LIVE FROM Eclipse with video and photographs

Live from Celebrity Eclipse!

We are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and would like to share our experiences with you as we travel from Southampton to Gibraltar, France, Italy, Sardinia, Spain and Portugal on our 14 day cruise. We have previously sailed with Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa and P&O so I will endeavour to highlight what sets Celebrity apart and what if anything we miss from other cruise lines.

I will include information about the ship, our cabin, the restaurant and public areas and hope to answer any questions you may have if at all possible. Our “live from the Eclipse” will not only include pictures but also video (internet connection depending of course) so hopefully you can join us and get an insight into the Celebrity experience on an S class ship. Please click the link below to see our first video entry.

First impressions – boarding was extremely swift and we were on board by 11.30am despite the fact our cruise information stated boarding would commence at 1.30pm.

Jo’s tip 1 – Arrive at the port earlier than indicated on your cruise information to gain maximum time on board and not feel rushed on the first day.

We headed straight for the shore excursion desk as one of our excursions “Gibraltar for families” was not available on line when we tried to book it and stated enquire when on board. Unfortunately the trip was sold out and unlike I have read on cruise critic, Celebrity do not keep a percentage of seats back to be sold on board.

Jo’s tip 2 – If there is an excursion that you really want to go on don’t wait until boarding as it may well be sold out!

My next stop was the restaurant to inform them of Emily’s egg allergy and find out the location of our table. We were allocated a table for four right at the back of the restaurant but I was able to move the location so we are near the entrance of the restaurant and one table away from a window.

Jo’s tip 3 – Check out the location of your table in the restaurant as soon as you board as the maitre D will try and accommodate your requests.

Cafe al Bacio provided a relaxing seat with some live music and a rather tasty Cafe Mocha before we braved the buffet on deck 14. We were pleasantly surprised by the Oceanview cafe as it didn’t have the chaos and mayhem we associate with embarkation. Having said that there were no seats available for a family of four (so it is bizarre we didn’t feel harassed!) and we went outside and sat at the sunset bar on deck 15 on a lovely big table enjoying the sunshine. I had thought that as we weren’t in the official buffet area no one would clear the plates but as soon as we had finished our lunch a bar steward (who had already been very friendly and chatty) came and cleared them away.

Jo’s tip 4 – don’t panic if you can’t find a table in the buffet, there is plenty of seating outside if needed with bar staff on hand to take drinks orders.

After lunch we checked out the kids’ clubs. Oliver is an Ensign and Emily is a cadet. They were both issued with muster station wrist bands and given the guided tour. They are both at club now so I’ll give more information about the kids’ clubs later.

Muster was in the Eclipse Theatre (comfy seats I thought!) and we didn’t have to wear or bring our lifejackets. By this time I had virtually finished unpacking thanks to a bundle of extra hangers that I requested from our steward and the huge overhead lockers above the bed.

Jo’s tip 5 – If you are travelling with small children bring your own little hangers, I did and it has really helped with the limited drawer space available.

Jo’s tip 6 – Ask for loads more hangers. I was really worried looking at photographs of the cabin that with only a two door wardrobe there wouldn’t be enough space for everything but with extra hangers there is not a problem.

Jo’s tip 7 – remove the bulky dressing gowns from the wardrobe and hang them in the bathroom. (I think that extra space really helped us!

I need to post this so I will post more information tomorrow!

Great video and initial observations. I look forward to more!

Laura

Makes me wish I was on board with the four of you!

What a great little vidoe and nice family too...thanks for sharing:)

Have a great trip! Looking forward to pictures/video! We loved Eclipse this past January, but only had 7 days on her. :(

OMGosh I'm so ashamed of the horrid video/computer/photographic skills I have. That was a lovely video and I am looking forward to more. Have a great holiday and thx for sharing.

Great report so far - love the tips. We are sailing on Eclipse in December and can't wait.

I'm from Suffolk - born and raised in Ipswich!

Jo and Rob ~ thanks so much for posting your video and insights. It's wonderful and makes me feel like I'm right on board with you. I'm always amazed at the wonderful stuff our members post. Looking forward to your next post! Enjoy your cruise!

What a great idea - thank for so much for posting live from the Eclipse. We will sail in February next year and we appreciate your information and tips very much.

Have a wonderful time and enjoy your cruise!

Thanks so much posting and hopoe you have a fab cruise . Keep it coming !

Scotslizzy

Have a great cruise!

Phil

Live from Celebrity Eclipse – Day 2 Sea Day – Account of our evening on embarkation day

After sailaway we headed for the roll call sailaway party at the Oceanview bar. Derekthesailor made everyone badges (as seen on the table in yesterday’s video) with our names and cruise critic name and it was a lovely atmosphere.

1 Rob at the Roll Call sailaway party

Jo’s tip 8 – If you’re looking for a venue for a sailaway party the Oceanview bar is ideal, with loads of space, great view of the ship’s wake and on hand for the drinks stations in the buffet for lemonade which is a great hit with Emily and Rob!

I had intended to go to the spa raffle (in the hope of winning a massage!) but as it clashed with the roll call sailaway we enjoyed the sunshine with our new friends instead. Venura followed us out of Southampton so there was a fair bit of horn blowing between the two ships.

By the time we went to dinner (first sitting 6.15pm) I had finished unpacking and managed (somehow) to find a home for everything without having to leave some clothes in the cases for the second week. Our table had a basket of bread and simulated flickering candle which added to the atmosphere. The menu has a left and right side. The left side is available throughout the cruise and the right hand side is the daily menu.

Jo’s tip 9 – If you see something on the right you fancy make sure you order it as it may not appear again during your cruise and save a possible favourite from the left which will be available another day.

3 Moonlight Sonata Restaurant

5 Crab and Avocado

6 Profiterole

7 Creme Brulee

Despite trying to sort out the allergy information on the menu our waiters did not have a list of what was egg free on the children’s menu. Our waiter told Emily she could order anything she wanted and it wouldn’t be a problem so she ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. We were pleased to discover that the children’s menu also listed some drinks so Oliver had milk and Emily had chocolate milk. For our starters (“appetisers”) Rob ordered escargots and I ordered the avocado and crab. Emily ate her first ever snail! The next course was “Soup and Salad”. The children both ordered the tomato soup, Rob had the beef consommé and I ordered the lobster bisque (from the everyday menu). They both preferred Rob’s consommé so we asked if they could have the consommé instead and the tomato soups were quickly whisked away. I was still eating my lobster bisque when Rob’s soup dish was removed. This could be American etiquette as in England everyone should finish before clearing it wasn’t a problem. However then main courses started arriving while I was eating still eating my lobster bisque (which is a problem) especially as the children’s beef consommé arrived after their main courses! Everything suddenly felt very rushed and chaotic. The quality of the food was good but we didn’t get pictures of the mains due to feeling rushed and juggling plates and bowls of soup on the table.

What made matters worse was that our waiter gave Emily burger and chips! She didn’t want a burger (having ordered meatballs) so then he said never mind here is chicken instead. The problem here was that Emily wanted to choose her meal not be told it is either burger or chicken. If the meatballs contained egg our waiter should have come back to us and asked Emily to order something else not just give her any old thing off the menu!

I was not impressed as I had emailed and spoken on the phone to Celebrity months prior to sailing, alerting them of Emily’s allergy and as instructed alerted the MDR upon boarding. I informed our assistant waiter that I was not impressed and needed to know exactly what did and didn’t contain egg so we didn’t have the same situation tomorrow. To be fair to him, he did then go to the kitchen and let us know it is only the pasta and pizza (pizza!!!!) that contain egg but with 24 hour notice she could have either egg free.

Jo’s tip 10 – If you have a food allergy you are able to see the menu for the next day at the end of your meal and can order in advance so they can use alternative ingredients. (Be prepared for possible problems on embarkation day as pre-order has not been possible)

Interestingly despite being told that the icecream had egg in, in the buffet the icecream in the MDR is egg free so she was able to have it.

Jo’s tip 11 – Even if you are told something contains egg in the buffet check again in the MDR as it can be different!

After dinner we decided to check our bill on the TV and noticed we had been charged for an excursion. We phoned to inquire and about 20 minutes later got a call back to say that they had received an email from Miami saying we wanted to do the Gibraltar for families tour so they had reserved us four places! What fantastic luck! We are delighted.

Jo’s tip 12 – When booking excursions online, ignore the “sold out inquire on board” and click the book now icon anyway as it must send a message to Miami could be a difference between getting a place or not.

The children had excellent fun at kids’ club. Oliver did a scavenger hunt with the Ensigns (which he thought was fabulous!) and Emily made loads of new friends. We went to the welcome show and the four male barber shop style singers were stunning.

Thank you for your review and sharing everything with us. Hopefully next dinner will be more pleasant - espially for your daughter! :-)

I had to smile at all the soup swapping and main courses arriving. I can imagine the confusion. I remember feeling a little swamped on my first Celebrity cruise with all the different wait staff coming to our table so it must have been chaos :).

I wonder if it's only here in the UK where we always wait until everyone finishes before clearing? The same thing seems to happen to us every where we go in the World.

Don't forget to try the eggs benedict from the buffet. I remember you like them and they are delicious, especially when eaten outside in the morning sun :D

Have a great cruise and thanks for taking the time. Great news about the Gibraltar excursion. I think you'll be impressed with Celebrity's guest relations.

Super cool!! Loved your opening video. BUT, I was disappointed on your second posting that you didn't have a video. Like a druggie, I was hooked and wanting more. And, more!! How did you do the video flying in to show the ship in the departing harbor? Tell us more!

Enjoy your cruise. Love your cute kids. And with a British accent, you always want to hear more.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 25,451 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Super cool!! Loved your opening video. BUT, I was disappointed on your second posting that you didn't have a video. Like a druggie, I was hooked and wanting more. And, more!! How did you do the video flying in to show the ship in the departing harbor? Tell us more!

 

I agree with Terry -- I need more.... Love the harbor flyover sequence. Enjoy your cruise -- avoid the eggs!

 

 

mac_tlc

I am so excited to see your live review of the Eclipse! I followed your very first video review of the Crown Princess in which we went on right after you; it got us very excited for our upcoming trip. As for the Eclipse, we were on her in April and LOVED her so this review will allow us to live the experience all over again! Have a wonderful trip. I can't wait to see your daily activities! :)

Thank you for the photos and the day by day review.

We have 2 cruises booked on the Eclipse and this is getting me excited. We too have never sailed on her or on Celebrity for that matter.

Love your tips.

Did I miss it? What type cabin are you in?

Maria

What a great video. Looking forward to your next posting. Sorry that Emily is having a few problems. This worries me somewhat as I have a nut allergy so will be very interested to hear how she is getting on. After emailing to and speaking with Celebrity I too was assured that my allergy wouldn't be a problem to them as long as I ate in the MDR.

We have also never sailed with Celebrity so any helpful hints and tips you give will be very welcome.

Cheryl

Super cool!! Loved your opening video. BUT, I was disappointed on your second posting that you didn't have a video. Like a druggie, I was hooked and wanting more. And, more!!

Yeah, know what you mean Ohio, she drags us in with a super video on the first post, then nada on the second.

Just kidding, of course. I have bookmarked this thread, so that I can surreptitiously go on your cruise, Jo. Enjoyed the sailaway. Can't wait to see where I am tomorrow. :D

Re your food allergy issue, do not try and discuss it with the waiters, they do not understand - and do not believe anything they tell you about the buffet, odds are it will be wrong. It may be your original waiter did understand and had been briefed, but as you changed table that message did not get passed on

Only take information from the maitre d or assistant maitre d about food content - the waiters only work second hand, there are books with illustrations and complete lists of all contents that the MD/AMD has, he brings it to us every night. All the dining room maitre d's also work up in the buffet at lunchtime so they will get to know you. We know all about this, we have to deal with nut allergies which would be fatal if any errors are made

Likewise. tell the Maitre d how you want meals served, we have had issues with this rushed service which is in part due to the fact many guests want speed. However make sure you tell them what you wish and as long as you are not so slow as to impact on their turn around for second service

Even in the USA, proper etiquette is to wait until everyone has finished the course to clear. And to wait until everyone is served to begin eating. Probably the same in the UK.

Even in the USA, proper etiquette is to wait until everyone has finished the course to clear. And to wait until everyone is served to begin eating. Probably the same in the UK.

It is indeed the same in the UK but is a trend I have noted on Celebrity lately and one which we nip in the bud as soon as it happens first. I think the waiters who work hard on all the sittings are keen to get everyone in and out as quick as they can to increase their downtime. Also they may be doing fewer trips down the galley and therefore want to do faster service to avoid food going cold.

A quiet word to the maitre d solves this

I have also noticed in the last few trips the Asst waiter is not as attentive with dressings, seasonings etc but then if everyone is at different stages at each meal that is hardly surprising - they get out of the habit of trying to keep pace

great reports, video, pictures, food etc... I am on her in three months and can't wait. you sure are whetting my appetite. Keep it coming !

your kids are adorable and look like they are loving it.