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Editorial Cruise Ship Wiki's take on Celebrity Constellation
Celebrity Constellation is the fourth and last Millennium class ship, delivered from Chantiers de l'Atlantique in May 2002 and carrying about 2,170 guests. The decision that defines her sits under the waterline: a gas turbine plant turning two Mermaid azimuthing pods, chosen for smoothness, and proving thirsty and temperamental. A diesel engine was fitted in 2007 so she could run on any turbine and diesel combination, and her record still carries the mark. A propulsion software fault held her in Barcelona for two days in May 2017, costing Monaco and Nice, and in August 2025 she lost hotel and propulsion power for about two hours in the Ionian Sea, drifting without lighting or air conditioning. She broke her moorings in an October 2018 gale and struck Costa Magica. As of August 2026 she runs Mediterranean turnarounds from Ravenna and Rome, switching in November to seven night southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan.
What she does well is the grown up business of eating and sitting. San Marco is a genuine two deck dining room with a sweep of aft glass, and the specialty rooms are sensibly sized: Tuscan Grille in the space that once held Ocean Liners, Blu for AquaClass, Luminae for suite guests, Sushi on Five and Qsine. Cafe al Bacio is a good coffee room, the Sunset Bar aft is the best seat on the ship, and the glassed Solarium works in weather that empties the open decks. A 2013 refit added 66 staterooms and the AquaClass tier; later work brought the Retreat sundeck and Rooftop Terrace to deck 12.
Published criticism is consistent rather than damning. Cruise Critic's editors give her 4.5 out of 5, and her member average sits at the same figure across some 1,900 reviews. The complaints repeat: finishes that have lost their sparkle, service that reads thin against the Edge class, and an upsell running from drinks through the spa to dining. Standard cabins are about 170 square feet, small by current standards.
On fit, be plain. Celebrity is a premium line and prices above Royal Caribbean for comparable dates, and the crowd skews adult, broadly forty to seventy. She suits port heavy itineraries, people who want a manageable ship and a good table, and anyone who values calm over spectacle. She is a poor choice for families wanting slides and clubs, or for anyone arriving with Edge class expectations.
Cabins matter most here. These are conventional balconies, not infinite verandas, and the geometry rewards study. Deck 9 sits directly beneath deck 10, which carries the pools, the Solarium and the aft Oceanview Cafe, so deck 9 cabins amidships and aft are exposed to scraping furniture, trolleys and early buffet setup. Deck 6 is the suite deck, worth the money if it is in reach. Concierge runs 191 square feet with a 42 square foot balcony, and the Family Veranda cabins at 271 square feet sell out early. Our per cabin quiet and convenience scores are not yet published for this ship.
Read the deck plan before you book, not after.
Sources
This is Cruise Ship Wiki's own editorial summary of published reviews and reference sources. It is not a guest review and does not describe a stay aboard. Member reviews appear separately below.
Photo: kees torn, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Celebrity Constellation was the fourth and final ship of the Millennium class, built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, and christened in May 2002 at a cost of approximately US$350 million. Godmother Jean Marie Arneberg named the roughly 90,000-gross-ton vessel, which closed out a quartet that had introduced turbo-electric gas-and-steam-turbine propulsion to the cruise industry. Constellation, like her three sisters, was powered by that COGES plant driving azimuthing propulsion pods.
As the last of her class, Constellation benefited from the accumulated experience of building the earlier ships. In 2007 a diesel engine was added to her machinery to improve fuel efficiency, a pragmatic modification that helped offset the operating costs of the gas-turbine plant during a period of rising fuel prices. This hybrid arrangement gave her operators greater flexibility in balancing performance against economy.
The ship offered the polished, design-led experience for which Celebrity was known, with sophisticated interiors, specialty restaurants, and the sea-facing public spaces characteristic of the Millennium class. She was progressively updated through Celebrity's fleetwide refurbishment programs, keeping her staterooms and amenities current as the class aged into a fleet increasingly defined by the newer Solstice and Edge classes.
Celebrity Constellation remains in active service, registered at Valletta, Malta, and has homeported at Tampa, Florida. From that Gulf Coast base and others she sails Caribbean itineraries and Panama Canal transits, the latter among the more ambitious voyages in the mainstream premium market, threading the storied waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific. More than two decades after her christening she continues to offer the classic warm-weather and long-distance cruising that has anchored the Millennium class throughout its long career, the youngest and last-built of a quartet that reshaped cruise-ship propulsion at the turn of the millennium.
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Onboard Highlights
Signature attractions, dining, bars and entertainment aboard Celebrity Constellation.
Top attractions
- Cooking Classes
Interactive culinary classes where guests learn cooking techniques onboard. - Silent Disco
Musical entertainment experience where guests dance to wireless headphone audio. - Archery
Recreational archery activity available for guest participation. - STEM Activities
Educational science, technology, engineering and math activities for guests. - The Spa
Full-service spa offering rejuvenating treatments, therapies, and wellness services.
Specialty dining
- Chef's Table by Chef Daniel Boulud
Specialty restaurant featuring menus crafted by renowned Chef Daniel Boulud. - Tuscan Grille
Specialty Italian restaurant offering distinctive Tuscan cuisine.
Entertainment
- Theatrical Events
Theatrical performances and entertainment productions staged onboard the ship.
Where She Sails
Ports of call on Celebrity Constellation itineraries, with a signature highlight at each.
Specifications
| Status | In service |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 2002 |
| Cruise line | Celebrity Cruises |
| Class | Millennium class |
| Gross tonnage | 91,000 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 2,170 |
| Guests (maximum) | 2,556 |
| Crew | 997 |
| Est. annual guests | ≈ 115,000 / year (estimated) |
| Length | 294 m (965 ft) |
| Beam | 32 m (105 ft) moulded |
| Draught | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Decks | 12 |
| Staterooms | 1,092 |
| Shipyard | Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, France) |
| Build cost | ≈ US$350 million |
| Christened by | Jean Marie Arneberg |
| Flag | Malta |
| Port of registry | Valletta, Malta |
| IMO number | 9192399 |
| Call sign | 9HJB9 |
| Home port | Tampa, Florida |
| Region | Caribbean / Panama Canal |
About the Millennium class
The "M-class" mid-size ships, modernized through the Celebrity Revolution refit program.
Ownership & loyalty
Part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL).
Sister brands: Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Loyalty status match - members keep an equivalent tier across the group's brands:
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Captain's Club (Celebrity Cruises)
One-for-one tier status match across Royal Caribbean Group brands: Gold <-> Classic, Platinum/Emerald <-> Select, Diamond <-> Elite, Diamond Plus <-> Elite Plus, Pinnacle Club <-> Zenith. - Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Venetian Society (Silversea Cruises)
One-for-one status match with Silversea Venetian Society: Gold <-> 1 day, Platinum/Emerald <-> 100 days, Diamond <-> 250 days, Diamond Plus <-> 350 days, Pinnacle Club <-> 500 days.
References
Descriptions on Cruise Ship Wiki are original write-ups paraphrased from public sources; facts are compiled from the references below and cross-checked. How we source our information.
- Photograph by kees torn (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons - Primary ship photograph