We recently cruised on the Celebrity Constellation. We have cruised as a family with several cruise lines at this point, and this was our first time on Celebrity. Our family of 5 had two state rooms. Overall, we had a good time. Right now, with the ages of our kids, I would probably not choose this particular ship again. Our teens (16, 15, and 13) felt there just wasn’t much for them to do, the kids club area was small and while we sailed with a high capacity of kids, this ship’s teen area was significantly smaller than on other ships we have been on of similar size. They also felt the hours should have been extended. We love doing things together like trivia and even on the sea days there were only a couple each day. We did like some of the different games they offered like music trivia. Overall, the ship was clean and the service was amazing. Celebrity overall does an amazing job with offers for wellness and workouts.
Deck 12 – Sky & Sports Deck
What’s here:
- Basketball Court & Sports Area — shoot hoops, play pickleball, or enjoy casual sports at sea.
- Movie Screen — outdoor films and presentations on sea days at night. This area has a lot of seating with large outdoor couches. There were movies playing multiple times daily. I do have to say during the daytime it was difficult to see the screen. However, there were also some football games added to our itinerary.
- Rooftop Terrace — stylish lounge area with comfy seating and panoramic ocean views.
- Hidden away at the front of the ship, there is an area of lounge chairs away from the noise of the pool deck. If you are looking for a quieter place to relax outdoors. The one thing I noticed this area was far away from restrooms and not near any bar service. While I appreciated a quieter space to relace I do feel like this area is underutilized.
🍸 Deck 11 — Entertainment & Social Hub
Key venues:
- Tuscan Grille (Specialty Dining) — upscale steak and Italian-inspired restaurant (covers at extra cost).
- Reflections Lounge (also referred to as the Sky Lounge) — This space was used for trivia, game shows, live music, and silent disco parties. It was a nice space with large windows to be able to watch the water. I will say it was always cold in this room, no matter what time of day, I was always cold in here. We were always able to find a seat when we went to busy events.
- Mast Bar & Pool Lounge Spots — casual drinks near activity spaces. More lounge chairs and a few tables with chairs. The only thing I did not love was where the smoking section was on this deck. It was to the side of the Mast Bar, and while the ship was moving, the wind would blow the smoke towards the pool.
- Fun Factory & Video Arcade — kids’ activities and arcade games.
- X Club and Kids Clubs— a dedicated space for kids. These spaces were very small compared to other similar-sized ships we have been on. My kids have always loved the kids’ clubs and this ship, they did not spend much time there. My kids went a few times to meet up with others their age to hang out but after the first few days they would just have meeting places or times that they had communicated with each other.
- Jogging Track — laps with sea breeze views. On Celebrity fitness is always a highlight, and there were always people walking the track.
🏊 Deck 10 — Pool, Spa & Wellness
Great for relaxation:
- Main Pool – there were two pools and four hot tubs. Never over crowded in the pools or hot tubs. Around the pool deck there were lots of lounge chairs in the shade and closer to the pool in the sun.
- Pool Grill & Bar — this was where you can get burgers, hot dogs and fries by the pool side. The burgers were good. Try the Celebrity Sauce!
- Oceanview Cafe and Grill -the buffet offered a variety of choices daily. The pizza station was all the way at the back, but the pizza was pretty good. They had great salad options and always offered vegan and gluten-free options. Also, all the way to the back was a grill station where you could have made-to-order meat and fish. The chef’s special changed with each meal, although we did find some of the options repeated. Overall, the food at the buffet was good; we did eat here daily for at least one meal.
- Sunset Bar — prime spot for drinks with a view of the ship’s wake. During our sea days they also set up mini bars near the middle of the pool deck to help with lines for bar service. We never had an issue getting beverages. There are always staff walking around taking orders as well.
- Solarium (Adults Only) — glass-roofed tranquility zone with a pool and loungers. This space was always much quieter than just out the doors on the main pool deck. Although it was cooler inside this area I found not as many people used the space as I would have thought. They did have very comfortable lounge chairs.
- Persian Garden & Spa — thermal spa (sauna, steam), plus massage/therapy rooms.
- Fitness Center & Classes — weights, cardio, aerobics & occasional wellness sessions. My husband was very excited that the fitness center was open 24/7. There were several fitness classes offered for a fee.
- Hair Salon & Acupuncture — beauty & recovery services. We were very tempted to try acupuncture, but there were no appointments available.
👩💻 Deck 9 — Chill & Connectivity
Spaces:
- Celebrity iLounge — a combination of tech lounge and workspace. A nice space if you needed to do some work.
- Cabins — various categories including Prime Inside, Veranda, AquaClass (spa-focused) & Suites.
📚 Deck 8 — Quiet Corners & Reading
Highlights:
- Library — a peaceful nook for books and magazines. There were also several games available, and several had missing pieces. If there is a game you prefer to play, I highly recommend bringing it along with you.
- Staterooms — spacious veranda and inside options.
Deck 7 & 6 -staterooms
Staterooms: these decks have a variety of stateroom types
🛍️ Deck 5 — Dining, Shops & Showtime
Entertainment & Shops:
- Celebrity Theater — Broadway-style production shows and live performances. The shows were a highlight for myself. There was a show titled Soundtrack taking you through a themed musical with great singers and dancers. There was a comedian whom I didn’t love; several jokes seemed forced and just not that funny. One of the nights was just the singers who preformed broadway themed music. A magic act was the headlining show on one of the nights, which was overall pretty good. There was a one man muscial show highlighting music from Tina Turner; this was surprisingly good. The final Broadway-style show was called Rock. It was very good. It was my favorite of all the entertainment on board.
- The Emporium — boutiques with fashion, souvenirs, jewelry and more. If you are looking for on-board shopping, the ship offers the normal variaty of options.
Bars & Lounges:
- Rendezvous Lounge — perfect pre- or post-dinner cocktails with live music or dancing.
Cafés & Eating Spots:
- Café al Bacio — coffee, sweets, light bites with sea views. The specialty coffee do cost extra depending on the package you have. However, the pastries are included.
- Gelateria — gelato treats, be advised these are an upcharge.
- Sushi on Five — a la carte sushi and Japanese dishes (reservations recommended), specialty dinning upcharge
- Cellar Masters — if you are looking for the place to try a new wine, this is where you want to go!
🍽️ Deck 4 — Dining & Nightlife
- San Marco Restaurant — the main dining room for breakfast, lunch & classic multi-course dinners. For set dinner times, you will come to deck 4. If you have the Celebrity time (anytime) dining, you will go to deck 5 behind the rendezvous lounge to check in. We went to dinner a few times. We had the anytime dining, on the app, there was a way to make a reservation for a dining time. We found there was never any reservations before 8:15 pm, even on the first day for the last day. So that meant the only option was to go check in, and if they had a table, they would seat you; if not they would give you a buzzer, and when your table was ready, they would buzz. We went right at 5 when they opened, and it took about 15 minutes for us to get a table. While we normally enjoy dining in the main dining room, the food options seemed pared down. There were three options that didn’t change, and there were a few that would change nightly. The bread service was good, the appetizers fell short for me; they didn’t change and were pretty basic. Overall, we felt the food in the main dining room felt underwhelming and needed more flavor when we compared it to other cruises we have been on.
- Martini Bar & Crush — signature martini lounge with a glass-like ice bar and lively atmosphere. This bar was super fun, and the bartenders were awesome! This was always a lively spot around dinner time and into the evening. They even did the silent disco here one night; it was actually a lot of fun. The bartenders would put on a show nightly, making and pouring martinis.
- Fortunes Casino — gaming action with slot machines and table games. If the casino is your jam, this one was a decent size. Several table options were available along with lots of slot machine options.
🌊 Decks 3, 2 & 1 — Lower Decks
- Deck 3: More staterooms, and access to conference rooms and smaller meeting spaces, depending on sailing.
- Deck 2 & 1: Lower-level staterooms and crew/operational areas — quieter and closer to sea level.
📌 Pro Tips for your cruise:
Getting a sense of the ship and what areas are available is important to be able to best utilize the spaces you are interested in. Book things early if there is an experience you want to try or a dining venue you would like to go to. Remember to always get to your cruise port a day early!
