Scenic Eclipse questions

[imcpa]

I know some answers are subject to change, but can someone answer these questions based on the sailings so far:

 

1.  What brand of champagne is offered?

2.  What brand of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc is offered?

3.  Can you dine outside for lunch and/or dinner on a daily basis?  If so, does it require reservations?

4.  What drinks/food is availabe in your suite?

5.  How is the gym?  I can't find any good pics online.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

[czardas]

Hi Imcpa, I am boarding in 3 days time, so happy to find the answers for you. I do know that the upper cabins have different shampoo, conditioner etc to the lower deck cabins, so that answer will vary. 

[imcpa]

Great.  Thanks czardas.  I hope you have a wonderful cruise and post your thoughts on the trip.

[TRIPACIAN]

We don’t board until April 5th and we would really love to read more “current” reviews.  Czardas, please let us know about your cruise, we are definitely interested in your thoughts of the Scenic Eclipse.  
 

 

[TahoeTraveler]

We were on the Eclipse in Nov/Dec, for her first trip to Antarctica.  There were a lot of logistical problems with getting the ship restocked, so our experience probably wasn't the norm.  However, here's what we found:

 

1 - The ship ran out of French champagne immediately (as in, right after we left Lima), so I cannot say what the normal champagne it.

 

2 - The shampoo, condition and lotion are all in large, refillable bottles, and to be honest, if the name was written on the bottle, I didn't notice it.  It was all quite nice and "luxurious." Hopefully Czardas can let you know when she boards.

 

3 - Yes, you can dine outside on Deck 5 behind Azure, but the experience is marred by the two plunge pools behind the spa on Deck 6 splashing down all over the Azure deck whenever the ship is moving.  It is a serious design flaw of the ship.  Azure is the more casual restaurant, with light fare like soup, salad and small sandwiches for lunch (or you can order pizza!), and tapas at night. 

 

4 - You can order room service 24 hours a day; the menu is somewhat limited, but if you order during normal dining hours, you can have whatever is on the menu at the main restaurant, Elements (that's not advertised anywhere, but they will do it).

 

5 - The gym is very good, especially for a ship of this size.  There is one recumbent bike, an elliptical machine, two or three treadmills (sorry, I can't remember how many!), and I believe a standard bike. They also have free weights.  In the yoga room across the hall, they have classes as well as a small room off the back where you can do your own yoga, aerobics (I have my aerobics DVDs loaded on my iPad to use that way), meditation, etc.  One negative is that when they are doing weight training classes, the guests will use the free weights from the gym, so if you happen to in there during that time and want to use the weights, you're out of luck until the class is over.  That small room off the yoga room could easily accommodate another set of free weights, and they would be wise to do that.

 

The ship is quite beautiful and very, very well equipped for one of that size. It's truly amazing how much they fit into her!!

[kidfixer]

I am interested in the Scenic Eclipse sailing in Norway, but have read so many mixed reviews, I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on it.  We're veteran Regent people, and will sail on Seabourn this spring to get an idea of their quality.  It sounds like the designers of the Eclipse may have never actually sailed on a smaller ship, with all the flooding and pool issues.  Unfortunate also to hear that some people feel they are more special than others.  I find that attitude can ruin the trip for others.  Anyone who can afford to do a trip like this is as special as the others IMO.

Please do continue posting updates as I will keep reading until I have to make a decision.  At this point, the front runners are Tauck or Regent for our Norway trip, but Scenic could move up if the reviews improve.  Like why not just empty the pool, cover it with a safety net, and let people enjoy dining outdoors?  But we will see.  I do thank everyone who has posted reviews while on the ship and after.  It is a great help.