Eclipse: Not Your Parents' Celebrity

[readyforacruiseagain]

We too were on the cruise. Missed the shows (spouse not a big fan) and now disappointed.

 

Murano was wonderful,, Tuscan Grill underwhelming. We got a discount at Tuscan and told it was fully booked (Wednesday Night), but it was still only 1/3 full by the time we left (8:00 pm). No way was it worth a $45 surcharge.

 

MDR okay and I missed what I remember being great bread baskets (now I barely touch them).

 

No more fresh squeezed OJ and no fresh fruit for smoothies or tropical drinks.

 

Cafe Baccio great.

 

Buffet good, but pretty much the same day after day.

 

Had a drinks package and really don't need to drink that much. I think the non-alcoholic package is worth it if you are a coffee drinker.

 

Still an older crowd and few children.

[Aquahound]

We too were on the cruise. Missed the shows (spouse not a big fan) and now disappointed.

 

One thing I forgot to mention about the shows...there were 2 comedians. I do not remember their names, but the guy who performed on night 1 was probably one of the funniest comedians I have ever seen. He had me in tears.

[readyforacruiseagain]

Saw 20 minutes with him and he was funny, but I thought fairly predictable. Liked his "Hope & Dreams" running joke.

[basil1]

Are these changes currently only on the Eclipse (or does anyone know)? I am sailing on the Equinox in a couple of weeks. I hope the new shows etc are on the Equinox as well.

[hcat]

We too were on the cruise. Missed the shows (spouse not a big fan) and now disappointed.

 

Murano was wonderful,, Tuscan Grill underwhelming. We got a discount at Tuscan and told it was fully booked (Wednesday Night), but it was still only 1/3 full by the time we left (8:00 pm). No way was it worth a $45 surcharge.

 

MDR okay and I missed what I remember being great bread baskets (now I barely touch them).

 

No more fresh squeezed OJ and no fresh fruit for smoothies or tropical drinks.

 

Cafe Baccio great.

 

Buffet good, but pretty much the same day after day.

 

Had a drinks package and really don't need to drink that much. I think the non-alcoholic package is worth it if you are a coffee drinker.

 

Still an older crowd and few children.

 

Gee...some of the things you miss were part of the niceties of cruising...now gone.

We will be on Equinox in Jan to sample some of the new shows!

[eandj]

Thin crispy bread sticks still in the bread baskets? DH enjoyed those a lot with his predinner drink in the past.

 

Since we left X for 3 years, to try other lines, we're coming back next month for Eclipse. Love the 14 day Carib. when we aren't into a land break.

[wallie5446]

Are these changes currently only on the Eclipse (or does anyone know)? I am sailing on the Equinox in a couple of weeks. I hope the new shows etc are on the Equinox as well.

 

We were on the Equinox Nov 20-30 and Paul's comments read like he was describing our cruise to a tee!

 

My wife has commented almost daily to everyone she talks to, that this was our best cruise in 25+ years.

 

Nice to read that it was not just a one off, but is happening on other Celebrity ships too.

EW

 

ps: We were in an A2, had flowers, tea, chocolates, nice towels, daily changing of the fruit, ect, ect.

Edited December 19, 2015 by wallie5446

[Don P]

We had him on Freedom of the Seas and on the Oasis of the Seas! He is as personable as he is funny! He was awfully nice to our 15 year old granddaughter a few years ago on an elevator ride. I hope he will still be THE CD on our January 5th sailing!

 

We love the Solstice Class ships and the music change sounds great!

[dappledumpling]

One thing I forgot to mention about the shows...there were 2 comedians. I do not remember their names, but the guy who performed on night 1 was probably one of the funniest comedians I have ever seen. He had me in tears.

 

Rondell Sheridan..

[I&J Cruisers]

We just came off Reflection and had a great time. Entertainment all over. Hardest working CD I've seen in years. (Alexander). Different but great time. A lot of energy on the ship. I wonder how much of that can be attributed to the drink packages. I've never seen the bars hopping like that. Cafe Bacio either for that matter.

[Christine Frances]

Thin crispy bread sticks still in the bread baskets? DH enjoyed those a lot with his predinner drink in the past.

 

Since we left X for 3 years, to try other lines, we're coming back next month for Eclipse. Love the 14 day Carib. when we aren't into a land break.

 

Aren't those bread sticks great!! Loved them on the Millie in October.

[Aquahound]

Thin crispy bread sticks still in the bread baskets? DH enjoyed those a lot with his predinner drink in the past.

 

Yes, they are still there. :)

 

Rondell Sheridan..

 

Yes! That's him. Thank you. :)

[blueboro]

We too had Richard Spacey as our CD on our October Med. Reflection cruise and I have to say the 70's night was one of the best parties we have seen on our 18+ cruises and he was there the entire time with his staff throwing out gifts and dancing. I rarely remember a CD unless they are really good or really bad (like Andrew Y. IMO). And with all the negativity on the board of recent we found our October cruise to be one of the best ever in regard to food and activities.

[basil1]

We were on the Equinox Nov 20-30 and Paul's comments read like he was describing our cruise to a tee!

 

My wife has commented almost daily to everyone she talks to, that this was our best cruise in 25+ years.

 

Nice to read that it was not just a one off, but is happening on other Celebrity ships too.

EW

 

ps: We were in an A2, had flowers, tea, chocolates, nice towels, daily changing of the fruit, ect, ect.

 

Great...thank you!

[lodinayr]

So nice to read an UPBEAT thread!! Cruising will continue to evolve and you have to always look ahead not back. I love the comments from the "young at heart" couple in their seventies. Glad people are enjoying themselves!!!

[Aquahound]

So nice to read an UPBEAT thread!! Cruising will continue to evolve and you have to always look ahead not back. I love the comments from the "young at heart" couple in their seventies. Glad people are enjoying themselves!!!

 

Thank you! With all the negativity lately, I thought it important to report a great experience. :)

[Cruzaholic41]

Cruise Director - This might have had a lot to do with it. I don't know if this is coincidence or part of Celebrity's rebranding. The CD was Richard Spacey.

 

Hi Paul. :) I think you're right on both counts. I was on the 14 night cruise before yours and I agree, Spacey brings an energy that I have never seen before on a Celebrity ship. Plus, given my recent Reflection cruise, I think this is all part of Celebrity's modernization strategy. I'm very happy with it.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Glad to read all the positive comments. We're on Eclipse in March and one thing we have committed to is going to more shows since we're not doing too many excursions. From what I've read here we've made a good decision.

Edited December 21, 2015 by CHEZMARYLOU

[chamima]

We're on the Eclipse in February and i was sad to hear that Sue wasn't going to be our CD.

It sounds like Richard was also really good so that's great to hear!

Thank you!

 

Has anyone asked him how long he'll be on board?

 

 

 

Also, thanks for the heads up on the shows.

My husband really dislikes them and after many years of going alone and finding them "been there, done that" I've also stopped going.

I'll make a point of going this year.

Edited December 21, 2015 by chamima

[Cruisegoer]

They push for bookings so hard that with just a little bit of pushback, they will drop the price to $30-35.

 

How does one negotiate the fee at a surcharge restaurant exactly? Put your own hair in the food perhaps?

[Aquahound]

How does one negotiate the fee at a surcharge restaurant exactly? Put your own hair in the food perhaps?

 

No silly, not while you're eating....when you book.

 

We booked Murano and Qsine when we first boarded. They gave us both restaurants for 25% off. A couple days later, we were solicited outside the Oceanview Cafe. We told him we wanted to try Tuscan Grill, but the price was too high. He said no problem...25% off.

 

Of course, this is for on board bookings, not pre-bookings on-line.

[Banjo]

Nice review.

 

Just got off the Silhouette yesterday.

 

Its obvious they are trying up-grade the entertainment especially in the smaller venues. Liked the jazz group & folk singers in that area going to specialty dining areas. In the main theater they had Jane Curry 2 nights, who I seen maybe 3 or 4 other times on previous Celebrity cruises in the last 5 years. I like Jane with her singing and brand of humor, so I enjoyed her shows. Comedian was good, especially the one that shared the stage with Jane on the last night. Happy they moved the after-hours show with the first night comedian to the main theater from the smaller theater. On past cruises I had difficulty getting in for those. The group doing the Motown hits were good. I met them in Labadee the next day and complimented them. We exchanged stories on all the different Motown group concerts we been to. The Las Vegas kind of shows are getting old, on future cruises I may just start passing on those.

 

As far as the dress Chic night goes, I wore a jacket and tie, maybe about 30% of other men did the same. Seen no tuxedos. Most seem to wear what they usually wear, golf shirt and a pair of khakis. I suspect the men wearing jackets and ties will decrease as time goes by.

 

Food was good. I ate in BLU and did go to the Specialty Restaurants. Found the service to be excellent both in BLU and the Oceanview.

[Banjo]

No silly, not while you're eating....when you book.

 

We booked Murano and Qsine when we first boarded. They gave us both restaurants for 25% off. A couple days later, we were solicited outside the Oceanview Cafe. We told him we wanted to try Tuscan Grill, but the price was too high. He said no problem...25% off.

 

Of course, this is for on board bookings, not pre-bookings on-line.

 

Every time we walked to BLU for dinner we were approached by staff to consider Tuscany or Qsine. That is probably the time to start negotiating. ;)

[Hlitner]

For us it is not about "negotiation" but more about being friendly and stating our "terms." For example, the usual crew members were soliciting folks to go to the alternative restaurants (primarily Tuscan and Qsine) during our recent 14 days on the Eclipse. We had already taken advantage of the 50% off at Murano (usually available to Aqua Class and Suites the first night of a cruise) so our immediate "want" was to go to Qsine. After being "pitched" multiple times by a staffer, we finally said that we would go to Qsine on any non-formal night if we were given 30% Off. This was initially declined but after a couple of days that same staff member agreed to the deal. At that time he tried to sell us on the Tuscan (we have no interest) and DW mentioned that we would not mind returning to Murano if we could get 30% Off. His response was "impossible" to which we simply said thank you and moved on. A few days later a Murano waiter (who was trying to get folks to book alternative restaurants) asked us if were coming back to Murano and we told him "not unless we can get 30% off." He asked us to wait a minute and got on the phone. He then said we had a deal if we agreed to go on the last night at 8pm....to which we quickly agreed :).

 

Our attitude is that we like some of the alternative restaurants, but now think they are overpriced! So if Celebrity is willing to let us dine in those venues at what we think is a reasonably price, then all is fine in the world. But if they insist on the current high prices we simply decline. No biggie as we are usually quite happy in Blu or even the MDR.

 

Hank

[hcat]

Hope that if one politely indicates an non interest in these sales approaches they will let it rest.. On our Reflection cruise anyone sitting in the atrium at the start of the cruise was harassed constanly by bar reps abt alc packages..quite annoying and very low class.

 

 

Worst yet was on Oasis (ship with mall & food court) At a dress up family dinner Celebration in a speciaty restaurant, .between dinner and the cake, our waiter appeared with a cook book and something for pouring wine , AND went into a salespitch...I saw my dtr catch my husb and my looks as we told him how rude and unmannerly that was on his part... not to mention poor timing..any .extra tip reflected that..

 

Seems a certain lack of class, polish, good manners and elegance is now coming to Celebrity a bit at a time!