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LIVE!!!!! From the ECLIPSE 14night Southern Carib!! - CHICAGOPAUL -

chicagopaul

By chicagopaul,
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chamima

chamima

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Recap of my review

I'll start here as I have another 4 hours to kill at lovely Miami International Airport (insert sarcasm here) but hey, it's better than the Southwest gates at FLL. I have no screaming children around me in the lounge thank goodness.

 

Bartenders on the ship

 

As you know most of my favorite people on the ship are bartenders. They are on the front line with passengers because even if you're not a drinker, you're seeing them for bottles of water or other drinks. Either way, you're encountering them multiple times a day. Their service is highly important in my opinion.

 

 

The bartenders on this cruise were as always very hard working. I would spend most of my time at the pool bar in the morning and when it became crowded they did a very good job at handling the crowds quickly. The only bar that seemed to have a slight issue was Sunset Bar, but we only visited them on the first day and the first day is always hectic, especially when health inspectors are on board! So they get a complete pass from me.

 

The Martini Bartenders were as always fantastic. There was regularly 3 behind the bar handling the crowds. I did notice some people get frustrated that they weren't getting served fast enough. However, they also seemed like the kind of people who might not visit bars all that often and had a hard time getting the bartenders attention. The biggest issue at the Martini Bar are two bar to ceiling cylinders that hold liquor. They create blind spots for both bartenders and bar patrons and it is around these areas where many people get frustrated with delayed service. However after a few days the passengers got the hang of it. The bartenders did a nice job of taking many drink orders at once (4 to 6) and were multi-tasking well when they needed to.

 

I'll mention a few bartenders by name because they really stood out to me:

 

Boon at the Martini Bar Boon can be pretty quiet, but he is a very nice guy and quite outgoing once you get to know him. He is a very good memory with drink orders and knows them quickly. He never forgot simple things like my sparkling water on the side of my martini, lemon twist, etc. He also has VERY good hearing. He hears everything at the bar...so beware!!! In all honesty he is an awesome person and no matter how busy he was he made sure to check over and make sure our drinks were good and we were happy.

 

Ahnung Ahnung at the Martini Bar and also Pool bar on some days is fantastic. He is very out going, very friendly, and really cares that you're OK and happy with your drink. He is very fast behind the bar and he is working on his flair bartending. He is getting better and definitely fun to watch.

 

Wayan Wayan is like the godfather of the martini bar. He is always walking around making sure things are OK. He doesn't smile much, but he will once he gets to know you. He is quiet, but he will open up once you start talking to him. If you're very particular with how you like certain drinks made (manhattan perhaps?) then he is the guy you want to see.

 

Dinesh Works the Pool Bar and is a senior bartender I think he manages the pool bar. Whenever there is a pool bar issue he needs to take care of it so for the lack of better words he needs to deal with a lot of cr*** but he does so very well and very professionally. He knew my drink order after day one and made sure everyone else did as well. He made sure there was enough sparkling water stocked for me behind the bar as well. He is clearly a very hard worker.

 

Cveta She is at Ensemble Lounge. Pretty woman with her blonde hair pulled back and she works the bar. 1) She loves to dance so when music is playing she is dancing behind the bar. 2) She is super sonic hearing. We watched her one night pick up on drink orders from across the room and start making them for the cocktail servers. She loves her scotch. She gives good recommendations. We only drank with her a couple of times, but she is lovely.

 

Vasil Vasil works in the World Class Bar. We've cruised with him before. He remembered all of our drink orders and would always take good care of everyone at the bar. He was a great bartender no matter how busy the bar got. He is actually the husband of Cveta! He has fun making drinks and really enjoys his job. He was working at Bacio one day when the water went out to Bacio. We wanted a drink and he ran somewhere else right away (ironically I think to Michael's Club) and got it for us so we didn't have to trouble. He is awesome.

 

Toni Toni works at World Class bar and likes to have fun. He is very funny, likes to mess with the guests (in a good way) and likes to talk. He is genuinely interested in guests, wants to know how they like the drinks or what they don't like about them. On the last night instead of shaking our hands he came out from behind the bar to give us hugs. He's a great guy and loves his bow ties!

 

 

There are so many other people I could mention, but these are the bartenders that I had the most interaction with. Coming up next will be dining experiences!

 

Thanks Paul!

We'll be on the Eclipse for all of February and I'll look for these people and relay your regards if they're still there.

We've done this cruise for about 5 years now and I'm a little surprised not to see any familiar names , though.

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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Thanks Paul!

We'll be on the Eclipse for all of February and I'll look for these people and relay your regards if they're still there.

We've done this cruise for about 5 years now and I'm a little surprised not to see any familiar names , though.

 

Several are leaving January 21st, so you may see some of your more familiar names coming back. I know Boon signs off of the 21st of Jan and is heading to the Equinox is April. I think Wayan is staying on board for your cruise and Agnung is definitely on there as he just joined the ship and is staying until June.

 

Sue Denning is leaving January 21st unless something changes.

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chamima

chamima

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Several are leaving January 21st, so you may see some of your more familiar names coming back. I know Boon signs off of the 21st of Jan and is heading to the Equinox is April. I think Wayan is staying on board for your cruise and Agnung is definitely on there as he just joined the ship and is staying until June.

 

Sue Denning is leaving January 21st unless something changes.

 

 

I knew Sue was leaving. :loudcry:

 

Actually , I DO remember Toni - I thought he was being groomed to be the Beverage Manager (or something like that). We LOVED him and I really hope he'll still be there.

 

I also think Wayan was there last year .

Pool bar we had Dave and Chenee.

 

My husband loves his scotch so I'll tell him to look out for Cveta (I hope she'll still be there).

 

 

We're in Aqua, not a suite, but I'll be sure to seek out Nenad and tell him how glowingly you spoke of him!

 

I made a copy of your post and will take it with me.

Thanks!

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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Let us start talking dining options and where we ate. As you know I covered the specific lunches and dinners in all my reporting so I will keep this as a generalization for the cruise. But I will also mention what I heard from other people on the cruise as well. Remember food is very subjective. However, at the same time there are certain ways things SHOULD be prepared and certain way a general service at dinner SHOULD be conducted that in my opinion has nothing to do with subjective taste, but instead has to do with proper cooking methods and property etiquette.

 

Luminae

 

We ate ins Luminae for lunch a couple of times (it is only open on sea days) and we ate in Luminae for dinner a total of 9 times. The other 5 times we ate in Tuscan 3, Murano 1, and Qsine 1.

 

We found the service in Luminae to be very good. Now, I spoke to another couple who was not as impressed with their service in Luminae, however, they did mention they rarely had the same waitstaff. We ALWAYS had the same waitstaff and I simply asked for Tony once and bam, we had Tony every night without question. He got to know our tastes. He knew that we did not want to take 3 hours to eat...he sensed us well and took good care of us.

 

Overall I was very impressed with the food in Luminae. My FAVORITE dish was the halibut which I believe we had the second night if I am not mistaken. There were plenty of other dishes that stood out but you can read the other parts of the review for that. In all, I will rate the food very high. I was speaking with Nenad (Maitri d) and he told me that there is a new chef who is very particular. Nenad said that he was very much impressed with his cooking and the flair he adds onto the dishes.

 

I always went with Tony or Nenad's recommendations on the menu. The only complaint I heard from one passenger regarding the fish on the menu was there was too much sea bass. Well, I love sea bass so maybe I'm the wrong one to comment on the fish, but throughout the meals I found the fish options quite nice.

 

In recap, we loved the service in Luminae. Nenad made a point to take good care of us and so did Tony. Victor is the sommelier. Victor is a slightly taller good looking guy that has a big presence. I can see how some people might get turned off by Victor, but personally I found him to be a very good sommelier. His knowledge of the wines was incredible and he really enjoyed his job. When we asked for something different or left the ball in his court (which we did most nights) we always brought something different and always explained it well. He talked to us about what notes we should be tasting from the wine but would also advise us that each person is different so while he loves this wine with the lamb, we may not like it. He always told us if we didn't like something just to let him know.

 

Specialty Restaurants

 

You all read my review on Murano. I've been to Murano at least 25 times and this was my least favorite experience. However, it felt like an off night. The energy just was not right. The food was fantastic and our waiter cooked one amazing Steak Diane, but a few other aspects fell short. Don't let this influence your decision to attend here. Go in and enjoy! Nenad will be helping out in Murano this upcoming cruise. On another note we spoke to a couple who has eaten in Murano multiple times during our cruise and loved every bit of it.

 

Qsine was it's usual fun quirky self. The food was very good and the service was very nice. We had a great table and the restaurant actually was pretty crowded.

 

Tuscan Grille was the highlight of the specialty for me this cruise. The food was fantastic and the service was stellar. Per the usual we asked the waiters recommendations and let them steer the ship. It definitely made for amazing, but VERY FULL, dinners! Our sommelier in Tuscan was out of this world. She was so sweet, but very knowledgeable and again just very excited about her job.

 

Sushi on 5 - We ate here 3 times for lunch and really enjoyed it. The quality of the sushi is not OUT OF THIS WORLD amazing but it is very good and there are other options too if you don't want sushi. My favorite was the rainbow roll and the dumplings. Service was good and consistent. On a couple days we noticed a decent crowd in there but on others it was not too crowded. They were open everyday for lunch from 12 to 2:30.

 

Mast Grill

 

We ate here a few times. I like their hot dogs. I find their burgers decent. Edward likes their burgers. I had both this cruise, hot dogs and burgers and I would say that I found the burgers a bit better on this cruise than on others. The fries this time were self service which was a nice touch so you could grab only a few if you didn't want that many. As you can see from earlier on in my review they do have Turkey Burgers, Veggie Burgers, etc. The veggie burgers were selling very well so one can assume they were good!

 

Ocean View Cafe

 

We only ate in Ocean View for lunch twice and then once again for midnight snacks. I liked the lunch selection and thought it had wide selection. The inside always seemed a little busy, but we never had a problem finding a table outside and the weather wasn't overly hot. My favorite meals are always the Indian Food, but I really enjoyed the kabob lunch they had. The beef kabobs were tough and not good quality beef in my opinion, but the chicken was fantastic.

 

For midnight snack we had pizza and the pizza was made very well and even at midnight they had many choices that were fresh out of the oven and very tasty. We had the pepperoni and the four cheese.

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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I knew Sue was leaving. :loudcry:

 

Actually , I DO remember Toni - I thought he was being groomed to be the Beverage Manager (or something like that). We LOVED him and I really hope he'll still be there.

 

I also think Wayan was there last year .

Pool bar we had Dave and Chenee.

 

My husband loves his scotch so I'll tell him to look out for Cveta (I hope she'll still be there).

 

 

We're in Aqua, not a suite, but I'll be sure to seek out Nenad and tell him how glowingly you spoke of him!

 

I made a copy of your post and will take it with me.

Thanks!

 

Sounds great!!! And yes, Cveta will still be there. Her and her husband Vasil just joined the ship during our cruise and they have at least 5 to 6 months on their contract (I think 7).

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dizzy_izzy1

dizzy_izzy1

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Great reading, thanks Paul. We are boarding in March next year, our 2nd celebrity cruise. Just wondering whether to upgrade our classic package to premium though. Decisions, decisions! Also coming to Chicago for Thanksgiving next year to visit my nephew and so excited.

 

 

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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What others said about dining

 

I am always hesitant to post what others say because I want this to be my review, but at the same time I have not had the ability to try everything and I come from one walk of life. So why not share in some of the conversations I've had with other people on the cruise.

 

Blu - One couple we did the "Blendtique" class with was in Aqua Class. They were a middle aged couple in their 40s. They loved Blu. They said they were very happy with the menu selections each night and found the service to be very nice and it was quiet. They commented on how they felt bad for the sommelier given how big the space was, but they never had an issue getting good wine.

 

Moonlight Sonota (MDR) - I heard varied reviews. One couple that were first time cruisers were not overly impressed with the MDR. They said the food was good, but they were expecting more given the hype up about Celebrity food. They were in select dining. They did say they were blown away by the specialty restaurants and next cruise will likely buy the full package to eat at the specialties all the time.

 

Another couple we met were on their 300th cruise (yes 300); they cruise all different lines. The night we met them at Ensemble they were raving about the food in MDR, particularly the pork chop. Another couple we spent good time with would eat in MDR when they liked the menu but also ate in the buffet. They had various things to say but all in all no major complaints.

 

We saw some people at the Martini Bar with pagers, but only a couple and both times they could not even order a drink before their pager went off.

 

Other specialty comments

 

Most people were very happy with the specialty restaurants. I heard a couple complaints from one couple about Tuscan and mainly about the appetizers / second courses. But they raved about the steak. Another couple went to Tuscan once and then ended up basically staying there each night they thought it was that good. Contrary to my lesser than perfect experience in Murano another couple ate there multiple nights and found everything to be absolutely amazing.

 

Luminae

 

A few people complained that Luminae service was slow. When I asked when they went they said around 7pm which is a busy time. But I also found out they were sitting with people who were ordering 5 courses (sitting with friends of theirs that is) and they only wanted two courses. So I'm not putting the blame on Luminae for this comment, but wanted to share.

 

EVERYONE I talked to about Luminae RAVED about the Halibut at dinner. So you know I'm not the only one. When you see it, GET IT! Now, specifically I was told by Nenad that this is mainly due to the current chef on the Eclipse and his attention to detail as to why the food has been so good. I haven't been in Luminae in a year so I can't have a direct comparison but I definitely agree with Nenad.

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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Great reading, thanks Paul. We are boarding in March next year, our 2nd celebrity cruise. Just wondering whether to upgrade our classic package to premium though. Decisions, decisions! Also coming to Chicago for Thanksgiving next year to visit my nephew and so excited.

 

 

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We always upgrade to premium because we enjoy the Martini Bar and drinks at World Class bar. At the end of the day I think it is a small amount in the grand scheme of things but each person is different. It depends what you usually like to drink. You can always upgrade after a day or two and see how the cruise goes.

 

Enjoy your cruise in March! When you head to Chicago if you ever need any restaurant or bar recommendations just let me know!

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chamima

chamima

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Thanks for comparing all of dining venues.

One comment about Blu

"They commented on how they felt bad for the sommelier given how big the space was, but they never had an issue getting good wine."

There have always been 2 sommeliers in Blu . If there is only one now that would be a big cutback. But maybe they never noticed the second one so I'll reserve judgement until I see the situation in February.

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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Thanks for comparing all of dining venues.

One comment about Blu

"They commented on how they felt bad for the sommelier given how big the space was, but they never had an issue getting good wine."

There have always been 2 sommeliers in Blu . If there is only one now that would be a big cutback. But maybe they never noticed the second one so I'll reserve judgement until I see the situation in February.

 

Valid point, it could be that they didn't notice. I remember last time I was in Blu...this was a little over 2 years ago, I thought we only had 1 sommelier in Blu. But again, could easily be mistaken given how the dining room is cut in half. Either way, they said they always had great wine and after discussing wine with them they definitely KNOW their wine.

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dizzy_izzy1

dizzy_izzy1

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We always upgrade to premium because we enjoy the Martini Bar and drinks at World Class bar. At the end of the day I think it is a small amount in the grand scheme of things but each person is different. It depends what you usually like to drink. You can always upgrade after a day or two and see how the cruise goes.

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise in March! When you head to Chicago if you ever need any restaurant or bar recommendations just let me know!

 

 

 

Thanks Paul, I think we will upgrade to the premium so that we can enjoy the martini bar and as you say it is a small amount extra. Want to try as much as possible. Love the Caribbean and have been to the Carambola in St Kitts a couple of times but sadly not visiting there next time.

Hope you have a good flight home.

 

 

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aquidneck1

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Thank you Paul for everything as well as the wine lists. :) I know how much time you spent doing all of this and we really appreciate it. I wonder if you know how long the current chef is expected to remain on board. Now I am dying to try the Halibut. We cruise January 21st when there seemingly will be lots of changes.

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chicagopaul

chicagopaul

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Thank you Paul for everything as well as the wine lists. :) I know how much time you spent doing all of this and we really appreciate it. I wonder if you know how long the current chef is expected to remain on board. Now I am dying to try the Halibut. We cruise January 21st when there seemingly will be lots of changes.

 

 

 

I’m not sure but according to Nenad he was “newer” on board the Eclipse so hopefully he stays around a while.

 

 

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