Live from Constellation January 13-23, 2023

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, breadandbutter said:

Loving your review thank you. 

Coild you find out something for me please if you get a chance?

Is it still possible to get a martini, on the classic beverage package, at the martini bar?

Thank you

 

I can certainly do that for you 🙂

[BermudaBound2014]

I just noticed something. This maybe just an innocent over site, but steak on the timeless entry went from “new york strip steak” on day 3 to just “grilled steak” tomorrow (day 4).

 

With the way changes were rolled out Jan 1st, trust is an issue. 
 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Good luck with that. 
 

I maybe entirely wrong here, but the wife gave the mAitreD a piece of her mind last night. She has a point. They tried to eat at the buffet but the choices there no longer constitute a reasonable dinner. It’s cafeteria food with a pasta station. If Celebrity doesn’t meet guest half way by increasing selection I suspect there will be plenty more wives letting loose. 
 

How hard can it be? Give those who want the dinner buffet a few fresh made to order entrees. No waste. Everyone’s happy. I saw a video of carved turkey on one of the E class. That hasn’t appeared on Connie, but if it does I would consider that a fair compromise.

 

Celebrity went from

one of the best buffets in the industry to the worst. Something has to give and I suspect it’s going to be dress code.

 

Of course, I reserve the right to be wrong and I mean no disrespect to those of you who like pants. I just think it comes down to basic economics. Supply and demand. I am unaware of any other cruise line that has reduced offerings to the extent that X has. Most consumers want choice to dine in shorts and are willing to forgo the main dining experience in order to do that, but they want more than a college cafeteria experience. 

 

Believe me, I'm all for providing a reasonable buffet experience. I don't utilize it, but as has been pointed out, without it Celebrity is missing a piece of the puzzle which then bleeds over into different areas.

[JJCas]

  I was on the sailing before you.  A couple casino dealers told me the next cruise had about 960 passengers (not saying its the case, just what I was told).  We noticed that a few beef choices changed or were eliminated from menus during the cruise.  Our waiter in the MDR told us that the next cruise, they were eliminating seating in the center of the dining room because of the light passenger count.

[NMTraveller]

So what percentage of the OCV stations during the evenings would you estimate are filled with food?  Is it 75% open, 50% open, %25?

[kguerriero]

16 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I‘ve switched  off the fruity stuff and went straight to a Moscow mule this morning. I did wait until 10am to order, so that’s an improvement. 

 

It sounds like you're doing this cruise right, I bet you're a blast to hang with! Thanks for the great (and very witty) check-ins, excited to follow along!

[BermudaBound2014]

6 hours ago, kguerriero said:

 

It sounds like you're doing this cruise right, I bet you're a blast to hang with! Thanks for the great (and very witty) check-ins, excited to follow along!

Ut oh…. Performance anxiety and I’m a chic so this is awkward 🙂😉 🙂 

[BermudaBound2014]

Cliff notes: Another great evening on a boat. 
 

Those sticking around for the deets: It is worth noting again that both my meal and service in the MDR last night were excellent. The only thing off was the decaf finish. I have never found a cruise ship that makes decent coffee, so I headed up to cafe Al Bacio.

 

From there I peaked into the Michael Bublea singing trio show. The first song they did was an eagles cover. The second was Mack the knife, and the third was a song written by Bulbea but made famous by Taylor Swift. The singers were talented but I’m a child of the 80s. If it’s not GnR or Jovi I’m probably not sticking around. Poof.

 

In retrospect I think that my decafe might have been full octane for two reasons: 1) I got motivated to put in 5 miles on the track before the late night comedy show and 2) I was up until 3 am. I did discover that Netflix streams just fine on the premium package and Bridgerton is Spicy so all was not in vain. 

 

Since I spent much of the day lounging and drinking Mules, my Fitbit stats were looking dismal. I felt motivated to stay healthy and gave credit to my brief encounter w/the Dahlia Lama. In retrospect it might have been the caffeine.

 

Regardless, I changed clothes and headed up to the track. The weather was perfect with lots of stars and a nice cool breeze. I had the track to myself with the exception of a really fun couple eating in Tuscan. Their table overlooked the track and they gave me a thumbs up every time I circled back around. The track is small. I’m not sure how many times around it takes to hit a mile but my best guess is 1,247 so that’s a lot of thumbs. They finished dinner before I finished 5 miles or else I’d have insisted on buying them a drink. The package is perfect for that.
 

Still had some time before the comedian so I Did a walk thru of the ocean view buffet. It was Mediterranean night. I didn’t see anything I would have wanted for dinner. Pasta station again. They really should mix that up. I’m not going to sugar coat this, the buffet offerings for dinner are boarder-line ridiculous. I can make it work because I often just eat a salad for dinner anyway, but DH would be very disappointed. If you have kids you are up ships creek. 

I said this in another post but Celebrity dropped from a 9 or 10 to a 1 or 2 in terms of evening buffet offerings. I think they would be better served if they could find a happy medium. Maybe if we all  simultaneously chant five, five, five, five they can pony up. I think everyone realizes cuts need to be made but c’mon, the chefs onboard are better than this. 

 

Comedian was funny. Worth a visit for sure. There is drink service in the theatre so I had a nightcap of a gin a diet sprite because I’m super sensitive to caffeine. HA! 
 

Slept in this morning until 9:30. Went to Al Bacio for my morning latte and decided I was actually hungry.  Did a run thru the breakfast buffet to find not one but THREE omelet stations and one Mexican eggs bene station. Take that NCL!! 
 

I had an omelet loaded with veggies and cheese. It was delicious. For those wishing to avoid the MDR the breakfast buffet is legit. 
 

Today is San Juan. We arrive at 3. I’m just going to do my normal, which is the trail along the water up the fort and back down to enter the city thru the famous red gate. There is a lady who takes care of the feral cat colony.  I will make my donation.
 

I am not some crazy cat lady (yet) and was a black lab gal my entire life until this little feral kitty found its way into my garage (and heart). Took me 6 months to get her to trust me but we are thick as thrives now. Well, mostly I’m her servant. Make no mistake, cats are a**holes. 
 

Here are pics of this mornings buffet:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[cruisemom42]

Glad to see the eggs bennie station is alive and well.

 

 

[LMaxwell]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

Glad to see the eggs bennie station is alive and well.

 

 

For now.  May soon become an MDR/sit down restaurant item and removed fro.....oops. Too soon

[Cruising89143]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Glad to see the eggs bennie station is alive and well.

 

 

The breakfast selections look very good. A nice selection. 

[BermudaBound2014]

10 hours ago, JJCas said:

  I was on the sailing before you.  A couple casino dealers told me the next cruise had about 960 passengers (not saying it’s the case, just what I was told).  We noticed that a few beef choices changed or were eliminated from menus during the cruise.  Our waiter in the MDR told us that the next cruise, they were eliminating seating in the center of the dining room because of the light passenger count.

Your waiter was wrong. The center of the dining room

was in use last night. 
 

At some point I need to stop by guest services to get the exact count. 

[BermudaBound2014]

8 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

So what percentage of the OCV stations during the evenings would you estimate are filled with food?  Is it 75% open, 50% open, %25?

Less than 25%. 

[tcmagnum]

38 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Less than 25%. 

I do have a question:  Do they still have the 'grill' open next to the pool for hamburgers/hot dogs etc...?

If so, can you check on the hours and possible food options at the grill?

[BermudaBound2014]

8 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

I do have a question:  Do they still have the 'grill' open next to the pool for hamburgers/hot dogs etc...?

If so, can you check on the hours and possible food options at the grill?

Grill is open 11-6. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and fries. I haven’t tried it yet but there is nothing on tonight’s dinner menu that appeals to me so if I get back onboard before 6 that’s my plan. I’ll snap photos for you. 

[tcmagnum]

Just now, BermudaBound2014 said:

Grill is open 11-6. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and fries. I haven’t tried it yet but there is nothing on tonight’s dinner menu that appeals to me so if I get back onboard before 6 that’s my plan. I’ll snap photos for you. 

Thank you.  

Enjoying all the pictures and information you are sharing!!

 

[retired dude]

just our 2cents worth, but we have found the food better on rccl than on X during our last four cruises on the two lines.....Doubt it is going to change, but i sure miss the food quality that we were fortunate to experience on X during the years before the pandemic....I think i understand, but it still does not sit well, especially with the ai prices that i see on all the X sailings for 2023...We dont mind paying our way, but i don't think that we deserve a steep  price increase for a lesser product...That formula just does not work in the real business world..just sayin'....B&B in clearwater.

[BermudaBound2014]

Just a quick check in because I’m headed to the rooftop to watch the GOAT.

 

We are docked in San Juan until 10 pm. Ocean view buffet upped their game a bit tonight. I’d guess went from 25% to 40% open. Still nothing fresh made to order besides pizza and pasta. They did have a carving station but it was sausage lol.

 

German night so I tried some of the beef and weinersnitzel. Wasn’t thrilled, but wasn’t real hungry after that huge omelet this morning. They has ceasar salad tonight for the first time so I headed there. 

 

Celebrity did make an effort to improve the selection tonight. I suspect due to the late port time. Anyway, here are photos of every single station:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[hcat]

thanks for the pics...you are really doing a great job...

 

.Buffet not  too bad looking  but no thank you on the Tilapia!

 

glad we will be in BLU on Ascent..plus one or 2 nights at Specialty..

[Ex-Airbalancer]

16 hours ago, retired dude said:

just our 2cents worth, but we have found the food better on rccl than on X during our last four cruises on the two lines.....

We did not find RCL food to be better than X comparing Apex April TA 2022 and Voyager September TA 2022 

The breads on Voyager were better but that was it , everything else was not as good

The Windjammer was a mess 

[ukdeblarz]

Your review is one of the best I’ve seen in years.  I love how you back up your observations with photos, especially of the food. Thank you.

[MartiniBarhooked]

While on this ship for the Christmas/New Years cruise I asked the pizza maker if I could get a pizza made to order.  She told me to just bring whatever ingredients I wanted from the other stations and she would cook a specialty pizza for me.  This information for those that like pizza. 

[BermudaBound2014]

50 minutes ago, MartiniBarhooked said:

While on this ship for the Christmas/New Years cruise I asked the pizza maker if I could get a pizza made to order.  She told me to just bring whatever ingredients I wanted from the other stations and she would cook a specialty pizza for me.  This information for those that like pizza. 

This does not surprise me at all!! The staff onboard Constellation is exceptional.

 

Yesterday at the breakfast buffet I saw bananas. Went to grab one on my way out but they were switching to to the lunch menu. I asked MJ (from Zimbabwe) if there was any chance he could grab me one from the back and he was MORE than happy to do so. I make my own fruit bowls for the cabin so I can continue to drink my dessert. 
 

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[bikerunner]

See Id be happy with the dinner buffet, as long as I could get melted cheese for the pretzel bread.  

[dunedinmaiden]

Really enjoying your review -- thanks.  I'm sure my husband and I are in the minority, but we eat keto (very low carbs).  Losing 50 pounds makes it worthwhile, and a way of life.  By chance, have you noticed any sugar-free desserts?