BecT

We debark the Eclipse tomorrow.

Overall as others have said the ship is in decent shape just outdated and a little tired in areas. Everything is kept clean all around the ship including our suite. Our PH suite showed it's age.  The floor was surprisingly all scratched up. There are no USB ports. There is one US style outlet in the bedroom, one in the bar area and one by the piano. I assume the RS will be similar with the exception of the piano outlet. The furniture inside and outside are worn and could use replacing. The curtains in our bedroom are showing signs of being threadbare with light coming through in places.   With all that said in no way did it stop us from enjoying ourselves. 

Service is naturally terrific for upper suites. We are not fans of the new Luminae menu (YMMV) so ate mostly elsewhere to include Tuscan, Buffet, and Room Service which we're all good to excellent. . 

I guess because we did an Antarctica cruise some basic foods were limited or not available about midway through the cruise. Items such as lettuce and fruit such as berries and bananas were scarce or non existent. 

If you like visiting the casino be prepared to be underwhelmed. It wasn't very busy and machines were the tightest I've seen in a long time on any ship. There was no casino host so not many real events being sponsored. But staff in the casino were great. 

Martini bar was fantastic and a great place to visit. 

Live music was definitely hit or miss about the ship. I heard several complaints about it not being very good. 

Hot Glass Show is great. You can sign up for a class to make your own glass creation. We made a couple of penguins but the have several options to choose from. 

Sky lounge was a fun place to visit especially around 10pm when they had different things happening. 

Main theatre entertainment was generally good. 

Michaels Club was ok. There were several events scheduled throughout the cruise mostly lectures from onboard guest speakers.  The Concierges were very attentive and knowledgeable which was appreciated. 

Hope this helps!

Becky

In a PH now on Eclipse. Booked it because it was 14 days to Antarctica and we wanted to be comfortable during that time since there were so many sea days. It's been awesome especially for picture taking. We set up the inside chairs in front of all the sliding doors to look out at all the beauty and when we wanted to take a picture we quickly opened the doors snapped some pics and went back inside where it was warm. 

We're also not fans of the menu change in Luminae so we've been taking advantage of the complimentary dining at Tuscan a lot.  

With that being said, I'm not sure we're in any rush to book another one soon. The prices are becoming more outrageous for what you get especially now that gratuities and OBC are no longer included. 

17 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Your comment is heartwarming and touching. None of us know when we disembark a ship whether that will be our last time ever on a ship.

 

Antarctica is a special place. Buenos Aires and/or Ushuiaia are not the easiest airports to get to in the world for the vast, vast majority of CC readers.

Thank you. I agree we just never know what tomorrow brings and to always cherish today. 

11 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

When things don't go as planned while on a cruise, I try and remember how lucky I am to be able (physically and financially) to cruise at all. One of the reasons I try to stay clear of bashing the beleaguered crew on cruise ships is that I know from talking to them, how poor some of their families are. It frankly drives me crazy sometimes to read tales of *woe* from people who can't get their favorite Scotch on the ship, when the person serving drinks has a family back home without running water or electricity. All of that said (and sorry for the tangent), you make a good point about certain cruises being truly once in a lifetime. I heard people say similar things last November when I was in the Mediterranean. But it was coming from people in their 20s and 30s who were whining about missing Tuscany and how they'd "never" get the chance to do that again. Oh, please. That was a bit rich and melodramatic for me.... 

Exactly. We took a shore excursion to A Carib Indian village in Dominique. While their my husband had a conversation with the village chief. My husband mentioned he had just built a 16*24' shed. Before he could say anything else the Chief said "Wow, that's big you live in a mansion!".  That comment put our lives in perspective. I always love interacting with staff because I learn so much about other people and their cultures. I'm always amazed by their stories. 

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

OK, I can sort of understand that. In my experience, there seem to be a lot of people who cruise whom one might categorize as elderly. And yet, it also seems that they do cruise a lot. (And good for them, BTW- traveling is how I intend to spend most of my retirement!) Therefore, based on that, I was surprised that some characterized THIS cruise as once-in-a-lifetime. I have met people in their 70s and 80s on cruises who take 10-12 cruises a year. So for me, it would seem like there's more than just one chance for such a cruise.

We cruise a lot and I'm only 63 but this is also a once in a lifetime cruise for us due to health issues. We are spending this year completing bucket list activities. The week before the cruise I got to throw beads off a Mardi Gras float! (Bucket list)  But I also think that many frequent cruisers bring family members with them that for whatever reasons such as health or economics would ordinarily  be unable to go. For instance my older brother and his wife are for all intense purposes confined to their house. We took them on a cruise to Canada several years back with all their medical equipment in tow. They were never able to get off the ship but truly enjoyed the experience and will never be able to do it again.  We've also taken family and friends on cruises who would ordinarily not be able to afford to go. Again it was a once in a lifetime experience for them. I've also met  young parents who brought their terminally ill child on a cruise for that once in a brief lifetime experience. Sometimes I too forget how fortunate I have been in life. 

5 minutes ago, GALSews said:

I'd intended to have this picture with a whale spouting. I uploaded the wrong one before. You may need to use your imagination, though. (Anselm Adams would not have seen me as competition.) (The whale if just a little below dead center.)

 

At one point we counted 5 whales just behind the ship. It was an amazing day!

 

That's how my pictures turned out too. I just took a picture of 2 penguins floating by on a iceberg and all I see are two black dots. But this one has a few more dots. 

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

Wow, those pictures are gorgeous! My wife has hinted at cruising to Antarctica ever since two of her favorite YouTubers went there. Maybe we'll go on Celebrity. Those photos are stunning! Thanks for posting them here.

You're welcome. I have been up since about 5am taking pictures and short videos. I've also seen penguins and whales. Unfortunately, I'm not quick enough to catch the whales on camera and the penguins were too small to see in the pics. So I  decided to focus more on taking in the memories vs looking through a camera lens waiting for the whales to cooperate. 😝.

Celebrity is a nice cruise line but it is much quieter than NCL. I like sailing both and just match my expectations based on which line I'm sailing. 

Becky. 

**I call this first picture a speed boat and the other one a submarine. Our butler showed us a picture she took of an iceberg that looked like a whale tale. 

In December we are sailing NCL from Australia to New Zealand so I have been lurking about these boards to see how things have been on NCL since we last sailed them and I found this thread. 

I am currently sailing on Celebrity Eclipse and we are just leaving Paradise Bay. Tomorrow we will visit Elephant Island. We are traveling very slowly through the waters and announcements are restricted to inside areas and the television... Plus no paper or plastic on outside decks. 

After this morning I understand why the NCL Star passengers are upset and disappointed. For many like us I'm sure this is a bucket list experience. The beauty and serenity of Paradise Bay cannot be truly captured on camera or experienced through pictures in a book or in movie. To those of you who missed this experience I'm so sorry for you and I hope that maybe you will get a "do over" later in life. 

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Thanks for the kind words.  We are staying on the port side.  That said, the captain has tried to maneuver the ship around, and we did take a bunch from our balcony.  A word of caution with this thinking.  the view for the other side might be better and change before you can adjust.  Of course, the weather plays the biggest variable in all of this.  

 

A couple of other suggestions, the outer deck in the gym (forward) was a great idea.  If it gets really cold, the glass around the main pool has panels that can slide open.  Sunset bar area is another.

Thanks. My brother and I are from Maine so the cold doesn't bother us much but my hubby hates the cold?  😝

Absolutely incredible photos!  You are making me feel like a kid again that can't wait for Christmas to unwrap my gifts!  3 weeks now feels like an eternity away. 

From which side of the ship are you taking the pictures?  Our cabin is on the port side. Does the Captain turn the ship in a circle so both sides of the ship can enjoy the views?  Also, what's the coldest temperature you've experienced so far?  Thanks. 

43 minutes ago, tomcruiser1234 said:

This may be old news.  Just checked and if you call celebrity they offer a transfer from the airport to the terminal for $29/each. 

 

I think you’re on your own at the terminal. Hopefully there would be a porter you can offer money to help. So far i have found no info.  

 

If your in an upper suite, by all means contact the retreat desk in Miami and request assistance. 

Thanks. We are spending the night at Sheraton  prior to the cruise.  I think we'll check with Viator first and also Miami Retreat desk. 

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

 

 

It is.   He was using it as example of how they discovered the under sea topography and the continental drift.   We used Viator.  Not the cheapest but extremely reliable in our experience)
 

they did a good job with wheel chairs.  I would not let that distract you. 

We have used Viator in the past when we cruised out of Barcelona. We were quite happy with them when we toured Rome. 

6 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

From talk this morning.   Excellent !!

Is that the Nautilus in the top picture?

If so, my oldest brother was the last non-commissioned officer off the sub when it was decommissioned back in 1980. I attended it's decommissioning. 

Really enjoying your review... We will be on the Eclipse February 17th and are also staying at the Sheraton the night before.  What travel company did you use to arrange transportation from the airport and also to the port?  I'm a little bit concerned about the boarding process because my husband uses a wheelchair. We are in an upper suite and I was hoping that would help us out a little bit but it appears that luggage drop off will be rather difficult. 

I just noticed the picture of the German chocolate cake. The sheet cake on Spirit did not look the same.  It was about the same height but had 3-4 layers to it more like what you would see as a petit-four. The posted picture looks a lot better than what I got. 

Just got off Spirit today. I noticed the same thing. I like their German chocolate cake but they typically have too much frosting. With the normal layered cake I could remove most of the frosting. With the new version the cake itself was so thin I couldn't separate the frosting which was disappointing. My husband got a piece of the red velvet cake but it was still the layer cake. He was served a ridiculously oversized piece but  was mostly tasteless frosting so it was wasted.  I think Carnival is trying to find the right balance while minimizing waste. 

Kind of unrelated but on the positive side, we enjoyed several of the new offerings in the main dining room. It was especially pleasant to see different entree sized salad offerings at dinner. Many times if I eat lunch in the buffet I'm not super hungry so those entree salads were a welcome addition. 

14 hours ago, Boats Aint Just 4F ishing said:

Trying to minimize the frustration this weekend at departure. Rather than drive through and drop off luggage, can we just go ahead and park in the deck and roll our luggage from the car to a porter? Also coming from south of the terminal ( I10 ) is the entrance to the deck before the deck or after on Water St?

We have a 10:00 - 10:30 time but I don't plan on getting there until 10:30 at the earliest. Thanks!

I don't think this will work well for you. When you enter the garage you are automatically lined up to give your luggage to the porter. There is really no way to bypass the line.   You will still have to wait for the cars lined up in front of you to unload their luggage before you can proceed to a parking spot.  The porters are very quick with grabbing your luggage and keeping the lines moving. If you do choose to hold your luggage until after you park just make sure you give your luggage to the right porter. Depending on when you arrive some of them may still be handling luggage that is going to local hotels. I know because we accidentally left a bag in the car and I took it down to a porter to check it in and he explained he wasn't handling incoming bags. Oops!😯

The entrance to the deck is on the west side of the garage.  There are two lines going into the deck...one from the main road in front of the garage and another on a little back road that you need to kind of "know about" in order to access it. 

Try not to get there any earlier as the police will just send you to park under the bridge to wait. 

Enjoy your cruise and don't let the parking issue stress you out too much. It's one of those go with the flow kind of situation. 

You're welcome!

Parking was $20 a day.  We paid $160 for 8 days.  

I believe the casino opened around 7pm. They opened soon after we cleared the bay. 

Drink service was painfully slow in the casino even when giving generous tips. Beer/water/soda cans were given typically unopened. Mixed drinks I had were tasty. One of the bartenders would actually check the flavor of the drink before sending it out to make sure it was right ( used a straw to put a little of the drink on his hand to taste). 

I didn't realize it was a premier cruise until we got on the ship.  Casino was crazy busy hard to find a machine or a spot at a table. Several tables were not opened until after 9pm. If you are a nonsmoker then you may have to wait until then to get a seat.  By the end of the cruise it wasn't nearly as busy. 

Since we moved to Alabama we have enjoyed sailing from Mobile. Not having to fly or stay in a hotel makes all the difference in the world. 

Another thing about arriving to park. Don't arrive to early because they will make you park under a bridge and then  they will allow others to start a new line later on and your stuck at the back. My advice is find a spot on that "back road" a little far back and don't move until around 10:30. You're more apt to get in quickly that way then lining up on the main road. 

Do you have a cruise booked for Mobile yet?

We were on the October 14 sailing out of Mobile. 

I didn't pay attention to the table minimums for craps and BJ but 3 card poker was $5-100. This was a premier cruise in the casino. Lots of giveaways for those sailing with on the premier option but not much of anything for the rest of us cruising with a non-premier casino offer. 

The port seemed to be about the same as before... Waiting to park is still a PITA if you want the garage. There was a slight delay before cats were allowed in. Once in the garage things went very smoothly early on. From car to boat was about 10 minutes. Friends of ours who arrived much later in the afternoon were delayed. Boarding was shut down for a little bit...gossip was someone tried to board with illegal drugs, but I can't confirm that. Debarking was a little slow but easy if you have a passport. Passport holders are processed through with facial recognition. Less than in hour from the time we walked out of our cabin to walking into our home across the bay. 

Boat was in decent shape. Lots of cleaning and repair work constantly being done. I will note that ALL the power on the ship shut off for about an hour one morning. Not a big deal as we were in port at the time. 

Food is always subjective so take what I say with a grain of salt. 😁Buffet food was ok. Pizza was surprisingly good. Guy's burgers were the same as on other ships. The main restaurant food was for the most part  pretty good. Serving portions were surprisingly generous and I never left hungry. I usually couldn't eat everything. Service was attentive but a bit hurried. We had 6pm dining time. We ate one night at the steakhouse. It was ok but not great. The casino comped a meal for 5 (for our premiere friend) but I would not go if I had to pay myself.  We did not try the other for-pay eating place. 

Those in my group who went to the spa were quite happy with their services from a deep tissue massages to manicure and pedicure. 

Room attendants appeared to be overworked. Rooms were serviced once a day and our attendant did a great job keeping it clean. Service was in the morning but he was often out late in the evening still working trying to finish cabins he didn't get to in the morning. He was assigned 33 cabins but he did have an assistant. 

Entertainment was mixed. The shows were good I liked the themes, dancing and choreography.  But there was one singer whose voice was what I considered weak and I did not enjoy listening to her... again subjective. 

Overall I enjoyed our trip and have booked another one on Spirit for this December. (Gotta love retirement)

I hope I answered your questions. If not let me know. 

53 minutes ago, realaud said:

I guess it depends on the cruise line.  RC allows it.  When you call the casino line, you tell them you'd like to combine for a single category upgrade - the offers have to be identical, though (same offer #). My understanding is you cannot combine offers if they have a different offer #. 

That could be why. My offer was free balcony with OBC and drinks everywhere for me. His was Free balcony , OBC but with drinks everywhere for two people. 

1 minute ago, realaud said:

It's much easier to do a body swap then get extra keys - you don't have to keep track of anything or get side eye from security or cabin steward. Everyone is where they belong.

It probably is but the extra keys typically work better for us. My brother is always awake much earlier than us so we like to call him our Butler. He brings the coffee, juice, and danishes to us in the morning before we're out of bed. He then uses his other key to get in the room so we don't have to get out of bed. 😝

1 minute ago, realaud said:

It is not a scam when you switch.  My sister and I get our own casino offers, often they are the same offer.  We either travel in separate cabins solo or invite my nephew & his GF.  The offers are for two per cabin, no penalty for traveling alone. When others come along, at booking, we put one in each cabin and then switch (legally) on board.  As I said before, Guest Services doesn't know or care about what offer you have or how you booked, they only care about knowing who is in each cabin. Sometimes we combine our offers to a single cabin for an upgrade, but we each get to keep our individual offer (free play, OBC, etc).  Actually, the only rule about the casino offers is that the person who actually got the offer be on the sailing--meaning I can't book the cabin and then let someone else go in my place.  As long as I am on board, it doesn't matter who is in my cabin.

How were you able to combine your offers. We tried this yesterday when we booked a cruise but they said no. 

We just did this for our cruise last week. Originally I was in the same cabin as my husband. We then decided to bring my brother with us but couldn't put him in the same room. Ultimately Carnival recommended I get my own room and switched me out and put my brother in with my husband. The agent then said once we were on board we can switch rooms by going to guest services and getting extra keys. Easy peasy... I had my regular card for purchases and such and a blank blue card for accessing the room. 

Both rooms were casino offers with drink packages.  Didn't even cost us anything to switch names on the rooms either. 

One thing I would have done differently is introduced myself first to the cabin attendant and explained the situation. He saw my brother go into "my" room with my key and immediately questioned why he had my key. Just a quick little trip down to the room with an explanation and apology cleared things up.  But nice to know the attendant was looking out for my safety. 

Several years ago I traveled with my SIL who requires oxygen and can't walk far. We got her a wheelchair and Carnival had personnel available to push her during Embarkation. She cannot use the convenient portable oxygen units so she had to carry around one with limited battery life bit could be plugged in. She also brought aboard a large at home heavy Oxygen  machine.  Carnival personnel took care of getting all of that on board and assisted us with locating places to plug in her machine while out on the various decks to include the pool area, casino, theater, and dining room.  Overall she really enjoyed herself and they made her feel very welcome. 

My husband now uses a wheelchair in lieu of walking long distances. Carnival has personnel to push him on board which is helpful to me because it can get a little tough when going up here. This year he has an electric wheelchair so it's much easier on me. 

If fatigue is your main concern I would at the very least rent a wheelchair so she is more comfortable with boarding and debarking.  With my experience Carnival has always been accommodating to those who need assistance. You may want to contact their special needs department and even request a table in the dining room close to the entrance to prevent extra walking. 

9 hours ago, volcam98 said:

I don't like the direction that seems to be indicated by this decision. My wife and I were booked on Equinox for the 1/18/25 South America/Antarctica cruise round trip from Buenos Aires. So much for planning ahead! What this decision tells me is that Celebrity is moving away from unique itineraries and is instead opting for middle of the road, predictable itineraries. I checked on alternate destinations on Celebrity's website, but I could not search for anything past August 2024. I received e-mail messages from both my travel agent and Celebrity. The e-mail from Celebrity was patronizing and amounted to insincere propaganda. I have been loyal to Celebrity, but I am seriously questioning if my loyalty has been wasted. 

That was the same cruise we were booked on also. It was a bucket list cruise for us.  We are tentatively rebooked for a February 2024 sailing on Eclipse to Antarctica but I don't think it's going to work for us.  While we're retired my brother is not and getting that much time off from work with such little notice for him is proving a bit difficult.  We really like the Celebrity product and wanted this cruise to be memorable so we had their top suite reserved. I do agree with you that Celebrity is moving in a different more mainstream direction, but with that said we are also not loyal to any cruise line so we're looking at other options.   Out of 40+ cruises this is our first cancelled one.  I guess we're lucky that we hadn't booked flights and hotel yet.  

I didn't read the email but my husband did. Try not to let it get to you too much. Go explore other cruise lines and you might find some new ones you like but try not to size them up against Celebrity though. I am sailing on Carnival more now that I live 30 minutes away from the Mobile port. When I board I adjust my expectations so I'm not disappointed when I can't find cloth towels in the public restrooms! 😝 Might also be time for me to check out Virgin Voyages. 

57 minutes ago, Shiba_Lover said:

You might check your email.  Many of us scheduled on Equinox in early 2025 already received emails saying we are cancelled.

I was at the doctor's office waiting on my SIL when I read about the change. I'm not sure if we got the email or not. But, I let my husband know and he was able to get it changed to one in February of 2024. We're retired so it didn't impact us too much but my brother is going with us and now he's trying to switch things up with his work to make it happen. 🤞

Other than that, we're still excited about the move to Port Canaveral too!