Just back from Connie 10 day in Caribbean..

[bigreckster]

We just returned yesterday from 10 days on the Connie to the Caribbean and had a great cruise. We're in our 60's, Elite CC members with about 35 cruises under our belts and we've enjoyed being on Connie before. The ship is in beautiful shape, our Sky Suite 6131 had that extra large angled balcony with both sun and shade and the crew was just super friendly and efficient as always. The food has slipped a bit in the main dining room in our humble opinion...several dishes just were so-so and presentation, especially of entrees was very "ordinary instead of special. The buffets were excellent and the specialty dining in Oceans is still superb! We thought the singers/dancers in the production shows (which are the same ones they've run for some time) were the weakest we've seen to date but the headline entertainers were ver good. Perry Grant packs them in at Michael's every night and even did a show in the theatre one night to a packed house! It's still a great ship with one of the best crews we've had the pleasure of sailing with. Weather was in the 80's and sunny everyday...now we're back to the cold of the northeast! :)

[cruzeluver]

Thanks fo posting. Great to hear of another satisfied Connie cruiser. Makes me look forward to our cruise on the Connie even more!!

[JahHaus]

We're on Constellation in less than two weeks...same itinerary...in SS 6132...same room, starboard side. I booked this suite because of the size (room and balcony), but, have heard it is especially windy while sailing because of the angle. Yes? No? Also, what furniture was on the balcony? And...if you want to add anything else about your room, I'd appreciate it. Thanks...can't wait to set sail.

[CJ23]

We'll be sailing on the Connie in 2 1/2 weeks, Ultimate 11 Day Western Caribbean. Do cell phones work on board? Also, could you please tell me what the charge is to play Bingo. Are there any tips you can give me regarding packing, tours etc? Thanks so much for any ideas or answers you can give me.

[CruisingChick]

Yes, cell phones work on Connie, but it's not cheap to make a call or receive one. We have AT&T (formerly Cingular).

 

In my opinion Bingo is a rip off, I'd rather take the money I spend there and go to the casino. You could spend a variety of amounts. We bought the regular pack at $30.00 but they have electronic bingo which is more expensive but you get more games.

 

Anne Maria

[jer_l]

We just returned from the same cruise and has a great time. In defense oft he singers/dancers they were short two male dancers and a male singer on this cruise so they were making a lot of adjustments. They also had a major melt-down of their backtrack system and had to make adjustments there also.

 

They did have a hypnotist on board who did two evening shows which were a waste of time. She was terrible. Perry Grant's band charts were amazing, but I would have preferred to listen to just the band without him. The other shows were quite good.

 

As far as the restaurant some at our table complained that the beef is not as good, but I never had beef. The menus have changed, but I liked some of the changes. This is the first cruise where I've had yellow fin tuna. It was a huge portion and very well prepared. The two or three times I ordered broiled salmon and steamed vegetables I was not disappointed. The second formal night offered a rock lobster tail with a prawn and a scallop so I passed on that and had the stuffed quail which were amazing. They did have an article in one of the dailies about changes that are coming with Celebrity's restaurants. Once I get everything unpacked I'll post about that.

 

All in all--a great cruise!

[CJ23]

Thanks Cruising Chick. I see where you have sailed on Celebrity many times. I guess we made the right choice!

[RLM77]

They did have an article in one of the dailies about changes that are coming with Celebrity's restaurants. Once I get everything unpacked I'll post about that.

 

Fantastic, we'd be very interested.

[hcat]

We just returned from the same cruise and has a great time. In defense oft he singers/dancers they were short two male dancers and a male singer on this cruise so they were making a lot of adjustments. They also had a major melt-down of their backtrack system and had to make adjustments there also.

 

They did have a hypnotist on board who did two evening shows which were a waste of time. She was terrible. Perry Grant's band charts were amazing, but I would have preferred to listen to just the band without him. The other shows were quite good.

 

As far as the restaurant some at our table complained that the beef is not as good, but I never had beef. The menus have changed, but I liked some of the changes. This is the first cruise where I've had yellow fin tuna. It was a huge portion and very well prepared. The two or three times I ordered broiled salmon and steamed vegetables I was not disappointed. The second formal night offered a rock lobster tail with a prawn and a scallop so I passed on that and had the stuffed quail which were amazing. They did have an article in one of the dailies about changes that are coming with Celebrity's restaurants. Once I get everything unpacked I'll post about that.

 

All in all--a great cruise!

 

Thanks for posting... Can't wait to hear about the changes--maybe more perks for Elite, bringing back Michele Roux or some more of the Clasic menus!! Let us know...

[CruisingChick]

Opps duplicate post - That never happens to me!!!

[CruisingChick]

Thanks Cruising Chick. I see where you have sailed on Celebrity many times. I guess we made the right choice!

 

Yes, CJ we have sailed Celebrity many times. The last 3 on Constellation with #4 to probably come in April. I love the martini bar!!!

 

I'd give you packing advice but I usually take too much, so I'm not the one to ask.

 

My husband loved the lobster dinner on the last formal night he said it was better than what they had on previous cruises.

 

Anne Maria

[Oville]

We just returned yesterday from 10 days on the Connie to the Caribbean and had a great cruise. We're in our 60's, Elite CC members with about 35 cruises under our belts and we've enjoyed being on Connie before. The ship is in beautiful shape, our Sky Suite 6131 had that extra large angled balcony with both sun and shade and the crew was just super friendly and efficient as always. The food has slipped a bit in the main dining room in our humble opinion...several dishes just were so-so and presentation, especially of entrees was very "ordinary instead of special. The buffets were excellent and the specialty dining in Oceans is still superb! We thought the singers/dancers in the production shows (which are the same ones they've run for some time) were the weakest we've seen to date but the headline entertainers were ver good. Perry Grant packs them in at Michael's every night and even did a show in the theatre one night to a packed house! It's still a great ship with one of the best crews we've had the pleasure of sailing with. Weather was in the 80's and sunny everyday...now we're back to the cold of the northeast! :)

 

Hi, we're going on the same cruise next week and are in cabin 6130 next you where you were. Is our cabin veranda at all private or will those staying in 6131 be able to see us? Also, is there a table on the veranda for having dinner?

 

Thank you for any help you can give us!!

[lisad63]

We were on the same cruise (Hi Jer_l). On the second formal night, my husband had the beef wellington and said it was the best piece of beef he'd had in a long time. I had the lobster, and it was ok.

 

We were a little disappointed in the dining options in the evening. We had first seating, and if we missed it, our options were the limited buffet items (pizza, stir-fry, pasta, sushi), make a reservation for casual dining, room service, or pay extra for Oceans dining.

 

Overall, we weren't wowwed by the food. (It was good enough that we both have a few pounds to try to diet off now, though.) What we really booked this cruise for was the itinerary, and it was awesome! We loved the ports and the four sea days.

[Oville]

We were on the same cruise (Hi Jer_l). On the second formal night, my husband had the beef wellington and said it was the best piece of beef he'd had in a long time. I had the lobster, and it was ok.

 

We were a little disappointed in the dining options in the evening. We had first seating, and if we missed it, our options were the limited buffet items (pizza, stir-fry, pasta, sushi), make a reservation for casual dining, room service, or pay extra for Oceans dining.

 

Overall, we weren't wowwed by the food. (It was good enough that we both have a few pounds to try to diet off now, though.) What we really booked this cruise for was the itinerary, and it was awesome! We loved the ports and the four sea days.

 

Thanks, any advice for Barbados?

[lisad63]

We did the Tiami 5-star catamaran/snorkel/swim with sea turtles. We really enjoyed it.

 

The best excursion on the trip for us was the independent tour from Cosol in St. Lucia. St. Lucia is a beautiful, lush island, and the tour was great.

[bigreckster]

The furniture on the balcony of SS 6131 consisted of 2 adjustable deck chairs, a larger table and a small end table. Yes, you could see right into the SS next to you...not one I would prefer to have. On the other side, it was closed by full partition to the adjoining royal suite.

 

I understand the "meltdown" because of the missing or replacement singers but still think the vocalists were weak compared to the group on Millie we saw in March as well as other productions on past cruises (I'm a professional musician/college music prof. and my wife is a theatre director so we do have a basis for evaluating this type of entertainment).

 

Dinner entrees were unpredictable...I thought the lobster tail and seafood entree on formal night was rather mediocre but that the rib eye steak was surprising good another night. The almond crusted turkey breast we both sent back as completely inedible on one evening. Salads continue to be basically a bowl of greens with little else. Most soups were very good and nicely presented as were the appetizers.

[TNhome]

I have to agree with Jer l on the stuffed quail. I thought nothing could beat lobster but the lobster was only so so while the quail was extraordinary. I'd try both to make sure I got a great entree! If I'm not mistaken sea bass was also offered and a tablemate said it was superb as well. Bon appetite!

[Oville]

We did the Tiami 5-star catamaran/snorkel/swim with sea turtles. We really enjoyed it.

 

The best excursion on the trip for us was the independent tour from Cosol in St. Lucia. St. Lucia is a beautiful, lush island, and the tour was great.

 

Thanks, we're already booked on the Cosol tour, can't wait.

[Solstice23]

I was recently on Celebrity, and they are changing the menu, it is better and they will work out the little stuff, its better then the old boring Menus, of Roux. We are age 31 and my wife and I have sailed Celebrity over 14 times, we are looking forward to the Summit this March 14th!

[sarplum]

We were on the previous cruise. Overall it was great but the food in the

main dining room was worse than a similar cruise a year earlier. The menus were quite good but the cooking was below par as was the service

(not the waiters fault they are obviously understaffed). Actually we liked

the shows but then we do not go to shows much at home. Everything

else was great - the specialty restaurant, the room steward, the thalasso

pool etc. We will stay with X.

[KW_cruiser]

I was recently on Celebrity, and they are changing the menu, it is better and they will work out the little stuff, its better then the old boring Menus, of Roux. We are age 31 and my wife and I have sailed Celebrity over 14 times, we are looking forward to the Summit this March 14th!

 

When we sailed Millienium in August to Alaska (a wonderful cruise), we noticed the food in the Main Dining Room was *not* as good as it was on our past cruises (we are 25 & 26, cruise a few times a year, Elite on Celeb, Diamond on RCCL). When we spoke to the assist head chef, and the captain (we were honoured to dine with him), they said that they were 'working out kinks' from the switch to the new, non-Roux menus. Other cruisers felt simlarly.

 

Interestingly, on the galley tour we took, there were printed reports of negative food comments previous cruisers had written - the kitchen listens, and pays attention, but it was telling that the problems we noticed were noticed by cruisers on several of the Millenium's preceding voyages.

 

We just got off the Royal Carribean Liberty of the Seas, and while the ship was overcrowded, and the Windjammer buffet was *bad*, surprisingly both me and my fiance enjoyed the food in the Liberty MDR more than the MDR on the Millenium in August. Breakfast, lunch (when you could get in....:mad:) and dinner, food was great in the dining room.

 

The food quality won't deter us from cruising X again, but I was surprised to enjoy my dinners on the RC Liberty more than the Millie.

[Kansas]

We're sailing on Constellation tomorrow, I've enjoyed reading through this thread. Thanks for the heads up on the quail. I've never been disappointed with the food on any of the ships we've sailed on, but we're not too hard to please.

 

We're off to the airport in a few hours.

[Texed]

we are looking forward to the Summit this March 14th!

 

We are on Summit March 14th also. :)

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

Thanks, we're already booked on the Cosol tour, can't wait.

A word to the wise, just have coffee and a roll for breakfast....you stop at soooooooo many places for food and fruit, you'll be stuffed and the food is lots of fun! nancie

[mardon]

Could you please mention the entertainment. I have cruised on the Connie about 9 times and have seen the same entertainment. I wondered if it has changed. I go March 6 for the l0 day cruise. We always went to hear Perry Grant but I hear he won't be there when I am there. If you have the time, please post what entertainment you saw and did you go to the Specialty Restaurant and how was it?

marlene