Celebrity Cruises, Constellation

ive been on princess cruises , ncl and celebrity and celebrity have been the best by far. we went in a group of 11 from the ages of 9 - 65 and we all had the time of are lives and it entertained for all of us and the food was just out of this world and all i can say about the ship is wow it is the most stunning thing ive seen and all my kids made such good friends and cried when they left because they had that much fun and all they said was ven though they only knew them for two weeks they said they were true friends and were bugging me when they could go on the next one and i didnt mind because it was so relaxing i would live on there if i could and if i had the money i give the celebrity consterlation ship full marks and strongly recomend it to anyone.

We booked on Celebrity Mercury because it sailed out of Baltimore, MD. We live outside Washington, DC so no airline hassles. We thought Celebrity was more upscale but it was pretty ordinary. They would not change us to early dinner seating although my husband has Parkinson's disease. His doctor sent them an email and they called me and said it had been changed. When we got on the ship they claimed they were never told about the change and refused to take any action to verify it. The food was plentiful but cheap: no mango, papaya, kiwi, grapes, etc. No fat shrimp or baby back ribs. Cheap American and Swiss cheese but no brie, Jarlsberg or gouda. The meat was Grade A, not Choice. The ship was kept spotlessly clean but it is tired and sad looking. They held "sidewalk sales" outside the shops which was tacky. The worst thing was they way they treated smokers. We booked a suite with a balcony and were not told until we boarded that we could not smoke on it! Smokers were forced to go outside to two areas on Deck 11 with no protection from the wind and weather. We had a lot of cold windy weather this trip and it was horrible. Even non-smokers said it was unfair. They claim to have a dress code but passengers on this trip wore jeans, sneakers, sweatshirts and tee shirts everywhere. I will never go on Celebrity again as they lied to me about their smoking policy and they serve cheap food.

Just got back from a Baltic cruise on 27th June.

In general the experience was good compared to others but what I really hate is the 15% service charge on all drinks. I would normally buy some expesive wine and champagne to treat myself on holiday but did not do so because I resent this charge on top of already over the top prices.

The cost of photos is also far too high and it was interesting to see the large quantity of unclaimed photos on the final day - come on guys - you would see a lot more and make people much happier if you charged a fair price.

Tips.............dont get me started! Even the entertainments director seemed to be embarressed about the subject in his final talk. People dont want to budget for approx $450-$600 for a two week cruise - we want it included in the price. Gratuities should be included in the price when booked.

Also the internet charges at $0.65 per minute on a very slow system is far too high. In 2009 I expect internet charges to be free or provided at a much lower cost to reflect modern technology.

On the whole though I did like the Celebrity Cruise product and if they sorted the above issues I would not go with anybody else in future.

The entertainment was generally good except the comedians who might work well in working mens clubs but not quite good enough for a premium cruise line. The Jaz band ( Les De Merle) was the best act on the ship - absolutlely first class.

Just back from the Celebrity Baltic cruise June 2009,I liked this ships decor our cabin was great , main gripe was the 15% extra on the drinks ,food was not as good as on P& O Arcadia, and also was sometimes cold,also worth mentioning you do not get supplied with a jug kettle for tea,, only a water jug .

Pauline

Just got back from a Baltic sea cruise on Constellation. We loved the ports but were disappointed in Celebrity and unless the price is dirt cheap we will never cruise them again.

The food is as good as it can get on the Constellation Celebrity Cruises when you have to cook for 3000 people! I liked this cruise and I have already booked a cruise for next year!

The promise made in the brochure as regards onboard activities was not delivered so the days at sea became very monotonous.

Poor value for money and a similar delivery on the enjoyment level.

Do well to steer clear for what is promised to be a cruise to remember.

Would never choose Celebrity again, just does not compare with either Princess or Holland America (the best).

Service at best spasmodic, at worst non existent.

Paid in advance for transfer from Miami airport to pre-cruise hotel but no representative at airport and no reply from given contact number for transport. Gave up waiting after 2 hours and paid 95 dollars for a taxi. Thanks celebrity, just what we wanted after a transatlantic flight.

Our first cruise and a bench mark for all others we may take in the future. We have booked our second cruise with Celebrity. All entertainment was varied and to our taste. It is interesting to equate the daily all up expenditure of the cruise to full board in any 5* hotel to realise the excellent value.

I think you no longer get what you pay for with celebrity, all was nickel and dimmed. The cutbacks were very obvious.