My Review of Our First and Likely Only Celebrity Cruise on board the Constellation -

with all the negativity, I'm afraid

My Review of Our First and Likely Only Celebrity Cruise on board the Constellation

Is going to be

My First and Likely Only Review of Our Celebrity Cruise on board the Constellation

:(

I think the only really negative comment has been (rightly) removed. If the OP is monitoring this, I vote absolutely for a continuation of the review. I was intrigued as to how your feelings affected your cruise experience and I also believe ( as illiniwahoo said ) that knowing this can help better understand someone else's perspective.

Please don't let one insensitive comment sully what could be a great review.

Our next cruise is on Constellation in November, so I'm really enjoying your review. Please keep the instalments coming!

Our next cruise is on Constellation in November, so I'm really enjoying your review. Please keep the instalments coming!

We are going in November too! Are you going the 19th?

I'd like to read more about the cruise myself, but I may unsubscribe from the thread. My email box is full enough as it is, lol.

We are going in November too! Are you going the 19th?

 

I'd like to read more about the cruise myself, but I may unsubscribe from the thread. My email box is full enough as it is, lol.

We're on the transatlantic, just before your cruise. We'll keep the ship warm for you! :)

We're on the transatlantic, just before your cruise. We'll keep the ship warm for you! :)

Well, thank you for that! lol. Just save some wine and beer for us, k?

Oh my

It looks like those drink packages have introduced some confusion

This is good to know before we cruise

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting a follow-up, and thank you for your kind words. Things have been a little hectic for me over the last few days. Don't worry, I would never let someone else's negativity or bullying govern whether I write more or not. Writing is a passion of mine. I've also been working to relaunch my personal political blog. I'll probably get the latest entry out tonight after I edit it some for our day in Nassau.

I am very much enjoying this review. I do have to chime in about the short cruises not being representative of the product. I go on mostly longer cruises (more than 10 days), but went on a 4 night cruise on the Constellation last year and was surprised at the difference. For one, the crowd was remarkably younger than what we are used to. For another, on the first day, we must have be approached about booking speciality restaurants at least 5 times before dinner. Never had that before. It really is a totally different experience than a longer cruise.

 

It's unfortunate the LGBT get-together was not well attended. On some of the cruises I've been on, the martini bar was a real hot-spot for those get-togethers and it look like everyone was having a blast.

 

I hope we get to read the rest of this engaging story.

I'm unsure as to whether the LGBT gathering was well attended or not. Philip and I are just really shy, and painfully so sometimes. We did notice a decent group of gay guys hanging out together sometimes. I assume they all met at the gathering.

Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas

I woke up to Philip yelling, "We're coming into port! I'm gonna go up and watch!" I wish I could have joined in on his excitement, but something was off. I really didn't feel good. I was nauseous and dizzy. Philip went up to watch the Constellation come into port and to get breakfast. I decided to sleep for a while longer. I was bound to sleep whatever this was off. Philip had to be ashore to meet with the Ultimate Bahamas Adventures by 9:30AM for his snorkeling trip, which I was still adamantly against going on with him (I'm really really really stubborn). I was still feeling sick, so after he tried and tried to get me to go, we decided that I would sleep a while longer and he would meet me back in our stateroom around 12:30 or 1 when his excursion was over so that we could sightsee together. Honestly, I wanted to go with him, even if I just sat on the boat, but I just wasn't feeling well. Philip left for his excursion, and I will spare you the details of what happened next for me. I was happy that I'd be able to sleep a little longer and be able to venture out in Nassau a little later. Nassau was busy today, as there were six different ships in port at once.

About 20-30 minutes later, I heard our door slam. It was Philip. The Ultimate Bahamas Adventure had changed his excursion to 2:30PM and they were not returning until 5:00PM, so he had to cancel his excursion. With my canceled excursion and Philip's excursion getting rescheduled, I would definitely not recommend going through this company, if you are looking for third party excursions. They didn't let me know I was on a waiting list and they had not informed us beforehand that times could change and that Philip's had changed (They did reimburse our deposit for the excursion).

I still really wasn't feeling well, but I really wanted to experience the island with Philip. He talked me into going ashore with him. I got to the elevator shafts and I was just too dizzy and nauseous. I apologized and told him that I just could not make it. Disappointed and sad, I went back to our room. I really wish he could have went on his original excursion, because I feel that I would have been able to meet up with him afterwards. Alas, that did not happen. I didn't want Philip to miss out on Nassau, so I told him to go have fun. He was reluctant, but he did go. Ronnie, our room steward came to our room a couple of times before, so I looked for our 'Do Not Disturb' sign, but could not find it. I fell back asleep until about two.

I was feeling better, but I still wasn't 100%. I took a shower and headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for something to eat. The buffet was already closed, and the lines for the sandwiches and pasta was long, so I settled for a salad and some pizza. I got a balsamic vinegarette on my salad, which is usually one of my favorite dressings, but I really didn't like this one. By the time I got to the pizza station, the number of slices left was dwindling and people were calculating how many they should take so the person behind them wouldn't be left out, or have to wait for a new pizza to come out. I'm sure there would have been more pizza coming quickly, but no one wanted to be the last to take the available slices. With four or five trays, it seems like it would have been better to rotate the pizzas. When one was empty, another one quickly replaced it. That's not really a negative, more of just an observation. I enjoyed the pizza, although it was slightly flimsy.

I took my time eating and sat on the side where we were docked next to the Disney Wonder. It was a nice ship, but I just couldn't help but to think about all the kids on that boat. Speaking about kids, there was a decent amount on our sailing. I was actually surprised about that. From my observations they were all well-behaved... I'm sure their parents would disagree at times, though... Lol. After eating, I went to the Oceanview Bar and took some pictures of Nassau. Despite not really liking Nassau, I did wish I was out there. I found a lounger and just relaxed for a bit by the pool after taking the pictures. For those that might be wondering why I didn't quarantine myself since I was feeling ill, it's because I knew it wasn't the flu or any other communicable illnesses. I think it was a really bad hangover coupled with some irritation from the ship's movements (I usually don't get seasick).

It was getting closer to when I thought Philip should be back, so I walked up to the 11th deck and looked over to where the gangway was. I was probably up there less than a minute or two when I saw him getting ready to board. I practically ran down the stairs to Deck 3, where I figured he'd be getting off the elevator to go back to our room to greet him. The elevator went to Deck 4. Philip stopped off at the Martini Bar to get an Evian water, and I intercepted him.

We headed back down to our room, where Philip told me about his day and showed me some pictures he had taken. He booked a snorkeling trip with a third party on the port and said he enjoyed the trip. He told me he ate conch fritters, which was all I talked about wanting when we were planning our trip. He must've went to a touristy spot, because he said he paid eight dollars for four fritters. When I was in Nassau two years ago, my group went to a restaurant frequented by the locals, and I don't remember spending that much for fritters. Philip really wanted to see Atlantis, but didn't want to spend the money on an excursion there. He was able to go into some areas for free. He paid a taxi driver $4 each way from the port to get there. He did say another taxi driver tried to rip him off and charge $20 to get around. They told him this before he got in, so he didn't go with them. He also said the taxi drivers kept asking if they could give him a tour of the island and give recommendations on where he should go, including where to get drugs (Which neither of us are into). I'd highly recommend negotiating a price with a driver before getting in. We got duped by a driver when I was there two years ago. Philip also visited the straw market. I had warned him that it's not that great. He realized after going there why I told him that. He didn't enjoy the market.

We again headed up to the Oceanview Bar to watch the sail away after Philip stopped at the Martini Bar for a martini. He got a martini with lychee in it and he wasn't too fond of the flavor. It didn't have to do with how it was made, so it wasn't the fault of any of the bartenders there. I got nothing as I was in no mood to drink alcohol. Philip got some pasta at the pasta bar in the Oceanview Cafe, which he enjoyed.

After Philip ate and we were on our way to Key West, we grabbed a couple of loungers by the outside pools. Philip finished his martini, and I ate some pasta salad I got from the Cafe that was now open for dinner. I'm obsessed with pasta salad, but I was not impressed. The pasta was drying out, and there wasn't much flavor to the salad. Philip had gotten too much sun, so he wanted to go into the Solarium. I quickly got into the Thalassotherapy pool. We got into one of the hot tubs when one was free and spent the rest of our time in there. Around 7:30, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. I was hoping this experience would be different from last night.

I was excited for tonight. I had been looking forward to this night since we had booked the trip. While I didn't like the idea of the formal night being obligatory, unless we wanted to go to a specialty restaurant or the buffet, even though I wasn't against dressing up. I had bought a sports jacket a few days before the trip, and Philip bought one before we left Pittsburgh (I say he couldn't handle me being dressed up better than he would be). I was excited about getting our picture professionally done and was planning to buy the photo if it turned out well. There was a large group and a small line to get your picture taken on the grand foyer, so we opted to just go to dinner and wait for the photographer to come around. We were handed the dreadful pager as there was a wait again. Philip asked to make sure this pager was in working order. The maitre d kind of looked at him like he was crazy, but said it would work. We waited inside Cellar Masters until it buzzed less than 10 minutes later.

The manager that came over and apologized to us the night before seated us tonight. I was starting to feel nauseous again, but I tried to suppress the feeling. I looked at the menu and was thinking, "I don't know what any of this stuff is!" I thought the food choices were exotic ingredients and that's why I couldn't understand the menu. Philip said something about lobster being on the menu. I assumed he had the same menu as I did, so I asked where he saw that. At that point, I realized my menu was in French. The maitre d that was so nice and immediately got us seated the night before came over and asked if my menu was in English. I hadn't said anything, so I wonder how she knew. I lightheartedly told her I didn't think so. She switched out my menu and I could finally understand what I was about to eat. We all had a good laugh at that. I ordered a Caesar salad and the Caribbean lobster. I can't remember what else Philip ordered besides the lobster.

My nausea was getting stronger again, and it was triggering my anxiety. I have agoraphobia (Fear of not being able to escape) and I felt I was about to vomit and have a panic attack because my irrational mind thought I was trapped at the table. I excused myself from the table and told Philip that I'd be back. After calming down a little bit, I came back to the table and picked at my salad. I couldn't handle my nausea anymore. I told Philip that I was going to go lay down in our room. I informed our assistant waiter that I was leaving. I'm not sure if he was concerned I may have norovirus, or if he didn't understand what I was saying, because he kept asking me what was wrong. He also thought I asked him if I could take my food back to our room, which I never asked that. Food was the last thing I wanted to think about. Apparently he also asked Philip was what wrong with me I never got that formal night photo :(

I fell asleep for a couple of hours while Philip finished his dinner and went to the late show. I felt a lot better after I woke up and my stomach was growling. I ordered room service through my TV. I was disappointed at the limited selection. On NCL, you can normally order what was offered in the main dining rooms. Any of the appealing foods that were offered were upcharged of at least $20. My room service came fairly quickly. I'd say it arrived within 10-15 minutes. The attendant was very polite. He asked if he could come in before he entered. He set my tray on the desk in the room. I handed him a tip and at first he just sort of looked at it in my hand. He almost seemed shocked I was giving him a tip. I ordered a cup of chicken noodle soup, which was rather disappointing. It seemed more like spaghetti with chicken broth rather than a hearty soup.That didn't stop me from devouring it all though. I also got a Caesar salad. I had been craving it for days. The salad was very delicious. I also ordered a piece of cheesecake with blueberries which was also good. I watched Top Chef episodes while I ate. The channel selection on the tv was abundant. I don't remember watching TV on other ships, so what I saw may be standsrd on most cruiselines today. I felt significantly better after eating.

Philip came back a short while later after he went to the late show and a bar after the show. He enjoyed the Captain's Gala, which was accompanied with a complimentary glass of champagne. He said iHollywood was just OK. Philip said the bar died off fairly quickly. I want to say it was Rendezvous, but I could be mistaken. I do know it wasn't the Reflections Lounge. We watched another episode of Top Chef before nodding off to sleep. I just hoped I would feel better tomorrow.

Next up: Day 3 - Sea Day

Welcome back Zactak! I am really happy to see you will continue your review and that we will understand why that will be your only cruise on Celebrity.

What a suspense!!

Welcome back Zactak, looking forward to the rest of your review!! BTW, had a good laugh with the menu in French!! :)

I'm enjoying your review and this is really not a criticism - it seems that many things you disliked were not Celebrities fault - third party excursion, agoraphobia, overwhelming emotions and panic attacks...taking these things out of the picture, I feel Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line that often goes the extra mile ($100 OBC, free specialty dinner, bottle of wine)

I've been following your adventures. I will have to comment on one thing. PLEASE be sure to stay hydrated when on a ship. If you feel nauseous after drinking (hangover?) that's your signal to begin to drink water. Many glasses of it. I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know, but it's always a good reminder. You may be more susceptible than others. I have to drink about two glasses of water for every glass of anything else. If the 'anything else' is alcohol then maybe three to one. Plus the drying effect on the closed environment of a ship seems to intensify that.

You might have been able to get a better room service menu by picking up the phone and calling your room steward. I know you said you're shy, but those people are there to help you; all you need to do is ask. You *can* get the main dining room food delivered to your room.

Well yes and no, we wanted an inside cabin which had no offers combined with the price in the UK, only ocean view and above. We actually got the best price booking directly with Celebrity.

I don't know what your pricing structure was, but when I figured in the prepaid gratuities, beverage package and $600 OBC, it was cheaper to book a Concierge Class cabin than an inside cab!

I always book early, very early, and always check the big online TAs for deals on my cruises. 2/3 of the time my cruise is not even offered. The 1/3 of the time it is offered, the benefits are not significant.

 

I prefer controlling my booking. I can call if a price drop takes place. Some travel agencies are difficult to get in touch with (from what I read on cc) and one can miss out on price drops.

 

Whatever works for you is fine. I book early and generally find prices go up.

Depends. I usually book about one year out but only if a good deal is available. Lowest price is not usually offered when cruise first opens for booking. NOTE I said USUALLY. As far as controlling my own booking I would not pay a penny for that. The agency I use has far more pull with any cruise line than I do. I just send an email to customer service and any problem, price drop or upgrade is usually taken care of in a few hours. I used to sell cruises and I know that the cruise line reps travel agents deal with are way more informed and cooperative than the agents passengers have access to.

And now back to the original programming..............

I think many of us feel stress, anxiety over loss of control, or just have a run of plain bad luck during travel that knocks us flat. While I agree that some of these issues are not the cruise line's "fault", doing an armchair diagnosis of someone from the comfort of your living room is quite disingenuous and hateful, especially when the OP is expressing some fairly common reactions to travel and to travel frustrations.

I'd been intending all day to post on this thread and mention to the OP that I could empathize, as I tend to be a bit of a worrier myself, and to encourage him to keep posting. Sorry that it took a round of basic Internet bullying for me to get around to it.

So far we do not know the reason OP says it's his first and last Celeb cruise... Guess we will soon hear why.....

Sorry, hit the save button too quickly. Adding so,e replies soon.

I'm enjoying your review and this is really not a criticism - it seems that many things you disliked were not Celebrities fault - third party excursion, agoraphobia, overwhelming emotions and panic attacks...taking these things out of the picture, I feel Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line that often goes the extra mile ($100 OBC, free specialty dinner, bottle of wine)

Thank you. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I faulted Celebrity for the canceled excursion, or my anxieties. My review isn't just about Celebrity, it is about the whole aspect of my trip. I don't fault Celebrity for anything that was beyond their control. Also, the $100 OBC was a refund of sorts since I paid $100 too much.

I've been following your adventures. I will have to comment on one thing. PLEASE be sure to stay hydrated when on a ship. If you feel nauseous after drinking (hangover?) that's your signal to begin to drink water. Many glasses of it. I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know, but it's always a good reminder. You may be more susceptible than others. I have to drink about two glasses of water for every glass of anything else. If the 'anything else' is alcohol then maybe three to one. Plus the drying effect on the closed environment of a ship seems to intensify that.

 

 

 

You might have been able to get a better room service menu by picking up the phone and calling your room steward. I know you said you're shy, but those people are there to help you; all you need to do is ask. You *can* get the main dining room food delivered to your room.

Oh yes, I definitely know to drink plenty of water. I tried to on our first night, but I guess it still wasn't enough. Next time, I won't drink as much and will drink more water.

It's good to know that you can get food from the dining room in room service, I wish I had known that while I was on the cruise, or that they would advertise that somewhere.

I don't know what your pricing structure was, but when I figured in the prepaid gratuities, beverage package and $600 OBC, it was cheaper to book a Concierge Class cabin than an inside cab!

This was actually an issue I had with Celebrity after booking. We attempted to upgrade two days after we booked. They would let us upgrade, but we couldn't have the 123go incentives. I know they're under no obligation to provide us with that after final payment, but I don't feel that was great customer service, especially since I later found out that others were afforded that opportunity. It would be understandable if our original booking was outside the incentive window, and hadn't just been two days before.

There was one more thing that I wanted to address. Thank you for those that stood up for me. I did check this review throughout the day and was very disheartened by some of the things people said. I do get fairly personal on my reviews. I don't post about my anxieties to glorify them, or to ask for sympathy or pity. I post about them so that people can understand why I might react to certain situations. In my experience, talking about mental disorders reminds others that are also afflicted that they are not alone. Sometimes it can also give each other motivation to do something they otherwise thought was impossible.

On boards like this, it's important to remember that we don't get the full picture of each other's lives and we shouldn't make rash judgments about them that go far beyond what is explained on a message board.

There was one more thing that I wanted to address. Thank you for those that stood up for me. I did check this review throughout the day and was very disheartened by some of the things people said. I do get fairly personal on my reviews. I don't post about my anxieties to glorify them, or to ask for sympathy or pity. I post about them so that people can understand why I might react to certain situations. In my experience, talking about mental disorders reminds others that are also afflicted that they are not alone. Sometimes it can also give each other motivation to do something they otherwise thought was impossible.

 

On boards like this, it's important to remember that we don't get the full picture of each other's lives and we shouldn't make rash judgments about them that go far beyond what is explained on a message board.

Zactak, this is about as succinct and eloquent as I've ever seen. Brilliant. Looking forward to more of your review.

I'm curious if you ever took anything for your nausea?

I find that while I never had seasickness while I was younger, i seem to be more susceptible to it as I've aged. It started on an exceptionally rough-seas sailing on Eurodam, and I find now, even the slightest movement can make me feel "off". Eurodam was the first ship, I had ever experienced seasickness, and now it seems to happen more often for me. I think i am also susceptible to the vibration of the ship and that constant humming/buzzing sets it off for me. On a recent sailing (Reflection) I learned that going up/down on an elliptical while staring out at the ocean, doesn't work for me either :(

It's no fun being sick or just feeling "off" when you have spent good money to enjoy a holiday.

Zactak - I'm really enjoying reading your review and although I wish I didn't have to wait for each new installment its easy to follow along! Count me among those who appreciate your willingness to share so much information.

Sounds like you had a miserable day, I can relate. I had a similar experience that I attribute to too many colors (of alcohol) ;) yes I know better but it's easy to over do it with the excitement of being on a cruise.

So are there any specific reasons for this to be a last Celeb cruise for OP ?

We enjoyed our recent cruises on Constellaton and Reflection and do not see anything posted in this review that would dissuade us from future cruises on X

We..know the booking rules can lead to disappointment and frustration but try to do best we can with our bookings...

hope OP finds cruise line that works better for him.....but other than the upgrade issue, seems Celebrity line was not the cause of a less than enjoyable cruise....I seem to have misconstrued the thread title