14 day Celebrity Eclipse May 2014: 6 sea days too much in May?

[MWL58]

We are considering taking a 14 day on the Eclipse out of Southampton. The Itinerary had 6 sea days and 7 port stops. We would love to hear from those who have gone on a Celebrity 14 day cruise with 6 sea days during spring (May 10 - May 24, 2014 are the actual dates). How was the weather through the Atlantic in May given we would hope to use the ship fully on those 6 days. Thank you in advance.

[4774Papa]

We are considering taking a 14 day on the Eclipse out of Southampton. The Itinerary had 6 sea days and 7 port stops. We would love to hear from those who have gone on a Celebrity 14 day cruise with 6 sea days during spring (May 10 - May 24, 2014 are the actual dates). How was the weather through the Atlantic in May given we would hope to use the ship fully on those 6 days. Thank you in advance.

I probably won't be able to answer your question about 6 sea days out of 14, but we did a British Isles cruise on Infinity in late May this year. The weather was pretty nice, but still chilly, that is the way it is in the British Isles. We only had two sea days on an 11 day cruise. Sometimes I think we could have used a couple more sea days as a break. Many of our tours were full day tours.

 

We did an Australian cruise 17 days in February/March this year with 10 sea days and I would have liked more ports.

 

I think the prefect 14 day cruise would have about three or four sea days to break up the constant touring.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We are considering taking a 14 day on the Eclipse out of Southampton. The Itinerary had 6 sea days and 7 port stops. We would love to hear from those who have gone on a Celebrity 14 day cruise with 6 sea days during spring (May 10 - May 24, 2014 are the actual dates). How was the weather through the Atlantic in May given we would hope to use the ship fully on those 6 days. Thank you in advance.

 

You don't say where you're cruising. The weather will depend on where you go.

 

Personally, I love sea days. On a port intensive European cruise, they are a welcome break. Although yours doesn't appear to be as port intensive as ours was.

[crazygirl!]

I think it all really depends on the type of person you are and the type of vacation you want to have. We were on this cruise May 2012 and had a wonderful time. Personally, I enjoy sea days, especially on a port-intensive Mediterranean itinerary, as it gives me a break from the active port days.

 

Our sea days were 2 at the start, 2 spread over the middle, and 2 at the end, which gave us lots of time to relax, which is part of what I look for in a vacation. It was nice to start with 2 sea days to get into vacation mode and get acclimated. Ending with 2 sea days was great because we were able to not rush with packing and enjoy those last couple of days of vacation. We met a lot of great people on the cruise, so our sea days were filled with socializing, reading, and ship activities. However, if I were to change the itinerary, I would substitute 1 sea day for another port. I think 4-5 sea days is perfect for this length of cruise (for me).

 

As for the weather, it can be unpredictable. Fortunately, we had wonderful weather, with only a couple of days of rain. London and Southampton were slightly cooler than Europe.

Edited November 10, 2013 by crazygirl!

[roygg]

We are considering taking a 14 day on the Eclipse out of Southampton. The Itinerary had 6 sea days and 7 port stops. We would love to hear from those who have gone on a Celebrity 14 day cruise with 6 sea days during spring (May 10 - May 24, 2014 are the actual dates). How was the weather through the Atlantic in May given we would hope to use the ship fully on those 6 days. Thank you in advance.

By the end of day 2 you should be near entering the Med and temperatures should be rising nicely. On the way back the last 2 days from Lisbon to Southampton you could expect it to get cooler, but all being well, warm enough to sun bathe. Have a great trip you will love the Eclipse.

[MWL58]

Thank you all for your great advice. I realize that ones attitude to "their vacation" can go a long way to making the best of anything. Last year we did a mid-August 12 day on the Solstice out of Barcelona and the hot weather, nice mix of sea days and port stops was perfect.

 

Likely my wife and I are being too overly analytical.. What's to complain about being on a 14 day Celebrity cruise visiting the the UK, Lisbon, Spain, Nice, Florence etc...

 

Again I appreciate how wonderful the Cruise Critic members are about sharing their experience and perspective. Simple the best site and best members period.

 

Thank you all.