lexmiller

Well it does sound really delish, with the caramelized onions! Maybe some shaved truffles on the parm fries would be nice......still, I would love to see a Non-App paper menu confirmation of this......Thank you!

Oh wow! Did anyone post the actual paper menu, a copy of it? I would personally love to see the actual paper menu, a photo of course, "in the flesh" so to speak......very interesting indeed. We were on the Eclipse for two full months, got off at the end of May, but I understand this was effective June 1......thank you so much!

Thanks for starting this thread, seriously, though everyone else is joking - because it's causing a big kerfuffle on FB also......to my knowledge, the only spotting of a burger on the MDR menu at all was on the lunch menu on the app - but people were mistaking it for the dinner menu. And furthermore, we all know that the app is notoriously wrong when it comes to menus and dates of said menus. To my knowledge, there is no confirmation whatsoever that it is actually on the dinner menu in the MDR, but people are using this as one more reason to bash the brand, a favorite pass time for many. But if it really is on the MDR DINNER menu, if someone can actually prove it - then ya, that's actually pretty bad.

EXACTLY! The app (especially for menus and dates) is notoriously inaccurate! People have used the posted menus on the app for the various dining rooms to pick dates for specialty dining and have been woefully disappointed. We just spent two months on the Eclipse in Aqua Class thus in Blu - Australia, NZ, Polynesia, Hawaii, Vancouver. We got very friendly with the maitre'd which of course happens after 2 months. One evening, a couple was at her desk ahead of us, very angry about the menus that were on the app since they were inaccurate with what the REAL MENUS actually were in the flesh, how they had based a specialty dining reservation around it. I wanted to jump in and intervene and tell them, in a fellow passenger sort of way, "oh, bad move guys, never trust the app when it comes to menus and dates, trust me on this", but my husband held me back. The maitre'd was very nice to the couple, apologizing, saying things like "I will see what I can do, so sorry" etc. When it was our turn at her desk for our table, we chatted about how I wanted to jump in and tell this couple they should not trust the app, and she said to me that she so wishes I had told them, since as a passenger, I can say whatever I want, but that her job, and she was so funny with us, is to tow the party line, to apologize, grovel, eat dirt, etc - she told us frankly that the menus are rarely updated and the dates hardly ever match, that the app updating is not a co-ordinated process. I have also had the activities team on various of the ships in the fleet, tell me and other passengers to always go by the printed daily in the room the night before (except in cases where there is a weather event, moving something inside from the outside, but even then the app is not usually updated despite what "X" maintains). So yes, full agreement on your comment to check the app, sure, go ahead - unless you actually care about accuracy.

It's called TAJ, and it's quite nice! You cannot book in advance from home, you must book whilst on board. But don't panic, there is no need at all to rush the guy selling dining packages/making specialty reservations when you board, the TAJ dinners were to our knowledge and observation, never sold out. We just spent two months on the Eclipse (4 cruises in total) and TAJ was held once every cruise and if memory recalls, twice on the 18 night Sydney to Honolulu cruise. I didn't save my receipt for the upcharge, but the fee was commensurate with the standard specialty restaurant dinner fee. And to be clear, it's a straight fee, not a la carte pricing like Sushi on 5 normally is. Forget all about Sushi on 5 for TAJ - Sushi on 5 is merely the space in which the TAJ dinner is held. Food was excellent, nothing at all like what is served in the buffet which we find to be way too salty and blah. The spice level for us was perfect - not mild but also not too hot - the spice level complemented the food instead of drowning it out - but I'm sure if you prefer something all consuming, you can definitely ask for the spice to be super high! Look at the menu, but know in advance - you are getting ALLLL OF IT! Yes, the entire menu is served to your table family style. So for instance, if you are a group of 2, portions that are for two people are on the serving plates, if your group is a group of 6, enough for 6 - you get the picture. But nonetheless, there is a LOT of food - at least, we sure felt that way. We are careful eaters portion wise, so we paced ourselves, never actually finishing any one single dish as we knew more was coming. ENJOY, highly recommend!

In 2022, we spent 86 nights on board a whole lot of Celebrity ships. 2023, we will have a total of 87 nights on board Celebrity. But the best part of this post is your #8!! "No escalators for nights where you got laid" OMG, that's hysterical!

Remember though, the "good old days", before the rebranding to "Retreat", the canape cart, the tall trolley that each butler would bring around to your cabin around 4pm? Have to say, that was a big treat for my daughter and myself! Though now, through an updated lens, it was of course a bit of a waste, but opening our cabin door and seeing our butler there with his smiling face and this high trolley of delights from which we could choose - happy memories.

That's unfortunate, as we were on Eclipse from March 26 through the end of May. We love Spanish reds. We insist upon them. Maybe because we are very specific and know exactly what we want. Never go by the wine list, it is useless and out of date. Our sommeliers - both in Aqua and in the MDR and in Murano - were incredibly helpful and always had excellent Spanish reds for us - and we were on the Classic package and never went above it. We were very happy cruisers.

Hi there, call me dim-witted and slow to catch on, no problem, I accept your judgment! And you might see that I believe my post was the third in the thread, before the true funny stuff got rolling. But that's ok, my apologies and I hope to do better moving forward.

Hi, again Jim - So first you are on a 7 day cruise - no test, self or otherwise, to board that cruise is my presumption. And to board the TA which is a B2B - walk me through that though I think you already have mentioned this so forgive me for asking you to repeat - if you were only on the TA, you could present a self-test, correct? But because the TA just happens to be the backside of another cruise, you have to submit to a monitored test, performed upon you by the crew? Is that correct? It's the monitored bit that is problematic......

HI, Jim, so the very interesting thing about the Eclipse cruises now down under, is that NO RETESTING is occurring - you are sentenced to your term and you are released "to the minute" exactly 5 days after your sentence was imposed if Aussie ports, or 7 days after your sentence was imposed if NZ ports - NO further testing at all. (which makes total sense in a scientific way, but well, what can I say, I am merely the messenger). Passengers have reported that for instance, they are supposed to be set loose on whatever day, but not until 3pm because that's the precise time they were found positive, so if that day of release is a port day, they still have to sit around their cabin dawdling until exactly 3pm, missing that day in port. However if their cabin mate were to test positive say on day 3 of their partner's original 5 day sentence, then their positions are reversed - the original person gets released after 5 (or 7) days, but now their partner is the one who is in captivity.

LOL, I know I know, that's why I said above to please let me moan and whine one more time and yet, there I go, I just can't seem to stop! Haha, @RichYak, ok, heard! I really need to get over this! However, if one of us does test positive on our B2B tests on our upcoming multiple Eclipse cruises, I will be back, you won't have heard the last of me, LOL!!

I think what's next is that people will calm down, get a grip and realize that in this class of cruise, Celebrity remains as it always has been, the absolute best option for your cruise holiday - food, entertainment, variety of venues, entertainment options, ship categories (ie inside cabins through amazing top suites, Aqua class etc), beautiful ships with the 3 categories of ship - Millennium, Solstice and Edge. No other line offers this and no other line has. So I do think all of the uproar will pass and we will get on with enjoying ourselves as we always did in the past. That's what is next.

No B2B testing is occurring for Caribbean cruises or any other cruises though I don't know about Singapore, but I can tell you for sure that the Aussie/NZ/SoPacific itineraries are requiring monitored B2B tests - done by the crew to you. You remain on board the Eclipse if you test positive, you do not disembark. You remain in your cabin in covid jail for 5 days if Aussie ports, 7 days if NZ ports. If your partner is positive and you are negative, your covid positive partner has to remain in your cabin, but you get to still proceed as usual - move about the ship, get off in ports - but, you are tested daily to make sure you are still negative, before you are allowed your daily adventures to begin. And many of the testimonials have been that their partner never tested positive and they the actual positive person, didn't feel sick at all or just minimally. The B2B test on the Eclipse is (oddly IMHO) occurring on the turn around day - meaning, the last day of the first cruise, the first day of the second cruise. You are assigned an appointment time to be tested. All accounts that I have read on the active roll calls on the alternative social site, have said that the test occurs late in the afternoon on turnaround day, before the ship leaves port. This is very different from all of us that have experienced B2B testing on other ships in other ports earlier during the pandemic, but, whatever - this is what is happening now, on the Eclipse, down under.

B2B tests in Australia/NZ/South Pacific are most definitely MONITORED. To board, test is not monitored, home self test is a-ok. So why the dichotomy, why B2B passengers must submit to a MONITORED test performed by the crew, is beyond me. The local governments are dictating the rules. If you call Celebrity, they will tell you that no where in the fleet is B2B testing occurring - that's the party line when you call. However, that is not the case on the front line 'down under'.

Please just allow me to whine and moan one last time, that until B2B monitored testing ends, then cruising is NOT back to "normal". The passengers who are B2B on the Eclipse, since the Aussie/New Zealand/South Pacific cruise season opened this past Fall of 2022, have had to endure monitored B2B testing, and still are and will presumably continue to be until the Aussie/New Zealand/South Pacific cruise season ends this May. Cruise ships appear to be an anathema to the Aussie/New Zealand governments. To board, only a home test is needed but if you are B2B, you must submit to the crew doing a test to you for the second (third, fourth etc) cruise. Many passengers are B2B on the Eclipse due to the extreme distance you have to fly to get there, (unless you live locally, obvie) you want to make the most of the flight and make the most of what is for many folks, a once-in-a-lifetime cruise/travel experience. Countless passengers have been caught in the monitored B2B testing dragnet and have had to be in covid jail for 5-7 days. I personally care since we are heading down under next month. Until ALL monitored testing stops, cruising will not be "normal".

As @Jim_Iain has outlined, updates as of two days ago to Celebrity's "Healthy at Sea" page list very clearly the itineraries that still require testing and for passengers to prove that they are vaccinated. The tests to board only need to be self-tests, home tests and thus, not monitored. People on the Eclipse have reported across a 50-50 split, that port personnel often don't even look at the tests - you can show a photo of your test or bring the plastic test kit in a baggie showing the negative line - so it is indeed very simple. What has been said is the key - it depends upon the countries to which the cruise is going whether testing and vaccines are required. The Eclipse has been in Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific for several months now, and since that area only relatively recently opened their borders to any sort of travel at all, let alone cruise ships which was even more recent (just a few months ago), their governments are imposing strict regulations on cruising, the effects of which are most seen by the B2B passengers on the Eclipse. To board the ship in the first place you only need to produce a home test. Yet, the B2B passengers are forced to do a monitored test administered by the crew. MANY passengers have been caught in the B2B testing monitored dragnet and are forced to isolate - for 5 days if Australian ports, 7 days if NZ ports. Many holidays have been dashed, people missing the opportunity to visit once-in-a-lifetime destinations. I am following the roll calls on a very active alternative social site, as we board the Eclipse for two months, in a few weeks, so we are more than a little freaked out by the B2B testing and we waited too long to cancel - very much our bad. So to swing back to the original post, in a long winded way, covid testing is still very much alive on the Celebrity Eclipse if you are a B2B passenger. https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/transatlantic-travel-requirements

Agree and I am happy to see this thread. I have become fearful of posting due to a few writers - I've already had to block one of them - they just jump down your throat immediately. In particular, there was a thread that has since been closed - thank you, admin, a bit late to close it off but it finally was - the thread about the you tubers who made a film of the reduced evening buffet offerings. Oh man, the posters I'm referring to were on patrol on that thread, reaming anyone that disagreed with them or were trying to post a balanced comment, constantly adding their self-righteous snarky "laugh" emojis to whatever people wrote and then posting angrily and insultingly, against you. Yes, thank you, OP for staring this thread.

Well as we've seen, passengers ARE being tested, itinerary specific. Testing is alive and well (sadly, imho) on the Eclipse currently on her Aus/NZ/SoPacific season - B2B passengers must undergo mandatory MONITORED testing and to board the ship in the first place, they must present a home test, thus not monitored. Also, the TA and TP itineraries are requiring a test be presented, though I believe that all of those (have to check that) are also home tests.

Can you also include the procedure for testing the B2B passengers you went through on the Eclipse? It has been well documented on the roll calls for the Eclipse that B2B passengers are currently, and have been for the past few months, being tested for covid - mandatory, monitored testing by the crew - even though to board the ship, only a home self test is needed. B2B testing from what I understand is occurring during this period between the first cruise ending and the next one starting - not the day before disembarkation. Thank you!

We had the great pleasure of enjoying the 10B land tour this past June, 2022. You're getting lots of great info here, but let me speak up for the Seven Glaciers at the Alyeska Resort for dinner - OH MY GOSH YES, book far in advance! Spectacular in absolutely every way!! SO glad we did it, worth every penny, a tremendous experience. OK, maybe just a few more tips from our experience - when you take the Wilderness Express glass domed railcar to Talkeetna - DEFINITELY eat the breakfast on the train, delicious! We highly recommend the blueberry pancakes and the Denali scramble with reindeer sausage. We shared each dish so we could taste both - possibly the best pancakes we've ever had. And once at the Denali Park Village, there is an opportunity to go with your whole group (or you can book separately) to the super fun and yes, super kitschy, Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre - loved it!

We are on the Apex in Norway summer 2024 and are watching the excursions very closely. I watched a youtube video by Gary Bembridge which I found helpful. He has also written an article, here is that link: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/these-7-things-throw-norwegian-fjords-cruisers-every-time/ .....anywho, what I'm getting at here, is there really are not that many excursion operators so it is very important to book early. The season there is VERY short so demand for excursions is extremely high. We already have several booked for 2024 but other of the ports don't have any listed yet......we are B2B in Norway, one of the cruises is the Arctic Circle cruise.

Same overall experience for us - for the B2Bs which we've done since the restart, the B2B meetings have been eliminated - we get paper notices with the information, but no more group meetings. This very well could be ship specific however, but I'm just saying that we haven't had a B2B meeting since pre-covid. Also, in all of our 30 cruises with Celebrity, many B2Bs, we've never received an invitation to the luncheon - however, from all that I've read, it seems that you have to be in the know that B2Bers are included in the Concierge lunch - that if you don't already know, they're not going to tell you about it. That said, it's been mentioned that it is in the B2B paperwork - and if it was, we missed it.

Ohhhhh, man......I'm sorry for all of that! And the woman who splashed you, how mature! It is truly mind boggling how many people have no consideration for others.......I have 3 kids, very close in age, and when we would go to a restaurant, I spent half the time under the table picking up the food they dropped (accidentally, they were young) so as not to cause undue work for the staff. And then here's a family allowing their child to run around, even worse with an open can of coke causing a mess such that overnight the carpet had to be cleaned......😧

Yes, exactly what I said, we agree completely. I would not have gone to speak with the table myself, oh no no no, but for sure, the maitre'd absolutely. Completely unacceptable and appalling behavior, selfish selfish selfish people. And about the child with the can of coke - I assume you did go to the maitre'd, correct? And yet, the same behavior occurred the next night......? Wow.