Constellation Baltic Cruise Review

[cartervan]

I just wrote a review of our June 2, 2014 Baltic Cruise for the regular review section of Cruise Critic. But I thought I'd kind of summarize it here and add a couple of things I forgot to mention on the longer review.

First of all I have to say up front that it was a wonderful cruise. Of course the ship is great and the ports are all beautiful and interesting--but we also had the good luck to have terrific weather almost all the time. We only had rain for one of the St. Petersburg days, and the sea was calm and smooth almost all the time. I took off my "sea bands" and didn't have to worry about sea-sickness at all.

We only had excursions in St. Petersburg (SPB Tours--terrific experience) and to Rostock and Schwerin at Warnemunde (also SPB Tours with a little discount for multiple tours). In Tallin we walked off the ship and across and up to the beautiful walled city. We used Rick Steves guidebook and had a wonderful day. In Helsiki we took a shuttle to the heart of town, then walked down the Esplanad to the market square on the harbor. After a break for refreshments, we walked to the Church in the Rock and listened to a free concert on the grand piano.

I have to tell you about Stockholm. We decided to get tickets to the Hop On Hop Off on board, but the lady at the desk confided that people had been very critical of that particular line on the two previous cruises. She suggested we buy tickets at the dock on the competing line. (I honestly forget now which line was which.) Anyway, we accidentally got on the non-recommended line anyway and they charged us about 40 Euros instead of the publicized 29 Euros in the daily ship activity schedule. We were only docked in Stockholm for about 6 hours, and everyone was scrambling to get off at once. They were just packing people on to those buses--standing room only, not enough headphones--which kind of defeats the purpose. Oh well. We waited until we could sit up on top and have headphones and then rode down to the Gamla Stan area where we got off and walked around. Then we got back on and went on to the island where the Vasa and Abba Museums are located. Most people got off there, but we went on to the Skansen outdoor living history museum which we highly enjoyed. Just not enough time!

I must say tho, that sailing into and out of the Stockholm "harbor" was wonderful sightseeing. We really enjoyed having our veranda for that part. I did notice on the "bow view" on the TV that they let people go out on the bow for that part of the cruise.

In Copenhagan we took the city bus into the heart of the city and then, with Rick Steves in hand, walked around the old town. We also took a boat cruise around the city, and then walked back along the shore to the ship. We kind of accidentally teamed up with some other Cruise Critic people we had met at the "Connections" party and we helped each other find the walking tour route up and down the narrow old streets.

There was plenty to do on the four sea days. We only got in the nice warm Solarium pool and used a hot tub once. We played Trivia and went to the shows and attended a lecture, and, oh--we did something we never did on a cruise before and that was to sing in a passenger choir. There were about 50 of us and everyone said we sounded wonderful.

People have complained on this forum that Celebrity discontinued the string ensembles. But that must have just been for the Caribbean cruises. Because there was a very good string trio on board. No Piano Bar, and no Michael's Club for us peasants (I didn't see many people in there at any time).

We had the Classic beverage package and enjoyed it very much. We thought the wine was fine, and we never had a problem ordering any drink we wanted except once--and that was in the Rendevouz lounge where we asked for the featured "Happy Hour" cocktail and the server said we couldn't get it on our card even tho it only cost $5!???

We had "Select Dining" and never had to wait. We always ate with other people, and met many really nice fellow passengers.

Great cruise. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer or give my personal opinions.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[vulcan1971]

I recently learned that the premium package can be used to purchase the daily happy hour special, but not the classic package.

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

[andnosyd]

Thanks for the feedback. We are going on the July 8 trip, with our 2 year old daughter. We like to walk a lot and she is fine with walking a bit and being in her stroller when she doesn't want to walk. Would you recommend walking in most of the ports with a guide book or use the onboard tours instead? What did you do in St. Petersburg? Thanks for any input!

[miched]

I recently learned that the premium package can be used to purchase the daily happy hour special, but not the classic package.

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

 

That is because any drink over the limit for the Classic is charged at the full price, therefore if it is HH and 1/2 price people with the Classic get the bargain price of 1/2 off instead of paying the full price. Passengers with the Classic can purchase the HH drinks, they just aren't included in their package.

 

 

Drink up 🍸🍻🍺

[Iamthesea]

Most of the ports are walk-able on-your-own, but beware of cobblestone streets. Very hard to push a stroller around.

 

In St. Petersburg, you need to take a tour. A private tour would be best. The tours are all long days. These may be too much for a 2 year old.

 

I .

 

Thanks so much for your review. Sounds like you had a great time. We were on the cruise before you. The weather was not as nice, but we had a wonderful time. ;)

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your report.

 

Keith

[Jacques O]

Hi there,

 

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Constellation for the 8th July cruise. fingers crossed for good weather!

 

we are very much looking forward to our cruise.

were there a lot of activities? we like trivia and quizz. it's really fun (even if rarery ever come first!)

 

Jacques O, in Paris.

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you had a good time :)

 

When we went to Stockholm we took the hop on hop off boat! It was cheaper than the bus and was fantastic :)

[RickT]

Thanks for your quick review.

 

One question if you have a moment, you mention the string ensemble but I'm wondering about the ship band (good, bad, too loud?) as well as whether or not there was a guitar player/singer on board. We've been lucky on our prior cruises to have good bands and talented guitar players.

[cartervan]

Hi there,

 

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Constellation for the 8th July cruise. fingers crossed for good weather!

 

we are very much looking forward to our cruise.

were there a lot of activities? we like trivia and quizz. it's really fun (even if rarery ever come first!)

 

Jacques O, in Paris.

 

There were plenty of activities--especially on the sea days. There were several different kinds of Trivia, including "progressive" where your team racked up points over the four sea days (Our team won!). Captain Stamos himself gave a couple of interesting lectures and participated in some of the games (He has a wonderful dry sense of humor).

[cartervan]

Thanks for your quick review.

 

One question if you have a moment, you mention the string ensemble but I'm wondering about the ship band (good, bad, too loud?) as well as whether or not there was a guitar player/singer on board. We've been lucky on our prior cruises to have good bands and talented guitar players.

 

There were several bands--a lot of talented musicians who sometimes participated in the evening shows, too. Celebrity likes to move them around to the different venues at different times, but the "Ocean Band" most often played in the large Rendezvous at night. They were a good dance band with a good vocalist and they were very popular. There was a lady saxaphonist who sometimes was kind of loud when she played in the main open area at the center of the ship. And yes, there was a lady who played the guitar. I didn't, personally, care for her voice--but to each his own. There was almost never music being played out by the pools--I guess because it as usually cool and breezy out there and never had a big crowd.

[cartervan]

Thanks for the feedback. We are going on the July 8 trip, with our 2 year old daughter. We like to walk a lot and she is fine with walking a bit and being in her stroller when she doesn't want to walk. Would you recommend walking in most of the ports with a guide book or use the onboard tours instead? What did you do in St. Petersburg? Thanks for any input!

 

"Iamthesea" answered your question very well. We enjoyed all the ports we did on our own, but it would be more difficult getting around with a stroller--although you saw European people with them in all the cities.

In Warnemunde most people took the 3-hour bus ride to Berlin, but we opted for a private company tour closer by. We talked to some passengers who just walked over to the center of Warnemunde, and said it was very nice and not a long walk.

As"Iamthesea" mentioned, you pretty much need to book some kind of tour in St. Petersburg. There is not much to see right at the port, and you can't get off unless you have a Russian Visa or can show that you have a booked tour. We went with SPB tours (found out about them from our "Roll Call") and had two very intensive days seeing all the famous sights and buildings of St. Petersburg including The Hermitage and Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, The Church of the Spilled Blood, St. Isaac's Cathedral, a hydrofoil ride, a scenic cruise, Peter and Paul Fortress....we even went down into the beautiful subway system! So many gorgeous buildings. But it would be totally overwhelming to a 2-year-old. Read the descriptions of the Ship Excursions and see if there is an "overview" type tour that would kind of give you a taste without being exhausting for a little one.

[iuac1]

We are on the July 20 Baltic sailing on the Constellation. Can you tell me what the general dress is on the ship? What did people wear on port days? Temperature? And how formal are the formal evenings in the Baltic? How about dress for the "non" formal evenings in the MDR? I am trying to pack and would appreciate any advice.

[cartervan]

We are on the July 20 Baltic sailing on the Constellation. Can you tell me what the general dress is on the ship? What did people wear on port days? Temperature? And how formal are the formal evenings in the Baltic? How about dress for the "non" formal evenings in the MDR? I am trying to pack and would appreciate any advice.

 

People dressed pretty much as they do on any European cruise--casual during the day and slightly more dressed up in the evenings. Since we were there in early June it was pretty breezy and cool in the shade, but quite warm in the sun. I mostly wore short sleeved tops but wore (or carried) a light-weight jacket when in the ports. When it was cloudy and drizzly (one day in St. Petersburg and on a couple of the sea days) I wore long-sleeved shirts and even a sweater under the jacket. People seemed to wear about everything on Formal nights from sparkly tops (and dark suits for the men) to regular street-length dresses (and sports coats for the men). You definitely need to put in a sweater or two--if only to wear in cold spots on the ship.

[cartervan]

"andnosyd", I keep thinking about you and your two-year-old. I really think you could get around the port cities on your own with the stroller and have a nice time at your own pace. Helsinki would be particularly easy to navigate, I think, and she would probably enjoy all the activities going on in the market square. I also would recommend the Skansen "Outdoor Museum" in Stockholm if it is a nice day. There were lots of families there, with many small children running around and enjoying themselves. There is a petting zoo and even a few rides for children.

[iuac1]

Do most people were jeans or long pants when in port? You said it was cool and we are certainly going when it might be warmer but I was wondering about capris for me - or shorts for men? Did most men wear sport coats on the "non formal" nights or just golf shirt/button down shirt? Were there many long skirts/dresses for formal or more short dress/sparkly top with slacks? I would hope that slacks/capris for women with a nice top would be ok for the normal dinner evenings?

 

 

again, thank you so much for your help. Our trip is 12 days with two days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and I am struggling with packing.

 

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

[cartervan]

Do most people were jeans or long pants when in port? You said it was cool and we are certainly going when it might be warmer but I was wondering about capris for me - or shorts for men? Did most men wear sport coats on the "non formal" nights or just golf shirt/button down shirt? Were there many long skirts/dresses for formal or more short dress/sparkly top with slacks? I would hope that slacks/capris for women with a nice top would be ok for the normal dinner evenings?

 

 

again, thank you so much for your help. Our trip is 12 days with two days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and I am struggling with packing.

 

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

 

Capris would be fine during the day. Many men were wearing shorts. A polo shirt or shirt with collar would be fine for dinner. I think there were more slacks with nice tops for regular dinner evenings, and even slacks for formal nights with fancier tops. I didn't see that many long dresses.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[koalapanda]

• Hello Cartervan, I really enjoyed your cruise review, thank you. It so happens that we will sail on the "Connie" in late August to the Baltic region. Your notes are perfect for me to refer to in Port. We have booked an essential 2 day St Petersburg tour, otherwise booked free (gratuities only) walking tours in most ports recommended by Tripadvisor. Thanks for filling in the spaces in my travel research and recommended fun on board. We love sea days after Port Intensive days it recharges our energy for more anticipated excitement.
  

[RM]

Thanks for your review. Can you tell me what color your HOHO bus was in Stockholm? And they allowed you to pay in Euros? We were considering the HOHO bus or the boat and were going to pre-pay prior to heading to Europe.

 

Appreciate you taking the time to answer questions.

[C 2 C]

Captain Stamos himself gave a couple of interesting lectures and participated in some of the games (He has a wonderful dry sense of humor).

 

Is this the captain's name?

There was a captain Frantzis and a Captain Tasos Kafetzis formerly on Constellation. Do you still have the "in the Spotlight which lists the senior officers.

 

We love the Constellation and the Baltic run should be on everyone's bucket list.

[cartervan]

Thanks for your review. Can you tell me what color your HOHO bus was in Stockholm? And they allowed you to pay in Euros? We were considering the HOHO bus or the boat and were going to pre-pay prior to heading to Europe.

 

Appreciate you taking the time to answer questions.

 

I just checked my notes about the buses and here's the story: People on previous cruises had been unhappy about the "Green Buses" because they seemed to take so long between pick-ups. But some of the "Green Buses" are actually red. So instead of getting on the recommended "Red Bus" we got on a red "Green Bus". But actually, while it seemed we saw more of the Red Buses around town, we didn't have to wait too long (about 20 minutes) at either of the stops where we waited for the Green Bus. I do think they overcharged in the rush of getting on at the dock. We actually paid with a credit card, but I have a better handle on the value of a Euro than a Krona.

[cartervan]

Is this the captain's name?

There was a captain Frantzis and a Captain Tasos Kafetzis formerly on Constellation. Do you still have the "in the Spotlight which lists the senior officers.

 

We love the Constellation and the Baltic run should be on everyone's bucket list.

 

Oh dear, so sorry. It WAS Captain Tasos. My embarrassing typo. Everyone enjoyed him a lot.

[C 2 C]

Oh dear, so sorry. It WAS Captain Tasos. My embarrassing typo. Everyone enjoyed him a lot.

 

Thank you. We sailed with captain Tasos last fall. Great guy. His brother is captain of Summit.