Why would you cruise on the Constellation?

[vinonme2]

I'll be taking my granddaughter to Italy next summer for her college graduation gift and want to combine a Med. cruise with land stays in Venice and Sorrento. It's her first trip to this part of the world, and she's already so excited.

 

I'm trying to choose between cruises on the Constellation and one on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. Both itineraries are good, with pros and cons for each.

 

My multiple past cruises have been with Princess and Hal, plus once on Royal Caribbean, and once on Celebrity (Horizon in December of 2001). I've been looking at the Celebrity CC board, trying to get a feel for Celebrity and the Constellation in particular and have seen negative postings which makes me hesitate.

 

I know what I'm getting with Hal, but although our one and only experience with Celebrity was not impressive, I'm willing to try again.

 

What has been your recent experience with the Constellation regarding service and entertainment? I know food is very subjective, but your input on the quality and selections available at meals would also be appreciated.

 

Finally, I've looked and can't find much information on the beverage package currently being offered. Does it limit the price of the drink you can get, where you can get it, etc? What are the prices of typical alcoholic drinks, such as martinis, bloody marys, and decent wines? I've looked for this information and can't seem to locate anything. My granddaughter rarely drinks alcohol but does like fancy coffees. Are they also included?

 

Oh, one more topic - can I bring wine on board to drink either on our balcony or bring it to the dining room (and pay corkage)? There are some great Italian wines that aren't exported and I'd love to bring some on board.

What is Celebrity's wine policy? With Hal, you can bring on 1 750ml bottle per adult with no charge, then any additional bottles brought on have an $18. corkage charge - no matter if you drink it in your cabin or bring it to the dining room. I really enjoy a nice glass of wine while relaxing on the balcony and also with dinner. Have also looked for wine and drink pricing for Celebrity but can't seem to find any.

 

Any and all responses are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[teecee60]

I have sailed on NCL, Carnival and Princess, I would like to try HAL and Royal, but Celebrity is now my standard.

 

It's been two years since I was on Connie for a 15 night transatlantic, and a little longer since I was on her sister ship, Infinity, for a 14 night Panama Canal cruise. The ships HAVE been modernized since then, but not all of the changes were for the better. (More cabins, more people, smaller main lounge, less open deck space.)

 

I would still have no problem booking either ship again, although the newer Solstice Class ships are quite a bit nicer.

 

You can bring a maximum of two bottles of wine on board, with corkage fees only if you open them at dinner. You CAN bring a glass of wine to dinner.

 

Celebrity has their "classic drink package" almost universally integrated into their cruise fare pricing. There are ridiculous limits and drawbacks to it, so if you DO get the classic package anyway, it's definitely worth paying an extra $10pp/day to upgrade to the next level, that has much better features/options. And yes, fancy coffees are included, as are fresh juices and soft drinks.

 

One option is to go the first days with the classic package and if it suits your needs keep it. You can upgrade to the next level only if you find the classic package does not meet your needs.

Edited July 27, 2014 by teecee60

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The Connie is my favorite ship. I will be sailing her again this fall.

 

I know nothing about the drink packages because I never use them. I know this information is on the Celebrity website. Have you looked there?

 

[england1]

We just sailed on the Constellation in June. We have sailed 5 times with Celebrity and have always been very happy but this cruise has the best captain, staff and crew of any of the other cruises we have been on. I think you will be very happy with the service on this ship.

[british betty]

We just sailed on the Constellation in June. We have sailed 5 times with Celebrity and have always been very happy but this cruise has the best captain, staff and crew of any of the other cruises we have been on. I think you will be very happy with the service on this ship.

 

I'm really pleased to read this as we'll be on her in a few months :D

[fleckle]

.......I'm trying to choose between cruises on the Constellation and one on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. Both itineraries are good, with pros and cons for each........

When both Celebrity and Holland America offer what I want in most other respects and prices are similar for equivalent category cabins, the deciding factor for me comes down to the cruise line's smoking policy.

 

We will only choose Holland America when they offer an itinerary that is not available on Celebrity.

As non-smokers, we dislike Holland America's lenient smoking policy, while the smokers we know, on the other hand, dislike Celebrity's very restrictive smoking policy.

 

Our most recent experience on the Constellation was fine.

We had no complaints at all and would not hesitate to book the Constellation again.

The cruise director was Sue Denning, one of the best we have had on any cruise line, although we would never pick a cruise for the cruise director. Getting such a good one though was just a nice extra bonus.

 

On a port intensive European cruise, the ship's onboard entertainment would probably be at the bottom of the list of things we would consider in choosing a cruise.

But if onboard entertainment for young people is important, I probably would not pick either Celebrity or Holland America.

 

As previously mentioned, if you want a modern looking ship with more "wow" factor, you may want to consider one of the Solstice class ships.

But somehow I don't think that would be much of an attraction for someone who likes Holland America, although it might be for your granddaugher.

 

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I love the Millenium Class ships and am doing the Constellation next summer August 9, 2014 out of Venice. So obviously I am happy with Celebrity.

 

One of the best cruises I did was on Holland America in Europe. So that would be a good choice too.

 

Choose the intinerary that most appeals to you. Do not worry about which will be a better ship. They will both be fine for a European cruise.

Edited July 27, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[DaKa2002]

This month we just completed a 10 night Arctic Circle Norwegian cruise on the Connie- one of the best cruises we have taken, ever! We were in AQ class, eating in Blu and the buffets most of the time. Specialty restaurants were very good to excellent food, IMHO, with acceptable service (for specialty restaurant). Best crew, from Captain to maintenance workers and all in between. Very pleased with the ship and her condition. We would jump at the chance to sail the Connie again if the itinerary was right for us.

[shipshape sam]

I'll be taking my granddaughter to Italy next summer for her college graduation gift and want to combine a Med. cruise with land stays in Venice and Sorrento. It's her first trip to this part of the world, and she's already so excited.

 

I'm trying to choose between cruises on the Constellation and one on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. Both itineraries are good, with pros and cons for each.

 

My multiple past cruises have been with Princess and Hal, plus once on Royal Caribbean, and once on Celebrity (Horizon in December of 2001). I've been looking at the Celebrity CC board, trying to get a feel for Celebrity and the Constellation in particular and have seen negative postings which makes me hesitate.

 

I know what I'm getting with Hal, but although our one and only experience with Celebrity was not impressive, I'm willing to try again.

 

What has been your recent experience with the Constellation regarding service and entertainment? I know food is very subjective, but your input on the quality and selections available at meals would also be appreciated.

 

Finally, I've looked and can't find much information on the beverage package currently being offered. Does it limit the price of the drink you can get, where you can get it, etc? What are the prices of typical alcoholic drinks, such as martinis, bloody marys, and decent wines? I've looked for this information and can't seem to locate anything. My granddaughter rarely drinks alcohol but does like fancy coffees. Are they also included?

 

Oh, one more topic - can I bring wine on board to drink either on our balcony or bring it to the dining room (and pay corkage)? There are some great Italian wines that aren't exported and I'd love to bring some on board.

What is Celebrity's wine policy? With Hal, you can bring on 1 750ml bottle per adult with no charge, then any additional bottles brought on have an $18. corkage charge - no matter if you drink it in your cabin or bring it to the dining room. I really enjoy a nice glass of wine while relaxing on the balcony and also with dinner. Have also looked for wine and drink pricing for Celebrity but can't seem to find any.

 

Any and all responses are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

We have sailed on Constellation twice and she is a nice ship. Have not sailed on her since Constellation was completely "Solsticized". This is the retrofitting of the M class ships to have many of the features of the S class ships, i.e. Solstice. Before M class ships, IMHO, had a great jogging/walking track, a lot more public space. For sure, many like the changes of adding more Speciality restaurants and more cabins, especially the AQ cabins aft and a number of other changes.

 

I would think you would have a great time on Constellation. In the early 2000's Constellation was ranked the number one ship for a couple of years running.

[miched]

I am not sure but it may be a problem getting the drink package with someone being in the cabin under 21.

 

For me all cripusies have been great no matter what cruise line that I have been on. The big plus in favor of Celebrity is the very restrictive smoking policy.

 

Happy sailing.🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I assume since the OP said this is a COLLEGE Graduation present the girl is at least 21.

Edited July 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[WpgCruise]

We've been on the Constellation 5 times and if we didn't like it we wouldn't have gone back so often.

 

But your cruise isn't until next summer so our past experience over many cruises on the ship may well have no bearing on your cruise. The staff will have turned over many times, entertainment will have changed, no doubt there will be changes in menus and probably the facilities as well.

 

Just because it was great for us over 5 cruises has no relationship on the future so I wouldn't be basing my choice on what was, thinking it will be.

 

My recommendation would be to pick the best itinerary the best pricing the options that appeal the most and go forward from there.

Edited July 28, 2014 by WpgCruise

[agathasmum]

I was on Connie last Sept and will be on her again this coming Friday. I can't wait. She is a lovely ship, with an excellent crew. While not quite as glitzy as the S class, I really like the M class ships, especially the Thalossotherapy Pool and the Sunset Bar Deck 10 Aft.

[vinonme2]

Thank you all for your responses, they were interesting and informative.

 

The cruises I am trying to decide on are very similar- same number of nights, same pricing, same time, but different Med. itineraries. From your posts, it sounds like they are also quite alike in ship board life.

 

I've done multiple Med. cruises on Princess and Hal and it sounds like the night life schedule is about the same on the Constellation. Wish the powers that be would be aware that, even with multiple port calls, there are cruisers on board who would enjoy nightly entertainment that doesn't end so early.

 

Smoking is not an issue for us - live and let live - and it's not my intent to start a smoking war - there's enough of that on the Hal board.

 

Thanks again for all your input, it's greatly appreciated.

[greeneg]

Our favorite Celebrity Ship also. She is the right size ( for us), a good sea boat, far superior cabin layout compared to the S Class ships, and finally, her crew has always taken a great deal of pride in her in our past experience. We'll be doing a B2B on her in October and are looking forward to being back on board.

[RickT]

I've sailed on HAL and Celebrity and based on your last comment would say without a doubt that Celebrity is more "lively" at night than the HAL cruises I have been on.

 

Celebrity is closer to Princess in the amount of evening entertainment that you can take in. While Celebrity doesn't have a piano bar like Princess there are numerous places for the musicians to play and entertain you. Also, Celebrity has had deck parties the last two med cruises I did.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with HAL or Celebrity but my preference is Celebrity.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The best itinerary we have done so far was Venice to Istanbul and back on Holland America's Zuiderdam. It was fantastic. Nightlife- not that much but it really didn't matter to us. We had a large verandah suite that was fabulous. It was one deck lower than the pool and buffet. It made life easy because we were midship and could nip up to the buffet and grab food for dinner on the balcony each night. That's what we enjoyed most because this cruise was very scenic and not just looking at water. We were treated really well; would come back from a hot day of touring to the pool bar. They knew our poisons (wine for me, Sprite for my son) and we would have a refreshing swim in the pool. That's why we didn't really go to the MDR. We enjoyed having the pool to ourselves, would dry off and grab some food from the buffet (which is exactly the same food they serve in the MDR at dinner time).

 

Next August- I am taking one of my sons and his wife on the Constellation because they couldn't do the longer itinerary (on Holland) that includes Istanbul but if time permitted- I'd have done the Holland itinerary instead. Istanbul is fantastic and so is sailing in and out of Venice!

Edited July 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[vinonme2]

about sailing out of Venice - it's magical!! I think it's the most stunning port to sail out of (haven't sailed into it, but it's got to be just as wonderful).

 

We took our granddaughter on a cruise for her 16th birthday and she fell in love with cruising. Surprisingly, she really enjoyed dressing up a bit for dinner every evening and going to some of the shows.

 

I know I am thinking this to death...one itinerary with just Italy and Greece, the other with multiple countries. Each has 2 sea days, each is 12 nights, one has Santorini (my second favorite place, after Venice), the other has the French Riviera with stunning scenery and places to visit. Neither has Istanbul, that will have to be for another time. Just when I think I've chosen one, I look at them again and start second guessing. When I've tried sounding out my granddaughter, she just replies she's leaving it up to me and will be happy with whatever I choose. That's sweet, but no help!!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It may be more of an adventure for the two of you if you go to new places- that you haven't been before. If that makes it any easier.

 

Just to throw another cruise into the mix- we LOVED the British Isles cruise we did on Princess. It was an 12 night cruise roundtrip Southampton England. On day 11 we disembarked in LeHavre (one day early) and took the train to Paris and spent two nights there. Great way to end our trip.

[vinonme2]

It may be more of an adventure for the two of you if you go to new places- that you haven't been before. If that makes it any easier.

 

Yes, I've been thinking that too. The Constitution has some new ports for me.

 

Just to throw another cruise into the mix- we LOVED the British Isles cruise we did on Princess. It was an 12 night cruise roundtrip Southampton England. On day 11 we disembarked in LeHavre (one day early) and took the train to Paris and spent two nights there. Great way to end our trip.

 

My husband and I did this cruise - Emerald Princess - in late May/early June 2011. It was a great cruise. We got to Le Harve June 1 and did an all day tour of the military cemetery, the battle area, and several small villages. The locals, all volunteers of every age, were getting ready to do a tribute in memory of D-Day. They were digging ditches, filling sand bags, had American flags all over, were driving old US Army jeeps, and even the small local restaurant we ate at, the waitresses were dressed in WWII WAC uniforms. In one of the small villages, the mayor came to meet us (our private tour guide had pre-arranged this) and took us to a small park in the middle of town that had a monument of a US solider with a plaque by it, expressing the villagers thanks to the US and our military for being liberated. It was the most touching tour we ever took and left a lasting impression on us.