Quickie cruises of three, four or even five days are fun little getaways but more often than not seem to be taken aboard lesser quality ships with rowdy "party-hardy" ship mates. But now and then, one finds, as we did twice within a year, a wonderful vessel and crew who make the experience a memorable gem that rivals any longer trip on bigger or newer ships. A recent four-day excursion from Port Everglades to the ports of Nassau, Bahamas and Key West, FL aboard the Celebrity Constellation was one such bit of truly serendipitous cruising.

While at age 12, the Constellation might be considered by some as an "older" gal, she was upgraded and refitted some years ago and, with a passenger capacity of just under 2,100, proved to be one of those charmingly intimate and comfortable ships which hardly needed huge central atriums and other such frou-frou to highlight her lovely qualities.

In short, this cruise was as close to perfect as it gets and the very only, very tiny complaint we could muster was a wish that our cabin pillows included one that was somewhat firmer. Aside from that, the service, food and ambiance were nothing short of remarkably outstanding. The production show in the ship's theatre was of equally high caliber and set on a Broadway-worthy stage. It was totally unexpected to find this level of showmanship and techno savvy aboard a ship - particularly one of this size. And as an entertainment writer for my local newspaper, I was quite captivated and incredulous by it all. The Constellation and her crew are worthy of much higher "billing" than a four-day jaunt to the Bahamas and Florida Keys, but we were simply delighted to have experienced such a wonderful cruise experience.