Constellation 112010

14 nights around the Carib
Cabin 7202, our 1st Family Veranda;
The Master, Captain Gerry Larsson-Feede; Guest Rel. Mgr., Janet David; Hotel Dir., Ryan Kingston; F&B Mgr., Duarte deSilva; Cruise Director, Rich Clesen; Capt Club Host, switched out; Room Steward, Melvin & asst.; Waiter, Hasan; Asst Waiter, Mary; Future Cruises, Wes Savery (not very friendly)

Ports: FLL, St. Martin, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Granada, Curasou, Aruba, Bonaire, which was a new one for us, plus 5 sea days.

Our driver to the PHL airport was 1/2 hour late because of his "dead GPS." He finally got to the house via a "paper" map. He made up the time by flying to the airport.

We even beat Al & Joan, our sailing mates, there.

Southwest is such a pleasure to fly. The crew is great. Flight 1844 left on time at 8 AM and we even got to FLL early.

We decided to ask the driver to stop at Publix for wine, beer and coffee creamers. Unfortunately he decided to go to the farther store and the more expensive $70 ride. We arrived at the ship. just before noon with our goodies in the sack.

Here's where it got a little wacky. We didn't board until after 3pm. It was a little chaotic, waiting, sitting, moving, only to wait and sit more. We heard many stories like the elevators weren't working, to the Coast Guard was doing a full inspection. Either way we finally made it on and went right to our room which was ready.


The family veranda was not a suite, but it could have been.



You walked into a long hallway where we were able to store our bags.



Beyond that was one room with the bed and there was a vanity that ran the full length of the wall.



The next room had 2 fold out couches. Both rooms had flat screen TVs.



Then, you stepped on to probably the longest balcony on the Millennium class, at about 25' long.



Relaxing was the nickname of this cruise as we both slept most days ‘til 9am, a unusual thing for me. We also fit in many afternoon naps, to fully recharge.


We walked around the islands by day. Randi found 2 watches and I got a pocket camera which will probably become standard equipment for future cruises.



Many an evening was spent in Michael's club enjoying the entertainment of Perry Grant. He had a packed room nightly.

We would join our table mates at table 539 for late seating. Joan & Al were there, as was Tom & Bunny from Charleston, Audrey & Dan from New Mexico and Trisha & Larry from AZ.



Hasan, our waiter from India, had to be one of the best, ever! He worked so well with Mary, his assistant.



We also met some friends from a previous cruise. We again very much enjoyed the company of Frank & Gerry from Belaire, FL.


The Captain was one of the most outgoing Masters we have sailed with. From hosting lectures to scooping ice-cream to playing volleyball with the passengers; he was one of the most visible Captain’s yet.


One negative, the food quality seems to be slipping. While portions were scaled down, I would take that as long as the quality would not suffer. We hope it regains its premier status.


See you next time.
If you would like to see all the pictures, click below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Connie112010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKHi_ew3PO6Xg

Summit 041710

8 night Repo SJU to NJ. Cabin 6140, our 1st Royal Suite; The Master, Captain Athanasios Peppas; Guest Rell. Mgr Janet David; Hotel Director, Bernhard Stacher; F&B Mgr. Milivoj Simunec; Cruise Director, Steven Daniels; Capt Club hostess, Tanushka D'souza; Room Steward, Marta & Noel; Waiter, Saraso; Asst. Alexander; Wine Steward, Arnold; Asst. Matre'D Georgezk; Future Cruises, Lisa Bell.

Ports: extra day-SJU, St.TOM, St. MAR, TORTOLA, overnite Kings Warf BERMUDA and 2 sea days.

Our 7:45AM flight from PHL on USAIR was a day earlier then the cruise. We stayed in the Sheraton, old SJU $220. It’s a good hotel to stay in particularly if you are boarding ship in town.
We dropped our bags and like a magnet Randi was pulled to the Dooney & Bourke outlet. She picked up two bags. We also stopped in the grocery store on the square to buy two 6-packs of Miller lite for Al. There is a great new CVS next to the hotel, across from the piers. We got a few things, including 2 bottles of wine for the ship.

That night we decided to taste some authentic Puerto Rican food. The bellhop suggested Raices and the food was good, once you got past the half hour wait that turned into an hour. ……Ahhh, island time!

The next day, we got up at 9am which is later than usual for us, and we decided to eat at the hotel's buffet which was very good. After checking out we taxied over to the Pan American pier, across the bay. The driver told us that in a few years, this pier will only be used for cargo. They were in the process of constructing more berths in old SJU for passenger ships.

Before you realized it we were at the Summit. This sailing completes all the Millennium class ships for us and every other Celebrity ship except Solstice and the Xpedition.
After a 15 minute wait, we embarked at 11:45, enjoyed our Champaign and went to see the Royal Suite. Since this was our first Royal, it was definitely the highlight of the cruise for us.
It was big! At 538 sq' it was 2nd largest stateroom, except for the Penthouse.

You entered into the dining room, which sat 4 comfortably.

Beyond that was the living room, with sofa bed loveseat, oversized table, big screen TV and a computer station.



Next, was the large 195 sq' deck, fitted with an oversized table for four, 2 lounge chairs and a Jacuzzi. From the deck, there was another door to enter the bedroom, which included a king sized bed, vanity make-up area and another large TV.

Adjoining the bedroom was a walk-in closet and after that was the bathroom, with double sinks, a large shower with glass doors and another Jacuzzi.

Beautiful! Although we could easily get spoiled in this suite, this only came about since there had been such drastic price drops on this cruise. We couldn't pass it up.

I almost forgot about our friends, Joan & Al. They boarded around 3 for our 8:30 sail away. Our other tablemates were nice. Crystal & Doug were from Palmer PA. They enjoyed the signs placed mysteriously on their door. And Dave & Denise were from Aberdeen NJ.

We booked no ship excursions but rather, strolled the islands and did some shopping. On Saint Martin, Gulu, had our liquor order ready that I pre-ordered via email, so I paid him and he sent it on to the ship. Randi & Joan struck it rich on a perfume wholesaler that Gulu recommended.

Evenings, prior to dinner, were spent in the martini bar with Milo, the server from South Philly,...the South Philippines, that is. We didn't take advantage of the Capt. Club free cocktails from 4-6. We would have but we had to be dressed for dinner. We were still in lounging mode most afternoons at that time. I did though mention it to Milivoj, the F&B Manager over coffee. He is a really nice guy. I suggested having an early and late event, He said he would mention it to the office. We also talked about a mutual friend of ours, Jeff, who is currently on a world cruise.
Randi won some money in the casino during the cruise but somehow. I don't think it was enough to cover the Dooney Dollars spent.

The Captains Club hostess, Tanushka, contacted us to see if we were available to dine with the Hotel Director but we declined since we were traveling together with our friends, Joan & Al. He looked like a fun guy. Our table, #400 , was just next to the left of the Captains table, so when the time came, I swung my chair and sat at the table quick enough for Joan to snap a picture.

I did get to view the bridge and was treated to seeing Captain Peppas and his baby with him.
The weather wasn't great this whole trip. Only the 1st day, it was 87 and sunny. The rest of the time it was only warm to cool to even chilly and many showers. Bermuda was so cold the 1st day, Randi had to pick up a sweatshirt.

The 2nd day in Bermuda we took the bus to Horse shoe bay beach. We took pictures and walked around.

Then continued on to Hamilton and enjoyed the shops in town. Lastly, we ferried back to Kings Warf, a 2o minute ride.



The last sea day, on Arnold’s recommendation, we went to a Riedel wine demo and saw first hand how glasses make a difference in wine tasting. We bought two sets.
On a cold and rainy Sunday morning, were were back in NJ. And the beauty of it all…we were back at home by 11 am.

Equinox 11.23.09

11 night Central American cruise R/T from FLL.
Cabin 8342 Sunset Veranda; Cruise 36
The Master, Captain Michael Karatzas; Guest Rel Mgr., Ken Ismall / Touch Ung; Hotel Dir., Simon Weir/ Raffaele Bernadini; Cruise Dir., Gary Walker; Capt Club hostess, Ria Erasmus; Room Steward, Anthony; Waiter, Mr. V from India; Asst, Olha; & Asst Matre'D “badda bing,” Dorian.
Ports: FLL, Grand Cayman, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honouras, Cozumel and 4 sea days.

Our 8AM flight from PHL was our first on Southwest. We give them high marks for on-time service and no baggage fees. We got to the ship about 11:30am. The ship was very BIG.

The embarkation process was easy since we used the same pier facility as the 6000 pax Oasis. There were plenty of agents available.

Once on board, we toured the new ship. It was smartly decorated and lit in neon and LED high tech lighting. It was spacious, wide and inviting.

We then had some lunch in the Oceanview Cafe which was very tasty but I felt I was more in a cafeteria, then a restaurant.

We sadly found out that our friend Touch, the Customer Relations Manager was called away to tend to his sick father. We were relieved to see him once when he returned on the last port of the cruise. He gave us 2 beautiful Equinox inaugural mementos.

We also bumped into Taylan, Chief Housekeeper, who originally was our waiter a few years ago.

Our aft cabin was spacious with a larger then usual couch and a curved footer on the bed. The bathroom was set up nicely, with enough surface space and a comfortable shower head with cylindrical sliding glass doors. The only downside to the room was the lack of drawer space. It did have additional storage space over the bed but that was hard to reach. The balcony was standard size with little sun cover.

The next day, Thanksgiving, we spent at sea. We passed up the Capt. Club party and the Cruise Connection parties in place of some well deserved solitude and relaxation. At dinner, we opted for the turkey and it was excellent.
In Cartagena, we booked an old city walking tour which was interesting and historic. There were many "tourist police" as well as regular police in the area. Our guess was that the great police presence was to make tourists feel safe from previous past disturbances. At no time did we feel threatened. The flip side to the old city was the adjacent new city which was very modern, like the condos of Miami Beach. Many of these units were rentals by out of towners.

For dinner in the Silhouette restaurant, we requested a large table but were surprised to find ourselves at a table for 2. The Matre'D showed us to a large table. When we arrived, we found the table to be full. Next we were taken to a table for 6. When we saw our table mates one asked if we speak Spanish, since that was only what the other couple spoke. We all tried hard to communicate but it became frustrating when only small words were understood. A day or so later, the Argentine folks left for a Spanish speaking table and for the rest of the cruise, we enjoyed Robert and Robert's company at table 234.

After a wonderful sea day, in our 1st port, Grand Cayman we walked around town. I bought Randi an eternity ring at Diamonds International. She later purchased a watch for me on board ship. This was our early Christmas presents. The tender back was the only negative point to this cruise. The usual 10 minute process, turned out to be almost an hour with multiple delays.

That evening, we dined in the Tuscan Grill, billed as an Italian steakhouse. Randi's steak and my spaghetti bolognese were very good. Service was fine. The courses just happened too quickly.

In Cartagena, we booked an old city walking tour which was interesting and historic. There were many "tourist police" as well as regular police in the area. Our guess was that the great police presence was to make tourists feel safe from previous past disturbances. At no time did we feel threatened.







The flip side to the old city was the adjacent new city which was ver modern, like the condos of Miami Beach. Many of these units were rentals by out of towners.





In Colon, we took a Gaton Lake eco cruise from the vantage of the boat. Our guide pointed out various birds, sloths, white-faced monkeys and howler monkeys. The tour also took us to the Gaton Locks; the eastern entrance to the Panama Canal.



In Puerto Limon, we transported to a nature preserve, where we got up close to sloths, "pet raccoons, bats, and various birds including fly catchers, parrots and toucans.

In Roatan, we decided to do a walking tour. Typical souvenir shops lined the main street. We purchased a few items. Many kids asked us to buy their bracelets.






This was also the 2nd formal night which was out of the normal position by one day earlier then usual. We had a wonderful and lively dinner hosted by the Hotel Director, Raffaele Bernadini.



The last port was Cozumel where we took our Christmas card picture with flowers, palm trees and blue water in the background. We didn't go into the main town since we had been there before and decided to explore the newly built shops nearby the ship. Randi got perfume and I got a bottle of tequila.




Meanwhile we were parched so we stopped at Senior Frogs for a cold drink. We sat next to the cruise director and took a few pictures with the clown from the establishment, not the CD.



Some Observations on the new EQUINOX:
* The additional Capt. Club perks were excellently received. Many evenings we spent in the Sky bar sipping on complimentary cocktails and finger food. The other great new benefit was complimentary laundry and dry cleaning for up to 32 items.
* I couldn't help feeling a "crowdedness" from time to time in some of the public areas and especially when cueing for dinner.
* The entertainment on board seemed to have improved. The Equinox, Cirque du Soleil show was very good as was the violinist, guitarist and comedian magician.
* No multi-flavor breadsticks in the dining room, but there was a larger "every night" menu as well as a revamped daily menu to chose from.
* The cafe on deck 14 always had the same food for lunch. No theme days.
* Brunch was again delicious as was all the food in the Silhouette restaurant.
* The person to space ratio seems to be off since this is the 1st time on a Celebrity vessel that crowds developed.
All in all, a fun relaxing cruise on Celebrity's newest ship-Equinox.
To see all the pictures please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Equinox112309

Constellation 03.27.09

10 night SE.Caribbean cruise, R/T from FLL.
Cabin 6132, our 1st Sky Suite;
The Master, Captain Dimitris Manetas; Guest Relations Manager, Touch Ung; Hotel Director, Christian Deniel; Cruise Director, Jeff Potts; Capt Club hostess, Lisa Bell; Butler, Wilson; Room Steward, Wilbert; Waiter, Jerome; Asst, Edwin;

We had a super early flight at 630 am, which was what was available with points that got us to the ship about 10:30 am. We happened to be the 1st ones onboard at 11:15 and were greeted by our crew member friend, Touch.

We couldn't wait to see the sky suite which at 250 sq ', was our largest stateroom yet by 50' sq. This one may have been even a bit larger then normal since it was at the bump out on the ship. The deck was defiantly larger then other Sky Suites with a triangular shape facing forward.

We spent the rest of the first day and almost of the entire cruise relaxing with 2 sea days at the top and bottom of the cruise. In the middle were the ports of St.Thomas, St Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Martin.

We only got off only on 3 islands, basically to stretch our legs. Randi wanted to buy perfume for herself and some things for the folks at work. She did happen to pick up a lovely tablecloth for her boss at Mr. Tablecloth in St. Thomas.

Our table mates were very nice and friendly. Leslie and Jim Brown were from Vancouver. Kathy and Bill Bliss came from Houston and Jim and Debbie Mullens resided in Boston. We requested table 426 since it was at the bottom of the stairs, on deck 4.

The Captain's club party was nice. They honored someone with 86 Celebrity cruises. We also saw on this cruise, Andy, one of the cruise critic hosts.

We recognized some of the old crew, Alfredo, a waiter; his assistant, and now a waiter, Sudi and the Chief Housekeeper, who we met on our Azamara cruise.

Touch was very busy temporarily filling in for the Hotel Director in the beginning of the cruise but most every night when we returned to the room, we found presents of Champaign, carry bags, belly bags, pillows and other goodies.

Most evenings we spent in Michael's club, listening to the old fun-songs and games of piano entertainer, Perry Grant. Perry has become a permanent fixture in this room and quite an asset to Celebrity. Many nights standing room only reached outside the door. Many passengers follow him from cruise to cruise as he comedically tries to find out if you live in, "a gated community with a large house."

Elana, the cocktail waitress served up some drinks and "sass" as she became part of the show.

And we also met the Hagasses and Joyce, and Frank and Jerry.

One evening we joined Leslie and Jim for a special fine wine pairing dinner created especially by the executive chef in the Oceanliner Restaurant. While the food and drink were more then excellent, it all seemed to go by too quickly to have spent $250.

The 3rd sea day toward the end of the cruise was packed with fun. Late in the morning, we met with the officers for cocktails and conversation in the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. Next, Touch invited us to have a special lunch with him, other officers and passengers in the Oceanliner Restaurant. It was an extraordinary meal.

That evening we met in the martini bar for cocktails preceding our dinner with the Hotel Director, Christian Deniel. It was a fabulous evening with our host, who was born in NY and bread in France. He was very outgoing and had a great sense of humor. He cracked up when I jumped into the next tables photograph, without their knowledge.

The flight back was delayed about 2 hours due to weather in Newark. We went to eat lunch but had to rush out when we overheard someone say that our flight was almost done boarding- without an announcement and much earlier then expected.
This Constellation cruise was defiantly up to Celebrity's premium standards for us; excellent food and service. It simply could not have been better. Now, we will have to wait for Equinox in the fall....

As Perry would say, "Positions everyone!"

For all the pictures on this trip, try this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Constellation032709