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Mo and Sue cruising on the Celebrity Constellation

We arrived in San Diego early Sunday morning, with clear cool skies and fresh air. Even though our ship docked at 7am, we didn’t disembark until after 10 am. Once more the heightened terror alerts seemed to slow the process way down, at least that was the excuse given. With a plane to catch before noon we were both getting a bit stressed, but we didn’t realize that the airport was just a few blocks from the dock. Everything went smoothly and we made our flight in time. It helped that our flight was delayed a bit.

Thinking back on the cruise, we decided that we liked many things about Celebrity. Little things matter, and the service throughout the entire cruise was impeccable. We especially appreciated the little things like fresh water and ice in our room every single morning and evening and not having to buy bottled water. The fancy folded towels were missing, but water meant a lot more than towel animals on the bed at night! We were also provided with comfy terry robes which were replaced each time we used them.

Our cabin was very spacious and comfortable, the beds were great and the bathrooms were especially roomy.

The food was fantastic. This was my fifth cruise and it was the first one that met the ideal of what I imagined ‘”cruise food” to be. The Grand Buffet’s twice at brunch was a great idea. The Seaside Cafe salads were always amazingly fresh and tasty. The food in the dining room at dinner was always very good and the service was wonderful all the time. Ice cream was free, but it certainly wasn’t Ben and Jerry quality.

The ship was small, but still felt roomy, and there were lots of places to hang out that didn’t feel crowded. Sometimes it seemed as though there really wasn’t enough entertainment, with the two mid ship bars often closed and dark. We used them anyway to play cards, but it would have been nice to have some afternoon music and light in them.

The production shows were fabulous, top quality shows, with excellent talent. Perry Grant in the piano bar was funny and entertaining, but it would have been nice to have more entertainment overall. It was a quiet ship with an older clientele. I think we saw less than 10 children on the ship, maybe less than 5, and only one baby.

The lectures were informational and entertaining. They had a scrapbooking class but it seemed expensive. They also had language lessons, but the timing was often wrong for trying to get in on the lectures. What I would wish for on a ship would be art classes, watercolor painting, pastels, or something like that. I would also love some cooking classes, and would like for things to be scheduled at different times so you could actually enjoy everything.

We loved the fact that the ship had excellent elevators with clear signs and maps in good locations showing exactly where you were on the ship and how to get where you were going. Getting around was very easy, without having to wonder whether we were fore or aft, port or starboard.

Overall, it was a good cruise and a lovely ship. However, I still find myself looking forward to going again on one of the really big ships like the Oasis of the Seas. It’s funny, when it all comes down to it, some things are good, some not so good, and most cruise lines I have been on have something to enjoy. I think maybe Princess might be my favorite for the time being.

Actually, what I discovered on this trip is that what I love most about cruising, is, well, actually, cruising. Being on a top deck watching the seas and the skies and feeling that huge ship moving beneath me is an incredible rush, and in the entire 7 days I never tired of it. Lots of good things about a cruise, but that movement on the sea is the best part.

The daily posts listed below have some photos in them, but here is the link to all the photos from the cruise.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kyotesue/EasternCaribbean09#

Our last day of the cruise was spent at sea, with time to relax in deck chairs, and enjoy the lovely gentle seas. Time to think a bit.

Mo has been on 5 cruises, and this was my 4th. Two previous trips were with Royal Caribbean and one 4 day cruise with Holland America. It is sometimes difficult to compare something like a cruise, and I think every experience is individual. For what it is worth, in most ways we were impressed with Princess. The cabin was excellent, and our steward did a great job. We knew there wouldn’t be cute little animals, but chocolates and a turned down bed were fine, and if I had to choose, I would pick the huge closet over fancy towel animals.

The Anytime Dining option has some glitches, but still is a great way to go if you aren’t traveling with a big group of people that you know. The food on Princess was fine and the service was excellent in our experience, but there wasn’t quite the fabulous fancy thing that you expect on a cruise. We didn’t opt for any of the extra charge restaurants, but that shouldn’t be the only way to get great food on a cruise. Talking with a friend about this, we think it may not just be the difference between cruise lines, but an overall difference in cruise food in general.

The spa was wonderful, and my experience on this ship better than others. There are 4 pools, lots of places to hang out, and not very many children or young adult people on this trip. It was pretty quiet, actually, not a party ship at all. It seemed very classy, and mature, unlike the rock climbing wave riding midnight party glitz of the Royal Caribbean. I would still like to someday experience one of those big ships like the Independence of the Seas, but in all, Princess compared very favorably to past cruise experiences.

The only other problem seemed to be the very short times in port. Often, another ship would be in port when we arrived and there after we left. We heard tales of 12 hour port stays, and the 6 or 7 hours that we had in our ports was a real detriment to actually enjoying them. I’m not quite sure why it worked out this way, but might pay closer attention to port stays when planning another cruise. My choice won’t necessarily depend on the company, but on the ports, the price, and the dates.

After our lovely day at Princess Cays, we went back to the ship, enjoying a great meal in the Michelangelo dining room, and going to the Princess Theater for a great show. As night fell, however, the seas got really rough, and our sleep was serenaded by huge groaning sounds below our cabin. The ship rocked and rolled and groaned all night and into the next day. All day Tuesday the skies were stormy and we watched waves that were classified as “rough seas” according to the ship log on the tv in our cabin. In fact, the seas were so rough that all the water sloshed out of the swimming pools and they closed them down. The photo on the left here shows what a fully booked cruise ship can look like on a rough sea day. Not a soul in sight! Everyone was inside, enjoying spa treatments, shopping, eating, and casino fun. We had most of the outside decks completely to ourselves.

By evening, when it didn’t get any better,they canceled the show that involved dancing by the Princess Dancers and substituted a comedy show instead. Turned out great, actually, because the comedian was hysterical. It felt great to laugh so hard that my cheeks hurt. He was truly funny, and without being one bit dirty either. It was so much fun.

As any cruiser knows, it takes almost the entire length of the cruise just to find your way around the ship. On this day we discovered that the hallway outside our stateroom led to one of our favorite little places to hang out on the ship, the International Cafe on the edge of the central part of the ship called the Piazza. Our cabin was on deck 5, toward midship, and that turned out to be really handy. Lots of activity centers around this area, and the spiral staircases wind up 2 more floors to the Promenade deck 7 where there are more shops and bars and restaurants.

This little cafe, however, was a nice place to be, especially since the seas outside were so rough. I’m glad I finally decided to put on my patch. Last night I tried half and this morning I added the second half. Now I don’t have to fight that seasick thing all the time. I had a great cappuccino, a pretty one with lovely swirls in the foam, and some kind of delectable chocolate dessert. Across from our little table, the chefs did some demonstrations of ice and vegetable carving. Hmmm, so when I get home I will create cute monkeys from pineapples? Maybe not. LOL.

We spent a few minutes on the internet, which isn’t cheap on board, and not always a reliable connection. They have packages, and I settled for one that gave me 100 minutes for 55 bucks, but it was amazing how fast that went. Not sure it is really worth it, but having my own laptop was much nicer than trying to use the Internet Cafe across the piazza which was almost always very busy.

All in all, it was a nice day,with time to actually relax a bit and explore the ship. The Crown Princess is huge, and has many levels, and we discovered, many steps and hidden nooks. It isn’t quite as straightforward as the RC ships we have been on in the past. In order to really get around, you have to be willing to do a lot of climbing. Especially when my favorite place on board was usually the very top of the ship on the Sun Deck number 19 I think. It was fine for us, but we thought about people we know who might not like all that stair climbing.