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

[sound_guy0918]

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.

 

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.

 

Howdy, taylortime05...we are cruising on the Summit the week before you!

 

Barbados - we highly recommend Elegance Barbados for a catamaran/snorkel trip. A very intimate trip (there were maybe a dozen of us) with top notch service.

St. Maarten - we did a power boat tour with Captain Bob and this was the best day we have spent in the Caribbean EVER. Our guide took us through the harbor to see the zillion dollar yachts, up the coast to the French side for some swimming, then back down for an awesome lunch on the beach and swimming, then a stop at the end-of-the-runway at SXM. Plenty of drinks and music and sunshine with a group of about 10 of us.

St. Kitts - making our first ever visit there this upcoming trip, we are thinking about a taxi ride to Cockleshell beach.

St. Thomas - we just booked the Yacht Nightwind for a St.John's sail/snorkel trip. The reviews are excellent and we have had amazing luck with the smaller tour companies.

 

Happy cruising! You are going to love Celebrity!

[DaisyFire]

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

 

EW - Don't you two look cute! :D

 

I'd love to switch and join you guys on the 11/6 sailing in 2017, but that option requires 3 more days off work - which is a show stopper for the two of us at this point. One day we'll catch up with you on a cruise...

 

We are doing a 14 day in April - and so are using most of our vacation time for that cruise. And that's the one with the stop in St.Kitts. We have some pretty intensive excursions for Aruba and Curacao - so thinking the Capital tour plus beach break might make for a nice relaxing day and the price point is very reasonable. ($25 per person)

 

~Marguerite

[oceanbabe]

Been on Solstice where several items from the Glass Show were later auctioned off for charity. On the Eclipse, willl they also auction off some items? thanks

[taylortime05]

Howdy, taylortime05...we are cruising on the Summit the week before you!

 

Barbados - we highly recommend Elegance Barbados for a catamaran/snorkel trip. A very intimate trip (there were maybe a dozen of us) with top notch service.

St. Maarten - we did a power boat tour with Captain Bob and this was the best day we have spent in the Caribbean EVER. Our guide took us through the harbor to see the zillion dollar yachts, up the coast to the French side for some swimming, then back down for an awesome lunch on the beach and swimming, then a stop at the end-of-the-runway at SXM. Plenty of drinks and music and sunshine with a group of about 10 of us.

St. Kitts - making our first ever visit there this upcoming trip, we are thinking about a taxi ride to Cockleshell beach.

St. Thomas - we just booked the Yacht Nightwind for a St.John's sail/snorkel trip. The reviews are excellent and we have had amazing luck with the smaller tour companies.

 

Happy cruising! You are going to love Celebrity!

 

Thank you for the tips. I am going to check them out! Can't wait for Dec :)

[macaroni]

Been on Solstice where several items from the Glass Show were later auctioned off for charity. On the Eclipse, willl they also auction off some items? thanks

 

Yes...the last sea day...they also raffled some small pieces off after some of the shows...

[FlamingJune1967]

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?

 

OMG, yes! We booked this same cruise 3 weeks ago, and I'm experiencing the exact same thing. My husband is more a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy and cannot understand why I have to know exactly what the menus will be or have detailed maps of each island we are visiting! I mean, I have spreadsheets for each port for goodness sake! It's driving me crazy that I cannot find out yet exactly which port we will be docked to at St Thomas!

UGH!

Overplanners Unite!!!

[Luvcrusn]

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. :)

 

We're on your cruise and are staying in Miami at the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Miami Airport South. Paying $126 + tax. (Senior rate but don't remember the senior cut off). Don't know about parking, since we're flying into Miami and they also have a free shuttle from Miami airport and offer free in room WIFI and breakfast. There is a low cost shuttle to cruise port (I think $10-$12) and they are about 5 miles from the cruise port. They got good reviews on Trip Advisor. 4.4 out of 5. We usually find Marriott to be okay.

[Full90]

Howdy, taylortime05...we are cruising on the Summit the week before you!

 

Barbados - we highly recommend Elegance Barbados for a catamaran/snorkel trip. A very intimate trip (there were maybe a dozen of us) with top notch service.

St. Maarten - we did a power boat tour with Captain Bob and this was the best day we have spent in the Caribbean EVER. Our guide took us through the harbor to see the zillion dollar yachts, up the coast to the French side for some swimming, then back down for an awesome lunch on the beach and swimming, then a stop at the end-of-the-runway at SXM. Plenty of drinks and music and sunshine with a group of about 10 of us.

St. Kitts - making our first ever visit there this upcoming trip, we are thinking about a taxi ride to Cockleshell beach.

St. Thomas - we just booked the Yacht Nightwind for a St.John's sail/snorkel trip. The reviews are excellent and we have had amazing luck with the smaller tour companies.

 

Happy cruising! You are going to love Celebrity!

 

The nightwind in St Thomas is excellent. We have sailed with Rick and Cathy 3 times. They are great hosts and very laid back without the rules you encounter on ship sponsored tours. They treat you like adults. The last two times we organized through our roll call and filled up the tour. Have Fun.

[sound_guy0918]

The nightwind in St Thomas is excellent. We have sailed with Rick and Cathy 3 times. They are great hosts and very laid back without the rules you encounter on ship sponsored tours. They treat you like adults. The last two times we organized through our roll call and filled up the tour. Have Fun.

 

Awesome to hear. We already have a foursome arranged from our Roll Call.

[taylortime05]

OMG, yes! We booked this same cruise 3 weeks ago, and I'm experiencing the exact same thing. My husband is more a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy and cannot understand why I have to know exactly what the menus will be or have detailed maps of each island we are visiting! I mean, I have spreadsheets for each port for goodness sake! It's driving me crazy that I cannot find out yet exactly which port we will be docked to at St Thomas!

UGH!

Overplanners Unite!!!

 

You are ahead of me! I am still trying to pick out hotel in either FLL or Miami and car or shuttle. Then I will start researching the ports and what we are going to do. Good Luck with your planning. Maybe we will meet at the Meet & Greet.

[123linz123]

Howdy, taylortime05...we are cruising on the Summit the week before you!

 

Barbados - we highly recommend Elegance Barbados for a catamaran/snorkel trip. A very intimate trip (there were maybe a dozen of us) with top notch service.

St. Maarten - we did a power boat tour with Captain Bob and this was the best day we have spent in the Caribbean EVER. Our guide took us through the harbor to see the zillion dollar yachts, up the coast to the French side for some swimming, then back down for an awesome lunch on the beach and swimming, then a stop at the end-of-the-runway at SXM. Plenty of drinks and music and sunshine with a group of about 10 of us.

St. Kitts - making our first ever visit there this upcoming trip, we are thinking about a taxi ride to Cockleshell beach.

St. Thomas - we just booked the Yacht Nightwind for a St.John's sail/snorkel trip. The reviews are excellent and we have had amazing luck with the smaller tour companies.

 

Do you have the contact details for the power boat tour with Captain Bob please? That sounds really good

Thanks

[sound_guy0918]

If you google "captain bob st maarten" the first result is the TripAdvisor page and the second result is their webpage. His email is bcass1111@gmail.com. You will have a great time!

 

 

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[taylortime05]

One of the best we have ever been on there.

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

 

Thank you for the suggestion. We have a reservation with Captain Bob in St. Maarten. I had so many people recommend this. Do you have any recommendations for St. Thomas, St. Kitts or Barbados? Thanks

[sound_guy0918]

@taylortime05 we sailed with Elegance Barbados and had a fantastic trip. Intimate and they catered to us hand and foot. We are sailing on the Yacht Nightwind in St. Thomas this coming December and have been told it is the same caliber experience. We can't wait!

 

 

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[PostcardJar]

We did a 14 night Baltic cruise on Eclipse last summer. It's a beautiful ship, and we had a wonderful time. Agree with the comments on QSine...a fun, quirky place where the meal and its presentation is entertainment. If you enjoy cocktails, be sure to go to the World Class Bar. The Hot Glass Show is interesting, as well.

 

Enjoy your time on board!

[ReneeFLL]

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 don't really obsess over the planning to much, but for some reason I have been obsessing (I guess you could call it that or just plain going crazy :D) over which location in Sydney to book our hotel for 5 days. Never had this problem before and I am running out of time as hotels are beginning to fill up. :(

 

As for the parade, if you ever get the chance and maybe have a little more time in Ft. Lauderdale I would definitely see it. It is great. I have heard about the Grand Stand thing, but have never been there as we always take our boat out to see it. We have gone 17 times out of the 20 years that we have lived here. Here are some pictures of the parade on pintrest.

https://www.pinterest.com/N4HHP/fort-lauderdale-winterfest-boat-parade/

[hellokittyluver]

Since the Molecular Bar is now the World Class Bar, does anyone have a photo of their drink menu?:)

[SILVERDO]

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.

 

Hi where do they device fried flying fish.?

[DYKWIA]

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.

 

On our European Cruise on the Ecliose this summer they completely removed the Top Chef Menu, much to our delight. I'd asked the Maitre D what night it was happening so we could arrange to dine elsewhere. She told me the new menu had proven to be so unpopular they dropped it. This was a 13 night cruise.