Onboard the Reborn Constellation in the Baltic - May 28-June 9 - Questions, Comments?

Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to sail on the "reborn" Celebrity Constellation, which the line has just pumped over $40 million into (full coverage of the dramatic makeover here). It's a 12-night (somewhat) early season Baltic itinerary sailing roundtrip from one of my favorite cities, Amsterdam. We'll visit Warnenmunde (for Berlin, Rostock), Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (overnight), Tallinn and Copenhagen, and there are four sea days mixed in, during which I intend to over-indulge in crepes (Bistro on Five is a dry dock addition), among other activities. (FYI, for many, the highlight of any Baltic itinerary is the two-day stop in St. Petersburg -- the Hermitage, gold-domed churches, canals, stately parks, bloody history, Rasputin, etc. -- so we've actually got a 'how to book your indie cruise excursion without a visa in SPB' piece in the Cruise Critic editing queue.)

If anyone has any questions about the old Constellation vs. new, or any port-specific queries, post them here. I'll do my best to respond as time and onboard Internet allows.

Looking forward to talking with everyone virtually and in the flesh -- 70-plus CC members are signed up for the Meet & Mingle (photos will certainly end up here and on Cruise Critic's Facebook Page).

Dan

Where to start................

General impressions/things you like better (include what was replaced) / things you do not like as well (again include what was replaced)

For me, the Martini Bar and other restaurants are what I would like to know more about.

Have a GREAT trip! :)

Have a great cruise, Dan! ;)

Thanks Dan. Have a great cruise! I will be anxiously awaiting your thoughts when you return. Can't wait to board the Connie next Spring!!

First of all, Dan, have a great cruise....

If you get a chance, can you swing by the PH and peek in? I have both booked on the Nov 20 cruise.

Also, can you let me know (once you return home is soon enough) what champagnes are available on board? I think they've scaled back pretty drastically in this area.

Thanks in advance, and Bon Voyage!!!!

Cheryl

Have a wonderful cruise on my favorite ship! Would be interested to know whether they've replaced the beds as well as the bedding.

Will also be interested to hear how your ports are. We are doing Baltic next May, but on the Eclipse.

Hi Dan ~ have a GREAT cruise and be kind to Connie - we leave for the Baltic on July 3rd!!

Question??

When are the formal nights?

Ports - any ship shuttles? cost?

Ocean Liners/Tuscan Grille - if you eat there - tells us about it!

Enomatic Wine Bar - worth trying??

Sailing out of Amsterdam - as fantastic as described on CC??

Amsterdam - any good places to buy wine to take aboard?

Thanks much - can't wait to be in your place and be getting ready to board!!

Where to start................

 

General impressions/things you like better (include what was replaced) / things you do not like as well (again include what was replaced)

 

For me, the Martini Bar and other restaurants are what I would like to know more about.

 

Have a GREAT trip! :)

Must admit that I haven't sailed on Constellation before, but I'll certainly be "crowd surfing" for opinions from the Connie vets (both here and onboard). One thing I will say is that it's pretty dramatic how the overall design has changed ... if you look at the before and after piece we launched, the stripes and checkerboard prints of the former Constellation have been replaced with solid (and darker) colors.

Full reviews of the Martini Bar, Tuscan Grille and Bistro on Five will be forthcoming.

Dan.

Thanks for posting.

Jack

Hi Dan ~

I'm sure your "assignment" is the Constellation - and I've asked enough questions already! - but PLEASE give us some insights to your favorite city! Many of us are planning pre or post stays there and can use your expertise on restaurants, museums, transportation, etc!

Thanks much and ENJOY your trip!!

We made some photos of Constellation sailing from Amsterdam on her 1st trip after the renovations. The ship looks brandnew.

Maybe you (or others) arenot aware that the ship will go through a lock in IJmuiden.

Sailing from Amsterdam it takes a little over over 2 hours before the ship arrives there..

For those on the August 22 sailing (with alternative docking at Ceresterminal) it take about 1 hour to sail there.

Have a great cruise.

Hello Dan, Thanks for writing this thread. We will be getting on when you disembark. Therefore, I'm interested in all you write about and look forward to all words and any pictures that you may send out while on board.

Have a wonderful cruise.

PS: How's Amsterdam? What's you temperature like?

Hi Dan ~

 

I'm sure your "assignment" is the Constellation - and I've asked enough questions already! - but PLEASE give us some insights to your favorite city! Many of us are planning pre or post stays there and can use your expertise on restaurants, museums, transportation, etc!

 

Thanks much and ENJOY your trip!!

Hi FotoPeg,

I can tell you right now that Amsterdam is my favorite European city. This will be my fifth visit and I'm spending three nights there on vacation with my girlfriend after the cruise. It's perfect for those who want nothing more than to wander along the canals past the slightly off-kilter 17th and 18th century homes -- on one day, I remember wandering aimlessly for 10 hours with only a 10 minute break for a snack. I'm not even sure what the hell I did, but I must have walked 15 - 20 miles. Communication is a breeze (not that that's at all a pre-requisite to be a great city), there are great reasonably priced apartment rentals situated on the canal; the tram system is simple and effective; if you like Van Gogh, his museum is really trippy; nice outdoor cafes abound; etc.

Have a wonderful trip!

I would love to see pictures of the upgrades to the different classes of cabins.

I look forward to your posts.

Realize you weren't on the Constellation before the changes, but assume you've been on M-Class, so please let us know what your opinion of the changes removing the Martini/Champagne Bars - adding the Bistro (love that) and the Crush. How does it compare to the original Martini Bar and Champagne Bar set up? Both were very popular for pre/post-dining, and could get crowded. How is it now?

How large is the Tuscan Grill in comparison to the S-Class configuration? Is it going to be limited in how many reservations it will take? Is there a 'view'?

Boy, did I make a mistake - had a Constellation TA/Baltic B2B set up for next year and then changed over to another cruise- love any cruise, but I Really Really wish I was cruising Constellation soon. Will do it later in 2011.

Can't believe they've mixed the 'best of the S-Class' (my subjective picks) with the M-Class T-Spa! I better pick ports that are 'have-to-see' or I'll never leave the ship!

Thanks for doing this - I always plan on posting during cruising and then......

Denny

Hi Dan !

Can you please try to get us an estimate on how many tables and/or total guest occupancy Tuscan Grille has ? Also, what is the largest table size they have.

I'm sure Tuscan Grille will be great, as it's a winner on the Solstice Class ships. I am very familiar with its current location on Connie. However, from the few photos we've seen, it looks to be quite a bit smaller than the Solstice Class venue. I hope I'm wrong about this, but I am very curious to see how the Constellation venue stacks up, versus the Solstice Class version.

Enjoy your Cruise !

Dan, have a wonderful trip onboard one of my very favorite ships. Like everyone else, I will be waiting to hear your comments.

I am most curious about the change of location and subsequent seating area available in the new Martini Bar and the noise level there as well. We really enjoyed meeting before dinner in the old Martini Bar, and as someone else said, it could get pretty crowded. I am hoping that the new location has about the same amount of seating, but it doesn't look like it from the pictures.

We have sailed on her 5 times so far; we did a back to back on her a year ago, and will be back aboard next March. Sure wish it was sooner!

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience with us, and have a great time!

Make sure you bring your meds along. I've heard that Constellation is sailing under the dreaded code red flag.

I'm very curious about the new non-Greek Captain. From what I've heard so far he is a real character and highly praised.

I'm curious as to whether the alternative evening dinning option set up in the buffet area is still available. We always enjoyed eating there at least once per cruise.

Hi Dan, hope you are enjoying your embarkation day .... I guess we passed you on the way out, as we disembarked this morning!

Had an absolutely wonderful cruise, or b-2-b, actually, as we did the Norwegian fjords cruise before the Baltic.

Xellent, Captain Gerry is wonderful. So personable and witty, and very "present" at various events on board. We had sailed with him before, as he used to be capt. on Voyager of the Seas out of Galveston, our home port.

His wife and little daughter boarded a couple of days ago, and will be on board with him for a couple of weeks, I believe.

The crew members just love him; we heard numerous comments from both officers and crew (unsolicited, out of the blue remarks) about his leadership and how great it was to have him as Captain.

Another outstanding person is the Captain's Club hostess, Anita du Bruyn. She is a very gracious and hard-working young lady, who went out of her way to visit with CC members throughout the cruise.

And yes, unfortunately there was noro on board. I guess most ships have it to some extent, though. We did not catch it but knew several who did. The crew is very busy cleaning every surface, and they went to the more cautious protocols (like no self service) a few days into the Baltic cruise. We've seen this on many cruises, though, so not to worry ... it didn't make the cdc list or anything, that I can tell.

Sue, re; the Martini Bar, although there wasn't a lot of table seating right around the bar area, there is plenty of seating at the bar itself, as well as just past the nearby ice bar and across the atrium. We tended to sit at the bar itself, as we enjoyed the icy surface and watching the bartenders' "show."

I did wish they had different music, though ... it was very techno/modern stuff ... and that the volume had been a little lower. But maybe I am just getting old, sniff.

Boogs, yes, the lido deck was open every night as an alternative to the main dining room.

Ocean Liners and Tuscan Grill were both wonderful, as was the creperie, Bistro on 5. They have added tables to Ocean Liners, including a very large one near the entrance.

Dan, wishing you Bon Voyage, and looking forward to your observations!

Regards,

Jan

Yes indeed! Dan's arrived in Amsterdam and reports that "Constellation had a little noro outbreak last cruise, and the departure time for this cruise has been delayed a few hours so they can give the ship a 'deep clean.' 50 pax infected is what I heard from the airport transfer rep ... I'm now in the cruise terminal and not yet in the position to get exact info (will be onboard shortly).

"Celeb actually gave folks who'd booked an airport transfer through the line a free excursion. Everyone else had access to the Victoria Hotel (to leave their luggage) and a free shuttle back and forth between the port and the Victoria.

"50 isn't much (if that's the right number), only 2.5%, but people are naturally not happy. It's pretty disorganized here."

Carolyn

Make sure you bring your meds along. I've heard that Constellation is sailing under the dreaded code red flag.

I'm very curious about the new non-Greek Captain. From what I've heard so far he is a real character and highly praised.

Gosh, that's horrible with the ship having just been refurbished.

One of my indelible cruise memories is being part of a group of travel agents and journalists that were flown to Europe by NCL to see the brand spanking new Norwegian Jewel. We were its first passengers and the crew were so excited to have pax that they were lined up outside to greet us. Literally 24 hours later, about 90 percent of us were down for the count with serious Noro (some NCL execs actually wound up in the infirmary they were so sick). I think the crew was even happier to see us leave than they had been to see us arrive!

Carolyn

Gosh, that's horrible with the ship having just been refurbished.

I just want to know if the is a night light in the bathroom. It drives me nuts having to turn on the main light.

I just want to know if the is a night light in the bathroom. It drives me nuts having to turn on the main light.

No night light on the Infinity last year. We always bring one whenever we travel. Takes virtually no space in our luggage and if we forget it when we leave, we've only lost a few bucks. We favor the LED type. They are relatively flat, and never burn out. http://www.decorativecents.com/71080.html