Just Back from Constellation

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Ted_D

Guest
We returned home Friday evening from Constellation. The ship is in good shape, with a little aging beginning to show. According to Captain Bouzakis, it will be dry-docked for three weeks later this year for retrofits to the public areas and a change-out of one of the gas turbine engines to normal bunker fuel (a big cost saver for X, apparently).

Menus and food remain unchanged. Entertainment was slightly better than our last cruise. There was some degree of norwalk virus still on board, with lots of clorox wiping going on, no self-service to drinks in the Seaside Cafe, and even a letter from the Captain to all on board. I do not know the extent of the problem, but two folks at our table were among those quarantined.

Weather was fine, and there were no "rough" days at sea.

One huge snafu for some involved the shipboard photographers. Whatever company provided the service on Constellation had their contract expire coincidental with the previous cruise's end in FLL, with a brand new company boarding and beginning their contract on this cruise. The new photograpers were there, but much of their equipment was not. There were no welcome aboard pictures at all, many of the first formal night pictures were lost in the scramble, and no pictures were posted until day six. For some passengers, this was a major irritant.

Crew service is still top notch.

If you have specific questions, let me know.

Ted
 
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valorrun

Guest
Hi Ted,
I am cruising on the Constellation for the first time on April 2nd. I was thus very interested in your posting. When you say the food is unchanged what does that mean? I haven't been on board on these chats very long so I didn't read any previous discussions of the quality of the food. I think I read in an earlier posting that Celebrity does allow you to bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin on board. We are both celebrating birthdays and would like to bring two special bottles. Do you know anything about this on the Constellation.
Also, we are in CC class and I read they have 24 hr in room internet access, do you know if there is a fee for the high speed access? Questions, questions. Thanks for your help or any other frequent floaters out there.

Val
 
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Ted_D

Guest
Val,

Welcome to these boards!

Food on Constellation is plentiful and good. The menus, however, have not changed in about a year, so frequent Celebrity cruisers would recognize the main dining room's fare. In addition to that venue, you also have a casual, buffet alternative, a poolside grill, an evening sushi alternative, the spa cafe "healthy" alternative, 24 hour room service, and an ala carte specialty restaurant to choose from. So, you
definitely will not be hungry or lack for chhoices of menu or style.

You can bring two bottles of wine aboard. Assuming you intend to consume it in the dining room, you will be charged a corkage fee. It changes from time to time, but I believe it may be $15 per bottle now. Someone else who has utilized it recently may chime in.

I can only give you a partial answer about internet access on Constellation. Yes, there is a per minute access charge. If you anticipate using the internet a lot, you can purchase a block of time to help reduce the fee per minute. Whether you can access the internet from your cabin or not depends. There are not PCs in CC cabins, so you could not have access unless you brought a lap top with you. And, cabin access, for the most part, is wireless so you would also have to have a wireless interface card compatible with the ship's system. But, the ship has a very nice internet cafe that is open around the clock. It is equipped with PC's, printers, etc. So, most people end up using the net from there rather than schlepping their gear onto the cruise.

Hope this helps. You are going to like Constellation. She is a great ship.

Ted
 
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valorrun

Guest
Ted, thanks for the welcome and taking the time to give me more information on the Constellation.

We are really looking forward to our cruise and to trying Celebrity for the first time. We have never gone hungry on any cruise, we have primarily been on Princess and HAL, but I had heard that Celebrity was a step above on the culinary ladder. Of course I know things vary from ship to ship. Since we have never experienced their menu it should be a new treat for us.

Will report on my impressions when we return. Thanks again.

Val
 
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BSeabob

Guest
The Corkage fee apparently has gone way up on X. $25/30 bucks or something rediculous like that.
 
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