This was our fifth Celebrity cruise. We had previously sailed on the Summit, Mercury, Equinox and Eclipse. The Constellation is a duplicate in design of the Summit. We were curious how we would like the Constellation after sailing on the two much larger and more modern ships of Celebrity. We enjoyed the size and layout as much as we did several years ago on the Summit. In fact, we prefer the layout of the Millennium class ships. (Are you reading this Celebrity?)
The cruise was of particular value for my wife as the itinerary provided an opportunity to connect up with her Finnish heritage- more on this later. We purchased an all inclusive package from our travel agency, Yankee Trails, in Renssalaer, New York. Our transfer to Newark airport, transfers to and from the Amsterdam airport, and transfer from JFK to our car were executed flawlessly and with class. All of the transfers were by private car or limo with the exception of the ship to airport transfer which was via motor coach. Air arrangements on Delta and KLM and a pre-cruise night at the Movenpick were included in our package.
The Movenpick is a most convenient hotel for pre and post cruise activities. The hotel is located within a 100 yards of the cruise terminal and is sited along the pier's waterway. Most rooms have wonderful views of the port and its constant motion of ship movements. We arrived at the hotel at 8:30 am after a flawless flight and transfer from the airport. We checked out luggage at the hotel and took the tram to the central station. The central station is the first stop after the hotel. You can, and we did, walk the distance at times. However, you can purchase unlimited use of the tramway from $7.50 per day. If you take two roundtrips on the tram, you will save money. The tram system is extensive but the tourist section is still a walking intensive adventure. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. We returned to the hotel at 1 pm and the hotel was able to accommodate an early check-in. We returned to city centre after some down time and finished the evening with a dinner canal tour.
One deck above the lifeboats with unobstructed views. Close to the forward elevator but hear no noise!