There were blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover when I embarked on the Celebrity Cruises' Gas Turbine Ship Constellation, on Saturday 24th May 2003. She is the fourth and final vessel in the 91,000-ton Millennium class, her sister ships being MIllenium, Infinity and Summit. She "reinforces the environmental stewardship of Celebrity Cruises with smokeless gas-turbine engines, which greatly reduce and almost eliminate, airborne emissions".

I was greeted with Champagne and canapés in the Grand Foyer. This Foyer features a backlit, glowing staircase made of golden onyx which I thought was absolutely stunning. Long voile-type curtains flecked with gold dropped the full height of the three decks down to the Grand Foyer, from a blue and gold ceiling, enhancing the golden effect. I loved it.

My spacious cabin 2114, sorry, stateroom, was midships starboard side, and delightfully fitted with light wood panels and wardrobes, mirrors and artwork. I particularly liked the pale green glass oval table near the sitting area sofa. This glass was used again in other public rooms, with differently shaped tables, and looked most attractive.

There are 12 decks on the ship. The top Sports Deck 12 attracts many with a multi-purpose sports court, which looks down on to the Sunrise Deck 11, where guests will find the golf simulator, jogging track, and shuffleboard.

Reflections, Deck 11 forward, featured panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows which were a wonderful viewpoint during daylight hours; this area became a night-club and disco at night. Just aft of the funnel was The Conservatory, a peaceful indoor retreat with two-storey windows highlighting the sea and sky, with delightful floral decorations and convincing-looking mock trees in blossom. I found myself sniffing the blooms to see if they were indeed real. Emilio Robba of Paris designed this area.

Passenger accommodation was on Sky Deck 9, Panorama Deck 8, Vista Deck 7, Penthouse Deck 6, Plaza Deck 3 and Continental Deck 2. The ship likes to call attention to its two-level digital music library named Notes, and its similar book library called Words.

Entertainment was on Deck 5, including an attractive Theatre, the Shopping Emporium (this had great appeal) and the upper Level of the San Marco Restaurant, plus the upper level of the Grand Foyer. The Restaurant designer was New Yorker Birch Coffey of Birch Coffey Design Associates.

The Champagne Bar and Martini Bar, with their subtle aqua colours, lead into the Rendez-Vous Lounge; the Upper level of the San Marco Restaurant was aft of that, allowing stunning views of the sea through the floor to ceiling windows. A staircase connects the two levels, allowing one a somewhat dramatic entrance to dinner, past the Lalique display table and small orchestra.

Plaza Deck 3 also contained the Guest Relations desk, seemingly staffed by many whose mother-tongue was not English. I noticed this proved a slight problem with many of the predominantly American passengers on board. After we left Helsinki, heading home for Dover, the next day's 'Constellation Daily' told us we were cruising the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe, which came as a bit of a shock to some of us who read it. When I mentioned this to Guest Relations, in case I had the wrong front page, they didn't understand me at first and then almost shrugged it off. Amusing I suppose, but what a shame.

This is a speciality restaurant designed to recall the Golden Age of luxury transatlantic crossings. In the lobby, guests with an interest in nautical history will enjoy a short video showing Mr John Maxtone-Graham extolling the virtues of the Restaurant, and large display cases featuring memorabilia and ephemera from old liners.

In the restaurant itself one can see sets of original red-and-black-lacquered panels from the 1920s Ile De France, which looked stunning in this setting.

The cuisine is classic French with a Mediterranean touch, mostly prepared tableside. The service was first-class and the whole experience unforgettable.

Original paintings hung on the wooden-panelled walls, including one of the ships Queen Elizabeth, United States and Edinburgh Castle, all in Southampton Docks together. As this Union-Castle Line vessel was the last one I worked on, a photograph had to be taken of me standing in front of this picture (in a lavender coloured evening dress of course).

Food and service in the Restaurants on the ship was very good, and I applaud the idea of staff wearing a badge with their name and country of origin. However, I didn't understand why all the Earl Grey tea bags on board had apparently been used up within three days of leaving Dover on 24th May, only to be replenished later in the cruise. I didn't understand why so many lightbulbs in ladies toilets and changing rooms were not working or replaced, until I was told by the Assistant Housekeeper that insufficient stocks were on board to do so. Do I detect an accountant's involvement? Apart from this, all the public rooms and staterooms were beautifully clean and all mirrored and glass surfaces gleamed, and it is obvious that everyone on board takes great pride in the ship and its high standards.

Entertainment in the Celebrity Theatre was most enjoyable. The green and orange décor includes dramatic niches in the walls holding permanent 'open flames' and I have to confess to putting my hand in one of the 'flames' in a niche and having my photograph taken doing so.

The artwork around the ship was most interesting, and allegedly cost several million pounds sterling. Outside the Theatre, for example, was a large portrait of William Shakespeare looking distinctly Oriental, painted by a Japanese artist.

A huge amount of money, time and effort has obviously gone into the design and fitting out of this huge vessel, and it shows. I found much to admire on this ship, lots to enjoy, and the itinerary was superb, so I would be happy to travel on Constellation again.

Reveiw And Photographs Ann Haynes, June 2003

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