Cruise Review – Rio de Janeiro to Cape Liberty on the Celebrity Eclipse – April 27 – May 11, 2024

[CruiseDad-NYC]

Cruise Review – Rio de Janeiro to Cape Liberty on the Celebrity Eclipse – April 27 – May 11, 2024

 

This cruise was the second leg of a B2B, which had started the previous week from Buenos Aires to Rio and which I wrote about in a separate review.  Before that, we had spent 2 weeks traveling in Argentina.  This itinerary was very appealing to us, in part because we had never traveled in South America and because it sailed back to New York, which is where we live.

 

Overall Thoughts

 

We had a great time overall – we loved the ship and the itinerary.  I had mentioned previously that we had not been blown away by Aqua Class and Blu on the first leg.  And that we had been very unhappy with the exhaust fan over our Aqua Class cabin (1642), which made it essentially unusable for us. 

 

You would think moving out of an Aqua Class cabin to a V1 cabin (9186) would be a downgrade for us, but we were happier in this cabin because we could enjoy the balcony (and did).  It looked almost exactly like our Aqua Class cabin and was very comfortable and well laid out with good storage space. We also thought the location near the front elevators was more convenient.  There was almost never a wait for elevators unlike in the rear, and it was a quick walk upstairs to the Solarium, where spent a lot of time on sea days.

 

The Eclipse is in good shape, but definitely needs some freshening up.  New carpets. New curtains. New towels. Reupholstered furniture and some paint would go a long way.  It doesn’t need an overhaul in my opinion, just freshening up, which I understand is happening in 2025.  We love the overall size of the Solstice class of ships and like Celebrity as a brand in general.

 

Service was universally excellent and friendly.

 

The entertainment was very good.  There was a particularly good acrobatic show called Veronika and Vladimir.  We also liked the lectures on sea days by Jacob Marvin who talked about things like the Sugar Trade, Pirates, etc.

 

Food

 

We thought the food overall was very average and not nearly as good as the Edge B2B we had taken in the Mediterranean last September. Fresh vegetables were in short supply.  Desserts mostly taste the same and you can tell they are made with cheap ingredients (e.g., frosting on cakes is pasty and vaguely greasy).  A lot of the dishes were mushy in appearance and very salty.  They also ran out of items (e.g., gruyere cheese on the French onion soup in the main dining room was gone after 4 days or so but then was substituted with Swiss on the last night; kale salad was substituted with romaine; brown sugar at the oatmeal station in the Oceanview was substituted with sugar in the raw; limes in cocktails were substituted with lemons).  We didn’t really care, but it was somewhat noticeable.   The food wasn’t bad, but we have had much better on Celebrity, particularly on European voyages.  I wondered if it was because food standards in Europe are than in the US or because this cruise was much cheaper.  The first leg from Buenos Aires to Rio for 7 nights had been $699 for balcony guarantee (which we ended up in Aqua Class) and then $939 for V1 balcony on this leg (Cabin 9186) for 2 weeks.

 

We also ordered coffee, tea, and yogurt (and sometimes the fruit plate) to our cabin every morning on this leg and enjoyed them on the balcony before heading out. 

 

Starlink Wifi

 

I also was very impressed with the Starlink Wifi as I needed to do some work while I was away for so long.  It was sometimes a little spotty if I was sitting at the desk in my cabin, but got better if I moved to the bed (particularly if the bathroom door was closed).  There were a few times that were frustrating, but if I moved to the library or some other central location, I never had a problem.  The Wifi worked for video conferences and for me to download video and other materials for work.  I originally had worried that being away from my (home) office for so long would be a problem, but it was totally fine.

 

Drinks and Bars

 

We enjoy the Martini Bar but found it hard to get a space there during peak times because other people enjoy it as much as we do.  We also enjoyed the bar at the Sky Observation Lounge and often stopped there before dinner.  We have Elite status and would get drinks during this time off the Elite drink menu which wasn’t elite at all.  The ingredients are cheaper, the choices limited, and they even give you smaller glasses so you make sure you know you’re getting something lesser.  Celebrity could do better with this and it would be nice if they offered non-alcoholic alternatives other than soda or juice.

 

Laundry

 

We also used the Elite laundry benefit, which we had never used before this trip.  It was very easy to use and much appreciated after traveling for 2 weeks in Argentina prior to our trip.  We each got one bag (I had thought it was 1 bag per cabin) and a total of 30 items per bag.  We just used it for underwear, socks, and t-shirts, including a few items we wanted on hangers instead of put into a dryer so they wouldn’t shrink.  We wrote it in on the form, and they did it.

 

The Itinerary

 

As I had mentioned, sailing back home to New York was a big reason we chose this trip.  We have been on B2B voyages totaling 14 days in the past, but a total of 21 days (i.e., 7 + 14) was new for us. I originally had wanted some additional ports, but we really liked the 5 straight sea days early on, which gave us an opportunity to relax and enjoy the rhythms of the ship (and for me to catch up on some work).

 

Rio de Janeiro

 

I wrote in a prior review what we did here (i.e., the Christ the Redeemer statute and Ipanema Beach on our own).  We loved the city and would love to go back.  We definitely did not enjoy the terminal when we returned to the ship.  We were misdirected to the check in line (which was a mess) instead of returning passengers and found the local port staff to be rude and unhelpful.  It was overall unacceptable.

 

Salvador, Brazil

 

We wanted a beach day here.  I don’t usually do cruise-sponsored excursions and go on my own, but I had read some reviews that had said Salvador was a bit sketchy.  So, I checked out the Celebrity beach excursion, which was to Flamengo Beach.  It turns out the excursion was sold out, so we decided to go on our own and were very glad that we did.  We took an Uber that was about 40 minutes and $21.  The beach is absolutely stunning.  Wide, warm water, big surf. 

 

There are a number of places where you can sit on chairs and use umbrellas if you order food and drink.  The one that we used was a bit more informal and the bathroom access was a portapotty (which hadn’t been emptied in quite some time).  Cold beers were about $3.50 each.  A coconut was about $1. Next time, we would go to the beach club that Celebrity went to, which was right next to where we were.  It’s called Lôro.  They have loungers, umbrellas, bathrooms, etc.   I would take an Uber straight there. It was a really great day and turned out to be very easy to do on our own.  Traffic was not a problem, but I would be mindful of it just because it was 40 minutes of highway driving and a back up could make you late getting back to the ship.  

 

I hadn't been too sure about stopping in Salvador, but would look forward to going back to this beach for sure.

 

Barbados

 

We have been here a number of times and really like The Boatyard.  It is a 10 minute taxi ride.  Admission of $35 pp gives you a lounge chair, umbrella, use of the facilities and a drink.  The beach is fine white sand, and the water was warm and beautiful.  They give you a ride back to the ship at the end of the day.

 

St Kitts

 

We have been here a number of times and really like Carambola Beach club.  The taxi is $7 pp each way.  For $30 pp you get a lounge chair and umbrellas.  It’s a nice beach, and they have a decent restaurant and bathrooms.  The water was warm and the views are beautiful.  It is easy to get to.  I am curious about Nevis and might try to go there next time, but this is always a solid beach day.

 

Bermuda

 

It was a bit chilly and cloudy on this May day to swim, but some people were doing it.  We took the minibus from the cruise port to Horseshoe Beach for $7 pp each way.  We enjoyed a walk on the beach, which is absolutely beautiful, and went for a nice walk along the trail from there to Warwick Long Bay which was about 45 minutes there and back at our pace.  It was a pretty walk with coves and beautiful views.  I would definitely do this again and thought it was a good alternative to Horseshoe Bay, which gets pretty crowded.

 

Cape Liberty – Disembarkation

 

I was up early and watched the sail-in to New York harbor at sunrise, which was really beautiful with the NYC skyline in the background.  I always like sailing in and out of New York and under the Verrazano bridge.  I know it is the last day and it is early, but if you get an opportunity to see this, I think it is worth getting up and experiencing it.

 

We self-disembarked with our luggage just before 7 am.  It was super easy. They had said it would begin at 7:30 and we had encountered crowds, lines and difficulty finding elevators when self-disembarking on prior cruises, so we planned to go sit down on Deck 4 and wait to be called.  We were surprised when we went downstairs that we were free to leave, and there was no line at all.  I think they probably started letting people off around 6:30 am.

 

We had ordered our Uber in advance the day before, which you really need to do to avoid long waits, which is what has happened on prior occasions at Cape Liberty.  In the past, a number of Uber drivers didn’t want to drive the long distance to Long Island, where we live and the number of people seeking rides is obviously a lot.  This was the first time we had ordered in advance and were glad we did.  If you are coming in to Cape Liberty, I really do advise ordering your ride in advance to help avoid waits and frustration.

 

As with the prior leg of our B2B cruise, we had a great time on our trip and really enjoy Celebrity.  The food definitely wasn’t as good as our other Celebrity cruises have been and the ship could use a cosmetic freshening up.  But, we had a great time overall and even booked a cruise for next year on the Silhouette while on board.  This cruise was very inexpensive overall.  If it had been expensive, I might not have been as forgiving about the food and need for some updates.

 

If anyone has any questions about any of these ports, I am happy to answer them.

Edited May 19 by CruiseDad-NYC

[CruiseDad-NYC]

Sorry - I noticed a mistake in my review.  Carambola Beach Club on St. Kitts was $30 for 2 chairs and 1 umbrella, not $30 pp.

[peanut head]

Thank you for both reviews.  Descriptive, detailed and refreshingly honest.  

 

I was wondering what kind of currency did you use in each country?  Credit card/local currency/US $ ?

[Georgia_Peaches]

Great review. Thank you!

[CruiseDad-NYC]

4 hours ago, peanut head said:

Thank you for both reviews.  Descriptive, detailed and refreshingly honest.  

 

I was wondering what kind of currency did you use in each country?  Credit card/local currency/US $ ?

That's a good question, and one I had wondered myself.  I traveled for 5 weeks on this trip, from Argentina to Uruguay, Brazil, Barbados, St. Kitts, and Bermuda.  I used my credit cards in each country with mostly no problem.  I would bring 2 or 3 credit cards (and make sure they have free currency conversion if you can), because there were a few times where my primary credit card was declined (e.g., buying ice cream at a store in Rio; paying my beach bar bill in Salvador, Brazil).  You get the best bank rate that way, particularly in Argentina. 

 

I also brought US dollars, which were freely taken in Argentina.  I had brought an envelope of singles, $5s, and $10s for tips (e.g., at restaurants and cafes).  There were also a few times where I made small purchases (e.g., my bar bill at the beach in Buzios) and dollars were perfectly welcomed.

 

When I go to Europe, I usually bring a few hundred dollars' worth of Euros, but didn't think I needed to on this trip at all.