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

[shipshape sam]

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

 

 

This is the great part for you! You get to enjoy, think, dream, plan, discuss for the next year then actually sail and create even more memories! Enjoy the coming year and for sure the cruise. We sailed this itinerary when Constellation sailed it.

 

I want to sail again and have looked at the March 6 sailing, but alas, Yellowstone or Alaska is up next! 2017........ahhh

[prim8keeper]

Anguilla was so beautiful. Caribbean blue, you gotta love it! Great pics, Tom.

 

Thanks Diane!

[prim8keeper]

Celebrity Today - Friday, Feb 27, 2015

Featured Today -Friday, Feb 27, 2015

Sales Flyer

Farewell Letter

 

Today's agenda was just some well deserved R&R. We spent most of the day lounging around on our balcony either napping or reading. The only plan we had was dinner in Tuscan with friends at 7 pm.

 

This was our second time in Tuscan on this cruise and unfortunately this time was not as good as the first. The food was good, however the service really seemed to be lacking. Some things that they had done in the past, such as prepare the Cesar salad table side were not done. This had been done on a previous visit. They also just seemed short staffed all around considering the the restaurant was only about 1/3 full. Our other friends who dined in Blu that night told us they saw waitstaff from Tuscan in Blu helping, so I'm wondering if something wasn't going on. Service issues aside, the food was very good and we had a great time with our friends. Originally we were supposed to be a party of six but unfortunately two of our friends were feeling under the weather and couldn't make it.

 

Other than that I don't think anything of note really happened so I'll continue with the ship tour.

 

As you may have noticed by now Cafe al Bacio is one of our favorite places on the ship. Below are some photos I took there at various times throughout the cruise. On average we visited Cafe al Bacio 3 to 5 times a day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find the full Cafe al Bacio album here.

[prim8keeper]

While I know its always a topic of debate, personally I do enjoy the lawn even if it is under utilized. Truth be told after being on the Silhouette I kind of missed the alcoves. During this cruise in addition to the Hot Glass Show they did have a few events on the lawn during sail away.

 

Below are several photos I took at the Lawn Club throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

 

A lot of the grass on Eclipse was roped off. This was also the first time we saw a sprinkler out on the lawn.

 

 

 

This was also the first time we ever noticed this store. It wasn't open once during the cruise. I think this is where the Porch is on Silhouette.

 

[prim8keeper]

 

 

 

The lawn at dusk.

 

 

To see more photos of the Lawn Club area visit this album.

 

Also located on the lawn on Eclipse, Equinox and Solstice is the Hot Glass Show. On our previous cruises we had never made it to the Hot Glass Show so we made a point to go on the last sea day this cruise. We stayed for about 5 minutes before leaving. While it is interesting, it wasn't for us. It was standing room only by the time we got there.

 

 

 

As I stated previously, I think I like the changes they made to this area of the ship on Silhouette. However, at the same time though I like there is a difference. I'm not a fan when all the ships are the same since that can get boring. If anyone would like to see photos to compare Eclipse versus Silhouette I would be happy to post some Silhouette Lawn Club photos.

[prim8keeper]

The library area on Eclipse was the same as the library areas on the other ships we have been on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find additional library photos here.

[prim8keeper]

On Solstice and Equinox the area on Deck 7 off the atrium is Team Earth. While it was still called Team Earth on Eclipse, they also had the Captain's Club Hostess desk there. I think it may also be this way on Equinox. Personally I found the space a little confusing and it still looked under used. I think the idea of Team Earth is great, but overall it seems like it was poorly executed. It is a real shame since in the end its a missed opportunity at a time when we really need to be pushing the conservation message. I worked with orangutans for years and the extent and speed to which their habitat is being destroyed is horrifying when you look at the data. Ok, I'll put my soap box away now.

 

 

 

Below are some random photos I took that didn't really fit into any of the categories I divided my photos into.

 

This first photo is of the elevator area on deck 11.

 

 

This second photo is actually of the carpet in our cabin. I just thought it looked artistic?

 

 

Finally, this is one of my favorites. I snapped this photo one day on deck 5 when I was heading back from Cafe al Bacio to our cabin. While I generally don't photograph people, when I do I love getting candid shots of people just enjoying life. It can be a hard thing to capture, at least for me.

 

[CTBob]

Thanks Tom, I've enjoyed every post. Now I'm ready for my time on the Eclipse, too bad it's not until January! Bob

[SharonK]

Could not resist adding one that itook at Cafe al by io.

[prim8keeper]

Could not resist adding one that itook at Cafe al by io.

 

No fair! Your leaf is better. :p Eclipse was the first time we have noticed them doing designs.

[Quesnel]

Tom, your review has been fantastic. You have a real talent for taking awesome pictures. This was the best cruise ever!!

 

Kerry and I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with you and Pete this trip. Really hope we can do it again.

 

We are in Europe - changed our trip - now in Sept 2016 and doing Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Greece. Then we are doing Mardi Gras in February 2017. Think this cruise may be back online for 2018. Though we are still too far out to book yet.

 

Think we might have to look at Mexico or something for the winter 2016, too much snow is hard on us.

 

Enjoy your trip to Europe, tell us all about France!!

 

Talk soon.

 

Pat and Kerry

[prim8keeper]

Celebrity Today - Sat, Feb 28, 2015

Featured Today - Sat, Feb 28, 2015

Sales Flyer #2

 

Before we knew it we were on sea day #5 which was our last full day of our cruise. It was bittersweet. When we first booked Eclipse I was worried that two weeks on a ship may be too long, however I easily could have gone around again.

 

We slept in and then went and had a relaxing breakfast in Blu. We didn't have much planned for today. The only thing I wanted to do was go to Bistro on Five for lunch since today was the brunch buffet. Given how busy Bistro on Five was I think a lot of other people had the same idea. We did the brunch buffet on Silhouette by accident and it was a mad house so we had no desire to repeat that experience.

 

A few photos of Bistro on Five. Of all the ships we have been on I like how they decorated Bistro on Five best on Eclipse.

 

 

 

 

 

Full Bistro on Five album.

 

In the afternoon we began to pack. While I hate admitting the cruise is over, we have found its easier to get things packed up in the afternoon so we don't have to worry about it in the evening. The last night is always a quiet night on the ship so we like to stay up late.

 

For dinner we went with our friends to Blu one last time. As I have stated multiple times during this review Blu was fantastic, both the food and the service. Part of what made dinner in Blu so much fun were some of the antics of our waiter. The photos below were just taken with my iPhone.

 

 

 

After a long dinner we stopped by the MDR to say goodbye to all our other friends just in case we didn't see them again and then visited the Molecular bar, Martini bar and Cafe al Bacio one more time before calling it a night. We were doing walk of express in the morning so we did not have to worry about getting our bags out by 11 pm.

[prim8keeper]

Before we admit this has to end lets tour a few more areas of the ship starting with the Martini bar.

 

For those who have been curious this first photo is of the 25th Anniversary martini. I wish I had my camera the first time I ordered one of these since the bartender cut up a strawberry into a rose.

 

 

 

 

Next to the Martini bar is Crush. I've never been able to figure out what this area is really supposed to be. You never really see anyone sitting over there unless the Martini bar is really full.

 

 

 

 

Full Martini Bar album.

[prim8keeper]

Here is the room that is located on the way to the Ensemble Lounge and specialty restaurants. For those who have not been on an S-class ship this area has a different art instillation on each ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[prim8keeper]

A few photos of the Ensemble Lounge.

 

 

 

A photo of the bathroom sink. I really like the public bathrooms on the S-class ships.

 

 

You can find all of the Ensemble lounge photos in this album.

 

The last stop on our tour will be the pool deck. This were taken around dawn on the morning we arrived in St. Lucia.

 

 

 

Starting on Silhouette the fountains above are gone. Personally I thought this was an improvement.

[prim8keeper]

Here a few photos of the pool deck and lawn club at night. Its very peaceful up there at night when few people are around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find the full pool deck album here.

 

Finally, here is a photo of the Sky lounge. Full disclosure this photo is actually from Silhouette hence why there are Christmas decorations. However, the Sky lounge on Eclipse was very similar. I meant to go up there one day to take a few photos but forgot.

 

[daydreamer16]

Thanks so much for your lovely pictures and review! We won't be on the Eclipse until next February, but I think I'll be looking at your pictures a lot over the next 11 months! It's our first time in Aqua Class!

[prim8keeper]

Celebrity Today - March 1, 2015

 

For those who are wondering here is the disembarkation information.

 

We were up bright and early on Sunday morning. It is always hard for me to sleep on the last night. We decided to do walk off express since it was very well organized on Silhouette. From the time we got off the ship through customs must have been all of 10 minutes. Our flight out of Miami was at noon, so while we were not in a huge rush, I was also just anxious to get off and get going. I also heard that customs is Miami can take a while so why risk it?

 

Looking back now, I wish we had not done walk off express. The disembarkation information says for people to go to the Eclipse theater, deck 5. However, this wasn't the case and the woman who was organizing walk of express was not doing her job. This whole experience is my only complaint about this cruise. On Silhouette we were on the 3rd floor of the dining room. The way they did it was that when you arrived you lined up your suitcase and then took a seat. The suitcases were lined up in the order in which you arrived. The woman running it then gave prompt updates on what was happening and how long they thought it would be before we would leave. About 5 minutes before we were to get off the ship she had everyone stand up and stand near there bag and told us what we needed, etc. to get off the ship. It was very well done. Eclipse was the total opposite. People were just standing around in lines at the doors, both by the theater and Cafe al Bacio, and there was no direction by any X staff. At least not up by the theater. The woman who I believe was supposed to taken care of things was just standing in the theater by herself. 7:30 am came and went and no one really knew what was going on. Around 7:45 am they began disembarkation. However, since no one was reminding people what they needed to get off the ship there was a woman at the front of the line who didn't have her sea pass. She then proceeded to hold up the line for almost 10 minutes while she searched for it. By now, I and many others were starting to getting annoyed. Finally, she found her sea pass and things began to move. I still don't understand why they didn't tell her to move aside until she found it.

 

Once inside the port area we learned that if you had more than one suitcase you had to take the elevator. This is my second complaint with X. I really don't understand why they could not have made this information available ahead of time? Had I known this, I would not have chosen to self disembark. All it would take is a simple note on the disembarkation form for those ships sailing out of Miami. On top of that the security guard who was telling people they couldn't go down the escalator without a free hand was also then just pointing people towards the elevator which meant there were people cutting the line. There was no way to know why people were standing in line until you got to right by the escalator/elevator. This then lead to lots of people complaining. Meanwhile we started seeing numbers 1-5 pass by us. So much for first off the ship. While I understand all of this was not necessarily on X, I do think they need to get better control of all of this inside of just passing the buck off to the port officials. This is my last impression from this sailing and it wasn't positive at all.

 

Finally, we made it downstairs and headed for customs. By now I should have known luck was not on our side today. As we approached the line at customs an officer walked up to my DH and said, "here let me help you with that as he was trying to get out his passport." This is when I just let out a sigh. My DH didn't realize what was happening, but I did. We were being pulled aside to be searched. It was obvious that we were selected because we were young and did not match the demographics of the cruise. I think he actually thought we were crew since when he asked us where we from and we said Georgia he thought of the country first, not the state. I have no idea why. The whole process took about 20 minutes and everything on our form was correct and we were well within all our limits. Most of the other people in the room where having to pay extra taxes on various items. Everyone else who was selected, not to stereotype, was old and looked like they would do some shopping in the islands or clearly foreign.

 

From here we made our way to the Miami airport. That was only our second time flying out of there and it will be our last. It was a zoo. There were people and lines everywhere and nothing was clearly marked. By now I was also not in the best of moods. Finally, we found where we could check in. We used the machines and then waited in line for about 10 minutes to have the tags put on our bags. Why you would have 15 self check-in machines and then only one person tagging bags is beyond me. Needless to say since Miami is one of American's biggest hubs I was surprised to see things were so disorganized. Its like they went out of their way to do things in the least efficient way possible. We have been been very spoiled flying out of Atlanta where everything runs like a well oiled machine. After this is backs to Delta for us. From here we made our way to security. This is when I got into a minor argument with the TSA because they said I too many bags to go through security. I had a backpack with my camera, a smaller roller bag and then the X zipper tote bag which had some souvenirs in it. They told me I had to condense it all down to two which was impossible. I also wasn't about to go check my other bag since I just planned to do it at the gate and I knew both my backpack and the X bag would easily fit under my seat even if I didn't. This is when I noticed that our tickets had priority on them so we just left the regular security line and went over to the priority one. They just let me pass through without issue. Honestly I wasn't even aware of the two bag rule until this day and I've never been to another airport that has said anything. I've watched people take bags which clearly should be checked through security.

 

The priority security line was very fast and in about 5 minutes we were inside the terminal. By now it was almost 10 am. Since we didn't have breakfast on the ship and we were starting to get hungry we decided to get some breakfast before heading to our gate since we had time. We got to our gate about 45 minutes early and from here the rest of our trip was thankfully pretty uneventful. Our flight to Atlanta was on time and we were back in Atlanta and at the grocery store by 4 pm. It was a very harsh jolt back to reality.

 

All and all with the exception of disembarkation this was a fantastic cruise. I really enjoyed this itinerary and we will do it again in the future. With this cruise we are also now Elite which will be nice moving forward since it will give us some free internet minutes. I don't really care about anything else, but the internet will help with occasionally needing to check work emails.

 

Thanks to all our friends who joined us on this cruise, especially our adoptive cruise parents! Additionally, thanks for being so much fun to all of our new friends. Everyone we met on this cruise was a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing all of you on future cruises. Unfortunately, our next cruise isn't for a while, but that's ok. Our next cruise will be Reflection in November for my birthday! With that we will also have sailed on all of the S-class ships. I'll final be able to complete my X S-class ship mug and magnet collections. :p

 

Since this was a photo review I'll leave you with a few more photos I took on my iPhone during the cruise. Happy sailings!

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

Full Molecular bar album.

 

Tom

Edited March 29, 2015 by prim8keeper

[Hollywood Traveler]

Absolutely wonderful, Tom. Thank you so much for going to all the work to post these lovely memories for all of us. You did a fantastic job.

 

Larry

[Vol fan]

A wonderful review and fantastic photographs, Tom. Have a grand time on your trip across the pond.

[Grandmaanne7]

Thanks again Tom! It was wonderful to meet you and amazing to relive the cruise through your review. You have an incredible memory to remember all the facts and information on our island tours. I loved your photos and hope we get to cruise together again.

[swigso]

WhaT a fantastic review, probably one of if not the best

I have read,

Really brought back memories of the beautiful Eclipse

[acoupleofcruisers]

Thank you so much Tom. I have been making notes for our repeat of that cruise next Feb.

You will be heading to our home town of London. I wish we could show you "our" London. Have a wonderful time.

If you are foodies and have time go to the food halls in Harrods. It is amazing. Even if you don't buy anything.

 

Once again thank you.

 

Maureen

[acoupleofcruisers]

Just one more thing I promise.

 

A fun thing to do and useful is to buy an "oyster" card which will give you access to public transport. It is much cheaper than pay as you go and you can just say - that bus is going in that direction and hop on and get off when it turns off.

It is six years since I have been home and we have been here 40 years but I would love to visit again.

 

Maureen

[prim8keeper]

Thank you so much Tom. I have been making notes for our repeat of that cruise next Feb.

You will be heading to our home town of London. I wish we could show you "our" London. Have a wonderful time.

If you are foodies and have time go to the food halls in Harrods. It is amazing. Even if you don't buy anything.

 

Once again thank you.

 

Maureen

 

Just one more thing I promise.

 

A fun thing to do and useful is to buy an "oyster" card which will give you access to public transport. It is much cheaper than pay as you go and you can just say - that bus is going in that direction and hop on and get off when it turns off.

It is six years since I have been home and we have been here 40 years but I would love to visit again.

 

Maureen

 

Thanks for the tip about the food halls in Harrods. I will have to add that to my list of things to do.

 

Our Oyster cards actually came in the mail this week along with our tickets to the Tower of London. I can't wait! :D This is my first time getting to spend any real time in England.