Photo Review: Solo Cruise for 30th birthday on Celebrity Constellation 12-13-14

[alainamarie]

More from Maho beach

 

 

 

[alainamarie]

Last stop was the Divi Resort

 

 

 

 

Here are a few shots from a couple of the stops during the tour:

 

 

 

 

 

And lastly, the only photo of our bus I was able to take:

 

[alainamarie]

Will conclude the excursion portion of my review with a little St. Marteen selfie

 

[alainamarie]

Great job so far Alaina. I love the commentary & pictures!

 

Thanks Heather! I cannot wait to read your review when you are back! (no pressure) haha

I know you will take some amazing pictures... I'm so terrible at remembering to take pictures and where they were taken. You do such a good job! Counting down the days! :p

-Alaina

[alainamarie]

Continuing on with the final segment of my review...

 

Service

Perhaps I expected more of a ‘modern luxury’ experience that would far exceed Carnival. I’m not sure if it was my expectation or my actual experience that left me a little jaded. I never received rude or terrible service. I was never spoken to in an ugly way or treated unfairly. I just felt that my overall service was average to slightly above average. I do not feel that I ever experienced anyone going out of their way or putting forth a remarkable effort. The waiter at our table, Hardee, was fantastic. He was attentive and did not hover. I think we all enjoyed him and he certainly stood out as the main exceptional portion of our service experience. When you were on the pool deck or at a bar outside, I always felt there was someone available for drink orders.

Café al Bacio was one of my favorite places to go and there was one young woman who often worked. She was always friendly and welcoming, however, the others did not stand out as much as she did. Friends and I decided to all grab a coffee; the person who waited on us was very rushed. Someone asked her about an IGLU with chocolate instead of vanilla and she said ‘I’m really too busy”. I’m an oncology nurse and if one of my patients asked me about their chemo and I dared to respond with how busy I am, let’s just say I would not have a job. I understand we all have busy moments and feel overwhelmed, but really?? That was our only poor experience with service and it only happened once. It did not happen to me, but I did witness the interaction. We were all surprised by it, but you can tell she was overwhelmed and was the only person working the café area. Typically there are 2-3 people behind the café bar and a few waiters working the area. On this particular day, I only remember this one person working the area with one person behind the counter.

Again, this was definitely one of my favorite places - I love coffee and to people watch, this was surely the place to be for both!

[alainamarie]

Now onto food...

 

Food

Again, I think I aimed my expectations too high. I’ve read the mediocre reviews all over CC, but I guess I did not want to believe it was true. I do want to explain that I did NOT have a terrible meal. I had some meals that I enjoyed way more than others, but no one meal stood out. I ate in the MDR every night and had lunch in Bistro on Five once. The presentation of the food was around average. All of my food was served at the right temperature; nothing was too hot or too cold. The family at my table who has extensive cruising history said the menus were predictable and the food tasted the same on every cruise. By the 8th night, I knew exactly what they meant. The menu was unexciting and predictable, but I did enjoy everything I ate. I would not say I had a memorable meal even though it was always enjoyable. I would definitely grade Celebrity’s MDR as a notch above Carnival. I feel they should be much higher than a notch, but it’s my humble opinion.

I also had sushi from the sushi bar just about every night around 6 before the show. I really liked the sushi. I believe Gambee said in his review that the rice was a little too sweet for his taste… I can see where he is coming from and do agree. I still enjoyed a couple of pieces of each type of sushi. I tried the miso soup one night and was not a fan.

I liked the pizza – especially after a little drinking. We couldn’t understand why the pizza closed at 1a and the clubs closed at 3a. This is one thing I do have to applaud Carnival for – they at least had a 24 hour option. If I go to my room and order room service, I would be asleep by the time my food arrived. It would be nice to have a small option for food until at least 3 am.

I did not eat from the buffet often, just breakfast a few morning and lunch once. I thought they had nice options that could appeal to almost anyone. They did have some items already plated – usually prefixed types of salads, etc. I also had a hamburger and fries from the outside grill. It was ok; let’s just say I never had one again. It lacked in taste and flavor, so I didn’t feel the need to repeat that meal.

 

So this is the pathetic excuse for a birthday cake... my TA had this set up for our first formal night. Can I just say that I was embarrassed when this arrived to my table??! I told my table on the first night "oh y'all get to share some cake with me tomorrow!" Well, let's just say that we all had a BITE. Just prepare yourself for this hand-sized cake. I understand that you get what you pay for (which this was free), so I guess I should not be surprised. This same 'cake' arrived for someone else's birthday later in the week. I really hope they do not charge for this because it is completely pathetic.

 

Dining Experience

We adored our head waiter, Hardee. Our sommelier, Belinda, learned on night one what our wine preferences were and stayed on top of it. There were a couple of people from our table who said she was rude to them and did not refill their glasses. I did witness their difficulty in getting her attention, but I do not know what caused the issue. I was very pleased with her service and she was the first one to greet us at the table on some nights.

I did have breakfast in Blu one morning with my friend Kelly. We had really good service and the breakfast was very tasty. It’s hard to judge a restaurant by just breakfast, but we did have very good service. We were a couple of the last people there since we were very chatty. I do not know if this is the dining room for me because it is on the smaller side. I’ve only heard really good remarks on the food in Blu. There were a few people who told me they had issues being seated in Blu and it took a couple of nights to have the kinks worked out. Apparently there was a long wait to be seated because a large number of people showed up all at once. A couple of people opted to eat in the MDR due to this issue the first two nights.

I would also like to note that I was so impressed at the use of hand sanitizer any time you walk into a place serving food. I also noticed this at the Celebrity theatre, but mostly at dining places. They have the standing hand sanitizers, but they had people who were there squirting the sanitizer into your hand if you chose to. I really liked that because it forces you to remember to use it. Not sure if all cruise lines are going to this, but this was a plus on Celebrity’s part.

 

Obviously all of these plates are not mine, but as you can tell, we almost always cleaned our plates!

My entire cruise was made better by these two families. We all became instant friends and I am the luckiest person to have been seated with them. Being solo, I had no idea what to expect from the MDR experience and let me just say - they made my vacation enjoyable and memorable. I have plans to visit all of them.

Edited January 4, 2015 by alainamarie

[alainamarie]

Room Service

I ordered room service twice – I just picked up the phone and placed my order for breakfast. You can order through the TV (the breakfast menu was only available for a few hours after dinner) or through the form you place on your door. Not many options listed on the form, but when you call, you have many more options. My breakfast was always delivered by 20-25 minutes after my order was placed. You do receive an IMMEDIATE follow up phone call. I swear, they just left my room and my phone rang. They want to ensure you received your food and it was what you ordered. I had not received my orange juice on the first round, but I told them it was ok, just wanted to let them know I had not received it. She practically begged me to allow someone to bring it. I reassured her it was definitely ok. I appreciate this – it shows that this department is constantly working on process improvement. I think this should be a service every department practices, but I have no idea how they could implement this to accommodate everyone.

Sorry this is blurry, but this is the menu you can place on your door.

 

 

My post-tequila hangover breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a fantastic breakfast..

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so peaceful to eat by my window and look out onto port. I'm sure eating on your balcony is very nice, but it was great to look out while I ate.

Edited January 4, 2015 by alainamarie

[Lois R]

Hi, may I ask how you were allowed to eat breakfast in Blu if you were not in AQUA Class?

[JessH]

Enjoying your review! Going in Feb :) thanks!

[alainamarie]

Hi, may I ask how you were allowed to eat breakfast in Blu if you were not in AQUA Class?

 

 

My friend Kelly was in Aqua class and ate alone in Blu. She asked permission and they were more than happy to accommodate her. She invited me to dinner, but I did not want to eat elsewhere from my table mates, so we opted for breakfast.

-Alaina

 

 

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[alainamarie]

Enjoying your review! Going in Feb :) thanks!

 

 

Thank you for reading! Which ports are you hitting? You will enjoy it!

-Alaina

 

 

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[Lois R]

My friend Kelly was in Aqua class and ate alone in Blu. She asked permission and they were more than happy to accommodate her. She invited me to dinner, but I did not want to eat elsewhere from my table mates, so we opted for breakfast.

-Alaina

 

 

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I always sail solo and have been in AQ 3 times......they have never

allowed anyone outside of AQ to eat there (execept Suite guests).

So, I guess depending on the ship they are going to start making

exceptions to the rule.....

[Orator]

My friend Kelly was in Aqua class and ate alone in Blu. She asked permission and they were more than happy to accommodate her. She invited me to dinner, but I did not want to eat elsewhere from my table mates, so we opted for breakfast.

-Alaina

 

 

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Lois,

This is the second report of someone getting into Blu on Constellation. Alex, the long time Maître d is now in Tuscan and has been replaced by someone I don't know. Either they don't know about the rules or they are ignoring them. I'm sure that this breach of rules will end if someone from Celebrity reads this.

[alainamarie]

Lois,

 

This is the second report of someone getting into Blu on Constellation. Alex, the long time Maître d is now in Tuscan and has been replaced by someone I don't know. Either they don't know about the rules or they are ignoring them. I'm sure that this breach of rules will end if someone from Celebrity reads this.

 

 

I was welcomed with opened arms and no questions were asked. I did not feel right by taking advantage, so I only ate there once. Kelly said the hostess is who she obtained the okay from and the hostess was more than polite to me.

 

-Alaina

 

 

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Edited January 5, 2015 by alainamarie

[alainamarie]

I always sail solo and have been in AQ 3 times......they have never

allowed anyone outside of AQ to eat there (execept Suite guests).

So, I guess depending on the ship they are going to start making

exceptions to the rule.....

 

 

Lois, sounds like it may depend on whose working. I did not feel right about testing the waters too much which is why I did breakfast once. If Celebrity reads this, hopefully they will see the ease of which others were able eat in Blu. We'll see.

 

-Alaina

 

 

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[Lois R]

I am having an issue with the quote feature:eek::confused:...it does not seem

to be working for me......:(

 

Alaina, I am just surprised....I don't even ask in anyone can join me when

I book AQ because it is against policy.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Lois R

[alainamarie]

I am having an issue with the quote feature:eek::confused:...it does not seem

 

to be working for me......:(

 

 

 

Alaina, I am just surprised....I don't even ask in anyone can join me when

 

I book AQ because it is against policy.

 

 

I would imagine that the rules haven't changed. I was very surprised that it was offered to me for any meal I could join her for. I really think the hostess made an exception. I'm sure they are still pretty strict.

-Alaina

 

 

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[Orator]

I was welcomed with opened arms and no questions were asked. I did not feel right by taking advantage, so I only ate there once. Kelly said the hostess is who she obtained the okay from and the hostess was more than polite to me.

 

-Alaina

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Not criticizing you in any way. Am criticizing the person who told you that a non AQ, or Suite passenger could dine there. Won't say more since any comments I may make would change the focus of this very good, informative and interesting thread.

[Lois R]

Charles, hope you and Cyndee had a Happy New Year:)

And now back to the review;)......Alaina, didn't mean to get off topic.

Sorry........

Edited January 5, 2015 by Lois R

[alainamarie]

Charles, hope you and Cyndee had a Happy New Year:)

 

And now back to the review;)......Alaina, didn't mean to get off topic.

 

Sorry........

 

 

I appreciate you and Charles' input. I will conclude my review this week!

Take care,

Alaina

 

 

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[betmust]

Thank you for taking the time to write this review... I am really enjoying reading it.

 

I will be on the Constellation in February for the first time and looking forward to it. We have been on the Solstice in the past and enjoyed Celebrity - have done 8 other cruises with different cruise lines.

It is always interesting to read what others think of the ship.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.. Again, than you

[kk kruise]

I am boarding the Constellation on Jan 16 2015! Can someone please

tell me if the Captain is still Taso Kefetzis? Is the cruise director Rich Clessen

and is the Captain. Club Host Graeme Kelleher? I have read so many wonderful

things regarding these individuals! Thank you for your input!

Kk kruise

Myrtle Beach SC

[Barwick Cruiser]

I am enjoying your review as well and have a question about the Divi Resort that you went to in St. Maarten...was the beach nice for walking and for swimming? We've been to Grand Case and Maho before and the water was a little difficult for entry and exit. We will be stopping here next month and am looking for another beach option. Were there lounges and umbrellas for rent or do you need a pass from the resort? The water looked quite calm on the day you were there which would be appealing to me!

 

Thanks again and keep up the good work, glad you had a nice holiday for your 30th!!

Cathy

[alainamarie]

I am enjoying your review as well and have a question about the Divi Resort that you went to in St. Maarten...was the beach nice for walking and for swimming? We've been to Grand Case and Maho before and the water was a little difficult for entry and exit. We will be stopping here next month and am looking for another beach option. Were there lounges and umbrellas for rent or do you need a pass from the resort? The water looked quite calm on the day you were there which would be appealing to me!

 

Thanks again and keep up the good work, glad you had a nice holiday for your 30th!!

Cathy

 

Thank you for reading! The beach at the Divi was BEAUTIFUL! This was a last minute stop via Bernard's tour since this beach had minimal seaweed. Our beach stop was supposed to be Orient, so this was a pleasant surprise. We only paid for a chair and umbrella (were 5$ each). The water was GORGEOUS - I only took a couple of pictures and those two pictures are posted. Those who got into the water LOVED it and said it was WONDERFUL! It was a nice resort with a beautiful bathroom. I didn't get in the water because I didn't want to get wet on the ride back to port. I relaxed and read my kindle.

Enjoy!! I would highly recommend! Only bad experience was the bar area where we tried to order a pizza. We should have done it sooner, but it really was terrible service.

 

Take care!

Alaina

[alainamarie]

I am boarding the Constellation on Jan 16 2015! Can someone please

tell me if the Captain is still Taso Kefetzis? Is the cruise director Rich Clessen

and is the Captain. Club Host Graeme Kelleher? I have read so many wonderful

things regarding these individuals! Thank you for your input!

Kk kruise

Myrtle Beach SC

 

Captain: Tasos Kafetzis

Cruise Director: Rich Clesen

 

What is Club Host? Not listed on spotlight sheet. I took a picture with my phone and I will post it on here shortly. Hope you can see it.

 

You will have a blast! Thanks for reading :) Enjoy!

 

-Alaina