Our Experience on Celebrity Eclipse – April 2-9

[mnolan770]

Thanks to this forum, I was able to make a lot of pre-trip preparations for our trip on Celebrity Eclipse on April 2. So I thought I would write a quick review in hopes of helping others like me that are looking for answers and feedback on the ship.

 

 

We sailed on Solistice last year and my post-cruise review was not that good. But as time passed and I evaluated other cruise lines, I just kept coming back to Celebrity. So a few weeks before departure, my wife and I booked on the Eclipse for the western Caribbean itinerary.

 

 

 

CABIN:

We were in cabin #6169, a verandah stateroom near mid ship. The room really had no problems. It is listed as a partially obstructed view. It was only obstructed from the life boat below. It really did not interfere with our view of the ocean. I’m not sure what was below us. We never heard any noise other than from our neighbors. The walls are paper thin. The cabin has the sofa positioned next to the bathroom with the bed next to the balcony door. The TV selection consisted of ESPN, CNN, CNN HLN, Fox News, MSNBC, Sky News, BBC News, a special CBS channel and a few other channels showing reruns of old shows and movies. There was also pretty good on-demand and music.

 

 

PUBLIC AREAS:

Everything was very nice, new, and clean. If you have been on Solstice, there will be no surprises here. Activities seemed a little light this year, but that may have just been that we looked over things that we had already done. We did catch a cooking demonstration by the executive chef and the executive pastry chef. It was a fun way to spend an hour or so out of the sun. We were offered a 20% discount to book at Murano or Tuscan Grille at the close of the demonstration. We booked Tuscan Grille.

Unfortunately, we did not see any of the shows or the hot glass show this time. But we have seen them in the past and do recommend them.

The Wine Cellar is the most underused facility on the ship. Check it out. You are able to pour glasses of wine from at least a hundred or more different bottles of wine. Some really cheap and some really expensive.

 

 

 

RESTAURANTS:

The Main Dining Room was very good. I was really never disappointed with anything that I ate. But I didn’t have 5 star expectations either. I can understand why someone expecting 5 stars in the MDR would be let down. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t good. It is very good. But if you want 5 star, you need to book one of the specialty restaurants.

 

 

 

We ate at Tuscan Grille this time after our 20% discount. The food was over the top amazing. Some of the best food I have ever had. I had the filet and my wife had the Kobe beef meatballs. Both outstanding. I forget the appetizer/salad/soup choices, but I do remember that we were both impressed.

 

 

 

We did not eat at Qsine this time, but heard nothing but raves about it. We ate at Murano last time on Solstice and were as equally impressed as we were with Tuscan Grille.

 

 

We ordered room service for breakfast most days and it was always prompt and well prepared.

 

 

 

The buffet was very good for a buffet. Try the Indian food and the breadpudding.

 

 

PORTS:

We stopped at four ports on the western Caribbean itinerary; Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan. We are both fairly active 40 year olds. In Grand Cayman we booked the stingray city jet ski tour with Fat Fish Adventures. Check them out on Tripadvisor. They are not ranked number one in Grand Cayman for nothing. It was a great time. Just me and my wife on one jet ski and another couple from the ship on another ski along with our guide on his ski. We rode at least 2 miles off shore to Stingray City, the sandbar where the rays hang out. I was so happy to have just the four of us with our guide when I saw the excursion boats with 40 to 50 people packed on them.

 

 

 

Cozumel, we didn’t book anything and just hung out. At Costa Maya, we had wanted to take a cab to one of the beach resorts, but were really disappointed with the port and ended up staying on the boat for the day. That turned out to be a great choice for us. We had our pick of pool chairs and got a great discount on spa services.

 

 

 

Finally, we ended the ports at Honduras. Here we went ziplining with Clip N Zip. Another excursion that I booked independently. They are rated very highly on Tripadvisor also. All in all it was a good spend. We did learn however, that there are two ports in Roatan. And while most of the ships apparently park at the location next to Clip N Zip, Celebrity does not. We were not told this when booking and were a bit confused when we got off the ship. We checked at the information booth and the young lady gave us directions to find our driver. Sure enough, they had a driver come over and pick us up and take us to the zipline park. That was an unexpected nice…and free… benefit. We got a great free tour of a small part of the island.

 

 

 

All in all, I would give this cruise a 95 out of 100. There were a few hiccups with the details of cleaning our room. And there was the issue of Costa Maya. I’m still not sure why the ships stop at this manmade tourist trap. Other than that, this cruise was fantastic.

 

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to try to answer them.

[A1A]

Glad you enjoyed yourself, we did too!

Ken

[britwelshflorida]

Sorry you didn't like Costa Maya, it was my favorite port.

 

I reserved two chairs and an umbrella on-line, at no cost at a beautiful beach about 2 miles from port. The TROPICALI was great. Steve (who owns it) was so nice and never pushed you to buy anything (we did because it was so cheap (bucket of beer (6) for $10) and the other drinks around $3 I believe). I would go there for a week or two! I even got to call my DD in the USA for nothing using his cell phone (internet). It was the fishing village Majhahaul, (sp) about 6 blocks long with bars and restaurants and gift shops, the cab fare was only $5.00 r/t. DH found a reef off shore that he said was small but you had to swim across the shipping lanes for about 50 to 100 yards. We even went next door to the bar there and watched our favorite team MANU with the locals. Wonderful day, sorry you missed out.

[shanebbb]

Sorry you didn't like Costa Maya, it was my favorite port.

 

I reserved two chairs and an umbrella on-line, at no cost at a beautiful beach about 2 miles from port. The TROPICALI was great. Steve (who owns it) was so nice and never pushed you to buy anything (we did because it was so cheap (bucket of beer (6) for $10) and the other drinks around $3 I believe). I would go there for a week or two! I even got to call my DD in the USA for nothing using his cell phone (internet). It was the fishing village Majhahaul, (sp) about 6 blocks long with bars and restaurants and gift shops, the cab fare was only $5.00 r/t. DH found a reef off shore that he said was small but you had to swim across the shipping lanes for about 50 to 100 yards. We even went next door to the bar there and watched our favorite team MANU with the locals. Wonderful day, sorry you missed out.

Agree with Britwelsh' on this one, who we ran into on the beach! It's all about the service, and Steve (the owner of Tropicante) knows what everyone wants. They provide chairs, umbrellas, inexpensive (cold) drinks, terrific snacks, and a clean bathroom for changing. Our waiter (Jorge) even brokered a 30 minute massage for my wife and I ($15). They are not pushy at all. It made for a terrific day and also our favorite port. All was good except for the result of that football match!

 

I will agree though, that the first impressions of the port were not great, until we found that nice beach.

[britwelshflorida]

Hi Shane: Little did I know at the time you were rooting for the LOSERS! LOL. They are playing again today at 2:30 EST, same teams, leg 2. Keep rooting for the losers!!!!!!!!!!

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.