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After a snack we started to look around. One thing I have noticed from previous cruises is the push for people to purchase speciality dining is everywhere. At one stage, every floor we went to, someone tried to sell us on the speciality dining. We also noticed this happening at the spa, they really wanted to give us a spa tour (about 6 people asked us, one after another), previously you could look around at your own pace. We are staying in a concierge room, it was nice to see the added addition of foot rests, as I've previously only seen them in the aqua class staterooms.

We arrived at the port this morning at 11am (with a 12pm booking time - the first time available for boarding). They were already boarding as we arrived. As expected they were checking everyone for vaccination status and negative covid tests. We were onboard by 11:10am, the new boarding system is alot faster than the older system. We went straight to the room and dropped our bags, we met our room attendant who was friendly as always. We wandered upstairs to the oceanview just for a light snack and to look around. I haven't cruised since 2018 (Silhouette 10 nights). Many people are commenting on cutbacks in the buffet, but to me, the selection looked better than before. I liked the addition of the make your own ceaser salad, and an entire dip station with pita breads. Dip Selection Make your own pasta and further down, pizza and calzone nachos with a huge fixings station Make your own ceaser salad

Tonight we headed down to Circular Quay for some icecream, and to have a look around the overseas passenger terminal. My partner who has never cruised before, is beyond excited. We walked around the dock, and stood there imagining how large and beautiful the Eclipse will look tomorrow. Just after we got off the train at Circular Quay, you can see the Overseas Passanger Terminal to the left (a very short walk). Overseas Passenger Terminal where we will board tomorrow The dock where the Eclipse will be tomorrow (presumably tomorrow this will all be blocked off for loading supplies etc). We stopped for gelato at Messina Gelato, I'm a qualified Pastry Chef (I use to work for Adriano Zumbo), so good quality sweets are super important (unfortunately I've never been a fan of any of the desserts in the Oceanview Cafe or Cafe Al Bacio on Celebrity, however we have booked at Tuscan and hopefully Le Petit Chef once we board). Pictured is ' pastry cream gelato, besting cake, caramelised almonds' and ' caramel tiramisu' gelato.

By the time we got to our hotel it was 3pm, we had missed lunch and we were starving. We decided to go to Five Guys. Five Guys in Australia is very new, with only 3 stores in Australia. It's definitely not cheap, but we really enjoyed it when we were in Los Angeles in 2019. Our first mistake was forgetting that the cheeseburgers were double patties. Absolutely loved the burger, and probably some of the freshest and crunchyest fries we've had in a while. At AUD $64 for 2 burgers, 2 softdrink (soda) and a regular fries, it's definitely a treat.

This morning we left our small regional beachside town. Somehow we both managed to over pack, and were lugged with the excess baggage fee (my partner says this is because I didn't want to bid to upgrade to Business) Our flight was set for 12:35pm departure, it's a very small airport with no aerobridges and only 3 gates (all 3 gates are in the photo lol). We landed in Sydney about 1:50pm and headed for the train. The train is by far the easiest option to get from Sydney Airport to the city. It only took about 15 minutes. We are staying at the Little National Hotel, the entrance is right at the exit for one of the city loop trains, tomorrow morning we plan to take the train back to Circular Quay (one stop) and take the very easy walk to the overseas passenger dock. We've stayed at the Little National Hotel in Canberra before, and I've previously stayed with the brand 'Citizen M' while overseas which has a very similar room layout. This hotel isn't for everyone, but we love it for the modern touches, comfy bed, free coffee and tea in the rooftop lounge etc.

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Hey all, Tomorrow we leave on our cruise from Sydney Australia, on the Eclipse. A short 5 night cruise down to Hobart and return. Hopefully we will be able to post regularly with a focus on food on board (I'm a chef working in a 5 star resort in Byron Bay - a popular beach side town). It is currently autumn in Australia, though the days are still warm (26C), Hobart is at the Southern end of Australia and we expect lows of 9C. A little about us, we are both in our early 30's and from Australia. This is my 5th Celebrity Cruise ( all on S class) and my partners 1st cruise. We have booked Concierge Class (my first time in concierge, after previously staying in standard verandahs and aqua class). Tomorrow we board at 12pm, with the plan to head straight to the concierge lunch in the MDR. Today we fly out of our very small regional airport, with a short 55 minute flight to Sydney. We will be flying on Virgin Australia. Follow along if you are interested, and feel free to ask any questions, I'll try my best to get back to you.

I've used a pre-paid travel card before with no problems. But do be warned that they will place holds on your card and it may take up to 2 weeks to be released. Last time I had about double the amount I actually spent, put on hold. Ended up being short for the rest of my holiday (Australian, and had my travel card loaded with US), I decided to never do it again.

We booked a concierge as we moved up from a verandah cabin for only $50 more. We sail in 7 days, I will keep you informed. I was actually curious as well, because it looks as though the breakfast menu was slightly expanded for everyone, now that there is a $9.95 charge. I'd actually love some foot rests on the balcony, if they were looking to add in some perks 🤣, not worth the extra for aqua class (for us).

We are booked on the 10th of March (Eclipse), and the cruise is sold out. Not sure if that is 100% because I'm assuming there are cabins set aside for people to isolate in if they get covid?

I lived in Melbourne for 10 years and fully agree with Lahore. The 7 Starbucks stores that remain are conveniently located in tourist hot spots, there to attract tourists who are looking for something familiar. Simply put it, Australians who enjoy decent coffee are often found at their local cafe (family owned), using high quality beans sourced from sustainable sources, with coffee based off espresso shots and not drowned in sugar and artificial flavours. American style coffee is usually pumped full of sugar and flavours, or drip coffee, and is simply a different style of coffee to what Australians enjoy. Drip coffee, which is water based is not very popular in Australia, our closest similar product would be a long black. Most Australians drink an espresso based coffee, finished with hot milk. I would agree that while onboard the coffee is average - even at Cafe al Bacio. Often the milk is scalding and the quality of coffee low and quite bitter (please don't come at me and suggest adding sugar, because I happily drink coffee without). Of course you will still find me there every morning, but it's not the quality I'm use to.

I think we are in the group " willing to accept changes until the last straw". If I think back at our first cruise in 2012, alot has changed. Brunch in the MDR with ice sculptures, free behind the scenes tours (galley tours were always free), tubs of cotton buds and pads in the rooms (oh the uproar when they were removed), the removal and reinstatement of the turndown chocolates, afternoon tea in the oceanview, Michael's club before it turned to suite passengers only. Next month we will be on our first cruise since covid, we last sailed in 2018. I think we will still enjoy Celebrity. Times are changing, and I work in hospitality myself. If I don't have to cook, clean and worry about how I'm getting from point a to b, or where to go to dinner, I'm happy. For me, it's the demographic that Celebrity attracts that keeps me coming back.

Someone posted a copy of the new breakfast room service menu that they received on the Reflection (I will try and find it), and it is only continental breakfast included now. The eggs, bacon, pancakes etc are all now on the premium menu and included a $9.95 service fee plus tips :(. I think alot of people could make do having to pay after breakfast, but I know alot of people enjoy breakfast on their balcony (or even not having to change from their pjs), and don't want to drag plates of food through the elevators to their room. Photo taken by guest (not me) on Reflection.

We called, and the lady was so helpful. I chose to upgrade (in Australia our final payment isn't until 75 days before sailing), upgraded to a C2 from a 1A for AUD$25 each. Felt it was a good deal for the extra captains club points, as we are only 80 away from elite (every little bit counts). Will certainly keep an eye on the upgrade me offers as well for an upgrade to Aqua.

With this in consideration, will those with a classic alcoholic package be able to receive everything in the zero proof package? Previously, it has not included smoothies, redbull, aquapana (?) and vitamin water and only included the selection available in the classic non alcoholic.

Can anyone provide me with instructions on how to change staterooms before final payment, online? I've just noticed our cruise is $500 cheaper (we are 82 days out of sailing). Previously (over 5 years ago) you used to be able to change your stateroom online, I thought rather than doing a simple category change, I could upgrade into a more expensive stateroom (but the same price as our original booking). I can not for the life of me find the option, the only option i can find is 'change stateroom' but when i click on the options it sends me to a dead end. Our reservation is Australian-based, and we have a non-refundable deposit, so cancelling and rebooking is not an option. Thanks for your help 🙂

Followed BeachLovers advice and was able to get in :). Have booked an excursion with 35% off (though i did note the excursion increased by $50 last week - but still cheaper than its original price that I have been watching for a few months)

We sail in March for the first time in 5 years as well. Back on the Eclipse (for the third time), menus for the specialty restaurants don't look like they have changed. We will dine at Tuscan Grille with the first night discount (I've never had a bad meal there across three different ships) and we will try Le Petit, though I agree the menus do look, quiet, average - though the experience sounds fun. The speciality restaurants are quite expensive taking into account currency exchange (Australian), so we will stick with the main restaurant for most of the sailing.

I received this as an email in Australia, but also it's the 15th here (10am) and I can't see any itineries available (only the Solstice, Singapore --> Sydney and return).

I would say average age is around 55 - 65, but also it depends on the itinerary. We took our first Celebrity cruise at 21 - transatlantic cruise from Southampton. The average age was about 70, many people asked "where are you from to be able to take this much time off work" or " you are definitely the youngest on here". On the other hand, we have taken a South Pacific cruise where the average age was around 50-60. We are in our 30's now and Celebrity is the only cruise line we cruise with. We cruise for the excellent food, quality (non tacky) entertainment, great service and relaxation. Never has there been a time I have been bored, and I've happily attended colouring in classes, scrapbooking, late night shows etc.

Yes, as above, you can usually order from the MDR to be delivered to your stateroom, I've done this a few times. I believe unless you are in a suite (where your butler may bring you each course by course) all of the meal comes at once.

Unfortunately as others have said the Great Barrier Reef is a very long way from Sydney, and you won't be able to do a day trip. Have you considered? * Fly into Melbourne (spend a few days) highly recommend a trip out to either the 12 apostles or to Phillip Island for the penguins * Fly to Sydney (spend a few days) * Hire a car and drive Sydney --> Brisbane this is a 10 hour drive and you would want to stop for an overnight once or twice. Very popular is Byron Bay, which is about 2 hours south of Brisbane. You will also drive through the Gold Coast too. * Take a cruise from Brisbane up to the Great Barrier Reef. You will have plenty of opportunity to go diving. Jan/Feb is peak cruise season, along with peak holiday season. It will be very hot, so keep that in mind when planning your holiday. You will have many cruise lines to choose from, whether you go out of Sydney or Brisbane. We prefer Celebrity, but there is also P&O, Carnival, Royal Caribbean.

100% change, but like all airports around the world right now, Sydney airport has been a nightmare (very very long lines for security - people waiting hours in them). Also as mentioned above this will be peak holiday season for alot of Australians, especially the day after new years, you will find alot of families going away. If possible, I would overnight in Sydney the day you disembark.

I have visited Kuranda on our own (not while on a cruise). It's really beautiful and certainly worth the day trip we took Gold Class on the train to Kuranda and then took the sky rail back (note the skyrail and the train DO NOT depart and return from the same area), you will have to purchase a separate transfer. Would I do this on my own, while needing to get back to a cruise ship though? Absolutely not. If you have an overnight stop in Cairns, I would say no problem at all. However, we had our own nightmares just trying to get back to our car (even though we had pre-booked transfers as per the offer you posted). Be willing to pay for an uber back, as we did. Also, if anything happens in Kuranda, you are a 40 minute drive back to Cairns, I would imagine a taxi or Uber to be quite slim in the area. I 100% recommend going to Kuranda, but wouldn't risk it on your own.