Capnpugwash almost live from Celebrity Eclipse

[Presto2]

Fantastic reading - thanks for posting. It has made me laugh our loud --- must admit, I have to applaud you for even going near the gym, let alone doing something in it !!! :) Lycra man ---- have a real picture in my head - it makes me in a bikini more acceptable !!!!!! :)

 

Re the comment about the lady in the 'wellies' ------ brilliant :D:D:D

[capnpugwash]

I did finish the book this afternoon and then I went for a pre-dinner drink to the Martini bar on deck 4, it is a very pleasant location and has a frozen ice counter top which does take some getting used to. The barman, Garnet, greeted me by name although I hadn’t been there for a couple of days. There was a couple there with whom I had been on QM2 last year and we had some kisses and hugs. They do a very nice Peartini which simply put is a pear vodka martini and is very nice, the second was just as nice as the first and then it was time for dinner. As I sat down at the table we sailed from the port. For dinner I had snails, lobster bisque and leg of lamb and it was all very nice, the second half of my bottle of Catena Malbec wine washed it down nicely.

 

After dinner I returned to the Martini Bar and had a couple of Espresso Martinis which were excellent, I may regret them later if I have trouble sleeping. It is now 10pm and we have just reached the Greenland Sea which is at the head of the fjord some 60 kilometres from Akureryi and we are heading north-east to enter the adjacent Norwegian Sea to start our south east track to the Faeroe Islands. We lose one hour tonight and have a sea day tomorrow.

 

It is a cool 10/50 degrees and we are making 13 knots through a very slight sea.

[capnpugwash]

I am pleased to be able to tell you that the espresso martinis didn’t keep me awake at all although the alcohol involved may have overcome the effects of the caffeine; I had a really nice time talking with David and Marlene who are the couple from the QM2. They are Cunard fans from the days of QEII and also enjoy what Celebrity has to offer, they were really good company. It is great to be sailing again after the port days and to feel the slight motion of the ship as she sails across these northern waters, it would be better if there was a little more wave action but it is nice to be moving anyway.

 

It is 5.45am on Friday July 13th and the sea is deepest grey, the sky is overcast and leaden which after the last couple of sunny days is disappointing to say the least. We are creeping along the top of Iceland at a mere 13 knots and will very soon be turning south south east to head to Klaksvik in the Faeroes. It is chilly at 8/47 degrees and we have a northerly wind of 18 knots. There are a few white horses across the surface of the water but it remains moderate. Hopefully the cloud cover will burn off during the day so that we get a little sunshine. The barometer is falling slightly and the forecast is for sunshine and clouds; that sounds like a reasonable each way bet! We are well out to sea and the land that we are tracking on the starboard side is beyond the horizon. We are east of Hamundarstadir and will pass Vopnnafjorour shortly; it looks like the Icelandic postmen up here have a difficult job as the envelopes needed must be bigger than normal.

 

I expected that as we are at sea today the dress code this evening would be formal, but it is casual again. According to the programme we were to have 3 formal evenings so it looks likely that one will be held between Klaksvik and Norway and the last on will be the day that we sail from Bergen to Southampton. It doesn’t really matter other than on a housekeeping basis because I will need to get my laundry done ready for QM2 on July 27th. A housewife’s work is never done!

[u2cruiser]

Cap'n, your posts are conjuring up the Robinson Crusoe theme each time I read them, so I'm playing it as I read.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSxiqOPnW84

 

Wish I could join you in a Pouilly Fuisse. It was my wine of the cruise on the Equinox. Worth having the premium package just for that!

 

Hope you manage to get your laundry chores done in time for QM2. :cool:

[capnpugwash]

It is quite odd sitting here in the murk thinking that this time next week I will be in Southampton and about to start the drive home, the days seem to pass slowly initially and then gather pace until they are galloping away. We have 4 ports remaining and 3 sea days including today, I will have to make the most of each day. We have altered course and are now heading slightly south of south-east which is a rhumb line course to the Faeroes, the wind is a quite gusty headwind between moderate and strong. It is almost time for some breakfast, one day I must try it down in the main restaurant but they don’t start there until 8am and that is an hour away.

 

The buffet was quite empty this morning, possibly because of the loss of an hour forward and sitting by the window and looking at the sea was quite magical, the water was dark and glasslike, the surface was smooth except where there were the tiniest of ripples caused by the wind. It looked for all the world as though some wrinkled cling film had been laid over it with the associated tiny creases. I wasn’t alone in wanting breakfast as there were flocks and flocks of small oval bodied gulls soaring in the air and then gliding inches above the water before they dived in without a splash or ripple to catch their snacks. I merely had to walk to the counter to collect mine although their method did look like a lot more fun. The cloud is now broken with patches of bright blue peering through so the sun is doing its job quite well; the temperature has climbed a little to 10/50 degrees.

 

I went to the gym and it was a little busier than recently but there were still plenty of empty machines, I did a little work there but quite soon I was in the sauna. Once again I was the only customer and was able to stretch out in comfort, or at least in as much comfort that resting on wooden boards with just a thin towel under you can give. I stayed for the recommended time and then had a nice cooling shower and went out to relax by the outside pool. I stayed for as long as I could stand the cool air and then I went to warm up in the Sky Lounge to listen to a book. This lasted a little over 35 minutes as the entertainment staff member announced the start of day 3 or 4 of the progressive quiz which apparently was held on each sea day. I couldn’t concentrate on my book so listened to the questions. There were 20 of them and I think that I was correct on 17 of them which wasn’t too bad on my own. Once that finished it became peaceful and quiet again so I returned to my book for an hour or so.

 

It is now almost 1.30 and the clouds have really thinned out and have all but disappeared, the temperature is now 12/54 degrees but it feels ok in the sun provided there is shelter from the 16 knot wind. I am going to ignore my hunger and skip lunch again and instead I will sit out on the balcony to take advantage of the weather for a while.

[capnpugwash]

I sat out for a couple of hours and the sun shone, the wind was somewhere else and I had a great afternoon. I only had an orange for lunch which was part of the fruit bowl that I get delivered each day. I finished another one of my books and at 5pm am just about to get cleaned up and dressed ready for this evening. The big decision is whether I should go to the Martini Bar or to the Cellar Masters wine bar. Life is getting too complicated for a simple man like me!

 

The weather and our speed and course are unchanged and in 17 hours’ time we are due to arrive at Klaksvik where I might sample some of the local delicacy, Puffin. I'm not convinced but never say never!

 

I went to the Cellar Master bar in the end and had a glass of Gavi di Gavi, la Scolca which is a cracking Italian white wine and I followed that with a Chianti Riserva which was also delicious. Dinner was a bowl of Gumbo, a New York Strip steak and ice cream. It was a fairly light meal although as I write about it, it looks like a lot of food. After dinner I popped to the Martini Bar and had a Peartini and a Vesper, they were both excellent drinks. It is now almost time for bed. There is no change with the weather, sea state or course. Sunset is at 11.45 tonight and sunrise is not until 4.02am tomorrow.

[capnpugwash]

I slept well with the gentle rocking of the ship as we sailed through the night, it is now 5am on Saturday July 14th and arising from the slight morning mist are the jagged cliffs of the Faeroe Islands which are situated between 400 and 500 miles due north of the north west corner of Scotland. They look quite majestic and at the same time ethereal in the greyness of the early morning. The tops of the rocky outcrops are shrouded in cloud or mist and the air is a cool 8/46 degrees. The sun is totally obscured by the blanket of cloud. This looks like a very harsh environment in which to live, there is very little agriculture on these islands and the main industry is fishing. The waters that surround them are historically rich fishing grounds, the second largest industry is tourism and the Faeroese are renowned for their warmth as a people. We are due to dock in 90 minutes and are currently sailing down a deep and rocky fjord between a few of the several islands, we sail for Gerainger in Norway at 4pm. It will be a short 371 mile trip.

[capnpugwash]

There is a free shuttle bus arranged today to take us the 3 kilometres from the port into the centre of town. I received an interim statement overnight and had a couple of queried amounts so about 5.30 I popped down to Guest Relations to raise them. I was amazed to find two people already there moaning about trolley noise during the nights which emanates from the Buffet Restaurant under which their cabins are situated. I know that it must be annoying but it surely isn’t unexpected if you have a cabin directly beneath such a place. Anyway the girl was very conciliatory to both the men and had security staff visit the restaurant to see what was going on. The men went away fairly happy and she was able to deal with my questions as well.

 

As we were sailing in between the islands I went up to deck 14 and watched the process, we weaved our way between the rocks and cliffs this way and that, and then we finally made a last turn and Klaksvik came into sight. By this time, whilst I was enjoying the stunning scenery, I was regretting not wearing a jacket or sweater in the cold morning air but I didn’t want to miss anything so I just stuck it out. We spun through 90 degrees and approached our berth, lines went ashore at 6.45 and we are now secured alongside. The surroundings are very reminiscent of the highlands of Scotland with grass and wild plants growing where it is hard to imagine any living thing gaining a foothold. It is quite breath-taking and certainly worth a visit if you get the chance.

 

My plan is to let the rush of people go and then head off the ship at around 11am once the panic is over. Because we are moored in a fjord there is no access to the internet from the satellite.

 

There are 20 or so buses parked by the gangways awaiting their passengers for the various tours that have been arranged, additionally there are the shuttle buses to transfer people into town, the tour buses are filling up but there is little demand for the shuttles at the moment.

[excitedofharpenden]

There is a free shuttle bus arranged today to take us the 3 kilometres from the port into the centre of town. I received an interim statement overnight and had a couple of queried amounts so about 5.30 I popped down to Guest Relations to raise them. I was amazed to find two people already there moaning about trolley noise during the nights which emanates from the Buffet Restaurant under which their cabins are situated. I know that it must be annoying but it surely isn’t unexpected if you have a cabin directly beneath such a place.

I suspect they were in a Sky Suite on the Resort Deck. I have stayed in one of those and was plagued by noise 24 hours a day. You have no idea how annoying it is to be woken up in the middle of the night with carts of crockery rolling overhead:rolleyes:

 

Phil

[uktog]

Or worse a Royal Suite where the carts are hauled out to the pool area. If you had been on Eclipse two years ago, you would have met us at Guest Relations in the early morning. Yes, the staff do try and deaden the noise, but when you have paid for a Royal Suite you are certainly not happy bunnies, it is a fundamental flaw of the design of the S class that the most expensive rooms are also most prone to noise from above.

 

I have been on other ships where I have been below a buffet and have not had an issue, so it is something about the floor structure on these ships. And if they were up and dressed at 0530, poor things must have been woken around 0500 - way way too early for anyone !!

[capnpugwash]

Ultimately I caught a shuttle bus just before 10am and 5 minutes later I was dropped off by the Information Office at the library. I walked around for half an hour and apart from a few shops, a church and a beer warehouse there was little to interest me. I really wanted a coffee but there were no cafes visible. I returned to the drop off point and boarded a shuttle back to the ship. As we drove out of town there on the right was a café. Sod’s Law I suppose! I had a cup when I was back on board instead. I am glad that I visited Klaksvik as the scenery is so startling; having been here and got the tee-shirt I doubt that I would care to revisit the islands.

 

Back on board they were showing a film called Starbuck in the cinema, it was a gentle comedy in French Canadian with sub-titles. It was quite a funny and touching film and you could do a lot worse than watch it. Afterwards, skipping lunch, I went for a sauna and have just emerged all shiny and relaxed.

 

The day has been cool with the temperature only reaching 9/48 degrees, there is only a 5 knot light breeze but that may be because we are sheltered in the deep fjord. Somehow I have muddled up the remaining days of this cruise. For some reason I thought that it finished this coming Friday whereas we actually arrive in Southampton on Saturday, I also thought that we were only calling at Gerainger, Flam and Bergen and I have now realised that we call additionally at Molde. Despite the fact that we only have 371 miles to travel from here to Gerainger tomorrow is a sea day and we are taking almost 40 hours to cover that distance. We adjust the clocks forward by one hour again tonight to be on Central European Time. We are due to depart in 40 minutes time.

[h20cruzer]

Capnpugwash

How about posting a picture of your self so we have a face to go with your fabulous review of your cruise.

Norma

[capnpugwash]

Capnpugwash

How about posting a picture of your self so we have a face to go with your fabulous review of your cruise.

Norma

 

Look on my signature

 

We left at exactly 4pm which was lucky for the 6 passengers who arrived separately in 2 cabs just after 3.50, the gangways had all been dismantled but luckily for them they were able to board. Whenever I go ashore I make a point of taking my passport and a credit card with me so that I will be able to catch up with the ship should I miss the departure. We attracted quite a crowd for the departure with about 50 cars and buses stopping on the roads above the berth and about 30 people standing at the perimeter fence of the dock waving the Faeroe Island flags. The normal procedure for mooring a ship is to take the ropes or lines from the ship and place the spliced loop at the end over one of the bollards on the quayside, in this port they have their own ropes laid over the bollards and they join the ship’s lines to the ends of them with shackles or some similar bit of kit. I've never seen that done before and I still don’t really understand why they do it this way here. We gave three whistles as we pushed away from the quayside and the parked and waiting vehicles all responded accordingly. I suppose that the residents all have that affinity with the sea that comes from being an island race. The port presenter has announced that we are taking a different route out from this harbour this afternoon; he said that we will head south and then head east into the Norwegian Sea towards Norway. I'm not sure where his information came from as we headed north and just reversed the route that we used this morning, maybe the Captain was winding him up.

 

It has only taken us 75 minutes to navigate through the fjords and out into the sea; we are currently making a mere 11 knots.

 

I went to the Martini Bar and had a couple of Ketel One martinis which were great, dinner was a little difficult as there were so many things that I fancied so I settled for 3 starters and a Caesar Salad, had snails, pate and pea and ham soup. They were all delicious apart from the pate which was pretty tasteless. Afterwards I bumped into Marlene and Adrian and was invited up to see their suite and share a bottle of fizz which was very nice. Now it is 11.15pm but realistically 12.15am tomorrow once we lose the hour. The ship is crawling along at 9 knots, the temperature is ony 7/45 degrees and there is a light westerly breeze of 14 knots.

[Taxguy77]

The air temperature has reached 17/63 degrees which is wonderful so I am going to head back to the deck and take advantage of it.

 

It is 2pm and we have just pushed off the berth and are sailing out of the harbour into the glasslike inlet leading to the Atlantic Ocean, earlier I had gone to the buffet for a coffee and noticed that one of the stations was offering Mexican food which is a long-time favourite of mine. I had a chicken fajita, some chili con carne with refried beans and a spoonful of guacamole. It was all absolutely delicious and the chili was just spicy enough. I could eat that type of food every day if it was available.

 

Come down here for a "holiday". The chefs in 99% of the restaurants are Mexican or of Mexican desent. About half the restaurants specialize in Mexican or Tex-Mex cuisine. Service is often as slow as in the interior of Mexico, but you can be assured of beans with your breakfast.

[Taxguy77]

I have been on other ships where I have been below a buffet and have not had an issue, so it is something about the floor structure on these ships. And if they were up and dressed at 0530, poor things must have been woken around 0500 - way way too early for anyone !!

 

I grew up in the produce business, which begins VERY early in the day to get your fresh fruits and vegies to you.

At 4AM for a while, we ate the first batch of donuts along with the breadman, milkman and some gas truck drivers. Sleep in! The best time is very early, and we like it without the traffic noise.

On a ship the sun coming up from the observation deck is really worth the cruise!

[capnpugwash]

It is 6.15am on Sunday July 15th and it really feels as though the ship is moored, we are roaring along eastwards at 9 knots, the temperature is a mere 8/46 degrees and we have a 16 knot headwind. The sea is moderate and there is a very slight lateral roll on board. This probably has as much to do with our slow pace as it does with the set of the very grey sea. The sky is overcast with a uniform blanket of grey clouds and it looks very wintry. It has been raining overnight and the decks are awash with water. I went for breakfast to the buffet and had corned beef hash again with poached eggs, the eggs have a really nice yellow yolk not at all like the eggs generally used in US establishments.

 

It is now 8am and the rain has stopped but it is a cold and nasty morning, our position is about 140 miles east of the Faeroes and 200 miles due north of the Shetland Islands. A fair description would be that we are in the middle of nowhere. Because this is a sea day and a Sunday the main restaurant is closed this morning whilst a brunch buffet is being set up, I suppose that it makes a change but I don’t think that I will be attending it.

[sbtagent]

I suspect they were in a Sky Suite on the Resort Deck. I have stayed in one of those and was plagued by noise 24 hours a day. You have no idea how annoying it is to be woken up in the middle of the night with carts of crockery rolling overhead:rolleyes:

 

Phil

 

The noise from restaurants above, and from nextdoor cabins, are much worse on the ships made by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany, The Solstice class and The Radiance class ( RCCL ). It must have something to do with the prefabricated cabins they bring onboard, they are not made at the shipyard. Ships made by STX, previously known as Wärtsila in Finland, have absolutely no noise from cabins next door or from restaurants above you. There are just a few factories in Europe ( where most cruiseships are made) who specialize in making prefabricated cabins. And I would think the finnish-made ships have cabins made by Piikiö in Finland. I would have thought this type of noise problem was known to Meyer Werft after completing the Radiance ships, and that the Solstice class would have the same noise-insulation as those ships made in Finland.

I now always pick my cabin after having looked on the deckplans, - not under a restaurant where they start moving trolleys over tiled floors at 5 in the morning, or cabins with a connecting door.

[u2cruiser]

I am thoroughly enjoying your cruise Cap'n. Could do with a little more sun to warm things up, but I guess people don't take that cruise to be warm.

 

Thank you for your updates :)

[excitedofharpenden]

The noise from restaurants above, and from nextdoor cabins, are much worse on the ships made by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany, The Solstice class and The Radiance class ( RCCL ). It must have something to do with the prefabricated cabins they bring onboard, they are not made at the shipyard. Ships made by STX, previously known as Wärtsila in Finland, have absolutely no noise from cabins next door or from restaurants above you. There are just a few factories in Europe ( where most cruiseships are made) who specialize in making prefabricated cabins. And I would think the finnish-made ships have cabins made by Piikiö in Finland. I would have thought this type of noise problem was known to Meyer Werft after completing the Radiance ships, and that the Solstice class would have the same noise-insulation as those ships made in Finland.

I now always pick my cabin after having looked on the deckplans, - not under a restaurant where they start moving trolleys over tiled floors at 5 in the morning, or cabins with a connecting door.

Interesting comments. I haven't been on Royal Caribbean so can't comment there, but I have noticed noise on the S-Class ships at various cabin locations. You may have seen I started a thread about serial door bangers and this is exacerbated by the door design and the cabins made as pre-fab tandems. Having small tiles on the floor in the buffet in addition to trolleys with hard wheels doesn't help the S2s underneath either.

 

5am would have been a luxury.;) I was woken one night at 3am by rolling carts and the following night at 2.30am by the vacuum cleaner which was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Such a shame about this location because these S2 cabins are a really nice space and very comfortable.

 

Phil

[LadyL1]

Capn

 

Your diary is very endearing and the content relating to how it is on board must be very helpful to those who might be thinking of a cruise on the Eclipse.

I will be on this ship late August with my husband, daughter (we enjoyed a drink in the Commodore Club post QM2 refit) and her family. I was was slightly unnerved by your reference to the football shirt brigade in the bars; I hope this is not the case in the evenings.:eek:

Your postings relate to the sauna but have you had a massage (I might have missed this). Always enjoy this form of relaxation, but a few years ago I thought Celebrity seemed very expensive compared with my "usual" indulgence. Have you any observations on this?

Tomorrow when in Geiranger it is worth being on the top deck when the ship drops anchor! The echo of this in the mountains is amazing and then locals always fire a canon when a ship arrives. Most passengers miss this as they are at the ready to queue or fight to be first on the tenders.:rolleyes:

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[capnpugwash]

I went to join a team in the Progressive Quiz this morning but managed to give them 2 wrong answers and 2 correct answers, they didn’t know any of them so no real harm was done, there were some very tricky questions posed and we ended up with 13/20. I am unsure where that puts their team on the league ladder. Do you know the name of the girlfriend of Yogi Bear? Or what is Rule 2 in Fight Club? Or in which TV series was the first interracial kiss? We didn’t!

 

It is still an unpleasant morning on board, cold and damp with no changes to the weather or sea conditions. We seem to be almost half-way to Norway.

 

I ignored the brunch and also skipped lunch; the temperature has finally risen to 13/56 degrees which in truth is nothing to write home about but is certainly an improvement over how the day started. I had a very quiet afternoon watching TV and listening to my book, it was very relaxing and by 6pm I really needed a drink. I had a couple of Ketel One martinis and ten went to dinner, I had run out of wine so ordered a bottle of Malbec but they have run out of my favourite so I opted for the substitute which was the same price and more importantly delicious. Dinner was very nice and I shared a table with a couple from Jersey, Staffordshire and Chicago. We all got along very well and the meal was interspersed with lots of laughter. After dinner I went back to the Martini Bar and one of Dorothy’s Friends was exploring possibilities with me, after a brief encounter he took his rod from the water and sought alternative fishing grounds. I sat with the couple from Chicago and we chatted for an hour about bars, restaurants and clubs that we all knew in the Windy City. It was great fun and a pleasant end to a pleasant evening.

 

It is now 11.12pm and we are about 100 miles from Norway, Gerainger is 10 miles east of the coast along a fjord and we are due there at 11am. This has been a very tedious 30 hours crawling along at 9 or 10 knots.

[capnpugwash]

We have arrived at the Norwegian coast, it is 6.15am on Monday July 16 and there is high cloud covering most of the sky, there are patches of blue though and it is the type of cloud that may well clear later though. We are sailing through the coastal fjords that form the root of, and link many of, the fjords that give access to the interior of this country. It is pretty chocolate box’ scenery with big green snow-capped lumps and bumps and I was tempted to venture onto my balcony to get a better view, 10/50 degrees and a 16 knot tail-wind soon had be coming back in regretting my decision to venture out there prior to putting some warm clothing on. We seem to have speeded up now that we are in a more confined area and are steaming along at 16 knots. We have a few more hours to go until we arrive at Gerainger and given the very pretty surroundings is quite a nice way to spend a morning.

 

I have to get some laundry done today and unlike a lot of other ships, there are no self-service launderette facilities on board. I realise that Celebrity can use this lack to generate a small stream of revenue which of course they could still achieve if they provided the washing machines and charged for their use. It must be very awkward for a family with small children to get through a holiday on here given the amount of laundry that is generated on a daily basis. I only mention that I have laundry needs because it occurred to me as I filled in the clothing list that it made little sense for the ship to charge a 50% supplement for their same day service when the same people would be washing and ironing the same clothes whether they did it today or tomorrow. It is not as though they will have to work longer hours to press my trousers or tee shirt if they perform these tasks today, so the only reason that I think they choose to levy the extra amount is because they can do so. I’m off to breakfast now and then will sit somewhere warm and take in the passing scenery for a while.

 

There are internet connection problems which are probably to do with the high sided fjords obstructing the satellite connection; it doesn’t really matter why it happens though I suppose. Strange isn’t it that less than 10 years ago it would be an amazing thing that there was satellite technology on a ship, in a fjord in Norway; yet today it is only worthy of comment that it isn’t working!

[Piggeldy]

Or what is Rule 2 in Fight Club? Or in which TV series was the first interracial kiss?

 

Yes (as Rule 2 is the same as Rule 1) and yes. I never knew Yogi Bear had a girlfriend though.

 

I wish I was on a ship in a fjord in Norway without internet connection.

[pjs678]

in which TV series was the first interracial kiss?

 

 

Star Trek!

 

Enjoying your blog...

[kitkat1]

Star Trek!

 

Enjoying your blog...

 

Cindy....And so going to miss your blog when you disembark. Keep it up Cap'n