Worried about the Eclipse. Please Help??

[keithm]

I'm just off the Eclipse and will add my advice -- if you don't see enough vegetables on the plate to suit you, order a plateful. If you feel like your onion soup lacks onions, ask for another bowl. The servers will bend over backwards to please you. Some friends of mine ask for a standing order of broccoli each night, and there it is for them. Other friends ask for a standing order of sweet potatoes. Each night they receive a nice bowlful, enough to share. BTW, I had the pork schnitzel and it was not greasy at all. Same cruise, different experience.

Same with us. We found the dinners in the MDR to be excellent overal. The staff was most willing to accomodate your desires within reason.The Murano rest. was outstanding. I hope they have the same Exc. chef as last year(John Sauer,I believe)he did a great job overall, we thought.

[north29]

Not current but last Christmas on the Eclipse, was over all the worst food I have ever had on a cruise ship and WE ARE NOT PARTICULAR. Having said that, we were on the Equinox TA the next spring, and it had the best food I have ever experienced on a cruise ship.

The ships management has a whole lot to do with the food quality, and even the cooks, I guess I should say Chefs LOL

[portcbob]

Hi guys.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. We know food is very subjective. We are normally NCL cruisers and are just trying to establish whether the food is better on Celebrity than NCL. We are close to jumping ship to CELEBRITY given all the mostly great reviews about their S class ships We really want to do a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean in the next year or so and would of gone NCL however thinking of Celebrity for our 1st time. We normally have fairly good food on NCL so are we expecting the food to be better or not on Celebrity.

 

Thankyou.

Cheers Bob & Chris.

[Project_gal]

Hi Guys.

 

Bob and Chris from Australia calling. Have just read a couple of real bad food reviews about the Celebrity Eclipse on another forum. People are saying that the usual great food quality in the MDR has really dropped off to a point where the food in the Buffet is much better. I find it hard to believe however that's what some recent travelers have stated.

Just hoping this forum can give us some reinsurance that the food quality is still alright as we are travelling a long way to Miami to catch the eclipse if we still do the 14 night Caribbean cruise on her.

 

Thankyou for your help.

 

Cheers Bob.

 

Bob

 

Not sure what reviews you read but, if they were from the recent transatlantic, you need to be aware that very many people on that cruise were unhappy because of the itinerary change and poor weather. It is often the case that an unhappy cruiser will find fault with almost everything. [And, sorry to have to say this, many Brits are not happy unless they have something to be unhappy about. I say this as a Brit myself!]

 

We do not eat in the MDR but were really surprised and happy about the quality of the food on board Eclipse - it started with our embarkation lunch in Bistro on Five[beef Panini] and carried on through the buffet, room service, Murano and Tuscan Grille. After many years of declining food quality, it was wonderful to not the change. Even more so because on a transatlantic with a complete late-minute change in itinerary [disrupting planned supplies], the food could so easily have been an issue.

[OuiOnboard]

Anyone from AQ reading this? How was Blu?

 

Off Eclipse on Dec 21 also. Lamb, beef, scallops and shrimp dishes were very nice.

We tried to have only an appetizer or a small salad before the entree and single scoop of ice cream or sorbet for dessert,

BLU is no longer what it was when we first experienced it in 2009 on Solstice. It is now noisier, more crowded, and the service is slower due to too few waitstaff.

Our waiter (Vidot) and assistant (May) were great and provided excellent service despite the above mentioned conditions.

We still prefer to dine at BLU rather than the MDR which has only been decreasingly adequate in our experience since our first Celebrity cruise in 1998.

Previous to this cruise, we sailed 7 days on Silhouette, disembarking Dec 07. There we had the Unlimited Dining Package and enjoyed 2 fine meals at Murano, 3 great meals at Tuscan Grill with a wonderful waiter, and 2 meals at The Lawn Grill which were disappointing in presentation, taste and service.

We are doing more Celebrity cruises in the future in AQ/BLU and will punctuate with visits to Murano, Tuscan Grill, and perhaps The Lawn Grill.

[harz99]

Hi guys.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. We know food is very subjective. We are normally NCL cruisers and are just trying to establish whether the food is better on Celebrity than NCL. We are close to jumping ship to CELEBRITY given all the mostly great reviews about their S class ships We really want to do a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean in the next year or so and would of gone NCL however thinking of Celebrity for our 1st time. We normally have fairly good food on NCL so are we expecting the food to be better or not on Celebrity.

 

Thankyou.

Cheers Bob & Chris.

 

My last Celebrity cruise was on Eclipse in Sept/Oct to the Canaries, food was good although not up to the quality or standards of maybe 4/5 years ago, same with service due to staff cutbacks. Am currently on NCL Jade and whilst I never starve the food is not anywhere near that which Celebrity offers - but neither is the cruise cost. If you like NCL dining, you will be at least as happy with Celebrity, so have no worries.

 

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[deelastcre]

We sailed on Dec. 7th. The food was better than most cruise ship MDR food. If we didn't like the choices that the made, we supplanted with Ocean View food. I would suggest dining a few nights in the specialty restaurants to break up the dining experience. We ate in Qsine, Tuscan Grill, and Murano. Qsine is fun if you haven't tried it, but the Lobster prepared at my table was the best meal onboard. I am not a beef lover and refuse to eat chicken on a cruise ship.

[need2bespoiled]

Hi guys.

 

 

 

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. We know food is very subjective. We are normally NCL cruisers and are just trying to establish whether the food is better on Celebrity than NCL. We are close to jumping ship to CELEBRITY given all the mostly great reviews about their S class ships We really want to do a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean in the next year or so and would of gone NCL however thinking of Celebrity for our 1st time. We normally have fairly good food on NCL so are we expecting the food to be better or not on Celebrity.

 

 

 

Thankyou.

 

Cheers Bob & Chris.

 

 

One thing to note, to do a 14 day sailing on a newer NCL ship, with the options they're known for, you'd have to do a back to back. The 5 S-Class ships are all very new looking, more similar than different and a favorite, Eclipse does the longest Caribbean itineraries. The equinox does some longer Caribbean itineraries too, though only s couple 13-14 day ones, those are more rare on her, most are 10-11.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

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[keithm]

Hi guys.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. We know food is very subjective. We are normally NCL cruisers and are just trying to establish whether the food is better on Celebrity than NCL. We are close to jumping ship to CELEBRITY given all the mostly great reviews about their S class ships We really want to do a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean in the next year or so and would of gone NCL however thinking of Celebrity for our 1st time. We normally have fairly good food on NCL so are we expecting the food to be better or not on Celebrity.

 

Thankyou.

Cheers Bob & Chris.

We usually read about the food on NCL as being pretty substandard,unless you dine in their specialty rest. You'll also find Celebrity being more formal I/E no shorts etc. in the MDR during dinner. A sport coat & tie with decent dress shirt & nice pants & good shoes will be fine for formal nights. Eclipse will have quite a few tuxes at formal nights(older crowd). Dress shirt(long or short sleeve)khakis(or similar) and decent shoes(no open toe etc.)are fine for casual. Day wear is casual. I've only done the Eclipse. The smaller ships are somewhat more casual, I hear.

[keithm]

We sailed on Dec. 7th. The food was better than most cruise ship MDR food. If we didn't like the choices that the made, we supplanted with Ocean View food. I would suggest dining a few nights in the specialty restaurants to break up the dining experience. We ate in Qsine, Tuscan Grill, and Murano. Qsine is fun if you haven't tried it, but the Lobster prepared at my table was the best meal onboard. I am not a beef lover and refuse to eat chicken on a cruise ship.

Penguins are practically chicken. 10 pints if you get what that line is from. Never had chicken on a ship, so I can't say how it would be.

[keithm]

Bob

 

Not sure what reviews you read but, if they were from the recent transatlantic, you need to be aware that very many people on that cruise were unhappy because of the itinerary change and poor weather. It is often the case that an unhappy cruiser will find fault with almost everything. [And, sorry to have to say this, many Brits are not happy unless they have something to be unhappy about. I say this as a Brit myself!]

 

We do not eat in the MDR but were really surprised and happy about the quality of the food on board Eclipse - it started with our embarkation lunch in Bistro on Five[beef Panini] and carried on through the buffet, room service, Murano and Tuscan Grille. After many years of declining food quality, it was wonderful to not the change. Even more so because on a transatlantic with a complete late-minute change in itinerary [disrupting planned supplies], the food could so easily have been an issue.

The Brits we found on our Eclipse trip last Jan. were a smash! I always love having lots of Brits on board to show us Yanks how to behave. A few Aussies, too, to show us how to drink!

[Turtles06]

Hi guys.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. We know food is very subjective. We are normally NCL cruisers and are just trying to establish whether the food is better on Celebrity than NCL. We are close to jumping ship to CELEBRITY given all the mostly great reviews about their S class ships We really want to do a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean in the next year or so and would of gone NCL however thinking of Celebrity for our 1st time. We normally have fairly good food on NCL so are we expecting the food to be better or not on Celebrity.

 

Thankyou.

Cheers Bob & Chris.

 

We've sailed on both NCL and Celebrity, and the food is far better on Celebrity. In fact, I think the food in the buffet on the S-class ships is better than the MDR food on NCL. We've enjoyed our NCL cruises, but you don't sail NCL for the food.

[portcbob]

Hi Turtles06.

 

Point taken.

 

Cheers Bob & Christine.

[Project_gal]

The Brits we found on our Eclipse trip last Jan. were a smash! I always love having lots of Brits on board to show us Yanks how to behave. A few Aussies, too, to show us how to drink!

 

Those of us who escape by 'plane tend to be a bit better than those who can walk onto a ship!:D:D:D

[Shermcruiser]

" The brussel sprouts we must say, were inedible."

ALL brussel sprouts are inedible, they should be banned as a food!:D

[Adammara]

Those of us who escape by 'plane tend to be a bit better than those who can walk onto a ship!:D:D:D

 

Yep, those of us who cannot fly through fear or medical reasons are rough lot!:D

 

We planned to see the world when we retired, but fate had other plans and we are now confined to near Europe by the Travel Insurance companies. Eurostar starts direct services to the south of France in the spring, so at least we can travel a little further next year!

[bananawindnj]

The Brits we found on our Eclipse trip last Jan. were a smash! I always love having lots of Brits on board to show us Yanks how to behave. A few Aussies, too, to show us how to drink!

 

Last March on the Eclipse. We thought most of the Brits were a little too stuffy, especially the older ones, and we are both 68 . I must admire them dressing up nicely all nights at dinner. The Germans were very loud and dominated the upper decks. Kept blocking the grill area where the burgers and dogs are served up top. Even the Canadians have stopped wearing Speedos. Aussies always seem to be very friendly.

 

 

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[handy4u]

Hi Guys.

 

Bob and Chris from Australia calling. Have just read a couple of real bad food reviews about the Celebrity Eclipse on another forum. People are saying that the usual great food quality in the MDR has really dropped off to a point where the food in the Buffet is much better. I find it hard to believe however that's what some recent travelers have stated.

Just hoping this forum can give us some reinsurance that the food quality is still alright as we are travelling a long way to Miami to catch the eclipse if we still do the 14 night Caribbean cruise on her.

 

Thankyou for your help.

 

Cheers Bob.

 

Hi Bob!

 

My wife, little boy, and myself have taken the Eclipse Southern Caribbean on a cruise in February since 2012. We are scheduled to take a cruise in February through 2017. This cruise offers a great itinerary on a Solstice class ship. I watched the Super Bowl with an Aussie on the Eclipse in 2012 and we had a blast talking sports and politics!

 

Think about the following: Clone a meal 1000 times and give that said meal to 1000 different people. Some would love it while others would utterly hate it. My advice to you is to take a deep breath and realize what you are worrying about. You are concerning yourself about something that is EXTREMELY subjective. Some people are picky about food while I like pretty much everything. I read a review that totally destroyed the hamburgers on the Eclipse. A hamburger is the first thing I eat on the Eclipse and I think they’re great! Go figure.

 

So what kind of person are you Bob? If you are like me and most people you will mostly enjoy the food. If you are a picky foodie, then maybe you won’t enjoy the food. Just remember it’s all subjective my man!

 

I’ll be on the Eclipse February 1, 2015 and I can’t wait!

 

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Chris

[portcbob]

Hi Chris.

 

After a bit more thought, I thoroughly agree with you. Yes, I also like Burgers and like to wash them down with plenty of beer.

 

Cheers Bob.

[Project_gal]

Think about the following: Clone a meal 1000 times and give that said meal to 1000 different people. Some would love it while others would utterly hate it. My advice to you is to take a deep breath and realize what you are worrying about. You are concerning yourself about something that is EXTREMELY subjective. Some people are picky about food while I like pretty much everything. I read a review that totally destroyed the hamburgers on the Eclipse. A hamburger is the first thing I eat on the Eclipse and I think they’re great! Go figure.

 

Just clone a meal 10 times and give it to the SAME person at different times and you will likely get 11 different opinions!

[The Mommy]

We loved the food generally all around the ship. We did all the speciality restaurants and they were FAB. We would have been just as happy in the MDR every evening.

Relax and enjoy your whole cruise experience

[handy4u]

Hi Chris.

 

After a bit more thought, I thoroughly agree with you. Yes, I also like Burgers and like to wash them down with plenty of beer.

 

Cheers Bob.

 

You sound like my kind of guy Bob!

 

BTW, the hotdogs and fries are very good too. Another tip: forget about dessert in the MDR and go to Cafe al Bacio for dessert as they have some good ones. That's in my humble opinion of course! ;)

Edited December 29, 2014 by handy4u

[handy4u]

Just clone a meal 10 times and give it to the SAME person at different times and you will likely get 11 different opinions!

 

Couldn't of said it better myself!

 

I take most reviews with a grain of salt.

[handy4u]

We loved the food generally all around the ship. We did all the speciality restaurants and they were FAB. We would have been just as happy in the MDR every evening.

Relax and enjoy your whole cruise experience

 

I agree with you Gail. Some nights we just want a quick light meal and eat in the buffet. Great salad bar! They will cook you a steak and have a couple fish choices that they will cook for you whilst you make your salad. Nice! Oh yea, don't forget they have around 10 different flavors of ice cream with 6 or so different toppings to choose from.

[thundermustard]

Food is like music, it is very hard to get an opinion that you can absolutely trust.

I am not a foodie so I think the food on Carnival is fine.

On my last Celebrity cruise a fellow passenger described Carnival food as rubbish. Well it certainly isn't rubbish.

We got about 5 different opinions on the specialty restaurant Silk Harvest, it ranged from fabulous to horrible.

I really wouldn't base my cruise on anyone I don't know's opinion.