FlutePrayer

We are currently on the Eclipse in an Aqua Sky Suite that we got with a Move Up bid. It is magnificent. There is no comparison to the Prime Aqua Class stateroom we sailed on in October on the same ship. We would bid again in a heartbeat.

"Long Beach is sketchy to the point of feeling filthy and dangerous & I recommend avoiding it. If you're in a hotel near a port (Long Beach or San Pedro), you should be fine." I live and work in Long Beach. As with any large city, there are areas that certainly match your description. Having said that, there are many, many other beautiful areas of Long Beach including lovely parks, a truly outstanding Nature Center, lots of great restaurants, and many cultural events. I'm sorry your experience in Long Beach was unpleasant.

I did notice this on our October 8 cruise and avoided the area because of it. We're on again in less than 2 weeks. Here's hoping it has been sorted out.

I bid on the same thing - $25pp above the minimum - and won the bid. We are excited!

We put ours out before dinner and it was picked right up.

We got ours every night on the Eclipse a few weeks ago as well.

We lowered our initial bid from $450 to $425pp. Our offer froze and showed pending last week. We were notified today that our bid was accepted, and we have our new cabin assignment. We are thrilled.

We found the same attitude on our recent Eclipse sailing. There seemed to be a noticable coldness in upper management. On the other hand, while I was on board I saw some delicious looking desserts posted on Celebrity's Instagram story - a hot chocolate chip cookie in a pan topped with ice cream and some profiteroles. I comment on the story saying that I hadn't seen anything like that on our sailing. I got an instant DM response from Celebrity. They said the cookie wasn't available on our ship (it was in an upcharge restaurant on Edge class ships) and weren't sure about the other. They emailed Eclipse guest services. Guest services called me and we had a pleasant chat with an apology. Several hours later, the maitre d from Blu (who we didn't ever see in person) called and asked if we would be dining with them. When I said no, he sent up 4 "Profiteroles". The dessert game is not strong on Celebrity and even I, a complete dessert lover, didn't find them edible. It's the thought that counts, however, and I was impressed with the Instagram side of things.

Unfortunately, on our sailing on the Eclipse last week, the Spa Cafe was closed on Day 1.

We were on the Eclipse on deck 11 Oct 8-15 with Premium WiFi. There was no WiFi at all on the balcony. The WiFi in the cabin was slow and sporadic. When we were in Port, our regular phone data worked on the balcony but not in the cabin. When we were on the Coral Princess in 2019, we could easily stream with our WiFi package. We were surprised, therefore, by the poor WiFi on the Eclipse, our first Celebrity sailing.

Ship: Eclipse Length of Cruise: 6 nights Cruise Sail Date: December 1, 2023 Date email offer received: 9/18/23 Captain’s Club Tier [“PREVIEW” = first Celebrity Cruise]: Classic Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: Celebrity Direct, moved to TA Current Cabin: Prime Aqua Class Bid? Yes/No: Yes If YES - Bidding Details: Minimum bids: Sky Suite: $300pp Sunset Sky Suite: $350pp AquaClass Sky Suite: $400pp Celebrity Suite: $950pp Royal Suite: $1100pp Cabin Category: place winning category, if accepted (all category offers, can be mentioned in comments) Bid Offer: AquaClass Sky Suite $450pp Notification Date: Accepted / Rejected General Comments (offer details, etc.) We're only interested in an AquaClass Sky Suite. We've already got a great cabin. Here's hoping!

The Hotel Maya is lovely. Having said that, the hospitality workers are currently on strike and the picket lines are quite noisy. It might be good to check on that before a stay.

I live here and I agree.

I live 2 miles south of The Hampton Inn, and stayed in it when our house was being fumigated. It is fairly new in a very safe area. All of the construction around LBX - the Long Beach Exchange - is new, with several space companies as tenants. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there or at the Courtyard by Marriott across the street. A recent development is a strike of the hospitality workers at The Hotel Maya. You might want to avoid their noisy protests. As mentioned before, depending on which conventions or events are happening Downtown, the prices can be staggering. Until recently I worked across the street from the Renaissance Hotel and will let you know that the homeless situation can be a challenge. Downtown, especially around Ocean Blvd and the Aquarium, is beautiful, but can be "interesting". If you're not interested in sightseeing around Downtown, I'd recommend sticking with the Hampton Inn. Happy cruising!

This is very helpful. Thank you!