Celebrity Constellation by Derrick
Ship - Constellation
Line - Celebrity
Date - 10 September 2010
Derrick and Richard 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.
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