Z-Bird

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Recently I've found that it is at the discretion of the F&B Manager.   In the past they always started with day 1 and went sequentially and then repeated.

 

Recently on Apex they changed to a random order that didn't even match up to what you would expect on the 1st and 2nd Chic nights.    They of course had Lobster on the Final Chic Night.    The menus were not published on the App until the day before the cruise.

Thank you - looks like the menu on this cruise may be a surprise!

51 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

Unless it’s changed, it’s a 14 day rotation and days 15 and 16 will be repeats of days 1 and 2.

Thank you!

We are in a suite on a 16 night repositioning cruise in Dec 2023 aboard the Eclipse.  I’d like to make some specialty restaurant reservations and wondered when or if the Luminae dinner menu will repeat itself?

Thanks!

We are on a 16 night Eclipse repositioning cruise in December 2023.  Does anyone know if the Luminae menu repeats during a cruise of that length?  We’d like to make some speciality restaurant reservations and if there is a repeat in the menu, that will help us make our decision on which nights to make those reservations.  Thank you!  

We just booked a sky suite for this cruise and it is shaping up to be a fun cruise with many cruisecritic and sailing friends joining in.  GenerationX, Charla, hope Jeremy and you join us! 

On 11/25/2022 at 4:29 AM, Ine said:

In Puerto Vallarta check with https://oceanfriendly.com/whale-watching-tours/

and/or

https://vallartanatours.com/

Be aware they donot leave from the cruise terminal.

Ocean friendly leaves from Los Peines Pier, about a 15/20 minutes walk from the cruise terminal (depending on which pier your ship will be docked)

Vallarta Natours leaves from the Marina, better take a cab  to get there, about a 10 minute drive.

Also check the times your ship arrives in Vallarta. 

Are you familiar with Ecotours Vallarta and would you recommend them?  They have availability for a whale watching tour on the day we are in port and the other 2 you recommended do not.  Thanks!

Thank you for your feedback.  How were the temperatures in the dining areas and the theater?

Thank you, @martincath.   I have read other posts of yours and respect your knowledge in this area.  @lovecruzin, I didn't think the 2nd ArriveCAN was for Victoria - I read it as needed to embark on the ship from a Canadian port.  I still believe the instructions are contradictory about whether or not a 2nd ArriveCAN is needed in our situation. 

What's the harm in completing a 2nd one before boarding the ship just to make sure?

Thank you both so much.  I was just on the official Canadian gvt website, and it states the info below.  Whew - this has been challenging to keep straight!

Entering Canada by land or air before embarking on a cruise

You must complete your ArriveCAN submission before entering Canada, no more than 72 hours of boarding your flight or before entering Canada by land.

• If you’re flying in to join a cruise immediately, enter the address of your terminal.
• If you’re not joining the cruise immediately, enter the address of your hotel.

You must also submit a second ArriveCAN submission no more than 72 hours before boarding the cruise. This applies even if your second ArriveCAN submission is within 72 hours of the first submission.

Upon your entry to Canada by air or at a land border crossing, the border services officer may notify you that you’ve been randomly selected for a mandatory arrival test.

Mandatory random testing is part of the Government of Canada surveillance program to track the importation of COVID-19 virus into Canada, and identify new variants of concern.

Could someone please confirm that my understanding of what needs to be done regarding testing and customs forms for our cruise is correct?  I realize this has been discussed many times, but nevertheless, would appreciate confirmation that I got this!  We depart Vancouver on 9/16 for an 8-night repositioning cruise to LA aboard the Celebrity Solstice, including a stop in Victoria on 9/17.  We arrive in Vancouver via plane from the US on 9/14.  We will complete ArriveCAN on 9/13, listing our Vancouver hotel as our destination address (I've downloaded the app and filled in everything I can so far.)  We will do the OnPoint proctored Rapid Antigen Covid test on the morning of 9/14 before we fly out of LAX, and will use that for test result for boarding the ship in Vancouver on 9/16.    We will complete a 2nd ArriveCAN on 9/15 listing the ship as our destination.  And finally, on 9/16 we get to start our cruise!   

Does it sound like all of the bases are covered with this plan?  Thanks so much for any feedback!

Big thank you to everyone for the excellent advice in this thread.  Could someone please confirm that my understanding of what needs to be done for our cruise is correct?  We depart Vancouver on 9/16 for an 8-night repositioning cruise to LA aboard the Celebrity Solstice, including a stop in Victoria on 9/17.  We arrive in Vancouver via plane from the US on 9/14.  We will complete ArriveCAN on 9/13, listing our Vancouver hotel as our destination address (I've downloaded the app and filled in everything I can so far.)  We will do the OnPoint proctored Rapid Antigen Covid test on the morning of 9/14 before we fly out of LAX, and will use that for boarding the ship in Vancouver on 9/16.    We will complete a 2nd ArriveCAN on 9/15 for boarding the ship.  

Does it sound like all of the bases are covered with this plan?  Thanks so much for any feedback!

Can someone please confirm:  if I am leaving on a Friday cruise, and live in CA, I can complete the test on Tuesday after 9pm (my time) and it will be dated Wednesday, which gives me the 2-day required window before boarding the ship?  Thank you.

Enjoying your detailed review - thank you for taking the time to write it while on your cruise.

9 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Yes, on Solstice they could be.

on Reflection as well. 

Great - thanks!  Just booked that aft corner Sky Suite!

6 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

We have stayed in both on the S class ships.  We enjoyed our corner S1 on top deck.  However, our S2 just next door was equally as good.  Both were the upper deck because we prefer shade.  The amount of coverage and size of balcony does change as you go lower.  There is a bit of noise from above on the top deck.  The slant balconies are bigger.  We did enjoy the a retreat experience and Luminae, but we liked Blu as well.  Another consideration is a a concierge or plan verandah on the slant.  With the $ you save you can buy a lot of specialty dining. There is no right answer.  It’s all about preferences.

Thank you for the feedback.  Do you recall if the bed can be separated in to 2 in the corner sky suite?

The recent threads on aft S1 cabins have caught my attention and I am considering booking one on the Solstice.   There was discussion on another thread about how the balconies on these cabins on the Eclipse differ in size a lot between deck 6 and deck 11.  I am looking at one on Deck 9.  Would it have the bigger balcony?  And can the beds be separated?

My other option is a midship aqua cabin on the bump.  The pricing is about $600 total between them for a 7 night cruise.  Any feedback on what you would choose?

Thank you, jelayne, for your feedback.  That was the term I was looking for that the Eclipse was due to get in 2019:  revolutionizing the ship.  I can see why those expensive upgrades would be on hold right now.  I am just glad the Celebrity is still in business and that the Eclipse was in excellent condition the last time you were on her.   

We are looking at booking a 16 day cruise on the Eclipse and I am hoping for some feedback on her before we make that commitment.

Does anyone know if the Eclipse has been renovated in the last few years?  I saw where renovations were scheduled and then postponed but have not seen anything about them being completed.

On Celebrity, we have only sailed on the Equinox and the Reflection.  While I realize they are all in the same class, how does the Eclipse compare to those 2?  We are considering booking our first suite ever on the Eclipse.  Do her Celebrity suites compare favorably with other Celebrity solstice-class ships?

I know the Eclipse is not sailing right now (we were scheduled to be on the April 2022 Pacific Coastal cruise that was recently canceled), but has anyone been on her in the last 6 months that could share what condition she is in?

I included this photo of her on another post but thought I'd drop it in here too.  This is her moored outside of the San Diego Bay last weekend.

Thanks

We motored past these cruise ships last Saturday and wondered how the Eclipse was holding up since we are considering booking the 16 day LA to Chile itinerary on her.    

3 hours ago, funatseascott said:

We had a private drive to a great beach today, Playa PortoMarie.  Passed Williwood and the Flamingos that Jim posted to get to the beach.  Added a pic of the area along with the nice church.  It is really out of the way, but well worth it.  Snorkeling here was fantastic.  Lots of corals, similar to Aruba stop, but the quantity and quality were so much better.  Even had anemone’s and fans here.  I like watching flowing corals, so this was great to me.  Some of the brain corals were huge, probably bigger round then our table on our balcony.  There were plenty of fish and the variety was similar to Aruba.  I went out 3 times and Sophia 4, if that gives an indication of how good it was.  As for the beach, a few dollars to enter and a few more for chairs.  Come early or you might have to sit under trees for shade.  We got to the beach at 11 and got the last chairs under an umbrella.  We went to the far right as had heard the snorkeling was better there compared to the middle.  Spot on.  Be careful not to go  around the corner to the right, much more current and why risk it when plenty of good stuff in the main area to see snorkeling.  Pictures of snorkeling don’t do it justice as we didn’t bring the GoPro, just used our phones.  Had a great view of the town and ship on the way back.

Thank you for the great photos and descriptions.  Do you mind to share how you got back and forth to the beach?

We are on the Celebrity Reflection in St Martin overnight on 3/29-3/30 and will rent a car on the 2nd day, picking it up around 8am and dropping it off around 4pm. Ship departs at 6pm. We are considering the following stops and wanted to ask when we should head back to the pier from Grand Case. There will be 1 other cruise ship in on 3/30. Also any ideas of other stops you'd recommend are appreciated!

Stop at La Sucriere for coffee and pastries

Stop at Marigot to look around and do some shopping

Third stop Rainbow Cafe in Grand Case for beach time and lunch

Complete the island loop driving back to the ship.

Thank you for the feedback. We are really encouraged by your responses.

We will be sailing on the Reflection in just over 2 weeks and wondered if anyone knows if rice milk, almond milk, or lactose-free milk are available on board? I believe soy milk is available but can't drink that. Thanks!

What a tough experience with Mystic Man! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for your suggestion. Sounds like you had a good time with Spencer Ambrose Tours and I have read great reviews on them.

We aren't wanting beach time or land tours - only snorkeling and sailing with a small group, 10 to 12 guests that ideally we don't have to organize. We are not looking to charter a boat all day. We would simply like to find a reputable operator with a speed or sailboat, that specializes in smaller group snorkel trips. We found this on Barbados with Calabaza Tours and are trying to find something similar on St. Lucia.