Constellation 7 Jan. 08 with comparisons to Summit

[AJD]

This 11 day January 7th cruise on the Constellation was our third ever, all on Celebrity within a year, we got hooked quickly! Previous cruises were, Century, 5 day Caribbean last January, great but too short and Summit 14 day San Diego to Hawaii round trip last October, also great. These previous two were in Concierge Class and this time we had a non Concierge balcony (6053) which we chose because it had a larger balcony than those available in Concierge Class when we booked. So, inevitably we were comparing the Constellation to the Summit and evaluating the benefits to us of Concierge Class. Conclusion are; this was another great cruise with a good itinerary and spacing between ports; overall we preferred the Summit and Concierge Class is not worth a lot of money for us.

 

To deal with Concierge first, for us its biggest benefit, is the bigger cabin, which only applies to Millennium class ships, also nice are the better hair dryers and shampoo. The robes, canapés, champagne etc. we could take or leave; having said that; we have booked our next two trips Concierge and will do so again if the price and cabin choice is right.

 

If we tell you we went ashore at only two ports (Cartagena and Colon) of the five we visited you will understand that we enjoyed the ship and the sea days. We stayed on board at Grand Cayman, Aruba and Cozumel having visited them recently and not being real beach enthusiasts. It’s very nice when almost everyone goes ashore and leaves all the amenities of the ship to just a few people; it’s a bit like having your own private yacht! Cartagena was an interesting old town to visit and appeared quite safe to stroll through. We did the ships tour which allocated too much shopping time for our liking while others in our group hired a taxi with a driver who acted as guide which worked out better. Visiting the locks on the Panama Canal was very interesting, again a ship’s tour, which includes a small boat trip on the Chagres River and an eco-walk in the rain forest, where would you believe, we experienced a downpour! Take an umbrella even if it looks dry when you are leaving the ship.

 

Entertainment on the ship was very good; two groups (Top Secret and Cooler Kings) provided great music for dancing in the Rendezvous Lounge; allowing us to work off just a little of what we consumed each day. The shows at the Celebrity Theatre with the Celebrity Singers, Dancers and Orchestra were all very good. The Guitarist, Charley Butler was good and we particularly enjoyed Hyperion Knight the Concert Pianist Less to our taste was Singer Helen Jayne, Comedian Louis Johnson and the acrobat couple Rebecca and Philippe. One of our biggest disappointments was that Perry Grant, who has a huge following, performed nightly in Michael’s Club which, on the other ships was our favorite pre and post dinner watering hole. He is so popular that it was standing room only every evening, completely ruining the ambiance of the Club. So, for us, this was another plus for the Summit which featured much more mellow entertainment in Michaels. Just like our other Celebrity experiences this was not a trip for late night partying, the ship was very often quite dead well before midnight.

 

The food and service in the San Marco Restaurant was very good and our assistant

Maitre D’ was particularly attentive. On the first night we mentioned that we liked Indian food and from then on a sampler, was provided for the whole table every night in addition too the main courses we had ordered. On some occasions we enjoyed the Indian food even more than the main offering. We certainly have not noted any deterioration in standard over the year since Celebrity parted company with Michel Roux. Celebrity’s traditional fixed seating works well, we had a table of eight who were fun to be with, so there was never a dull moment at dinner and we met up sometimes for other activities. There were three formal nights on this cruise and a majority of people got dressed up with a good percentage in tux’s this is a nice part of the cruise tradition. On one of these formal nights we had the experience of getting invited to the Captains table, hosted by one of the senior officers, this was another very sociable group and we met some people who had been cruising much longer than us, one couple having done seventy cruises.

 

Our experience at Ocean Liners, the specialty restaurant, was a bit disappointing, it is very elegant and the food was good but the service was not as good as the Summit. On this occasion we failed to establish any real rapport with the staff which was the complete opposite to that on the Summit. A measure is that on the Summit we initially made two reservations at the Normandie and went back another twice including once with our whole the whole group from our table in the San Marco. On this trip we initially booked to go there three times but in the end went just twice and cancelled the third. When we went with our group from the San Marco, unlike on the Summit, we managed to get the table in the wine cellar, which is a separate small room in Ocean Liners, it’s very nice but its isolation, a plus in many respects, may have been a cause of the deteriorated service on the occasion we were there. So, for us, this was another win for the Summit. Breakfast pastries and afternoon cakes, sandwiches and savories in the Cova Café were excellent, another delightful amenity of these ships. Also, it is a good place to enjoy the Discovery Strings quartet with a glass of wine in the evening. Mostly we ate healthy at breakfast and lunch in the Aqua Spa Café which serves very tasty lighter fare, the Salmon Tartar and Pasta Primavera come particularly to mind. We did not use the buffet very often but when we did it was good particularly the sushi and pizza.

 

There was never a shortage of things to do and sometimes we had to rush from one end of the ship to the other to get to our next activity. We enjoyed the naturalist, Don Enright, his talks on sharks, whales etc were interesting and entertaining. Most of our afternoons ended very pleasurably with an hour in the Persian Gardens with its relaxing lighting, Turkish baths, Sahara room etc. a good value at $175 per couple for the whole cruise.

 

Captain’s Club members were invited to tour the Bridge, a back stage tour, a Chardonnay blending seminar and a Senior Officer’s cocktail party, nice touches by Celebrity and all of which were enjoyable. There is nothing of much value in the Captain’s Club coupon book, however we thought the $20 for a full bag of laundry was good until we got it back all washed but nothing pressed! What use is an un-ironed dress shirt? Again a poor comparison to the Summit, where everything came back beautifully pressed

 

The ship is in good condition, sure there are signs of wear and tear if you look hard enough, but it is well maintained spotlessly clean and the staff always courteous.

 

Embarkation was a breeze, we arrived at eleven hoping to board right away but it was twelve before boarding started and we were on board within a few minutes. Can’t complain about the wait as our documents told us boarding would not start till 1:30 PM. Debarkation was also hassle free, we used Celebrity’s shuttle to Fort Lauderdale airport which worked fine but a taxi might have been more efficient.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise would not hesitate to sail the Constellation again but preferred the service on the Summit, which is just as well as we have two Tran Atlantic’s booked on her this year. Main complaint again, is that it was too short, we were jealous of the people who were staying on for the back to back which is what we plan for next year on the Galaxy.

[Andy]

Hi Ajd !

 

Thank you for your excellent review, and welcome home !

 

I agree with you about Concierge Class. While some of the amenities are quite good, several of them are a waste. When is Celebrity going to change those horrid canopes ? :) IMHO, it all depends just how much more CC is. On some sailings it can be several hundred dollars more per person, and I feel it is not worth that much. Our rule of thumb is that if we can get it for 100.00 PP or less, we usually go for it. Otherwise, we are happy with a Non-CC balcony cabin.

 

You made an interesting comment about Perry Grant. That is a real tough call, as he has a HUGE following, and many of his fans book Constellation mainly to see Perry. We have heard that Celebrity would love to have him perform in a larger venue, yet he does not wish to perform anywhere other than Michael's Club. For those who love the quiet aspect of Michael's, you certainly wont get that on Constellation when Perry performs. On the bright side, Michael's is in its usual form during the day, and on Friday night, when Perry has the day off. If the ambiance of Michael's is important to you, then it would probably be wise to sail on one of the other M-Class ships.

 

I was surprised that Ocean Liners was a bit of a disappointment. We Dined there in November, and had a wonderful experience, probably the best of any Specialty Dining experiences for us with Celebrity. Of course, that all depends on the effort/quality of the service staff that takes care of you. When that fails, the entire meal fails. I agree that service should be top notch at Ocean Liners. There is no excuse for anything less.

 

Again, thanks for your wonderful review. We will be on Constellation again in 2 months, and we can hardly wait !

[kyrisong1]

When we did the CC class last March, we just requested to have tropical fruit platter and cheese plate instead of the dreaded Canapes ( we tried them ONCE) lol

Our Steward was awesome and every afternoon there was a awesome mix of sliced kiwi, oranges, pineapple and something else, my husband usually ate it, while I attacked the cheese (great crackers, no saltines)

We mostly loved the CC class for the hot breakfast on the balcony, to us it's worth it, and if you book far enough in advance you can get one of the bigger balconies.

We loved this one so much we are doing it again this March. Andy we'll leave a little rum for ya:D

Cheers, Carole

[AJD]

Hi Andy,

 

Thanks for your comments, I wish the Millennium class ships had a venue like the Century's Crystal Room for Perry to perform in. We agree on Concierge, it's a bargain for our Tansatlantics so we have it then, with a rear balcony on one leg which we have not tried before. Not so sure about having my after dinner cognac in the afternoon or, even worse only, on Friday!! We look forward to getting back to the Summit's Normandie restaurant where the Maitre D', I think his name was Okana, helped to enhance the experience for us. Enjoy the Constellation, we had a great time.

 

kirisong1,

 

Thanks for the fruit platter advice, we will take that.

 

Anne & John.

[ccletzgo]

I really enjoyed your review and I learned from it. We will check out Michaels on both Friday night, and one of the other nights, just to see what the buzz is all about,.:D

[SusieV]

AJD, do you remember if the the Fraisier dessert was gone from the dining room or is it still there?

 

Thanks!

[AJD]

SusieV,

 

Sorry, the dessert name, "Frasier" doesn't ring any bells for either of us. If you tell us what it was it might trigger something.

 

Anne & John.

[hugger]

Captain’s Club members were invited to tour the Bridge, a back stage tour, a Chardonnay blending seminar and a Senior Officer’s cocktail party, nice touches by Celebrity and all of which were enjoyable.

 

Do you get a special notice in your cabin regarding these special events for Captains Club Members? How does this work?

I am a Founding Member somehow on Celebrity. Maybe because we have been on so many RCCL cruises.

 

On another note you mentioned that the asst. Maitre D" did some special Indian Dishes for you every night. Can you remember his name we'd like to request something special like that? On our last cruise some friends had sailed the ship previously and told us about a friend that'd made with one of the asst. Maitre D's. When I saw him in the dining room I introduced our group and told him what our friends here from CC had said about him being so WONDERFUL. Well from that night on we had a special something prepared for us by him. It was so SPECIAL and NICE of him to do that. We so enjoyed being able to try something a bit different too. As you can imagine we did something extra nice for him at the end of the cruise as well :)

[SusieV]

SusieV,

 

Sorry, the dessert name, "Frasier" doesn't ring any bells for either of us. If you tell us what it was it might trigger something.

 

Anne & John.

 

Fraisier was a layered cake with cream, strawberries, and a layer of marzipan on top.

 

No worries, we'll be onboard Monday. We just wanted to know if we needed to make a special request to our assistant maitre d', but we'll just ask when we get there.

 

Thanks!

[AJD]

There was list of Captains Club events sent to our cabin the first evening of the cruise. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of our Maitre D', but as you did we tipped him extra on our last evening.

[Andy]

Do you get a special notice in your cabin regarding these special events for Captains Club Members? How does this work?

I am a Founding Member somehow on Celebrity. Maybe because we have been on so many RCCL cruises.

 

 

Hi Hugger !

 

Just to add to AJD's wonderful comments, regarding the Captains Club events, you should make sure the list is in your stateroom on the first day of your sailing, or No Later than the 2nd Day. It is a complete list for your entire Cruise.

 

Celebrity previously placed individual invites in your cabin for each event, but that is no longer the case. While I am fine with the new system (I thought the old way was a nicer touch), the problem is, if you dont get the list, then you can wind up missing all the events.

 

I just thought I would share my .02 cents about this. Enjoy your Cruise !

[warmwinds]

Can you get really specific about your cabin/balcony? (my sister is going on her first X cruise in Feb and I talked her into 7049, right above you)...did you find the cabin...but more importantly the balcony...LARGER than others? Can you tell me EXACTLY what furniture you had on the balcony??

 

If it was your first X cruise would you be happy with the cabin/balcony? They are regular Princess cruisers (with some HAL and RCL thrown in) and she's only taking the X cruise because I like them.

[hugger]

for the info on the Captain's Club events list - I wouldn't have known to look for that - appreciate your help as always.

[Andy]

for the info on the Captain's Club events list - I wouldn't have known to look for that - appreciate your help as always.

 

Hi Hugger !

 

It's our pleasure. Enjoy your Cruise !

[AJD]

warmwinds,

 

We like these cabins with the triangular balconies, we had 6053 this time and 8046 on the Summit which we have again on it's March trans Atlantic. The CC cabin is slightly larger than we had on the Connie, both are very comfortable with lots of storage space. The balcony is perhaps about a third bigger than standard furnished with a table and two chairs. I can't compare to Princess or HAL as I haven't tried them.

[hugger]

would it be similiar to what you have had on the other ships?

[AJD]

Hugger,

 

It will be identical, enjoy.