Flagships of the Caribbean

CONSTELLATION
As we pull away from the Dominican Republic, our path lit by the glow of a perfect half-moon, the movement of the ship is barely perceptible. Sipping icy piña coladas to stave off the night’s sultry heat, we watch the coastline fade into darkness. Back near the stern, a poolside sail-away celebration is in full swing, but other than the sounds of the live band carried on the ocean breeze, we scarcely notice the festivities, too caught up in our own quiet interlude.

This was just one of many surprisingly quiet moments my fiancé and I shared during our weeklong Southern Caribbean voyage on the Celebrity Constellation. We’d always been reluctant to take a big-ship cruise for fear of being swept up into a mass of humanity, surrounded by rum-fueled limbo contests and stuck in endless queues at the midnight buffet. But we liked the idea of seeing several Caribbean destinations on one trip while having access to all the amenities of a floating resort, so we decided to give it a try, choosing Celebrity’s newest ship in its upscale Millennium-class fleet. We were delighted to find that despite having to share the 965-foot Constellation with almost 2,000 other passengers, we had plenty of alone time — and not just in our stateroom.

Dinners were a special event, and we ate our way around the ship, choosing a different venue each evening. Our favorite — and well worth the extra fee — was the cozy, candlelit Ocean Liners Restaurant. Accompanied by soft piano music, the attentive white-gloved wait staff escorted us through several delectable courses, including an amuse bouche of cucumber gazpacho in tiny bowls signed by Chef Michel Roux, and a flashy tableside flambé.

A private late-night soak in the ultra-relaxing thalassotherapy pool was an experience we never expected. Our only company was a Rubenesque woman reclining in the buff nearby. But since she was made of bronze, she neither offended nor intruded. Only the rushing water jets broke the silence. Clearly the 2,000 other passengers didn’t know what they were missing: On not one, but two nights we had the glass-enclosed pool and its softly lit lounge area all to ourselves.

Although we cherished our solitary time and usually sought Constellation’s most serene spots — the Cova Café for cappuccinos and classical music, Michael’s Club for cocktails, the Sunrise Deck at daybreak — we weren’t as antisocial as we thought we might be. On our one full day at sea, we chatted over lunch in the San Marco Restaurant with the six other guests at our table, hitting it off with a delightful English couple who kept losing one another — and finding us —throughout the trip. We also joined lively groups for culinary shore excursions on Antigua and in the Dominican Republic.

It soon became apparent that, by choosing the right ship, it was possible to enjoy all the benefits of cruising while keeping the need for privacy at whatever level we wanted. And on the second-to-last night we even — gasp! — waited in line to photograph the midnight magnificence of Le Grand Buffet. - Julie Feiner

The Constellation sails seven-night Southern Caribbean itineraries, round-trip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  For more information call 800-437-3111 or visit www.celebrity.com.

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