Constellation 12/04-12/18 Southern Caribbean Cruise

[Down-Unders]

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)

 

 

Thank you for your input, we have moved from HAL to Celebrity Constellation hope we have made the right choice!

[C 2 C]

Thank you for your input, we have moved from HAL to Celebrity Constellation hope we have made the right choice!

 

We originally started cruising on HAL and slowly made the transition to Celebrity. My latest theory is that my Zodiac sign and that of the Head Chef on board is sometimes in conflict. Now, according to the latest scientific interpretation of the unknowable, my sign has shifted together with the earth's axis (honest, google it http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110113/us_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom20110113horoscopehangupearthrotationchangeszodiacsignsxidrssfullnationyahoo), I'm no longer a bull but a ram with a corresponding identity crisis. I no longer know whether I'm an X fan or another Flying Dutchman doomed to sail the seas forever in search of an exquisite meal. ;)

[AlinaMaria]

Once again it is obvious that cruising is a personal experience and people rarely agree 100% on anything.

 

We were also on the Constellation 12/04/10 sailing and except for very few incidents (all passenger related) it was perfect!!! Even a month after our return home, I am still enjoying my vacation memories, photos, etc. I was not going to post my review but in all fairness to Celebrity Cruises here it is:

 

I must agree with the fact that there were quite a number of very rude passengers :mad: who will push you to get on the elevator or at the buffet line, and they did not care if the person they were pushing was someone with impaired mobility either. We solved this by having many lunches at Bistro on Five (it is wonderful food and great service) or lunch at the MDR, and waiting for elevators that were empty. Our philosphy: we are on vacation, no need to rush, just relax and enjoy! Let others be stressed out!!!

 

One very disgusting experience was witnessing a passenger grabbing breadsticks with her bare hands, touching everything in the basket while ignoring the tongues right in the basket! I did bring this to the attention of one of the officers in the buffet area and he took care of the situation immediately. He apologized multiple times but it was not the staff fault but the lady passenger who even got upset when I mentioned to her this is not fair to other passengers and this is one of the ways norovirus spreads!!!:eek:

 

We loved the Tuscan Grill! Had dinner twice and loved it both times; actually liked it more than Ocean Liners for the relaxed atmosphere. Ocean Liners was also magnificent with excellent service but not as relaxed; we ate there once and also went to the Afternoon High Tea. We loved the staff at Tuscan Grill! I will repeat the experience at both restraurants anytime.:D

 

The shows were fair but I've seen worse in HAL. Pool entertainment was a bit boring, mostly non-existence but we were happy for the quiet time to read and relax... I'm thankful for not having to witness the "hairy leg competition" or "belly flop" contest...:eek:

 

There were more impaired mobility passengers in this cruise than in any other of my previous cruises. However, I've noticed this is also true of cruises longer than 7 days because younger people have more difficulty due to their jobs, children school/college schedules, etc. Which is the reason why we travel when school/college is in session and prices are usually lower too.

 

Yes, there was sewer odor at times in certain hallways specially early morning or late at night......

 

Our cabin was very comfortable, and our stateroom attendant (Paul from Jamaica) was the best we've had in years! He was attentive, professional and the happiest person on board the ship!

 

As to the ports, except for Grenada, we had a great time everywhere. We just did not enjoy the tour and found people not very friendly either. In Curacao we chose to stay on the ship (great spa specials) and we were glad because in the afternoon it rained heavily and this had nothing to do with been a holiday in Curacao. Aruba, Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, and St Thomas were great beach days. Antigua was another day on the ship taking advantage of the spa specials....

 

Another point: we also had requested small table for 2 Early Sitting and it was not granted, we were given a large 8 persons table. I immediately contacted the staff and we were reassigned to a table of our preference.

 

Yes, debarkation was slow but we must remember that one of the ultra-mega RCL ships was also in port slowing down everything!

 

I'm sorry for the long review but felt the need to provide a different view of the same cruise. We LOVED the Constellation and will sail on her again in the future. As to Celebrity, I will continue to sail with them because the other options (except for Princess) are not much better!

 

May everyone have a blessed and healthy 2011!:)

[Down-Unders]

We originally started cruising on HAL and slowly made the transition to Celebrity. My latest theory is that my Zodiac sign and that of the Head Chef on board is sometimes in conflict. Now, according to the latest scientific interpretation of the unknowable, my sign has shifted together with the earth's axis (honest, google it http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110113/us_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom20110113horoscopehangupearthrotationchangeszodiacsignsxidrssfullnationyahoo), I'm no longer a bull but a ram with a corresponding identity crisis. I no longer know whether I'm an X fan or another Flying Dutchman doomed to sail the seas forever in search of an exquisite meal. ;)

 

 

:):):):):)

[cheffip]

The original post was certainly way over-the-top in its negativity but if you go to the members reviews section of Cruise Critic there are a number of luke-warm recent reviews of Connie from seasoned cruisers.

I've got a deposit on a fall eastern Med cruise and I hope that the glowing reports from people in this thread are more indicative of what to expect. :confused: I was last on Constellation in 2007 and had a great cruise.

[ccletzgo]

The original post was certainly way over-the-top in its negativity but if you go to the members reviews section of Cruise Critic there are a number of luke-warm recent reviews of Connie from seasoned cruisers.

I've got a deposit on a fall eastern Med cruise and I hope that the glowing reports from people in this thread are more indicative of what to expect. :confused: I was last on Constellation in 2007 and had a great cruise.

 

We loved, loved the Constellation... I'm trying to balance these reviews...:confused:

[Crashcup]

Wow! Thanks for the spectacularly negative review of the Connie!! We're doing the same cruise on March 12 and, thanks to that review, my expectations have been calibrated so low that this cruise promises to be one of the best I've ever experienced! Fabulous!!!!

[Linky41]

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.

 

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

 

 

We are sailing on the Connie to the Baltic and are in an aft cabin on 7. Would appreciate knowing your impression of this area (pros and cons :-}). We have sailed on the Equinox both Med- and a TA over the last 2 years. Both cruises were fabulous-a lot of fun. We did see a definite decline in food in all but the speciality restaurants. While some of the staff were incredible as always, some definitely had a great deal of room for improvement. I feel that the number of dining staff as well as room stewards has been geatly reduced, therefore the ratio of staff to guest has changed dramatically. With all this said, as you can see, for now, we will still sail on the Connie and also the Xpedition to the Galapagos.

 

Thanks for any information you can offer

Elaine

[Freecall]

...........f you go to the members reviews section of Cruise Critic there are a number of luke-warm recent reviews of Connie from seasoned cruisers.

 

 

I have just done this and have to agree that the Connie does seem to be getting somewhat lower review ratings than other ships in the fleet. I wonder why?

 

A few possibilities :

 

1. Things have genuinely deteriorated.

2. The ship's loyal passengers are becoming more intolerant of small shortcomings.

3. The ship is simply getting old (although this should not affect service).

4. Loyal passengers paint a positive picture which raises expectations of newer clients which are then not met.

 

Although the post which started this thread may have been from an exceptionally disgruntled customer and therefore somewhat over the top, the collective wisdom of experienced cruisers should not be ignored.

 

.

[AlbertaCruisers]

We are sailing on the Connie to the Baltic and are in an aft cabin on 7. Would appreciate knowing your impression of this area (pros and cons :-}).

 

Hi, we were in 7206 and loved it. The view is amazing, the huge balcony was great. The walk from the aft elevators wasn't that far. We could barely hear the music from the 10th floor (and that was only when we were in port). I can't think of any cons other than the price we paid! We had a pretty calm sailing so I don't know if it would have been rougher than side cabins otherwise, but we didn't feel any more vibrations/movement/etc. then we normally do in a mid ship cabin. The cabin itself was just like any standard balcony cabin we had (but a bit small I found in comparison to other lines we have been on), it was the size of the balcony and view out the back that made it amazing. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I'll let you know our opinion.

[patned]

 

Although the post which started this thread may have been from an exceptionally disgruntled customer and therefore somewhat over the top, the collective wisdom of experienced cruisers should not be ignored.

 

.

 

I do agree with you that it is best to look at the collective experience but first I Would remove bogus entries. Also I would have trouble referring to Zippie01 as "somewhat" over the top.

 

Zippie01 probably has heard back from Celebrity by now. Maybe he/she could share some details of the Celebrity response. Maybe let us know the name of the person who replied. As you only shared your highlights of the trip from hell, let us hear some more. We are worried sick.

[C 2 C]

Zippie01 probably has heard back from Celebrity by now. Maybe he/she could share some details of the Celebrity response. Maybe let us know the name of the person who replied. As you only shared your highlights of the trip from hell, let us hear some more. We are worried sick.

 

We cruised on Constellation for 28 days a year ago in February and another 28 day B2B in Nov/Dec. Last year we enjoyed the experience so much that we booked three 14 day cruises in a row starting next week.

Constellation is in wonderful shape, better than ever with the renovations completed in May. The main difference on our last experience was the inconsistency in the preparation of menu items that were fine six months earlier.

If the ship is great, the weather co-operates and if you are flexible in menu choices, you will most likely have a wonderful voyage. If anyone has a problem with their cabin next month, there are no cabins available for changes. Constellation is sold out because most people find her the best ship in the fleet.

 

And I think Zippie won't be back because it is an alias being used by another identity on cruise critic.

[ILVMM]

Wow! Thanks for the spectacularly negative review of the Connie!! We're doing the same cruise on March 12 and, thanks to that review, my expectations have been calibrated so low that this cruise promises to be one of the best I've ever experienced! Fabulous!!!!

 

 

WOW again! I've sailed the Constellation 3x and will be aboard for the 2/26/2011 sailling, and, I, too, have recalibrated my expectations, as "X" is my all-time favorite cruise line.

 

I'm wondering if I'll even use up all of my OBC.

 

I'm just hoping they will still allow me to bring my microwave and toaster oven onboard. :confused:

[ILVMM]

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...

 

 

Yea, me, too. I want to know if I'll still be able to use my I-phone to look up answers as I know the Wi-Fi on the ship seems to be working great.

 

I'm kinda glad they are only giving out smaller prizes now, cus the extra weight in my suitcase from all the towels and mugs were actually costing me.