Eclipse - Temp / footwear / tendering q's...

[SConner99]

We are taking the Celebrity Eclipse South American cruise in March 2019 from Buenos Aires to Santiago.  These may be silly questions but we are new to the cruising thing!

1.  What's the temperature like in the common areas of the ship like bars/restaurants/theater and so on ... does it tend to be warm enough for short sleeved tops or are long sleeves required?

2.  I've found some details about dress code requirements but not much info regarding footwear ... can anyone provide some insight?  Are formal dress shoes needed for dinner etc. or can you wear trainers/runners as long as they are smart looking and clean?  What's the deal with wearing jeans for dinner ... OK or no?

3.  How exactly does the tendering process work for non-elite folk?  How far in advance can you get tickets?   We have private tours booked at a few tender ports ... what if anything can we do to ensure we get off the ship in a timely fashion?  I've also heard the ships used for tendering can get pretty choppy ... I have a tendency to get sea sick - any suggestions to minimize the risk of puking?

[mahdnc]

Infinity, Punta Arenas, Dec 30 2016

 

We took the reverse cruise aboard Infinity two years ago (review). 

 

The interior of the ship was warm enough to wear short sleeves. 

 

I don't know the foot wear answer although I will say that I don't recall people wearing running shoes in the main dining room. 

 

Jeans are allowable on smart casual dress nights. Designer jeans on Evening Chic nights. 

 

Tender tickets are distributed in a public area on the morning of the port day, about an hour before tendering starts. The idea is that when you are ready to tender, you get your tender ticket and then wait until your number is called. So they don't start handing out the tickets too far in advance. The newsletter that is distributed to your stateroom will tell you more. You can read the newsletters that I posted in my review to see. 

 

But passengers with Celebrity shore  excursions, suite passengers, and Captain's Club Elite members get first priority for boarding the tenders to shore. And the process can be slow when it comes to off loading 2500-3000 passengers. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

It is warm enough to wear short sleeves in the indoor common areas like the main dining room.  We did that on our Infinity South America cruise.  However when you are walking around the ship, you may want to step outside on deck and depending where the ship is, you will want long sleeves or a sweater. As you probably know, the ship will be encountering a wide range of temperatures.  Hot in Buenos Aires and chilly in Ushuaia.

 

If you don't have priority, getting off the ship early on a tender day can be tricky.  You may want to talk to Guest Relations or even better, the Captains Club Host (if you are a Captains Club member) about your private tour and they may be able to do something for you.  The Captains Club Host will probably be more sympathetic and helpful with your situation.  Make your private tour company aware of your situation so they won't be surprised if you are a little late.

 

In Puerto Montt, the ship was scheduled to arrive at 9am.  Our Celebrity Today newsletter told passengers with independent plans to go to the Martini Bar on Deck 4 to get a tender ticket beginning at 8:45am.  At Punta Arenas, the ship was scheduled to arrive at 7am and tender tickets would be available to passengers with independent plans at 6:45am.  At Punta Del Este tender tickets were available at 8:45am (Martini Bar) and the ship was scheduled to arrive at 9am.  So it looks like the official answer to your question is that the tender tickets are made available 15 minutes before the ship's scheduled arrival.  Here is a direct link to all the Celebrity Today newsletters on our South America cruise.

 

We even had problems at Puerto Madryn which was a day we were docked.  So many people lined up to get off the ship.  It was slow because you had to get on a bus to shuttle you from the ship to the center of town.  We were late in getting off the ship to get to the local dive shop for a scuba dive with sea lions that we had set up.  Fortunately I was in communication with the dive shop owner using WhatsApp and was able to give him updates on our arrival.  

 

As far as choppiness during tendering, the best thing you can do is to be out on deck.  Many of the ship's tenders have seating on a deck open to the outside.  For our 3 tender ports (Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, and Punta Del Este), the tendering was not very long (like it was at the Great Barrier Reef).  I get seasick easily on small boats and that worked for me.  For us, the seas during tendering were calm.  The picture of Infinity in my first post was taken from the back of a tender at Punta Arenas.  You can see how smooth the seas were!  However your experience may be different because it is very weather dependent.

 

This cruise as great.  We really enjoyed it.  You will, too.

 

Infinity docked at Ushuaia on Dec 31, 2016

Edited January 27, 2019 by mahdnc

[phoenix_dream]

I would add a comment that the temperature inside the ship can vary ship to ship, cruise to cruise.  I agree that short sleeves or sleeveless for the ladies is fine, but I would always recommend the ladies bring an extra lightweight wrap or sweater or similar.  I have been in some areas of the ship, even while sailing in very warm climates, where the inside is frigid.  

 

My advice for avoiding sea sickness on tenders is the same as on the ship - if you need meds, take them beforehand.  There are so many variables - the seas and wind that day, how long the tender ride is, whether you can sit on top where you can see the horizon and get some fresh air or whether you are down in the 'bowels' of the boat shoulder to shoulder like sardines, and last but also important - whether you are one of the first to board and have to sit there rocking while they fill the boat or whether you are one of the last to board so are on the boat a shorter time (but will not be lucky enough to get a top seat if those are available that day).

[macaroni]

Whatever time they day the tender tickets are available...get on line 45 minutes before....otherwise you will be on a long line and won’t get early tender tickets. We just got off the Eclipse SA January 6th. We are elite and never had to wait...we were walked right off with the CC hostess...

[gold1953]

Personally I find the dining room temp is a bit on the cool side 

 As for tendering ,most people will be like you and want off early and may have also booked tours,  Depending on how many Elite and up onboard it may be impossible.  As Elite I have gone to CC host and she has taken us to the head of the tender line. Then weather slows the process down a lot . 

Just get in line for tickets and hope for the best