Just off Eclipse 14 day Southern Caribbean

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[krueg2828]

Could you please let us know how you rate the on-board entertainment? Taking this cruise next month.

[uktog]

We will be on Eclipse next month so this is helpful. What time did you have to vacate your cabin on the final morning? Thanks

[Sandie]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about your Eclipse cruise and for taking questions. We just got off of Infinity for a 15 night Panama Canal cruise. Our experience with Select Dining, food selections and quality, and waiting times was quite similar. In 16 Celebrity cruises we never looked at the MDR menu to decide to eat in the Oceanview instead. This happened on 3 different evenings.

 

We sail on Eclipse in February and have a question about Select Dining. On Infinity we were unable to make reservations for dining times between 6 & 8 PM. We were often given a beeper and waited anywhere between 30-45 minutes for a table and then sometimes another 15 minutes before the waiter came to the table. Like you, we often felt the disorganization in the dining room. Food items that we have enjoyed on previous cruises were served overcooked (particularly fish), dried out (perhaps sitting out too long), and bland. Twice a chef came to our table with the Assistant Maitre'd and asked our opinions about the food. We were polite, but honest. Were you able to make your dinner reservations onboard or were you able to make them online?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Sandie

[Podie]

We will be on Eclipse next month so this is helpful. What time did you have to vacate your cabin on the final morning? Thanks

 

7 am

[Podie]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about your Eclipse cruise and for taking questions. We just got off of Infinity for a 15 night Panama Canal cruise. Our experience with Select Dining, food selections and quality, and waiting times was quite similar. In 16 Celebrity cruises we never looked at the MDR menu to decide to eat in the Oceanview instead. This happened on 3 different evenings.

 

We sail on Eclipse in February and have a question about Select Dining. On Infinity we were unable to make reservations for dining times between 6 & 8 PM. We were often given a beeper and waited anywhere between 30-45 minutes for a table and then sometimes another 15 minutes before the waiter came to the table. Like you, we often felt the disorganization in the dining room. Food items that we have enjoyed on previous cruises were served overcooked (particularly fish), dried out (perhaps sitting out too long), and bland. Twice a chef came to our table with the Assistant Maitre'd and asked our opinions about the food. We were polite, but honest. Were you able to make your dinner reservations onboard or were you able to make them online?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Sandie

 

I made the reservations online a few weeks before the cruise. However, it was so disorganized that we never sat at our reservation time, and once we were literally led all over the dining area while they found an open table.

[Hlitner]

We were on the 11/27 cruise which was the 6th time in 7 years that we have taken this same cruise after Thanksgiving. DW and I tend to spend a lot of time in deck chairs on the pool deck and vary between chairs in the shade and the sun. On not one occasion did we have a problem finding loungers. Perhaps one cannot find a lounger in their preferred location, but there were always loungers (sun or shade) anytime we wanted to relax. We have spent a lot of time cruising (stopped counting after the first 1000 days) and Celebrity has always been a line (especially on S-Class ships) where we do not even worry about the ability to find a deck chair whether it be 11am or 2pm.

 

As to the issue about the delayed boarding, it was actually caused by some issues with the US Authorities. They also jerked around a Carnival ship (located pretty close to the Eclipse) on that same day...and we saw Carnival passengers still disembarking well after 11am. This was not the fault of Celebrity..who had all kinds of problems because CBP also delayed the ability of the ship to start loading supplies.

 

We also take issue with Select Dining posts, where we think blame needs to be shared by both the cruise line and cruisers. The original idea of Select was that you showed-up when you pleased and got seated. But now, we have lots of folks who want "reservations," "special waiters, special tables, specific size tables, etc. And they want it at the same time every night (sounds more like Fixed Dining then Select). This defeats the purpose a logistics of Select Dining. If you reserve a specific table, and its not available because other diners are just not finished...you are going to wait! We have seldom ever had issues in Select because we simply show-up when we want to dine, tell the man at the door that we are happy to share a large table, and we are generally seated within a very short period of time. The passengers that are always trying to make all these demands at Select, get what they deserve :). Next time, just do Fixed seating.

 

Hank

[Ladesign]

We were on the 11/27 cruise which was the 6th time in 7 years that we have taken this same cruise after Thanksgiving. DW and I tend to spend a lot of time in deck chairs on the pool deck and vary between chairs in the shade and the sun. On not one occasion did we have a problem finding loungers. Perhaps one cannot find a lounger in their preferred location, but there were always loungers (sun or shade) anytime we wanted to relax. We have spent a lot of time cruising (stopped counting after the first 1000 days) and Celebrity has always been a line (especially on S-Class ships) where we do not even worry about the ability to find a deck chair whether it be 11am or 2pm.

 

As to the issue about the delayed boarding, it was actually caused by some issues with the US Authorities. They also jerked around a Carnival ship (located pretty close to the Eclipse) on that same day...and we saw Carnival passengers still disembarking well after 11am. This was not the fault of Celebrity..who had all kinds of problems because CBP also delayed the ability of the ship to start loading supplies.

 

We also take issue with Select Dining posts, where we think blame needs to be shared by both the cruise line and cruisers. The original idea of Select was that you showed-up when you pleased and got seated. But now, we have lots of folks who want "reservations," "special waiters, special tables, specific size tables, etc. And they want it at the same time every night (sounds more like Fixed Dining then Select). This defeats the purpose a logistics of Select Dining. If you reserve a specific table, and its not available because other diners are just not finished...you are going to wait! We have seldom ever had issues in Select because we simply show-up when we want to dine, tell the man at the door that we are happy to share a large table, and we are generally seated within a very short period of time. The passengers that are always trying to make all these demands at Select, get what they deserve :). Next time, just do Fixed seating.

 

Hank

 

 

All i want for Christmas is a CC 'like' button [emoji106][emoji106]

 

 

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[uktog]

Thanks - not your fault but the answer is not at all what I wanted to hear

[countess5]

We are booked on Silever Moon in Feb while on Equinox. Thanks for the positive feedback. Were you able to swim with the Turtles?

[Hlitner]

We will be on Eclipse next month so this is helpful. What time did you have to vacate your cabin on the final morning? Thanks

 

The instructions you get for that final morning will ask that all passengers vacate their cabin by 7am. In practice, some folks will not be out that early and might push it until around 8. But staying in your cabin does cause an undue burden on the cabin stewards.

 

Hank

Edited December 26, 2016 by Hlitner

[uktog]

The instructions you get for that final morning will ask that all passengers vacate their cabin by 7am. In practice, some folks will not be out that early and might push it until around 8. But staying in your cabin does cause an undue burden on the cabin stewards.

 

Hank

 

We've just been asked by the shoreside suite concierge what time we would like to disembark. We have said - as late as possible - so will see what the instructions that come back say. Would need to adjust medication times to achieve 7am, something I would prefer to avoid.

[Nana57]

I see that the Eclipse will not be doing the 14 night Southern Caribbean in 2018. We usually take this cruise after Thanksgiving also. We're booked on next years. Will there be another ship replacing the Eclipse for the same 14 night cruise? We always enjoyed this trip after Thanksgiving.

 

 

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[WonderMan3]

We also take issue with Select Dining posts, where we think blame needs to be shared by both the cruise line and cruisers. The original idea of Select was that you showed-up when you pleased and got seated. But now, we have lots of folks who want "reservations," "special waiters, special tables, specific size tables, etc. And they want it at the same time every night (sounds more like Fixed Dining then Select). This defeats the purpose a logistics of Select Dining. If you reserve a specific table, and its not available because other diners are just not finished...you are going to wait! We have seldom ever had issues in Select because we simply show-up when we want to dine, tell the man at the door that we are happy to share a large table, and we are generally seated within a very short period of time. The passengers that are always trying to make all these demands at Select, get what they deserve :). Next time, just do Fixed seating.

 

Hank

 

That is Celebrity often doing that. Since we started cruising with Celebrity in 2013 we have always chosen Select. From our first day onboard our first cruise we were encouraged repeatedly by Celebrity staff to make reservations. We did this after day one because our first night at the MDR we wound up having a 35 minute wait and didn't want to encounter that again. Sometimes we would forget and just show up at the MDR and the host would give a sour face when we didn't have a reservation so we felt a little pressured to do it.

 

On those cruises where we did wind up eating at the same time regularly it was Celebrity assigning us to the same staff and even the same table night after night without us even asking. Once we got used to certain staff after a few nights and liked them then we would check in and make sure we got them again if we happened to skip a night at the MDR.

 

The vibe I got from all of this was that Celebrity would prefer everyone to make reservations in advance. They also would prefer reservations all at early and late times (we found even in a suite that we could rarely ever get a reservation in that coveted 7-8pm time) so that essentially you have a similar set-up as the fixed dining. Now that Luminae is there we don't have to deal with this anymore luckily.

[keithm]

I'm not going to do a lengthy review, but will reply to any questions.

 

Eclipse arrived in Miami late on our embarkation day so it was hours getting on the ship for early arrivals. Luckily, we didn't arrive until 12:30 and were on the ship about 75 minutes later. Our cabin was ready and the cabin attendant was the same one I'd had in March 2014 on Equinox. I don't know how he did it but he brought us our luggage within 15 minutes!

 

The ship is beautiful as was Equinox my two cruises on her. The ports were great and the ship never feels crowded, never trouble finding a place to relax, mainly because the crew removes all unattended items on lounge chairs after 30 minutes. Each chair has a card warning people of this, and as a result there are no seats "reserved" by people gone for hours. The solarium is my go-to place and we never had trouble finding places.

 

My only problem was with the disorganized select dining and the poor choice of menu items. We made reservations in advance for every night and always requested a certain server, but even though we were twice forced to wait ONE HOUR after our reservation time, we were only seated in his section twice in 14 days. Several times, we went to the buffet instead, which was very good. Several select diners did the same.

 

I can only assume it's Celebrity's way of driving us to specialty restaurants, as they are quite aggressive about selling seats to them. But the buffet was fine and I soon learned they would grill fish and steak to order up there, so it was a great alternative.

 

But food is not the main focus of a cruise for me so that didn't ruin my otherwise excellent experience. The casino slots were relatvely loose and we had three favorite bars - Passport on 3, Casino on 4, and Sunset on 15. We went to the Elite functions at Sky Lounge a couple of times, but preferred the more casual Sunset Bar since we had drink packages.

 

We booked an 11 day Caribbean on Eclipse next year because we enjoyed this so much.

 

I would especially like to recommend Silver Moon catamarans in Barbados. We were 2 of only 12 people on a 60 foot catamaran that was so beautiful it was like walking onto a movie set and we have already booked it for next year. Without a doubt the best 5 hour catamaran trip we've ever taken!

We've done this cruise twice(third coming up in Jan)It's always been fantastic. In 2015 we were "gifted" 5 excellent excursions. The best were the Catamaran to the Pitons as stated & a Lobster lunch Catamaran trip in Antigua. The gift was because in 2014 I interceded in a fight between the Captains club mgr. & some "thug" from NJ. Sorry, but being in the food & hospitality bus. I will never let one of our "own" get bullied like that. It was nice when the clown got home only to find he's black balled from ALL RCCL ships & the info. also sent to Carnival as well.

[keithm]

We were on the 11/27 cruise which was the 6th time in 7 years that we have taken this same cruise after Thanksgiving. DW and I tend to spend a lot of time in deck chairs on the pool deck and vary between chairs in the shade and the sun. On not one occasion did we have a problem finding loungers. Perhaps one cannot find a lounger in their preferred location, but there were always loungers (sun or shade) anytime we wanted to relax. We have spent a lot of time cruising (stopped counting after the first 1000 days) and Celebrity has always been a line (especially on S-Class ships) where we do not even worry about the ability to find a deck chair whether it be 11am or 2pm.

 

As to the issue about the delayed boarding, it was actually caused by some issues with the US Authorities. They also jerked around a Carnival ship (located pretty close to the Eclipse) on that same day...and we saw Carnival passengers still disembarking well after 11am. This was not the fault of Celebrity..who had all kinds of problems because CBP also delayed the ability of the ship to start loading supplies.

 

We also take issue with Select Dining posts, where we think blame needs to be shared by both the cruise line and cruisers. The original idea of Select was that you showed-up when you pleased and got seated. But now, we have lots of folks who want "reservations," "special waiters, special tables, specific size tables, etc. And they want it at the same time every night (sounds more like Fixed Dining then Select). This defeats the purpose a logistics of Select Dining. If you reserve a specific table, and its not available because other diners are just not finished...you are going to wait! We have seldom ever had issues in Select because we simply show-up when we want to dine, tell the man at the door that we are happy to share a large table, and we are generally seated within a very short period of time. The passengers that are always trying to make all these demands at Select, get what they deserve :). Next time, just do Fixed seating.

 

Hank

Select issues are why we stick to Trad. early seating.

[keithm]

Thank you. I was asking because I try to not do Chic nights in the speciality restaurants as the regular menus are usually special.

 

Does anyone else remember whether it was the first or second sea day? I am going to assume it was the first sea day.

We missed Chic night(it didn't start until 6mo.after our last cruise)I would think the first would be the second "sea" day like it was for formal night.

[Rob the Cruiser]

I see that the Eclipse will not be doing the 14 night Southern Caribbean in 2018. We usually take this cruise after Thanksgiving also. We're booked on next years. Will there be another ship replacing the Eclipse for the same 14 night cruise? We always enjoyed this trip after Thanksgiving.

 

 

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A Future Cruise Representative aboard Eclipse told me that Celebrity will be reducing the number of 14-night Caribbean itineraries in 2018. Their rationale is reducing the duration to 9-12 nights will attract more people who still work.

 

Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just reporting what I was told.

[keithm]

That has never been our experience on any Celebrity ship. Usually the chairs are full at least by 8:30am. Last cruise a certain 'leader of the pack' had 10-12 chairs all 'saved' with colourful pegs. Absolutely no-one showed up until 11am most days (we like to stay in somewhat the same area) and no deck supervisor put any kind of card on the 'saved row'. In fact, we overheard a passenger inquiring re the 'row of chairs', the deck person saying "oh...those chairs are saved", as if that was ok. The 10-12 people came and went leaving most chairs empty with people looking for one they could use. That was on a 7 day Reflection...may have had more passengers than the Eclipse 14 day. We'll be on the 14 day Eclipse in March and we'll see if the sun lounges will be more accessible.

Pax need to have more "balls"! If I see chairs being hogged, I have NO PROBLEM moving right into them! If someone comes back in less than 30 min. I'll vacate. Otherwise I tell them that unless "their name" is sewn into the chair, they can "shove off!" Chair hogs DO need to be dealt with swiftly & firmly otherwise you just get to si on the deck.

[jagoffee]

We missed Chic night(it didn't start until 6mo.after our last cruise)I would think the first would be the second "sea" day like it was for formal night.

 

I found my list from last year and it was the first full sea day, but of course that can always change.

Edited December 26, 2016 by jagoffee

[jagoffee]

A Future Cruise Representative aboard Eclipse told me that Celebrity will be reducing the number of 14-night Caribbean itineraries in 2018. Their rationale is reducing the duration to 9-12 nights will attract more people who still work.

 

Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just reporting what I was told.

Celebrity has certainly reduced the number of 14 day cruises for 1Q19. 14 day cruise are our favorite.

[ChucktownSteve]

The instructions you get for that final morning will ask that all passengers vacate their cabin by 7am. In practice, some folks will not be out that early and might push it until around 8. But staying in your cabin does cause an undue burden on the cabin stewards.

 

Hank

 

Last week on the day we disembarked the Equinox, I went to Cafe al Bacio at 6am to get my double shots of espresso. My cabin attendant and I exchanged greetings. I left my carry on in the cabin with some other things. When I returned my cabin attendant had already changed the sheets, restocked the toiletries and cleaned a lot of my cabin in preparation for the next guest.

 

I didn't mind. He had 14 cabins to get ready by himself. I vacated at 7am and all he had to replace was a hand towel. :) On the other end, my cabin was ready upon embarkation much earlier than usual where I could drop off my luggage before normal time and explore my new ship unencumbered.

 

Regarding 14 night cruises, we prefer them and have sailed more 14 and 12 nights than not. If Celebrity reduces the length of sailings, that another reason to include other lines when booking. We're booked on the Eclipse for a 14 niter next month to the ABC's.

Edited December 26, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[jagoffee]

Last week on the day we disembarked the Equinox, I went to Cafe al Bacio at 6am to get my double shots of espresso. My cabin attendant and I exchanged greetings. I left my carry on in the cabin with some other things. When I returned my cabin attendant had already changed the sheets, restocked the toiletries and cleaned a lot of my cabin in preparation for the next guest.

 

I didn't mind. He had 14 cabins to get ready by himself. I vacated at 7am and all he had to replace was a hand towel. :) On the other end, my cabin was ready upon embarkation much earlier than usual where I could drop off my luggage before normal time and explore my new ship unencumbered.

 

Regarding 14 night cruises, we prefer them and have sailed more 14 and 12 nights than not. If Celebrity reduces the length of sailings, that another reason to include other lines when booking. We're booked on the Eclipse for a 14 niter next month to the ABC's.

 

Keep us posted on any other options that you might find for true 14 day cruises and not B2B. I found the the Silhouette 12 day cruise an option for 2019, but the following 9 day was not has competitive. I would like to consider some other options.

 

We can discuss on our 1/22 Eclipse cruise.

 

Personally I would not mind paying more for a true 14 day cruise over two 7 day cruises as a B2B.

Edited December 26, 2016 by jagoffee

[ChucktownSteve]

Keep us posted on any other options that you might find for true 14 day cruises and not B2B. I found the the Silhouette 12 day cruise an option for 2019, but the following 9 day was not has competitive. I would like to consider some other options.

 

We can discuss on our 1/22 Eclipse cruise.

 

Personally I would not mind paying more for a true 14 day cruise over two 7 day cruises as a B2B.

 

With two Celebrity seven day B2Bs you're spending too many days getting from, to, from & to the home port. Azamara and Oceania tend to do several continuous cruise ports so there's not much back tracking even if you're doing a B2B. Of course Alaska is the exception. Asia has a lot of 14 niters (three dozen) through 2019

 

The Eclipse out of Miami has seven and the Reflection out of Fort Lauderdale has two 14 day cruises in 2018. Then of course there's New England / Canada or the Baltics. Plus Asia has three dozen 14 niters in 2018-19.

Edited December 26, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ChucktownSteve]

Duplicated

Edited December 26, 2016 by ChucktownSteve