Writer Eric Amrine based this independent review on his 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

High up on Constellation’s funnel, a huge “X” marks the spot that identifies this ship as a member of Celebrity Cruise’s high-style fleet. Launched in mid-2002, the 11 decks of well-serviced cabins, immaculate public spaces, and dining facilities sparkle and shine from the first welcome to the final farewell. Attractive design features such as hammered copper walls and wood paneling create a natural warmth and softness throughout the ship. Attentive and caring staff and crew work hard to ensure that all 1,950 passengers easily find the kind of dream vacation this full service ocean liner often provides.

Why Constellation?

• Fine dining: Every large cruise ship faces the same challenge of preparing thousands of quality meals daily, but Constellation’s chefs succeed where others fail, presenting menus that please the eye and palate.
• Touch of elegance: From the vast art collection to the lighting and design of public areas, the ship offers a healthy taste of luxury for a relatively modest price.
• Innovative amenities: Award-winning French gourmet cuisine and acupuncture at sea are two of Constellation’s original concepts that set her far above mainstream cruise ships.

Who should go
Baby-boomer couples whose tastes and discretionary income lean toward the luxe life will be at home aboard this ship.

Who shouldn’t go
Though occasional late-night deck festivities sometimes bring out the wild side in otherwise dignified guests, Constellation is not a party ship. If that’s what you want for your cruise, look elsewhere. Also, prices may discourage cruisers looking for a bargain (though fares are sometimes surprisingly reasonable, especially in the Caribbean).

Heard on the deck: They keep it so clean and shipshape, and if there’s a problem, they get right on it. I, for one, am sticking with Celebrity.”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: The Coco Loco deck party -- not only are the piña coladas tasty and freshly mixed, but the Caribbean food spreads create a visual and culinary spectacle. On European itineraries, deck parties feature the same energy and detail, but with a more localized flavor.
• Best part of the ship: The impressive art collection does not pander or pretend to impress everyone all the time. The mostly modern artwork in stairways, hallways, outside decks, and even in the spa makes you take notice.
• Best experience: Seamless disembarkation procedures do away with what’s become a traditionally dreaded end to an otherwise perfect week. Kudos to the ship staff and crew for making the hardest part hassle free.
• Best shipboard activities: The White Night Party on Deck 12’s Bar at the Edge of the World -- with a little help from Cirque du Soleil characters Dream Fisher and Lantern Tuner.
• Needs improvement: The dining room does have large circular and small square tables, but the impossibly long oval tables accommodating 12 diners make inclusive conversation a real chore.
• Activities to skip: Save your time and money and use Internet services on shore. While the ship’s transfer speed is not too bad, the charge is quite exorbitant and most ports have ample Internet cafés footsteps from the pier.

How to meet the captain
There’s no captain’s table in the dining room, and the captain and senior officers keep a fairly low profile during the cruise. But all passengers have the opportunity to meet and greet him during the Captain’s Gala Toast and Introduction. It’s entertaining and charming, but don’t expect lots of face time.

Constellation takes her fine cuisine and top-notch service very seriously. Have no fear of waiting impatiently for your order while your waiter and assistant waiter prance around the room to piped in dance numbers. There is a parade in San Marco on the last formal night to show off the baked Alaska, but otherwise it’s all business, delivered with a genuine smile.

San Marco
Large portholes on the flanks and the floor-to-ceiling windows on the aft wall let a flood of sunshine into San Marco, Constellation’s main restaurant. Warm shades of red and gold dominate a décor best described as comfortably formal. Cuisine defies all the rules of massive and bland banquet-style excess. Typical selections include savory seafood croustade, coq au vin, bucatini with duck confit, and fancy roast quail. Vegetarians have far fewer choices, but the side dishes alone make good meals. Waiters make a point of asking how you’d prefer your dishes cooked, which means they go to great lengths to separate well-done plates from rare. Wine enthusiasts will delight in the impressive wine list.

Ocean Liners Restaurant
What a culinary coup for Constellation -- a specialty restaurant whose cuisine was designed by the award-winning French Master Chef Michel Roux. The décor harkens to the golden days of cruising, with six art deco panels literally taken directly from the interior of famed ocean liner Ile de France. A harpist plays during dinner to help establish an already heavenly ambience. It’s not inexpensive ($30 per person), and the essential bottle of champagne or wine -- from a list 200 labels strong -- comes with an additional high price. But many diners would happily pay more for such delicacies as rack of lamb en croûte, tartare of salmon garnished with quail eggs, and flambé scampi wrapped in pancetta. Several waiters serve and remove made-to-order dishes in a synchronized ballet. There’s a wide selection of fine cheeses with grapes and apples included in the price of the meal. Saving room for desserts, such as the soufflé grand marnier or poached pear with raspberry sauce, is nearly impossible, especially since a tray of Michel Roux’s signature bite-size desserts arrives at the same time.

Other dining options

• Seaside Café: Included in this sprawling dining room are two mirror image buffet lines, each fully stocked with splendid desserts to cap off entrées, side dishes, pasta, pizza, and sushi. There’s even an ice cream bar.
• Casual Dining Boulevard: Open for dinner and by reservation only, this section of Seaside Café is set aside for those who wish to dine in casual attire but still have professional wait service.
• AquaSpa Café: Here’s solid proof that low carb, low fat dining can still be creative, attractive, and irresistible. Try the curried carrot soup with chives, citrus marinated salmon, Monagasque Ratatouille, or the crisp apple and walnut salad.
• Cova Café: Stop by for some espresso, croissants, and Danish in an elegant setting.
• Late-night buffets: Many ships feature their chef’s best of show in a midnight buffet near the end of the cruise, and this one should not be missed, if only for its opulence. Earlier in the cruise, don’t miss the late-night deck party buffet, with cold vegetable salads, tangy pork ribs, lightly fried chicken, colorful roll-ups, and such desserts as fruit tarts, chocolate mousse cake, and coconut ice cream with all the toppings.

Heard on the deck: “I was trying to put some ice in my lemonade, but pulled the handle for the milk dispenser instead.”

Best dining

• Dish: The tournedos forestiere arrives broiled to perfection, accompanied by a subtle sauce of juniper berries and joined by mushrooms and fresh vegetables.
• Dessert: Chocoholics will never starve here. Truffle cakes appear one night for dessert, but mouse cakes never go out of style in the come-as-you-are buffet.
• Restaurant: Hands down, Ocean Liners represents the pinnacle of shipboard fine dining, for Francophiles and gourmands everywhere.

How to…

• Get a table for two: There are a few tables for two, but none in the prime dining room spots. Still, talk to the maître d’ right away if you’d like to reserve one. If romance is what you seek, dine at least one night in Ocean Liners.
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Notify your maître d’ (or assistant maître d’) in advance of your special day. You can enhance the occasion with gifts and special desserts purchased onboard. Either way, the entire dining room will hear the waiters’ musical salutations.
• Change seating: Passengers switch seats and tables all the time after giving the maître d’ their request. It may take some creative musical chairs by management, but it’s a given.
• Dress for formal night: Men wear dark suits or tuxedos. For women, the cocktail dress is the clear favorite, but evening gowns are fairly common as well.
• Dress for informal night: Men wear jackets, slacks, and no jeans; while women must wear informal dresses or slacks and blouses.
• Dress for casual night: For men, sport shirts and slacks meet the requirement. Women wear dresses, pantsuits, or sporty outfits.

Tips:

• At San Marco, the best tables line the base of floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the grand staircase. Second best are tables beside any of the large portholes on the sides.
• Avoid standing in line for your designated seating and arrive five or ten minutes past the scheduled time. That will allow time for the waiting crowd to thin out and be seated properly. (You won’t miss anything during those few minutes.)

Standard cabins are on the smallish size, but creature comforts make up for the diminutive size. The sturdy beds include plush comforters and soft, pliable pillows that help lull you to a peaceful slumber. Each cabin is equipped with plenty of storage space: Three narrow closets, shelving for clothes, a stocked refrigerator that leaves room for your own items, and a desk with drawers. A sturdy two-seat sofa by a deluxe glass coffee table is a nice touch, as are the lamp tables and reading lights. For a real splurge, book a Celebrity Suite, which includes a bedroom, dining room, living room, two flat panel widescreen TVs, butler service, and several luxe en suite amenities.

Heard on the deck (from a couple lost on their cabin deck): “Why are we so confused? It’s because we’re usually on the port side. I think I like the port side better, you know what I mean?”

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Constellation’s two dozen cabins for disabled passengers are a roomy 272-381 square feet each. Those with balconies pose no access problems. All public areas include gradual ramped access, and the most used doors open automatically.

Tips:

• Repeat passengers paying premium rates have the best and cheapest access to upgrades, which are sometimes free. Try buying up at check-in at reduced rates.
• When seas are calm, the forward cabins offer the smoothest ride.
• Employ your Do Not Disturb sign each night if you wish to have no interruptions by the room stewards, who start their jobs bright and early.

Constellation does well in addressing the interests and pastimes of her main passenger demographic (baby boomers). On the top deck, there’s a lovely conservatory of plants and flowers from the exclusive collection of world-renowned floral designer Emilio Robba. Both a martini bar and a champagne bar bring in avid connoisseurs of specialty drinks, and a librarian watches over the well-stocked, two-deck library. Michael’s Piano Bar makes a perfect dark and woody old-world haven for cigar smokers. Many lounges feature live entertainment nightly, usually two performers singing light pop with a keyboard and electric guitar. The jazz guitarist/singer floats from one venue to the next, and offers up sleepy ballads and music so slow in cadence you might find yourself napping. Occasionally, the Lido Deck party band comes inside at night for lively dance music in the Rendezvous Lounge, and sounds of a classical string quartet waft through the atrium on several nights.

Bars, lounges, and casino
Even without stepping into any of the many bars and lounges, drinks flow liberally. There’s champagne on the house during art auctions, and wine lovers sign up for regularly scheduled tastings by the ship’s sommelier. As crew members set the stage for a huge deck party, guests are greeted by trays full of freshly mixed mojitos. The casino’s bar is typically the busiest, for its proximity to gamblers trying to live large, but Rendezvous, Martini Bar, and Champagne Bar all draw devoted followings who love the plush and social environment of easy chairs and soft lighting in warm colors.

In a class by itself, the Bar at the Edge of the World was installed and directed by Cirque du Soleil. Unique to this ship and only one other Celebrity vessel, the room and its furnishings play as much a part as whichever Cirque characters happen to be prancing around in outrageous costumes, some literally lit up like Christmas trees while they engage the audience face to face. Filmy gauzy material hangs from the ceiling, everything’s wrapped and embroidered, and tented beds line the walls. Spacey music, light shows, and other special visual effects transport the crowd a lot further than the ship can. It’s not the average cruiser’s cup of tea by any means, especially made clear once you delve into the characters mock bios and try to make sense out of the lofty themes of the performance. But it gets huge points for taking chances. At midnight, it becomes an ordinary disco.

Swimming pools
Constellation’s two main pools with adjacent hot tubs are surrounded by dozens of deck chairs in the sun and shade. Nothing’s too outstanding about the outdoor pool, but the large indoor thalassotherapy pool stands out. It’s filled with heated seawater and acts like a spa tub on steroids, jets propelling water in all directions. Overhead faucets cascade water on top of bathers, and roomy submerged benches comprised of long metal tubes affixed to the walls make a perfect perch to soak in all the pleasure. For a real treat, wait for a stretch of choppy seas and jump in for an added tidal effect.

Shows
The Celebrity Orchestra accompanies the ship’s versatile performance group as it stages a different Vegas-style revue each night, augmented by the occasional guest cabaret vocalist or stand-up comedian. A stand-out on our cruise was ventriloquist Patrick Murray, whose female Jamaican puppet, Matilda, got top billing and all the laughs. Guest singer Elvy Rose also impressed with a huge vocal range as she covered popular tunes from Broadway and the hit parade. Fantasea brings the audience along on a magical ride powered by dreams and illusion, while Celebrate the World does just that by highlighting a smattering of international dance and music. All shows are well attended, but not standing-room only, probably due in part to the Celebrity Theater’s large size and pleasing layout.

Shore excursions
Most passengers who plan on taking shore excursions book early in the cruise. However, it is possible to book online, with no lines and little chance of finding an excursion full. Deadlines for cancellation are usually 24 hours before arriving at the port, and the ship reserves the right to cancel a trip if the minimum number of passengers has not been met. Those departing on early morning shore excursions receive priority disembarkation.

Weddings and vow renewals
The ship’s staff can assist in a formal celebration of weddings, vow renewals, engagements, birthdays, reunions, graduations, and retirements. Prices depend on many variables, including size of party, level of sophistication, and whether your ceremony takes place on the ship or in port. To make arrangements, please contact an Expedia Cruise Specialist at 1-888-249-3978.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: On at-sea days, try the Champagne and Martini Bars. On port days, virtually anywhere onboard is still.
• Liveliest spot: After midnight, the disco sounds and lights at the Bar at the Edge of the World bring in the crowds, including off-duty ship staff.
• Most popular spot: Sunbathers crowd Decks 10 and 11 overlooking the pool. Deck chairs are hard to come by, so stake one out early.
• Best view: Deck 11 forward is the best spot for catching sunsets and what the next horizon will bring.
• Best show: The Cirque du Soleil performance artists in the Bar at the Edge of the World have created an environment that’s a kick to behold -- at once otherworldly, humorous, dark, uplifting, and psychedelic.
• Best drink: Avoid the DayGlo fruity mixtures and look for the mojitos or piña coladas on ice at the wild deck parties. Count on them to be flavorful, not too sweet, and usually a bit stronger than the other drink specials advertised.

Tip: Keep your eyes peeled for flyers that advertise drink specials during deck parties or in the Martini Bar.

Spa and salon
Mirroring the shipwide art-heavy accoutrements, the spa follows suit with soothing minimalist Asian-inspired artwork inset in the walls. Treatments cost a little more than on many ships of similar size and price point, but the professionalism and efficiency of the staff earns the right to charge a little more. Most patrons prefer the immediate results of deep tissue, Swedish, or hot stone massages. The staff keeps sales pitches to a minimum, unless they sense that their customers want to buy take-home products. Ornately tiled and themed steam rooms, for couples or singles, offer heat and aroma therapies at various strengths, and costs, while use of the roomy saunas incurs no extra charges. There, extreme heat seekers can bask by the light of the moon, as seen through the sauna’s floor-to-ceiling porthole. The salon fine tunes with exotic hair and skin treatments, teeth whitening, manicures, and pedicures -- especially preceding formal night functions.

Fitness areas
All fitness equipment -- elliptical trainers, treadmills, stationary bicycles, stairclimbers, and more -- is first rate and well maintained. Outside, a basketball court converts to racquetball or tennis, and passengers circulate on the jogging track day or night.

Heard on the deck: “I love the light fare at the spa’s health conscious buffet line. Having a few dishes there still leaves room for dinner at San Marco.”

Tips:

• Booking selected spa packages online in advance of your cruise saves up to 15 percent. If you prefer to wait until you’re onboard, book on a port day, when the spa often offers discounts, sometimes even 2-for-1 prices.
• Traveling with someone special? Book a mud ritual treatment for two, held in a private steam room.
• Consider a day pass ($30) or unlimited cruise pass ($119) for use of the Persian Garden Thermal Suite of invigorating steam and tropical showers.
• There are no pros around mopping up the weak and meek on the basketball court. Usually, it’s fathers and kids, so don’t be shy and join in.

The Emporium “shopping mall” impresses in design and size. Window shopping the elegant storefronts lining an extra wide marble piazza is a simple delight and no one hurries or hard sells. Stores have abundant selections of duty- and tax-free fine jewelry, designer watches, liquor, sportswear (with or without ship logos), Italian figurines, and basic sundries. The ship prints up reams of sales flyers all week, advertising half-off sweatshirts, gold or silver by the inch, and even contests to spot the fake gem.

Tips:

• If you plan to shop on shore, don’t pass up the free help offered by the ship’s sales director.
• The clerks in the Emporium’s liquor store know their alcohol. Don’t hesitate to ask for a taste you’re considering a purchase. Also note: All alcohol is held until the night before disembarkation, at which time it’s delivered to your cabin.

Constellation’s children’s center is far from huge, but it’s more than sufficient to handle the crowds during peak children’s seasons -- national holidays and long school vacations -- when hundreds of children can be onboard. There’s a kids’ pool, but at least one parent must be present for a child to use it. There are also eight computer stations. Adolescents have more freedom to roam, or hang out in a lounge equipped with a flat panel television and a nearby foosball table. Group activities divide the herd by age range (ages 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-17), and consist of occasional parties, educational and non-competitive games, arts and crafts, talent shows, science and nature projects, and scavenger hunts throughout the ship. There’s an hourly fee to watch over tykes age two or younger, and in-cabin babysitting costs extra as well. In that case, the sitter is not necessarily from the pool of trained kids’ counselors but a trustworthy crew member looking to earn some extra money. The counselors and youth group leaders do not get mentioned in the ship’s literature regarding gratuities, but they do accept, and greatly appreciate, any tips.

Itineraries differ slightly month to month, but during the winter Constellation departs San Juan each week for the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, and St. Thomas. A score of two-week Northern Europe journeys take place in spring and mid-summer. Late fall itineraries include St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Aruba, Venezuela, Dominica, Bahamas, and St. Lucia, along with early autumn forays to Canada and New England.

Heard on the deck (from a woman on the last night of the cruise): “I’m feeling so melancholy. I’ve made so many connections and revelations. I may have to cry now.”

Tip: If you travel roundtrip via taxi in most Caribbean port cities, you are not expected to pay until after your return. Thus, most taxis will wait for you or come back to pick you up from shopping, beach combing, hiking in the hills, or sunbathing on some faraway shore.

• Cruise line - Celebrity
• Ship name - Constellation
• Type of cruise - Sophisticated
• Total cabins - 969
• Private balcony cabins - 536
• Decks - 11
• Passenger capacity - 1950
• Total crew - 999
• Officers nationality - Greek
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 2002
• Tonnage - 91000
• Ship length - 965
• Registry - Bahamas