Just off the Eclipse--will answer questions

[sparkle56]

This is the start of a review of this most amazing cruise. However, to begin with, I thought I would just make remarks about some of the most commonly discussed issues. These are both observations, and opinions. Let's start with. . .

 

1. Dress Code.

 

We thought the passengers on this ship, for the most part, were better dressed in general. Even the casual clothing was pretty nice--khakis instead of jeans, that kind of thing.

 

We also thought the women put more effort into dress than the men did. On smart casual nights, many were in sparkles or quite dressy.

 

Formal nights we actually did a count as we were walking and came up with about a 25% tuxedo/75% dark suits for gentlemen and dressy for the ladies. More than one woman remarked that men are so sexy in tuxes. So, men, you might want to store that little tidbit. The second formal night was the dressier of the two. My husband wore a tux both nights and felt completely appropriate. I wore a gown the first formal night and a cocktail dress (with feathers) the second night.

 

We DID see people turned away for inappropriate dress. In Blu, we saw a man turned away because he was wearing shorts, and another for having a shirt without a collar. That having been said, on another evening a man had a shirt without a collar but it clearly was not your generic t-shirt, but rather a nice silk number that he wore with trousers. He was admitted.

 

At the Oceanview Cafe, we saw people turned away for trying to enter in swimsuits. They argued. They were told, "that is the policy." I should note here that if people had cover-ups on that looked like clothing, they were allowed in with swimsuits. No towels wrapped around, though.

 

Persian Gardens--There is a sign that says the minimal attire is swimsuit and/or t shirt and shorts. I had settled in for a nice relaxing heated ceramic chair experience, soft music, looking out at the calming ocean when what should I see?! NO! Naked people.

 

Naked people, two of them, man and woman, who seriously should not have been publicly naked in any circumstance. And back and forth they strutted, not behind the chairs but in front of them. So that whole ocean view was somewhat tainted. First to the showers, then to the steam room, then to the sauna, etc. etc. etc. There were young women present and they were quite perplexed. Perhaps they had never seen quite that much information about how men are built, I don't know.

 

I am no prude, but I went to the front desk and reported them. You know what. I simply don't want to sit where either of them had placed their bare body parts, which includes the benches in the sauna and steam room, and the lovely heated chairs.

 

Staff did go immediately and tell them they had to cover up. When they were next seen they had teeny towels wrapped around them that they dropped before entering, once again, the shower.

 

An exception to the enforcement of dress code was this: The theatre. When the Captain had his welcome cocktail party (first formal night) I got to sit next to some clown in shorts, beer in hand, with bare feet/sandals and hairy legs swinging back and forth against my pretty dress. This was nothing more than attitude. Worse, he wouldn't clap for anything. Just sat there, swilling his beer. Pretty rude.

 

The Cabin: We were in AquaClass which I highly recommend. I loved many aspects of it. The afternoon tea (iced, different flavors each day--peach, raspberry, etc), the hors d'oeuvres (six pieces, tiny, enough to just take the edge off while having a nice glass of wine), the specialty pillows (I ordered the Swedish conforming type--so wonderful), the enormous bath sheets instead of little bath towels, the flowers, the fruit, ahhhhh. We got two bottles of water every day (nice for port days). Do NOT drink the Evian in the refrigerator, though. That is not the provided water. There is a charge for the Evian.

 

We had an ice bucket, with ice, at all times. If the ice melted, I would call the room steward and within 5 minutes more would be brought.

 

The cabin was room enough and I've read a lot of people saying they don't think there is adequate storage and the storage above the bed is awkward. We used that above the bed space a lot--for stuff we were accumulating on the cruise, or things we use seldom. Camera and computer cords and batteries, extra purses and bags, etc. There were five drawers, which we divided 2 for him, 2 for me, 1 for papers and tickets, etc. And you do get a nightly thing telling about the next day and the next port.

 

The bathroom was really nice. There were four shelves (behind glass) at the top and below that 3 shelves behind a door. Perfect for make-up, meds, suntan lotion, etc. There were two small drawers which I claimed for my make-up. The shower is awesome. I want one like it in my house.

 

The closet was quite adequate and well lit, unlike the ones on Holland America where you have to take a flashlight or stick on lights just to see. We didn't have enough hangers and I asked for more, which were provided (but the extras were wire--ACK!--not wood).

 

We had a golf umbrella and a regular umbrella for our use, and a pair of binoculars. There were two nice robes. These were not for us to keep unless we wished to pay for them. There was a makeup mirror, a keyboard, and a hair dryer in the vanity drawer.

 

We received a lightweight backpack (the kind with strings that Apple sometimes puts their stuff in) and it had two pairs of loofah slippers (love them!), some face astringent spray, some chapsticks. All of that was for keeping.

 

We also received, prior to our first port, towels to use onshore and a really nice fold up tote bag which was very handy both on the cruise, and now at home. A nice gift.

 

Our bed was by the closet which was by the bathroom. Every other room is the opposite so ask when you book if you have a preference. The bed was super comfy.

 

The balcony was large enough, with two nice chairs, two footstools, and a tall round table that we used for appetizers and drinks in the evening. The chairs recline and if you put them with the footstools they are nice loungers.

 

Suitcases fit under the bed. We had huge suitcases (2 of them) and they were completely out of the way the whole week.

 

That's all for now, but next up, in a few hours: The food

[April Jewel]

Thanks for a great review. Looking forward to your thoughts about the food. In two weeks time I will be on my way for the Eclipse's cruise leaving 5th March and the more I read the more excited I get.

[sparkle56]

You have every reason to be excited, April. I would like to be sailing on Eclipse again right now!

 

I'll try to do Food and Entertainment next.

[islandgirlejfan]

Looking forward to reading more Sparkle....we cruise the Eclipse in December!

[chrisd12]

We are on the Eclipse mid April....and your review is making me wish the days would go by quicker. Can't wait to read more, by the way which itinerary did you do? Still looking for some feedback on St. kitts. Thanks again for taking the time, and I am glad you had a great trip.

[sail2day]

Great review. I can't wait for the rest of it since I cruise on the Eclipse in March of this year.

[Solstice23]

Thanks for review

 

We head onto the eclipse in a few weeks

 

Question how would you compare your Eclipse to your other Cruises?

[sparkle56]

I realize as I'm writing my observations and opinions, it really is turning out to be a review. So here is part two. . .

 

The Food: We are not obsessed with food but we do like what we eat to be fresh, tasty, and well-prepared. The food on the Eclipse did not disappoint in any of these qualities.

 

Blu: We ate in Blu because we were AquaClass and it was absolutely wonderful. The menu options were, however, a little bit limited.

 

My husband particularly noticed the lack of seafood options--there were three choices available on the Every Night Menu (Salmon, Steak, Chicken) but the main menu seemed to be heavily weighted (in the fish category) to salmon prepared several different ways.

 

There was Dourade one night--Sea Bass--it was okay but I personally am opposed to eating Sea Bass as it is becoming endangered. I did choose it, though, and it was good, not great. Lamb was served virtually every evening in some form. I had never tried lamb (other than one bite) but decided to go for it. Mistake. It was rack of lamb and it was tough, fatty, and tasted like a farm animal. I sent it back and requested something else, which I am reluctant to do. But we noticed many people sent theirs back so perhaps it was just a bad batch. That happens. The waitstaff responded appropriately so no need to fuss.

 

The first evening I had the filet mignon which was absolutely delicious. I don't eat red meat as a general rule but this was downright tasty. Mmmm. And I would be terribly remiss if I did not mention the first night Bleu Cheese Souffle appetizer. OMG.

 

The Dourade night one of the choices was barbecued short ribs and a new friend said she thought they were the best she had ever had, falling off the bone delicious. Next time. . .

 

There was no shrimp, no crab legs, no scallops--as entrees anyway. There were scallops (2) as an appetizer and a cocktail lobster salad and a soft shelled crab thing. We were speculating this lack of actual seafood might have something to do with the gulf oil spill and the price and availability of shellfish.

 

Now that I've commented on some of the negatives, most of the food was just absolutely delicious--smallish portions but if you wanted more, you could ask. I frequently had two appetizers. The cold soups were yummy. The appetizer brie tasted like "more." The salads were fresh and interesting. The bread basket was full of tasty choices.

 

My husband found the desserts less than appealing but he's an "I need something chocolate" kind of guy. I liked all of the sorbets, gelatos, the creme brulee, etc. What he did is he just started asking for cheesecake with chocolate ice cream--they brought him the cheesecake from the main dining room, no problem.

 

Lobster night was good. The lobster actually was lobster, and it was decent size. The waiter did cut it from the shell. There was no drawn butter but if you wanted it I think you could have asked. Instead there was a nice sauce that went with it.

 

We also ate breakfast three times in Blu. You have to get up early. It is open from 7:30 to 9:00 and from 6:30 to 8:00 on disembarkation day. The menu was your basic breakfast menu but, again, if there was something you wanted, you just had to ask. I wanted Eggs Benedict and was told "absolutely!" All entrees have fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus accompaniments. Small amounts of those. You can ask for other sides and there are many. The orange juice in Blu is fresh squeezed. The morning coffee tastes like coffee and not like coffee flavored hot water.

 

Now, a little bit about the restaurant and staff. Joval was the Maitre' D. Awesome guy. Very friendly and accomodating to the best of his ability. Always remembered me. You cannot reserve the same table every night--it is really first come, first served. We liked sitting at a two top by the window and were successful three times. But every table is good, it is small enough you can see the ocean from wherever you are, and it gets dark shortly after the 6:00 opening time of the restaurant so it didn't really matter. On the last night we were waiting at the door by 5:45 and did not get a window table.

 

When you get there that early you can see a staff meeting in process through the glass doors. I asked the assistant Maitre' D about it and he said what they are discussing is the chef's recommendations for the evening, with plenty of info about how everything is prepared. He said the waitstaff is excellent but it is the responsibility of Celebrity to make sure they have the knowledge to answer guests' questions about the menu.

 

I had a concern about the tables being close together, or that's what the maps showed. Actually, they are close but not so close you can't just be with your spouse, lover, friend, or partner. But if you are a social butterfly and love the aspect of getting to know others, you can easily chat table to table. I thought it was a perfect arrangement. We got to know several couples who ended up being seated on one side or the other from us most nights.

 

The restaurant is small, and elegantly decorated. The ambience is restful and pleasant. There is non-obtrusive, but enjoyable music in the background. The chandeliers are lovely.

 

We tried very hard to be seated where Milton was the waiter and Darwin was the assistant waiter. We got to know them well, and they knew what we liked, they made recommendations that were usually spot on. We also gave each of them a nice tip in addition to the pre-paid tips we made.

 

The wine sommelier was nice as well. . .not pushy, happy to recommend something and his choices were good ones. I had wine some nights and other nights chose to have diet Coke (had the card). No problem.

 

The Oceanview Cafe: I did not try one thing that I didn't like here. There are a million options. There are stations throughout and you have to figure that out but once it is figured out, it is an easy to navigate restaurant. We always found a table fairly quickly and at least three times we asked if we could join someone. (We like meeting new people.)

 

They had the best corned beef hash ever at breakfast. Beautiful salads, dished out for you, and you can add what you want. Breakfast options galore. Eggs how you want them. I ordered a Scottish Benedict and the eggs were barely cooked. Note to self: next time ask for them to be medium. I did that, and they accomodated me. I saw one guy being pretty rude to the woman taking the orders for eggs how you want them but she handled it well. I wanted to smack him and say, "Behave!" Ha!

 

There was bacon, ham, several kinds of sausage. Yogurt, cereal, Mueslix (yum). Bagels. (Lox and. . .) Breads everywhere are super tasty. They have sandwiches at lunch time (tell what you want, he will create it in front of you). In the late afternoon we would go get cheese, crackers, nuts, fruit, and have a little appetizer party with beverages in our cabin. In the a.m. there are coffee cart guys going around, giving coffee, juice, water, croissants, danishes. The two I remember most are the singing ones--they were so darned happy and it was just too early for such happiness. But it was infectious happiness. :)

 

Speaking of croissants, chocolate croissants to die for.

 

Murano Grille. Oh, where to start on this one? That was one of the best eating experiences of my life. It was unbelievably indulgent (a new friend thought it was a bit of overkill, but I managed to handle it just fine).

 

Think of that scene in Pretty Woman where Edward takes Vivian to dinner with the grandfather and grandson. I could not move without a VIP looking guy appearing to see if I needed anything. I went to the restroom and was escorted to the door of the restaurant (the restroom is just outside). When I returned, another guy said "Welcome back!" and he took me to the table, seated me, and there was new napkin waiting for me. God forbid I should use the previous napkin.

 

They cook many things tableside. We both had the lobster and the recipe was unique and super delicious. I went back to the room and wrote down the recipe (lobster is not exactly plentiful here in North Dakota but it could happen). The waiter prepares these things, with considerable pyrotechnics, and explains what he is doing as he goes along. When the dish is done, he covers it with a silver dome and takes the cart AND the food away. We decided this is for two reasons: one is to have the chef approve his work and the other is for the presentation.

 

The presentation is very cool. The dishes are brought to the table (in our case by two gentlemen) and the food is covered with the silver domes. In perfect sync the two guys raise the domes and say, Bon Appetit!.

 

I had lobster bisque, a tomato/buffalo mozzarella salad, the lobster, and for dessert a dish of five tiny little scoops of different ice creams and sorbets on a yummy crisp sugary thing. My husband had chocolate souffle, which was beautiful. When you think you just can't possibly have any more, they bring around a gorgeous marble cheese cart with about 20 kinds of artisanal cheeses. Honestly, I had no room for this and that's just too bad.

And, a final surprise, a pretty dish of 6 handmade candies. We asked for those to go (and as I sit here typing I am indulging in one of them.)

 

We had reservations at Tuscan Grille and at Qsine and cancelled both of them. We liked the food in Blu, Tuscan Grille looked pretty heavy, and Qsine--yes, I know it gets raves--but we just were beyond being able to indulge any more. Friends who went both places thought Tuscan Grille was okay, and Qsine was "fun."

 

My opinion is DO NOT MISS going to Murano.

 

Main Dining Room: The only time we ate here was for the Grand Brunch on the final sea day. It was wonderful. I've never seen so many terrific options and it truly was brunch, not a glorified breakfast. You could have gone at 10 for breakfast and at 1 for lunch and been very happy. And very full. There were ice carvings and a chocolate fountain. Pretty. Nice music. Easy to find a table. The dining room itself is lovely but I prefer Blu.

 

On the final sea day they also had a Grand High Tea (2:30 to 3:30) and the Captain's Cocktail Party (2:00 to 3:00) so you could pretty much eat all day long. I love teas but just couldn't do it. The Cocktail party was really nice--free champagne, cocktails, wine, soft drinks and they were free flowing. Two roast beef stations for tasty sandwiches, a fancy fruit place, Crepes Suzette, and a Sushi station. This last one was important to me because Sushi is my favorite food, if it is done right. And I thought the sushi was quite good, and very pretty. Limited choices--the usual California rolls, some other veggie choices, eel, salmon with caviar, crab. I was happy. They do serve sushi in the Oceanview cafe every afternoon, too.

 

The cocktail party is in the Sky Lounge so you have a nice view of going home. :(

 

There were other places to grab something to eat if you truly felt the need for more food. There was Cafe on Five and Cafe al Bacio (??). One was $5 cover charge for all manner of crepes, the other had little cookies and sweets and sandwiches at different times of the day for free.

 

We've been on Princess and on Holland America and both of us think Celebrity wins in the food category, hands down.

 

So, next up: Entertainment (which will include details about the SuperBowl party)

[MsJ]

Hi I am really enjoying your posts about the Eclipse. We are sailing Saturday on the Eclipse. We have been cruising on Princess for the last 5 years. This is our 3rd celebrity cruise.We were on the Mercury in 1999 and the Constellation in 2003. I am looking forward to sailing on Celebrity again. Thanks for all the great info.

 

Marianne

[sparkle56]

ChrisD12: This itinerary was the Western Caribbean with stops in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Puerto Costa Maya, and Roatan, Honduras.

 

I have been to St. Kitts on a Southern Caribbean itinerary so if you want to ask me questions about it I would be happy to respond.

 

Toronto25: The Eclipse is my favorite ship overall so far. And Celebrity is my favorite cruise line. . .at this point anyway.

 

We had two really nice experiences on Princess--on the Inaugural sailing of the Caribbean Princess we were upgraded to a full Penthouse Suite and it doesn't get much better than that. And on our Mediterranean Cruise on the Emerald Princess we also got upgraded to a full Penthouse Suite. On both of those we had big parties for our Cruise Critic friends--lots of fun--you can fit 50 people in those rooms. Princess is really good about complimentary upgrades.

 

The more we cruised with Princess, however, the more we noticed a decline in service and in the quality of the food. So we went to Holland America.

 

It wasn't bad, but I did not like the Eurodam much--very dark and closed in.

 

I'll talk more about the ship in an upcoming "episode" but she was quite beautiful.

[Texed]

Sparkle,

Thanks for the nice (on-going) review. I thought it was a well written review, even though you didn't mention the waffles. :cool:

If you don't mind, tell us the Captain, Captain's Club Host/Hostess, and the Hotel Director. We will be on-board Eclipse starting March 12th. :)

[Cruiser Susie]

I would also love to have that information about those staff members as well... we sail this Saturday! Your great review has made me very anxious to finish packing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[oldmovieguy]

This is the start of a review of this most amazing cruise. However, to begin with, I thought I would just make remarks about some of the most commonly discussed issues. These are both observations, and opinions. Let's start with. . .

 

1. Dress Code.

 

We thought the passengers on this ship, for the most part, were better dressed in general. Even the casual clothing was pretty nice--khakis instead of jeans, that kind of thing.

 

We also thought the women put more effort into dress than the men did. On smart casual nights, many were in sparkles or quite dressy.

 

Formal nights we actually did a count as we were walking and came up with about a 25% tuxedo/75% dark suits for gentlemen and dressy for the ladies. More than one woman remarked that men are so sexy in tuxes. So, men, you might want to store that little tidbit. The second formal night was the dressier of the two. My husband wore a tux both nights and felt completely appropriate. I wore a gown the first formal night and a cocktail dress (with feathers) the second night.

 

We DID see people turned away for inappropriate dress. In Blu, we saw a man turned away because he was wearing shorts, and another for having a shirt without a collar. That having been said, on another evening a man had a shirt without a collar but it clearly was not your generic t-shirt, but rather a nice silk number that he wore with trousers. He was admitted.

 

At the Oceanview Cafe, we saw people turned away for trying to enter in swimsuits. They argued. They were told, "that is the policy." I should note here that if people had cover-ups on that looked like clothing, they were allowed in with swimsuits. No towels wrapped around, though.

 

Persian Gardens--There is a sign that says the minimal attire is swimsuit and/or t shirt and shorts. I had settled in for a nice relaxing heated ceramic chair experience, soft music, looking out at the calming ocean when what should I see?! NO! Naked people.

 

Naked people, two of them, man and woman, who seriously should not have been publicly naked in any circumstance. And back and forth they strutted, not behind the chairs but in front of them. So that whole ocean view was somewhat tainted. First to the showers, then to the steam room, then to the sauna, etc. etc. etc. There were young women present and they were quite perplexed. Perhaps they had never seen quite that much information about how men are built, I don't know.

 

I am no prude, but I went to the front desk and reported them. You know what. I simply don't want to sit where either of them had placed their bare body parts, which includes the benches in the sauna and steam room, and the lovely heated chairs.

 

Staff did go immediately and tell them they had to cover up. When they were next seen they had teeny towels wrapped around them that they dropped before entering, once again, the shower.

 

An exception to the enforcement of dress code was this: The theatre. When the Captain had his welcome cocktail party (first formal night) I got to sit next to some clown in shorts, beer in hand, with bare feet/sandals and hairy legs swinging back and forth against my pretty dress. This was nothing more than attitude. Worse, he wouldn't clap for anything. Just sat there, swilling his beer. Pretty rude.

 

The Cabin: We were in AquaClass which I highly recommend. I loved many aspects of it. The afternoon tea (iced, different flavors each day--peach, raspberry, etc), the hors d'oeuvres (six pieces, tiny, enough to just take the edge off while having a nice glass of wine), the specialty pillows (I ordered the Swedish conforming type--so wonderful), the enormous bath sheets instead of little bath towels, the flowers, the fruit, ahhhhh. We got two bottles of water every day (nice for port days). Do NOT drink the Evian in the refrigerator, though. That is not the provided water. There is a charge for the Evian.

 

We had an ice bucket, with ice, at all times. If the ice melted, I would call the room steward and within 5 minutes more would be brought.

 

The cabin was room enough and I've read a lot of people saying they don't think there is adequate storage and the storage above the bed is awkward. We used that above the bed space a lot--for stuff we were accumulating on the cruise, or things we use seldom. Camera and computer cords and batteries, extra purses and bags, etc. There were five drawers, which we divided 2 for him, 2 for me, 1 for papers and tickets, etc. And you do get a nightly thing telling about the next day and the next port.

 

The bathroom was really nice. There were four shelves (behind glass) at the top and below that 3 shelves behind a door. Perfect for make-up, meds, suntan lotion, etc. There were two small drawers which I claimed for my make-up. The shower is awesome. I want one like it in my house.

 

The closet was quite adequate and well lit, unlike the ones on Holland America where you have to take a flashlight or stick on lights just to see. We didn't have enough hangers and I asked for more, which were provided (but the extras were wire--ACK!--not wood).

 

We had a golf umbrella and a regular umbrella for our use, and a pair of binoculars. There were two nice robes. These were not for us to keep unless we wished to pay for them. There was a makeup mirror, a keyboard, and a hair dryer in the vanity drawer.

 

We received a lightweight backpack (the kind with strings that Apple sometimes puts their stuff in) and it had two pairs of loofah slippers (love them!), some face astringent spray, some chapsticks. All of that was for keeping.

 

We also received, prior to our first port, towels to use onshore and a really nice fold up tote bag which was very handy both on the cruise, and now at home. A nice gift.

 

Our bed was by the closet which was by the bathroom. Every other room is the opposite so ask when you book if you have a preference. The bed was super comfy.

 

The balcony was large enough, with two nice chairs, two footstools, and a tall round table that we used for appetizers and drinks in the evening. The chairs recline and if you put them with the footstools they are nice loungers.

 

Suitcases fit under the bed. We had huge suitcases (2 of them) and they were completely out of the way the whole week.

 

That's all for now, but next up, in a few hours: The food

 

Now that's what I call a great review, many thanks.

[volk904]

My sister is going on this cruise in April. Which Port does Celebrity use?

 

I was thinking it would be downtown but I could be wrong.

[sparkle56]

First, I will answer a couple of questions.

 

Texed: I did forget the waffles. The best ones were at the Grand Brunch on the last sea day. I very much appreciated that they provide sugar-free syrup (I am diabetic). And in Blu you can get Blu berry/pecan pancakes and other similar tasty things.

 

The Master: Captain Pangiotis Skylogiannis. He's very subdued and doesn't say much, strong Greek accent.

The Hotel Director: Simon Weir

Cruise Director: Paul Baya. We liked him a lot.

The Captain's Club hostess was "Anita." I'll try to find her last name for you.

 

Okay, now to Entertainment and other things. . .

The Main Theatre: It is huge and every seat is a good one. You hear that a lot and it usually isn't really true but in this case it is. There is a lot of space between you and the seats in front of you so you can cross your legs or stretch out. Or the guy next to you in shorts can stretch his hairy legs out against your pretty dress. (I'm not going to let that one go.)

 

Saving seats. Everybody does this on the first night but Paul Baya makes an announcement that it is not okay to do so. He says if you want to sit together, everybody should come at the same time and secure the seats all at once. Of course people continue to save seats which is really irritating but because there are no bad seats it's not a horrible situation.

 

They also put announcements in the Celebrity Today about all of the rules--no smoking, no saving seats, no hogging pool chairs, appropriate dress code. It is done tactfully but firmly. I appreciated that.

 

The first night they do an introductory performance with little snippets from the different performers on board. A few minutes of music, a few minutes of theatre, a few minutes of comedy, a few minutes of magic. It's a nice overview and helped us decide what we most wanted to see.

 

We went to the main theatre three times and that was one of them. We went to see Edge, which we thought was terrific--great special effects and a good selection of music. We also went to see Ovations, which was my favorite. It was a collage of Broadway with some odd twists: They combined Dirty Dancing with West Side Story and that was strangely effective. They transitioned from Les Mis into a medley from Queen--ending with a rousing We Will Rock You! I LOVED it! I know it sounds weird but it worked. The performers are quite talented. There is one couple who comes and goes and they are gymnasts (how does she DO that?!). The four main singers are really good, very strong voices. I highly recommend both of these shows.

 

Our friends went to see the Cirque du Soleil type performance and gave it rave reviews. I happened to be in the theatre area when it was getting out and the comments were overwhelmingly favorable.

 

The actual stage and staging is extremely well done. I remember thinking on Holland America that the stage was so crude--it was more like a community theatre type venue. The one on the Eclipse is high tech and very large. The costuming was sometimes a bit off but grew on me the more I watched.

 

There is constant music and entertainment all over the ship. The string quartet is amazing, especially the first violinist and the cellist. There is a guy who performs in the lounge right outside the specialty restaurants and Blu--a Jason Mraz clone and a good one at that. The lounge was almost always crowded with people enjoying beverages and listening to him, or to the other musicians there. There are musicians in the central atrium at most times.

 

I watched a Cha Cha Cha lesson (and taped it). We watched a line dancing lesson. DH is not a dancer. But perhaps because I taped the Cha Cha Cha I can convince him to do a private lesson. ;)

 

The Super Bowl Party: Well, I'm not a football fan (hockey is my game to watch) but generally find a reason to watch the SuperBowl. The party on the Eclipse seemed to be really well thought out. They showed the game on the theatre screen (HUGE) and divided the room by colored balloons and other festive touches into a Packers side and a Steelers side. There were contests and games and incentives to really get the cheering going. (Like anyone would need help.) There were drink stations and food at the back of the theatre. This was on formal night so they changed our first formal night to Monday. The food included really good small submarine sandwiches, guacamole, salsa, and chips, desserts, etc.

 

They also showed the game on a large screen TV in the Casino, and had the same food in there.

 

We went to Blu for dinner, then to the theatre to catch a bit of the game. People were having a very good time. Then we made our way to the casino and sat at machines with a view of the television. A fun night. And the best team won. :)

 

These are sort of entertainment issues and you won't get much info but I'll put a few comments out there.

 

The Hot Glass Show--didn't make it. Wanted to. There just wasn't time. But the glass created there is displayed all over the ship and it is pretty amazing.

 

The Lawn Club. Ehh.

 

The Fashion Show--watched a bit of it. Liked the A Cappella group a lot and they provided the music for it. They performed in Ovations as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. If you have seen Jersey Boys, you will appreciate this. They did a good job.

 

What do you want to know about next? The pools? The art? The ship overall? The ports? The shore excursions? Embarkation? Disembarkation? The bars, especially the Molecular Bar?

[New Hampshire]

How did disembarkation go? I have to get to the airport fast and need to self disembark to be among the first off. Do you know what time they allowed those people to leave the ship. We sail on March 5.

[Slark]

Your reviews are very well-written, helpful, and entertaining! Many thanks for taking the time. We will be on the 3/12 Eastern sailing, our first =X= cruise, and have high expectations. You have not lowered my expectations at all, except for the hairy legs...

 

I'd like to get your view on felllow passengers in general.

[gcorgain]

This is a great review! I was on the Eclipse for New Years and agree with everything that you have said. You are very thorough and hit the salient points.

[suec12]

I think these have also been mentioned by others but I have not noticed the reply.

 

Roatan - which port, what did you do there?

 

fellow passengers - very international? I read a recent review of Allure, I think, and was surprised at how international the sail seemed to be. I'll bet those passengers mentioned in the Persian Gardens were international guests!

 

and how did disembarcation go? time off? flight time?

 

Thanks!

[SadieC]

Love love love your reviews!! You are quite an accomplished writer...I'm sitting here smiling as I read them, with my heart skipping a beat as March 26 gets closer.:D

Just wondering if there is a better night to book Murano?? I hope I'm not too late to book it!

Our ports are different (St Kitts--and yes, I would love any ideas here , St Maarten, San Juan) and we are in a Concierge statement not Blu, but some of the little extras sound familiar.

Any activites on Sea day activities that are not to be missed?

The pool areas can be quite crowded...any sunny spots in other ares of the ship that are nice too??

 

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond!

[nancyg96]

Hi I am really enjoying your posts about the Eclipse. We are sailing Saturday on the Eclipse. We have been cruising on Princess for the last 5 years. This is our 3rd celebrity cruise.We were on the Mercury in 1999 and the Constellation in 2003. I am looking forward to sailing on Celebrity again. Thanks for all the great info.

 

Marianne

Hi Marianne--we're sailing on Eclipse this Saturday as well. Take a look at our roll call--we're meeting at the Sunset Bar at sailaway. Sign up for the Connecitons Party for another gathering, usually the first sea day. If you don't get a notice in your stateroom of the location of the gathering, call Guest Relations first am at sea.

 

Sparkle--thanks so much for your great info---I am so excited to be heading out soon!

[sail2day]

What a great review! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Please provide comments on the Molecular Bar. I've heard it is amazing......

[gayoung]

How did disembarkation go? I have to get to the airport fast and need to self disembark to be among the first off. Do you know what time they allowed those people to leave the ship. We sail on March 5.

We were on this cruise and left about 8am(we did not self disembark, and they had called 10 groups prior to us arriving at the dining room for disembarkation) and got to the MIA airport by 9:30am. I noticed that they were letting people off around 7:30.

I also found out in talking with the customs agent that the delays(they were only letting 50 people off at once) was due to all international passengers having to be fingerprinted because one of the stops was Honduras.

[operaguy]

Thank you for a very entertaining review.....

[sparkle56]

First a comment to gayyoung--we missed meeting you but ran into Lisa (Thursday's Child) in Blu the morning of disembarkation and she said they had dinner with you. Sorry not to have made your acquaintance.

 

Disembarkation started out okay but became problematic the more the morning went on. This was NOT related to any ship problem. Gayyoung is correct, Customs just decided to photograph and fingerprint virtually everybody and about every 4th passenger had his/her carry on bag opened and completely searched. They would only allow 50 passengers in the terminal at any one time. We were not fingerprinted and we were not photographed. Got lucky in our place in line.

 

Our flight was at 1:00 and our disembarkation time was 8:55. We had a bus transfer purchased through Celebrity. Next time (and THERE WILL BE a next time with Celebrity) we will just grab a taxi and get to the airport that way. The bus service was pretty inefficient and that could be because of the backlog of passengers held up in Customs.

 

Some of our dinner friends had to be off the ship as soon as it docked (7 a.m.) and they were self-carrying their bags.

 

The bags come off on a carousel, rather than you having to go area to area to try and find them. One of ours was on the wrong carousel in the wrong room, though. People make mistakes. Knowing this, I just went on a scavenger hunt for my husband's bag. Found it!

 

We arrived finally at MIA at 12:00 noon, checked our luggage curbside ( I know each was over 50# but the guy was very gracious and just slid them across the scales), and hightailed it to the gate. We actually ended up with enough time to visit the SkyClub for 15 minutes (2 bloody marys for me, 2 vodka martinis for him) before boarding the plane.

 

Molecular Bar: I liked the way this place looked but it was always, always crowded and getting a seat at the bar was pretty impossible. The bar during the day is just steel looking but at night it is all icy and frosty. And it isn't open for business so you can, at your leisure, take pictures. I'm probably not smart enough but I'll try to figure out how to get some photos on here.

 

More than once, even though I couldn't get a seat, I just would scoot over and run my fingers through the ice because it was so intriguing. I guess if you've had enough vodka at the molecular bar the crazy lady running her fingers through the ice isn't that odd.

 

The little rooms off the bar are very welcoming with pretty pictures of wintery scenes and winter colored couches and chairs and tables. Off to the side is another smaller bar with ice in the middle where there are many bottles of vodka being chilled. I was unsure how this worked. Were the bottles purchased and people just sat there and shared?

 

Fellow passengers: Yes, a lot of Europeans. The naked people were, I believe, European, and with all due respect, when in Rome do as the Romans do. We weren't in Rome, we were in the Caribbean on the Celebrity Eclipse. There were several people for whom French was their only language (some from Quebec, some from France). In Blu one evening the people seated next to us requested (in Francais) a French menu and French speaking waiter. Done! Celebrity aims to please! Very few Oriental people--they were all on the Oasis because it was docked in Roatan at the same time we were.

 

The muster drill instructions were available in about 8 languages, most of which were displayed on the large screen in the theatre. So it was an international crowd.

 

Demographically I saw the gamut. Not as many elderly people as on Holland America but quite a few. Very few children and only one obnoxious one. In a whole week that's pretty amazing. There were a lot in the 50 to 60 year old age range. I'm 63.

 

In general, fellow passengers were extremely deferential and polite and friendly. There are always a few who have to make it "all about me!" But you get that wherever you go.

 

Short, sweet story. In Roatan (more on the ports next time) we stopped for soft drinks at a little outdoor place right at the pier. This was where I was trying to convince DH that I really did need the Movado watch we had just seen. We were trying to "out-guilt" each other.

 

Anyway, this sweet young lady, high school age, wanted to ask about us. She said this, "I see people getting off the cruise ships and some of them are SO GRUMPY! I think to myself, hey, why are you so grumpy!? You are on a cruise! Show me all of your teeth!" Her name was Valerie and she was right, a lot of people, who maybe just hadn't had their morning coffee, really do come off the ship looking like grouches.

 

"Valerie" aspires to be a flight attendant but can't get papers to leave Roatan. She would like to visit the Bahamas, St. Lucia, NYC, and Disney World. A charming young lady.

 

Okay, I know you are dying to know if I got the watch. Well, his guilt-trip outdid mine. To his credit though I got a lovely cameo (a very cool story about this will follow), and some pretty coral and silver jewelry.

 

Which night to book Murano? We booked it for Wednesday, which in our case was Puerto Costa Maya. Thursday was the second formal night, and we didn't want to do it the last night because our nicer clothing would be packed and ready to put outside the cabin door.

 

A random remark here since we are talking specialty restaurants again. I was told that there is NO dress code other than smart casual for the specialty restaurants. We had originally planned to go on the formal night but it was made clear to me that although a tux and gown would be lovely, most patrons would be dressed less formally than that. It turns out that the people in Murano were VERY well dressed--not tuxes and gowns, but fancy. I only saw one guy in a collared polo shirt.

 

For Sadie C. I will respond to your questions about those ports--have visited them all and love them all. But later. There are SO many sea day activities that it is just overwhelming. I looked at the Celebrity Today for the 1:00 time and there were at least four places I wanted to be at once. The necessity to choose often resulted in me just going to the Solarium Pool.

 

The main pool area was very crowded, The Solarium pool area was always busy with people reading and resting and napping, but I never had a problem finding a place to sit. It should be noted that there was a lot of standing in the pool. Little groups of people. I did laps and, man, the gossip you can hear as you do laps is quite interesting. Two men were gossiping about an ex--wowie, that was good for 10 or 12 laps at least. I concluded this was more interesting, and better exercise, than the hot tubs. Which were also easy to access.

 

And I'll talk more about the pools later BUT the POOL BUTLERS do remove stuff so if you are using a chair you are fine, if you are saving it for 6 hours later you'll need to go retrieve your stuff from guest services. I saw this on several occasions.

 

There are many, many sunny places to sit, all around the different decks. You will have no trouble at all finding the perfect place.

 

More later.