Eclipse-10/20/10-Canary Islands Mini Review

[cruisingdelt]

Just a quick reveiw of our cruise to the Canary Islands on the Eclipse.

 

Embarkation in Southampton-Off the bus and on the ship in about 20-30 minutes. Actual check in was a few minutes (we did on line check in including credit card info a few weeks earlier).

 

We boarded around 1230-1300 and rooms were not ready. So we started exploring. A short time later an announcement was made that the rooms were ready so off we went.

 

Room (8206-Cat 2A?-with veranda)-Nice layout and nicely furnished. Flat screen TV and queen bed (it seemed larger). Bathroom is great with the sliding doors for the shower (no more battles with the plastic shower curtain). Plenty of shelf and cabinet space in the bathroom. A nice veranda. It was not too small, a bit larger would have been nice but no complaints. Only down side was the storage space in the room. It could use more. Just adequate for two people. I don't know how it would suffice for 3 or 4.

 

Food-Please note that food is very subjective. IMHO the reports of the demise of X's food quality are premature. The beef and veal in the MDR were excellent. They were cooked as instructed and were enjoyed. I have always thought the fish on X was hit or miss. True again. Sometimes perfect sometimes far from it. Desserts were good but not great and there was no "display" of the desserts on a tray by the wait staff. Service in MDR was great. We also tried the Tuscan Grill and Murano's. The wait staffs were actually a bit competive with each other and proud of their service and food. DW and I had beef at both restaurants and it was out of this world. You really could have cut it with a fork. The Tuscan Filet Mignon was one of the best I ever had. All the food was great at both. It was nice to see that at Murano's the after dinner cheese was offered without asking as was not the case on the specialty restaurant on the Connie a year ago. Overall service at both restaurants was definetly above expectations so the staff was rewarded with a bit extra.

 

Entertainment-A big improvement over past cruises on X. The "Cirque de Sole" type show was fantastic. The other production shows were OK and the two singers (one from Vegas and another from England) were very good. The cruise Director, John Grantham did a excellent job. He understood that it was our cruise and that he was not the center of the universe. Note that a new cast joins the ship 11/1 for the TA and Caribbean season.

 

The Ship-I was afraid that a ship this size would be crowded. With the exception of the Ocenview Cafe we did not feel that the ship was crowded. The cafe may have been crowded since the temperature on several days was a bit on the cool side which forced all to eat inside.

 

Overall a great ship, very friendly and accomodating staff and an oustanding cruise.

 

Master was Dimitrios Manetas, Hotel Director-Damien O'Connor, Food and Beverage Manager-Donald Cameron and Executive Chef-Francisco Sagastume.

 

Regards to our friendly tablemates-Sue, Shelia, Peter, Norma, Norbert and Phyllis-Thanks for a great time.

 

Ted and Jody

[laurieb]

Thankyou for sharing your experience with us! I always enjoy reading about others' trips. I'm glad it was a good one for you!!

[kitkat9438]

Thanks for the review. We sail her next month and can't wait.

[Freecall]

Totally agree, a great ship with a great crew.

 

Don’t forget John Grantham though who is now on the Eclipse and doing a fantastic job in bringing it all together.

 

Now, if you were thinking of taking a rest tomorrow evening then………………..

 

 

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[cruisingdelt]

Totally agree, a great ship with a great crew.

 

Don’t forget John Grantham though who is now on the Eclipse and doing a fantastic job in bringing it all together.

 

Now, if you were thinking of taking a rest tomorrow evening then………………..

 

 

.

 

Mr. Grantham was great. At first that line sounded a bit corny but it really grows on you. He even used a variotion of it on the final night.

[Freecall]

He has used it for years on other ships and as far as I know it is original but he may have 'borrowed' it from somewhere else.

 

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[Infi]

Thanks for sharing your review. I agree with you on your dining comments - X does beef and veal very well, better than most of the other lines. Sign me up as another one who misses the dessert tray! Haven't seen it in years but really enjoyed it when they had it.

 

Oh, and thanks so much for the info on who's onboard and new entertainment crew. We are on Eclipse a week from today and really looking forward to it. :)