Host Andy's Update From Eclipse 4/5/14 Sailing

Hello From Eclipse !

We are having an absolutely wonderful cruise. I wanted to share some insights of the first 4 days of our sailing :

Embarkation : Excellent ! We were onboard in about 20 minutes after arriving at the Pier. Very organized all around, from the shoreside folks (thanks Herbert !) to the handover to the shipboard team. Andrey made it very easy for everyone who required additional asssitance, and that makes us very happy ! Great improvement - kudos to everyone at Celebrity for listening to our concerns. We're hoping for an equally smooth disembark, but it's way too soon to think about that :)

Cuisine : Overall, it's excellent, and we are enjoying most everything. We are also enjoying the recent addition of Complimentary Coffee at Cafe al Bacio for Elite Plus members.

Special thanks to Assistant Maitre'D Martin, from Bulgaria, who is always so friendly and helpful. Frankly, I'm surprised Martin is not a MDR manager. He cares so much about guest satisfaction, and is a superstar.

A couple of cuisine shortfalls : Baked items - pastries & croissants do not seem to be baked the same day. More often than not, they are not soft. Also, several of the soups at Dinner have a very odd sweet seasoning, which is causing us to skip them. Too bad, as we always enjoy the soup offerings. I asked the MDR Manager about it, and she passed the buck, saying "that's the way it's always been". Um, no it hasn't. Either the recipes have changed, or someone is making changes in the galley.

BTW, I've heard that Celebrity has lost yet another great cuisine exec (Dominique Gamba) to RCCL. He was a huge asset to Celebrity, and will be missed.

Entertainment : In a word - Fantastic. The music & bands are wonderful, and the music is perfectly fine in all locations - not blasting loud, and a varied selection. We were very aprehensive of this prior to the cruise, but so far - so good ! Special thanks to Cruise Director Sue Denning, for her usual excellence. She is always so incredibly visable. I have no idea how Sue does it !

Perry Grant is always outstanding. Perry's musical talents are exceptional, and he's hysterically funny. Perry was moved to Cellar Masters for this sailing, and it seems this will be his new home. Unfortunately, it's too warm inside the room, and most of the seating is folding chairs, so it's very uncomfortable. I suspect the seating will not be nearly enough to accomodate everyone. We could not get in the first night, as every seat was taken. I hope this venue will succeed for all concerned.

The Celebrity singers and dancers have just joined the ship, so they've only performed 1 show "Eclipse - The Show", and we did not attend. Lindsay Hamilton is onboard, and she's as great as ever. Lindsay gave a heck of a performance 2 nights ago, and received several standing ovations. She is by far, one of Celebrity's very best Guest Entertainers.

Officers & Crew : Extremely friendly, and eager to assist. Nearly identical to what we experienced on Eclipse in November 2013. I'm not noticing any major concerns with 123 GO. Yes, the bars are busier, but everyone seems to be taken care of in a timely basis.

Our Cabin Attendant & Assistant (Emie & Harry) are phenomenal. They are without a doubt, the best team we've ever had. Our MDR Waiter & Assistant (Mateo & Emmanuel) are excellent, but it's very clear the Assistant Waiters are overwhelmed, as they are now handling Bar Service. IMO, it's impossible for them to handle this, along with the extra tables. It's affecting Dinner Service. Celebrity seriously needs to make some much needed improvements in this area.

Captains Club : Number of Zeniths onboard : 0 .

Mom was honored as the 2nd highest cruiser on this sailing (I'm just a few points below her), and it was a very special moment for us. A Special Thank You, to Captains Club, and to onboard Captains Club Host Graeme Kelleher, who truly made us feel very very special.

Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle : Huge turnout, and we had a fantastic time. It's always appreciated when so many Celebrity Officers, including the Captain visited with us.

That's about it for now. I will try my best to post another update in a few days. Have a great week !

Thanks for the update Andy...Glad you and your Mom are having a great time !!

Hope you are getting the much needed Rest and Relaxation you were so deserving and looking forward to !!

Have a Great Rest of the Cruise !!...

and in reference to Graeme making you feel "very, very special"...though we have never met...it's quite obvious...you are special !!

Woody

Sounds like you and your mom are having a wonderful time! Enjoy every moment. Counting down until Mom and I are back on the Silhouette!

Walter

Enjoy your cruise Andy. We were on the Eclipse in feb and had a great time, even with code red during the last week. The music in the various venues was excellent with none of the loud techno music we experienced on our Silhouette the previous March.

I won't be on the Eclipse until June 21, but I can hardly wait to sail again. Thanks for all the updates and glad you and your mom had a great cruise!:cool:

Glad to hear you and your Mom are having a great time. It was nice that she was honored as a loyal cruiser too.

Also glad to hear that everything you reported on is so positive. Since I'm booked for Eclipse next winter, this is very reassuring.

So ... what about the loud music? Has that been fixed?

I know they reserved Michaels club for the Zenith members. However since there are no Zenith members on this cruise not sure why Perry couldnt use Michaels club.

Always great to see you are on a cruise and have your feedback.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip Andy. I know you need to relax.

Norma

Thanks for the wonderful review. Our January sailing was our best cruising experience (Eclipse, Oasis, Century, Constellation, Allure) this year primarily because of the itinerary and the entertainment options on board.

It is wonderful to read that more than just the top cruiser was honoured. Kudos to Graeme for that thoughtful gesture.

Could you comment on the live music groups on board? Is the string trio still performing?

Hi Andy, Glad you are enjoying Eclipse! We have heard they are renovating Michael club into the new VIP lounge. Can you confirm this and will it be ready in time for our T/A on the 19th?? Thanks so much, looking forward to using it! :)

Steve

Hi Andy -- so glad to hear that you and your mom are having a great time on Eclipse. How is your sister doing? Hope she is recovering well from her surgery.

One question about the bar service in the MDR. When we were on Century, we heard a rumor that the sommeliers were being cut back or eliminated, with the assistant waiters handling wine service in the MDR. Is that true, or are assistant waiters just taking over for the bar staff? Either way, I agree with you, that the assistant waiters were spread pretty thin, to begin with -- and, this just adds to their responsibilities.

Hope the rest of your cruise is great. We're looking forward to our upcoming Holiday Cruise on Eclipse -- only 8 months to go, lol! BTW -- have you gone to the hot glass show, yet? I loved the shows on Solstice and Equinox -- something I'm really looking forward to on Eclipse! :cool:

Hi Andy:

Thanks for your comments. My BIL was on Eclipse a few weeks ago for his first X cruise and really liked it. His only negative was the Ribeye in Tuscan. He is booking another Celebrity cruise. Your Mom is very special and deserves special treatment. Cyndee told me to say hi to Millie for her. So glad that you are enjoying your cruise. The Elite+ benefits are very nice. Looks like we'll have much to talk about

I know they reserved Michaels club for the Zenith members. However since there are no Zenith members on this cruise not sure why Perry couldnt use Michaels club.

 

Michael's Club was designed to be a venue for top suite passengers. Zeniths appear to be a throw in. I would guess that the top suites are occupied, thus Michael's Club would be set aside for their use.

Mr. Andy,

Thanks for posting. :)

Hi Andy!! Good to know you are having a great time on the Eclipse. Thanks for the update. We had the opportunity to enjoy Lindsay Hamilton show a couple of years ago on the Equinox and will love to see her again. :)

We were on the Eclipse last cruise & they are renovating Michaels Club as a VIP lounge. The door was all taped over so you could not see inside. We had a Sommlier in the MDR & she advised us that she had 22 tables to attend to & she did a fabulous job. We found that the assistant waiters float to other tables because some nights there were empty tables around us. I guess the guests went to specialty dining so the waiters & assistant waiters for those tables tended to float around wherever help was needed. It worked out fine.

Hi Andy:) glad you and your Mom are having a good cruise:D

Hi Charles...tell Cindy hi from me too:)

thanks for taking the time to post.....glad you are having a great time:D

Hey Andy - if you can remember - next time you go to the buffet for lunch - check if they have fish & chips. In Feb. they had the chips but always told me the fish would be there 'maybe tomorrow'. I loved their fish & chips, it was always my lunch treat.

Glad you are having a wonderful holiday!

Andy, Glad getting on the ship was easy this time. I remember the time we sailed with you and you had such a hard time with getting a wheel chair assist to get on the ship with your mom. Relax and enjoy this trip. Looking forward to sailing with you again in November on Connie.

Pat

Andy, what about activity staff?? Any news about cutbacks and the type of activities that are being cut??

Glad to hear you and your mom are having a great cruise. I enjoyed chatting with her on the Century. Hope your sister is doing well.

Linda

Hello from Belfast, Northern Ireland! Thank you for taking the time out of your well earned cruise to post.

Hope your sister is progressing well.

We will be on Eclipse for the 3rd time on 7th June to the Baltic. We will be in the same cabin (1503) for the 3rd time as well. It will feel like a second home as the Eclipse is by far our favourite ship. If you get the chance, can you swing by the Ice Bar some evening and see if Putu is still there? If so, say hello from George and Colleen and tell him we will be making him work hard in June! Another few martini flights! After all, we are Irish!

Also, will Perry Grant still be on our sailing?

Thanks and enjoy!

Hi Andy,

Glad to hear that everything is going well on the Eclipse. Tell your mom hi from me. Tom

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Have a great time Andy......Glad all is going well

Sue Denning is a top notch CD....

We just booked Reflection but Eclipse is definitely on our list for the future.

They should clone Sue and put her on every ship!

Glad you and your mom are enjoying the cruise, and thanks for your update.

Happy Sails to You

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl