Behind the scene tour

[ckl001]

I am hoping someone can help me, but does anyone know if Celebrity have a behinds the scene tour that covers the bridge and engineering parts or similar? If so how much and how do you organise it?

 

Chez

[Algebralovr]

Last year, on Eclipse, it was advertised as soon as you got on board. It was $150 per person. This year, on Reflection, it was finally mentioned during one of the Captain's addresses and was held on the last sea day. I believe the price was the same.

[Gig103]

I've done it on Carnival, and a friend on RCCL. It's totally worth the price, it was an amazing time. I dunno if I'd do it a second time for the price, but good luck!

[fishycomics]

My family member just off the ship last week, is a member of a club tat did not charge fees.;)

[ckl001]

Thanks everyone. I have done it on Princess but want to see about organising it for a friend who is travelling with me on the Solstice next month.

I agree, it is well worth it.

 

Chez

[AlaskaGolden]

Last year, on Eclipse, it was advertised as soon as you got on board. It was $150 per person. This year, on Reflection, it was finally mentioned during one of the Captain's addresses and was held on the last sea day. I believe the price was the same.

 

Besides the tour do you get any "take-aways"? Did this tour on Princess and we got about 1/2 dozen pictures of the tour group, a plush robe and a chef's jacket.

[Algebralovr]

When I took the tour on the Eclipse, we did not receive any take-aways. It was long - we started shortly after 9am and walked and climbed until after the MDR had closed from lunch, then had our own special lunch with a different menu. It did include wine with lunch. We were allowed to take our cameras with us, and take photos of pretty much everything.

 

We say backstage in the theatre, the bridge, the engine control room, the docking area, the crew lounge and mess, a crew room, the ship's stores - including where all the beverages are stored, the kitchens, etc. We were allowed to ask pretty much any question we wanted, and I believe they were all answered.

 

Also, it was a very small group. I believe it was limited to about 15 people.

 

I don't think we finished with the tour until after 2pm and I know that we walked out of the dining room after lunch about 3:15 or 3:30. I missed an activity with our roll call, but the tour was awesome to us. It might not have been to everyone, but DH and I both have an engineering background so we thought it was amazing. If you search for my name, you should be able to find the review I posted here on the boards from Feb 2012, and I gave a lot of info about the tour and I think I might have uploaded a few photos.

[fishycomics]

any photos to share

[Skyrules]

We did it on Millennium at Christmas. $150pp. They'll advertise it early in the cruise to see if there's interest. On Millennium it required a minimum of 8 people and a maximum of 14. If less than 8 or more than 14 showed an interest it wasn't done.

 

Our tour started at 10.00am and finished at 2.30pm after a 3 course lunch (included in the tour price) in the Olympic Restauarant.

 

We vistied;

 

The Bridge (with introductions to the Captain, and on our cruise his family too).

Backstage of the Showlounge (we did this during the Crew Talent Show)

Crew Area (crew dining room, crew bar, rest areas etc, I-95

Engine Control Room

Food Storage areas

Alcohol Storage Area

Main Dining Galley Galley

Olympic Reasturant Galley.

 

Unlike other cruiselines (eg Princess) there are no "takeaways" included in the price, other than the lunch in the Olympic Restaurant, which was a bit disappointing (no takeaways that is, the lunch was beautiful). I think that even having a ships photographer on the bridge doing the photo's with the Captain, and giving everyone a copy of the photo would have been than nothing.

 

We're glad we spent the money to do it though. We probably won't do it again on a cruise ship though, it's really a one off thing.

 

Some photo's below. Photography is allowed, but video recording isn't.

 

The Bridge of Millennium

 

With the Captain on the Bridge

 

I-95

 

Main Dining Room Galley

[TLCOhio]

When I took the tour on the Eclipse, we did not receive any take-aways. It was long - we started shortly after 9am and walked and climbed until after the MDR had closed from lunch, then had our own special lunch with a different menu. It did include wine with lunch. We were allowed to take our cameras with us, and take photos of pretty much everything. We say backstage in the theatre, the bridge, the engine control room, the docking area, the crew lounge and mess, a crew room, the ship's stores - including where all the beverages are stored, the kitchens, etc. We were allowed to ask pretty much any question we wanted, and I believe they were all answered. Also, it was a very small group. I believe it was limited to about 15 people. I don't think we finished with the tour until after 2pm and I know that we walked out of the dining room after lunch about 3:15 or 3:30. I missed an activity with our roll call, but the tour was awesome to us. It might not have been to everyone, but DH and I both have an engineering background so we thought it was amazing. If you search for my name, you should be able to find the review I posted here on the boards from Feb 2012, and I gave a lot of info about the tour and I think I might have uploaded a few photos.

 

WOW!! Great report by Barb. Sounds like fun. And the added details and especially the pictures by Skyrules were very interesting. And helpful.

 

We are looking forward to our first “down under” visit, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Celebrity Solstice sailing, departing Sydney, going from Australia to Auckland/NZ doing 14 days on this ship we loved in the Med in June 2011. This type of tour will be something to put on my "to-do" list.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 122,348 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[rkacruiser]

I was aboard Eclipse on her February 9th sailing and booked the behind the scene tour. Having done this aboard Carnival Freedom and the Nieuw Amsterdam, I have something to compare how the tour was done in comparison with the other two vessels.

 

The tour was well worth the money and I agree with the comments of the other posters. Our lunch at the end of the tour was in the Tuscan Grill where the service and food quality was equal to my dinner there the previous evening.

 

I do feel that the tour was not as well organized as on the other two ships I mentioned. There was, in my opinion, too much "rushing" to get to the next venue on the tour and then having to wait for whomever was to lead the tour in that department. Disappointing to me, again in comparison with the other two ships, in some of the areas the department heads were not present to lead the tour. For example, we were on the Bridge immediately after the Captain's 10:00 A. M. announcements. He was not there and did not make an appearance. Arriving at the galley, we waited--and waited--for the Executive Chef. He finally arrived with one of the sous chefs and had the sous chef lead the tour; the Executive Chef disappeared. We were taken to the helipad where we stayed for quite a period of time, why I don't know. How long does it take to see the helipad?

 

The best guide was a 4 striper, Captain's rank, who described the operation of the Mooring Deck, a venue not included on Freedom nor Nieuw Amsterdam. His description of what all goes on in his area was the best I experienced.

 

Our lunch after the tour included a lady whose title was Crew Trainer. But, in reality after conversing with her, she really is a crew human relations worker. She was most interesting.

 

On both Freedom and Nieuw Amsterdan, individual and group photos with the Captain and a group photo with the Executive Chef were taken and given to us at no extra cost. Having that done on the Eclipse would have been a nice addition to an interesting tour.

[sddsddean]

any photos to share

 

From our engine room tour of the Independence of the Seas

 

1 of 2 desalination plants producing 45,000 litres of water per hour

 

Engine number 6 (V12 15000hp weighs 185 tonnes, linked to a 14.5kW generator) [The 2nd Engineer has just spotted an oil leak!]

 

Compressor for the Ice Rink

 

A spare con rod

 

A spare cylinder head

 

Bigger than the engine in my truck!!

 

Simon

[fishycomics]

thanks now that is sweet, thanks for the share of the pics. appreciate it:)