Fresh off the Eclipse - Vancouver to Hawaii - my review(s)

[txflood33]

Aloha all....just off the Eclipse this morning and sitting in my hotel in Honolulu. This will probably be broken up into a few different posts, but I will do my best to give fair reviews 

 

Our trip started in Vancouver and we flew in a day early to check out a city we had never seen. Might I say, Vancouver is absolutely charming and I do recommend. We stayed at The Loden and would certainly stay there again. 

 

Thursday , 9/22...Sail away day! We chose to walk from the hotel to the pier as it was a beautiful morning. We arrive at the pier and it was very unorganized. I have no idea if the fault lay with X or the pier, or Customs. Once you figured out which line to be in, it moved relatively quickly.There were certainly many upset. We made it through the line in about an hour. Finally, on the boat.

 

The first time we sailed X we were on an S class ship. Now we are on a M class ship. Before anyone asks, yes, you can feel it moving...all the time...anywhere on the ship. I understand nobody can predict what the ocean will serve up, but it was calm seas all the way. The first full day on board I was laying in the cabin ill. 

 

OK...patch now on and feeling a little better

 

We were in AQ class - 1639 and Neil was our room attendant. We couldn’t have asked for a better room attendant. Our room was comfortable as usual. This ship doesn’t seem to have had it's dry-dock time and been revolutionized...which was a little disappointing. I understand the reasons why these decisions may have been made, but it doesn’t remove the disappointment. Anyway, not the end of the world, we’re still on a cruise ship headed to Hawaii...and our first visit. Onboard we ate at Sushi on 5...Wagyu sliders...so delicious. Can confirm this restaurant is a la cart. 

 

Days 1-5...all sea days

So this is where I should mention...I'm not a fan of sea days. I knew I would be rolling the dice on the start of this cruise. I downloaded some extra books and media, and am a fan of the casino. The casino on this cruise never got hopping. The only time I saw crowds and excitement was during the slots competition put on by X. While I certainly can't fault X for the low kew casino, I can say maybe make some of the $50/bet Blackjack tables lower limits to draw people in. Again, in no way do I blame X, but it just takes away(my choice) an activity. We ate at Blu every night except one and dined at Murano the other. We opted for the five senses package. It’s $99/pp but is paired with wine supposedly not typically available by the glass. The meal was great and would do it again.

 

We saw the illusionist show one night. We visited the bars and had fun. One thing I do fault X for is the noise. The library is on 10....with about only 6 books by the way...open play table tennis is right outside the elevators on 15. I don't find it easy to read with the sounds of ping pong and cheers. Also, X appeared to be doing work all over the ship. Hammering, angle grinders, circular saws...could be heard at different levels all over the ship...including my balcony. Going back to the casino, I learned on the last sea day that the casino would be closed for the rest of the cruise. I mean it makes sense, the casinos are closed in ports and open up when out at sea. It just never dawned on me.

 

So I know this sounds like a negative review, it's not. We had a great time. I learned quite a bit on this cruise and just hope I can pass on some knowledge to someone else. I'm stopping here for now, but will certainly come back for days 6-11. You’re not going to want to miss that....it's when my wife falls out of a helicopter.

 

 

[txflood33]

Ok...I'm back. Couldn’t miss that sunset over Waikiki’s beach

 

Day 6 - Hilo, HI - docked

 

We booked an excursion outside of X for this stop...more on that in a minute. We happened to arrive on a day where every vendor was out at the Farmer's Market. Way more than fruits and veggies, very cool items from the locals. This was a real inexpensive thing to do in a less tourist area.

 

OK...here's the part I'm assuming you came back for. We booked a doors off helicopter tour over Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and by some waterfalls. This was a small chopper - pilot, 2 seats to his right, and 2 in the back. No doors on the front or back. This was very pricey, but to me, possibly once in a lifetime. The tour was about an hour and we circled 3 craters. Two of them smoldering but very little, if any, red lava flow. Now we get back and land. My wife is getting out and slips on the footpeg and twists her ankle in a direction it doesn't normally go. The excursion company helped us with a golf cart to get off the tarmac. We limp back to the desk to get my backpack, no one asked how she was doing. We get a cab back to the boat and it's really starting to swell. She can walk on it with pain and can move in all directions...as much as the swelling will allow. She says she just wants to take it easy in the cabin and see what tomorrow brings. We prop it up and use some ziploc bags we brought for ice packs.

 

Day 7 - Kona, HI - tendered

 

Ankle swelling has reduced quite a bit, but bruising is starting. The entire ankle and starting up the calf/shin. I knew something had to be broken. Vacation plans are quickly being rewritten in my head. My wife says she wants to see if medical could just wrap it since we had no Ace bandage. We knew it was self pay and at least wanted to ask. We get to medical right at 8am. Three people waiting  and everyone wearing masks. Once someone came out they did a quick scroll down of why everyone was there. For my wife it was her ankle.....the other 3 tested positive for Covid!!! There are so many things wrong with this, but I digress. We made an appointment to come back later.

 

On to Kona...there are shopping and food choices all within walking distance from the pier. We also did the Short and Sweet snorkel tour booked through X. The company that ran this excursion, top notch. I have nothing bad to say. Great crew, has bot alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, great communication and safety concerns. Here is some more poor planning on my part...it's been 7 years since we have been snorkeling so why would I remember to put in contacts so I can actually see the fishies. I'm worried about my wife’s ankle and this snorkeling trip is a bust due to my own poor planning. 

 

On the upside, we did find some ace bandage to save us some money at the medic. The wife still not ready to go to a hospital during vacation.

 

Aside from messing up my snorkeling tour, Kona was great and beautiful.

 

Next post is Maui...a small twist...no pun intended 

[upwarduk]

2 hours ago, txflood33 said:

Now we are on a M class ship.

Eclipse is S class.

[txflood33]

3 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Eclipse is S class.

well aren't I embarrassed. Our first X cruise was on the Reflection and I felt zero movement. This trip was replacing a cancelled 2020 trip where we were to be on the Millennium. So much planning for that trip I must’ve simply assumed. 

 

When we sailed on the Reflection, it seemed much bigger. I'm guessing the Reflection is a newer ship and utilized some space better. Just a thought.

[upwarduk]

8 minutes ago, txflood33 said:

When we sailed on the Reflection, it seemed much bigger. I'm guessing the Reflection is a newer ship and utilized some space better.

This from Google:

“Celebrity Reflection is the fifth, final, and largest Solstice-class cruise ship, launched in 2012.”

Edited October 4, 2022 by upwarduk

[gordylad]

so the casino closed on the last sea day [of 5 sea days] or the last sea day being Honolulu? Is this normal?

[Provence55always]

I feel your wife’s pain….I went over on my ankle one day into our cruise really bad sprain. Our great room attendant provided ice twice a day which really helped. I also bought a good ankle support. My biggest annoyance was I could not wear my stilettos for the entire cruise😂. Hope by now your wife has made a full recovery.

[poffles]

1 hour ago, gordylad said:

so the casino closed on the last sea day [of 5 sea days] or the last sea day being Honolulu? Is this normal?

 

I was wondering the same.  I know they don't allow gambling in Hawaii waters but I expected they would anchor further out in the evenings so it could open some evenings.  Surprised to hear of a total shutdown like this, interesting.

[txflood33]

Aloha again

Days 8-9 - overnight in Maui - tendered

 

We originally had a X excursion set up for hiking through the rainforest and seeing waterfalls. We were able to cancel this for a refund the day the accident happened. So now we decide to take a cab to a beach and just relax. Maui is beautiful with much to see right off the tender. Fun fact...I learned the second largest Indian Banyan tree is right there and it is massive. Such a cool site to see. After a very short time on the beach, my wife notices the bruising on her ankle is spreading more up the leg as well as over the foot. She decides it's time for an X-Ray. We find a walk-in clinic that has an X-ray machine and head that way. Long story short, not 1 bone broken, all soft tissue damage...pretty relieved. The wife gets a walking boot and a bill and we head back to the ship as it's almost dinner time. Back on the ship getting ready for dinner and the Captain makes an announcement ...Due to rising positive cases of Covid on board, masks will be required in the Theatre. I think this speaks volumes to the ineffectiveness of the approach to keep Covid of the ships. We sailed out of Canada so every passenger had do be vaxxed as well as present a negative test. Passengers going to medical with a positive test after one stop....it was onboard before we left Canada.

 

Second day in Maui...definitely will be my most memorable 

A little more beach time and took it slower with a bum ankle. The wife wanted to walk slowly and do some shopping. We happened along an art studio and went in. We are now the proud owners of an original Dr. Seuss painting. I would have never imagined we would be buying art on this trip, buty here we are. Back to the ship with smiles and excitement. Dinner at Blu and my reservation for Hot Glass Blowing. Such a cool experience and would do again.

[TeaBag]

Hope your wife's ankle is mending and that she is not damaging it further by walking on it.  I feel very sorry for you having this to deal with when you should be enjoying beautiful Hawaii.

[Crazy planning mom]

Hope she feels better soon.

[PTC DAWG]

Mild covid cases will be around forever…IMHO. 

 

Here’s to your Wife recovering quickly. 

[Honolulu Blue]

@txflood33  I like your avatar. 🙂  I also like your report and your reporting style.  I'm sorry about your wife.  It's always a double bummer to get hurt on vacation.  I'm also sorry to hear that cases of you-know-what got high enough that the Captain had to take countermeasures.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip, whenever you're ready to tell us.

[cinderellen]

Can't wait to read more!

 

[txflood33]

12 hours ago, gordylad said:

so the casino closed on the last sea day [of 5 sea days] or the last sea day being Honolulu? Is this normal?

Around midnight -2 AM ish on the final sea day the casino closed for the remainder of the cruise. The only thing I can guess is we remained in HI waters the duration of the cruise.

[granddutchess]

Love your review.  We will be doing the Celebrity Eclipse next May starting in Honolulu and ending in Vancouver.  Keep all the information coming.  Hope your wife is continuing to heal.

[txflood33]

Back again to wrap up...

 

We were overnight in Honolulu and we already had a hotel booked for an extra day so we ended up with just about 3 full days before hopping on a redeye to LAX. 

We changed our routine up a bit. We typically try to venture out on our own, but with the ankle, we opted for trolley sightseeing.  Honolulu has a pretty easy trolley system...4 lines, shopping, historical, sights, and one more. $50/pp will get a single rider unlimited rides on any of the lines for two days. They offer a one day pass as well. We did one line on our first day here and slow walking through some shopping areas. Back to the boat to pack up and get some dinner.

 

I forgot to add on Day 2 of Maui - Captain announcement  - Due to the increasing cases of Covid 19 on board, masks will be required by all guests and staff while indoors for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Debarkation day - Nobody likes this day. Just waiting in areas until they call your number. It was a total mess. Very little direction from staff. The line to the gangway started by the Eclipse theatre, went past the Martini bar, past the elevators and turned left by the aft stairs. Made a U-turn there and back down the way we came. Right turn into the casino, continuing down the starboard side to the deck 4 gangway. Needless to say, people were not happy. Cab line at the pier was the same. Just take a deep breath and know I could be in worse places.

 

We got our cab and made it to our hotel...Hilton Waikiki Beach, do recommend...our room was ready and they let us check in at 9:30am. They also have a late check out for $100 that let us keep the room until 10pm...perfect for our 10pm flight. Since we had the 2 day trolley tickets, we opted for the historical tour. So much history about the island. I would also recommend that one.

 

Last day in Honolulu...today. Walked down to the beach at 8am and watched the surfers. Laid on the beach for a few hours and then got some local breakfast.

 

I firmly believe vacation is about adventures, and we certainly had some. So proud of my wife for sucking it up and adjusting to different vacation options.

 

What did I learn on this trip...these are things I should’ve known/researched but forgot

1. put your phone in airplane mode with wifi on....I caught it a little late and got a text from my provider reminding me my plan doesn’t cover the ship.

2. People will push you in the buffett to get the last roll...lol

3. Lots of things on the Eclipse are broken or in the process of being fixed

4. Bring headphones...even if you’re not listening to anything can help muffle

5. I need to figure out this sea sickness or I may be stuck with land vacations

 

The only knocks I have with X for this cruise

1. Poor placement of table tennis...just difficult to read in the library 

2. So many building noises...not relaxing

3. This one may have mixed opinions  - Staff wearing their masks properly after the Captain made the announcement. I understand there are varying opinions on the effectiveness of masks. My point, if the staff, including officers, won't follow Captain’s orders, why should the passengers...and that's what we saw on debarkation day. I don't expect the bussers in. the dining room or the attendant standing outside the buffet offering sanitizer to police this matter. Just my opinion.

 

We still had a fantastic cruise...helicopter over Kilauea, new art piece, hot glass, I mean even sitting on the balcony in the Pacific is better than a day at work. We saw some beautiful things and met some awesome people. A- on the vacation.

 

Feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to answer.

Aloha

[hcat]

Nice review...glad the injury to your wife's ankle did not ruin the trip..and you both seemed able to  adapt to changed plans,,,often leads to the best experiences!

[Katstress]

I just have to jump in! I was on the same cruise, you just snuck in the statement about the hot glass blowing class and mentioned it being a cool experience. I did it as well, and it was my favorite part of the cruise! What fun it was to make a personal souvenir, and getting to do way more than I expected. Heating the glass, spinning, adding color, and even blowing with a handheld pump.  
The only bad part was worrying about how to get my beautiful purple and lilac bowl home without breaking it, but they had boxes for transport and it made it! 

[Searanger]

Have done Hawaii - Vancouver to Honolulu and the other way.  Have to say that the southern direction with 26hr days and a warming weather is far better then 23hr days and the weather getting cooler going north.  Just remember that medical treatment onboard is free if you injure yourself on the ship (wink wink) Found your statement about Covid positive people sitting in medical interesting.  The policy is to phone medical and someone will come to your cabin in P.P.E. and test you.  Not on the Eclipse until March for a B to B so still have almost 5 month to wait, but it's still nice to see the ship heading towards Australia.  Thank for your review.  

[Jkimak]

Hi, great trip review… thanks for sharing your experience! One question, were there any laundry facilities on the ship?

 

thanks,

Linda

[Cruise Junky]

On 10/11/2022 at 6:21 AM, Searanger said:

Have done Hawaii - Vancouver to Honolulu and the other way.  Have to say that the southern direction with 26hr days and a warming weather is far better then 23hr days and the weather getting cooler going north.  Just remember that medical treatment onboard is free if you injure yourself on the ship (wink wink) Found your statement about Covid positive people sitting in medical interesting.  The policy is to phone medical and someone will come to your cabin in P.P.E. and test you.  Not on the Eclipse until March for a B to B so still have almost 5 month to wait, but it's still nice to see the ship heading towards Australia.  Thank for your review.  

How did you get 26 hour days?  There’s only a three hour time difference at the most and part of the year it’s only 2 hours.  

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Jkimak said:

Hi, great trip review… thanks for sharing your experience! One question, were there any laundry facilities on the ship?

 

thanks,

Linda

 

There are no self-service laundry facilities on any Celebrity ship.

[fenton04]

We also were on the Eclipse..  What we most admired about the Eclipse crew was the attention to detail.  On a side note we had early seating at a table of eleven.  We kept in touch by texting after we disembarked.  Only two of our table mates contracted COVID.  Those two that have COVID had spouses who did not contract COViID.    Go figure!

Edited October 17, 2022 by fenton04
Spelling

[PegfromSC]

TXFlood33. Loved your reviews! We are scheduled to do the reverse in May and happen to be in the same Aqua class room..1639. . Question what is the bed placement? Next to balcony door or next to closet?  TIA   also, where did you pick up the trolley?