Celebrity Eclipse Review
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10+ Cruises • Age 70s
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Sail Date: Mar 2016
Cabin: Deluxe Veranda 2D
We’re a couple in our mid-sixties and this was our 36th cruise and our 12th on Celebrity. The past two winters, we were on the “Equinox” in the Caribbean and enjoyed both cruises. We decided to do it again this March and selected this cruise as it was fourteen days with interesting ports. Also, we hoped that length would limit the number of “Spring Breakers” onboard. Since there were only a few children and college-age passengers, our plan worked well.
Overall, we found the “Eclipse” to be in very good shape. There were only a few places that we noticed even the normal “wear and tear” of a ship that’s six years old. The hard-working crew is very visible as they keep the public areas clean and neat. They even opened bathroom doors to limit what the guests would touch. The staff in the Oceanview buffet were much quicker in clearing tables and wiping them down than we’ve seen on other ships.
We didn’t do the casino, spa or the gym. We did the hot tub and the inside pool a few times, but didn’t use the outside pool at all. It was very crowded with sunbathers and noisy so it wasn’t very inviting for us. We’ve got light skin that easily burns so we deliberately avoid the sun so it’s not a problem for us. We did notice that more options for sun and shade were available on the forward upper decks away from the pool.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Veranda 2D
Cabin 2D
We had a 2D obstructed view balcony (Cabin #6204) mid-ship on the starboard side near the atrium elevators. In that category, the larger lifeboats block the view directly down to the water, but you can see the ocean and shore beyond them. At that location, we didn’t smell any smoke as that area was on Deck 5 on the port side.
The cabin was comfortable and well designed. There aren’t many drawers, but there’s enough storage in the closet and in the hinged bins above the bed. There were lots of channels on the flat-screen TV including MSNBC, CNBC, TBS, TNT, BBC, Skynews, etc.
Our cabin was extremely quiet. We hardly ever heard our neighbors unless they were talking on their adjacent balcony. We were in the cabin many times when we left a port or arrived in the next one and we never knew the ship was moving or stopped. On the final morning, I woke up at about 6:00 am to see an orange glow so I got my camera to take a picture of the sunrise. When I opened the curtain, it was coming from a halogen light stand where we were docked at the Port of Miami!
Our cabin attendant, Blasido, did an excellent job figuring out when he could refresh our cabin since our hours varied over the course of the cruise. He was available when needed, but also almost invisible which is what we like. Our cabin was always perfectly clean and made up without us having to request that anything be done.
Port Reviews
Miami
We stayed two nights in the Brickell section of Miami on our own before we boarded the ship. We enjoyed what we did there including taking the free trolley to the Vizcaya Mansion and Gardens.
Aruba
We booked ARB3 "West Coast Cruise and Snorkel", but we went to a spot in South since they told us that the West location was too rough. It was near a smoky dump with not many fish and the current pulled people away from the boat. It was not worth the effort or the money.
Curacao
We did CU41 "Snorkeling Cruise and Curacao Sites". It was very calm and there were lots of fish around the sunken ship. Excellent day.
Barbados
We did the BBC6 "Harrison's Cave and Island Tour" was very good. The caves were interesting and easy for everyone since you rode a tram. The commentary coming and going was informative.
St. Lucia
We did another ship's excursion on SLC4 "Pitons Cruise and Snorkel". The views from the boat were great. The snorkeling was from a beach where it was rocky getting in and out of the water. The fish were OK, but it wasn't one of the better excursions.
Antigua
We did the AN03 "Catamaran Sail, Snorkel and Beach Cruise". It was very rough and there were a minimal amount of fish. As soon as people got into the water, they wanted to get out. There was a number of husbands who told their wives to stay on the boat as there was nothing to see. Very disappointing.
St. Kitts (Port Zante)
We did the KTD4 "Catamaran Fan-ta-sea to Nevis with Snorkel". We saw hundreds and hundreds of fish in schools so it was the best snorkeling of the trip. The lunch was great and the drinks flowed freely.
8 Helpful Votes
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