Just back from Constellation 14 day cruise

[Glendakayself]

I would like to know how many of the negative reviews were coloured by the fact that there was Norovirus on the ship?

 

Possibly. We were displeased with the food before the illness struck, and after the illness, it was hard to eat much without being bloated. That said, however, I do not think that the after-effects of the illness caused the food to taste salty, to be dry, to be cold or rubbery. We actually found the menu selections to improve somewhat after being ill. We could usually find one choice on the nightly menu to order, but at the beginning of the cruise we found little we wanted to try. :confused:

 

As stated before, we did enjoy the Aqua Spa Cafe, the Bistro, room service, and the afternoon snacks with the exception of some strange sandwich combinations.

[Glendakayself]

That has happened to us and do report it because the housekeeping supervisor comes and is quite good at pinpointing the offending cabins. they notify the room attendants to watch out for telltale signs and really respond .

 

Our smokers did not linger. It seemed that they had a quick puff or two and returned to their cabin. I doubt the housekeeping supervisor could have come in time. I also did not want the stateroom attendants to have to become detectives and loose out on any gratituity from the offenders.

[dmk]

We were on the Solstice in December. It was also a very sick ship.

Yes, we had to wait patiently for things to be served and service was not the same as on the two other cruises we had already had had on the Solstice.

But we looked at as "Life Happens" and we decided to be understanding of the crew who hadn't been able to give the same service as they would have liked to.

With that in mind, we had a fabulous cruise concentrating on the lovely things about the cruise that were so enjoyable.

We could have bemoaned our fate that had put us on a sick ship for our vactaion. But that would have definitely made us more miserable than the actual circumstances we found ourselves in.

We will be on the Connie at the end of March. Yes, we hope that the Noro will be cleared up my then. But if it's not...we will have a lovely cruise to beautiful destinations, new people to meet and enjoy, relaxing and having a fabulous time.

[gagirl7143]

Our smokers did not linger. It seemed that they had a quick puff or two and returned to their cabin. I doubt the housekeeping supervisor could have come in time. I also did not want the stateroom attendants to have to become detectives and loose out on any gratituity from the offenders.

 

The house keeping super is the one that plays the heavy. Also they send security to notify that smoke has been coming from their cabin.

[ncdachsiemom]

I am always suspicious of OPs whose first thread is negative????

 

 

don't be suspicious....that review is right on the money.....first Celebrity cruise ever that disappointed me! I am going to try the Eclipse next year.

[ncdachsiemom]

We were on the 1/28/12 Connie also. It was our 7th Celebrity cruise. We found the food quality in the MDR and buffet to be not up to the standard we have found on Celebrity in the past. We did not find the food to be bland but rather found it to have too much seasoning, and too many unneeded sauces seemed to be added to the dishes. The food on the "every-night" menu was inconsistent. I ordered the salmon one night and found it to be wonderful except for the skin which was easily removed. Others ordered the salmon and found it to be raw. I ordered the chicken breast twice. Once, it was so dry that I could not swallow it with no skin on and sauce on the side. The second time, the breast had a skin on it and sauce was over the chicken. I scraped the skin and sauce off, and it was good. Some of the pasta dishes on the main menu were rubbery and very dry. We used to have a soft roll or two in the bread baskets in the evening but no more...even when we asked.

 

We were in select dining, and sometimes the service was slow getting started while we waited for the table to fill, but otherwise they did a great job. We do not drink wine, but some of those who ordered their personal stock to be delivered to the table waited and waited and waited... The hostess at the entrance to select dining had her hands full with many large groups of ten plus wanting to be seated together, and that really clogged up the system. We made reservations after the first two nights for 8:15. However, we found that the "No Reservation" side and the "Reservation" side were given the same treatment with the hostess alternating between the sides rather than seating the reservation-holders first. The "No Reservation" line was often shorter, and we learned that we could be seated more quickly from that line. There seemed to be some confusion with people who had booked and confirmed early seating finding second seating cards in their stateroom upon arrival. I met two groups who had been assigned to eat at 5:45 in select when they complained and told they had to eat and be out by a certain time.

 

To be fair, we only tried the buffet for lunch once. We tried the sandwich area. I asked for a scoop of chicken salad, a scoop of tuna salad, and a scoop of cob salad. It was so salty that I could not eat it. Who salts chicken or tuna salad? Another poster to our roll call said it was curry that offended our taste buds. We never season our food with curry, so this could be the culprit. DH tried the waffles one morning for breakfast. What happened to hot waffles and hot fruit? Cold waffles. YUCK! I ate most every breakfast and lunch in the Aqua Spa Cafe and found the menu and service to be excellant. DH loved the food at the Seaside Grill. We both loved the Bistro on Five except that we were over-stuffed both times that we ate dinner there. Room service was great, but you have to be very specific. If you want salt and pepper or service for two (even when you have placed two orders,) you have to tell them. We found the afternoon snacks to be good at first. The sandwiches started to have strange things in them toward the end of the cruise, but the sweets were always good.

 

The islands were beautiful. The weather was wonderful. The entertainment was great, and the staff could not have worked harder. We loved our "sweet sixteen" balcony which was equipped with two loungers much to our surprise. We were sick with the virus, and the loungers were a wonderful place to rest and recover. Our stateroom attendants went above and beyond to assist us. The medical staff was great. We are just not fans of the current MDR menu and food prep at least on Connie.

 

Sorry for the long and wordy post,

 

Perfect review....I agree with pretty much everything you said and had the same experience. I still love Celebrity and will definitely give it another try. Great meeting you...maybe we will meet again on a future cruise.

 

Linda

[gadaboutgal]

So disappointed to know that the Connie is still having the same issues that it had for the 42 days we were on her in Nov and Dec. We had previously done about 5 cruises on the Constellation and had such a different experience on them. We found the diningroom service to be severely lacking and the food to be less than acceptable. So much so, that we canceled our 2 future cruises on the Connie.

We are on the Millenium for 5 back to backs right now and are receiving the service one expects from Celebrity and the food is excellent. So, in our opinion, there are some very real concerns about the Connie that need to be addressed. (We did offer our opinion and suggestions to the staff on the Connie in December, but nothing got better.)

[mamamzee]

We were on Connie for 14 days in November into early December. There had been a lot of sickness on the previous cruise and many,many procedures were in place for sanitation.

 

That said, we LOVED it. We like food and know what we are talking about and we thought the food was just fine in the MDR. Always something good on the menu. We also found service to be very good in the MDR and the staff was very accommodating.

 

Sorry you had a bad time. We had a ball.

[Despegue]

I know the menus and the choice is plenty and varied. Anyone who can not find anything appetizing in the MDR menus is simply too picky or doesn't go out except to Mac Donalds. Choice however is nothing without correct execution...

 

By the way, Chicken and tuna salads should of course be salted, in moderation.

[gadaboutgal]

We think the MDR menus are very good; however execution is not and cannot be the same on all the Celebrity ships. No two cooks, cook the same!

[Suzy Smith]

We have cruised on Constellation several times and it was our favourite ship, but I am sorry to say our cruise last November was a totally different experience from previous times.

 

 

 

The service was not up to the standard we have come to expect and the food in the MDR was not good - several times I just could not eat it, and I am someone who generally enjoys their food far too much!

 

 

 

They have had major issues with Noro for several months and this makes so much extra work for the crew - rooms having to be cleaned and disinfected, public areas being disinfected, extra staff to serve the buffet and staff shortages (as the crew also get sick). We came to the conclusion that part of the problem was that the crew must be absolutely exhausted and probably some of the chefs were ill and that would explain why the food was not up to standard.

 

 

We love Celebrity and plan to sail with them again, but we will give Constellation a miss for the moment. Norovirus is more prevalent in the winter and we are just hoping that when the virus season is over, things will improve.

[Oville]

By the way, Chicken and tuna salads should of course be salted, in moderation.

 

Salting tuna salad, chicken yes but tuna?

 

All kidding aside, we are booked for 9 days next season on the Connie and sorry to hear things have gone down hill. We were on the Millie in January and food and service were very good, albeit a bit slow at times in Select dining.

[brockmom]

Gadaboutgal...what concerns did you have on Connie??/ Is there any that if you share them here- can help us when we cruise on her next month???

I am concerned- I have been sick in Mexico - lasted 4 days and it was a miserable time. So I will try my best to avoid toching things- hand rails, elevator buttons. etc. Anybody have any other suggestions??? I also think I will plan on bringing hand sanitizer with me to use if needed. I don't want to be paranoid- but I do want to be careful.

Why is it taking so long to rid the ship of this???

Is it the food...or not killing germs on things that is the culprit.

Or are new people coming on board with it???

any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks Brockmom

[dmk]

Gadaboutgal...what concerns did you have on Connie??/ Is there any that if you share them here- can help us when we cruise on her next month???

I am concerned- I have been sick in Mexico - lasted 4 days and it was a miserable time. So I will try my best to avoid toching things- hand rails, elevator buttons. etc. Anybody have any other suggestions??? I also think I will plan on bringing hand sanitizer with me to use if needed. I don't want to be paranoid- but I do want to be careful.

Why is it taking so long to rid the ship of this???

Is it the food...or not killing germs on things that is the culprit.

Or are new people coming on board with it???

any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks Brockmom

 

It is best to be a bit paraoid than to get sick. I would also suggest that you bring a disenfecting spray and wipes for your cabin. Also, wash your hands like crazy.

[snausman]

Gadaboutgal...what concerns did you have on Connie??/ Is there any that if you share them here- can help us when we cruise on her next month???

I am concerned- I have been sick in Mexico - lasted 4 days and it was a miserable time. So I will try my best to avoid touching things- hand rails, elevator buttons. etc. Anybody have any other suggestions??? I also think I will plan on bringing hand sanitizer with me to use if needed. I don't want to be paranoid- but I do want to be careful.

Why is it taking so long to rid the ship of this???

Is it the food...or not killing germs on things that is the culprit.

Or are new people coming on board with it???

any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks Brockmom

 

We were on the Connie a couple of years ago when she was sailing out of Amsterdam. The ship was totally clean for us, could not board till late afternoon so they could clean. Everyone was just fine till about day 3 then several people started getting sick. As it ended up, was the people were picking up noro at the hotel then bringing it on the ship. It took several cruises for them to figure it out but they did. So it could be that new people are coming on board with it, not knowing that they were infected at the hotel they stay in the night before. Just watch what you are touching.

 

Laura

[jaybird from SC]

Our smokers did not linger. It seemed that they had a quick puff or two and returned to their cabin. I doubt the housekeeping supervisor could have come in time. I also did not want the stateroom attendants to have to become detectives and loose out on any gratituity from the offenders.

You really have an obligation to report smoking in cabins and on balconies. It's a safety issue that affects a lot of people. The staff have ways of finding out who's breaking the smoking rule without involving you.

[Giorgi-one]

I am always suspicious of OPs whose first thread is negative????

 

We are Elite on Celebrity and have sailed four times on the S-Class ships over the last 3 years. The drop in food quality is unbelieveable. Celebrity is trying to sell great food by talking about it and presentation. I really do not care how the food is arranged on the plate if it is not good.

[snausman]

We are Elite on Celebrity and have sailed four times on the S-Class ships over the last 3 years. The drop in food quality is unbelieveable. Celebrity is trying to sell great food by talking about it and presentation. I really do not care how the food is arranged on the plate if it is not good.

 

 

That is a very good point.

 

Laura

[dmk]

We are Elite on Celebrity and have sailed four times on the S-Class ships over the last 3 years. The drop in food quality is unbelieveable. Celebrity is trying to sell great food by talking about it and presentation. I really do not care how the food is arranged on the plate if it is not good.

 

We are Elite and have sailed six times over the last 3 years...3 times in Solstice Class Ships. Maybe it is a matter of choice. I have always been able to find something delicous to eat.

Now if I go back 12 years...I would say the offerings are not same.

[Giorgi-one]

We are Elite and have sailed six times over the last 3 years...3 times in Solstice Class Ships. Maybe it is a matter of choice. I have always been able to find something delicous to eat.

Now if I go back 12 years...I would say the offerings are not same.

 

Just for the heck of it, give me some examples of the delicious food you ate. Not being argumentative, but I cannot think of one dish I ate that I would go to a land-based restaurant to "enjoy" again and pay for it. Big difference between not starving and really looking forward to the food and wanting to eat it over and over again.

[4774Papa]

We are Elite on Celebrity and have sailed four times on the S-Class ships over the last 3 years. The drop in food quality is unbelieveable. Celebrity is trying to sell great food by talking about it and presentation. I really do not care how the food is arranged on the plate if it is not good.

Giorgi, we did our first X cruise on Infinity in December and loved the MDR food. Every meal was at least very good and many were excellent. I live near the Atlantic and we have great seafood in South Georgia, so I didn't find the shrimp to be that wonderful. Still, all in all the food was great. The desserts in particular were super.

 

Of course different ships, different chiefs.

 

I do think it can depend on what you eat. Sometimes fish can be overcooked.

 

Did you have some specific examples of food that was not good? We are on the Connie for a 10 March cruise.

[dmk]

Just for the heck of it, give me some examples of the delicious food you ate. Not being argumentative, but I cannot think of one dish I ate that I would go to a land-based restaurant to "enjoy" again and pay for it. Big difference between not starving and really looking forward to the food and wanting to eat it over and over again.

 

I'd be delighted to share with you some of the delicious dishes that I've enjoyed in the MDR:)

Tournedos Rossini

. Short rib and mashed potatoes dinner

Rack of lamb

• Cold soups
  
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara
  
• Coq au Vin
  
• Lamb Shank
  
• Buffalo Style Frog Legs
  
• Cod Fritters
  
• Onion soup
  
• Momma's Pork Chops
  
• Osso Buco
  

I've mainly mentioned the entrees that come to mind. I couldn't list the desserts because I have such a sweet tooth that this list would be HUGE. I'll get back to you when I have remembered others.:)

[Lolotte]

Just back from the Constellation. Everything I tasted was good except for the lobster, awful.

My favorites:

pecan chicken, chicken kiev, veal cordon bleu, all the soups, seafoof linguini, scampies etc....

It was different 10 years ago but it is just as good now, less fattening.

[gelo7]

I hope that your next cruise is a better experience.

[Giorgi-one]

I'd be delighted to share with you some of the delicious dishes that I've enjoyed in the MDR:)

Tournedos Rossini

. Short rib and mashed potatoes dinner

Rack of lamb

• Cold soups
  
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara
  
• Coq au Vin
  
• Lamb Shank
  
• Buffalo Style Frog Legs
  
• Cod Fritters
  
• Onion soup
  
• Momma's Pork Chops
  
• Osso Buco
  

I've mainly mentioned the entrees that come to mind. I couldn't list the desserts because I have such a sweet tooth that this list would be HUGE. I'll get back to you when I have remembered others.:)

 

I have had rack of lamb many times. Lamb on Silhouette was absolutely the worst I have ever had. I would never think of going back to this restaurant if I had to pay for it. I tried a few of the Italian dishes as second entrees just to sample them. Sauce taste like Hunts tomato sauce right out of the can. Most of the soups were watery. I did like the onion soup and ordered it about 9 or the 12 nights on the cruise.