Review of Constellation 10/3-16 from first timer

[sailsalot]

Three of us went on the NE/Canada cruise, and after cruising on several other lines (Cunard, HAL and Princess), we thought we'd give Celebrity a try. We had no expectations going in, and in the end, we were so impressed with our experience overall and would definitely sail again on Celebrity. I hope this review is helpful to others who are first timers, and if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

Embarkation--Very fast and efficient. We were in concierge class, so it was nice to have priority boarding. We were on in a flash!

Ship--Nicely organized, and we loved the decor of the fabrics and lighting throughout the ship. Each of the public rooms were very tasteful and pretty. We especially loved the abundance of window views from almost every area. BUT, the artwork and sculptures left us scratching our heads, wondering, "Huh??" Paper bunnies, play-doh trees, lumps of clay, iron staircase-looking structures, and what we termed the "shrunken heads" looked odd throughout the beautiful public rooms. I won't even mention the scribbling on paper that was put into frames and hung on the walls as art. None of it seemed like it went with the Celebrity experience. And that brings me to the artificial flowers. Arrangements ranged from all white silk flowers that looked very washed out, to arrangements that were downright old, tired-looking, and dusty. Those green and brown topiary things outside San Marco restaurant were pretty bad. It would be so nice to see fresh flower arrangements throughout the ship. Other lines have them (HAL, Princess), so there shouldn't be an excuse.

Cabin--we had a concierge class on deck 9. Yes, there was some noise from above at very very late hours of the night, but it didn't bother us too much. There were 3 of us in the cabin, and there seemed to be space for us all. The closet/drawer space was less than on other cruiselines. We enjoyed our CC perks, and actually liked and ate our canapes. Fresh fruit, flowers and the rose were replenished throughout the trip. Our room steward was very efficient and did a great job keeping the place looking super. We loved only having to go up 1 deck for the buffet area, and also enjoyed having the library right down our hall.

Meals--We ate every breakfast and lunch in the buffet, except for 2 brunch buffets in the Main Dining Room, which were fabulous! The buffet area had great variety in food, and the flow of people seemed to work well. We ate every dinner in San Marco, and loved our waiters--Popa and Joey. Also had a lot of contact with Mario, the restaurant manager, who was very friendly and pitched in to help wherever it was needed. Everyone's tastes are different, so I won't bore you with what we liked and didn't like. However, overall, we found the food to be delicious, and a nice variety of choices. Desserts actually tasted like desserts, unlike on other lines, where they look pretty but don't taste like anything. The hot food came out hot, and cold food came out cold. Our only complaint was the lack of regional food to represent the areas we visited of NE and Canada. I hope they think of that with future trips, wherever they go to.

Activities--There were lots of things to do on board. We really enjoyed having Catholic Mass on board every day. Bingo was not well-attended, but was made very enjoyable by Alejandro (Capt. Bingo). Trivia was iffy at times, with one session being completely butchered by a rather ditzy staffmember. Port lectures were very informative. We enjoyed to Elegant Teas, which were very nicely done, and it was especially nice to see passengers dress up for it. We enjoyed the library and made it through several books during the trip. We tried to take the Art Walk (to solve the mystery of the "art" on board!), but the i-pods were not charged up. We loved the game room filled with board games, and found other spots on the ship to read and enjoy the relaxation of sailing.

Staff--With the exception of the 2 females on activities staff, it was one of the best experiences ever, and we have almost 30 cruises between the 3 of us. Helpful, friendly, professional, are how I would describe them. There are many people on hand to carry trays in the buffet area, and others walking around offering refills on coffee and other drinks. There was a wonderful team spirit among the crew, and a very positive feel all around the ship. We were especially impressed with the Captain, who made himself very visible, walking around the ship, talking with passengers.

Excursions--These were very nicely organized by the ship. We took ship excursions in Boston, Quebec, and PEI. The other ports, we wandered around on our own, taking free local buses to sightsee. We were very happy with our choices.

Entertainment--We loved the guest entertainers, especially guest pianist Antonio Salci. What a class act!! The string quartet was fantastic. The singers in the production shows were the best we've ever seen, and the dancers very talented. However, we felt that in the first 2 shows, many of the dances seemed inappropriately suggestive, and the outfits got a bit skimpy. The 3d show was fine, in our opinion. The orchestra was great, and the Rythym of the Night trio had everyone dancing all night. We were very impressed overall with the quality of the entertainment and thought it was top-notch.

I might have missed a few topics, but overall, we loved the trip, loved Celebrity, and would sail again on one of their ships, and in particular the Constellation.

Happy sailing to everyone!!

[nps001]

Thanks for the great review. I hope to sail Connie soon.

[Host Andy]

Hi Sailsalot !

Thank you for your excellent review. I'm glad you enjoyed your Constellation sailing. I am onboard in 10 days.... I can't wait. Welcome Home !

[Xellent]

Originally Posted by sailsalot

The orchestra was great, and the Rhythm of the Night trio had everyone dancing all night. We were very impressed overall with the quality of the entertainment and thought it was top-notch.

I might have missed a few topics, but overall, we loved the trip, loved Celebrity, and would sail again on one of their ships, and in particular the Constellation.

Happy sailing to everyone!!

I love it when people love the same things we do... In our opinion no ship does Cruising Celebrity-style better than the Constellation... again and again.
Thanks for the review from a fresh set of eyes.

[Texed]

Originally Posted by sailsalot

Three of us went on the NE/Canada cruise, and after cruising on several other lines (Cunard, HAL and Princess), we thought we'd give Celebrity a try.

Thanks for posting.