Constellation Feb 23 Review

[CrabbyHarper]

My review of the Feb 23 voyage of the Constellation has been posted on the review boards. If anyone has questions, please post them here and I will try to answer.

 

Overall a very relaxing cruise, not perfect, but very good.;)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Hi, Crabby,

 

Glad to hear you had a good cruise. We're doing a full transit of the canal on the Connie next January. I want to do the Baltic/St. Petersburg and Canada/New England after that. What are your next two?

 

Sorry to hear the MDR didn't work out for you. Did you try the alternative dining area where they charge $2/person and it's much less formal? I've never tried that, but would be interested to do so some time.

 

How would you rate the Connie in comparison with our cruise on the Millie?

[CrabbyHarper]

Hey there, Happy!

 

Yes, we did the casual dining for 6 nights. I didn't mention it because I want it to continue one of the best kept secrets of Celebrity! We did not at all mind the $2 per person extra, it was worth it. We did dress according to the dress code for the evening, but not everyone did. There were usually only 3 or 4 other parties at the time we dined.

 

The casual dining is set up on the port side of the Seaside Cafe. Tables are set with linen, good glassware, etc. and there is a wait staff and maitre'd. Sometimes, for instance when the formal dinners are on in the Main dining room, the wait staff may be folks trying to move up from other positions, so they try extra hard and are soooooo nice to deal with!

 

We never had a problem getting a reservation for the time we prefer - a table for 2 at 6:00 pm. The area is quiet, not at all hectic, and quite often we sat at a table by the window - not such a big deal when it gets dark by 6:00 pm, but quite lovely when we were in Alaska on the Summit some years ago.

 

The menu is fixed - it is the same every night, except for one extra in each category that changes every night. So every night there are 3 or 4 things that are the same, and one thing that is different in appetizers, soup, salad, entree, and dessert. The every night entrees were steak, salmon, chicken and -- I think -- pasta.

 

We did not mind the menu being the same - the trade off was the peace and quiet, the great service, and the timing. We ate leisurely and were still finished in an hour. For older bodies that is a blessing. We then had time to attend the first showing of the evening entertainment, which is usually for the folks who are in the second seating. Again, for older folks like us who cannot stay awake after around 9 pm, this was a blessing!

 

As for comparing Connie and Millie, I think they are comparable. I prefer the longer cruises, but this had nothing to do with the ship.

 

Our next two Celebrity cruises are to Alaska on the Mercury in May, and to the Bahamas from Baltimore, also aboard the Mercury in January. We are also going in September on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas to Canada and New England from Bayonne, NJ. We went a little nutso when we retired last year - trying to make up for lost time!

 

Good to hear from you - let me know how the Baltic cruise works out. That is on my "bucket" list, too.

 

Gerry

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Good for you--going a little nutso and doing lots of cruises in your retirement! I hope to get more in after I retire as well. Am also looking to combine some land adventures with cruising. When we complete our Panama Canal transit in Miami, I'm thinking of renting a car and spending several days exploring the Keys. And when we do the Baltic one, want to spend some time in London prior to the cruise. If I win the lottery before that one, would love to take the last one of the season and then return home on the TA, thus only having to fly across the pond once!

 

They're all good! Let me know how your Canada/New England cruise out of Bayonne works out. Was going to do one of those this fall, but it's been put off until next fall. Haven't decided which ship/cruise yet.

 

Good to hear from you!