Constellation Review - Dec 27 - 31, 2014

[Host Anne]

Celebrity Constellation Review

December 27 – 30, 2014

Cabin 8010

 

This was a short 4-day cruise to get ready for a business group we are sailing with in several months. According to Celebrity, this was technically a “holiday” sailing so there were lots of families and first timer cruisers and much fewer Celebrity regulars than a typical 7-day+ sailing.

 

EMBARKATION

We arrived at the terminal just after 11:00 AM. Constellation was docked at Pier 4 and we were greeted by a brand new paved parking lot just outside the terminal. It was the closest we’ve ever parked to front door of the pier.

 

Dropped our luggage quickly then moved through security and then into the check-in line. We had our sea passes and were boarding the ship before 11:30 AM. It was one of the quickest check-in’s we’ve ever had.

 

After boarding, it was approximately 1:30 when they announced that the cabins were ready. Luggage arrived prior to muster drill. One of the quickest luggage delivery as well.

 

 

CABIN

Cabin 8010 is forward on the starboard side of the ship. It was your basic standard M-class balcony cabin. Upon arrival, our air conditioning did not work and after muster drill, maintenance arrived to correct the problem. It took a few moments to fix.

 

The cabin furnishings were all in very good shape. There was a small love seat next to the sliding balcony door. I requested a feather pillow and our extremely pleasant cabin attendant, Selvin, brought it within minutes.

 

 

CREW

We have sailed on a lot of Celebrity ships. Holidays are always a tough time for crew members because the greater majority of them are away from their families and passengers can be, well, not on their best behavior. But I have to say that this was by far the friendliest, happiest, eager to please overall crew we’ve had in a long, long time.

 

It starts at the top with Captain Tasos Kafetzis. Celebrity’s youngest captain ever was personable, funny, seemed to have fun with passengers and crew, often seen at many of the shipboard activities and shows.

 

There have been cuts in crew and activities. The activities staff is down to three people on Constellation. With a four day cruise, it wasn’t too noticeable. One sea and two ports doesn’t give you a lot of time on the ship so the missing activities and staff didn’t seem to matter much but we’ll see how that is on an upcoming seven-night cruise. The activities that were held, were well attended and enjoyable.

 

FOOD

Always subjective, food is one of those subjects that can be debated over and over again. Here’s our experience on this cruise.

 

Dining room for dinner ~ overall the food was good. It’s clear that cuts have been made to the dinner menus. Not only in what is offered but he portion sizes. The first evening, our tablemate ordered salmon for her entrée and it was the smallest piece of salmon I’ve ever seen served on a ship. I actually don’t have a problem with smaller portions. You can always order additional food if you’re still hungry. What I had a problem with was that every night we were in the dining room (three of the four) salmon was the fish entrée on both the “available every night” and the “nightly entrees” that change each evening. It would have been nice to have a different fish on the nightly entrée side of the menu at least once.

 

The menu on formal night was disappointing. Shrimp Scampi, Lamb Chops, Duck, Beef Medallions with Mushrooms and a vegetarian choice. Nothing close to Beef Wellington or Lobster. I had the duck and it was prepared fine; I just didn’t care for it. My husband had the lamb chops and there were three large chops but they were fatty and tough. The French onion soup, however, was very good. Don’t get me wrong. There was plenty to eat on the ship. It was just noticeable that there have been changes.

 

Our meals on other nights were good. The spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and the ravioli with wild mushrooms and spinach were good. The prime rib that a dinner mate looked good, too. The BBQ Chicken on the final night was very good. You also can’t go wrong with the French Onion soup and the shrimp cocktail on the always available menu.

 

Our servers in the dining room (Geranimo and Kenneth) were friendly, efficient and eager to please. They made the evening dinner very enjoyable.

 

The Oceanview Café is a zoo. The layout of the S-class buffet areas has spoiled me. We ate in here a few times. We had sandwiches for both lunches. There is a Panini station at the very back of the ship that had beautiful croissants and breads. Got the bread there and then went to the “carving” station (just in front of the pizza station) where they had wonderful roasted meats (beef, chicken, pork and ham) that they carved for you. This was a very nice addition to the buffet area. Sandwiches with the carved meats were great.

 

Breakfast here was fine. The fresh waffles are located back where the Panini station is during the day. The eggs benedict station line was unbelievably long primarily because there was only one person working (you’ll see a theme here shortly). You can’t have one crew member working a very labor intensive operation like making eggs benedict. It was impossible for him to keep up.

 

There were other areas of the buffet that fell victim to the same “lack of sufficient crew members working.” Both the pizza and pasta stations (on separate sides of the Oceanview café) were sorely understaffed. 95 % of the time I walked by there was only one person working the pizza station and there was NO pizza available. It got to the point that the lines were so long he just started putting out undercooked pizza. The crust wasn’t cooked and the cheese barely melted. This was a cruise with lots of kids. Again, you can’t have one person handling this area at busy times (lunch, late afternoon especially when folks are coming back from port). Needless to say, we never tasted the pizza. Wasn’t worth it.

 

The pasta station was as bad. One person working at lunch in an even more intensive labor area. I was in line for more than 15 minutes and the person at the front of the line (about ten people ahead of me) hadn’t been served yet. I left and went back to the carving station.

 

Finally, the hamburger and hot dog grill is another spot that really hasn’t ever worked well on Celebrity ships. Long lines, burnt burgers, a system that for some reason is slow, a chef overseeing the area that had a deer in the headlights look….fries and hot dog was fine but unless you like really burnt burgers, this isn’t a great option.

 

The Food & Beverage director on board now is from France. I’ll be anxious to see if any of these areas improve when we sail Constellation again in a few months.

 

Tuscan Grille – The best meal of the week was here. That’s not surprising. It’s always good. We both had steaks which were excellent. We each asked for an appetizer portion of pasta (I got the lobster pappardelle and my husband got the lasagna). We both enjoyed a little of each. The pappardelle was delicious. He liked the lasagna better but it was made with béchamel sauce which I don’t care for in lasagna. The service was fantastic as usual. We really enjoy at least one evening in a specialty restaurant. I am beginning to think that the pricing is getting a little too high to consider more than one per cruise. It’s now $45 for Tuscan and $50 for Oceanliners.

 

Café al Bacio ~ while technically not a “food” location, they do serve yummy pastries, the best coffee on the ship and consistently the friendliest & kindest crew members (although this cruise had a lot of great crew members). This is our go to place to relax, enjoy a coffee and pastry. Always good.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

For a four night cruise, this was among the best entertainment overall that we’ve seen on a Celebrity ship. All of the individual entertainers (party bands, guitar player, string quartet) were excellent. Sometime you’ll get some that are outstanding and some that are OK but on this cruise, they were all great.

 

The cast of Celebrity singers and dancers (and the orchestra – which is sadly only six musicians now) were likely the best group we’ve seen on a Celebrity ship. The cast was larger than normal (15 total, I think) and besides performing in two excellent shows (iHollywood and The Land of Make Believe) in the theater, they did two “interactive shows” in the Reflections lounge. One was circus themed (a little strange) and the other was Motown. Both succeeded in getting passengers on the dance floor and having a great time. It was a lot of fun to have the dancers stick around and dance with passengers. There were also two aerialists that performed in the production shows. They brought lots of gasps from the crowd throughout their performances. Their strength and abilities were amazing.

 

Finally, the guest entertainers were also outstanding. Gareth Oliver, a ventriloquist who was a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent a few years ago was laugh out loud funny and his dummies (especially Charlie) were endearing. His wife, Alice, added a different and great dimension to his show, too. Don’t miss it if he’s on your sailing. He’s performing on a variety of Celebrity ships in 2015.

 

The other entertainer was called White Magic, a duo performing magic stunts and contortions. Michael White and his fiancé Hulan performed a wide variety of magic illusions (still trying to figure them out) and she performed amazing contortions both as a part of the illusions and individually by herself.

 

Together, the combination of all the entertainment options were pretty darn good for this short cruise. I still really miss the a cappella groups, but I was very happy to see that the quality of the entertainment is actually improved in my opinion. Kudos to all the performers. Great stuff!

 

 

SHIP CONDITION

Constellation is in excellent condition. Both the public spaces and our cabin were in great shape. For the wear and tear (abuse) the ships takes day in and day out, she is well maintained and looking good. The only place I noticed that needed some work were the cabin balconies. The lower railings on most were showing rust and needed to be sanded and repainted. The large balconies on both sides of the rear of the ship were in poor condition. You can see these from the back deck of the Oceanview Bar at the rear of the buffet area. The metal balconies were dirty with lots of paint falling off of them. We’re in an aft facing balcony in March so I’m hoping these balconies have some maintenance done on them by that time. But overall, the crew is keeping Constellation in very good condition.

 

PORTS OF CALL

There were only two ports of call – Key West and Nassau. We’ve been to both before. We checked out the golf course in Key West for a future event. It was very nice and about a 15 minute taxi ride from the ship. When we go back to town, we took a nice long walk around the Harbor Walk. Lots of restaurants and bars here and plenty of beautiful boats, many offering afternoon excursions. We had lunch and watched the NFL at the Conch Republic Seafood Restaurant. Perfect place to have a bite to eat and watch football. All restaurants post their menus so you have lots of options.

 

In Nassau we took the Bites of Nassau Tru Bahamian Food Tour -- http://trubahamianfoodtours.com/ It was excellent. We had a short ten minute walk to meet the tour guide, Lexi. She is a native Bahamian and her love of her country, culture and food showed throughout the day. We visited six places and had a lot of food and drinks (one beer and two soft drinks) over the course of three hours. One thing I really liked about the tour is that we got to visit Graycliff, an old Bahamian Inn. All of the food and drinks were great and having Lexi as our tour guide definitely made it a memorable tour. Discount coupons were provided on the back of our program for all the places we visited. The dark salted caramel hand-made truffles at the Graycliff candy factory were to die for.

 

If you just want to have a true Bahamian lunch, head to Bahamian Cookin (we had enough food here for a full meal). http://bahamiancookin.com/ It’s no more than a ten minute walk from the ship. We’d been to Nassau many times before. This was the best thing we’ve done here. It’s always great to meet someone local and see the city through their eyes. I’d highly recommend this tour.

 

PASSENGERS

Hmmmm….I realize this is a dangerous area and I certainly don’t mean to be disrespectful to anyone. However, I saw several things on this cruise that were so over the top, rude and disrespectful that they need to be mentioned.

 

As I mentioned earlier, being a holiday cruise, you know there are going to be lots of first timers, kids, etc. But that can’t excuse some of the behavior from passengers. Here’s just a few things we saw:

 

1) In the theater during a solo performance by one of the female entertainers, a man walked up to the front of the stage right in front of the performer who was center stage at the front of the stage. My first thought was “is he going to try and get on stage?” Nope, he proceeded to “climb” on the first row of seats and jump over the row to sit down in the second row!!! Everyone in the theater was aghast. Who does something like this???

 

2) Formal night in the dining room, a woman (I’d say she was mid- to late-20s) took her shoes off and sat cross-legged on her chair in the main dining room in her cocktail dress. I might understand a five year old doing this, but someone in their 20s?

 

3) A group of four kids (ages from 2 – 10) were in Rendezvous Lounge each evening before dinner when the band was playing. Sometimes they were trying to dance, sometimes they were doing gymnastics, sometimes they were just running around on the dance floor. It made it very difficult for anyone else to actually dance. Seemed like their grandparents were there with them. They seldom said a word to any of the kids. I’m actually all for kids having a good time. We had some great cruises with our daughter when she was young. But we’d never allow her to do anything that would impact other passenger’ enjoyment of the cruise. Seems like few parents pay any attention to what their kids were doing or who they might be bothering. That said, there was a family of five next to us at dinner each evening. Extremely polite and well-behaved kids. Kudos to their parents and the children!

 

4) One of the housekeeping staff in a women’s restroom tried to explain to a passenger that the large silver containers that said hand towels only meant the cloth towels and not paper towels when the passenger threw a paper towel into the wrong bin. The passenger got very nasty with the crew member, accusing her of yelling. The crew member said she was just trying to point out that the receptacle was only for cloth towels. After the passenger left, the crew member was very upset and concerned she was going to get in trouble. It makes me very angry when passengers treat crew members unkindly for no reason at all. It’s a disturbing trend.

 

5) There were two bikini tops on one of the hand railing in the hallway across from our cabin one morning. Don’t know why someone who have left two bikini tops on the hand rail in the hallway…can’t say as I’ve seen that before, though.

 

6) Several people in the theater had their feet on top of the back of the row in front of them. Would you put your feet (with your shoes on) on your furniture at home?

 

The disrespect for other passengers and for crew and ship itself surprised me. I’m not sure how we got to this point, but I’m not liking it.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Level of music ~ on several past Celebrity cruises, the sound level throughout the ship had gotten obnoxiously loud. With the exception of the Martini bar, the sound levels on this cruise for the most part was right about where it should have been.

 

Running out of alcohol ~ another issue discussed recently were ships running out of alcohol in the packages. That didn’t happen on this cruise. The only thing we tried to order that wasn’t available was the red wine in Tuscan Grille that was in the package. They replaced it with another.

 

Getting bar service ~ we had no trouble anywhere on the ship getting bar service. We had the Classic Drink package (which we purchased when we boarded) and received outstanding service throughout the ship.

 

Specials for booking a future cruise ~ We received a $300 onboard credit (which we used to help purchase the drink package) that could be used on this sailing when you booked a future cruise!!! You could also use it as an onboard credit for your future cruise but our future cruise including the All Inclusive promotion currently available so another $300 would likely not totally be used. The future cruise deposit was non-refundable since we used the onboard credit for this cruise.

 

Room service ~ we ordered room service pizza one afternoon while we watched a football game in our cabin. It was actually pretty good. It was a square, one person pizza. Much better than what was being served in the Oceanview Café.

 

Crew ~ Can’t say again how wonderful the crew was on Constellation. We look forward to sailing with many of them again in a few months.

 

DISEMBARKATION

We chose to try self-disembarkation. We had one small suitcase each so it seemed the perfect time to try it out. We were down on deck 3 just before 7:00 AM (we were told to be there between 7 – 7:45 AM). The line of those self-disembarking had already begun to build. We waited about ten minutes (the line was now VERY long) and the line began moving. Once we started moving, it went very quickly. The wait for a customs officer was about two minutes. We were in our car and leaving the parking lot at 7:25 AM. I highly recommend this if you have little luggage and want a quick and easy disembarkation.

[May B]

I enjoyed reading this review very much.

 

The carving stations have "always" been there for lunch, that I remember, although I usually like the recipe kind of things better than the basic carved stuff. We tend to eat lunch later than most folks, so I hope we will continue to find less congestion than what you mention.

 

I'm really surprised/disappointed to hear about the burger station. We've always had wonderful experiences on all our =X= cruises' burger stations near the pool. What you describe reminds me more of a different line, where we will never bother trying their burgers again (easily accomplished, since we never plan to sail them again). I better warn Mr. B! We're looking forward to a five-day on the Connie in January, and he surely will expect to have his usual wonderful burger experience.

 

I share your disbelief at what you describe as the truly embarrassing behavior of some guests. I'm stymied as to how to deal with it, other than ignoring it (and comforting crew when appropriate).

 

I hope your week-long cruise goes great! We've had four great experiences on the Connie, and when you describe the great crew, and all your other high points, I am delighted to hear it.

 

--May

Edited December 31, 2014 by May B

[Host Anne]

Hi May ~ thanks for your comments.

 

I remember them having one carved meat in the Oceanview but I don't remember (getting old, I think) having all of them every day. It's been over a year since we've been on a cruise (that's really hard to believe) so it's very possible my memory isn't great.

 

I'll be anxious to hear what your husband thinks about the burgers. It could just be me. I've never been a fan of "crunchy" burgers.

 

It's getting really difficult to ignore disrespectful people. Some (many) of these things simply shouldn't be acceptable. I don't know what the answer is. It's really difficult for crew to do anything. I'm thinking our upcoming 7-nighter will be better.

 

ENJOY your cruise!!!

[gimletgal]

I enjoyed reading this review very much.

 

The carving stations have "always" been there for lunch, that I remember, although I usually like the recipe kind of things better than the basic carved stuff. We tend to eat lunch later than most folks, so I hope we will continue to find less congestion than what you mention.

 

I'm really surprised/disappointed to hear about the burger station. We've always had wonderful experiences on all our =X= cruises' burger stations near the pool. What you describe reminds me more of a different line, where we will never bother trying their burgers again (easily accomplished, since we never plan to sail them again). I better warn Mr. B! We're looking forward to a five-day on the Connie in January, and he surely will expect to have his usual wonderful burger experience.

 

I share your disbelief at what you describe as the truly embarrassing behavior of some guests. I'm stymied as to how to deal with it, other than ignoring it (and comforting crew when appropriate).

 

I hope your week-long cruise goes great! We've had four great experiences on the Connie, and when you describe the great crew, and all your other high points, I am delighted to hear it.

 

--May

 

May - I have to take exception to the comment Anne made about the burgers on the Connie. Having just cruised on her for 14 days, I found the burgers to be their usual....very good! I hope her experience was a "one off". Here's hoping your husband will still enjoy his burgers. :D

[dkjretired]

Anne:

 

Thank you for the review and Happy New Year to you....

[Host Anne]

Thanks, Don! Happy New Year to you as well!!!!

[Orator]

Enjoyed your review and look forward to meeting you soon. A 4 day cruise is not a typical Celebrity cruise and your review in part indicates why. Some take these short cruises to see if they like Celebrity and they should be warned about drawing too many conclusions. They served the 1st formal night menu. I love the Tornados. Some of the best filet served. Beef Wellington is served on the 2nd formal night. Captain Tasos is really quite special as he really likes to participate. He takes water volleyball quite seriously.

Have a great New Year!

Edited January 1, 2015 by Orator

[hcat]

Thank you for such a detailed and well written review....agree that the cruise experience (like many other social experiences) is changing...not always for the better. But still many positives to enjoy,

 

We are looking forward to the 5 day itin in Jan (same date as May B)

 

Would be interested in hearing about the spa, Aquaspa cafe and BLU if you or anyone has recent info...

 

Happy Cruising in 2015!

Edited January 1, 2015 by hcat

[TeaBag]

Thank you for your review Host Anne. Did you think the absence of Lobster on the formal night was because it was a short 4 day cruise?

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[May B]

It turns out that Mr. B. totally agrees that they overcook the burgers. He stands there, eagle-eyed, and cajoles them into taking his off the fire "early" by their standards (but still late, by his!). Evidently the actual burger has been so good that he is willing to eat it cooked medium.

 

And Anne mentioned the S class buffet, which is truly outstanding. One must experience it to be so enamored by it!

 

I'm now wondering if I'll find the carving station different from what I remember it!

 

One thing I think I can count on: not going hungry. And now I know to use room service if ever we feel the need to satisfy our pizza craving.

 

The invaluable things we learn here at CC.com!

 

Happy new year, Anne, and everybody.

[Host Anne]

Hi everyone ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Orator ~ you are definitely correct about the short cruises. The problem with them is that they don't really give you a feel for a normal Celebrity cruise. The good news is that you do get a good feel for the warm and friendly service you always get from Celebrity crew. Looking forward to meeting you as well.

 

hcat ~ I don't have any experience with Aqua class nor Blu so unfortunately, I can't comment. I also didn't have a chance to use the spa on this cruise nor since they switched to Canyon Ranch. Maybe next cruise. You'll have a great time!

 

TeaBag ~ I'm thinking that they may not serve lobster on formal nights on any of the four or five night cruises. Don't know that for sure since we haven't done a five nighter. That didn't bother me at all as I can take or leave lobster. I only mentioned it because I know so many people enjoy it. My lobster pappardelle dish in Tuscan Grill had loads of lobster!

 

May ~ there is actually a sign at the burger/hot dog grill that states you can "order burgers/hot dogs to your liking." I didn't try that and as you husband suggests, that is probably the way to go. The lines were so long and the staff quite busy, I'll try that on the next cruise. Enjoy your cruise and happy burger eating to your husband! :)

[Orator]

Hi everyone ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Orator ~ you are definitely correct about the short cruises. The problem with them is that they don't really give you a feel for a normal Celebrity cruise. The good news is that you do get a good feel for the warm and friendly service you always get from Celebrity crew. Looking forward to meeting you as well.

 

hcat ~ I don't have any experience with Aqua class nor Blu so unfortunately, I can't comment. I also didn't have a chance to use the spa on this cruise nor since they switched to Canyon Ranch. Maybe next cruise. You'll have a great time!

 

TeaBag ~ I'm thinking that they may not serve lobster on formal nights on any of the four or five night cruises. Don't know that for sure since we haven't done a five nighter. That didn't bother me at all as I can take or leave lobster. I only mentioned it because I know so many people enjoy it. My lobster pappardelle dish in Tuscan Grill had loads of lobster!

 

May ~ there is actually a sign at the burger/hot dog grill that states you can "order burgers/hot dogs to your liking." I didn't try that and as you husband suggests, that is probably the way to go. The lines were so long and the staff quite busy, I'll try that on the next cruise. Enjoy your cruise and happy burger eating to your husband! :)

 

Lobster is on the menu for the Second formal night so never on cruises that are less than 7 days they display warnings about undercooked meats and one needs to be very specific in ordering a burger that's less than well, well done. This is easier to do if you Oder in MDR, but the Grill tends to make a better burger. Try to get one straight off the grill as they keep cooking while waiting and can easily get over done.

[OuiOnboard]

Thanks for a well written review. We will do Connie one of these old days, but hopefully 7 to 14 days duration.

Happy New Year!

[TommyD3]

I'm now wondering if I'll find the carving station different from what I remember it!

 

There was a recent change to the buffet on the Connie.

 

The starboard side where the pasta station used to be now has a carving station with three or four different meats available.

 

It is a definite improvement, the only downside is one has to go thru the main line also to get all the side items (veggies, potatoes, etc).

 

We will see if the change sticks and is spread fleet wide.

I know the experiment with pre-plated food on the Summit fizzled out.

[Azulann]

thank you for your review.

Constellation is one of my favorite ships of Celebrity. It has to do with the Captain and the crew. They are the best.

Having done a 12 day cruise out of Istanbul and then a five day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, both on the Constellation, it was two different set of cruisers for sure.

I realize I prefer longer cruises of at least 10 days and not in the Caribbean.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Azulann

[Host Anne]

There was a recent change to the buffet on the Connie.

 

The starboard side where the pasta station used to be now has a carving station with three or four different meats available.

 

It is a definite improvement, the only downside is one has to go thru the main line also to get all the side items (veggies, potatoes, etc).

 

We will see if the change sticks and is spread fleet wide.

I know the experiment with pre-plated food on the Summit fizzled out.

 

Now I remember...yep, the pasta station was where the carving station is on Constellation. Thanks Tommy for the note. I knew it was different than it used to be. I really hope it works. I really liked the variety of the freshly roasted meats. I should have mentioned that along with this they now have a great selection of cheeses that they cut to order as well.

[Northern Aurora]

Thank you for this review. We were on the Constellation's April 2014 TA. We hadn't been on the Constellation since 2010 and had forgotten how much we love that ship.

 

PASSENGERS

Hmmmm….I realize this is a dangerous area and I certainly don’t mean to be disrespectful to anyone. However, I saw several things on this cruise that were so over the top, rude and disrespectful that they need to be mentioned.

 

.....

 

4) One of the housekeeping staff in a women’s restroom tried to explain to a passenger that the large silver containers that said hand towels only meant the cloth towels and not paper towels when the passenger threw a paper towel into the wrong bin. The passenger got very nasty with the crew member, accusing her of yelling. The crew member said she was just trying to point out that the receptacle was only for cloth towels. After the passenger left, the crew member was very upset and concerned she was going to get in trouble. It makes me very angry when passengers treat crew members unkindly for no reason at all. It’s a disturbing trend.

 

.....

 

 

......

I share your disbelief at what you describe as the truly embarrassing behavior of some guests. I'm stymied as to how to deal with it, other than ignoring it (and comforting crew when appropriate).

 

....

 

It might be interesting to compare notes as to how other folks handle rude behavior by their fellow passengers.

 

Several years ago I was in the I-lounge and overheard a passenger being incredibly rude to a staff person. This guy was so loud everyone in the I-lounge that day heard the exchange and his complaints. As soon as he left I spoke to the staff person and complemented her on responding to his unreasonable statements and manner in such a calm way. While talking to her I noted her name on her staff name tag. I then immediately went down to Guest Relations to get an Attention to Detail card. I used the card to complement the professional way she handled the irate passenger, including enough of his complaints that if he complained to Guest Relations someone would be able to realize that another passenger had a different view of the event.

 

Since that time whenever I observe such an incident I note the staff person's name, complete an Attention to Detail card complementing the staff person's professionalism, and include enough of the exchange that hopefully the Guest Relations Manager would be able to connect my ATD description of the incident with any complaint from the "wronged" passenger. Unfortunately it seems that I feel the need to do this every cruise.

[May B]

It might be interesting to compare notes as to how other folks handle rude behavior by their fellow passengers.

 

Several years ago I was in the I-lounge and overheard a passenger being incredibly rude to a staff person. This guy was so loud everyone in the I-lounge that day heard the exchange and his complaints. As soon as he left I spoke to the staff person and complemented her on responding to his unreasonable statements and manner in such a calm way. While talking to her I noted her name on her staff name tag. I then immediately went down to Guest Relations to get an Attention to Detail card. I used the card to complement the professional way she handled the irate passenger, including enough of his complaints that if he complained to Guest Relations someone would be able to realize that another passenger had a different view of the event.

 

Since that time whenever I observe such an incident I note the staff person's name, complete an Attention to Detail card complementing the staff person's professionalism, and include enough of the exchange that hopefully the Guest Relations Manager would be able to connect my ATD description of the incident with any complaint from the "wronged" passenger. Unfortunately it seems that I feel the need to do this every cruise.

 

I was thinking this might be an appropriate thing to do, esp. as Anne mentioned how worried the crew member was, after the incident in the ladies' room.

 

I'm also thinking I will be keeping my eyes averted much of the time when out in public! Towards other cruisers, anyway.

[May B]

There was a recent change to the buffet on the Connie.

 

The starboard side where the pasta station used to be now has a carving station with three or four different meats available.

 

It is a definite improvement, the only downside is one has to go thru the main line also to get all the side items (veggies, potatoes, etc).

 

We will see if the change sticks and is spread fleet wide.

I know the experiment with pre-plated food on the Summit fizzled out.

 

Mr. B. and I might have one of us go get the carved meats, the other one the sides, after perusing the whole thing, together.

 

That'll be if we happen to be communicating well, that day!!!

[betmust]

Thank you for your review - I enjoyed reading it.

 

I will be on the Constellation for the 5 day in February and am looking forward to it. We cruised on the Solstice a few years ago and enjoyed that.

 

Really looking forward to this cruise on the Constellation...

[Patrick IL.]

Thanks so much for the review. We were on Connie last year for 2 5 nights B to B. I thought the crew did a wonderful job also. This being in the range of our 13th X cruise I did notice there was a lot less drink waiters on the pool deck. Now I am not opposed to getting our own drinks, but it was very noticeable. Did they set up two additional portable bars on the pool deck during your cruise? They did on ours, in addition to the pool bar they had one set up over by the hot dogs and also one mid deck.

[Host Anne]

Thanks so much for the review. We were on Connie last year for 2 5 nights B to B. I thought the crew did a wonderful job also. This being in the range of our 13th X cruise I did notice there was a lot less drink waiters on the pool deck. Now I am not opposed to getting our own drinks, but it was very noticeable. Did they set up two additional portable bars on the pool deck during your cruise? They did on ours, in addition to the pool bar they had one set up over by the hot dogs and also one mid deck.

 

Hi Patrick ~ I really can't answer on the number of drink waiters by the pool. The pool deck was so crowded every day that we never sat out there. I do believe there was bar service at the grill but I don't recall seeing other satellite bars set up the few times we walked across the pool deck. I can tell you that the Oceanview bar at the back of the ship had great service!

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

[letsgonow]

Host Anne ~

 

Do you know where they had the Elite happy hour on your Constellation voyage? Last year, late January, it was in Michael's, but I've read that's for suites now.

 

Thanks!

[KKB]

700/2000 were spring breakers so my experience might be a bit different...

 

There was at least 1 satellite bar set up, maybe more. The wait service was slow or non-existent, depending where you were on deck. And pool bars were VERY VERY busy, with 1-2 bartenders working. It was nearly always quickest to pop inside to an interior bar to get drinks...one of the few things that I was not happy with on Celebrity.