Live from Constellation January 13-23, 2023

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

@BermudaBound2014

A quick favor since you are onboard and have the classic drink package, could you ask a bartender for a San Pelligrino or a red bull? The inclusions listed in the cruise planner for the classic drink package changed to include all non-alcoholic drinks when they upped the prices a few weeks ago.  Some of us on CC are trying to figure out if that was an error or if these drinks are now included. Thanks in advance!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Another question if you don’t mind 

in case I missed it 

Do they still have Elite Breakfast? 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Ex-Airbalancer

[cruisemom42]

Pictures of Spa Cafe breakfast items would be appreciated, if you get a chance. I'm trying to figure out where to grab a quick breakfast on early morning shore excursion days in future, now that room service has a charge for any PROTEIN for breakfast. 😭

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm going to jump in here with my impressions as I am also on this cruise.  I was leary of booking a concierge room because last spring the Summit MDR was a complete cluster.  This MDR is a well-oiled machine.  From the boarding day lunch to dinner every night, service has been very good.  The offerings in the buffet for breakfast and lunch don't seem to have changed much, although I miss the Mexican offerings at lunch.  I agree, the dinner offerings at the buffet are very limited, but I hardly ever have dinner in the buffet, so I'm not affected by this.  I've found the dinner menu in the MDR to be more than adequate.  The pork chop tonight was amazing.

 

The crew has been wonderful (with the exception of my cabin attendant, but I'm working on training him how to do his job).  I asked my cabin attendant at 9:00 p.m. the first night if he could arrange to charge my scooter since it won't fit in my cabin (that was the first time I'd seen him all day).  He suggested I call guest relations.  The guest relations person was astounded at his response and said she would send someone to attend to it.  The next day I decided to look for a more permanent solution.  Went down to GR and asked for an adapter--figured I could plug it in somewhere in the hallway.  She sent an electrician to my cabin to help with the issue.  What a sweetheart!  He tried all sorts of things and finally came up with the perfect solution--plug it in behind the TV and run the cord under the door to the cabin--there's enough space so that works.  So now I'm completely self sufficient with my scooter and it's always charged.  All the crew members I've interacted with have been helpful and cheerful.

 

Everything in my cabin looks fine; the bed is comfortable and the carpeting appears to be brand new.  I'm loving that Ms. Hoppen hasn't got her mits on this ship, so it still has comfortable chairs and functional furniture.  Love the deck furniture--mesh high-back chairs whose backs recline and which have footstools tucked under them waiting to be pulled out for use.  Actual nightstands with drawers.  Functional lamps.  Plenty of storage.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[Silent Penguin]

On 1/13/2023 at 11:16 PM, hcat said:

 

if you go to the breakfast buffet, let us know if they still have lox,  bagels, omelettes made to order, eggs benedict, waffles and the usual breakfast meats like bacon, sausage  and ham.

Are we related?  Lox, omelettes, and breakfast meat is my go-to cruise breakfast with the occasional waffle.  Dh is the egg benedict freak.  If X drops lox from the breakfast buffet, I'm out of there.  

[Silent Penguin]

On 1/14/2023 at 12:57 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

The Gal giving the metabolism class was actually knowledgeable and it took the full 30 minutes before she even mentioned the word detox (the obvious sales pitch). Considering i was sitting there with my second Bahama mama before noon I think she figured out I wasn’t the detox type. Still, I walked away with a few tidbits of information and suspect some of the loyal gym folks were envious of my ability wildly abandon fitness rules. It’s 5:00 somewhere.

 

From there I headed to the eddy store to pick up my second free charm. They are  about the size of a poppyseed, but free is free. 

 

Across the hall to the free bracelet give away. Turned out it wasn't exactly free. You  needed to actually buy a charm and there some other rules to follow. I’m not the rule following type either so did a quick about face and headed to the casino where I lost $20 in a nanosecond.

Announcement was made that the cruise director was loading $5 into everyone account. I turned that $5 into $22, lost $2.45 and walked away with a $19.55 voucher which means I only lost .45 cents. Winner winner chicken dinner. 
 

Decided to do lunch in the mdr. Arrived at 12:11. Seated promptly and they even gave me a table for two along the aft wall. Took about 25 minutes for the order to be taken so I used the time to eat some bread and sober up. Something I learned long ago is that one must simply pace themselves with a drink package. 
 

From start to finish, my two course lunch took 1 hour and 15 minutes. In my world that’s slow service (although my waiter was pleasant enough). The Key west salad was nice and fresh. The ribs were fine. I almost tossed a quarter on the plate for scale of the Cole slaw which was both the tiniest and tastiest part of the entree. I skipped dessert because, as you should know by now, I prefer to drink my calories 🙂

I'm late to the party but  enjoying your Live Report very much.  Barring the unforeseen, we'll be on the Connie in November for a TA from Rome to Tampa.  I probably need to keep reading, so if you answered this question in another installment,  ignore it.  Did you get the room steward to put a lounger on your balcony? 

[1mtgirl]

Does the Connie have a knitting/crochet get together?    On several other lines they

post in the daily planner that knitters can meet in a certain area to chat, knit etc. It's not hosted usually.

And thank you for posting such great photos of the ship.

[hcat]

9 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I'm going to jump in here with my impressions as I am also on this cruise.  I was leary of booking a concierge room because last spring the Summit MDR was a complete cluster.  This MDR is a well-oiled machine.  From the boarding day lunch to dinner every night, service has been very good.  The offerings in the buffet for breakfast and lunch don't seem to have changed much, although I miss the Mexican offerings at lunch.  I agree, the dinner offerings at the buffet are very limited, but I hardly ever have dinner in the buffet, so I'm not affected by this.  I've found the dinner menu in the MDR to be more than adequate.  The pork chop tonight was amazing.

 

The crew has been wonderful (with the exception of my cabin attendant, but I'm working on training him how to do his job).  I asked my cabin attendant at 9:00 p.m. the first night if he could arrange to charge my scooter since it won't fit in my cabin (that was the first time I'd seen him all day).  He suggested I call guest relations.  The guest relations person was astounded at his response and said she would send someone to attend to it.  The next day I decided to look for a more permanent solution.  Went down to GR and asked for an adapter--figured I could plug it in somewhere in the hallway.  She sent an electrician to my cabin to help with the issue.  What a sweetheart!  He tried all sorts of things and finally came up with the perfect solution--plug it in behind the TV and run the cord under the door to the cabin--there's enough space so that works.  So now I'm completely self sufficient with my scooter and it's always charged.  All the crew members I've interacted with have been helpful and cheerful.

 

Everything in my cabin looks fine; the bed is comfortable and the carpeting appears to be brand new.  I'm loving that Ms. Hoppen hasn't got her mits on this ship, so it still has comfortable chairs and functional furniture.  Love the deck furniture--mesh high-back chairs whose backs recline and which have footstools tucked under them waiting to be pulled out for use.  Actual nightstands with drawers.  Functional lamps.  Plenty of storage.

glad you chimed in..Hope your cabin attendant  improves.. agree abt HOPPEN!  Enjoy the cruise..

[hcat]

9 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

Are we related?  Lox, omelettes, and breakfast meat is my go-to cruise breakfast with the occasional waffle.  Dh is the egg benedict freak.  If X drops lox from the breakfast buffet, I'm out of there.  

yup.. At home I eat lox and 1/2 bagel almost every day....sardines and creamed herring too.  On the ship I can enjoy my lox and the works,   and waffles as a treat.  Hope lox is still an option.

 

dh is making eggs benedict as we speak...  we are not on a cruise but will be yummy!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

9 hours ago, 1mtgirl said:

Does the Connie have a knitting/crochet get together?    On several other lines they

post in the daily planner that knitters can meet in a certain area to chat, knit etc. It's not hosted usually.

And thank you for posting such great photos of the ship.

My wife is part of that cult! 
They usually do find a place to do a knit & *itch , I think the best place is a  with an open bar 🤣

[BermudaBound2014]

11 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Pictures of Spa Cafe breakfast items would be appreciated….

Quick post, will catch up later but I did a walk thru of the cafe breakfast this morning specially for you. Here is everything offered. Looks like peanut butter or avocado are your protein choices. I’ll swing by another day to see if those rotate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waving to @Happy Cruiser 6143… so glad you checked in. , text me if you want me to pick up anything from town 🙂

Edited January 19, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[WNCtourist]

6 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Quick post, will catch up later but I did a walk thru of the cafe breakfast this morning specially for you. Here is everything offered. Looks like peanut butter or avocado are your protein choices. I’ll swing by another day to see if those rotate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waving to @Happy Cruiser 6143… so glad you checked in. , text me if you want me to pick up anything from town 🙂

That's just pitiful. 

[BermudaBound2014]

2 minutes ago, WNCtourist said:

That's just pitiful. 

In fairness, from there I went to the buffet breakfast. Had zero wait for these fresh, made to order over-easy eggs with toast. I prefer the buffet for hot toast as it’s always cold in the dining room. There was lots of protein on the buffet and even though it’s a port day it was not terribly busy. 

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Can you post a picture of the daily planner ? 

[bikerunner]

1 hour ago, WNCtourist said:

That's just pitiful. 

Why its the spa cafe not the regular breakfast buffet, not many go there especially on the Constellation, I know from past experiences.  They keep it simple no reason to create a ton of food that will then be tossed.  The choices are normal for breakfast there, muffins, proteins fruits and juices. 

[miched]

In the Spa Care for breakfast there used to be 3 different types of energy bars, cookies,  and muffins.   It looks as if they have been eliminated.  The energy bars were fantastic.    

 

You mentioned that you received a call that you could use your OBC to book a future cruise.  This must be some new as you couldn’t do it before.   You had to charge it directly to a Credit Card.  It would be nice if they now allow it.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[chamima]

22 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I had two interesting phone calls/messages yesterday. The first was from someone from the dining room asking why I had only taken dinner there once. I explained that the menu was not particularly appealing but also explained my disappointment with the ocean view cafe offerings. I got the feeling it wasn’t her first rodeo with ovc complaints. Regardless she was pleasant and encouraged me to go to the MDR more often. We shall see. Tonight’s menu isn’t terrible. 
 

Second was a message inviting me to use any of my obc to book a future cruise. I still have $100 but I don’t think I’m going to give it to Celebrity. I want to keep my options open. Things are very much in flux across the industry. 

 

Really interesting calls.

The first one is slightly spooky - why and how do they know where you are eating? And why the emphasis on the MDR.

The second one - I thought you had to book future cruises with a credit card. Is your OBC refundable or non? Still find this strange.

[cluso]

Be aware, there is MINIMAL avo on the bruschetta.  ☹️

It was really dry!

[RichYak]

25 minutes ago, chamima said:

why and how do they know where you are eating? And why the emphasis on the MDR.

Your first question is easy. You check in at the podium wherever you are dining. Or you've ordered room service. If none of the above, it's the buffet. It's my understanding that they track you to allocate your daily gratuities accordingly. The second question is the more curious one.

[BermudaBound2014]

Oh Boy…. Rapid fire questions. Let’s see how I can do.

 

1) stopped at the front desk. Passenger count is 1586. So the pedicure lady and the sunset bartender were both right. Connie has never felt busy but I’ve learned to zig when everyone else zags. 
 

2) Yes onboard OBC can be used to purchase for future cruises. This is new. Not sure if it’s fleet wide, everyday, or a special, but the message was very clear. I have $100 still. I may just book something if none of the spa discounts tickle my fancy. 
 

3) what @RichYaksaid about tracking. Although I have never read that it affects how tips are distributed. I skipped dinner entirely last night. They have no way of knowing that. 
 

4) the spa cafe is definitely scaled down. As mentioned, there used to be great energy bars to grab before a port day. I haven’t noticed cuts in the breakfast buffet. Three omelet stations and a Beni station. Plus all the normal stuff. The only thing I haven’t noticed is granola for the fresh yogurt but I can’t remember if Celebrity offered that before. 
 

5) I’ll post all the daily planners at once if that is ok. Or maybe I’ll just do the first half tonight if that will help. 
 

6) there is no knitting group posted in the planner but there are two ladies knitting by the gelato area every day. Connie has a ton of little crannies perfect for that sort of thing and the furniture is super comfy.

 

7) I have not bothered my room steward with a lounge request because the furniture out there has been vERY comfortable. A little couch pillow on the little table makes a perfect foot stool (I’m not in concierge). I fell asleep out there last night after the full moon pool party. 
 

I’m still going to ask the following. Please let me know if I need to update this list:

a) Red Bull on select drink package?

b) small martinis in select drink package

c) vegetarian menu

d) kid menu 

e) elite breakfast, but @Happy Cruiser 6143can probably answer that easier since she is three days away from Zenith!!

f) I think I’m missing other questions so if I missed yours please repost :).

 

@natshalahow strange is this??! I believe you but My menu in the app is set up entirely different. My order goes;

Cocktails

wine

appetizer

Timeless appetizer

Entree 

Timeless entree

desserts

classic dessert

ice cream

coffee

late wine

cordials

 

Absolutely NOTHING kid or vegetarian. I am looking under the main dining room menu and am very curious to see what you are seeing. Please post photos, it’s super easy to a screen shot and post.

 

Help please: Can anyone else see vegetation or kids menu in their app??? Or does anyone have a reason why Natshala can see things I can’t? I am very curious to see what is offered because I have been known to have the palette of a toddler. 

While I’m thinking about it, here is tonight’s dinner menu. The timeless has been timeless all week 🙂 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[natshala]

Ok. Just checked it and it’s still the same format. I’m on Apex and just chose one of the main dining rooms at random. Could that be the diff? I need to get to golf but when I return I’ll try my best to post. I really don’t know how to do it.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

Here is the dinner buffet from last night. Only fresh station was pasta. I actually skipped dinner entirely because I had my first cheeseburger from the pool grill around 5pm and that was plenty for me. I’ve read that the burgers are now larger, but tasteless fleet wide. I found if you smother it in the caramelized onions they offer it’s quite tasty. :). 
 

Anyway, here is the buffet from night 5. This is the offerings in their entirety:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the menu from

the pool grill. As mentioned, the grilled onions added lots of flavor to the burger. Open until 6 pm. It would be SOOOOooo easy for them to keep this open a bit longer and add a few other items to grill fresh. Seems it would be a great compromise. Since food is grilled to order there wouldn’t be waste.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[cruisemom42]

34 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

the spa cafe is definitely scaled down. As mentioned, there used to be great energy bars to grab before a port day.

 

Thanks for the pics. Looks like I'll have to shell out for a decent room service breakfast on early port days....  I am not an early morning person and just can't face getting up early enough to plow through the scrum in OVC. The main thing I like there is the Eggs Benedict and the line-up at that station is generally not "grab and go".

 

[hcat]

3 hours ago, WNCtourist said:

That's just pitiful. 

typical for spa cafe.. there's cheese and the egg thingies

 

in the past I've had great fresh salmon salad, not over ripe fruit. and  very dense nut and fruit muffins or cake......dh usually rolls eyes!

Edited January 19, 2023 by hcat

[cruisemom42]

Sorry, one more comment on your latest pics.  To pass this off as "English Trifle" beggars belief: