Live from constellation 6/28 Venice to Rome

[ghstudio]

Very smooth check in but no mention of concierge lunch..no health form to sign??....very easy from people mover to ship, but Constellation was docked in the nearest berth.  There is a free port shuttle bus which no one mentions if the ship is farther away.  People mover..Long line to buy ticket if you go at peak time...then a line at the elevator in each direction...and the escalator stops if there’s too much weight..so it may or may not be working.  We took it at 10am and it was not at all busy...but it was very busy for those leaving their cruise because everyone leaves together or in groups.  We were checked in quickly and Boarding started at 10:40...great!  Rooms available at 1:30...and food services didn’t open until 11:30 but that wasn’t a problem..just mention for info.

Loaded the celebrity app...it can be your room key using Bluetooth. Shows today’s menus...but the activities are listed by type, not by time..maybe I haven’t figured it out yet.  

Many younger (30-50) passengers with kids...teens.  We’re probably on the old side for this cruise...a bit of a first for us.   Very friendly crew, as always.  Concierge lunch...not exciting but nice uncrowded sit down lunch.  Prime rib on dinner menu....we have select dining.

Hint if you don’t want to try the people mover, a taxi from the same square costs 20 eu and will take you right to the baggage drop off.  So..save 17 euros or not..your choice.pm is 1.50 eu pp.

Note: my comments on this thread are random...some may even be repeats...I’m not used to typing long notes on an iPad mini with one finger.

More later.

Edited June 28, 2019 by ghstudio

[Highpeaklad]

I’m on Constellation at the end of August so looking forward to this. Any information welcome, hope you have a great time. 

[chemmo]

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

 

Look forward to following your journey....

[Water babies]

We sail Constellation from Barcelona to Venice July 18–following with great interest!

[vtcruising]

Lucky you to be in Venice! Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

They stopped the health form at least by last fall as I haven't completed one for the last 5 cruises. They probably figured out that people are not always honest anyway and just watch for signs of illness.

 

Had to laugh at the one finger live thread - I feel your pain as that is my MO on my iphone.... you are doing great! 🙂

[ghstudio]

Normal lifeboat drill...no cute movie.  Went to the reflections lounge (deck 11) to have a drink and watch the sail out of Venice in a/c comfort.  Big sign...private event!  There are a group of doctors on board and they decided to use that one area for their kick off.  I don’t take that sort of stuff well and we just walked in, sat down and enjoyed the view, I guess with the doctors who could not have cared less.  Leaving Venice is an incredible experience.....I doubt that arriving would be the same because the ships come in very early and you would miss the incredible marine traffic all around our huge ship.  

 

Ordered a Manhattan and bartender used 10 high whiskey.....I should know better...next time I’ll name the bourbon (we have classic package).  My wife ordered cranberry juice and soda.  The waiter said it wasn’t on the classic package, but he’d take care of it.  You have to be kidding!  They do have o’doulls non alcoholic beer but not at every bar...grrr!  I’ll have to get that fixed at the bars we frequent. Martinis at the martini bar are $14 now....so an extra $6 each if you are classic.  I’ll update on other prices at some point.  They are offering new fancy drinks with buffalo trace, McAllen’s, Tito’s?? For $14-18.  I’ll post that drink menu when I figure out how.

 

confirmed that blackjack is now 6:5....annoying enough that I’ll play something else...probably craps.

 

it is incredibly hot...a real heat wave.  Good that we are elite plus with four laundries....we will use them.  

 

Please forgive typing ir spelling errors....my finger gets tired....

 

More later

Edited June 28, 2019 by ghstudio

[FLbeachbaby]

14 hours ago, Water babies said:

We sail Constellation from Barcelona to Venice July 18–following with great interest!

Hope you come back and talk about debark in Venice and airport VCE if you are using. Thank you

[FLbeachbaby]

Following with great interest, thank you.

[FlorenceItaly]

We just disembarked the Summit, and yes, you do have to specify liquor even on the classic package!  If not, they give you standard package liquor which is a name I have never heard of.   So, yes, specify, Tito's, Bombay, etc.  And, if nearby, watch the pour.

Thank you for posting.  We are doing a similar itinerary later in 2020 on the Constellation.

[ghstudio]

We wind up in Barcelona so I can’t help on arriving in Venice.  

 

Walked around koper for a couple of hours....bought some chocolate...returned to ship and, since it was relatively empty, we had lunch at the buffet.  I would give them a B...far fewer choices than on s class.  Desserts looked excellent...wish I could be more positive  on the cold cuts which were varieties of chopped ham and bologna...and the cheeses were basic...no Brie, Camembert or other....about as cheap as you could buy.  In fairness, they did have sliced turkey.  Salad bar was also pretty basic....nothing like artichoke hearts or Even mushrooms...olives were tiny, out of a can.  I pretty much enjoyed the soup and a couple of the mixed salads.  Probably our last buffet lunch...we’ll do the sit down or get hamburgers.

 

we haven’t been on the constellation in years but we have been on infinity and millennium a number of times.  During the last refurb, they focused on the public areas, but not the staterooms.  We have one door off one hinge and another that screeches when you open it....and the balcony door requires both hands and some strength.  Bathrooms are clean, but the tiles clearly could use some grout cleaning.  Last night after dinner we stopped back at our room and no one had turned down the bed, etc.  that’s a first on celebrity.  If it happens again, we’ll mention it...hopefully just a one off.  

 

Staff continue to to smile and be friendly and helpful....no problems there.  We finally found a familiar face in future cruises....we sailed with him before....he was on the Infinity when we had to leave a lifeboat in the Falklands...and on a later cruise where he booked a future cruise for us.  

 

Our CD is Alejandro.....upbeat, fun....well liked....we’ve sailed with him before.

 

more later...any questions??

 

[ghstudio]

20 hours ago, vtcruising said:

 

 

They stopped the health form at least by last fall as I haven't completed one for the last 5 cruises. They probably figured out that people are not always honest anyway and just watch for signs of illness.

 

Had to laugh at the one finger live thread - I feel your pain as that is my MO on my iphone.... you are doing great! 🙂

We’ve Ben doing at least 2 celebrity cruises for years and this is the first where we didn’t have to fill out that health form.  I always thought it was silly...but, at least for us, it’s a change which is why I mentioned it,

 

unrelated....the elite breakfast is preplated not a buffet on this cruise....it varies by the number of elites.  We have 250 or so on this cruise...not like a TA where there are well over 1000.

[Water babies]

We sail Constellation from Barcelona to Venice July 18–following with great interest!

 

 

9 hours ago, FLbeachbaby said:

Hope you come back and talk about debark in Venice and airport VCE if you are using. Thank you

 

I will. We are staying in Venice for two nights. I don’t know if it will be helpful for someone flying out the same day as debarkation. If we were, I would use Celebrity transfer to airport.

 

[FLbeachbaby]

5 hours ago, Water babies said:

We sail Constellation from Barcelona to Venice July 18–following with great interest!

 

 

 

I will. We are staying in Venice for two nights. I don’t know if it will be helpful for someone flying out the same day as debarkation. If we were, I would use Celebrity transfer to airport.

 

Every little bit helps !  Most curious if debark is early, organized and how the airport goes when you do leave. Have a great trip !

[cruisecatmama]

Following with much interest as we are sailing Venice to Rome in November...

[wishuponasea]

We will be on Connie from Barcelona to Venice in May 2020. Will be the 1st cruise after refurb (and our 1st time on Connie). What hotel did you stay while in Venice? We plan to stay a few days after the cruise to explore. I'll be following along your journey with great interest!

[ghstudio]

AC by Marriott by the people mover.  Excellent..very easy to get to..taxi or bus to plaza Roma and it’s right there....and only maybe 50 meters from the people mover to the ship.    

 

Steak diane and mushroom soup last night....Made me miss mutant restaurant.  Tasty, but not the same.  The martini bar has a disk jockey and it’s either a wonderful or noisy depending on your point of view.  I’m in the loud camp....I like to be able to at least hear the bartender.  Casino was relatively busy with some craps players.  3:2 odds in blackjack in $50 minimum tables or higher.  I played at $10 had a couple of blackjacks and hated 6:5.  Last night was evening chic night.  I saw one tux and guess only 10-20% of men wore jackets.  I didn’t even pack a blazer for this cruise.  Our bed was turned down...no idea what happened the first night...doesnt matter.  I love the bathroom soap bars....I may take some home....other toiletries are good.  

 

More later...after my elite smoked salmon plate breakfast in Tuscan with a nice view, good coffee....life is good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chemmo]

I loved the “ultimate platter” at the Elite breakfast...just a bit of everything. It went down well with a Bellini or two...

 

Buffet sounds a little disappointing...on our Mediterranean Eclipse cruise last year we felt the buffet quality and selection was one of the best we had enjoyed. I often at lunch just want soup and a salad but enjoy a nice piece of cheese and a couple of slices of assorted meats...

 

Your room certainly sounds in need of a bit of TLC....I think routine maintenance does seem to fall away when a refit is imminent. Whilst I can understand leaving some jobs undone you should be able to open your balcony door easily. Have you asked your room attendant to report these faults? Certainly squeaky doors and faulty hinges should be simple on board fix jobs.

 

Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise! 

[ghstudio]

Deck 11 aqua cabins....although the overhang on the side a1 cabins is quite small, no one can look down from deck 12 and see your balcony.  In the rear, one can look down from m deck 12 and see the outer 1/3 of the balcony, but still privacy from above.  I will go up tonight and see about noise.  We have stayed in one of the aft large slant balconies, 1141 on the infinity, and it was wonderful, but that was before the movie area was created on deck 12.  There is still a canopy over the aft bar on 10, but folks can look up and see you n your balcony if you are by the rail...not a problem.  

 

Elevators are a bit wonky.  You can be standing, trying to go up and an elevator with just one or two people just passes going up...and you wait.  

 

Shuttle tickets in zadar are $12...about the same as a taxi for 2 RT...easier to take the bus so you don’t have to find a taxi getting back to the ship.  

 

 

 

 

[ghstudio]

Zadar...shuttle bus drops you right at the water organ.  Don’t bother with a taxi if you are 2 or less...taxi may cost less if you have more.  Taxis let you off at the same spot.   Very nice to just walk around the old city....do you need a tour? If you want to hear all the history..,sure, but if you just want to see the sites, don’t bother.  ATMs everywhere...but BEWARE, most are run by money exchange companies, not banks....check BOTH the fees and conversion rate.  Many say no conversion fee but give you a terrible rate.  Look for a real bank ATM.  I kept seeing King bank atms, but I think they are not a real bank...only in name. Nice city....good port stop.

 

euros are taken everywhere....most places, but not all, accept credit cards. As always the recommendation is to make sure they charge you in. the local currency...let your credit card convert.

 

when we came back to the ship, there was no one, no place to check wine/liquor even if you wanted....  take whatever you bought to your stateroom. So much for celebrity policy bringing liquor on board!

 

 

 

 

[mrsgoggins]

I’m enjoying your review, thanks.  Our first ever Celebrity Cruise was on Constellation out of Venice - and Alejandro was the CD ...... as he was on our Alaska cruise last month and several more in between I’m happy to say!  Hope your a/c keeps doing its job since I believe it’s been exceptionally hot this year.

[Highpeaklad]

If you get the chance could you please post a picture of soda prices and which ones they have. Considering whether to get the soda package. 

Loving your posts!

[carajady]

Following this as we board the ship in Rome on the 8th  I am usually a Royal Carribean passenger but after trying Celebrity Reflection i knew I had to change x

 

[Iamthesea]

We took this cruise in May from Barcelona to Venice.

 

"Leaving Venice is an incredible experience.....I doubt that arriving would be the same because the ships come in very early and you would miss the incredible marine traffic all around our huge ship. "

 

Not so!  We have sailed from Venice before, and while it was beautiful and fun, the sight sailing into Venice was even more spectacular.  I got up early and headed out on the balcony just as we were entering the canals.  Twinkling lights abound!  There was already a little marine traffic, but no noise other than the pilot boat.  Lights were beginning to come on in homes and buildings.  The sun was rising.  It was so peaceful and romantic.  👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨  Great photo taking opportunity!  

 

BTW- We did the same coming into Kotor.  Highly recommended , as well as watching the sailaway when leaving. 👍

 

"...and the balcony door requires both hands and some strength. "

 

We had a Deck 11 AQ on the side.  Our balcony door was terribly hard to open until I figured out that you should push it toward the jam/wall, first, and then pull it open.  Easy as pie!  Sometimes, I would give it a little push outward, first.  They just get stuck with the weatchangesages and the salt.   

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.  

 

 

[downsmead]

We are sailing on the 28th July (Greek Islands). We have sailed both in and out of Venice before and both are lovely. We actually sailed in on an afternoon as we were overnighting in Venice. We also stay in a hotel near Piazza Roma - hotel Olympia. This will be our 3rd stay there and as you say, it is so convenient, both for arriving by train or plane and for getting to and from the cruise terminal. 

We are in an Aqua cabin on the side. We have stayed in a few of the aft ones and loved those but unfortunately they were gone when we booked. I remember one cruise listening to the Disney film Moana - the songs mainly! I must say we didn't mind and the cabins are so handy for popping down to get a drink and / or lunchtime snack from the buffet. Cabin 1138 is the best for this as you can place the table by the stairway and then just lean across to put the food and drinks down and then walk around the corridor to get into the cabin 😂.

We have also had Alejandro as CD on past cruises and found him to be very good. 

Thank you for your review, it is really whetting my appetite for our cruise, less than 4 weeks to go. 

[ghstudio]

1 hour ago, carajady said:

Following this as we board the ship in Rome on the 8th  I am usually a Royal Carribean passenger but after trying Celebrity Reflection i knew I had to change x

 

We are going b2b with your cruise....see you on board