LIVE FROM Eclipse with video and photographs

[saw777]

Hya Jo and Rob,

Thanks a great review so far. One question though, we were on the eclipse back in May and the CD was a guy called Que. We sail on the Ecplise again on 12th Sep and asked Que if he was still going to be the CD, however he said no. So who is your current CD and how do you rate them?

 

Thanks again

 

Steven

[andawayigo]

Love the review and the videos. Please keep them coming.

[suzzek]

The children steal the show for sure!

I second this statement! Who doesn't love a British accent, especially from children?! Takes me back to Mary Poppins and those adorable children. You Brits have such well-mannered children and yours are especially fun to get acquainted with through your postings!;)

[Lois R]

Jo:),another thank you for sharing this with us and I agree with the

other folks~your kids are the cutest!:D. I hope everything with the

dining room and the food has been fixed and Emily is enjoying

all her food too!

By the way, the food photos are wonderful too;)

 

You have a lovely family:)

Edited August 2, 2011 by Lois R

[Cruiser Susie]

How lovely to follow along on your cruise! Love the videos and the pictures. Thank you for sharing with us; it is good to see that you are enjoying the ship so much after all your preplanning. I hope that Emily's meals are all egg free from now on and that there are no more worries about that. We were on the Eclipse for a week in February and really enjoyed our cruise. I hope your family has a wonderfully memorable cruise.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Cruiser Susie

[Skovgaard]

Thank you so much for the video and posts, we cruise on Eclipse end of August and I'm counting down the days now. /quote]

 

KITTYKATE

Have you signed up for your connections party, have you also found the forum with your cruise mates on

[uktog]

 

Live from Celebrity Eclipse – Day 3 Second Sea Day

 

To see our latest Day 3 video please click the link below

 

 

Terry thanks for your kind comments and to answer your question, no we are not using a big tripod and most of the shots are hand held. Rob does have a mini table top tripod which we use for family shots.

 

Internet use onboard

The ship has Wi-Fi throughout so you can go online in any public area or in your cabin. Last night we had some issues trying to log on. For some reason we couldn’t get onto the guest Wi-Fi and instead the crew log in appeared. We called guest services (about 10.15pm) and we had an IT guy arrive at our cabin within 5 minutes! He was in our cabin for about 30 minutes trying to sort the problem out and finally got us back on the passenger log in. At one point the crew wi-fi rate came up at $0.19 a minute (but we couldn’t access it).

 

Unfortunately this morning we had exactly the same problem with Rob’s Mac although we could log on with my PC! It makes a change for my PC to beat Rob’s Mac! Rob went to the iLounge this morning and fortunately they were able to sort the problem in minutes. We bought the $99.95 package on the first day which was for 208 minutes ($0.48 rate/min). If you go over your minutes you will be charged the same rate as your package.

 

Jo’s tip 17 – Make sure if you want a package you buy it on the first day as you get an extra 15% of minutes free!

 

The cheapest package (and worst value) is $24.95 for 38 minutes which is $0.65 per min and the most expensive (and best value) is $399.95 for 1666 minutes which is $0.24 per minute. The standard charge is $0.75 per minute so it is certainly worth considering a package. There are additional packages available but that gives you an idea.

 

 

Not sure about these internet prices, if they are correct, there has been a serious price hike in the last month. You used to get 237 minutes for $99.95, if they are applying a 15% bonus that should take you to 272 or 273 minutes and not 208 minutes posted above.

 

Other posters have commented that the Day One bonus can be 0 or 10% so do not expect 15%

 

As regards the photos what do the dailies advertise? I thought the photographers always stopped 15 minutes before each sitting, though they would take all in line at that stage so they could get the dining room shots (which we more often buy these days). The only area there used to be issues was at the foot of the stairs, where groups often had pre arranged times which would mean you could not get a shot there immediately on the time of choosing. Hopefully with two more formal nights, you will get a family shot, but with your photography skills you may be better at a self timed shot as the quality of the formal photos is not good, attention to detail is often lacking and most ouf the ones done of us last year were out of focus or had flash glare so we did not buy, but did our own one on a self timer beside the "fireplace" in the lounge on Deck 14 which is a great setting - the better ship ones by far are the informal ones they do against a white background some nights

[Edinjean]

Thank you Jo & Rob for your wonderful review and very handy tips. The seats in the MDR look very close, are they as close as they look. Being a larger lady, I was hoping that they are not

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

[uktog]

Thank you Jo & Rob for your wonderful review and very handy tips. The seats in the MDR look very close, are they as close as they look. Being a larger lady, I was hoping that they are not

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

 

I am afraid in the MDR there is very little space between seats and between tables

[chris58]

Hello! What a lovely family ! And I just love your videos. Really greate! Thank you so very much! /love chris58. (Have travelled three times with Constellation Carribien and Europe. Soon with Century to Alaska.)

[Ma Bell]

What wonderful memories you are creating with your family and a great glimpse of cruising for the rest of us. Thanks!

[Jo and Rob]

 

Day 4 – Gibraltar UK

To see our latest Day 4 video please click the link below

 

Skovgaard, I definitely will compare P&O with Celebrity later in the cruise as requested

Kittykate, the films so far include Secretariat and King’s Speech. They are always shown in Celebrity central 4 but I haven’t checked it out yet.

Saw777, our cruise director is a Canadian called Dru Pavlov who is excellent.

UKTog, the internet packages posted are the standard packages before the 15% added minutes. Thanks for the comments about the photography.

Edinjean, some of the tables are pretty close together I think it is the luck of the draw to be honest. Ours is fine.

 

Last night the restaurant staff were really attentive and made us feel like VIPs! We were slightly late (but within the 30 minute window you have on fixed dining) as the photographer had his studio lights set up on deck 4 which we weren’t expecting and he was doing such interesting casual shots we didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

 

Jo’s tip 20 – Take advantage of the photographers on non-formal nights as there are no queues and they do some more casual shots.

 

We were greeted in the restaurant like old friends by the waiter, assistant waiter and Maitre D (who stood and chatted for ages) and the service was swift, efficient and not at all rushed. Our plates were cleared together, Emily got her egg free frogs legs and our waiter even made a swan out of a serviette at the end of the meal! We pre-ordered Emily’s main again although I think she finds it hard to choose when she has just eaten. Our assistant waiter even suggested that Emily could have egg free pancakes for breakfast if we wanted. We asked the Maitre D about this and he went to talk to the kitchen but couldn’t get a definite answer and told us to ask at breakfast. Sure enough this morning Emily had egg free pancakes in the MDR (and was extremely happy!)

 

Today was our first port day and we had a ship excursion booked with Celebrity “Upper Rock tour for families”. I would thoroughly recommend this tour (whether you have children of not) as it included the main highlights Gibraltar has to offer. Our guide outlined the content of the tour and we pointed out that we should also be going to Europa Point. She had no record of this on her itinerary but phoned her office at the first stop, and although they had no record of it at her office either, they still added it onto the end of our excursion (and we ended up having a bonus hour by the time we got back to the ship).

 

Jo’s tip 21 – If you think the tour is missing part of the itinerary speak up straight away as you may be lucky like us and not have to miss out.

 

Our tour started with a minibus ride to the cable car (no queue) which we took up to the Upper rock. After our free ice-cream and great view, we walked down to St Michael’s cave, stopping to admire the Barbary apes along the way. The road is quite narrow and we had to stop and stand on the side several times for taxis and tours to pass, but our guide always stood in the way of the vehicle until everyone was clear. After the cave visit our minibus was waiting for us to drive to Apes’ Den (which is where they landed on my head in the video) and then to a view point of the runway which crosses the road. We were lucky enough to see the road close and a plane land and take off during our five minute stop. Then we drove down into the town to visit the Gibraltar museum which has two genuine Egyptian mummies!! From there we drove to Europa point (the most southerly part of Gibraltar). The journey back was via the other side of Gibraltar so we felt like we had a tour of Gibraltar as well!

 

I have read previous port posts of Gibraltar saying how easy it is to do DIY. However having seen how far it is up the rock to get the great view, how far the cable car is, and how red faced independent walkers looked walking up the hill I would certainly consider doing a tour. It was completely stress free and dropped us right back to the ship at the end (no one opted to stay in town to shop but that was an option if anyone wanted).

 

After a quick lunch at Mast Grill (fast, hot and tasty burgers and hotdogs served with chips and onion rings) Oliver, Emily and I cooled off in the ship’s pool (today’s weather 32 degrees C and sunny) while Rob made the most of the free 3G Wi-Fi from Gibraltar to edit and upload the video. He ordered room service by phone, they said it would be 30-40 minutes but it arrived in 10 minutes. Rob was ever so impressed and enjoyed his lunch on the balcony which was served with a red rose in a vase! How lovely is that!

[jackieg]

Hi! I am so excited to have found this thread! We are going to be on the Eclipse on Aug. 13 for a Baltic cruise. I am an avid exerciser and have been looking for pictures of their gym to see what is available and how it's laid out. Since you are there right now, could you post some if you have a chance. I need to go back to the beginning of your posts and gather all the info I can. Thanks so much!

[excitedofharpenden]

You sound like you are having fun. I'm glad the food and wait staff have found their feet and that the good service continues.

 

Phil's tip;) - if it's not right make sure you talk to your Assistant Maitre d' nicely to give them the opportunity to make it so. They will always do their very best.

 

You aren't missing any weather here. It's hot and humid and is going to rain like mad on Thursday!

 

Phil

[JoePDX]

I don't know if I would have looked as calm when an ape jumped on my shoulder! Great video and wonderful information.

 

Cheers from Oregon. :D

 

Joe

[4evercruiser]

I am really enjoying your review and videos. I will be sailing on the Eclipse in November, and reading this thread is making me more excited about my upcoming cruise. I look forward to reading more. I hope you and your family enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Loving your Live from posts and videos as usual. We were in Gib the week before last with Royal Caribbean and it was hot, hot, hot. Glad you had a good tour of the Rock - this time we just strolled up Main Street from Casemates and had a cooling drink in the Bristol Hotel garden where DH last stayed over 30 years ago whilst working for the Navy - on that occasion he was stranded on Gibraltar for 10 days whilst they dug up the runway, so no flights back to the UK. Gibraltar is one of our favourite ports but please don't let a Gibraltarian hear you say that Gibraltar is part of Spain, as posted at the start of your video:eek:

[uktog]

Great sounds like Dru and Melanie are going to be on board for our trip

[Cruiser Susie]

Really glad to hear how the MDR staff has improved and that your daughter is so enjoying all her egg free dishes. That's great! :D

 

I jumped when those two monkeys landed on you... how on earth did you stay so calm?!

[CaroleLee]

 

Live from Celebrity Eclipse!

 

We are sailing on Celebrity for the first time and would like to share our experiences with you as we travel from Southampton to Gibraltar, France, Italy, Sardinia, Spain and Portugal on our 14 day cruise. We have previously sailed with Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa and P&O so I will endeavour to highlight what sets Celebrity apart and what if anything we miss from other cruise lines.

 

I will include information about the ship, our cabin, the restaurant and public areas and hope to answer any questions you may have if at all possible. Our “live from the Eclipse” will not only include pictures but also video (internet connection depending of course) so hopefully you can join us and get an insight into the Celebrity experience on an S class ship. Please click the link below to see our first video entry.

 

 

First impressions – boarding was extremely swift and we were on board by 11.30am despite the fact our cruise information stated boarding would commence at 1.30pm.

 

Jo’s tip 1 – Arrive at the port earlier than indicated on your cruise information to gain maximum time on board and not feel rushed on the first day.

 

We headed straight for the shore excursion desk as one of our excursions “Gibraltar for families” was not available on line when we tried to book it and stated enquire when on board. Unfortunately the trip was sold out and unlike I have read on cruise critic, Celebrity do not keep a percentage of seats back to be sold on board.

 

Jo’s tip 2 – If there is an excursion that you really want to go on don’t wait until boarding as it may well be sold out!

 

My next stop was the restaurant to inform them of Emily’s egg allergy and find out the location of our table. We were allocated a table for four right at the back of the restaurant but I was able to move the location so we are near the entrance of the restaurant and one table away from a window.

 

Jo’s tip 3 – Check out the location of your table in the restaurant as soon as you board as the maitre D will try and accommodate your requests.

 

Cafe al Bacio provided a relaxing seat with some live music and a rather tasty Cafe Mocha before we braved the buffet on deck 14. We were pleasantly surprised by the Oceanview cafe as it didn’t have the chaos and mayhem we associate with embarkation. Having said that there were no seats available for a family of four (so it is bizarre we didn’t feel harassed!) and we went outside and sat at the sunset bar on deck 15 on a lovely big table enjoying the sunshine. I had thought that as we weren’t in the official buffet area no one would clear the plates but as soon as we had finished our lunch a bar steward (who had already been very friendly and chatty) came and cleared them away.

 

Jo’s tip 4 – don’t panic if you can’t find a table in the buffet, there is plenty of seating outside if needed with bar staff on hand to take drinks orders.

 

After lunch we checked out the kids’ clubs. Oliver is an Ensign and Emily is a cadet. They were both issued with muster station wrist bands and given the guided tour. They are both at club now so I’ll give more information about the kids’ clubs later.

 

Muster was in the Eclipse Theatre (comfy seats I thought!) and we didn’t have to wear or bring our lifejackets. By this time I had virtually finished unpacking thanks to a bundle of extra hangers that I requested from our steward and the huge overhead lockers above the bed.

 

Jo’s tip 5 – If you are travelling with small children bring your own little hangers, I did and it has really helped with the limited drawer space available.

Jo’s tip 6 – Ask for loads more hangers. I was really worried looking at photographs of the cabin that with only a two door wardrobe there wouldn’t be enough space for everything but with extra hangers there is not a problem.

Jo’s tip 7 – remove the bulky dressing gowns from the wardrobe and hang them in the bathroom. (I think that extra space really helped us!

I need to post this so I will post more information tomorrow!

 

BRAVO!!!!!!!!Great videos. Do you children have any idea how lucky they were to be taken on such a great vacation?

Carole

[ladylemondrop]

We love your video blogs - you guys are hilarious, so glad to see you are enjoying everything!! (Even a monkey in your head!!!) Your kids look so nicely behaved and polite too! Book up now for next May 30th on Silhouette please so we can be part of your blog lol!! :)

[staygulf]

On the Equinox in October we had Dru as the CD and he was assisted by the lovely Esperanza. How delighted I was to see Esperanza as part of the CD crew on the Eclipse in May. Is she still there ? The CD we had in May was Que, from South Africa. He didn't float my boat, just wasn't up to the job. The only time there was any life in him was when we had the man overboard incident on the last night coming back to Southampton.

 

Staygulf's tip. Make sure you go to Liars Club, hosted by Dru. Its an adult version of call my bluff and is very funny.

[Mermen]

Jo and Robb, you both are an excellent team. Love your "daily" as well as the video and pics. Keep up the great work.

 

We are shortly behind you and looking forward to the Eclipse!

 

Cheers and Happy Sailing!

 

Gary & Rowell

[CarolZaga]

I am so enjoying your videos and posts! The videos are so well done and the posts so informative that I feel as if I'm traveling with you. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Lois R]

You sound like you are having fun. I'm glad the food and wait staff have found their feet and that the good service continues.

 

Phil's tip;) - if it's not right make sure you talk to your Assistant Maitre d' nicely to give them the opportunity to make it so. They will always do their very best.

 

You aren't missing any weather here. It's hot and humid and is going to rain like mad on Thursday!

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil, I echo your sentiments:) and I am so glad their dining

experience seems to have definitely improved. Especially after

reading Jo's most recent post:D

 

Oh Phil, hope you are having a Happy Birthday:)