Celebrity Eclipse Review
Sparkling clean, bright, shiny and modern. First-rate.
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My husband and I, both working stiffs and in desperate need of a vacation, were excited to set out on our "upscale foodie" Celebrity cruise. We flew from Denver to Miami on a red-eye (American Airlines), which was a bad choice for 2 reasons- 1) I found it impossible to sleep due to excitement and cramped seating 2) We arrived in Miami irritable (due to lack of sleep) and jet-lagged (2 hour time change). Luckily, the Blue Lagoon Hampton Inn allowed us to check in early (0630) without charging an extra night. The shuttle picked us up promptly from MIA- the hotel was less than 10 minutes away. We killed a day in Miami, rented a car, cruised South Beach, nibbled on Cuban cuisine and got amped up on Cuban coffee; espresso with sugar served in a little cup, the cost is usually 65-75 cents and can be found at most bakeries.
Our hotel (Blue Lagoon Hampton Inn) offered a shuttle to the pier on embarkation day for $20 (both of us including luggage). We signed up. After dropping off cruise passengers and luggage at Carnival, we arrived at the stunning Celebrity Eclipse. A porter immediately arrived to take our pre-tagged bags from the cargo trailer. We had a problem, one of my bags had gone missing. I started freaking out, I told the driver that he must've dropped one of my bags at the Carnival pier! Suddenly, a bus pulled up, the driver got out and said that the cargo door wasn't closed and a suitcase fell out. Unfortunately, he did not stop to pick it up. He said it lay on the side of the road.
The shuttle driver had us wait while he went to fetch it. Unsure if this was a good idea to begin with, once five minutes passed I started panicking. I thought the driver had deserted us- having not found the luggage and assuming some thug-passer-by had stolen it. Just before hyperventilating ensued, the van came into view, the driver pulled out my somewhat beat-up luggage. It was fully intact. Huge sigh of relief.
Cabin Review
AquaClass 2
Room 1627 was modern, clean, and bright. Fresh fruit, champagne, and iced tea greeted us upon entry. The stateroom was nicely laid out, plenty of hangers, bed side tables, a well-lit vanity, flat screen TV, mini-bar, safe, handsome sofa and coffee table. Upon unpacking I realized that storage might be an issue as the drawers were small and there wasn't much space for shoes, handbags, and the like. Mind you, I brought 5 pairs (not including my husbands). I discovered that storing smaller items- passports, jewelry, etc. in the safe was handy and eliminated some of the tabletop clutter. The balcony itself was immaculate, as was the glass and furniture.
HINT- There are storage cabinets in the headboard of the bed, they are a little out of reach for someone petite (I am 5'2"). There is also a drawer under the vanity for cosmetics.