Solar Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Exotic Southern Caribbean

[chamima]

I think we were supposed to have sailed first but a surprise government health inspection made us late.

(And caused some restaurant related backups. )

However the Eclipse passed with 98% and the crew got a thank-you picnic later in the cruise.

 

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

I think we were supposed to have sailed first but a surprise government health inspection made us late.

(And caused some restaurant related backups. )

However the Eclipse passed with 98% and the crew got a thank-you picnic later in the cruise.

 

 

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Well done Eclipse and your crew ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

 

As we continued out we passed the 69 M yacht Lady S

 

 

 

and the 74 M yacht Coral Ocean

 

 

 

 

before coming to the Coast Guard station

and the condos that now serve as beacons of light to a new generation .

And as we pass the crowded South Pointe Beach , I couldn't help waxing nostalgic about the South Beach of my childhood .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The pier was in a different place then and it's where we learned to swim , snorkel , fish and surf .

Before the condos and the gentrification of the art deco district , it was home to a elderly and primarily poor Jewish population living in dilapidated buildings as chronicled here : http://www.michaelkranish.com/Michael_Kranish/South_Beach.html

But Miami Vice would colorize and change things a lot .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Vice

[scubacruiserx2]

And while many things have changed in Miami

some remain the same .

This young lady with Fisher Island in the back ground , resembled my high school sweetheart from 50 years ago when the Beatles were still making music together here .

The snowbirds still flock to Joe's Stone Crab

and Miami is still a good place to watch , or take a cruise from .

[WindwardBound]

Loving your posts, especially about Miami. My father attended Coral Gables High School in the late 1960's and it's always a real treat hearing his stories about Miami before Hurricane Andrew.

[scubacruiserx2]

Dive gear and camera are aboard, charged up and ready to go! I have learned the hard way that the camera must be fully charged right before I use it! I made the mistake of thinking a fully charged battery a couple of weeks or so prior to use would be ok. Not so much. Good thing I listened to you and bought a spare! I am practicing with the camera on land for now. I'm making some progress with learning to navigate through it's various functions, but I need more practice to be comfortable with it.

 

I'm glad you were able to enjoy your anniversary in Murano. I expect you had already planned the dinner and I'm delighted that you were able to use your thank you gift to cover it. Exactly what I hoped you would do. :D

 

Thank you for the cabin and balcony pictures! I've marked them for reference when we are ready to book a cruise on Celebrity. I don't know yet when that will be, but between you and Bimmer09, I am ready to give Celebrity a try. We currently have a couple of land based trips coming up that we are really looking forward to, but they do get in the way of booking more cruises! :eek:

 

Now, let's get back to your Eclipse review. I am glad Bonaire is early in your cruise because I can't wait to hear about your dives there!

 

 

Welcome aboard Nancy and please accept my apology for not getting back to you sooner :o

 

We're glad to hear that you are making progress with the Sealife and yes , their batteries and spares need to be fully charged . So after a couple of busy days around here , we heed to kick this cruise in gear ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Loving your posts, especially about Miami. My father attended Coral Gables High School in the late 1960's and it's always a real treat hearing his stories about Miami before Hurricane Andrew.

 

 

Well hello to you and your father ! I loved Coral Gables when growing up because it's where my brother and I used to cut lawns as a summer job . And we really loved the beautiful Venetian Pool located there !

In fact he only thing that I didn't like about Coral Gables was their football team who won 5 national championships in that era !!!

I grew up playing kids football and running track against many of those guys before HS and here's another old photo of the football team with yours truly being # 19 .

[scubacruiserx2]

As we exited the port you can see Fisher Island on the sunny side and South Beach on the right .

Our first sit down meal was on the uncrowded deck 4 in the MDR

Exquisite escargot

Beet and goat cheese salad

Thai spring roll

Prime rib medium rare

[champagne123]

Prime Rib PLEASE :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Prime Rib PLEASE :D

 

 

An excellent choice , and would you like that prepared ?

[Walt fan]

I love it when people give their take on where they grew up; your area has changed considerably. I grew up in a burb of Houston called Bellaire that is so different now I hardly recognize it. A majority of the old cottages are torn down to build giant mansions, sometimes 2-3 lots big. I am renting out my mom and dad's cottage for the time being. I have no desire to sell right now. The house next door just got torn down. It was really sad.

 

You are a retired firefighter! Thank you for all your hard work all of those years. I hope to say in about 3 years my DH will be a retired police officer. His goal is 32 years. You have the time and location to take many cruises; so awesome.

 

Your food looks amazing in the MDR. Can't wait to hear more.

[Lastdance]

We didn't see or hear any special warnings except what appeared in the Celebrity Today and use common sense if going into the rain forest , which we didn't .

Really? $49.00 for laundry? Please tell me this is a misprint. I just told someone on our roll call that it was around $20.....:eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

I love it when people give their take on where they grew up; your area has changed considerably. I grew up in a burb of Houston called Bellaire that is so different now I hardly recognize it. A majority of the old cottages are torn down to build giant mansions, sometimes 2-3 lots big. I am renting out my mom and dad's cottage for the time being. I have no desire to sell right now. The house next door just got torn down. It was really sad.

 

You are a retired firefighter! Thank you for all your hard work all of those years. I hope to say in about 3 years my DH will be a retired police officer. His goal is 32 years. You have the time and location to take many cruises; so awesome.

 

Your food looks amazing in the MDR. Can't wait to hear more.

 

 

It's a small world after all . My mom's brother and sister lived in the Northline area where we would visit and stay with them . And I did apply to the Houston Fire Department in the late 60's , but to no avail .

God bless you and your husband for your years of commitment as it takes a special lady to stay Married to a LEO or a FF as my Patty will attest . And I happen to thinks that law enforcement is a tougher job than mine was . We did meet a retired Dade County Police Officer and his wife on the cruise and we traveled in a lot of the same circles during the course of our careers and of course there was an instant connection .

[scubacruiserx2]

Really? $49.00 for laundry? Please tell me this is a misprint. I just told someone on our roll call that it was around $20.....:eek:

 

 

The price is right !

We became Select Members on this cruise which allowed us a $ 20 bag each .

[nursedibdob]

So excited to follow another of your trips. Especially since it's just 44 days until we see Eclipse again...

 

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

So excited to follow another of your trips. Especially since it's just 44 days until we see Eclipse again...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

Welcome and we're glad that you could make it ! Your cruise must come after the TA , so where are you going to this time ?

[nursedibdob]

Yes, straight after TA. Back to Norway, couple of places my mother last travelled to almost 70 years ago. Hoping to see Geiraingerfjiord without fog this time, but know we will have an amazing time whatever the weather ☁️⛅️☀️[emoji846]

 

 

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[scubacruiserx2]

Did we forget dessert at dinner ? I don't think so .

And these were the names of our waitstaff in the MDR .

Are you considering a specialty dinning package ? We pre booked 4 dinners for $ 125 each instead of the paying $ 50 p.p. price , thus saving $ 75 . Before dinner we met a person who scheduled the dates for our dinners and gave Pat this card .

I didn't see it until later but we found this on the other side .

So if you are considering a specialty meal , it's 50% off on the first day . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Yes, straight after TA. Back to Norway, couple of places my mother last travelled to almost 70 years ago. Hoping to see Geiraingerfjiord without fog this time, but know we will have an amazing time whatever the weather ☁️⛅️☀️[emoji846]

 

 

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That sounds amazing , returning after 70 years !

We too have planned Norway but next May with an Ireland and Iceland cruise . Part of the reason that we booked it was to see Cork where Pat's ancestors first sailed to the US . But Celebrity cancelled that port after we had booked it and added another day in Dublin . :(

[mom says]

So if you are considering a specialty meal , it's 50% off on the first day . :) :D

 

We had no sooner gotten our Mimosas after boarding when we were approached by someone hawking the dining packages. I declined the offer, being intent on getting to the MDR for lunch. But then he offered the 50% Murano discount for that night, and we grabbed it.

 

And I'm SO glad we did. Finest meal we've had in a long time.

[jennybenny]

So if you are considering a specialty meal , it's 50% off on the first day . :) :D

 

We are all about splurging on specialty dining on the first night!! We would have done it as well! Plus, 50% is a great incentive!!

[HappyCruiserWoody]

We enjoyed our dinner at Murano the first night!

[perfect match]

I loved the sailaway pictures, but I especially loved the Miami pictures from back in the late 60's! Brings back a lot of memories even though I was in CT, not FL during those years.

 

I'll take that prime rib meal exactly as it was served! :D Hope it tasted as good as it looked!

 

SeaLife is planning to visit Epcot Flower & Garden tomorrow for a practice run. The battery is charging!

[scubacruiserx2]

from reading your other reviews I can tell you that you will LOVE Ireland. In 2014 I went for 10 days and blogged about my trip. It was absolutely the greatest trip of my life.

 

 

A great recommendation for Ireland , do you think that Celebrity heard ? The Eclipse will be based out of Dublin next summer when we are scheduled for our B2B .

Since you enjoyed your trip so much , can you share your blog with us ? :) :D