Constellation Review: 3/18/06 Repositioning

[Bethwte]

Well, I’m back from X’s Connie (have been for a week, but I’ve been too lazy to write a review thus far). Overall, it was LOVELY. This is my first review, so bear with me, and if you have any questions, please feels free to ask.

Embarkation/The Room: We arrived at the pier in San Juan around 2:45. It was suggested to being boarding at 2pm. There were maybe 5 people in the entire building, and absolutely no lines. The whole process would have been very quick, but they accidentally only gave my mother the CC gold colored card, and not my father, so they had to print a new one. No big deal, it took less than 10 minutes. We skipped the picture as always (I know we look bad after traveling and won’t buy it, so no need to waste film/prints). We boarded, received our champagne and orange juice for my younger sister, and were led up to our adjoining rooms on deck 8. One room for my parents, and one for my younger sister and me. The rooms were a nice size, pretty good closet space, and ample shower room. I won’t dwell on this too much, as I’ve seen a lot of pictures and descriptions of CC rooms on here. Our stateroom attendant greeted us, and was very friendly. He immediately got someone to come open the locked door between our rooms. A bit later while unpacking, my parents noticed that a hinge on a swing out door was broken. They called the attendant and within 5 minutes, someone was there to fix it. We were very impressed.

Food and Dining: Canapés arrived in our cabin before dinner (around 5 pm, varied 15 minutes either way of 5pm throughout the cruise). They’re nothing super special, but if you’re hungry, they’re nice. Then, we headed off to dinner (early seating). The first night is open seating, and our waiter was just fabulous. His name was Tan for anyone who would like to know. (Sidenote: every time we saw him on the cruise thereafter he would stop and talk to us/help us in any way he could. I just adored him. We kept joking with him that we wanted to bribe the Maitre’D to be seated in his section.) The food was good, I am going to bow out there with my reviews of dining room food. It seems to be very subjective, and everyone’s opinions vary greatly. For the rest of the week, our waiter was named Marcin (pronounced March-in, but everyone got a laugh out of people calling him Martian on accident). He was very nice and very helpful, but we were spoiled by Tan. The asst. waiter, Cresent, was very nice as well, though there was a bit of a language barrier. He did however bring us luck in the casino when he would stop to chat with a tray of gourmet bites in hand. As for other food venues: The sea view café, home of the buffets, was always at least decent, with a good selection. I spent most of my time up there at the pasta and caesar salad station however, both of which were good. I must say though, I do prefer Carnival’s Caesar salads (one of the few things I prefer about them). The sushi bar exceeded my expectations for a cruise ship. I would usually forego desert and get a few pieces of sushi up there after dinner. Gourmet bits were hit or miss. Some were very good, others were bland or just not very good. I never went to the sandwich station, so unfortunately I cannot comment on that, nor on Oceanliners (we enjoyed our dinner companions too much to miss dinner, which I must say was nice for a change).

Entertainment: There was a lot of live music around the ship. The man playing the guitar in the Seaside grill at night was great. I really only passed by the other live music, but the brief moments I heard were lovely. As for the shows, I attended all but the pianist. My younger sister and parents really liked Matilda, Jamaica’s most famous comedian (a ventriloquist). He was very talented (I mean it, by the end I couldn’t believe how fast and how long he could go), it just wasn’t my personal style of humor. The rest of the crowd loved it however. The production shows were like most cruise ship production shows. The singers were all pretty strong though. Especially Marcus (there for a limited time only- he also did his own show on the last night, which was great). Cirque was interesting, I loved it, my father who hates all things French, did not. I would definitely see this one if any though, for uniqueness. Not quite sure if I should talk about the white night here, since it happened in a bar, but I suppose this will do. I dressed in white, and I’d say 75% of the rest of the people in the bar at the edge did as well. I skipped the mask and the face paint. (BTW, some of those masks are very scary! Especially when worn on the back of your head, it’s very odd to say the least). I actually wasn’t very impressed with white night. They kept saying we would be part of the “projection” if we wore white. There really wasn’t much projection, and I only saw it on screens, not on me. It was still fun though.

Bars/Nightlife/Casino: There were a lot of CCers on this cruise, and I think the comprised a lot of the night-life. I never met any, but it sounded like they had fun. The bar at the edge was pretty empty compared to a lot of cruises I’ve been on. However, there were two men who really got into dancing and were a joy to watch every night. The bartenders there were nice the brief time I spent with them. The bartenders at the bar aft deck 10 were nice. I could have gone without one in particular hitting on me every time my date left me however. (This seems to be worse on Celebrity than any other line- maybe they don’t have as many young/attractive female passengers assay, carnival?) Sudi, as I’m sure many of you have heard, was amazing. Great bar tricks, better martinis. I have a small personal problem with him, but refuse to post about it, don’t want to get him in any trouble. He does do his job very well though. I did not spend much time in the casino, but I was very lucky the few times I did go there. I actually won someone over $1000 in one shot on roulette. The staff in there were all very nice.

Ports: Our ports were St. Maartin, St. Thomas, Nassau, and Charleston. The first three are discussed at length other places, so I’ll skip those. Charleston was great, and a nice change of pace from our usual ports. We know people there, and they gave us a personal tour. Things to see if you go there: Isle of Palms, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, Rainbow Road, the market downtown (can’t think of the name, sorry!). Eat lunch off the ship and get seafood, it was GREAT there.

Debarkation: Went very smoothly, and we were allowed to stay in our cabin until 9:30 (which was so nice, it’s usually 8 or something). The lines for taxis were only about a 5 minute wait.

All and all, it was a very nice cruise. Thank you for reading, and I hope this helped!

[uktog]

A lovely review - so well written thanks - and glad you enjoyed your trip

[benbess]

Thanks!

 

Best, Ben

[Bethwte]

Forgot to mention the shops. I spent most of my time in the beauty shop. Two of the girls there (Erica and Nicole) were very nice, and very helpful. My younger sister (10) had a negative comment about the gift shop though. She said they tended to have items for either adults or very young children, nothing for her age.

[kstro135]

Thank you for the review. We are heading out on April 7 and absolutely cannot wait any more!!!

[Funcouple]

Well, I’m back from X’s Connie (have been for a week, but I’ve been too lazy to write a review thus far). Overall, it was LOVELY. This is my first review, so bear with me, and if you have any questions, please feels free to ask.

 

 

We were on the same exact cruise. We enjoyed it very much. Without going into the details, it was a wonderful, relaxing 8 nights. It was nice to hear that you didn't have the heart to leave your table mates for a meal at Ocean Liners. As good as Ocean Liners is, nothing can beat enjoying every evening with new found friends -- this is one of my favorite things about cruising. Of course, you don't get lucky every time, but most of the time people are great.

 

We found the sushi bar to be excellent. We enjoyed the nightly guitar music as well as the quartet.

 

How do you feel about Celebrity vs Carnival. We've done RCL and Princess but haven't been on Carnival. We enjoyed Celebrity -- but we enjoy every cruise. Will it be hard to go backwards to Carnival? What's the tradeoff?

[Bethwte]

Hey funcouple! I was hoping you'd find this thread, I saw you were onboard as well. I don't really participate in roll calls (I feel out of place being 19), but I hope all of you CCs who did had fun meeting each other!

 

About Carnival: As you can see in my signature, our first 3 cruises were carnival, and since we have branched out a bit. At the time we adored carnival (though I think most people really do think they’re first cruise walks on water (haha, TERRIBLE pun, so sorry)). We tried Carnival again February of 2005. I will preface with this: It was a week many northeast schools have off, so there were more children aboard than usual. I think my father summed it up perfectly. We have “outgrown” Carnival. I think Celebrity really does pamper you and treat you the best out of the cruise lines in this price category. Carnival was certainly not a bad time, but not as nice as Celebrity. We really did miss the little touches like cold towels upon boarding (we actually got hot chocolate in Charleston this past cruise since it was cold), the nicer atmosphere, etc. Also, the children on Carnval, or at least on my February cruise were not very well behaved. They broke the glass door of the disco, took advantage of a beer tap that was left on all day, stole liquor, all sorts of things. This is my opinion, and others may disagree, but yes, I do think it might be hard to “go backwards” to carnival, depending on the reasons you enjoy celebrity. That being said, if I get to go on a cruise at age 22-23 with my friends, Carnival would win hands down. You lose a lot of night-life on Celebrity in my opinion.

[Funcouple]

Hey funcouple! I was hoping you'd find this thread, I saw you were onboard as well. I don't really participate in roll calls (I feel out of place being 19), but I hope all of you CCs who did had fun meeting each other!

 

About Carnival: As you can see in my signature, our first 3 cruises were carnival, and since we have branched out a bit. At the time we adored carnival (though I think most people really do think they’re first cruise walks on water (haha, TERRIBLE pun, so sorry)). We tried Carnival again February of 2005. I will preface with this: It was a week many northeast schools have off, so there were more children aboard than usual. I think my father summed it up perfectly. We have “outgrown” Carnival. I think Celebrity really does pamper you and treat you the best out of the cruise lines in this price category. Carnival was certainly not a bad time, but not as nice as Celebrity. We really did miss the little touches like cold towels upon boarding (we actually got hot chocolate in Charleston this past cruise since it was cold), the nicer atmosphere, etc. Also, the children on Carnval, or at least on my February cruise were not very well behaved. They broke the glass door of the disco, took advantage of a beer tap that was left on all day, stole liquor, all sorts of things. This is my opinion, and others may disagree, but yes, I do think it might be hard to “go backwards” to carnival, depending on the reasons you enjoy celebrity. That being said, if I get to go on a cruise at age 22-23 with my friends, Carnival would win hands down. You lose a lot of night-life on Celebrity in my opinion.

 

 

Thanks for your reply. We never did hookup with the CC'ers. We're the same, we enjoy meeting folks "on the fly". We probably bumped into one another at some point. We ate at late seating. We hung around the Martini bar pre-dinner most nights. We were in the Bar at the Edge of the Earth most nights as well.

 

We want to go on a really fun cruise this summer. Celebrity was great. At first we were complaing about ALL OF THE CLOTHES that we needed to pack (being that the attire is a bit more formal than most vacations). But, in the end, we really liked it -- including the getting dressed up thingy. It set a nice mood and ambience throughout the cruise. At the same time, we can be open minded and try new things too, and a more layed back cruise might be fun too. RCL can be more layed back, and we love RCL. But maybe Carnival will have more of a relaxed enviornment -- although the "out of control kids" we could do without. That can happen anywhere. Are there any particular Carnival ships where that might be less likely?

 

Thanks.

[Bethwte]

Summertime tends to have more children accross the boards, on every line. School is out and such. Generally though, there are less children on older ships, and on longer itineraries. I am not sure if I met you or not, isn't that terrible. I suppose I could send you a pic, haha. Also, I'm going to ask you a question now, what did you think of Princess? My mother has expressed interest in trying this line next (of course I'm dying as I love being able to enjoy wine and be at the bars on Celebrity and RC (and no, I don't abuse it ;) )). Would there be anything for me as a 19 year old to do, as well as my sister who will be 11? How does the service/ambiance compare to Celebrity? What do you think of the dining plan they have? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Funcouple]

Summertime tends to have more children accross the boards, on every line. School is out and such. Generally though, there are less children on older ships, and on longer itineraries. I am not sure if I met you or not, isn't that terrible. I suppose I could send you a pic, haha. Also, I'm going to ask you a question now, what did you think of Princess? My mother has expressed interest in trying this line next (of course I'm dying as I love being able to enjoy wine and be at the bars on Celebrity and RC (and no, I don't abuse it ;) )). Would there be anything for me as a 19 year old to do, as well as my sister who will be 11? How does the service/ambiance compare to Celebrity? What do you think of the dining plan they have? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Princess is great. Service, ambience, food all fantastic. Of course, the little details that Celbrity offers will be missed, but that's it -- the quality remains high. (Nobody in the mass cruise lines comes close to Celebrity's attention to the little details).

 

Which Princess itinerary is your family considering? I think that will have a lot to do with you and your sister are to expect. Example: We did Princess Alaska cruise which was excellent. Princess did a wonderful job. The experience is a lot different than Caribbean cruise. Not in a bad way, just as long as you know what to expect before you choose it. BTW, we believe that everyone should do Alaska at least once. Princess delivered a fantastic experience.

 

Early in the cruise we were at the Deck 11 club in the chairs and tables. Later we hung out around the round bar and the beds. Did you notice the tall guy who had a way with his feet nearly every night?

[Bethwte]

the older one, or the younger one with the longer hair.. both amused me to no end. Loved watching these guys every night!

[Funcouple]

The older guy was entertaining. He had a little bit of a jerky move but he clearly had some steps! I think that he was there just about every night.

[ceeceeblue]

Cool Cruiser, Glad to hear about your recent trip on Connie. We are leaving for Eastern Caribbean on April 19 out of Bayonne. Looking forward to another great trip on Celebrity. One question though. What are the dress codes on this ship? Travel agent said there are only two - formal and casual. Since you just got back maybe you can answer my question. Hubby doesn't want to carry any extra jackets other than his suit.

[Bethwte]

There were informal nights, but not too many people followed them. If your hubby doesnt want to bring another coat, would he wear a dress shirt and tie instead? I saw a lot of that on informal nights. I also saw a lot of casual-wear on informal nights as well, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. People did abide by the formal night dress code though. I'd say the majority I saw out later that night (a few less in the disco) stayed in their formal wear throughout the night.

[WatchHill]

Suggested dress code: 2 Formal, alternating 3 casual and 2 informal. This is the standard dress code on Celebrity's 7 day cruises. Their catalogues provide this information. However I wouldn't be too concerned about your DH needing an extra jacket for informal nights as many men didn't bother to wear one. If you are invited to high tea in Ocean Liners, however, be sure he has a jacket....toss on the suit jacket, nobody will notice. This is one place they seem to expect appropriate attire; I saw the maitre d' put a jacket over the back of the chair of a few men who did not wear one.

 

Darcy

[hmg]

Bethwte, one word of warning about Princess. If you really do like to drink wine, the drinking age on Princess is 21. They let you into the club at 18, but they're not supposed to serve you. On our Princess cruise my son (who was about to turn 21) was able to get drinks. Speaking of my son...I wonder if you two met on the March 18 cruise. He spent a lot of time in the bar at the edge... :rolleyes: Actually, they both did... :eek:

[Bethwte]

I don't think I met your sons.. unless you happen to have two, one of whom is going to St. Lawrence I believe, in which case, my mother met them, and he was on our flight back to Syracuse. I never really met people my age though. I spent a lot of time being tailed by a 37 year old at the beginning of the cruise (how awful, I could be his daughter. My father was very tempted to tell him "I have another daughter who is 10 if this one is too old for you", lol). And then I spent most of my time with a male tablemate, so I'm pretty sure guys just assumed I was with him, and no one approached me after that.

 

As for the wine, thank you for that, I was thinking princess is 21. It's not too big of a deal to me, more of a nice treat. Besides, I can't legally drink here either. I do tend to find bartenders will look the other way on cruises for me, though I don't like to take advantage.

[hmg]

That was my older son on your flight. Too funny. I saw the boys talking to your mom in the hot tub. It's too bad you didn't connect. Even though there weren't a lot of young people on the trip they had a good time.

Tailed by a 37 year old? That must have made you feel so uncomfortable. I give your parents a lot of credit for letting you handle the situation.

[Bethwte]

That was my older son on your flight. Too funny. I saw the boys talking to your mom in the hot tub. It's too bad you didn't connect. Even though there weren't a lot of young people on the trip they had a good time.

Tailed by a 37 year old? That must have made you feel so uncomfortable. I give your parents a lot of credit for letting you handle the situation.

 

My father really wanted to say something, but I think he has to let me handle things myself. Which I did. I didn't meet your younger son, but the older one was very nice in the brief time I talked to him, and my mother had nothing but good things to say about them :) (And I have to say, they're bot hvery attractive young men (my mother pointed them both out to me when were were waiting forever to get off in Charleson I believe)) I have to ask, what did you all think of the cruise? And do you have any other opinions about Princess other than the drinking age. For instance, is the crowd similar to celebrity age-wise? Sometimes I find that to be the tough thing about X, the only people on the ship close to my age are the ones working on the ship!