Constellation Holiday Cruise - The Highs and the Lows

[Windy56]

INTRODUCTION

 

We are a couple in our 50’s. This was my husband’s second cruise and my eighth. I have cruised on RCCL, Princess and Celebrity ships over the last 20 years. Ours was an 11 night holiday cruise over Christmas and New Year, with 5 days at sea. Ports included Grand Cayman, Cartagena, Panama, Costa Rica, and Cozumel.

 

HIGH POINTS

 

The ship is beautiful. It is a very easy ship to navigate with several banks of elevators which are well positioned for easy access. Public rooms are spacious and nicely appointed. The theatre is very comfortable with loveseat instead of single seat seating. Small under lit tables are handy for drinks and purses. I found many nooks and crannies to sit and read and people watch. The promenade deck is equipped with lounge chairs for an afternoon snooze. The ship has aged gracefully and there is little sign of wear and tear.

 

The cabin was very well designed. We chose an ocean view on the bottom level. It had plenty of space to store clothing and the beds were high enough so that four large suitcases could be hidden, out of sight. The bathroom was well stocked with spa quality soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner in refillable bottles. The view was superb. I spent a fair bit of time curled up in the oversized chair by the window looking at the waves which were only about 30 feet below. In fact we liked the cabin so much, that we would choose this kind of view, instead of a balcony, for future sailings.

 

The musical venues on the ship made a positive contribution to our enjoyment of this cruise. We danced in the Rendez Vous Lounge every night, to the music of the Carl William Quartet. He approached us on the first night and asked us, along with other passengers, what kind of music we liked to dance to and he continued to be warm and charming throughout the cruise. The house band, Fusion, was excellent and took delight in playing requests and serenading people who were celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. A really good guitarist/vocalist played in the vicinity of the Café Nova each evening. It was a fun place to go to enjoy a coffee and chat. The A Cappella group was also excellent. I have never been on a cruise which offered such an extensive menu of music, with something for everyone, scheduled at regular times and in very pleasant settings.

 

I am not a big fan of buffets, but I must admit that I became one on the Constellation. Line-ups were short when we had breakfast and lunches, and the selection of food was long! Made to order omelettes were always available along with breakfast breads and pastries that were delicious. Made to order pasta was also wonderful at lunch, cooked by a chef who could not hide his pleasure in preparing such delicious offerings to the passengers. I am sorry that I did not make a note of his name. Desserts were plentiful and really tasty at the lunch buffet. Snacks were offered in the late afternoon and were in the form of small sandwiches and buns and assorted cakes. Timing is everything on a ship and a few times we were too late to take advantage of these wonderful little bite-sized treats.

 

I am a person who notices small details and I appreciate ambience. One of the features I enjoy about RCCL and Celebrity is their attention to art on the ship. The ship is a floating gallery and whoever selects the pieces should be praised for their ability to select works that speak to so many types of people. I always wondered why the cruise lines have not made guided tour tapes with headphones, to be used by passengers, as an onboard activity for sea days. There is an air of whimsy to the collection and it serves at least for me, as kind of visual banquet. Sculpture is everywhere and the reclining woman in the indoor pool area is stunning. You will find very little bare wall space on this ship and I am the kind of passenger who will stop and look at framed photos lining the corridor and I will appreciate each featured piece on the landings of the staircases. My hat goes off to those who have made the decision to spend so much money amassing such a collection. I enjoyed it every day of the cruise.

 

I first tried a Thalassotherapy pool onboard the Century a few years back before the ship was refurbished and the questionable decision was made to do away with the pool. A much larger Thalassotherapy pool is found on board the Constellation. It is covered and intended for adult use, only. Spa music is piped in and the whole atmosphere is calming and soothing. The water is very warm in this pool with curved overhead pipes positioned in the corners which spout high pressured jets of water intended to massage the back. At each side of the pool is an elevated rack of wide smooth pipes which you can stretch out on and jets of water pulse under you for a full body massage effect. In short it is a little bit of aquatic heaven!

 

The Ports were interesting on this cruise. We experienced the partial crossing of the Panama Canal by ferry, the only excursion which we booked through the ship. It was really enjoyable despite the to/fro hour long bus ride on a bumpy road. The ferry departed from the second set of locks and the guides on the bus and ferry were both informative and entertaining. We even saw a crocodile. A light buffet lunch was served and cold drinks were provided. In Grand Cayman we took a cab to the Reef Grill and enjoyed their beach for the full afternoon. Lounges can be rented for 5 dollars and an umbrella for 10 dollars. Food is good and reasonably priced and change rooms/washrooms are available. One great feature about this spot is that they have a beach and bar web camera so that at a prearranged time you can stand and wave at your friends and family. Don’t miss Nachi Cocum while in Cozumel. You don’t have to reserve a spot at the Reef Grill, but you must reserve this beach club in advance and place a small deposit online. Like the Reef Grill, it is a short cab ride away from the port. The property is gorgeous and the service outstanding. It has a pool with a swim up bar, change rooms and, for an extra fee, opportunities to engage in water activities. Upon arrival, you are escorted to shaded lounges by your waiter who will continue to serve you drinks and superb food, covered under your admission, throughout your day long stay. The guacamole and breaded grouper are wonderful and the best Pina Colodas I had on the cruise were from Nachi Cocum. The sand is a little coarse, so you may want to wear beach shoes. After a swim, you can snooze on the hammocks under the many palm trees which grace this property. We felt that we received excellent value for the money we paid. Last, but not least, is the Craft Market in Costa Rica, just steps away from the ship. Don’t miss it. You can get great deals on coffee and vanilla and the crafts made from the local wood, exotic to us, are beautifully made and very reasonably priced.

 

LOW POINTS

 

I am sorry to report that the quality of Celebrity food, in the dining room, has declined. This was the first cruise I have ever taken where I didn’t look forward to my evening meal. The food was not bad. It simply wasn’t very good and if I had to analyze why that was so, it would come down to a lack of flavor. The food was bland. Strangely, desserts in the dining room were not nearly as flavorful and appealing as those served in the buffet. I kept hoping that the food would improve after the first couple of days but it did not.

 

Security was also an issue on this ship. Children were in places they should not have been and the security crew turned a blind eye to it. Even when confronted with the fact that children were in the adult hot tubs, the security officer I approached seemed very reluctant to address the issue with the parents present. Chair hogs were out in full force and despite warnings posted on the daily passenger newsletters left in the cabins, these inconsiderate passengers were given free reign to place their personal belongings on lounges, walk away and not return for hours depriving other passengers of the use of these chairs. The posted consequence for this behavior was to have the property removed by the pool attendants, to be reclaimed later at a specific location. Not once did I see this happen. The most disturbing incident of a serious breach in security took place when an unescorted child of about 8 years old was allowed to board the ship after walking back alone along the pier at Costa Rica. This disregard for the rules and safety on the part of ship security personnel left me wondering what would happen in the event of a real crisis on board the ship or at sea.

 

LOWER POINTS

 

While this cruise was operating at full capacity and the passengers were paying premium fares because Christmas and New Years were celebrated during the cruise, I was extremely disappointed with the nature and lack of festivities to mark the holidays. The Christmas show in the theatre was embarrassing. Production problems were obvious to the audience from the start and the stage was filled with a mish-mash of all things Christmas, assembled without thought, imagination or any sense of design. To call the whole fiasco amateurish would be an understatement. Carols were sung by some of the entertainment crew on the staircase on Christmas Eve and once again the whole thing seemed to have been thrown together at the last minute, rounding up whoever they could manage to find. Each day we received a newsletter in our cabin listing the activities for the day and filled with advertising sheets promoting Celebrity excursions, services and products for purchase. The song books, which were so hastily distributed minutes before the carols were sung, should have been enclosed in this package along with the program of songs. Instead the whole activity was brief and poorly attended. The final omission which made me most indignant was the lack of music in the dining room on Christmas day. When I asked why Christmas music wasn’t being played over the sound system, at the very least, the waiter just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head and appeared to be as confused as I was.

 

Entertainment in the theatre was very poor. Once again, attendance at the theatre for me in previous cruises was an experience I looked forward to each day. This was not the case in this cruise. The ship’s company of entertainers was very young and lacked any stage presence. The shows were boring and the staging, uninspired. Having cruised on a Princess ship last year, I was very disappointed. I have never been on a cruise which did not feature at least one stand up comedian. Eleven nights on a cruise ship without a comedian is eleven long nights. On last year’s Princess cruise you had to go early to get a seat in the theatre, it was that popular. Surely, the number of vacant seats should be an indicator to the entertainment director that all is not well. To please a wide cross section of ages and preferences, a cruise line needs a wide cross section of talent. Today’s passengers are a savvy lot and what passed for entertainment ten years ago will not pass today. All of the onboard innovations in the world will not make up for a lack luster program of theatre entertainment.

 

CLOSING REMARKS

 

My husband and I enjoyed our cruise. However the low and lower points were such that we would seriously consider not taking another Celebrity cruise. It is a competitive industry and I hope the executives monitor sites such as this one to evaluate the delivery of their product. When we pay such a high premium to cruise at Christmas and New Year, we expect better “extra touches”. A variety of entertainers who are talented is an important part of our cruise experience. A satisfying dining experience is a must. Finally, a security presence which inspires confidence among the passengers is another aspect of cruising which we value. Because of the great need for improvement in all of these areas, I do not think my next cruise will be with Celebrity.

[benbess]

Thanks very much for your balanced and very well written review. You've given full coverage to the good points, but overall it seems Celebrity has some work to do--esp. in the MDR and in regard to entertainment. Again, many thanks for your perceptive and entertaining review. I too hope that Celebrity execs and Connie's crew are reading this...

[glenneagle]

We were on this cruise and must agree with the entertainment comment. We have done 25 cruises and this had the worst entertainment ever.The hypnotist was an embarresment,The singers and dancers were awful.The first 2 days no band ,they were able to pick up a band at the first port, They were actually very good,Thank goodness for Perry as there was nothing else.Celebrity really needs to vamp up the entertainment.The shows on board are 5 years old and so boring. The theatre was empty every night and we just gave up going.

[benbess]

It does seem to me that for people paying the "holiday rate," which is sometimes about double what it is other times of the year, should get a little extra entertainment. I mean they should spend a bit of the money the passengers paid to make it special. Just mho.

[Windy56]

It does seem to me that for people paying the "holiday rate," which is sometimes about double what it is other times of the year, should get a little extra entertainment. I mean they should spend a bit of the money the passengers paid to make it special. Just mho.

 

Well, Benbess, it seemed as though we actually received less than the regular entertainment program, having cruised over the holidays. We sure didn't get more. If we hadn't experienced such an amazing program of entertainment on the Princess line last New Year, we would probably not have wanted to cruise over the holidays ever again. At least one other cruise line knows how to "ramp it up a bit" on premium time cruises and I guess the trick is finding out ahead of time what kinds of things they do to make the cruise special. My husband thinks it is so strange that you can't call the cruise line and find out exactly what the entertainment will be in terms of names and shows on a particular cruise. Surely the acts must be booked in advance. When you think of it, the theatre entertainment is as important to some cruisers as ports of call are to others and this information along with excursions is always available.

[CruisingChick]

I hope the executives monitor sites such as this one to evaluate the delivery of their product.

 

Hi Windy, I appreciate you taking the time to post your review. May I kindly ask that you send a letter to Celebrity outling everything you did here and mail it to Customer Service? They do read the letters and even acknowledge them. I wrote to them about our October 2008 Constellation cruise and they telephoned me and went over every point in my letter. They also forward it to the ship so they know what is going on.

 

Unless we speak out nothing is going to change.

 

On our cruise the entertainment was also poor and I agree the food in the Main Dining Room isn't as good as it was in the past.

 

Thanks again.

 

Anne Maria

[happy cruzer]

Well, Benbess, it seemed as though we actually received less than the regular entertainment program, having cruised over the holidays. We sure didn't get more. If we hadn't experienced such an amazing program of entertainment on the Princess line last New Year, we would probably not have wanted to cruise over the holidays ever again. At least one other cruise line knows how to "ramp it up a bit" on premium time cruises and I guess the trick is finding out ahead of time what kinds of things they do to make the cruise special. My husband thinks it is so strange that you can't call the cruise line and find out exactly what the entertainment will be in terms of names and shows on a particular cruise. Surely the acts must be booked in advance. When you think of it, the theatre entertainment is as important to some cruisers as ports of call are to others and this information along with excursions is always available.

 

There are many compliants on the Princess board about the holiday cruises this year. The holiday cruises are very tricky because of the children and the large groups that book. Also those who book early to guarantee a cruise during their days off may end up on a ship that did not sell well and then got discounted. Their are reports on many of the cruise lines of this happening.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=901106&highlight=children

 

 

Also entertainment is one area that is being a victime of costcutting this year on most lines.

 

We can live with alot of this but it is very bothersome when you pay double for that holiday time on a ship. Just wanted to point out that more lines than Celebrity are having this problem.

[ISABELLA]

Hello Windy 56 - Great review!

We also were on the same cruise and agree completely with your comments.

We've been on 38 cruises, but Xmas and NY - this was our first. We were so looking forward to see if this will be a " special" cruise, fill with holiday activities and holiday entertaintment.

The whole entertaintment, except Perry and Party band, was the worst we ever experienced.

I can't complain about food in DR, desserts were not exciting. Breakfast adn lunch buffet were very good and I we like the brunch idea on sea day. Based on this cruise experience, I have to say that it is not worth the extra$$$ to pay for the holiday flavor.

That is my 2cents on the subject.

[CathyCruises]

We went on the inaugural voyage of Galaxy over X-mas in 96, I think. I was expecting WAY more 'Christmas' than I got. Brand new ship and all, I thought it was going to be really super. Don't remember ANY Christmas entertainment at all (which may have been preferable to the lame stuff you guys were subjected to), no carols, no special meals. They did lower the lifeboat and Santa came on board and handed out something small to all the kids--wish I could remember what it was, obviously not very memorable! I had my 3 kids with me but we told them the cruise was their present and they were okay with that--I did bring a few small gifts.

 

All in all, I probably wouldn't do a X-mas cruise again considering the additional cost--maybe New Year's, though.

[ljones]

I was on the Connie in Nov & recall there were more complaints about the food in the dining room. We were told there is a new chef & he has changed the menus. I for one am hoping they go back to the old! The desserts were a major disappointment (not that it hurt me to skip a few). I was on HAL & Carnival last year, however, & their food quality was not even as good as Celebrity. Perhaps that is where the cruiselines are doing some cost cutting.

 

I also did not attend the shows in the theatre last cruise after the first couple (14 n cruise)& I am usually there every night! The quality was truly lacking. HAL had much better

"Top" entertainers.

 

In the lounges, I saw Perry Grant twice but did not care for him (sorry to his following!) but loved the Carl William Quartet in the Rendevous Lounge. After finding them, I really did not check out the other venues.

 

I will be on a B@B (28 n retirement! cruise) Aug/Sept & certainly hope things have improved by then.

[Andy]

Well, Benbess, it seemed as though we actually received less than the regular entertainment program, having cruised over the holidays. We sure didn't get more. If we hadn't experienced such an amazing program of entertainment on the Princess line last New Year, we would probably not have wanted to cruise over the holidays ever again. At least one other cruise line knows how to "ramp it up a bit" on premium time cruises and I guess the trick is finding out ahead of time what kinds of things they do to make the cruise special. My husband thinks it is so strange that you can't call the cruise line and find out exactly what the entertainment will be in terms of names and shows on a particular cruise. Surely the acts must be booked in advance. When you think of it, the theatre entertainment is as important to some cruisers as ports of call are to others and this information along with excursions is always available.

 

Hi Windy56 !

 

I agree with your comments. While I know we are in the minority, for us, the Entertainment is more important that the ports. We are sailing on Constellation in March, and we have cruised the other intinerary she sails (10 night Ultimate Caribbean) about 10-15 times, dating back to when Summit did this itinerary, and when Century briefly did a similar 9 night itinerary about 4 years ago.

 

For us, its the length of cruise, and quality of the onboard experience that means everything to us. As we have visited these ports countless times, we rarely get off the ship. I am there to relax, enjoy great food, and be entertained. I'm not happy to see that Celebrity is shying away from comedians of late. I surely hope that will not be the case on our sailing in March. Interestingly, when I was on the Solstice Inaugural, they had a great comedian, but he was only performing Late Night (At Celebrity Central). They did not have another comedian all week, either in Celebrity Central, or the Solstice Theatre. We were a bit disappointed with that decision.

 

As for the food, this topic is always very subjective, so I am hoping we will be happy. A few other posters have reported that Celebrity is tweaking the MDR menus as we speak. I will report back on this, when we return home from our sailing.

 

Thank you for your excellent review, and welcome home !

[jeffrub]

Hi Windy56 !

 

As for the food, this topic is always very subjective, so I am hoping we will be happy. A few other posters have reported that Celebrity is tweaking the MDR menus as we speak. I will report back on this, when we return home from our sailing. quote]

 

As far as the tweaking is concerned, we just got off of Connie this week. If they did "tweak" the food it wasn't in the right direction. It was mediocre at best. We ended up only eating in the MDR 3 nights on a 10 day cruise. My advice is book Ocean Liners early and often. Ocean Liners is delightful and the food is superb. We ate there on three occasions and ate at the alternative dining on deck 10 the other nights. It was much better than the crap they served in the MDR, and dining was actually pleasurable in the other locales.

[Windy56]

Hi Windy, I appreciate you taking the time to post your review. May I kindly ask that you send a letter to Celebrity outling everything you did here and mail it to Customer Service? They do read the letters and even acknowledge them. I wrote to them about our October 2008 Constellation cruise and they telephoned me and went over every point in my letter. They also forward it to the ship so they know what is going on.

 

Unless we speak out nothing is going to change.

 

On our cruise the entertainment was also poor and I agree the food in the Main Dining Room isn't as good as it was in the past.

 

Thanks again.

 

Anne Maria

 

Thanks for the suggestion, Anne Maria. My husband was in contact with Celebrity, by email, twice after we returned and engaged in a Celebrity initiated phone conversation as a result of those emails. The issue centered around debarkation. Celebrity debarked several hundred passengers at 8:00AM even though all of the porters were still offloading luggage and could not be of assistance and despite the fact that there were only two customs agents available. In the next hour many, many more passengers began to fill the area and it was a zoo. Older passengers struggled to manage their luggage, bumping into other passengers, there were no chairs on which to sit and wait and there was general bedlam everywhere . Celebrity employees and porters were very aware that the problem was Celebrity's anxiousness to debark passengers too early despite the fact that there were no available porters or customs agents to deal with the crowds but they continue to do it in order to clear the ship and get it ready for the day's embarkation process. (More agents came on duty at 9:00.) My husband communicated the concern and the solution quit well but I have a sneaking feeling that things won't change too much or too soon.

 

I think the email evaluation process is fairly limited in terms of being a catalyst toward any kind of change. When I wrote that I hope that the executives read these boards, I meant it. I think they represent a raw and uncensored form of feedback which could be invaluable to an organization if that organization really wanted to deliver an exceptional product. If I was a big shareholder in the company I would be reading these boards on a regular basis!

[Windy56]

There are many compliants on the Princess board about the holiday cruises this year. The holiday cruises are very tricky because of the children and the large groups that book. Also those who book early to guarantee a cruise during their days off may end up on a ship that did not sell well and then got discounted. Their are reports on many of the cruise lines of this happening.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=901106&highlight=children

 

 

 

 

Also entertainment is one area that is being a victime of costcutting this year on most lines.

 

We can live with alot of this but it is very bothersome when you pay double for that holiday time on a ship. Just wanted to point out that more lines than Celebrity are having this problem.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the complaints about Princess this year. We cruised with them last New Year and absolutely loved it. They went all out in terms of New Year's Eve...balloon drop, artificial snow and champagne and the food was really great! Most of all, we were really blown away by their entertainment. Their onboard company of singers and dancers were older than those on the Constellation and it showed in terms of a stage presence. The production value was very high in terms of lighting and stage effects. Finally the variety of talent was such that your biggest problem each evening was how you were going to fit it all in. And they had stand up comics...lots of them!:)

[Windy56]

Hello Windy 56 - Great review!

We also were on the same cruise and agree completely with your comments.

We've been on 38 cruises, but Xmas and NY - this was our first. We were so looking forward to see if this will be a " special" cruise, fill with holiday activities and holiday entertaintment.

The whole entertaintment, except Perry and Party band, was the worst we ever experienced.

I can't complain about food in DR, desserts were not exciting. Breakfast adn lunch buffet were very good and I we like the brunch idea on sea day. Based on this cruise experience, I have to say that it is not worth the extra$$$ to pay for the holiday flavor.

That is my 2cents on the subject.

 

So nice to see your name again on here, Isabella. It was such a pleasure to meet you on the cruise! I really enjoyed our little chats and you sure passed on a lot of interesting information regarding cruising to me! You are a fountain of knowledge in that area!!! I don't think it will be worth it to us to cruise with Celebrity over the holidays again and sadly, we would be reluctant to cruise with them at any other time. Nothing short of serious illness on board or news of a crisis at home would ruin a cruise for me. Don't get me wrong. None of our concerns or disappointments ruined our vacation. However, they did contribute to making us question this line as our choice for our next cruise.

 

Hope all is well with you during these cold days of January and I would be thrilled if our paths crossed again during future cruises! Take care!

[Windy56]

We went on the inaugural voyage of Galaxy over X-mas in 96, I think. I was expecting WAY more 'Christmas' than I got. Brand new ship and all, I thought it was going to be really super. Don't remember ANY Christmas entertainment at all (which may have been preferable to the lame stuff you guys were subjected to), no carols, no special meals. They did lower the lifeboat and Santa came on board and handed out something small to all the kids--wish I could remember what it was, obviously not very memorable! I had my 3 kids with me but we told them the cruise was their present and they were okay with that--I did bring a few small gifts.

 

 

All in all, I probably wouldn't do a X-mas cruise again considering the additional cost--maybe New Year's, though.

 

Wow...Santa Claus materializing from a lifeboat! Ya gotta give them credit for creativity. We got a slightly wobbly Santa onstage appearing to be kind of bored as he listened to a few kids verbalize their rather lengthy list of "I wanna's", while I contemplated doing myself in with the sharpened end of my cocktail stirstick. But that's another story...ho ho ho...;)

[Windy56]

I was on the Connie in Nov & recall there were more complaints about the food in the dining room. We were told there is a new chef & he has changed the menus. I for one am hoping they go back to the old! The desserts were a major disappointment (not that it hurt me to skip a few). I was on HAL & Carnival last year, however, & their food quality was not even as good as Celebrity. Perhaps that is where the cruiselines are doing some cost cutting.

 

I also did not attend the shows in the theatre last cruise after the first couple (14 n cruise)& I am usually there every night! The quality was truly lacking. HAL had much better

"Top" entertainers.

 

In the lounges, I saw Perry Grant twice but did not care for him (sorry to his following!) but loved the Carl William Quartet in the Rendevous Lounge. After finding them, I really did not check out the other venues.

 

I will be on a B@B (28 n retirement! cruise) Aug/Sept & certainly hope things have improved by then.

 

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Carl William Quartet as much as we did. I read your other post and agree that his music makes for great listening enjoyment, as well. We sure loved dancing to his tunes, though!

 

His parents were going to be on the next cruise and he was so excited about it. He seemed like a such a nice person. He has worked for other cruises and if I knew he was going to be on a particular cruise, it would be a big drawing card for me.

[Windy56]

Hi Windy56 !

 

I agree with your comments. While I know we are in the minority, for us, the Entertainment is more important that the ports. We are sailing on Constellation in March, and we have cruised the other intinerary she sails (10 night Ultimate Caribbean) about 10-15 times, dating back to when Summit did this itinerary, and when Century briefly did a similar 9 night itinerary about 4 years ago.

 

For us, its the length of cruise, and quality of the onboard experience that means everything to us. As we have visited these ports countless times, we rarely get off the ship. I am there to relax, enjoy great food, and be entertained. I'm not happy to see that Celebrity is shying away from comedians of late. I surely hope that will not be the case on our sailing in March. Interestingly, when I was on the Solstice Inaugural, they had a great comedian, but he was only performing Late Night (At Celebrity Central). They did not have another comedian all week, either in Celebrity Central, or the Solstice Theatre. We were a bit disappointed with that decision.

 

As for the food, this topic is always very subjective, so I am hoping we will be happy. A few other posters have reported that Celebrity is tweaking the MDR menus as we speak. I will report back on this, when we return home from our sailing.

 

Thank you for your excellent review, and welcome home !

 

I am happy to learn of the possibility of impending improvement in the main dining room. That's great, Andy. I will look forward to reading your review. I have always found you to be an informative and fair poster on these boards. Have a great time in March!

[Windy56]

As far as the tweaking is concerned, we just got off of Connie this week. If they did "tweak" the food it wasn't in the right direction. It was mediocre at best. We ended up only eating in the MDR 3 nights on a 10 day cruise. My advice is book Ocean Liners early and often. Ocean Liners is delightful and the food is superb. We ate there on three occasions and ate at the alternative dining on deck 10 the other nights. It was much better than the crap they served in the MDR, and dining was actually pleasurable in the other locales.

 

You know, Jeff, we tried the speciality restaurant one night and while I enjoyed the dinner, I couldn't help but feel that the experience including quality of food and service was the way it used to be in the main dining rooms of cruise ships, a mere ten years ago. Is it possible that the lines have reduced the quality of food and service in the main dining rooms to increase their revenue by driving passengers to eat in "additional charge" venues? I have heard this theory on these boards in the past and I was skeptical but I am starting to wonder. The decline is so dramatic and the increase in numbers of speciality restaurants so sharp, I can't help but wonder.

[ljones]

Windy 56

 

Unfortunately I am not a dancer (as the few poor souls who asked me can readily attest) but I loved the music. And, I too would love to be on a cruise again to hear Carl William & his group. I am sorry you would not consider Celebrity again (was it your first cruise with them?). I have been on Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, NCL, MSC, & Celebrity and Celebrity is far & away my favorite - even though I was disappointed in the new menu & the old (& limited) entertainment in the theater.

[Windy56]

ljones,

 

I have cruised Celebrity before. Maybe it is time to try another line like NCL or HAL or MSC. If Celebrity is your first choice, what is your second, if you don't mind me asking?

[SANNC]

You know, Jeff, we tried the speciality restaurant one night and while I enjoyed the dinner, I couldn't help but feel that the experience including quality of food and service was the way it used to be in the main dining rooms of cruise ships, a mere ten years ago. Is it possible that the lines have reduced the quality of food and service in the main dining rooms to increase their revenue by driving passengers to eat in "additional charge" venues? I have heard this theory on these boards in the past and I was skeptical but I am starting to wonder. The decline is so dramatic and the increase in numbers of speciality restaurants so sharp, I can't help but wonder.

 

If things were not as they were 10 yrs. ago I would have to ask where have you been for the last ten yrs? Also, this idea that booking at Xmas entitles one to something extra, is to say the least absurd. To my knowledge, every destination, and I mean every destination is more expensive at Xmas. I was on this cruise ( Constellation 12/22 ) and my wife and I had a great time, this includes being at Nachi. I can't comment on the shows as the timing did not fit our habits. We had an 8;30 seating and would usually have cocktails around 5 and then spend time in the Persian Gardens, catch Perry at 7:45 then have dinner. We found the food and service in the main dining room to be more than acceptable and OceanLiners was, in our opinion, more than worth the up charge.

 

Maybe I'm lucky, we have easy access to Vegas so if i want to see a Vegas quality show, I go to Vegas. I don't mean to be so blunt, but the reality is things are what they are, enjoy them while you can.

[ljones]

Windy 56

 

I would say HAL was 2nd for quality of shows and food. In general, it is an older crowd than Celebrity. I would rank MSC last & NCL only a step up (depending also on the particular ship). Of course, every line has their advocates.

[Windy56]

If things were not as they were 10 yrs. ago I would have to ask where have you been for the last ten yrs? I have experienced a slow and steady decline in my enjoyment of food on cruises in the last ten years. Also, this idea that booking at Xmas entitles one to something extra, is to say the least absurd. It is not absurd. The line makes a huge profit. They attempt to do little extras on Celebrity and it falls short, due in part to what appears to be poor planning, in some cases. The Carol Singalong and sad little Christmas show are two examples of this.To my knowledge, every destination, and I mean every destination is more expensive at Xmas. You are stating the obvious. Some lines, apparently not Celebrity, make a sincere attempt and succeed in offering holiday touches which make the cruise memorable and as a result the passenger thinks they have received some kind of bang for their buck. I was on this cruise ( Constellation 12/22 ) and my wife and I had a great time, this includes being at Nachi. We went to Nachi and enjoyed it very much but it had nothing to do with the cruise line. So, I am not sure what point you are making. I can't comment on the shows as the timing did not fit our habits. Well I can and did comment on them and to say that they were amateurish doesn't really get to the full heart of the matter. I am sure that we are not alone in our admission that entertainemtn is important to us on a cruise and so we were disappointed.We had an 8;30 seating and would usually have cocktails around 5 and then spend time in the Persian Gardens, catch Perry at 7:45 then have dinner. We found the food and service in the main dining room to be more than acceptable and OceanLiners was, in our opinion, more than worth the up charge. I am happy that your experience was a positive one but we found the food lacking any flavour and dining was not a good experience for us in the main dining room. The buffets were great, however. Service and ambience in Ocean Liners was excellent but again, the food did not blow me away.

 

Maybe I'm lucky, we have easy access to Vegas so if i want to see a Vegas quality show, I go to Vegas. I don't mean to be so blunt, but the reality is things are what they are, enjoy them while you can.

I enjoy shows everywhere, including while on my vacation but I did not on this one. The shows were boring and the variety limited. The fact that there was not one comedian on the 11 night cruise is an example. You won't mind if I am equally blunt when I say that while things are what they are, I will comment on how they need improvement when I am paying for them. Once again, the fact that lines ask for feedback in a variety of forms, follwing the completion of a cruise demonstrates that even the cruise line does not live by your slogan, "Things are what they are. Enjoy them while you can."