Constellation 12/04-12/18 Southern Caribbean Cruise

This is a very long review. I will have to say that of all the cruises we have been on this was by far the worst of them all. We were booked in Concierge Class on Deck 8. The group of passengers were incredible rude throughout the cruise. Not only rude verbally to others, but very pushy (verbally and physically). There must have been a lot of 1st time cruisers because they did not know how to shut cabin doors to minimize the noise. The bed in our cabin was broken and could not be repaired to where it was ever comfortable even with an extra pad. The food on board was below the standard in the buffet. The refrigerator in our cabin was broken twice and my husband lost some very expensive medication. Our luggage was damaged during embarkation and minimally repaired. Two of our ports were wasted ports due to the day of the week (Tobago) and a national holiday (Curacao) where everything was closed including sights recommended to visit. There was a continual odor of sewage in the hall at the aft elevators on deck 8. Imagine having that every time entered or exited your cabin. I sent my husband's dress shirt for pressing and it came back scorched. They did finally manage to clean it up along with a couple of other pieces of laundry, but it is still scorched, but not as visible. It is a shame as it was a new shirt just for the formal nights. There was cheating during trivia games and the rules changed to favor specific teams. I know that sounds trivial, but when there is limited on board activity on the multiple sea days it is depressing when the same group wins every game and every award. We requested a 2 person table prior to the trip for dinner at the 1st seating to accommodate my husband's required time to take medicine and were sat at a table for 8 and then could not be accommodated when requested to be changed when it was requested prior to boarding. As a result we were never able to attend any of the entertainment in the theater due to medical reasons. The fruit for the cabin never changed and some was not able to be eaten due to its' condition. The champagne was so bad we poured it out. We went to the Tuscan Grille to celebrate my husband's birthday and both got terribly ill. On a number of these items I brought to Guest Services attention and the young lady at the desk tried her best within her authority level to assist, but these items could not be resolved to our satisfactorily. Based on assurances from the reservations group I was to be able to credit part of my on board costs to visa gift card, but when it came to do this the person @ the desk was so rude and nasty to me and made me stand there for nearly 2 hours. He kept saying my regular credit card was declined in such a loud voice that I was embarrassed in front of many other passengers. He made me call my credit card company while I stood there and when I got them on line they were astonished that I was being treated like this when there was absolutely nothing wrong with my card. I put him on the phone and he was told by Chase that he was incorrect & it was something he was doing incorrect. Hours later and after speaking with the finance officer for less than 2 minutes it was resolved. The finance officer told me that the person at the desk never explained things correctly to him and had he done so this would not have happened. The Finance Officer also told me that it is a major violation of Celebrity policy to ever use the words "declined" or "denied" to a passenger. After being humiliated for no reason I decided that I was not going to pay all our gratuities. In the meantime I had written a 10 page draft letter to the ship explaining all the issues we had had while on board and requested it be copied. While I was waiting for it to be copied and without my permission or authority he gave the letter (which was not complete and needed corrections) to his supervisor who came out and said he sent it to Miami and all our gratuities were being waived due to our experiences. I had not requested a full waiver, but a reduction based on our cruise experience which was our right to do so. He was rude and very hostile. It was a very distressing experience after 2 weeks at sea. Then when we arrived in Port Everglades we were to debark the ship in the 1st group due to the long drive home. Well, our luggage was not in any of the groups and after waiting for nearly 4 hours in a hot, dirty, noisy building with no access to water or bathroom the port staff radioed the ship and both our pieces of luggage remained in the cargo hold. The Celebrity employees in debarkation area mentioned that is was most likely done deliberately to cause us inconvenience because we called deficiencies and other issues to their attention and chose to want to modify our gratuities. When our luggage came out it was really badly damaged again and all taped up. I cannot imagine what happened then. But, ironically it was only our luggage left on board and no one else. As a result of this delay we missed our shuttle to pick up our car that was already arranged and we had to take an expensive cab to get the car.

This review does not truly encompass all the issues, but just a highlight on some of them. I have contacted the office of the President of Celebrity Cruise Lines by sending not only a copy of the on board letter, but also a follow up letter with all the additional issues we encountered. It was faxed to their office along with being mailed. The website states to expect a response within 10-14 days, but it has been slightly longer than that and there has been no response to date. I held off publishing these experiences in the hopes of a response, but felt I should not wait any longer to post this critique to the board.

What is truly sad is that there were a lot of people on this particular cruise who said they were going to write Celebrity and file a complaint and that they would never cruise Celebrity again because of their specific particular issues. This cruise line came highly recommended to us and we spent a considerable amount of money to endure the many inconveniences and problems.

Thank you for the ability to be able to post my experience on your site.

There was cheating during trivia games and the rules changed to favor specific teams. I know that sounds trivial, but when there is limited on board activity on the multiple sea days it is depressing when the same group wins every game and every award.

So how were people cheating? Were the answers not marked by other teams? Were the rules not the same for everyone? Did the same team really win every game and every award?:confused:

Sorry your cruise was such a disappointment. We sailed the Connie in April even before the refurbishment and we were very pleased with our cruise.

All I can say is WOW, sound like a different ship than I sailed in November.

Some people are just better at trivia than others. We couldn't win the whole time we were on board. We still had lots of fun with the new partners we had.

I love Celebrity and will be back sailing in a couple of weeks.

Sorry your trip was not a good one.

I wouldn't exactly call it cheating - more like prepping for an exam. I've done it mhyself on a B2B with a different cruise line during Name that Tune. No one wanted to participate and of course the music and questions were the same. Got myself a whole load of key fobs. Wished I could have stayed on for a B2B2B2B......could have won the ship!:D

We were on the same ship and same sailing as the original poster. We had a great cruise, loved the Connie and wouldn't hesitate to take the exact same ship and itinerary again.

We were on deck 7 in an aft facing CC cabin.

We did tours in both Tobago and Curacao and had great days in both ports. Curacao was one of our favourite stops again.

We found the service and the staff great.

We didn't participate in any trivia though.

We didn't notice a sewage smell in the hall at the aft elevators on deck 7.

We met a lot of great people, even some we plan to keep in touch with and travel with again.

The disembarkation was slow, but I think it was due to the number of cruise ships in port and our ship only being allocated 3 customs officers, but we were still out of there in a reasonable amount of time and had none of the baggage issues or other issues that the original poster had.

Just goes to show how different 2 people can experience the same cruise.

Appreciate smaller paragraphs, hard to read one very long one.

Sorry they had so many issues though.

Knock on wood, have never had too many problems, let alone this many on one cruise.

Welcome to CC.Everyone has been so kind in their responses.May I suggest you get on the boards before your next cruise.This was your first post and everyone is so careful not to label anyone a troll but I have been waiting for it since you posted.We have taken many Celebrity cruises and have encountered problems but they wouldn't add up all together to what you encountered in one cruise.And any problem brought to the attention of the crew or guest relations was dealt with to our satisfaction.I have some real hesitation believing your complaints.

Yes. I want to know about cheating at Trivia so that I can collect some more trinkets. Hmm. I'm running out of key rings and plastic hair scrungies...

Remember the days when prizes were hugh beach towels and umbrellas and coffee mugs?

Seriously, I'm sorry you had a terrible cruise.

My DD has been working on "Connie" for the last 5 months and hosts the Trivia quizzes amongst other things.

She was shocked and upset when I told her of your allegations. Unfortunately that is all I can say on the matter.

As for your other complaints I hope they are resolved to your full satisfaction.

Peter

Wow, it's hard to believe we were on the same sailing! I'm sorry your cruise was less than you hoped it would be. We had a wonderful cruise and found little about which to complain.

If your review "does not truly encompass all the issues, but just a highlight on some of them," I shudder to think what you left out (tongue planted firmly in cheek!). Of course everyone's experience is unique and we all have different expectations and tolerance levels, but I'm usually suspect of any review that focuses only on the negatives and makes no mention whatsoever of anything positive - or if not positive, then at least something not negative! Notwithstanding, I hope your issues are resolved to your satisfaction and your next cruise, whichever the cruise line, is far better.

We were on the same cruise and thought it was wonderful. No complaints whatsoever. We would go back to Connie in a second.

This post reminds me of trips I used to take to Europe, Hawaii, etc. We won them in sales contests, and everything....food, transportation, the best hotels, etc., was included. The only thing we had to spend was for personal purchases. There was one store owner who complained about everything...food, entertainment, flights, hotels, etc. They finally asked her not to take anymore trips with them because of this since they obviously couldn't please her. I think it is a good thing that the poster cruises with someone else next time. JMHO! I have never been on a "bad" cruise....just some are better than others! :D

Linda

Welcome to CC.Everyone has been so kind in their responses.May I suggest you get on the boards before your next cruise.This was your first post and everyone is so careful not to label anyone a troll but I have been waiting for it since you posted.We have taken many Celebrity cruises and have encountered problems but they wouldn't add up all together to what you encountered in one cruise.And any problem brought to the attention of the crew or guest relations was dealt with to our satisfaction.I have some real hesitation believing your complaints.

I would also have less trouble believing some of this if the poster put in a couple of positives. On a trip this length, come on, there must have been something you liked. It sounds like everyone, including passengers and crew, were terrible. Surely this could not be.

Your profile indicates you are windsurfers and zip liners. Did you try it?

Also, why are you blaming Celebrity for stopping at Ports during holidays? If this was important to you a little prior investigation should have solved it. I have stopped at ports during holidays and there is usually a festival or at least the tour companies still tour.

So this is my challenge Zippie, (if you are still out there), give me one or two highlights. Thanks.

I'm having difficulty thinking EVERYTHING on Zippie's cruise was that bad.

Not one single thing was acceptable.

You can't please all of the people all of the time and some can never be please.

.............give me one or two highlights..............

Go on Zippie01, try!

.

So you joined Cruise Critic yesterday just to write a list of complaints? We were on the same cruise and noticed none of your problems. Our table in the MDR was changed on the first day with just polite request. I was treated very well by Customer Relations whenever I had concern. Perhaps you need to look inward to see if you bring some of these problems upon yourself.

I have read many negative reports on CC lately about Celebrity Connie. I was considering a future cruise on this line, but more and more all the negatives are coming across.

I think I will stick with RC. There are other sites on CC that also have report similar negative experiences with Connie. So, stop picking on this report.

" It is what it is"

I have read many negative reports on CC lately about Celebrity Connie. There are other sites on CC that also have report similar negative experiences with Connie. So, stop picking on this report.

 

" It is what it is"

It all depends on what the definition of "is" is.

When we know from personal experience that one part of this report is a blatant "misrepresentation", (I won't say lies to consider that the OP is just exaggerating a bit, or just misinformed), we believe that the rest of the post suffers from the same "misrepresentation" of what occurred on this cruise.

It all depends on what the definition of "is" is.

When we know from personal experience that one part of this report is a blatant "misrepresentation", (I won't say lies to consider that the OP is just exaggerating a bit, or just misinformed), we believe that the rest of the post suffers from the same "misrepresentation" of what occurred on this cruise.

IMHO the OP's review suffers from multiple exaggerations, misrepresentations and inconsistencies.

made here. We have only been on a handful of cruises between the both of us. Thankfully for Cruise Critic there are hundreds of threads to be read on one level or another for Celebrity. So, after much thought we booked a 14 day cruise to the southern caribbean which departs March 26, 2011 on the Constellation.

Within just a few days of posting of each other, there were 2 totally different reviews posted. One great; one pretty horrible. As we know everyone has an opinion, but please tell us that it isn't possible to be on the same ship and have such different reviews. We are both in our early 40's and feel that even if things aren't 100% perfect, our attitude is we can make it 100% perfect - after all it will be our honeymoon!

I was also on the Constellation 4th Dec and I have also written to the company to complain about many things which in my opinion do not reach the standard expected, this was my first X cruise and chose CC on deck 9 , the cabin was fine but very noisy from public area above, the service in "select" dining was disgraceful and when I made a complaint in the dining area and at guest relations they said they could do nothing about it, it seems that the cut back in staff and overcrowding in the "select area caused this problem. The entertainment was a complete joke with second rate "buskers " , this was plain to see as the theatre was only a third full most nights. I have not received a reply to my letter yet. I would not cruise with Celebrity again and would suggest that anyone who has only used this company to try the many more proffesional cruise lines available.

We have been on Connie three times and will be on her again in April. All of our cruises have been great!

I was also on the Constellation 4th Dec and I have also written to the company to complain about many things which in my opinion do not reach the standard expected,

I think that your complaints are valid. Deck 9 cabins can be very noisy and we have been plagued by noise there as well. Although my wife was very happy with her menu choices, many of my choices were poorly prepared and our table service was very inconsistent. I never looked forward to what surprises lay in store for me in the dining room. We also skipped many theatre performances. However I have cruised on Constellation often enough that I realize that my next cruise can only be better (and we will be back onboard next week.)

While sipping a beverage on my aft balcony, I enjoyed the great weather, and the people with whom we travelled made the whole trip very enjoyable. The miserable weather at home made me think how smart I was to book this cruise at this time.

It is unfortunate that people can share the same ship and at the same time but have so many personal events vary, that in the end, one can say "never again" and the other, "when is the next one?"

Until last night I was considering booking our future cruises on non-celebrity ships because I too found our Constellation cruise not up to the standards set by that very ship. Then I received an email from a friend who had major complaints about the HAL ship that I was considering.

My expectations are now much lower and I will post a review when I return from our upcoming B2B on Constellation.

Remember: "It's not about the ships but the friendships" (Sue Denning, Cruise Director)

This review does not truly encompass all the issues, but just a highlight on some of them. quote]

 

This was your first post and everyone is so careful not to label anyone a troll but I have been waiting for it since you posted.

 

The post reflects either uncommonly bad luck or perhaps, a skewed sense of perception. I counted roughly 17 "issues" in an interminable post that claimed to be "just a highlight on some of them".

 

It's a remarkable coincidence for one person on one trip to encounter every conceivable problem that could ever take place. Most people encounter only 1 or 2 minor problems on a cruise, or 1 medium problem every 3-4 cruises, or 1 major problem in a lifetime that finally got sorted out, and only rarely a full-scale disaster.

 

Yet in the poster's case 1) everything from passengers to crew to ports was a problem, and 2) all the responses to the problems were also problems. Even when the gratuities were waived, somehow that was also perceived as a problem. Everything was perceived as a problem. Is the problem the problem or the perception?