johnoli

2 hours ago, Compass Rose Monica said:

Here’s a quick review of our cruise on the Constellation.

 

Cruising Background:

 

I’ve been cruising with Celebrity since 2003 and this was my 18^th/19^th cruise (Tony, a few cruises less than me); and second time on the Constellation.

 

This was our first back-to-back cruise, 3 September and 12 September 2019, with our friends. It was a very port-intensive cruise with fabulous ports of call. I would love to do another one but with more sea days.

 

On Board:

 

The Constellation is a smaller ship (I love the S-Class ships) and does show her age, especially in the chairs around the various lounges, but overall in good condition

 

The Martini bar was always crowded and very noisy, especially on the first day of embarkation. Music shouldn’t be so loud that you have to yell to talk to someone.  

 

We spent a lot of our happy hour time in the Reflection lounge; sometimes at the sunset bar at sail-away; and the Rendezvous lounge (depending on who was performing before dinner). The Reflection lounge was never filled. I believe there were only about 100-125 elite passengers. This cruise seemed more low-keyed than the second cruise, which had around 200 elite passengers. The appetizers during the happy hour were very good.

 

The house band was The Cardinals. They were awesome!!! We enjoyed Kyle Tracy (guitar/vocals) and Duo Asai (Acoustic Duo). We didn’t care for the Sea Beats - terrible female singer that could put a person to sleep.

 

The Rendezvous was a popular spot for trivia and evening entertainment.

 

Cellar Masters was pretty quiet.

 

Great staff on board! Some of my favorites were John (cabin attendant); Alejandro (CD and funny as ever; had the pleasure of meeting him on our March 2019 South America cruise); Clint (hotel director first cruise), Milana (hotel director second cruise); Luana (guest relations director), Vlada (Captains club hostess on our first cruise). In the dining room: Wannipa, Dusan, and Gede at table 233; in the Reflection lounge Sushant and Sabitri. Irlinda at guest relations tried to help me with me on an issue with my cabin. Isabela (event coordinator) sent us an invitation to the helipad for our departure from Valletta. Suzanna (sommelier). And of course, the Master of the ship Michael Karatzas, Staff Captain Lefteris Koumasidis, and Chief Engineer Nikolaos Politsis.

 

Cabin 3142. I booked an ocean view cabin since the back-to-back was pretty expensive. Normally I book aqua or concierge. This cabin has an extra-large port hole. My room was VERY warm. Two engineers came by twice but couldn’t do anything to fix the problem. I ended up getting a fan for the room and kept the drapes closed all the time. The window should be better tinted to help from the heat of the sun. The fan helped a little but was still pretty warm. The a/c was running but there wasn’t enough air flow to cool the room; and the air didn’t flow downward, as there was a large square plate that blocked the air flow. Poor system design that I hope is improved when the Constellation gets a facelift.

 

John was our cabin attendant and he was attentive, friendly, and helpful. Our room was made up early. 

 

The closet hangers need to be updated. Some of the wooden hangers kept coming off their hooks.

 

Dear Celebrity Cruises, please add to your Celebrity Today a comment to all passengers asking them to be respectful of their neighbors not let their cabin doors slam shut. This is very annoying and disturbing when one is trying to sleep. I found many guests just walking in or out of their cabin without attempting to close the door gently.

 

 

We enjoyed Silent Disco a few times on both cruises. The Captain’s Club Celebration and Senior Officer’s Parties were fun but not fully attended. It was actually nice to be able to attend an event and not feel so crowded.

 

Food on board: We had Select dining and really enjoyed all of our meals in the main dining room (except for one lamb entrée). We never waited long for our table. We went to the dining room anywhere from 6:15pm to 7:30pm.

 

One night several of us went to Sushi on Five for a special Indian dinner. It was excellent with a good variety of foods. Another night Tony and I ate at the Tuscan Grill.

 

I would say the Captain’s Club Elite breakfast in the Tuscan grill is pretty slow in its service. Nothing is cooked (only breads are toasted if asked), so why does it take so long to get our food? We went to the ocean view café for most of our breakfasts. Also, Dear Celebrity, please get rid of those awful knives. They are hard to hold!

 

The Ports:

 

We had a great time in Barcelona (three days pre-cruise). We stayed at H10 Montcada Boutique Hotel. Nice hotel, comfortable beds, and a great roof-top terrace. We visited Park Guell the first afternoon of our arrival. I finally got to visit Girona (via train). Lovely city and doable in a day. Also, we had a great lunch at La Grotte & L’Olivier. On the last day we did a Gaudi walking tour and an afternoon visit to Sagrada Familia (buy tickets in advance). 

 

Embarkation in Barcelona was a breeze!! We arrived about 10:45am by taxi and there were only a dozen others in the terminal!  We couldn’t believe how empty it was compared to our other cruises.

 

Our first night was the Cruise Critic Connections Party. Only a handful showed up, as it was at 8:15pm.

 

I originally booked a tour for Monte Carlo but decided to go on our own. It's a tendered port. We LOVED the oceanographic museum (https://www.visitmonaco.com/us/place/monuments-museums/76/oceanographic-museum-of-monaco)!!  We spent at least two hours there. We purchased a combo ticket that included the Palace.  Had lunch at Restaurant Chez Tony; visited the old town church just before it closed for the day.

 

We had a private tour for 8 people in Villefranche with Sylvie Di Cristo. We visited three hill towns.

 

We stayed in Civitavecchia and did a cooking class (my second time). Tons of fun. We made several dishes and enjoyed the fruits of our labor afterwards with wine, water, and some lemoncello. Too much food! Frederico is the chef and owner of Aqua Pizzeria Ristorante (aquacivitavecchia@hotmail.it). If you book it, tell Frederico I recommended his class and, “Ciao from Monica!”.

 

We had one sea day on this cruise. We had a 10am meeting about the procedures of our turn-around day in Venice. Lucky for us we wouldn’t have to pack our belongings since we had the same cabin. On the morning of our arrival, we just had to go to guest relations to pick up our new card. We did this around 7:30am. We wanted to be off the ship as early as possible since the departure was at 4pm. We were given a Transit Pass so that we didn’t have to go through the normal check-in process. We had to carry our original passports with us for the day. We used the old card to get off the ship; new card to get back on the ship (your photo is taken when you get back on the ship). The old card is taken away, but you can get it the next day. We were told we would need to update our credit card details for our on-board expenses but when I went a couple of days later, they didn’t need to adjust our account.

 

We were told to be back on the ship by 3:45pm. All other guests had to be back on board by 3:15pm. When we arrived back to the terminal, we didn’t see any Celebrity staff members and we sort of got mixed up with the terminal and which area to enter. I had to ask a local worker where to go. W finally made it back on board by 3:25pm. The boat drill was at 3:45pm.

 

Friends and I attended the Captain’s Club wine tasting at 11:15am. Suzanna, the sommelier, was sweet and very patient with late-comers (arriving 15-25 minutes after the start time) setting up more glasses for them. When the last person strolled in, half of the guests booed and hissed.

 

At the Elegant Tea, two couples showed up in shorts and t-shirts. This was a ‘smart casual’ event, not a pool-side event.

 

In Messina, we had a private tour for 8 to Mt. Etna, a specialty food shop (Oro d’ Etna), the Gambino winery (great visit with lunch and wine tasting), and then a short visit to Castiglione di Sicilia.

 

We had a private tour in Corfu around the island for four of us. This was the only port where we had rain for about an hour. Beautiful island. We toured the Achillion Palace Museum.

 

In Kotor, we had a private tour for 8 people about 4.5 hours and visited Perast, Budva, and Sv.Stefan (just views from the road). The views of Kotor from the top was spectacular! We had time back in Kotor for lunch at Konoba Scala Santa before getting back on the ship.

 

In Zadar, we did a walking tour. We were disappointed because the guide showed up 1/2 hour late. He talked too much at the beginning, so it cut into our afternoon. I didn't have time to see a couple of places and I wanted to climb the town tower.  We did see some interesting things. We had a good lunch at Porporela before the tour started.

 

In Venice, we walked around town and went up the Campanile tower. The lines were very long to get into Basilica. We should have purchased tickets in advance. Venice is a great place to just wander and explore the many streets and bridges. Lunch at Taverna San Trovaso, one of my favorite restaurants in town. We were lucky to get a table. Gelato for dessert at Nico’s and a walk back to the people mover and terminal.

 

Second cruise, 12 September 2019:

 

In Split, we toured on our own. I should have done a private tour and visited another place. Tony and I were here before and saw the same things this time. It’s a shame that Diocletian’s palace is such a tourist trap with all the shops. For lunch we had traditional prawns, but it was difficult to get the meat out. Very messy too.

 

In Dubrovnik, four of us took the local bus to Cavtat, a beautiful small seaside town. No crowds like in Dubrovnik. It was a relaxing day walking around along with a wonderful lunch at Posejdon Cavtat.  I made reservations a few weeks in advance and asked for a table overlooking the water. Afterwards, we took a boat back to Dubrovnik, which was about a 45-minute ride. We were dropped off outside the town walls where we walked around a bit and had gelato (got rid of the rest of the local currency).

 

In Catania, we had a private tour. We had a nice short visit to the fish market in town and the Cathedral. We went to Syracuse  to visit the ancient ruins. We were supposed to get a guide for the site but somehow that fell through. Our guide/driver said there were plenty of signs to read. Not true. Fortunately, I had printed out a document on what we would be seeing, so that helped. Definitely get a guide.

 

Nearby, we had lunch in Ortigia, which is a small island just south of the central area of Syracuse. We requested a place for lunch that served typical/regional dishes, so our guide made reservations for us at Trattoria “la Foglia”. We were treated to limoncello after our meal.

 

Our last stop of the day was to Spinella, a wonderful small pastry shop in Catania. Lucca, our guide, said they serve the best pistachio cannoli. I have to agree. It was huge so the server cut each one in half for each couple to share.

 

In Valletta, Tony and I went out on our own and visited some of the sites in town (Palace Armoury and State Rooms at the Grand Master’s Palace). One must-see is the Saint John's Co-Cathedral. The Baroque art, architecture, and Caravaggio’s paintings are a site to see! I went in alone, so I didn’t have to que in the long group line.

 

We used Palma de Mallorca as a “sea day” with the exception of a short walk for an hour near the port in the morning. It was our third visit to this port. We were docked pretty far away from the center of town.

 

Speaking of docking, the following ports we had to buy shuttle tickets: Zadar, Dubrovnik, Palma, and Ibiza. They ranged from 10 to 15 euros. In a few ports you could take local buses. In Valencia, we were told we could get a taxi, but none were around when we got off the ship. There was a local shuttle bus to the main terminal; again no taxi’s. We took bus #4 to town, which was about a 25-minute ride. 

 

As we used Palma de Mallorca as a sea day, we had no problem getting deck chairs near the pool. On the sea days, they were all taken. We saw a lot of deck chairs with towels but no one sitting on them. One time I did manage to get a chair and my husband came by and sat on the end of it. Five minutes later, a man across from us offered one of the chairs next to him. He had kept a towel on it but wasn’t using it!!  Later a woman came to her chair (next to me) to collect her belongings. From the time I sat down and her arrival was about 45 minutes. As she started to walk away (leaving her towels on the chair), I grabbed her towels and politely said, “Take your towels to the bin.” Had I not said that, the towels would be on the chairs. Makes me wonder how many other people left their towels. The times I couldn’t find a chair I ended up on deck 5. I think there were only 10-12 chairs. There should have been more.

 

Ibiza is a pretty town. We did a walking tour for about 2.5 hours and later had lunch at Locals Only. This was a long port day, 7am to 11pm. There are a lot of shops and restaurants/bars. It’s a party town; and there are beaches in the area to enjoy.

 

Valencia: As I mentioned previously, we took the bus to town. There is a metro/tram but would have taken a lot longer. We were supposed to meet up with one of the free walking tours by 10:30am but missed it. We got off the ship about 20 minutes later than planned.

 

Valencia is beautiful and it’s a place I could see visiting for a few days. Loved the Spanish architecture. The town squares are gorgeous. Four of us climbed the Valencia Cathedral Bell tower (207 steps up a spiral staircase, which the steps get smaller about the last two floors). The views from the top are nice when you look out, but you can’t photograph straight down to the plazas, as the walls are thick. My legs were wobbly for a couple of days. That staircase was hard on my legs.

 

After lunch at Cordellats, we visited the central market in town; got there about 40 minutes before it closed (3pm). I loved the display of foods.

 

Disembarkation in Barcelona: We had one night in Barcelona before flying home. We went to Sushi on Five for our disembarkation location; got off the ship around 9am. We should have stayed on the ship longer. The taxi line was very long!! I couldn’t imagine flying home that morning. There were four ships in port, so the taxi drivers were very busy.

 

Overall, we had a great time on our first back-to-back cruise with the Celebrity Constellation. The ports were great, as well as the staff on the ship. Looking forward to another Celebrity cruise in a couple of years.

 

Monica

We were on the leg from Venice to Barcelona. We loved the ship and it should be stunning when it has been revolusionised. As you say looking a bit worn in parts.

It was our first cruise with Celebrity and will not be our last. We have already booked Equinox for next June from Fort Lauderdale.

Totally agree about the knives. I hate them. We ate at Tuscan twice and for the steaks you get a huge commando knife. It was more like a lethal weapon.

Our flight was 8.50pm so we stayed on the ship until 3. The downside was that Celebrity managed to lose our suitcases together with the luggage of four other couples. After a 20 minute search they found them on the ship even though they should have been taken off.

We thought Alexandro was brilliant. I believe his next posting is Eclipse. Do they move around a lot?.

John

We have just got off Constellation. The cruise was brilliant and Alexandro the CD was superb. He has gone on leave now and his next ship is the Eclipse.

Have a great cruise.

John

On 9/16/2019 at 2:18 PM, macrac said:

Back to Argentina after his break. Do not remeber which ship is doing south America.

His next ship is the Eclipse. We have just come off the Constellation. He was brilliant. 

We have just come off the Constellation and both times we ate in Tuscan were great. The food was excellent. We ate once in Qsine  which is a bit quirky. Food was okay but we preferred Tuscan.

John

5 hours ago, di T said:

Thanks for all the good wishes! We are on our second day on the beautiful Constellation I’m in Cafe al Bacio having an almond croissant and a cup of African Solstice! Had to try this tea after hearing about it and it’s really very nice😊We are at sea today and after a very early night are over the events of the last day or two.

Now looking forward to our B2B this ship is really like home to us! Good travels to you all. Dianne

We got off Constellation yesterday. Absolutely love Al Bacio. Had coffee and a cake there everyday. No wonder my trousers don’t fit anymore. We had a fabulous cruise and hope you do as well. 

Are you at sea today then Cadiz tomorrow?. Have a brilliant time.

John

Thanks Joel.

Our first port of call is Split but apart from that the itinerary is identical. You have certainly given us some ideas for places to visit.

 Which cabin were you in?. We are in 6136 which is Concierge squeezed in amongst suites on deck 6. 

Regards.

John

I bid the smallest amount mainly because I’m really happy about the cabin I already have. If they move me up to a suite then so be it. I am positive it’s not going to happen so I don’t even check.

Great reading and pictures Joel.

I was born in Malta and was there for a week in May. Their is a hell of a lot of building work going on including upgrading the main road from Valletta going past Mosta and Mdina  towards Melieha Bay.

It will be great when it’s all finished. 

John

4 minutes ago, cl.klink said:

 

Thats great. I wish I had been there longer. I was impressed with the place. 

 

- Joel 

For some reason the internet seized up before I had finished typing. We sail on Thursday the 12th. Our first port of call is Split then Dubrovnik. We can’t wait. First time on Celebrity although we have cruised a few times with other companies.

John

On 8/25/2019 at 9:54 AM, cl.klink said:

Our hotel is literally the drop off point at Piazzale Roma, from airport. Very impressed with this place, right across from the train station, as Grand Canal begins. 

We are staying there. We fly on Monday 9th September. Three nights before 

On 8/25/2019 at 9:54 AM, cl.klink said:

Our hotel is literally the drop off point at Piazzale Roma, from airport. Very impressed with this place, right across from the train station, as Grand Canal begins. 

We are 

We dock in Barcelona and fly at 20.50 on Sunday 12th September. Our plan is to take our luggage to the airport and place it in lockers and then go to Sitges by bus/train for the rest of the day.

Anyone done this?. How long does it take to get there?. We are just looking for a quiet day, possibly at the beach with a little sightseeing thrown in. 

Thanks in advance for any information. 

Thank you all for your advice. I love planning all this stuff.

We’ve already got an Adriatic cruise booked for September this year and will be spending three days in Venice beforehand. Hotel already sorted and really looking forward to exploring Venice.

Thanks everyone. I have put sunny.org on my favourites. Loads and loads of information on there. 

We don’t go until June 2020 but I like to plan way in advance. 

We are flying into Miami from the UK  three days before our cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Are we better off staying in Miami for three nights then getting a taxi/Uber to the Cruise port or head straight for Fort Lauderdale and spend the time there?. I’m wondering if their is more to see and do in Miami. 

The only definite we want to do is a trip to the Everglades.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Loving the review Dana.

When we went to St. Maarten in 2016 it rained all day. Two of our friends had booked a catamaran cruise which was cancelled and we all ended up going on a bar crawl in Phillipsburg. We had a lovely meal at the Green Parrot (think that was the name). We walked to and from the ship and got soaked both ways. At least it was warm rain unlike in the UK.

The food looks great and your pictures are really good.

Hi Dana.

Loving the review and just finished reading your sunshine review. We are doing the Adriatic next year on Celebrity Constellation. We did the Caribbean with MSC two years ago. Absolutely fantastic and we will doing another one, possibly in 2020. Although Alaska and the Rocky Mountaneer is another one we want to do.

We are taking a year off cruising. A couple of beach holidays just recharging our batteries and touring the UK are our plans for a his year. The Lake District, Chester and London. Their is so much to see and do on your own doorstep. I’m sure it’s he same for you in the USA.

John

Great review and love your humour. We are booked on the Constellation for September next year. Italy and the Adriatic. We did the Caribbean last year with MSC. First and last time with them.

They must have known for months this was going to happen. Why tell customers with less than two weeks before they go. Am I being cynical in thinking that they have done it because it will be too late to book something else or cancel. We are on that cruise as well. Our plans for Saturday were to do nothing anyway - So it will be nothing in Tenerife. Shame that La Palma has gone though.

Thrilled you will be visiting our beautiful island and we wish you a wonderful cruise and fabulous day on our island. [also did not mean to come over as defensive in any way :o]

We'll be there 11th March. As you say we wouldn't do anything or go anywhere. Can't wait.

Cabin Number: 5

Cruise Ship: Spirit

Date of Cruise: 29 June 2013 - Best of Baltic

Bed Formation: Double

Bath/Shower?: Shower

Adjoining Cabin?: No

Balcony?: No

Comment on the Size of the Cabin: Very large

Comment on any Noise Issues: None

Comment on Storage Space:Plenty

Comment on the Bathroom: Spacious - Shower not very powerful

Any Other Comments?:

Would You Recommend this Cabin?: Yes - I would definitely book this cabin again

Link to any Images:

Score out of 10:10

Enjoy your break Anni

Thanks for all of the invaluable information you provide.

Regards

John O

Hi. thank you for your appreciation.

Docking at LP41 does make things slightly more difficult. The trains from the Seehafen to Rostock City have recently been discontinued but your ship will probably run a shuttle bus as there will be a lot of people wanting to go into Rostock Hbf or Rostock City itself. It will be pretty poor service if they do not.

 

There is a bus, No 45, which runs to the nearest railway station in Lutten Klein from the stop Seehafen Fahre (just across road from the pier gate) at 7:11, 7:41, 8:24 and every hour thereafter at 24 mins past. The ride to the railway station takes 20 mins and there are trains to either Rostock Hbf or Warnemünde every 15 mins .

 

The 'Warnemünde Week' festival is on from July 6th to the 14th. It covers the whole town with a variety of events, entertainment and markets, well worth a visit.

 

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

 

PS just noticed your address! I lived many years in Hull, on Holderness Road about 500m from Sutton Road. Its a small world. Would love to have met you but I will be in Australia in July. Hope you will have as many happy memories of my corner of the world as I have of Sutton.

Many thanks Anni

As you say its a small world - We live between Tweendykes Road & Potterill Lane and have lived in East Hull for 48 years. Would have loved to meet you. Hope you enjoy your break in Australia.

Kind regards

John O

Anni - Some great advice on here and also your own website. We are on the Thomson Spirit on 10 July docking at LP41 opposite the cruise terminal on the other side of the river. Will this cause us any problems - We will be getting the train to Rostock. Is there a festival in Warnemunde on this date?

Many thanks in advance for your reply

John

If possible fly out 1 or 2 days before your cruise so you are nice and chilled when you board. Unlike us, we flew Heathrow to JFK and straight onto QM2 by the time we got to bed we had been up 24 hours. Then we were up early the next five days for excursions. We were shattered by the time we got to day 6 and a day at sea.

You don't need that many shirts - brought back four I hadn't even worn.