Here's my blocked review from a recent sailing on Celebrity Eclipse...

Also, if anyone has any ideas as to why it was blocked, let me know. Uploaded a number of photos and then it said my review was blocked. Didn't seem to be anything tricky going on...

I've been on a ton of cruises. Everything from the usual Carnival, RCCL, Norwegian, Princess and some a bit less common like MSC and Pullmantur/Crosieres de France. But even though I had a great experience on Celebrity, I hadn't actually cruised on Celebrity in about 15 years.

I'm glad to report that the standards and quality are still first class. I'm not sure that the food is quite as good as it used to be, but it's close. Here are my recent impressions from our recent 6 day cruise aboard the Eclipse.

Embarkation: Well organized but super slow. Not sure if something could be done to speed up the process, but at least everyone was very friendly. 3 stars.

The Ship and Cabin: Very nice overall condition. Loved all of the "hidden" bars and places to eat. Really enjoyed the Aqua Spa Cafe, which we didn't notice until almost the last day. Our room was spotless and the ship was very well maintained. We stayed in 7287, midship on the port side. We had a great experience, but another couple on the same deck slightly farther aft felt excessive vibrations. 5 stars.

Entertainment: So-so, to be honest. Only 1 "splashy" production, which was pretty solid, and one comedian was funny (I forget his name), but otherwise room for improvement. They should have done at least one more major production, as the cast was very solid. 3 stars, at best. We thought MSC's entertainment blew Celebrity's away. They had wonderful pianists, opera singers, flamingo guitarists, live music and such all over the ship. Much more basic on Celebrity and somewhat lacking in energy (with the exception of the major production).

Food: Outstanding. Fresh ingredients used in creative ways. Steak always cooked perfectly. Not much scrimping, if any. Sanitation could be better. I got sick. A lot of the soap dispensers were empty. Room service pretty efficient. Loved the Lobster Murano in the Murano specialty restaurant. 5.5 stars.

Service: First class all the way! It's not the friendliest crew, but pretty friendly nonetheless and always very professional. Employees seemed pretty happy, which is always a good thing. 5 stars for service.

Itinerary: We visited Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Costa Maya in that order. In Grand Cayman, we did the Celebrity tour of the island and then onto the 7-mile beach, which was very nice. The price seemed fair and I thought the tour was worthwhile.

In Cozumel, we privately booked Mister Sancho's in Cozumel. While you have to take a cab there and back (about $17 each way), it's all inclusive and the food and drinks are great and well-varied. Don't miss the fresh fish, a local grouper that was fantastic. You can get a whole fish or grilled filet. We went with the filet. Drinks are strong and tasty. Grilled shrimp were outstanding. Yum Yum. Beach and grounds are gorgeous. Highly recommend this. If you buy it on Viator, you might be able to find a tour coupon to reduce the price.

In Costa Maya, we did the Maya Chan resort, again privately. Owner Mark is from my hometown of San Diego and he put together a gorgeous, all-inclusive resort after visiting the town on a cruise himself. Coconut trees everywhere, hammocks, white sand beach, wonderful cocktails and food and again, all-inclusive for about $55 per person, which includes transportation to and from. I cannot recommend Maya Chan highly enough. Great food and drinks and great service. Book this one early, as it sometimes sells out.

Passengers: Varied. Mostly 50-70 with obviously some younger and some older. Non-snobby, somewhat upscale crowd. Everyone was polite and well-behaved. I've seen shouting matches and fights on Carnival. Nothing like that. A pleasant group to sail with.

Cocktail Package: As you may know, Celebrity is throwing in cocktail packages as an incentive to book many of their cruises. This is a great value if you drink. We highly recommend the World Class Bar, featuring really interesting craft cocktails using fresh ingredients and premium liquor. Speaking of premium, I upgraded our basic drink package to the premium package, and that is probably worth doing. Wine by the glass in the restaurant was generally very good and our sommelier was excellent and attentive. 5 stars.

Shopping: Meh. Not impressed. Shops were nice, but I'd like to see more varied merchandise with better pricing. 3 stars.

Disembarkation: Relatively fast and efficient. We had a long layover and did the ship organized Everglades tour and FLL airport drop off. While I thought they were well done, the weather was unusually cold which made the experience less-than-pleasant. Not their fault though and it's a great way to kill time and get to the airport if you have a later flight. 5 stars.

Overall: We had a terrific time. While the lobster tails were not quite as big as they used to be, and the filet mignon wasn't quite as thick or yummy, we had a really exceptional time. Even though I haven't sailed on Celebrity much, I'd certainly consider it a "go to" cruise line. If you want a truly first class experience at a fair, but not cheap, price, there's not a lot of serious competition.

OP...Thanks for sharing your Cruise.

Did you try posting your review without pictures. That may be the issue and also the length could be the issue.

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Did you try posting your review without pictures. That may be the issue and also the length could be the issue.

 

 

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No, because they specifically asked for photos. The length didn't seem to be especially long to me based on the many others that I've read.

Thank you for your objective review. I don't see why this was blocked. It was factual and no damaging remarks against the cruise line.

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Great review...smart and fair....

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Maybe it just isn't approved yet? Did they tell you it was blocked??? How

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Hi Stockjock,

We were on the same cruise :) Maybe we crossed paths at some time during the cruise. We had a great cruise too! I haven't written a review yet, just finished my photos.

I just wanted to pop in and say it's so interesting how opinions can differ on the very same cruise. So much depends on a person's attitude, experience level, expectations, pocketbook, etc.....

My first 5 cruises were on Celebrity (Century, Galaxy, Mercury, Summit, Constellation) from 2004-2008, Jan. 2010 took a Carnival Valor cruise, Jan. 2011 HAL Westerdam, Feb. 2016 RCCL Serenade, and back to Celebrity Eclipse Jan. 2017.

I agree with most of what you wrote. But, my feelings were that the food has gone down a notch, the employees have been thinned out and the attitudes were not quite as chipper as I remembered.

We got a great price on this cruise for a Concierge balcony (our first) and felt that we had good value for the price. If we would have paid a few hundred more, my opinion might be a tad different. We also enjoyed our CC balcony but, wouldn't pay extra for it on another cruise.

Saying all of this, we still had a great time, had a great team at dinner, the food and service was good and the ship was just lovely. We would certainly take another Celebrity cruise for the right price! It just didn't WOW me the way my first 5 cruises with Celebrity did. We felt it was pretty equal overall with the RCCL Serenade cruise we did last year.

I enjoyed reading your opinions, thanks for posting :)

Was your review blocked on Cruise Critic, or the Celebrity site? If it was the Celebrity site, perhaps because you discussed, and named, private excursions. That's the only thing I could think of.

Harris

Denver, CO

Excellent review wish we could have seen your photos.

Hi,

I was sailing with Celebrity for the first time, January 2nd-8th, and I was on the 7th floor, balcony cabin, and could not believe the vibration, first time we felt this, and I have cruised probably 20times...

As for Celebrity, well, I also would sail with them again, if itinerary and price suit us, as a Loyal to Royal cruiser, I did not find the food better (and we dine 3 nights at restaurants, loved the lobster in Murano, best meal, loved QSine, but not so much the Grill), and found the that the wines by the glass were not great, staff not as cheerful as other cruises.. BUT yes, very classy crowd which we love, room service was great, captain was soo funny, and meeting soo many people is what makes the fun of cruising!!

Wonder what is the problem with deck 7 vibrations..

Thanks for the review!

frenchmeg

Jock,

Thanks for posting. :)

Hi Stockjock,

Thanks so much for your review. DH and I are sailing on Eclipse for the 4th. time in March and we are so pleased to know that Murano is still a great restaurant. We especially love the Dover sole so hope it is on the menu.

Sheila

Hi,

 

I was sailing with Celebrity for the first time, January 2nd-8th, and I was on the 7th floor, balcony cabin, and could not believe the vibration, first time we felt this, and I have cruised probably 20times...

 

As for Celebrity, well, I also would sail with them again, if itinerary and price suit us, as a Loyal to Royal cruiser, I did not find the food better (and we dine 3 nights at restaurants, loved the lobster in Murano, best meal, loved QSine, but not so much the Grill), and found the that the wines by the glass were not great, staff not as cheerful as other cruises.. BUT yes, very classy crowd which we love, room service was great, captain was soo funny, and meeting soo many people is what makes the fun of cruising!!

 

Wonder what is the problem with deck 7 vibrations..

 

Thanks for the review!

frenchmeg

The folks who sat at the table next to us spent quite a bit of time discussing those vibrations. But for us a bit forward of mid-ship, in 7287, basically no vibration, which is interesting.

We were on the Eclipse 2-8 Jan 2017 and had a great time. Did not feel any vibrations although we were in Aqua class cabin 1526. Only in the Tuscan Grill did we encounter a small amount of vibration, probably because we were over the props or shafts.

Captain Leo self-described as "the voice from above" was terrific...what a great sense of humor and around the ship and available to talk to passengers!

Eddy the CD also had a great sense of humor and mingled well with the passengers and was always interesting to talk with.

Had Aqua class for the 1st time at what we considered a bargain price and the food and service in Blu were excellent. Would we pay the usual 25-50% premium over a standard Balcony stateroom especially for an Aqua cabin in a less desirable location...probably not, but at only $100 over a standard Balcony it was a great price!

We were on the Eclipse 2-8 Jan 2017 and had a great time. Did not feel any vibrations although we were in Aqua class cabin 1526. Only in the Tuscan Grill did we encounter a small amount of vibration, probably because we were over the props or shafts.

Captain Leo self-described as "the voice from above" was terrific...what a great sense of humor and around the ship and available to talk to passengers!

Eddy the CD also had a great sense of humor and mingled well with the passengers and was always interesting to talk with.

Had Aqua class for the 1st time at what we considered a bargain price and the food and service in Blu were excellent. Would we pay the usual 25-50% premium over a standard Balcony stateroom especially for an Aqua cabin in a less desirable location...probably not, but at only $100 over a standard Balcony it was a great price!

Oooooo - I remember the "voice from above" - such a nice Captain.:)

Also, if anyone has any ideas as to why it was blocked, let me know. Uploaded a number of photos and then it said my review was blocked. Didn't seem to be anything tricky going on...

I've been on a ton of cruises. Everything from the usual Carnival, RCCL, Norwegian, Princess and some a bit less common like MSC and Pullmantur/Crosieres de France. But even though I had a great experience on Celebrity, I hadn't actually cruised on Celebrity in about 15 years.

 

I'm glad to report that the standards and quality are still first class. I'm not sure that the food is quite as good as it used to be, but it's close. Here are my recent impressions from our recent 6 day cruise aboard the Eclipse.

 

Embarkation: Well organized but super slow. Not sure if something could be done to speed up the process, but at least everyone was very friendly. 3 stars.

 

The Ship and Cabin: Very nice overall condition. Loved all of the "hidden" bars and places to eat. Really enjoyed the Aqua Spa Cafe, which we didn't notice until almost the last day. Our room was spotless and the ship was very well maintained. We stayed in 7287, midship on the port side. We had a great experience, but another couple on the same deck slightly farther aft felt excessive vibrations. 5 stars.

 

Entertainment: So-so, to be honest. Only 1 "splashy" production, which was pretty solid, and one comedian was funny (I forget his name), but otherwise room for improvement. They should have done at least one more major production, as the cast was very solid. 3 stars, at best. We thought MSC's entertainment blew Celebrity's away. They had wonderful pianists, opera singers, flamingo guitarists, live music and such all over the ship. Much more basic on Celebrity and somewhat lacking in energy (with the exception of the major production).

 

Food: Outstanding. Fresh ingredients used in creative ways. Steak always cooked perfectly. Not much scrimping, if any. Sanitation could be better. I got sick. A lot of the soap dispensers were empty. Room service pretty efficient. Loved the Lobster Murano in the Murano specialty restaurant. 5.5 stars.

 

Service: First class all the way! It's not the friendliest crew, but pretty friendly nonetheless and always very professional. Employees seemed pretty happy, which is always a good thing. 5 stars for service.

 

Itinerary: We visited Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Costa Maya in that order. In Grand Cayman, we did the Celebrity tour of the island and then onto the 7-mile beach, which was very nice. The price seemed fair and I thought the tour was worthwhile.

 

In Cozumel, we privately booked Mister Sancho's in Cozumel. While you have to take a cab there and back (about $17 each way), it's all inclusive and the food and drinks are great and well-varied. Don't miss the fresh fish, a local grouper that was fantastic. You can get a whole fish or grilled filet. We went with the filet. Drinks are strong and tasty. Grilled shrimp were outstanding. Yum Yum. Beach and grounds are gorgeous. Highly recommend this. If you buy it on Viator, you might be able to find a tour coupon to reduce the price.

 

In Costa Maya, we did the Maya Chan resort, again privately. Owner Mark is from my hometown of San Diego and he put together a gorgeous, all-inclusive resort after visiting the town on a cruise himself. Coconut trees everywhere, hammocks, white sand beach, wonderful cocktails and food and again, all-inclusive for about $55 per person, which includes transportation to and from. I cannot recommend Maya Chan highly enough. Great food and drinks and great service. Book this one early, as it sometimes sells out.

 

Passengers: Varied. Mostly 50-70 with obviously some younger and some older. Non-snobby, somewhat upscale crowd. Everyone was polite and well-behaved. I've seen shouting matches and fights on Carnival. Nothing like that. A pleasant group to sail with.

 

Cocktail Package: As you may know, Celebrity is throwing in cocktail packages as an incentive to book many of their cruises. This is a great value if you drink. We highly recommend the World Class Bar, featuring really interesting craft cocktails using fresh ingredients and premium liquor. Speaking of premium, I upgraded our basic drink package to the premium package, and that is probably worth doing. Wine by the glass in the restaurant was generally very good and our sommelier was excellent and attentive. 5 stars.

 

Shopping: Meh. Not impressed. Shops were nice, but I'd like to see more varied merchandise with better pricing. 3 stars.

 

Disembarkation: Relatively fast and efficient. We had a long layover and did the ship organized Everglades tour and FLL airport drop off. While I thought they were well done, the weather was unusually cold which made the experience less-than-pleasant. Not their fault though and it's a great way to kill time and get to the airport if you have a later flight. 5 stars.

 

Overall: We had a terrific time. While the lobster tails were not quite as big as they used to be, and the filet mignon wasn't quite as thick or yummy, we had a really exceptional time. Even though I haven't sailed on Celebrity much, I'd certainly consider it a "go to" cruise line. If you want a truly first class experience at a fair, but not cheap, price, there's not a lot of serious competition.

Thanks for sharing this.

I am a little confused, you say cabin 7287 mid-ship. It is an aft cabin just 10 cabins from the back of the ship, where was the vibration experienced?

Thanks for posting! We are interested in trying Celebrity for our next cruise and I'm just gathering information for now!

Further to the comments on the vibration, we also experienced this on the Eclipse in our aft Aquaclass room. It not only put us off paying the extra for an Aquaclass cabin towards the aft but also put us off the Eclipse. The vibration seemed to be coming from the supports coming down from the cafe area above. We called reception and someone came down to take a look and agreed the vibration was severe compared to what you would normally feel. It didn't make for an enjoyable cruise. :(

I am a little confused, you say cabin 7287 mid-ship. It is an aft cabin just 10 cabins from the back of the ship, where was the vibration experienced?

That should be 7187, I will try to have it corrected. Meanwhile, looks like they did finally post a review along with some photos so here's a direct link, bearing in mind that the room number is still incorrect.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=562351&et_cid=2861228&et_rid=16687951&et_referrer=NULL

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