floralscent

We were on the April 23 sailing- Vancouver to Hawaii. This was the first Eclipse sailing in 2 years and we had the 11:00 time slot. We cruised right through and were probably one of the first 10 people to board the ship. It really was smooth sailing, pun intended, to move right through. Just have everything needed in order and plan ahead...you will be fine. Happy sailing!

On 5/23/2022 at 8:55 PM, jelayne said:

Never could figure out why pre Covid  folks wouldn’t pack some things like Advil, cough meds, bandaids and antibiotics.  We never leave for a trip ( land or sea) without  them. 

I always have packed a "Dr. Bag" just to have Band-Aids, Neosporin, Advil, Tylenol, Pepto, etc. quick and handy when needed. It's nice to have gel for tooth issues and all other sorts of random things on hand as you never know what you might need. i have done this for years and although we have only needed to go into the bag a time or two...it is nice to just have. 

The ships may no longer have meds in the shops but they do have a $9 can of Pringles in case you are interested. 🙂 

19 minutes ago, Ms2paint said:

I have a cruise coming up in August to Iceland Ireland. Final payment has been made. Mask mandates may be necessary for indoors if Celebrity really wants us to cruise safely. Also, Celebrity may need to rethink this pre-boarding testing, it does not appear to be working. I am at the point where I believe a variant of Covid will always be with us.  I will need to learn  to control my anxiety and deal with Covid, and quarantine if necessary.  I want to travel and cruise to different countries. 

The testing pre-cruise is important but also sort of nonsense as it only identifies those that are positive at the time of testing. We tested two days prior to flying from the US to Vancouver and although we were negative at test time, there was a lot of travel that took place between test time and boarding...which means lot of time to catch COVID. 

Cruising is a risky endeavor right now due to the closeness of all the passengers and sometimes we are together for days on end if there are multiple sea days. People need to start covering coughs and being respectful of others while onboard. I am not a germaphobe at all but I was absolutely shocked by the number of passengers on my Celebrity cruise (that was less than a month ago) that never even tried to cover a cough. I don't see that type of behavior locally more than once or twice here and there and for some reason many on my sailing lost all of their manners. So disrespectful and disappointing after all we have been through as a society.

7 hours ago, pamps2801 said:

If you were to choose between Murano or The Tuscan Grill on the Eclipse, which would you choose. Looking for recent reviews.....thanks in advance

Hands down Murano on the Eclipse.  Was on the April 23 sailing on the Eclipse and the first night there were almost no lights in Tuscan and the food was Applebee’s quality at best. Went back a few nights later to see if they worked out the bugs and the lights were on but the food was still mediocre at best. Tough cut of steak, unusually slow service for Tuscan, felt dirty in there to me and just not worth the extra. Almost feel like the Eclipse ruined the excitement of Tuscan for us. 
 

Do yourself a favor and visit Murano…felt clean, great service and food.  

8 hours ago, miched said:

Feel the same.  We now drink wine, beer or spirits neat.  No chance of them messing it up. Don’t know why it is so hard to make a decent Old Fashioned or Manhattan.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Agree 100% miched! Hubby loves his Old Fashions and Manhattans but opts for his McCallan scotch or a nice bourbon neat once he realizes the mixed drinks are not going to be good. At least there are options!

18 hours ago, jelayne said:

Are you confusing your cruise lines? There isn’t a Explorer Lounge on any Celebrity ship.

OH SNAP!!!!! jelayne...you are right!!! It is the Ensemble Lounge 😲

Well, maybe the drinks are good there as maybe I had too many and forgot the name. Sheesh!

All of my comments about the Explorers Lounge were meant for the Ensemble Lounge. Sorry

18 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

I was on that cruise as well, we spent a lot of at the World Class Bar. Did you try their cocktails?

Can you refresh my memory on where the Explorers lounge is? I missed it but I guess its good I did. I had a hard time finding a good Cadillac margarita until I went to the Ocean View bar of all places 😆 

Hi lovecruzin! We did try World Class and we spent a good amount of time there too...it's likely we saw each other and didn't know we were 'cruise critics'. 🙂 There were a few drinks there that we liked a bit and we found that area of the ship is fun to sit in.

The Explorers Lounge is a 'walk thru' bar on the way to Blu and Tuscan. Murano is right off the lounge as well as Michaels Club. Lots of live entertainment there and we LOVE the dark atmosphere there for before and after dinner drinks.

1 minute ago, WonderMan3 said:

My biggest complaint with bartenders onboard (outside of the Martini Bar or when ordering from Luminae) is the inconsistency. One of my favorite drinks onboard is the French Caribbean which is a frozen concoction. On my last cruise on Summit it seemed like every bartender onboard made it differently and at least one bartender was totally clueless about how to make it. That inconsistency happened with other drinks too like Bahama Mamas, Blue Hawaiian...

 

The cruise line should really have a set bartenders guide for drinks so they all can make them the same way.

I couldn't agree with you more WonderMan3! Inconsistency is a huge issue for sure.

On the Eclipse and in the Explorers Lounge I asked for a French Martini. This is a drink that a bartender in the Explorers Lounge surprised me with a few years ago on the Solstice. I have asked for this drink in the Exp Lounge on numerous cruises since and everyone has know how to make it...some better than others. This time on the Eclipse the bartender said he didn't know how to make it. Another said she did but was going on break. The original bartender then asked if he could surprise me with a drink and I said 'sure'. He then brings me the worst Appletini I have ever had and I couldn't make myself drink it. I am not picky for the most part but come on Celebrity! Wow...just Wow.

Just off the Eclipse April 23 sailing and I have to say that I did not have 1 good mixed drink, aside from the martini bar martini's. Bar tenders IMO were horrible and I really hate to say that. We had the premium pkg as a perk and I would have been disgusted if I had paid additional to upgrade to premium. We ended up just sticking to wine and other non-mixed drinks as we just couldn't find a bartender that could make a great drink, even using the premium spirits. 

We were surprised by the lack of drink making skills as Celebrity typically has a bartender or two that I/we like and will seek out. Not this time...

On 5/8/2022 at 10:44 PM, Wineaux007 said:

I'm currently on Eclipse.  Paper straws won't hold up for one bloody mary.  I haven't seen any other type.

Interesting! I didn't find the straws to get the gross paper feel after using them for a while. Maybe they are only in some bars or locations? 

This straw is on the Eclipse as well! So happy it doesn’t get icky! 

27 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

If we are ever on another cruise together we will have to try to meet.

 

 

 I just sensed from the roll call that were some, certainly not all, but some folks could not  “go with the flow.”     I found the complaints about the weather interesting too,  but was really wowed by a passenger who told me he was angry (his word not mine) that the ship wasn’t stopping at KauaI;  for those reading this Kuai was never on the itinerary.

Any day on a cruise ship is a great day if you ask me. I too was on this sailing and disappointed in a few things but let’s be real…disappointment is a part of life. We don’t even need a TV in our cabin as disconnecting with everyday ‘life’ is part of our best experiences. 
 

Misery loves company and some just want to get others going.  
 

We can’t wait for our next cruising adventure!

Wonder if this would be a better value- Try looking into reserving a small specialty dining package (maybe 2 dinners) to see if the cost is much less per dinner. Yes, you'll likely spend a bit more per person but you'd all get a few dinners at least, which is a better value. For us a dining package is the only way to go. You could then reserve the meal days and times when you board asap. Good luck!

8 hours ago, mom says said:

That just suuuuuuuucks. With such short port calls, I'd cancel,  but that's JMO

I was on the first Eclipse sailing and we were affected and lost a port day to a sea day and we didn’t find out until we were sailing away. With a substantial change like your itinerary has with notice like this is a definite bail for me. The time in your ports isn’t even worth the trip unless you were hoping to just stay on the ship. I’m so sorry 

I am currently on the Eclipse and have not noticed many masked people. What I do notice though is the number of people coughing or clearing their throats without covering at all. I noticed a man sneeze about 5 times in a row and he used his arm. He then proceeded to wipe it off with his his repeatedly onto the side bar in the Martini Bar area. What???!!!😬😳

Most people are clueless of their actions and effects on others. 
 

I say just be on guard and aware of your surroundings. Wash your hands often,  use sanitizer and have a mask handy if needed. I am far from a germaphobe and am still in shone. Buffet crew serves the food and that is nice. It is the non mouth covering coughers though that kill me.  I’m hoping the incredible amount of perfume I’m smelling will kill the germs. 

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

We had a small deliver of some  breakfast items and some of Iain’s favorite   Hobnobs, chocolate digestives, Battenberg Cake, cereal and of course Scones, Jam and clotted cream  

 

Obviously  our appetite remains good. 

 

 

 

Now we’re talking’ ❤️

On 4/24/2022 at 9:19 AM, mikewomb said:

I would not like the infinite veranda and wouldn’t want to take a chance. 

You need to make your own observation but for me personally, I am a Solstice class girl. Cruised the Edge in an IV in January 2019. The room was gorgeous and felt spacious but I never felt like I was ‘on’ my verandah. The ship IMO was created to have everyone mid ship in the evening hours as all the specialties and martini bar were lumped together. Never again for me but again YMMV. 

3 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Keep it " simple "---

Only deal with someone that can help you--

The Butler--- and, I'm sure he/her will take care of your " concerns ".

No need to get other Staff members involved---

 

 

This is great advice. I would also add that you should think about it this way- if you were giving someone disappointing service, wouldn’t you want to know so you could fix it? Or if that’s too much for you, Maybe approach the situation as a question about services. Such as-we really enjoy (fill in the blank with whatever), is this something you can provide for us? 
 

If you start out with something like- hi (butler name) how are you today? We have really been enjoying the services you have provided us so far AND (not but) I am wondering if you would mind doing (fill in blank) for us? 
 

In life i always try to chat kindly with the person first as I would not want someone going to my boss before giving me a chance to fix things. 
 

let us know how it works out for you please

2 hours ago, bh6605 said:

Crazy question here....

 

Does Celebrity sell the pillow chocolates anywhere? We loved our cruise so much, we talk about it all the time and miss it. I thought it would be so cool to leave chocolates on my kids pillows before bed. In hindsight I should've asked for a bunch from our stateroom attendant. 

I am onboard the Eclipse right now and I haven’t spotted any chocolates in shops.  Not sure you’d want ours but I don’t like them and was planning on leaving ours behind. Let me know if you’d like them and I can send to you if you’d like. 

3 hours ago, D C said:

And those same people, when in conversation on the topic, will likely deride others who do exactly as they do. People are clueless as to their own behavior and habits. It's just how people are, I'm afraid. 

I agree that people are clueless and that’s what makes things so dangerous. Maybe I shouldn’t be so careful and considerate of others. I tend to always think of others and how my actions could affect them negatively. Sigh…

4 hours ago, Lost in Italy said:

Why would SOME passengers then get to stay in their own cabins? I get the isolation, but inside rooms 24/7 are a bit much, don’t you think? 

I’m beginning to wonder if the ventilation in an inside room is best for COVID related incidents

On 4/24/2022 at 4:26 AM, OT-Miami said:

Can you explain the process to use OBC for extra gratuities?  I imagine they would prefer cash, but I rather use extra OBC for grats than to buy something I don’t really need. TIA

We buy the specialty dining pkg and when at Murano they gave us the little binder with our paid receipt in it. We could add grays to that using OBC. Also don’t forget that some of your OBC can be refundable. OBR is refundable OBC (typically TA assigned) and OBN is non-refundable (unusually Celebrity given). Dbl check your OBC on deck 3. 
 

I’m telling you this in case you want to give cash and get ‘refunded’ later if OBC is refundable. 

On 4/26/2022 at 2:33 PM, MagCynic said:

Are people STILL wearing masks everywhere despite being vaccinated? Is there a medical reason for this? 

Fully vaccinated here and I say due to the number of people coughing often and openly without covering is immense and honestly shocking to me. I am not a germaphobe at all but with COVID on the brain and my noticing of others coughing without covering…I am masking up. It’s honestly shocking to me of the coughing and clearing of throats and the utter disrespect for others. I’m On the Eclipse right now and I’m just in awe after all everyone has been through these last 2 years.

I follow many of the mentioned safety tricks mentioned and in addition I will add that I do not eat the part of a piece of food in my hand. For example, if eating nachos and you can’t eat them with a fork, I pick up a small corner of the chip with my hand and do not bite anywhere near the finger and just set that piece aside. Has kept me safe for many cruises

On 4/10/2022 at 11:22 AM, Purplsmurf said:

I have packing cubes and don’t understand the hype. I have used them, but they take up more space in the suitcase. I’m probably in the minority, but I just can’t understand why people rave about them 🤷🏻‍♀️

I roll our clothes and can pack so much into a suitcase that I can easily over pack due to having so much room. This also causes the suitcases to weigh over the 50 lb limit. I have packing and they are not an efficient use of space. Roll and be mindful of weight.