Celebrity Eclipse Review

A very enjoyable cruise to the Azores, Madeira, the Canaries

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Celebrity Eclipse
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Saligo
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Oct 2013

BACKGROUND We usually choose a cruise on itinerary first, then dates, then price per night for our preferred type of cabin, then cruise line and ship, but on this occasion curiosity about the ship was our prime motivation. We’ve heard so much about what great ships the Solstice class are that we had to try one to find out for ourselves what the fuss was about.

I have to report that although Eclipse is a very good ship and we had a very enjoyable cruise, it did not represent the upward step change in standard that we had been led to expect and that’s said by someone whose previous cruise was on Fred Olsen’s 1988-built Balmoral.

We booked direct on the Celebrity website. Although this was manageable, we did not find the website reassuring or robust. Badly labelled options led me to unbook a reservation on one occasion and after booking shore excursions the cruise summary information we received by e-mail was different from our booking as shown on the website. We qualified for a free drinks package but the information on what this entitled us to was extremely confusing, especially because the offer was expressed in terms of service-exclusive prices when bar prices on ex-UK cruises are quoted inclusive of service charge. We are used to making our own bookings and this was the worst website we have encountered, though some others almost equal it.

Cabin Review

Cabin 8343 is a long way aft on Vista Deck. This means that it is a long way from stairs and lifts, but also means that there are not many people walking past the door. Some cruise websites say that it is larger than other cabins of this grade. It is difficult to measure it accurately because so few sections of wall meet at right angles, but my estimate is that it is actually very close to the 194 square feet stated for this category of cabin. The balcony is, however, not standard in shape or size. The deck plan shows it as being deeper than other balconies but still rectangular. 

The pictures are of cabin 8343 on Celbrity Solstice, but this cabin on Eclipse looks almost identical. I estimate the actual size of the balcony as about 67 square feet, or about 20% more than the standard 54 square feet. This makes it big enough for loungers or at least foot rests, but these are not provided, just standard reclining chairs and a table. The cranked rail on the balcony gives good views forward and to the side, but solid superstructure and the window cleaning cradle parked nearby partly obstruct views aft. In my opinion it is a marginally better cabin than others nearby but the difference is not great. On our cruise the premium for a grade 1A cabin like 8343 compared to the price of the grade 1C cabins on the same corridor was very small. It would not be worth paying a lot for the extra balcony size.

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