A long review of our Holiday Family Cruise on the Eclipse. 14 days!

[cruiserjt]

Hoping to book another Holiday Cruise but the kids want next year at home :( Maybe 2016!

 

Background – we are a family of four who save up and cruise when we can. We usually focus on cost and schedule of the cruise – It is our second cruise on Celebrity – both were two weeks long – other adventures have been family focused on Carnival and NCL for 7-10 days. We are from New England and as a teacher – cruising can happen only during summers and holidays!

 

 

Before cruise – flying out of Boston was very easy – I worked VERY hard to secure direct flights at the best cost. I figured the direct flight was the best insurance against weather delays and problems. We usually prefer to fly out of Manchester but found taking a bus to Logan was easy and cheap!! I hate flying but managed to land in FLL on time the day before we left. MJS shuttle service was awesome and easy – we called once we landed and basically kept in contact with him until we made eye contact at his brand new Mercedes van. Highly recommend this company.

I found a Hotwire deal for the Intercontinental Hotel which turned out to be a perfect fit – location and ease of walking to Bayside could not be beat. Pricing was comparable to other hotels in the area. We went to Bubba Gump’s Shrimp for an easy dinner and walked along bayside until we were ready to collapse for the night. Christmas decorations and music were playing – the weather was warm and humid – kind of strange for this New England girl.

Embarkation – Busy port day and Celebrity wanted us to wait until 2 or 3PM to board – well we did the best we could and checked out of the hotel at noon. With four of us and a large amount of luggage – the taxi was too small, we started to wait for a taxi van when a shuttle driver approached and offered us a $20 ride to the port. We took it as it was spacious and actually made it easier to catch the porter on arrival. The shuttle had a trailer with suitcases and pulled around the taxi line – a porter came to the trailer and a few $$ later we were walking to the ship.

Easy lines and no one was worried we arrived early. An hour later we were going up the escalator! No hassles but a great time watching people. So many were stressed out or arguing with their partners about things.

The Ship – first impressions were amazing – beautiful and open spaces. Our room was ready and we dropped off our carry on bags and off we went.

The rest of the review will be divided into the specific categories –

 

 

 

Room – yes we had a Quad Balcony room (6174) for two adults and two eleven year old girls. Yes it was cozy but honestly not as bad as I had anticipated. It was a partially obstructed room - no problem at all seeing the ocean or watching the ports. The obstruction is only when you look down – it seems as though the room directly above us had the same view!! Storage was tight for the four of us; it took a great deal of being organized every day to keep things in their place. (Something my family is not very good at!) Our Steward Igusti was very efficient and worked very hard to help make sure we had what we needed.

 

 

 

Dining – MDR every night. We were not deprived of anything or need anything further. Yes, after 14 days there is some repetition. Caesar salad and escargot are not as exciting as they were on the first day. But it was excellent – Service amazing with Jessica, Miguel and the Sommelier Robert. We are not big wine drinkers but he brought us what we wanted from the bar and even a glass of wine or two with dinner. Suggestion – skip the lobster – get the beef. The girls ate off the menu every night and really enjoyed the personal service and the chocolate milk from Miguel. I honestly saw zero violations of the dress code and it seemed as though people dressed up more than they dressed down. Buffet for lunch was more than adequate – we tried MDR once and it was slow and menu not very good – the burger was dry – much better on the Mast Grill (those fries and burgers were the best). Breakfast was the same – buffet and easy to navigate by day 2. Waffles – not so good – seemed to be cooked way too far in advance – not crispy :(

Ports and Excursions – Our plan was to use the ship as a resort day for at least three of the ports and since we travelled over the Holiday – we found family time was as important as baking in the sun. We are not beach lovers – meaning we need shade and shelter so our excursions were planned to stay in a budget and be a little fun for the kids. Aruba: DePalm Island – water slides, banana boat ride was fun, beach and snorkeling. Short day but enough and the kids loved it. My husband found a lounge chair under a cabana and slept! Very relaxing day. Curacao –(Christmas Day) nothing planned and we wandered around the port. Family time! Grenada – port shopping – resort day on the ship. Barbados – day pass to Hilton – beautiful resort – not an amazing time – we felt like an outsider. Antigua – port shopping – resort day. St. Lucia – same (but I wish I had explored this beautiful island). St. Kitts – zipling excursion through the ship – AMAZING day and so much fun. St. Maarten – speed boat tour around island. They were slightly overbooked and we really weren’t on the fastest or most comfortable boat but it was a good day. Regrets – Barbados and St. Lucia.

 

 

Kids Program – this is probably a little subjective based on my kids personalities but they did not like the kids program at all. They wanted to – and went the first three days but found the games repetitive and lacking things appropriate for their specific age. They just turned 11 and were in the 9-11 group – themes such as Survivor, Medieval, Racing etc where you choose your team, design a logo and then play similar games that change slightly to match the theme. X-Box was fun but that was available in Quasar. It is a tough age but my biggest complaint is that the schedule only listed these themes and games – it never had a plan for a movie, crafting (other than a coloring contest on day 12). Even a Christmas movie –would have been something. It looked the same EVERY day and there was nothing to make them want to go back. The Santa visit on Christmas was poorly organized – we met in the sky lounge and then EVERYONE walked to the main foyer where they lined up for a picture and a gift from Santa. IT WAS LONG ! Few kids were a little wild but most were very polite and well behaved. More issues from 20ish crowd and large families that just seemed to take over space.

 

 

 

Photos – we purchased the photo package before sailing – I have over 200 printed photos and the CD. It was fun to not avoid the pictures and even though I don’t need 200 printed photos – I am glad I have them. Very cordial staff and fun to work with.

 

 

Beverages – We upgraded to premium and found it challenging to find unique drinks. The menus are very limited and you have to know what you want before getting to the ship. The Martini Bar was the best for us as it was open and easy to find a space with the kids. We like a drink or two before dinner but after dinner it was too crowded and we felt out of place with the kids. Loved Café el Bacio and the frappes and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffees. Suggestion – know what drinks you want to try and print off some menus before going to the ship – I would do the beverage package again, only because it was so easy and stress free. You have to work hard to get your money’s worth!

 

 

 

Entertainment: we went to several shows and found some were fabulous and some were a little long. The production dancers and singers were extremely talented but the show itself lacked a story or theme. It seemed as though it was just a compilation of different songs that never ended. The choreography became repetitive but their energy and talent was excellent. Ventriloquist was very talented and entertaining as were gymnast performers. Christmas show was well done and highlighted some beautiful Holiday music from all of the entertainment staff including the ‘infamous’ Perry Grant.

 

 

 

Pool and Games – we frequented the game room for family games and cards; Scategories, Monopoly and crazy 8s!! We also liked the pool at night. After dinner and another drink – the kids would want to go swimming and my husband and I would either sit in the hot tub or by the pool. We were the only ones there and it was very relaxing – the girls enjoyed it and it made everyone tired.

 

 

 

Holidays – The ship was decorated gracefully with trees, poinsettas and garlands. Caroling by the officers on Christmas Eve and a sense of it being special. People wearing Christmas hats and having pictures taken. New Years Eve was so nice – formal night and wow did people dress up – and party. The deck was full of energy and noise – we were off the coast of St. Maarten and it was so much fun. Great family time for us.

 

 

 

Medical - L One daughter contracted a GI illness on Friday (day 12) night. Severe vomiting and diarrhea etc. It was horrible. As a nurse, I hoped it would run its course but no such luck so Saturday afternoon we went to Medical Clinic. VERY professional RN Andrea screened her and we completed the CDC form for GI illness. No other cases on the ship – we were getting off the next day. She gave my daughter a ‘shot’ of Zofran and some lomotil. Because of the travel day – she also provided me with a contingency of options should anyone else experience symptoms. Meds for everyone to get us off the ship and on the plane. This provided a great deal of relief for me as the trip home was looming. In retrospect – it was not Noro but more likely a food borne illness – maybe she contacted in port (Monkeys in St.Kitts, restaurant in St. Maarten ???) we will never know for sure but nobody else got sick and she still had symptoms 6 days later but never vomited after the injection!

 

 

 

Trip home – getting off the ship was interesting because technically my daughter was quarantined. No room service but my husband was able to get her some toast and me some breakfast. We stayed in our room until the crowds had diminished and then went to the theater – we spoke with the crew member and explained our needs – since we participated in the luggage valet – we only had to worry about getting off and through customs. She let us go right before the next group was called and we were off and through customs within 10 minutes. Again MJS shuttle was right there and we were off to FLL. I had worried about FLL and the potential crowds on the Sunday after New Years – It was crowded but we were through Security and at our gate within 45 minutes. 10 loads of laundry later and a slow trip back to reality!!

 

Teri

[chamima]

Thanks for the great review.

We'll be on the Eclipse in Feb., also in and out of FLL.

Do you happen to remember the time perameters for using Luggage Valet?

We have a 1:50 flight and we're hoping to use it.

Thanks

Edited January 9, 2015 by chamima

[cruiserjt]

I believe it was after 12 noon for Fort Lauderdale. Very very worth it.

[OuiOnboard]

You had a great time and have come back to earth in good shape, so it seems.

Thanks for your review. We love this ship and this itinerary.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[wwcruisers]

Teri -- great review! Sorry that we didn't get to meet you and your family, on this one. We got up to the Sunset Bar late, just as the unofficial meet-n-greet was breaking up. And, I was just WOW'ed by how many people were at the Connections Party. We got to meet a few folks from the r/c, at both occasions, though.

 

I agree with you -- for the most part, the kids onboard were very supervised and well-behaved (your daughters clearly set a very good example for everyone else ;)). There were occasional incidents of kids running through the halls, sitting in stairwells, and pushing buttons on elevators -- but, those appeared to be the exception, not the rule. And, I love how dressed up the kids (and adults) were, on the holidays and formal nights. :cool:

 

So sorry that your daughter was ill. That's no fun at home, much less in the close confines of a ship. And, you definitely get the award for "creative use of space", for being able to get four people (and all their stuff for two weeks) into a standard balcony cabin. We've been in similar category cabins on Century and Millennium-Class cabin that had MUCH better storage space, than what we had on Eclipse. I was grumbling about where to put everything, and there were just two of us in our cabin (and DH travels light. ;))

 

Thanks again for a great review -- maybe we'll get a chance to meet you guys on a holiday cruise in the future.