We stayed at the Baglioni Regina in Rome pre cruise and loved it! A great location across the street from the US Embassy. We had a huge bathroom, excellent service and nice amenities. The lobby is marble and fancy and the rooms are very spacious. We walked to the Trevi fountain there are many bars, shops and cafes are all within walking distance. I had booked our hotel for 2 nights even though we were not arriving until 9am on the 28th. I highly recommend this to have your room ready upon arrival to nap and freshen up after your long flight. Onto the Ship!
I was a little nervous knowing how old the Constellation is and having never sailed with Celebrity and just coming off the STAR the SEAS (that is brand new) I was not sure what to expect. Let me tell you this Ship and Celebrity blew me away. The ship is classy, elegant and spacious and the staff onboard is outstanding!! The buffet, the main dining all incredible service and you are pampered. The ship is easy to navigate. The shows and entertainment and the casino staff all outstanding. The casino is nonsmoking however right outside the casino is an outside smoking area. I feel the Concierge Class and the Oceanview balcony or suite is a must. We were in cabin 8120, very spacious. Priority boarding, upgraded amenities, personalized letterhead and personalized notes. The balcony is large and service is outstanding. They cleaned our cabin twice a day. I loved the spa and it has a great gym with Yoga and Pilates classes. Tuscan Grill the specialty dining was excellent. $55 a person and we dined here twice. Excellent food and service.
We had excellent shore excursions in every port, some were booked through Celebrity and some with one of our Signature preferred suppliers. One of our favorites was a private tour of the Amalfi coast with Project Expeditions. Our guide was the owner of “Carmine’s See Amalfi Coast in Italy”. The owner saw that I was a travel agent and wanted to personally take us around. Once we got off the ship, he was there waiting for us. Carmine Foggia was very professional and courteous and was excited to show us everything he knew about Italy. He drove us up through the mountains to get to the Amalfi coast vs. through the tunnels like every other tour. Highly recommend a private tour. I learned so much about the area and saw sites that I only have dreamed a out. If you ask for Carmine’s SECRET Tour he will also take you to a farm to table family restaurant. The gardens, wine, experience was fabulous. We picked pears, plums, grapes and ate them. The tomato plants were ripe and ready. This was a tour for me. So neat to see and I learned a lot about Pompei, the mountains, Sorrento, Ravello and Positano.
Another favorite shore excursion was in Kotor, Montenegro where we woke up to an incredible view! This was a pleasant surprise. Who know Montenegro was this beautiful? We again received priority tender tickets since we are in the concierge class. It is a 40-minute tender ride over to Kotor. I had booked a private tour with Project Expedition. A speedboat tour to Our Lady of the Rocks & a stop in Perast. Our guide was waiting for us. Kotor is breathtaking beautiful. Looks like a scene out of a movie. Set in the Bay of Kotor with mountains all around you. Most churches and buildings are from the 1500’s. There are cats every where and many shops and dining options with very scenic views. Our speed boat tour took us to Our lady of the Rock where we toured the church and to Perast an old historic town. It was very hot this day. We enjoyed Kotor and its stunning views.
We loved Celebrity for their outstanding service, their unique and fun shows and entertainment. Their quality of food and service and amenities were very impressive. Can’t wait to sail with them again!
