Just home from Constellation

[espmass]

This was my third time on this ship so no surprises. I was pleased with everything from the food to the service to the veranda cabin I had but I'm very low maintenance. The weather was rough the first day out but nice after that. Way too many senior citizens for my taste but that's probably due to the length of the cruise and leaving from Florida. Sorry, no offense to seniors meant. Someone on this site had asked me to let them know if we passed the Pitons in St Lucia on our way in or out of port and the answer is no.

[squidward]

I also enjoyed the cruise. I'll never go back to 7-days again! There were lots of older people on this cruise. One of my table mates drove a hearse for a living, and I joked that for him this wasn't a cruise, it was lead generation.:D

 

I knew this would be the case since most younger Americans never take off the week before Christmas--their kids are in school and/or they are saving their time off for the holiday week. That makes mid-December cruises more affordable, with few children but lots of retirees.

[jodiebug95]

My husband and I were also on this cruise and had a wonderful time... met alot of great people and made some new friends!!

 

Squidward: My husband enjoyed having drinks with you and Jonathan!! (we are the Dayton couple) I meant to catch up with you and get your email so that next time we are in NYC we could meet for lunch!!

[gregg4]

My wife and I were on this cruise. Very restful. I am 52 she is 45. Yes an older crowd but almost no kids except infants and a dog. We like traveling between Thanksgiving and Christmas because of lack of families. No offense but I'll take the seniors over the kids any day. Relax==cruising its the best vacation to take.

[jaz33]

We were also on this cruise and had a great time. Long jouney back to the UK though.

 

Squidward (Edward) great meeting you both and would have loved to have caught up on the last night. Jonathan, hope you got your Xmas shopping done :) Would love to keep in touch.

 

Next cruise will be from UK I think although some people have tried to talk us into doing the Canada cruise in July.

 

Take care

 

Ian and Tracy

[squidward]

Wasn't it the worst disembarkation ever? As Elite members, we were invited to "relax" in Michael's club and told that we would be escorted when it was time for us to leave the ship. Well, apparently they forgot about us. We were left with no information, until a Celebrity staffer came in to announce that "people are leaving the ship, but there's a long line, you're welcome to stand it in." We stood for about 15 minutes in the line, then were told we had to wait in the theatre until our tag was called. We figured, the heck with it, and just left then and there. The terminal was a madhouse, and getting a taxi was chaotic--no real line, just people flagging down whatever they could find. What a bad end to a wonderful cruise. I wish the line could do something to make the last few moments less taxing.

[espmass]

Yes, the disembarkation was very hectic. As I said, I have been on this ship three times and never experienced this problem before. I was assigned to wait in the theater so I was right next to the gangway (is that the term?). From what I could see and hear, the entire hallway outside the theater was blocked with people in wheelchairs and people who simply pressed foward to try to get out right away. The poor crew member who was assigned to that area was having a very hard time getting people to move and no colors were being called because nobody could get through the crowd.

[ILikeShips]

HI:

 

Thanks for the above info. We are doing the Constellation the end of January, 07. Just a quick question: Have you seen any new bedding or mattresses being installed in the cabins? If memory serves me correctly, I think this was to be scheduled for "the first of the year"? Thanks for any info you might have for us!

[squidward]

I asked a crew member if the ship was scheduled for dry dock soon, and I was told that it WAS scheduled earlier this year, but due to the engine problems with Millennium it was bumped, so no work was done. The public areas were immaculate, though, so they seem to have been either recently updated or at the very least kept very clean.

 

I can tell you that the Celebrity Suite has NOT been refurbished in a long time. It's a great cabin, but the furniture was quite shabby and very uncomfortable.

 

The bed, on the other hand, was wonderful, very comfy. I believe that the put in new beds in the Concierge Class cabins when that was launched a couple of years ago, but I don't know if they've updated any since.

[espmass]

My bed was extremely comfortable, much more so than on my last cruise. Either it was new bedding or I was just so exhausted I didn't notice the bedding.

[jswrpw83]

What was your favorite excursion? Was it cruise or independently booked? Just curious as I believe I have the same route booked on Constellation for 10 days with a Feb. 9 sailing and haven't booked anything yet! :eek:

[espmass]

We rarely take any organized excursions on any of our cruises. However, this time we took the Coastal Cruise to the Pitons in St Lucia which was a very nice relaxing day and well worth the cost. In St Kitts, we grabbed a cab and asked for a tour of the island which was worthwhile. He drove all around the island and showed us all the sights. In St Thomas we just took a cab to Megan's Bay as we have been there many times and love that beach. In Barbados we grabbed a cab and had a wonderful tour of the island. We have been there before but the couple traveling with us hadn't. In St Maarten we took a cab to Orient Beach for the day. Sorry I can't help you more with the ship sponsored excursions.

[squidward]

One must-do is the snorkle with the sea turtles in Barbados. It's a hoot!

 

But my favorite excursion was the mountain bike adventure in St. Kitt's. It was VERY strenuous but a great way to tour the island, which has some of the most spectacular scenary in the Caribbean.

 

We also enjoyed the "interactive" tour and rain forest hike in St Lucia. The guide was terrific, and although there was a little too much time in the van and not enough time hiking, it was very informative and second only to St Kitts in terms of beauty.

[Igggy]

I thought the Constellation is a truly magnificent ship. Impeccably maintained and staffed. Our butler (Judas) anticipated our every need, and we will miss him. The itinerary (5 islands in 5 days) gave us the broadest possible look at the life and the cultures of the Caribbean and its people. From riding our ATV's through the rain forests of St. Kitts, to swimming with the sea turtles in Barbados, it was just the best possible experience.

[RICCruisers]

We also just returned from the Constellation and the only 2 diappoinments were the removal of the party band Axis which replaced by a very poor band called Nfusion. The second disappoinment was the leaving the ship. Due to the number of ships in port, we were late getting started and when the 1st announcement went out everyone tried to leave at the same time and no one was there to check for the tags issued the day before.

 

All in all a great cruise and I agree that St Kitts was the highlight.

[caviargal]

I knew this would be the case since most younger Americans never take off the week before Christmas--their kids are in school and/or they are saving their time off for the holiday week. That makes mid-December cruises more affordable, with few children but lots of retirees.

 

While that used to be true, it is no more. There were a ton of infants and kids on my 12-10 cruise, much to our dismay. It appears that parents simply pull their kids out of school whenever these days in order to take advantage of competitive fares.

 

I would have been thrilled with a ship full of seniors, instead of what we experienced.

[espmass]

I thought Nfusion was all right but much prefer Axis.

[amanda blake]

nfusion was terrible but we sailed the week before and missed the hoard of kids....families used to go camping...now cruising is the new camping and the ship is used as one big tent .....

 

those of us who do not want to be a part of the craziness have to get really good on second guessing which weeks of the year are important school weeks..seem to be fewer and fewer of them as parents are pulling kids out at any time ..or maybe it is all the home schooling that seems to have made the difference in kids travelling in traditional school times...

 

anyway it was a great cruise...next year we are aiming for dec 7 ...and hoping it will not be family camp time....

[jaz33]

I can't say that we had a problem with getting off the ship. We booked an Everglades tour and was escorted off at around 9am. The tour was great and we got to the airport just in time for the desk to open. It was another 24 hours before I got home though. :(

 

No matter where you go and what time of year you will always find kids on holiday. It's a fact of life and we either live with it or go on specialist "Adult Only" holidays. There is always a choice. I personally don't have a problem with kids. I used to be one a long time ago!!!!:p

 

Ian

[C 2 C]

We also just returned from the Constellation and the only 2 diappoinments were the removal of the party band Axis which replaced by a very poor band called Nfusion.

 

It's amazing how a great party band can influence our rating of a cruise. In Century we were blessed with Intenz6 and in Mercury last week Headliners.. both fantastic for evening dancing...and poolside listening. I now find bands more important than food for a great cruising experience.