Constellation live: 2/10/24 - 2/22/24 12 Night New Orleans & The Caribbean (aka Mardi Gras Cruise)

[ecslady]

1 hour ago, Lena11033 said:

Well I’m onboard just taking it easy after lunch with walking around. My emotions are a little all over the place (so if I’m sniffling I’m not sick just trying not to cry) last night when calling my husband Bella had taken a turn for the worse so as I was boarding this morning he was taking her to the vet to put her down. Hard decision but the fact she was bleeding yesterday meant the cancer was bad and couldn’t let her suffer.

 

So sorry to hear about Bella.  Sounds so familiar, a bleeding is what led to us putting down the 14.5 year old English Cocker Spaniel I spoke about earlier in the thread.  My thoughts are with you.

[Stem to Stern]

So very sorry for your loss.  Please accept my deepest condolences as you navigate this difficult time.  Our Ziggy is getting to the age that we worry more and more each time we leave him that our poor friend and cat sitter will put in a position to have to deal with something out of the ordinary.  Hopefully you are able to use this time on board to grieve and possibly find activities to take your mind off the situation if only temporarily.  I do hope you continue with your live report.  From the pics you posted on Instagram it looks like pretty lady Connie's Celebrity Suite is still in fine shape.  Off topic I have great late-80s college memories of crossing the border into Windsor after turning 19 and reaching the legal drinking age in Canada.  Changez By Nite ended up being the go-to place.  Not sure if this building on Wyandotte would have been the location we visited?  We were always fortunate enough to have a designated driver and a little luck on our side to get back to the USA without incident in the wee hours of the morning.

Try to enjoy your voyage as best you can.  Sending positive vibes.

Edited February 11 by Stem to Stern

[catgirl411]

So sorry to hear about Bella. It is so hard to lose a fur baby. We have a 17 1/2 year old cat who I worry about every time we are planning a trip. 

[cruisestitch]

Interesting demographics on this cruise…..40% of the passengers are Elite and above 

[Lena11033]

Day 1 boarding day

 

I think a lot of people were traveling as the hotel breakfast was packed. At 10:10 I left my room and did the self checkout. After talking with a few people that liked my suitcase I was downstairs and calling an Uber at 10:25. By 10:35 I was at the port. 
 

 

 

once at the port I was in the lounge within a few mins as I had a porter show up straight away and I headed to the retreat check in. I the. Had an escort upstairs to lounge which I sat in for a max of 10 mins. This is when I found out Bella was gone (not going to lie I eat my feelings so I grabbed a chocolate cookie in order to attempt not to break down in the lounge). 
 

Once on the ship I headed to my room as the muster stations were not open yet to drop my bags off where I met Lucy my stateroom attendant (first time ever they have introduced themselves). After 3 attempts at logging into wifi and failing I went to get it fixed after I hit up the muster station. I literally work with phones every day so I knew it wasn’t me.   There also seemed to be a lot of people yesterday having issues connecting to wifi 

 

 

 

 

[Lena11033]

1 minute ago, cruisestitch said:

Interesting demographics on this cruise…..40% of the passengers are Elite and above 

ha yep so far most people are elite then there is me on classic 😜

[bjahil47]

So sorry to hear about Bella.  She will be watching out for you on the cruise.  Enjoy your cruise!

[Lena11033]

It’s rocking a bit today. Some people are looking a little green. Thanks to Charla’s report I came with medication and ginger chews so doing ok so far. 
 

I’m currently in the Michael’s club as it’s quieter. A lot of people are inside because the weather outside is a little grey and windy. 
its interesting so far I’ve seen someone who normally sails on Royal asking about access to Michael’s club (I think they normally have access to some sort of lounge there). I can also hear a couple asking about what they are entitled to as they booked a sky suite and didn’t know of the changes. I feel for the concierge it’s not their fault the passenger is being nice but yeah if you aren’t online you wouldn’t know and it would be a shock of the changes when boarding. 
 

Yesterday for lunch I went to luminae and had the prawn ceviche, the lobster sandwich and chocolate mouse for desert. Such a difference from having to deal with the buffet on boarding day 😅

 

 

after lunch I quickly ran back to my room to grab some things and met my butler Budi who let me know everything I was entitled to. I asked about water and he said he’d replace it every day for me and I asked if he could move my LPC booking. I messed up and booked Valentine’s Day which I don’t really want to do while my husband is at home. 
 

In the afternoon I decided to treat myself after everything plus the hotel bed was terrible and my back was achy that I went for a massage. I felt a lot better after that. I may try the tub tonight as NFL is not my thing (go sports). 
 

After my massage it was after 5:30 and my suitcase finally arrived so unpacked (Budi offered to do it but I rather do it even if they are cubes). 
Once that was done I had a little drink on the balcony with a little toast to Bella before going to dinner by this time it was close to 7 so it was busy. 
 

To some dinner may seem slow but I don’t like being rushed (I prefer European style where it’s more of an event). My waiter gave me two menus straight away without me asking. To start there was an amuse-bouche of ham and cheese croquette, I ordered the escargot from the main menu, filet mignon from luminary and then chocolate ganache tart. I didn’t monitor time but I’d say about an hour or just over. 
 

 

 

 

 

After dinner I heard to reflection lounge to watch the trivia. I normally watch unless someone invites me to their team as well being a one person team is kinda lonely lol

 

After I hit the martini bar (it was impossible earlier funny I had better luck on Beyond). One thing I’ll say is they have things on the menu then ‘ingredients aren’t available’ I had the same issue on summit, if they aren’t ever going to have the ingredient take it off the menu. So if anyone recommends a martini let me know because I can’t order my lavender lemon drop.

 

I was trying to stay up late because I knew the time change was coming but was pooped so headed back to my room to call my husband. But apparently he partied more than me, he barely ate then drank so shall we say he was not in a talking state 🤣

I called it quits and hit the sack, i slept like a log i think i was mentally exhausted (nothing to do with all the drinks 🥂 )

 

[helen haywood]

Would your map dress on embarkation be courtesy of Charla? 😜

[Lena11033]

Just now, helen haywood said:

Would your map dress on embarkation be courtesy of Charla? 😜

lol yes I was inspired to buy my own from amazon. I bought it a while back but my last cruise was April so no chance to wear it 

[Lena11033]

Anyone want to take bets on how many people will be having dinner in the restaurant tonight? Super Bowl starts at 5pm on the ship…

[cruisestitch]

Lots of Canadians and Brits on board so they will probably do MDR

[Lena11033]

9 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Lots of Canadians and Brits on board so they will probably do MDR

All of us from Canada are escaping the cold 

[realnice46]

4 hours ago, Lena11033 said:

Day 1 boarding day

 

I think a lot of people were traveling as the hotel breakfast was packed. At 10:10 I left my room and did the self checkout. After talking with a few people that liked my suitcase I was downstairs and calling an Uber at 10:25. By 10:35 I was at the port. 
 

 

 

once at the port I was in the lounge within a few mins as I had a porter show up straight away and I headed to the retreat check in. I the. Had an escort upstairs to lounge which I sat in for a max of 10 mins. This is when I found out Bella was gone (not going to lie I eat my feelings so I grabbed a chocolate cookie in order to attempt not to break down in the lounge). 
 

Once on the ship I headed to my room as the muster stations were not open yet to drop my bags off where I met Lucy my stateroom attendant (first time ever they have introduced themselves). After 3 attempts at logging into wifi and failing I went to get it fixed after I hit up the muster station. I literally work with phones every day so I knew it wasn’t me.   There also seemed to be a lot of people yesterday having issues connecting to wifi 

 

 

 

 

What hotel did you stay at?

[SSAtlantic]

Sorry to read of your loss. It is hard to lose our 4 legged friends.
I am following along as I have never been to New Orleans and would love to do this cruise. The next two years they are not as long🤬.
Do they not have the ingredients for the Lavender Lemon Drop at the Martini Bar?  I would be looking for missing ingredients myself at first port. My DH will be making me one shortly for pregame. 
Enjoy your cruise

 

 

[Homosassa]

Try the Black Forest Martini if they have it (big yes to the whipped cream and cherry if offered).

[Lena11033]

31 minutes ago, realnice46 said:

What hotel did you stay at?

hyatt place downtown

[Lena11033]

18 minutes ago, SSAtlantic said:

Sorry to read of your loss. It is hard to lose our 4 legged friends.
I am following along as I have never been to New Orleans and would love to do this cruise. The next two years they are not as long🤬.
Do they not have the ingredients for the Lavender Lemon Drop at the Martini Bar?  I would be looking for missing ingredients myself at first port. My DH will be making me one shortly for pregame. 
Enjoy your cruise

 

 

they have everything but lavender syrup. It was the same on summit last year they never got it in and that was a short cruise. 
 

i noticed they cut the following years down to way shorter cruises. I guess less time in NOLA and less sea days 

[Reel Love]

Oh Jeannette.....so very sorry to learn about your beautiful Bella. 😔   Our furry children are certainly part of the family.  

Here is hoping that you have a terrific cruise and relax and enjoy!!  Thank you for taking us along!!

[Lena11033]

No judging here. This afternoon I was walking back to my room from the aft vs the middle like I have been and stumbled on this a few doors down (removed the number for privacy)  it gave me a good chuckle which I needed 

[cruisestitch]

Senior staff

 

 

[TrixieBel]

On 2/11/2024 at 5:37 AM, Lena11033 said:

Well I’m onboard just taking it easy after lunch with walking around. My emotions are a little all over the place (so if I’m sniffling I’m not sick just trying not to cry) last night when calling my husband Bella had taken a turn for the worse so as I was boarding this morning he was taking her to the vet to put her down. Hard decision but the fact she was bleeding yesterday meant the cancer was bad and couldn’t let her suffer. 
 

 

I’m so sorry to read of your loss. Losing such close members of our family is so hard. We had to make the same decision 4 days ago. Our hearts will always have a gap. 

[tcmagnum]

On 2/10/2024 at 1:37 PM, Lena11033 said:

Well I’m onboard just taking it easy after lunch with walking around. My emotions are a little all over the place (so if I’m sniffling I’m not sick just trying not to cry) last night when calling my husband Bella had taken a turn for the worse so as I was boarding this morning he was taking her to the vet to put her down. Hard decision but the fact she was bleeding yesterday meant the cancer was bad and couldn’t let her suffer. 

So very sorry to hear about Bella.  It's so hard to make that decision, but it shows your love that you guys don't want her to suffer.  Keep her memories close and hopefully the ocean will be soothing to your broken heart.  Try and enjoy your cruise....

[Lena11033]

Day 2 at sea.  
 

 

Yesterday started with going for a walk around deck before going to breakfast in Luminae. The clocks went back on day one and not sure if it threw people or they were hung over because it was quiet. I know one person did mess up the time and went to breakfast an hour early and obviously it was shut. 
I started with eggs Benedict and English bacon and the pistachio danish (I think I may be addicted)

 

 

 

It was pretty choppy in the morning so there were lots of people inside (some a little green I had taken some pills and had a ginger ale thanks yonCharla’s review) and hard to find places to sit. I finally managed to get the last spot at cafe al bacio to have a latte. At this point shops were open and I went to collect my charm before heading up to trivia in the reflections lounge. Normally I watch being alone but a nice lady was also alone so we paired up and another guy joined us. Apparently I have a lot of useless info in my head on technology in Korea, Golf in Scotland and Greek mythology. 

Once the trivia was done I went to watch some of the games being played before lunch. 

Lunch was busy in luminae, it’s interesting people behaviour. I got some looks because I was wearing shorts but the people looking at me also were. The only difference was mine were lululemon yoga shorts (which are allowed during the day I checked before going). Lunch was broiled feta, luminae burger the. White chocolate mouse. The waiter was trying to sell me on the Indian dinner for 50USD it doesn’t seem worth it. Where I live there are some good Indian restaurants (plus growing up I’ve had good Indian meals in the UK) and my husband’s family are Sri Lankan so I’m a bit picky on Indian food. 

 

 

 

 

After lunch it was still windy but the sun came out so I went and picked a lounger to try and get some colour on my pale skin lol

For dinner I headed to luminae again and there was me and one other couple because of Super Bowl lol

Amuse bouche was mozzarella mouse with tomato, the. I had beef tartare, lamb loin and crème brûlée from main dining. FYI I heard from my group someone turned up to MDR in shorts and was turned away. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner I headed to martini bar for a bananas foster which was delicious. Honestly I feel bad there seems to be one bartender making all the drinks. The other is trying to clean up and come back to help. I will say it does seem like it’s understaffed. When you have one person making drinks and 30 people wanting drinks it’s slow. I’m currently drinking a drink I didn’t order because the guy is rushing to try and make everything. 

 

(this was taken at a different time but this poor guys it probably making about 80% of the drinks from what I saw) 

 

My routine now is trivia for fun and joined another couple I saw from around the ship who have a big foot stuffed toys who yesterday I was dressed up as a giants player. For pub quiz I nailed the entertainment but but failed at science and NFL not surprisingly as I’ve never watched NFL. After I headed back to call Mike and see how he was doing. They stuck around for the tail gating event thing I heard today wasn’t very good. It sounded like mainly music and dancing (I didn’t go but that’s what I heard from others this morning). If true a bit disappointing as even I know tailgating includes food. 

[LisaLeone]

On 2/10/2024 at 1:37 PM, Lena11033 said:

Well I’m onboard just taking it easy after lunch with walking around. My emotions are a little all over the place (so if I’m sniffling I’m not sick just trying not to cry) last night when calling my husband Bella had taken a turn for the worse so as I was boarding this morning he was taking her to the vet to put her down. Hard decision but the fact she was bleeding yesterday meant the cancer was bad and couldn’t let her suffer. 
 

 

Jeannette, I am so sorry for the loss of your Bella. I'm sure she felt loved and safe to the very end but such a painful goodbye. There is never enough time with our very good dogs.  Sending hugs. 💕