Connie Sept 08 review

[Sky Sweet]

Cruiser Susie: Thanks so much for the great review. Just goes to show how different people have different perspectives. I am sailing on the Connie in 15 days and can't wait!

 

Hi crazybus :)

 

I think a lot of the varying perspectives from people on the same cruise has a lot to do with group dynamics.

 

When someone is traveling with a group of people who love every aspect of a cruise it has a great influence on them.

 

In my opinion, moods and attitudes from other passengers can be very contagious and influential.

[Ma Bell]

I was on this cruise and was traveling with a large group of people. There were many varying opinions about a lot of things just as there are in everyday life. Most of these people are experienced travelers and are not children.

I personally found the food to be very good for the most part. The buffet and casual dining areas were much improved. The lunches in the dining room were very good and the dinners were a little more inconsistent. Most of what I had was very good.

Having been on 4 Celebrity cruises this year, I don't see any decline in the food in general. Each cruise has it's own personality. Supplies are not exactly the same, chefs are not the same, cooks are not the same, waiters are not the same and people's choices are different. Some waiters are even better at selecting the dishes from the line. The one thing that is always consistent is that if you get something you don't like the waiter is more than happy to bring something else.

Our service was excellent both in the dining room and in our cabin. Bar service was a little spotty but I've never seen the Martini Bar so busy and I think the servers had their hands full. Considering the numbers they did a good job.

For those traveling soon I would say there is no reason to be concerned, but that's just my opinion.:)

[Cruiser Susie]

Cruiser Susie: Thanks so much for the great review. Just goes to show how different people have different perspectives. I am sailing on the Connie in 15 days and can't wait!

 

Crazybus, you are welcome. Everyone's perspective is different. I happen to be a person who goes on a cruise in a frame of mind to enjoy the whole experience; I don't go to criticize or worry about minor things that have no effect on my cruise. Whether or not I am traveling with a good group of friends does not determine my perspective on the ship, food or service, but it sure does make the overall experience a great deal of fun! :D

 

Of course there were food items I did not care to order, so I didn't. Some of the dishes were better than others, and my favorite appetizer was nowhere to be seen, and I forgot to ask for it! The ship does need some refurbishing, but not noticeably in my mind. The martini bar had different furniture than a year ago, with a different color scheme. The servers in that Martini Bar were overrun each night... I have never seen such a large crowd... one or two nights we ended up in the Rendezvous because there were NO seats. I honestly thought the food was up a notch or two from our cruise last year...especially the fish. Last year, I hardly ordered fish... but found a nice improvement this time. But, that is subjective, and just my opinion. Go and have a great time! Wish we were going with you!

[Ma Bell]

Susie, I would definitely agree that the fish dishes on our last few cruises have been much better than in the past.

Being with friends and family always makes the experience that much sweeter.

[cruisinjudy]

For me on our recent Millennium cruise, what I noticed was that som eof the fish dishes were quite good. A surprise since on previous Celebrity cruises the fish was uninteresting, all tasting the same, bland, but on this cruise I found some really tasty fish dishes. However, the meat has gone downhill. I did not get a good steak ever. They were tough and stringy. Celebrity used to have wonderful beef! The prime rib was good, though not particularly tender. The Beef Wellington was good. One night I had the pork chop and it was salty. No flavor just salty. I didn't eat it.

 

As for desserts I have to agree with an above assessment that presentation was more important than flavor. I tended to wonder after eating many of the desserts why I had eaten them, but they are not large so a few bites will usually finish them off.

 

Most of the entree salads ordered at our table for eight were a little strange, not bad, just not what you would expect. Very little lettuce.

 

The brunch, offered twice on our cruise, was very good.

[brucedodge]

We will be sailing on the Connie in a FV cabin in Nov. What was your Cabin #.

 

Sorry to hear that things were not up to the standards we have all come to know and love.

 

Trey

 

Trey,

 

It was 9199. Though I have termed it "tired," that's just my assessment from lots of cruises. It was fine, we enjoyed it, and you will enjoy yours too. :)

 

Bruce

[C 2 C]

We cruised B2B on Constellation for the 14 day Transatlantic as well as the following 12 day cruise to Quebec and back to Bayonne.

 

We noted a decline in the quality of food on the menu but we had no problem having the assistant Maitre d' swapping menu items. On one night we were even served a traditional meal from India. I thought service was outstanding at our table for 2. I'm not a waffle eater but I did succumb more than usual. For me the Asian station provided variety at breakfast and the made-to-order stir fry at noon every day satisfied me more than any dinner menu.

 

We continue to be so impressed with Constellation that we are booked again for a B2B in February.

 

The cruise was not perfect, the weather was not ideal, the ship has some signs of wear. However the staff on board is so willing to please that all issues that arose were handled with traditional professionalism.

 

At least 20 crew members disembarked for transfer to Solstice at the end of the voyage. I have always been more impressed with the staff on Celebrity ships compared to HAL (a close second), Princess and RCL. Finding and training replacements for transferees to Solstice must me a daunting task. I'm sure the transition will not be seamless and some passengers will note the difference from previous service.

 

There is nothing about our cruising experience over the 26 days on Connie that would cause us to switch to another cruise line as yet.

[jjwoben1]

Was also on the Connie for the last TA from Barcelona...had 8 other people with us and no one could find anything to complain about! Wonder of wonders! The staff was overly attentive and any request was quickly honored. We enjoyed the food more than the previous December; Spa food was excellent with great service. I could go on but the previous favorable reviews echoed what I thought. My only regret is that we are not on the Holiday cruise.

[Denisern2]

I also go with an open mind. However in this review I was giving my honest assesment of my cruise experience. I did not delve into little details I summed up my observations. As you can see I am no stranger to cruising however in terms of Food and service they missed the mark with me this time. What is the point of a review if all I tell you is how wonderfull everything was? Did I have a great time yup time with my parents and away from work is always a blast.

[Cruiser Susie]

I also go with an open mind. However in this review I was giving my honest assesment of my cruise experience. I did not delve into little details I summed up my observations. As you can see I am no stranger to cruising however in terms of Food and service they missed the mark with me this time. What is the point of a review if all I tell you is how wonderfull everything was? Did I have a great time yup time with my parents and away from work is always a blast.

 

You are so right about being able to give honest assessments... makes for a balanced view of the world. So glad you were able to go with your parents, be away from work and have a great time. Food and service definitely make up a percentage of the cruise, and it is too bad that you didn't find it to be up to par. I guess that is where we definitely differ... but we both found common thread in the Aqua Spa and the Aft cabins, didn't we?! :D