Celebrity Eclipse Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,947 reviews

Summer 2011 Baltic cruise

Review for the Baltic Sea Cruise on Celebrity Eclipse
User Avatar
shrink13
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2011
Cabin: Deluxe Veranda 1B
Traveled with children

This was our 19th cruise for our family, including our 12 year old daughter. We cruised the from Barcelona and Venice the past 2 summers, but this has to be our favorite all-time cruise. We flew to London and spent 3 nights there, and arranged a private car to take us to Southhampton. Embarcation was a snap, but the rooms were not yet ready at 12:30 so we had lunch--better than average Buffet. The ship is absolutely beautiful. We had been on the Eclipse over Thanksgiving, so everything was familiar, but we did not recognize any staff. The first day was a sea day, so we relaxed. Then on to Brugge, a beautiful, walkable city. We arranged to take a round-trip taxi with a couple from England thru Cruise Critic and it worked out very well. Then another sea day before Berlin. We had arranged a private limo to pick us up at the ship and take us to Rostock and then Berlin--I was presenting a paper at an international conference at Humboldt University (part of the reason for going on this particular cruise). Berlin was fascinating and exciting--well worth the 2 hour drive on the autobahn--would you believe 140 mph-yikes. Then on to St. Petersburg for 2 days. We booked a private 2-day tour thru Alla--very good and informative. Wonderful architecture, but no one smiles, and I mean no Russians--very grim people. Then on to Helsinki, our least favorite port. Then to Tallin, perhaps our favorite port-walkable from the ship, and very quaint. From there to Stockholm. Go to the Vassa Museum--fabulous for any age. Finally to Copenhagen--beautiful city, but very congested and difficult to get around. Be aware of the Hop-on, Hop-off buses--very slow for the most part and a lot of waiting. The Hop-on, Hop-off boats in Stockholm were much better. Disembarcation was again a snap.

Normally, we stay in a suite, but we opted for an ocean verandah room this time simply due to cost. The room was small, but very adequate and we spent very little time in the room. The lay out of the room was excellent despite the size. Our room steward was super.

We ate at the first seating at 6:15 and it was not totally full. We had a table for the 3 of us and had excellent service. The food varied from very good (try the coq a vin) to mundane. We ate at 3 specialty restaurants and loved Qsine in particular--very clever. Of course, we over ate. We also ate at the Bistro on 5 (crepes_--very good and the Italian restaurant-the name escapes me--also good, but not great.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Veranda 1B

previous reviewnext review

Find a Celebrity Eclipse Cruise from $325

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.