Just off Constellation

[georgetheblue]

Overall the ship is in good condition.  Can it use some upgrades, yes, but is it going in dry dock in April.  I found the food much better than expected.  Tons of choices in OV buffet.  Carving station, even prime rib one day, pasta station, salads, paninis, pizzas and more. Yeah finding a seat is tough.  I was able to order from either the Blu or MDR menu.  I found something I liked every day at dinner. The boarding was a mess between the Customs and Coast Guard then not getting away from the dock until almost 5:30.  Shout out to Willifredo at the Sunset Bar, also the bartenders at the Martini bar Ranzom, Punjab, Lester.  NO points for my cabin attendant.  When he finally showed his face it was way after 6pm and my luggage was god only knows where.  He found it 3 decks away.  Next morning I shower, wash my hair only to find out the hair dryer doesn’t work.  No one used the hairdryer on the 15 day TA?  In Aqua I got no sparkling wine, no binoculars, broken hair dryer, late luggage, removal of perks like tote bag, no iced teas, no canapés, hell I couldn’t get him to bring ice for the first 3 days.  Regular Wi-Fi is “iffy” but didn’t feel the need to upgrade it for 6 nights.  To top it off he brings a bill for a bottle of water.  No way, I bring the Evian from the bars.  Yet he was still bringing two cans of that nasty aluminum stuff every day.   Celebrity is not going to be my first choice, I only wanted to give it a try from Tampa.   

[kiwichick62]

Thanks for the review.  Did you get any benefit paying so much more to be in Aqua? 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I like the can water 😁

[1Virgo]

yes. Aqua has had a lot of cutbacks.   we had a similar problem with water and getting a bill. When we boarded, there was only the Evian bottle and no sign for a charge.   We opened it    got a bill.  Guest services removed the charge.    Not a fan of the aluminum as beside a taste, they are sharp.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I found the EU cans of water tasted great , no shaper edges at all 

[amc2scott]

Sad to hear.   We were on Constellation for 23 days (b2b) last january and had an amazing time.  Perfect food and I mean PERFECT, great service, wonderful staff, yes the ship is older and smaller but the personal attention made is so worthwhile.  We are about to depart on a b2b equinox in january, but booked a bonus b2b on Constellation in March as we loved it so much.   

[D. B.]

On 11/30/2023 at 2:14 PM, georgetheblue said:

Overall the ship is in good condition.  Can it use some upgrades, yes, but is it going in dry dock in April.  I found the food much better than expected.  Tons of choices in OV buffet.  Carving station, even prime rib one day, pasta station, salads, paninis, pizzas and more. Yeah finding a seat is tough.  I was able to order from either the Blu or MDR menu.  I found something I liked every day at dinner. The boarding was a mess between the Customs and Coast Guard then not getting away from the dock until almost 5:30.  Shout out to Willifredo at the Sunset Bar, also the bartenders at the Martini bar Ranzom, Punjab, Lester.  NO points for my cabin attendant.  When he finally showed his face it was way after 6pm and my luggage was god only knows where.  He found it 3 decks away.  Next morning I shower, wash my hair only to find out the hair dryer doesn’t work.  No one used the hairdryer on the 15 day TA?  In Aqua I got no sparkling wine, no binoculars, broken hair dryer, late luggage, removal of perks like tote bag, no iced teas, no canapés, hell I couldn’t get him to bring ice for the first 3 days.  Regular Wi-Fi is “iffy” but didn’t feel the need to upgrade it for 6 nights.  To top it off he brings a bill for a bottle of water.  No way, I bring the Evian from the bars.  Yet he was still bringing two cans of that nasty aluminum stuff every day.   Celebrity is not going to be my first choice, I only wanted to give it a try from Tampa.   

We found Aqua a complete waste of money spent as our main motivation was to try eating in Blu and it turned out the Menu in Blu was so unappetizing we ended up ordering off the MDR menu most nights.

 Not we just book a plain Veranda stateroom and use the money saved on Specialty Dining.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, D. B. said:

We found Aqua a complete waste of money spent as our main motivation was to try eating in Blu and it turned out the Menu in Blu was so unappetizing we ended up ordering off the MDR menu most nights.

 Not we just book a plain Veranda stateroom and use the money saved on Specialty Dining.

Speciality dinning on the Connie isn’t that special 😁

[VintageCheap]

Life in steerage aboard this week is good. 

[D. B.]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Speciality dinning on the Connie isn’t that special 😁

When I don’t see anything on the MDR menu worth waiting for I go to the OVC and can always find something I like. It’s faster also.

[georgetheblue]

In the future i wouldn’t waste money booking aqua class. The only benefit to me was dining in the Blu dining room but the clean cuisine menu is unappetizing and just plain wierd.   My cabin on deck 9 had a supersized overhang on the balcony and most nights there was noise from the pool deck above.  On the Constellation the Persian Gardens is just a dark place, nothing special.

[Travelling2Some]

We were upgraded to Aqua on Constellation as a random, last minute thing.  (We didn't seek it or particularly want it.)  We did enjoy Blu for its quiet and better service but I found myself ordering from the MDR menu at least half the time as the selections were more appealing.  The canapes that were delivered every afternoon were a waste.  We just don't need extra food on a cruise ship and if I wanted snacks I'd rather nip up to the buffet and choose things I actually like.  While the upgrade was nice of Celebrity it is definitely not something we would ever pay for as we found almost no value in it.

[lsok]

We sail out of Rome on the Constellation on 4/23/24.  Will it have been refurbished in dry dock before then?  I had read that it was due for some updates in April, but didn't know how to find out when.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 minutes ago, lsok said:

We sail out of Rome on the Constellation on 4/23/24.  Will it have been refurbished in dry dock before then?  I had read that it was due for some updates in April, but didn't know how to find out when.

It is only 2 weeks , mostly a maintenance drydock 

[sunonfire]

The captain hinted at something major in 2025 for the Constellation. He said the infinity would be in 2024. I asked why can’t Celebrity switch the Constellation with one of the ships that has been revolutionized. Tampa deserves better.

[coaster]

54 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

The captain hinted at something major in 2025 for the Constellation. He said the infinity would be in 2024. I asked why can’t Celebrity switch the Constellation with one of the ships that has been revolutionized. Tampa deserves better.

Royal is hinting at smaller ships to replace some of their older tonnage. I could see investing some into Constellation and moving it to Royal to replace a Vision class ship.

[hcat]

6 minutes ago, coaster said:

Royal is hinting at smaller ships to replace some of their older tonnage. I could see investing some into Constellation and moving it to Royal to replace a Vision class ship.

That would be a low move but not a big surprise...X means very little to Royal other than E Class!

[PTC DAWG]

Must be some picky eaters here, I find the Blu menu interesting myself…many times things I wouldn’t attempt to prepare at home…

Edited December 3, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, sunonfire said:

The captain hinted at something major in 2025 for the Constellation. He said the infinity would be in 2024. I asked why can’t Celebrity switch the Constellation with one of the ships that has been revolutionized. Tampa deserves better.

Isn’t Tampa really limited due to the bridge clearance re ship selection? 

[sunonfire]

Yes but there are four Celebrity ships in the millennium class. They would all fit under the bridge. They are the same as the Constellation.

[amc2scott]

On 12/2/2023 at 4:33 PM, lsok said:

We sail out of Rome on the Constellation on 4/23/24.  Will it have been refurbished in dry dock before then?  I had read that it was due for some updates in April, but didn't know how to find out when.

Its scheduled for two week dry dock immediately before the transatlantic which is end of March 2024.   We were trying to book the b2b right after our Mar 2-11 to find out if was in dry dock.  Don't know what's planned for that time so far as refurb goes 

[wrk2cruise]

4 hours ago, amc2scott said:

Its scheduled for two week dry dock immediately before the transatlantic which is end of March 2024.   We were trying to book the b2b right after our Mar 2-11 to find out if was in dry dock.  Don't know what's planned for that time so far as refurb goes 

 

Actually it's right after the TA.  Goes to dry dock April 6.

[cruisestitch]

The dry dock will take place in Europe.  The two week time frame is not enough time for a complete refurbishment.  There could be a few small changes and improvements though. As an example, Michael’s club does not currently have an espresso machine, and staff there believe that they will be getting one during the dry dock.  

[2chiefs]

Maybe some new carpeting and furniture? That's easy to do in a two-week turnaround.

[2chiefs]

We are on Connie in 4 weeks. The last cruise before the Trans=Atlantic. I guess we will see the worst of her LOL.