Category: 2012 – Celebrity Constellation, English Channel Repositioning, 5 – 7 Sep

It has to go down as the smallest balcony we have ever had. There is just enough room for the table and 2 chairs. It is tapered and the smallest end backs onto a suite where you can look directly into it if the blinds are up. Not what I would want having paid the price for a suite.

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We are back in home waters after a glorious day at sea. The weather has been amazing and we have spent the whole day up on deck lying in the sun. We are currently just off the East Sussex coast and can see Beachy head quite clearly. You might be able to make it out yourself from the photo. We are just sat out on the balcony watching the sun steadily sink. We are due into Southampton at 4.00 so we will already be there when we wake up.

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We are on our way back to the UK leaving behind the Princendam.

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We have just done the muster drill and amazed at the number of passengers that were absent or slipped through the name check on the way in. My estimate was around 25 cabins that were called out to check if they were present, half of which had slipped through the net. Not sure about the others though.

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A 5 minute taxi ride from the hotel to the cruise terminal and within 10 minutes we were on the ship. Being Concierge class did help a little as we were allowed to use an express channel for checking in.
We have done lunch in the buffet and explored the ship. First impressions are very good and you definitely know its a Celebrity ship. Very polished and professional.
Our cabin is Concierge class and on deck 9 which is right off the midship stairwell, chosen to maximise our limited time on board.

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A quick stroll this morning to Rembrandt Square which is a 2 minute walk from our hotel. We sat and had coffee, toast and greek yogurt for breakfast while watching the cyclists and trams and the rest of the world go by.

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We have spent the day wandering and exploring. We opted for the 1 1/2 hour boat trip round the canals (€13 each) when our legs started to tire. A great way to spend the time when the weather has been as good as it has been today.
We finished off the afternoon sat out on a bar terrace with some moules and a beer. Perfect.
Moules, Fries & Salad for €6.50 Bargain!!!!!

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The one hour flight seem to go really quickly and we were in the arrivals hall before we knew it.
We utilised the Amsterdam hotel shuttle which cost €16 each and dropped us within a 2 minute walk of our hotel. The journey took about 40 minutes and was in a 6 seater van. We are not able to get access to our room until 3.00 but have checked in and used the hotels storage room for our case so we can go off and explore Amsterdam.

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Our little jolly is under way and we have checked in for our 7.00am flight to Amsterdam. This is our second visit to this airport which was under going some alterations last time we were here. It is nice to see it all finished and running smoothly.

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Always on the lookout for a bargain or mini cruise, this 2 night cruise from Amsterdam to Southampton was brought to my attention while reading a thread on a cruising forum that I am a member of (www.cruisingmates.co.uk) . I quickly made some inquiry’s about prices and within 48 hours we had booked.

The cruise is a re-positional one which will take us from Amsterdam to Southampton with a sea day in between. Because it is a short cruise we have booked a Concierge Class cabin (#9100) on the Sky Deck. The Constellation has recently been in for a refit and the term “Solsticized” is what Celebrity call the make over, it brings the interiors more in line with the newer Solstice class ships in Celebrity’s fleet.

 

ITINERARY

DAY	DATE		PORT	ARRIVE	DEPART
Wednesday	Sept	5	Amsterdam, Netherlands		4:30pm
Thursday	Sept	6	At Sea
Friday	Sept	7	Southampton, England	4.30am

 

This will be a welcome late summer break and I am already looking forward to it. The plan is to drive to Southampton airport and fly direct to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam with Flybe. We will overnight in Amsterdam before joining the ship the next day.

We have picked the Eden Hotel to stay because of its location.  If reviews are to be believed it has TripAdvisor Traveller Rating of 3½ out of 5 from 830 travellers.

Below is the cabin arrangement but I think this might be the older version. I will post actual photos when I actually get to see it.