant but acknowledged good service when rendered.

 

Yes, shrimp cocktail, caeser salad and steak are items that usually may be ordered any night, on the menu or not. It is possible, I guess, that they actually were out of steak, but I really doubt it. Was it late into the cruise? Next time something like this happens I suggest asking to speak with the Assistant Maitre d'. He has the power to correct the situation and you are tipping him/her for taking care of you.

 

That said, I'm glad you had an overall pleasant cruise.

[WatchHill]

Seems as though things were "off" on this particular sailing. First, there was shortage of bananas because the order they received ripened too quickly. Though I heard they were out of cranberry juice, there was plenty at the Martini Bar.

 

We didn't have any problem requesting an alternate menu item in the dining room. However, Casual Dining was not a pleasant experience. Service was very slow; when the entrees arrived about 90 minutes after we placed the order, they were cold. Not able to get anyone's attention, we got up and left as we wanted to attend the Cirque show. After the show, we wanted coffee/tea and a dessert, so I walked into the main dining room about 10: PM, and was approached our maitre d who saw me thumping my foot, while looking mildly annoyed. I explained to him what had happened at Casual Dining, and he immediately directed an assistant waiter to get an assortment of desserts from the kitchen and take them to our room. The following day, I received a phone call from the F & B Manager of deck ten who wanted to know what happened. Of course, he blamed the kitchen, etc., and asked that I dine again that evening and to stop by for a drink. I declined.

 

We dined at Ocean Liners and had a very good meal. However, when we requested martini's from the Martini Bar, we received them from Rendevous Lounge and the cosmos tasted like fruit punch.

 

Yes, I agree we did not receive many of the usual notices, invitations, or gifts in our room, including the invitation to the CC get-together. I later learned that these things go through the chief house keeper - he's that mystery person for whom we leave a tip, but never see. After the third day, I spoke with Heidi to inquire about our Welcome Aboard packages that never arrived and to remind her to proof the letter about our "8" night cruise, not "7" as mentioned in the letter. She had to email the chief house keeper to send these to our room.

 

The breakfast buffet was great. Waffles are fantastic.

 

Best place on the ship is the Martini Bar. Best entertainer is Sudi.

 

Our butler [6133 RS] was excellent as was our stewardess. Our steward from our Baltic cruise last August stopped by to chat with us almost daily.

 

Mom tried Accupuncture and was pleased with the results.

 

After the incident on the Star Princess, I noticed a high level of safety protocol monitoring on the Constellation during the cruise.

 

Darcy

[goldmom]

Thanks all for your comments. Hi Darcy! The steak was requested maybe the 3rd day out so it was early in the cruise. The Maitre'D did stop over the next night and when my DH mentioned that he would have preferred a steak one night the Maitre'D told him that he would make sure that a steak was available for him every night. However, he never bothered to ask the waiter again as he always managed to find something on the menu the rest of the cruise.

 

Guest services was told that we were not receiving forms and they said they would take care of it, however it still kept happening. We never even received our comment card.

 

I guess if we had made a big fuss, these little things would have been taken care of but we really didn't want to hassle during our vacation.

[parrothead1]

Goldmom - Thanks for your review. It was very well balanced and fair. My DW and I just got off Constellation (3/4 - 3/11) and I completely agree with your comments about the CD and the Captain. Personally, I love Capt. Papanikalau the most.

 

With regards to your cabin service and dining service. We have had cabin stewards in the past who have been as you described, and it did not really bother us. However, if you waiter and asst. waiter were off, then I would be talking to the Asst. Matre'D. We asked for two things (one thing really) from our Asst. Matre'D and got both. First, my SIL who was with us loves this one dessert they make and it is not on the diner menu, but my brother asked him the first night about it and we got it served to us two nights. Also, we all LOVED the Lamb Shank, and mentioned it to him and he had the chef prepare it for us for the last night.

 

I guess what I am saying is (I'm sure being a seasoned cruiser you know this), go above the waiter/cabin steward if something doesn't appeal to you.

 

Again, thanks for you review. I miss being on Constellation. She is my favorite.

[YOW]

There's an adage in customer service, that when you make exceptions, you create expectations.

 

On lines such as Princess (who actually list 'anytime' options) and Celebrity, we have come to expect certain items that are not part of the official program. The downside to offering 'exceptional' service, going 'above and beyond' as we like to say, is that when things fall back to 'par' in some areas, the perception is actually that of 'subpar.'

[goldmom]

Thanks for your response. I think you're right and make a very astute observation. Having read about the service on X on these boards and in speaking to other passengers on our cruise who had no problem getting special items I probably did consider it the norm and was expecting it.

 

Our Maitre'D insisted that it was absolutely no problem to get items off the menu such as steak or a piece of grilled chicken, but we never made any other special requests. Even so, I appreciate your perspective and feel that you make a very valid point.

 

Many of our service people were terrific and very attentive. We had purchased the soda cards and the drink steward constantly brought us sodas throughout dinner without being asked. Also, even though no one at our table ever ordered wine, the wine steward stopped by every night to say hello.

 

There are some things that Celebrity does very well and they have some nice small touches ie: welcome champagne, cold towels in port and cloth towels in the bathroom to name a few. I guess I just wanted (and was probably expecting) to be treated "famously".

[Offtune Angel]

... . I guess I just wanted (and was probably expecting) to be treated "famously".

Goldmom and Darcy: You should have been treated famously. Celebrity prides themselves on that motto. Celebrity can and usually does make you feel special. However, there are exceptions.

 

We are devoted Celebrity fans, despite a couple of hiccups. Constellation, Millennium and Infinity have been home to us for an total of 56 days and we are about to board Constellation in a couple of weeks for 18 days. Our best cabin attendants were on Constellation and Infinity.

 

From your review, it sounds like you got the Cabin attendant we had on Millennium. It was NOT a good experience and was not resolved by the intervention of Guest Relations, Concierge, Chief Concierge, Assistant Housekeeper or the Chief Housekeeper. Our Cabin Attendant was not happy about being reassigned to Millennium (his admission) and his passengers ended up the losers, too.

 

The Assistant Cabin Attendant did everything he could to make up for the attitude and lack of service from his superior, but most of the Concierge Class amenities were ignored, or not offered, or didn't appear until three days after Guest Relations became involved. It seems like such a petty thing but, it's the little things that count so much. The verandah glass was not cleaned on turnaround day, nor the tables or chairs on the balcony wiped of the heavy salt residue from spray the day before (the cabins immediately forward of ours were all done - different attendants). Vacuuming was hit and miss. The refrigerator would more correctly have been called an oven --until they pulled it out from the wall and vaccuumed the blanket of dust from the coils.

There were many other little things. However, like you, we still enjoyed the cruise.

 

I did write a letter to Celebrity describing our disappointment and a couple of other issues. Celebrity did reply. One of the points in the reply was that, even though Celebrity was apologetic about our experience, they greatly appreciated us taking the time to write, because if they don't know about a problem, they cannot correct it. The written word carries more weight than an oral word. I suggest that you write to Celebrity, describing your experiences. A copy of your very balanced review would be a bonus for the Miami Office.

[goldmom]

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I may just send a letter to the corporate offices. I'm not sure if I should mention specific people or not or just make it general. While both our cabin steward and waiter were not the best, they were both very pleasant and adequate but just did the barest minimum required. I would really hate to slam someone who was maybe having an off week.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

Sharon

[Offtune Angel]

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I may just send a letter to the corporate offices. I'm not sure if I should mention specific people or not or just make it general. While both our cabin steward and waiter were not the best, they were both very pleasant and adequate but just did the barest minimum required. I would really hate to slam someone who was maybe having an off week., Any thoughts?, Thanks, Sharon

Sharon: I mentioned each person by name - the good and the needs improvement. You should include your booking number in your letter. Along with your cabin # and your Dining Table # if you remember them. Celebrity can look the information up, but providing names and #'s will facilitate Celebrity's response.

 

It is difficult to slam someone who was maybe having an off week. If yours is the only letter, I don't think Celebrity will terminate these two employees. But, if yours is not the only letter, Celebrity can deal more appropriately with the situation.

 

If Celebrity's passengers have negative experiences, those passengers will go elsewhere for vacation. That means fewer passengers on Celebrity ships, which means lower revenue per ship itinerary, which means higher cruise fares and fees for everyone else in the future.

[marshaatn]

We too just returned from this repo cruise on the Constellation. My apologies to the Cruise Critic group -- as the time was a bit mixed up on our martini bar gathering, Mike and I missed almost everyone. We did meet Helene and Lynn, but am very sorry that we missed the gathering.

 

Just wanted to let you know that our experience was spectacular all the way around. We had an Aft Concierge Class cabin and our attendant, Raymundo, went out of his way to make sure we always had everything we needed. He would literally sprint down the hall to open the door for us when he saw us headed toward our cabin. Both Raymundo and his assistant were great and we never had problems with any of our invitations, gifts or amenities.

 

The same held true for the dining room. I was always able to get a shrimp cocktail if I asked for it. We were at a large table for 10 and I don't remember any request that was ignored. Overall, we were very pleased with the dining room service and menus.

 

We had dinner in Ocean Liners and found that to be exceptional. We splurged and got the wine pairings and felt that was truly a special evening.

 

I can't close this without mentioning Perry Grant in Michael's Club. He is just a hoot. For anyone sailing on the Constellation soon, be sure to stop in to see Perry. He does not fail to entertain!

[Cruise or Lose!]

Honestly, I would report your steward if you have his name. They work INCREDIBLY hard in very poor working conditions, but having a cabin steward tell me that a request wasn't in his job description would definitely leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Offtune Angel]

.... We had an Aft Concierge Class cabin and our attendant, Raymundo, went out of his way to make sure we always had everything we needed. ...

If you don't mind, could you tell us which cabin you had?

 

....The same held true for the dining room. I was always able to get a shrimp cocktail if I asked for it. ...

Who was your waiter? Assistant waiter? Assistant Maitre d'?

 

Thank you.

[Rehabber]

Hi Goldmom,

 

Great review. I agree with most. The crew seemed uneven in providing service in the food areas.

 

DW & I felt that the food in San Marco was not as good as on the Horizon, but that could have been because the Horizon was our first cruise together. It's funny, but we really enjoyed our table this time and let the food become secondary, until they ran out of LARGE SHRIMP!! It was only the one time, and we had a new waiter, so we blamed him. Our wine stewart was a little inexperienced and even poured our wine in someone else's glass:eek:

 

Cirq was great, the dancers/ singers not great, all other entertainment was fine. The ship was in excellent condition, and has lots of spots in the common areas to sit and relax away from the crowds.

 

Sorry about your cabin service, ours was great, even upgraded our pillows.

 

We will look for another Celebrity cuise. Fellow CC'ers were a lot of fun!

[goldmom]

Rehabber- Welcome home, glad you had a great cruise. It was nice meeting everyone. We had a really nice group of CC'ers.

 

I really do think that it was just the luck of the draw and there were a lot of things that we did enjoy on Celebrity.

 

The strange thing was that our waiter came up to us Friday night and wrote down his name and the asst waiters name so that when we filled out our comment cards we could give him his ecellent rating that he said affects his promotions. We both thought it weird as apparently he thought he gave excellent service. We didn't really comment on it and we tipped him the suggested amount, but no more which we normally do. Maybe it was a language problem and he truly didn't understand what we were asking for.

 

Anyway, we still enjoyed our cruise and all the terrific people we met.

[Wordell1]

"Just wanted to let you know that our experience was spectacular all the way around. We had an Aft Concierge Class cabin and our attendant, Raymundo, went out of his way to make sure we always had everything we needed. He would literally sprint down the hall to open the door for us when he saw us headed toward our cabin. Both Raymundo and his assistant were great and we never had problems with any of our invitations, gifts or amenities"

 

 

We also had Raymundo for the same cruise. He was really outstanding. I was immediately impressed when he greeted us as we entered our cabin on the first day and already knew our names. He was VERY visible throughout the cruise as was his assistant. My wife was seasick on the last day and he went out of his way to help her out.

 

We were in Concierge class so that may have made some difference as we had two people working our cabin. I have been in a suite before and Raymundo actually did most everything that our butler did in the suite.

 

This was my 5th cruise. My first 2 were on Celebrity and my wife and I tried NCL and RC this past year. I enjoyed the other cruises, but there there was no comparison as to the level of service or the food quality.

 

Goldmom, great comments. I think Celebrity really wants to excel at customer service and they need to know these things to correct them.

[JCLNJ]

My family is going on the Connie on April 7th. Do you know what movies were playing? Also, did you bring any wine onboard with you? Do you know any information about the kids programs?

 

Thanks for your review, we are looking forward to our cruise.

[goldmom]

Just pulled out my programs. There were pay per view movies on the TV, but I don't remember what they were. In the theater the movies were: Monster-in-Law, Millions, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, The Interpreter, The Longest Yard, Fever Pitch, and Upside of Anger.

 

Can't really help you much with the kids program. In all honesty we barely saw any kids all week. At breakfast the last morning we suddenly saw quite a few kids and were surprised as were other passengers at our table. They also said that the kids program must have been good as we really never saw the kids all week and were surprised at how many there were on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[JCLNJ]

Thanks Goldmom for the movie info. My kids are 11 & 13 and have cruised twice before and loved it. I'm sure we will all have a great time. We usually don't see the kids much except for dinner and on port days.

[hermang]

We too just returned from this repo cruise on the Constellation. My apologies to the Cruise Critic group -- as the time was a bit mixed up on our martini bar gathering, Mike and I missed almost everyone. We did meet Helene and Lynn, but am very sorry that we missed the gathering.

 

Just wanted to let you know that our experience was spectacular all the way around. We had an Aft Concierge Class cabin and our attendant, Raymundo, went out of his way to make sure we always had everything we needed. He would literally sprint down the hall to open the door for us when he saw us headed toward our cabin. Both Raymundo and his assistant were great and we never had problems with any of our invitations, gifts or amenities.

 

The same held true for the dining room. I was always able to get a shrimp cocktail if I asked for it. We were at a large table for 10 and I don't remember any request that was ignored. Overall, we were very pleased with the dining room service and menus.

 

We had dinner in Ocean Liners and found that to be exceptional. We splurged and got the wine pairings and felt that was truly a special evening.

 

I can't close this without mentioning Perry Grant in Michael's Club. He is just a hoot. For anyone sailing on the Constellation soon, be sure to stop in to see Perry. He does not fail to entertain!

Sounds like you had the same Raymundo as we did - he was absolutely tops although I guess Towel Art is not a Celebrity thing. Our dining room assignment was on deck 4 and Joe and Marcos were also great - Shrimp Cocktail when ever I asked for it. Only thing i missed was Key lime pie which Joe told me was served at lunch only. OH WELL. Our Ass't Maitre D hardly showed up and as such was not tippe lat night - although with Joe around - who needed him. Dinner at Ocean Liners was fantastic for us as well and now that Menu Especial can be had for one - even better. Entertainment was ok - 4 production shows was a bit much bout the Commedian/Ventriliquist had us rolling in the aisles and the Cirque show was great

[WatchHill]

Since the repositioning cruise was our 4th time on the Constellation, twice to the Southern Caribbean, Baltics and Scandinavia, we had expectations based on prior experience. We have been on the Millenium, Infinity, Century, Horizon and Zenith, not to mention the old Meridian. Stateroom service was excellent. However, the invitations and sundry pieces of mail were sporatic, and not the result of poor service from the butler. Both Rodrigues and Fides were wonderful.

 

Funny story..... I needed some band aides for Mom who had cut her hand. When I called the steward, Menino, our steward from the Baltic cruise answered the phone. Within two minutes, Menino, Rodrigues, and Fides were at the door with band aides... on a silver tray! Five minutes later, another steward showed up with larger band aides.

 

On this cruise, it seemed that food service was the area that had something lacking. At first, I was going to blame it on the upcoming repositioning to Europe and many crew leaving at the end of their contract. Of course, the ship was not sailing with a full passenger list, so crew probably anticipated fewer tips. The Maitre D' also commented to me about the number of empty tables in the dining room and that future Celebrity ships will be designed with more alternate dining options. The "old" menus aways indicated that steak, chicken breast or grilled salmon were options. Plus, the "spa" cuisine listed the fat, calorie and sodium contents. I agree, Ocean Liners is a wonderful experience.

 

Still love Celebrity and debating between the Zenith out of NJ or Majesty out of Boston to Bermuda in early July. We are booked for the inaugural of the Freedom of the Seas in May. Not sure if I need another cosmo or another cruise, but I have to get this pile of laundry done as I'm off to the UK in two weeks.

 

Glad everyone is safely home. Just picked up the pictures..more cherished memories.

 

Darcy

[c-legs]

;) Good evening,

 

WELL SAID !!!! Right on !!!

Thanks

CG

 

 

There's an adage in customer service, that when you make exceptions, you create expectations.

 

On lines such as Princess (who actually list 'anytime' options) and Celebrity, we have come to expect certain items that are not part of the official program. The downside to offering 'exceptional' service, going 'above and beyond' as we like to say, is that when things fall back to 'par' in some areas, the perception is actually that of 'subpar.'

[jobinhume]

We were on this same cruise after having been on the Millennium 3 times and felt there was no comparison. Of course we had a great time, because cruises are always relaxing. The service was just ok. This is the first cruise I have been on out of 8 total where I have only tipped the recommended amount. The food was really not fabulous, we felt.

 

To echo previous posters, Sudi was amazing and the Cirque show was fabulous.

 

In Ocean Liners, the food was the same as in the Olympic, but we just felt the service was a little average - same perception across the whole cruise.

 

We will definately cruise Celebrity again, but we are heading back to the Millennium next time.

 

We are also exploring Princess and Oceania just for comparisons.

[jobinhume]

We were on 2 (and had to also ask repeatedly for deliveries from capitans club and other forms). The last night of the cruise, the crew was having a party in the room below ours and the music and cheering were so loud they were shaking the whole cabin.

 

We had to call security 4 times over the course of 2 hours. Now, my sister and I are young (early 30's) and like to party with the best of them, but this was insane.

 

Finally, I went down to the front desk at midnight and asked them to escalate the situation to an officer, we had been more than reasonable, and it was unbearable in our cabin.

 

A few minutes later they called the cabin and asked if we wanted to switch and sleep somewhere else. At midnight, when we were already in bed.

 

I responded that we did not, in fact want to move, and perhaps they could move the party.

 

This left a bad taste in my mouth from a service perspective.