Constellation Expert here for your questions.

[Funcouple]

We just returned to Bayonne, NJ from our 8 night repositioning Constellation cruise out of San Juan, PR. Ports were St Martin, St Thomas, Bahamas, & Charleston, SC. We enjoyed three solid days at Sea.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise and, WOW, what a difference there is between Celebrity and the rest of the mass market cruiselines.

 

We are now Constellation experts. As your cruise may be approaching soon, please feel free to ask any questions.

[kstro135]

was the pool (outdoor) closed either from the caribbean to south carolina? or from south carolina to jersey? also how was the seas coming from the carib. ? We are leaving on april 7, just getting excited.

 

Any information that you would like to share privately can be sent to

 

kstro135@yahoo.com

 

Thank you,

 

Kenneth

[Funcouple]

was the pool (outdoor) closed either from the caribbean to south carolina? or from south carolina to jersey? also how was the seas coming from the carib. ? We are leaving on april 7, just getting excited.

 

Outdoor pool from Carribbean to SC was open. We enjoyed a day at sea between Carribbean and SC and they kept us in warm waters until the overnight approaching SC.

 

It was still a bit chilly in SC (flowers blooming) and the pools were closed. The outdoor hottubs were OPEN.

 

Seas north of SC were choppy. We enjoyed a constant roll which was more rough than we had experienced in a while. Everyones tolerance vary's, many called it a day early. At the same time, the Seaside Cafe on Deck 10 aft was very active. They say to keep the stomach filled and be up and around where you can keep your eyes on the horizan which we did which helped a lot. The Seaside Deck (adjacent to the cafe) was open and the cool air felt good, just grab a blanket that they have stacked up and that should take the chill out.

 

I hope that this helps.

[louiesowner]

we are sailing out of NJ in October to do the Caribbean, but I am curious now about what you see on sailaway. Do you see the Statue of Liberty at all when you sail out of the harbour?

 

Stefani

[templed]

I don't think the OP sailed from Bayonne... they sailed INTO bayonne...

 

Speaking from my own experience on Voyager of the Seas... You don't sail near Lady Liberty... The pier is located about 1/2 of a mile south of the statue...

 

Yes... you can see her... but, she's WAY far away...

 

It's a straight shot from Cape Liberty under the Veranzano (sp) Narrow's bridge... and then out to sea...

 

You can see NYC in the distance... but, the exit isn't as scenic as leaving from the 49th St. Piers in Manhattan...

[Laurba99]

I am so jealous of the OP! I would love to go on the Constellation! I went on the Millenium but I'd love to go on a newer version. Has anyone been on both ships recently and is there a big difference?

[mmp13]

we sailed out of NYC 2 years ago and we sailed out of bayonne last year on the constellation. It is soooooomuch easier sailing out of Bayonne!!!!! Besides if I remember correctly it was dark at sail away and the lights on the Bridge and the sky line of new york were beautiful!

[Bob & Sandy]

Thanks for your offer to be the Q & A resource, Funcouple!

We are in CC cabin 9072 doing the Baltic Cruise 3/6/06 to 17/6/06.

 

Regarding your repositioning cruise:

 

1) Any outstanding service people? Names, departments?

2) How was the food, entertainment, etc.?

3) Did you try the specialty restaurant?

4) Anything you didn't care for?

5) What cabin were you in & how was it?

6) Did you ask for anything that wasn't routine - and if so,

how was it handled?

7) Are you going to post a review on the cruisecritic Constellation page?

8) Any 'favourite areas'?

 

 

Thanks!:)

[Shine]

We were also on the re-positioning cruise and absolutely loved it. As Fun Couple stated, there is a huge difference between Celebrity and other lines. One thing that immediately comes to mind is the many different venues to sit, have a drink and listen to some great music. The quartet that plays at the Cova Cafe were wonderful...get there early to get a seat. We would go around 8 before our late seating dinner and there was always a crowd. Also, when your in the warm weather, go to the Seaside Cafe, which is located aft on Deck 10, they have music there some evenings which was very nice. The Rendvou Lounge also had nice music each evening. As far as the T-pool area, good luck getting chairs up there. On the last day we went at 6:00am and got the last 2 chairs....but, most chairs did not have any people on them till hours later, (they were saved with a towel and paperback). All in all, it was one of the best cruises we have been on. Would absolutely go again.

[Funcouple]

Thanks for your offer to be the Q & A resource, Funcouple!

We are in CC cabin 9072 doing the Baltic Cruise 3/6/06 to 17/6/06.

 

Regarding your repositioning cruise:

 

1) Any outstanding service people? Names, departments?

Lyric -- Stateroom Steward -- Deck 2

Milen -- Dining Room Waiter -- Lower Level -- 508 area

Daisy -- Champagne Bar, Pool Deck Bar, Bar at the Edge of the Earth

Sudi -- Martini Bar

 

2) How was the food, entertainment, etc.?

Food: Excellent. Lots of choices. Lots of venues.

Entertainment: Excellent.

 

3) Did you try the specialty restaurant?

Yes. Ocean Liners. $30 p/p. Try it at least once. A once in a lifetime experience. Impeccable service. Unbelievable flavor and display.

 

4) Anything you didn't care for?

Spa heavy sales tactics AFTER you've already paid dearly for a treatment or service. It kind of takes away from the experience.

 

5) What cabin were you in & how was it?

A simple oceanview, deck 2 midship. It was well kept, easy to organize clothes. Lots of hangers. Nice drawers inside the closet. Easy to use in-room safe. Very cozy and comfy bed. Bathroom larger than usual.

 

6) Did you ask for anything that wasn't routine - and if so,

how was it handled?

Yes, needed help with dressing up in Tuxedo (first time). Stateroom Steward gladly arrived and helped.

 

7) Are you going to post a review on the cruisecritic Constellation page?

Yes, eventually.

 

8) Any 'favourite areas'?

On ship:

Aquaspa Cafe. Cova Cafe, Martini Bar, Seaside Deck, Seaside cafe, Sushi Bar, Bar at the edge of the earth.

 

Thanks!:)

[Bob & Sandy]

I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Funcouple! :D Also, thanks to Shine for sharing their experience!

[2ladies]

I would add check out the Casual Dining option - not what it sounds. All food is cooked to order as it is a satellite kitchen. We eat there every night!! Very different atmosphere to large Dining Room.

[Funcouple]

I would add check out the Casual Dining option - not what it sounds. All food is cooked to order as it is a satellite kitchen. We eat there every night!! Very different atmosphere to large Dining Room.

 

This option is one that we did not have a chance to do. We heard that the steaks were exceptional. The atmosphere (we walked by) was very cozy and romantic. They offered this on Deck 10 in the Seaside cafe.

[suzadoll]

Hi Fun couple-we are leaving on the Connie April 7

 

1) Was the first night dining open seating for all, and if so how did that go?

 

2) Anything on the menus should we avoid ordering (for example , I have read stay away from the veal, but I love veal)

 

3) For the late seating folks, were most of the evening shows after dinner( I hope) or were some before?

 

4) Did they have great sorbot/sherbet, like I have read?,

 

5)Did you notice, if you were able to run the jogging path or did people place their deck chairs across it, like I have seen on other cruises

 

6) Any great things to order from room service?

 

7) Any "most do" activites to do on the ship that we should not miss

 

8) What time were you able to dimembark in Bayonne. I have to get my kids to school that day and was wondering the earliest I can get off the ship.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!!!

[CarolRick]

Hi Fun couple-we are leaving on the Connie April 7

 

1) Was the first night dining open seating for all, and if so how did that go?

 

2) Anything on the menus should we avoid ordering (for example , I have read stay away from the veal, but I love veal)

 

3) For the late seating folks, were most of the evening shows after dinner( I hope) or were some before?

 

4) Did they have great sorbot/sherbet, like I have read?,

 

5)Did you notice, if you were able to run the jogging path or did people place their deck chairs across it, like I have seen on other cruises

 

6) Any great things to order from room service?

 

7) Any "most do" activites to do on the ship that we should not miss

 

8) What time were you able to dimembark in Bayonne. I have to get my kids to school that day and was wondering the earliest I can get off the ship.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!!!

 

Suza,

We got off the ship at 9 AM - I think we were in the 1st group. We took a shuttle to Newark airport and checked in by 10:30. Overall very smooth.

From Room Service - we enjoyed the avacodo/tomato quesidillas and the cheese platter.

I tried the veal once and it was very fatty. Worst entree of the cruise for me.

Some of the evening shows were at 7 for the late seating.

have fun...rick

[kstro135]

Off the ship at 9am? What time did you pull in? On our April 7 cruise we are not due to arrive until 9am in Bayonne. I have seen that there are certain trips that get back at 7am. Any info will be appreciated.

[aloanldy]

Room Service - Chocolate Chip cookies!!!

 

Martini Bar - try the Martini Tasting it 9.95 and you get 6 different ones to try.

 

My husband ordered the veal and it was great just like the other meals, may have been just an off night before?

 

Specialty restaurant well worth the $30pp. Do it once.

 

First night is open seating, they give you a card for either Main or Late depending on when you board the ship. It is real smooth.

We were on Constellation 3/4 and we sailed her last year also. We love her.

 

We had cabin 7199. Last year we were 8112 & 8110 CC. I honestly don't believe there is a bad cabin.

 

Patrick is in the Randevouz lounge, he's a hoot. Excellent service.

 

Bring a mask and wear white to the white ball that they have at the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. It's a lot of fun.

 

Charlie

[schneile]

I just returned from the same cruise (Constellation San Juan-Bayonne), so I'd like to weigh in as well! My replies will be in bold.

 

1) Any outstanding service people? Names, departments?

Lyric -- Stateroom Steward -- Deck 2

Milen -- Dining Room Waiter -- Lower Level -- 508 area

Daisy -- Champagne Bar, Pool Deck Bar, Bar at the Edge of the Earth

Sudi -- Martini Bar

 

Narciso -- Stateroom Steward, Deck 3

Antonio -- Assistant Waiter, table 415, lower level

Agree...Sudi (from Bali) was the best bartender on board!

I was also fond of Luke (from Australia), the activities manager and bingo host extraordinaire. Ryan, the assistant maitre'd from South Africa, was also enjoyable.

 

2) How was the food, entertainment, etc.?

Food: Excellent. Lots of choices. Lots of venues.

Entertainment: Excellent.

 

Agree on the food remarks, although one of my dinners was too salty (my mother agreed), and twice my dinner was not served hot enough. This is due to the LONG trip from the galley and a bit of a delay from the time it arrived covered in the bus station to table presentation. Also, desserts were okay, but not great. My favorite dessert was a sample of chocolate mousse served in a paper cup in the Seaside Grill buffet dining room!

 

3) Did you try the specialty restaurant?

Yes. Ocean Liners. $30 p/p. Try it at least once. A once in a lifetime experience. Impeccable service. Unbelievable flavor and display.

 

No, did not try this.

 

4) Anything you didn't care for?

Spa heavy sales tactics AFTER you've already paid dearly for a treatment or service. It kind of takes away from the experience.

 

Yoga class at 45 minutes was WAY too short. Also, the ship really needs to crack down on people who reserve deck chairs and then disappear for hours. This is an extremely annoying and unfair practice that should be stopped immediately.

 

5) What cabin were you in & how was it?

A simple oceanview, deck 2 midship. It was well kept, easy to organize clothes. Lots of hangers. Nice drawers inside the closet. Easy to use in-room safe. Very cozy and comfy bed. Bathroom larger than usual.

 

Same as above, but on deck 3. Plenty of storage. Would have preferred the heat go a little higher on the colder nights of our itinerary, but boy did the water get nice and toasty in the shower. Would have also preferred additional comforters (I found one at the end of the cruise tucked way under the bed out of reach).

 

 

6) Did you ask for anything that wasn't routine - and if so,

how was it handled?

Yes, needed help with dressing up in Tuxedo (first time). Stateroom Steward gladly arrived and helped.

 

The only extra request I really needed was a repair to my blow dryer, which was handled instantly.

 

7) Are you going to post a review on the cruisecritic Constellation page?

Yes, eventually.

 

No, this is my first posting of the sort. I'm not an expert cruiser, but my parents are "Elite" Captain's Club members so they are well aware of what our expectations should have been and whether they had been met.

 

8) Any 'favourite areas'?

On ship:

Aquaspa Cafe. Cova Cafe, Martini Bar, Seaside Deck, Seaside cafe, Sushi Bar, Bar at the edge of the earth.

 

Mine included the Aquaspa Cafe (the spa food alternatives were DIVINE), the sushi bar, the Celebrity Theater (top-notch), and Michael's Club, where Perry Grant is currently holding court nightly on the piano.

 

Thanks!:)

[CarolRick]

Off the ship at 9am? What time did you pull in? On our April 7 cruise we are not due to arrive until 9am in Bayonne. I have seen that there are certain trips that get back at 7am. Any info will be appreciated.

 

The Constellation docked before 7 AM on Sunday, 26 March.

 

..Rick

[Funcouple]

Hi Fun couple-we are leaving on the Connie April 7

 

1) Was the first night dining open seating for all, and if so how did that go?

 

Yes, Open seating for all. It went very well. Really, it's nothing different for the staff or the kitchen. The ONLY difference is that they seat you where they have room (it's well orgainized).

 

 

2) Anything on the menus should we avoid ordering (for example , I have read stay away from the veal, but I love veal)

 

Go for the veal. It's offered more than once in different styles. I loved my veal. Simply put, food is subjective. I never had a bad meal. I made a bad choice once when I selected an item off of the menu that historically was not liking to my taste buds but I thought that I'd give it a go. Well, I've now confirmed that I will no longer order that item anywhere!

 

 

 

3) For the late seating folks, were most of the evening shows after dinner( I hope) or were some before?

 

Everything works out fine. Since you're dining begins at 8:30pm you get to take advantage of pre-dinner entertaining. Get dressed early. Begin at 5:30 and be ready to hit the town at 6:30. This gives you 2 hours to have drinks, listen to music, meet friends, look at pictures, have your pictures taken professionally, etc. We discovered that pre-dinner was one of our favorite times!

 

4) Did they have great sorbot/sherbet, like I have read?,

 

YES

 

5)Did you notice, if you were able to run the jogging path or did people place their deck chairs across it, like I have seen on other cruises

 

It was clear on our cruise. People were generally respectful -- moreso than I've seen on other cruiselines. Keep in mind that you can come across all kinds of people on any cruise, but Celebrity draws a higher level of guests.

 

6) Any great things to order from room service?

 

Chocolate Chip cookies, the Quesadilla (A++++). I would skip the room service burger next time. The meat was good, I did not like the seasoning on the bun.

 

7) Any "most do" activites to do on the ship that we should not miss

 

a. The Martini Bar EARLY in the cruise before it gets busy later in the cruise. Martini's are pricey at $9.50 (the large ones) -- but the atmosphere and entertainment of the bar tender (Sudi) is well worth it. The Martini is not too bad either -- they offer about 25 different types for all tastes. French Martini is much less harsh than a traditional vodka or cosmo. I loved the traditional Grey Goose, dry, olives.

 

b. Aqua Spa Cafe -- Especially lunch. Very casual. Excellent food -- pre plated. Nice simple selections. Deserts are devine. The selections are prepared and offered keeping health in mind.

 

c. Sushi Bar -- Deck 10 aft, 6pm-10pm. We did this pre-dinner almost every night.

 

d. Cova Cafe pre-dinner for live classical quartet. Have a drink too.

 

e. Michaeal's Club after dinner, Piano entertainment by Perry Grant. You must see him at least once. He's a colorful guy. Nice cozy room. Intimate.

 

f. Ocean Liners. Specialty restaurant. This is exceptional. You wouldn't be able to walk out of a NY restaurant offering the same experience and food for less than $150 per person. The cost on the ship is $30 per person including tip. Well worth it. Most people never experience dining like this, ever. Plan on being there for about two hours. This would be a nice night to have a bottle of wine. Wait until you see the service. You will have about 4 people servicing your table. Oh, and the cheese cart experience (part of the meal) is amazing!!!!

 

g. The adult only indoor pool ("T"-pool). Beautiful setting. Amazing pool with special jets of water and massaging areas using water. FREE. Very relaxing.

You can spend a day here without leaving since the Aqua Spa cafe is right there with tables and chairs. Also is the spa locker rooms (mens and ladies separate) with sauna, showers, etc.

 

h. For club dancing the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. Familiar music before 11pm and then hardcore remixed club music late into the wee hours of the morning. This type of lifestyle on a ship enables you to burn both ends of the candle -- there's a lot to do on this ship.

 

8) What time were you able to dimembark in Bayonne. I have to get my kids to school that day and was wondering the earliest I can get off the ship.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!!!

 

Ship docked at 8am. They have 2,000 people to get off of the ship through one little tiny hole in the side of the ship. They stagger guests off in small groups in order to avoid long waiting lines. It's well organized. We didn't get off until 11AM. We woke up at 7:30, out for breakfast at 8:30am and enjoyed until 9:30am, then mingled until our number was called.

 

 

I hope that this helps.

[WatchHill]

Bob & Sandy - We did the Baltic Cruise last August, and you cannot compare it to the repositioning cruise we just took. European cruises, especially those that are port intensive, focus more on the ports than on the ship activities, shopping and beach days. The food, IMO, on the European was much better and the Constellation adjusted it's daily plans to reflect the port schedules. We had guest lecturers - one who had daily talks about the history and culture of each country, a financial expert who was very informative, and Larry Hagman as the celebrity on board.

 

We usually dine in the main dining room at night, but decided to try the Casual option and were not at all pleased. The salad was excellent, but the entrees were cold. Service was very slow - over an hour for the entree to arrive. A group adjacent to us also left in frustation due to poor service. Overall, San Marco dining room food was good to very good, depending on your selection. If you don't like the choices, request a steak, broiled chicken breast, or salmon filet. Breakfast waffles are wondeful.

 

The Martini bar was the most popular spot on the ship. But then, we had Sudi to entertain us each night. On the European cruise, he wasn't there and the Martini Bar was dead. Ocean Liners in a delightful experience and worth the additional charge.

 

Deck chairs and chair hogs are a major problem on many ships. There's something to be said about the "good old days" when you had to pay and reserve a deck chair. Rather than deal with the chair problems, we relaxed on our balcony and enjoyed the hot tub. We were in 6133, and have been in CC's and 2 A's, B's and C's.

 

Darcy

[Shine]

Darcy: we were in Cabin 6130...was Carlton your butler?

[albertiger]

pray tell, what is "a higher level of guest?":confused: im afraid i've opened the "X" snob can....;)

[JO-JO21]

I would add check out the Casual Dining option - not what it sounds. All food is cooked to order as it is a satellite kitchen. We eat there every night!! Very different atmosphere to large Dining Room.

 

Do you need to make a reservation for the casual dining or can you just show up anytime during dinner hours? Do you tip the wait staff there?

[WatchHill]

Shine, our butler was Rodriques who delivered coffee promptly at 7:15 each morning. I felt so bad as he wanted to serve us breakfast each morning in the cabin, but I enjoy grazing through the buffet. 6130 is on the opposite side of the ship - though Menino was on your side.

 

Albertiger - Yikes! I have no idea what a "higher level of guest" could be, other than one's ill-perceived belief that they are above everyone else. Last time I saw that was on the Titanic movie. Seriously, I've been on over 80 cruises ranging from day trips on a deck chair to the Bahamas to Silversea and have never met any higher level guests.

 

Darcy