Just off the Constellation

[FeelingCruisy]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I spent 3 days precruisw in Tampa last month. You may find the first few posts in this link helpful:

 

 

 

I believe I wrote about this at the end of the thread I linked above, but it’s a no brainer. $10 airport shuttles waiting for you immediately after customs. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Our flights is around 1145am.  I guess my questions would be do we need to make reservations for these buses, how do we identify them (big or small buses), are there signs pointed to it, how often do they run,..so they have the same service going to the cruise port?  Is there a company name .. sorry just listing them as I think of the questions..lol

[sunonfire]

Here is a link for you about the free and paid transportation.

 

https://www.tampasdowntown.com/getting-around/public-transportation/

 

[sunonfire]

Things to do in Tampa

 

https://www.visittampabay.com/things-to-do/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpu_9oNu6_QIVDdaGCh2uPgCHEAAYASAAEgKIbvD_BwE

 

https://www.tripstodiscover.com/best-things-to-do-in-downtown-tampa/

[Homosassa]

If you want to learn about animal species  native to Florida at a beautiful state park, I suggest you take a ninety minute drive north to the park in the link below.  Depending on air and water temperature, wild manatees may be present in the spring run and main spring vent.  In any case, the year round manatee residents will be be there.

 

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ellie-schiller-homosassa-springs-wildlife-state-park

[realnice46]

Thank you all for the many suggestions.

[Cruising Barney]

 

If bus options don't work. Your are probably looking at about $40 for an UberXL TIA to Terminal 6. 

[lifeh2o4all]

2 hours ago, Cruising Barney said:

 

If bus options don't work. Your are probably looking at about $40 for an UberXL TIA to Terminal 6. 

We recently disembarked from Constellation in Tampa and reserved an UberXL to take us to the airport a few days before and the charge was $45.  I booked early to make sure that one was available.  However, while waiting for the Uber driver to arrive I checked the Uber and Lyft apps and could have gotten the same ride for around $30 without a reservation.  There were three of us so either way we would prefer the rideshare option over the bus simply for the privacy.  We did watch the bus fill up and leave from the port and it looked like a great option.

[APFBarb]

On 3/1/2023 at 12:59 AM, FeelingCruisy said:

Our flights is around 1145am.  I guess my questions would be do we need to make reservations for these buses, how do we identify them (big or small buses), are there signs pointed to it, how often do they run,..so they have the same service going to the cruise port?  Is there a company name .. sorry just listing them as I think of the questions..lol

Consider booking a later flight.  Tampa is often fogged in this time of year.  Our cruise in early Feb and another in late Jan was delayed from docking for several hours.

[Cruising Barney]

Celebrity seems to have figured that out and docks around midnight lately. 
I would say no worries 

[sunonfire]

11 hours ago, Cruising Barney said:

Celebrity seems to have figured that out and docks around midnight lately. 
I would say no worries 

Funny you should mention that because when I was checking how many ships will be in port for my November 22, 2023 cruise on the Constellation, I saw that the Constellation (returning from Europe) is on the port calendar for November 21 and 22. I pulled up the transatlantic and it said ithe ship will be arriving on the 22. I think you are correct it must be coming in before or around midnight. 

[Djptcp]

Eating at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is a must and you should make reservations. It has been in the same family since 1905 and the ambience and food are superior. DH and I have had lunch and dinner there many times and always bring out of town guests there when visiting us. We recently tried the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, also in Ybor City. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Channel. It's not a dive nor a diner, but a nice restaurant with a microbrewery. Food was good with a huge selection of beers. If you are a gambler, the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel is huge with excellent dining venues. If you want some nice beaches head over to Treasure Island on the Gulf Coast. Driving on the Tampa freeways can be challenging with lots of slow downs.

[Banjo]

On 2/28/2023 at 5:42 PM, kannna said:

Waffles can be found premade on either side of the buffet

 

BUT

 

The best waffles are waaaay in the back of the buffet at the grill where you can get them fresh out of the waffle maker. They also make fresh toast and eggs there 😉

Thanks, will be on the Connie Monday. I will check that out.

[SusieAV8R]

On 2/15/2023 at 12:42 AM, kannna said:

Hi Everyone, We just got off Connie on Monday and I thought I'd leave my first ever review. After reading all the grumbling lately, I was a bit concerned. So I thought I'd throw in our 2cents. A little about us. We are in our 40s. This was our 16th X cruise, but we hadn't cruised since 2017. We bought a house in 2018, covid happened and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. People come here to vacation, so we were making do (hehe). Then X sent us a blue chip cruise and how could we say no? All the options were 10-14 days and this one fit in our work schedules. We prefer cruises over 7 days. Seven day cruises are always too short. 

 

Our fellow cruisers were mostly older. There were exactly seven children onboard which is how we like it. We met a lot of career cruisers on B2B or once a month in the winter etc.. There were also quite a few first timers either to cruising or to X. 

 

In general we really had a great time and this cruise reminded us why we love cruising. The crew is fantastic. They really want you to have the best possible time. We saw so many people speak down to them and mistreat them. I wish more guests would treat them like the hard working people they are with a little respect. 

 

To cover some of the more controversial things: 

• Main Dining - The menus in the Main Dining room have become very creative. I feel like they are in the kitchen with what corporate has found on sale that week like the baskets in that food show. "We will give you a turkey, some celery root and a bag of apples. Make a three course meal." There was a lot of celery root and apples in many different ways. However, we never went hungry and everything we did have was delicious. The bread and choice of dips was always great. We live near the sea and I don't eat frozen lobster so I cannot weigh in on the lobster debate. 
• Buffet - The buffet always looked plentiful. The pizza was good, waffles fabulous and the ice cream station always had great options. The pizza station is an eggs benedict station in the mornings which I thought was nice. The crew was always cleaning and friendly. The presentation was a little less wow than I remember. Never saw an ice sculpture or much vegetable art. Some root veg flowers was about it. What I was not a fan of was being approached at our table trying to upsell the special restaurants every time we sat down. Once in a while would be fine, but every time is not. 
• Room Service - It's sad that they do not offer the evening menu to eat on your balcony any longer. One of my fonder cruise memories is sitting on our balcony in Turkeye having dinner after a busy day sightseeing listening to the evening call to prayer. We ordered hot breakfast once and it was a very pleasant experience. They called a little while after it was delivered to make sure we got everything and were happy with it. I don't remember that happening before. Maybe now they have more time to do that. 
• Drink Packages - Didn't have one. We are Elite+. There are enough perk options for us to be happy. Plus, I've been known to spend a fair share of time in the casino where the drinks are free. If they mess with my perk lattes though, we may have an issue. 😉 
• Internet - The app is free to use on the ship. It has a messaging feature to reach other passengers which was handy to message the husband. We each received 240 free minutes as our E+ perk. This was plenty to check email and social media. It always worked when I wanted it to and was fairly quick. No problems. 
• Tampa and the Fog - We had fog on embarkation day delaying docking. The port of Tampa needs to find an acceptable option for somewhere nearby for passengers to relax and wait to board their ship with proper accommodation and communication. Turning people away at the port and having people who flew in wait at the mall with no communication is not acceptable. There were elderly, infirmed people without sweaters or jackets outside standing in line after dark waiting for buses that came one at a time achingly far apart. Never knowing when the next one would come and who would get to go on it. Some were there for 6+ hours. We will think twice about booking a cruise that boards in that port again. 

 

In closing we really had a lovely time. This may be my fourth time on Connie and she looks great. Perfect size. I love the old school promenade deck of the Millenium class with the loungers to feel the breeze and watch the sea while not in the pool deck energy. There is always an option to join in the fun in one lounge or find a quiet nook to read a book, watch the sea or work on your latest knitting project in another. The crew is always always cleaning and spiffing up and it shows how much they care for the ship. Never too busy to say hello though. There was a crew of electricians changing all the lightbulbs throughout the ship while we were there. They were even super friendly. Maybe I just have a penchant for talking to strangers. My mother is to blame.  

 

Hope this was helpful to whoever reads it. Happy to answer any questions. 

 

Oh PS. Thanks to the lady who did the live report in January. The little $10 transfer bus to the airport was so easy and great! Walked out and they were right there. Super tip. 

Thank you kannna for taking the time to write such a positive and detailed posting.  I certainly appreciate your comment about Tampa & fog because I had not thought about that aspect of that port!

[Tinknock50]

On 2/14/2023 at 10:42 PM, kannna said:

internet - The app is free to use on the ship. It has a messaging feature to reach other passengers which was handy to message the husband.

Is this free for everyone, or just a perc with your cruiser status?

[wrk2cruise]

You can connect to the onboard WiFi and use the Celebrity app for for free without having an internet package.   You won't be able to do anything else with it as you will be blocked from connecting to the internet (off the ship).

[Tinknock50]

4 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

You can connect to the onboard WiFi and use the Celebrity app for for free without having an internet package.   You won't be able to do anything else with it as you will be blocked from connecting to the internet (off the ship).

Thanks! That is all I wanted to do….contact my friends on board.

 

I will only be checking the internet while I am in port.

[May B]

On 3/5/2023 at 9:40 PM, SusieAV8R said:

Thank you kannna for taking the time to write such a positive and detailed posting.  I certainly appreciate your comment about Tampa & fog because I had not thought about that aspect of that port!

I think Celebrity has decided to come in at midnight now instead of 6 or 7 am. A few posters also mentioned the same. I hope so! Much better plan than boarding the next cruise at 6 pm.

[crusnbee]

Also on Connie in March 2024. Looking forward to it!

[DingoMom]

Loved your review; thanks! I agree with you about ‘accommodations’ for embarking passengers at the port of Tampa — there are none! 

[Homosassa]

On 3/3/2023 at 3:12 PM, Djptcp said:

If you want some nice beaches head over to Treasure Island on the Gulf Coast. Driving on the Tampa freeways can be challenging with lots of slow downs.

Check the red tide reports before heading out to any beaches.

 

The highways around and in Tampa are no worse for traffic than those in any other major city. Just avoid the rush hours and you will miss most of the back ups.