Supplement to Travel Trade
June 2003

Celebrity’s Constellation:

Premium-Class Sophistication

By Carol Eannarino

A cruise aboard the Constellation, the fourth of Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium class vessels, offers passengers premium-class style and sophistication — and some new and distinctive features.

At the top of the list is the stunning specialty Ocean Liners Restaurant that equals and even surpasses many top shoreside eateries.

There’s also a 25,000-square-foot AquaSpa; a Conservatory at Sea, where it’s possible to enjoy flower-arranging demonstrations or to simply relax; and a music library, Notes, offering thousands of digital records.

The heart of the Constellation centers around the three-deck high atrium, with its elegant, backlit onyx staircase. Along the atrium’s perimeters are Online@Celebrity Cruises, the 24-hour Internet Café (Deck 4), where computer classes are also held, and the elegant Cova Café Milano (Deck 5), the namesake of the stylish Italian café in Milan, where excellent coffees and teas, wines served by the glass (at a charge) and complimentary pastries are served in a charming atmosphere.

Exterior, glass-enclosed elevators offer guests panoramic ocean views as they move from deck to deck. An art collection of nearly 250 works expresses contemporary trends from a full spectrum of perspectives by artists ranging from world-renowned to “up-and-coming.” Intrepid shoppers will like the specialty boutiques that line the corridors of Deck 5.

Public rooms worth a visit include the two-deck library, Words, a relaxing hideaway, along with the previously mentioned Notes, the music library, where the variety is vast enough to please all ages and tastes. The always-popular Card Room also has a nice selection of board games.

The Conservatory on Deck 11 sports a Japanese garden motif accented with silk cherry blossom, dogwood and Japanese maple trees. There’s a full service floral boutique within the Conservatory where guests can purchase exotic and traditional flower arrangements. We attended an SRO flower arranging demonstration here, and while there were mostly women in attendance, this is clearly a topic of wide interest to passengers. Rattan chairs are placed at wrought iron and glass tables, making this a pleasant venue for sitting, reading and meditating.

The main pool area includes both a shallow and a large pool and four whirlpools. There’s also a Thalassotherapy area under a glass roof, with a swim-against-the current feature. Deck sports on Sports Deck include a full-size basketball court, compact footlball, paddle tennis and volleyball. The Sunrise Deck offers a golf simulator, jogging track and shuffleboard.

The spacious Elemis Spa facilities include a Sensory Salon and 16 treatment rooms: one dry float room with shower for full body treatments; eight treatment rooms with shower for full body treatments; three dry treatment rooms; one disabled-access full body treatment room; the Sultan Bath; the Mediterranean Float; and the Persian Garden, which includes heated and reclined ceramic couches, sauna, Turkish Bath and Glacial Fountain.

The Elemis Spa fitness area features more than 40 pieces of equipment, including 12 treadmills, six cross-trainers, four LifeCycles, two stair-steppers, two rowing machines, 15 pieces of individual strength training stations and a free weights area.

Two fitness instructors offer advice and present a selection of classes during every cruise (some complimentary, others for a small fee).

Eighty percent of Constellation’s staterooms offer an ocean view and 74% of those have verandas. Both the well furnished inside and oceanview staterooms measure 170-square feet, while ocean view with veranda encompasses 271-square feet.

There are also premium or deluxe oceanview staterooms with verandas: premium measures 191-square feet with a 41-square feet veranda, while deluxe spans 170-square feet, with a 38-square feet veranda.

Suites include: Sky Suites, 254- to 362-square-feet; Celebrity Suites, 498-square feet; Royal Suites, 562-square feet; and Penthouse Suites, 1,690-square feet.

Connect@Sea, the in-stateroom Internet service, is available at daily and weekly rates for those who bring their own PC or laptop with browser.

Dining is pleasurable aboard the Constellation. Chef Michel Roux has designed menus and wine lists for the ship’s 1,198-guest, two-level San Marco restaurant, as in all other dining venues onboard.

San Marco menus change nightly and feature selections from a choice of four appetizers, three soups, two salads, five entrees and nearly 10 desserts. There are two seatings nightly, with a main seating at 6:15 p.m. and second seating at 8:30 p.m. Evening dining assignments are made prior to the cruise; however, breakfast and lunch service is open seating (no assigned tables or times). Special dietary selections are available.

Other dining options include Constellation’s casual Seaside Café and Grill, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, afternoon tea and fresh frozen yogurt during certain hours. The Spa Café features fresh fruits, hot and cold cereals, fresh whole-grain muffins and breads, freshly-squeezed juices and made-to-order smoothies, along with a selection of a la carte items.

The culinary piece de resistance is the Ocean Liners specialty restaurant, an extension of a tradition begun onboard Celebrity’s Millennium (which features memorabilia from the RMS Olympic within its specialty restaurant of the same name) and continued on each of her three sister ships.

Ocean liner buffs, as well as aficionados of fine dining, will love Ocean Liners. The anteroom displays memorabilia commemorating trans-Atlantic travel. Within the restaurant, four original, lacquered panels from the private dining room onboard the Ile de France, the legendary 1920s ocean liner, highlight one wall, as do two additional original panels located in the rotunda at the center of the restaurant, which also features a large, circular mosaic floor. Here, at a baby grand piano, a pianist entertains guests with music of the period.

Each sumptuous course is listed with a Chef Michel Roux-recommended wine by the glass, or guests may select from a wine list of more than 190 fine vintages from around the world. There is tableside cooking, carving and flambé, plus a dine-in wine cellar adjacent to the main restaurant.

The highly skilled waiters and maitres d’ offer the utmost in service. And the dishes are truly extraordinary. Pace yourself: the restaurant offers guests a third course comprised of an extraordinary selection of cheeses ranging from mild to strong, served with grapes and apples, and presented on an elegant trolley.

Ocean Liners offers nightly one-seating dining from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. by reservation, with a service charge of $25 per guest (including gratuities). We highly recommend that you advise your clients not to miss this extraordinary dining experience.

After dinner entertainment abounds: from the glitzy Fortunes casino to the three-level Celebrity Theater featuring production shows, as well as guest entertainers. The Martini Bar and the Champagne Bar (both on Deck 5) are popular with passengers, and for cigar-connoisseurs, the comfortable Michael’s Club fills the bill. The Reflections Nightclub on Deck 11 rocks from 5 p.m. till the wee hours, while the Rendez-vous Lounge attracts action seekers with its live band and enormous bar.

Celebrity’s Family Cruising Program for Children and Young Adults is offered during summer and seasonal sailing periods at no charge. There’s a teen club, The Tower, as well as a playroom for younger kids, the Fun Factory, onboard.