LIVE Onboard the Celebrity Eclipse: Day 6 of Our Cruise

Sea days can be a blessing or a curse.  You either are a sun worshipper who enjoys baking in the sun on the pool deck or you don’t.  Another day on the Celebrity Eclipse: Day 6 of our cruise and since I had gotten crispy both on St. John and in St. Maarten, I was thinking I might avoid the sun a little and enjoy some of the indoor activities onboard. The guys decided they wanted a bigger breakfast this morning and so we ran up to the Oceanview Café.  My son loves the made to order omelets and stood in an extremely short line to grab two.  They also had quesadillas with eggs, meat, and cheese, but my husband was happy to get one with eggs, cheese, and spinach.  You won’t go hungry here with an abundance of fresh breads, fruit, egg dishes, cereal, yogurt, sliced meats and cheeses, and just about everything else you could ever want to eat.  If you can’t find a seat inside, walk to the aft (back) part of the restaurant for outside seating.  There’s nothing like eating breakfast, having a drink, or just relaxing with a view like no other overlooking the ocean.  It’s impressive to say the least!  If you’re not up for breakfast in the Oceanview Café, you can instead stop by the Moonlight Sonata dining room for brunch, which is served 10 am – 1 pm on deck 3.

After breakfast we parted ways with our son and we opted for some of the Captain’s Club activities.  First up was the Backstage Tour and question and answer session with a few of the dancers and the production manager, Danielle Fullerton.  We were greeted by Aurora Niebla, the Concierge Club hostess, and given a choice of either champagne or mimosas, which is always a great way to start the afternoon.   Yes, it was noon and the day was still young.   The dancers audition and are hired through a private company, Poet, but then become employees of Celebrity.  As Celebrity wants to be able to plan out shows in advance, the dancers will know exactly which ships they will be on a few contracts in advance since they will need certain dancers to fill certain spots.  They will accommodate couples as well and there are many couples who work together, including married couples.  The lighting manager, who is 6’4” made me laugh when he described his cabin and how crew cabins are nothing like guest cabins.  He can lie down on his bed and shut the lights off with his toes.  Now that’s small!  They have shared bathroom cabins, which mean they have a private cabin, but a shared bathroom.  If I remember correctly, the bathroom was something like 4×6.  Small!

After the question and answer session, we were then taken backstage to see the “quick change room” where the dancers change their costumes.  Without dressers onboard to assist them, the dancers are responsible for getting in and out of their change of costumes on their own, but they do help one another.  They are also responsible for doing their own makeup and the cruise line does give them all their makeup and they can do as they like, but for the “Eclipse” show, which they have to follow specific guidelines as is shown in the picture here.  Next up was the “green room” where production pieces for the show are stored in between performances.  The “garage” is where the larger pieces are kept as they are too big to move.  The large rock pieces are made out of Styrofoam, but are still heavy and are kept hoisted above up off the stage both stage left and right.  It was nice to see how things went on backstage and it was great to hear from the performers firsthand.

My husband wanted to listen to another one of the lectures from “Beyond the Podium Presents” by Tom Eastwood in the Celebrity Central on deck four.  A former FBI agent, Tom was onboard all week doing lectures on things like “Spies and Espionage – Fact Versus Fiction,” “What You Should Know About the IRS,” “Interrogations and Polygraphs,” and finally “Code Breaking During WWII.”  Celebrity Cruises brings on different lecturers to speak to cruise guests and my husband said that it was absolutely worth attending and that the room was always filled.  In his first talk he debunked the television and movie conceptions of espionage and provided the realistic perspective of how spies are actually recruited and captured. In his lecture on the policies of the IRS he provided an eye-opening glimpse into how to avoid scams and potential prosecution from the agency.  The interrogation & polygraph lecture demonstrated the techniques used to be law enforcement extract confessions. His final lecture was a history lesson on World War II with a focus on how the Enigma code was deciphered.   My husband said he left the lecture series reminded of how much he liked attending great lectures from speakers with incredible insight. The “Beyond the Podium Presents” series from Celebrity will be a highlight that I think he will most definitely look forward to on future

As I am always planning ahead, I chose instead to go to the Future Cruise Sales office and sit with Anna Duwel from Germany, a future cruise consultant.  I was not about to pass up the opportunity to pay a reduced deposit and get an insane amount of onboard credit for a future cruise.  If you are considering booking a cruise while onboard Celebrity or any other cruise line, go down as early as you can to grab one of the cruise books with itineraries because by the end of the week they will almost certainly vanish.  As we have specific times that we can travel while our son is in school, we are limited with our choices.  I hated having to ask Anna to go through different itineraries so here is what you can do.  Even if you haven’t purchased an internet package, you can go to the internet café onboard, on the Celebrity Eclipse it is the iLounge on deck six, and click on free sites.  You’ll be able to visit the cruise line’s website and so that is how I was able to check out some of the possible cruises for our family based on our criteria.  I was also able to price them out to get an idea what would be a great match for us without the pressure of doing it with the future cruise consultant.  If you booked through your travel agent for your cruise, don’t worry as your booking onboard will revert back to your travel agent for them to handle once you are back on dry land.

We met back up after our respective tasks and decided to sit down in Café al Bacio. This is probably one of my most favorite places as far as decor on the ship, but believe me, there is a lot of competition for this on the Celebrity Eclipse.  You can sit, relax, and enjoy a beverage while reading or relaxing.  The chairs are super plush and comfortable and at certain times of the day, this place is packed.  I suspect that late risers like to visit here after a late night of partying if they just so happened to miss breakfast service.  Smart people!  On the far end by the mirrored wall is the Gelateria so if you don’t want coffee, think gelato instead!

We were completely oblivious on the ordering process in Café al Bacio as there was a counter area with a register and a barista like what you would find in Starbuck’s and so that’s where we went.  We quickly perused the printed menu of coffee and tea beverages which range in price from $3-$5.  There isn’t a wall menu, but you can find the menus both on the counter and on the tables.  We then ordered with the barista who advised us to sit down at a table and our drinks would be brought over to us.  It only took a moment to choose a table and almost immediately a server came over and asked if we wanted to order. When we told her that we had already ordered, she flipped our menu over to indicate that we were taken care of already, but when my husband asked about the items in the case, she said we could go up and order it.  Clearly, she was not interested in waiting on us anymore and that was the first and only time I encountered a less than obliging server onboard.  My husband waited for our drinks to be brought over and then asked that server about the bakery case and was told that baked goods are complimentary with your beverage order.  He was happy about that almost as much as I was super ecstatic that they had soy milk!  I ordered a soy caramel macchiato for myself and a double espresso for my husband.  He then ordered a napoleon and a chocolate mousse pastry, both of which he was more than pleased to consume by himself.  My coffee was absolutely excellent and I only wish I had tried it here earlier.  Great drinks, not so great service, but perhaps they are trying to bring a true coffeehouse experience to cruising?

Our entertainment choices for the evening were certainly not limited by any stretch of the imagination.  The Celebrity Showtime was “Ovations” in the Eclipse Theater with a 7 pm and 9 pm show.  From Celebrity Today: “This dazzling production will take you on a whirlwind tour of the most famous shows of Broadway and London’s West End.” Not up for a musical production?  You could listen to Uncommon Ground Live in Concert in Celebrity Central. “Join your A Cappella Quartet for a night of song and fun in this one-off show.” Want to skip music altogether?  How about late night comedy with Troy Thirdgill?  There are more than enough entertainment options on Celebrity Eclipse, be it a musical number, sitting at a bar or lounge with a group of new cruise friends, or a night in the casino.  Your cruise can be as entertaining as you would like it to be. Guest entertainers are brought on to change things up so although the main production numbers may remain the same, the guest entertainment will always be different.

While we were out and about the ship, we received word that our Murano reservation had been confirmed. There had been one bar that I had somehow missed thus far on the cruise and that was the Molecular Bar on deck five near the Galleria Boutiques.  I had wanted to try this all week, but it is one of the bars that doesn’t open until 5 pm and I never seemed to be near it when I was looking for a cocktail. There are seats up at the counter so you can watch the bartenders at work or communal tables that are lighted from underneath where you can sit and chat with new and old friends alike.  My husband had the Mr. B, which was Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, Agave Nectar, Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Grapefruit, and lemon juice.  There were so many choices so I asked the bartender to make a suggestion.  She asked me what kind of drinks did I usually drink and I told her more so sweet drinks.  She suggested the Dragonfly, which comes to your table with liquid nitrogen added for a steamy presentation.  It has Russian Standard Vodka, Cointreau, Aloe Vera Juice, Pink Grapefruit Juice, Raspberries, Lime, and Hibiscus Essence.  Just be sure to let the liquid nitrogen fade away completely before drinking!  Both drinks were absolutely spectacular and delicious!  I definitely recommend the Molecular Bar for at least a drink or two.

We then walked over to Murano for our dinner, where the maître d’ took our drinks and handed them over to a waiter who carried them to our table for us.  We were seated and greeted by our server for the evening, Henrietta from Hungary, who was attentive throughout our meal without being intrusive.  The sommelier was Nikolina who had been a sommelier for eight years.  I had to ask her some questions including how she decided to become a sommelier and it turns out that her family is in the wine business so it seems like a natural job choice.  My husband asked her about training to become a sommelier, which include taking classes and continuous education on wines as there are always new ones coming out.  My last question was about the spoon that I used to see sommeliers wearing and apparently, that is no longer required, which I think is good since I never really thought it was that great of a look. 🙂

Murano is a French specialty restaurant onboard the Celebrity Eclipse and does require reservations, which you can make online in advance of your cruise or while onboard.  Please note that reservations can be difficult to obtain once you are onboard, so I would highly advise making your reservations in advance.  Price per person is $40, which includes your entire meal, but not beverages.  You can choose to do the fixed menu or dine á la carte. Our meal began with an amuse du jour with ours being a micro salad with asparagus and a balsamic dressing and our son had a small tuna dish.  Both were delicious and a great way to commence our meals in Murano.  My son then moved onto his first course, the Creamy Maine Lobster Bisque with leek and shallot flan and a cognac cream and loved it, which surprised me as he usually avoids eating seafood in general.  His second starter was the Diver Scallop Wellington Style baked in puff pastry with a black truffle emulsion and a spinach fondue.  Another seafood choice and another surprise, but he loved it!

For my appetizer I had the Wild Forest Mushroom Cappuccino with glazed shitake-spiced flan and a mushroom biscotti. The flan comes in a little glass that sat adjacent to the mushroom cappuccino and the biscotti.  If you love mushrooms, then you will absolutely love this dish.  My husband decided on the Warm Goat Cheese Souffle with smoked tomato coulis, parmesan cream, and basil pesto and enjoyed it although I think he preferred my appetizer.  We had decided on trying multiple courses and I opted for the Heirloom Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Granny Smith Apple, Cantaloupe, micro basil & white balsamic emulsion, which was crispy, fresh, and delicious.  I would never have paired tomatoes with apples and cantaloupe, but for some strange reason it worked.  My husband had his turn with the Wild Forest Mushroom Cappuccino and was happy with his choice.

One of the reasons we decided to eat in Murano was because there were vegetarian options available on the menu.  Since we weren’t going to eat in the Tuscan Grille, a more meat-centric restaurant, Murano and Qsine were definitely important for us to try out.  For our entrees, my son ventured down the carnivorous path as always.  He ordered Les Petits Filets which was a filet mignon trio with sauteed Honshimiji mushrooms, pea fricassée, port-braised shallots, chamonix potato, and beef jus.  I opted for an entree on the opposite side of the spectrum, the Vegetable Mélange, which consisted of pea fricassée, potato souffle, Imam Biyaldi Quenelle, and carrot fondant.  I was ecstatic to have the Imam Biyaldi, my favorite from our night at Qsine.  My husband decided to be different and ordered the Porcini & Morel Risotto with vegetable paysanne, truffle foam, chervil, and garlic chips as his entree.  I was already feeling quite full from our appetizers and picked at my meal, but it was so delicious.  We watched other tables enjoy their meals immensely, including the table side lobster service.

Clearly having no room for another bite, what else was there to do, but to order dessert, right?  The food in Murano is very good, but I love how their food presentation skills as much as the food itself.  For dessert, I opted for the Les VI Etoiles du Murano for Two, which was a selection of favorite bite-sized desserts for two.  I like to try dessert, but not necessarily eat an entire dessert so this was great for sampling.  I will admit that the strawberries in port was a surprise and not being a tremendous fan of port, definitely not my favorite. However, I was able to sample all of them and then pass them along to both my husband and son. Flavors ranged from vanilla to chocolate and fruit and they were all rich, but extremely flavorful. Thank goodness my son skipped dessert as he was able to at least try some of mine and make me look less like a glutton.  My husband ordered Les Perles Sucrees, a trio of warm croustilliant filled with chocolate hazlenut and lemon cream and served with vanilla ice cream and peach cocktail and we all enjoyed a fresh, hot cup of coffee.

Tomorrow is our last full day on the Celebrity Eclipse and our last day at sea.  So much to do and so little time!