TA on Constellation 9/15/07

[jmkoilers]

After reading so many good things about Celebrity and the Constellation in particular, what better way to experience all the glitz but on a 12 day TA. My questions are: In September, how is the weather, the sea conditions, crowds in port? Can't wait to see the world as it were! Thought about spending a few days pre-cruise in either Dover or maybe Brussels - any thoughts? Have travelled on Disney and Carnival (3 times) with the kids, but this would be a treat for just the 2 of us. What can we expect? Are we making the right choice?

Have looked at other review sites and found this is the best, fairest, most open and most current - hands down. Thanks to all the readers who are so willing to help out.

[Post Captain]

Hello jmkoilers,

 

My wife & I just booked the September 2007 transatlantic crossing. As you'll notice from my "signature," we've already done two transatlantic crossings this year. We love the experience.

 

Weather and sea conditions on the North Atlantic can vary from day to day--even from hour to hour. Conditions this past April were worse than they were in January, which was the reverse of what we expected. We had several days of 30-ft.+ swells and 60-knot gales in April--but that's what the North Atlantic is all about. I was impressed by how well the Connie rode in these conditions; my wife & I were fine throughout the voyage.

 

We've never sailed on Carnival or Disney; from everything I've read, they're just not our cup of tea. You'll find that Celebrity is a much more upscale line, but not a snobbish one. Yes, it's more formal (there will be two or three formal nights on this crossing), but not stuffy. There's lots to do on board--just no rock climbing, & no beer-chugging contests, thank goodness. In other words, the atmosphere is relaxed and refined--fun in a low-key, not hectic, way.

 

On our previous two Celebrity sailings, the food and service were absolutely wonderful. I hope my Cunarder friends will forgive me for saying this, but in my opinion Celebrity outpoints Cunard in almost every category.

 

We haven't stayed in Dover. The castle and tunnels are probably well worth visiting, but apart from that, the town doesn't have all that much to offer. One night would probably be enough. It's never occurred to me to go to Brussels, as I'm not an EU functionary.;)

 

I hope this information is helpful. Do ask if you have any other questions.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[Alaska Boo]

I was looking at this TA crossing yesterday and went to Expedia just to get another price quote. Expedia had the sailing beginning on 9/20 rather than 9/15, and they wouldn't offer price quotes, instead saying to call them, which is never a good sign, in my limited experience.

 

Vanessa

[oceanbear]

Vanessa,

Check Celebrity's web site. The cruise starts on the "15th". Looks like a popular cruise partly due to the great prices. All but 3 suites are booked and balcony cabins have already gone up by $200.

 

Dennis

[Karynanne]

I was looking at this TA crossing yesterday and went to Expedia just to get another price quote. Expedia had the sailing beginning on 9/20 rather than 9/15, and they wouldn't offer price quotes, instead saying to call them, which is never a good sign, in my limited experience.

 

Vanessa

 

This cruise was orginally on 9/20 for 7 days...but due to lack of passenger interest, Celebrity reworked to 12 days, and amazing prices. Check Celebrity's site.

 

We also sailed in April on the Eastbound TA/Constellation, and experienced the rough seas and bad weather. We had an fantastic time! Crossings are so different than conventional cruises. The atmosphere is relaxed, and unhurried. We also had an extremely good enrichment series. It was the history, facts/myths of Transatlantic ocean liners. Excellent three day series...

 

We're booked on the 9/15/07 cruise, and can't wait to experience this crossing again.

 

Karyn

[Post Captain]

Yes, when I checked at the beginning of this week, most travel booking websites still seemed to be showing the original 7-day 9/10 transatlantic itinerary. Celebrity didn't post the new itinerary on their website until Wednesday. We were fortunate to find this voyage on another travel agency's website last week, & booked it through them a few days ago. Glad we didn't wait--it's amazing how quickly the staterooms are selling.

 

David Perry was the lecturer on the April-May 2006 transatlantic crossing. We enjoyed all his lectures on ocean liner history; they were so popular that he added an extra question-&-answer session in the Bar at the Edge of the Earth toward the end of the voyage.

 

Note to Celebrity: How about inviting Mr. Perry back for this crossing. Or, if not him, John Maxtone-Graham or Bill Miller.

 

And let's hope for another few days of gales & high seas!:)

[denali1]

This is a fabulous trip. We have done the Constellation crossing twice, in the fall of 2005 and the fall of 2004. When we tried to book aboard the Constellation last fall, the 2006 sailing was sold out, a year in advance.

 

Le Havre and Cork are great, as is Halifax. Haven't been to Dublin, St. Johns or Cornwall.

 

The sea days are awesome, though the 07 sailing has one less sea day than my previous two cruises.

If you have a chance to take this, do so. BTW, the prices are about 45% less than what we paid for last years trip. I bet the prices won't hold long.

 

The Constellation is a wonderful ship, with a superb crew.

[excitedofharpenden]

jmkoilers, first of all, welcome to the site! I booked this trip a couple of days ago. The price was great and the itinerary excellent. I can probably only endorse what others here have said. The weather will be a lottery at any time of year in the Atlantic, especially on a more Northerly run as this one is.

 

Kent is a nice county, but if I were coming in pre-cruise, I'd be more inclined to spend a couple of days in London. There's more to see and do there. Head to Dover on your third day and see the sights and be closer to the ship.

 

Cornwall probably isn't so well known, but I'll tell you it is one of my favourite places. It is a wonderful county and the Eden Project near St Austell is well worth a visit as are some of the delightful little coastal villages like Mevagissey. Lands End, Sennen Cove, St Ives, the Minack theatre and more. Many great places not far from Falmouth to visit. You have to try a Cornish Cream Tea. Yum!

 

That's about all I can add. Post Captain, I would be delighted if someone like John Maxtone-Graham was on board too. If Celebrity reads this board, please. Oh go on;)

 

Phil

[C 2 C]

I booked this trip a couple of days ago.

Phil

 

We did this cruise last year and the weather was great.

OK Phil how about arranging a tourist bus for your neck of the woods?

 

I live in the city of Chatham on the river Thames in the county of Kent in the township of Dover... 65 miles from London. (Ontario, Canada)

 

So much for the copy cats. Now I have to plan for the real stuff.

Perhaps you can suggest how to deviate from Celebrity planning without being stressed out about connections to the ship if one plans getting to London early.:confused:

[Host Kewlguy]

Both the April 2007 as well as September 2007 Constellation transatlantic's are real bargains with great itineraries. We've booked both sailings. :D

[negc]

Check out the Celebrity Connections thread for this cruise. There are a lot of folks like us, refugees from the cancelled Jewel of the Seas transatlantic, who discovered this cruise and immediately booked it. It gives us almost all the ports that we were looking forward to on the Jewel TA at much better prices. I think I am actually more excited about the Constellation sailing than I was about the Jewel (and up until now, the Jewel has been our favorite ship).

Weather and sea conditions during a transatlantic are difficult to impossible to predict. In 2002, we encountered sixty foot swells and high winds for about a day and a half as we skirted the outer fringes of Hurricane Gustave. Last year the seas were much calmer. We loved both trips and are looking forward to next year's.

Many of the people who are already booked on this trip are seasoned transatlantic cruisers, so if you have any questions, someone should be able to answer them.:)

[Offtune Angel]

jmkoilers: The Atlantic is a beautiful mystery.

 

We also love the Transatlantics, but prefer the Westbound because of the extra hours we lose on the Eastbound as we pass through five (or six, in the case of France) time zones. The days at sea are terrific, whether you are enjoying the many, many activities, lectures, shows, etc. or relaxing or eating more leisurely than on port days or being lulled to sleep by the motion of the ship on the seas and the sound of the wake.

 

Our Constellation crossing (EB) (in 2003) and our Millennium crossing (WB) (in 2004) the Atlantic was more like a millpond than an ocean. The EB on Constellation this Spring was my favourite. I, too, loved the 30 ft waves (to me there were not enough) and the high winds.

 

Prior cruising with Celebrity, I crossed the Atlantic (all EB) on smaller ships. In 1987--there was rain and (supposedly) rough seas for a couple of days. Nothing like 30 ft waves, though. In 1994--the weather was sunny the whole time and there were only waves (15 ft) on one day. In 1999--it was a millpond the entire time.

 

Hope you decide to join us on the ship and on the Roll Call.

Terry

[excitedofharpenden]

We did this cruise last year and the weather was great.

OK Phil how about arranging a tourist bus for your neck of the woods?

 

I live in the city of Chatham on the river Thames in the county of Kent in the township of Dover... 65 miles from London. (Ontario, Canada)

 

So much for the copy cats. Now I have to plan for the real stuff.

Perhaps you can suggest how to deviate from Celebrity planning without being stressed out about connections to the ship if one plans getting to London early.:confused:

Hey Arno, nice to see you are on this one too. I've cruised with people from the Dover area before. Not Canada, not England, but Delaware, USA. All very confusing.

 

I'm not sure what I am going to do pre-cruise. It's a bit early to plan, but I'll put some thoughts on our roll call.

 

Phil

[MortgageChick]

Travelocity has every stateroom category available for this sailing. Good pricing and actual stateroom assignments not guarantee.

If we were not already booked on NOS for November crossing we would join you

[Host Kewlguy]

Travelocity has every stateroom category available for this sailing. Good pricing and actual stateroom assignments not guarantee.

If we were not already booked on NOS for November crossing we would join you

 

The April Eastbound transatlantic is the one with plenty of availability. The September Westbound crossing is selling out fast. I expect prices to skyrocket on that sailing shortly. Both sailings are ridiculously low priced at the moment.

[rubrrick]

Travelocity has every stateroom category available for this sailing. Good pricing and actual stateroom assignments not guarantee.

If we were not already booked on NOS for November crossing we would join you

 

I just looked the price for our cabin category, and the Navigator of the Seas is almost $3,000 less for a same number of days crossing. But the Connie's ports of call are wonderful. Maybe they will do the same thing in '08. I would love to take advantage of that.

 

For now I'm sticking with the Navigator as they are hitting a few ports that I have not been to, and the when we were last in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands........I will ill that one day......so look forward to exploring it.

 

Rick

[trustee55]

Hi folks,

 

Thank you for all of the information on this sailing.

It was SO attractive that I have just booked a Verandah Cabin at an unbelievably low price.

What a wonderful itinerary.....can hardly wait!

 

Thank you,

 

Carol Ann

[Post Captain]

Cornwall probably isn't so well known, but I'll tell you it is one of my favourite places. It is a wonderful county and the Eden Project near St Austell is well worth a visit as are some of the delightful little coastal villages like Mevagissey. Lands End, Sennen Cove, St Ives, the Minack theatre and more. Many great places not far from Falmouth to visit. You have to try a Cornish Cream Tea. Yum!

I had the pleasure of spending a year in Cornwall in 1993-94. I lived in a small town called Marazion, a few miles east of Penzance, opposite St. Michael's Mount. Wonderful!

 

Alas, Celebrity is only giving us 6 hours in Falmouth, according to the current itinerary. That really doesn't allow enough time for going much farther afield than Falmouth on one's own. Maureen & I will probably head straight over to St. Mawes, our favorite place in that corner of Cornwall.

 

Cornish cream teas are an experience. Cornish clotted cream is probably banned in the U.S.; it's pure cholesterol.:) But yes, yummy!

Post Captain, I would be delighted if someone like John Maxtone-Graham was on board too. If Celebrity reads this board, please. Oh go on;)

John Maxtone-Graham was on our QE2 crossing this past January & gave several lectures; I've also heard him speak several times on this side of the Pond. He's a national treasure in two nations, & of course on the high seas. (The John Gielgud of ocean liner historians--very old school gentlemanly, a true raconteur with a theatrical flair & a wicked sense of humor/humour.) His book The Only Way to Cross is must-reading for anyone interested in the history of ocean liners and transatlantic travel.

 

Cheers,

 

John (who's never happened upon Harpenden, but whose travels have taken him to Hertford, Hereford, & Hampshire, & who has passed through Hemel Hempstead on the train.)

[gkm]

Hi folks,

 

Thank you for all of the information on this sailing.

It was SO attractive that I have just booked a Verandah Cabin at an unbelievably low price.

What a wonderful itinerary.....can hardly wait!

 

Thank you,

 

Carol Ann

 

Carol Ann, I'd like to welcome you aboard. We already have a VERY ACTIVE roll call for this cruise and would love for you to come and join us. We already have 900 posts! Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=389062

 

Also there is a website set up with all kinds of good information and links. Here's that site: http://home.comcast.net/~gkmcruises/connieta2007.htm

 

Please come over and join in on the fun we're already having.

 

Garry

[jmkoilers]

Thanks to all those who nudged me in the right direction. My wife and I booked the TA in September and have a lot to look forward too. We've got a CC class cabin and want to go all out to be pampered and just enjoy 12 glorious days meeting lots of new people. I guess my next step is to join the roll call that I see already has around 14 pages of correspondence from those that will be aboard.

John:)