This was my third cruise with Celebrity but my first on the Constellation, my first cruise availing myself of the relatively new Aqua Class service, and my first cruise in Europe. The cruise for me got off to a rather rocky start because my luggage was delivered late--after dinner--so I had to dine in clothes that I'd been wearing all day. However, I was quickly distracted by the delicious meal in Blu, the dining room dedicated to Aqua Class passengers. The food was wonderful, presentation lovely, and the staff extremely attentive. That level of service never waivered, and we looked forward to meals there each day.

The next glitch was the disembarkment at our first stop in Germany. Because of a low tide situation, the port for disembarkment had to be changed last minute and our arrival was delayed by about an hour. For those of us who were scheduled for tours of Berlin, a three hour ride away, the hour delay was disappointing, as it meant that the time spent in Berlin would be cut short. In addition, those who had not booked excursions with Celebrity, were detained even longer to allow for the Celebrity excursion folks to leave first. Needless to say, many, many passengers were distressed by the situation, and it was handled rather badly by the staff. Hopefully, the crew will learn from this mistake and not repeat it again, should the same situation arise.

Otherwise, the trip was perfect! The weather was abnormally warm and sunny in all ports, the staff was pleasant and seemed to work hard to ensure that the passengers were well taken care of. The food was good and plentiful; however, the drinks seemed to be a bit more expensive that I had remembered. The theatre entertainment was mediocre and certainly not at the level that I remembered from past cruises. The lounge acts, however, were quite good, and special kudos to the jazz quartet, Fade to Blue that was particularly good. The Motown Review, near the end of the cruise, in Reflections was also really good. However, the staff talent show on the last day was a blast, and the captain's performance with his crew in Greek dance was quite entertaining. He is a real asset to the ship--witty, smart, personable, and was always mixing and mingling with passengers on a regular basis. He is also very young, easy on the eyes and appears to be respected and beloved by his staff. Read more