bhopal21

4 hours ago, Dejlig Ko said:

For lunch with a view in Key West I'm trying to decide between, Casa Marina at the Waldorf Astoria or Louie's Backyard. Thoughts?

Louie's is my choice for lunch between those two.

Mike😊

And more significantly you will be accompanied by only 100 fellow passengers rather than 6-700 

Mike

Sorry to hear that your dining experience was less than exemplary as that is usually not the case on ACL; at least not in our past cruises.   In our experience the food has always been much better than any we have had on the mainstream cruise lines.

Thanks for your review,

Mike😊

I think you will be pleased with Fort Zachary Taylor.

Mike😊

Food is poor and service is worse because of high turnover of personnel.

Glad you had such a great cruise!

I can hardly wait until your next excellant;p review.

Mike:)

Thanks Mike for the confirmation. I couldn't find anything on the deck plans I saw on the website.

 

Have you been on the Constitution?

The laundry rooms do not show on the deck plans but are on deck 5 next to the fitness center. They are also listed in the amenities for each ship which feature them.

No I have not sailed on the Constitution but I have sailed on the sister ship the Constellation.

Mike:)

Since they are adjacent there is no need for one unless one is mobility impaired.

Mike:)

Thanks for the information. Thought of one additional question - is there a self laundry area on the ship? or do they offer laundry services?

The Constitution also has a self service laundry on deck 5 across from the fitness center.

Mike:)

Going on Queen of Mississippi in November and that deck plan shows a Guest Laundry room, but the deck plan for Constellation does NOT show a laundry room.

 

I don't think any ACL offers onboard laundry service, however there are a few posts that say on longer cruises, they will arrange to have your laundry done at a shore side laundry service.

The OP is sailing on the Constitution I believe; however the Constellation does have two self service washers and dryers on deck 5. Detergent and dryer sheets are furnished.

Mike:)

I am allergic to sea food and the WEB seems to concentrate on shrimp, lobster, etc. How can I get sample menus for the meals?

You will be given menus for the day’s meals each morning at breakfast where you can make your selections for lunch and dinner. Any specific needs can be communicated to the chef and he/she will gladly accommodate.

Mike:)

You are correct. The only way from/to the ship is by the free provided shuttle.

The Outer Mole pier is located behind a military installation so no other forms of transportation are allowed.

Mike:)

Thanks Mike, That sounds reasonable. A temporary bar in the entertainment venue would cramp the festivities.

We have always seemed to find enough to drink, on any ship, thus avoiding "DTs" :halo:

 

 

NRayH

Actually the permanent bar was in the entertainment area but it ran very smoothly. And like yourself we have never felt ourselves lacking for alcohol on ACL.

Mike:)

I can see that on America, where they have a "Real" bar in the one lounge. On a number of the smaller ships, the "cocktail hour" is an temporary bar set-up, that is removed (during dinner) for the evening's entertainment (in the same lounge).

We'll see what they do aboard Spirit in a few

weeks when we board.

 

 

 

NRayH

They actually set up two bars on the Constellation the permanent bar on deck 3 then an additional bar (folding tables like on other ships) on deck 4.

I don't think the take down bar on deck 4 was open after dinner like the built in bar on deck 3 but on the other hand I didn't visit the deck 4 bar after dinner

Mike:)

Was it in the same venue as the evening entertainment or elsewhere?

Yes, same location. The bar remained open throughout the evening's entertainment.

Mike:)

Yes Ray the second open bar was an every evening occurrence.

Mike:)

Just a few comments about our recently completed cruise.

We arrived in Juneau late in the evening on July 27 and after a bit of jockeying were able to obtain a taxi to our pre cruise hotel. The Prospector is a very dated establishment with no AC which I later learned is the norm in Juneau. The temp was 78 degrees and it felt like the heat was on in my room so I opened the window which was next to a very busy thoroughfare allowing limited sleep. The front desk said they had several fans that they loan but all were already loaned out to other guests. The included bus tour of Mendenhall Glacier the next morning and delivery to the ship went very smoothly and the cabins were all ready upon our 1130 arrival. The Constellation is a very impressive ship and everything was spotless. I would say 85% of the crew was new (not only to the ship but American Cruise Lines) which caused a few bumps but overall they did an excellent job. We were surprised that a second cocktail hour was added beginning after dinner at 815. This itinerary (with the overnight in Glacier Bay) is certainly for those who like to get away and see areas not often covered on an AK cruise.

A couple of bumps were breakfast and the internet (WiFi). The implementation of room service during breakfast caused complete havoc during the morning hour which slightly improved during the week; but was still stretching the staff too thin to provide good service in the dining room. Many passengers were talking about this and in a ship this small it seems people could drag themselves to the dining room for the morning meal. We even observed folks using this for lunch (which the crew accommodated) when that is not offered.

I don't know if the Constellation has equipment problems with its routers, etc but there was not one minute of contact through WiFi with the outside world which was frustrating to many of us that have to at least have some contact while away. I will add that if you have Verizon cell service you might as well leave your phone at home while in AK. AT&T had decent coverage in all ports and nearby land areas. Guess who ditched AT&T for Verizon two weeks before our cruise?:o

The captain, Eric Brown was a delight and our group would happily sail on any itinerary where he was in charge.

I will be happy to try and answer any questions.

Mike:)

I wonder....Could it be because the ship leaves U.S waters then re-enters U.S. waters.

Yes once the ship visits a foreign port that necessitates an inspection upon entering the US

Mike:)

Are your bags checked when leaving the ship? If not, how would they know if you took a food product, packaged or not, off?

It's not worth it. Often there are canines present and the penalties are quite severe.

Mike:)

I just read a review on the Celebrity board from the June 30 Equinox Cruise. The poster said there is a new US law that does not allow any packaged food from Key West back on the ship. Any truth to this? I have a few things i want at the Kermit’s!

 

 

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The opposite of this is true. One cannot take foods or plants "from" a ship to shore at any US port.

Mike:)

No, there is no charge.

Mike

My mom wants to eat somewhere where she has a view of the water. We just want to make it a lunch stop (so I won't want to take the ferry out to Sunset Key for Latitudes) since we have a bunch of plans for the day including the Butterfly Conservatory, wine tasting, shopping for my godson for something Key West related who's baby shower I am missing because it was the only day the grandmother could schedule and getting Key Lime pie. Any suggestions. I would like some sort of sea food and a good drink! We will be there on Sunday July 29th!

Louie's Backyard http://www.louiesbackyard.com will fit her requirements easily and is an excellent place for lunch.

Mike

New ACL poster here but a fan of Cruisecritic from other boards. We are planning to take the Columbia River cruise in 2019. Never been on ACL. Our traveling companions are wine gourmets. I've been reading lots of posts on this site and believe our friends would not be happy with the table wine served (described as Gallo.) Would they be allowed to bring their own wine and would the serving staff open it for them? In your opinion, would this look like a big deal to our fellow passengers? Appreciate any opinions. Thank you.

You may bring any alcoholic beverage you choose onboard with no problems.

One of the many things I like about ACL.

Mike:)

I saw that $2500 a month. Hilarious

Mike

And the campers/travel trailers along the side of the road were removed last month.

Mike:)

Recent reviews suggest that NCL had long lines to get a "ticket" to disembark in Key West. Then hour long lines to actually get off the ship with no one looking at the tickets. That is the "horror" I'm referring to.

Okay that explains it then. It is a NCL problem.