Where are the Eclipse just back-ers?

[lovecruzin]

17 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Glad to hear that for the most part this sailing is going well. I was under the impression from a couple earlier reviews that the naturalist on board was Brent Nixon…is he off on holidays? I was looking forward to seeing his presentations in September. 
 

 

Brent was only onboard for the Vancouver to Hawaii cruise, he is currently on Solstice. 

[CaptainJF]

Quick questions for those of you who were on the June 5th Celebrity Eclipse cruise : 

 

- How did embarkation go (scheduled time vs actual time) ? 

- How did disembarkation go? 

 

Did you go to Ketchikan? Heard there was some damage to one of their Pier and ships are sometimes redeployed elsewhere.

 

Thank you so much for your inputs.

[nw gardener]

I posted my embarkation/disembarking experience on the west coast departure forum,  in short I arrived early and left early and it was the easiest time ever for me out of Vancouver.

No problem with Ketchikan,  you may be thinking about the damaged pier in Sitka that is making for changes for some cruise lines. Not sure for the fix timeline for that.

[Cabin fevers]

We also got Covid on the June 5 sailing.  Good luck trying to report this to Celebrity.  
They do not want to know

[Karen Lynn]

Thanks to all for your comments and thoughts. Appreciate all feedback !

We , along with another couple are on Eclipse for 4-B2B in September , Vancouver to Australia. We’re in sky suites and with there being no retreat sun deck and the ship not having been revolutionized, wondering if this is a good choice given monies spent and final payment in 8 days 😦 it’s a lot to re think but better now than……

 

Any thoughts appreciated 

[Cabin fevers]

We just returned from Alaska on the Eclipse and promptly cancelled the Honolulu to Sydney cruise you are booked on.  We developed Covid, as did many others.  Except for sanitizer outside the buffet, no other safety precautions.  The ship is in serious need of updating, our balcony had major rust, worn carpet, but that wasn’t our main concern.  The food in the MDR and buffet was not up to standard.  We had anytime dining.  Complaints from everyone, many meals being sent back.  Our wonderful waiter even told us not to order some things. This should never happen. Many complaints from diners who ate in Murano.  The entertainment also needs a reboot.  The jokes told during Liars Club were word for word from our last Celebrity cruise. C’mon.  The DJ played the exact same songs every night. We talked at the sales Center for excursions in Raiatea.  The agent said “most people will be off so it’d be a good day to relax on the ship”.  Are you kidding!  We have 13 sea days.  After all my negative remarks I will say we had a fabulous 7 days, staff were wonderful, met lots of great people.  However now being sick at home for 5 days is no fun

[edgee]

1 hour ago, Cabin fevers said:

We just returned from Alaska on the Eclipse and promptly cancelled the Honolulu to Sydney cruise you are booked on.  We developed Covid, as did many others.  Except for sanitizer outside the buffet, no other safety precautions.  The ship is in serious need of updating, our balcony had major rust, worn carpet, but that wasn’t our main concern.  The food in the MDR and buffet was not up to standard.  We had anytime dining.  Complaints from everyone, many meals being sent back.  Our wonderful waiter even told us not to order some things. This should never happen. Many complaints from diners who ate in Murano.  The entertainment also needs a reboot.  The jokes told during Liars Club were word for word from our last Celebrity cruise. C’mon.  The DJ played the exact same songs every night. We talked at the sales Center for excursions in Raiatea.  The agent said “most people will be off so it’d be a good day to relax on the ship”.  Are you kidding!  We have 13 sea days.  After all my negative remarks I will say we had a fabulous 7 days, staff were wonderful, met lots of great people.  However now being sick at home for 5 days is no fun

Concerning. We are booked on July 24 Vancouver Round trip. You say there were no safety precautions related to Covid. I understood that there is currently a mask requirement in the show room and in the casino. Is that not the case? Thanks!

[bebe08]

We also just returned from June 5th sailing.  Masks were mandatory in Casino and Theatre.  Staff did make sure you were wearing a mask when you entered the theatre but we did see people who took them off once they were seated.  I have just read that covid cases have gone up in Alaska and both Princess and HAL have implemented mandatory masks in all common areas on Alaskan cruises.  DH woke up with a cough on Sunday last day of the cruise.  He tested negative on Monday when we got home but is now positive.  Main symptoms are fatigue, headache, and a cough which has now mostly cleared up.  We both had our 2nd booster (4th shot) less than a month before the cruise and wore masks more than most.  Feels like bad luck that he got it however we knew the risks and no regrets.  Our concerns are more about having to quarantine or not being able to get home vs actually catching covid.

 

This was our first post covid cruise and we had a great time.  We have cruised a fair bit but was our first cruise to Alaska...we loved it and will definitely do it again.

 

We found service to be excellent all around and thought the ship was in great shape.  We had a veranda stateroom and anytime dining and ate most of our meals in the MDR.  Food was hit and miss.  We did have the waiter warn us about one dish which he brought so I could try along with another main dish.  Everything was served nice and hot (with the exception of a slightly warm hamburger at lunch in the MDR)  but some dishes were a bit bland or dry...while others were very tasty.  We had 2 breakfasts in Tuscan (our first cruise as Elite and we enjoyed this) as well as one dinner.  While we enjoyed our dinner in Tuscan (great views, service, not very busy, tasty food) we both felt it wasn't worth the extra money unless you are trying to use up OBC.  The buffet is back to letting you serve yourself which was disappointing, so we only used it once after a late excursion.

 

We are glad to be back to cruising and booked another cruise while onboard.

[emfolstad]

Could someone please tell me if the pools are open?  We will have our daughters (7 and 9) with us and need to know if they will be able to swim or not.  Thanks so much!!!

[bebe08]

34 minutes ago, emfolstad said:

Could someone please tell me if the pools are open?  We will have our daughters (7 and 9) with us and need to know if they will be able to swim or not.  Thanks so much!!!

Both the main pool (outdoors) and solarium (adults only indoors) were open during our cruise.  There was a sign that the solarium would be open for families from 4-5 pm each day.  I understand this is typical for a cooler weather cruise so that kids can swim if the main pool is too cold.  

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, emfolstad said:

Could someone please tell me if the pools are open?  We will have our daughters (7 and 9) with us and need to know if they will be able to swim or not.  Thanks so much!!!

The outdoor pools should be open (and it may or may not be warm enough to swim) and the inside pools are generally adults only, but on cold weather cruises like Alaska it has been my experience that they will have a couple of hours where children can swim in the warmer pool inside.  

[emfolstad]

14 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

The outdoor pools should be open (and it may or may not be warm enough to swim) and the inside pools are generally adults only, but on cold weather cruises like Alaska it has been my experience that they will have a couple of hours where children can swim in the warmer pool inside.  

Thank you for your response!!!

[emfolstad]

15 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

The outdoor pools should be open (and it may or may not be warm enough to swim) and the inside pools are generally adults only, but on cold weather cruises like Alaska it has been my experience that they will have a couple of hours where children can swim in the warmer pool inside.  

Thanks so much for your response!

[Dreamteam13]

We cruised on the May 29th cruise in an aft Sky Suite and had a wonderful time.  We ate every breakfast in room looking out  the sights and every dinner in Luminea.  Luminea did a nice job with spacing tables and we felt very safe there.  Every team member wore masks and we did in the theatre and casino.  Both of us were fully vaxed ( 4 shots) and neither of us got Covid.  My thoughts on the cruise:

- The entertainment was ok but not a strong point of this cruise. 
- Sue was fantastic as cruise director and there were many activities 

- Having a sky suite and eating in Luminea made us feel extremely comfortable as far as Covid exposure 

- As some have mentioned, the wifi on board was spotty for at least half the trip due to the course 

- The weather on our cruise was fantastic and most crew said it was best they had seen.  No rain. 
- We did a small boat whale watching tour out of Juneau and it was the best, lots of whales! 
- Icy point was just ok but we did enjoy Ketchikan much more. 
- I don’t know if I would do another Alaska cruise for a while but we are already booking our next two Celebrity cruises both in Sky suites.   

[Karen Lynn]

Anymore recently back ? 🤔

[bebe08]

22 minutes ago, Karen Lynn said:

Anymore recently back ? 🤔

We got back June 12th.  Anything specific I can answer for you?

[Karen Lynn]

Oh! Would love to hear your thoughts on the condition of the ship? Food , service ? Internet if you used ?

Overall thoughts as I have final payment coming at lightening speed !

I know she missed her refurb and perhaps some areas are tired but as we plan to be onboard for 52 days , some things could be a deal breaker..

 

Many thanks !

[bebe08]

27 minutes ago, Karen Lynn said:

Oh! Would love to hear your thoughts on the condition of the ship? Food , service ? Internet if you used ?

Overall thoughts as I have final payment coming at lightening speed !

I know she missed her refurb and perhaps some areas are tired but as we plan to be onboard for 52 days , some things could be a deal breaker..

 

Many thanks !

We sailed June 5-12 and loved our cruise on the Eclipse 🙂  We have cruised several times with Celebrity and this was not our first time on the Eclipse. TBH I didn't find it much different than cruising pre-covid, other than having to wear a mask in the theatre.

 

I found the ship to be in great shape and service was excellent all around. We had a veranda cabin on deck 8 which was in excellent shape and our cabin steward Sergio took good care of us and our cabin. He introduced himself on the first day and gave us his phone # to reach him should we need anything.  He readily answered any questions we had and was friendly and helpful.

 

Sounds like the ship was about two-thirds full.  The staff are working really hard with very little time off and I do wonder what it would be like on a sold out cruise.  As everywhere else, there is a shortage of staff.  On a full ship it may mean longer waits but my guess is the service would still be excellent just slower.  

 

Food was hit and miss...we ate most of our meals in the MDR, with the exception of 2 Elite breakfasts in Tuscan and 1 dinner in Tuscan, and 1 dinner in the buffet.  Service was excellent.  We found a couple of the dinners in MDR a bit bland while others were very tasty.  We went to Al Bacio everyday (sometimes twice a day!) for coffee and a snack and was just as good as I remembered.  

 

Internet was intermittent...we had basic package and were able to email, facebook and whatsapp,.  Couldn't send pictures which is what we expected based on description of this package.  It met our needs.

 

We went to a few of the shows and really enjoyed them, as well as the other entertainment around the ship.  Our go to in the evening was the Ensemble Bar...great service there as well as entertainment.  We didn't try the martini or world class bars so can't comment on those.  

 

Shops are same old...I don't think much has changed in that department in the 10 years we have been cruising on Celebrity lol.

 

Happy to answer any other specific questions 🙂

 

 

 

 

[Karen Lynn]

Thank you so much!

Did you find covid prevention evident ? Some have said it wasn’t very apparent but hopefully it’s going on still behind the scenes. 
I totally get what you mean by short staffing , I feel for the poor crew members that must be exhausted by now.

 

Let me think if there’s anything else , that usually hits me at 2 a.m lol so stay tuned!

 

Very much appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback , worry is my middle name 🫤

[dawnvip]

On 6/16/2022 at 8:59 AM, Cabin fevers said:

We just returned from Alaska on the Eclipse and promptly cancelled the Honolulu to Sydney cruise you are booked on.  We developed Covid, as did many others.  Except for sanitizer outside the buffet, no other safety precautions.  The ship is in serious need of updating, our balcony had major rust, worn carpet, but that wasn’t our main concern.  The food in the MDR and buffet was not up to standard.  We had anytime dining.  Complaints from everyone, many meals being sent back.  Our wonderful waiter even told us not to order some things. This should never happen. Many complaints from diners who ate in Murano.  The entertainment also needs a reboot.  The jokes told during Liars Club were word for word from our last Celebrity cruise. C’mon.  The DJ played the exact same songs every night. We talked at the sales Center for excursions in Raiatea.  The agent said “most people will be off so it’d be a good day to relax on the ship”.  Are you kidding!  We have 13 sea days.  After all my negative remarks I will say we had a fabulous 7 days, staff were wonderful, met lots of great people.  However now being sick at home for 5 days is no fun

Erm, are you sure we were on the same cruise? We were on the June 5 sailing and I can say there were sanitizer stations EVERYWHERE - at the entrance to dinner, casino, theatre, elevators, lounges, bars, shops, etc. Also nice touch was masks were usually stocked on top of the sanitizer stations, so if you forgot there was opportunity to pick up a new disposable one. Reusable Celebrity mask in stateroom on first day. Other safety considerations - masks mandatory in casino and in the theatre. Also, no drink service in the theatre.  Additionally, all staff wore masks (that we saw) and were not allowed off the boat while in port. Many passengers wore masks, even while dancing in the Sky Lounge!

 

We also had anytime dining and had no issues. Interestingly, all our MDR meals were seated in the same section with the same waiter, so I assumed this was a COVID protocol to reduce exposure. We never had a cold meal, and food quality was good - nothing I would consider sending back. We did ask for a some special combos (lobster tail with the mushroom risotto) with no issues.  Buffet was also unexpectedly good - we usually skip the buffet but were pleasantly suprised.

 

The June 5 sailing on Eclipse was the very first sailing for the new DJ - sorry, I can't remember his name. So if its the exact same music as previous sailings that's on Celebrity. The cruise was definitely short staffed in the lounges: depending on time of day we saw one bartender and one waiter in the Sky Lounge, one bartender at Sunset Bar. I'm a patient person, but did see others who were frustrated. 

 

We sailed with another couple and one of us tested positive day after disembarkation. We rode home together so tested ourselves as soon as we heard he was positive, and results were negative. Interestingly, the other three of us have all had COVID previously, even though we are all double vaxxed and boosted, but he has never had it. Just to be safe, we tested again after 3 days and still negative. This virus has no rhyme or reason!

[bebe08]

33 minutes ago, Karen Lynn said:

Thank you so much!

Did you find covid prevention evident ? Some have said it wasn’t very apparent but hopefully it’s going on still behind the scenes. 
I totally get what you mean by short staffing , I feel for the poor crew members that must be exhausted by now.

 

Let me think if there’s anything else , that usually hits me at 2 a.m lol so stay tuned!

 

Very much appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback , worry is my middle name 🫤

Happy to help...I was the same way before my cruise!!  Life has changed a lot in the last few years.  Thankfully cruising is still as much fun as it ever was 🙂

 

Re: covid prevention - masks were mandatory in casino and theatre.  Masks were available at the theatre and staff made sure you were wearing upon entering.  Cloth masks were also waiting for us in our room when we embarked.  We did see some people take them off once in their seats...it is difficult to enforce.  Crew and staff always wore masks.  No shortage of hand sanitization stations and the ship was being kept spotless.  The only thing I saw that surprised me was the buffet has moved back to self serve which IMO is riskier so we only went once.  

 

There is an effort towards touchless service.  Staff no longer take your card when you order a drink...they ask for your room # and write it down.  They would look at your card but never touch it.   

 

Although we wore masks DH tested positive 2 days after we got home.  He is fully vaxxed and symptoms are like a bad cold.  No regrets we knew the risks and fully enjoyed our cruise.  Our only concern re covid was testing positive and having to cancel our cruise or quarantine which didn't happen.  

 

Incidentally I read a few days after we got home that case counts are up in Alaska and a couple of the cruise lines (not Celebrity as far as I know) have made masks mandatory in all common areas.