The Ship

Because yesterday was another day at sea, I don't have any pictures of Italy to share -- except a hazy look at Elba Island off our distant starboard bow. (Trust me, the photo isn't great.) So I thought I'd show you some views of the ship itself, the Celebrity Constellation.

Above is the pool deck, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular places on the ship. I don't spend any time out there myself, because I'm not a lie-in-the-sun type and I'm not about to climb into that crowded pool, but as you can see there are actually a couple of pools here as well as whirlpools and a deck where there was an exercise class happening at the moment I visited. There are also an indoor pool and whirlpools behind this deck, toward the ship's bow. We are not lacking for swimming and sunning opportunities, that's for sure.

Overlooking it all is a mysterious sculpture of a gorilla clutching a gigantic fish. Don't ask me.

There are more outdoor decks along the side of the ship and at the rear. The red line is supposed to be a jogging track, but I've never seen anyone jog it -- when I'm out there it's usually way too crowded. Maybe the runners use it in the early morning.

Here's one of my favorite spots -- the martini bar. (I've had a martini every night of this trip, and it's probably a good thing we're wrapping it up in a couple of days before I kill my liver completely.) We also use a bar on the top level at the front of the ship called Reflections, which has an amazing view and tends to be pretty quiet, at least when we're there.

The martini bar overlooks the ship's central grand staircase, with a three-level atrium from decks 3 to 5. There's a coffee bar on the upstairs deck that we haven't used at all.

There's a casino -- typically windowless -- where I also have spent no time except to walk through. I'm not about to pour money into those machines.

This is one of the big restaurants, at the stern of the ship, called the San Marco. Dave and I usually frequent an adjacent restaurant called Blu, which is smaller and more intimate.

And here's the buffet room, known as the Ocean View Cafe, where I sit every day to blog. (I took this picture just before writing this post. You can see my computer sitting on the table at right, with the blue screen.) It's a huge space that extends over the entire deck midship, behind the pool deck, and it's definitely the most popular dining space. As you can see, there are big windows overlooking the water, and there are multiple food buffets for pretty much any food item you could ever want.

Here's another view, with the food areas to the right.

I know these pictures make us look like a ghost ship, with the exception of the top images, but I tried hard to take them at times when people wouldn't be using the spaces, so I could respect everyone's privacy. And I couldn't photograph certain areas -- the spa and fitness rooms, for example. I don't want to be creepy!

There's also a theater, an outdoor deck with a big movie screen, some specialty restaurants, art galleries and a bunch of fancy shops. It really is mind-blowing to think that not only all the passengers but all the people who work in these spaces are bobbing around on the sea in this single vessel. A floating city, indeed.

Today Dave and I will be taking a walking tour of Genoa. (Or "Genova," as it's described in our materials. I guess that's the Italian spelling.) It's looking cloudy out there as the sun comes up, so we'll see how it goes!