Ecilpse TA Oct 2011

[RMS Olympic]

This will be my first TA, booked after reading so many posts about TA's here on Cruise Critic

Any family cruisers on the Eclipse sailing Oct 2011?

I chose the Eclipse over the Liberty of the Seas crossing (which seems to have a large number of family booked).

Hope the Eclipse does as well.

Thanks

Tom

[Schplinky]

We'll be there. This itinerary appealed a great deal more than Liberty.

 

It will be nice to meet you.

 

lee

[RMS Olympic]

Very excited you both will be on board.

I wanted the Celebrity ship because it provided a more upscale crossing experience for me as compared to a ship with a mall. No knock against RCI that has a great product....but I wanted my first crossing to be just a bit more elegante. Perhaps with a nice glass of bubbly, I can pretend I am on White Star!

I now look forward to the cruise even more.

Tom

[Schplinky]

For some reason, I thought you were an old hand at crossings? I must have you mixed with someone else.

 

We loved the Liberty and one thing it really has going for it is the entertainment, which is really the closest to broadway level I've seen at sea, in terms of production value and talent. We just got off Solstice last month and while the ship class is my easy favorite, the entertainment is not of the same calibre as the rest of the experience. They seem to have poured all their money into creating a cirque show but the rest is fairly mediocre.

 

That said, the rest of the ship is just fantastic and we're really excited to be making our first crosssing on her. The quality and variety of the bars is great and the lounges all seemed to be begging us to come and sit down. It's going to be great!!

[RMS Olympic]

Celebrity entertainment isn't their strongest point. But having seen so many big shows on ships...I gravitate to either a piano bar or a roon with small acts.

On the Solstice, I loved the outdoor bar area on the stern behind the "lawn". Whether this will be a good spot on a crossing late in the season remains to be seen.

I really liked the Solstice....and am happy to see that Eclipse has been tweeked just a bit. The main staircase was redesigned so its not a carbon copy....one of the things Celebrity does right. Whereas Princess ships are identical....down to the carpeting.

Now this Sept on Epic.........dont expect to be impressed......too big, to alacart everything. Hope the entertainment makes up for it.....especially the Blue Man group.

[Schplinky]

Why are you going on Epic if it's not your thing (just curious)?

 

I think that you're like most X cruisers we met. Most preferred their own corner of a lounge over a big show. Solstice has really great lounge acts last month except for an embarrassingly awful a capella group. The rest was really wonderful.

 

It seems that the older the crows skews, the less "big" the entertainment is. When we went on Westerdam, we thought the entertainment was a complete joke. I've seen high school productions that were better.

 

On NCL, which I think of as more of a budgeet line, the entertainment was actually pretty good. Still, I have like the RCL shows best.

 

I wish you could get everything you like on one ship! I love the Solstice class more than most and it hits a lot of my wants. I like the free T-pool and beautiful sauna better on the M--class (the sauna has a porthole and amazing view) but that's a pretty small quibble.

[RMS Olympic]

Thanks for reminding me of the window in the mens sauna on the M class ships.....a real nice touch.

I am sailing on the Summit to Bermuda next May.....not sure she will be Solsticized by then....can only hope.

Just got a e-mail notice ************* that two other guys booked the Eclipse crossing.....perhaps not everyone will be on the RCI ship afterall.

In your opinion, do you think it would be of interest to arrange a dining table for family as we get closer to sailing? I realize there are no gaurantees of compatiblity of dining table mates...but a family table might be fun. Your thoughts?

I am really excited about this cruise...my first TA. I may even take the bus trip from hell tour to go into Paris.......just to see the E Tower and take that lunch cruise on the river through town. Too bad there isn't an express train to cut down the time in transit.

Tom

[Schplinky]

Thanks for reminding me of the window in the mens sauna on the M class ships.....a real nice touch.

I am sailing on the Summit to Bermuda next May.....not sure she will be Solsticized by then....can only hope.

Just got a e-mail notice ************* that two other guys booked the Eclipse crossing.....perhaps not everyone will be on the RCI ship afterall.

In your opinion, do you think it would be of interest to arrange a dining table for family as we get closer to sailing? I realize there are no gaurantees of compatiblity of dining table mates...but a family table might be fun. Your thoughts?

I am really excited about this cruise...my first TA. I may even take the bus trip from hell tour to go into Paris.......just to see the E Tower and take that lunch cruise on the river through town. Too bad there isn't an express train to cut down the time in transit.

Tom

 

 

I saw that. We've actually sailed with them before. Great guys.

 

We're in AQ for the cruise so we will be in Blu, which is open seating so I imagine we'll just take tables as they come. We had the option of the MDR but Blu is a big reason we chose AQ.

 

We will likely be on whatever tour to Paris involves the most free time. Closer to the cruise, we'll watch to see if people hire drivers, etc.

[jimnbillnpa]

This will be my first TA, booked after reading so many posts about TA's here on Cruise Critic

Any family cruisers on the Eclipse sailing Oct 2011?

I chose the Eclipse over the Liberty of the Seas crossing (which seems to have a large number of family booked).

Hope the Eclipse does as well.

Thanks

Tom

 

...so this is where we find you. I see. Well, perhaps you'd better think about staying on the ship until Nov 26 when we arrive for the Pied Piper Post Thanksgiving and Jim's 50th Birthday cruise. TA, huh? We had BETTER see you in Clearwater or Crystal River at SOME point this winter! (((:D)))

[Rene999dk]

Hi Tom

I am glad that I am not the only ones who have booked TA on Celebrity Eclipse in October. It would be nice to meet you on board.

I am a 44 year old male from Denmark to be on my second cruise with Celebrity and the first TA.

René

[Schplinky]

Nice to see you Rene! We're six coming from Canada. Looking forward to meeting you.

[Rene999dk]

I will look forward to meeting you six from Canada.

René

[dingoboy]

Hope so as my partner Jack and I are just waiting for holidays to be confirmed and then we will be booking.

 

Sounds like a fab ship.

 

jack and james

 

Melbourne Australia.

[Schplinky]

It is! I think that RMS Olympic has left the roll call but the rest of us will all be there, lined up for martinis!

[Rene999dk]

Hi Jack and James

Like the guys from Canada, I would enjoy meeting you for martinis at Eclipse.

René :)

[Schplinky]

The Eclipse also has a good molecular bar where they make some odd but tasty drinks. We sailed on her twin sister twice and if you haven't sailed her before, you're in for a treat!

[dingoboy]

Put our holiday forms in. Should know within two weeks.

 

Only recently discovered cruising, main on RC. Syd to Hawaii via tahitti. That was fab. And then a TA from Spain last year. Love RC but this ship looks so much more stylish. On our TA in Nov we had amazing weather, actually warmer some days than tahitti, but that was from the med. Hopefully they'll shoot us down south as quick as possible.

 

I'm 47 work for Qantas as cabin crew.

 

Jack is 41 and flys for Virgin.

 

Aviation maffa so look out!

 

Been together 15 years. Met in Hawaii NY, and he followed me back to Australia.

 

That's our story. Wots yours?

 

J and J

[Schplinky]

I'm 45 (I had to think about that!) and mike's 48. We met at drag queen bingo nine years ago and have been finishing each other's sentences ever since. I work for the government in health care policy and he works in high tech. We fell [head over heels] in love with cruising 6 years ago and have never looked back. This is our first TA and only my second trip to Europe.

[Rene999dk]

My name is René and I am 44 years old.

Living right in the center of Copenhagen.

I work with HR and IT at social service at the Copenhagen City.

Currently I am single and therefore traveling alone on the cruise.

 

Hope to meet you all on board the Eclipse

[dingoboy]

Q: Does one or both of you do drag?

 

Love a good drag show.

 

Jack and I love days at sea, the longer the better, the less land the better.

 

 

I'm 45 (I had to think about that!) and mike's 48. We met at drag queen bingo nine years ago and have been finishing each other's sentences ever since. I work for the government in health care policy and he works in high tech. We fell [head over heels] in love with cruising 6 years ago and have never looked back. This is our first TA and only my second trip to Europe.

[dingoboy]

Nice to see you Rene! We're six coming from Canada. Looking forward to meeting you.

 

Who are the other six?

 

James

[dingoboy]

My name is René and I am 44 years old.

Living right in the center of Copenhagen.

I work with HR and IT at social service at the Copenhagen City.

Currently I am single and therefore traveling alone on the cruise.

 

Hope to meet you all on board the Eclipse

 

Hi Rene,

 

We love scandinavia.

 

Look forward to meeting you also.

 

 

james

[Schplinky]

Who are the other six?

 

James

 

Well, Mike and I are two of the six, then there are Robert and Nick and Georges and Girard. I'll tell them to come say hello here.

 

Q: Does one or both of you do drag?

 

Love a good drag show.

 

Jack and I love days at sea, the longer the better, the less land the better.

 

No drag for us, except as spectators. This is our first TA and I'm excited to be able to relax without feeling I should be doing "something." We got the Aqua class cabin so that we'd get the free Persain Garden (thermal suite) and Blu (spa restaurant) so I'll likely still fill up the day. It'll just be with things that are more fun than bureaucratic paperwork.

[dingoboy]

Anyone know the quickest way to get into Paris for lunch and get back to make departure?

 

James

[Schplinky]

Anyone know the quickest way to get into Paris for lunch and get back to make departure?

 

James

 

 

We really checked into trains, hoping that would work, but the timing simply doesn't. We're taking Celebrity's Paris on Your Own excursion which basically drops you in the city for 5 hours. We hope to have lunch and then either take a boat down the Seine or a bus tour of the city. We might go shopping, though. Depends how much wine was drunk at dinner.