Schplinky's Constellation trip report: St. Martin

[Schplinky]

Having got to bed after midnight due to the late arrival on the ship of my luggage due to the airlines, we still planned to get up early in order to get to the beach in St. Martin. When we chose to cruise on Constellation, there were two itineraries to choose from that looked more or less similarly exciting and what settled it was that this one included St. Martin. We visited here last year on Royal Caribbean and both thought it was the nicest beach we visited that whole trip.

 

Mike and I had breakfast in the dining room. I know a lot of people go to the buffet because they think it is a quicker way of eating but I would tend to disagree. I find that the buffet tends to be crammed on port days and the main dining room is almost always empty. We never saw even a quarter of the room being used. We sauntered in and were seated and within a minute, we had been given glasses of orange juice, cups of coffee and our choice of Danish while they took our order for breakfast. I had a bagel with salmon and cream cheese and Michael had some omelette, I believe. The food comes quickly and we were able to dine without the entire clamour. I think that breakfast in the dining room is one of the hidden treasures of a cruise.

 

We left the ship and I must say, St. Martin had what was easily the nicest pier we visited. Everything is well signed, the facilities are clean and you know just where to go. We followed the taxi signs and there were stands for Orient Beach, Divi Beach, etc. We were matched with another group to fill a van and we headed out. It is perhaps a 25-minute drive to Orient Beach and the group we shared the van with were very loud. They called out to the driver, sang songs and screamed a lot. One of their group tried to hush them but the rest just took that as a challenge to be louder. I don’t speak Italian or Spanish but it was one of the two. The ride was over and we were charged $5 each. The driver tried to break us up into smaller groups for billing (it’s more per person, the smaller the group) but we insisted we were a group of 6.

 

We wandered along the beach and found a spot that was not too full near Pedro’s. It was $15 per couple for two chairs, and umbrella and a drink (although we never did get the drink). There were bathrooms but they were not incredibly clean. We got set up and almost immediately, a French man asked us if we would like to parasail. We said yes, as this had been a part of our plan in coming to Orient Beach. We paid $45 each, which was much less than the ship charges for a similar excursion. There’s includes transportation but still, we liked arranging it on our own. They took us in a dinghy to their parasail boat. I went first and loved it. I think I was up for 7-10 minutes. Then, our friend Rich went up. They kept him up a long time and hovered him over the crowds on the beach a lot. Essentially, they were using him as advertising. He LOVED it. They kept telling Mike that he would go next but he hates heights. Each time they asked and he said no, they would dip Rich in the water and send him flying upward again. Rich was so grateful that Mike was so obstinate. His ride was very long because of that.

 

We went for lunch in an open-air restaurant recommended by the parasail guys. It’s run by a couple of ex-NJ folks and was a hoot. The waitress was a little abusive in a motherly kind of way and the food was very tasty. I had the fish platter and it was really tender and wonderful. We went for a walk afterward and then headed back to the ship, via the town.

 

It was Sunday while we were in St. Martin and some of the stores were closed but it really is a town full of stores. There is a decent mix of duty-free and touristy stuff but nothing caught our eye. We passed one woman who was beckoning us into her store and told e to come inside and get something for my wife. I told her I don’t have one and she sighed and said to get something for my girlfriend, then. I said I didn’t have anything like that and then she looked at Michael and looked at me and put it together. “Oh my God” she said and started laughing as we walked away. She wasn’t unkind but it was funny being treated like a novelty. We took the water taxi back to the ship and it was a pleasant $3 ride (it’s $5 for an all-day pass). We also looked around the pier for a while and then re-boarded, wiping our faces with chilled facecloths they passed out on the gangway. A nice touch! We saw folks being separated from their duty-free liquor by ship’s security.

 

Mike and I got dressed for dinner a bit early and then went to the various photo stations around the ship. It’s nice to let them try and get a great picture of us and there is no fee. We tried to look at the pictures from the previous day in the photo gallery but it wasn’t open. We wanted to stop and buy some postcards but the ships stores weren’t open, either so we went to the champagne bar. We bought a bottle of champagne and were enjoying it when some friends happened along. By the time the dining room doors were open, we were all there and we went in.

 

The food this night was spectacular. We had a goat cheese appetiser, a nice sweet corn soup, and beef. It was really nicely done and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We met our waiters and bar men as well as the sommelier. All of them seemed pleasant but the sommelier really stood out as eager to please and be of service while our waiter seemed rather rushed. The bar man noticed that our friends had soda cards and said he would bring their ginger ale each night.

 

At the end of dinner, a couple of women came over and said hello. They were sisters and they had seen us the previous night during open seating and they thought we looked like were having fun. The one thing they just did not understand was why six men would cruise together. I said that actually, we were three couple but one of them just kept talking and talking as though she hadn’t heard me (which was likely the case). It was rather comical. They were treating their mother to a birthday cruise and we would see them over and over throughout the week.

 

The show this night was a Broadway tribute. I was very keen to go and it was mostly good but not outstanding. The lead players were quite good and the back-up dancers were mostly fine, except for one fellow who always seemed to be a half step behind and panting heavily. The song and show selection was a bit dated (Will Rogers Follies, Hello Dolly) but the crowd seemed to love it so it was likely well chosen for the demographic. The sound in a couple of the microphones was very full of static and remained so throughout the week. At least a different person seemed to wear it each night so the same performer was not plagued with it all week. It was a really fun night and we were glad we got there in time. The theatre itself is great and I like the little cocktail tables, which allow you to put your drink down or to have a bit more leg-room than in other theatres. I thought the stage was incredible, with lots of sets and flexibility in presentation.

 

We stopped by the casino, which was quite nice. I appreciated that they had a bank of machines that was for non-smokers, even though some passengers sat and smoked there anyway. One woman thought it was rather humorous that she put her ashtray on the non-smoking logo because it meant she couldn’t be accused of knowing. It would have been more annoying if I had managed to ever win but these machines were tighter than a drum all week. I lost little bits every day that added up to too much over the week. Note to self!

 

We bumped into a nice female couple we had met at the airport. They had been together for 15 years and we swapped stories for a while and then headed to bed. I realise that I haven’t described the room. It was fine and met all of our needs in a very functional way. I wished the closet was bout 6 inches wider but that was my only complaint. The bathroom was a decent size and we did not feel confined at all. I liked that the plug in the bathroom worked even when the lights were out (which is not the case on some ships) because it allowed us to put a night light in there. We had a small sofa and a desk and a great view of the spray when the ship was moving. You really sensed the power and speed of the ship from this perspective and I wouldn’t hesitate at all to book this level of stateroom again. The sofa and chair upholstery were stained in various spots and the shower stall grouting could used some bleaching but certainly, it was in good shape. Our friends had a balcony room on deck 7 and our room was the twin of theirs, excepting the balcony. I have always minded the creaking of a ship at night but discovered this doesn’t seem to happen on deck 2. Our friends mentioned they heard it on deck 7 so maybe this is a good argument for economy in the future. Our next cruise we are in an aft on deck 7 so it will be interesting to see if aft has any effect on this. The room was in relatively good repair, although it did show some signs of a room, in the same way that a hotel room that had been occupied nearly every night for three years might.

 

Tomorrow: Dominica!

[Toscana3]

Schplinky,

Thanks for the review! My husband and I are taking our honeymoon on the Constellation with the exact same itinerary and we leave on Saturday. We are so excited we can't wait!! How was the weather while you were there? That's terrible that they lost your luggage and I'm so glad that you got it back before sailing. I know that it is silly but it is one of my worst fears to have my luggage lost and I know that I will pack way too much for us to carry on! :eek:

Do you think that they lost yours on transfer/during a layover, or was it just random?

Looking forward to the next installment.

-Toscana3

[seasill]

Hi Schplinky,

 

Sounds like you had a great time in St. Martin's. Thanks for the newest installment, especially describing the room, as we will be using that cabin before too long. It's reassuring to know that it's reasonably good shape.

[Schplinky]

Schplinky,

Thanks for the review! My husband and I are taking our honeymoon on the Constellation with the exact same itinerary and we leave on Saturday. We are so excited we can't wait!! How was the weather while you were there? That's terrible that they lost your luggage and I'm so glad that you got it back before sailing. I know that it is silly but it is one of my worst fears to have my luggage lost and I know that I will pack way too much for us to carry on! :eek:

Do you think that they lost yours on transfer/during a layover, or was it just random?

Looking forward to the next installment.

-Toscana3

 

I'm fairly certain that our luggage was lost in Toronto as we switched airlines from one code-share partner to the other. I think the first airline (air Canada) sent the baggage to the luggage caroussel instead of onto the next terminal for our next flight.

[Schplinky]

Hi Schplinky,

 

Sounds like you had a great time in St. Martin's. Thanks for the newest installment, especially describing the room, as we will be using that cabin before too long. It's reassuring to know that it's reasonably good shape.

 

We quite liked it! The bed when it was one bed was sort of snug for us (we both toss in our sleep) and they were very kind about making it into two twins. They brought a thermal carafe of water and ice regularly, too, which was always well appriciated, as was the clothesline in the bathroom for our bathing suits.