Belated Review of Celebrity Eclipse - Russia and the Baltics in Suite Class

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

This is a little later than intended but this is review of a 14 night sailing in July 2015. We booked the cruise at the launch of Suite Class, watched with interest the feedback from early users, the issue about whether lunch was being served and various other details. A number of CC members were very helpful. Some of the things mentioned may have changed in the intervening period.

 

Background

The cruise was to celebrate my 50th birthday and our 25th wedding anniversary. We are a family of 5 ranging in age from 15 to 85 and this was our first sailing on Celebrity but not cursing and was much anticipated as we had booked following the announcement of Suite Class some 18 or so months before sailing. After a lot of debate which cabin to choose, we booked 2 adjacent Royal Suites – 1612 and 1614. I did regret not booking a Penthouse, but consoled myself with another short cruise later.

 

As with all long term plans things change, so due to an unexpected change in my mother in law’s health between booking and sailing, our holiday took on a new importance and became more important for her. Plans were changed to allow flexibility for her but in the end, everything went well. For my husband and I, our plan was to test as much as the ship had to offer and to eat in every restaurant at least once from Murano, Tuscan Grill, Qsine, Bistro on 5, Luminae, Blu, the Main Dining Room, Mast Grill, Oceanview Buffet and Cafe al Bacio.

 

Pre-Embarkation

I was contacted 10 days prior to boarding by Sylvia the concierge. As a former management consultant, I tend to plan everything and travel with an Excel spreadsheet. I did provide a 3 page list of preferences and some requests. Sylvia did kindly call me to discuss my list and we agreed amendments and changes. She also liaised with the Special Needs department which was extremely useful. I would say that just about everything requested was met except the sweet package ordered because it was no longer available. I would comment that Celebrity UK (name check to Duncan) were very helpful as the cruise got closer.

Embarkation

Finally we all got to Southampton. Once we arrived at the terminal, the pre-embarkation arrangements for my mother in law fell into place, with a wheelchair and escort provided. Sylvia did come down to meet us and our transfer to the ship went smoothly. Even the flowers from a local florist arrived and were delivered.

 

Michael's Club

Sylvia the concierge is very much the pivotal point of Michael's and because of health issues, she came into her own. Over the course of the 2 weeks, various events were arrange for guests including but not limited to wine tasting, cocktail making, afternoon tea with music performance and tours. We did attend a Galley Tour with the Executive Chef, a Bridge Tour with the Navigator and there was an Engine Room Tour (limited to just 10) with the Engineer. These were very informative and interactive sessions and we were very pleased to attend.

 

The bar service in the lounge was always impeccable and the staff attentive and did learnt your preferences. Michael's offered a place to escape the hurly burly of the ship and to chill out. There were days when we used it a lot and others not so much, but usually it was the place we would stop for a pre-dinner beverage especially if the dining room we were attending was on deck 5.

 

The availability of the concierge did come into its own for sorting out issues. The one thing that did cause us much amusement were the number of people that would stand outside and stare in as only the lower 2/3 of the glass door is opaque. It was quite funny really, I am not sure what they thought went on in there and I do remember having a staring competition with one woman to see who would look away first.

On board Shopping

I would best describe the brand selection available on board as eclectic. On the one hand you have luxury jewelry brands such as Bvlgari with their own room, yet at the same time handbags from Kors, Furla and Kate Spade which I personally would not describe as being (I love bags) the equivalent of Bvlgari. When I did find a bag, they only had it in red or brown, no black or navy. The result was I did not buy anything. Again there was a nice Mikimoto necklace but it only came in a 16 inch length, too short.

 

What worked well for us

The Crew – we found the crew to be very helpful and although we would occasionally meet someone a bit grumpy this did not mare the overall impression. We would be greeted with cheery smiles and offers of help whenever we got a bit lost or confused which was pretty often.

 

Concierge

Sylvia came into her own when disembarking in St Petersburg. We were able to pre-arrange a time to meet Sylvia in Michael's and were escorted down to immigration. The queues were quite long but she was able to help speed us through.

Luminae – Overall I must commend Celebrity on this restaurant. The standard of both the food and service surpassed that of all the other restaurants. The staff were very accommodating in our needs and where a dish was not to our liking, they were quick to spot and suggest alternatives. My husband was particularly impressed with the young lady who took our beverage order every day. He drinks what is best described as a deconstructed latte. After explaining once how he liked it, that was how it appeared every day without further explanation.

 

That being said, there were a couple of operational points which had to be addressed. On one breakfast service, it took an hour from ordering breakfast to receiving it. This was said to have been caused because there were 2 large parties in Luminae at the same time and the kitchens just struggled once these groups ordered. There was also an issue with producing a rare steak at breakfast for the first couple of days, it came as well done, but with the help of the Executive Chef we manage to get to the point that rare was rare.

World Class Bar – This became a family favourite bar and we would stop for a post dinner beverage on 10 of the 14 nights. It was quieter than the Martini Bar and we felt a more personal service. If I had one complaint, it was that there were insufficient specialist rums compared to the whiskey but that reflects my own choice. We found Edgar the barman to be a particularly helpful in tailoring drink choices and he created a really lovely whiskey drink for my mother in law which she enjoyed. Unfortunately, no one could remember what he put in it so she couldn’t have it again. I was a bit disappointed by the Martini Bar. I found the drinks too strong and it got so busy and noisy that its popularity spoiled the atmosphere.

 

Royal Suite – the suite was nice and the space very welcome. Loved the dining table which was nice for family breakfast. We loved that the partition between our two suites could be open and that we could freely move between our staterooms using our balconies. We took to entertaining each other in our respective staterooms, once for movie night and the other for afternoon tea.

 

Florist – At about 7 days in, the butler had the florist refresh our flower arrangements. What she created was gorgeous. We met her once in Michael's and she explained the care of orchids to me, so informative.

 

The Studio – we had a formal sitting and ordered a CD of the photographs. It was a really fun session and whilst we were a bit unsure what to expect, were pleasantly surprised. The prices are interesting (my code for a lot) and perhaps explains why no price list is available. That being said, we were very pleased with the results and have viewed the CD since returning home and printed some of the photos for Christmas gifts. They are very high resolution and really lovely reminder. As we also purchased the photo package, I think the Studio sittings are far better value.

 

Casino – My husband decided to corrupt our niece by taking her to the casino about three times which she had never done before. They had a lovely time and there were very impressed with the staff. There were a number of gamblers on board and one evening it was reported that someone won $15,000 playing

 

Special Needs – Our niece has Caelic Disease but we found the restaurants very helpful in guiding her on what could be prepared differently and what could not. The gluten free bread was always offered very promptly and she was surprised at the variety available across the ship.

Celebrity Excursions – We had quite a few tours including some I did booked Celebrity. My own Celebrity favourite was the tour on the RIB boat (speedboat) at up to 15 knots in Helsinki. It was very wet but loved it and worth the money. My husband and son tried the Roof Top tour in Stockholm. They enjoyed it, did not feel unsafe even though they were very high up. There were some issues with one of the Accessible tours (for the disabled) but fortunately Sylvia managed to sorted them out. We did also plan a bike tour with Celebrity but this was cancelled the day before because of insufficient numbers. We tend to prefer to go on private tours but booked these with other third parties as it just seemed to difficult to book what we wanted with Celebrity.

 

Housekeeping – The head of housekeeping was a star. From the sensitive and compassionate way she dealt with issues regarding the personal needs of a family member, to her quick no nonsense response to the balcony smokers, she went above and beyond to ensure we had a great holiday. Our stateroom steward and her assistant were also outstanding and handled an otherwise very sensitive set of needs, with the decorum and respect above and beyond with our greatest thanks.

 

X Club – Our 15 year old was very pleased with the teen club and there was a small regular crowd that attended each evening. We rarely saw him after dinner and he would typically stagger in between 1 and 2 am. There were to the best of our knowledge, no reports of poor behavior from any of the children (the same cannot be said for the adults as it was reported that some folks had been disembarked) and we did meet a very happy bunch of young ladies searching for clues on the Scavenger hunt.

 

Behind the Scene Tours – We were invited to a number of tours: Bridge tour, Kitchens and the Engineer’s tour. The bridge tour was very good and our host very informative and friendly. Personally my favourite was the tour of the kitchens. The Executive Chef was very informative and the stand out for me was the bakery, boy do they work very hard with 24 hour production. My husband and son did the Engineering tour. They both raved about it and learnt lots from the Chief Engineer.

 

Recognising our anniversary – We chose to have our celebration meals in Murano, the first for my 50th birthday and the second for our anniversary. For my birthday I received a small but very rich chocolate cake with a candle. However for our anniversary, Sylvia pulled out the stops. We received a large heart shaped cake, it was pink with strawberry macaroons around the side, a bottle of fizzy and flowers. This was entirely unexpected and lovely. We cut the cake in Murano and it was so large we shared it with a lovely group of 6 seated next to us. If any of that party is reading this, thanks for being so gracious.

Captains Table – the four adults of our party were invited to the Captains Table for the final formal night. Our son was not allowed to join but that gave him the excuse he needed to invite a friend over of dinner and a movie which he arranged with the butler. The other guests at the dinner included the Staff Captain and the Head of Security, a couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and another couple we think were frequent Celebrity cruisers that happened to share the same surname as ours. Dinner was ordered from the dining room menu of that evening as I had read on CC that there was a special menu but that did not happen on this occasion. This was our first and only experience of eating in the Main Dining Room which we did find very noisy. My husband did comment that the Beef Wellington was some of the most tender he had ever eaten. However, my lamb was only tepid. The two points I would comment on was that it would have been nicer with a round table so that we could speak to everyone not just those seated close to us, which was a shame. The other is the napkin waving. I am of the opinion that It is just awful and at odds with Modern Luxury. I felt so sorry for the poor crew having to participate in this rather bizarre affair. The service was good and attentive, but did not match the finesse of that of Luminae.

 

Charity Auction – there was a charity auction of pieces from the glass blowers. We were very pleased to win a lovely vase which will take pride of place hopefully later in the year when we finish our remodel.

 

Areas that could be done better

Luminae Operating Hours – they are quite simply too short. Breakfast ended at 9.30 regardless of whether it was a port or sea day. There were Brunches served instead of a separate breakfast and lunch service as promised on a couple of occasions. On the days when lunch was available, again it was only available for 90 minutes.

 

Luxury Toiletries – these are listed as an amenity but we only received the standard toiletries given to all guests. Sorry but this really is not good enough Celebrity. I only expect you to deliver what is advertised and you failed miserably, but for the fact that I read Cruise Critic did I know to bring our own. I subsequently sailed on the Queen Mary 2 and their suites are provided with a delightful set Penhaligon products.

 

Room Service – there were a couple of days, MiL was too unwell to go any restaurant but we could not order meals from Luminae to be delivered to her. When asked we were told that it was the rules.

 

Hairdressing – Unfortunately the person I wanted to do my hair was ill and as it was formal night I wanted it done. The alternative hairdresser did a poor job, so much so I had to wash my hair myself and redo it.

 

Butlers – Compared to the professionalism of the concierge, our butler was found wanting. I have since had butler experiences at the Savoy in London and on the Queen Mary and the service was superior.

We requested a single butler to serve both of our suites as it would make arrangements easier. What was interesting was how the dealt with each group. When my mother ordered breakfast, he would lay the table with a table cloth, pour her tea as she liked it and generally fuss. When my husband and I ordered, none of that, it was just left. We just found the service a bit hit and miss. I sent shirts to be pressed for formal night yet despite making the request 24 hours ahead of time, we were still telephoning for them an hour before we were due to go to dinner. Day 13 of the cruise was the disappearing butler day. We did not see him once even though it was a Sea Day and we spent a lot of the time in the cabin. My husband requested some hot milk yet 24 hours later it still did not arrive. I asked for ice to be delivered on Day 2, but it arrived only once and never again. We all paid our daily gratuity and what percentage of that went to the butler we do not know. I do know that when he miraculously appeared just as be were due to debark we did not tip him further.

 

Blu – I had read so much about this restaurant, I looked forward to it, but it was not for me. The staff were lovely and attentive but we did not like the food.

 

Photo Package – I purchased the full photo package before boarding however we found it very hit and miss locating photographers and then finding the photographs. They seemed to set up shop each evening in varying locations but we would find them when we wondered around the ship separately. We also noted that unlike other cruise lines, it was rare to see photographer roaming the ship during the day time. It would have been lovely to capture some of those odd fun moments.

Entertainment - poor for so many reasons. Actually put me off going on another cruise with Celebrity but that is a whole other tale.

 

Overall the cruise was a lovely experience and more importantly, my MiL really enjoyed being pampered. I would add that since completing our Celebrity cruise, my husband and I did a short cruise on the Cunard Queen Mary 2 in the Queens Grill. It wasn't for us. I don't know when we will cruise next. There are a number of land holidays we are keen to do such as Cuba, a safari in Central Africa, the train across the United States. That said, I am warming the husband up for a cruise around South America and the Panama Canal.

[lauraapp]

Nice review! Thanks for sharing!

[chemmo]

Glad you had a great family holiday, I remember answering a few questions from you re the suite life when we were on Equinox.

 

We have just got off another sweet, suite cruise. We were fortunate in having a great butler, it does make a difference! Unlike you it confirmed to us that some Luminae offerings are not to our taste. We found the lunches too heavy and some evening offerings too rich in sauces and lacking in greens! However, this did not spoil our overall holiday enjoyment with the specialities to choose from!

 

Unlike you, we find the X suite life really suites us and have a few more booked. We also enjoy land tours and often combine the two - some hard touring followed by a relaxing cruise.

 

If you are looking at the Infinity Panama, South America cruise I strongly recommend you do consider booking the PH. On the M class ships they are wonderful with what must be one of the best balconies at sea. These rooms do tend to book up fast so persuade you husband to book well in advance! Not done this itinerary myself but someone recently did in the PH and posted some great reports and pictures, may be worth looking for...

 

Sincere best wishes for your future adventures!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Freckles49]

Thank you for taking the time to give us this very balanced review.

 

We are sailing on the Eclipse in June for the first time, in Aqua Class.

 

Most of our cruises have been on Azamara and I do hope you will consider this as an option for your next cruise.

 

Jen

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

Glad you had a great family holiday, I remember answering a few questions from you re the suite life when we were on Equinox.

 

We have just got off another sweet, suite cruise. We were fortunate in having a great butler, it does make a difference! Unlike you it confirmed to us that some Luminae offerings are not to our taste. We found the lunches too heavy and some evening offerings too rich in sauces and lacking in greens! However, this did not spoil our overall holiday enjoyment with the specialities to choose from!

 

Unlike you, we find the X suite life really suites us and have a few more booked. We also enjoy land tours and often combine the two - some hard touring followed by a relaxing cruise.

 

If you are looking at the Infinity Panama, South America cruise I strongly recommend you do consider booking the PH. On the M class ships they are wonderful with what must be one of the best balconies at sea. These rooms do tend to book up fast so persuade you husband to book well in advance! Not done this itinerary myself but someone recently did in the PH and posted some great reports and pictures, may be worth looking for...

 

Sincere best wishes for your future adventures!

 

Chemmo,

 

Not sure what you do for a living, but I can see you are very good at reading between the lines. I did enjoy my Celebrity Suite Life but there were some details and observations which left a slight sour taste in the mouth which I left out of my review. One concerned the entertainment, the other Luminae. Now what I am going to say may irritate some readers but here goes.

 

First, there was definitely a pecking order in terms of suite passengers which was interesting to observe/experience. I don't have a problem that PS passengers trump RS, they spent more per cabin so fine. What I did have a problem with was when this is extended to others not all staying the same grade cabin. On my sailing, there was a particular group of family/friends of about 12 people but only 2 of them travelling in the PS with the overs travelling with them in mainly SSs and one in CS, but they seemed to the treated as though they were all travelling in the PS. A table was permanently set aside for this group in the main part of Luminae every mealtime, every day, so whenever other suite passengers arrived to eat, sometimes we/they had to wait for tables, yet we could see this large area set aside for this family even when they were not there. The restaurant staff always had to check what the dining arrangements of this group were before deciding whether to assign it to others. Did that irritate yes and I am sure we were not the only ones to notice. Did I mention it to the restaurant manager yes. This went on for the whole 14 days of our cruise. I would have let it slide but at the same time, my 85 year old MIL who just recovering from 27 sessions of radiotherapy could not have meals from Luminae delivered to her RS because of the rules and had to wait on more than one occasion when she managed to go to Luminae. Yes a small detail but one which for me was an irritant. I am sure I will be flamed for this, but this observations will make me pause before I book Celebrity again.

 

Second, I would add that we found some parts of the then new suite experience was not as smooth as the pre-sailing marketing and to an extent Cruise Critic suggested it would be. For instance, that fact we should have booked all our dining experiences in the specialties early in the cruise because we could not get tables towards the end was disappointing and did not match the flexibility suggested for Royal/Penthouse passengers.

 

Thirdly, I think the other thing is that our Celebrity experience is judged in the context of other full suites experiences we have had on NCL, Royal, and Cunard. Don't get me wrong, there are some great things that they do well, but there were others which could improve. I would for example rate Luminae over the Queens Grill, the quality food especially the breakfast and the general ambiance. Although the cheese board on Cunard wins hand down and they dimmed the lights in the evening so it was more intimate.

 

I guess what I am saying is that we enjoyed it but would Celebrity be our number one choice for another cruise holiday, not sure. It would be up there yes, but would I book it without considering another line, no. That being said, the programme on Princess on air in the UK right now have left us saying, absolutely no way we would consider travelling with them. Similarly P&O, not happening. Also I think the other issue is that out of Southampton, there is so little choice of destinations in the busy summer period when my teenage son has holidays. Last time I looked, all July and August sailing were to Russia but I've done that so there is nothing of offer. I had quiet liked the idea of Iceland but it is only available earlier in the Summer season so for the first time in years, no holiday plans at present but a rather large house refurbishment to manage.

[upwarduk]

Overall I must commend Celebrity on this restaurant. The standard of both the food and service surpassed that of all the other restaurants. The staff were very accommodating in our needs

 

I am Lactose intolerant and I cannot fault the service we were given by our servers Hann & Andrew in MDR.

We ate in the Select are on Deck 5 of MDR. I had pre booked a time before we left home and we had a table in the same area every night except the first. This was useful, as Hann showed me the next day's menus and I pre ordered, so my food could be cooked in the 'special' section of the kitchen.

 

We found no problem getting off the ship in St Petersburg, we just made sure we were downstairs early and were the first to be allowed off the ship. We were on an independent tour and were pointed to separate immigration booths from the long lines of ship's tours.

[Clarea]

Excellent, well-written review, thank-you.

[mickeysgal]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review, very fair, very balanced. I most likely will never be able to cruise in this category of cabin, so it was enjoyable to see it from your perspective. Thank you.

[Keith1010]

You have put together an outstanding review.

 

Keith

[chemmo]

Chemmo,

 

Not sure what you do for a living, but I can see you are very good at reading between the lines. I did enjoy my Celebrity Suite Life but there were some details and observations which left a slight sour taste in the mouth which I left out of my review. One concerned the entertainment, the other Luminae. Now what I am going to say may irritate some readers but here goes.

 

First, there was definitely a pecking order in terms of suite passengers which was interesting to observe/experience. I don't have a problem that PS passengers trump RS, they spent more per cabin so fine. What I did have a problem with was when this is extended to others not all staying the same grade cabin. On my sailing, there was a particular group of family/friends of about 12 people but only 2 of them travelling in the PS with the overs travelling with them in mainly SSs and one in CS, but they seemed to the treated as though they were all travelling in the PS. A table was permanently set aside for this group in the main part of Luminae every mealtime, every day, so whenever other suite passengers arrived to eat, sometimes we/they had to wait for tables, yet we could see this large area set aside for this family even when they were not there. The restaurant staff always had to check what the dining arrangements of this group were before deciding whether to assign it to others. Did that irritate yes and I am sure we were not the only ones to notice. Did I mention it to the restaurant manager yes. This went on for the whole 14 days of our cruise. I would have let it slide but at the same time, my 85 year old MIL who just recovering from 27 sessions of radiotherapy could not have meals from Luminae delivered to her RS because of the rules and had to wait on more than one occasion when she managed to go to Luminae. Yes a small detail but one which for me was an irritant. I am sure I will be flamed for this, but this observations will make me pause before I book Celebrity again.

 

Second, I would add that we found some parts of the then new suite experience was not as smooth as the pre-sailing marketing and to an extent Cruise Critic suggested it would be. For instance, that fact we should have booked all our dining experiences in the specialties early in the cruise because we could not get tables towards the end was disappointing and did not match the flexibility suggested for Royal/Penthouse passengers.

 

Thirdly, I think the other thing is that our Celebrity experience is judged in the context of other full suites experiences we have had on NCL, Royal, and Cunard. Don't get me wrong, there are some great things that they do well, but there were others which could improve. I would for example rate Luminae over the Queens Grill, the quality food especially the breakfast and the general ambiance. Although the cheese board on Cunard wins hand down and they dimmed the lights in the evening so it was more intimate.

 

I guess what I am saying is that we enjoyed it but would Celebrity be our number one choice for another cruise holiday, not sure. It would be up there yes, but would I book it without considering another line, no. That being said, the programme on Princess on air in the UK right now have left us saying, absolutely no way we would consider travelling with them. Similarly P&O, not happening. Also I think the other issue is that out of Southampton, there is so little choice of destinations in the busy summer period when my teenage son has holidays. Last time I looked, all July and August sailing were to Russia but I've done that so there is nothing of offer. I had quiet liked the idea of Iceland but it is only available earlier in the Summer season so for the first time in years, no holiday plans at present but a rather large house refurbishment to manage.

 

 

 

It sounds to me as if you were on a cruise with a rather demanding family! We regularly RS on S class but always PH on M class (big mistake booked it for our first M cruise and there is no going back...). Have to say we have never on X felt like 'second class citizens' booking a RS but we were once on a RC cruise where one family did 'take over' the conceirge lounge.....

 

Our last cruise was on Solstice (RS) and I can not imagine how we could have received any better treatment if we had been in the PH...Our every wish was granted (and more, thank you Captain!). We did work with the staff, however. We asked for Luminae menus from the conceirge on boarding. We then worked out where and when we wanted to dine, gave our butler a provisional plan and that was it! We did make some changes during the cruise, these were accommodated. We dined where we wanted, at the time we wanted and our seating position was always very nice....We were aware late in the cruise some suite guests were struggling to make reservations. We will definately do some immediate pre booking again on our next cruise. Special commendation for Murano's who offered last night to make us an off menu meal....Delicious!

 

Re your poor butler service...Did you discuss this with your Michael's Club host? The more we cruise the more we will politely but assertively express concerns/issues as they arise.

 

So sorry your experience was not as expected, don't let it put you off too much! We have this week expressed concern that service on our last cruise was so good it will be impossible for Eclipse to match....but we can't wait to board.

 

Happy refurbishment, book a relaxing cruise at the end to celebrate!

 

Best Wishes!

[scubacruiserx2]

We will be doing this cruise in June this year . Will you be reviewing the Ports ?