Host Andy - Almost Live from Eclipse

[Andy]

Thanks Andy. Sounds like your cruise went well. Good to hear.

 

Hi Mahdnc,

 

Yes, overall our cruise was outstanding. One of our best Celebrity sailings in recent years, by far. For now, I must get through about 1,000 emails sitting in my inbox, but will try to share additional insights later today or tomorrow.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Host Andy

[mahdnc]

Thanks, Andy. I will be curious to hear how the disembarkation goes!!

 

David

[Andy]

Thanks, Andy. I will be curious to hear how the disembarkation goes!!

 

David

 

Hi David,

 

I shared my thoughts on today's disembark, on this thread : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1950531 . I hope it's helpful !

[Smallfamily]

We boarded eclipse today and we are elite and there is no priority boarding for elite now . It was elite plus, aqua, concierge and suites only. So if this matters to you book above a veranda category if you are elite.

 

 

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[fishycomics]

Host

 

 

Guess you did not have these in your room.

 

And

 

I hate Tently. The worst tea for mwah. Hot tea is great

[Andy]

Host

 

 

Guess you did not have these in your room.

 

 

Yes, we did have the jack pictured, and it significantly helped getting the online access to work, via an Ethernet cable. The wireless didnt work most every time I tried it the first 2 days of the cruise. I also heard similar comments from other CC members.

 

As long as you bring an Ethernet cable with you (which is highly recommended) things should be acceptable.

[gimletgal]

We boarded eclipse today and we are elite and there is no priority boarding for elite now . It was elite plus, aqua, concierge and suites only. So if this matters to you book above a veranda category if you are elite.

 

 

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I have never found an advantage to getting into a specific line. Usually just go to the shortest one - even when in Concierge Class. I certainly would not book a higher cabin just for priority boarding! No benefit IMHO. :)

[jagoffee]

I'm going to guess that the change was made when they went from a fixed drink menu to the $8 or less. I don't know the menu for the Martini bar, perhaps they don't have a lot of less than $8 drinks?

 

When did you cruise? Was this announced? They seemed to still have the drink menu with the vouchers on our Nov. 1 TA.

 

We boarded eclipse today and we are elite and there is no priority boarding for elite now . It was elite plus, aqua, concierge and suites only. So if this matters to you book above a veranda category if you are elite.

 

 

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Although I do not think it is a big deal I am surprised. I thought it was clearly communicated that none of the benefits were taken away during the recent revamp. Was this also true at check in or just at boarding?

[Fouremco]

Yes, we did have the jack pictured, and it significantly helped getting the online access to work, via an Ethernet cable. The wireless didnt work most every time I tried it the first 2 days of the cruise. I also heard similar comments from other CC members.

 

As long as you bring an Ethernet cable with you (which is highly recommended) things should be acceptable.

Andy, do you know if these jacks are available in all categories of cabin?

[brfan]

When did you cruise? Was this announced? They seemed to still have the drink menu with the vouchers on our Nov. 1 TA.

 

 

 

quote]

 

I last cruised on Celebrity in April (Silhouette TA) when they still had the drink menu and the Martini bar was one of the allowed bars. But I've been reading here that Celebrity is going with vouchers on all cruises with the $8 limit ($6 for beer) and now the Martini bar is no longer on the allowed bar list. I just assumed the reason was due to the change from a fixed menu to a price limit.

[AlanAllyn]

The first CC Meet and Mingle was around 11 (or 11:15) am on the first sea day (2nd day of the cruise). The second get together is unlikely to happen, as I made the request, and Celebrity was very gracious to accomodate. It was on next to last sea day, again I believe around 11 am or so. Both times, it was held at the Sky Lounge on Deck 14.

You never know.

 

Last year, on the Century to Hawaii, we had a very active group and requested a lunch on the last sea day. They set us up on the second floor of the dining room, with the same menu as was being served to everyone else downstairs. The Captain even stopped by.

[Andy]

Andy, do you know if these jacks are available in all categories of cabin?

 

Hi Fouremco,

 

On the Solstice Class, I've been in most every cabin category other than inside and the high end suites. In my experience, they was always a jack in the cabin. Hope this helps !

[Fouremco]

Hi Fouremco,

 

On the Solstice Class, I've been in most every cabin category other than inside and the high end suites. In my experience, they was always a jack in the cabin. Hope this helps !

Thanks so much Andy.

[medfordgirl]

I'm going to guess that the change was made when they went from a fixed drink menu to the $8 or less. I don't know the menu for the Martini bar, perhaps they don't have a lot of less than $8 drinks?

 

 

Like others had said, they served martinis in smaller glasses. but that was plenty for me. sometimes I would get a mimosa. I took those into dinner with me. but I am going to miss those free little martinis before dinner. they are the size of the flight martinis…I think..but perfect for me. the flight is way too much for me.

maybe on silhouette in january they may be flexible?

[TourDeCruise]

We're back home after a fabulous Eclipse cruise. Wish I could have helped Andy more with questions, but as mentioned, wifi was slow onboard. We had iPads, and I went over my 90 free minutes and dh used all his minutes too. Wifi was very slow in many ports too. The Elite + 200 minutes weren't to begin until any sailings November 25th and after, so we couldn't enjoy the new perk(s) for the new level(s).

 

I'll try to answer a few more questions.

 

Dh and I really enjoyed the Elite drink vouchers that included drinks in Cafe al Baccio. A glass of wine or two at dinner is enough for us, so most days we went to Cafe al Bacio at 5:00pm (Select dining at 5:45-6:00pm) for the premium hot or iced tea, followed by a glass of wine which we carried to dinner. On a few days, we also got the bottles of Evian water using the vouchers, which we took back to the cabin, and one day had a dessert coffee drink at 7pm after dinner. On some days, they checked the names on the vouchers against our sea pass cards although I did see some people use their vouchers for family or friends seated with them. On some days, the server gave us a full glass of wine in the larger wine glass and we gave her 4 vouchers (2 each) for the larger glass, equivalent to what would be two glasses of wine each. If we had leftover vouchers, we left them with the server. We really enjoyed that Cafe Al Bacio environment because, although it was crowded, it was quieter than the Elite lounge usually is, we could enjoy some sailaways there, we could listen to the Grand Foyer music beginning at 5:30pm, and we like the flexibility of having tea and wine which was usually Bombay Chai tea for both and Riesling for me and Sauvignon Blanc for dh, and being able to have wine at dinner versus drinking in the Elite lounge on an "empty" stomach. As you can probably tell, this was a real highlight for us.

 

An update to my previous post: Both James Manners and Mickey Ilardi were performing onboard on the last 2-3 days. Since both are "Guitar & Vocalist," maybe one would be getting off in Ft. Lauderdale?

 

The Elite breakfast was wonderful as always. At the buffet "bar," they served fruits (melons, grapefruit halves, orange slices, pineapple, kiwi, bananas, oranges), smoked salmon, capers, onions, cream cheese with & without chives, pastries including a small bagel, bread, brie plus an assortment of other sliced cheeses (varied by day), sliced sandwich meat I think (I didn't eat it), fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed grapefruit & orange juice, coffee, and tea. Plus they served speciality non-alcoholic coffee drinks, Bloody Marys, Mimosa, & sparkling champagne-like wine. The breakfast was held in the very lovely Tuscan Grille. We had a lot of Elites onboard, so the room was often quite full, even on port days.

 

We enjoyed the cruise so much that we booked again for next year at Thanksgiving, especially after seeing that Aruba, Curacao, AND Bonaire plus St. Lucia on are on next year's itinerary.

 

Kathy

[jagoffee]

We're back home after a fabulous Eclipse cruise. Wish I could have helped Andy more with questions, but as mentioned, wifi was slow onboard. We had iPads, and I went over my 90 free minutes and dh used all his minutes too. Wifi was very slow in many ports too. The Elite + 200 minutes weren't to begin until any sailings November 25th and after, so we couldn't enjoy the new perk(s) for the new level(s).

 

I'll try to answer a few more questions.

 

Dh and I really enjoyed the Elite drink vouchers that included drinks in Cafe al Baccio. A glass of wine or two at dinner is enough for us, so most days we went to Cafe al Bacio at 5:00pm (Select dining at 5:45-6:00pm) for the premium hot or iced tea, followed by a glass of wine which we carried to dinner. On a few days, we also got the bottles of Evian water using the vouchers, which we took back to the cabin, and one day had a dessert coffee drink at 7pm after dinner. On some days, they checked the names on the vouchers against our sea pass cards although I did see some people use their vouchers for family or friends seated with them. On some days, the server gave us a full glass of wine in the larger wine glass and we gave her 4 vouchers (2 each) for the larger glass, equivalent to what would be two glasses of wine each. If we had leftover vouchers, we left them with the server. We really enjoyed that Cafe Al Bacio environment because, although it was crowded, it was quieter than the Elite lounge usually is, we could enjoy some sailaways there, we could listen to the Grand Foyer music beginning at 5:30pm, and we like the flexibility of having tea and wine which was usually Bombay Chai tea for both and Riesling for me and Sauvignon Blanc for dh, and being able to have wine at dinner versus drinking in the Elite lounge on an "empty" stomach. As you can probably tell, this was a real highlight for us.

 

An update to my previous post: Both James Manners and Mickey Ilardi were performing onboard on the last 2-3 days. Since both are "Guitar & Vocalist," maybe one would be getting off in Ft. Lauderdale?

 

The Elite breakfast was wonderful as always. At the buffet "bar," they served fruits (melons, grapefruit halves, orange slices, pineapple, kiwi, bananas, oranges), smoked salmon, capers, onions, cream cheese with & without chives, pastries including a small bagel, bread, brie plus an assortment of other sliced cheeses (varied by day), sliced sandwich meat I think (I didn't eat it), fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed grapefruit & orange juice, coffee, and tea. Plus they served speciality non-alcoholic coffee drinks, Bloody Marys, Mimosa, & sparkling champagne-like wine. The breakfast was held in the very lovely Tuscan Grille. We had a lot of Elites onboard, so the room was often quite full, even on port days.

 

We enjoyed the cruise so much that we booked again for next year at Thanksgiving, especially after seeing that Aruba, Curacao, AND Bonaire plus St. Lucia on are on next year's itinerary.

 

Kathy

 

Thank you for the additional information. Have they changed the voucher policy on the Eclipse so that you can have any drink under $8 instead of using the special drink menu?

Thanks

[TourDeCruise]

I forgot to mention in my previous post about the Thanksgiving meal; someone asked on this thread and I meant to answer. Thanksgiving Day was our last formal night and also the day of the brunch held in the main dining room. We skipped brunch (have done that multiple times before) - maybe they served carved turkey there; but we had the turkey dinner for Thanksgiving that night in the main dining room (Moonlight Sonata). The lobster was the small lobster with a few pieces of scallops and shrimp, so we opted for the turkey dinner. The usual turkey dinner has the pressed turkey, but our formal night/Thanksgiving Day turkey was carved turkey with a small piece of dark and the rest white meat. We had cranberry sauce (I asked for an extra scoop), stuffing (had a mushroom in my serving), green beans, carrot or sweet potato cubes, and mashed potatoes. One of the soup options was pumpkin soup. They did not have pumpkin pie for dessert.

 

Thank you for the additional information. Have they changed the voucher policy on the Eclipse so that you can have any drink under $8 instead of using the special drink menu?

Thanks

 

The vouchers were good for basically any drink (maybe all) on the Classic Beverage package including wine up to $8 a glass but beer only up to $6 a glass. We didn't go to the Elite evening lounge, but I think they had the same as opposed to the special drink menu (maybe someone who went to the Elite lounge can confirm). Guests were required to use the vouchers in the Elite lounge. The vouchers on the Eclipse were advertised as not being good in Michael's Club, Martini Bar, or Molecular Bar although I don't know if people got around that or not. We were thrilled they were good in Cafe al Baccio as we don't particularly like Celebrity's standard tea and we could get good tea or coffee drinks and bottles of Celebrity or Evian water at Cafe al Baccio. I don't know what the Elite lounge serves as far as wine, but we were happy to get Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling at Cafe al Baccio.

 

Graeme mentioned that they may not have vouchers for the November 30th cruise because there were so many complaints centered around the vouchers being pieces of paper that you need to bring with you. Apparently some people showed up at the Elite lounge and were upset because they had to return to their cabins to get the vouchers they forgot to bring. :confused: I would think that after a person forgets one time, they would remember the next time. We told both Graeme and the Restaurant & Bar Manager that we like the voucher system and also put the same on the Guest Questionnaire; they said they welcomed getting people's feedback as that will help Celebrity make a decision going forward. Graeme also mentioned that the vouchers could be the "wave of the future" especially if/when the vouchers and other coupons and benefits get coded onto the sea pass card like RCI is starting to do.

 

Kathy

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, The good news is, no major concerns to address. Service has been outstanding. I will be happy to share some additional thoughts when I return home. Thanks !

 

Host Andy: On the Solstice Class' date=' I've been in most every cabin category other than inside and the high end suites. In my experience, they was always a jack in the cabin. Hope this helps ! [/quote']

 

Appreciate, Host Andy, your follow-up and added information. Know you're busy catching up with those 1000+ e-mails and other "real work". Good point for bringing along your own ethernet to plug into while on the ship. Our June 2011 experience was that the wireless was a little marginal on the Solstice. Want to be prepared for our Solstice Jan. 20-Feb. 3, Sydney to Auckland cruise. Now only 50 days till we board in Australia.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Celebrity Solstice Visual Highlights? From our June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in France, Italy, Kotor and Dubrovnik, I have pull together a number of wonderful visuals of the Solstice, its features, food, entertainment, options, etc. We are now at 12,729 views for this shorter version of my larger full review of that cruise and all of the port pictures/details. Check these postings and added info at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

[Smallfamily]

We are currently on Eclipse and there are no drink vouchers for elite just the evening cocktail hour

 

 

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[upwarduk]

We are currently on Eclipse and there are no drink vouchers for elite just the evening cocktail hour

 

 

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I wonder if this because Zenith & Elite + are housed in different venues?

[TourDeCruise]

I wonder if this because Zenith & Elite + are housed in different venues?

 

It could be that. There is not a large number of Zenith members on most cruises though. Or maybe not a large volume of Elite/Elite+ members onboard? Or due to complaints over vouchers?

 

We had the vouchers as well as the afternoon lounge, which required vouchers for drinks, on the Nov. 16th sailing. Graeme, the Captain's Club host, told dh and me that there were a lot of complaints from people about having to remember to bring the vouchers to the Captain's Club evening lounge and that likely Celebrity would not use the voucher system on the Nov. 30th sailing.

 

We really liked the vouchers, which we used in Cafe al Baccio for bottled water to take to cabin; premium tea, speciality coffee, or wine to enjoy in lounge; and/or a glass of wine to carry to dinner. We had a chance for a quiet, relaxing moment before dinner or could talk to other passengers including other Elite members who preferred to use them in Cafe al Baccio versus the Elite or other lounges.

 

Kathy

[jagoffee]

I wonder if this because Zenith & Elite + are housed in different venues?

 

 

Isn't it just the Zenith and high level suites in a different venue?

 

It could be that. There is not a large number of Zenith members on most cruises though. Or maybe not a large volume of Elite/Elite+ members onboard? Or due to complaints over vouchers?

 

We had the vouchers as well as the afternoon lounge, which required vouchers for drinks, on the Nov. 16th sailing. Graeme, the Captain's Club host, told dh and me that there were a lot of complaints from people about having to remember to bring the vouchers to the Captain's Club evening lounge and that likely Celebrity would not use the voucher system on the Nov. 30th sailing.

 

We really liked the vouchers, which we used in Cafe al Baccio for bottled water to take to cabin; premium tea, speciality coffee, or wine to enjoy in lounge; and/or a glass of wine to carry to dinner. We had a chance for a quiet, relaxing moment before dinner or could talk to other passengers including other Elite members who preferred to use them in Cafe al Baccio versus the Elite or other lounges.

 

Kathy

 

I would imagine that a voucher system with a lounge to redeem if desired would be preferred by a large majority of Select and Select+ members. I think the Captain Club hostess may have been "spinning" a little. A voucher system has to be costing Celebrity significantly more than a lounge. Members can use other lounges, bring water,sodas, and beers back to their cabins, bring a drink to dinner, and potentially share with others. (Like if you have a drink package you can give your coupons to other members). The only downside to vouchers that I see is if you have a drink package the others bars are more crowded. This is what we discovered with over 1000 Elite members using vouchers in most of the bars on our last TA.

[maggie.1008]

I am Elite plus. If they use vouchers does a non Elite sharing the same cabin also get the vouchers ?

[TourDeCruise]

Isn't it just the Zenith and high level suites in a different venue?

 

I would imagine that a voucher system with a lounge to redeem if desired would be preferred by a large majority of Select and Select+ members. I think the Captain Club hostess may have been "spinning" a little. A voucher system has to be costing Celebrity significantly more than a lounge. Members can use other lounges, bring water,sodas, and beers back to their cabins, bring a drink to dinner, and potentially share with others. (Like if you have a drink package you can give your coupons to other members). The only downside to vouchers that I see is if you have a drink package the others bars are more crowded. This is what we discovered with over 1000 Elite members using vouchers in most of the bars on our last TA.

 

I think it is just Zenith and selected individuals, such as top cruisers and those in high-end suites, who get invited to Michael's Club or special venue. At least that is what I read on this board and heard from top cruisers onboard who were invited; but Zenith was only announced and not implemented on our Nov. 16th Eclipse sailing.

 

I would think most Elite and Elite+ members would prefer the flexibility of the vouchers too. It would possibly cost Celebrity less in drinks as the voucher holders are limited to three drinks and some people choose less pricey non-alcohol sodas, tea, coffee, water, etc. We did not always use our three vouchers each per day and would give the extras to the server or she would give us a larger glass of wine for two coupons. We could not give them away to others as our names were coded on them and some of the servers were checking the names on the vouchers against the sea pass cards. It did not prevent Elite members from sharing them with people seated at their tables though as they could order drinks, give the server the Elite sea pass cards & vouchers, and share a round of drinks with non-Elite guests at the table.

 

We used them in Cafe al Baccio most evenings at 5pm before our 5:45pm Select dining. Yes, the wait was longer than usual, but we made a point to relax and enjoy our time there pre-dinner. Sometimes we didn't make it to dinner until 6pm, which was the time of our reservation, although we preferred going at 5:45pm when they opened.

 

Kathy

[rjrpar]

I think it is just Zenith and selected individuals, such as top cruisers and those in high-end suites, who get invited to Michael's Club or special venue. At least that is what I read on this board and heard from top cruisers onboard who were invited; but Zenith was only announced and not implemented on our Nov. 16th Eclipse sailing.

 

I would think most Elite and Elite+ members would prefer the flexibility of the vouchers too. It would possibly cost Celebrity less in drinks as the voucher holders are limited to three drinks and some people choose less pricey non-alcohol sodas, tea, coffee, water, etc. We did not always use our three vouchers each per day and would give the extras to the server or she would give us a larger glass of wine for two coupons. We could not give them away to others as our names were coded on them and some of the servers were checking the names on the vouchers against the sea pass cards. It did not prevent Elite members from sharing them with people seated at their tables though as they could order drinks, give the server the Elite sea pass cards & vouchers, and share a round of drinks with non-Elite guests at the table.

 

We used them in Cafe al Baccio most evenings at 5pm before our 5:45pm Select dining. Yes, the wait was longer than usual, but we made a point to relax and enjoy our time there pre-dinner. Sometimes we didn't make it to dinner until 6pm, which was the time of our reservation, although we preferred going at 5:45pm when they opened.

 

Kathy

 

Kathy, Thanks for all the info. We sail on the Eclipse on 3/8 and are hoping to have vouchers. We too like to be able to move around and experience different bars. Only wish the vouchers were good until 8:00pm as we are late diners.