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

Hey everyone, thank you for all your comments and compliments. I really appreciate them. I was hoping to get my next day posted today, but I woke up late and am about to head out to a baseball game for my father's birthday... I might get it out tonight after the game, or sometime tomorrow.

Isn't that a Cardinals shirt you're wearing in your avatar?

We didn't have a dj and sax....DJ at pool was very loud and inside sets included loud drums....on Connie, there are other places to go...not as open as where DJ plays on S class...

Thank you for appreciating my humor! :) I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your voyage. My DH and I were on the same sailing, our second voyage on Connie, and we had a great time. We were not approached regarding a drink package at all. We received the basic drink package when we booked as part of the 1-2-3 GO promotion. The basic package worked well for us. I agree with the other posters that 4 days is just too short for a cruise but luckily we had a much different experience then you did. The following is WinksCruises's (my DH) review of the same voyage. I look forward to the rest of your review.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190818

Isn't that a Cardinals shirt you're wearing in your avatar?

That is actually a Cardinals windbreaker :) I'm originally from St. Louis. I see you live in southwest Missouri. I went to college in Springfield and lived there for just over seven years before moving to Pittsburgh in 2011.

Thank you for appreciating my humor! :) I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your voyage. My DH and I were on the same sailing, our second voyage on Connie, and we had a great time. We were not approached regarding a drink package at all. We received the basic drink package when we booked as part of the 1-2-3 GO promotion. The basic package worked well for us. I agree with the other posters that 4 days is just too short for a cruise but luckily we had a much different experience then you did. The following is WinksCruises's (my DH) review of the same voyage. I look forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190818

I could tell you were being funny.. Lol. Which is a good thing when you're online. We didn't necessarily not enjoy our trip, it just didn't quite live up to our expectations. I think it's almost impossible to not enjoy a vacation. I will definitely check out your husbands review. I actually started reading some of it last night.

Love your review..hope you keep it coming:).

I agree with the others that a short cruise is not the best way to experience Celebrity.

Short cruises are almost a damned if you do and a damned if you don't have them. Many suggest to take a short cruise if you never cruised before to get a feel for one and that is the problem. It does not give a fair or honest representation. Others like short cruises as a quick get away or as it was years ago to accumulate credits faster towards loyatly program status.

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

We did a short cruise to test hubby's sea legs before booking a 7nt for our honeymoon.

If someone has never cruised before, they likely won't hate a 3/4 nighter, but it's also not a fair measure of a 7night. Fortunately for me, hubby liked Sovereign, so we've been cruising ever since. We did a 5nighter on Grandeur and while every cruise has its merits, it was definitely a step back and noticeably different.

T I'm surprised that the OP received a bottle of wine in an OV cabin,unless it was sent by an Agent or friend. There is a line and cruise to meet everyone's needs.The trick is to find what works best for you.

Look forward to reading more.

He said earlier that due to issues when booking and the price that Celebrity gave him a bottle of wine & OBC for the trouble.

What I'm getting is that from the start when booking this trip it has been a series of events that keep building up that is causing his frustration. It sometimes happens that for one person if it can go wrong it will go wrong while others have a no problems at all. After reading this it appears to be the case for him.

I am reminded of why I generally don't read reviews submitted piece by piece. I still have no sense on why this will be their last X cruise.

Hey PaPa

> I still have no sense on why this will be their last X cruise.

This is a story, not a technical report.

You have to wait until the end. :)

Ira

I'm enjoying your story. We have a Celebrity cruise in July -- first time with Celebrity and first with a drink package. While I agree with others that a longer cruise is better..... well, of course it is. Not everyone is retired or has a lot of vacation time.... you do what you can. While I hope the end of the story finds you and Philip still enjoying your time together, if you are in a fairly new relationship and it doesn't work out, it would suck to be on a long cruise together, now wouldn't it?

Now... get back to writing!

JoAnn

This has been one of the most engaging reviews I have read. I love the personal components....I keep checking for the next instalment. Please continue..ignore the rude you have a right to express yourself:)

Zactak please finish the review it is very engaging

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Zactak please finish the review it is very engaging

 

 

 

 

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Agreed!

I keep checking back for an update - I'm enjoying your review, please continue to post! :)

Looking forward to the next instalment!

I think it is very important to have a person's background and train of thought. It helps me interpret the comments the person makes and decide if I may share a similar opinion, or take a very different point of view.

Discovering more about the person is half the fun of the review. It's what gives the story personality and makes it compelling. Otherwise it's the 1000th boring description of a ship that most of us are already well familiar with.

 

Just ignore this clueless post...you ROCK! Enjoying your review. :)

I think it is very important to have a person's background and train of thought. It helps me interpret the comments the person makes and decide if I may share a similar opinion, or take a very different point of view.

Very well said and much better than my response to Donald. ;)

Just a few comments on your review so far. Firstly, never book thru the cruise line because you are giving up amenities that most travel agencies offer. Also, you need to know the special deals offered by each cruise line. Note that these deals are constantly changing. It has been almost impossible to book a Celebrity cruise over the last few years without getting prepaid gratuities and a free beverage package if you followed the deals and used the right travel agent. In most cases you also received OBCs in addition. Our last cruise had $300 OBC. Our next cruise has $600 OBC. Not criticizing, just offering information.

Just a few comments on your review so far. Firstly, never book thru the cruise line because you are giving up amenities that most travel agencies offer. Also, you need to know the special deals offered by each cruise line. Note that these deals are constantly changing. It has been almost impossible to book a Celebrity cruise over the last few years without getting prepaid gratuities and a free beverage package if you followed the deals and used the right travel agent. In most cases you also received OBCs in addition. Our last cruise had $300 OBC. Our next cruise has $600 OBC. Not criticizing, just offering information.

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.

Just a few comments on your review so far. Firstly, never book thru the cruise line because you are giving up amenities that most travel agencies offer. Also, you need to know the special deals offered by each cruise line. Note that these deals are constantly changing. It has been almost impossible to book a Celebrity cruise over the last few years without getting prepaid gratuities and a free beverage package if you followed the deals and used the right travel agent. In most cases you also received OBCs in addition. Our last cruise had $300 OBC. Our next cruise has $600 OBC. Not criticizing, just offering information.

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.

I've subscribed! Appreciate when things just don't go as expected, even though It ain't the end of the world, it sure can feel like it!!

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I feel like my favorite TV show has been cancelled half way through the season. Please come back and finish your review!

I feel like my favorite TV show has been cancelled half way through the season. Please come back and finish your review!

I know what you mean. This review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2127620&page=6 ended abruptly and without a finish. It has me worried because it is so unlike this person to not finish a review. :(

Hopefully the OP has had a busy week at work and will finish this weekend.;)

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.