What Not to Miss on Eclipse, Port Questions & Hotel Questions

[taylortime05]

Hi,

 

We are going on our 1st cruise with Celebrity on Dec 11 for 10 night cruise to St. Thomas, St. Kitt, Barbados and St. Maarten. I just booked it this weekend.

 

We cruised twice with RCCL on the Allure & Oasis with our 3 teenagers at the time. This is our first cruise without the kids. We are in our mid 50's.

 

1) Can you share your favorite things to do and any other tips on Eclipse?

 

2) Do you have any favorite port activities you could suggest? I plan on going over to each port on the site to look for suggestions.

 

3) We are going to rent a car at FLL airport day before & drop it off near the port the next day. I am going back and forth between staying night in FLL & Miami. FLL has a boat parade that Sat Dec 10 and would have loved to stay at Riverside which is on the boat parade path but they are booked. I am considering staying in Miami because it will make the morning of the cruise little easier being closer. So I am looking for a Miami hotel that is reasonable priced (200 or less) and would be nice if they didn't charge extra for a car. I could drop the car off before checking into the hotel. I will be looking at the Florida departures for more suggestions on hotels too.

 

Thank you so much for all your input. :)

Edited October 17, 2016 by taylortime05

[wallie5446]

Welcome to Celebrity.

 

With a couple of cruises you have the concept down pat.

 

We find Celebrity a refreshing laid back cruise to decompress. The ship is not loaded up with mini golf, rock wall, flow rider, nor a water show. The entertainment is a tad edgie at times, and 50/50 like or don't.

 

Been into St Thomas & St Marteen 6-7-8 times, lots of things to do depending on what you like. A couple times to the other 2, same applies.

 

Not to miss, sitting on the open back deck at the Sunset Bar or Oceanview at sail away, with your favorite drink, or after a show and listening to the swoosh of the water as the ship glides to your next port.

[Redtravel]

Eclipse is a great ship. I sailed on her several times and will be on again in January. Not knowing what you like to do, I suggest reading the daily sheets. After settling in, walk the ship to find places that you would enjoy. Lots of activities are available. Tuscan Grill has superb steaks. The entertainment at night is good. The production shows are excellent. Go early for good seats. The pool areas get crowded. Inside pool is heated and for adults only. If you like being outside there are several good areas that are less crowded. Deck 14 and 15 forward are usually quiet. Room service is good and they deliver to any place on the ship. The coffee at AlBacio is good and worth the extra cost. The pastry there is free. Love the oatmeal cookies. Menus in the MDR change nightly. With the exception of the Tops Chef menu, the choices are good. I dislike the Top Chefs menu. I have tried many items on that menu. Sadly, I now skip dinner in the MDR that night. Good night to eat at the Buffet Grill or a specialty venue. On the Eclipse there is something for everyone. Have fun and enjoy your cruise.

[JohninDC]

3) We are going to rent a car at FLL airport day before & drop it off near the port the next day. I am going back and forth between staying night in FLL & Miami. FLL has a boat parade that Sat Dec 10 and would have loved to stay at Riverside which is on the boat parade path but they are booked. I am considering staying in Miami because it will make the morning of the cruise little easier being closer. So I am looking for a Miami hotel that is reasonable priced (200 or less) and would be nice if they didn't charge extra for a car. I could drop the car off before checking into the hotel. I will be looking at the Florida departures for more suggestions on hotels too.

 

Thank you so much for all your input. :)

 

I would skip the car rental and use Uber from FLL to your Miami hotel - should be about $40 or just over, depending upon where your hotel is located (downtown Miami is the closest area to the port). Lots of hotel suggestions if you check out the FLA Departure board http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

The Mary Brickell area offers lots of local dining/nightlife options - check out the Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites in that area. We like the Doubletree off of Biscayne - some rooms come with a view of the port and the pool area is wonderful.

 

Taxi from downtown hotels to POM the next morning will run about $12-15.

 

Have a great cruise! :)

[Bobby Dee]

Like so many people have said above, what to do and see is very subjective. But you are asking about "Don't Miss." Eclipse has the Hot Glass Show and I'd advise that you see at least some of that show during your cruise. (I've heard it's best at night, but I've only been there during daylight.)

All the specialty restaurants are good, but Qsine is quirky and something that you've probably not experienced on another line. The food isn't as top notch as the other restaurants, but like I said..."Quirky." and probably better with more than just one couple. Check out the Aqua Spa cafe at lunch. It's next to the indoor pool. It's healthier fare, and it's free, but different. If you have the premium drinks package, then check out the World Class Bar. If you don't, I'm not sure the drinks are worth the extra cost. Be sure to see a Martini Flight, even if you are not the one to purchase it. It's in effect a show put on at the at the Martini bar.

Again, you're looking for "Don't Miss" activities. In St Martin, there are many who have gone to the beach right under the flight path of the airport. The incoming flights are so low it feels like you have to duck to avoid being hit. Orient Beach is on the French side and is one of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean; but being French, it is clothing optional. The hardcore nudity is on the far right of the beach, near the yellow umbrellas. The areas to the left are mostly clothed, but you will see some people walking around without clothing.

St Thomas is a shoppers mecca. Americans can bring back one liter of alcohol duty free unless that alcohol is purchased in st Thomas and then you can bring back five bottles per person. Of course you still have the issue of getting it home, if you are flying to and from the cruise.

St Kitts is pretty typical of the islands. I think the view of the island is beautiful as you approach the port, but more so right around cane sugar harvest time.

I can't say much about Barbados because my mom was born there and I usually don't do the tourist thing there. But if you get a chance to have fried flying fish, I think it's pretty tasty. And I love a true Barbados Rum Punch, but I found that it's not available near the port. I've had it in restaurants and at a beach club.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Bobby Dee

[DaisyFire]

Just caught the reference in bold below... Are you saying that you can order room service while seated pool-side? Or am I misinterpreting this?! :eek:

 

 

Eclipse is a great ship. I sailed on her several times and will be on again in January. Not knowing what you like to do, I suggest reading the daily sheets. After settling in, walk the ship to find places that you would enjoy. Lots of activities are available. Tuscan Grill has superb steaks. The entertainment at night is good. The production shows are excellent. Go early for good seats. The pool areas get crowded. Inside pool is heated and for adults only. If you like being outside there are several good areas that are less crowded. Deck 14 and 15 forward are usually quiet. Room service is good and they deliver to any place on the ship. The coffee at AlBacio is good and worth the extra cost. The pastry there is free. Love the oatmeal cookies. Menus in the MDR change nightly. With the exception of the Tops Chef menu, the choices are good. I dislike the Top Chefs menu. I have tried many items on that menu. Sadly, I now skip dinner in the MDR that night. Good night to eat at the Buffet Grill or a specialty venue. On the Eclipse there is something for everyone. Have fun and enjoy your cruise.

[daydreamer16]

We were on the Eclipse for 14 days this past February and loved it! We also flew into FLL and took the SAS shuttle($15 per person) to our hotel in downtown Miami. Stayed at the Hampton Inn/Brickell which was a great area to be in. It's a couple of blocks to the Miami monorail, free transportation for downtown Miami. Lots of shopping and restaurants within walking distance too. This trip was our first time in St. Kitts and we took the ship sponsored Sugar Train ride. It was a little pricey but we had a lot of onboard credit. It was fun. On the ship we enjoyed the hot glass show a couple of times, not every ship has it. You'll have a great time!

[wallie5446]

One of the best we have ever been on there.

http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Welcome.html

[wallie5446]

One of the most relaxing ever!

http://simplicitycharters.com/

[wallie5446]

We had 30 from our Roll Call last year booked up both their Cat's!

http://sailcalabaza.com/

[ghstudio]

Just a friendly warning on shopping on Caribbean cruises. Make sure you know prices before you go. Make sure you are buying something with a US, not an international warranty. Be very wary of Celebrity's guarantees on prices or service at stores....many stories that if you have a problem, you will have lots of pain. The port talks are given by someone who gets kickbacks from the stores...they are not celebrity so if there is a problem, celebrity tells you to go away. my experience is that Liquor prices are best in st maarten. I wouldn't book any meal packages until getting on board. Many times they have offers of 25-30% off when they find they aren't full. Pastries at Cafe B'accio are free...they only charge for the drinks....much better than MDR or buffet. try the hamburgers at the mast grill...excellent.

 

That's my stream of consciousness dump....:) Enjoy your cruise.

[wallie5446]

Nothing beats Thenford Gray.

http://www.thenfordgreytours.com/

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

I know loads of people do it but I never see the attraction of getting of the ship and onto a boat to sail around whatever port it happens to be.

 

I suppose if it is taking you to some special beach or island or to dive or swim with x creatures then maybe.

 

We have a port intensive next cruise and trying to find some good things to do that don't involve boats:cool:

[wallie5446]

We have a port intensive next cruise and trying to find some good things to do that don't involve boats:cool:

 

Going to where?

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

Going to where?

 

ABC's, Barbados, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Marteen. Unfortunately we don't Scuba, my other half used to sail a lot, sail boats so no interest in those now either.:D

[Duanerice1]

Come over to our roll call, there are a lot of people on it As for FLL or MIA I always like to be where I'm going to and wouldn't want to drive down the next morning.

 

We have a island/snorkeling tour on St Kitts, beach and swim with the turtles on Barbados (if we don't rent a car), going to head over to St John when on St Thomas and have a snorkel tour booked on St Marteen. But, we've been to all these places before. If not I'd probably explore the more popular areas.

 

Never been on the Eclipse but have been on it's sister ships. Hopefully you'll like

It as much as we do.

Enjoy

[maitlandmom]

I will address your Boat Parade questions. The Riverside Hotel has probably been booked since they announced the date of the parade. The New River and the intercostal are packed for the parade every year. It is fun to watch and you can purchase grandstand tickets. Ft. Lauderdale is very crowded for this event. I live along the New River and my building limits guest parking during the event. This is a really big deal in Ft. Lauderdale. There are some hotels along the intercostal north of Las Olas that are on the parade route

 

My favorite downtown Miami hotel is the Marriot Marquise. They do have great weekend rates. I also like the Epic.

[taylortime05]

I will address your Boat Parade questions. The Riverside Hotel has probably been booked since they announced the date of the parade. The New River and the intercostal are packed for the parade every year. It is fun to watch and you can purchase grandstand tickets. Ft. Lauderdale is very crowded for this event. I live along the New River and my building limits guest parking during the event. This is a really big deal in Ft. Lauderdale. There are some hotels along the intercostal north of Las Olas that are on the parade route

 

My favorite downtown Miami hotel is the Marriot Marquise. They do have great weekend rates. I also like the Epic.

 

Thank you for the feedback. The boat parade sounds like a lot of fun but I think I will either pick up the car rental and drive over to Miami or take the SAS shuttle on Saturday. I got a good deal on the car for 21 a day but I don't know if I really need it because we don't plan on doing too much that day. All the hotels seem to charge for a vehicle.

[DaisyFire]

Nothing beats Thenford Gray.

http://www.thenfordgreytours.com/

 

EW, Which tour do you recommend? Full coast to coast? Or Capitol tour plus beach break?

 

~Marguerite

[taylortime05]

Thank you for all the great advice and tips.

 

I just need to make my hotel and transportation arrangements. Then I can try to plan the ports. I am not sure why but when I finally decide to go on a cruise I get obsessed with the planning to the point that I can't wait to get home from work and plan, plan, plan. I need to stop this because it ends up being more work than fun. Does anyone else obsess over the planning?

[wallie5446]

EW, Which tour do you recommend? Full coast to coast? Or Capitol tour plus beach break?

 

~Marguerite

 

Hi Marguerite!

Looks like we will miss you and Hutch by 10 days in 2017, we are back on the Equinox on the 6th.

 

We did the Grand Tour with him last yr when ya'll had to cancel. :(

History of ST Kitts Tour. Dana an I bought matching Caribelle Batik outfits at Romney Manor!

EW

[Duanerice1]

EW, Which tour do you recommend? Full coast to coast? Or Capitol tour plus beach break?

 

~Marguerite

 

We are using him too but are doing the multi site snorkel tour. This way we get a land tour and a snorkel tour in one :)

[shovelrae1959]

Thank you for all the great advice and tips.

 

I just need to make my hotel and transportation arrangements. Then I can try to plan the ports. I am not sure why but when I finally decide to go on a cruise I get obsessed with the planning to the point that I can't wait to get home from work and plan, plan, plan. I need to stop this because it ends up being more work than fun. Does anyone else obsess over the planning?

 

 

I have been obsessing for the last 2 days, spending hours on the laptop reading the Roll Call posts, checking the forums, CDC website and shopping for those little things like a small first aid kit (don't like going anywhere without some bandaids), long sleeved shirt for excursions, etc.

 

We sail 3 weeks from Wednesday and we are shipping our biggest suitcase via UPS to our hotel. And I feel like there is so much to be done and hardly any time to do it. Do you get that feeling too? Hotels, transportation, excursions all worked out (one thing done!).

 

I can truly sympathize with your obsession :)

 

Cheryl

Celebrity Infinity 11/9/16 Panama Canal Westbound

Edited October 18, 2016 by shovelrae1959

[taylortime05]

I have been obsessing for the last 2 days, spending hours on the laptop reading the Roll Call posts, checking the forums, CDC website and shopping for those little things like a small first aid kit (don't like going anywhere without some bandaids), long sleeved shirt for excursions, etc.

 

We sail 3 weeks from Wednesday and we are shipping our biggest suitcase via UPS to our hotel. And I feel like there is so much to be done and hardly any time to do it. Do you get that feeling too? Hotels, transportation, excursions all worked out (one thing done!).

 

I can truly sympathize with your obsession :)

 

Cheryl

Celebrity Infinity 11/9/16 Panama Canal Westbound

 

 

Yes, I get that feeling too. I work full time and when we are close to going on the cruise I get into super planning mode. Based on reading threw the posts it seems like Celebrity should be easier going than RCC. We were on Oasis and Allure and we pre-planned and signed up for all our shows. Hope you get all your planning done soon so you can have time to rest & relax before your cruise. :)

[shovelrae1959]

Yes, I get that feeling too. I work full time and when we are close to going on the cruise I get into super planning mode. Based on reading threw the posts it seems like Celebrity should be easier going than RCC. We were on Oasis and Allure and we pre-planned and signed up for all our shows. Hope you get all your planning done soon so you can have time to rest & relax before your cruise. :)

 

 

What's even MORE fun is that i decided that we should take our 2 oldest granddaughters on a Caribbean cruise next December! One turns 18 & graduates in June, and the other will turn 18 & graduate in 2018. So it will be a combined 18th birthday/graduation for both of them. Their actual birthday present (on their birthdays) will be passports. At least I will only need a notarized letter from the parents for the younger one! Only the older one knows about the cruise at this time, her sister lives with their dad, and i will tell her later. So of course, this gives me more to obsess over - which cruise, when to reserve or wait until next fall and hope there are staterooms close together and the prices come down, etc. Now I have over a year to play with that one, getting all the details just right. I'm going to look into booking that one from our cruise in November. I think you get a few extra perks, including some money off your down payment. I must really enjoy stressing myself out, as often as i do it!

 

I should be able to make myself relax soon, I hope. Hope you are able to relax soon too.

 

Cheryl