Constellation Review February 8 2014

I'm going to start typing this now on my phone or I'll never get started, sorry for any typos or funny autocorrects. This is a review of the February 8, 2014 five night cruise my wife and I took on the Constellation. A little about us first. We are both in our late forties and this is the first cruise we have had in a while without the kids and our first with Celebrity. Our previous cruises were with Carnival and Royal Caribbean and back in the day wife did a couple of cruises on Azure Seas with her grandparents. We live in California so usually taking a Caribbean cruise takes a little bit of planning. This trip one of our daughters was competing in the national dance championships at Disneyworld so we were able to add on the cruise after sending her home with the rest of her team.

PRECRUISE

Because of the competition we flew into Orlando the week before and had a car available to us. Renting from Alamo was simple and somehow I lucked into a special and got the car for far less than anyone else was putting out there at the time. Using Alamo's online booking system I was able to do all the paperwork ahead of time and walk right out to the aisle and pick our car. At MCO Alamo doesn't have Standard size cars so if you book a standard you will get a full-size, for us this was a Toyota Camry. Lots of the cars had small dings and dents, make sure you use your cell phone to take pictures of the damage before renting. Loaded our luggage, showed the guy at the exit gate my CDL, credit card and paperwork and we were on our way; easiest car rental I've ever had.

Couldn't find a cheap room in Ft. Lauderdale, but the car gave us some flexibility and we found a room in Boca Raton at the Hilton Garden Inn for a very good price with my government rate. Nice, clean room with plenty of services just across the freeway; if you have the flexibility of a car I would highly recommend it. After an easy drive to FLL we dropped off the car and caught the free shuttle to the port. This shuttle was only free for people renting from Alamo, National, and Enterprise. There may have been other free shuttles for different companies but I didn't see them (wasn't really looking either I wanted to get to the boat!). Shuttle dropped us off with no problem about 10:40 (for an 11:00 boarding), passed our bags off to the porter (with tip!) and headed into the terminal.

For this cruise we had booked Aqua Class and quickly found the "priority" line for check in. Since just about every cabin category has its own queue I'm not really sure what "priority" means. On this boarding Concierge Class had a much shorter line than AQ but our wait was no more than 15 minutes. Check in was fairly painless and the staff was polite. At 11:00 people started being moved from the lounge onto the ship and receiving their champagne or mimosa. I'll continue later about our onboard adventures, if you have specific questions let me know.

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Great so far! Look forward to reading the rest. I'll be on her on March 8 - also in Aqua Class. Was wondering if you were on deck 9 or 11

Great so far! Look forward to reading the rest. I'll be on her on March 8 - also in Aqua Class. Was wondering if you were on deck 9 or 11

Cabin 1138, aft facing on deck 11. By far the best cabin I've ever had but I'd like to tell everyone I hated it so it doesn't book up.

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Looking forward to the review. Looking at this ship for 2015

Going March 8th... good so far!

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION DAY

After taking the obligatory pre-boarding photo my wife and I board and are given our free Mimosas to welcome us aboard. We're some of the first on board but there is already a line at the guest relations. I need to check in with them about a private tour I have arranged for later in the cruise but figured it could wait (I'm not very good with lines). The third deck area is kind of crowded with staff and new guests so we make our way up the beautiful main stairway to deck four. There is a DJ playing current hit music at the top of the stairs; it's loud but not so loud you can't hear yourself talk. I enjoy most types of music and this upbeat stuff puts me in the mood to start my vacation. We are planning to stop by Bistro on Five for lunch but it's still early so we decide to explore a little bit first. As soon as we leave the Atrium area the music can't be heard so concerns I've read about the music being piped in everywhere seem to be unfounded (at least on the Constellation).

The rest of the boat is pretty empty, we run into only a few other couples exploring the ship. We go forward first checking out the Celebrity theater, working our way back through the Fortunes casino and Rendezvous Lounge before ending up at the San Marco restaurant; all of it looks pretty much like what I saw on Carnival’s Triumph 10 years ago size wise, but there seems to be a little more touch of elegance to everything. Checking out the menu I see tonight’s appetizers include frog legs, but I don’t really pay attention as I’m looking forward to Blu and I’ll take my chances that BLu will have them later in the week. My wife makes a comment that we should at least go in and see where our table would be if we chose to eat in San Marco one evening. That’s when it dawns at me that she doesn’t realize WE HAVE NO table in San Marco; if we want to eat there one night we’ll have to make arrangements and be given a table that night. Now my wife is well read and studies up on these things so I wonder how many other AQ passengers also get confused by seeing a select dining time on their Celebrity paperwork. We decide to go up one floor and take a look at the Blu menu. Somewhere in these travels we run into a staff member with a table setup to take reservations for both Tuscan Grill and Ocean Liners. We ask about a reservation for the first night and are told it will be $45 a person (normal price), I ask if there is any discount available and he tells us he could take 20% off for tonight. Not sure if that is what we want to do so we tell him we will decide later and head up to the Sunset Bar to get a drink and take a look at our balcony from the bar area.

The Ocean View Buffet is still practically empty so we decide to grab a few things and take them out to the bar with us. This is about the third time we have taken a squirt of antibacterial since boarding the ship. The buffet has a nice selection of fruit, asian food and desserts along with the sandwich grill at the back. I get a grilled tuna melt that is done very well and tasty (so much for leaving room for Bistro on Five today). We get out to the Sunset bar which is fairly empty, but the service still seems kind of slow to me (I’ll give them that its transition day and things may not be completely organized so we’ll see how the rest of the week goes). We have the premium upgrade on the drink package, but stick with some simple cocktails for now (a cadillac margarita and a Malibu Breeze along with a large bottle of Evian). Get the drinks, hand over the cards, no slip to sign and nothing could be simpler. Tables on the starboard side are all taken, while the port side is empty (I forgot about the smoking areas). We grab a table on the smoking side which is mostly empty, and since nobody is smoking around us we aren’t bothered by any tobacco smells (we aren’t smokers, but to be honest smoke doesn’t usually bother us and sometimes I enjoy the scent of tobacco). After finishing our lunch it is about 1:15 and we decide to walk up to check out deck 11 around our cabin.

Lucky for us we run into our Assistant Cabin Steward (Antonio? sorry terrible with names) and after a friendly hello he tells us we can go into our room early. We ask if he’s sure its OK, and as he is letting us in the announcement is made that everyone’s rooms are ready. Our cabin, 1138, is beautiful. Admittedly it’s our first balcony, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but I can’t imagine a better room without going to a suite. This will be a great place to call home for the next five days with the glass shower enclosure (no curtain), Hansgrohe shower wall, champagne on the table, and an extended balcony.

More to come later about Day 1 but I have to figure out how to get some pictures posted here first……

We had Cabin 1131 for both this cruise and the one before it; did a back to back. I'm sure we passed each other once or twice. I was amazed at how quiet our cabin was. We really enjoyed it and loved the quick getaway down the stairs to the bar and Ocean View Cafe.

Great Cruise, great crew and a fantastic Captain. Very accessible; spoke to him personally about 3 times during our ten days.

Can either of you comment on cabin 1128 - any potential pitfalls?

I look forward to your pics - especially if you have pics of the cabin as I imagine ours will be almost identical (not sure about the balcony tho)

Oh, speaking of, are there footstools on the balcony or just chairs and a table?

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Loving your review so far! Do you (or anyone?) know if all cabins have the glass enclosure for the shower? Or do some, such as insides, have the plastic curtain?

Thanks :)

Loving your review so far! Do you (or anyone?) know if all cabins have the glass enclosure for the shower? Or do some, such as insides, have the plastic curtain?

 

Thanks :)

I can't for certain speak to other categories but I was told cabins below AQ are all curtained.

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Can either of you comment on cabin 1128 - any potential pitfalls?

 

I look forward to your pics - especially if you have pics of the cabin as I imagine ours will be almost identical (not sure about the balcony tho)

 

Oh, speaking of, are there footstools on the balcony or just chairs and a table?

 

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I will be posting pics of both the cabin and balcony later tonight. 1128's balcony will definitely be smaller than 1138's and have a much smaller overhang. The 11th deck is very quiet overall so there shouldn't be any more noise at 1128 than 1138, in fact it might be quieter since it doesn't hang over the sunset bar (although we didn't hear a lot of outside noise either). With the shorter overhang of 1128 I would think the sun might be a problem but otherwise I can't see any pitfalls to that cabin.

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We had Cabin 1131 for both this cruise and the one before it; did a back to back. I'm sure we passed each other once or twice. I was amazed at how quiet our cabin was. We really enjoyed it and loved the quick getaway down the stairs to the bar and Ocean View Cafe.

 

Great Cruise, great crew and a fantastic Captain. Very accessible; spoke to him personally about 3 times during our ten days.

I'm sure we ran by each other at some point. If you saw an incredibly handsome gray haired man running up and down the stairs with two drinks at a time that was me :-D

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Used my GoPro to get into tight spaces so there's a bit of distortion. Like your rear view mirror objects may appear larger than they actually are

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Now that I have the photos figured out I'll move forward with the rest of the review.

Cabin 1138, aft facing on deck 11. By far the best cabin I've ever had but I'd like to tell everyone I hated it so it doesn't book up.

 

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Mine on April 5!!! (booked it a year in advance.....)

Mine on April 5!!! (booked it a year in advance.....)

I rebooked it while onboard for next year same time. Absolutely hate that cabin!:rolleyes:

I can't for certain speak to other categories but I was told cabins below AQ are all curtained.

 

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Thank you!

We have a Aqua cabin on deck 9. Would the interior (not balcony) be basically the same? I gather the balcony itself is smaller than deck 11.

Great review BTW and since we leave in a couple of weeks (plus a day or 2) it sure increasing the excitement.

DAY 1 CONTINUED

Without our luggage to unpack we unwind on the balcony for a bit and examine the details of our room. The balcony has two of the brown reclining chairs and one footstool. Not sure where the second footstool has gotten to, but I don’t really use them so let it go. There are also to smaller side tables and a taller, large one that will be ideal for room service breakfast. In the room we find binoculars (they look worthless, but I used them later in the cruise and they did fairly well), a large umbrella (not needed until the last night of the trip), a small sling backpack, and a bag similar to the reusable ones you get at the grocery store. There are also two yellow towels for beach use when in port and paperwork giving us information about the days activities and our upcoming cruise. There is also a note from Blu telling us that although we can select our own dining time, this first night they have guaranteed us a reservation to try to control when everyone shows up to eat. After a brief break we decide to resume our tour of the boat.

An easy walk out the back way and down the stairs and we are at the Sunset Bar again where I grab a couple of Heinekens to keep me occupied while we walk (going to love this drink package). We check out the gym (going to have to spend some time here I’m sure) and the Persian Gardens. The heated benches and steam area don’t appear to be the windowless dungeon I was expecting from other reviews I’ve seen, but we end up never going to the gardens this trip since we are busy with other activities. Back down to the third floor I swing by the Shore Excursion desk and talk to Frank about our planned X-Rail excursion in Cozumel. He tells me the tickets for the trip are in our cabin already (they were) and where to go once we reach port. He also reminds me that the ship will stay on Eastern time the entire trip and to remember Cozumel will be an hour behind us while we are on the island. The line has died down at Guest Relations so I talk to the host there about our private tour.

Now, a little about me so you understand what I am asking for. I have been in law enforcement for over 25 years (looking forward to retirement in a couple of years) but my degree is in Environmental Science with a concentration in Sustainability; within the last year I was moved to head a special project of converting all the jail systems in our county to “green”. In my research I discovered Celebrity had a sustainability program and I was curious how their program would relate to what I am trying to accomplish in our jail system. To my delight Celebrity's head office agreed to let me meet with the ship's Environmental Officer and have a tour of what they were doing below decks. The Guest Relations host takes my information and tells me the Environmental Officer will call me later to set a time.

Continuing our tour of the ship we find Ocean Liners and decide to take a look to see if we want to eat there this trip. Beautiful restaurant with some nice memorabilia and we run into the Maitre'd as we are looking around. He tells us he will give us the 20% discount and round the price down to an even $35 per person. I explain to him we are dining in Blu and am not sure what night to miss. He says he always recommends missing the first night since it is the busiest at Blu and they offer the discount to both fill their restaurant and alleviate some of the pressure on Blu. He gives us a reservation for 8pm.

It's just about time for sailaway so we head back to the bar to pick up a couple of tropical cocktails to enjoy on our balcony (can you see how the drink package is starting to save us a bunch of cash)? Our luggage has arrived but we set it aside to unpack after sailaway. The Constellation is the second boat out of the port this day and we enjoy watching the pleasure craft buzzing about as two more cruise ships follow us out. As we clear Fort Lauderdale we see a big storm brewing off of Miami and a beautiful sunset.

We decide to check out the Martini Bar before heading to Ocean Liners. The bar is already busy but we're able to find two seats away from the bar next to the windows. We upgraded to the premium package when we made final payment; I’m not sure we needed it but we wanted to be able to drink whatever we wanted (including the Martini Bar) and for a 5 night cruise it is only $115 for two people. Not much money in the scheme of things. We each get a martini and relax to watch the crowd when two seats open up at the bar. We move up to the bar and talk a little to our neighbors. They are drinking some kind of pink martini so we order one of those to share and find it just okay. There are others waiting for the bar so we decide to give up our seats to another couple and see if we can get in a few minutes early to Ocean Liners.

I’ll post about our wonderful Ocean Liners experience next….

We have a Aqua cabin on deck 9. Would the interior (not balcony) be basically the same? I gather the balcony itself is smaller than deck 11.

Great review BTW and since we leave in a couple of weeks (plus a day or 2) it sure increasing the excitement.

Thanks, hopefully you enjoy it as much as we did. I will be curious to hear what you have to say about deck 9. The overhang scares us a little bit, but not sure I want the complete exposure of a deck 11 side cabin.

I did not see the interior of any deck 9 cabins but the other cabins on deck 11 had similar interiors; the deck 11 cabins are all new so there may be some differences. Looking at the balconies the side cabins on 9 and 11 seem to have the same size balconies it is only the aft facing ones that seem to be larger.

I love reading your review. My cruise is a bit away and on a different ship but your style of writing gets me excited for mine

I'm sure we ran by each other at some point. If you saw an incredibly handsome gray haired man running up and down the stairs with two drinks at a time that was me :-D

 

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LOL, no it wasn't.........it was ME!:D

I'm a bit puzzled about your statement that the premium drink package was only $115 for two people, for a 5-night cruise. I went on the Celebrity web site, as I was curious about how much it would be for my 4-night cruise and when I chose this option, the price came up as $496.80! Can you clarify for me? What am I doing wrong here?

The $115 was to upgrade from the classic package to the premium package.

The cost to do that is $10 (+15%) per person per day....

$11.50 * 2 * 5 = $115

You are looking at the price of the entire package.

I'm a bit puzzled about your statement that the premium drink package was only $115 for two people, for a 5-night cruise. I went on the Celebrity web site, as I was curious about how much it would be for my 4-night cruise and when I chose this option, the price came up as $496.80! Can you clarify for me? What am I doing wrong here?

I suspect he got the classic package in the 123 promo and it cost him 115.00 for two people to upgrade to the premium package. It is 11.50 a day pp to upgrade times 5 days.

I'm a bit puzzled about your statement that the premium drink package was only $115 for two people, for a 5-night cruise. I went on the Celebrity web site, as I was curious about how much it would be for my 4-night cruise and when I chose this option, the price came up as $496.80! Can you clarify for me? What am I doing wrong here?

He most likely received the Classic package on the 123Go Sale and the $115 was the price to upgrade to Premium