Best of Scandinavia 2026....Ship change from Apex to Eclipse...Questions

[zipbags1]

My wife & I are planning to book the 12-night Best of Scandinavia cruise for June of 26.  This year and next the ship has been the Apex, but for '26 it's the Eclipse which is a smaller and older ship.  Just curious if anyone has any thoughts about the ship change and if we will lose anything going from the Apex to Eclipse?  I did read somewhere that the Eclipse is getting refurbished in the spring.  Any thoughts about that or if you have done the 12 night cruise would also be appreciated.  Thx!!

[DaKahuna]

I am in favor of the change.  I am not a fan of E-class ships and prefer the S-Class so this is a good change in my opinion.  

 

The biggest loss in my opinion would be the number of specialty restaurants.

What you gain is a ship with an open air (Solstice Deck) as well as enclosed (Sky Lounge) area open to the general public with a view over the bow of the ship.  

 

 

[zipbags1]

Thanks for the reply.  We did Royal Caribbean this year to Norway on the Anthem.  We felt it was the best size...It wasn't huge like the Icon, but still had an abundance of restaurants and the grand concourse with restaurants and clubs.

[jelayne]

The Apex and Eclipse are very close in double occupancy, with Apex at 2910 and Eclipse at 2852. 
The Eclipse is about 35’ longer but 7 ‘ narrower.  So pretty much the same size ship.  
 

For us the switch from the Apex to the Eclipse would be a cause to consider cancelling.    We have done 5 cruises on the Eclipse and it is a nice ship.  We prefer the E class ships with the 4 MDRs which expand the menu choices, the added lunch venues of Eden Cafe and Le Grand Bistro, the additional specialty restaurants.  The theater has newer technology and the shows are better and the Club and Eden offer 2 more places to see a show.  Plus the clean contemporary decor is more to our liking than the traditional heavy decor of the Eclipse. 
For many there not being a space equivalent to the Sky Lounge is a big negative with the E class.  We have done 40 + cruises on Celebrity and have probably been in the Sky Lounge no more than 20 times , mostly Senior Officer gatherings or Celebrity connections (pre pandemic) gatherings.
 

Having cruised Scandinavia I think  you will have a great trip no matter which ship.  
 

 
 

 

[cublet]

Hello,

 

In June 2026 it's showing as Eclipse from Amsterdam and Apex from Southampton both "Best of Scandinavia". Might you have got them muddled?

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, zipbags1 said:

My wife & I are planning to book the 12-night Best of Scandinavia cruise for June of 26.  This year and next the ship has been the Apex, but for '26 it's the Eclipse which is a smaller and older ship.  Just curious if anyone has any thoughts about the ship change and if we will lose anything going from the Apex to Eclipse?  I did read somewhere that the Eclipse is getting refurbished in the spring.  Any thoughts about that or if you have done the 12 night cruise would also be appreciated.  Thx!!

Eclipse wins everytime. Now if X would just bring an S Class ship back to Southampton life would be even better.

[zipbags1]

On 10/9/2024 at 2:38 PM, CraftyDD said:

5 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

In June 2026 it's showing as Eclipse from Amsterdam and Apex from Southampton both "Best of Scandinavia". Might you have got them muddled?

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

 

 

No.  I believe the Apex out of Southampton goes to Norway & Iceland.  We wish it was out of Southampton since it would be easier to see our daughter who lives in London.  

[ecslady]

7 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

In June 2026 it's showing as Eclipse from Amsterdam and Apex from Southampton both "Best of Scandinavia". Might you have got them muddled?

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

If you can cruise in May, there is a "Best of Scandinavia" cruise on Apex leaving Southampton on May 16, 2026.

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, zipbags1 said:

 

 

No.  I believe the Apex out of Southampton goes to Norway & Iceland.  We wish it was out of Southampton since it would be easier to see our daughter who lives in London.  

Just found this June 2026 Apex itinerary leaving out of Southampton.

 

14 Nights Norwegian Fjords & Arctic Circle Cruise from Southampton, England | Celebrity Cruises

 

[NMTraveller]

I am in favor of the change also.

[zipbags1]

We did a similar 7 day cruise this past June on Royal.  It went to 3 stops in Norway and Brugge.  We want to see more of Scandinavia.  So we went with this sailing on the Eclipse that stops in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Estonia.

[Cruising89143]

I agree with the Apex. We’re on this ship next year out of Southampton on a B2B to Norway and Scandinavia. The Sky lounge is overrated in our opinion. Plus the Eclipse could use some TLC. We love the S class but not for the Sky lounge. 

[zipbags1]

Hoping the spring '25 refurbishment cleans up some of the issues.

[Cruising89143]

19 hours ago, zipbags1 said:

Thanks for the reply.  We did Royal Caribbean this year to Norway on the Anthem.  We felt it was the best size...It wasn't huge like the Icon, but still had an abundance of restaurants and the grand concourse with restaurants and clubs.

We were on the Anthem to Spain and Portugal out of Southampton in August. Really enjoyed the ship. We will be on her sister Odyssey in a couple of weeks for the 14 night TA out of Rome. 

[cruisegirlppp]

We did 13 night Best of Scandinavia on Silhouette (same class as Eclipse) in May and loved it...would choose that size ship over bigger new ones every time.

[goofysmom99]

I've staked my spot in the Sky Lounge (and HAL equivalent) each time for the 2-hour sail-in to Stockholm.  That's pretty special and why I'd opt for S-class over E-class for this particular cruise.