Just back from a great cruise on Connie - a few observations

[bebe08]

Hi all, we are fairly frequent Celebrity cruises, and were on the Feb 22 - Mar 2 sailing of the Connie.   It was our 3rd time on Connie, but first time out of Tampa. We chose this cruise because it was out of Tampa so figured it would be a nice change, as well as the fact New Orleans was one of the ports.

 

The Connie is a lovely ship and we had a wonderful cruise 🙂  She is showing a bit of wear and tear, but like a comfortable pair of shoes for the most part.  Dry dock is coming up end of March I believe, although I don't believe anything major is being done.  The one obvious thing I noticed was the aft windows in the MDR.  They have some sort of film on them that is peeling in places and the window frames look a bit rough.   We were fortunate enough to sit regularly by the window in the MDR otherwise likely wouldn't have noticed it.   Not a big deal, but I would think it needs to be dealt with eventually.

 

All of our shore excursions were with Celebrity and we enjoyed them all.  Tampa and New Orleans were both new ports for us and really enjoyed them both!  Hope to go back someday.  Our biggest beef is that the descriptions are often lacking information, or are not entirely accurate.  I did include that feedback on our survey.  

 

- The food in the MDR was probably the best we've ever had.  We ate there every night and every meal was delicious.  We had select dining but made reservations in advance to eat a 6pm every night.  First time we have done that and we found it really worked in our favour.  We had the same table and wait staff every night and really enjoyed that 🙂    Also ate breakfast there a few times and lunch once - all good.  One thing to note is ours was a full sailing and the first 2 nights was  chaotic as far as the line ups and lack of crowd control to get into the MDR for select dining.  2 lines - one for select with reservations and one for select without reservations.  However people are getting off elevators and entering from hallways and stairwells where the signs aren't visible and end up in the wrong line.  On the first night there were people lining up for Select who didn't know they were supposed to be in Blu or Fixed dining.  Sounds like better communication would help.

 

 

- I upgraded to the premium internet while DH stuck with basic.  He was so jealous lol!!  Surprised he didn't go and upgrade his.  Only cost $50 for me to upgrade for the whole 9 days.  So nice to be able to share pictures with family and friends back home, which you can't do with basic.  Was definitely worth it and will likely do it again if the price is right.

 

- We also upgraded to the premium drink package on the Black Friday sale that offered it at 50% off.  We enjoyed having the premium package, but are also happy with just the basic if there is a huge price difference.  

 

- We did not buy a future cruise certificate due to the fact you need to book within 6 months.  We already have 2 upcoming cruises booked so felt that was too restrictive for us (one with X and one with HAL...we aren't totally loyal to X 😉 ).  I believe last time we bought it we had 1 year to book.

 

Now for a couple of positive changes we noticed (that we hope will continue): 

 

- We are Elite and enjoy the continental breakfast perk.  We went a few times, and midway through the cruise they changed it to a buffet.  The continental breakfast buffet has more variety and we really enjoyed it.  I spoke with the manager and she said they are trying it as an experiment.  Apparently the cruise before ours had so many Elite and above guests they needed a buffet to make it work, and the feedback was positive.  Everyone I spoke to seemed to prefer the buffet.  I wish they would open up earlier than 8 am so you could grab a quick bite before an early excursion vs doing room service (which we did twice - no complaints).  I normally don't like buffets but this was very small and not a lot of people, and food was excellent quality.  We try to avoid the Oceanview Cafe.

 

- There were no photographers in our faces wanting to take our pictures!  Typically they circulate in the MDR on formal nights, and are very visible out in the common areas as well as on the pier.  Almost afraid to make eye contact with them lol.   Ironically the only time I was asked if I wanted my picture taken was when an RCI shipped docked beside us and the RCI photographer asked us on the pier.

Happy to answer any questions!

 

 

[mahdnc]

Thank you for writing your review.  I am glad to read that your cruise went well.  Your comment about inadequate/incorrect description regarding shore excursions is a common (and new) complaint.

[Galaxy2004]

Thank you for your review. Connie was our favorite ship for so long! May need to book her again.

[cheeseheads4ever]

Nice review!
We just became Elite. Just a couple questions we are going on Reflection in a couple weeks.

Sounds like the continental breakfast was good. Were able to get specialty coffees due to your Elite status?

As far as Elite Happy Hour was it hard to get a drink? Was it watered down? Was it at all bars? Not that you went to all bars but just curious what you heard.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

[SeaMee]

What specialty restaurants are onboard?  Did you try any? 

[TMLAalum]

Our friends were on that cruise and overall enjoyed it except for difficulty dining early in the MDR, which they solved by finding the OV grill, taking their meal outside and developing a good relationship with the bartender! 

[Straughn]

I am boarding Constellation on Monday.  All of this is good news, especially about the Elite breakfast.  I travel solo and prefer the Elite breakfast as I don't have to search for a table while juggling my tea, and food. Is the breakfast still being held in Tuscan?

 

I don't eat a big breakfast so, even though I will have access to Blu, I rarely go there. The servers are always concerned that either I don't like the food and/or that I am going to starve to death if I don't eat more! Like there is a shortage of food on the ship.

 

Any other tidbits you have to share about the ship?

 

[Texed]

Thanks for posting.  😊

[bebe08]

22 minutes ago, cheeseheads4ever said:

Nice review!
We just became Elite. Just a couple questions we are going on Reflection in a couple weeks.

Sounds like the continental breakfast was good. Were able to get specialty coffees due to your Elite status?

As far as Elite Happy Hour was it hard to get a drink? Was it watered down? Was it at all bars? Not that you went to all bars but just curious what you heard.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

I should mention the breakfast is actually called "Coffee Lounge".  You will get a paper in your stateroom the lists the Elite benefits and where they are.  The Coffee Lounge on Connie was in Qsine and was open from 8 to 10 am.  Note that it was closed on disembarkation day.  Location varies depending on the ship.  There was a menu on the table with the beverage options that included mimosas, smoothies and I believe non alcoholic specialy coffees.  We only ordered regular coffee and tea so not 100% sure.   Food options at the buffet were pastries, bagels, cheeses, smoked salmon,cold meats, fruit, yogurt parfaits.  Note no eggs...strictly a continental breakfast.  In cases where there is a menu instead of a buffet the food options are similar.

 

We had the drink package so can't offer any help re the Elite Happy Hour.  I've been trying to convince DH to try a cruise without a beverage package now that we are Elite and he thinks that is blasphamy lol!

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[bebe08]

24 minutes ago, SeaMee said:

What specialty restaurants are onboard?  Did you try any? 

Le Petit Chef at Qsine, Raw on 5 (sushi) and Tuscan Grille are the specialty restaurants.  We didn't try any of them.  Prices have gone up and our MDR experience was so good we didn't feel the need.  We have in the past done Le Petit Chef and although we enjoyed it felt it was a one and done kind of thing.   We have also done Tuscan Grille in the past and also enjoyed it but not sure its worth the upcharge.  We aren't sushi fans. 

[bebe08]

17 minutes ago, Straughn said:

I am boarding Constellation on Monday.  All of this is good news, especially about the Elite breakfast.  I travel solo and prefer the Elite breakfast as I don't have to search for a table while juggling my tea, and food. Is the breakfast still being held in Tuscan?

 

I don't eat a big breakfast so, even though I will have access to Blu, I rarely go there. The servers are always concerned that either I don't like the food and/or that I am going to starve to death if I don't eat more! Like there is a shortage of food on the ship.

 

Any other tidbits you have to share about the ship?

 

Elite breakfast was at Qsine on our sailing.  That is why I preferred the buffet to ordering one of the platters at the Elite breakfast.  I can pick and choose what I want and no waste.  The platters are a bit big for me.

 

Other tidbits:  Venue names are sometimes different on the app vs onboard.  For example, what is called the Sunset Bar on the app is called the Oceanview Bar onboard.  Reflections Lounge = Sky Lounge.  Sky Lounge is a lovely quiet spot to relax, read, have a drink, and watch the waves.  There was a Duo that joined the ship towards the end of our cruise called Avenue something....apparently they will be onboard for a few months.  Definitely worth checking out!  We also enjoyed the Waves Band.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[bebe08]

32 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

Our friends were on that cruise and overall enjoyed it except for difficulty dining early in the MDR, which they solved by finding the OV grill, taking their meal outside and developing a good relationship with the bartender! 

It really was a bit of a zoo the first few days.  Had it been my first cruise I would have been more concerned that it was the norm.  

[CTSandy]

On the same cruise - MDR was crazy almost every evening - worst was lobster night, I felt so sorry for staff, they were running themselves ragged.  They are obviously understaffed.

[bebe08]

Re Lobster night: Our head waiter proactively told us it was quite small and recommended if we wanted to order it we have it as a starter and then have something else as our main, which is what I did.  Worked out well and good on him for managing expectations!  You could order a 2nd lobster tail for an upcharge...think it was $16.  

[hcat]

That's good news about a  possible expanded Elite buffet.  It will be more crowded than usual but a few more choices would be nice if they extend the concept to other ships!

[txtechmk]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  Sounds like a great cruise overall.

[mafig]

How long were you in New Orleans?  

 

What did  you do there?

[bebe08]

33 minutes ago, mafig said:

How long were you in New Orleans?  

 

What did  you do there?

We were scheduled to be there from 9:30 am to 10 pm.  However we arrived early (was already in port when I woke up at 8 ) due to a medical emergency onboard.  (should have mentioned this earlier) The captain made an announcement at 6am re the medical emergency and that a blood transfusion was required and looking for donors with specific blood type.  The captain as well as our CD Sue Denning did a great job of keeping us informed on the condition of the passenger.  Lots of volunteers for blood donors, and an ambulance was waiting in New Orleans.  Sue got quite choked up a few nights later thanking everyone for helping to save a passengers life.  At last report passenger was recovering.

 

Back to New Orleans:  As it was our first time there we chose a 3 hour Celebrity tour to give us an overview.  Tour was excellent.  Our guide was 4th generation New Orleans and was very passionate about her city.  We got an overview of the French Quarter, stopped at the Louis III cemetery, went to City Park and had a surprise stop at Cafe Beignets, drove down Esplanade as well as the St. Charles and Garden district and did a drive by of Lake Pontchartrain.

I had done a fair bit of research in advance and we decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the French Quarter on our own.  We enjoyed walking about seeing the sites...Bourbon St, French Market, Royal St, Steamboat Nanchez, and the Riverwalk.    I had a long list of things to possibly see and do but not enough time (or energy lol)!

Due to our surprise stop at cafe Beignets around 11 am we werent hungry for lunch until late aft.  I was determined to enjoy a meal in New Orleans so we had a late lunch at the Bourbon House Seafood restaurant (delicious shrimp po boy).  We found that some restaurants/bars don't offer food service between lunch and dinner so limited our options somewhat.  Had wanted to check out Carousel Bar and we did make it there but it was overflowing with people (standing room only)...looked like a wedding was happening, so we passed.

Would definitely love to go back someday...so much more to see!

 

Edit:  we were back on the ship by about 7pm...we ran out of steam lol! Was a very full and enjoyable day.  Wasn't hungry for a full dinner so had cheesecake and coffee at Al Bacio later in the evening.  

Edited March 11 by bebe08
update

[mafig]

Thanks for responding.

 

I'd really like to spend more time in NOLA.  We went on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago and we spent two (maybe three) days there.  We went to the WWII museum for almost one full day.  

 

It was around Mardi Gras, so about the same time of year as your cruise.  It was really cold though.  

We arrived there around 7:30PM  so I was really looking forward to cruising up the Mississippi, but it got really foggy and we ended up seeing very little.  In fact, we passed a Carnival ship that was leaving and although we were very close, we almost couldn't see her.

 

We do love New Orleans!

[mafig]

I just found a cruise on Constellation next year over Mardi Gras that stays in NOLA for three days!

Off to do research!😉

[PTC DAWG]

On 3/8/2024 at 3:23 PM, bebe08 said:

 

 

We had the drink package so can't offer any help re the Elite Happy Hour.  I've been trying to convince DH to try a cruise without a beverage package now that we are Elite and he thinks that is blasphamy 

I agree with your Husband.  🙂

[bebe08]

2 hours ago, mafig said:

Thanks for responding.

 

I'd really like to spend more time in NOLA.  We went on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago and we spent two (maybe three) days there.  We went to the WWII museum for almost one full day.  

 

It was around Mardi Gras, so about the same time of year as your cruise.  It was really cold though.  

We arrived there around 7:30PM  so I was really looking forward to cruising up the Mississippi, but it got really foggy and we ended up seeing very little.  In fact, we passed a Carnival ship that was leaving and although we were very close, we almost couldn't see her.

 

We do love New Orleans!

The WWII museum is def on our bucket list...but since it takes a full day to do it justice we thought we would save it for another time.

The cruises that spend 2-3 days in NOLA I believe are during Mardi Gras?  The cruise before ours did that I think.  TBH we were worried NOLA would be too busy and crazy during Mardi Gras so we didn't book that cruise.  Have you been during Mardi Gras?  If so what was it like?

[mafig]

It is pretty crazy at night, but not at all during the day.

 

We were on a cruise that came in on Sunday night and stayed till Wednesday.  Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Mardi Gras is over and it's pretty normal then.

Many of the parades are also family friendly.

 

 

[marieps]

Thanks for a very positive review.  We were on Connie's first voyage post Covid and thoroughly enjoyed it.    Perhaps we'll snag on of those aft AQ cabins on Deck 11 one day.  Aft stairs and lifts set M class apart, IMO.

[Vagabond Knight]

We just got back today from the Mar 2-11 cruise on the Constellation.  This was our first time on a Millennium class ship and will probably be the last.  We love the Silhouette class ships and found the smaller ship just too small for us, and the dining options and gathering spaces too limited.  They squished the silent disco in the martini bar area one evening, which had us shaking our heads.  We've also never gone out of Tampa before, and it seems that the crowd that used to sail on Holland America moved over to Celebrity when Holland America pulled out of Tampa.  We've done a number of Celebrity cruises and have never seen the demographic skewed that elderly and that mobility challenged.  We have never seen that many scooters and walkers on any ship before. This did not work well with the small, odd shaped elevators in the mid-ship area.  The hallway heading into the MDR was fully lined with walkers at the 6PM seating. We live in a 55+ community and have never seen anywhere close to this per capita use of personal mobility equipment.

 

The service by the staff, like every other Celebrity cruise we've been on, was wonderful for the most part, with two exceptions. We had a group of eight from three states who were all scheduled for 6PM dining, but somehow they scheduled two at a table by themselves, two at a table with six other unknown people, and four somehow got switched to the anytime dining. We went through the dining folks and they basically said they couldn't do anything because "Everyone of this ship wants to eat at 6PM."  Umm... we were all scheduled for 6PM before we got onboard, so that really shouldn't play into it.  We then went to Guest Services, who told us to go back to the dining folks.  Then we went to the Captain's Club folks, who said they'd look into it and call us, but never did. Finally, we showed up together at the 6PM dining that first night and someone was finally able to get us together.  We spent the week with eight people at a table made for six, so it was a bit squishy, but we were just happy to be together.  It's a shame that it took five hours of stress on our first day to make it happen. Our second issue was that we asked for a small room in which we could stream a Catholic Mass on Sunday (we did it the previous week in someone's stateroom and it was kind of awkward).  They gave us a room, said they wouldn't "advertise it" (which we thought was odd since they advertise other non-Celebrity-hosted gatherings), and then took back the room Sunday morning saying they had double booked it.  No apology, but rather just told our friend who booked it that she couldn't use it because the crew was using it for debarkation planning. So, back to their stateroom we went.

 

The food on the ship was pretty good, but overall not quite as good as our last Norwegian cruise. However, no one else offers escargot every single night as an appetizer, so that makes up for a lot.  The service staff in the MDR is amazing and makes everyone feel so special. We've done QSine before and for us it's a one-and-done and we didn't want to do it again.  We were going to go to Tuscan, but they were having some ceiling leaks and a "special" seafood lunch we were supposed to attend in there was moved to QSine, and then I guess we were too lazy to find out when they re-opened after the issue was resolved so we never did a specialty dinner.  We went to Sushi on 5 for lunch one afternoon, which was delicious, as always.  One advantage to the premium drink plan is that we were able to put together our own sake tasting to complement the sushi.  We got somewhat aggravated during the week in the MDR and up at the buffet at lunchtime because we were getting sales pitches for QSine while eating dinner and while eating lunch, which we thought was pretty tacky.  It's one thing to have sales tables in the hallways, but please don't interrupt my meal with a sales pitch!  That special seafood lunch?  It was $45pp + gratuity and was terrible... a very greasy "fish and chips" with too much batter and limp greasy fries as the appetizer, and the main entrée items were very overcooked and tasteless. The calamari rings were like trying to eat rubber bands.  The lobster tail was a the least overcooked, thank goodness, and the chocolate almond cookie for dessert was delicious, but the rest was not even close to the $108 per couple that we paid.  In retrospect, I guess we should have asked for a refund, though I don't know that they'd have given it to us.  We were wondering if it was perhaps a "practice lunch" for new cooks?  No idea.

 

We attended the 9PM shows most nights and most of them were very good, and then we'd relax in Cafe Al Bacio for a while afterwards each night.  The goodies in the pastry display were not as good as we remember from previous cruises, but many of the other lines charge for cakes and other baked goods in their coffee shops, so advantage to Celebrity on that point.  One very obvious shortcoming from the viewpoint of my husband and myself is the limited top shelf options regarding whiskeys and bourbons.  We had the premium drink package and we're more "fewer drinks but high quality" drinkers.  We shake our heads at the Carnival cruisers who cry about being limited to "only 15 drinks a day," but we want the good stuff. Bourbons that were included in Norwegian's premium package were upcharged (REALLY upcharged!) on the Constellation.  We were able to drink EH Taylor, many of the Old Foresters, Blanton's, etc. as part of our package on the Norwegian Escape.  On the Constellation, a Blanton's (with the premium drink package) is a $8-$10 upcharge depending upon which bar you asked, and the EH Taylor was a $21 upcharge!  

 

There were a number of very good musicians onboard, and we appreciated both the quality of the talent and the diversity of musical genres throughout the ship. Even the recorded music when no one was playing live, was high quality and surprisingly diverse, with a good amount of very much appreciated classic rock.

 

Regarding the ports, our first stop was New Orleans and we ended up there on a VERY rainy day.  We still managed to have a marvelous time... starting out at the original Café Du Monde on Decatur Street for chicory coffee and beignets, moving on to the French Market and then the French Quarter, stopping in for a few drinks and some great piano music at the "Tipsy Trumpet," and then an absolutely magnificent late lunch at the Acme Oyster House (raw oysters, grilled oysters, etoufee, gumbo, red beans & rice). As we headed back towards the ship the skies let loose and we ducked into the Riverwalk for the rest of the walk back. Our original plans included some streecar touring and a visit to the St. Roch cemetery, but the weather just didn't cooperate, so we called it a (wonderful!) day and vowed to go back for a longer visit. This was the first visit to NOLA for some in our group and they would have loved to have also gone to the WWII museum, but you just can't do that place justice in a couple of hours.

 

We took a private tour in Roatan, which we kind of turned into a foodie tour. First, we went to the butterfly/monkey/sloth place, but decided not to tour it because we were only interested in the butterflies and it was $20pp and so we piled back into the van and moved on.  We then stopped in at a very nice supermarket to buy local Honduran coffee beans, then went to the Roatan Island Brewery. The owner/brewer is Canadian and has been down there for a number of years. They have a beautiful place and delicious brews!  My husband and I are home brewers and my husband is a certified beer judge, and there were no off-flavors in any of the beers (and we tried all the beers they currently have on tap).  All were delicious!  We also indulged in some yucca fries while there. Next we went to Mayek Chocolate and sampled many flavors of Honduran artisan chocolates (and admittedly, we bought a bunch!).  Then, to the Roatan Rum Company for tastes of rum and rum cakes (it was pretty hot out by this point, so I didn't indulge in the rums, just the cakes, and bought a six-pack of interesting flavors of rum cake).  Finally, we were ready for a full Roatan meal and our guide took us to the Paradise Restaurant, which was tucked down a dirt road alley and, although just five minutes from the ship, we would have never found on our own.  I chowed down on fried conch, red beans & rice, fried plantains and salad, my husband had the oxtail and others had fried shrimp, whole fried snapper, or iguana (yes, really!) with the same sides, along with some local beer and/or sodas that we don't get here in the U.S.  One of the local ziplines went right overhead, so that provided some unexpected entertainment in this open air restaurant.  BTW, Roatan's primary language is English, though they all learn Spanish in school, so communication was quite easy.

 

Belize and Cozumel were not favorites of ours. It may have been mostly our choice (or non-choice) of activities. We took a bus tour through Belize City, which was awful. The city, with the exception of a few nice buildings and residences is very run-down and appears to be very non-tourist-friendly based upon the armed guards, razor wire on the walls around just about every commercial building, and bars on the windows of both commercial and residential buildings. There may be other areas in the country that are lovely, but we didn't see them.  We finished our visit at an outdoor restaurant at the port area to try the local beer (that's something this group enjoys checking out at each location, obviously).  The local beer there was NOT good, but hey, we gave it a try.   In Cozumel, our group had different plans and my husband and I just decided to have a lazy day and just check out the shops.  We were very put off by the very pushy shopping environment and disliked the constant harassment by salespeople.  The one thing I wanted to look at was some silver jewelry, but the salespeople just wouldn't leave me alone and I just gave up. Instead we headed back to the ship and just relaxed out on the back deck.
 

One more item I'd like to mention is the valet parking at the Tampa Port.  Wow, what a smooth operation and well worth the $30 extra. It was quick and efficient on both the (prepaid) drop-off and the pickup when we returned.  If we ever sail out of Tampa again, we'll definitely use this service again.

 

 

Edited March 12 by Vagabond Knight