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

[judyfssw]

Hi Dan,

We have been in Amsterdam since Monday morning. I've enjoyed your posts and pictures so much and appreciate the time and effort it took.

There was a Celebrity representative in our hotel this morning that confirmed the 4:00 embarkation which I've told others in the hotel about. We decided to book the transfer from our hotel to the ship since we won't be embarking until later anyway.

Can you tell me if Celebrity is doing the luggage transfer n this cruise? I sure enjoy using this service.

Again, thanks for everything.

[C 2 C]

Hi Judy:

When we took the Celebrity transfers from Schiphol, a bus drove us into the terminal and the luggage was automatically transferred to the ship and our cabin. Efficiently done as only the Dutch can do it.

Have a great cruise.

[judyfssw]

Arno, thanks for the quick reply but I was wondering about the program that takes your luggage from the ship directly to the airport after the cruise and you don't see them again until you get home. Actually, when thinking about it now and with the heightened security at the Amsterdam airport, I don't imagine that Security would allow baggage onto a plane with being with the owner.

Thanks anyway Arno.

[Dan Askin]

Dan:

Thanks for your most interesting posts. I'll be on the November TA and wondering who might be the Captain's Club Hostess.

 

Hi Orator, right now it's a lady named Anita, but it's really hard to say who'll be in charge in November. Contracts are typically six months (Anita's been onboard for several months), and it's impossible to say where her next assignment will be.

[Orator]

Thanks dan:

A hostess from another ship told me that she was hoping to be on the Connie for the TA. The staff are usually the last to know.

[Ine]

Watch Constellation "live" in Amsterdam through this webcam:

http://beeks.eu/ypln/

[bellybutton530]

Dan:

 

Did I read somewhere that they had stopped putting water and ice in the cabins on Connie? I am ingesting so much info that my brain is in overload status.... Please clarify.

 

Also, did you get to peek into the PH suite yet????

[wongri]

Thanks for the info Dan.

I presume from reading on the boards that there are 2 formal nights on the Baltic 12 day cruise. We are on the Aug. 22nd sailing. Is that correct?

 

Also, did you hear any feedback on the Russian Court Evening tour in St Petersburg. We have booked that for the evening after our tour with Viktoria of SPB tours.

 

Rita

[Dan Askin]

Thanks for the info Dan.

I presume from reading on the boards that there are 2 formal nights on the Baltic 12 day cruise. We are on the Aug. 22nd sailing. Is that correct?

 

Also, did you hear any feedback on the Russian Court Evening tour in St Petersburg. We have booked that for the evening after our tour with Viktoria of SPB tours.

 

Rita

 

There were only two formal evenings on our sailing, regardless of the Celebrity Web site saying cruises of 12 nights should have three.

 

One couple attended the court evening, and said it was great. I believe the line was offering it for $199 per person.

 

Going to sign off for a couple days, but I'll be back on Sunday/Monday.

[yukongold]

Thanks for your posts. As someone new to this site, I am finding the reviews and trip descriptions very helpful.

[floridafolks]

I just walked off the ship at 7:15 a.m., no issues, no worries, and met my bus.

FYI-- We were on this same sailing and DID follow Celebrity's directions for those on private tours. We met in the announced location and our group was escorted off the ship at 6:55 BEFORE they even announced that the ship was cleared for debarking. IOW - those on private tours who followed directions were the FIRST off the ship- no lines at all at the immigration facility. (We had given our names as requested earlier and Celebrity gave us a prefilled immigration form to give to Russian authorities along with the Tourist Ticket. )

No problems at all!-

[emeraldsroses]

Dan,

Thanks for the full report on here. I was also on the same cruise (DH, myself and our 10-month-old DD) and enjoyed the cruise very much.

 

We booked 3 tours through the ship and found them all to be great. One day we accidentally went to the bus instead of the meeting point, but found no difficulty checking in and getting on the bus.

 

Dan, did you attend any of the shows? What about the other activities offered? Perhaps you could also mention them in your report.

 

Other than that, well done on the report :)

[emeraldsroses]

Dan,

Thanks for the full report on here. We were also on the same cruise (DH, myself and our 10-month-old DD) and enjoyed it very much.

 

We booked 3 tours through the ship and found them all to be great. One day we accidentally went to the bus instead of the meeting point, but found no difficulty checking in and getting on the bus.

 

Dan, did you attend any of the shows? What about the other activities offered? Perhaps you could also mention them in your report. If you've already done this, my apologies for forgetting it.

 

Other than that, well done on the report.

[Tucker in Texas]

Dan: If you have already answered this, please forgive. I booked this cruise yesterday and wonder what the weather was like on your cruise.

 

Thank you.

 

Tucker in Texas

[m500dpp]

I stayed awake for all of Swan Lake (I asked the British gentleman next to me to throw an elbow if he saw me dozing).

 

Hey Dan, that was me!!! Didnt know who you were, very discreet!!!!

 

Some of my thoughts:

 

- Best show was live wire, Thought the violinist was brilliant, esp the Charlie Daniels number.

- We were told at the outset there had been 20 or so cases of Noro, clearly this was a case of Celebrity keeping quiet about the true situation

- All credit to each and every member of the staff who worked so hard cleaning the ship, and a big thumbs down to the few passengers who chose to treat the staff with contempt by refusing to use the hand gel (or even in one case not washing their hands after using the loo!)

- I do wonder at what point Cruise liners are prevented from sailing, is it 300 cases, 500, 2000, or is there no limit? (see above, no criticism of the crew in any way whatsoever)

- At the ballet, some of our group got really bad seats where they had very poor view - be careful when booking.

- Good cruise overall (and to be honest I dont really like cruises that much, its just that we get invited as part of a group)

[iceshots]

We are currently booking Connie for the Baltic tour in June 2011. I am surprised how fast the cabins are selling out.

 

My (then) 17 almost 18 year old daughter is curious who many people her age will probably be on the cruise. This is her graduation gift.

 

We are booking a Celebrity Suite. I'm not sure if the size and amenities of the suite are worth giving up a veranda. I love sitting out on my own private balcony but that is usually in the Caribbean. How conducive is the weather in the Baltic to sitting outside? Any info on the Celebrity Suites would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Project_gal]

We are booking a Celebrity Suite. I'm not sure if the size and amenities of the suite are worth giving up a veranda. I love sitting out on my own private balcony but that is usually in the Caribbean. How conducive is the weather in the Baltic to sitting outside? Any info on the Celebrity Suites would be appreciated.

 

Our first cruise was in a Concierge Class cabin in the Baltic in June 2006. The weather ranged between very cold, damp and windy to sunny and over 40 degrees centigrade. We used the balcony very little other than to spend a few minutes looking at the post and trying [mainly unsuccessfully] to determine what the weather was going to be. The cruise was the most port intensive we have done. Quite honestly, we found the cabin too small for two adults.

 

Since then, we have had a Celebrity Suite and, unless we can afford a Royal Suite, we are unlikely to choose anything else. OK, you cannot check the temperatue from the Suite or sunbathe but sunbathing is not likely to be on the agenda much in the Baltic. The view from the full length windows is, IMHO, better than from any balcony. With the Celebrity Suite you get privacy [separate bathroom] in addition to space and amenities. This has to be an advantage with you [then] adut daughter.

 

Sue

[emeraldsroses]

Dan: If you have already answered this, please forgive. I booked this cruise yesterday and wonder what the weather was like on your cruise.

 

Thank you.

 

Tucker in Texas

We were on the same cruise as Dan and can tell you the weather most of the time was great. There was some wind which made it seem cooler at times, but for the most part it was good. With the exception of Warnemünde and Copenhagen, which we had rain (Copenhagen we were poured on), the rest of the days were sunny and warm (around 18C/64F). We didn't even need a sweater. Just short sleeved shirts, 3/4 length trousers and shoes.

 

Of course, the weather in Northern Europe is unpredictable, so I would check the weather closer to when you go on the cruise. Just pack for moderate weather, but also make certain you've got something to protect yourself from rain.

 

Happy cruising!

[emeraldsroses]

Hey Dan, that was me!!! Didnt know who you were, very discreet!!!!

 

Some of my thoughts:

 

- Best show was live wire, Thought the violinist was brilliant, esp the Charlie Daniels number.

- We were told at the outset there had been 20 or so cases of Noro, clearly this was a case of Celebrity keeping quiet about the true situation

- All credit to each and every member of the staff who worked so hard cleaning the ship, and a big thumbs down to the few passengers who chose to treat the staff with contempt by refusing to use the hand gel (or even in one case not washing their hands after using the loo!)

- I do wonder at what point Cruise liners are prevented from sailing, is it 300 cases, 500, 2000, or is there no limit? (see above, no criticism of the crew in any way whatsoever)

- At the ballet, some of our group got really bad seats where they had very poor view - be careful when booking.

- Good cruise overall (and to be honest I dont really like cruises that much, its just that we get invited as part of a group)

I agree that Livewire was the greatest show they had. I've never enjoyed something as much as them! Kudos to Celebrity for booking them for the 28 May Baltic cruise.

 

I also agree that some passengers showed little to no respect to the staff when it came to hygiene. I couldn't believe it when I also heard that there were some passengers who were supposed to be in quaranteen had tried to leave the ship at ports. Did they believe they could get away with leaving their rooms when they were told they had the norovirus?

 

Hats off to Celebrity for providing a great cruise! DH, DD and I had a wonderful time and will probably go again in the future.

[Dan Askin]

Hey Dan, that was me!!! Didnt know who you were, very discreet!!!!

 

Some of my thoughts:

 

- Best show was live wire, Thought the violinist was brilliant, esp the Charlie Daniels number.

- We were told at the outset there had been 20 or so cases of Noro, clearly this was a case of Celebrity keeping quiet about the true situation

- All credit to each and every member of the staff who worked so hard cleaning the ship, and a big thumbs down to the few passengers who chose to treat the staff with contempt by refusing to use the hand gel (or even in one case not washing their hands after using the loo!)

- I do wonder at what point Cruise liners are prevented from sailing, is it 300 cases, 500, 2000, or is there no limit? (see above, no criticism of the crew in any way whatsoever)

- At the ballet, some of our group got really bad seats where they had very poor view - be careful when booking.

- Good cruise overall (and to be honest I dont really like cruises that much, its just that we get invited as part of a group)

 

Ha, I think it was more exhaustion than discretion.

 

About the G.I., crew onboard were certainly tight-lipped ... but it's hard to keep the situation under wraps with the prevalence of fumigation machines and crewmembers in plague masks. More importantly, the ship reports the number of gastro cases to the CDC in the U.S., so it's all public info ... so while those onboard skirted the issue, Celebrity PR provided us with the "official" numbers. As to a situation when ships are actually prevented from sailing, it depends on a number of factors. The CDC can issue a "no sail recommendation," as they did with a Celebrity Mercury in March, at which point the line can voluntarily take the vessel out of service for the recommended amount of time (it may be voluntary, but they always listen). If they don't follow the advice, the CDC might hit them with the extremely rare "no sail order," which requires an outside party to enforce (like the Coast Guard). Secondly, port officials can quarantine a ship or refuse it entry.

[Babo02]

Hi Dan. Got back last night from the June 9-21 sailing.

We also had quite a few cases of Noro onboard, but apparently less than on your cruise. As we were waiting for our bus to the airport, one of the employees stated that there had been 225 cases of Noro, which was 75 less than the last cruise. It seems that all of the ships in the Baltic have had to deal with Noro, not just the Constellation.

In spite of everything, the service was excellent and 95 percent of the staff was friendly and helpful.

We hated having to wait for the servers to bring the salt and pepper at dinner, so my hubby collected the paper packs from the buffet and used them on his food (when he remembered them). Other than that, service was excellent, although slower, due to the steps that were being taken to prevent the spread of the Noro.

Unlike you, we had bad weather. Stockholm was OK, but it was cold in St. Petersburg and all of the people who took the Peterhof/hydrofoil tour nearly froze waiting for the hydrofoil. It felt more like the middle of winter than the middle of June, with the high wind and overcast skies. However, that's Mother Nature and has nothing to do with Celebrity. Tallin was our best day weather-wise.

Anyone who complains (and there will be many who do so) shouldn't be listened to. The staff of the Constellation did the best they could.

 

***I just did some research and read that the Norovirus is resistant to cleaning with chlorine bleach, and that is what the crew was using to try and clean the ship. It's also resistant to boiling and freezing temperatures. Perhaps they should do more research themselves about the best way to clean the public areas.

[nwebb01]

Thanks Xellent, enjoying the voyage so far.

 

Sadly, the line didn't invest in bow-to-stern Wi-Fi on this go-around ($40 million and now full-ship Wi-Fi!), so I have no access in my cabin. As you can imagine, this can be pretty brutal for a writer on assignment. For the past two days, I've been typing furiously after dinner in my cabin (no Web) from about 11 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. ... and then running down to Deck 3's Gamma conference room, the location with the best access (says the Web guy), where I log on and do my fact checking and comment posting. Writing first before I sign on saves serious usage minutes -- the connection has been horrible so far, and the time it takes to submit the picture-posts is geological.

 

The Internet Cafe is on Deck 6, but I'll look into getting some info on the specific Wi-Fi access points.

 

Hi Dan,

Yours was the most informative post about wifi on the Constellation; I sure hope you get notified when there's a reply to your posts, since this was a while back!

 

On the Celebrity web site they tell us computers must have an internal modem to connect to their network. I have a wireless card instead. They, via email, tell me they can't guarantee I can connect without a modem. Can you tell me if you needed a modem to connect wirelessly? I can't imagine why it would be necessary, but Celebrity can't give me any info about why they have this requirement. Perhaps that is for their wired connections.

 

THANK YOU!

Nancy