Something wrong on Eclipse? (3/24 sailing review)

[Archaegeo]

To start, we love Celebrity and have sailed 5 other cruises on it in past 3 years, and sailed the Solstice out of the med last year, so not our first time on this class, in fact we picked it because of how much we loved it. This was a cruise with my wife, FIL and MIL. I had just sailed the Oasis out of FLL with my sister the previous week (went from FLL to MIA that morning via bus from FLL airport).

 

But for the first time ever, the service was poor.

 

Not everywhere, room steward was still great, and the main dining room waitstaff, though overworked, still always had a smile.

 

It was the bar/waitservice outside of the restaurants along with the activities staff and CD. The bar/waitstaff seemed surly and the activities staff, save for two members, apathetic. And our CD was so full of himself (I know a strong personality matters, but he didnt seem to care about the pax) that it was a turnoff when he came to an event (he skipped the pax talent show entirely).

 

Our normal experience with Celebrity is that you have to go out of your way to find a crewmember without a smile. Now we normally sail European cruises, and not during spring break, so maybe that had something to do with it, but even still, it was like walking into a Twilight zone version of a ship you know.

 

Things we noted:

 

1) The lawn club - This was our favorite part of the cruise on the Solstice. We spent many hours up there drinking sangria and playing the lawn games. On the eclipse, we would rather they get rid of it and put in bigger pools. We do not want the rentable cabana's of the later ships, and prefer the hot glass show over an art studio, but the lawn games are all but gone. We asked about it from the staff and were told crocket (sp?) is now once a week, and ladder ball is gone, both apparently due to kids misusing the equipment. While I appreciate safety, punishing adults because the staff cant monitor the kids is sad. Now all you can play is bocce and bag toss, and putting when they pull out the clubs for a planned activity. And the grass is now just used for people to lay out. It was so sad.

 

2) The wait staff (bar/drink waiters) - I think it was due in part to spring break the previous week and our current week, and the fact that now (as opposed to the past) they are no longer allowed to automatically print out a receipt to allow you to give a tip, you must request a receipt. This is probably to save paper and time, but when we asked about it, the two staff members said, almost exactly the same, that they are not allowed to comment on it. Normally when we board and go up to the grill for a burger and sailaway drink, we instantly have a smiling waiter at our side happy to take our orders. This time, without fail, we had to track someone down or go to the bar ourselves. I know it might sound petty, but its why we go on Celebrity, that feeling that they were just waiting for you to board to see what they could do to make your vacation better.

 

3) The activities staff - They were glum. Not sure why? One young blond girl was great (did paper airplane and some trivia), but the french guy was confused most of the time and the older guy would walk by without even saying hello. And we did not like the CD at all for reasons stated above.

 

4) Boarding in Miami - We were supposed to be select, but they made a mistake with our boarding cards (corrected later onboard) and we had to wait in the general queue. No chairs, standing along a wall in a huge corral, worst port boarding experience yet. Having just done FLL the previous week to board the Oasis, it was night and day.

 

5) Specialty Restaurants - Here we felt we were still on Celebrity. The food was great, QSine was a nifty change, Maurano's was excellent as always, and we had the level of service where when my FIL says he is alergic to garlic, they treated it like it made their day to modify the menu items to serve him.

 

6) Ports - We picked some great excursions. We ATV'd in Puerto Rico, did the underwater Seatrek in St Maarten, and the FanTaSea catamarn in St Kitts. OMG so much fun, especially the last where the free rum punch made us lose 2 hours once back on the ship.

 

So we still had a great cruise, and have not given up on Celebrity, but the overwhelming conclusion was that the crew on the Eclipse was just unhappy for some reason, and we felt it throughout the ship, mostly the waitstaff as mentioned, but others as well.

[constantcruiser]

So sorry to hear that. We fell in love with S-class ships when we first sailed on Solstice last year and thoroughly enjoyed 11 days on Equinox a few months ago. Hope the Eclipse staff will perk back up before our 14-night cruise in February. Hopefully you are right and the crew was just worn out after Spring Break...as a Mom, I always break out a smile when school starts!

[Archaegeo]

It honestly may have been spring break, but it was disappointing, and we are their ideal customers as we have money we set aside for each cruise to be able to tip great service and not have to skimp on our vacation.

 

And of course the absence of the games from the lawn club was sad too.

[SAC69]

I was on this cruise and I thought the level of service and attention to detail was outstanding. I only ate in the main dining room three times but the food was great and well presented. The wait staff was very attentive and I never had to wait for a drink. I had the premium package and my glass was never empty. We ate in Murano, Blu (we were in a CS and had no problem getting a table) and Tuscan grill. Excellent service and food. The only service issue I had was at the pool bar. It always took forever to get a drink and for some reason I felt ignored. Mike the CD was OK, but I agree he did not go the extra mile. Maybe because his contract was up after the cruise. All the shows were very good and the comedian Troy Thirdgill was hilarious. We had a great time and love Celebrity.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[cinderellen]

It honestly may have been spring break, but it was disappointing, and we are their ideal customers as we have money we set aside for each cruise to be able to tip great service and not have to skimp on our vacation.

 

And of course the absence of the games from the lawn club was sad too.

 

Sorry for the bad experience. My husband and I were on the Eclipse in December and I have to agree with a few of your issues. I know alot of people really enjoyed the CD-I found him irritating. There were some fun activities but some that we used to like had vanished. I didn't care for the CC Host either. Good thing is none of these little things we'll keep any of us from cruising!

 

Ellen

[Archaegeo]

I forgot to mention Troy. He was pretty funny.

 

And yes, the service was great everywhere for us except the bar/waitstaff, ESPECIALLY around the pools and the topside bars.

 

Even the bars below decks though there was usually a wait. We walked into Cellarmasters ontime and left after 10 min when the sommeliers just walked past us over and over as we sat and waited. Again, just not what we are use to on Celebrity.

 

And yeah, forgot to mention CD was going on vacation after the cruise got back, maybe that had something to do with his performance of duties.

[seabill]

We did a B/B on the Eclipse in January and enjoyed one of our best cruises. I trully can't remember a problem. The staff was most attentive and senior officers were always around.

 

We are elite passengers on Celebrity and frequent cruisers.

[Orator]

Sorry for the bad experience. My husband and I were on the Eclipse in December and I have to agree with a few of your issues. I know alot of people really enjoyed the CD-I found him irritating. There were some fun activities but some that we used to like had vanished. I didn't care for the CC Host either. Good thing is none of these little things we'll keep any of us from cruising!

 

Ellen

 

Who was the CC Host? The one on the prior cruise was wonderful. He had a health and family emergency and had to leave the ship on the 24th. They had less than a day to find a replacement for him so I can understand why there may have been problems. I found the food and service on both the 17th and 24th to be well above average, except for my stateroom attendant who was the worst I've experienced. First time in more than 50 cruises that I didn't leave an additional tip

[Archaegeo]

Didnt catch the CC host name on our 24 Mar cruise, but he corrected our status and gave us the right coupons, so that worked out, strangely though he wasnt able to do so till after the muster drill even though we checked at 12 noon, said he wasnt open till then.

[Orator]

Didnt catch the CC host name on our 24 Mar cruise, but he corrected our status and gave us the right coupons, so that worked out, strangely though he wasnt able to do so till after the muster drill even though we checked at 12 noon, said he wasnt open till then.

 

The CC Host/Hostess is usually with VIP and PH Suite guests in Michael's Club prior to cabins becoming available. They acted very promptly if they worked it out prior to dinner.

[amyr]

2) The wait staff (bar/drink waiters) - I think it was due in part to spring break the previous week and our current week, and the fact that now (as opposed to the past) they are no longer allowed to automatically print out a receipt to allow you to give a tip, you must request a receipt. This is probably to save paper and time, but when we asked about it, the two staff members said, almost exactly the same, that they are not allowed to comment on it.

 

 

We recently took our first HAL cruise and found the same thing with the receipts. They couldn't print one at all, and when we asked how to tip extra beyond the already included 15%, they said cash only. We noticed on that cruise as well that it was much harder to get bar/wait service for drinks. We thought it was just HAL or that ship, but maybe it's a new industry thing? We found our favorite bartender, bellied up with a nice cash tip, and it was wonderful service for the rest of the cruise.

[kasowell2]

We too were on this cruise and as I mentioned in another thread the bar service in a couple of venues was terrible. The service in the buffet was terrible. THe bar in the buffet was the only place that got irritated when about the drink package. I went there with two cards and got two drinks at breakfast. Bloody Marys I think. I asked could I go ahead and get a soft drink while I'm there and she wouldn't because of the one drink rule. Now I understand it if it's multiple alcoholic drinks but I was just trying to save from having to walk all the way back up there since there was no service to speak of. She relented after a short discussion. THe other place was the martini bar. Would wait and wait to be served at the bar but if I sat in a chair I got good service. It's the only place I felt like showed preference to pay as you go customers. Also don't mention the fact taht the bartenders were not very entertaining.

 

The cruise director was probably the worst I have ever had. He was not funny and was very lame. I kept wondering how he ever got to the position in the first place.

 

This was the first time I have ever left poor comments on the comment card. To Celebrity's credit I did get an email this morning asking me to contact them if I wanted to discuss the matter further.

[Archaegeo]

We left poor comments too but havent been contacted by X so I dropped them an email this morning as well.

 

I really hope this was a 1x thing, truly, because X is my preferred line due to the fact of the service. And its not being pampered, its more the fact that the service has always felt like they were so happy to have the chance to help you with anything, and we tipped accordingly.

 

Re the drink package, anyone know how the 15% works? You pay a 15% on top of the drink package price for tips, but not each time you pull a drink, so do just all the teh bar staff split the drink package total 15% at teh end of a the cruise? Either way, not letting them print out a 0.00 receipt with spot for extra tip really seems to be what has them miffed, has to have hit their bottom line.

[Archaegeo]

As a side note, might be a good excuse to give Azumara a try, we have been meaning to anyway.

[iSailor]

Who was the CC Host? The one on the prior cruise was wonderful. He had a health and family emergency and had to leave the ship on the 24th. They had less than a day to find a replacement for him so I can understand why there may have been problems. I found the food and service on both the 17th and 24th to be well above average, except for my stateroom attendant who was the worst I've experienced. First time in more than 50 cruises that I didn't leave an additional tip

 

May I know what was wrong with your SR attendant?

[Orator]

May I know what was wrong with your SR attendant?

 

Much too much to mention, but here are some highlights:

 

1. Neglected to take laundry from cabin for more than 24 hours and barlely made iut back prior to leaving ship

2. We were on a B2B and had to switch cabin to the one next door. He disappeared when we asked him for help making the move. He was the attendant for both cabins!

3. "Forgot" to bring C snacks three of the seven days ( didn't need them anyway).

4. Kept bring non CC towels to room after he was told several times we wanted them

5. Yelled at my DW when she interrupted his dinner to request an item that we'd been waiting for all day.

6. Cabin was dirty

 

Perhaps not big things, but they added up.

[iSailor]

Much too much to mention, but here are some highlights:

 

1. Neglected to take laundry from cabin for more than 24 hours and barlely made iut back prior to leaving ship

2. We were on a B2B and had to switch cabin to the one next door. He disappeared when we asked him for help making the move. He was the attendant for both cabins!

3. "Forgot" to bring C snacks three of the seven days ( didn't need them anyway).

4. Kept bring non CC towels to room after he was told several times we wanted them

5. Yelled at my DW when she interrupted his dinner to request an item that we'd been waiting for all day.

6. Cabin was dirty

 

Perhaps not big things, but they added up.

 

Sorry that happened to you.I been on Eclipse 6 times,every time was wonderful.

[Orator]

Sorry that happened to you.I been on Eclipse 6 times,every time was wonderful.

 

I have you beat on number of times on Eclipse :) and also found each experience wonderful. Will be on Equinox for 24 days starting this Friday and fully expect a high level of service. This one case was the exception, not the rule.

[Archaegeo]

I really think this was an exception rather than the rule as well, cant believe RCL would let X fall like that.

 

Thought the no printing of receipts for those on drink packages is worrysome, I know people are more likely to give extra tips if they have it presented to them than if they have to ask for it or carry cash.

[CruisingChick]

Much too much to mention, but here are some highlights:

 

1. Neglected to take laundry from cabin for more than 24 hours and barlely made iut back prior to leaving ship

2. We were on a B2B and had to switch cabin to the one next door. He disappeared when we asked him for help making the move. He was the attendant for both cabins!

3. "Forgot" to bring C snacks three of the seven days ( didn't need them anyway).

4. Kept bring non CC towels to room after he was told several times we wanted them

5. Yelled at my DW when she interrupted his dinner to request an item that we'd been waiting for all day.

6. Cabin was dirty

 

Perhaps not big things, but they added up.

 

WOW, I think they are big, especially "yelling at your DW." That is uncalled for.

[ccletzgo]

It sounds like the Bar Service tips are being pooled. :confused:

[Denny01]

I really think this was an exception rather than the rule as well, cant believe RCL would let X fall like that.

 

Thought the no printing of receipts for those on drink packages is worrysome, I know people are more likely to give extra tips if they have it presented to them than if they have to ask for it or carry cash.

A very postive attitude, so we know this isn't the 'they looked at me funny and ruined by cruise' issue. We cruised on Eclipse in mid January. Had a great time and the usual Celebrity great service. We picked that cruise because it had more at-sea days, which I love, and one of the main reasons is the service, so what you described would be a problelm. Could be the Spring Break or something such as that. Hope you noted it on your Comment Sheet...those are important.

 

Hope they snap out of it, we are on the Eclipse out of Southampton late May for the Baltic.

 

Den

[cinderellen]

Who was the CC Host? The one on the prior cruise was wonderful. He had a health and family emergency and had to leave the ship on the 24th. They had less than a day to find a replacement for him so I can understand why there may have been problems. I found the food and service on both the 17th and 24th to be well above average, except for my stateroom attendant who was the worst I've experienced. First time in more than 50 cruises that I didn't leave an additional tip

 

The CC Host was Chandru. Again, just like the CD, many people liked him. Maybe there were alot of Elite on this cruise and it was difficult for him to keep everyone straight. Whatever the issue, I just never got a real sincere feel from him.

[Orator]

The CC Host was Chandru. Again, just like the CD, many people liked him. Maybe there were alot of Elite on this cruise and it was difficult for him to keep everyone straight. Whatever the issue, I just never got a real sincere feel from him.

 

I am completely confused! Chandu saw me right before he left the ship on the 24th and told me that he was leaving for the airport to get a flight to India.Did he have a fast change of plans?Knowing what I know,that's highly unlikely.