Eclipse - Iceland and Norway review - 27th June

[Rascal1]

This was our 6th cruise, but only our second cruise with Celebrity and it was fantastic. We are a couple in our early 40’s and use our holidays to relax and be spoilt. Hopefully our thoughts will be of interest or helpful to others.

 

Embarkation:

 

Very quick and efficient, we went left our hotel at 10.45 (Grand Harbour right by the pier) and was on board on the top deck with a bottle of beer by 11.15. It was amazing, couldn’t believe it. The room was ready for 1pm.

 

The Ship:

 

Our last cruise was on the Eclipse and she is such a beautiful ship and suits our contemporary style. Everywhere was clean, well maintained and you could tell she had been into a dry dock (although we last cruised on her in 2014 and didn’t think she needed work doing then).

 

Cabin:

 

We booked a concierge class 1108, the room was very clean, spacious with lots of storage space, a lovely balcony and our room steward and assistant were great. They kept asking if there was anything they could do for us and very quickly worked out what time we went to breakfast, evening meal so our room was always cleaned whilst we were out of the cabin. They were always cheerful and happy to talk or just say hello.

 

The bed was so comfy, it was hard to get out of in the morning, I think it's a mixture of the sea air, the comfy mattress and the gentle movement of the ship.

 

There was no noise from the elevators and we were surprised at how soundproofed the rooms were, there was a lot of music in the Grand Foyer which you could hear in the hallway, but as soon as we shut our doors you wouldn’t hear it.

 

Food, Drink and Service:

 

We don’t like to spend hours in restaurants and don’t do well with big or rich meals so we tend to eat at the buffet in the evening. The food in the buffet was always great, we love the choice and the fact that you can try as many different dishes as you want. The crew in the buffet were attentive and cheerful all them time, we had no problems or delays getting drinks or finding somewhere to sit (even at busy times in the day).

 

The only slow service we found throughout the whole ship was at the martini bar in the evening, it seemed to take ages to get served and then ages to get the drink. We only tried a few times and then used other bars and they made the Martini’s for me. Would recommend the Blue Wave Martini - it was delicious.

 

Excursions:

 

We had booked 2 Celebrity excursions, the Blue Lagoon which was well organised and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the other one was the RIB boat safari in Faroe Islands. We were 3 hours late docking in Faroe Islands due to fog, the captain made an announcement about excursions but the timings he mentioned didn’t make sense for our meeting time so went to the excursion desk to check what time we should meet only to be told ‘all RIB boats’ have been cancelled.

 

I don’t have a problem with things being cancelled, these things happen but was disappointed that they didn’t give us any message and we only found out by us visiting the excursion desk and asking about the excursion, no reason was given. They could have left a message on the phone or TV rather than us finding out the way we did. But it is such a minor point and and that was the only disappointing thing in 2 weeks so I can forgive them.

 

Ports of Call:

 

We loved Iceland and Norway. In Iceland we did our own “Inside the Volcano” tour which is excellent and well worth considering. You do need to be fit enough to do the hike but you are then lowered 700ft into a volcano, you can find more information on their website.

 

The second day we did the Blue Lagoon, which was a welcome treat for the muscles after the hike and surprisingly quiet. We would have liked longer there.

 

We did local hikes in the Norwegian ports or just walked around the port area.

I wasn’t particularly fussed about Faroe Islands. With the RIB safari being cancelled last minute, it was too late to find another tour and I didn’t think Klasvik was set up to cope with tourists. But my view will be different to others.

 

I won’t do a Norwegian port review on here, but let me know if you have any questions about any of the ports and I’ll do my best to answer where I can. We stopped at Olden. Geiranger, Stavanger and Alesund.

 

Someone has already mentioned on here about the docking in Stavanger, it was so windy but it did make us laugh when the Captain said the next morning about we docked but the MSC didn’t. It was a definite ‘high five, you go Captain’ announcement. I’m sure the whole ship was virtually patting him on the back or applauding him.

 

Entertainment:

 

We didn’t do much of the ships entertainments, we had seen some of the shows previously when we thoroughly enjoyed them. We did however get hooked on the Hot Glass Show, I know it does nothing for other people but we loved it, we were wrapped up in the cold and were in awe of the talent of the glass blowers. We were lucky enough to win in the raffles and then ‘won’ two of the pieces in the auction.

 

Other:

 

Unfortunately someone did need to be airlifted due to a medical emergency and I hope he is OK and recovering. I don't like to watch things like that when it could be the worst day of someone's life so we didn't go out but it does act as reminder to me that things do happen and make sure you have insurance.

 

Earlier in the cruise the Captain gave out a call 'Gold Star, statement xxx, firezone xxx'. I've heard of a bright Star emergency call but haven't heard this one before. It could have been a drill but the urgency in his voice didn't seem like a drill.

 

Disembarkation:

 

We do the ‘walk off’ and it was a breeze. We left the cabin at 6.15am and were in the car and on the way by 6.30.

 

Overall:

 

Due to work and some other challenges before we left home, we needed a total relaxation holiday where we didn’t need to think about anything, could do as much or as little as we wanted and be spoilt. Celebrity didn’t disappoint, it was a fantastic holiday and I wish every holiday was as enjoyable as this one. Thank you and top marks for Celebrity and the crew.

[chemmo]

Really enjoyed reading your review. Thank you. Did you use any of the speciality restaurants or did you stick with the buffet?

[airhose]

Rascal1.......Hi, it's Susan, your HGS buddy! Thanks for your review. We agree that it was a fantastic cruise! We enjoyed the Faroe Islands for their uniqueness. Apparently we were within 15 minutes of not getting there due to the fog. I hiked up the western side.....gorgeous views!

 

We had early MDR seating, excellent service, very good food. But sometimes we just enjoyed the buffet as well.

 

So glad you got all of your treasures! We have friends that we are visiting this weekend who live in Ithaca, about an hour from Corning. Guess where we're going?? Haven't been in a number of years.

[Rascal1]

Really enjoyed reading your review. Thank you. Did you use any of the speciality restaurants or did you stick with the buffet?

 

Hi, we've done the speciality before and enjoyed them but to be honest the prices put us off this time. Quine was fun for being different but if we were going back again we'd have chosen Tuscan.

[Rascal1]

Rascal1.......Hi, it's Susan, your HGS buddy! Thanks for your review. We agree that it was a fantastic cruise! We enjoyed the Faroe Islands for their uniqueness. Apparently we were within 15 minutes of not getting there due to the fog. I hiked up the western side.....gorgeous views!

 

We had early MDR seating, excellent service, very good food. But sometimes we just enjoyed the buffet as well.

 

So glad you got all of your treasures! We have friends that we are visiting this weekend who live in Ithaca, about an hour from Corning. Guess where we're going?? Haven't been in a number of years.

 

Hi, good to see you on here and lovely to meet you. I'm so jealous of your weekend, have a lovely time. Will you get chance to do any of the sessions?

 

I think I was suffering from the 'my RIB boat is missing' withdrawal symptoms in Faroe Islands, a hike sounded like a good idea.

 

Karen x

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your review.

 

Keith

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[happy cruzer]

Did you find good spots on deck for scenic viewing and inside for bad weather viewing. We will have a forward facing outside cabin but I'm thinking we may need to go to other spots for the fjord viewing. Any hints to enjoy the views of Norway are welcome, thanks.

[LuAnn]

And thank you for the review. It was an amazing trip..not the best weather..but that is to be "luck of the draw".

 

After reading about the killing of the whales on the internet in the last several days...I would never, never go back to the Faroe Islands again...in fact..if I had known about this practice...I would have never booked this cruise. How cruel/how useless...because they don't even eat what they kill!! Sorry...but I have just found out about this...and feel like I have given money to a culture/country that I could never support...I'm wrong because I should have known!! LuAnn

[Froxfield]

After reading about the killing of the whales on the internet in the last several days...I would never, never go back to the Faroe Islands again...in fact..if I had known about this practice...I would have never booked this cruise. How cruel/how useless...because they don't even eat what they kill!! Sorry...but I have just found out about this...and feel like I have given money to a culture/country that I could never support...I'm wrong because I should have known!! LuAnn

 

We also took a cruise (Celebrity Infinity) before we found out about the whales. In fact, I only discovered this when Disney Cruise Line pulled out of their planned Faroe stop citing precisely their distaste for this event. Perhaps if other cruise lines followed that example it might have an impact? Although I doubt it.

 

Richard

[LuAnn]

We also took a cruise (Celebrity Infinity) before we found out about the whales. In fact, I only discovered this when Disney Cruise Line pulled out of their planned Faroe stop citing precisely their distaste for this event. Perhaps if other cruise lines followed that example it might have an impact? Although I doubt it.

 

Richard

 

Kudos to Disney! I plan to write to X about this...you are probably right..it might not change this horrific practice...but if we don't try to make an impact...then shame on us, right?

When we were in Iceland we were asked to sign a petition banning the killing of whales and stating that ...as a tourist ...you would not eat whale...but at least they eat what they kill. (it is apparently on the menus in many restaurants!!) I signed the petition!!

 

But in the Faroe Islands...it is just a sick "ritual" that is beyond the pale!! Can you tell I'm a serious animal rights activist? And it sounds like you are as well.... X...I'm going to take this "port" on...and hope you take it off your list!!! LuAnn

[Rascal1]

Did you find good spots on deck for scenic viewing and inside for bad weather viewing. We will have a forward facing outside cabin but I'm thinking we may need to go to other spots for the fjord viewing. Any hints to enjoy the views of Norway are welcome, thanks.

 

Hi, sorry didn't see your question yesterday. We've been to Gerainger twice now, and would really recommend getting up early and standing at the front of the ship, it really is spectacular.

 

All the others we enjoyed from the side of the ship, at times, on the Eclipse we stood near the grass so you could easily cut from one side of the ship to the other. The great thing about the fjords is if you go in one way, you come out the other way round (if that makes sense) so you'd normally see both sides anyway.

 

If the weather is really bad and you want to stay inside, I'd suggest the observation lounge.

[happy cruzer]

Thank you. Sounds easy enough. I do like the area near the grease. I hope that they publish in the daily newsletter the times for viewing, I've read many reviews that say the scenic cruising was the highlight of the cruise. Thanks.