Live: Oct 22 2022 Constellation Mediterranean Passage Transatlantic

[trickbabe]

On 10/27/2022 at 4:27 AM, mahdnc said:

Melinda Bates is on board as one of the enrichment speakers. Once she found out that she was assigned to our sailing, she has been participating in our roll call under screen name @BajagirlMB

 

 She gave her first presentation yesterday morning (our first sea day) at 10am are the Celebrity Theater. 

 

Melinda is an amazing speaker! She was on our Infinity cruise in July and really enjoyed her. 

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, choochella said:

Happy to have followed your posts from all your previous stops. As I stated before, we are sailing the same cruise next November. I do have a few questions though:

 

1) How has the weather been as far as temps? We’re so used to sailing the Caribbean that we only need to take warm weather clothes. 
 

2) How long did it take for your cruise to be available on the Celebrity app? 
 

3) How soon before you made airline and hotel reservations? We plan on flying in 4 days before our scheduled departure. 
 

Thx for your help. 

 

The first thing that I want to say is that you should take the time to read through the entire 185 page (and counting) roll call for this sailing: link  I am not trying to punish you with that suggestion!  Like many TA sailings, our roll call was extremely active and we covered many of your questions either directly or indirectly.  In fact to properly answer your question, I would have to refer to our roll call chronicles.

 

Here are the answers that I can think of to your questions:

 

1. The weather answer, you know, does not indicate what you will experience.  For us, the temperatures were well above the historical average for that time of year during our time in Rome, Toulon (I think), Palma Delgada, and Cartagena.  The temperatures got up to the upper 70's and it felt hotter than that in the direct sun.  Clothing modesty for churches aside, you would be comfortable in shorts and a tee shirt.  In Rome, where we stayed for 5 nights pre-cruise, the evenings got down into the 50's and stayed there during the early morning.

 

In comparison, it was very cool at Ponta Delgada--mid sixties was the high.  And our tour for that island took us up to higher elevations where it was exposed and windy.  I wore a tee-shirt under a fleece and wished that I had brought my windbreaker shell that I left in the cabin.

 

So my advice is to bring layers of clothes.  A fleece/sweatshirt and a windbreaker/rain shell is advisable.  You will see the extended weather forecast posted in our roll call for the different ports that we were to visit to give you an idea of what weather we thought we were packing for and how the forecasts changed.

 

2. I cannot give you a definitive answer on when the cruise appeared on the Celebrity app.  I uncharacteristically booked this cruise late--in Apr/May before the cruise.  When I booked back then, I believe the sailing immediately appeared on my Celebrity app.  The next milestone was when we could formally do the cruise check-in on the app.  I cannot remember the exact time, but it is clearly documented in our roll call as CC members announced that they had checked in.  I thought the app actually told  you the date on when you could first do the check in process.

 

3. Again, because I booked the cruise so late (6 months or so in advance), I cannot give you the answer you are seeking.  I booked my flights thru Celebrity when I booked the cruise.  Normally if I am booking on my own, I reserve my air 11 months in advance because I usually book with award miles.  So those are not useful answers for your planning.  Sorry, perhaps others will give their experience.

 

For me with the hotel in Rome, I decided on booking the Albergo del Senato because of @cruisemom42's recommendation.  I wanted a superior double which meant that it had a view of the Pantheon.  Those rooms were sold out for the 5 nights I needed when I first got online to book a room there right after booking the cruise (again, 6 months out).  So if I were planning another stay at the Albergo, I would find out from the hotel how far in advance you can book out and then circle that date on the calendar and book the room you want on exactly that date.  The Albergo del Senato does have a fully refundable rate that allows you to make a reservation with no financial commitment.  At the same time they also have a couple of non-cash refundable "pay now" rates that are cheaper--and if you do it now, you are probably locking in a room rate when the Euro is pretty cheap to the US dollar.

.

[cruisemom42]

1 minute ago, mahdnc said:

For me with the hotel in Rome, I decided on booking the Albergo del Senato because of @cruisemom42's recommendation. 

 

So glad you enjoyed the del Senato!  Our paths just crossed as I got off the Constellation in Rome on Oct 22 (after a wonderful BTB) and headed straight to the Albergo del Senato. My stay this time wasn't long, but long enough to enjoy a porchetta from the Antica Salumeria, visit the Pantheon, see an exhibition at the Capitoline Museum, wander through the Forum and enjoy dinner at my favorite restaurant. 

 

I worked out that staying at the AdS (at least for my date) was cheaper than staying at an airport hotel, even accounting for the extra fare from the city to FCO.  Didn't take much to convince me.

 

I've enjoyed reading along for the TA, having just gotten off the ship. Your photos are fabulous. 

[hrhdhd]

"Is there an easier way to manually set your iPhone's time without having the world map in your head?"

 

I just wear a watch ⌚. 😀

[mahdnc]

15 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

"Is there an easier way to manually set your iPhone's time without having the world map in your head?"

 

I just wear a watch ⌚. 😀

my Apple Watch dutifully synchronizes itself to my iPhone. 

[hrhdhd]

36 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

my Apple Watch dutifully synchronizes itself to my iPhone. 

No, I meant a watch, not a computer. 🤷‍♀️ Fewer issues, and makes a fashion statement. 😊

[mchell810]

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

There is a 4 hr time difference between Ponta Delgada (GMT +0) and our next port, Nassau (GMT -4).  Although it will take 7 days for us to get to Nassau from Ponta Delgada, the ship's clock is being adjusted quickly--we take the 4 hour time difference, one hour at a time, on the first 4 nights after leaving Ponta Delgada and then no time changes for the next 3 nights.  I presume that this means that the ship's clock may not actually correspond to the correct local time on some of our At Sea days??

 

So then I also presume that this means that in order to match the ship's clock I need to manually adjust the time on my iPhone and not depend on the phone's ability to automatically update the time based on its internal GPS reading?  If so, this morning the ship's clock was adjusted to GMT -1. 

 

 

On the iPhone, I only know how to manually set the time by choosing a city or location in the time zone that I want to match.  The iPhone does not give you a list of cities in the 24 different time zones to choose from.  I had a hard time figuring out a city that was in the GMT -1 time zone, the current ship's time.  When googling, I finally came across one--Praia, Cape Verde.  So I put Praia into my iPhone and the correct ship's time appeared on my iPhone.

 

 

When I was standing on my balcony admiring the view this morning, I got into a conversation with another passenger who was two aft balconies away from me.  After exchanging "good morning, nice day" pleasantries, I asked him about his take on adjusting the time on his iPhone to match the ship's time.  He said that it is done automatically by the iPhone for him.  At least today it was. 

 

So maybe I have been overthinking this?  Can I really just leave my iPhone Date and Time on "Set Automatically"?  Is there an easier way to manually set your iPhone's time without having the world map in your head?  I am sure this discussion has come up on Cruise Critic, but I have not seen it.   Any iPhone/time geeks wish to educate me?  We are about to step out to get lunch.  I would like an answer when I come back (just kidding).

 

 

Great question about setting the phone.  I am hoping @Jim_Iain will have an answer for you (He's my expert on ocean crossings and all things tech for cruising. 😀) 

 

I have a manually adjustable, basic digital watch that I toss into my travel backpack just for these situations, but I haven't had a need for it yet. I will next year 🤞🤞 so I am interested in this too.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by mchell810

[mahdnc]

From Celebrity Today:

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, trickbabe said:

 

Melinda is an amazing speaker! She was on our Infinity cruise in July and really enjoyed her. 

We attended her 3rd of 9 presentations this morning at 10am. “Entertaining at the White House”. 


 

 

[mahdnc]

We went to the Ocean View Cafe for lunch. I had the lunch that my wife got for me two days ago: spaghetti noodles cooked in butter and garlic with Parmesan cheese added on top. 
 

 

Then I got my drink of the day, just in case:

 

 

We found a nice spot outside to eat. And we hit the Cafe al Bacio on the way back to our room.


I got the lemon tart you all have been raving about.

 

 

We took our pastries back to our cabin to eat on our balcony as our desserts.  While eating them, our laundry gets delivered to our cabin. Is the cruise life good or what?

 

Btw, the laundry had a two day turnaround. 
 

Edited October 29, 2022 by mahdnc

[FLCruiser97]

Here's something different from The Azores. We bought these potato chips from a food truck at one of our stops on our tour to the twin lakes in Ponta Delgado and they were so good. Wish I could get them in the USA

 

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

The lemon tarts are square now! 😯 How’d they taste? 

[FLCruiser97]

4 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

The lemon tarts are square now! 😯 How’d they taste? 

I too have had the lemon tarts onboard and they are still good but maybe not as "lemony".

[mahdnc]

21 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

The lemon tarts are square now! 😯 How’d they taste? 

i liked them but I’ve never had them before. 

[Jim_Iain]

20 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

On the Eclipse in Sept the lemon tarts didn’t have that topping…looks like a meringue maybe? They are def delicious even without a topping and I ate more than my share thanks to your recommendation @Jim_Iain😋

LOL ---- my favorites are the ones with out the Meringue but I will definitely eat them with the topping. 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

"Is there an easier way to manually set your iPhone's time without having the world map in your head?"

 

I just wear a watch ⌚. 😀

You can manually change the time manually -

 

Select Date and Time

Turn off Automatic Time Change

Click the time zone

Bottom underneath calendar click the time and you can manually change.

 

I usually have to do it by Time Zones as for some strange reason on a FitBit it will not update time unless you use a time zone.

 

For a Trans Atlantic Here's the Time Zones I use from San Francisco

 

Rome   +9

London +8

Ponta Delgada +7

Praia    +6

Nuuk   +5

Hamilton +4

New York +3

 

Sometimes the times Daylight Savings can mess it up

[hrhdhd]

45 minutes ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Here's something different from The Azores. We bought these potato chips from a food truck at one of our stops on our tour to the twin lakes in Ponta Delgado and they were so good. Wish I could get them in the USA

 

 

These are a Canadian thing. Head for the border. 😄

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, hrhdhd said:

No, I meant a watch, not a computer. 🤷‍♀️ Fewer issues, and makes a fashion statement. 😊

Most smart and sports watches synchronize the time from that set on you phone.   If not you will probably best Google on you Watch Name "Set Time"

 

Many watches can also by synced to a computer but I don't use that method.

 

One other thing I found for a Fitbit is that you have to have an internet connection on your phone or it doesn't update.  Ugh.   For that reason I usually update my time when flying prior to putting my phone in Airplane Mode.

[mahdnc]

 

We finally made it to the Sky Lounge during the Elite Cocktail Hour. First time we visited this lounge since the cruise started. 

[mahdnc]

The lounge was not very crowded. So that means it was easy to find a seat. 
 

 

It also meant that the four bartenders were not overwhelmed. 
 

 

Today it seemed harder to mingle and meet people. Everyone seemed to come and go as a complete group. 

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by mahdnc

[Ipeeinthepools]

22 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

We finally made it to the Sky Lounge during the Elite Cocktail Hour. First time we visited this lounge since the cruise started. 

 

Awesome 

[Jim_Iain]

Looks like you are having beautiful weather.   

[prmssk]

On 10/17/2022 at 7:16 AM, bob278 said:

Milo is the sommilier and Vladimir is the Maitre’D (but he is leaving in Rome).  Our waiter is Ryan (there are two Ryans that they refer to as “R1 and R2”).  Our assistant waiter is a real sweetheart named Marvik (I think that’s spelled correctly - we call her Vicki).  Service has been very good but mostly a little bit slow.

Who took over for Vladimir as Maitre'D in Luminae?

[mahdnc]

Foyer next to Celebrity Theater

[prmssk]

15 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Foyer next to Celebrity Theater

This is my favorite art on this ship.  Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures can be found in museums and gardens all over the world.  I can't wait to see it in person in just over a week.