My wife had to be in Singapore for a conference, so we thought we'd book a cruise since we would be in the neighborhood. After a fabulous first week at the Fulleton Hotel (five well-deserved stars), we boarded the Constellation for a two-week cruise across the South China Sea. We had a great time with few exceptions, which are noted below. We have taken about 20 cruises over the years, divided among Celebrity, Princess, HAL, Windstar, and Royal Caribbean.

Embarkation: fast and easy. As Suite guests, we were ushered into a shorter line on check-in. If you've cruised before, you know the drill - passports, credit card, etc., etc. Luggage was delivered promptly, and we were greeted by our personable and efficient butler, Stojen.

Dining: as Suite guests, we were able to take our regular meals at Luminae, the specialty restaurant reserved exclusively for our cabin class. After having eaten at Luminae for our first meal after we boarded, we so enjoyed the atmosphere and exceptional service that we ate our normal sit-down meals there exclusively. The staff deserves shout-outs: Tony and Chitra were just great, as was Nina - who was unfailingly upbeat and delivered bread with a smile and regularity. Our Maitre 'd, Yasin, was extremely helpful, and unfailingly seated us, even when we showed up last-minute, or even after meal service had officially ended. Although some of the dishes were culinary "near-misses," the service and attention more than compensated. Note that Luminae diners can order off Luminae's own menu, or from the main dining room and/or Blu selections as well, so the meal choices were happily multiplied and we found ourselves often ordering a starter from Luminae and a main from Blu, or vice-versa. As Luminae and Blu share a kitchen, this was not very inconvenient for the wait staff. Be prepared for a lengthy meal, however. When we dined as a group, we often closed the place up at 11:00! If you want to eat quickly, you can stand in line up on deck 10. As we never ate in the main dining room, I cannot offer any comment, other than to say that the lines to get in were usually quite long. We did eat three meals in the specialty restaurants. Two dinners in the Tuscan Grill and one with friends in the private dining room of Ocean Liners. The Tuscan Grill dinners were disappointing - I had to return one of my mains (Swordfish - pre-frozen and over-cooked thus inedible. I suggest that this offering be dropped from the menu). The Rib Eye is the way to go if you're a carnivore. Dining at the Ocean Liners was an experience in formality, with multiple waiters removing the dish covers at the same moment. Fun. And the Dover Sole was quite nice. But we understand that this restaurant is being deprecated in the near future and possibly being replaced by either a Cracker Barrel or an IHOP. Read more