Day 4: Sunday, March 4 ~ Embarkation Day!

Just shy of 2 years after booking this cruise, the day had finally arrived to board the Celebrity Eclipse!!

I’m sure you can guess where we went for breakfast… That’s right!  Back to Le Chic French Bakery for those delicious almond croissants!  We needed one last chance to taste that sweet yumminess before leaving Miami.  Bellies full, we went back to the hotel to gather our bags and request an Uber.  It cost us $12 for an UberX to drive us 20 minutes to the Port of Miami.  It was so exciting to set eyes on the ship for the first time as we drove passed it on the bridge.

Our driver had no idea where to go upon entering the port even though we saw the electronic sign listing our ship at Terminal G and could clearly see where the ship was docked from miles away.  At first, he tried to pull into Terminal D where the Carnival Vista was docked- good thing we were paying attention and stopped him!

Soon enough, we pulled up in front of Terminal G, unloaded our bags, and handed the big suitcase over to a porter before entering the terminal.  We arrived at 10:20am and there were only a handful of other passengers checking in.  There was no line at all at the security x-rays or at the Concierge Class check in counter, so I was happy we showed up so early. Within just a few minutes after arriving, we checked in, took our security mug shots, were handed our seapass cards, and directed to take a seat in the small waiting room at the end of the terminal.  When I say small, I mean SMALL.  There were already about 50 passengers in there and there were hardly any empty seats available, but we did find 2 seats in different rows.  I don’t know if there was another waiting room somewhere else, but this seemed like a very small space to wait to board the ship considering it was full to capacity this early in the day.  Luckily, it didn’t matter because they started boarding the ship not long after we arrived.  First they called the suites, and then at 10:50am, they invited Concierge Class passengers to board the ship!  Up the escalator and through a short bridge, and we stepped foot on the Celebrity Eclipse before 11am!!!  I was seriously shocked at how early we were on board, but no complaints from me!

The lunch options on board didn’t open until 11:30am, so we had a few minutes to run some errands around the ship.  First we went down to the MDR to check out the Concierge Class lunch menu.  This is often considered one of the best perks of Concierge Class- they invite you to a sit-down lunch in the MDR from 11:30am until 1pm so you can avoid the crowds at the buffet.  While it would be nice to let them hold our rolling carry on bags and to enjoy a leisurely meal, I really did not want to spend that much time at a drawn out sit-down lunch when I was anxious to explore the ship.  I was curious about the menu though, so we went down to take a look.  Nothing really appealed to us after having that big almond croissant for breakfast a few hours ago, so we did not stay.

Next, we went to guest services to ask a few questions before the lines got too long.  Then, we went up to deck 5 to ask the Maitre’D at Tuscan Grill about discounts for eating there on the first night.  Before we could even ask, he volunteered a 30% discount!  That sounded good to us so we tried to book for 7pm, but he said that was not available and gave us a 6:30pm reservation.

Errands complete, it was time to relax.  The buffet was still closed at this point, so we went upstairs to deck 15 and walked aft to the Sunset Bar, then down the stairs to the Oceanview Bar outside of the buffet area.  One big perk of sailing on a sister ship to a ship you already sailed on is that you know the layout really well and know more than one way to get where you want to go.  Our goal was to find a table in the shade where we could relax with a few drinks and eat our lunch with a view overlooking Miami.  The Oceanview Café front doors were still closed, but no one stopped us from coming downstairs from the Sunset Bar, and the bar and seating area out back there was open for service.  This was such a great way to start the cruise and it was much less noisy and chaotic than sitting inside the buffet area.

We also had a great view of the port and all the palettes of supplies getting loaded onto the ship.

We also spent some time reading through today’s daily schedule and deciding how we wanted to spend the rest of our day.

At some point, we got hungry for a little lunch so we took turns guarding our carry on bags at the table and getting food from the buffet.  I opted for some seafood paella, a slice of pizza, and something sweet for dessert.

We stayed out there until around 1pm, then went back inside.  We knew they would announce that the cabins were ready at around 1:30pm so we wanted to beat the rush at the elevators.  We went down to the library outside the mid-ship elevators on deck 10 so we’d be close to our cabin, and just as we stepped off the elevator, they announced that cabins were now ready.  We had perfect timing!  Our big suitcase was waiting outside our cabin door when we arrived, so we spent an hour or so getting unpacked and settled in the cabin.  It was the same layout as the cabin we had on the Equinox, so that made unpacking go faster since we already knew where to put everything. I packed 2 collapsible storage bins for each of us as they fit perfectly in the space above the bed and make it easier to get stuff in and out of there.  For the first time in 8 cruises, I took the advice of many expert packers on Cruise Critic and brought an over-the-door hanging shoe organizer with clear pockets.  We both found this to be extremely convenient to store our little odds and ends.  I hung it on the outside of the bathroom door and it helped keep the counters clear and free up space in the little dresser drawers.  Here are some photos from around the cabin before we had a chance to mess it up…

Fresh fruit in the cabin is another perk of Concierge Class, so I assume that’s what this was for.  It probably won’t surprise you that we never touched these apples. Midway through the cruise, our stewardess replaced them with an orange, a red apple, and a pear, which also went uneaten.  With all the delicious food available on the ship, somehow this just didn’t seem worthy of our limited stomach space haha

I never took a photo of the bathroom since it’s the same as on the Equinox, but this was the bathroom products for Concierge Class. I don’t know if we got something special or if this was the same as a regular cabin, but the stewardess was great about replacing anything we finished.

With a cruise this long, it sometimes gets hard to remember what day it is and what tour we have planned, so I made this calendar to hang on the wall of the cabin.  I brought some tiny magnets to hold it up since the walls are magnetic (another new thing I brought for this cruise that will now come with us on every cruise in the future).

We hoped our stewardess would stop by the cabin while we were unpacking but she never did, so we went upstairs to get a quick drink before the Muster Drill.  We also took this opportunity to take this photo which we take on every cruise, holding the orange life saver floating ring.

I love to see all the nautical flags flying on embarkation day.  Just another reminder that we are on a ship and not in a hotel!

A sea plane just landed right in front of us!

Our Muster station was located in the photo gallery.  It was not exactly a comfortable location as there is no seating and they need to cram 200 people into a relatively small space.  We were much happier last time when our station was in the big theater! They called the drill at 3:15pm and by the time we got there, the few chairs they had set up were already occupied.  They did check our cabin number off a list to make sure we were present, so make sure you don’t skip the drill!  As we entered the already too crowded space, I noticed a black couch off to the side. I think it is used for portraits by the photography staff but no one was sitting there so we made ourselves comfortable for the 30 minute drill.  There were a lot of German guests on the ship for this sailing so they did the drill in both English and German.

Once we were dismissed from our station, the real fun began.  Since we had been sitting in a back nook of the photo gallery, we were one of the last to get out of the area.  We needed to get up to deck 15 for the Cruise Critic Informal Meet and Greet Sail Away party at the Sunset Bar, so we headed aft towards the mid-ship elevators.  By the time we got there, it was a mob scene and it would have taken a very long time to get closer to the elevators, let alone actually getting inside one to take us upstairs.  Instead of dealing with that mess, I thought we should try to backtrack to the forward elevators in hopes of less crowding so we made our way across deck 5 like salmon swimming upstream, against the flow of people walking aft. Unfortunately, this was a failure as well because all the people with muster stations in the theater were waiting for the forward elevators.  In the end, we took the stairs for the 9 deck hike up to deck 15 (I was quite grateful that there was no deck 13!)  

Eventually, we made it up to the Sunset Bar where the meet and greet was already in full swing.  As always, it was nice to put a face to the names we had been chatting with online.  Within minutes of arriving, DH tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Isn’t that Mike from our Equinox cruise??”  I looked up and was very surprised to see our old friends Mike and Tami (luvb2bcruising and traveling-2)!  We only knew each other in person, but not as our Cruise Critic names on that roll call so I had no idea they were booked on this cruise with us!  

Sail away was originally scheduled for 4pm, but I heard a rumor that a
plane coming from Europe was delayed and they were holding the ship to wait for them.  I assume that these people booked their flight directly with Celebrity, since I can’t imagine they would hold up the ship for someone who booked privately. Supposedly, there were about 40 people on this late flight so that was nice of the Captain to make arrangements to delay sail away.  I do not know for sure if this was true or if those people ever made it to the ship, but at a few minutes before 5pm, we noticed the ship was moving.  

I immediately left the area at the Sunset Bar and went over to the port side of the ship to get a good spot at the railing. This was my first time sailing out from Miami and I was really excited to watch the views as we made our way down the channel and out to the ocean.  Overall, I much preferred cruising out of Miami over Ft. Lauderdale.  I found the city had more to do with more restaurants close to our hotel and great walking options, the cruise port was much smaller and easier to navigate, and the sail away was much prettier and more exciting to watch.  We had a longer distance to travel before getting out beyond the beach into open water, so that gave us lots to look at and photograph! Unfortunately, the strong winds we had all weekend in Miami followed us on board, so it was very windy and cold for sail away.  I had to keep alternating with DH between standing behind the windshield and standing between the breaks with cold air rushing through to get a good photo without a reflection.  It was surprisingly difficult hold my camera still to get a good photo because it kept shaking from all of the wind, but here are some of the good shots I got…

Notice all of the boats piled up on the ground? They were all destroyed in the hurricanes last fall…

It must be so exciting to live in one of these houses along the channel and have a view of the cruise ships sailing away every day. I hope these people appreciate that and don’t take it for granted!!

Lots of traffic headed towards South Beach on a Sunday evening

Those are some HUGE yachts!

This little walkway area lined with palm trees and 4 square fountains is at the base of Washington Avenue, near where we had been sitting on Friday and Saturday afternoon to watch the ships sail away.

We’re almost there…

And just like that, we were officially out to sea. Adios Miami!  See ya in 2 weeks!

The Celebrity Today brochure mentioned that any alcohol purchased made prior to the ship reaching 3 miles from the shore would be charged Miami sales tax.  I don’t know for sure if that pertains to the cost of upgrading from a classic to a premium beverage package, but we didn’t want to risk it.  When it looked like we were far enough out to sea, we started asking a few bartenders if there were any discounts for upgrading off the $10 plus tip (so $11.80) per day, but they all said no.  I had read once a week or two before sailing that someone negotiated a discount and others had specials with one night for free if upgrading for the whole cruise, so we were hoping for the same opportunity considering this is a 14 day cruise, but no such luck.  For the time being, we held off and stuck to drinks under the $9 limit for our classic package.  

With a bit of time to kill before our dinner reservation, we went back to the cabin and found a few surprises.  Our stewardess still remained unseen but she must have stopped by at some point because our canapés were waiting for us on the coffee table.  As one of the most talked about Concierge Class perks, I was quite curious to see what treat was delivered since I have heard more negatives than positives about these canapés.  I can only assume that these changed every day, but I wouldn’t know for sure because when we did eventually meet our stewardess, Albertina, the next morning, we asked her to deliver fruit, cheese, and crackers instead.  DH and I both have pretty specific things we can/will or cannot/will not eat, so the idea of a non-labeled mystery assortment of foods being delivered to our cabin each day was not very appetizing.  Here was today’s canapés:

Albertina also left lots of papers and letters on our bed.

Nearly every night of the cruise, we returned to the cabin to find not only tomorrow’s daily schedule, but also an envelope addressed to me.  That envelope was a very creative way to try to sell me something- a treatment at the spa, overpriced artwork from the art gallery, a wine/alcohol tasting which was not covered by the beverage package, etc.  There must be someone on this ship whose sole job description is to place sticker labels on envelopes all day, every day, so when the envelope is delivered to our cabins, we feel special and like someone reached out to me specifically. Of course, I never took the bait, but it was nice to see they put in more effort than other cruise lines who just leave the flyer in your daily schedule packet and hope you look at it.

Anyway, today’s information contained a few things that actually were important.  One of the envelopes had an invitation to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet for tomorrow morning at Cellar Masters.  The other envelope had a discount offer for 25% off at the specialty restaurants if we booked for tonight… too bad we already got a 30% off deal! Haha  

There was also a flyer from the concierge welcoming us on board and explaining the benefits of Concierge Class:

And this flyer introduced all of the top officers on the ship

At 6:30pm, we went down to Tuscan Grill for our dinner reservation, and the restaurant was only about 25% full.  No wonder they need to offer discounts to get people to eat here on the first night! We were escorted to a table for 2 along the windows at the back of the room.  The sun sets at around 7pm this time of year so it was nearly dark, but it is still fun to watch the wake and the Miami skyline fade into darkness while we ate.

The Tuscan Grill menu has changed since our last Celebrity cruise.  We missed the short rib ravioli but were happy to try some new options.  We did not want to order too much food and over-stuff ourselves, so we opted to share the half-size portions of pasta, a flatbread, and we each got our own salad and steak with a side dish to share.

DH started with a Caesar salad which he thought was generic and no different than any other Caesar salad.

I had the goat cheese and arugula salad where the crispy fried goat cheese balls were the highlight (obviously!  After all, they are fried!)

We also ordered 2 glasses of wine and loved how the waiter kept refilling our glass, seemingly every single time we took a sip! The next course was the flat bread. We had the pizzetta bianco and loved that the crust was very thin, so while it was cheesey, it was very light and not filling.

Next up was our 2 half portions of pasta.  The ricotta gnocci was wonderful, as was the shortrib pappardelle ragu (but that did taste a bit too salty to me). Ironically, that was similar to our dinner last night, and it tasted just as good as the homemade pasta.  The half portion was just the right amount to get a taste without filling us up.

Up next, they served the steaks.  We both ordered the 9 ounce filet mignon, and of course they were cooked perfectly to our liking- mine, a deep red rare, and DH’s, a pink medium.  I had the beef jus sauce and DH had the gorgonzola, but we both thought the meat was great on its own and did not need any extra sauce.

Our side dish was a little crock of eggplant parmesan.  I wish there was more space in my stomach so I could have enjoyed more of this, but instead, I had to restrain myself to just one bite.  Totally worth it!

Despite our best efforts to not over eat, we were totally stuffed by the end of
dinner.  I asked for my slice of cheesecake to be delivered later tonight via room service, and our waiter said that was no problem and just to call room service when I was ready for it.  DH somehow found space for his tiramisu, which he said was very good.

As expected, service was very good, with several waiters doting over us and
ensuring we had everything we needed.  It was definitely worth the extra up charge to dine here.  After dinner, we had about 30 minutes before we had to go to the theater for tonight’s show, so we stopped by the martini bar.  One very nice change from 2016 is that the classic beverage package allows you to pay the difference for drinks costing over the $9 limit.  Before, the martini bar was basically off limits without upgrading to the premium beverage package because the cost of 1 martini was higher than the cost to upgrade.  After such a big dinner, I knew I wouldn’t drink enough tonight to make it worth upgrading with only a few hours before bedtime, so we each ordered a martini and just paid the $3 plus tip difference ($3.54).  I had the lycheetini (one of my favorites from our last cruise), and DH had the banana split martini (which was pink because they made it with too much strawberry- oops!).

Tonight’s show was a tribute to the Beatles performed by the ship’s act Hard Days Night.  They played lots of classic Beatles hits and it was fun to sing along. If you go to this show, try to make sure you have a view of the 2 big screens on either side of the stage.  We were sitting at the back of the seating on deck 4, so the mezzanine from deck 5 blocked the view of the screens and we missed out on the videos they showed while the band did a few wardrobe changes. Had I realized it, I would have moved seats, but I actually thought it was just audio over the sound system and didn’t realize there was a video component until the very end.  

Sorry for the blurry photos… We like to sit at the back of the theater to make a quick escape when the shows end, but that means all of my photos from the shows will be zoomed in a lot, and that makes for blurry photos.

After the show, we went back to the cabin because our waiter at Tuscan Grill said we had to call room service before 10pm to get our dessert delivered.  It took them over 30 minutes to deliver it, and by then, we were too tired to go back out again so we just called it a night.  The cheesecake was quite yummy though!

This tote bag was on our bed when we got back to the cabin.  I think it may be another Concierge Class perk, but I’m not totally sure.  Either way, it is a nicer, more sturdy bag than the other tote bag they leave in the cabin, and it folds up into that little pouch for easy storage.

Step Tracker Daily Total:  12,021 steps; 4.86 miles; 33 flights of stairs