Feeling confused about Eclipse

[cruizecrazygramma]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

[hulamoon]

There are some pool activities remaining, and I am sure the staff is doing the best they can with what they have. However the activity staff was cut over 16 months ago, not sure I remember the exact month.

 

There are things each evening, but not sure if it will be enough for you.

 

You may have to decide if the itinerary is more important.

 

Best of luck.

[az_tchr]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

 

What sadly has happened is the reviews posted here and many of the comments have turned extremely negative. There are certainly lots of activities on board and there are late evening activities especially on Caribbean cruses. Seems a lot of cruisers are used to the daily announcements over the PA system used on many cruise lines. Celebrity publishes a daily activity news letter that one must READ. The activities at night are held in a couple of venues sort of tucked away and if you did not specifically go there you would not know it was being held. On the M class ships nightly stuff at 11pm or so is mostly on Deck 11 forward or in the casino. Since you cannot get to Deck 11 forward on those ships without going outside many never know about the events.

 

And yes, activities staff have been cut, but there are still lots of daily activities. We always cruise for the itinerary and often enjoy an evening simply chatting with fellow cruisers. I am active with antique cars and set up a meeting early in the cruise. Thus we get meet new friends and talk about cars both in the afternoons, at meals and almost always after dinner.

Edited January 4, 2016 by az_tchr

[cruizecrazygramma]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

[hulamoon]

The OP is on S class ship.

 

My comment was based on how many activities they may have experienced a few years ago as opposed to now. Its numbers not negativity.

 

You might want to see some copies of the daily's, the evening activities are posted on the front. I have 19 of them from this past December but cannot copy them for CC at this time, I am booked solid for a few days. Also look at cruises that are the 14 days to make your decision, there were a few that were shorter in December.

 

If no one else has posted them, I maybe able to this weekend.

[kitty9]

Seeing that Celebrity has reduced their activities staff to just two, from six, it's no surprise that there is little to do on board. On our most recent Celebrity cruise, a majority of their daily activities were money-based, which means that a component of the activity will cost money or will entice you to spend your money, like the "sales" in the shops, guess the carat weight of the gemstone, and a lot for the spa/salon.

 

In all honesty, if you want pool games and that kind of thing, you need to find another cruise line. Celebrity is known for being a more relaxed, understated cruise line and you're not going to find hairy chest contests, belly flop contests and that kind of thing. What they did have is a pool volleyball game with the ship's officers, and maybe one other thing, but you're not going to find pool games all day long and only maybe once or twice a cruise.

 

If you think the cruise you were on a few years ago was quiet, you might find it just as quiet on Eclipse. Two week cruises are always populated by older cruisers, and on our Eclipse sailing, the ship was pretty dead before midnight.

[readyforacruiseagain]

Never easy and always going to read different reviews. All about expectations.

 

There seemed to be plenty by the pool, but certainly doesn't compare to what there is on RCCI or other lines.

 

The shows seemed crowded, the bars well attended, casino action and special shows in the Grand Foyer. Michaels and other had a lot going on.

 

If you are looking at a young crowd and a dance club..... Oops.

 

Food was good, not great but above average.

 

Really is tough to figure out if Celebrity is the right choice.

[kitty9]

Yes, there are activities, but you have to admit that most are activities that will bring in money for the cruise line. I did a check of the daily activities on our last cruise, and a majority of the "activities" were things that either cost extra or will entice you to spend money. You have art auctions, many "activities" in the shops, a whole lot of stuff at the spa where you'll get the "hard sell" from the staff, and a bunch of other things. With an activities staff of only two, there are a lot less things going on than there used to be. I've been on more than 35 Celebrity cruises and I can tell you that there are far less activities like trivia and name that tune than there used to be.

 

The evening activities are also less than there used to be. And what's bad about those activities is that so many seem to be during hours when people are having dinner. And, you'll find maybe two things like Caribbean Night during a 14 night cruise, and maybe a fruit buffet, again by the pool at 10:45pm. And with the lack of a Rendezvous Lounge on the S class ships, dancing is by Guest Relations, which,IMHO, is NOT a good place for a band and dancing. There is the late night disco, with a DJ rather than a live band, but in our experience, it's not well attended, especially on a longer cruise where the average age is a lot higher.

[chief joe]

One other note the two week is very port intensive cruise. A lot of the ports have all day excursions which cuts down on activities and nightlife, after an all day trip across Panama you are tired, but it is a great trip. As was said these longer cruises attract an older crowd but eclipse is a great ship also do some research on where you are going so you will not be surprised on conditions you will see ashore. we did this cruse several years ago and loved it.

[snowyboy]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

 

Have you looked at the roll call for your cruise you can get some idea of clientèle from that, from what I understand Caribbean cruises are totally different, more party like, hope you get the answers your looking for as they say "You pays your money and takes your pick".

[Gordoncruickshank]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

We have done a good number of Celebrity Cruises and have done the 14 night Eclipse cruise 4 times and have numbers 5 and 6 booked. There is entertainment around the pool over the course of the cruise. The Eclipse had an issue with evening entertainment a few months ago as the old shows had stopped and they were in the middle of changing over to the new production shows. That should all be bedded in now.

 

I think that one every cruise we have done on whatever line we have travelled in, the nightlife stops at 11 to 11.30. It is then only in the disco area. I really don't know how busy that gets as I have never ventured there at night. It is usually difficult to get past the Martini Bar although it can stay lively quite late.

[Grandmaanne7]

We were on the Eclipse Southern Caribbean cruise in February 2015. We loved it so much that we have booked it again for 2017 (the first time we have ever repeated a cruise). There definitely was night life. Several nights we were upset with ourselves for having stayed up so late, knowing we had an early port day the next morning. We loved the "Dancing with the Officers" by the pool one night. It was extremely entertaining and we were sore with laughter. Obviously, the success of that is determined by the participants but we really lucked out. There were several music venues nightly and we danced far more often than we had on previous cruises.

 

As far as pool games go, we didn't spend much time by the pool so only saw a few events taking place but there certainly was activity.

 

Don't be dismayed by the negative reviews. Attitude is the biggest determining factor of enjoyment of a cruise or any holiday for that matter. Go with the intent to have fun and don't sweat the small stuff. We loved the Eclipse. I hope you do too. :)

[upwarduk]

Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

 

Not when I have been on Eclipse(x3)

 

Try getting a lift ( elevator) at the end of the evening shows!

All I can say that is that maybe the person writing the review was on a 'overnight in port' cruise ( you should have one, either Barbados / Curaçao.

I haven't yet been on one of these, but I was on in a late night stay in Copenhagen last August. I was very surprised how many people were still on board.

I think evening activities will depend on the CD.

[Gordoncruickshank]

Not when I have been on Eclipse(x3)

 

Try getting a lift ( elevator) at the end of the evening shows!

.

 

The show finishes at 11ish and the reason the ship quietness is the fact that many go to their cabin after the show rather than using the bars etc.

[Little Nell]

The disco on the Eclipse was very busy last August and only once was there a disco there. We had a brilliant time in there every evening dancing to the live band. It was a school holiday cruise so the demographic was younger than normal but we are in our 60's and still like to party late.

[jagoffee]

Seeing that Celebrity has reduced their activities staff to just two, from six, it's no surprise that there is little to do on board. On our most recent Celebrity cruise, a majority of their daily activities were money-based, which means that a component of the activity will cost money or will entice you to spend your money, like the "sales" in the shops, guess the carat weight of the gemstone, and a lot for the spa/salon.

 

In all honesty, if you want pool games and that kind of thing, you need to find another cruise line. Celebrity is known for being a more relaxed, understated cruise line and you're not going to find hairy chest contests, belly flop contests and that kind of thing. What they did have is a pool volleyball game with the ship's officers, and maybe one other thing, but you're not going to find pool games all day long and only maybe once or twice a cruise.

 

If you think the cruise you were on a few years ago was quiet, you might find it just as quiet on Eclipse. Two week cruises are always populated by older cruisers, and on our Eclipse sailing, the ship was pretty dead before midnight.

 

Just to confirm you are stating that Celebrity has reduced the activity staff to one Activities manager and only one other person? This certainly was not rue on our last cruise and I am confident that it will not be true on our cruise next week. Wanna bet?

 

What cruise were you on that only included these two?

 

OP, we are boarding the Eclipse this Sunday, so I will let you know. The same cruise was excellent last year and I am condpfident that this year's will be excellent.

Edited January 4, 2016 by jagoffee

[hulamoon]

I would hope everyone can have a good time no matter the particulars.

 

There are plenty of posts about the acitivity staff cuts. There is clearly more sales events promoted than there used to be, all these are facts. No one is suggesting the OP or anyone else should have bad time because of it.

 

What none of us know is if what they have will be enough for the OP, as it was a concern before, when they stated they didn't love the lack of activities then.

[Banjo]

I am very confused about the conflicting reviews of the Eclipse. I have only sailed Celbrity once before and honestly, I didn't love it. Just not enough night life for my group, however we still had a great time. Could have been the demographic of our particular sailing who knows. I did not plan to book again but th 2 week southern itinerary drew us in. I have read completely different reviews. One says there is no pool area games or activities, the next says there is:confused: I totally understand the different opinions of food and service as those are personal but either there is or isn't pool activities. I using this just as an example but I think you see where im going with it. Im not super high maintenance, but I do like to have things to do. Recently read that the ship is empty at night which was our experience a few years back. any feedback is appreciated.

 

I was on the Silhouette 3 weeks ago and I can honestly say I was not bored and I did not pay for anything (now I was on a beverage package). Since it was port intensive with 4 ports in 7 days I did call it quits around 1130-midnight.

[davekathy]

We will be sailing the Eclipse 3 April 2016 and looking forward to the Cruise and the first time sailing the Eclipse. I consider reviews only an opinion. Positive or negative.

[wpgcycler]

I consider reviews only an opinion. Positive or negative.

 

Yep, and they often say more about the reviewer than the cruise or the ship. Life's experiences are largely what you make them to be.

[WpgCruise]

I read through the O.P.'s past posts to try and get a sense of what level of activity they enjoy, and a sense of what's important.

 

This is only my opinion but I suspect a longer cruise on Celebrity is not going to meet their expectations.

 

Past cruises that appear to have been enjoyable for the O.P. are NCL Epic, a ship with many more entertainment options, and a completely different demographic than is attracted to Celebrity.

 

-The longer the cruise, in our experience the more sedate.

-N.C.L. and Celebrity, and even RCL have completely different entertainment experiences.

 

The very reasons we like Celebrity may well be the reasons the O.P. would prefer a more active cruise, and whatever choice they make, hope they enjoy their cruise.

[cruizecrazygramma]

The disco on the Eclipse was very busy last August and only once was there a disco there. We had a brilliant time in there every evening dancing to the live band. It was a school holiday cruise so the demographic was younger than normal but we are in our 60's and still like to party late.

 

Glad to hear this :D On our 10 night in 2013 we were the only 4 people in the disco most of the time.

[cruizecrazygramma]

Thanks for all the replies. Im glad to read that there are changes taking place. We did book this cruise based on the itinerary but we do enjoy being entertained and dancing in the evening. We did not experience any 60's, 70's or Motown themed nights so I am very much looking forward to what Celebrity has to offer. I try not to allow the negative reviews to sway me but there were just so many unhappy passengers. Thanks again

[iandjm]

We will be sailing the Eclipse 3 April 2016 and looking forward to the Cruise and the first time sailing the Eclipse. I consider reviews only an opinion. Positive or negative.

 

Hi,

 

I was on Eclipse 29 November Caribbean cruise and the ship was as good as ever. We had a great time. I personally do not bother with the speciality restaurants now, after having a poor experience in Tuscan Grill on this cruise. I found the main restaurant, food and service to be great. Loved it :)

[Gordoncruickshank]

Thanks for all the replies. Im glad to read that there are changes taking place. We did book this cruise based on the itinerary but we do enjoy being entertained and dancing in the evening. We did not experience any 60's, 70's or Motown themed nights so I am very much looking forward to what Celebrity has to offer. I try not to allow the negative reviews to sway me but there were just so many unhappy passengers. Thanks again

I am sure they run these sort of events in the Sky lounge most evenings.