Ruthk

I had sailed many times on Celebrity, always sailing either two weeks or four weeks (B2B) at a time. At that time I had only sailed RCCL and Oceania and felt Celebrity was the right fit for us, luxury without being over the top. But over the years things took a slide and prices went up drastically because they were giving us "free" options. I had an opportunity, 2 yrs. ago, to sail NCL Getaway for a week and then immediately after board Celebrity Eclipse for a one month sailing.

I was extremely impressed with NCL. maybe it was the ship, but we had a great time, there was so much to do and we had a ball. I have found Celebrity boring. Almost everything on Celebrity's daily schedule is a 'sell' from their restaurant tours, wine classes, learning about watches, amber..., or trying to get you to upgrade to the premium liquor package.

I will still sail Celebrity because there are things I still like, but now I will no longer be exclusive, I will shop around.

About 10-12 years ago the Constellation had Caribbean cruises out of Bayonne. They were 11/12 day long cruises. We absolutely loved it. We would make the easy 7 hour drive, lots of parking at the cruise port (and then it was reasonably priced) and it was the only ship, so no huge crowds wondering around.

We did this cruise 2 years in a row, they were not sold out and we paid a reduced price also, both times. I remember complaints about putting up with bad weather for 2 days before we got to warmer waters and it was an older crowd because it was a longer cruise.

It was so beautiful sailing past the NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty. There was also a beautiful bridge we sailed under.

We all know it is supply and demand. They had a hard time filling up the ship. If it was sold out they would never have cancelled that itinerary.

In a New York minute I would sail out of Bayonne again.

I sailed the Eclipse for 4 weeks in Jan./Feb. and there was a sign in one of the shop windows. They are lovely pearls - good luck!

Only one spot I see smokers and ashtrays. On the swimming pool floor (12) on port side they have a small area with couches and chairs.

She told me to go to the casino to take out OBC during the cruise

I am on the Eclipse right now and there were several myths from these posts.

Firstly, this cruise was booked in US dollars and paid for with my US charge card. Several had stated I could not buy OBC in Canadian money using a CDN charge card since my cruise was paid in US. That is not the case. I booked it over the Internet and a $25.US unit cost me something like 30.65CDN.

Next, I can get the balance of unused OBC that I bought. On the last day, what has not been used comes right back to me in US cash, or it goes back on my credit card, whichever way I want it.

And not that this is part of this post, but everything has been wonderful on this sailing. The main dining room food is better than last year, the staff is excellent, drinks are served quickly and the ship is still lovely. And all those people that groaned about taking away formal nights, well there were so many people on the first chic night - I think it was more formal than ever! And the casually dressed were fine. It is just as it should be - wear what you want! Cheers.

I am on the Eclipse right now and Sue is definitely not the cruise director. I asked where she went and was told she is on one of the M class ships. A fellow named Damian is here. I must say they are trying several different thing from last year, to give the ship a bit of life. The martini bar now has a DJ that comes on later in the evening. There seems to be more live music playing from the lobby of Deck 3. In my eyes, all great add ons.

I am Elite Plus on Celebrity and last year sailed for the first time with NCL on Getaway. So I can only compare Getaway's food to Celebrity. In this case I'll compare S Class on Celebrity as the Oceanview Buffet is better IMHO on the S Class than the M Class. Regarding MDR food I felt they were comparable. Getaway has a MDR open for lunch on embarkation day; Celebrity does not. Getaway has three MDR (all with the same menu.) One large two story one aft that is comparable to the one MDR on Celebrity, but Getaway also has two smaller MDRs, Taste and Savor. I really liked the smaller elegantly appointed rooms as they felt more like a specialty restaurant than the cavernous MDR. We had breakfast many times in Taste and all were really good. Every time we ordered a sunny side up egg it was perfectly prepared.

 

Getaway's specialty restaurants are much less expensive than Celebrity's. I thought Getaway's desserts in the MDR were also better than Celebrity's. Getaway also has O'Sheehans which is open 24/7...we really liked being able to get a cooked to order hamburger anytime...whereas Celebrity's Mast Grill closes as 6 pm.

 

Getaway's buffet was extensive and I like the way NCL has napkins and cutlery and condiments on every table; no need to carry them yourself.

 

Getaway has the Waterfront concept with several of their specialty restaurants offering an al fresco dining experience.

I agree with everything Helen has written. Once upon a time Celebrity's MDR dishes were beautifully presented to you and now it is not garnished and just plunked in front of you. On Celebrity you can't get a real tea pot and there was never a problem getting one on NCL. I also very much loved the fact that NCL had almost every restaurant open on the first day, once on board. We loved the pub O'Sheehans and enjoyed every meal we had.

Today, I would say NCL wins the meal category and X has to pull is socks up before they start being compared to Carnival!

What is it they call our dollar - a petro-dollar. When oil is up or dollar is up.

We depend on our natural resources as Canada doesn't have any manufacturing to speak of.

It isn't just the dollar that has hit cruisers. Celebrity has raised their prices drastically to pay for those "free" BBB perks.

I do this sailing every year - all ports are docked. You will enjoy this cruise, it's very laid back and always with a nice group of people. We will be on Jan.24th sailing also and stay on for the Feb.7th sailing as well.

All I know is I bought 36 units @ $30.60 CDN.

Each unit is worth 25.00 US.

25.00 US x 36 units = 900.00 US

30.60 CDN x 36 units = 1,101.60 CDN - is what it cost me

BMO at today's rate of 1.4791 would have cost me 1,331.19

Therefore I saved $229.59 CDN

Last Sunday evening I purchased 36 units of OBC which showed I would be charged $30.60 CDN for each unit (25.US/unit). excellent exchange rate! Several days later when I went on the internet to view my CDN. MasterCard transactions I saw that I was charged $36.68 CDN instead of the $30.60CDN. Therefore I was over charged $218.88CDN. in total.

I was prepared for a fight and had copied all my receipts and also noted every single person I spoke with from Captains Club. I had to send a fax of my M/c statement showing the Celebrity overcharge and also any relevant receipts from Celebrity.

I was happy to get a message from Celebrity today that they would honour the 30.60Cdn/unit and credit my charge card the 218.88CDN.

So I am very happy it all worked out in the end and I have 36 units at an extremely wonderful price.

I found the Celebrity people I spoke with courteous and friendly with a willingness to get things right. It did take two days.

Lastly, my cruise was booked with my US MasterCard. I don't see how that interferes with OBC's as others have stated. My OBC were paid with my CDN MasterCard.

So it all ended well or me!

And upon "resigning" they get a multi million dollar bonus. Where did I go wrong in life!!!

Go in to Google and type in 'most popular swimming pool games' and you will see time and time again Marco Polo listed.

I spend a month on Eclipse every year - never seen a microwave or anything that looks like one.

I think many of you are over-thinking this commercial. I liked it.

My first time seeing it, my head was down and I was working on the computer. I heard the gentle sounds of Marco and then Polo. Rights away my head perked up to see what this was. I am 62 and my summers are spent either around our pool or at lakeside cottages. For the last 30 yrs. children have played Marco Polo. It is probably the most played pool game for children.

Way too much time is spent here finding another thing that Celebrity is not good at. Really! The glass is half full, or the glass is half empty, which are you?

I don't understand why everyone is so willing to pay for this Bistro! Don't you think that after Celebrity drastically raised the cruise prices to offer us the BBB promotion, they should absorb the costs in the Bistro.

Celebrity really doesn't offer us many options in free dining compared to other cruise lines, and I truly believe they should cut the prices out. How much does it actually cost for the ingredients to make a crepe - gouge, gouge, gouge!

RuthK, looking forward to meeting you on the 24th. We'll also be on the ship for 28 days. Glad to read the OP's statement. But, I would hope that people in charge would talk with the people with holey jeans.

Hi Judy, it will be nice to be back on board. We do this sailing every year, for a month. Were you with us last year - I tend to think you were. I take my mom on this cruise (soon to be 90), and you will find her doing lengths in the solarium pool around 11am every day for an hour.

Before dinner we are at the Martini Bar.

We had our first snowfall today and are now ready for the south!

Please introduce yourself to us when you see us around.

Ruth.

Well, it was bound to happen soon. I just now checked the BMO exchange rate and right now the 25.00 would cost you 36.20, so 34.40 is still a better deal than our banks.

Sorry but I disagree. I think the commercial is smart and eye catching, making you wonder what the Marco Polo is!!!

Unfortunately, I can no longer say that Celebrity is "modern luxury", and it is sad to say that my next cruise with X (next weekend) will be my last. We are elite plus and worked hard to get to that status, but now the bad is out weighing the good.

Great to hear the sky is not falling! We will be getting on the Eclipse on Jan.24th for a month and we were wondering if the ship had gone downhill in the last year.

Enjoy your cruise!

Yesterday I called the Captains Club and the attendant that I questioned stated that if you booked your cruise in US dollars then the OBC you would purchase also had to be in US dollars, as others here had mentioned.

I challenged this because when purchasing OBC, it says CDN funds and nothing about Celebrity converting afterwards. She went on to read the fine print and agreed with me. Also, if I was buying it as a bon voyage gift for someone, and saw this quote in CDN it should not be my penalty if the cruise was booked in US dollars.

She then went to clarify with her supervisor. The supervisor said it made no difference if the cruise was booked in CDN or US dollars. If you are using a CDN dollar charge card and your OBC receipt states 30.60CDN, then that is what you would be charged.

I have both their names if a problem develops. I have photocopies of the receipts ready in the file. If a mistake occurs then I will just refuse payment on my charge card and let Master Card and Celebrity fight the dispute.

If you order room service breakfast, the only syrup we have ever received has been sugar free.

OK - help me out here. I am lost on what difference it makes if you booked your cruise in US $ or CDN $.

These are meant to be presents.

If I was buying several units at the shown price of $30.40CDN as a Bon voyage present to you, then that is the price I should pay - makes no difference to me, giving you a gift, if the cruise was booked in Canadian or American money. Also I should be able to use my Canadian charge card and see no conversion on it.

If it states 30.40CDN - then 30.40CDN it should be.

What am I missing here?

I have sailed the 14 night southern Caribbean cruise every year. We sail it as 2 x b2b so we are gone for a month always in late Jan./Feb. so this year it is Jan.24th and Feb.7th.

Now it all depends how you measure a party ship, but I would say it isn't a party ship. It is an older crowd and they wake up early. I don't think I have ever seen more than 10 people in the disco - ever. The martini bar is a hit and miss. Last year, the first cruise it was very busy, and then the second cruise was quieter. Last year Sue Denning, the activity director, organized the Dancing with the Stars out by the swimming pools and it was a load of fun - it was the first time it was held outside and everyone was having a great time. I tend to think this cruise is starving for a bit more fun entertainment, but that is my opinion. They also held a couple of theme parties out by the pool - these were fun also.

Because it is a bit of an older crowd there are many people who complain about music out by the pool. Meanwhile I am one that wants to hear some Bob Marley on a Caribbean cruise.

Celebrity is weak on entertainment. I never knew this because I really only sail Celebrity (we are elite plus), but last year had an opportunity to sail NCL and was blown away with their entertainment - they always had several things going on, never boring.

Eclipse is a beautiful ship and the passengers are nice, crew is great and we have no problems with any of the food.