Podie

I was on Eclipse 12/10-21. The classic package was included in my fare as a perk, as it has been each of the four times I've cruised Celebrity. They offer that perk much of the year.

This time I upgraded to premium and I felt it was a waste. Very few bars even had the Evian available, so I was given 2 small Crystal Geysers instead whenever I asked for water. The martinis at the Martini Bar were only a $3 upgrade, from $9 to $12, if you had the classic package, and we're only $9 at other bars. The premium coffee drinks, depending on how premium it was, might have an upcharge. The premium wines at dinner were a joke - only four choices unless you bought a whole bottle at a discount.

For me, the $130 upgrade was unnecessary, but that's just me.

I'm really surprised Celebrity is not including their classic beverage package, which is worth about $60 per person per day. I've cruised Celebrity 4 times - just returned from Eclipse last Thursday - and had the drink package and $200 OBC. I bet they'll offer this again in Jan.

I'm not cruising till Oct 2018 but like to plan in advance! I will be driving in from AZ the night before, and since the parking at the pier is so expensive, I have been looking for a hotel that includes parking for the week. I saw an ad for Vagabond Inn but didn't like the looks of it.

If I can get Marriott to include free parking (which I often can, when I travel), is Long Beach the best place to stay? I don't mind paying for an Uber to and from the port (are Uber drivers allowed into the port?) but am curious how much an Uber would cost from LB to SP?

Our Dec. 10th Celebrity Eclipse cruise has been changed from St. Maarten to Punta Cana, DR, then to St. Croix, and is now listed as Nassau! We are already going to Antigua as part of the original itinerary.

It is what it is, so all those on the Eclipse 10 Dec cruise, why complain on the other boards??? You are not going to change things by complaining to those that don’t have a stake in the game. It has not been officially announced, but we need to deal with it either way.

I've learned over the years that cruiselines, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in particular, do monitor these boards for customer comments. That's why I've mentioned this on two CC boards. I've written to Celebrity twice and have received no answer, so it's time to try this route. I want to know where we are going, once and for all, and if it's Nassau, I believe we are all owed some OBC.

Is anyone else having a problem with their ports being changed to replace St. Maarten? My cruise's replacement port has gone from Punta Cana to St. Croix and now some of the passengers have received word we're going to Nassau instead. Just curious to see what others are experiencing.

My sister lives in San Juan and says everything is still very spotty, including electric, water, cell service, internet, food deliveries, etc.

Do you know if he has phone/internet?

 

Have you had any contact with him?[/quote)

 

I know all services on the island are still sporadic, and that he lost all of his vehicles in the storm. I have been communicating with a relative of his who lives in the U.S. Like Puerto Rico, where my sister lives, you can't count on having phone or internet from day to day.

Bernard is trying to support his own family as well as his employees right now, plus get enough vehicles to get his business running again. Several of us have sent him donations through a relative in the U.S. If you'd like to help, please email me at Podie1956 at aol dot com and I'll give you the address.

My Celebrity cruise in December has been re-routed from St. Maarten to St. Croix, as have most of the Celebrity ships. My sister lives in Puerto Rico and already has power back so hopefully St. Croix will be fixed up too.

Sandcastle is just a little over a mile south of the port. We took a taxi with a bunch of other people and it was very reasonable.

Ooops, I'm sorry I just realized you're asking how to get between these two places. I would still think a taxi will be reasonable.

My Dec 10 Celebrity Eclipse cruise also replaced St. Maarten with St. Croix. I've written to my favorite day pass beach hotel, Sandcastle on the Beach, and asked if they are open.

I loved Antigua last December and am returning this December. If you are a dog lover, consider bringing treats (not dog biscuits, they don't know what they are, something that smells good) as the stray dog problem is depressing. But I do like the people very much, and Gail at Beach Limerz has already been in touch to say their operation is fine.

Check out Beach Limerz. I'm not sure which beach equipment they have, but it's included in their $65 all inclusive which also includes lunch, a couple of drinks, umbrella and lounge chairs.

We did Silver Moon and are going again with them in December. However, I did not appreciate the way all these catamarans dropped food for the turtles and then the only turtle that showed up was chased mercilessly by the passengers wanting photos. We were told fewer and fewer turtles are showing up because of this, and pretty soon none will. I'm a scuba diver and see turtles all the time, and I understand you wanting your family to see them, but a catamaran might not be the best way to do it, as much as they're being harassed.

When I was there in December, they charged $4 per person to Turners.

Just for comparison purposes, I've reserved at Beach Limerz, which I saw when I was next door at Millers last December. They have an all-inclusive option for $65 which includes one drink and one water, BBQ lunch, and all the beach "toys," but this December I'm going with the pay as you go option. They told me if we don't use the water sports equipment, we'll save money just paying for what we want.

In addition, the owner, Gail, will open at 9 and send a taxi for $6 per person. No pool, it's a rustic beachfront operation, but it gets great reviews.

By the way, I always bring dog treats (bacon strips) to Antigua because there are so many stray dogs.

We were in St. Lucia last December and our travel agent sent us on a full day tour with COSOL. So we feel this December when we return, we just want to be at a local beach with bars and restaurants. Would you recommend Vigie or Reduit for us? We don't want to be too far away.

The website says no passes to the Accra Beach Hotel will be available until April 2018.

Thank you for the response, I guess I'm really interested in how long it takes to travel by taxi. I don't really have that great of a concept of km either since I am American, sorry about our goofy metric system not being part of the standard.

Easy formula for the rest of the world (we're basically the only country that uses miles anymore): Multiply number by 6 and drop off the last number of the answer. 8 kilometers times 6 equals 48 equals about 5 miles.

Thank you for your reply. We'll get back from the Silver Moon Catamaran trip wet and tired and were hoping for a casual place nearby. The next day we've been considering a day pass to a resort.

Has anyone ever done a day pass at the Hilton? My cruising buddy found it on a Caribbean day pass website and I was wondering if they're legit. We're on the same cruise as last year and need a new place to go.

It looks like a lovely place, but we'd rather be at a beach with a bar during the day. And we're not looking to go out for a fancy dinner, just thought there might be a local bar or lounge where tourists are welcome.

My friend and I will be overnighting in Barbados on Celebrity Eclipse in December. We're going to do Silver Moon again because it was so spectacular last year, but any recommendations for later that evening and the whole next day? Like beaches with bars, or maybe I should say bars with beaches!!!

I wanted everyone to know about another company that is EXCELLENT. Take a look at Silvermoon. It is on the same level as Calabaza. It was luxury and pampering from the minute we stepped on the catamaran to the moment we got off. You were never without a drink. They are constantly coming around to refill your drink if you want. The lunch was great. They had freshly grilled marlin which was one of the best pieces of fish I have ever tasted. They came around with cool damp cloths to put on your neck which felt wonderful after sitting out in the sun. The banana bread was very tasty.

 

The also took you to shipwrecks and swam with the turtles. They fed the turtles and they came right up to you for great pictures. I am not a great swimmer. I had a snorkel vest on to help me float around so I can snorkel. They kept a close eye on me to make sure I was alright.

 

It was an absolutely beautiful catamaran. There was only about 12-15 people so we had plenty of room to move around.

 

I would highly, highly recommend Silvermoon!!

I was on Silver Moon last December and will be on again this December. It was by far the BEST catamaran trip I've ever been on. They are a couple of hours shorter than Calabaza and a little cheaper.