Constellation 11-19-2015 live Suite comments

[kk99]

Hi everyone,

We are at the end of th first btb on Constellation staying in sky suites and the penthouse and have other friends joining us Monday in oceanview and Aqua.

 

The sailing has been great, very smooth and a great Captain and staff onboard.

Michael's Club has been mostly empty this short cruise. Erick Guzman is extremely personable and knew all of us by the end of day one.

 

On this sailing, the Captain's Table was not on the formal night but on Saturday , smart casual night hosted by the Hotel Director, Mario Valentino and the Human Resources Manager, Shannon Conway.

 

The same Gilchrist and Soames toiletries are in the cabin. The pillow chocolates continue along with the chocolate covered Oreo on formal night. No little box of choolates as we usually get in the room, but we did have the

upgraded Perrier Jouet in the penthouse along with the two bottles of alcohol which can be swapped for wine.

 

Luminae hours are on embarkation day

Lunch. 12-2 p.m.

Dinner 6-9:30 p.m.

 

Port days:

Breakfast: 7:30- 9:00 a.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

Sea Days:

Breakfast: 8:00- 9:30 a.m.

Lunch: 12:00- 1:30 p.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

On this ship I was told that they were not getting the traffic for lunch, so it was not being offered. I think this will be the policy for this ship going forward if the officers' statement are correct.

 

Casino cash changes. If someone has obc and was not a Blue Chip member or had some other waiver, if you go to the cage you will no longer get cash back minus the 5 percent charge, but you will get promo credits up to the amount of your obc you want to use to play off in a machine or on the tables. If you have leftover refundable obc, it can be credited back to your credit card. Your non refundable credit must be used by the end of the voyage. It looks like some of us are going to the spa or shops today!

 

If anyone has a specific question, we are on for the next 5 nights, and I'll try and get answers if possible.

[Beamafar]

Have you been offered lunch in Bistro on 5 as an alternative on port days when Luminae is not open?

[akowilm]

What if I used those credits in the casino and then win even more? I can cash it out then? I usually like to play a few nights of blackjack.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[john_galt]

Are you doing the PH first or last? 6147 or 6148?

[jules815]

I'll be in 6145 in March.

 

Do you know if the connecting door from the SS goes directly into the PH, or does it open into a hallway that is accessed by the butler? I saw a video on you tube a while back that showed the hallway configuration, but I can't remember if that was an M class ship or not.

[john_galt]

Yes. There is a door in 6147 to 6145.

[Snit13]

Hi everyone,

We are at the end of th first btb on Constellation staying in sky suites and the penthouse and have other friends joining us Monday in oceanview and Aqua.

 

The sailing has been great, very smooth and a great Captain and staff onboard.

Michael's Club has been mostly empty this short cruise. Erick Guzman is extremely personable and knew all of us by the end of day one.

 

On this sailing, the Captain's Table was not on the formal night but on Saturday , smart casual night hosted by the Hotel Director, Mario Valentino and the Human Resources Manager, Shannon Conway.

 

The same Gilchrist and Soames toiletries are in the cabin. The pillow chocolates continue along with the chocolate covered Oreo on formal night. No little box of choolates as we usually get in the room, but we did have the

upgraded Perrier Jouet in the penthouse along with the two bottles of alcohol which can be swapped for wine.

 

Luminae hours are on embarkation day

Lunch. 12-2 p.m.

Dinner 6-9:30 p.m.

 

Port days:

Breakfast: 7:30- 9:00 a.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

Sea Days:

Breakfast: 8:00- 9:30 a.m.

Lunch: 12:00- 1:30 p.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

On this ship I was told that they were not getting the traffic for lunch, so it was not being offered. I think this will be the policy for this ship going forward if the officers' statement are correct.

 

Casino cash changes. If someone has obc and was not a Blue Chip member or had some other waiver, if you go to the cage you will no longer get cash back minus the 5 percent charge, but you will get promo credits up to the amount of your obc you want to use to play off in a machine or on the tables. If you have leftover refundable obc, it can be credited back to your credit card. Your non refundable credit must be used by the end of the voyage. It looks like some of us are going to the spa or shops today!

 

If anyone has a specific question, we are on for the next 5 nights, and I'll try and get answers if possible.

 

Great to read your post. Still in awe of the great joy you did on our Allure cruise a number of years ago as "Hurricand Dodgers." Hope you won lots on this cruise. We will be on The Connie B2B in February 2016.

 

Grace and Rudy

[kk99]

Hi everyone,

Answers to questions so far

 

Yes, we were given free lunch in Bistro on Five on our port day in Nassau for all suite guest cabin levels since Luminae is closed on port days for lunch. I'll report back if it is offered when we get to Cozumel.

 

We had ps 6148 the first leg and ps 6147 for the second, the rest of our cabins were able to have the same cabin. The ps connect to our favorite sky suites by a door that would open near the dining room table in the ps if the door was unlocked.

 

As far as the casino and obc, my brother got his chips for the nonrefundable part and came out ahead, and was able to cash out his profits. I am not sure why the casino instituted it other than to have another revenue stream.

 

Also for the first time on Connie that I've experienced it this year(3 other previous sailings) they are now issuing 1099's for jackpots above the 1199 dollar amount. I think I was one of the first, as they made me sign six copies for a 1500 dollar win. I was grateful for the win but you usually sign once and they couldn't decide if they wanted my driver's license or my passport for about 10 minutes. Table play was much less strict on deciding when to require a 1099.

 

I did ask the hotel director and the concierge and was told that for new bookings starting in January 2016, no more free specialty dining for sky or celebrity suites since there is Luminae. Anything booked before then will be honored.

 

Still no new information on itineraries other than Eclipse for 2017 that have been released. Future cruise sales is just suggesting that you deposit something, get the onboard booking perks and then switch the reservation to the new sailing you want when they release to Captain's Club members on December 8th. They have no info to share on what new ports or sailings are coming. I do have the ta ports list for 2017 and very few changes from the 2016 sailings and of course no prices yet.

 

Captain Tasos stated that he is onboard for another two months, then Captain George on Equinox will take over , then Captain Tasos returns after his vacation. Captain Nikolas, after his vacation will be going to the Millenium and not back on Constellation.

 

Captain Tasos did the very best Liar's Club I have ever seen in all of our Celebrity sailings. I don't think it will make the voyage in review dvd! I learned some new words as well( or at least I think they are words)

 

Grace and Rudy, lovely to hear from you. We will have another group of Texans on the Silhouette in mid Feb. I would love to cruise with ya'll anytime.

 

Music levels good, all types of dancing music , three trivias a day, staff is wonderful as always.

 

Excellent service in Michael's Club, and I believe it will continue as they are training extra staff to accommodate increased numbers.

Angela and Mario have two of the most pleasant dispositions of any staff members as bar staff.

 

Happy to answer any questions as wifi has been good so far.

[Beamafar]

Thank you for your response. Hope you're having a wonderful cruise :)

[elkay68]

Hi everyone,

We are at the end of th first btb on Constellation staying in sky suites and the penthouse and have other friends joining us Monday in oceanview and Aqua.

 

The sailing has been great, very smooth and a great Captain and staff onboard.

Michael's Club has been mostly empty this short cruise. Erick Guzman is extremely personable and knew all of us by the end of day one.

 

On this sailing, the Captain's Table was not on the formal night but on Saturday , smart casual night hosted by the Hotel Director, Mario Valentino and the Human Resources Manager, Shannon Conway.

 

The same Gilchrist and Soames toiletries are in the cabin. The pillow chocolates continue along with the chocolate covered Oreo on formal night. No little box of choolates as we usually get in the room, but we did have the

upgraded Perrier Jouet in the penthouse along with the two bottles of alcohol which can be swapped for wine.

 

Luminae hours are on embarkation day

Lunch. 12-2 p.m.

Dinner 6-9:30 p.m.

 

Port days:

Breakfast: 7:30- 9:00 a.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

Sea Days:

Breakfast: 8:00- 9:30 a.m.

Lunch: 12:00- 1:30 p.m.

Dinner: 6:00-9:30 p.m.

 

On this ship I was told that they were not getting the traffic for lunch, so it was not being offered. I think this will be the policy for this ship going forward if the officers' statement are correct.

 

Casino cash changes. If someone has obc and was not a Blue Chip member or had some other waiver, if you go to the cage you will no longer get cash back minus the 5 percent charge, but you will get promo credits up to the amount of your obc you want to use to play off in a machine or on the tables. If you have leftover refundable obc, it can be credited back to your credit card. Your non refundable credit must be used by the end of the voyage. It looks like some of us are going to the spa or shops today!

 

If anyone has a specific question, we are on for the next 5 nights, and I'll try and get answers if possible.

 

when we ere were on Celebrity in September, if you had access to Michael's Club the 5% fee was waived in the casino. We are traveling on 12/21 would like to know. Thank you.

[cle-guy]

when we ere were on Celebrity in September, if you had access to Michael's Club the 5% fee was waived in the casino. We are traveling on 12/21 would like to know. Thank you.

 

My OBC from my 123 perk was refundable actually, in PH on Summit last month but I didn't know it till I got home.

 

I went to casino to get some out and to be sneaky said I needed money for black jack so took an even $200 out (I had $207.11 on account) in case that made any difference - I have never gambled in casino to took money out so wasn't sure how it worked. They did not charge the fee, although there was a placard on the counter indicating a 5% fee applied.

 

Then I got home, and I noticed a few days a later a $7.11 credit to my credit card, so they even refunded the unspent amount.

[CruisingYiayia]

My OBC from my 123 perk was refundable actually, in PH on Summit last month but I didn't know it till I got home.

 

I went to casino to get some out and to be sneaky said I needed money for black jack so took an even $200 out (I had $207.11 on account) in case that made any difference - I have never gambled in casino to took money out so wasn't sure how it worked. They did not charge the fee, although there was a placard on the counter indicating a 5% fee applied.

 

Then I got home, and I noticed a few days a later a $7.11 credit to my credit card, so they even refunded the unspent amount.

 

Maybe because you were in PH your OBC was refundable and you didn't get charged the 5%? We were on the Reflection for the November 7th sailing and had quite a bit of OBC from the 123Go promo and ours was not refundable. The last night we went to the casino and withdrew $225 and we were charged the 5%.

[cle-guy]

Maybe because you were in PH your OBC was refundable and you didn't get charged the 5%? We were on the Reflection for the November 7th sailing and had quite a bit of OBC from the 123Go promo and ours was not refundable. The last night we went to the casino and withdrew $225 and we were charged the 5%.

 

I was replying to the prior poster surmising that Michael's Club guests are exempt from the fee.

 

For a data point, were you in a CS RS or PH?

[need2bespoiled]

Maybe because you were in PH your OBC was refundable and you didn't get charged the 5%? We were on the Reflection for the November 7th sailing and had quite a bit of OBC from the 123Go promo and ours was not refundable. The last night we went to the casino and withdrew $225 and we were charged the 5%.

 

The definable nature was the type of OBC and where it came from. The PH (and any other Michael's Club suite has generally had a waived fee for cash. The original poster of the thread is however reporting some changes to how OBC works when removing cash at the casino, and they are in a Penthouse (and other cabins,most maybe the person who removed it wasn't in the PH).

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[jules815]

Thank you for taking the time to update, KK99. :)

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[CruisingYiayia]

I was replying to the prior poster surmising that Michael's Club guests are exempt from the fee.

 

For a data point, were you in a CS RS or PH?

 

Concierge

[kk99]

Hi Guys,

Easiest btb embarkation ever. Five minutes tops and a great way to start the second half.

 

On the casino issue, my brother who pulled the money is also in a suite and a blue chip player. We have others joining us this cruise and we are in the other ps this trip.

 

The five percent charge has and continues to be waived for Blue chip players and Michaels Club guests. You can always get your unused refundable obc cashed out or refunded to your credit card. The change is to your non refundable obc. You either get promo table chips for card games or a slot code to play. Pull your winnings, but at least on this ship, the change has been made.

There will be reps from Celebrity casino program on this sailing and I will reconfirm. I do believe it will roll out fleet wide. You can also use your non refundable credit for tips, spa, and shipboard purchases.

 

Internet is good and beautiful weather. Any questions, please ask.

[cle-guy]

 

Internet is good and beautiful weather. Any questions, please ask.

 

For a good data point, can you go to speedtest.net and do a speed test on internet and reply back with the Ping, Download and Uplaod results.

 

As comparison, my home results are:

• PING is 32ms
  
• Download 37.51 mbps
  
• Upload 3.07 mbps
  

[groryjm]

Excellent service in Michael's Club, and I believe it will continue as they are training extra staff to accommodate increased numbers.

 

This is good news :)

[kk99]

Just finished muster drill. We had the free lunch in Bistro because of being btb cruisers. Several of the officers were eating there as well.

Curt, on my iPad in a hallway, the ping was 795ms, download a measly .26 Mbps, and 2.19 mobs on the upload.

 

I'll test in my cabin and at midship. I have had no issues sending or receiving documents and pictures for work. It isn't boom on RCCL but fine for what I need.

 

Any questions, ask away Sailing with a full ship and lots of happy faces onboard

Kelcie

[sswv]

Glad you are having a great cruise. We are on Constellation in December glad Captain Tasos will be there -love him. Who is your cruise director out of curiosity?

Happy cruising!

[kk99]

Hi , everyone,

The cruise Director is Sinan Ulucay. The ship is sailing full, and had a pre dinner drink in Michael's Club right now. There are eight people total in the club, and a very pleasant evening.

On th2021659088 first sailing, when th officers stopped by one evening, there was a jazz quartet who played who were great. Erick said there would be more live music this sailing as well

 

We will be back on the ship in later December to see if the atmosphere changes in Michael's. I personally believe it will not be an issue on the M class ships. I think they will need to formulate a plan for Reflection as it has some many extra suites compared to the other S class ships.

 

Ask away, and everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving week.

[eyecantwait]

Hi everyone,

 

Captain Tasos did the very best Liar's Club I have ever seen in all of our Celebrity sailings. I don't think it will make the voyage in review dvd! I learned some new words as well( or at least I think they are words)

 

 

Yes! We were on the TA before your cruise and Captain Tasos Liars Club was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

Enjoy!

[chemmo]

Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise!

 

Does the PH have a decent music system in room and on deck, the sort you can just link your iPad to? Not a problem but it would save us bringing our Bose which we used on the Summit.

 

We have cruised M class PH before and love their layout. Next PH is on the Connie but not until 2017.

[kk99]

Hi Chemmo,

There is an ihome dock with the old 30 pin apple connector. So bring the iPad or iPhone adapter from the 30 pin to the lightening adapter(29 dollars at Apple Store). There are two small Bose cube speakers attached to the ihome. I downloaded while on the first cruise Adele's new album, and played it through my iPhone. It sounded fine. The piano was in tune in 6148 off in 6147. The automatic player function worked fine, 8 disks in the piano bench.

 

I didn't notice outdoor hookups but there are small speakers on the deck. Several people from the corporate office will be on the December 7th sailing. Service everywhere has been excellent.

 

One small improvement is less paper announcements on the door, more on the tv if you choose to turn on the tv. Music levels good and even the dj by the Martini bar playing songs from the 70's to current. Dance music in rendezvous lounge and late night disco in the reflection lounge.

 

Hoping everyone have safe travels to their family and Thanksgiving gatherings.

Any questions, I'll try and answer.