Category: 2016 – Celebrity Eclipse, Exotic Southern Caribbean, 10 – 24 Jan

Ryan Joyce was the name of the illusionist at last night’s show and he gave a very entertaining performance. No great fancy props but a few close hand tricks along with some predictions in sealed envelopes which of course always work out spot on. He also had very good stage presence and his chatter was funny and very easy to listen to. He will also be doing a hypnotist show on the next sea day but we won’t be going to that at 2:30 in the afternoon that’s for sure!
Dinner was again great fun and during the evening it transpired that one of the couples had booked to go to Qsine tonight which is one of the speciality restaurants onboard. They had booked it a few days ago and paid full price for it. Earlier yesterday Celebrity had set a desk up outside the Oceanview Cafe and as we were passing were offering a 30% discount which we declined to take up. Our waiter Jesus overheard all of our conversation and said how would you all like to go tomorrow night for 30% off. This of course sparked some lively conversation as there was already a booking made for full price and then to add to the mix the Scottish couple confessed they had booked on previous cruise for 50% off so being a true Scot (his words not mine) he proposed that if they give us all 50% off then its a deal. Jesus then went off to see if he could make this work and to our amazement they agreed. So tonight all 8 of us are off to Qsine for half price. This is the first time we will have dined in a Celebrity speciality restaurant and to do it with our table mates will be great fun and we are really looking forward to it.

Our arrival at Curaçao was on schedule just before the sunrise and being as we are overnighting here we were in no rush to get up go for breakfast. This port has the least attraction for us and all we really planned to do was go for a walk and then go back enjoy the ship along with the weather and that is exactly what we did. We purchased a few items on our travels and also stopped for a quick drink along the waters edge overlooking the Queen Emma floating bridge which connects one side of the town to the other. We then headed back to the ship as we hadn’t eaten for at least 4 hours and were starting to feel a little peakish. From there it was just a case of relaxing in the sun and periodically getting in the pool just to cool off.

I am going to attempt to post this tonight using free WiFi and will need to get off the ship to do so. We have seen several places where the crew have congregated with phones and tablets so I know where to try and look. Fingers crossed its a strong enough signal.

As I have already said we are really looking forward to tonight and I aim to take some photos to hopefully post tomorrow. It is also our intention to do the late night night show which is a Billy Joel tribute act. That last bit if not set in stone though.

So the big question from my last post, did Shades of Bublé wow us? The answer is well sort of. They were very professional, had great voices and were very entertaining. Easily the best set of singers I have seen on a ship and we’ll worth seeing.
Dinner last night was a much more relaxed affair with plenty of laughter as we are all getting to know each other a little better. We are the Celebrity Babies of the table with all the others being Elite members or Elite Plus.  Last night was our third night which has now elevated us to Elite but we won’t see the benefits until our next cruise. The 90 minutes free WiFi will be be most welcome!
This morning we arrived at Aruba just before 8:00 which is when we went for breakfast and shortly after that we made our way off the ship and caught a taxi to the beach. The initial plan was to go to Palm Beach but our taxi driver recommended Eagle Beach so we went with his suggestion. That was the Right Move!!!!!
The beach is absolutely amazing and the colours are truly stunning.  Added to this we have some huge waves coming in which periodically come over the natural ridge of the beach. We went in earlier in the day but as the day went on the waves got bigger and only the brave and the stupid were going in. We were talking to a lady on the next sun bed who has been coming to this beach for 5 years and she said she has never known waves like it and it was so bad yesterday they evacuated the beach. The best way to describe our day is with the following photos.

We stayed there until just before 3:00 catching a taxi back to the ship which for the record was $13. After a quick shower we popped to the Oceanview Cafe for a spot of tea and then it was back to the cabin to relax for a bit. Relax hear you say???? After spending the day on the beach?
Too true it’s exhausting lying in the sun and watching all the idiots trying to drown themselves!
We don’t sail until 8:00 tonight so there is a chance we may get off again for a wander round the shops but to be honest I don’t need any diamonds or train souvenirs so then again we may not.
Tonight the show is an illusionist and we are in two minds as to go and see him or not.

After the first nights thumbs down with regards to the entertainment in the theatre, last night’s show was a much better affair. I can best describe it as being like the Norwegian Elements show but without the magic. Very good but in some respect in a poor cousin.
Yesterday was the first of two Evening Chic nights which have replaced the formal nights and it was a real mixed bag of who wore what, some staying loyal to the dinner suit while others just opting for smart casual. It did seem to me to be a much more relaxed atmosphere so I am all for the new set up. This leads me nicely on to our fellow dinners as last night we were joined by the pair who missed the first night. They are a couple from Sunderland, she is a native Teessider while he is from Scotland and for evening chic he opted for the full highland attire. So now our table is full with 5 gents and 3 ladies providing a real diverse group of diners and all being well should make for some very lively and interesting conversation during this cruise. It has also transpired that one of the couples from Atlanta will also on our Baltic cruise later in the the year. The coincidences keep coming!

I was awake at 4:00 this morning but for the first time this week managed to doze back off again and not coming round until 7:00. We again found the Oceanview Cafe to be relatively deserted with plenty of seats available at the back so we could enjoy our breakfast outside. We also spotted our assistant waiter Oomesh there this morning who was on table clearing duty and managed to have a really nice chat with him.

Earlier in the day the weather was very cloudy but still lovely and warm albeit a tad windy so we made our way up to the Solstice Deck for a spot of reading. We also experienced a couple of showers which moved everybody from the sunbeds, this I found quite amusing as there we all are lying in swimming attire on towels and it rains so just about everybody gets up and runs for cover. The showers lasted for no more than a few minutes but it was like a stampede.
In a bid to miss the crowds we decided to miss lunch today and to go for tea instead, with the weather not being full sunshine most people haven’t braved it up on deck so I dread to think how manic the eating establishments have been. I do confess to a brief moment of weakness and popping down to the Mast Grille for a quick burger and fries which did help me through this long period of fasting and of course I had to take back some frozen yogurt in cone to appease a certain person who didn’t join me for a burger.

Just before 2:00 the skies emptied and we sought refuge under the awnings at the sunset bar for a while before returning to the cabin. The sun has been in and out interspersed with the odd shower so we decided the best course of action was to make for our balcony which luckily for us today had the sun (when it was out that is). A spot of reading and of course the opportunity for me to write this.

Tonight the show is a three man tribute to Michael Bublé which we have decided to give a go. According to the programme it has wowed audiences across the USA and is a show not to be missed. Find out tomorrow if it is!

Our sailaway was delayed by around 20 minutes but eventually we were on our way to Aruba and although the sun wasn’t shining it was still lovely and warm out on deck.

We were super efficient with the unpacking and so found ourselves with a couple of hours free before dinner so we went to the show which was a standup comedian called Rich Aronovitch. We strategically positioned ourselves just in case he wasn’t to our liking and I have to say that was a smart move. We endured a good 20 minutes of what I would call poor humour which was more aimed at our fellow American passengers before we made our escape with quite a few others.
So having then found ourselves with yet more free time we made our way to what was the old Passport bar now renamed the Gastrobar which is one of the areas which was changed in last year’s refit. We have always used that bar on all the Solstice class ships for pre dinner drinks as it is always a lively place with a live band playing in the atrium and people dancing. Not a great deal seems have been altered, just a few added screens and the beer fridges which I understand have been moved from Michael’s Bar and perhaps the seating is now different.
So what about our first nights dining experience? Well we are on table 225 which is a table for eight and last night we had two empty spaces and two couples both as it would happen from Atlanta, Georgia. We had a great first night with them and all bodes well for the rest of the cruise. Our two waiters (Jesus & Oomesh) and sommelier (Enricke) were also very good and great fun as well as being very attentive.
We also bumped into Alfred the waiter from our last Celebrity cruise on the Reflection who was really pleased to see us again. We also spotted but didn’t get to speak with the assistant waitress from our first Silhouette cruise so will be keeping an eye out for her so we can say hello at some point. I wonder if she will remember us too?
And so to today, during the night we had another time change and have moved yet another hour away from UK time and are now 6 hours behind. I was awake early again at around 5:30 which wasn’t too bad considering the extra hour. Being up early does sort of work in our favour at the moment as the ship was relatively quiet and it makes the buffet a dream to use.
Following breakfast we went back to the cabin and applied our sun cream and then made our way up to our favoured haunt, the Solstice Deck for a spot of lying in the sun. The weather today was scattered cloud interspersed with some lovely warm sunshine. It feels fantastic to get away from the miserable damp UK.
We stayed there until just after 2:30 before popping into the Oceanview Cafe for a quick bite to eat, from there being as the sun was on our side of the ship we headed back to our cabin and its balcony. What clouds there were have now gone and it is glorious sunshine and as you can imagine the upper decks are extremely busy.

That is pretty much it for day one on board Celebrity Eclipse. Tonight we are giving the theatre another go as it’s a production show called Topper which is about Sir Richard Peabody and his collection of eccentric friends who live in a giant hat! The mind boggles!!!!! I might need some wine to help me through it.

As predicted we were awake early this morning and did manage to watch the ship come in. It was still dark and it as quite a strange sight watching the ship ease down the channel amongst all the other lights. Finding it difficult to drift back off took sleep I took the time to try and short out what was wrong with the tablet and eventually removed some of the recently installed apps and fingers crossed it seems to have improved its performance.

For breakfast we walked back down to Bayside and sat out in front of the marina before taking a walk along the best front.

We left the hotel at 12:30 and traveled the short distance to the cruise port by taxi and in fact we timed the whole process from that point to actually getting on board at a fantastic 25 minutes. An absolutely flawless embarkation from start to finish and we were even able to get straight into our cabin. Why can’t it always be like this? The only negative about the while thing was the torrential downpour that happened just as we were getting out of the taxi  which made little difference as the whole area was undercover anyway.

After dropping our hand luggage off at the cabin we dabbled in a spot of lunch in the buffet before retiring to the Solstice Deck for a spot of relaxation. It has been quite overcast since the rain but still very warn with a really lovely breeze. It does look as it will blow over and we will have a sunny sailaway from Miami today.

You may have gathered that I am writing this early today as we have a muster at 4:45 then we will unpack before going down to dinner which on this cruise is 2nd sitting at 8:30. It will be quite busy hence the reason to do it now.
The plan is to use phone data to post today’s postcards and tomorrow I will try the internet out. I am feeling a lot more positive with the tablet situation so let’s hope it behaves at least until the end of the cruise.

The wait is finally over and earlier this morning we started our 2 day journey to the ship. It was a very early start for our drive to Heathrow’s T3 where we caught our British Airways flight 207 to Miami. The journey to the airport was quite uneventful but after we had dropped our cases off and passed through security we decided to go and get some breakfast.
During  breakfast in The Bridge restaurant Nicole suddenly started pointing at someone while standing with her mouth wide open in amazement. I wondered what an earth was going on and then suddenly realised she was pointing at one of her oldest friends who at this point was doing a mirror image gesture back at her. We haven’t seen her for a few years and it was just amazing to unexpectedly bump into someone you know and more specifically somewhere you wouldn’t normally expect to. Lots of hugs and a few tears and I found myself apologising to the couple on the next table for the excited behaviour. It then transpired that not only were they at the same airport, same terminal and same restaurant but on the same flight too. What are the chances of that? After we had sat and chatted for while and swapped itineraries she went off for breakfast with the rest of her party while we continued eating ours. Shortly after the couple on the next table got up to leave and as they were going the lady turned to us and with a smile on her face said “see you on the ship”. She must have overheard where we were going and realised yet another coincidence. Small world or what!!!!

Our flight left pretty much on schedule and was actually one of the smoothest trans Atlantic crossings we have flown. We arrived 4 minutes ahead of schedule to clear blue skies and a temperature of 28C.
A twenty minute drive by taxi and we were soon at out hotel and I have to concede the view from our room is far better than I could have imagined.

To say the room is fantastic is an understatement, it’s on the eleventh floor and looks directly out over the port and we should get a great view of the ships in the morning.
Tonight we have been out for something to eat and ventured down to an area called Bayside which is all shops and restaurants. Being a Saturday night it was extremely busy and very lively. We ate at a Cuban restaurant and I have to say the food was excellent.

We have stayed up as long as we could manage but have finally decided enough is enough for today. Tomorrow we get on the ship so yet another busy day.
Sad news is my tablet is dying!!!!

So here’s me signing off for day one.

In 2016 we have a milestone birthday to celebrate and after some very short consideration we came to the conclusion that there can be no better way for us to commemorate the occasion with than with a Caribbean cruise and one on Celebrity. It will be a fantastic treat to get away from a miserable and damp Britain and enjoy the tropical climate of the Caribbean for 14 nights on Celebrity Eclipse. The cruise will be all about sunshine and beaches and we fully intend to seek out some of the favourites we have visited on previous Caribbean cruises.

We booked this as cruise only with our US agent and then purchased our flights to Miami by using up some of our Avios points which provided a very healthy discount, so what this means is that we will leave the UK on the 9 January and fly to Miami with BA where we will overnight in the InterContinental Hotel which is nice and close to the port. We have booked a King Bay View room and if everything goes to plan we should have a nice view of the ships coming in early morning as we are bound to be awake due to the 5 hour time difference.

One disappointing thing that has happened was that the port of Bonaire was dropped from the original itinerary and substituted with an overnight stop in Curacao. The reason hasn’t been revealed by Celebrity and I know there were quite a few disgruntled passengers making their feelings known on the Cruise Critic roll call.

As for accommodation on the ship, we have once again managed to get a cabin in our favoured location on the hump which was a real bonus because from what I can tell this cruise has been pretty much all booked up for months and the roll call on Cruise Critic has certainly been very active.

 

As always I have taken a look to see what other ships we might encounter and several of the ports look to be quite busy. The busiest one being Philipsburg, St. Maarten so I hope we are one of the first of the 8:00 arrivals so we can get across the bay to get a pair of sunbeds in one of our favourite beach locations.

Date	Port	Ships in Port
Sunday, January 10, 2016	Miami, Florida	Norwegian Getaway 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Dock) Seven Seas Navigator 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Disney Magic 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM Carnival Splendor 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Carnival Breeze 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 04:30 PM
Monday, January 11, 2016	At Sea
Tuesday, January 12, 2016	At Sea
Wednesday, January 13, 2016	Oranjestad, Aruba	Monarch 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Dock) Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 08:00 PM
Thursday, January 14, 2016	Willemstad, Curacao	Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 07:00 AM Norwegian Pearl 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Dock) Oosterdam 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Friday, January 15, 2016	Willemstad, Curacao	Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 05:00 PM Vision Of The Seas 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Dock)
Saturday, January 16, 2016	At Sea
Sunday, January 17, 2016	Bridgetown, Barbados	Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM Oriana Arrive: 7:00 AM
Monday, January 18, 2016	Castries, St. Lucia	Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Tuesday, January 19, 2016	St. Johns, Antigua	Celebrity Eclipse 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM Oriana 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, January 20, 2016	Basse-Terre, St. Kitts	Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM Costa Favolosa 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM Celebrity Silhouette 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Dock)
Thursday, January 21, 2016	Philipsburg, St. Maarten	Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM Oosterdam 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM Costa Magica 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM Celebrity Silhouette 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Dock) Allure Of The Seas 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Dock) Carnival Splendor 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday, January 22, 2016	At Sea
Saturday, January 23, 2016	At Sea
Sunday, January 24, 2016	Miami, Florida	Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 07:00 AM Norwegian Getaway 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Dock) Disney Magic 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM Carnival Splendor 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Carnival Breeze 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM