Live from Constellation January 13-23, 2023

[acstall]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

"Where are the appetizers?" is another legitimate question. I see 2 soups and 3 salads, but no actual appetizer unless you go with the escargot or shrimp cocktail from the classics.

And two of the soups have apples, which usually means a little sweetness.  Also had to laugh that a pretty good sounding pork dish is called Pork and Beans.  Misspelling arugula.... c'mon Celebrity. 

[BermudaBound2014]

42 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

@BermudaBound2014 I hope you live it up on your last day!  As I have been cruising vicariously, I am sad for your cruise to end 😊.  I'm sure you must be looking forward to getting back home to your family but I really appreciate you taking us along!  Safe travels home!

Thank you so much l Peaches. I fly home Monday and then turn around and leave for Hawaii on Wednesday so the next few days are going to be a whirlwind of packing, unpacking, laundry and then repacking again for a 3 month trip. Absolutely no rest for the retired 🙂 

 

 

No matter what the last day is a bit sad but I’m starting it out right. Coffee with Shiavani, meditation, stretching, and now I’m drinking mudslides. All before noon. I am filled with gratitude. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[jcpc]

Thank you so much for your posts.  I enjoyed reading them very much.  I love how your keen sense of humor came through on the posts.  Enjoy your remaining time onboard and have a safe trip home.

[RichYak]

28 minutes ago, acstall said:

And two of the soups have apples, which usually means a little sweetness.  Also had to laugh that a pretty good sounding pork dish is called Pork and Beans.  Misspelling arugula.... c'mon Celebrity. 

They've basically given up. I feel bad so for the staff.

[Azulann]

Thank you for your live report . The Constellation  was one of my favorite ships, last three Celebrity cruises were on her  in Europe. I feel bad that the variety of food in buffet has been reduced and the pool grill  lack of quality.  . Celebrity always had the best  soups and variety in the MDR  for dinner. 

I love that Tampa FL is a new departure port for Constellation for the winter season.  

But do not think I will try  another Celebrity cruise while the food quality and variety is being cut back.

An old friend of mine, who was  food and beverages executive  for NWA years ago, always said   the easiest thing to cut back on to meet your bottom line of the company was the food budget.

Looks like Celebrity  is doing just that post pandemic. 

[FLCruiser23]

1 hour ago, goofysmom99 said:

If I'm reading the sign correctly, is it possible they listed Israeli Couscous gluten free?  Hope not.

Yes, we were on the cruise before this and I noticed the couscous marked gf.  I also noticed there would be identical dishes on each side of the lunch buffet - one was marked gf, the other not.  Don’t trust the signs!

[Host Anne]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Host Anne- did you happen to get any photos of her act? I was standing at the railing in the sunset cafe. Connie really is a beautiful graceful lady! 

These are the best that I got of the aft area.....

[rpht]

Thanks for your comments on the bed and the cabin. Your sense of humor is great and it was a treat to sail vicariously with you! Safe travels home and enjoy your time in Hawaii.

I did email Celebrity about the Ocean View not having grill options in the evening and got a call back. Hopefully they will get enough feedback on it that they will have it again in the evening. 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by rpht
add something

[coaster]

I thinked I jinxed it. Booked a Princess cruise in March. I ended up looking more at other cruises and found Connie out of Tampa. Celebrity has not been on the radar since the mandatory AI thing and the higher prices that went with it. Did not know it was dropped and rushed to book Connie and cancelled Princess sailing. One night longer than Princess  and no need to drive further to Port Everglades. Tampa port is only 30 minutes from us.

 

I wanted a change from Royal after the last 100 nights or so of cruises have been with them. Not been on Celebrity since Zenith 21 years ago from Tampa. I was not expecting the great food from back then, but the current state of reports when I booked.  Saw that room service was free and we are Elite on Celebrity because of being Diamond on Royal. I like eating outside for dinner like the Radiance class ships and OVC on Connie has the same setup. Not every night, but I like to mix it up. Some nights just don't want to dress up. We use room service the more we have cruised also.

 

Final payment was due December 27th and I paid it. Close to that time posts started here about the cutbacks.  They were rumors at first, but now we know it is true with sailings departing January 1st this year or later. Still looking forward to our cruise, but never thought there would be cuts so deep and all at once. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by coaster

[coaster]

I want to add that the OP - BermudaBound2014 has been so helpful with all the pictures and details while taking time out from their vacation to do this. Truly appreciate it!

 

We started out with the 20,000 GT range ships like OP and still prefer the smaller ones to this day. Made sure we went on the smaller Grandeur of the Seas for 14 nights last November while these ships are still around with mainstream cruise lines. Probably one of the top cruises in our 30 years of cruising. Thanks again OP! 

Edited January 22, 2023 by coaster

[BermudaBound2014]

As promised, here are day 6-10 of Celebrity Today. I posted Day 1-5 earlier in the thread.

 

Day 6

[BermudaBound2014]

Day 7

[BermudaBound2014]

Day 8

[BermudaBound2014]

Day 9

[BermudaBound2014]

Day 10

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

Debarkation info 

[BermudaBound2014]

Day 10 dinner buffet- this was the Italian extravaganza. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[BermudaBound2014]

Cliff Notes: A fine farewell

 

A fine Farewell: What a wonderful conclusion to an exceptional cruise. As mentioned, my day started with cafe el Bacio, meditation, stretching and mudslides.
 

My new bestie soon joined in my private hideaway on the rooftop terrace and we watched minions.  Mostly he watched minions and I fiddled. Took a nap (because this is how one really makes use of the drink package). I ended up sharing lunch with another new friend- a fantastic lady whom I hope to cruise with in the future!!! I had a Tuna salad croissant sandwich. Tuna turned out to be my very first and very last lunch on the cruise. I’m sentimental like that. 

 

After lunch I switched up drinks to vodka/diet tonic  and watched the first half of the bills/bengals game in my rooftop pergola paradise. By then it was jam packed and they did a good job moving waiters to the area. Headed back to the room for a shower and pre-packing. Pre packing sucks. 

 

I actually dressed for dinner so I could meet with my new friends one last time to say a proper goodbye. We met in cellars where, for the very first time, I had a $2.40 up charge to my wine order. Throughout  the entire cruise the bar staff always  brought me something that was included in the select package or asked before serving, so this was different. That’s what I get for drinking wine. 

 

My friends all headed to the MDR but I wasn’t up for the 2 hour affair. I bid a sweet farewell knowing that i have met friends for life. From there I headed to the “rock” show. I’m an 80s hair band girl- this was right up my alley. 

 

The show was decent. There are a few shining stars in that cast, but rock music just isn’t what they do best. They were a full 2 courses in before I recognized they were singing  “fly away” by Kravitz. I can Lenny in my sleep if that tells you anything. Regardless, I was able to bang along to Bon Jovi, cold play, U2, stones, GnR, journey…you know…  my high school jams that are now considered oldies. 
 

After the show I went up to the buffet. Photos above tell the story. I was hungry. Nothing looked good. 
 

Just then I remembered I promised to take a photo of the kids and vegetarian menu. It was late, I figured the dining room would be thinning out, so I took a chance. 
 

I was seated immediately by the lovely hostess. I was able to get Anne again who had me in and out of the dining room in just over an hour.

 

The kids menu and vegetarians menu are below. I ordered shrimp cocktail from the main menu (8/10), spring roll from the vegetarian menu (2/10), the veggies and baked potato were 9/10, and filet from the kids menu 7.5/10. My problem with the spring roll is that i expected something totally different. This was raw veggies wrapped in some sort of raw gooey wrap. I was thinking a hot fried egg roll. The steak is listed on the menu as filet but I have a hard time believing that. It was good, I’d order it again, but it tasted more like a cut of sirloin as there was a bit of gristly texture and no melt in your mouth. The lamb last night and the beef tornados i had earlier in the week were significantly better. Food is subjective, you should ignore everything I just typed.

 

From dinner I went to turn my non-refundable obc into cash. An extra $50 showed up 3 days ago. Guest services said i was part of a group. Groups are cool. 
 

I played for about an hour, lost $5.30 for a grand total loss of $17.83 the entire cruise. I’m not a big gambler. Penny slots but being the risk taker that I am,  I do play all 9 lines at a time. For those doing the math, that means I bet a whollipin 9 cents a spin. That, my friends, is how you can play in a casino for ten days and lose less than a Jackson. 

I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t a tiny bit sad right now. Suitcases lining the hallway always does that to me. I LOVED this cruise. If we remove food from my evaluation this sailing was a 10/10 in my world.
 

Right now I’m sitting on my balcony munching watermelon I brought back from the late night buffet. It’s already cooler outside as we get closer to Tampa and off in the distance lightening is putting on a brilliant show. It’s like a Grand Finale from the Gods.

 

But alas, the time has come. I need to finish packing. Packing sucks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Mark_T]

24 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

My problem with the spring roll is that i expected something totally different. This was raw veggies wrapped in some sort of raw gooey wrap. I was thinking a hot fried egg roll. 

Thanks for this thread, it has been great to follow along with you on the cruise.

 

I would cut them a break on the ‘spring roll’ as it was actually a summer roll as described on the menu. 
 

Clearly not what you were expecting, but accurately described. I like both, but when you are expecting something crispy a summer roll isn’t going to hit the spot…

[MoodyCruiser44]

Safe journey home.  We will look after Connie while your away!

[BermudaBound2014]

5 hours ago, Mark_T said:

Thanks for this thread, it has been great to follow along with you on the cruise.

 

I would cut them a break on the ‘spring roll’ as it was actually a summer roll as described on the menu. 
 

Clearly not what you were expecting, but accurately described. I like both, but when you are expecting something crispy a summer roll isn’t going to hit the spot…

Thank you! How utterly silly of me to have made that mistake.  You have the most eloquent way of saying “lady you a big dummy”. I. appreciate your kindness.:). 

 

We are safely docked in Tampa. Final thoughts in a bit 🙂

 

[hcat]

Thanks for a great  "ride along" on Connie..Hooe you enjoy  the next adventure!

Hcat

[WNCtourist]

Thanks so much for your comprehensive, helpful review!

[Cruzinforpeace***]

6 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Day 10 dinner buffet- this was the Italian extravaganza. 🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🤮

[BermudaBound2014]

Cliff note version- If you remove food as a consideration, this cruise was a very solid 10/10!! The End. 

 

A random stream of consciousness:

 

- Debarkation was as flawless as embarkation. I took one of the last numbers since my flight isn’t until 2:00. I gave myself wiggle room to to account for possible fog. Plus, no need to hurry anymore, if you forgot, I’m retired ;-). 
 

From the time they called my number until the time I was sitting in the $10 bus to the airport (super simple, don’t fall for celebrity transportation trick) was 18 minutes and I started on deck 10. Could have cut that to under 15 if i was positioned for the pounce. Walk on/walk off. I really like Tampa as an embarkation port. 
 

We were asked to vacate the cabin by 8:00. I planned to go to the mdr because the buffet is usually a madhouse and I am avoiding crowds (more on that below). Ran into some friends on the elevator who said that the buffet was not busy. Turned out to be great because I ate my breakfast in solitude in the cool crisp Tampa air. I do wish Bacio was open because my very first cup of cruise ship coffee reminded me how much I appreciated the real deal. What is this? 
 

Covid is onboard Connie. Covid is onboard every ship sailing, but there were a few obvious signs toward the end of the voyage. Two days ago the Purell dispensers appeared at all elevators. They began swabbing the deck chairs at night with something that smelled like Lysol. A poor girl was assigned the job of continually climbing the staircases wiping off the hand rails. Her quads are steel. Some of my most favorite crew started wearing kn95 masks, and passengers were coughing, sneezing, and sniffling much more than the first part of the cruise. 
 

Let’s face it, covid is part of travel and will be for many years to come. Cruise ships are an environment for spread of all viruses. It is what it is. If you have serious comorbidities caution is warranted. I don’t have any comorbidity, but I am leaving for Hawaii in two days and want to avoid the need to slow down. There is no rest for this wicked. 

 

There were 964 crew and 1586 passengers onboard. The service was some of the best I have ever experienced. Shiavani, Nelson, Anne, Patrick, Johanna, MJ, Zeus, and so many others ….. celebrity is lucky to have you. 
 

Im not going to talk much about the food other than to say if food is high on your priority list you would be well served to explore all options. I would caution you to remain flexible because I all lines are cutting back. The grass maybe greener, but if could also be yellow.  The entire industry is a sh*t show.

 

I found my first duck. Re-hid it.  It was still there this morning. Sometimes the most obvious place is also the least obvious 
 

FWIW- I do think that X will respond to some of the recommended changes. It would not surprise me to see some other fresh options appear on the dinner buffet even if it’s grilled tilapia. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they go back to allowing room service be ordered from the MDR menu. Someone dropped the ball there because  with the reduction to OVC this move would certainly be a revenue generator.
 

Do I think they will ever remove the room service charge? Nope. Do I think they will go back to the dinner buffets of 2022? Nope. Will filet mignon reappear in the surf and turf? Doubtful. I fear we have entered into a new reality for cruising. Those of us who love the sea will adopt. It’s that or stop cruising, and I just don’t see that in my future. 
 

Connie is an older lady. That comes with pros and cons. She’s smaller and easier to navigate. I think passengers are friendlier on smaller ships. Maybe because we need to be on our best behavior knowing we will continually see each other.
 

The complimentary thalassotherapy pool is WONDERFUL (w/all capital letters). The lounge entertainment was quite good. All the soft furnishings are in excellent shape and she is crispy clean.
 

There are areas that need some TLC, but I watched an officer measuring blinds for replacement in cafe al’ bacio, so they aren’t giving up on her. Varnish on the railings would be welcomed and someone really needs to give her aft some attention. A lady should always look proper when leaving.
 

The app was pretty flawless and the premium internet was very quick. Only once did I get caught in a loop switching from my laptop to my phone. They don’t tell you this, but whatever browser you are working on you should type logout.com when switching and also select the celebrity disconnect icon. How hard would it be to add that little tidbit of info to the directions? This will prevent lots of possible frustration. Just trust me.

 

TV stations are basic so if you want to watch a movie in your cabin you need to stream with premium or have selections downloaded. Some of the other technology is a bit old school. The casino doesn’t allow one tap of the card to play off your account. The first time I called room service the automated message recommended I order it off the TV. Best I can tell, that isn’t an option on Connie. Corporate consistency gone awry. 

 

Saying goodbye is never easy. So many people helped to make this trip exceptional. I already miss my new cruise bestie. His mind is brilliant and soul kind and gentle. A rare combo. Meet you in Michigan this summer. Mrs. Frizzle loves you. 

 

-To Linda; you my dear, are a rare gem! Best to you in the coming weeks as your prepare to ditch that chariot. I would be truly honored to sail with you again. Wouldn't that be a hoot?!?!?!

 

To those of you who have followed along, Thank You. Your words of encouraging kept me going. I know this is just another forum on the internet but I have many lifelong friends CC. 

 

Closing thoughts (for real this time): I’d be lying if I said I didn’t shed a lil tear walking down the gangplank. That’s always a sign of a great vaca. 
 

This was Good.  

 

Really Really Good. 

 

 

Random photo dump to accompany my random thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hui hou!! Mahalo for following along. Wishing you a life abundantly full of the Aloha spirit. 🤙

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by BermudaBound2014