Eclipse Photo Review - Feb. 15, 2015 Exotic Southern Carribean Cruise in Aqua Class

[ROYALBOY]

Thank you ... Living vicariously as we are not booked on this cruise till March 6, 2016:)

[Hollywood Traveler]

Sorry, Tom. I wasn't going to post any pictures on your review, but I couldn't resist this one of an iguana posing for our favorite photographer on Aruba.

 

 

Your pictures are lovely. Can't wait for more.

 

Larry

Edited March 12, 2015 by Hollywood Traveler

[luvtocruise74]

I'm enjoying all the pictures.

[prim8keeper]

Celebrity Today - Wednesday, Feb 19, 2015

Featured Today - Wednesday, Feb 19, 2015

Port Shopping Map - Curacao

 

Eclipse arrived in Curacao bright and early around 7 am. Today we had a morning excursion planned and then we were going to wonder around Willemstad. Since we were in port until 11 pm we didn't really feel any pressure or need to plan much. However, do remember that a lot of the shops in Willemstad do close in the evening around 5 or 6 pm.

 

Our morning tour asked us to meet them at 8:30 am so once again we were up early. We were going with a group of our friends and we were meeting at the Passport bar just after 8 am. Today's tour was with Curacao Actief and we were doing the Breath of Curacao tour. This tour is a half day tour that last from 9 am until around 1 pm.

 

Around 8:30 am as promised our guides for the day met us just outside the port facility. We filled out the standard forms and waivers and then we were off. This tour takes you to the northwest coast of Curacao where you can really go off the road, as seen below...

 

 

This photo above was taken over by the airport as we made our way to our first stop.

 

 

 

Since it is so windy on this side of the island they have begun to install wind farms. There were six turbines in total I believe. They are getting ready to start on a second wind farm as well.

 

 

 

This was our first stop for the day. I forget what this area was called, however we stopped there because sometimes you can spot sea turtles down below.

 

[prim8keeper]

 

It really did feel like we were out there all alone.

 

 

 

From here we made our way to Supladó which is a small blowhole.

 

 

 

[prim8keeper]

We continued along the coast to our final destination which was the Shete Boka National Park. This is also were our tour guide fed the lizards. Yes, sometimes they do bite him.

 

 

 

The first stop in the park was the Boka Tabla which is an inlet/cave that the waves crash into.

 

 

There were also similar stacks of rocks here, like we had seen Aruba. They served the same purpose.

 

 

 

[prim8keeper]

Our final stop in the park was Boka Pistol which is an inlet where waves crash around the coral rock. There was also an underwater cave, however we couldn't go down into that day because of how rough the seas were.

 

 

 

 

Again, its amazing how isolated you can feel. Assuming you miss the other tour groups.

 

 

A stone which was located at the front of the park with directions.

 

 

This was also at the front of the park, but I have no idea what it means. I just thought it was interesting so I took a photo.

 

 

To see additional photos of Curacao you can go here.

 

After our visit to the park we took the regular roads back to the port. This was a nice change of pace after spending the last 3 1/2 hours bumping around in the back of the trucks. They actually split our group off since we were only doing the half day tour and put us in a taxi. The rest of the folks who were doing the full day tour then carried on. Our taxi driver dropped some people off in downtown Willemstad and then took the rest of us back to the ship. All and all it was an excellent tour and we definitely got to the see another side of the island we wouldn't have been able too otherwise.

 

Once we were back on board we dropped off our stuff and then met up with our friends for lunch at the buffet. It was during this time that we planned what we were going to do that afternoon. Just as in Aruba our friend who had not gone along on the morning tour went out scouting for us that morning.

[upwarduk]

Thank you for your Curacao pictures, Eclipse wasn't able to dock due to high winds on our March 2013 voyage.

[prim8keeper]

After lunch we went back to our cabin to pick up our stuff and we were once again off to explore.

 

Our first stop were the stores inside the port. That is where we noticed these really cool owl ornaments. We ended up buying two and our friend bought one as well. Helpful tip, these are $20 at the port, however if you are going into Willemstad if you can find the store where they are made they are only $10. I say "if" because it was down a random ally off a square very much off the beaten path.

 

 

A view of the ship as we made our way along the path towards town.

 

 

The walk to town is about 10 to 15 minutes with plenty of places to stop and shopping along the way.

 

 

 

As you can see the Thompson ship docked downtown. In the morning we saw it coming in under the bridge. I think my DH got some photos of that but I haven't really looked at his photos yet. I'll post anything that may be interesting from him at the end in a different album.

 

 

A view looking back towards where Eclipse was docked.

 

[prim8keeper]

A tiny draw bridge.

 

 

The floating market. It made me wish we could cook dinner. They had a huge variety of produce.

 

 

Wondering around Willemstad.

 

 

 

You will see dushi all over the place in Curacao, however it wasn't until we were in Bonaire that we found out what it meant. The most common way they use it, at least on Bonaire, is in a way that means sweetheart/darling etc. So if you didn't know someones know and they helped you out you could say, "thanks dushi." I would assume it is also used on Aruba since it comes from Papiamentu which is spoken on all three islands. As you can see, it has several meanings.

 

 

[prim8keeper]

 

The famous floating pontoon bridge.

 

 

 

 

A view of the bridge from the other side.

 

 

We were also lucky enough to see them open it partially so a small boat could go through.

 

[prim8keeper]

 

 

After wondering around town for a while we decided to head back towards the ship. About 3/4 of the way back my DH decided he need to go find a pharmacy. For unknown reasons his seasonal allergies really started acting up in Aruba and only continued to get worse in Curacao. As a result he wanted to get some allergy medication. So we turned around and went to information to find out where the closest pharmacy was. What I found really interesting was that once he took his allergy pill he was fine. It's something about the ABC's. Hes never had this problem before on a cruise and once we got up to Barbados he stopped talking the allergy pills and was fine.

 

On our way back to the ship for the second time we also stopped to check our e-mail, etc. on the free Wi-Fi that has been installed all over downtown.

 

A final look at Eclipse as well made our way back.

 

 

You can find additional Curacao photos here.

 

We were probably back on board by 6 pm. Even though we were in port until 11 pm we planned to have dinner on board. Once back on board we grabbed an ice coffee and then went up to shower and change for dinner.

 

As always we met our friends at the Molecular bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. As you can tell this became our regular bar.

 

A photo of Irena, one of the two Molecular bar bartenders, in action.

 

 

A gentle reflection...

 

 

After a cocktail, or two, who's counting we are on vacation!? We went to Blu for dinner. It looked as though most people were having dinner on the ship. As always both the food, company and service in Blu was outstanding. At this point I can't really tell you what I ate. I can tell you by now I started skipping courses at each meal.

 

After dinner we stopped off at Cafe al Bacio for a big bottle of water and then decided to call it an early night. After two very busy days and one more busy day ahead of us we were starting to feel it. Tomorrow in Bonaire we had two excursions planned once again. In the AM we were going on an island tour and in the afternoon we were going snorkeling. Needless to say that sea day after Bonaire was starting to look really good.

[Vol fan]

I'm not even sure they realized I was taking photos at this point. I forget exactly what dance they were doing....

 

It's the Cupid Shuffle. Great review, Tom.

[spearmint]

Nicely done, Tom, both photos and commentary.

 

We will be aboard for the Mar. 29th sailing. Did you frequent any lounges with entertainers, such as the Ensemble Lounge (near specialty restaurants)? How was the volume of sound? On other S-class ships, we like the various bars, but have found that the musicians are awfully loud; you cannot talk to your mate even, let alone anyone at another table. So we often leave/avoid them now.

 

We have been to Aruba before, but on M-class and "parked" right down near the dutch-looking facades of buildings, near a marina and within an easy walk. Your photos make me think that Eclipse was berthed elsewhere. Am I correct?

 

Bill

[prim8keeper]

It's the Cupid Shuffle. Great review, Tom.

 

I am not familiar with this...lol.

 

Nicely done, Tom, both photos and commentary.

 

We will be aboard for the Mar. 29th sailing. Did you frequent any lounges with entertainers, such as the Ensemble Lounge (near specialty restaurants)? How was the volume of sound? On other S-class ships, we like the various bars, but have found that the musicians are awfully loud; you cannot talk to your mate even, let alone anyone at another table. So we often leave/avoid them now.

 

We have been to Aruba before, but on M-class and "parked" right down near the dutch-looking facades of buildings, near a marina and within an easy walk. Your photos make me think that Eclipse was berthed elsewhere. Am I correct?

 

Bill

 

We did sit in ensemble occasionally after dinner. Before dinner between the 5 and 7 pm it was always so full we didn't bother. This was one of the main lounges where people were using the elite cocktail vouchers. As I said previously I really disliked those vouchers. Any other time the lounge was relatively empty.

 

In terms of the volume, most nights it was appropriate. Gone was the loud DJ etc. One night there was one particular group in ensemble that was too loud, but that was more of the exception rather than the rule.

 

In Aruba we were one of three ships in port. Of the three terminals we were at the one which is furthest down away from the town. My guess is that when you were on Summit you were at one of the closer terminals. That said it was the same port.

Edited March 14, 2015 by prim8keeper

[prim8keeper]

Celebrity Today - Friday, Feb 20, 2015

Featured Today - Friday, Feb 20, 2015

There was no port shopping map or I misplaced it.

 

We had a very full day in Bonaire with only about 30 minutes between our morning and afternoon tour. Due to our full day we made a point to get up extra early so we could go to breakfast in Blu. We were there right at 7:30 am when they opened and we told them we only had 30 minutes. Thankfully since there were not many people there that early it wasn't a problem.

 

After breakfast we went up to our cabin to grab our stuff and then we had to head down to meet a few friends for our morning tour. We also brought some granola bars with us to eat along in case we got hungry. This morning we were doing an island tour with Bonaire Vista Tours. When we left the Eclipse there was some light rain but thankfully it cleared up pretty quickly. We met our guide and within 10 minutes we had everyone and were off.

 

 

We made our way through Kranlendijk as we made our first stop of the day which was the salt flats. The majority of the salt that is produced here is actually sent to the US. Only a small percentage is sent back to Bonaire to be sold on the island as a souvenir for tourist.

 

 

 

This is what the fields look like prior to harvesting the salt. The water turns pink due to the fact that it is filled with brine and shrimp.

 

 

From the salt flats we made our way to the slave huts. This is where the slaves who used to work at the salt flats lived. It was a very hard job. Many of the slaves ended up with various burns from the salt, which was very hard on their skin, or went blind due to the sun reflecting off of the salt. They worked six days a week from sun up to sun down. When they could no longer do the job they were replaced. The slave huts were built to show that the slaves were well taken care of because the slaves families lived 25 miles away. On their one day off they could walk to go visit their families, but they had to make sure they were back for work the next morning. Unfortunately due to the rain I was unable to get any pictures.

 

We left the salt flats and headed to Goto Meer which is home to the flamingo sanctuary.

 

Hmm they are out there somewhere...

 

 

No flamingos yet...although I see some pink dots on the horizon.

 

[prim8keeper]

Look everyone, a giant iguana! I kid you not, this is what most people were taking a picture of until the iguana decided it was tired of everyone crowding it and swatted its tail.

 

 

There they are!

 

 

Afterwards we drove down from the look out and as we headed out we stopped closer to the flamingos. The flamingos are very skittish so we just took a few photos from the van.

 

 

From here we made our way too Mangazina di Rei which was originally used by the Dutch government to store provisions for the slaves. Now it is a cultural park and learning center.

 

 

[prim8keeper]

At the cultural park I mostly just walked around and took photos in addition to taking a brief tour. We also bought some Bonaire sea salt and a magnet.

 

 

 

From here we made our way to our very last stop of the morning, Seru Largu. Seru Largu is a look out point. From here you can see the city of Kralendijk and the port. It also includes a monument.

 

 

 

You can also see the salt flats in the distance. There are only two ships in port at any one time in Bonaire. They actually don't have a lot of cruise ships that visit since they want to remain a destination for divers. There are more than 80 diving sites on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire combined.

 

 

 

On our way back to the cruise ship we also saw some of the donkeys who just roam the island and the location of the original airport and the KLM office.

[SeaGams]

Tom, there was no shopping guide for Bonaire. Enjoying your photo review, thanks for my new photo album of our cruise.

 

Toni

[prim8keeper]

Once back at the port we quickly made our way back onto the ship so we could change and get ready for our afternoon tour. I couldn't help myself though and had to stop to take a few photos. The water right by the ship was so beautiful.

 

 

 

Our afternoon excursion was with Woodwind. We checked in with them right by the port and then had to take a brief walk to where their boat was. This is a photo of Eclipse I took along the way.

 

 

Waiting at the dock. Not a bad place to spend some time. The water was so clear you could just see the fish swimming in it.

 

 

 

Once on board Woodwind we headed over to Klein Bonaire which is where we were going to be snorkeling. As usual, my DH had to try the local beer. He said this one unfortunately wasn't anything special.

 

[prim8keeper]

A photo of the ships as we sailed past.

 

Note: any photos without my logo on them were not taken by me and have not been altered.

 

 

As we made our way over to Klein Bonaire they came around and asked if we needed snorkel gear, etc. They also took any mask people brought with them so they could be defogged. Finally they went over all of the rules, showed everyone how to use the equipment and divided us into groups. When they say they have everything you could possibly need on the boat they are not lying. They had mask (including prescription), fins, rash guards, floats, wet suits, snorkel vest, etc. With the exception of fins we brought our own masks, snorkels and rash guards.

 

In total they split us into three groups. The experienced the group, a middle group and the inexperienced group. Each group had at least one guide. We were in group one which was the experienced group and as such we were the first ones into the water.

 

 

 

We saw multiple barracudas. It was during that time that I thought to myself, "huh, wish I would have taken my ring off." Barracudas may mistake things that shine for prey.

 

 

A rare photo of me. For anyone who is wondering what I'm holding, it is a GoPro. I filmed the entire time we were in the water. My DH had the underwater camera, however most of the photos were not that good. Hence why I'm going to replace it. The nice thing about snorkeling in Bonaire is that it is drift snorkeling so you don't really have to do anything other than float.

 

 

A photo of me and my DH.

 

[prim8keeper]

In addition to a huge variety of fish we also saw three sea turtles. Throughout the snorkel our guide would swim down and point things out to the group.

 

 

 

 

After about 50 minutes in the water it was time to get out. Of all the groups we spent the most time in the water and snorkeled the furthest distance. When we got out we actually had to swim out a little away from Klein Bonaire and then grab a rope on the back of the boat. That part was really fun and we hung onto the rope for about five minutes while we moved back over to where the other two groups were. Then we just climbed up the ladder to get back on.

 

Once back on board we had a rum punch and some food as we sailed back. They served some sort of chicken pasta dish. I don't remember the name of it, but what I can tell you is that it was delicious. If you go, make sure you at least try it. It was a welcomed surprise since we had to skip lunch and were even hungrier now than before thanks to all the time we spent in the water. On the way back the photographer also showed everyone the photos he had taken that day that you could purchase. We didn't actually purchase the photos, our friends did and then were nice enough to share. If you do buy them they come on a sea turtle flash drive. Maybe Hollywood Traveler can comment on what the price was if anyone is interested.

 

The sail back was very nice and relaxing but unfortunately before we knew it we were back at the dock. From here we got off the boat and walked back to Eclipse. By now it was after 4 pm and all aboard was at 4:45 pm. On the way back we did make one quick stop though at a shop near the port to pick up a flamingo Christmas ornament. Our friend actually started doing this a few years ago at every port and we have since then followed her lead. Now we always try to find unique ornaments in each port.

 

Once we were back on Eclipse we went to our cabin to drop off our bags and then headed up to the sunset bar for sail away. My DH and I have a tradition of going up to the sunset bar for every sail away.

[keithm]

Hi everyone! I did a photo review this past summer for our Bermuda cruise and since it was so well received I thought I would do it once again for our most recent sailing on Eclipse. I've been anxious to start since we got back but I told myself I had to finish the laundry and put away the suit cases first. :)

 

We have sailed with X previously five times. We have now been on all of the S-class ships except for Reflection and one M-class ship, Summit. Four of the cruises have been in the Caribbean over the winter out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and our M-class sailing was out of Bayonne to Bermuda. All of those cruises were either 7 or 10 nights, so this was also our longest cruise at 14 nights.

 

We choose this particular Eclipse sailing because of the amazing itinerary which included the ABC's. They are running the same itinerary in 2016 and again, more frequently, in 2017. I can't recommend it highly enough. We booked this cruise as soon as became available because at the time it was very unique. We received a group rate and pre-paid gratuities from our TA and were able to pick one from the 123Go! promo. Remember those archaic days when you could only pick one? :eek: We chose the beverage package.

 

It was my DH and me on this cruise along with a group of friends that we have sailed with previously on Equinox. I am 32 and my DH is 28.

 

As an FYI - yes, I do have all the dailies along with everything they put in them. I'll also be happy to answer questions along the way however keep in mind I'm just one person and these are only my opinions/experiences. I'll also invite so many of the great people from our roll call to also join in along the way.

 

Finally, due to the length of the cruise its probably going to take me some time to finish. If nothing else, I have over 4,500 photos to edit along the way!

 

Tom

We were on the trip right before you. It was a repeat of our Jan.28 2014 trip. My partner, Richard has bitched about visiting all the same islands(both on Cunard & Celebrity)Considering we missed the 3ft. Jan.27 blizzard, I guess that he'd rather be shoveling snow rather than laying on a warm beach. Once we saw the reports of the storm on the ship's TV, he suddenly seem to have this outstanding time. Gee, I wonder why! We'll probably do this trip again next Jan. Or Feb.

[keithm]

Look everyone, a giant iguana! I kid you not, this is what most people were taking a picture of until the iguana decided it was tired of everyone crowding it and swatted its tail.

 

 

There they are!

 

 

Afterwards we drove down from the look out and as we headed out we stopped closer to the flamingos. The flamingos are very skittish so we just took a few photos from the van.

 

 

From here we made our way too Mangazina di Rei which was originally used by the Dutch government to store provisions for the slaves. Now it is a cultural park and learning center.

 

 

I've brought down bananas from the ship & the Iguanas just come up to you like dogs!

[prim8keeper]

A photo from the lawn aboard Eclipse looking out onto Kralendijk.

 

 

As you can see they have constructed a shopping area at the port. At this time though it looked as though most of the stores were still empty. I suspect eventually this will house all the typical suspects, aka Diamonds International, etc. will be there by next season.

 

 

 

Looking down the coast. Originally the Royal ship was at that pier where that boat is.

 

 

Looking towards Klein Bonaire. There is a water taxi right by the port that will take you over there. Nothing is built on Klein Bonaire though. I think next time we are in Bonaire we may go over there.