Another Constellation 1/8 review

[vindog1234]

I thought I would provide a review of my trip on the Constellation since I really have enjoyed reading other member's reviews. I think I will provide a little bit of a different perspective being that I am a little younger than most. I'm 23, and my girlfriend is 21.

 

I have been on 5 previous cruises. 2 with celebrity, 2 with rccl, and 1 with princess.

 

We flew down on 1/7, got to San Juan around 3 and grabbed a cab to get to the hotel (San Juan Marriott and Stelaris Casino). A little more expensive than I thought it would be. $14.50 for about a 10 minute ride. Used some points for the hotel instead of paying $280 for the night. Hotel is pretty nice. Unfortunately the weather was bad and we didnt get to use the pool or go to the beach. That night we ate and Mortons in the Hilton Caribe, which was great. Perfect filet mignon, and even better martinis. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel, played a little in the casino, had a couple drinks and then went to bed.

 

We ate breakfast at the hotel at around 10:30 and the weather was getting worse by the minute, so instead of sitting in the hotel, we went to the pier. We got there at around 11:45 and they were not letting anyone check in yet. We sat in a room filled with plastic chairs with about 50 other early arrivers. A few minutes after 12, they began boarding. Check in took about 2 minutes. They said rooms would not be ready until 12:30 so we grabbed a couple glasses of champagne, and walked around for a little while.

 

We were in CC cabin number 8071. Decent sized cabin, with more than enough room for all of our belongings. Luggage arrived around 3 and one of my snorkeling masks was broken, with glass all over the inside of the suitcase, completely covering all of our clothes. Our stateroom attendant came with a vaccum, we cleaned up all of the glass, and then ended up getting all the free laundry services we needed for the week, as well as a decent bottle of wine.

 

At 5 we tried the martini tasting with sudi which was good. Not the best martinis in the world but a good way to get a buzz rather cheaply.

 

First night was open seating. Our waiter Marjan ended up being out waiter the rest of the week. He was as surprised as we were when we saw him the third night. The second night we at in Ocean Liners. Food was good, service was great. Maybe not worth the full 30 bucks but i would defenitely do it again.

 

That night was the masquerade ball. The tickets were free, but they wouldnt give them to my girlfriend until she bought the masks. No big deal, she wanted to buy them anyway just as a little something to bring back. The bar was really nice inside. Most people did their best to wear white. It was also very crowded. After finding a seat, and ordering 2 funky $10 drinks, I started to get a little antsy. My girlfriend loved it though. It reminded her of the kind of cool trendy places that we find in Manhatten. Other nights when we went there it was almost empty. They did the Cirque thing from 10-12, and then it was a regular disco. Not that I expect much from a "club" on a cruise ship, but I think it is about time they found a decent DJ who can play some decent music. This particular DJ couldnt keep his mouth shut and was even more annoying than all of those cheesy sweet 16 type DJ's.

 

Third night was formal night. Being that the first night was open seating and the second night we ate at Ocean Liners, it was the first night we met our tablemates. They were all great.

 

I have only good things to say about the service in the dining room. Everything was great. Out of 1 to 10, I would say the food was an 8. I liked everything that I ordered.........usually 2 entrees a night. The only complaint I have is that I couldn't get an espresso. The first night I ordered one, and the asst told me he would send over the bar waiter. He never came nor did the asst waiter follow up. On the second night, the same exact thing happened. Instead of asking a third night in a row, we just went over to the Cova Cafe.

 

The ports were decent. As always, my favorite was St. Thomas. Being that we were the only boat in town, we went to Magens Bay. It still ended up being a little crowded, but I still love it there.

 

In Casa de Campo, we took the free shuttle over to the Marina. Not much to see, very few shops, and a couple restaurants. I guess it was worth seeing, but I wouldnt go back. They also offered a free ride over to Altos de Chavon, but being that I was hot and hungry, we went back to the boat to eat, and then right to the pool.

 

In Barbados we wanted to do the swim with turtles, shipwreck and beach excursion, but it was sold out, so we went to the little tourist booth in the building when you get off the ship, and we were able to book the same excursion with a private company. First was the turtles which was a complete waste. Nobody got more than a glimpse of them, as there were maybe only 3, and the water was very very cloudy. Maybe because there were these big factories right on the beach in front of us. The snorkeling at the shipwreck was much better though with a decent amount of fish.

 

In Grenada we went to Grand Anse Beach. Damage is defenitely visible around the town. The beach was nice except for the unbelievable amount of people trying to sell you things. I did buy a few things, just because its human nature to feel a little sorry for these people. Some people lost everything due to Hurricane Ivan. But it did become very uncomfortable and it forced many people to leave.

 

In Antigua, we went to Turners beach. Nice beach, good beach bar/restaurant with good food and cheap prices. Besides the heart attacks that I had on the way to and from the beach in the cab, (driver was absolutely out of his mind) it was a very nice day.

 

I'm trying to think if I missed anything............The shows were OK. Most of the broadway style, singing and dancing acts were a little long and drawn out. The best was Dominique and ... forget the other ones name. The did a few acrobatic types of performances.

 

The people on the boat were mostly made up of older couples. Very few children, and maybe 3 dozen or so 20 somethings.

 

Overall I had a great trip, would defenitely sail the Constellation again. I was very impressed with the decor of the ship. Very modern and contemporary. Nothing seemed cheap or chintzy.

 

Any questions? Please let me know

[BeckyR]

We will be on Connie 3/19 and can't wait! I HATE winter! Thanks for the great review!

 

Do you remember the name of the pool band? Were they good?

 

Thanks,

 

Becky

[Perki]

we leave April 16th same cruise and enjoy reading everyone's information. I was wondering, did the dress go...casual, semi-formal, formal, casual, semi-formal, formal, casual...trying to figure out which night to go to the Ocean Liners restaurant and would rather not bring another semi-formal outfit if at all possible so am trying to plan it on a semi-formal night...thanks! Did you ever stop in on the music at the aft Deck 10 just behind the buffet, would like to get your take if you did.

[Lois R]

Hi:) thanks for the wonderful review...makes me realize how good of a time I had in December as well:D

Glad you had such a great cruise!

[vindog1234]

BeckyR - The pool band was Onyx. They were pretty decent. I'd say they were better than most caribbean themed steel drum bands.

 

Perki - I am pretty sure that you have the dress code correct. I went to Ocean Liners the second night. The only times that I was on Deck 10 aft was once or twice for lunch, and almost every night for sushi around 6. I remember seeing a guitar and amp set up there, but not once was anyone playing when I was there. It is a nice spot however to get away from the crowds.

 

In my opinion, one of the best things to do is order room service and eat breakfast on your balcony if you have one. I didnt realize how great this was until we went to the buffet one day. Not that the buffet is bad in any way, but not having to wait in line, deal with other people and find a place to sit really is a pleasure.

[kated]

Thanks for the review..it is always nice to see the perspective of someone my own age (husband and I are both 23 and booked on our 3rd X cruise). We did the same exact itinerary last march and really enjoyed the trip. So much that we are booked on the connie again for december. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Kate

[Hummer]

Vindog, thanks for posting your review - I enjoyed reading. We were on the same cruise with you and had a great time. A couple follow up notes to your post:

 

You note the bar staff did not come around to take your order for expresso. I distinctly noticed a lack of attention from wine stewards and bar service staff on this cruise compared to others. Maybe this was a fluk, but I would be interested to know if they have cut back on the number of staff in this area. If yes, I believe anecdotal evidence from CC board reviews suggests they are missing an opportunity for customer service and sales. (If you will be cruising on the Connie, and you do not get the service you want, maybe you could ask Rudy, the Maitre'D about this. I did not think to ask her this question - thought it was just us - but she did go track down someone to serve us on a couple different nights. We are use to someone stopping by on a regular basis once you order wine or drinks.)

 

We planned to go to Turner's Beach in Antigua but the rain was off and on, and we nixed plans. I take from your review you can recommend this beach.

 

But not the taxi. I think we might be able to help out with tourism on the islands by starting a place on these boards where we post recommendations for drivers on islands and a number/email to get a hold of them. Enough of these rough hell rides! They get between the tourist and the beautiful beaches, and can ruin a day. On St. Thomas our cab driver stopped at one point and yelled at us because SHE did not know where Red Hook Dock A was at, and had to stop and ask people.

 

We encountered a friendly, safe driver on Barbados (but no fancy car) who picked us up at Crane Beach and conversed with us the distance back to the pier. Some of the nicest beaches are the farthest away, and it helps to have a friendly soul in the drivers seat. I think this number is right...Ricardo, 1 - 246 - 243-1719.

 

Sorry to ramble on...thanks again for you contributing your thoughts!

 

Nancy

[vindog1234]

kated - Married already at 23. I can't let my girlfriend see this, she has been harrassing me alot lately about getting engaged. Celebrity is defenitely a good choice. I like nice things, I wont lie. I found the constellation to meet my expectations in every way.

 

Nancy - I defenitely agree that the bar service in the dining room needed some improvement. When I asked our waiter if he could track down a bar waiter, one came over rather quickly though. But when he brought over our drinks, as he was shaking both of the martinis, he lost his grip on one of them, causing some alcohol to be sprayed on the table next too us. He did his best to carry on though and I felt bad. He returned with another martini right away, poured mine, and he had the orders mixed up. No big deal. But when I tried my martini, it was as if all the ice in the shaker had melted, and I was left with nothing but water.............so my gf asked for another one for me. One way we got around that was by going to the martini bar before dinner, at about 8:30. Us and another couple would order drinks, and Sudi would always bring them down for us.

 

We went to Turner's beach with 2 couples that we sat with at dinner. One of the couples (they were from england) was on the constellation the week before and recommended this beach. When we got there though, it seemed that one of the other boats docked had some type of excursion there and reserved all of the lounge chairs on the entire beach. After we had a little chat with Mrs. Turner (I suppose she runs the whole show), we were able to get 6 lounge chairs for us all. So it worked out well.

[Perki]

BeckyR - The pool band was Onyx. They were pretty decent. I'd say they were better than most caribbean themed steel drum bands.

 

Perki - I am pretty sure that you have the dress code correct. I went to Ocean Liners the second night. The only times that I was on Deck 10 aft was once or twice for lunch, and almost every night for sushi around 6. I remember seeing a guitar and amp set up there, but not once was anyone playing when I was there. It is a nice spot however to get away from the crowds.

 

In my opinion, one of the best things to do is order room service and eat breakfast on your balcony if you have one. I didnt realize how great this was until we went to the buffet one day. Not that the buffet is bad in any way, but not having to wait in line, deal with other people and find a place to sit really is a pleasure.

This will be our 5th or 6th cruise with a balcony, once we had one we couldn't go back to a room without one! And one of the main reasons is we always order and eat breakfast on the balcony - why deal with all the masses at a buffet 1st thing in the morning when we can wake up to our own music from our personal CD player while watching the scenery from the solitude of our room/balcony. This trip we really lucked out and are going to be in CC class room in one of the large aft balcony rooms, supposedly 10x20 balcony! Can't wait! Looking forward to that sushi back there too, sounds like you recommend since you went back several times - good to know! We too love nice things, we are willing to pay $100 more pp for Celebrity over another cruiseline to get that little something extra, nicer atmosphere, etc. Thank you again!

[BeckyR]

Perki, We feel the same way about the balcony. We spend an enormous amount of time there....the bigger the balcony, the more we stay on it! On Connie in March we have one of the FV aft cabins on deck 7. I've been drooling over these for ages. Finally snagged one! We were on the Galaxy twice last year and will be on the Mercury in July. For all these cruises we had a SS on deck 12 with the large balconies. It was fantastic. I'm not a morning person anyway, so having breakfast on the balcony is the best way to start a day!

 

Becky

[canderson]

Perki, We feel the same way about the balcony. We spend an enormous amount of time there....the bigger the balcony, the more we stay on it! On Connie in March we have one of the FV aft cabins on deck 7. I've been drooling over these for ages. Finally snagged one! We were on the Galaxy twice last year and will be on the Mercury in July. For all these cruises we had a SS on deck 12 with the large balconies. It was fantastic. I'm not a morning person anyway, so having breakfast on the balcony is the best way to start a day!

 

Becky

Sounds like our tastes in cabins runs about the same. We grab a FV whenever we can on M-Class, and an aft between them if we can't. If neither are available, we pick a different date. For someone that likes veranda time, you're going to LOVE this. Did you get one of the corner FV cabins, or one of the ones just inside these? Pics at link below are for the latter, with one extra thrown in.

 

Question:

 

We've booked a Sky deck SS (1203) for the Galaxy in December, and while looking at the deck plan (and finding those big verandas), I got confused about how the hallways from these suites interface with the deck area above the pool. The deck plans make it appear that we're nearly open to the outside by the elevators. Can you tell me more about what happens up there?

[travelgirl913]

test

[mp3jrick]

Not that I expect much from a "club" on a cruise ship, but I think it is about time they found a decent DJ who can play some decent music. This particular DJ couldnt keep his mouth shut and was even more annoying than all of those cheesy sweet 16 type DJ's.

 

Hadda comment on this as it's my secondary business.

I call this kind of dj a "razzle dazzle dj", yup.....you nailed it.

Funny how many different styles there are from clowns to comedians to the razzle dazzle types. Some are like radio jocks who just love to hear their voices and figure everyone else does as well.

 

Some guys don't have the ability to read the crowd and play appropriate music to excite and activate the dance floor, so they act this way.

Some figure they are safe playing top 40/pop despite seeing a lounge full of 40+ somethings.

Another key thing is to mix it up from the left to the right playing everything concievable in between to keep people of all ages and interests in the club.

Every age group/genre has it's killer hits that fill dance floors, it's kind of a science, some understand it some don't.

 

I think when they decide to dedicate a night to a genre or vintage it is a mistake, such as "latin night" or "disco night" or "country night" or "oldies night".

You have ship full of people from all walks of life and ages and THAT is what should dictate to a degree what is played in the club, IMHO for what it's worth.

 

I see a pattern with the broadway shows, and personally find them short on my kind of entertainment.

Comedy, comedy, comedy..........

I hear the club/lounge on Connie is awesome, sail her Nov 10th this year.