LIVE from Eclipse - Penthouse Suite - Jan 22nd - 14 nights

Hello everyone. This is my first shot at doing a "live from" so I hope I can live up to some of the very detailed reports I've seen come before. I'll share photos and links to videos on YouTube as often as I can depending on internet connection. If you have questions about the ship I'll do my best in getting an answer for you.

A little about me. My name is Adam and I live in a town south of Boston, MA called Stoughton. I'm traveling with my husband Mike. This will be our 5th cruise with Celebrity and 4th on Eclipse (as you can see from my sig) but our first in the Penthouse Suite. We did the Royal Suite last year and enjoyed it so decided to splurge and go for the top. Mike's mother Carol, will be joining us in the cabin and sleeping on the pull-out sofa; this is her first time on Celebrity. My older sister Cindy and her boyfriend John will be traveling with us. They traveled with us on 3 of our previous Celebrity cruises and will be staying in a hump balcony on Deck 9. Carol's cousin Barbara and her daughter Tina are traveling with us as well and staying in a Deck 9 standard balcony. This is both of their first times on Celebrity. So we're a group of 7 in total which is the largest group of people I've cruised with before; should be fun!

We booked this cabin while sailing on Eclipse last January and got the Go Best plus the extra onboard credit perk. As I mentioned, this will be our 4th time on Eclipse and on the 14 night itinerary. We really love this itinerary because of the length of time away and the number of islands visited.

We have already been contacted by the pre-cruise concierge Shirley. She first contacted me by email about 2 months ago to introduce herself and asked to contact her for any special arrangements. She gave us a call last week and at that time we confirmed what 2 bottles of liquor we wanted for the cabin, what we wanted for our mini-bar set-up (beer, soda, water, mixers) any specialty restaurant reservations we needed and any other special requests. I asked her if we could reserve Murano one night in the Wine Cellar room since it is Tina's birthday during the cruise. I also asked if she could arrange a little sailaway party in the cabin with some hors d'oeuvres. Both requests were no problem. I also arranged to get a mattress topper for the sofa bed to make it more comfortable for Carol based on feedback I read here. If it's not comfortable enough, Shirley said we could ask for an extra mattress to be added to the sofa bed, but if we did that then it would have to remain open all day as well as night.

We fly out tomorrow on Jet Blue to Ft. Lauderdale non-stop from Boston. Always book a night's stay before the cruise in case of bad winter weather causing problems. Luckily the forecast looks good on both ends tomorrow! I had originally booked rooms for us at the Holiday Inn near the Port of Miami at around $250 per room, but luckily our contacts at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood came through, so we're staying there with three comped rooms.

Next update tomorrow!

Next update tomorrow!

We hope you have a wonderful cruise.

We have done the Eclipse 14 night many times and just love it. Just did a b2b with the 14 in December. We will be doing it again in a few weeks, April 2. You will love the ships new captain , Captain Leo, he is both charming and very smart. Everyday he will say " Life is beautiful" when he finishes his 10 am daily update.... Again, Happy, Happy Cruise. P.S. The food and staff are wonderful in Luminae. You may find Michaels club rather boring, they need to jazz it up a bit.

Looking forward to your posts. Have a blast !!

Also from Boston

Patty N Fran

luvstosail

We are also on this cruise and hope to meet you in Michaels Club. Jealous of the Presidents Suite. Glad you will be live from the eclipse.

Harriet and Stephen

We're on the cruise immediately after yours so excited to hear any and all details.

I'm on the Eclipse now, heading back to Miami. Ditto what others said about Captain Leo - if he is featured on a late-night "Liar's Club" during your cruise, DO NOT miss it. I'll look forward to hearing about the penthouse suite!

We are in Florida! Everyone in our group met up at our house this morning and we had a limo van from Boston Coach come and pick us up at 9:30. Then it was a quick 20 minute or so trip into Boston Logan with no traffic. We went from friendly driver to friendly Jet Blue curbside check-in with no waiting. Wheelchairs were right there and ready for the two seniors in our party. We breezed through security with no waiting and got to the gate with about an hour to spare before boarding. Boarding was right on time, we left the gate on time, no waiting on the tarmac and off we went.

Flight down to Ft. Lauderdale got a bit bumpy for about 30 minutes but otherwise no issues and we arrived on time. Wheelchairs were again waiting for our seniors when we deplaned. Got to baggage and did have to wait about 10 minutes for bags to show up but since Mike is Mosaic with Jet Blue all of our group's bags were tagged priority so they were the first on the belt. A porter was right there available to help us with our mountain of bags and he and the wheelchair assistants accompanied us all the way outside to the private transportation pick-up area. We had arranged a pick-up with a local shuttle we had good luck with last year. He had a large van that fit all 7 of us and our luggage comfortably. I can get his name from Mike if anyone is interested.

We headed off to our hotel at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, which is about a 15 minute drive from the airport. We stay here usually pre-cruise because we can normally get free rooms based on our casino play. Mike and I got a suite (basically just a slightly larger guest room) while our companions were in two other standard rooms. All very comfortable and clean. After checking in we grabbed an early dinner at the Blue Plate restaurant which has diner type food, all with large portions at good quality and for a reasonable price. After dinner we ventured into the casino to do some slot play for a few hours. Luck was not on our side until the very end of the night when the last machine I tried wound up paying me a $2600 jackpot! Nice way to end our first day of vacation. On to the ship tomorrow (today actually)!

Included some photos of our Boston Coach shuttle (highly recommend them), our room at Hard Rock and my jackpot win.

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Our shuttle picked us up at the Hard Rock right on time today at 10:30. The company is A1A Shuttle Service and the driver's name is Kenny Portz. He's very friendly and has a clean and sizeable vehicle. He was accommodating in making a stop on the way to the port at a Publix supermarket so we could pick up some snacks and toiletries.

Check-in was pretty reasonable. Took about 20 minutes with an arrival at 11:30am. This was probably the longest w'd had to wait for Suite check-in compared to previous cruises.

We are now onboard and enjoying drinks in Michael's Club while we wait for our cabin to be ready. Met the Concierge Sylvia and she is lovely.

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My wife and I love Bier Haus it is our favorite slot !! Enjoy your cruise.

Sounds like you are all in for a great cruise. We sail the Reflection for a TA to Rome...I love Europe and have been on the Eclipse several times. We are also traveling with others...friends we met on an Adriatic cruise. We are in an aft corner suite and love the wake....enjoy your cruise and the big suite!!! Keep sharing too!

What technology are you using to post photos?

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Please post the daily "Celebrity Today". I am in a group of three couples that will board the Eclipse on Feb. 5.

Have a great cruise!

Looking forward to your "live" report. We will be on Eclipse 14 night next year! And congrats on the Hard Rock Hit!!

Sounds like you are all in for a great cruise. We sail the Reflection for a TA to Rome...I love Europe and have been on the Eclipse several times. We are also traveling with others...friends we met on an Adriatic cruise. We are in an aft corner suite and love the wake....enjoy your cruise and the big suite!!! Keep sharing too!

What technology are you using to post photos?

 

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We love the aft corner Sky Suites. Did those on our first three Celebrity cruises.

Just using the Cruise Critic app to post photos.

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Following along for vicarious pleasure. 98 days until we board Eclipse [emoji3]

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Thanks for the answer about technology...I do the same using Forums, but my photos always come out tiny from my iPhone. Any hints on what to do so this does not happen? The photos are great on my phone, but when I look at my iMac, they are very small for the bigger screen.

Don't mean to take up your precious time; have a wonderful and exciting time with family!!!:cool::cool::cool: Enjoy and thanks!

Been watching the Port Of Miami web site for the past hour, watching the Eclipse maneuver the turnabout in the basin and then sail down the channel.

.....and away she goes...

6 weeks and that will be us!!!

Happy sailing! I will be watching for more postings, we will be on the March 19 sailing, anxious to read your reviews.

Please post the daily "Celebrity Today". I am in a group of three couples that will board the Eclipse on Feb. 5.

 

 

 

Have a great cruise!

Here is today's.

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Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you, Wonderman3!

Looking forward to your daily posts.

Sharing photos of our Penthouse Suite. It is quite grand! I love having the huge bedroom. Last year in the Royal Suite the living room was comfortable but the bedroom felt cramped. The bathroom is a dream in this cabin with the jetted tub (which we will likely never use), the massive two-person shower, dual sinks and the private toilet room (a highlight for me as someone can be using it while the other person is showering or at the sink). The closet has room for all of our things and then some! The living and dining area is very spacious with the table for 8 and wet bar area. Tons of space for all the included dishes and glassware and our own snacks. The mini-bar and refrigerator were full of the items we had requested save for two of the juices we wanted as mixers which the butler brought later. The player piano adds that touch of elegance but is kind of useless since none of us play and the player piano function is very loud and annoying. The balcony is massive and there were already extra lounge chairs out there so all three of us can stretch out. The jetted tub is a conversation piece but as with the bathroom tub we will likely not use. Another little perk we noticed was a small Bluetooth speaker.

Our butler George came and introduced himself shortly after we arrived in the cabin. He gave us a tour of the room and explained the amenities and benefits. He is nice but seemed a bit stressed as if he needed to be in 5 other places and so speaks very fast making it hard to understand at times with his accent. Any of the few requests we had this afternoon were accommodated quickly and efficiently though. This should be a wonderful stay!

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Will share photos from sail away and our first dinner tomorrow. Tired now after a long day and off to sleep!

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Hi WonderMan;

Thanks so much for taking us with you. Your family with love the time spent with you in your living room.

Can you please give as much detail as possible about your mattress? Can the small inner mattress cushionettes be adjusted? Is there some kind of pillowtop for softness? Any and all opinions you have on the subject will be appreciated.

I have a dedicated suitcase with a foam topper that usually accompanies me on all cruises, (really needed it on Princess) but our next cruise is longer, and actual luggage space is at a premium. I would love to feel confident in leaving this extra suitcase at home....Any words of wisdom or advice will be gladly accepted.

Scanditaly