Its been several years since I last cruised with Celebrity and I was keen to try out a Solstice Class ship for myself. What better way than 14 days on the magnificent Eclipse in the Caribbean sunshine in December. Firstly I am a solo cruiser and happy to be by myself sometimes and with others when I choose. In many ways a cruise on a decent sized ship fulfils these requirements perfectly.

Check in at Fort Lauderdale was a slow and painful experience for which Celebrity is not responsible entirely. From drop off to boarding took around 80 minutes which is worse than flying these days but soon forgotten once onboard. Lunch at the Oceanview Cafe buffet which has to be one of the best buffets in the business is somewhat dampened by the large number of people that use this facility on day 1, before discovering the other available dining venues. From that point forward I ate most lunches at Bistro on 5 because of the friendly table service, the main dining room and a combination of the 3 speciality restaurants. I found the food and service in the main dining room to be of a high standard consistently and witnessed some outstanding service from individual wait staff. No problem with the quality or quantity of the food and the staff always willing to accomodate what are often unusual requests from their customers. Due to relatively rough seas and 18ft swells for the 2 day trip to Saint Maarten I didnt get my appetite going until day 3 and ate little in the meantime. Something which came as a surprise on what is a new ship was the amount of creaking and noise caused by these sea conditions. The ceiling in my cabin sounded as if it was going to fall into the room at some points along with a banging noise from the window. After arrival in Saint Maarten the sea calmed and miraculaously my cabin became a haven of peace and quiet.

That cabin is well appointed, a comfortable bed, plenty of storage place and a good bathroom with an excellent shower along with a decent sized balcony on deck 9 forward. Superb cabin attendants who could not have done more to make feel at home and comfortable. Its tough being at home again where no-one picks my towel off the floor when I leave it there. Back to the food and I bought a 3 meal option for 99USD at the 3 speciality restaurants. QSINE is a lot of fun with food being delivered in innovative and unusual ways, very creative. The staff play along with what is a fun experience and you order your meal on an iPad. Tuscan Grill is an Italian steak house and if you get a table at the rear window, you are just above the wake of the back of the ship, fabulous views and good, if not great food. I left Murano for last and this is a French/American luxury restaurant and I found the food and service to be the best combination meal I have eaten on or off the seas. Absolutely superb to the point where I went back 3 more times in total. Yes, this is has what many would consider an excessive subsidy at 40USD but ask for a discount and be a little flexible in your dining times and you wont forget Murano. Try the chateaubriand cut at your table side. I think that Celebrity are pushing their luck by charging 10USD for a glass of wine but that is what it will cost you. Read more