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After sailing twice with Celebrity (our only experience) aboard Solstice-class ships, we weren't sure what to expect aboard the Constellation. Our prior sailings were 7-Night Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises, but in order to make things work with our schedule (and since we booked less than a month in advance), we settled on this 5-Night Western Caribbean itinerary.
After reading several reviews indicating how shabby the ship supposedly looked, and how poor some experiences with food were, I wasn't sure what to expect.
What we experienced, on the other hand, was exactly what we had grown accustomed to on our previous two cruises with Celebrity: Top notch service, delightful cuisine, and a welcome retreat from the daily grind.
From our cabin steward to our waiter, everyone was on top of their game. We splurged for a Concierge Class veranda stateroom since it wasn't much more than a standard veranda stateroom, and found the little things to be quite nice. The daily canapes, the fresh flowers, and so forth were nice touches that we hadn't had on our previous journeys. Would I pay more for these perks in the future? If the price was right, perhaps.
The Constellation is a beautiful ship, and has been well taken care of. Those that complained of it looking a bit "worn" obviously expect a ship that has never seen passengers. I didn't find anything glaring in this regard. As for the cuisine, each night's dinner was splendid. Even the buffet meals and room service were up-to-par, and consistent with our experiences on both the Solstice and Eclipse.
We tried Ocean Liners on our first night at sea (also the formal night) and found it to be absolutely delightful. My wife enjoyed every course, and I enjoyed a lobster dish that was prepared at tableside- it had bacon, shallots, and other ingredients that made it absolutely delectable. Quite possibly the best lobster preparation I've ever had!
As for duration of cruise, we were concerned that five nights would be noticeably shorter than the previous seven night sailings we had experienced. Quite the contrary, we found it to be just the right length of time to recharge the batteries and not feel rushed to leave just as soon as we had boarded.
If you're considering a cruise on the Constellation and were concerned with some of the other reviews, I'd highly recommend you take the chance. We did, and didn't regret it.
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