Just off Connie on 3/12 - 3/23

[RB Bonzo]

We just returned from the 11-day Ultimate Caribbean itinerary on Constellation. I'll write and post a full review and will answer any questions that folks have. Here are some things that may be of interest:

 

1. Most everyone in our CC group was entirely pleased or almost entirely pleased with the overall experience and had a terrific time. I thought that food and service were great throughout, but a few thought that the service level declined somewhat as the cruise progressed.

 

2. There was a comedian rather than a production number on the last night - rumor was that 5 folks from the entertainment staff were left off the ship in Panama due to drugs.

 

3. The ship was going VERY fast out of Cozumel and during the last sea day. We learned later the reason why. Some fool loaded the wrong fuel into one of the engines, causing serious damage. We actually arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and docked late the last night so that they could do repairs. We were in one of the aft cabins and did not hear any noise associated with the repairs and heard no reports that this disturbed anyone. Disembarkation was according to schedule.

 

4. I signed up for the internet service - 200 minutes for $100 hours. Recieved an extra 20 minutes for using a Captain's Club coupon. I was able to get a weak wireless signal from the very front of my aft balcony on deck 8 (8185), but not consistently. Connection speed was very slow when there were multiple users, but not too bad in the very early morning hours.

 

5. No changes to the menu due to Michael Roux departure - if I hadn't read about it in advance, I would not have known about it.

 

6. About 20 of the CC folk had a "Robe Party" in the Rondevous Lounge at midnight of the last night. We wound up moving it to the Bar At The Edge of the Earth. Great fun.

 

7. Most of us did not like the pool band. They played in Rondevous lounge once, and one of us went in there after hearing them thinking it was karaokee.

 

8. Many of us were very impressed by the cheerful disposition of the crew.

 

9. The captain did not show to the CC party, but the cruise director did.

 

10. Everyone in the CC group with a Concierge Class cabin was invited to tour the bridge on the second sea day. The captain chatted w/ us and answered questions for over half an hour.

 

11. The ship was in very good condition; I was frequently out and about during the very early hours, and folks were constantly cleaning.

 

12. We docked in Cozumel at the International Pier, even though itinerary indicated that we would tender.

 

13. The ship was late leaving Grand Cayman due to a ship excursion failing to return on time. Many of us were on the last tender, which left about 20 minutes after the scheduled 3:30 departure time waiting for the 7 passengers on that excursion. We left without them, and they took a local boat back to the ship, arriving about 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time.

 

14. There was a problem with another official excursion contractor, as reported to me by a couple of CC members - the coach driver was watching pornography on the coach's video system when everyone was off the coach. After they boarded, he accidentally swtiched it to display on all of the screens, not just the one that he could see. Unbelievably, it was left on for about a minute. This was reported to the Excursion Desk; not clear what represcussions there were for either of these excursion vendors.

 

15. Our CC group met in the Martini Bar right after the muster drill. This is a much more lively setting than Michael's Pub for coffee.

 

16. The hotel manager, who had just joined the ship before this sailing, had to be evacuated on the last sea day due to appendicitis. No word on his condition.

 

17. The pool butlers enforced the no reserving rule, but only when asked to do so by someone who reported that they could not locate a deck chair. We witnessed the typical bad behavior (e.g., folks reserving 3 sets of chairs: in the shade, in the sun, and by the Thalassotherapy Pool), but it was a distinct minority of passengers. There were also a couple of disagreements about how much noise is appropriate on the pool deck in the area by the bar.

[dkjretired]

We just returned from the 11-day Ultimate Caribbean itinerary on Constellation. I'll write and post a full review and will answer any questions that folks have. Here are some things that may be of interest:

 

 

 

1. Most everyone in our CC group was entirely pleased or almost entirely pleased with the overall experience and had a terrific time. I thought that food and service were great throughout, but a few thought that the service level declined somewhat as the cruise progressed.

 

2. There was a comedian rather than a production number on the last night - rumor was that 5 folks from the entertainment staff were left off the ship in Panama due to drugs.

 

3. The ship was going VERY fast out of Cozumel and during the last sea day. We learned later the reason why. Some fool loaded the wrong fuel into one of the engines, causing serious damage. We actually arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and docked late the last night so that they could do repairs. We were in one of the aft cabins and did not hear any noise associated with the repairs and heard no reports that this disturbed anyone. Disembarkation was according to schedule.

 

4. I signed up for the internet service - 200 minutes for $100 hours. Recieved an extra 20 minutes for using a Captain's Club coupon. I was able to get a weak wireless signal from the very front of my aft balcony on deck 8 (8185), but not consistently. Connection speed was very slow when there were multiple users, but not too bad in the very early morning hours.

 

5. No changes to the menu due to Michael Roux departure - if I hadn't read about it in advance, I would not have known about it.

 

6. About 20 of the CC folk had a "Robe Party" in the Rondevous Lounge at midnight of the last night. We wound up moving it to the Bar At The Edge of the Earth. Great fun.

 

7. Most of us did not like the pool band. They played in Rondevous lounge once, and one of us went in there after hearing them thinking it was karaokee.

 

8. Many of us were very impressed by the cheerful disposition of the crew.

 

9. The captain did not show to the CC party, but the cruise director did.

 

10. Everyone in the CC group with a Concierge Class cabin was invited to tour the bridge on the second sea day. The captain chatted w/ us and answered questions for over half an hour.

 

11. The ship was in very good condition; I was frequently out and about during the very early hours, and folks were constantly cleaning.

 

12. We docked in Cozumel at the International Pier, even though itinerary indicated that we would tender.

 

13. The ship was late leaving Grand Cayman due to a ship excursion failing to return on time. Many of us were on the last tender, which left about 20 minutes after the scheduled 3:30 departure time waiting for the 7 passengers on that excursion. We left without them, and they took a local boat back to the ship, arriving about 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time.

 

14. There was a problem with another official excursion contractor, as reported to me by a couple of CC members - the coach driver was watching pornography on the coach's video system when everyone was off the coach. After they boarded, he accidentally swtiched it to display on all of the screens, not just the one that he could see. Unbelievably, it was left on for about a minute. This was reported to the Excursion Desk; not clear what represcussions there were for either of these excursion vendors.

 

15. Our CC group met in the Martini Bar right after the muster drill. This is a much more lively setting than Michael's Pub for coffee.

 

16. The hotel manager, who had just joined the ship before this sailing, had to be evacuated on the last sea day due to appendicitis. No word on his condition.

 

17. The pool butlers enforced the no reserving rule, but only when asked to do so by someone who reported that they could not locate a deck chair. We witnessed the typical bad behavior (e.g., folks reserving 3 sets of chairs: in the shade, in the sun, and by the Thalassotherapy Pool), but it was a distinct minority of passengers. There were also a couple of disagreements about how much noise is appropriate on the pool deck in the area by the bar.

 

 

Thanks for the info, sounds like a a real experience. You had it all "drugs, sex and rock and roll".

[BobbieAnne]

We are cruising on the Constellation TA in three weeks, so all your information was welcome. I look foward to your full review. Can you tell me about producition shows and other entertainers and classes and lecturers? Did you use the library. If so, how was it? Do you know if the tour of the bridge is customary? Last time I had to write a letter to the captain requesting it. Do you think the person in charge of the CC did it?

 

It sounds as if you had a great cruise even with the difficulties.

[RB Bonzo]

We are cruising on the Constellation TA in three weeks, so all your information was welcome. I look foward to your full review. Can you tell me about producition shows and other entertainers and classes and lecturers? Did you use the library. If so, how was it? Do you know if the tour of the bridge is customary? Last time I had to write a letter to the captain requesting it. Do you think the person in charge of the CC did it?

 

It sounds as if you had a great cruise even with the difficulties.

 

It was a great cruise, and we did not consider any of the "difficulties" to be a problem.

 

We did not see any of the production shows, as that is not our thing. There were (I think) only two full-fledged shows, probably due some of the performers being tossed off. We thought that the orchestra was very good. There were three comedians - we saw two of them, and I though they were ok, not great. The first was Theien Fu, who we had seen about 12 years ago, and I don't think that his act has changed much. The second was a ventriloquist with a dummie named Mathildie. The way this was announced, we did not know it was a ventriloquist act. That one was better.

 

There were some acrobats that we saw a little of during the opening night show, and they were very good. They did their own show, but we did not see it. There was a West End British singer, who we thought was ok. There was a pianist that we did not see but who we heard was very good, a xylophone player who we did not care for too much, and a violinist that we thought was extremely good.

 

There was an a capella group that we saw a few times and thought was pretty good. Perry Grant was standing room only by the time that we could get over to see him. We caught his act a few times and enjoyed it; some folks went there every night. We were not overly impressed with the other musical acts in the lounges and poolside, but that in no way diminished our experience.

 

We went to the library once; the books were stacked almost randomly, such that you might find a Michael Crichton novel in the biography section. The lack of a librarian was evident.

 

We did not attend any of the lectures. There was someone who addressed meteorological issues and an estate planning attorney. I spoke with someone who attended the attorney's session who said that it was well attended.

 

I don't know if the bridge tour is customary; there were multiple tours by invitation only - the one that we had consisted all of CC people in Concierge Class (at least I think they were all Concierge Class). Not sure how that came about.

[BobbieAnne]

Thanks for the info. We are really looking forward to our cruise and love to hear about what is or might be going on.

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Great review, thank you.

[lysolqn]

We were on the same cruise and thought it was virtually flawless - would have to search very hard to find any negatives. Will post a review shortly.

[BobbieAnne]

I look forward to both reviews and appreciate the time you spend providing information for those of us who are anxious to be on the seas.

[Wayneair]

RB Bonzo - I am also booked in 8185 for the 4/2 sailing on Connie. Were you pleased with the room?

[kyrisong1]

Hi Dan, I totally agree with you, the cruise was awesome!!! I can't find any negatives either, and the company was flawless!!!!

But we were CC class and didn't get invited to the tour :( , so maybe just Captains Club members that were CC class? This was our first Celebrity Cruise and we loved it!!! We can't wait to sail with them again.

Bathrobe party was the best!!!! Fun!!!

Hope to sail with you and your lovely wife again!!

Carole and Larry

[RB Bonzo]

Wayneair - We loved that cabin and would take it again in a heartbeat! The attendant, Raymundo, was the best that we have ever had. Great balcony (massive, really), and no problems whatsoever.

 

Hi, Carole! Perhaps it was limited to Captain's Club members. Give my best to Larry, Dan

[Wayneair]

Wayneair - We loved that cabin and would take it again in a heartbeat! The attendant, Raymundo, was the best that we have ever had. Great balcony (massive, really), and no problems whatsoever.

 

Hi, Carole! Perhaps it was limited to Captain's Club members. Give my best to Larry, Dan

 

 

Great. Thanks for the information RB Bonzo. You also managed to answer another question I had regarding the time Connie docked back in Ft. Lauderdale. I was looking at the Port Everglades schedule last week for 3/23 and saw it was scheduled to arrive at 1:30am which I thought was strange. Thanks for clearing that in my head.

[Gitte]

Hi Carole and Larry,

The bridgetour was maybe for the CC who attended the cruise-critic party.

 

Gitte

[hcat]

Hi Gitte

To OP--what was the name of the band you did not like--last few trips we have been very disappointed with the party/pool bands--

[lysolqn]

This was our 39th cruise, 26th on Celebrity, 5th on Constellation and it was as close to being flawless as a cruise can be. The itinerary was particularly nice because of alternating sea/port days and the weather was wonderful – in spite of one or two very quick showers and a rather windy last day at sea.

 

Constellation is an elegant and beautifully appointed ship and remains our favorite. She is immaculate, in excellent shape and aging quite well; one would have to look very closely to find any signs of wear and tear. It’s odd to think of a five year old ship as aging but with the constant stream of new ships entering the market, a five year old ship is, in fact, an aging ship. Nevertheless, the public rooms have stood up well to five years of continual use and are every bit as lovely as they were when we sailed during the ship’s inaugural year and each time thereafter. The very few signs of wear we did notice were mostly in our cabin (bedspread, carpeting and drapes were slightly faded, toilet seat chipped, some grout stains in shower) and in no way detracted from our enjoyment of the ship or the cruise. I imagine after three weeks in its upcoming dry dock, the ship will emerge once again in mint shape. As an aside, the beds on Constellation are adequate but I do think it’s time for Celebrity to get in line with the competition and upgrade the existing bedding on its ships.

 

We’ve never been anything but pleased with service and food on X ships and this cruise lived up to our highest expectations - we found the food and service to be nothing less than excellent. Cabin service was thorough, quick and efficient and the dining room service we experienced was incredible. Though Celebrity and Michel Roux have ended their affiliation, neither the menus in the dining room nor in Ocean Liners have as yet been changed, but we were told they will be fleetwide by year’s end. Whether or not that means an affiliation with another star chef is being kept under wraps, at least for now. We did, however, notice a change for the better with respect to the selection and presentation of the lunch buffets, which IMHO have always been a bit lackluster. The spa café is wonderful for those in search of a lighter meal. Beyond cabin and dining room service, officers, staff and crew were always smiling, friendly and eager to please.

 

If we were hard pressed to find something about which to complain, it would be the timing of shows for late-seating passengers – our one pet peeve with X. With the exception of perhaps three nights of the eleven, all shows for late diners were pre-dinner shows – a sore spot with us. We always opt for late seating because we like to enjoy a leisurely late afternoon/early evening and don’t want to rush to get ready for dinner at 6:15. We much prefer after dinner shows but they seem to be pretty much history at this point. That being said, it appears we didn’t miss much entertainment-wise on this cruise since many of the passengers with whom we spoke were underwhelmed by the entertainment that was offered. We did like spending time in Michael’s Club after dinner and really enjoyed Perry Grant whom we had seen before on previous X cruises. Admitedly, he’s an acquired taste for some but he packed the room every night (standing room only) and we found him very entertaining. In addition to evening entertainment and the usual daily cruise staff activities, the Celebrity Enrichment Series offered a series of lectures by an estate planning attorney, as well lectures by another gentleman who spoke about weather.

 

As I said at the outset, this cruise was, for all intents and purposes, flawless – at least as far as we are concerned – and we heard very few complaints from other passengers, although I’m certain there are those who were disappointed with one thing or another. Some folks did complain about the ever-present chair hogs who were out at the crack of dawn to stake their claims but for the most part, it appears pool butlers were able to resolve that issue for most people. We prefer the Promenade Deck over the Pool Deck so it wasn’t an issue for us but for the very first time in all our years of cruising, we found that some chair hogs migrated from the pool area to the Promenade Deck – for whatever that’s worth. For those who are interested, it appeared the vast majority of passengers complied with the evening dress code.

 

Finally, we didn’t notice any of the “cutbacks” I’ve been reading about (ok…an eleven-night cruise and no rack of lamb?) nor did we sense any noticeable decline in the product we’ve come to expect from Celebrity. It was a wonderul cruise and we’re looking forward to the others we have lined up for the rest of this year.

[Gitte]

Hi Lysolqn,

It was a great cruise, we enjoyed it very much. Lunch and Diner was much better than last October/November.

And yes,... the chair hogs migrated at the promenade deck!! :(

 

Gitte

 

 

[RB Bonzo]

Brigette - that was a great picture you got of my stuff on the deck chair. ;)

 

hcat - pool band was Nfusion (I think). Folks had mixed opinions on them. We would have preferred a steel drum band. But, these criticisms are trivial - the cruise was awesome!

[lysolqn]

Love the chair hogging pix!

[Cruisininfinity]

We just returned from the 11-day Ultimate Caribbean itinerary on Constellation. I'll write and post a full review and will answer any questions that folks have. Here are some things that may be of interest:

 

 

3. The ship was going VERY fast out of Cozumel and during the last sea day. We learned later the reason why. Some fool loaded the wrong fuel into one of the engines, causing serious damage. We actually arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and docked late the last night so that they could do repairs. We were in one of the aft cabins and did not hear any noise associated with the repairs and heard no reports that this disturbed anyone. Disembarkation was according to schedule.

 

 

16. The hotel manager, who had just joined the ship before this sailing, had to be evacuated on the last sea day due to appendicitis. No word on his condition.

 

 

I believe you got some incorrect information. The captian was planning going into Ft. Lauderdale before the last monday of the cruise. The true reason why we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale so early is because they were totally replacing one of the gas turbine engines with a new diesel engine, a process which takes 20 hours. Also i heard that the hotel director had his surgery the same today and after his surgery i heard that he was fine.

~ Jess

[lysolqn]

Interesting that they would decide to install a new engine between cruises, when the ship is due into dry dock in just a few weeks. Perhaps they wanted the security of knowing the job was done prior to the upcoming transatlantic crossing.

[Gitte]

The diesel engine is scheduled in the dry dock in Brest.

 

Gitte;)

[Golfinesq]

Perhaps they didn't want the ship bobbing in the water off the coast of Panama next week when I'll be on it.

 

Charlie

[sebie]

Great info!!!

 

Can anyone confirm the info above?? A tour I have planed in GC, said the Connie was on CST rather than EST. I sail 4/2/07.

[RB Bonzo]

Shiptime in GC was EST - same as Grand Cayman. We did, however, turn the clocks back an hour from Ft. Lauderdale time, which was, of course, EDT, with daylight savings time in the US coming early this year.

[Cruisininfinity]

 

6. About 20 of the CC folk had a "Robe Party" in the Rondevous Lounge at midnight of the last night. We wound up moving it to the Bar At The Edge of the Earth. Great fun.

 

I just realized this but my friends and I saw all of you in your robes out one the 11th deck, ( we were the kids) you looked like you were having fun :)