Eclipse Review - March 2011/our 1st Celebrity Cruise

[ds521]

Do you recall how many nights there was Karaoke?

Thanks,

 

I honestly don't know about that - but that reminds me of something my husband complained about. On RCCL the cruise director would always be on hand at the different shows and he/she would tell you what else was going on in the different areas of the ship. We would leave one show and knew of the different shows that we could see afterward. I know this info could be found on the daily itinerary sheets they give you but we didn't always carry ours with us. That was something we felt was missing on the Eclipse - they didn't do a great job informing you of the available entertainment - except for what was written on the itinerary sheet.

[acwmom]

I honestly don't know about that - but that reminds me of something my husband complained about. On RCCL the cruise director would always be on hand at the different shows and he/she would tell you what else was going on in the different areas of the ship. We would leave one show and knew of the different shows that we could see afterward. I know this info could be found on the daily itinerary sheets they give you but we didn't always carry ours with us. That was something we felt was missing on the Eclipse - they didn't do a great job informing you of the available entertainment - except for what was written on the itinerary sheet.

 

That's odd, my husband and I were on the same March 5 cruise and definitely remember the CD discussing various evening activities at the end of the main show (we attended the early shows). In fact, that's how we knew about karaoke on at least 2 of the nights.

[kitkat9438]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

 

We loved the Eclipse and it is our favorite ship out of Celebrity, RCL and Princess.

 

Each line has their own rules regarding items that can be brought onboard and irons have always been a no-no. However, on Celebrity you can bring water and wine onboard where you can't on RCL. You just have to do your research to know what you can and can't bring. We always take advantage of the mid-week laundry special anyway, where you stuff all your stuff into a bag for a certain price, (maybe $30??).

 

We loved the look and feel of Celebrity. The service and food is always the best. We are in our 40's and 50's and feel there is plenty of options for entertainment. The shows were great and loved the Circque style show on the last formal night. The CD got on stage after the shows and told everyone what else was going on for the night, as well as having the daily sheets where you can highlight what you want to do.

 

We never had any problems with chair hogs at the pool or finding a seat in the buffet area or at the shows.

 

For us Celebrity is a perfect fit for what we want in a cruise vacation.

[ds521]

That's odd, my husband and I were on the same March 5 cruise and definitely remember the CD discussing various evening activities at the end of the main show (we attended the early shows). In fact, that's how we knew about karaoke on at least 2 of the nights.

 

We always went to the last show in the theater so maybe that's why we weren't hearing much in the way of announcements for other shows after that last show. Not sure but it just could be....

[Tiggertastic]

We sailed the inaugural and thought the ship was stunning but some parts like the nightclub were ghastly so we didnt go in

 

We did find the entertainment lacking at the time but we heard it was because it was it's first cruise

 

We are booked for 2 weeks in July and are really looking forward to it and we can always make our own entertainment

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Thanks for your review. I concur with the decor on the new ships. I found Equinox drab but the website pictures are pretty accurate. Do sail Celebrity again- I love the Millenium class ships and am glad I am sailing Summit before the refurbishment because I suspect it will be more modern and sterile looking afterward.

 

The trend is now bigger is better. I disagree. I don't like the megaships as much. I think they are interesting and impressive but just too big and impersonal.

 

But I did love my Equinox cruise because it was clean, sleek and the crew and passengers were great.

[wahoolilly]

This is interesting. Different people have very different experiences on the same ship. We sailed the Eclipse (Mar 5/W. Carib) and we loved it so much, we can't imagine sailing a different cruise line. We are husband & wife in our early 40s, with 2 school age children. We are quiet people (we spend a lot of time together as a family), but we love a bit of adventure when we travel. We took off at each port (4 total), and spent so much time off the ship, we were always so happy to get back on board:) Honestly, we were happy for the "at sea" days, just to relax! I confess we loved the immaculate and modern decor, even though we live in a traditional brick colonial house. It was a true vacation - an escape from the routine, really - and we still keep talking about it. Perhaps we need to get out more? :)

[Orlandocruiser]

 

All I was saying is that Celebrity needs to design entertainment for more than those who are happy with a couple drinks and a band, or who think of glass blowing as entertaiment. Those of us who have become accustomed to a huge variety of forms of entertainment (think of RCCL QUEST, Newlywed Game, Ice Skating shows or Idol games and the many other types of adult and family entertainment) can get bored with the few choices that Celebrity offers.

 

It is a good thing that there are different lines from which to choose - for me Quest, Newlywed game, Karaoke, and Idol are hardly classified as "entertainment" and not worthy of my cruising dollars and anyone that thinks the wonderful glass blowing shows are boring is definitely on the wrong cruise ship.

[rich5258]

This is interesting. Different people have very different experiences on the same ship. We sailed the Eclipse (Mar 5/W. Carib) and we loved it so much, we can't imagine sailing a different cruise line. We are husband & wife in our early 40s, with 2 school age children. We are quiet people (we spend a lot of time together as a family), but we love a bit of adventure when we travel. We took off at each port (4 total), and spent so much time off the ship, we were always so happy to get back on board:) Honestly, we were happy for the "at sea" days, just to relax! I confess we loved the immaculate and modern decor, even though we live in a traditional brick colonial house. It was a true vacation - an escape from the routine, really - and we still keep talking about it. Perhaps we need to get out more? :)

 

We also were on this cruise, we are in our mid to late 50's. Mind you this was our first cruise, but still we were off shore at every port, found alot to do and still did not get all done we wanted. Food was excellent, we are easy to please, we like good tasting simple fresh food! The children on the ship were great, we found time for ourselves and met some nice people. It was truly an escape and we too wish we could do this every month! Pat & Rich

[JohnHall1965]

I truly believe that a cruise is what you make of it, everyone has different tastes and ideas of fun , this is a perfect example of why there is a wide diversity of cruise lines each with they're own little niche of the market.

[ds521]

JohnHall1965 - I completely agree with you! That's why I mentioned our slight disappointment in the line up of entertainment on Eclipse. It is very different from Royal Caribbean in this regard, so if you enjoy the type of entertainment that RCCL offers you should know Celebrity will be more low-key, and not as varied. On the other hand, we felt that the Eclipse had the advantage over most of the other cruise lines when it came to their food - especially in the buffet - which we felt exceeded any buffets on the other lines.

[Reba 954]

I guess everyone is different....we just got off the ship and had a fabulous trip.....so much to do, we couldn't do it all. We were kinda happy to get home , to have a chance to relax...lol. Ship is gorgeous...so much more elegant than Carnival and RCCL. We were so happy with our cruise, we booked a longer one on the same class ship.

And just to be perfectly clear, we are in our mid 50's....and we don't need drinking games by the pool to be entertained.

[SugarLover]

I guess everyone is different....we just got off the ship and had a fabulous trip.....so much to do, we couldn't do it all.

 

Us, too. We just came off our third Eclipse cruise, and we STILL didn't do everything we promised ourselves we would! We only caught two of the stage shows, because we were enjoying/taking our time at dinner. We did catch the late night comedian, some of the 'center court' theme parties, did the Quasar night club too, and all three specialty restaurants. Seven days just wasn't enough time. I do recall seeing various contests, at least 3 karaoke nights, Idol night, and other things on the dailies, we just aren't interested in those things. There were always at least three different entertainments, sometimes four, in the evening... including the main show, jazz or strings in the Ensemble Lounge, poolside evening activities, dancing, theme parties, the night club, comedian, a movie, beverage tastings...

 

To each his own, that's why there are different lines offering different diversions. We don't want to climb a fake rock wall, see a Blue Man group, an ice skating show, or even eat a hamburger from the grill... we can do all those things at home (and better versions to boot). We go to relax, be on the water, see the ports, eat well, and meet people, all for an incredibly reasonable price. And, we have lots of fun and laughs.

 

Thanks to the OP for an honest opinion. It helps others who are undecided or just researching to better gauge what they want or are looking for in a cruise.

[travelpeon]

Us, too. We just came off our third Eclipse cruise, and we STILL didn't do everything we promised ourselves we would! ...

To each his own, that's why there are different lines offering different diversions. We don't want to climb a fake rock wall, see a Blue Man group, an ice skating show, or even eat a hamburger from the grill... we can do all those things at home (and better versions to boot). We go to relax, be on the water, see the ports, eat well, and meet people, all for an incredibly reasonable price. And, we have lots of fun and laughs.

 

Thanks to the OP for an honest opinion. It helps others who are undecided or just researching to better gauge what they want or are looking for in a cruise.

 

Same cruise and I'd consider myself "young" for a cruiser, though definitely not a party animal or a big drinker. I did a pretty good imitation of a crochety old grandpa when the music from EPIC flooded into my stateroom at St. Martin, though. Was trying to nap. Appreciated that the Eclipse did their best to cut down on noise pollution even with doors by the library, several floors above the music acts that sometimes happen in the evening. Nice library, too. If you look at the Cunard libraries and drool, maybe you'd enjoy Celebrity S-class.

 

I plan on climbing a fake rock wall, seeing an ice skating show, and riding some fake waves on RCCL later this year. But still getting that outside facing cabin so I can hide from all that I want and enjoy the sea. Also bringing some ear plugs and a lot more books. It is a different line and different cruise. If I expected the entertainment to satisfy 5000 people, well... I could be one to post about how I wish the food was better, for more high-brow entertainment, and that it doesn't have mac geniuses on staff to teach you cool geeky stuff.

 

Figuring out what your cruise line identity can be hard for a new cruiser, so reviews like this help newbies set expectations. +1 for the Thanks for an honest opinion. Wouldn't it be sad if someone took the "wrong" cruise and it really put them off cruises forever (Ok, stop thinking about more cruises for you. hehehehe)

[juneforreal]

I agree with your post. While we enjoyed our cruise, as we always do, I agree that the food was excellent on Celebrity and the service was wonderful. In the MDR we couldn't have been treated better. The entertainment was just fair. We were on Oaisis last year and the entertainment was fabulous, however the food was very average. So for us it's a toss up... I would take either RCCL or Celebrity again knowing the pros and cons.