I am composing this critique although on my return flight to the U.S., having just spent the earlier two months (14 nights) aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Introduced in April of 2010, the Eclipse joins Celebrity’s award-profitable family members of “Solstice-course” ships, which at present involves the Celeb Solstice, the Equinox and, in 2011, will also involve the Silhouette. So, while I will attempt to maintain entire objectivity, I will have to admit that I boarded the Eclipse with extremely large anticipations. The good news is, with only small exceptions (as later on famous), I was not upset.
The “Components”
When discussing the bodily characteristics of a cruise ship (i.e., it’s format and overall look), field professionals usually refer to the ship’s “hardware”. So, let us commence there.
At 122,000 tons (the major in the Movie star fleet), the Eclipse was amazingly quick to get around on and, even with a whole capacity of 2,850 passengers (based mostly on double occupancy), the ship by no means felt crowded. To be properly honest, my to start with perception of the interior décor was that it was a little bit “basic” but, as the times onboard passed, I came to take pleasure in it far more and much more. Consistent with Celebrity’s situation in the field as a “premium” cruise line (as distinguished from “mass sector” or “luxurious”), the in general look and “come to feel” of the Eclipse is what I would describe as “subdued magnificence”. Not like the “cheap glitz” or “pretentious opulence” of some other ships I have viewed, the interior of the Eclipse seemed to be intentionally understated by its designers so that company (myself included) would sense totally at simplicity though residing in their upscale house at sea. Hues in the key lobby place ended up tender and gentle, while other public locations and lounges (together with Michael’s Club and Cellar Masters) were adorned in deep natural wooden tones with luxurious furnishings and plush carpeting.
Hallways and stairways were being sufficiently large for aspect-by-facet passage of guests and we almost never experienced to wait far more than a moment or two for an elevator. The general public bathrooms had been immaculate and they had been generally perfectly-stocked with modest solitary-use fabric towels (instead than paper or very hot air dryers).
The pool and solarium places ended up roomy ample that obtaining a comfy lounge chair was hardly ever a trouble. On the other hand, the jogging observe (or “strolling path” for all those of us about the age of 60) went ideal by means of the pool lounging space (so it grew to become some thing of an “impediment study course”) and it did not go wholly around the whole ship.
Most likely the most exclusive function of the ship’s “components” was the “Garden Club”. I must confess that a negative pre-conceived idea (based on photos and descriptions that I noticed) may perhaps have clouded my expectation. But, after spending just a few minutes watching fellow travellers actively playing croquet or basking in the sunlight on the finely manicured natural grass, I recognized that the photos of this spot in Celebrity’s brochures and television commercials could not capture it truly is peaceful serenity. I beloved it!
The Foodstuff
Because all dining places offer a wide variety of culinary decisions, any analysis of foodstuff is motivated not only by individual flavor but also by what objects are picked from the menu. Nowhere was this more obvious than at the Murano specialty restaurant aboard the Eclipse. My wife ordered the filet mignon although my cousin, Mike, had the veal chop. Equally entrees had been, unquestionably, the greatest of their type we have at any time tasted… anywhere! On the other hand, the fish (Mediterranean sea bass) that my cousin’s girlfriend, Janet, and I each purchased was good at greatest.
Much more regular was the food we had in the specialty cafe, Tuscan Grille. Even though the filet mignon was very as great (in our viewpoint) as in Murano (even nevertheless the Tuscan Grille touts itself as becoming “a steak dwelling with an Italian flair”), all of our entrees had been exceptional in their have way.
At the specialty cafe, Quisine, we experienced a lot of laughs sampling a extensive wide range of distinctive entrees and aspect dishes, every single described on an I-pod menu.
The key dining place, Moonlight Sonata, provided a variety of dishes every night time that ranged from superior to fantastic, with really handful of disappointments. We in particular preferred the Select Eating solution which was a awesome departure from the regimented two-seating arrangement on most conventional cruise ships. And, we had been usually able to get a table for four by the window as we requested.
The Service
A cruise passenger’s notion of onboard services is so generally dependent upon who their stateroom attendant was and which waiters / waitresses served their meals. So, at greatest, any analysis of company should really be taken only as a generalization based mostly on minimal particular person ordeals when onboard.
Getting prefaced this component of my assessment (to “deal with my tail” in situation the reader has a distinct expertise), allow me say that my spouse and I located the assistance to be exceptional. Our stateroom attendants (Violetta Rodriguez and David Campbell) have been the finest workforce we’ve had on any cruise (and we’ve taken numerous cruises). The eating workers was capable and skilled in all eating places. In addition, there had been some pleasant minimal “extra touches”, these kinds of as greeting you again onboard with a complimentary welcome-back comfortable drink and a “spritz” of cool spray following a extensive working day of shore excursions. On the other hand, one of the matters that I most appreciated was the considered use of public announcements. Pursuing the captain’s positioning and temperature update every single morning, the public deal with method was practically silent the remainder of the working day. There have been no blaring announcements about the up coming spherical of jackpot bingo or exclusive “promotions” on jewellery. If you had been interested in this sort of things, the time and put of all onboard activities and occasions had been plainly shown in the day-to-day calendar that was still left in the stateroom the previous night. Getting figured out to study when I was in 1st grade, I failed to miss out on the irritating bulletins a person little bit.
The Leisure
If there was one spot in which my working experience aboard the Superstar Eclipse disappointed me (and my touring companions), it was the leisure. A lot more specifically, the Broadway-fashion manufacturing shows (which I have noticed many instances before on other cruise ships) were fair at best and fully uninspired at worst. That is not to say that the particular person performers were not talented (even though I have found far better). It is really only to say that I identified these “track and dance” exhibits to be “corny”, repetitive and, in sure respects, a little bit amateurish. The exception to this was the last exhibit (titled “Eclipse”), which featured some fantastic acrobatic performances and terrific sets with particular effects. The wide variety reveals (jugglers, magicians, comedians, etcetera.) have been generally excellent.
The remarkably-promoted glass blowing exhibition was, in my viewpoint, sluggish-moving and uninteresting. While the presenters from the Corning glass museum had been obviously really proficient at their craft and devoted to their function, I just couldn’t get way too excited about investing practically an hour looking at a glass bowl becoming created. In truth, at 1 stage all through the exhibition, my spouse turned to me and reported “What am I missing?”. Ironically, this identical exhibition was hugely advised to us by a single of our workers customers who noticed it on the Solstice. So, you should not get my word for it. See for on your own.
The Staterooms
Like every single fashionable cruise ship, the Celebrity Eclipse presents a broad range of accommodations, ranging from decreased-priced interior cabins (with no window) to huge luxury suites with own butlers. Clearly, a guest being in a person of the huge suites would have a diverse stateroom experience than one particular staying in a considerably smaller sized interior cabin so, when yet again, I will have to preface my stateroom review by cautioning the reader that it is centered on my particular knowledge (which may well or may possibly not hold legitimate for other sorts of accommodations on the Eclipse).
My spouse and I selected (as we most normally do) a common mid-priced stateroom with a balcony, which was much more than suitable for the two of us. The décor was comfortable and satisfying. The bedding was pretty comfy and neither of us experienced any problems slipping asleep. The toilet was a awesome size but the shower did not have a hand-held extension (which intended you had to shift your physique all over a bit to get your self all rinsed off). There was rather significantly less storage house than we would have liked on a 14-evening cruise but, general, we were incredibly satisfied with our normal balcony stateroom accommodations.
Conclusion
Possessing getting effectively more than 30 cruises in excess of the previous 15 a long time that we have been in the enterprise, my spouse and I are usually on the lookout for some thing distinctive when a new cruise ship enters the marketplace. And, that is specifically what we got with the Celebrity Eclipse. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the unattainable typical of staying completely great in each respect), we give this a person an general rating of 8.5 to 9. We won’t be able to wait to book our cruise on the brand new Superstar Silhouette (sister ship of the Eclipse) when she begins round-excursion sailings to the Caribbean from Cape Liberty, New Jersey in 2011.
Resource by Thomas Coiro