The Eclipse is an excellent ship, like it's sister ships, and the crew was generally very good. The ship (furnishings, decor, etc.)was in such good condition that were surprised that it was going in for refurbishing in April.

Embarking went very well, and the staff were very helpful, except for the porters at the port, who made it pretty clear that they expected a tip for loading your bags on the dolly to go to the ship, if you expected your bags to get on board safely.

The only real disappointment was the dinner in the mail dining room. The food and service were much better last year on the sister ship, Reflection. Our waiter needed help. He was not lazy. He was always hustling at top speed, but his assistant could rarely be found. All she seemed to do was sometimes clear plates before the next course and pour coffee after (often loooonng after) dessert was served. Tables all around us were often having dessert as we received our entree. I don't feel that the service really needed to be faster, except that it was often less than 30 minutes until the 8:00 seating when we got dessert. Most of the room was empty, and we felt conspicuous, as the staff stood around waiting to clear the table. Read more