Celebrity Eclipse Review
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We boarded the Eclipse in Miami on Jan 2nd. This was the first time on a larger ship. We were used to ships with about 650 passengers. Boarding (at noon) in Miami, while the port was extremely busy, went quite seamlessly. Our stateroom was ready earlier than expected, however, our luggage did not arrive until late afternoon.
We spent the afternoon learning the ship and taking advantage of the open house to explore all of the specialty restaurants and other facilities. We made reservations at two of the specialty restaurants for dinners on the two ‘at sea’ days and before they got full up. We recommend you do this ASAP. We also went to the Main Dining Room and made arrangements for our party of six to have the same table and servers for the duration of the voyage. This worked out very well as we got to know our servers, (Rhys & Omer, and our sommelier Alex), and they us. They were all exceptional.
We had the Classic Beverage package as part of our reservation. The premium package upgrade is an additional $10 per person per day. We did not find this necessary but strongly recommend the Classic package, as individual beverages, including bottled water, are extremely expensive.
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Cozumel
We booked this 4 hour tour through Viator before we left Canada for our cruise. ‘Tazz’, our driver & guide met us promptly at our designated spot. We were three couples and there was lots of room in his air-conditioned van. He also provided soft drinks and water for all.
We were not sure exactly what we wanted to see on the island so Tazz came up with some great recommendations.
First we visited a Kaoka Chocolate Factory where we learned the history of chocolate and saw how it’s manufactured. We sampled several different varieties and purchased some before leaving.
Next we visited Pueblo del Maiz, a Mayan village. Here they charged admission ($13US each) and it was well worth it. We learned the history of the Mayans, participated in some rituals, had our faced painted, made our own tortias, made our own chocolate from coco beans and saw some Mayan dances. Really a must see in Cozumel.
Lastly we visited the San Gervasio, a Mayan ruins site. It was suggested that we hire a guide to tour the site – cost $20 for our party of five. Ivan was great. He kept us entertained and informed on all the ruins. Without him a walking tour by us would have meant very little. Strongly recommend you get a guide if you visit this site.
Costa Maya
We toured ourselves using public transportation. A visit to Mahahual and the Crazy Lobster restaurant is worth while.