Celebrity Constellation

Derrick and Richard from Cumbria Cruises joined Celebrity Constellation in Amsterdam for a very special ship visit. They travelled over by DFDS Ferry, who are working in partnership with Celebrity Cruises to allow British passengers the comfort of travelling over by ferry to join their cruise.

The idea of a ferry crossing often conjures up the image of small, cold dreary vessels which are poorly equipped and very expensive. However a recent ship visit to Amsterdam has answered these common myths.

After a long, yet comfortable journey to the Port of Tyne in the North East from Barrow-in-Furness we were greeted by friendly and helpful staff that checked our passports and issued us with our boarding passes very quickly and efficiently. The International Passenger Terminal in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is modern and fully air-conditioned. After a short while we had gone through security and were able to step onboard the MS Princess of Norway.

The ship was very light and spacious and had 3 restaurants and various bars and entertainment venues. We had chosen to use the “Seven Seas” Buffet. This offered numerous meals to choose from. Hot and cold meats to fish and seafood, the spread had something for everyone. As a seafood lover, I chose this as my meal and thoroughly enjoyed it. The meal was washed down with wine, which was brought to us by a friendly and cheery waiter, who looked after us very well from start to finish. As I was on a ferry I was expecting quite the opposite, and was left pleasantly surprised.

After eating we went to the Columbus Lounge to watch the evening’s entertainment. On our way we passed by the ships cinema, and the casino which had the typical exciting atmosphere. The show this evening was a musical offering. We were taken from Phantom of the Opera to the South Pacific via numerous other shows. After the show had ended, I wasn’t quite ready to head to my cabin so myself and Richard headed to the Navigators Bar which had a live acoustic guitarist playing various old classic songs from the Beetles to James Blunt. This pleasant bar had lots of seating, but offered a smaller more intimate atmosphere than that of the Columbus Lounge, and with the great background music it was a nice way to enjoy a drink as pass the time.

I had an outside cabin on Deck 4, which was functional and had the usual facilities of an en-suite shower and toilet. There was a small sofa and table and the décor was light. The cabin was quite small but on an overnight crossing this was all that was needed. Thankfully though Richard had his own cabin so we weren’t stepping on each others toes! The small single bed that was in the cabin was comfortable and I enjoyed a sound night’s sleep. The next morning we arrived in to Ijmuiden. We disembarked very smoothly and passed through Passport control very quickly. We were then guided to our coach for a short journey in to Amsterdam. On the way in to the city we caught a glimpse of the purpose of our journey; she was sat amongst the modern skyline of Amsterdam and caused quite a stir on our coach. She was Celebrity Cruises newly refitted and “Solstice-ised” Constellation. A 91000 tonne Millennium Class ship, she was well loved by many of her passengers before her refit, I am certain she will now be adored by all.

After being greeted by the ships surprisingly friendly security staff we were introduced to our tour guide. He took us up to the modern “Bistro on 5”. This is one of the many new features which the Constellation has to offer. I chose to have a spicy beef Crepe, which I was able to watch the chefs create in the open plan kitchen area. Our waiter then brought this to us and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I followed this up with a sweet Crepe of banana and chocolate sauce. The servings were small but deceptively filling. After enjoying a lovely glass of red wine we were taken to explore the rest of this elegant ship.

The open passageways of this ship are broken up with modern sculptures, some quirky and others thought provoking. A personal favourite was the Gorilla, a 6ft sculpture which can be found on the Sunrise deck.

Our next stop was the Tuscan Grille on Sunrise deck. This, again, is a newly added feature. This is a Speciality Dining venue that requires booking, this venue serves a la carte menu in a wonderful setting. After this we were taken through the seaside pool area, which has plenty of sun loungers and deck space to the tranquil Persian Garden. This relaxing spa treatment area offers steam rooms and other beauty treatments to help you truly unwind and relax on your holiday. We did also have a brief look in to the well equipped and spacious gymnasium, an area I am not to familiar with while I am on holiday!

After looking at these beautiful additions to the Constellation we ventured down to the Promenade deck, we stepped out of the elevator into the breathtaking Grand Foyer, the stunning heart of the ship. After taking a moment to marvel at the architecture we went to Michaels Lounge, probably my favourite public room. The wood panelled lounge is decorated in Neo-Classical paintings and furnished with rich leather armchairs and sofas. Extremely comfortable, and I will admit that our guide did struggle to get me to leave. We then passed through Fortunes Casino and the new Crush ice bar and Martini Bar. Then it was on to the final call on our tour, the Ocean Liners Speciality Dining restaurant. This restaurant offers a fantastic boutique atmosphere with dark woods and comfortable seating.

After disembarking Constellation we said goodbye to our guide and stepped back on to our coach, the driver took us back to the Princess of Norway via the canals and architecture of Amsterdam.

The experience on a whole was a very pleasant surprise. The weather was calm which gave us a smooth crossing. The onboard entertainment and the ferries prices were reasonable. Further more the restaurants and quality of service throughout our ferry crossing was exceptional.

Celebrity Cruises have refitted the Constellation to a standard that we have come to expect from a Cruise Line where every detail is fine tuned to perfection. Everything from the Dining Experiences to the décor of the corridors has been created to offer total luxury from the moment you start your dream holiday.

Kim and Rachel from Cumbria Cruises joined Celebrity Constellation for 7 nights sailing out of Barcelona this September. Their itinerary took in Nice, Genoa, Florence/Pisa, Rome, & Salerno before disembarking in Barcelona

This was a 5 star trip which definitely lived up to expectations!

We flew independently from Liverpool with a low cost carrier, before taking a 15 minute and taxi transfer (which cost 35 Euro) to join the ship in Barcelona. This couldn't have been easier.

We were greeted with a champagne reception, which was a lovely start to the cruise and very much appreciated. Having just had a major revamp Constellation now features some of the amenities from the new Solstice Class of ships including the Tuscan Grille (a speciality restaurant with a $25 cover charge), Cafe al Baco (which offers speciality coffees and cakes), Bistro on Five (which serves Panini’s and crepes for a $5 cover charge) and the amazing Martini Ice Bar which was a focal meeting point for our pre dinner ****tails.

Onboard, there is an enormous feeling of space and the service is outstanding; the guest to staff ratio is 2:1 and the staff always had a friendly smile and a “Hello” for us no matter what. We had an outside cabin, which was great for waking up each morning checking the weather and letting the daylight in. The cabin itself had a classy beige and burgundy décor, flat screen TV and plenty of storage.

If the weather isn’t great Constellation has an indoor pool, Jacuzzi and Solarium area with a special Thalasotherapy Pool which has minerals in for rejuvenating the skin. We were really lucky as the sun shone every day, so we spent most of our time sunbathing out on deck; and with waiter service direct to your sun lounger what could be more relaxing?

If you do get bored of basking in the sun, there is a full activities programme every day. Our personal favourite was the cookery demonstrations/classes but there is also a cinema, a gym which runs Spin and Pilate’s classes, a wellbeing programme and a spa offering everything from massages to Botox. Quizzes, dance lessons and computer classes are also offered, the list goes on and on, there really is something for everyone!

We also noticed there were very few children onboard however they were well catered for as they have their own Fun Factory play area and a video game arcade to keep them amused.

Cruising is also about destinations, and waking up in a different port each day is thoroughly exciting. Celebrity offer a vast range of shore excursions from half day to full days, sightseeing to unique experiences, or alternatively you can use their shuttle bus service for $7 return and explore the ports of call on your own. Rome was my favourite destination and although it was a whistle stop tour in a taxi we managed to see the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

Our experience of the food on board was outstanding; the fine dining in the main restaurant in the evening was an event in itself. There was a new menu each evening and also a main menu if you didn’t like anything on the new menu, so the choice was ample. During the day we dined in the Seaside Buffet, and the food and choice was again fantastic.

They would freshly make sandwiches, pasta dishes, omelettes and stir fry’s in front of you as well as having English favourites, American breakfasts and Asian dishes. A couple of days we ate outside at the poolside grill which offered freshly grilled chicken breasts, burgers and sausages as well as chilli or fajita’s. The food was available 24/7 if you wanted it and most of our waistbands had expanded by the end of the week.

Evening entertainment was whatever you wanted to make of it. In the Rendezvous lounge you would find a jazz band or pianist for a few quiet drinks whilst in Michaels club you could play cards or Karaoke, or if you want to try your luck in Fortunes Casino, gaming lessons are available. We went to the 3 tier theatre to see a couple of shows and were even given champagne on entry. The shows were very glitzy and professional and are shown twice nightly. If you fancy a late night party they do have a DJ until the early hours in the Reflections Lounge who will play all your requests.

Our overall experience was that of pure luxury, 5 star food and service with relaxing days and evenings. Celebrity thoroughly exceeded our expectations!