Solar Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Exotic Southern Caribbean

[tnfcruise]

The lamb looked wonderful!!! :) The price of the wine is crazy!! On our last cruise on Equinox we had such a wonderful Sommelier, we told him what price level we were comfortable with and he was able to find wines that worked, most were wines I had never heard of but were good nonetheless...

 

 

Believe me, you were lucky!

 

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

The lamb looked wonderful!!! :) The price of the wine is crazy!! On our last cruise on Equinox we had such a wonderful Sommelier, we told him what price level we were comfortable with and he was able to find wines that worked, most were wines I had never heard of but were good nonetheless...

 

 

Believe me, you were lucky!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

 

We have to echo tnfcruise's sentiments , you were lucky and it also sounds like the smart way to go , defining price level first ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Eating lunch and dreaming about beaches; enjoying your day at Barbados. The beaches were beautiful. Your guide looked lovely. I love local tours.

 

Your meal in Murano is definitely something to drool over while I eat leftovers. But the wine price; they should be ashamed. I buy such good wines on the price point between $15 and $20 at Costco and such. Sad to see a cruise ship take advantage.

 

Enjoying and reading along!!!

 

It's beach weather here - so we're dreaming about icebergs ! But I guess that's what dreams are made of , a more desirable situation .

The wine served us was at our price point - on land ! But on the ocean it was piracy ! We don't mind the cost of unique food and service as much as the wine but we will drink less next time .

And at this point in the cruise we were remembering something that a more experienced Celebrity cruiser said on our TA rollcall in 2015 with Gracie :

 

 

I can't think of his name , or the exact quote , but he canceled his cruise and explained why indicating a fall off in quality and Celebrity's 'Nickel and diming' policy . And as our third 2 week cruise on the Eclipse was beginning to wind down , we could now understand his point ! ;p

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

After the large dinner we decided to try to walk it off and catch a sunset from the upper decks . But it didn't work , and the clouds ate the sunset leaving behind this unique bench .

We were excited again to be diving in St. Lucia and the Celebrity Today heightened the anticipation .

As did this sunrise !

We were a bit concerned about a strong on shore wind but we had a well protected and beautiful harbor .

The view from the Veranda

[chamima]

This thread is about the February 18th cruise (actually it was the 19th) . Same CDC inspection.

We were on a B2B with the Feb. 5th so we knew a lot of the crew and they were apologizing all evening for being behind because that inspection didn't give them the time to set up for the cruise.

But later in the cruise the whole crew got a barbecue to reward them for getting such a high score on the inspection.

 

 

St. Lucia .

 

 

 

That white roofed building on the far left was where the celebratory barbeque for the staff was held.

[scubacruiserx2]

That white roofed building on the far left was where the celebratory barbeque for the staff was held.

 

It's great that they take care of their crew who take great care of us . There is also a small dock near it where the boat is . This is where we met our dive boat . :cool:

[scubacruiserx2]

We did get our cabin assignment on the Eurodam . We got an upgrade from a SC to an SA - but it's next to an elevator So that puts us here , but on the other side . :confused:

 

 

Edited April 21, 2017 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Meanwhile back on the Eclipse , we saw a group boarding and so we headed down

The beautiful view

[scubacruiserx2]

The description of our suite from HAL . Do you think we will need our clothesline ?

Neptune Suites2 lower beds convertible to 1 king-size bed, bathroom with dual sink vanity, full-size whirlpool bath, shower and additional shower stall, large sitting area, dressing room, private verandah, 1 sofa bed for 2 persons, floor-to-ceiling windows. Approximately 506–590 sq. ft. including verandah.

Room Amenities

• New Bose® Bluetooth-enabled Soundlink
  
• New complimentary mimosas with in-suite breakfast
  
• New premium duvet, and soft, cotton bathrobes and slippers
  
• New binoculars for use during voyage
  
• New expanded line of Elemis bath amenities
  
• New in-suite coffee and espresso machine
  
• A very special amenity exclusively for guests cruising in a Neptune or Pinnacle Suite, the industry-leading Neptune Lounge features a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleet-wide lounges provide worktables, large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, refreshments throughout the day and Wi-Fi for a small charge. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge is closed.
  

• Complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout your cruise
  
• Complimentary sparkling wine served in the Neptune Lounge upon embarkation
  
• Complimentary bottled water provided in suite at embarkation
  
• Gorgeous corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night
  
• Cold hors d'oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request
  
• Priority boarding for tendered ports of call
  
• Special disembarkation service
  
• Priority dining and seating requests
  
• Exclusive daily breakfast service
  
• High tea service in suite on request
  
• Teak-lined private verandah
  
• A variety of firm, medium and soft pillows
  
• No-host mini-bar for easy entertaining
  
• One-touch telephone concierge service
  
• Fresh flowers
  
• Umbrellas for your use on the cruise
  
• Our signature Mariner's Dream™ bed featuring a plush Euro-Top mattress and finely woven cotton linens
  
• 100% Egyptian cotton towels
  
• Premium massage showerheads
  
• 5X magnifying make-up mirrors and salon-quality hair dryers
  
• Fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure
  
• Complimentary fresh fruit on request
  
• Elegant ice bucket and serving tray for in-stateroom beverages
  
• Video On Demand Interactive TV System
  
• Ice service, shoeshine service and nightly turndown service
  

 

 

[perfect match]

Looks like you got a beautiful cabin for your Alaska cruise! Now you can print out those luggage tags and get ready to go, but hopefully you will find time to tell us about diving in St Lucia before you go! :p

[upwarduk]

It will be difficult to go back to 'run of the mill ' cabins after that suite experience!

Enjoy.

[scubacruiserx2]

Looks like you got a beautiful cabin for your Alaska cruise! Now you can print out those luggage tags and get ready to go, but hopefully you will find time to tell us about diving in St Lucia before you go! :p

 

The printing is done and the videos uploaded so we hope to go diving today ! :):D

[scubacruiserx2]

It will be difficult to go back to 'run of the mill ' cabins after that suite experience!

Enjoy.

 

Thanks Jackie , and that's so true !!

We are going to try to treat it like our wedding by enjoying the experience - until the honeymoon is over . :) :D

[Gracie115]

And at this point in the cruise we were remembering something that a more experienced Celebrity cruiser said on our TA rollcall in 2015 with Gracie :

 

 

I can't think of his name , or the exact quote , but he canceled his cruise and explained why indicating a fall off in quality and Celebrity's 'Nickel and diming' policy . And as our third 2 week cruise on the Eclipse was beginning to wind down , we could now understand his point ! ;p

 

 

 

 

I don't remember his name either but remember when he bowed out of the cruise because of the "nickel & diming" issue.....I don't like it either, but found it much worse on our Royal cruises.......Celebrity has such a great product, I hope they don't diminish it anymore by these tactics....

[Gracie115]

The description of our suite from HAL . Do you think we will need our clothesline ?

Neptune Suites2 lower beds convertible to 1 king-size bed, bathroom with dual sink vanity, full-size whirlpool bath, shower and additional shower stall, large sitting area, dressing room, private verandah, 1 sofa bed for 2 persons, floor-to-ceiling windows. Approximately 506–590 sq. ft. including verandah.

Room Amenities

• New Bose® Bluetooth-enabled Soundlink
  
• New complimentary mimosas with in-suite breakfast
  
• New premium duvet, and soft, cotton bathrobes and slippers
  
• New binoculars for use during voyage
  
• New expanded line of Elemis bath amenities
  
• New in-suite coffee and espresso machine
  
• A very special amenity exclusively for guests cruising in a Neptune or Pinnacle Suite, the industry-leading Neptune Lounge features a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleet-wide lounges provide worktables, large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, refreshments throughout the day and Wi-Fi for a small charge. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge is closed.
  

• Complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout your cruise
  
• Complimentary sparkling wine served in the Neptune Lounge upon embarkation
  
• Complimentary bottled water provided in suite at embarkation
  
• Gorgeous corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night
  
• Cold hors d'oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request
  
• Priority boarding for tendered ports of call
  
• Special disembarkation service
  
• Priority dining and seating requests
  
• Exclusive daily breakfast service
  
• High tea service in suite on request
  
• Teak-lined private verandah
  
• A variety of firm, medium and soft pillows
  
• No-host mini-bar for easy entertaining
  
• One-touch telephone concierge service
  
• Fresh flowers
  
• Umbrellas for your use on the cruise
  
• Our signature Mariner's Dream™ bed featuring a plush Euro-Top mattress and finely woven cotton linens
  
• 100% Egyptian cotton towels
  
• Premium massage showerheads
  
• 5X magnifying make-up mirrors and salon-quality hair dryers
  
• Fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure
  
• Complimentary fresh fruit on request
  
• Elegant ice bucket and serving tray for in-stateroom beverages
  
• Video On Demand Interactive TV System
  
• Ice service, shoeshine service and nightly turndown service
  

 

 

 

WOW!!!!! Will you ever be spoiled!!!! We are in a Signature suite on our Alaska cruise in June.....nowhere near the space or perks.... hope you have a wonderful time!!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

I don't remember his name either but remember when he bowed out of the cruise because of the "nickel & diming" issue.....I don't like it either, but found it much worse on our Royal cruises.......Celebrity has such a great product, I hope they don't diminish it anymore by these tactics....

 

I only remember that he was a New York Policeman and that his comment kinda stuck . I guess time will tell with Celebrity , but for now we have the HAL cruise and a RCI on the Harmony in July . It's been 15 years since we were on RCI !

[scubacruiserx2]

WOW!!!!! Will you ever be spoiled!!!! We are in a Signature suite on our Alaska cruise in June.....nowhere near the space or perks.... hope you have a wonderful time!!:)

 

We originally booked a Signature suite and later noticed that the Neptune SC was 'only' $ 400 more p.p. And so we called back just a couple of hours latter and changed it , but we had to pay in full !

We also had to call our charge card and ask for an increase to cover the RCI final payment and the airfare to Seattle , all in one week ! :eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

While we were waiting here Pat asked a security guard if we were in the right place for the dive boat and told her where we needed to go

Soon the boat picked us up with 3 snorkelers from the ship and we were on our way !

Here's a video clip of the Eclipse as we were leaving :

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=5C-ByukyBFI&video_referrer=watch

 

And because I slowed the speed of the video speed , it now sounds like the Hendrix song Third stone from the Sun

[scubacruiserx2]

The scenery of St. Lucia is spectacular and reminds us of Hawaii !

Our first dive was at the base of the Piton volcanic spires

 

It's a drift dive called Superman's Flight . It was used in the movie Superman 2 where he flew between the 2 mountains as seen in this clip :

 

There was a lot to be seen on this dive so please click on the blue links to look at the videos also . This is a Slimy Doris Nudibranch , like a sea slug .

A delicate Banded Coral Shrimp inside of a sponge

A couple of videos :

Looking like a snake is a Sharp nose eel

 

 

Colorful sponges

 

 

And there were lots of lobster waving to us with their antenna

 

[perfect match]

WOW!!!!! Will you ever be spoiled!!!! We are in a Signature suite on our Alaska cruise in June.....nowhere near the space or perks.... hope you have a wonderful time!!:)

 

You're right about that, Gracie! I'm not sure how much they will enjoy the mere balcony cabin next door to us on the Koningsdam that they currently have booked! :eek: At least it is an aft balcony! <3

[perfect match]

Joe, great pictures and videos of your dive! I loved the colors you were able to get. :cool:

 

I'm not sure if I saw the first video, the one going past the Eclipse at the start of your dive. YouTube was acting funny when I clicked on that one. When I clicked on the eel, it took me through the rest of your St Lucia videos right up to the Lionfish.

[scubacruiserx2]

You're right about that, Gracie! I'm not sure how much they will enjoy the mere balcony cabin next door to us on the Koningsdam that they currently have booked! :eek: At least it is an aft balcony! <3

 

We tried for our favorite view in the aft but they were all gone and so we had to settle for an suite instead :rolleyes:

 

And we really are looking forward to aft view on the Koningsdam with you so much so that we just couldn't wait and so we

had to book this cruise . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

In addition to the Caribbean Spiny Lobster we saw this Spanish Lobster

I really like these Peacock flounders

They raise their dorsal fin when they swim as in this video :

 

 

 

The Lion fish has venomous spines but are pretty swimmers

The Lion fish video :

 

We had concluded our first dive and so it was time to leave the towering Pitons in our wake

[NemoCrownie]

You may address it but who did you dive with in St Lucia. We had a less than stellar diving experience there but definitely want to do it again with a different operator.

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

You may address it but who did you dive with in St Lucia. We had a less than stellar diving experience there but definitely want to do it again with a different operator.

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

Sorry to here that , perhaps you should share that as well as a point of reference .

We used Scuba Steves premium service which costs a little more but gave us a faster and less crowded boat that took us further south than our previous visit there .

The Captain noticed my wife's scar on her knee and made sure that the crew gave her extra help . We also had a nice multi course meal , soft drinks and water . We enjoyed the Aruba dive boat but we think that St. Lucia was better over all and loved the scenery from the boat .