Review of Eclipse Western Caribbean 2/5-2/12

[Boiler Fan]

Just returned from a fabulous western Caribbean cruise on the Eclipse. We were a party of four - myself and my husband (mid 60's), our daughter (40), and my sister (63). This was our second cruise together, the first being an eastern carib. in 2008. DH and I have cruised previously.

 

We flew down to Miami from Michigan on Friday, Feb. 4, happy to escape the snow and cold. We had a blizzard on Wed. of that week, so we just missed getting snowed in. Stayed Friday night at the Marriott complex just south of the airport. Nice pool area and several restaurants on site. Would stay there again. It was approx. $150 per night including taxes. We opted to take a taxi to the port on Sat. The hotel offers a shuttle for $11 per person, but taxi fare to the port is $24 plus tip, so we decided to do that rather than wait for the shuttle.

 

Arrived at the port about 11:15 - embarkation was really quick and painless. We were Concierge Class and found that line to be much shorter. We were on board by 11:45 and went to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. We ate outside on the back deck - not crowded at that point and the sunshine really felt good!

 

Got to our cabins about 1:00. We had 1247 and 1249 on the Sky Deck - Concierge C2. DH and I in 1247 and our daughter and my sister in 1249. They are connecting cabins with the oversized balconies. We asked our cabin attendant, Leticia, to close the hallway doors and open the panel on the balconies. We really enjoyed these features the whole week. It was quite nice to go from cabin to cabin without having to go into the hallway. But the biggest treat was the connecting balconies. It gave us a really large space - we were able to all sit together when we wanted to. The oversized balconies are certainly a plus. Also, the location is great. There are two decks of cabins above, so there was no noise from the pool area. We were really close to the elevators, but didn't hear any noise from there either. Ideal location in my opinion.

 

We found the cabin to be well arranged - had plenty of space for all of our stuff. Had heard from previous posters that the closet was hard to get into. Our bed was by the closet, but really didn't have any problems getting stuff in or out. Drawer space was adequate, and suitcases slipped under the bed. Really liked the interactive TV. The bathroom was really nice - loved the shower and the extra storage space. The night light is a really nice feature, too.

 

Our cabin attendant and helper were just great. They provided everything we needed without being obtrusive. The room was always kept clean, ice bucket filled, laundry promptly taken and returned. Just a really good experience. I hate it when they are always hovering around. On this cruise, you had to fill out the form for the afternoon canapes and be there when they arrived, so we opted not to get them. It was so easy to get a snack from elsewhere, and not be tied down to a specific time.

 

Food - We had the 8:30 seating in the MDR and found the food to be very good. I am continually amazed at how well Celebrity does given the number of people they are serving. Our servers brought our food promptly, it was always hot, and while some dishes were better than others, I really can't complain about any of it. Yes, there were pork chops and pork belly on the menu - we passed on those, but heard others say they were good. Had a really delicious lemon sole and very good prime rib. We ate one night in the Tuscan Grille - 3 of us had the filet and daugher had the alfredo. Delicious all the way around. The crab casserole appetizer was especially good.

 

Super Bowl Sunday there was a party in the Celebrity Theatre. Lots of fun. The game was shown on a big screen on the stage. They had pub food - burgers, brats, wings, etc. And beer, of course.

 

The Oceanview Cafe had plenty of variety for breakfast and lunch. I can't understand the complaints about not enough choices - there were plenty. I chose waffles for breakfast several times - they also make omelets to order. In my opinion the food all over the ship is excellent given they are cooking and presenting for over 2800 passengers. Also had room service breakfast several times. Ordered from the breakfast door hanger the night before. Food arrived at the requested time and was pretty good for room service food. Can't complain.

 

The pool area was crowded on sea days of course, but there were lounges available here and there. Not a real problem with chair hogs. I think Celebrity has done a good job with this.

 

Ports - DH was the only one of our group that tendered into George Town. He didn't stay long. We didn't have any excursions planned for this port, and really enjoy staying on the ship on port days. So peaceful.

 

We did go into Cozumel. DH and DD took an ATV adventure - came back muddy, tired, but happy - had a great time. My sister and I tried to go shopping, but were really turned off by the aggressive vendors. They practically try to drag you into their shops. I would have stayed and perhaps bought something if I'd been left alone. We went back to the ship and spent the afternoon in the Solarium. A really lovely spot. A great pool, comfy lounges, soft music. Very relaxing.

 

Our best port day was Costa Maya. We had arranged for the Maya Chan beach day - I had heard about it from other posters and it got great reviews on TripAdvisor. We were taken from the port in air conditioned vans for about a 25-30 minute ride to Maya Chan beach. The road is bumpy, but not awful. Maya Chan has a private beach and limits its guests to 40 per day. We had a private open air thatched roof hut with beach chairs and a day bed. The water was beautiful. We swam, sunned, and just enjoyed the beautiful day. It did rain around lunch time, but didn't spoil the experience at all. They provided a terrific lunch of fresh fish, marinated skirt steak, and chicken. Also, all drinks were included with some premium liquors. Service was friendly and you really felt they cared that you had a great time. A taxi is provided when you are ready to return to the ship. I think it was a real bargain - $56 per person including transportation both ways, lunch, and drinks. It certainly lived up to our expectations.

 

The port at Roatan is nice, buildings are new and specifically aimed at the cruise ship crowd. We stayed on the ship again.

 

Our favorite spots on the ship were the Cafe El Bacio - great place to sit and sip and read a book, the Solarium, and the Lawn Club was nice in the evening. Did spend a little time in the Casino. Usually don't because of the smoke, but this time the Casino was smoke free!

 

And speaking of smoke - I only smelled smoke once or twice and that was when we were near the smoking areas. Even then it wasn't bad. There is an outdoor smoking area on Deck 5 which is right below our cabins. But we did not smell smoke at all. I think being 5 decks above removes that possibility. It really felt like a smoke free ship. Celebrity has done a fantastic job in my opinion. DD saw someone smoking on a balcony two cabins over and one deck above. She called Guest Relations and they sent someone right away. We didn't see or smell anyone smoking on that balcony again until the last day of the cruise. DD called Guest Relations again. I think maybe there is a fine for a second offense. I don't know why some people think that is ok to just disregard this rule. So rude. Anyway, smoking was definitely not an issue on this cruise. We loved it!

 

Almost all the passengers followed the dress code. On the two formal nights almost everyone dressed up for dinner in the MDR. There were more tuxes than I thought there would be, but most men wore the dark suit and tie. The ladies were mostly in coctail dresses. Most seemed to be enjoying being dressed up. In fact, I only saw one person that I felt was inappropriately dressed on the whole cruise. On the first sea day in the Oceanview Cafe, there was a middle aged woman who came in for lunch wearing a pretty skimpy bikini with a totally transparent cover-up. She certainly got a lot of looks and I don't think they were the kind of looks she was hoping for!

 

We only went to one show - the Broadway review. It was pretty good, but nothing we were estatic about. The performers throughout the ship were good. We especially enjoyed D'Revaltions that played mostly in the Grand Foyer. They played lots of different kinds of music - something for everyone. I thought they were quite good. We played cards several times in the Card Room on Deck 9, and could hear the music from the Grand Foyer. It was most enjoyable.

 

Getting off the ship was smooth and easy as well. We were to be at the Celebrity Theatre at 7:15. When we got there, we were immediately directed to the gangway. Only two couples ahead of us at customs. The longest wait was about 10 minutes for a taxi to the airport. We were in the airport and checked in by 8:30.

 

We booked the Eclipse for an Eastern Caribbean cruise next Feb. while on board. $100 on board credit and $100 per person deposit. We were able to get these same cabins for that cruise also. Can't wait!

 

A wonderful cruise on a beautiful ship!

[CuriousMind]

Thanks for the timely review. We will be on Eclipse this Saturday. Can't wait!

 

I think having connecting staterooms is a great idea. I will certainly look into this when booking our next cruise.

 

Thanks,

CM

[portofrome]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the review.

[toriluvr]

We'll be doing the same tour on the Eclipse this Saturday too!

Thanks for the review.

 

Any comments on the hairdryer provided? I've heard a lot of conflicting info so far. Some say it's terrible, some say it's fine. I'm really torn about whether to pack mine or not... the bags are already filling up fast! :)

[Boiler Fan]

There isn't any hairdryer in the bathroom. There is a regular hand held hairdryer in the drawer of the vanity in the stateroom and a special plug for it there also. It was fine for me - had a couple of settings and a flexible cord. Unless you have some kind of special need in a hairdryer, it should be fine.

[Glosman]

Thank you for the review.

 

We are on this cruise in a little over 2 weeks and really cannot wait. Have also booked Maya Chan and with such high expectations from all the positive Trip Advisor comments its great that you were still impressed.

[piratelooksat45]

Do you remember which 2 nights were formal?

[Lew's cruise]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Eclipse this Saturday 2/19.

[Lois R]

Do you remember which 2 nights were formal?

 

Hi, normally on a SAT-SAT Caribbean cruise, formal nights are on

Sunday and Thursday. But this sailing was SUPERBOWL SUNDAY:D

I was on SUMMIT and our 1st formal night was moved to Monday.

I am thinking this sailing formal night was moved as well. Hopefully

the OP can confirm it (or not). But if you are on a regular cruise

formal nights will be Sunday and Thursday:)

[MNBluffBuffs]

Thanks for the great review:D! We can't wait to get back to warm weather,.

[rigldbrg]

Thanks for the timely review. We will be on Eclipse this Saturday. Can't wait!

 

I think having connecting staterooms is a great idea. I will certainly look into this when booking our next cruise.

 

Thanks,

CM

 

Thanks for the very nice review! I can't wait till we board the Eclipse on Saturday!

 

Hi CM, there's a roll call for our cruise. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1188525&page=20

[hildacloake]

Got to our cabins about 1:00. We had 1247 and 1249 on the Sky Deck - Concierge C2. DH and I in 1247 and our daughter and my sister in 1249. They are connecting cabins with the oversized balconies. We asked our cabin attendant, Leticia, to close the hallway doors and open the panel on the balconies. We really enjoyed these features the whole week. It was quite nice to go from cabin to cabin without having to go into the hallway. But the biggest treat was the connecting balconies. It gave us a really large space - we were able to all sit together when we wanted to. The oversized balconies are certainly a plus. Also, the location is great. There are two decks of cabins above, so there was no noise from the pool area. We were really close to the elevators, but didn't hear any noise from there either. Ideal location in my opinion.

 

A wonderful cruise on a beautiful ship!

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise on a beautiful ship! We're sailing on the Eclipse on December 3rd and 10th of this year. Our rooms are C2 on the Resort Deck: #2149 for me and my DH, and #2147 for my MIL and her cousin. It's below the Oceanview bar, but last year on the Constellation we were at the same area under the bar, and never heard any noise. 2149 looks bigger than 2147, and we can't wait to enjoy the big shared open balcony between our 2 rooms. :)

[Boiler Fan]

Piratelooksat45 - The formal nights on the Eclipse 2/5 cruise were Monday and Thursday. The regular first formal night for this cruise is Sunday, but it was moved to Monday because of the Super Bowl. I expect it will be moved back to Sunday for your cruise.

[sail2day]

Great review. It certainly is relevant to me since I will be cruising on March 12th on the Eclipse for Spring Break.

[wanderlust402]

Could you please scan and post the "Celebrity Today" programs from this cruise?

[Texed]

The Oceanview Cafe had plenty of variety for breakfast and lunch. I chose waffles for breakfast several times

 

Good choice! ;)

Thanks for the review, we are on Eclipse starting March 12th. :)

[Baybear]

Food - The Oceanview Cafe had plenty of variety for breakfast and lunch. I can't understand the complaints about not enough choices - there were plenty. I chose waffles for breakfast several times - they also make omelets to order.

 

We were on this ship last month to the same ports. Best cruise we've been out of 14 we've taken.

 

How could anyone complain about the choices of food for breakfast when you can have (every day!):

 

Eggs Benedict made with ham or salmon or any combination of stuff you want on them... but always on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce on top (on most ships only available in MDRs, but available every day in the buffet and made fresh while-you-wait [about 1 min]), fresh fruit: peaches, pears, figs, orange slices, strawberries, grapefruit halves, apples, various berries; fritatas, bagels, croissants (including chocolate), pecan sticky buns (better than I’ve ever had in my life anywhere!), brioche buns (!!), donuts, muffins, danishes, baguettes, brown bread (with raisons and nuts) and regular bread; jams including black-cherry, raspberry, strawberry and orange marmalade; sliced honey-baked ham (sliced while you watch... not slimy,, fatty or tough - just as good as the spiral hams from COSTCO...), bacon (a little undercooked for my taste BUT very good flavor... a lot of cruise ship bacon tastes like it’s been stored for a few months... Celebrity’s had a great smokey flavor), boiled eggs, waffles, sour cream, lime butter, orange butter, regular butter, margarine, whipped cream, cherry sauce, blueberry sauce (great on blintzes), strawberry sauce, blintzes, various cheese (blu, provolone, swiss, yellow) dried fruits (didn’t write them down), pancakes, hash browns, baked beans, corned-beef hash (just as good as any I’ve ever tasted!... Costa had this too but it was just awful by comparison), English bacon, soft rolls, grilled tomato (very English), french toast (including coconut french toast), baked apples, some sort of “hot oranges & sliced bananas” mixture, sauteed mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets any way you want them (various fillings), turkey sausage (link), pork sausage (link), black sausage (slices), roasted potatoes, bangers (larger link sausage liked by the English), cold cuts, herring, lox (smoked salmon sliced), chopped red onion, chopped egg, capers, etc for the lox. and for some reason... chopped mixed salad for breakfast.

[wanderlust402]

Piratelooksat45 - The formal nights on the Eclipse 2/5 cruise were Monday and Thursday. The regular first formal night for this cruise is Sunday, but it was moved to Monday because of the Super Bowl. I expect it will be moved back to Sunday for your cruise.

 

 

I just want to make sure that I understand this correctly as I thought they usually tried to have formal night on sea days. On Thursday, I believe you would have been in Roatan, but they still had a formal night on that day?

 

What nights were Ovations, Edge and Eclips (Cirque-like show)? I am also wondering if one of those would have normally been on Sunday if it hadn't been for the game.

 

I am doing Eclipse Western Caribbean in March and am trying to get better information to help book massage/specialty dining/etc.

 

Of course, if you have the Celebrity Today for this sailing that you could scan and post that would be awesome as well. So far searching the web, I have only found a Solstice from 8/8/10, which doesn't quite answer my questions.

[jagoffee]

I just want to make sure that I understand this correctly as I thought they usually tried to have formal night on sea days. On Thursday, I believe you would have been in Roatan, but they still had a formal night on that day?

 

What nights were Ovations, Edge and Eclips (Cirque-like show)? I am also wondering if one of those would have normally been on Sunday if it hadn't been for the game.

 

I am doing Eclipse Western Caribbean in March and am trying to get better information to help book massage/specialty dining/etc.

 

Of course, if you have the Celebrity Today for this sailing that you could scan and post that would be awesome as well. So far searching the web, I have only found a Solstice from 8/8/10, which doesn't quite answer my questions.

 

I am not the OP, but since I was on this cruise and the one right after I can answer your questions. Yes, the second formal night is the Roatan day. The Western Caribbean has only one sea day on the return, so they would not want the formal day on the last night.

 

The order on the production shows were different on this cruise because of the Superbowl. They did not just push them back. It was Edge on the first formal, the Eclipse in the middle, and Ovations on the last formal night.

 

For the 2/12 cruise, it was Ovations for the first formal night, Edge in the middle, and the Eclipse show on the last formal night. (All 8:30PM and 10:45 PM shows)

 

I should also mention that the Farewell show on the last night is not your typical everyone saying good bye, but a variety of the non Production show acts. It was actually rather good. We went on the 2/4 cruise because we wanted to see Jason again and we were pleasantly surprised.

 

I have often mentioned that the main shows are not a highlight for Celebrity, but I thought that they have made significant improvements. It was the best line up of all our Celebrity cruises. Much better than the previous two Solstice cruises. (2/2009 and 9/2009)

[New Hampshire]

Did you self-disembark, carrying your own bags? If you didn't, do you know what time those people were permitted to leave the ship?

[wanderlust402]

I am not the OP, but since I was on this cruise and the one right after I can answer your questions.

 

This is very helpful. Thank you.

 

For the Western Caribbean cruise, could you also let me know when certain not to be missed activities occured? For example, I understand that there is often a formal brunch and sometimes an all ship tea (I am not Elite yet...). Are they any other nights where there would be a fun activity?

 

Based on what I have heard so far, I am looking at specialty dining on Monday and Wednesday. As they are not formal night and not the nights of the big production shows. I am thinking about Qsine, and I have heard that it can take some time to do it right. I just would hate to miss something else really cool on the ship due to dinner plans.

[jagoffee]

This is very helpful. Thank you.

 

For the Western Caribbean cruise, could you also let me know when certain not to be missed activities occured? For example, I understand that there is often a formal brunch and sometimes an all ship tea (I am not Elite yet...). Are they any other nights where there would be a fun activity?

 

Based on what I have heard so far, I am looking at specialty dining on Monday and Wednesday. As they are not formal night and not the nights of the big production shows. I am thinking about Qsine, and I have heard that it can take some time to do it right. I just would hate to miss something else really cool on the ship due to dinner plans.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions.

 

One of the production shows in on a non formal night as there are 3 shows and two formal nights. The Motown by the pool is a not to be missed event. They had a wine and cheese event on the lawn one night, but the weather did not cooperate, so we did not attend. I think everyone should see part of one of the glass blowing shows.

 

Have a great cruise.

[wanderlust402]

The Motown by the pool is a not to be missed event.

 

Thank you. I will make sure to add the Motown by the pool to my list. It sounds fun, and I am not sure I have heard about that one before.

 

Sorry to hear that the weather didn't cooperate, I am really looking forward to the concert on the lawn so I will keep my fingers crossed!

[SadieC]

We are in the same rooms in less than 2 weeks!! Do the balconies get enough sun to relax and lounge in the afternoons or do they remain shady most of the day?

[silentbob007]

Thanks for the review ... heading to the Eclipse in a few weeks. :)