Celebrity Constellation Review
Rating by category
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After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix it was good to relax on board and be wafted to Muscat, Sir Bani Yas island, Dubai and back to Abu Dhabi. And wafting was what "Connie" did - we barely noticed her moving she was so smooth.
Embarcation was a doddle as we'd checked in before leaving UK and printed out everything, including copies of our passports.
The buffets for breakfast and lunch were good as long as you didn't hit "rush hour" when it was tricky finding a seat. We tended to dine early (6-7pm) at San Marco, shared a table with 2 or 3 other couples several times and only had to wait until our table was complete before ordering. The menu choice was good and the service excellent.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony 2B
All the essentials and more than enough storage space. The balcony was just big enough for us both to sit out in the sunshine. The position was great (pretty much middle of the middle) as we oscillated between Deck 5 (San Marco, Al Bacio, Theatre) and Deck 10 (Ocean View, pools, Fitness Centre) when on board.
Port Reviews
Abu Dhabi
No public transport but taxis were cheap and plentiful, especially outside hotels. We'd booked an excursion (via Groupon) on our last day to go into the desert (camel ride, sand boarding, dune bashing, meal etc) which was awesome and a great end to our trip.
Muscat
There were good, frequent shuttles between the boat and the port gate. We booked an independent excursion (Mystical Muscat) and easily linked up with our group at the gate on day 1. The next day we walked along the Corniche back to the Bait Al Zubair Museum which had free wifi in the coffee shop.
Sir Bani Yas Island
Connie was moored offshore so there was a 20min ride in a tender to the beach area where a BBQ lunch was provided and bars manned by ship staff were available. The beach area was full of shells and rocks at the waters edge - beach shoes are advisable. And don't dream of snorkelling - the visibility is inches not metres because of the sand. We enjoyed the mountain bike tour around part of the nature reserve.
Dubai
We like to explore using the local public transport but you still need to take a taxi to exit the port and get to the nearest Metro station. Returning to the boat during rush hour was challenging until we found that taxis can usually be found near supermarkets in malls. We spent a day at Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa (book tickets online ahead), a day on The Palm at the waterpark and aquarium in the Altantis Hotel (Aquaventure) and our final day exploring the Dubai Marina, doing a boat trip around The Palm and winding up watching the skiers at Mall of the Emirates.