Just off the Eclipse--will answer questions

[SadieC]

Thanks Sparkle. My daughter just walked by as I was reading your last entry and asked why I was smiling at the computer!! :D

Looking forward to your next chapter!!

[sparkle56]

The first port was Grand Cayman. We have been there before so knew about tendering. We had booked two shore excursions--highly unusual--but both were short ones and we had time in between for lunch.

 

The last time we were there I swam with Stingrays and snorkeled off a catamaran, an independent excursion. Caribbean Princess cruise. If you have not done this, either independently or as part of a ship's excursion, I highly recommend it. I rank it as one of my favorite shore x's ever. DH, not being a swimmer, stayed on board and took unflattering photos of me in the water.

 

But related to all of this is the tendering process through Celebrity. If you have booked a Celebrity shore x, your time to go to the theatre will be noted on the tickets (which will be in your room upon your arrival). If you have booked an independent excursion, you are going to wait to get ashore. It's that simple.

 

At the appointed time, we went to the theatre and were given stickers for our respective tours. The guy on stage who would ultimately call out the numbers for people to proceed to the gangway really got everybody laughing with some of his subtle, but very funny remarks. It was highly organized but his sense of humor kept it from being militaristic.

 

We waited maybe 10 minutes and our number was called and we got on the tender, which is not a ship's lifeboat, but a tender sent from shore. It's huge. Lots of room. They would allow maybe 10 non Celebrity shore excursion people on each one.

 

The first tour we took was "A Taste of Grand Cayman." You know how you get a sense of a tour being "good" or "bad" kind of instantly. I was skeptical, let's just say that.

 

We went to the Rum Cake "factory" which was just a Rum Cake store with a tiny window to see ladies putting the cakes in the boxes. There were about 6 kinds of rum to sample. Normally this is a good thing but it was about 8 a.m. my time. There were also all of the flavors of rum cake to sample. If it had been Sunday, I could have called it Communion.

 

We could also go look at the animals. *sigh* Giant lizards and 2 or 3 colorful birds that really don't need to be contained and you can see them in the wild in the islands anyway.

 

Next up was the Caybrew Brewery. I've seen many, many brewery tours. But we started with the sampling of the kinds of beer brewed there. Full glasses, these samples. So now it is about 9:00 and we're having beer chasers to the aforementioned rum snack. This Brewery is very tiny but quite impressive--the beer was good, and the people on the tour had a lot of questions. They employ only 26 or so people and do all of the bottling by hand. We are wondering when this beer might be exported to the U.S. We would purchase it. Note: I do not drink beer. (True)

 

While we were driving around, on the wrong side of the road of course, we saw a lot of Grand Cayman. The guide pointed out the more noteable buildings, such as the library. Oh, yes, and about a bazillion banks.

 

Then it was off to Seven Fathoms Rum factory. This was VERY cool. From the outside one could determine that one was being ripped off with this tour but the two guys who have founded this (in the past 3 or 4 years) have a very smart operation. It's tiny. The distillery apparatus is gorgeous--a huge, copper, outer space looking thing. The two owners split our group and each took half on the tour. My husband had some questions and he was invited to go back and get a closer look at how they do stuff.

 

But to me the neatest part was that once the rum is ready to be aged, it goes into Jim Beam barrels (can't re-use them in the U.S. so Seven Fathoms buys them) and the barrels are dropped into the ocean where the constant agitation of the sea keeps the liquid moving for as many years as each batch is intended to sit. They had some 3 year rum there (this was dessert) and OMG, with some diet Coke it would be awesome.

 

I asked where in the ocean the barrels are. It's a big ocean and it's doubtful that I could find the place but the owner just pointed and said it's out there a little ways. Oh, Top Secret. I get it. They use a diving boat that has the apparatus to get people with disabilities into the water. Except instead of people, they put the rum barrels on the seat of that thing and they lower it to the ocean floor.

 

The sheer creativity of this process was really interesting to me. Ingenuity prevails.

 

We ate right there at Seven Fathoms at a beach place. A nice young lady from Houston whose boyfriend is in "banking" had moved there with him and she liked waiting tables. We watched people snorkeling right from that deck. We could see our ship. What a great photo op! I had grouper, my favorite fish. Remember this. It becomes relevant in Cozumel.

 

At noon we took the Town Trolley Tour. There were five seats to each bench on the trolley but some people needed two seats. I do not mean that to be unkind, but rather factual. So we were squished. And it was hot. And deodorants were failing. Thank goodness an open air trolley provides a nice breeze.

 

So off we went on pretty much the same route as the morning tour. Saw the library. The legislative building. The banks. A residential area. And one of the most beautiful ocean coves ever. Why were we not told to put swimsuits under our shorts and t-shirts? That was so frustrating, to walk in the sand and sit on the shore but not be able to get in that beautiful water.

 

When we got back DH wanted to go take a nap. I wanted to do some shopping. I actually didn't buy a thing in Grand Cayman although I had just started my unrequited Movado quest.

 

The tenders back were frequent and I waited only about a minute. Celebrity provides ice water, cold punch, and cold, wet cloths so you can refresh yourself before boarding.

 

We were told that Grand Cayman should have its pier completed by 2012. That will be wonderful!

 

If somebody can walk me through how to post photos, I would happily do so.

 

Next up. Cozumel.

[bighairtexan]

The Molecular Bar must be quite different than on the Solstice. On the Solstice, the bar that's made w/ crushed ice (near the martini bar which gets "frosty") is Crush. The Molecular Bar is a regular looking bar (near "galleria tastings"} and was never crowded.

[maxs mom]

Really enjoying your review. We'll be sailing on the Eclipse for Thanksgiving this year. This will be our first Celebrity cruise after sailing for over 25 years on Royal Caribbean.

We've booked the Aqua Class and I'm looking forward to it. My husband is a real picky eater, so I hope he will be OK in Blu. What are the hours of Blu for dinner and can you just show up there at any time? Also....what is the charge for Murano's?

To post pictures....you need to upload your photos to a site like Photobucket. That's what I use.....it's real easy. Then after you create an album. you just copy and paste the code for message boards in your post. give it a try. I would love to see some of your pictures.

Thanks and keep reviewing!

[sparkle56]

Yes, the two Molecular Bars sounds very different. It sounds like Crush on the Solstice is similar to the smaller bar next to the icy surfaced Molecular Bar on the Eclipse.

 

Max's mom: In what way is your husband a picky eater? I would classify myself that way and was just fine with things. Blu is open from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. You will have an initial stated dining time (early or late) and on the first night they ask you to go at that time but after that you just show up whenever you wish.

 

I believe Murano was $30 per person.

[Texed]

Texed: I did forget the waffles. The best ones were at the Grand Brunch on the last sea day. I very much appreciated that they provide sugar-free syrup (I am diabetic). And in Blu you can get Blu berry/pecan pancakes and other similar tasty things.

 

The Master: Captain Pangiotis Skylogiannis. He's very subdued and doesn't say much, strong Greek accent.

The Hotel Director: Simon Weir

Cruise Director: Paul Baya. We liked him a lot.

The Captain's Club hostess was "Anita." I'll try to find her last name for you.

 

Thank you very much for posting this information. This was very nice of you. :)

[SWLinPHX]

Having just sailed a 10-day on Equinox followed by a 5-day on Navigator of the Seas, I want to test a theory. The Equinox crowd was mostly seniors (average was 70's) with many things such as music, trivia, humor directed at that demographic, while on Navigator you found a more general public demographic of various ages and styles.

 

Was this a short (shorter than 7-day cruise)? If so, was the demographic mostly seniors or mixed variety? I am thinking about doing 2 or 3 short back-to-backs on Celebrity next time instead of one long one, as I preferred Celebrity but want a varied crowd. Or else, I could sail a longer voyage on Celebrity but during vacation or holiday season. Thanks for any insight you can provide. :)

[Solstice23]

Having just sailed a 10-day on Equinox followed by a 5-day on Navigator of the Seas, I want to test a theory. The Equinox crowd was mostly seniors (average was 70's) with many things such as music, trivia, humor directed at that demographic, while on Navigator you found a more general public demographic of various ages and styles.

 

Was this a short (shorter than 7-day cruise)? If so, was the demographic mostly seniors or mixed variety? I am thinking about doing 2 or 3 short back-to-backs on Celebrity next time instead of one long one, as I preferred Celebrity but want a varied crowd. Or else, I could sail a longer voyage on Celebrity but during vacation or holiday season. Thanks for any insight you can provide. :)

 

In europe this past July the average age was I say 40 overall many family and Italians and Spanish, Australian, American, Canadian, English etc....

 

You must play in to account it was a short sailing also on the navigator. and long sailings even on RCCL have an older crowd

[Solstice23]

The Molecular Bar must be quite different than on the Solstice. On the Solstice, the bar that's made w/ crushed ice (near the martini bar which gets "frosty") is Crush. The Molecular Bar is a regular looking bar (near "galleria tastings"} and was never crowded.

 

What you are saying was the same on Eclipse in November and on Equinox....In the galleria tastings area with the Onyx Lighted bard in a V shape area by the shops.....so I am not sure..???

[mapsmith]

Just to interject here. Sis, I told you about the Blu Cheese Souffle. I want some now.

 

(Sparkle is my sister and we were on the Solstice two weeks before her cruise)

[sparkle56]

Mapsmith, you did indeed tell me about the Bleu Cheese Souffle which I concur is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. I also would very much like to have one now.

 

Okay, the acknowledgement you were right has now concluded. You may resume your regular programming.

[gayoung]

Sparkle... Sorry missed you also...

 

I believe you are talking about the Martini Bar and not the Molecular(galleria tastings) bar however. Having a few at each I can tell you that the Martini Bar has the Ice bar and the small bar next to it with all the vodka was Crush....Molecular was the bar near the art galleryand high end shops(deck 5). What molelcuar is noted for is the exotic flavored drinks and the liberal use of liquid nitrogen instead of ice.(the liquid nitrogen actually freezes the drink, forming ice from the ingredients of the cocktail. In this way your drink is never watered down using "water" ice as the ice is the drink)

 

The drinks I enjoyed at Molecular were the lucky cat and the dragonfly.

 

A tip we had from Joval was that you can order the Salad Entree with steamed veggies and a potato if you like. David had the Chateaubriand salad entree one night with the above and it was the best entree that night we thought.

 

What we laughed about at Blu thoughout the week was a group of people who thought they were all "Hoity Toity".. The wife looking for the "Wine Guy" and her husband who made comments like on the Macadamia Encrusted Sea Scallops by say "breaded deep-fried scallops" and proceeding to pull it of the scallops...(and they were LOUD)

[sparkle56]

Gayoung: I really misunderstood which bar was which. I thought the icy bar made sense to be the Molecular Bar but it actually did look (in terms of the beverages) more like a Martini Bar. Thank you for clarifying all of that!

 

I know where the Molecular Bar is, though, because we went to the first day Art Auction and that is where the free champagne was. We like, and have fun at, the Art Auctions and there is some guy on the boards who flames me relentlessly every time I say that. I have been reluctant to discuss this as part of my review.

 

Oh, it would have been fun to see M/M Hoity Toity! The "wine guy?" Seriously. And the macadamia encrusting was removed from the scallops? How elegant. I thought those were pretty good, not great, but pretty good.

 

The salad entree often did look like a good choice and I wish we had known you could ask for veggies and potato instead of the salad. You can get a salad as one of the first courses anyway so why double up? Next time. . .

 

Even though I'm babbling on and on in my lengthy review I am learning things.

 

What was in the lucky cat and the dragonfly. They sound like the kinds of drinks that I would order, just for their names.

 

Again, I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to meet. Perhaps another time, another cruise!

[Despegue]

About the naked people...

 

We in Continental Europe go to spas and saunas naked and it is co-ed by the way. I presume the couple was from either Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria or Slovakia... My wife and I just went to a magnificent spa, and yes, the sauna's and pools are all taken au-naturel with absolutely NO bathing suits allowed due to hygiene rules. Sweat from the sauna accumulates in the bathing suits, which is then released in the jacuzzi, pool etc:eek:. We all shower before and after using a sauna or pool/jacuzzi, so are absolutely clean. At al times, towels are put on any surface that you might touch.

 

Why would these young women be shocked?! I'm sure they've seen their share of naked men before;) and if not, time to do so:p

 

This whole American prudeness "and "no nakedness please" is so silly really...but when in Rome, act as the Romans and as the ship sails from the USA, we should abide by their rules.

[MICHAEL_01]

About the naked people...

 

We in Continental Europe go to spas and saunas naked and it is co-ed by the way. I presume the couple was from either Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria or Slovakia... My wife and I just went to a magnificent spa, and yes, the sauna's and pools are all taken au-naturel with absolutely NO bathing suits allowed due to hygiene rules. Sweat from the sauna accumulates in the bathing suits, which is then released in the jacuzzi, pool etc:eek:. We all shower before and after using a sauna or pool/jacuzzi, so are absolutely clean. At al times, towels are put on any surface that you might touch.

 

Why would these young women be shocked?! I'm sure they've seen their share of naked men before;) and if not, time to do so:p

 

This whole American prudeness "and "no nakedness please" is so silly really...but when in Rome, act as the Romans and as the ship sails from the USA, we should abide by their rules.

 

I´ll second that.

 

We are from Germany, and here are the same rules as Despegue decribed

in his post.

 

Because of this reason we dont go to the sauna on Celebrity and

we feel uncomfortabe, because we dont want to offend other guest.

 

Just my two 0,02€

 

 

Michael

[sparkle56]

Here is a link to some photos from the cruise. There are a couple from our two days in Miami prior to sailing.

 

I want to make one comment about the bathroom photos. The mirror is VERY interesting. When you are in the fabulous shower and you open the door, the mirror steams up (of course). But the area right above the sink has a perfect oval that is not steamed up--you are able to see right away to do your hair or make-up. No wiping of the mirror with towels! I liked the mysteriousness of this.

 

Here are the photos:

 

http://s1084.photobucket.com/albums/j417/lindyo3/Celebrity%20Eclipse%20February%202011/

 

To our European posters: I do understand that culturally we do things differently. And when I was in Europe I adapted accordingly, using co-ed restrooms among other things, and in one case (ack) a Turkish toilet.

 

If I choose to go to a nude beach (there are many--South Beach, St. Maarten, to quickly name two) then I will expect nudity. But if one chooses to go to a spa where the minimal attire is listed as swimsuits or t-shirts and shorts, then that is what should be worn.

 

If the young women seemed perplexed, perhaps they were not yet ready to make the choice to see naked men. It should certainly not be up to others to determine when and if someone sees someone else naked.

 

Given that the policy of the ship was no nudity, the choice was no longer theirs to make when nude people appeared. And the young ladies were young, and the man was not. For them it might have been like seeing their grandfather naked. :eek:

 

But let's not argue about it, please. We are all good people, and from different parts of the same world and maybe we have differing opinions. Each of those opinions is probably right in some way.

[gayoung]

I don't want to distract from Sparkles great review, but I believe(and I know someone will correct me if I am wrong) that in the Persian Gardens clothing is required at all times. This policy is thoughout the fleet and not dependant on the home port. (my opinion on the matter is I could care less)

 

I can remark on the men's private sauna in the changing rooms, this sauna was clothing optional..

 

 

 

One of the reasons we booked Aqua on this past cruise was just for the Persian Garden and we never made it. We booked for Aqua for our next cruise and will definately be using the loungers......

 

We both had Massages and mani/pedi in the spa at the beginning of the cruise. I did not, but my partner got the hardsell at the end and it spoiled the exerience for him. We will not be using the spa next time. We are planning on going to a local spa a few days before the cruise.

[maxs mom]

Thanks for your info, sparkle. You can also post indvidual pictures right in the thread by copying and pasting that one link(the one at the bottom of each picture) right in the thread. So if you are talking about something in particular and want to show a picture you can.

Like this:

[UKDeb]

I'm just loving your wonderfully detailed review, Sparkle, and your photographs are fabulous, too. We're on the March 5th sailing, which has the same itinerary as yours, and this is all so helpful.

[sparkle56]

Cozumel. Been there, done that, had the margaritas, got the t-shirt. So we didn't book a shore excursion. The plan was to go to Pancho's Backyard and just enjoy beverages, chips, and queso.

 

However, plans are for changing, yes? That whole frustrating beautiful Grand Cayman beach and I don't have a swimsuit thing was quite a catalyst.

 

The television in the cabins has a Shore Excursion channel. I enjoyed looking at this because it gives a lot more info than what is available online. From my research I determined that a. We probably did not want to go on the shore excursion to ruins off of Puerto Costa Maya and b. We absolutely had to go snorkeling in Cozumel.

 

If you will recall from previous review excerpts, DH is not a water fan. so the "We absolutely had to go snorkeling" was not exactly true. I did. But I like the guy I travel with so something needed to be found that wouldn't be "all about me."

 

My television research provided several options for snorkeling. Some were from the beach, some were from a dive boat, some were from a catamaran. A nice young man at the Shore Excursion desk, by phone, recommended the Fury Catamaran experience because I could snorkel and DH could indulge in taking more unflattering photos of me from his position on the boat.

 

So we turned in our Ruins tickets (credit, no problem), and purchased Fury catamaran tickets. This was the afternoon before we arrived in Cozumel.

 

The day dawned cool, cloudy, gloomy, and spitting hints of rain. Well, two things here: If you snorkel you get wet so there you go. And fish don't leave because it is cool, cloudy, gloomy, and spitting hints of rain on the surface.

 

Our crew was comprised of 6 or so Cute Mexican Boys. Miguel, Raoul, Juan, Charlie. Can't remember the others. Charlie was the lead and he was all about making sure everybody was safe, comfortable, informed, and happy. We moved along the coastline for probably 30-45 minutes, seeing much of the island from 1/4 mile or so offshore. The sun would tease. The catamaran was large with tables and benches, a huge covered area, and two bathrooms. And a bar. With margaritas, beer, and water. We were not allowed to have anything but water until after snorkeling.

 

Thorough instructions were given for the use of all the equipment--how to clear one's mask, how to put the flippers on, how to inflate the life vests, how to signal that you are in trouble, how to signal you are okay. The CMB put tremendous emphasis on safety and on their abilities to handle any situation or emergency.

 

I am a strong swimmer, and have snorkeled for most of my adult life (as much as is possible when one lives in North Dakota). These instructions were still reassuring. My biggest problem has always been that I forget when I put air in my life vest, then I do a surface dive, and it just doesn't work very well. It's a good photo op for DH, though.

 

Note: It is always precious to see people walking forward with their flippers on.

 

Okay, so the strong swimmer hits the water and a current immediately sucks me under the catamaran. One of the CMB was there instantly to offer a life vest and he pulled me out into the ocean. We were instructed to follow the giant, red buoy. That CMB could move--the buoy was going way faster than I could swim just by kicking the flippers so I went into full swim mode in order to keep up.

 

Fish were everywhere. And he would call out "come here, come closer! Many fish!" But I noticed something. There were little white things in the water. It turns out that CMB with the giant, red buoy had a bag of nummies for the fishies. They seemed quite familiar with this routine. Hey, whatever works so the tourists get to see the fish!

 

I got kicked in the face by someone else's flippers. It was a kid about ten years old. So he was a bit excited, I guess. That was one safety comment that was not made--watch out for crazed flippers.

 

Then all of a sudden I am surrounded by a school of larger fish, maybe 8 to 10" or more long. Lots of them. Right in front of me. Beside me. Behind me. Swirling and swimming and looking me in the eyes. I got the giggles. Into my snorkel.

 

I suggested you remember my lunch meal of yesterday in Grand Cayman. Grouper. My favorite fish. I asked CMB with the GRB what these many fish were and, you guessed it! Grouper. I wanted to apologize and say I didn't mean to eat your friend. It just put a whole new perspective on things.

 

We snorkeled for close to an hour. The grouper visited other snorkelers. There was a barracuda. Other schools of pretty yellow and black fish and blue fish and white fish.

 

Back on the boat we learned we were going to a private beach. This was not mentioned and was a nice surprise. Open bar on the boat and open bar on the beach. The catamaran could not get close enough to let people step off on sand so we had to make our way through water--fine for those of us who like water but DH ended up to his waist because it was that sinking kind of sand. Wet shorts. Wet wallet. I must say that the crew both noticed this and addressed it. When we returned to the boat, they helped him make his way and avoided a repeat of the soaking.

 

At the beach, all of the water toys were free for us to use. Floaty things, kayaks, rafts. Many lounge chairs. Tiki huts. Very, very nice. We could have purchased lunch ($9) but didn't see anybody who did.

 

The CMB made sure everyone was margarita and beer happy on the ride home. I asked about shirts and they had them for sale but were not pushing them. Bought one. So did virtually everybody else.

 

I highly recommend this tour. And, interestingly enough, the dock where the Eclipse was had a Senor Frog's but the Pancho's Backyard was at another dock. So we would have missed it anyway.

 

I have a dinner date but will try to continue later. . .

[SWLinPHX]

How was the very first Apple iLounge at Sea. It is like a mini Apple Store I hear (I am a long time Apple user and loyalist, LOL). They already retro-fitted the Solstice with one (Eclipse was the first to be built with one) and the Equinox, which I just returned from, is next sometime this year. Both the Silhouette later this year and the Reflection next year will have them too. :o

[evielou23]

Great review, im sailing on the Eclipse soon and vist the exact same ports of call so great to get some additional info. A question for you if you dont mind answering, On a 7 night cruise which nights are "formal nights". I was thinking night 2 and 6 but not sure i this is correct??

[gayoung]

SWLinPHX - iLounge was ok. About 2 dozen 15" Macbook pros and a networked printer. They had a had a few things for sale no phones,ipads,itouches(these they mentioned they were sold out of). you could by a few accessories like wireless keyboards, mice, and a few cases. Then Nanos,shuffles,and A 15 Macbook pro. What I found annoying was that because of the layout, if they were holding a class, which they had almost every day, you could not check email or use a station. Also they would setup machines prior to the class so signs would be on the stations that they could not be used as they were setup for the class. I was going to purchase a Nano as a watch but because of the limited colors I passed.

[gayoung]

Great review, im sailing on the Eclipse soon and vist the exact same ports of call so great to get some additional info. A question for you if you dont mind answering, On a 7 night cruise which nights are "formal nights". I was thinking night 2 and 6 but not sure i this is correct??

 

Formal night for us was Monday and Thursday. However, it is typically Sunday (First day at Sea)and Thursday(Roatan). The Superbowl was on Sunday so they pushed Formal night to Monday.

[sparkle56]

I agree with everything gayoung said about the iLounge.

 

Like SWLinPHX, I, too, am an Apple loyalist (and passionate about it), owning a MacBook, an iMac (which is where I post the reviews from), and an iPod (red, engraved with "All We Are Saying is Give Peace a Chance.") I do not have an iPhone because we couldn't use them here in ND.

 

I was truly hoping to add iPad to the collection but they did not have them. Now that I see they are working on an iPad 2 I will probably wait in the hopes it has a USB port.

 

One thing I thought was weird, and if gayoung would be so kind as to offer his take on this, was that the iLounge is in the middle of a stateroom deck. On other ships it has been more centrally located off the main atrium--close to the theatre or casino for instance. It just seemed like an awkward location and finding it is a bit difficult because you have to turn into a little alcove type area.

 

The staff was extremely busy. They would be conducting the classes and people would be lined up in the actual customer service area waiting to be helped, or to use the computers.

 

We accessed our email from the room using our own computers. There is a computer keyboard in the vanity drawer and you can access it using that and the television. I didn't try it. Internet service in general was S L O W.

 

And, gayoung is also correct about formal nights--Sunday (sea day) and Thursday (Roatan). Because you are in port until, I think, 5ish in Roatan it does make for a bit of a rush getting fancied up for dinner. And I would not suggest missing Roatan in order to get your hair done. But that's just me.