Constellation Top Chef Cruise

[EchoSix]

Hi all!

 

I just booked/made the deposit for the Bravo channel's show "Top Chef: The Cruise", which is being held on the Celebrity Constellation.

 

Their prices for this cruise, from what I gather, are much higher than their regular fees. And since this was a last minute splurge/surprise, I chose the lowest rate. That lowest rate put us in an Ocean View room with a porthole. Room 2000 on the second floor. I'm used to rooms with a balcony and fresh air. Neither of us have ever stayed in an enclosed room before.

 

We've been on four cruises in the past. 1 with Royal Caribbean and three with Disney. We've actually got a Disney cruise coming up this Halloween, which should be fun, but with this new 4 night cruise I'm tapping into money I probably shouldn't be spending. But to actually be on the ship while the Top Chef chefs are doing their thing... It's my wife's and my dream cruise!

 

So here's my question, which I leave up to you experienced cruisers...

 

Should I keep the Ocean View room or upgrade to a veranda? And if I hold onto it, do you think there'd be a remote chance that they'd upgrade us to a veranda. I don't expect to be in the room much on this cruise, versus other ones we've been on. Normally I like to steer clear of other people's children, while on a Disney ship. And some of the obnoxious parents aren't the quality of company I like to keep either. But that's a subject for a different thread.

 

I get the feeling though, that this cruise is the best reason to sit and watch and observe and take in the spectacle nd practically never be in the room.

 

Or are the lower rooms noisy? This room is the absolute furthest room on the starboard side, by the bow. How much motion will THAT be? :eek:

[gacruisergal]

We were on the "Connie" a number of years ago on Deck 3 about 8 cabins back and thought it was just fine. Looking at the deck plans, it appears that Cabin 2000 has a window, not a porthole. If you need air, there is the elevators and stairs about 7 cabins back and you can get out on deck a few flight up. You are on a really special cruise and will be very busy so I don't think that the cabin would be bad. Spend you money on the extra stuff that will be going on during the 4 days.

[Andy]

Hi Echosix,

 

My first question is, can you change your cabin ? 2000 is the most far forward of Dec 2 cabins. Did you take a GTY ? If so, that's probably why you received it. As I have not stayed in this cabin, Im not saying it's a bad, but it is the most forward and lowest deck, public cabin. We've also heard comments about potential noise from the theater. Definitely not a great location.

 

As for getting an upgrade ? Id say the chances are nil, as the last sailing was sold out. If at all possible, try to move up to Deck 3 outside. We like cabins in the 3052-3104 range. I hope this helps. Enjoy your Cruise !.

[Orator]

Hi Echosix,

 

My first question is, can you change your cabin ? 2000 is the most far forward of Dec 2 cabins. Did you take a GTY ? If so, that's probably why you received it. As I have not stayed in this cabin, Im not saying it's a bad, but it is the most forward and lowest deck, public cabin. We've also heard comments about potential noise from the theater. Definitely not a great location.

 

As for getting an upgrade ? Id say the chances are nil, as the last sailing was sold out. If at all possible, try to move up to Deck 3 outside. We like cabins in the 3052-3104 range. I hope this helps. Enjoy your Cruise !.

 

You can always switch your assigned cabin to another available cabin within the same category. You probably won't get an upgrade unless you pay the difference between what you paid and the price of the "upgraded" cabin at the time you upgrade.

[zoncom]

I ended up on 2 on a Connie TA several yrs. ago. My bf booked ot. It was sp noisy from engines I couldnt sleep well til third night.Change to higher deck before cruise.

[EchoSix]

Cool. Thanks for the responses and advice so far.

 

I'll call them in the morning to move the room. There's nothing listed on my reservation details that mentions a GTY/guarantee, so I assume it's still an option to move. Especially after surprising my wife with the cruise and her saying she won't be able to deal with the boat's movement way up front like that. :rolleyes:

 

The girl I spoke to at the tour company, said there's plenty of room left to work with, when I had called to see how much extra it would be to upgrade. I'll have to cal her back in the morning now, at this point. Rooms 3052-3104... Got it! ;)

 

And as far as the ship being sold out... They're nowhere near it. The whole cruise HAS been blocked off though, on Celebrity's website. You can't book it there. The whole ship can only be booked through a tour company... http://topchefthecruise.com/

[Jborosara]

I would be shocked beyond belief if the cruise sold out - i, too, am a top chef fan and would totally have taken this cruise if it weren't more than the SEVEN day cruise I am doing in AQ - nearly double more - and the Constellation doesn't even have AQ yet - that was just for a balcony...

[Andy]

Hi Guys,

 

Sorry, when I said it was sold out last time, I was thinking of the AMC Cruise. My head isn't 100% there yet. Please be patient with me :)

[EchoSix]

Room 3103 now!

 

My wife's happy. That's all that matters.

 

There does seem to be plenty of room on the ship.

[EchoSix]

As far as this being a cruise that hosts an episode of the "Top Chef" TV show... The ONLY reason I booked this cruise, was for the food. And I'm not usually like that. To us, cruising is about having fun with the kids or exploring the ship, finding a quiet spot to read, etc. Te dining is fun of course, but we've gotten used to fairly mediocre food from our time's past. Specialty restaurants excluded.

 

But, with that said... The food they make on Top Chef looks amazing!!! Everything I make at home (outside of the regular daily meals for the kids), I always keep the thought of "How would the guys on Top Chef do this?"

 

I'm the cook at home. I'm signed up for a saucier class to start up soon, which should be fun.

 

I spoke to one of the tour company's agents about it and she says that the food they cook as part of the show, will only be available in the main dining hall, as opposed to a specialty restaurant. Though she did of course urge me to go to the Tuscan Grille, at least once.

 

This particular cruise will be only one individual episode of Top Chef, which will film a Quickfire Challenge for immunity and then one or possibly two elimination challenges, depending on how the show itself progresses in the episodes prior to that.

 

The camera crews will undoubtedly spend time filming the ship for interest/beauty shots, as well as mingling with the guests in various areas of the ship, for brief edits that will be shown mostly during the episode opening, as well as after a commercial break. The main involvement that the guests would have with the show's crew, of course, is when they ask for someone's take on a certain dish or menu.

 

We've all had the mass produced food that comes out of the main dining hall kitchens and rarely is it anything to boast about. Sometimes you'll get a flavor that stands out, but you usually don't get the good stuff unless you go to a specialty restaurant. Since my wife and I are HUGE fans of the Top Chef show (the ONLY reality type show that's even remotely watchable for us), we've often wondered what one of their chefs would do to cruise ship food.

 

It certainly couldn't be worse!

 

But I only have Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise to work off of, as far as cruise dining experience goes. Disney's main restaurants don't suck, by any means... They're loads of fun and have the kind of food I myself like to cook at home. But it's nothing special. Their Palo and Remy restaurants are out of this world though! Palo, more-so for me. My wife now loves French food, due to Remy. So, I've had to learn a few recipes on her behalf.

 

RC's main dining hall on the Jewel of the Seas was nothing short of cafeteria food. We ate at Portofino and Chops most nights, which were both only as good as Disney's regular restaurants (Animator's Palate, Lumiere's, etc).

 

 

 

I'm excited about this cruise. More-so than any I've been on.

[Andy]

Room 3103 now!

 

My wife's happy. That's all that matters.

 

There does seem to be plenty of room on the ship.

 

Hi EchoSix,

 

That is a GREAT move. You cabin is right by Guest Relations, near the mid-ship elevators, and close to everything. Im much happier that you made the change.

 

Thanks for letting us know. If you have any questions about Constellation, I've sailed on her many times, and is one of our favorite Celebrity ships. Please feel free to ask away. Enjoy your Cruise !

[rwr235]

Hope you have a Great Cruise.....from a huge Top Chef fan here too !!

 

But no Padma ??!! :( I love Gail, and her kind, genuine, gentle critique....but Padma has long been my favorite !! No Padma...no go !!:p

 

Enjoy !!

 

Woody

[EchoSix]

Since you asked... :)

 

Where's the quietest spot to sit and escape from the crowds? Either alone or as a couple?

 

My wife's a people watcher and I like to read and watch. When we were on the Royal Caribbean cruise, we had a load of fun with trivia games that they'd do around the ship and meeting others who we played along with. We're not dancers... Well, I'M not at least. I'm a total klutz on the dance floor. So my wife gets by with talking and laughing instead. :D

 

Casino's are out. Money's too important these days to gamble with, I feel. Plus, I've never heard of anyone winning big on a cruise ship.

[EchoSix]

 

But no Padma ??!! :( I love Gail, and her kind, genuine, gentle critique....but Padma has long been my favorite !! No Padma...no go !!:p

 

 

Oh, there's no doubt about it... She's beautiful. Her legs are spectacular! But she herself is quite a b*tch, apparently. My wife has a good friend who was a producer for The Food Network, back when Top Chef was first starting. She's a cook herself and worked directly with all of the "TV Chef's" back then. Mostly with Emeril. It's been about five years now that she's given all that up to raise her family. But she's gone on and on about how arrogant, egotistical and demanding Padma is behind the scenes. So, with that tidbit under our belts, my wife and I have always looked beyond Padma's exotic looks and scrutinized her tone of voice, attitude and demeanor towards the chefs and guests on each episode. We're NOT fans of hers. She's just a pretty face with an attitude of a traffic cop.

 

Gail Simmons is more of a food critic, than a chef really. We compare her to being a film critic who can't make movies herself. The way she treats some of the chefs on the show is deplorable. Some of the things she focuses on are too particular to her own opinions and don't relate to how everyone else feels.

 

We do like Tom quite a bit though. Not only is he a chef himself, but he's a restaurant owner who actually still cooks in his kitchens. THAT says a lot, in regards to his opinions on the show. Yeah, he's pretty brutal at times, AND he's made a fair share of judgement calls that pissed me and my wife off. But he knows his stuff. Plus, he's a giant fan of Game of Thrones! He's done special menus that relate to the foods they'd cook in Westeros! Very cool!

 

I'd love to sit him down and interrogate him about some of the choices he's made on the show, that's for sure.

 

And I want a written apology from the show's producers, for what they did with the last season!

 

That Dallas progressive dinner they did, with all those wealthy Dallas snobs.... GOD!!! THAT was horrendous episode!

 

And then the final episodes with Pee-Wee Herman and the physical challenge at the ski slopes? What was that all about?