Getting to the front of Eclipse

[motif]

I have a silly question about Celebrity Eclipse. Is it possible to get right to the front of the ship to do the Titanic "I'm the king of the world" bit, like you could (if you we so inclined) on Independence of the Seas? :o

[ShadowzBtlr]

No - it is in a resticted area. It is the helipad for emergencies. On some cruises, Elite members and suite guests will be invited to the area for sail away parties or special views, e.g., Alaska cruises.

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

If you look closely you will see that it is also a crew area. You can see off duty crew members sitting there eating lunch during the day.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[motif]

Thanks for the replies!

 

On Independence, the crew have to unbolt the seats and move the barriers when they're expecting a helicopter. At other times, it is accessible to passengers. I was wondering about Eclipse for views into and out of ports (honest ;))

[rkacruiser]

If you book the Behind the Scenes tour, one of the places you will visit is the helipad.

[boogs]

I have a silly question about Celebrity Eclipse. Is it possible to get right to the front of the ship to do the Titanic "I'm the king of the world" bit, like you could (if you we so inclined) on Independence of the Seas? :o

 

No - it is in a resticted area. It is the helipad for emergencies. On some cruises, Elite members and suite guests will be invited to the area for sail away parties or special views, e.g., Alaska cruises.

 

We've been on three Celebrity cruises. On our Reflection cruise in October 2012, people who had signed up for the CruiseCritic Connections party were invited to this area for our nighttime departure from Kusadasi, Turkey, including complimentary champagne (photo 1). On our Baltic cruise on Constellation in August 2010, everyone was invited there for our departure from Stockholm, with complimentary hours d'oeuvres, hot chocolate and the most delicious hot mulled wine I have ever tasted (photo 2). On our Panama Canal cruise on Infinity in March 2009, everyone was invited to the helipad area to get a closer look as we passed through the locks (photo 3).

 

I am not Elite nor did we stay in Suites on any of these cruises. That makes it 3 for 3 for us. So, keep your fingers crossed. You have a decent chance of having that opportunity.

 

 

 

[Christine Frances]

We were invited to the bow of the Mercury on the approach to Hubbard Glacier and they opened the bow on the Infinity last year for the Panama Canal.

[sddsddean]

All the RCI ships I've been on you can go on the helipad; all the Celeb ships you can't (except in circumstances above). I wonder why what is effectively the same company have differing policies between the 2 fleets?

 

Simon

[Cruising89143]

All the RCI ships I've been on you can go on the helipad; all the Celeb ships you can't (except in circumstances above). I wonder why what is effectively the same company have differing policies between the 2 fleets?

 

Simon

 

It's the way the ships are built. RCI has access from the promenade deck and up the stairs to the helipad. Easy to access. On the Reflection we had to enter from the inside of the ship and step over a high threshold. It was the same on the Oasis and Allure as RCI does not have open access to the helipad.

[drarill]

We were also invited to the helipad area for the departure from Venice last year on the Silhouette. Great experience!! During our cruise, we were invited again on another port but had other plans and didn't go. Hope we get an invitation this year on the Eclipse. :):) BTW, we are Elite and last year we cruised on CC. This year we have a RS, so I guess that we have a really good chance :)

[texkan]

Sailed Eclipse March 2013. Noticed a group of cruisers on the helipad being served cocktails during late afternoon.

 

Wondered if it was Elite Cocktail party???

[ischeer]

I noticed in the above photo (and also on our recent Infinity crossing) that there is no one at the very front of the deck. On the Infinity there was a physical barrier across the deck at the front. Thus I think the "Titanic Moment" would not be possible.

[boogs]

I noticed in the above photo (and also on our recent Infinity crossing) that there is no one at the very front of the deck. On the Infinity there was a physical barrier across the deck at the front. Thus I think the "Titanic Moment" would not be possible.

 

Not on the M-class ships, but possible on the S-class ships, sort of. You can see in the photo below of Solstice that a person can stand right next to the front railing, but it is not at the very point of the bow like on the Titanic, so no "I'm King Of The World" moment on these ships either. :)

 

On the M-class ships, there is navigation equipment in that area so it is kept roped off.