5th cruise (and 1st Mediterranean cruise)...
Celebrity Constellation Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 133
9 Night Adriatic & Italy (Venice To Rome)
Sail date: August 30, 2018
Ship: Celebrity Constellation
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8185
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 3 years ago
Review summary
Over two years late writing this review...but I decided to write it now just to revisit fond memories of cruises past and to keep the dream of cruising alive for when this pandemic is in the rearview mirror. I still have a couple of more cruises to write reviews for, so if you enjoy reading this one, leave an encouraging comment and I might get around to writing those too. Arrivederci !!!Embarkation
Embarkation in Venice was interesting - in a good way. We flew into Venice three days early as it was our first time there and we wanted to explore the city pre-cruise. We stayed at the Hotel Rialto (pretty much mid city) and decided to walk our luggage over to the piers along side St. Marks square to catch the boat over to the cruise terminal. That was interesting...walking our luggage across Venice (but we were not the only folks doing that). Other than that adventure, getting on board was pretty smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The Constellation is an older ship, but that really did not affect our dining experiences very much. It was what we have come to expect from Celebrity...pretty darned yummy!
Onboard Activities
We did not partake in the onboard activities to be honest. Our travel agent wisely advised us that a Mediterranean cruise is not like a Caribbean cruise. There is just so much to see and do in every port of call. Frankly, our days were so jam packed, that by the time we got back to the ship, we were pretty much done-in. But I gave it 4 stars just from previous experience on Celebrity Cruises.
Entertainment
See "Onboard activities"...pretty much the same rationale applies to the entertainment...
Children's Programs
Being DINKS (dual income, no kids), this is a NA for us.
Service and Staff
Gotta say, Celebrity does not let us down here! Our room attendant Berlin, was absolutely spectacular in every way. Hope to meet her again on a future cruise!
Ship Quality
Again, she is an older ship, but we knew that when we booked the trip, so we were not disappointed. Actually, we were kind of pleasantly surprised (maybe due to having middling expectations). But the Connie is still a nice ship and we enjoyed being on board very much. We are always impressed with Celebrity when in comes to cleanliness. We would sail the Connie again, and actually have a 2nd Mediterranean cruise booked on her for the Fall of 2021 (assuming we get needles in our arms by then and that the world is returning to some semblance of normal). Come on, Vaccines!!! One funny thing...I had just managed to pull all the dandelions out of my lawn before we left for the cruise...and what do I find on the ship??? Yep, more dandelions!!! (if you sailed the Connie, you might get a chuckle out of this)
Cabin / Stateroom
We were lucky here. The cabin was nice, but a bit of a walk to get places on the ship. We booked concierge class for the few extra perks and were blessed to get an aft cabin at the stern - one of those with the EXTRA deep balconies. That was GREAT! We did not experience any soot from the stacks that some warn of. I thought the cabins on the Solstice class were nicer, but my wife thought the cabins on the Constellation were as good and maybe better in her opinion. Can not wait to see the Connie once she has been redone under the Celebrity Revolution program.
Ship tip
Get one of those stern cabins and enjoy that huge balcony if you can. And temper your expectations...even after being Revolutionized, it will still be an older ship. But the crew and service are top notch and more than make up for a dab of rust here and there. Also, come-on! You are on a cruise! Spend your time enjoying it. To borrow a line from Monty Python, "...always look on the bright side of life..."
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Absolutely beautiful...crowded with tourists (surprise, surprise). Explore it! Enjoy it! Can not wait to go back there again!
Very nice indeed. We just walked about the city for a few hours...got the obligatory refrigerator magnet souvenir.
Wow! We did the full walk on the walls around the old city. It was hot, and be warned: there is very little shade on top of a wall! Bring water, and lots! By the the time we got half way round, I was convinced I would be reduced to nothing more than two Sketchers full of sweat by the end. Whew! We also did the cable car to the top of the nearby peak and had a very yummy sandwich and fries at the restaurant at the top...what a million dollar view! Got another magnet and also scored a ball cap and t-shirt...
I slept in a little so I missed the scenic sail in. But when my wife roused me and I stepped outside, my first word was "WOW"! What a panoramic view.., pretty much surrounded by mountains and hills on all sides of the bay. We did a motor coach tour of the surrounding towns, etc., and then spent the rest of the time in port walking around, looking for that ever elusive perfect fridge magnet!
Overnighted here. Worth the time...beautiful place. Strolled the city, toured Fort Elmo (a must for me as a military buff), motor coached the island, had a beer at a nice spot with some folks from back home who happenstanced to be on the same cruise as we were. Also did the evening harbour cruise with a local boat tour. That was NICE!!! Another magnet and ball cap --- woohoo!!!
Took a tour via motor coach to the Roman Amphitheatre at Catania. The ride was very scenic (but the best ride was yet to come at the next port)! Nice pics, ate some some cannoli, got some mafia styled souvenir t-shirts for the niece and nephew (hey, they made me an offer I could not refuse!) Again, a wonderful stopover with memories to last a lifetime.
We booked an eight hour motor coach tour of the Amalfi Coast. Words cannot describe this...at least not my words. If you have done this drive, you know what I am talking about. If you have not, you must. Anyway, let me try a few phrases to describe it: I usually hog the window seat, but about 10 minutes into the *interesting* part of the ride, I wussed out and switched seats with my wife. How did then build this road?!?! How does the driver get us around these curves??? Why do I keep pumping a phantom brake pedal (as if it will do any good)??? Hearing a bus driver swear in Italian at a police office is kinda fun! This ride is breathtaking....literally... Why am I leaning in my seat? If we go thru that flimsy stone guard rail into oblivion, I swear the last thing my wife will hear me scream is "Limoncello!!!" Seriously, this is one scenic ride I will not forget...and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We stopped in a few places including Sorrento (had lunch and my wife bought a nice necklace) and Amalfi itself. Truly a must do bucket list item for Italy.
First time here as well so we spent three nights in a nice hotel and toured the usual city spots via a three day hop-on, hop-off pass. Travel agent hint: just ride the HoHo a couple of loops first to get oriented and site-see and THEN start visiting the sites. We did the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and a Skip-the-Line tour of the Vatican among other things during our three days and nights in Rome. Not sure if we "...did as the Romans do...", but I am pretty sure we did what Newfoundlanders in Rome do ;^)
Disembarkation
Disembarkation at Civitavecchia was smooth and we found our private transportation to Rome without any trouble. It was my first time travelling at 160 km/h in a black Mercedes van. Made it to Rome pretty darned quick!!! I could clearly see the speedometer from my seat, but wisely decided not to enlighten my wife about our velocity till we tipped the driver and were inside the hotel lobby. I must admit, that Autostrada is a pretty smooth piece of asphalt!