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This cruise was planned within one month of it's departure date. The purpose was to accompany my mother on her first trip to Europe, with minimal cost and maximum effect. We chose the Celebrity Constellation and this itinerary because I like Celebrity's Millennium class ships, the trip could be accomplished in eight days, we were both Captain's Club Elite members and the time of year made for cooler weather. Late in the planning my brother also decided to join us.
We upgraded to Concierge Class cabin 7203, which faces off the stern of the ship. This is an exceptional cabin due to its large balcony, which is approximately the same length as the cabin itself. Unfortunately, due to a combination of cool, sometimes wet weather, and our long days in port, we rarely took advantage of the balcony. This would be a great cabin on a Caribbean cruise or a long cruise with several sea days. By the way, our cabin steward was excellent.
The ship is in very good condition. However, its design feels a bit dated after being on the Celebrity Solstice earlier this year. This is not a knock against the Constellation, just a reflection that the Solstice public rooms are so well designed. The one area where the Constellation is better than the Solstice is the Thalassotherapy pool, which is heated on the Millennium class ships.
We chose Celebrity Select dining and ate every night between 7-7:15pm, the only exception being the day in Rome after which we were just too tired to dress up and went upstairs to the buffet. The buffet food appeared to be the same served every night. However, the addition of the sandwich and pizza bars probably made it a reasonable place to eat more than one night. In general, the food on the ship was very good regardless of where we ate. Celebrity Select dining is a great option if you want some flexibility.
Entertainment was OK, with Carl Andrews (magician) and Lindsay Hamilton (singer) being the highlights. Getting a seat was not a problem if you arrived before show time.
We really liked the way that every crew member said hello to us whenever we passed them in the hall. They have a tough life but Celebrity must have a program in place to encourage this personal touch.
If you read my port reviews, you'll see that we did the "trains, planes and automobiles" mode of touring, mostly venturing out on our own. I've also included prices for our transportation and entry fees in the reviews.
Overall, a great but exhausting trip.
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