If I have my facts straight, our newly promoted Ship's Master, Captain Tasos Kafetzis is but 38 years of age. A "dashing" bachelor and lover of fast cars, powerful motorcycles and even more powerful cruise ships proved to be the hit of the voyage for many if not most of the women and quite a few of the men. Captain Tasos is fond of "donut" maneuvers in tight spaces and handles them superbly. He is also, seemingly, one of us and, perhaps, even one of the crew, seemingly much loved by them even as he has just taken over this vessel. I saw him in port, poolside, in the Oceanview Café. He seemed to be having as much fun as we did. But, don't let his youth fool you; we transited near hurricane force winds one night (65 knots) and I felt barely a shudder. The ship and the captain are to be commended.

As for Constellation, she is neat and tidy and clean and there was no hint of the Noro Virus that reportedly plagued her on an earlier Mediterranean voyage. The virus, of course, is the fault of the passengers more than the crew or ship. Hand sanitizer was offered everywhere.

I heartily recommend breakfast and evening cocktails at the Sunset Bar on Deck 10. Mario, a server who quickly learned my preferences and name, is an excellent server. After he told me of the $20 bottles of 2012 Anakena Chilean cabernet that they were selling--the also had $20 bottles of sauvignon blanc--I got hooked. That wine sells for $8 or so in liquor stores in the U.S. and is very good for the price. To find it here for $20 blew me away. Drink up. For an extra treat, stroll inside the adjacent Oceanview Café and make yourself a cheese plate accompanied by bread sticks or garlic bread and take it out on the deck with you. Seats fill up on both the starboard (non-smoking) side and port (smoking) side quickly but they turn over reasonably often. Don't hesitate to ask to share a table; there are a lot of friendships to be made out there. Read more