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Celebrity Cruises “GTS (Gas Turbine Ship) Constellation"
is knock dead beautiful. There is art work in every nook
and corner and the designers used very tasteful fabrics
and woods to compliment the interior of the vessel. The
Constellation is the newest of the Celebrity vessels at
91,000 gross tons for 1950 passengers and 1000 crew.
During our cruise there were over 500 children and young
adults…Easter Week. We were told the actual count on
board was over 2300 passengers. The staff was really
working overtime and evidently the last three cruise were
also full with many families and children.
Our itinerary took us deep into the Caribbean which you
only do by starting in a Southern Caribbean port such as
San Juan. We arrived at the San Juan Airport about 10:45
AM and were not quite sure if we could go directly to the
ship or needed to hang out for a few hours before
embarkation was set to begin at Noon. We decided to go to
the ship and this was the right decision. Upon arriving
at the terminal, our luggage was quickly checked and we
proceeded inside the terminal where we were seated. At
about 11:45 AM they passed out a sheet saying what
facilities were available to us on board for early
boarding and they began the embarkation process.
Literally by 12 Noon were on the ship and ready to begin
our cruise. At 12:30PM an announcement was made that the
staterooms were now ready for occupancy. This was the
easiest embarkation I have ever experienced. It was
fantastic and a great way to begin our week on the
Constellation.
The ship did not actually sail until about Midnight so we
had all afternoon and evening to explore the ship and get
our bearings and plans together for the week. Although
this was our first time on board of a GTS Celebrity ship
we had both been to all of the ports of call on this trip,
but were anxious to revisit most as well as experience
Celebrity’s new generation ship..
The Constellation has every possible amenity and
facility. Celebrity Cruises and Cirque Du Soleil have
recently formed an alliance with Cirque redecorating the
former discothèque into the Bar at the Edge of the Earth.
There are fabric covered columns, drapes, see thru
screens, lights and speakers in every corner of the room.
It really comes alive after dark. On the first night of
the cruise, there is a White Mask Party in the Bar at the
Edge of the Earth. You must wear a mask to be granted
entry into this event. Your mask could be decorated
eyeglasses, your snorkel or something creative…or you can
purchase an official Cirque mask in the Cirque gift shop
on board. The event introduces the five Cirque characters
who will entertain each evening and also features a world
class juggler, whom you only see at this opening event.
On the other evenings the Cirque show is only the five
characters who wander through the audience and although
the lights, the costumes and the sounds are world class,
the show itself is like watching paint dry except more
painful. As I understand it, Cirque at Sea is work in
progress. I can only see it improving as time passes.
The idea isgreat, but the events need to be made more
athletic and less boring.
The other bars and lounges are fantastic and it seemed
there was a different type of music everywhere. The “deck
band” was great with a trumpet player and a great falsetto
lead singer whom you thought was a female. This band
really rocked. There was a swing big band group, a
harpist, a “lounge lizard” in Michaels Club who had quite
a following and the usual shows with dancers and singers
and the ever present ventriloquist you find on most cruise
ships. Overall, the entertainment was very good. When
they get the right
Cirque show, it would be truly excellent.
Celebrity really touts its food as a strong point with
Michelin Chef Michel Roux providing the culinary
expertise. In my opinion…and many others we spoke to
during the week, the food was very disappointing and
ordinary for a premium market cruise ship. There was
nothing special about the menus, the presentation or the
taste of the food. We tried all the restaurants including
the Ocean Liners VIP dining experience and were
disappointed each time. There was nothing wrong with the
food, but there was just nothing special either. Service
was also average…again nothing wrong, but nothing
special. The only exceptions to this were the cabin
stewards and the bar staff. The dining room wait staff
were friendly and efficient, but not well trained. The
Casual Boulevard alternative restaurant seemed to be a
training ground for dining room staff. They tried hard,
but needed constant supervision from the dining room
manager.
I will say the staff was really taxed this week as there
were over 500 young people on board. Being Easter week,
there were many family and extended family groups on
board. The bartenders were going nuts over the kids with
the beverage package bands and the dining room staff had
to work overtime, just to handle the numbers. We were
told the previous 2 weeks also had many family ands spring
break groups of 300 to 400 children. I am sure the staff
is glad to have the passenger mix back to normal.
Overall the ship is beautiful, efficient and fun. I would
not classify the vessel as a premium product as Celebrity
advertises, but a good competitor for its parent company
Royal Caribbean or Carnival, Princess and Costa. Holland
America Line is the only premium class large ship company
which in my opinion stands out as different.
Sailing Date: March 26-April 2, 2005
Itinerary: San Juan-Casa de Campo-At
Sea-Barbados-Grenada-Antigua-St. Thomas -San Juan
Quick view of ships specs.
Built: 2002
Registered: Bahamas
Tonnage: 91000
Crew: 999
Passengers: 1950
(double occupancy)
Balcony Suites: 50
Ocean View (no balcony): 227
Ocean View (balcony): 486
Insides: 206
Public Rooms:
Lounges & Bars: 5
Library: 1
Wedding Chapel: 1
Conference center: 1
Internet Center: 1
Show Lounge (cap. 870) 1
Casino: 1
Disco: 1
Movie Theatre: 1
Card Room: 1
Facilities:
Outdoor Pools: 2
Enclosed Pool: 1
Full Service Spa: 1
Sauna: 1
Steam Room: 1
Whirlpool: 6
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