PATRICIA1020 Posted April 10, 2004 #1 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Wow-Just got home from my Constellation Cruise and I am very depressed. Here is a mini review - Better one coming later on when I unpack and get settled. First of all, the Constellation is a beautiful ship. This was our second cruise on her and she looked better than last year. We flew in on Saturday so we went directly to the ship. This time everything went smoothly (last year one of our luggage was lost but arrived just prior to leaving San Juan). We were met at the airport by Celebrity reps, our luggage was at the baggage claim section in minutes and we were on the bus to the ship in no time. Embarkation took all of 5 minutes as I think Celebrity has thisdown pat. My husband went into the small shop at the dock to purchase some wine for our room and he took longer than signing in. Celebrity did not stop us from taking our booze on board. We were greated with our Champagne and escorted immediately to our room. This time around my balcony was smaller than we were used to but it was not enough to complain about. Try to stay away from cabin 8102 if balcony is important. The room itself was fine. Our first stop was Casa de Campo. Heard lots of negative stuff about this island but my husband was determined to see it. There is a free shuttle bus at the dock. Don't go to The Marina as the shops as not so great (very expensive and very boring). The boats are nice but it only takes five minutes to see them. Go to the other free ride. I believe it is called something Duchane (I know I spelled it wrong but when you are there you will know what I mean). I don't particularly care for sightseeing but this was really very magnificent. Wonderful view, it looks like an old monestary or something. Has some shops. Buy the Domincan Republic's coffee to take home. It's wonderful. Then go back to the ship and enjoy any pool chair you want since most are on shore. Next day at sea was kind of hard to get pool chairs but if you go to the front of the ship on deck 12 you will find great chairs. Barbados is great, Go to any beach and enjoy. I am not saying the stops in order because I am exhausted but I must say that Grenada was probably my least favorite island, EVER. All they sell is their spices. Which is fine except everybody sells the same stuff. Got kinda boring after a while. Needed to take a tender to get to the island as the boats can't dock directly on the island. Antigua was fine. Go to the beach. Any beach. St. Thomas - We had some rain in the AM so we shopped. Then when the sun came out we went to Coki Beach. Very nice but go to the Sapphire Beach instead. Megans Bay is always great but everyone goes there and it can become busy. The food was wonderful. Lobster Tails, Escargots, Steak, Duck, etc. Can't say enough. The staff that work on this ship are exceptional. But, I must say that Sudi, at the Martini Bar, was the best. In addition to the best martinis, (there must be at least 40 different types, try the Bloodytini), he entertains you with his magic. He is a wonderful person and he made our cruise. Stay away from the Casinos. They have the upper edge. We are probably helping them build their next cruise ship. I really need to sleep now so if I must end this critique. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will get back to you sometime tomorrow. Right now, I am going to unpack and try to stop being so miserable that my cruise is over. All in all, the Constellation is the best ship we have ever been on (15 last count). Goodnight. Constellation - Here I come!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted April 10, 2004 #2 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I absolutely agree with every aspect of your review. My girls are still depressed being home. I love that Sudi. I had my 10 year old at the bar seeing his tricks before dinner everynight. He could really do the barman tricks ! He is the nicest man, next to my cabin steward, Darma. It is an exceptional staff. The rest of my cruisemates were a lot of fun. People were so friendly and upbeat. Jacqueline Constellation 3/20/04 HAL Westerdam 7/30/04 Tahitian Princess August 2003 Grand Princess Western Caribbean 2003 Brilliance of the Seas Baltic 2002 Ocean Princess- Alaska 2001 Celebrity Zenith- Bermuda 2001 Grand Princess Med 2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATRICIA1020 Posted April 10, 2004 Author #3 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Yup - Sudi did it for us too. We had a different martini each night. My son came with us for a soda just to learn a new trick. Loved the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halliemc Posted April 11, 2004 #4 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Thanks for the review! We're leaving in 5 days for the connie and we can't wait! Did you try the specialty restaurant? We're worrying about missing a night with our tablemates, but if its worth it we'll try it. Thanks for any input. Hallie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espmass Posted April 11, 2004 #5 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Thanks for the review. I have to say that I have never heard any bad comments about the Constellation. Everyone seems to love her. I will be in San Juan this Thursday for three days before sailing on the Constellation 4/17 and all the great reviews make me look foward to it even more. I am taking along 8 cousins, most of whom have never sailed before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nywritestuff Posted April 11, 2004 #6 Share Posted April 11, 2004 I just got back from the Constellation as well, and it is a fantastic ship. I must say that I truly enjoyed the Dominican Republic -- We just did the Bayhbibe beach break to the Casa del Mar resort and it was FABULOUS! There aren't any vendors to bother you here because it's a private resort. The resort has an awesome pool and several bars. All of your drinks are included (order some of the large bottles of water to take back to the ship, they're free, too). The water and sand were fantastic. Yes, the Dominican is a poor country, but this resort was just a wonderful place to swim, soak up the rays and relax. You can also go to their gift shop and purchase some Dominican coffee. I did. As for Grenada, we had a blast. We booked Mandoo's tour in advance and honestly it was fascinating. The port is a bit scary at first as aggressive cab drivers and people were trying to sell spices. We just told them we were on a tour. Alistar, Mandoo's assistant, was great. He took us to the rainforest, Concord Falls, Grand Etang Lake, the Doughlastown Spice Plantation and finally Grand Anse Beach. All for $40 a person. He even got us a bunch of the sweetest, freshest bananas right off the vine. This is a tour not to be missed. We all became experts at spotting nutmeg and cocoa trees. Wow. It was fantastic. In fact, we wouldn't mind going again just to see a different one of Mandoo's tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATRICIA1020 Posted April 12, 2004 Author #7 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Hallie, We didn't try the specialty restaurant because we just loved our waiter and assistant waiter in the main dining room. The food was great there also. Big Lobster Tails, great filet mignon. You must try the soups. They were so delicious. Also, the deserts were to die for. I did speak with other passengers who tried the Specialty Restaurant and said it was very good. I noticed on the first formal night, there were some empty tables. NY - I too was very pleased with the Dominican Republic or Casa de Campo. I was expecting much worse. As for Grenada, I would recommend a tour and not what we did. We just walked around and after about 1 hour we couldn't wait to get back on the ship. We have traveled extensively throughout the Carribean, and I must say Grenada is my least favorite island. If I ever stop there again, I will consider it a sea day and get any chair I want by the pool. Once again, Hallie, go visit Sudi at the Martini Bar. If not for a martini, then for the entertainment. Espmass - I wish I was going with you. It is true, there really isn't anything bad to say about the Connie. You will love it. Have a Ball and Bon Voyage!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtjlr Posted April 12, 2004 #8 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Patricia, we felt that way about Grenada in the past, too. But, this time we booked a tour ahead with Sunsation Tours. Our guide met us at the dock, and we had a great tour to Seven Sister Falls. Hiked down to the falls through the rain forest, and enjoyed a cool dip in the pools by the 2 water falls. He then took us to Grand Etang lake and to Fort Frederick for a great view of the island. Our guide was very informative and Grenada is a beautiful island once you get away from the spice ladies and the taxi drivers downtown. Some of our group felt it was their favorite island. Also, can't say enough about Eli's tour in Antigua, which was probably the highlight of our trip. It was a wonderful and informative all-day trip. This can be booked on line through adventureantigua.com. Highly recommend it. We enjoyed our week on the Constellation and had a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BELLAEAST Posted April 12, 2004 #9 Share Posted April 12, 2004 nywritestuff.....So sorry we didn't catch up with you before disembarking...packing took much too long (and was way to sad!). Shoot me an email when you have time: bellaeast@aol.com Hope you had a great time in San Juan...we did a tour w/ a few others and the driver dropped us all off at the airport. No rainforest, but we got to the fort/capital/old san juan and new san juan! Hello to your family! Heather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanceycruiser Posted April 12, 2004 #10 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Sorry you are back Patricia. Wish you were still cruising. Thanks for the great mini review. Yanceycruiser Dreamward 1/95 Norway 1/97 Grandeur of the Seas 1/99 Grand Princess 2/01 Carnival Pride 2/03 Until the Infinity on August 22, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Squid Posted April 12, 2004 #11 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Patricia, how was the entertaiment in the bars and lounges,piano player, lounge singer etc. We are sailing on Connie on sat. Thank you for the great review. Steam she may,Shine she must........ Squid USS JFK 76-80, SS Pecos 81, SS Concho 82-83,84,SS Trinty 83,SS San Marcos 84, USNS Mizar 84-85, USNS Misipillion 85,USNS Spica 85,87-88 DRYDOCKED 88-2000,Fasination 00,Destiny 02, Connie 4-17-04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faygelah Posted April 13, 2004 #12 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Patricia: We are leaving on the Constellation April 24th. really enjoyed reading your review. Who is the Cruise Director? Is it still Dru Pavlov? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATRICIA1020 Posted April 15, 2004 Author #13 Share Posted April 15, 2004 Fay - Oh Oh - I can't remember the cruise director's name. I hardly pay attention to them since I've cruised on Constellation a few times. The entertainment in the lounges was nice - Everynight before dinner we went to the Martini Bar for our nightly Martini and entertainment from Sudi the bartender. That is on the 5th deck. Directly below this is a great lounge duo that sings some really nice music. Only problem is that they tend to repeat their songs each night so in can get boring, The Martinis help you forget. Enjoy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumnsea Posted April 15, 2004 #14 Share Posted April 15, 2004 We are leaving on the Constellation April 24th. really enjoyed reading your review. Who is the Cruise Director? Is it still Dru Pavlov? Faygelah: I was on the same sailing, the CD is Eric Bohus.. Dru Pavlov went on vacation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudymaker Posted April 16, 2004 #15 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Is this Patricia from Long Island. This is the Controller from Seattle until no shoes, no shirt ,no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Instyle925 Posted April 17, 2004 #16 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Does anyone know if Dru will be returning to the Constellation or will he be on another ship? Paradise Constellation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumnsea Posted April 18, 2004 #17 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Instyle925: Sounds like you have a thing for Dru Pavlov,(from also reading your other posts) ... don't blame you; he is really nice... I don't think he's going back to Connie, but I can find out for you if you like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bstein493 Posted April 18, 2004 #18 Share Posted April 18, 2004 WE were on the Connie March 20th and yes Dru was the Director then. It is a great ship and nothing bad to say except that the cruise is over and it was too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Instyle925 Posted April 19, 2004 #19 Share Posted April 19, 2004 LOL that obvious? If you want you could find out..if not no big deal. Paradise Constellation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autumnsea Posted April 19, 2004 #20 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Instyle925: I believe Dru Pavlov will be on Horizan & Zenith next... like I said earlier, he really is a nice guy, and like all nice guys, he is taken (he has a girlfriend.. sorry) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Instyle925 Posted April 19, 2004 #21 Share Posted April 19, 2004 lol, how do you know so much about him? I thought he was good eye candy and a nice guy. Made the cruise fun to have a little crush. But have been back to reality for a while now ( )and have my eye on someone back in the "real world" Paradise Constellation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisebunny32 Posted November 22, 2004 #22 Share Posted November 22, 2004 That was great. We are going in March and enjoy hearing such great things about the cruise! Sorry yours is over so quickly. Have to book another one quick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyNinerLiz Posted November 23, 2004 #23 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I think it is Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perki Posted November 23, 2004 #24 Share Posted November 23, 2004 ESPMASS - I think you mean "4/16" that you are leaving on Constellation, we are on that one too! So far my hubby & I are the only ones to have signed up for the Cruise Connection and I posted on the Roll Call board and noone else has said they are going - glad to see we won't be all alone on this big ship. Sign up on the Celebrity Cruise Connection so we can have a party! :o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cour10ay Posted November 23, 2004 #25 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Seems Sudi is the favorite, but we sure loved Mario in the Rendezvous. He'll be tending the bar in the CdS venue beginning Dec. 4. If you all see him tell him that C & G from Germany say hello! (We're the Tanqueray & Tonics he served every night.) ;) Cour10ay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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