My wife and I (around 40) sailed on the Celebrity Constellation on March 6 for a 10 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. We had been regulars on Holland America Line (HAL), but decided to try Celebrity since we had heard it was perhaps a cut above HAL. Overall, we found that cruising with Celebrity was good, but found we preferred HAL after all. Some things Celebrity did exceedingly well, and other things they did not do well at all.

The Service. The service in the San Marcos Dining Room was very good. We appreciated our waiter and assistant very much. The person in charge was especially helpful making sure to take care of our special dietary needs (gluten-free). Everything was very professional. We did notice, however, that many of the crew seemed new and we often observed them crashing into one another and not getting along with each other. The service in the Seaside buffet was not very good. Some were responsive to our dietary needs, but others didn't seem to care.

The Food. The food in the main dining rooms was superb. The appetizers and soups were very tasty and many entrees were exceptional. On other cruises we usually didn't care for some of the dishes, but it was very rare that we did not like a dish here. The food in the dining room contrasted with the food in the buffet, which was often cold and not as tasty. The Aqua Spa Cafe located near the pool, however, was exceptional. This offered a light and healthy alternative to the buffet, and even though it was serve-yourself, the plates were already made and presented like we saw in the dining room. We found the servers very friendly and they seemed to take pride in their food preparation. Read more