Good Reviews of Constellation

[true45]

For those of you with planned Constellation sailings -- just to let you know that my review (True45) of Jan 25 sailing and also other positive reviews just hit the Member review section. :cool:

 

Happy sailing.

[Wine-O]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on Connie this April's TA.

 

It's got to be tough on the crew to continuously do these short 4-5 day sailings, over & over again. Just embarkation & disembarkation can be taxing, especially carting of all the luggage. Hopefully they will get some rest during the TA.

[true45]

Wine-O

The crew and officers had very good attitudes. A couple of them said their contracts were ending on this cruise so hopefully they will get some rest.

We, for the 1st time, actually carried (I should say wheeled) our own luggage off at disembarkation - DH had to get to work that night. Very quick & efficient.

[jcpc]

true 45,

 

Nice to see some "happy" reviews. We're sailing on the April 5 and April 10 sailings. Quick question re self-disembarkation. What time did you leave the ship? We have an 11:40 am flight out of FLL and are sailing in the PH so I know we'll be one of the first groups off the ship and I'm sure we'll be off the ship by 8:30 am, but just wondering if we should do self-disembarkaton?

 

Thanks so much.

 

jcpc

[true45]

jcpc,

I know this sounds unbelievable but it is true.

We went for breakfast at the buffet at 7, picked up our bags in the cabin at 7:40 and were at the car by 7:55 (and we had a little trouble finding the car even though I had taken down the numbers and photo'd the sign near the car lol)

Happy sailings.

[BosoxI]

Doing five day cruises over the same route has to be a killer for the crew and boring as all get out for the officers. A captain on a Princess Med cruise once told us that doing the same route over and over would put him in early retirement. I can believe it. Again, I'll say our 12/9 cruise on the Connie was very nice, and I'mm sure we'll enjoy the one on 3/8, speaking of repeating a cruise. At least we'll do Key West first this time, so no early wakeup for immigration

[Iamthesea]

Really enjoyed your review, true45. :) The others were good as well, but I like to hear from those that have cruised before and also on the same ship. I was able to read a couple of those that compared the ship before and after dry dock.

 

We were on the Connie last February, and will be on again in March and May. I have a few questions based on some things I read in the reviews.

 

#1 -

and the bed had a nice memory-foam mattress, real comfy.

 

Is this true that the beds are now memory foam? In the early days of our cruising, all the ships had foam mattresses and they were so comfortable. Then they all went to a standard type, hard and saggy. I would love it if the Connie now has MF. :)

 

#2 -

and the best show by far was "The Liars Club", with the captain, cruise director and another officer making up hilarious definitions of obscure words.

 

Almost all the reviews mention this show. Has it replace the Love & Marriage show? I would think there would be some repeats with the stories that the Captain. officers and CD's make up and would get old if one cruises the same ship a lot. :rolleyes:

 

#3 -

There is no show band, no piano player, no movies, no crafts,

 

I had previously read where there was no show band, but not exactly sure what that means. Do you mean in the theater? Where does the music come from for the shows?

 

No movies? Has there previously been a movie theater on the Connie? I don't remember. Couldn't they show a movie in the theater on a rainy day? RCCL does this.

 

No crafts? I was looking forward to taking the water painting class on my upcoming cruise. :(

 

Thank you for any answers.

 

PS - I almost didn't read a few of the reviews because it stated the ship was in the Bahamas and my cruise goes to the W. Caribbean. :D

Edited February 8, 2014 by Iamthesea

[true45]

Iamthesea,

 

The mattress felt like a regular mattress, just OK -- but asked for extra foam pillows.

 

Not sure if they did love & marriage game, games are not our thing, sorry. On other Celebrity ships there were also Liars Club with the Captain -- but we could never go for one reason or another. I guess if the words that are defined are the same they can get repetitive but that is true for the production shows as well, I think. The first time I saw one of the Cirque shows I was blown away -- but they repeat them for years and if you are a frequent Celebrity cruiser it is no thrill. LOL, I don't like to watch movies over & over either.

 

The production show was singers & dancers accompanied by recorded music. Usually, there is a large band behind them. My DH actually was a showband musician for another line. We really missed that dimension and the energy of live music in the show. The choreography was dated as were the costumes. It is like karaoke with the cast singing with the canned music (and it wasn't even good canned music) I remember one showband that had guest singer that brought his own charts and they were dynamite. But 2 singers Jaime & Allison stood out in a good way. I guess this is an economy move for Celebrity. There used to some music by the showband, perhaps a guest singer, comedian, variety acts. One night on Constellation was comedy (we have seen a lot on ships and ashore, just didn't think this one was funny) but no other music.

 

Yes, there was no movie theater but I agree with you & I don't understand why big screen movies couldn't be shown in the lounges or even the theater like on other cruiselines. It wouldn't cost Celebrity a lot of money -- really missed that. Also like craft classes which were missing.

 

We used to have coffee at Café al Bacio and listen to the string quartet -- love classical music. On Equinox last January, we loved the Eastern European group, ran into them at the internet café in Panama -- lovely ladies that could really play.

 

But there was some music that was good -- Star Trio, the latin band -- the dance floor was full with people trying to keep up with the female vocalist as she showed the dances.

The Atrium had a very loud DJ, almost a wall of noise, no conversation even possible at times. Really missed piano too. There were 2 guitar players -- I do think there are so many talented players (different instruments, violin, horns, jazz, etc.) that could be switched for at least one of the guitars.

 

I just don't want you to think we were bored -- there was always something to do if we wanted to -- just some things we were accustomed to were gone.

 

Linda

Edited February 8, 2014 by true45

[Iamthesea]

Hey Linda,

 

I thought it was too good to be true about the mattresses. :rolleyes:

 

Too bad about the music. We also enjoy some good classical music or a trio playing Big Band music. Sad that Celebrity has decided to cater to the young in a way that they are forgetting the classic style of cruising.:(

[SnowshoeCat]

true 45,

 

Nice to see some "happy" reviews. We're sailing on the April 5 and April 10 sailings. Quick question re self-disembarkation. What time did you leave the ship? We have an 11:40 am flight out of FLL and are sailing in the PH so I know we'll be one of the first groups off the ship and I'm sure we'll be off the ship by 8:30 am, but just wondering if we should do self-disembarkaton?

 

Thanks so much.

 

jcpc

 

I was on the same sailing as the OP. I did the self-disembark for my 11:20 flight and kept track of the times because I knew some people would want to know. I walked off the ship at 7:26, through customs, onto a shuttle, and was at the airport at 7:45. I would have paid the $75 fee for an earlier flight, but the connection time for my second flight was too short for my comfort. So I took out my iPad and went through my e-mails.

[BettyCruiser]

We did regular disembarkation off the Constellation yesterday, had #18 which was called about 8:30, got our luggage, through customs and cabbed to the airport by 9:00AM, which was too early to check luggage for our 11:30 SW flight. At 9:20 we checked our bags and went through security in plenty of time for our flight.

[jcpc]

Thanks, everyone, for all the answers re disembarkment. I think we'll be fine! :D

[bobsfamily]

I am considering a cruise on the Connie and wondered if getting to the train station for 9am train would be pushing it? We pack light and will be in an Aqua class balcony. The train station is only a couple of miles away and I could spend the night if needed but would rather just be home (12 hours later).

Thanks in advance....

[Iamthesea]

What train are you taking, and to where...Charleston?

We will also be on the Connie and I had been thinking of taking a train type transportation from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach (where we fly out of), but was told that it would be cutting it close to catch the 9ish train.

[true45]

bobsfamily, iamthesea

 

The planets have aligned for some of us sometimes but don't count on it. What would happen if you missed the train??

[bobsfamily]

What train are you taking, and to where...Charleston?

We will also be on the Connie and I had been thinking of taking a train type transportation from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach (where we fly out of), but was told that it would be cutting it close to catch the 9ish train.

 

Amtrak - station is right next to 95 -

https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Amtrak+Station-FTL,+200+Southwest+21st+Terrace,+Fort+Lauderdale,+FL+33312&hl=en&ll=26.127546,-80.16758&spn=0.12607,0.222988&sll=26.114753,-80.193672&sspn=0.126084,0.222988&geocode=CSiN0XvhH1nWFXmFjgEdRrM4-ykbpetawwDZiDHideK3SNdC9Q&mra=mift&t=m&z=13

 

And yes we would be taking it back to Charleston. It's about a 12 hour train ride and a 9-10 hour drive. Airfares out of Charleston are high and I am considering renting a one way car (about $90), dropping it off to avoid parking fees and either renting a car to go back or go by train.

 

bobsfamily, iamthesea

 

The planets have aligned for some of us sometimes but don't count on it. What would happen if you missed the train??

 

LOL - that's what I thought. We are considering spending a night in FL and taking it the next day. Love the train and at $140 for both of us not a bad deal.

 

 

WE BOOKED it - 3/8/14... First time on Celebrity so we opted for an Aqua cabin. Was on the phone with Celebrity for about 20 minutes asking all kinds of questions. I was told (remains to be seen) that Aqua class got all the benefits of Concierge class in addition to the Aqua benefits. Got the "free" beverage package and $100 OBC. Costco was offering the OBC and they matched it.

[true45]

bobsfamily, enjoy

We are trying aquaclass 1st time for next sailing. Pls write review when you get back

Linda

[roohound]

 

WE BOOKED it - 3/8/14... First time on Celebrity so we opted for an Aqua cabin. Was on the phone with Celebrity for about 20 minutes asking all kinds of questions. I was told (remains to be seen) that Aqua class got all the benefits of Concierge class in addition to the Aqua benefits. Got the "free" beverage package and $100 OBC. Costco was offering the OBC and they matched it.

 

The 3/8 sailing of the Constellation will be my first venture with Celebrity as well. Also decided to go with AQ. Going with a gal pal of mine as hubby can't get the time off. So looking forward to getting away from the cold and trying a new cruise line!

[bobsfamily]

bobsfamily, enjoy

We are trying aquaclass 1st time for next sailing. Pls write review when you get back

Linda

 

Linda,

We sure will, hope it's all as good as the comments are. We have done so many Carnival cruises due to kids (now gone) and the Fantasy being so close to us. Charleston is about 15 minutes from the house... so easy.

 

The 3/8 sailing of the Constellation will be my first venture with Celebrity as well. Also decided to go with AQ. Going with a gal pal of mine as hubby can't get the time off. So looking forward to getting away from the cold and trying a new cruise line!

We will be seeing you in the "Blu" restaurant... just joined the roll call. Jane and I are so looking forward to something different and this fits the bill. Are you taking "formal" clothes? I understand that Blu does not have a formal night...

[roohound]

Very excited about Blu! Still trying to figure the formal thing. This is my friend's first cruise and I'm not sure how formal she wants to go. I'll probably throw a cocktail dress in the mix to cover things. Already pre-packing :) My biggest issue right now is trying to figure out of I want to upgrade the classic beverage package to the premium one - rough life ;)

[bobsfamily]

Very excited about Blu! Still trying to figure the formal thing. This is my friend's first cruise and I'm not sure how formal she wants to go. I'll probably throw a cocktail dress in the mix to cover things. Already pre-packing :) My biggest issue right now is trying to figure out of I want to upgrade the classic beverage package to the premium one - rough life ;)

Jane and I are already talking about that (beverage package)... we just realized that we are cruising in less than a month... Yikes!

 

Gotta start packing and I guess I will take the Tux in case. Wife said cocktail dress is the max...

[roohound]

I've done a bunch of cruises and maybe it's just me, but I don't like going formal for cruises under 7 days. Kind of a weird quirk. From what I've read it seems like these shorter jaunts on the Constellation are pretty informal.

 

I'm wondering if we'll have any spring breakers on this cruise. We are flying in on the 7th and man, it was tough to find a hotel room - then I realized ohhh.....it's Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.

[Iamthesea]

There should be some Spring breakers on your cruise. Public schools and college! :eek: Your Roll Call will be a good indication. If not, you can look up Spring Break 2014 and get a list of colleges on break. I did that, and also looked at different school districts in Florida because I figured if anyone took the 5 day for Spring Break, they would live close by.;)

 

bobsfamily, iamthesea

 

The planets have aligned for some of us sometimes but don't count on it. What would happen if you missed the train??

 

I guess if we missed the train, we could hire a taxi. Having a hard time finding a service that will take us from the pier in Port Everglades to WPB airport. I'd rather hire someone ahead of time. I do not wish to rent a car.

 

Amtrak - station is right next to 95 -

https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Amtrak+Station-FTL,+200+Southwest+21st+Terrace,+Fort+Lauderdale,+FL+33312&hl=en&ll=26.127546,-80.16758&spn=0.12607,0.222988&sll=26.114753,-80.193672&sspn=0.126084,0.222988&geocode=CSiN0XvhH1nWFXmFjgEdRrM4-ykbpetawwDZiDHideK3SNdC9Q&mra=mift&t=m&z=13

 

And yes we would be taking it back to Charleston. It's about a 12 hour train ride and a 9-10 hour drive. Airfares out of Charleston are high and I am considering renting a one way car (about $90), dropping it off to avoid parking fees and either renting a car to go back or go by train.

 

LOL - that's what I thought. We are considering spending a night in FL and taking it the next day. Love the train and at $140 for both of us not a bad deal.

 

WE BOOKED it - 3/8/14... First time on Celebrity so we opted for an Aqua cabin. Was on the phone with Celebrity for about 20 minutes asking all kinds of questions. I was told (remains to be seen) that Aqua class got all the benefits of Concierge class in addition to the Aqua benefits. Got the "free" beverage package and $100 OBC. Costco was offering the OBC and they matched it.

 

I guess I didn't realize that Amtrak ran that route. Never been on it, but love taking the train in Europe. That's a pretty good rate. :)

 

I've done a bunch of cruises and maybe it's just me, but I don't like going formal for cruises under 7 days. Kind of a weird quirk. From what I've read it seems like these shorter jaunts on the Constellation are pretty informal.

 

I'm wondering if we'll have any spring breakers on this cruise. We are flying in on the 7th and man, it was tough to find a hotel room - then I realized ohhh.....it's Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.

 

I agree. We were on the Connie last year and Formal nights were not very formal. Dined in Blu on longer cruises and most were not dressed formally.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Iamthesea

[bobsfamily]

I've done a bunch of cruises and maybe it's just me, but I don't like going formal for cruises under 7 days. Kind of a weird quirk. From what I've read it seems like these shorter jaunts on the Constellation are pretty informal.

 

I'm wondering if we'll have any spring breakers on this cruise. We are flying in on the 7th and man, it was tough to find a hotel room - then I realized ohhh.....it's Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Thanks for that info... we had the same problem. I was going to take the train down but most hotels were in the $250 plus range and by the time I added in the train (again $140) I could fly. Did you find a good rate?

[bobsfamily]

I guess I didn't realize that Amtrak ran that route. Never been on it, but love taking the train in Europe. That's a pretty good rate. :)

 

I agree. We were on the Connie last year and Formal nights were not very formal. Dined in Blu on longer cruises and most were not dressed formally.

I think I will take a suit but hope not to use!

And yes the train is enjoyable, most of the time. Now that we are talking about spring break it might not be the best time to take it....