Eclipse Review 12/11 - 12/18

CELEBRITY ECLIPSE

12/11-12/18

Western Itinerary out of Miami

I will start it out by saying WOW. This was my first Solstice class ship and second cruise on Celebrity. The first was on the Summit. We booked this cruise because it was a new ship and new itinerary for our group. We cruise with some wonderful friends we met on our first cruise, and make up a group of 11. This year we had 3 more join us, to make 14. This was our best cruise so far and I rate it a 9 out of 10 for service and food.

We arrived Friday, December 10 in Miami to start our vacation. I booked my precruise hotel on last minute travel dot com getting the Intercontinental, a 5 star hotel in downtown Miami on the bay, for $84. You have to ask for an upgrade to get a bay view room so you can see your ship out the window the next morning. Be aware that they do charge $100 for early check-in, before noon. This is a great hotel in close proximity to the pier and a short walk down the boardwalk to Bayside Marketplace where there are a lot of restaurants and shopping. Right across the street is a CVS for last minute items.

Since this was our first time in Miami, we rented a car. For dinner we went to Versailles, in Little Havana for some wonderful Cuban food. Parking is free and food inexpensive.

EMBARKATION:

Sailaway was at 4:30, but we always board the ship early, so after returning our rental car we were at the pier around noon and onboard in less than 10 minutes. Probably the easiest embarkation we have ever had. As is the norm for Celebrity, the staff is waiting to greet you as soon as you board with a welcoming glass of champagne or mimosa, a great way to start the cruise. We were told the cabins would not be ready until around 1:00 p.m. The first thing we did was explore and check out Blu, Qsine, and Murano’s. Since we were in an Aqua class cabin, our assigned dining room was Blu. We knew we wanted to eat some of our meals in the MDR with our friends, so I had been corresponding with Celebrity customer service and was told that I had to talk to the maitr’d once onboard to arrange for this. I am here to confirm that it is indeed possible to dine in both venues, no problem at all. You must talk to the head maitr’d, however, and if you want to dine with your friends as a group, get your dining linked together for the MDR. We had a table of 12 set up and dined there 4 out of 7 nights.

Our roll call was huge for this sailing, having 162 people sign up and it was very active. We had prearranged an informal meet and greet for 3:00 at the Sunset bar on embarkation day. Muster drill was at 3:45 and lasted around 20 minutes. We didn’t have to bring our life vests.

SHIP:

Since it’s inauguration was in April, the ship is still new and very beautiful. It was decorated for Christmas with more decorating being done as we were in port. There are several dining venues: Ocean View Café on deck 14 (the buffet), the main dining room, Moonlight Sonata on 3 and 4, and all the specialty dining on deck 5. Here there’s Blu, for Aqua passengers, Qsine, Tuscan Grill, Murano’s and Bistro on Five. I’ll review some of these later. The pool is on deck 12, as well as the Solarium, which is adult’s only. The pool area has two hot tubs and plenty of lounge chairs and up on deck 13 there’s the pool grill which has hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. The Solarium also has two hot tubs and the pool is heated, but not too much. This area is covered and quieter. You can find a couple of canopy bed/loungers, but they are usually taken early. Celebrity does a great job of making sure the pool loungers are not being held by others with a towel to save seats. We always found a spot, however, as there are plenty available. You will also find the Aqua spa café in this area for lighter, healthier food for lunch and breakfast. The ship never felt crowded. One complaint I did hear was that there were no aft elevators and it’s a long walk to the central elevators. Since our cabin was mid ship, it did not affect us, and it was not a long walk.

CABIN:

We booked an Aqua Class cabin, 1606, on the hump, midway on the ship with close access to the elevator and stairs. This was a wonderful cabin with one of the largest balconies on the hump, starboard side. Despite other comments to the contrary, we heard no noise from across the hall or above on the pool deck. Even when the band was out by the pool playing, it was very quiet. No one can see into your balcony and cannot see you at all unless you are standing by the railing looking out. Lounge chairs were provided with foot stools and adjustable backs with a nice little table that was great for room service breakfast. I agree with others that there could be more storage space and drawers for clothes, but it was ample for what we brought with us. The closet has plenty of room and hangers. We had our bed by the bath which left the rest of the room open for our sofa, a desk/vanity with a lighted mirror to sit and apply your makeup, hairdryer, flat screen television and refrigerator. There’s even a button on the light by the bed that will turn off the room lights without having to leave your bed, a nice touch. With Aqua class you receive free bottled water and a pitcher of flavored tea. Our water was not Evian, but an off brand, but it was still good and plentiful. You are given two at a time, and we would put them in our refrigerator and we always had new ones on the desk when we returned. Our room steward Edwin took great care of us and also responded quickly to any requests. You also get fresh fruit, flowers and daily canapés. These canapés have changed from last year and are very good. No more stale toast with different toppings on them. We asked for cheese and crackers in addition to the canapés, just in case, and were pleasantly surprised that both were good. You are now required to fill out a form every day requesting what time you want your canapés delivered. The form states that you must be in your room for delivery, but that was not the case for us. We got them regardless if we were there or not. The shower was probably one of the best parts about Aqua. It’s a panel with jets down the side with a rain shower head. There are several drawers in the bathroom and a glass front cabinet to put your things so they don’t fall out. The towels were very big, and soft. The best towels we’ve ever had. There’s also plush robes, not the thin waffle ones, and house shoes. This class of cabin also gives you free access to the Persian Gardens and relaxation room. These areas were never crowded. The television had on demand free movies and PPV, which was $8.95 and showed a lot of the newest movies, some of which were not out yet on DVD.

Our cruise connection party was set for 10:00 on Sunday, our first sea day in Quasar, the night club. It was well attended by our roll call and the cruise director attended. Pastries and coffee were provided. After the party, 62 of us went to the casino for a slot pull which was a lot of fun. Every person who wanted to play put $21 into a $1 machine, taking turns until all had played and then we split the winnings. We didn’t win much but it was fun. I found out later that Jill from our roll call played the same machine and won $400!! Congratulations Jill!

ALCOHOL PACKAGE:

After doing some research we decided to buy the premium alcohol package and decided it was a great investment and well worth the money. We will definitely buy this again on our next cruise. Considering that everything up to $12 is included, whether it’s water, specialty coffee, smoothies, alcohol or whatever, it is a great deal. One disappointment was the molecular bar, as they didn’t have the liquid nitrogen to make the specialty drink dragon fly, that we had heard so much about, which bubbles and has steam coming off of it. There’s a selection of 12 martini’s to choose from and it takes awhile to make the drinks with the presentation and fresh juices. We weren’t impressed with the drinks here but we did love the martini bar. With the package we weren’t afraid to try out different drinks we’ve never had and if we didn’t like them, we just ordered something else. Service was great and all you had to do was hand over your card with your order, with no signing required.

DINING:

We dined with a couple of our friends the first night in Blu since they always have the filet mignon the first night and we wanted to try out the venue. We thought the food and presentation were good, but my friend didn’t like anything she ordered and the service was not good at all. I had to ask for lemon for my water several times from different people before finally getting it. My friend’s steak was way underdone and her husband’s chicken was still red. It should be noted we were able to request things that weren’t on the menu, such as a regular salad and crème brule for desert with no problems, so this was great.

Since I was not impressed with Blu we had room service breakfast the next morning. You are given a few 30 minute windows to choose from for delivery and they will call you when they are on the way. When it arrives it is put on your coffee table, so you must take everything outside to the balcony and set it up yourself. I understand Celebrity used to do this for you, but they don’t anymore.

Sunday was our first formal night and we enjoyed eating with our friends in the MDR. Service here was excellent and we enjoyed all of the food we ate. Some requested extra entrée’s for the table to share and it was no problem.

Monday morning we decided to give Blu another try for breakfast and the service and food were outstanding. Thinking maybe the first night was off we tried it again Tuesday morning and the service and food were terrible, with overcooked eggs and undercooked bacon, having to return plates twice to get it right and the waiter forgetting toast for two people and getting the wrong pancakes. Needless to say, we never went back for breakfast. We did try Blu one more time for the second formal night since they offer regular lobster tails, while the MDR does not, and we had good service and food again. We had 50/50 success with Blu for service and food and were not impressed. I know food is subjective, but service should not be, so while we love this class of cabin, we will definitely not be booking it just for dining in Blu.

Monday night 10 of us ate in Qsine (a cover charge of $30) for a very entertaining and awesome dinner. We made our reservations over the phone through Celebrity, but they will only book for a party of 6, so we had to go to Qsine on embarking to make sure we got a table for 10. We had read reports of dinner lasting 4 hours, but thankfully ours lasted around 3. Of course this type of dining is much more fun and enjoyable with a larger group. As you enter the room, you will notice how different it is, with some chairs being taller than others and the lights on the ceiling looking like upside down lamps. We were seated at a large round table and each given IPAD’s to review the menu and make our choices. There was a folder for drinks, with pictures and different folders for the food that also included descriptions. We were instructed to review the food and make a consensus of 7 or 8 of our favorite dishes that we wanted to try. Our waiter brought out M’s favorite, which is a selection of Mediterranean food served in a standing box with open squares and an assortment of selections. We tried lobster escargot, disco shrimp, Painter’s filet mignon (the best steak on the ship), sushi lollipops, spring rolls (served in springs), lava crab and many more. For dessert, they brought some of everything for the table. This was very fun but a lot of food.

Wednesday night we ate in Murano’s (a cover charge of $35). We were really looking forward to this as we love the Normandie restaurant on the Summit. One major difference is that they don’t have filet and lobster tail, which was what I was hoping for, but they were able to accommodate me with no trouble at all. The service here is top notch and probably the best on the ship with several waiters serving food all at once and taking away dishes at the same time. Our waiter was great with recommendations on food and wine selections. We were given our own private dining area for a group of 8 and the meal lasted around 3 hours. Of course I got to eat my favorite, goat cheese soufflé and chocolate soufflé for dessert. Murano’s specialty is Lobster Murano, which is prepared tableside and a great presentation.

Our first sea day we enjoyed the fabulous brunch. It is served from 11:00 until 2:00 in the MDR and there are amazing ice sculptures and a variety of food, including boiled shrimp, lunch and breakfast items.

The last formal night was a little different because they didn’t do the parade through the dining room with the baked Alaska as they did on our last cruise. It is served up for dessert, presliced.

Oceanview café was really good. The way the stations are set up there’s no crowding or long lines. There’s a huge selection of food including salads, pasta, hot and cold entrees and stir fry. The food was constantly replenished, hot and good. We never had a problem finding a table to eat. One thing we did note is that we never got help at our table if we wanted anything from the menu to drink, such as fresh orange juice or a drink. From what we could tell, the only thing the waiters did in this area was clear the tables. Tea is served here from 4:00 to 5:00 with little sandwiches and desserts and then sushi is served at 5:30.

Last but not least, we enjoyed a great lunch in Bistro on 5 for a $5 cover charge. Here you can get crepes for breakfast or lunch, paninni sandwiches and salads. They also have some dessert crepes and assorted other desserts such as crème brulee, brownies, etc.

I was disappointed that there wasn’t a late night chocolate buffet during our cruise. We had it last year on the Summit, so I don’t know if this is a new policy or just part of the Solstice class.

ENTERTAINMENT:

We had late dinner at 8:30 so we wouldn’t have to rush to get ready after being in port, and to see the shows. Most shows are at 7:00 and 9:00 with the exception of a couple of nights. On Monday night, Christopher James did a magic comedy act that was good and DH got to go up on stage and help him out. This was really funny and my DH had a great time. Cecil Parker was a singer and entertainer one night who has been nominated for a grammy. I really enjoyed Eclipse the show, which is on the last formal night and included all the performers from the previous shows in a cirque du solei type show. The shows this night were on at 8:30 and 10:45.

During the day you could find plenty of entertainment with trivia, glass blowing shows, bingo, etc.

CREW:

Our Captain was Panagiotis Skylogiannis, Hotel Director: Damien O’Connor and John Grantham was the Cruise Director.

PORTS OF CALL:

The weather was unusually cold, windy and rainy. We always book independent tour operators because they are more fun, cheaper and less crowded, based on research done through the ports of call boards on cruise critic.

Grand Cayman: Weather channel was predicting high winds and rain, so we were glad we were able to tender at this port. We had booked through Nativeway tours for an excursion to Stingray City with snorkeling and beach time at Rum Point. When we arrived we were told that the Government had closed down Stingray City due to the winds and rough water. We then learned our ship had anchored at a location away from town due to the rough water, but were providing free bus rides into town. Our tour guide offered us a choice of either cancelling and going on our own, or taking a tour of the island, and doing some shopping and going to the Turtle Farm, which we decided to do. Once we arrived in town we discovered that the waves were so high they were crashing above the cement barriers and it was easy to see why the Government had closed stingray city. The Turtle Farm is one of a kind and it was an interesting stop.

Cozumel: Here we booked through Island Marketing for an all inclusive beach day at Nachi Cocum for $49. You are provided free drinks (alcohol) and a three course meal. We all wore bathing suits and shorts and the weather was in the 60’s and windy so we were really cold. You are on your own getting to the resort as the tour operators are not allowed into the port so we grabbed three separate taxis for our group of 11. Taxi cost is $15 for 4 each way, and they will try to charge you more money if you take a taxi van, so we took 3 separate cars. We were greeted at the resort with sombreros for our picture and offered something to drink. Then we were shown where the facilities were and shown to an area on the beach where chairs were waiting. Service here is outstanding. They were constantly coming to check on us and refresh our drinks. Lunch was at noon and we were given a menu to make our choices. We made the best of the day and still had a great time.

Costa Maya: We booked months in advance an excursion to Maya Chan, another all inclusive place that was built by an American strictly for cruisers. There’s no pool here, just a beach, with private palapas, great food, service and drinks. Again, another cold rainy day with temps in the 60’s, but our party of 11 made the best of it. This was the only excursion that was prepaid, first with a deposit and then the balance before arrival. Cost was $49. The location is not far from the ship but you have to go down a long, bumpy road with lots of pot holes so it takes around 30 minutes to get there. Well worth it though and highly recommended.

Roatan: Our only sunny, clear, warm day. After three bad beach days, most of our group opted out of going on the excursion we had booked with Roatan Culture Tours. We were booked on a catamaran for 3 hours of snorkeling and 3 hours of beach time on the West End for $65.00. From the beginning, I had dealt via email with Danielle with Roatan Culture Tours. She was courteous and friendly. I was told we would have snacks, rum punch and drinks provided and the catamaran would hold up to 12. When we arrived with only 3 of us for the excursion I was put on the phone with Cynthia from the company to explain why everyone didn’t show up. Needless to say she was disappointed, as were we, that not everyone showed up, but she made remarks that implied that the cat was reserved for 10 and “I knew what that meant didn’t I?” , implying that I would be responsible. I told her it wasn’t my fault and to just forget it I would find another excursion from the hundreds of other venders on the dock trying to get our business. After making several more rude comments I just hung up. Against my better judgment I let the driver talk me into taking the excursion anyway because he didn’t want us to be unhappy. First, we went to the wrong location and we see a man on a motorcycle arguing with our driver telling him we were not in the right place and to follow him. When we get to our destination it is at the man’s house and his “cat” is docked right there. I say “cat” because I guess it was one, but a very small one with no cushioned seats to sit on, you had to sit on ice chests, no facilities and certainly no snacks or refreshments as was promised. He was definitely upset that there were only 3 of us and spent all of his time complaining about not being able to make any money and he was wasting his time and he could have picked up more people on the beach. We pointed out that it was better to have some passengers, versus none, but still the complaining ensued. We went out towards where we would snorkel and pulled in the sails and the motor wouldn’t start. After 45 minutes he says not to worry he has another motor and he would put it on the side of the rear of the boat and we would be on our way. Trying to get gas for this other motor he spilled it all over the deck and we were forced to breathe gas fumes. After another 30 minutes, he installed a “trolling type motor” that just would not work in the wind. After worrying that we were going to be stuck and not be able to get back to the ship, we told him just take us back to shore and we would find a beach. We finally made it close enough to shore to put up the sail and made it back to shore where our driver was waiting to take us to the beach. We went to Banarama which was right next door to Tabyana and a beautiful beach even though it was crowded. Here we ate lunch and were overcharged $20 and then got about 5 minutes of snorkeling time in. We were met when we returned to the port by Cynthia and argued with her about not paying the full price since we basically wasted half of our day. I cannot recommend this company at all. Customer service should be top priority and you shouldn’t have to worry about being booked on a questionable tour. I most definitely would not have booked this tour if I had known what the cat was like and that it was not as advertised.

DISEMBARKATION

Our disembark time was 7:15 a.m., but since we were waiting on our friends we didn’t actually try to get off the ship until around 8:30. By that time there was a long delay in disembarkation due to customs fingerprinting and photographing of foreign guests. We didn’t realize what was going on until we got to the front of the line and noticed that foreign guests were going through a fingerprint/photo process. After we went through customs we retrieved our luggage and went to get in line for a shuttle to get our Alamo rental car. Normally I use Thrifty but a few months ago the port changed their policy and only allowed Alamo onsite with their shuttle so I booked with them. Later the port went back to the old policy of allowing several rental car companies access. We waited for over an hour for a shuttle since the bus was always full by the time it got to us and while we were told to wait in one line, the shuttle would stop at another and fill up again. Very frustrating to have a 8:30 pick up time and not get to the rental car agency until after 11:00.

We enjoyed making many new friends on this cruise and hope to sail with some of you again.

Great review.

Could you share more details on the drink package? We are thinking of doing it too. We love wine and would be having it with most meals. Were drinks easy to get in all the dining venues, MDR, buffet, specialty restaurants...? Any place you can not use the package?

Your cabin pictures are great.

Thanks.

kitkat ~ thanks for the wonderful review. Please be sure to submit it to our REVIEWS section of Cruise Critic so lots more can enjoy it. Glad you had a great time. Thanks for taking the time to write and share your experiences.

Thanks for all of the pictures and very detailed review. Less than 2 months and counting to our cruise on the Eclipse, and your review and pics will fuel our excitement fire!

Great review.

 

Could you share more details on the drink package? We are thinking of doing it too. We love wine and would be having it with most meals. Were drinks easy to get in all the dining venues, MDR, buffet, specialty restaurants...? Any place you can not use the package?

 

Your cabin pictures are great.

 

Thanks.

We both absolutely loved the drink package. We used it everywhere with the exception of the mini bar in the room and room service. For dinner they would either get your card at the beginning of your first order or wait until the end of the meal, depending on where you went. Everyone ordered Pelligrino water with meals along with their wine or cocktail of choice. My husband fell in love with the martini's so he would request those with his meals with no problem. Sometimes they would say it will take a few minutes because they had to go to the martini bar and get it, but the service was outstanding. Even while laying around the pool, the pool butler would come around and take your order. Be careful if you go to Qsine because a lot of their drinks are $13 or over, which is over the $12 limit. If you go over you pay the full price of the drink not the difference.

Enjoy!

Kathy, I'm so glad you guys had a great time. We looked for y'all when you sailed past us.

Hey Cindy! We had a great cruise! How was yours? Tell Bob great pictures as always! Wish you would have come with us. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Hey Cindy! We had a great cruise! How was yours? Tell Bob great pictures as always! Wish you would have come with us. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

We had a fantastic time! Our favorite cruise yet. Review is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1324426

Have a great holiday.

nice review, Kathy! I wish we could have seen more of the roll call onboard but didn't really run in to many; it's a big ship! I'm sorry to hear your Roatan trip was so bad.

Just one little correction to make, our cruise director was Paul Baya, not John Grantham.

We both absolutely loved the drink package. We used it everywhere with the exception of the mini bar in the room and room service. For dinner they would either get your card at the beginning of your first order or wait until the end of the meal, depending on where you went. Everyone ordered Pelligrino water with meals along with their wine or cocktail of choice. My husband fell in love with the martini's so he would request those with his meals with no problem. Sometimes they would say it will take a few minutes because they had to go to the martini bar and get it, but the service was outstanding. Even while laying around the pool, the pool butler would come around and take your order. Be careful if you go to Qsine because a lot of their drinks are $13 or over, which is over the $12 limit. If you go over you pay the full price of the drink not the difference.

 

Enjoy!

This information is very helpful. I know how the package is officially described but to hear from someone how it worked out is priceless.

Thanks for taking the time to do such a helpful review.

Kathy, thanks for a fun-reading and informative review!

Just like you, we will be sailing on Eclipse, Jan 2 to the Western Caribbean, substituting Montego Bay for Roatan. We liked the Summit's Southern Caribbean itinerary better, but just had to sail on the Eclipse. :) I am hoping for better weather than you had...

We are still dwelling on whether to purchase a [one!] Premium Drink Package. Obviously, one of the nicest aspects would be the carefree attitude it would give you, but the math doesn't work out for us... unless my partner is able to bum 1 or 2 beverages each day, even just a big Evian for a beach excursion or a San Pellegrino at dinner. I realize you can only hold one drink per package at a time.

keith

Kathy - A very detailed and good review. You wondered about the midnight chocolate buffet being missing. Celebrity has discontinued the midnight buffet and in its place is now the sea day brunch buffet that you mentioned.

I'm glad we sailed together on this cruise. You kept our roll call wonderfully organized.

John

Just like you, we will be sailing on Eclipse, Jan 2 to the Western Caribbean, substituting Montego Bay for Roatan. keith

So sad to hear you're not going to Roatan. That was by far my favorite port. Why the change, do you know?

So sad to hear you're not going to Roatan. That was by far my favorite port. Why the change, do you know?

probably because of time/schedule limitations. ours is an unusual 6-night cruise (Sunday Jan 2 - Saturday Jan 8), which i suppose is mainly because of X having to schedule around the New Year.

Hi Kathy, thanks for the review:) Sorry about the mess in Roatan:(

And that photo doesn't look like John Grantham....was it Paul?

(The Cruise Director).

I am surprised you didn't enjoy any of the drinks in the Molecular Bar.

But the 12 drinks are not all Martinis;)...actually the only Martini is

the 20th Anniversary one.

Glad you enjoyed the Martini Bar though:D

And of course your pictures are wonderful!:)

kitkat9438, very helpful report. How different it is from those helpless 5* "reviews".

Thank you for heads up regarding Aqua Class - you saved us money.

Other than a few snags it sounds like you had a great cruise.

Thanks for sharing

Srpilo

We had a fantastic time! Our favorite cruise yet. Review is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1324426

 

Have a great holiday.

Hi Cindy & Bob

its Linda (feebs) from the summit last year. enjoyed seeing your pics of the century. hope you had a great time & a great holiday!:)

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for your very informative review (I'm still working on my Summit review for the same week :o). Was very interested to hear about 1606 as this is the cabin I would like to book on Eclipse (looking at this ship for our next journey). I loved that AQ showerhead too!

PS - Thanks again for the recommendation of Levi Baron in Dominica; he made our trip!!

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for your very informative review (I'm still working on my Summit review for the same week :o). Was very interested to hear about 1606 as this is the cabin I would like to book on Eclipse (looking at this ship for our next journey). I loved that AQ showerhead too!

PS - Thanks again for the recommendation of Levi Baron in Dominica; he made our trip!!

Your sure welcome. We loved 1606 and were surprised at how quiet it was. I was talking to my friend who was on the port side in 1605 on the phone and you could hear the music from the pool deck. I don't know if her balcony door was open or not, but we sure couldn't hear that. Isn't Levi the best?? Out of all the tours we have taken, he is #1 in our books. Glad you enjoyed it. Was your weather better than ours? We really missed the Southern carribbean and the 80 and 90 degree weather. We probably won't do this itinerary again because of that. Did you like the Summit as much as we did?

Was your weather better than ours? We really missed the Southern carribbean and the 80 and 90 degree weather. We probably won't do this itinerary again because of that. Did you like the Summit as much as we did?

Hi Kathie,

Yes, we loved the Summit; glad I listened to you and not some of the naysayers who have posted terrifying stories of rust spots and cold soup here on CC;) We had wonderful weather; mid 80s every day and it only rained once while we were in Grenada. Will definitely book Summit again after she is Solsticized.