Newbie cruiser on the celebrity eclipse going to the Canaries

[Bobtheboat]

Hi this is my first cruise ever, i thought i would try the cruise to the Canaries with Celebrity Cruises on the Eclipse, we are travelling with another couple and have booked rooms 6300 and 6298, we booked through Virgin i believe we have a drinks package included and $300 spending per cabin, any tips for first time cruisers any do`s or dont`s any thing i should ask for when i get on board etc, i see there has been some discussion about drinks packages etc changing should i consider upgrading ? would i do this on board or through agent ? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sailing 18/10/2017 from Southampton

Edited June 16, 2017 by Bobtheboat

[cruisestitch]

Wait until you get on board. You may find the the package you have is sufficient and there wouldn't be a need to upgrade.

[groryjm]

Don't forget to join your roll call. It can be a real help in getting a handle on excursions and ideas for what to do in the various ports etc.

 

We have also just booked a Canaries cruise. Which one are you on?

 

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[MrsNorman]

I personally think you did the right thing opting for Celebrity and the Eclipse for your first cruise. It's what we did and we were delighted with that choice. I agree that you may not find it is worth upgrading your drinks package as the Classic one you have will cover all drinks, - wine, beer, spirits, cocktails etc, up to a certain price and the speciality coffees, including the alcoholic ones, and most people find that is sufficient. And nowadays, I think, if you decide to drink something that is not covered by the package you only have to pay the difference, not the whole price as we did before. Also many people don't bother to buy dining packages beforehand as the food in the main dining room and the buffet is usually very good. I agree that you are better to wait and see what you think when you are on board.

 

The only bit of advice is to check your account (which you can do via your stateroom TV) on a daily basis just to make sure that you haven't been charged for anything you haven't had. It sometimes happens but is easily put right.

 

Have a lovely cruise! The Eclipse is a beautiful ship. :)

[jody75]

......... and $300 spending per cabin

Keep hold of the $300 as you need to pay your tips, agh...........?

[Bobtheboat]

I opted for tips included.

[cruisestitch]

Another good choice

[chemmo]

Hi this is my first cruise ever, i thought i would try the cruise to the Canaries with Celebrity Cruises on the Eclipse, we are travelling with another couple and have booked rooms 6300 and 6298, we booked through Virgin i believe we have a drinks package included and $300 spending per cabin, any tips for first time cruisers any do`s or dont`s any thing i should ask for when i get on board etc, i see there has been some discussion about drinks packages etc changing should i consider upgrading ? would i do this on board or through agent ? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sailing 18/10/2017 from Southampton

 

We were on Eclipse a few weeks ago and sail on her again in September....

 

She really is a nice ship! If you are from the UK I suggest you go down the night before unless you are really local, the traffic is very unpredictable. The Holiday Inn, right next to the port, does stay and park options which can work out good value. Alternatively there are loads of nice hotels just inside the New Forest, 10/15 miles from the port. In September we will enjoy a couple of days there before our cruise.

 

Onboard, you will really enjoy. As someone else suggested try your drinks package and see how you get on. There are three speciality restaurants on board, nice mid cruise to try something different. Our favourite is Murano's, however, best views are from Tuscan Grill...it can be really nice to dine there as you leave a port.

 

If you have visited any of the ports of call before it can be nice to stay on the ship and enjoy empty facilities one day....nothing like an empty pool!

 

Check your daily planner carefully (delivered to your room at turndown). It is easy to miss activities. We tend to prefer the music in the lounges rather than the shows in the evening.

 

Remember your OBC needs to be spent or you will loose it. You can use it in all areas of the ship (excursions, meals, drinks, shops, duty free....).

 

If you have not cruised before the first night could have some movement. I tend to take a proprietary sea sickness tablet when leaving the UK rather than becoming unwell by the motion. Doesn't do you any harm and if you wait to see if it bothers you the medication will not be as effective.

 

Sincere best wishes for a great cruise!

[leehal]

Great choice, we have only sailed on the Eclipse and are heading there tomorrow for a cruise on Sunday.

 

As already said, drinks packages have changed, stick will Classic unless you like cocktails or the higher priced bottled beers. You can always upgrade along the way.

 

You can now spend your OBC before you go on trips etc (not sure if you can still do this if you haven't booked direct?).

 

Keep looking at the forum, its a great help.

 

There are loads of things we take to help out whilst on board, random things - USA/European adaptors/chargers, magnets to stick stuff to the walls + lots more.

 

Don't be afraid to explore and chat to people. We love the Eclipse and are going to miss her next year on the changeover!

 

We are staying in Winchester the night before this time, its about 30 minutes away. Southampton is OK for the night before, we just fancied a change this time (we stayed at the Novotel and park dockside).

[villauk]

 

You can now spend your OBC before you go on trips etc (not sure if you can still do this if you haven't booked direct?).

 

You don't have to have booked direct to use your X onboard credit beforehand. However, any TA OBC won't show on your account until usually a couple of days into the cruise.

[DYKWIA]

Some thoughts

 

If driving, park at the ports through ABP. not cheap but you park right next to the ship - really convenient!

 

Don't rush to spend your OBC or cash in Speciality restaurants - my wife and I really enjoy the Main Dining Room and there is a wide choice

 

On the subject of the MDR, the evening menu is laid out in 3 courses but many people still order 4 courses ( 2 starters) . If you want extra veg, fries etc just ask ( they sometimes serve the mains with very small portions of veg). I've even seen people combine two mains onto one plate.

 

Allow some time to have a wander around the ship and get your bearings.

 

Some of the shows in the theatre are great, some not do great, but most are worth an hour of your time. No need to get there really early if there's just 2 of you you should have no problems finding a seat even a few minutes before curtains up. Acts we've enjoyed (on the Eclipse ex UK on our 3 cruises out of Southampton) that seemed to get the biggest ovations - Mike Doyle (Welsh singer and entertainer), Kev Orkian (a pianist and comic), and a tenor (and drummer) whose name escapes me but he lives in Gran Canaria and played Jean Val Jean in Les Mis in the west end at some point.

 

If your cruise stops in Lisbon then the Shop at the port sells some booze and cigs at Very very cheap prices that they say has had Duty paid - so in theory you can bring back quite a bit of it back to the UK. This is not the case in the Canaries which is tax free and subject to limits.

 

The buffet can make a nice casual alternative to the MDR in the evening, lot quieter than lunch and they sometimes have theme nights there.

[FiggyWig]

Celebrity... good and bad choice for a 1st ever cruise! Good - because it was just that and much MUCH more, a fabulous holiday...bad - because once you have sailed with Celebrity all other lines just can't beat them (IMO😎)

Our 1st ever cruise was on Solstice in 2009 around the Med. It was such a fantastic experience I cried when we had to leave (yes I know, soppy git). Since then we have also sailed on Thomson (don't bother) P&O, NCL (both ok) but none of them got anywhere close to the standard and luxury of Celebrity (again IMO)

One further thing to say - don't let lunch at embarkation put you off. The majority (me included) head up to the buffet which was (is?) a bit manic. This calms down after that 1st day and there are some great meals to be had up there. Of course there are other places to go for that 1st lunch but I think when you are unfamiliar with the ship lay out then Ocean View tends to be the place to go.

Have a great 1st cruise - I bet you will be back for more 😁

 

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[Shadow9612]

Celebrity... good and bad choice for a 1st ever cruise! Good - because it was just that and much MUCH more, a fabulous holiday...bad - because once you have sailed with Celebrity all other lines just can't beat them (IMO😎)

 

I agree with that statement - excellent experience and value IMO.

 

Something else to note: All the pastries at Cafe al Bacio on deck 5 are free. Try the cheese danishes served in the morning. I fell in love with them.

 

I agree, lots of great advice and experience on these boards.

[Kitekat]

In addition to all the great advice above, I can recommend a company for valet parking - Parking4cruises. After dropping passengers and bags at the terminal (bags will be taken by porters and you next see them in your cabin), you drop your car to the company reps in the short term car park opposite the terminal. They will take photos of all panels on the car and record mileage (very professional). If you ring them to check just before you disembark, your car will be in the same car park on your return. The walking distance is the same or less than ABP.

 

We always use them when cruising out of Southampton and they are very reliable.

[upwarduk]

We have recently used the Ibis hotel (overnight parking in the same quadrangle as the Novotel) and driven to the port to park, which cost £157 for 2 weeks. However, on this last cruise we spoke to people who used Chilcot Manor ( Best Western) Both breakfast, parking and transfers are included in the price, so I think we may use them in future.

 

If you are struggling to use your OBC, consider the Apple @ Sea shop.

The rates for an iPad are excellent as you save 20% V.A.T ( if you live in U.K.) When I bought mine, I got a great deal, as the prices on the ship are in U.S $ and the exchange rate was in my favour (August 2015) I had priced them up before hand, but I ended up getting a bigger Memory than I would have been able to afford in U.K.