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

[chamima]

Following along and loving your blog and great pictures. It's adding to my anticipation for my Feb 4th Eclipse cruise.

 

If possible could you post a shot of the menu at the Mast Grill. I am wondering if they added anything new to the usual burgers and hot dogs since it is not free anymore.

 

Mary;)

 

I read they are not charging anymore...

 

 

I think that experiment blew up in their faces and ended very soon after it began.

[burrma]

I read they are not charging anymore...

Certainly hope this is true.. couldn’t believe when I read... they were charging here. How petty can they get when mant ate here which was less cost than at buffet or dining room. Will be anxious to hear what is the truth!

[oliver1821]

We cruised in October and there was no charge in the Mast Grill.

[keithm]

Hello everyone! Well it is time for another live blog! I hope you enjoy following us on our next journey which will be the Celebrity Eclipse, November 26th, 14nt Southern Caribbean cruise. Please follow along and ask any questions you'd like. My goal is to post a minimum of 10 photos per day. I will also post additional photos on my Instagram account so feel free to follow along. My instagram is PaulKBlackburn - If you see a profile page with a bunch of photos of martinis and Chicago then you've found the right instagram account!

 

My partner Edward and I are flying out very early tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 5:30am to FLL. We then have a car picking us up and taking us to Miami where we will spend the night and then join the Eclipse in the morning.

 

I know many of you have followed us before, but for those who do not know who we are here is a quick background. We are both in our 30s and from Chicago. This will be our 13th cruise on Celebrity. We sail all types of cabin classes from Verandah to Suites. It just depends on the itinerary, pricing, and how cheap or rich we're feeling at the time of booking.

 

We're very excited for this cruise as we are sailing in our first Royal Suite! We originally booked a concierge cabin on this cruise and as we saw prices come down we kept upgrading. We finally saw a price on a RS that we could not pass up so we jumped on it.

 

Saturday

 

5:30am flight from MDW to FLL on Southwest.

 

Cats Black Car service picking us up and taking us to Miami.

 

We are spending the night at the Four Seasons Miami. We got an excellent deal on this hotel through Amex Platinum. The total cost of the hotel was $259 after tax AND we received a $100 food and beverage credit to use at the hotel. Since we're going to eat and drink anyway, the cost of the hotel becomes $159. Can't beat that for the Four Seasons!

 

Below is a link to quick youtube video I recorded earlier today. I am basically explaining the above and I thought it would be nice to put a face to the blog.

 

 

If anyone has any questions at all about the cruise, about the food, drinks, etc. please feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer I have 14 days to find it out for you and I would be happy to do so.

 

Sit back, relax, and thank you very much for following along.

I certainly hope the food is better in Moonlight Sonata for you than it was for Richard & I in Jan. I had booked Eclipse again this Jan. while on board. Food quality had us change our minds. We moved the Eclipse booking up to Jan. 2019(now 14 days on the Reflection)We then made a jump to Oceania this Jan. for a "trial" run. We'll see how it goes. Without a doubt we love the Eclipse, but with it repositioning to South America, we decided on something new. The itinerary of 14 day trips is what kept us on Celebrity. We're just trying something new.

[keithm]

I’m currently sitting by the pool bar. Not sure if this is the place to be or sunset this cruise. Still feeling it out.

 

We had breakfast in our suite. Alfred set everything up nicely. We didn’t order much but he added a few extras. We didn’t eat too much of it but it was a nice start to the day and helped with the minor hangover we had.

 

 

Today the weather is a bit overcast. No sun yet and not too warm but it’s enjoyable. Perfect weather to drink or relax outside.

 

Last night we made some new friends at the martini bar and World Class. I have a feeling we’re going to do a lot of talking on this cruise. But that is a GREAT thing!

 

A quick note about dinner last night. We walked into Luminae around 8:10. No issue getting a nice private table and it was not crowded at all. Service was excellent. Our waiter was Tony (Toni?). Food came out in good time. We never felt like we were waiting too long or felt rushed. The sommelier is a gentleman. Tall, young good looking guy. We will get his name tonight.

 

Nenad is helping run Luminae. We’ve had him on a previous cruise and he remembered us right away. He also said someone from here was telling him to take good care of us! Also that same person alerted Michaels Club about us so we’re getting the special treatment. I think I know who you are so thank you!!!!

 

World Class Bar was awesome. Vasil is working the bar along with another bartender. I forget his name right now but will post it later. He is tall and seems like he enjoys wearing bow ties. They’re both extremely nice. We’ve sailed with Vasil before.

 

I have to say we were going into this cruise a little sad that we didn’t know any crew but we are running into them left and right and making new friends.

 

As always thank you for following along and did your questions. I haven’t forgotten any of them. I will definitely get to them all.

 

 

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Personally, what we loved about the Grills on Cunard was the fact that "your" table was yours no matter what time you arrived. I feel that Luminae should offer that as well.

[Beba-Beba]

I think that experiment blew up in their faces and ended very soon after it began.

 

Karen that is encouraging. Now I am even more curious. Let's see what Paul comes up with. Now if we could only get Sue Denning back on the Eclipse on a permanent basis. She is there for this sailing though.

Paul if you have the opportunity can you ask Sue Denning if she will be on the Eclipse for the Feb 4th sailing. She is the best Cruise Director I have ever sailed with. She is everywhere. Her vibe is contagious.

Mary;)

Edited November 28, 2017 by Beba-Beba

[gentle@spici]

Thanks so much for this live blog, Paul !

We will be boarding when you disembark, and reading this feels like a warm up for our cruise. After 12 cruises, I finally got a beverage package. And, though I am shy , reading your past cruise blogs has inspired me to spend time in the ship’s bars, imbibing and socializing. It is a part of cruising that I have missed out on . Your enthusiasm is contagious ! Any suggestions which bar would be a good spot for a “newbie” ?

In addition, your photos of the menus, the food and the ship are wonderful.

I hope you and Edward have a great cruise !

Margaret

 

If you are interested in Sports at all the casino bar will have plenty of games to watch. The wife and I will be on the cruise Dec.10th as well. Most every evening I will be there watching hopefully football or basketball while she plays blackjack. Maybe we will run into each other. I’ll be drinking Long Islands or Whiskey sours most likely lol.

[RodPat]

Karen that is encouraging. Now I am even more curious. Let's see what Paul comes up with. Now if we could only get Sue Denning back on the Eclipse on a permanent basis. She is there for this sailing though.

Paul if you have the opportunity can you ask Sue Denning if she will be on the Eclipse for the Feb 4th sailing. She is the best Cruise Director I have ever sailed with. She is everywhere. Her vibe is contagious.

Mary;)

Mary, Sue Denning is on Eclipse until January 21. She posted on another website that we are not allowed to mention here.

 

Pat

[chicagopaul]

I will confirm with the above statement but from what I’ve heard on the ship yes? Jan 21 is when Sue leaves as does many of the other crew members.

 

There is no charge at Mast Grill. I will take some photos for you but this practice died pretty quickly. Mast Grill is free again with burgers and hot dogs. Not to worry.

 

 

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[Smmessineo]

As much as I love the Martini Bar it can be a little overwhelming for a “newbie” at peak hours. But everyone is so friendly. I’ve always found that people at the Sunset Bar and World Class bar are a bit more talkative just given the smaller and less “loud” atmosphere.

 

Despite how I may come across I am quite shy and do suffer from general anxiety. So if I can hang out at the bars and talk for hours then you can too! Thank you for the kind words and enjoy your beverage package!

 

 

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Thanks for the encouragement, Paul ! I will check out both those spots. My husband Sal is a cigar smoker, so my research of the Sunset Bar focused on “ nice place to smoke “ and I never made the mental jump to the fact that it’s a nice BAR, too. LOL

Margaret

[chicagopaul]

I will save our dinner thoughts for later. I need to prepare them. All thoughts are amazing not to worry.

 

We ate in Sushi on 5 for lunch since it is complimentary for us. It took a while for our drinks (we ordered from the drink menu) since they still were recovering from the inspection. But the wait staff was apologetic and we had no rush to go anywhere.

 

The sushi was very tasty. Here are some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Smmessineo]

If you are interested in Sports at all the casino bar will have plenty of games to watch. The wife and I will be on the cruise Dec.10th as well. Most every evening I will be there watching hopefully football or basketball while she plays blackjack. Maybe we will run into each other. I’ll be drinking Long Islands or Whiskey sours most likely lol.

 

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if and where there would be NFL games shown. See you onboard !

[jle11677]

The internet is working but upload speeds are slow right now. I assume they’ll be better in the morning. A lot has to do with the app being used. Instagram uploads are working well. Raw file uploads of photos are quite poor. Did basic email checking and downloading basic files (PDFs, etc) the internet is working just fine. I’ll let you know how it is in the morning from the pool deck. It be a location an issue from my cabin.

 

 

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Thanks so much for the info. Enjoy, and I will keep following!

 

 

 

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[upwarduk]

Just seen the Luminae photos on Instagram. Meal looks amazing, you will get a shock when you have to go back to MDR.

[johhnnyt]

I will save our dinner thoughts for later. I need to prepare them. All thoughts are amazing not to worry.

 

We ate in Sushi on 5 for lunch since it is complimentary for us. It took a while for our drinks (we ordered from the drink menu) since they still were recovering from the inspection. But the wait staff was apologetic and we had no rush to go anywhere.

 

 

I so enjoy reading your reviews Paul, CruisingOnCelebrity is something I think we all wish we could do more often, but your live feeds and blog are the next best thing. Thanks!

[excitedofharpenden]

Paul and Edward, enjoy your cruise and remember. The diet starts when you get back;)

 

Phil

[tbmrt]

Following. We will be on Reflection 12/8.

[wrk2cruise]

We are going to be on Eclipse in January. I'd be interested if you had a recommendation of a waiter in Luminae. DW has food allergies so our dining experience is really dependent on a waiter who really attends to details. We are spoiled as we have had the same great waiter Nino on Equinox 3 times last year.

[chicagopaul]

We are going to be on Eclipse in January. I'd be interested if you had a recommendation of a waiter in Luminae. DW has food allergies so our dining experience is really dependent on a waiter who really attends to details. We are spoiled as we have had the same great waiter Nino on Equinox 3 times last year.

 

 

 

Currently we have Toni and he has been excellent but I will ask Nenad, the Maitri D who would be ideal. Which cruise are you on in January?

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Good Morning everyone. I am at the....can you guess it...pool bar this morning. I am glad to say we slept excellent last night and I finally feel fully recharged.

 

Today is a beautiful day. Some clouds but it is mostly sunny. The high today is 82 and there is a slight breeze.

 

 

Here are is the daily program for today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

Yesterday we had a wonderful dinner in Luminae. Nenad came over as we sat down to let us know we had a very nice bottle of wine from the hotel director. We chatted with him for a bit and he went on to recommend the halibut. I can easily say that the halibut we had last night easily ranks in the top 5 of meals we’ve ever eaten and not just at sea. It was perfect.

 

The wine we had was great. It wouldn’t be the choice to pair with the halibut but it was delicious enough that it did not matter.

 

All other aspects of dinner were wonderful. Again we found Luminae to not be crowded and we had a very private table.

 

I’d also like to announce that the regular butter for Luminae is back!

 

Below are the photos from dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[chicagopaul]

 

 

 

 

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[chamima]

Thanks again for all of these detailed posts (and the wonderful pictures!) Paul.

I love Halibut.

 

Reading the "Today" it was pretty disturbing that of all the activities posted on the first page the Galley Tour was the only one that wasn't an ad for selling something.

[Dawgone]

I realize the Showtime activity could change by February and your rating is very subjective, but I would like to know your rating...let's say one to five?

[wrk2cruise]

Currently we have Toni and he has been excellent but I will ask Nenad, the Maitri D who would be ideal. Which cruise are you on in January?

 

 

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Jan 21. Thanks. I really appreciate it