Live from Eclipse to the Canaries

[groryjm]

........Please send our family's regards to John, I think he will remember me as the little lady with one dainty evening sandal and one big boot!

 

I passed on your regards to John and he remembered you well and asked me to pass his regards in return.

 

 

 

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[mauimary]

We are enjoying your review. We really enjoyed our cruise last winter in the Caribbean when Maila was the Captains Club Hostess. She is pretty amazing how she has a way of remembering names. After we met her at the first captains club breakfast she remembered our names for the entire cruise. Very impressive and always called us by name.

 

 

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[winnipegmanitoba]

I spoke to Maila this afternoon and she confirmed that she was going to be on board for the transatlantic. :)

 

 

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Thank you. I thought it would probably be her. We had her as the Captains Club hostess in May on the Eclipse transatlantic and in December on the Equinox. I am sure she will remember us. Did she happen to mention if there would be a lot of Elites on the transatlantic? On the Eastbound there were so many that they had two hostesses.

 

 

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[chemmo]

Is hurricane Ophelia likely to interfere with your schedule/weather? Not often a necessary question this side of the pond!

[Redking]

Just had an interesting conversation with Andrei (barman at Ensemble Lounge) about gin... This man has a passion, with all the Russian blended vodkas on board, where are the gins. They only seem to have the cheap blends like bombay sapphire and Tanquery. Where are the single estate gins like silent pool, Sipsmith etc

 

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and probably no fever tree tonic either. Ah, first world problems. Toss up between a couple of bottles of decent bubbly or a bottle of gin in our allowance for our upcoming Solstice cruise out of Sydney. How is the CS suite?

[groryjm]

Lovely day in Tenerife today where we took a 4X4 tour to the mountains. Today was a national holiday on the island which made it rather crowded with locals . It would be nice if X anticipate these things when sorting their itineraries, not that it was to bad as we were the only cruise ship in dock it just meant all the tourist attractions were busy.

 

No big show tonight just a singer so we opted for the hot glass show at 8 O'Clock.

 

[groryjm]

Continuing....* The fact that we were planning to go to the hot glass show at 8 obviously got a bit misunderstood by the staff and they assumed we were headed for the 9 o'clock show. This meant was a little slower than it could have been. Though to be fair when we reminded them service was smartly expedited.

 

 

Celebrity do not seem to understand cheese, serving it straight from the fridge to the plate. Last night we remembered and mentioned to the server at the start of the meal and by the time we received our cheese at the end of our meal it was nicely acclimatised to room temperature. Yea.

 

 

Heading off early to see dolphins in the morning (actually on the coach* now) so have opted for room service breakfast. On previous cruises we have had a bit of a hit and miss with this especially with 3 in the suite. As one puts out one card with all orders combined sometimes we can get quite a mix of what each wanted......*

 

 

As this is in fact tomorrow morning I can say with just the two of us Alfred got pretty much right :) One problem we had not considered however was that ordering breakfast for 7.30am would mean it was still dark. Now in an RS there is a dining table in the room but with a CS the table in the room, while certainly large enough, is a bit low and more suited to coffee or magazines. The dining table for the suite is on the balcony. On our previous cruises in the summer months sunrise has always been a lot earlier. What we did do was open all the curtains and with the room lights on and the twinkling lights around the harbour it was lovely.*

 

 

 

........ We saw Dolphins :)*

 

 

I am writing this, or more accurately thumbing, as we sit in an air conditioned coach returning to the ship. The boat trip out to see the dolphins was great and as I said we encountered a huge pod of perhaps 200 dolphins who swam alongside the boat for about 20mins (my camera recorded some 2000 images). To me the highlight was seeing flying fish in the calmer waters as we headed out to sea. The downside was the ubiquitous 15min swim stop in which I believe none of the Celebrity passengers indulged.*

 

 

Now I understand that these tour boats need to make a living but what I had not expected was a boat that held approximately 120 to already have about 70* *other passengers occupying the best seats when we arrived. It was only a dozen or so of these predominantly Dutch speaking tourists who were interested in the swim stop. If the shore excursion brochure had described the tour as a coach trip to Puerto Rico were one would join in as a minority on an unguided dolphin watch trip I might not have booked Celebrity's offering. If I had booked the same company directly I would have had about €90 left to book a taxi. The main disappointment was the lack of any information from the guide on the bus or on the boat. It would not have been hard for X to provide a guide who could have given us some local history or even talked about the cetaceans we hoped to see. If not on the boat at least on the coach.*

 

 

The flying fish were a real treat though.

 

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your posts.

Keith

[groryjm]

....... How is the CS suite?

 

The suite is perfect for our needs with a separate bedroom. In the past we have sailed in CSs with our teenage daughter sailing with us but the last couple of cruises we have had Royals. We are just the two of us for this one so we thought a CS would be sufficient. I will confess when we walked in we were a bit taken back by how small the suite felt comparatively. But after the first night we moved the big coffee table to the side and the room felt bigger.

 

The CS has the advantage over the sky suites of an extra bedroom. Which to us is a huge plus (apparently I snore). If you have more than two in the room then the second room is boon.

 

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[groryjm]

We attended the tea at Michael's again today and it was pleasantly crowded. This a nice little bonus. We have found that for the last couple of port days it works well as we can skip lunch and have tea when we return the ship rather than fight the buffet.

 

We tried the World Class Bar eray on and found the drinks lovely but the bar empty. It is a lovely menu but a little limited and perhaps the venue a bit out of the way as it always seems empty

 

We skipped the show again to night in favour of the hot glass show which great entertainment. Following this with a night cap at Michael's. The wonderful Kay kept our glasses full as John wandered around the room talking to all the guests. John so far been an excellent and attentive host.

 

...... Tomorrow due to the early arrival in port and even earlier departure means or tour (sorted through our cc roll call) meets up at 7.15am :o so alarms for 6am :o :o

 

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[Redking]

Thank you for the feedback on the CS. Not taking our two young adult children on the next cruise, so treating ourselves to the suite life for the first time - CS on the Solstice. Loving your live review.

[upwarduk]

I assume you managed to sign up for the Meet n Mingle before the glitch on the new web site.

We are on Silhouette out of Southampton next June and many people on our Roll Call are having problems signing up.

[villauk]

I assume you managed to sign up for the Meet n Mingle before the glitch on the new web site.

We are on Silhouette out of Southampton next June and many people on our Roll Call are having problems signing up.

 

We still can’t sign up for this December, never mind next June :eek:.

[sandancer]

And we are on 2 weeks today and can’t sign up nor can many others on our rollcall.

 

 

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[villauk]

And we are on 2 weeks today and can’t sign up nor can many others on our rollcall.

 

 

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Perhaps X are trying to tell us something :confused:?

[groryjm]

I assume you managed to sign up for the Meet n Mingle before the glitch on the new web site.

 

We managed to sign up but a number didn't. The advice they received and posted to our rollcall was........

 

(Connections Party) for Cruise Critic - you will need to register your wish to attend. Unfortunately the link to register isn't working at the moment but you can email celebrityonetouch@celebrity.com to register to attend the Connections Party. You will need to supply your Reservation Number + Ship (Eclipse) + Sail Date+ your names.

 

Many followed this advice, some even had email confirmation from X.

 

When we boarded the ship some one on the rollcall posted a copy of the the invitation on our rollcall thread.

 

Jamie the Hotel Director was one of the many officers who attended our meet n mingle and in his introduction he stated that he read the cc boards ever day. He emphasised how valuable he found the feed back.

Edited October 14, 2017 by groryjm

[upwarduk]

I wonder if it’s the Roll Call for the next cruise that he reads?

 

 

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[groryjm]

Today we were in Lanzarote, but only for a relatively short stay with sail away at 2pm. This meant that to have a tour covering Timanfaya an early start was needed. So alarms were set for 6am. Coffee from Cafe al bacio and sausage in a slice of bread served for a quick breakfast before heading off at 7.15am.

 

This tour we sorted out with fellow members from our cc rollcall through a company called lanzarote excursions. Our wonderful guide Angela was waiting at the foot of the ship for 7.30am as arranged by email and the 16 of us made our way to the

Coach in the dawn light. I did notice that the X tour coaches were only just starting to arrive with set off times from 8am.

 

Usually we are nervous about private tours especially with a tight deadline but Angela explained as we set off to the South of the island that they had to have special insurance to cover the cost of plane flights and hotels in case. They even, I gather have a back up coach on standby in case of breakdowns

 

Through out the tour she imparted a raft of interesting information about the island and answered all our questions. I, for one, greatly enjoyed this tour and would thoroughly recommend the company. In setting off a bit earlier and being a smaller group meant we beat the crowds and spent less time waiting around.

 

If prehaps yesterday we had been given a guide who talked to those on the coach rather than just sit up at the front in silence for 70km each way we would have enjoyed the tour more.

 

When we returned from our excellent tour, an hour and a half before sail away and before most of the X tours, we were very pleased to find both Luminae and the MDR open for lunch. This was a nice touch by Celebrity as we had anticipated a scrum at the Oceanview. Unfortunately I missed my desert as dd back home had a slight emergency and I wanted to sort it out before we lost the phone.

 

I will confess that afternoon got dozed away on the balcony, probably due to the early start.

 

As I we were sitting on the balcony.......

"There's dolphins on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;

there's dolphins on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim."

(Sorry for the 1982 misquote.)

 

We wandered down to Michael's for a pre show drink to find a tasteful bass and piano jazz duo that John had laid on. I must say he is working very hard and doing a good job of making this a memorable cruise.

 

Tonight's show was Topper........

 

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[groryjm]

 

Rather than have dinner then a show we decided to be a bit subversive and watch the show first. I was surprised how empty the theatre was for the 7pm performance, but that did not detract from an engaging and enjoyable production. Eddie the cd gave a brief introduction without which we would have found the story confusing but he gave enough away to help us appreciate the plot.....

Edited October 15, 2017 by groryjm

[groryjm]

Please say hello to Kay in Michaels Club from Lorraine and Stuart, she was so friendly and helpful when we were aboard in February. If you ask fir a Norfolk Nog she will remember us. Thanks anf enjoy your cruise,

 

 

I will most certainly when we see her in Michael's this afternoon

[groryjm]

 

This is third show we have seen this cruise and we have enjoyed them all. This morning (Sunday) we managed to make a jive class in the grand foyer with a couple of the dancers and were able to chat to them afterwards.

 

After the show we went to luminae for dinner again and our friendly waiter informed us that he had taken the cheese out of the fridge in anticipation.

 

Cheese is at its best served at room temperature and the staff at luminae have obliged us by allowing it to acclimatize, taking it out of the fridge as we start the meal. The first night the cheese was cold and rubbery when a little time would have helped it no end. We mentioned our preference and it has been answered. As well as our fabulus maitre d' I must mention our waiters Kevin and Valeria who have both been particularly attentive through out our meals at luminae.

 

we went up top after dinner to watch the tail end of the hot glass show. Tthis is something we have particularly enjoyed over the last few days. It's a shame on our next cruise there wont be one ( Silhouette).

 

On returning to our room we found the John had left us a lovely bottle of wine and there was an invite from Maila the CC host to dine with the Hotel director Jamie. So tonight (Sunday - Chic) we are going to be in Tuscan rather than Luminae which should be fun.

[chemmo]

 

This is third show we have seen this cruise and we have enjoyed them all. This morning (Sunday) we managed to make a jive class in the grand foyer with a couple of the dancers and were able to chat to them afterwards.

 

After the show we went to luminae for dinner again and our friendly waiter informed us that he had taken the cheese out of the fridge in anticipation.

 

Cheese is at its best served at room temperature and the staff at luminae have obliged us by allowing it to acclimatize, taking it out of the fridge as we start the meal. The first night the cheese was cold and rubbery when a little time would have helped it no end. We mentioned our preference and it has been answered. As well as our fabulus maitre d' I must mention our waiters Kevin and Valeria who have both been particularly attentive through out our meals at luminae.

 

we went up top after dinner to watch the tail end of the hot glass show. Tthis is something we have particularly enjoyed over the last few days. It's a shame on our next cruise there wont be one ( Silhouette).

 

On returning to our room we found the John had left us a lovely bottle of wine and there was an invite from Maila the CC host to dine with the Hotel director Jamie. So tonight (Sunday - Chic) we are going to be in Tuscan rather than Luminae which should be fun.

 

Continue to enjoy. We have noted your excursion posts in anticipation of our cruise next year. Enjoy your time in Tuscan!

[groryjm]

Continue to enjoy. We have noted your excursion posts in anticipation of our cruise next year. Enjoy your time in Tuscan!

I'll will write more tomorrow as the hour is late and as John has just reminded us we loose an hour tonight. Needless to say though we had a lovely evening in tuscan with Jamie Pett as host.....

 

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[gerelmx]

Thank you for posting your review and the dailies, I have one question : Do they offer Lunch at Murano on Sea Days?

[lilghallinsf]

Continuing....* The fact that we were planning to go to the hot glass show at 8 obviously got a bit misunderstood by the staff and they assumed we were headed for the 9 o'clock show. This meant was a little slower than it could have been. Though to be fair when we reminded them service was smartly expedited.

 

 

Celebrity do not seem to understand cheese, serving it straight from the fridge to the plate. Last night we remembered and mentioned to the server at the start of the meal and by the time we received our cheese at the end of our meal it was nicely acclimatised to room temperature. Yea.

 

 

Heading off early to see dolphins in the morning (actually on the coach* now) so have opted for room service breakfast. On previous cruises we have had a bit of a hit and miss with this especially with 3 in the suite. As one puts out one card with all orders combined sometimes we can get quite a mix of what each wanted......*

 

 

As this is in fact tomorrow morning I can say with just the two of us Alfred got pretty much right :) One problem we had not considered however was that ordering breakfast for 7.30am would mean it was still dark. Now in an RS there is a dining table in the room but with a CS the table in the room, while certainly large enough, is a bit low and more suited to coffee or magazines. The dining table for the suite is on the balcony. On our previous cruises in the summer months sunrise has always been a lot earlier. What we did do was open all the curtains and with the room lights on and the twinkling lights around the harbour it was lovely.*

 

 

 

........ We saw Dolphins :)*

 

 

I am writing this, or more accurately thumbing, as we sit in an air conditioned coach returning to the ship. The boat trip out to see the dolphins was great and as I said we encountered a huge pod of perhaps 200 dolphins who swam alongside the boat for about 20mins (my camera recorded some 2000 images). To me the highlight was seeing flying fish in the calmer waters as we headed out to sea. The downside was the ubiquitous 15min swim stop in which I believe none of the Celebrity passengers indulged.*

 

 

Now I understand that these tour boats need to make a living but what I had not expected was a boat that held approximately 120 to already have about 70* *other passengers occupying the best seats when we arrived. It was only a dozen or so of these predominantly Dutch speaking tourists who were interested in the swim stop. If the shore excursion brochure had described the tour as a coach trip to Puerto Rico were one would join in as a minority on an unguided dolphin watch trip I might not have booked Celebrity's offering. If I had booked the same company directly I would have had about €90 left to book a taxi. The main disappointment was the lack of any information from the guide on the bus or on the boat. It would not have been hard for X to provide a guide who could have given us some local history or even talked about the cetaceans we hoped to see. If not on the boat at least on the coach.*

 

 

The flying fish were a real treat though.

 

 

 

 

What a great phone. We see them every crossing and I tell everyone about them

 

 

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