We left home at our usual six o’clock and after an uneventful journey we arrived at eleven, we thought we might have to wait to our official boarding time but no, we sailed straight through. This is the first time we’ve been on a smaller Celebrity Silloette ship and found it took a bit of getting used to, we had balcony cabin 6283 on deck six, there are only two sets of lifts which meant a lot of walking to get to the activity areas and the food. It took a bit of time sorting out our dining room conditions but unlike our last cruise on Princess we had dinner at five thirty on a table for two with no trouble, and the service was a lot faster. The only thing which spoilt it was the menu it had very avant-guard look to it, it had very few recognizable items. The buffet (ocean cafe) had a fantastic choice arranged in a series of islands, apart from freshly baked breads including French baguettes, rye and other continental varieties. There were Egg station, Grill, Pasta, pizza, Mexican and Stir fry. Also there were salad and people with allergies were well catered for. The cabin was spacious with a convertible settee as well as a bed the balcony was slightly bigger than Princess, there was a big TV with some free films and the normal navigation channel although this didn’t give all the information I was used to. The on-suit was good plenty of room for this type of bathroom and it had a sliding door on the shower there was a permanent night light – low powered. Again it had a drawback there were only three clothes draws the rest of the storage was in overhead lockers which meant climbing on the beds.the entertainment was hit or miss, we had some fantastic acts and some which weren’t worth coming to. The main hosts were Jazz, Vish and Veli while nice enough young men their English was definitely lacking making it hard to understand them in Trivia quizzes for example. If you were lucky they laid on the usual games shows late at night such as Mr & Mrs, liarliar, majority rules and Yes No these usually involved the cruise director Sue and her assistant Sarah and all round the ship there was music of one sort or another . The weather for the cruise was poor mainly overcast with frequent showers and a couple of days with rough seas. The ports were good but spoilt by the weather and a bit of planning, when we got to Bilboa it was a Sunday and All Saints Festival day on top of which the shuttle bus was ten Euros. On arriving back at Southampton after doing as we were told and putting our suitcases out and then having to wait until we were told to disembark we found we could have taken our own cases off. Read Less

We had a great experience on our 21 Oct 18 cruise. The staff were great, drinks package was excellent value for money, food plentiful, hot and lots of variety. The shows were grand we enjoyed the John & Paul duo, Al the American comedian, The Tenor (I'm afraid I can't remember his name - but he was good), Reigning Rocks was fantastic, Trust me jack were great (but loud!) and we enjoyed lots of other stuff and there were talks also !- the ones by Jim Kennedy from NASA were extremely interesting and we went to all 5!. The Captains' talk was also incredibly enlightening. We had a very good time - not every event was to our taste so we didn't go, but that wasn't a problem as there was always something to do (we are adults and can actually entertain ourselves!) This was a value for money, action packed cruise. Anyone who says otherwise must be used to 10* service elsewhere (in which case I'd love to know where so I can give it a go). The ship was spotless. There were a higher number of older folk on this particular cruise - so the pace was a bit slower - but when on hols - chillax. I'd recommend this ship as a holiday for anyone who wishes to spoil and indulge themselves. Just go with the flow - apologies for the pun. Some staff of note were: SkyLounge Connor & Bogdan, MDR4 Eva on the front desk - she's from Macedonia - she is completely on the ball and will assist you with the biggest smile. Toto, Pawan & Luidmyla were also so charming & efficient, Lillia on the MDR3 (and egg station at breakfast). Finally, of course our stateroom attendant - Kosim - total gentleman. One tip - if you're at a loss for something to do - there's a daily crossword and soduku available from the Guest Relations centre - and you can always get a pack of cards and just play whatever card games you're in to. You cannot possibly get bored! Note I've only given a 4 for Fitness & Rec as we didn't use the gym (shudders). Nor did we go on any organised excursions - we prefer to do our own thing. Read Less

We selected this cruise because the itinerary was totally new to us - we had not previously been to any of the stops. We flew from Florida through Philadelphia on British Airways to Heathrow (LHR) and arrived before 7am. About a month before the cruise we booked the 8:30am National Express bus on-line from Terminal 5 to Southampton ($25 each). The bus arrived 10 minutes prior and became full. It was a Saturday and we arrived in Southampton in 75 minutes. There were no cabs at the bus station and somehow our phone was not roaming to contact UBER, but the Holiday Inn was a short walk (if it had been raining we would have absolutely needed a cab or get UBER to work). In the afternoon we enjoyed a little walk around the Old Town and in the evening, there was a terrific mall with a lower level and lots of different restaurants to eat inside or outside. The next morning, the Silhouette was docked almost next to the hotel - so we walked. A princess ship was further away and would have needed a cab. The ship looked great, our balcony room was spotless, the drink package was tons of fun (included specialty coffees as well as cocktails and wine). The entertainment was fine enough - started out poorly and became better over time (or we just drank more - LOL) Food was yummy - on our early days with tours, we had room service for breakfast - otherwise we always made it to the dining room right before the 9am deadline. Sea days, we had lunch in the dining room, we ate in the main dining room at select dining every night. We enjoyed a nice table for 2 with the same waiter almost every night - we met other couples also placed at the same area and so it was also a social time. We have always enjoyed the speakers on Celebrity; these people were fine, but not great. However, it was something to do on the sea days. Ports Vigo - Took the ship tour the Santiago to Compestello - beautiful weather and town was lovely. Highly recommend this tour! Watch the movie "The Way" before you go. Lisbon - the sail in is beautiful and our balcony was on the port side - so we ate breakfast outside during the arrival. On our own, walked about 25 minutes from the dock to get onto Tram 28. The wait was too long, but we had a good time and got an idea of the city. It let us out at an unknown area and I would suggest finding a cab to get back, or take the next tram back to a main area. There are many city buses to take you everywhere. Beware of pick pockets as a couple we met on the ship were robbed Lanzarote - beautiful seaside location. We took the ship tour that was terrific with camels and the volcano national park. Highly recommend this tour! Gran Canaria - We took the inexpensive ship city tour and it was great - went all over the place, a beach overlook, town of Teror, a caldera high in the mountains. Lots of fun. There was a nice pedestrian shopping area straight past the entrance of the port - past a replica of the Chris Columbus Nina. Tenerife - It was raining and we planned to walk around the town and to the Mercado, but instead, we rode around on the HOHO bus that also included a walking tour. It was not really worth the $25 per person for the HOHO, but with the rain stopping and the little walking tour, it was ok. We left the tour to go to the Mercado and then walked the lovely shopping streets back to the ship. The sail away is fabulous of the mountains. Maderia - very beautiful stop. The ship is not really conveniently docked and there is not free transportation to get out the port. there was some sort of shuttle and there were cabs, but we decided to walk 2 miles to the cable car. It was a nice walk and good weather. The cable car line moved very quickly (16 Euro round trip) and a good long ride. When we arrived at the top, it started to pour - ugh! but then it stopped. We did not do the crazy basket ride down the hill, but walked to the church and there was a pretty garden, if you want to spend time and more $. La Coruna - the ship was running late so we canceled our planned tour and went ourselves to the old town - and there is a fort of 1 Euro. Bilbao - Lovely surprise - clean and beautiful. We took the 10 euro shuttle from the ship to several blocks from the Guggenheim. We were in time for a docent tour and after spent time outside at all the sculptures. When we walked back to the bus, many shops were closing. We could have also found a cab to get to the old town - others said it was nice, but since everything was closing, we wandered around a little and then took the shuttle back to the ship. Read Less

The Cruise Boarding was excellent, with no queuing at all, we were actually on board for 10.30 am. A little perk of being Captains Club Elite Plus allows us to board from 10.30am. As we stepped onto the ship as always I just felt ah yes we are back home, it is a wonderful feeling at the start of any cruise. The Itinerary was two days at sea to the Azores where we docked at 2.00pm with a sail time of 9.00pm. As it was going dark by 7.00pm we felt this was a little tight for a good look around Ponta Del Garda Island so we booked a ships excursion, we normally do our own trips. The trip was excellent, a visit to the botanical gardens followed by a one to a pineapple plantation and then onto the famous blue and green lakes which sit in the calderas of very old volcanoes. We really enjoyed the whole trip and a childhood ambition to visit the Azores was ticked off the bucket list! We then had another very relaxing day at sea down to Madeira where we enjoyed a trip under our own steam via two cable car ways. The botanical gardens high up in the hills. These gardens are a must for anyone who likes horticulture at all, there is colour all year round. The four day tour of the Canary Islands and as we have had many holidays in these islands we just enjoyed a relaxing stroll in each of the port towns indulging in one of our great pleasures siting in a street café with a cup of coffee people watching, Wonderful!! Another pleasant day at sea and then a full day in Lisbon on of our very favourite cities on this occasion we had a full tour on the open top bus which was excellent. We use the Red buses quite often and find them an excellent way of seeing the ports. Our State Room We had opted for a sunset veranda once again as we love the view from the back of the ship. I have heard all sorts of comments about these State Rooms, engine noise, you can feel the ship moving, soot for the exhaust stacks but we have never experienced any of these problems we just sit there and enjoy the wonderful view. Quite often at night the ships wake is illuminated with a coloured light and to sit there with night cap before we turn in for the night for half an hour is just wonderful. Food The food was excellent everywhere. We tend not to use the Ocean View Restaurant very often for Breakfast we go into Tuscan Grill for the Elite coffee Break another little perk we really enjoy as part of the Captains club benefits. At lunchtime we often east in the Spa Healthy Eating area. This is a great little spot where you can get some lovely light snacks which is all we really want mid-day when we are on board ship. The Grand Cuvee dining room is always very good and we always go for Select Dinning. We find it gives us maximum flexibility with whatever else we want to do, shows or other entertainment. The service was great this year although I do find the Sommeliers rather busy, I do like to discuss the excellent selection of wines with them but they just don’t seem to have the time these days, a great pity. Our great indulgence though is the Specialty Restaurants, we had seven nights eating in them on this cruise! Our number one restaurant is always Tuscan Grill. We choose to eat there always on the first and last night of any cruise and very often some other night. We love the relaxed atmosphere in this area the staff are always so good and we have time to talk with the waiters and sommeliers it is always a wonderful experience. Murano’s is another great restaurant, rather more formal than Tuscan but we enjoyed our two visits on this cruise very much. A great surprise to us on this cruise was the changes to Qsine. No longer do you order on the Ipad from a selection of worldwide menus it is now a digital spectacular I am saying no more at this stage I do not want to spoil the element of surprise for anyone but it is certainly a not to be missed experience we loved it!! Our final indulgence was a night in the Lawn Grill this is another alternative experience, you can, if you wish get involved in preparing your flat bread starter and in cooking your main course steak which we have done on previous cruises but we elected to have it cooked for us on this occasion. It is a wonderful evening do, not rush it leave yourself plenty of time to soak up the experience. It is a great night. The Entertainment There were four shows by the ships on board team and they were really top quality we enjoyed the all although we had seen them before. The guest entertainers who come onto the ship throughout the cruise were all excellent except for one comedian who did a show the night as we left Lisbon and he was terrible. I was disgusted with the subject t matter which was quite abusive to certain sections of the community. I was very disappointed that Celebrity had taken this act on board it certainly was not up to their usual high standard. The entertainment around the ship was good we especially liked the classical duo who were superb there were also the usual singer song writer type of group in Ensemble lounge each evening where we tend to have our pre dinner drinks and they were all excellent. The guest speakers were some of the best. We had Professor Tony Beech a research Forensic phycologist who gave six talks on all aspects of this topic and the increasing audiences over the duration of the cruise spoke for themselves, he was an excellent speaker. We also had another Professor of Art at New York University who also gave six excellent talks on all aspects of art and artists another great speaker and again the packed audiences in Celebrity Central spoke volumes. The third speaker was equally interesting and his talks were all around aspects of the sea from Tall Ships to great historical captains, again a fascinating speaker. The Ship The ship was spotless as always and all the crew were so polite and attentive I really cannot find anything to criticise we love Silhouette. This was a wonderfully relaxing cruise and we are counting the days to our next cruise this time on Connie!! Read Less

Enjoyed the cruise but it was interesting that even though I was on the same ship in April 2017 with the same captain at the helm, I noticed some changes and not all of them for the better. But it was still an enjoyable cruise with interesting ports and itinerary of sufficient sea days. One main complaint is ...insufficient time at the ports, specially Lanzarote. We went with Concierge Class cabin. Our first cabin was 2145 on deck 12. That cabin is just below one of the bars or cafe or kitchen as we were kept awake all through the night with loud noises such as moving furniture, banging, closing doors, etc. Later we moved to cabin 9255 which was perfect both in size and location. Both the embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. We were at the port by 11.30am and onboard by 11.45am! Now that is efficient service from the staff. We ate lunch at the Moonlight Sonata restaurant and settled in our cabin at 1pm. The sail-away was a lot of fun. We went with fixed dining at 6pm in Moonlight Sonata and had 3 other couples as table mates, all in the same age group but from different countries, so it made for interesting dinner conversations. The food was good, but as my husband noted, he preferred the choice at the OceanView cafe for dinner. The table waiter was very informative and made some good recommendations. We didn't purchase the 'drink package' as it would not be worth it for us. We did purchase a bottle of white wine and paid $52 for it....but it lasted for 7 of the 10 days of the cruise. The Eclipse is a beautiful ship and I definitely cannot say anything negative about the public areas, always kept clean. The Grand Foyer is bright and the library is bright and relaxing. The service from the Concierge desk manager was superb. I really liked that he was there to welcome every Concierge class traveller at embarkation and introduce himself. Very nice touch. Our cabin attendant was superb as well. Always smiling and happy and paid attention to every detail. In fact he would anticipate what we would require. Entertainment was great. We didn't go for every show but the ones we saw were all great. We specifically chose this cruise because it was going to 3 of the Canary Islands, one of which included Gran Canaria. All great ports. We only did one of the tours offered by the ship...the moonscape hike in Lanzarote....absolutely loved it. The guide was very informative and the scenery breath-taking. Overall, this cruise was very relaxing, interesting and enjoyable. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we wanted to leave from Southampton, and wanted some autumn sunshine Arrived at Southampton easily Journey took 3 and a half hours , worst part was the traffic jam for Ikea ! Checked in swiftly and was onboard with a glass of fizz before 12 Had lunch in the Oceanview cafe , cabin was ready by 1 so we took our bag to the room and put the passports etc into the safe Just wandered round and explored The safety drill was a bit silly , we couldn’t see the film , or hear the words as 2 couples near us talked incessantly throughout Was on Solstice Deck with a glass of wine for Sailaway , and stayed up there til about 5 when it got a little chilly ( DH hadn’t taken a jumper with him ) bearing in mind it’s October in the U.K. the weather was good , we sat on our balcony until it was time to get ready for dinner We ate in the main dining room , our team were Slavica, Selwin and Akhil Food was fine , not amazing but tasty and edible We were tired out , so went to our room and asleep by 9-30 Day at sea The Atlantic was calm. And we had a restful day Breakfast in the ocean view , then we found window seats in the Sky lounge and stayed til lunchtime, everywhere was crowded so we ended up in the main Dining Room We then had sun beds in the solarium , with towels over our legs as the wind was still chilly , we made our way to the sun deck by about 3 ( still covered up ) I had the most expensive manicure of my life in the afternoon ( but my nails and hands look fabulous ) be very wary of the beauty salon , they don’t advertise the prices , which are extortionate by U.K. standards , and then they whack 18% service charge on top Evening chic night , a variety of clothes , but everyone seemed happy Fab show in the theatre , Amade . Singing , dancing and amazing trapeze type gymnastics, modern , with a hint of Mozart Then up to the Sky lounge for singing and dancing to ABBA Slept like a log ! Day 2 at sea Woke at 7-30. Another beautiful day ! Went to the MDR for breakfast , which was a bit busy ( to say the least ) normally they expect 500, and today over 1000 turned up We took the tour of the galley later in the morning , which was very interesting , introduced to the chefs and the hotel services manager , We were shown round the kitchens and service area, before ending up in the specialty restaurants We found sun beds on the Solstice deck and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon Dinner in the MDR , then coffee and brandy on deck in the Sunset Bar Day 3 Up early to have breakfast and be on deck ready to see the arrival into Madeira , sat watching out happily looking at the Island, to realise Madeira was actually on the other side , so swapped and watched there ! We walked into town, and wandered round , which was ok , but it was very hot. Air was quite polluted with traffic fumes so we went back to the ship early We had dinner in the MDR Coffee in El Bacio , watched the show and had a night cap in the sunset bar Day 4 Tenerife Woke and we were already approaching the island , docked at around 10 and took the shuttle into town. It was a Spanish National holiday , so most shops and museums were closed We went on the hop on tourist bus ( 18 Euro each ) which took about an hour , we got off and walked round an amazing Botanic garden with fountains and beautiful plants Back to the ship by 2-30 for a late lunch then some sunbathing, it was over cast but very warm Dinner , show , then the silent disco , which was hysterical! Very hot so went for a night cap in the sunset bar Friday 13th Day 5 Gran Canaria Caught the hoho bus again. €20 each , not very good , bus driven at speed and WiFi not working Got off at lovely beach , 2 sun beds and a parasol for €15 , beautiful clear water and sand Clean loos and showers there too. Only about 20 mins walk back to the ship Called in at a supermarket , and bought some Spanish brandy to take home ( €22 for 2 bottles ) these were taken from us on out return to the ship and will be returned on the last day Ate in the main dining room , then up to the sunset bar for a few drinks and chatting with fellow passengers Day 6 Lanzarote Stayed on board as we were docked a fair distance out , and we were sailing away at 2 pm Very hot day , sunbathed and went in the pool Lovely Lunch in the ocean view , huge roasts. Turkey. Beef. Lamb and pork We made ourselves turkey salad rolls which were delicious , a selection of different sorts of British trifles in large glass bowls looked impressive too , stayed on deck til after 5 , then on the balcony in our robes after the shower to enjoy the cool breeze Nice dinner , watched the show then early night Day 7 At sea Just flopped about on sundeck til about 4 , a bit choppy , and a strong breeze Day 8 Vigo Our excursion had been cancelled due to the bad weather. So we just walked around A beautiful old city. We walked to the top of the citadel , then did some shopping. Back on board by 3-30 for a late lunch and some afternoon tea A bit of a chilly sail away. But lovely views of a beautiful old city The wind picked up , and we had a really rough night at sea ,not good timing , sailing the Bay of Biscay in the wake of hurricane Ophelia !!! I was prepared to stay awake all night , as it was quite scary , however I managed to sleep off and on Day 9 At Sea Woke at 8 and it was still dark. Had breakfast , then found some sun beds in the solarium , where it’s undercover . It was very choppy still , the indoor pool had to be drained as the water was swishing everywhere ! By lunchtime all was calm again we sat by a window in the Oceanview cafe in the afternoon with a couple of glasses of wine which was a lovely restful way to spend the end of the holiday Day 10 Breakfast in the Oceanview at about 7-30 then made our way off at about 9 , found our suitcases easily , over the road to the car park and home Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was sailing from Southampton. We usually take a flight before cruising so we were interested to see how Southampton would work. The embankment was quick and efficient from the time we reached the cruise terminal to getting on board was only a matter of 20 minutes. The ship was great spotless and all the crew were wonderful. Our cabin was an ocean view (3143) we always take a balcony cabin usually but thought we would try out the ocean view. It was very good near the lifts, shops and dinning. The cabin steward was brilliant always kept the cabin clean and catered for all our needs. I wouldn't hesitate to have the same cabin again. I especially like the shower with doors instead of a shower curtain. We didn't go to many of the shows we aren't great lovers of musicals but we did enjoy the magician. The staff in the resturants were very good and the food was delicious. The ocean view cafe was excellent a great variety. Our first stop was to Maderia which is a beautiful island and the weather was great. We have been to the canaries islands many times on land holidays, so we were keen to see how a cruise to the islands would be. We felt the stay at the ports were too short a time as the cruise were only 10 days so it seemed a bit rushed. There wasn't a lot to do in the ports. As it was a 10 day cruise in October, the first two days out weather wise was chilly and the same coming back. Disembarkment was also good off the ship and through customs in no time. Overall we would cruise with Celebrity Eclipse again but not to the canaries. Read Less

My daughter and I chose this cruise because it's duration was10 days and went to the Canary Islands and Madeira! It was wonderful - service was top class - entertainment really good - food gorgeous. The ship was spotless and all the staff were amazing. There did seem to be a lot of older people on this cruise and we felt some of the activities catered more for 'older' people. Having said this, it did not take away from our enjoyment! This ship also catered really well for wheelchair users - it must be wonderful to have these facilities available! The entertainment team were tireless - what energy? We only missed two shows but the rest were fantastic! I enjoyed Eddie's 'Top Ten Things You Didn't Know About Cruise Life' - it was so interesting! My other favourite 'event' was the Tribute to James Taylor.... Fantastic!! My only criticism would be the wifi access! Either you pay a fortune or you don't get any at all. Surely this should be made affordable. Read Less

We (my 18 year old son and I) went on the celebrity eclipse canaries cruise on 28/9/17 from Southhampton. Embarking was very well organised and we were soon heading up to the main cafe type self service oceanview cafe for lunch.( I booked with Visioncruise and I knew from watching that John Cooper chap on TV that the law of the sea was to attend the buffet on embarking!) Huge selection of very good food with some healthy options! The cabins were soon ready in the early afternoon and our luggage arrived soon after. We booked an inside one on the grounds we were not aiming to spend much time there. The other thing is that they are far cheaper than an ocean view one. I think partly the cheap price is due to the fact they do not include the drinks package with the inside cabins but do on any other grade. As we do not drink alcohol the drinks package was superfluous. They do have some non alcoholic drinks packages but fruit juices, a non alcoholic cocktail fruit mix,water,tea,coffee are all complimentary in the ocean view cafe anyway. It is open for drinks 24hrs, and for food most of the time. The cabin was very comfortable with a good amount of space and nice ensuite. I liked the room service breakfast (complimentary) too. Some guests just used it for coffee and fruit juice in the cabin and then went up to the oceanview cafe or main restaurant for their extensive choices. We did book about 4 meals in the speciality restaurants and they were very good but the complimentary main dining room was also excellent with lots of choice and very good staff. Certainly the complimentary moonlight sonata dining room was my favourite for lunch! The deck pool area was very good in the sunshine. Sometimes though all the loungers got reserved by people not actually there for extended periods. They state that the pool staff will remove items left for this and they can then be reclaimed. However they do not actually do this so a lot of reserved loungers could be a problem on very sunny days at sea. If loungers were not reserved they would probably have enough of them for everyone. I liked some of the daytime talks in the theatre about all sorts of interesting subjects. The evening shows were great fun too. Jayne Curry, a singer/comedienne with the Celebrity orchestra as backing, was my favourite but the trapeze artists were amazing. We went on a Celebrity excursion to Santiago to Compostella which was very well organised and also to Mount Teide in Tenereife. We went about by ourselves in Lisbon and Madeira which was very easy as the ship parks very close to the centres. In Madeira we hailed a taxi to get to the cable car and the driver offered us 3 hours round Madeira for 70 euros. We had a wonderful tour of all the vantage points, and a fishermans village and a church where the last emperor of Austria was "buried" - well the coffin was still visible in a side chapel. The driver took us to the sledge ride we wanted to go on and waited for us at the bottom.Speaking to experienced cruisers it is often good to negotiate a private tour with a local taxi once you have stepped off the ship. Be sure to leave plenty of time to get back on the ship though!. Internet access on ship is very expensive but the ports are all equipped with free Wi FI in various places like the cruise terminals. I am very prone to motion sickness and I did feel sick on the first full day at sea crossing the Bay of Biscay - apparently we caught the end of Hurricane Maria. Thereafter I had no problem at all during the rest of the cruise. The stabilisers seemed a lot better that when I last went on a cruise 25 years ago. Spa treatments are expensive on ship even with their discounts but nice for an occasional treat - I had 2 x 50 mins massages with a very expert practitioner and my joints and muscles felt a lot better. Captain Leo was great fun. His initial announcement as the "voice from above" in the navigation deck was that we would be leaving Southhampton when he had found the ignition keys! He obviously enjoyed meeting the guests and waving us off on our excursions in port with his officers. He did a very interesting talk too on how the ship worked and navigation etc.with plenty of time for questions. Of course the conversation got round to the Costa Concordia. I asked if it was true (I've seen the film Titanic) that if the ship was sinking that he the Captain would be the last off the ship? He said " Madam, you are very optimistic!". He did add, I hasten to say, that yes the captain was responsible for the evacuation so would be on ship till completed. All in all an excellent Holiday. I am going to book another with Celebrity. Read Less

Really great transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale. We were in a balcony cabin that seemed to have a little more space which we definetly liked. Very clean and a lot of fun activities throughout the cruise. Alejandro was a fantastic and funny Cruise Director. Entertainment started off a little slow, but it improved and got better as we continued our itinerary. Food was really good and dining room service was excellent. The Captain greeted us when we started the cruise and bid us a farewell at the end of the cruise as well. My wife and I were amazed to see the Captain & staff participate in activities during the sailing. They were all very visible and approachable. The "Beyond The Podium" speakers did an exceptional job. This was a special cruise for us. The only thing that was disappointing for my wife and I, were the ports of Agadir, Morocco and Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Not to exciting for us. Other than that, we really enjoyed ourselves. Read Less

This is our 7th cruise in all and our 4th on Celebrity Eclipse. As we don't fly, sailing from Southampton is very convenient as it's only a couple of hours from home. Embarkation was really smooth and as we were Concierge we were able to board before 12. When we boarded we were greeted by a glass of champagne which was welcome. As expected, there are staff trying to get you to buy upgrades and drinks packages but we never felt any pressure to buy anything. The ship is beautifully appointed and spotlessly clean. The main atrium with glass backed lifts is breathtaking. Cabin was perfectly adequate and as we were Concierge, we had better bathrobes and a pillow menu. We made good use of the balcony as sun was on our side from early afternoon until sunset. We dined in main restaurant with set dining as we like to sit with same people and get to know our waiting staff. Our waiter was Tasha assisted by Radha and both were excellent. We are non meat eaters and whilst on previous cruses this has been a bit of a problem, but not this time. In addition to a wide range of fish dishes, they now have a vegetarian menu which we were offered every night. Breakfast and lunch were in Oceanview Cafe. The range and quality of food available is tremendous. If you go during peak times you can have a problem finding a table but when that happened we simply came back a bit later. Entertainment was OK with shows and individual performers. Our favourites were the matinee on the final day with singers from the ship's cast who were superb and Beatles Celebration who did two performances, one in the theatre and one in the Sky Lounge where we danced and sang like we were teenagers again. Sue Denning the cruise director was brilliant, don't know where she gets her stamina from and in fact the whole entertainment team were great.. We found the service really friendly. The staff work really hard. We did not do any shore excursions, preferring to take local HoHo buses. Our undoubted favourite place was Madeira which was enchanting. We will definitely go back again. Celebrity have decided to end formal nights and replace with "Evening Chic". Problem is that most people either didn't know or decided to ignore it and wear formal anyway. You therefore had a mix of people, some in casual and others in dinner suits. I suggest that Celebrity either abandons dress codes entirely or goes back to formal. Read Less

This was our 3rd Celebrity cruise and we had a fabulous time. Ship, cabin, crew, food and entertainment were 1st class. After the first night, we went on select dining but dined at roughly the same time each night after meeting up in the Matrtini Bar with friends. We were always found a table quickly and was never disappointed with either the food or service. We pre-booked the 3 speciality restaurants, however we would not do this again as we found Qusine not to our taste. Tuscan Grille was good with some interesting steaks, but Murano was excellent. We made a night of it with 4 friends and turned it into our own 'formal' night - what a brilliant time we had - one of the best meals we have ever had. The entertainment was very varied and they tried hard to meet all tastes. Sue Denning was an excellent cruise director and seemed to be everywhere - first off the ship when we docked making sure everyone was ok, around the pool in the day as well as hosting all the shows late into the night! We ventured in to the silent disco which was absolutly hilarious! We were slightly surprised by how many cruisers had mobility issues, but the ship coped well, albeit, at times it was dodge the mobility scooter, but it didnt bother us. The gym was well equiped and well used, although I would have preferred the treadmills to be pointed forward rather than starboard - on rough sea days(and we had a few) I found it difficult to run. We did a mixture of organised trips and doing our own thing. We were very disappointed with our trip to the mussel farm in Vigo, very poor value. We did complain but did not get any gesture of credit as others did, which seemed inconsistent. Our favourite ports were Funchal and Lisbon - both places that we would like to return to. We had the classic drinks package thrown in and did not upgrade - good decision as we got full value out of the standard package. The drinks were very expensive even without the £/$ issue, so being on a package meant we did not need to worry! Overall this was our best cruise - we made friends with some lovely people, and we are now planning our next cruise with them! Read Less

Celebrity Eclipse What a ship . This was our second time on this ship first time we did concierge class this time we tried aqua class what a pleasant surprise . Our holiday started at the hilton hotel southampton stayed overnight and took taxi down to ship early next day .We arrived before our allotted time but we were ushered on with such ease it took about 20 minutes from start to boarding the ship . Cabins were ready by one o, clock .In our cabin we had a bottle of wine canopies and fruit and every day of the cruise we had different types of teas .Our dinning option was a restaurant called Blu ,looking this restaurant up before our cruise it stated it was healthy dining a lot of reviews stated that the food was bland DONT believe it the food was amazing , the service was second to none everyone of the staff looked as though they enjoyed working there . From the manager Faith , the girl on the main desk Suki (who never forgot our names or room number ) ,our waiters Raffy and Michael ,Jasna our wine waiter (amazing lovely girl my fav) and Davidson who was always there at breakfast to give me my coffee with a smile and a laugh. Entertainment on the eclipse is VERY GOOD the entertainments team are superb Sue Denning and her team work tirelessly to give you a great cruise . A Couple of bad points (not down to any of the staff ) the speciality coffee lounge there are polite notices on the tables asking people to have there coffee and vacate there seats for other passengers this didn't happen, people sat there with there books , knitting etc didn't want to move . the other down point was the ocean view cafe it gets very busy i mean really busy sometimes it took us a good 15 minutes to find a seat .Food in the ocean view was very good (fish and chips superb ) Tip if u only want a hot dog or a burger and chips go to the mast grill not so crowded . Tip..... take one of the drinks packages saves you money ... places we visited ..... vigo ( walked for miles ) Madeira beautiful island clean, friendly just a lovely island ..... Tenerife ( didn't do much just walked ) gran canaria ( walked to a beach ) Lisbon (two days ) what a lovely place this is spent two days exploring the backstreets , churches and parks. Tip... watch your valuables do not put wallet or purse in backpacks .... One more thing if you take the Aqua class package you do not have to eat in blu you can eat in the main dining room but why would you !! I had my 59 birthday on our cruise and after our meal in Blu all the waiters, Faith everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday and i got a cake a real treat and surprise . Celebrity cruises thank you .... Read Less

We were once more enjoying one of our favourite ships, the fabulous Celebrity Eclipse on the October 16th thirteen night cruise taking in the Canaries and Portugal. This route was a first for us having previously cruised the Caribbean in October/November each year or the Fjords in May/June. We chose to drive to Southampton from Lancashire and set off early even though it was a Sunday sailing. Traffic and conditions were great so a good trip and with just one toilet stop and arrived in the car park at just after 10am. A short walk into the terminal and a tremendously smooth embarkation process followed by a very short wait in the lounge and we were on board by 10:40 being welcomed with a glass of champagne. We had a little explore to check nothing had changed since last year when we were last on board and had a lovely coffee in Al Bacio and a chat to a few fellow passengers. A further little walk and then on to the Ocean View Café for a really nice buffet lunch before being allowed to our cabin around 1:30pm. We were in a 2C partially obscured balcony cabin on the Port Side, cabin 6257. The obstructions on this level are the top of the life boats and the davits that hold them. This cabin was central on a lifeboat so a very minor obstruction and thus great value when you look at the deck above at far more cost. We had a very attentive cabin steward in Josefino who was very good as are most cabin stewards I have come across on previous cruises. This is a nice cabin, larger than a few other ships we have sailed, well laid out, flat screen TV a decent bathroom with shower with rounded closing doors rather than the dreaded shower curtain you endure on some ships. There was plenty storage for our clothes and sufficient hangers. Our case was then dispatched under the bed which was handy as it does not clutter the room. The toiletries supplied are adequate but not of the standard of a few years ago on Celebrity and one thing my wife seemed to moan about daily was the lack of power of the hair drier. We were on Select dining (something I believe should be in place on all cruise ships) so chose to reserve a table for two at 8:30pm in the Moonlight Sonata Dining Room and Olga the Dining Room hostess found us a nice table for 2 and we had two great waiters in Rudy & Jackline, so much so that after the first night we rebooked that table nightly via the very helpful Olga. We ate in the main dining room for all but one night when my wife was not feeling on top form and I went alone to the Ocean View and had a very nice meal in what at that time was a very quiet buffet restaurant. I am not one for ‘paid for’ speciality restaurants and we did not venture into any to eat although we paid them all a visit to look. I must say they were really pushing these and there were some good offers as the cruise progressed. Having spoke to a couple of people who did use them they seemed very enjoyable experiences. The food in the main dining room was all of a good standard, presented well, served hot (always a challenge in my opinion) and with good taste. We had a good choice and only a couple of things were repeated, but they were things I enjoyed so I was happy with that. We had the Classic drinks package as part of the cruise (supposedly a perk but I still think it is factored into the cabin cost) and although we are not big drinkers and it’s probably a good thing as even with what we did drink plus the coffees in Al Bacio I worked out at the prices on board it would have given us a bill of close on £500 - drink is very expensive if you do not have a package - but you are on holiday so get on with it and stop moaning. My dear wife tried several of daily cocktails ($8 - $11 + 18% service charge) and I generally stuck to G & T at what would have been $7.50 + 18% service charge had we paid individually outside a package. We enjoyed the various bars, people watching but are disappointed that Michaels Club is now a Members Only area. I must say Royal Caribbean could think about this as it is not a positive move. The Ocean View Café was the venue for breakfast and most lunches with much better variety than both P & O earlier in the year and Royal Caribbean last year. It was always busy but the staff worked well at clearing tables and seating people. This together with cards on tables asking guests to vacate when finished to let fellow guests eat was good but not over officious. We took in most of the shows and enjoyed all (we did see the same production shows on Eclipse last year but I would say this years were performed better by this cast). The guest entertainers were all good and Sue Denning works tirelessly to pull everything together and is a real credit to Celebrity. I appreciate others might day different but entertainment is always subject to personal taste. We enjoyed all port stops and also the warmer weather. We don’t book ship trips but made our own way without spending silly money. Of all ports on this trip Maderia was a highlight, it was really nice, I even got the dear wife on the cable car to get to the toboggans and she is really scared of heights! Lisbon was most definitely worth the two days stay, something pre trip I was concerned about but in honesty a third day would have been good. This is city I will book a long weekend to visit again as I enjoyed it so much. I thought the slowness of the first two days sail could have been improved by adding an additional port stop – P & O Ventura sailed at the same time on a similar itinerary and did it all in 10 days as opposed to our 13. I am happy with 13 as its a longer holiday but a further port stop would have been good. Back on board my wife booked for Zumba but only completed two classes before the instructor 'pulled a fetlock' and there was no replacement. I did wonder could one of the dance team not have taken this class? For the 2nd year running my wife won a watch in the raffle, I have told her next time can she win a cruise!!!! We love the ship, its well laid out, well run, great Captain and team of officers who always engage with you and all staff seem happy in their work which is good and gives a great atmosphere. All in all a great vacation and we will certainly be back on Celebrity in the not too distant future when I have saved some more pennies! It is still our most favourite cruise line having now tried a few and well worth the little extra it costs. Disembarkation was first class, we chose to take our own luggage off and literally had breakfast and walked off the ship, no customs issues or waiting in lounges for times to leave and we were in the car by 8,30 and on the road back North. If you have not been on Celebrity before Eclipse is a great starting point - yes drinks are expensive but if you are prepared you should be OK. Standard of food is good and if you want more, just ask, no one will be offended, I know a few say there are less courses and less choice but there is plenty for us. Read Less

We chose Celebrity because we had never done one of their cruises. We have cruised about 15 times. The Eclipse is a beautiful ship and you certainly feel spoiled and well looked after. The cabin stewards change towels twice a day and the sheets are changed frequently. We had a balcony stateroom which was not overbig and had very little drawer space for 2 weeks. Left T shirts etc in my case. The waiters and waitresses are amazing and Yashvin and Carola did a fantastic job and always with a smile. The entertainment was very good - best I have seen. The specialist restaurants are very good but we were disappointed with the food in the general restaurants especially the Ocean Cafe. The choice was good but the quality not so good. Most of the roast meats were overcooked and dry. Not as good as other ships we have been on - P & O, Royal Caribbean and Cunard. Everyone tries hard to please - can't fault that. The other downside is the cost of the drinks which I thought was quite steep. Please do not go on board without a drinks package because the wine is very expensive. We have learned! All in all, I would return to the ship with a drinks package and not expect too much from the food. Read Less

This was our fifth cruise with Celebrity in the last three years (our third on Eclipse from Southampton). The itinerary was not one that we would normally have chosen, with a lot of sea days, but we wanted some early autumn sunshine and, above all, the ease and convenience of a Southampton embarkation. The parking, check in and boarding process were, as usual, outstanding – even better than our last two experiences at Southampton. From parking to onboard and glass of champagne in hand in under 20 minutes. The ship is still in generally excellent condition after more than 6 years in service although there are a few signs of wear and tear in some public areas that should be addressed in the near future. We remain of the opinion that Solstice class ships are beautifully designed and that the modern chromium and glass look is preferable to dark wood and gold fittings – but that’s a matter of personal taste. The balcony staterooms are all of a generous size, with a sofa as standard and an exceptionally large balcony. The bathroom is also of a very high standard with wrap around perspex screens in the shower (no grotty shower curtains). Our stateroom attendants were excellent. We used the Oceanview Café for both breakfast and lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the range and quality of the food offered each day. This cruise seemed to have 100% cabin occupancy, and many of the guests were elderly and of limited mobility, so the self service environment could become a bit of a bun fight on occasions, but we managed to eat both breakfast and lunch on the outdoor rear deck on every day except the outbound crossing of the Bay of Biscay. We were greeted at both breakfast and lunch by the lovely Bernardo, (who dispensed the hand sanitising gel at the entrance), with wit and enthusiasm. It is always these exceptional crew members that we remember and that bring us back to Celebrity. We used the Main Dining Room every evening (we never felt the need to “upgrade” to any of the speciality restaurants). We always choose the anytime dining option as we don’t like to be committed to having dinner at a fixed time, or at a pre-determined table. Some guests seemed to be of the opinion that the anytime option didn’t work very well, but we were entirely satisfied. On our first evening we were seated with Shubert and Jaydash as our waiters and we cannot speak highly enough of their professionalism, warmth and good humour. We asked to be with them again on the next night and we then stayed with them for the entire cruise. On the few occasions when a table in their area was not available, we were given a pager and relaxed in a nearby bar for, typically, 10 minutes, until one had been prepared for us. Our sommeliers, Manuel and Sedat were superb - we have never enjoyed such attentive and generous service before. We were also impressed by what seems to be a new policy of the waiting staff taking wine orders and bringing it to the table when the sommelier is occupied elsewhere. That’s a big improvement as it has sometimes been difficult to attract a sommelier’s attention on previous cruises. The evening meal menus were superb on this cruise. We enjoyed, by way of example, Escargots, Prime Rib, Fillet Steak, Frogs Legs, several different carpaccios, Duck, Lobster, Snapper, Sea Bass, Lamb... We were particularly impressed that even on the last night, we were offered Chateaubriand. There is typically a choice of 9 or 10 starters, mains and sweets and, as it was sometimes difficult to choose, Shubert would often bring us more than one dish to try. We loved the obvious pride that he had in the wonderful food on offer every night. To our amazement we occasionally witnessed (or heard of) guests who were vociferously unimpressed with some of the dishes which reflected, I believe, more on their tastes (or lack of) than any deficiency in the food. The wine list was excellent, with a wide range available within the price constraints of the “classic drinks package”. Despite the bars being very busy, service was generally excellent, with only a few occasions where it was difficult to be served either while seated or at the bar. Given the number of sea days, daytime entertainment was important and we felt that on this cruise, the ever hard working Sue Denning and her team put on an excellent programme. We enjoyed numerous quizzes, plus the egg drop and paper aeroplane competitions. Sue is a gem, and although she probably appeals most to a largely British audience, she is one of Celebrity’s stalwarts. She is ever present and was even there, on the gangplank, on the last day, wishing everyone well. The evening entertainment was varied and excellent. Three production shows, quality singers, a Beatles tribute act, comedians, a magician and a juggler, plus some top notch late night stand up and liar’s clubs. The 2 house bands were great too. A quick summary of the destinations. La Coruna is pleasant to walk around, especially up to the lighthouse Funchal is lovely. We know Madeira quite well, so a walk around the town was fine for us Tenerife was fascinating – we went on an excursion to Mount Teide which was superb. Gran Canaria – we went on the Gran Canaria City Highlights Tour which was also very good Lisbon – The ship docks right in the City, so we walked around the major sights on both days We would have much preferred an extra day in the Canaries, rather than 2 days in Lisbon. In summary, a lovely cruise with the best food and service that we have yet experienced with Celebrity (and that’s saying something). This is, perhaps, not a cruise for the young or early middle aged. Probably due to port of embarkation (no need to fly), the unchallenging itinerary and the time of year, the average age of the passengers was considerably higher than we have experienced before – perhaps mid sixties to early seventies. We also experienced a few isolated incidents of poor behaviour, with appalling rudeness to the ever hard working crew and one case of extreme drunkenness. I think most people who choose Celebrity like a “modern luxury” upmarket ambience and on this cruise, there was just a touch of an all inclusive Benidorm atmosphere on occasion. Read Less

A trip to celebrate my wife's birthday, so chose a cruise that left close to the day, and visited some places that we had never been before. This was our first cruise, and were not sure what to expect. The comfort and cleanliness of the cabin was excellent, we had a balcony, and the service in the cabin was just as good. We had breakfast in the cabin on most days. The ship was a bit crowded, no chance of a sunbed on deck, and the self service restaurant was not to our liking. A couple of long sailing periods did not help. The main restaurant was really good, very friendly service, good food, and drinks topped up regularly. We did break things up with visits to speciality restaurants, with varying success. The Tuscan Grille was our favourite, great service, great food, as many courses as you want, and a superb view. The Q-sine restaurant is a bit "off the wall", but well worth a visit. The one disappointment was Murano, which is highly thought of, but not by us. We found this to be a bit too stuffy and pretentious, although the food was very good. Our visit was spoiled by the service - we requested a different table due to excessive vibration causing my wife some distress - but were refused. We just got up and left without finishing our meal! We found the entertainment a bit weak on most nights, but there were a few good ones. We are not gamblers, so we cannot comment on the Casino. The shopping was OK as long as you want designer goods. The organisation of the ship was excellent, on embarkation, shore visits and excursions, and disembarkation. The crew were friendly, always visible, and would answer any questions. Read Less

Living near to Southampton means we can leave home and be in our cabin within an hour, this is the second time sailing on Celebrity Eclipse and the ease of getting on board is a plus. The ship was still in immaculate condition and our balcony cabin was kept efficiently clean and tidy by the cabin steward who we hardly saw. We were on freedom dining but generally ate at the same time and being given the same table which allowed us to become friendly with the waiting staff who were exceptional as was the food served. It was good that the menu had standard items every day to cater for those less adventurous eaters. We had a drinks package and the wine waiter although extremely busy did manage a refill after the first glass of the evening. The cruise director (Sue ) is one of the best we have had, she is everywhere and also talented performing in her own show and taking part in many of the activities that were offered on board. The only disappointment was the lack of availability of 'John Smiths Bitter ' in the sky lounge which meant I did not fully utilise the drinks package. The ports and excursions were well organised although Lisbon was very busy with a lot of building and road works near the port causing many traffic jams. Although the weather was not as good as it could have been we enjoyed a very relaxing cruise. Read Less

Timing and destinations were our main decision makers for this cruise. We had never cruised with Celebrity before (10 previous cruises) so thought we'd try them. On boarding there was no one to guide us to the lunch area set aside for "Concierge Class" guests, we did ask a couple of crew members but they seemed to have no idea what we were asking, so we ended up in the main buffet area. Our "Concierge" cabin was stateroom 9350 and luggage was delivered in good time. We were a little disappointed with the size of this cabin, but it was clean and nicely presented. I soon found out that the hand basin tap (faucet for the American readers) had a long, obtrusive overhang thus risking hitting one's head on it when rinsing the face. That aside, the shower was very good with a really effective, but quiet, extractor fan, no misting of the mirror whatsoever. We did not have a beverage package included with this cruise and soon found out the extortionate costs of ANY type of beverage (water, soft drinks plus, of course, alcoholic drinks). As an example one 330 cl bottle of Beck's beer was $7.50 plus 18%, so total of $8.85 (£7.38 @ $1.20 to the GB£) unbelievable! Needless to say we were careful when choosing any drinks. Had we opted into the "Premium Beverage Package" that would have cost over $2,000 or over £1,800. Okay, our cruise price was probably quite a bit lower than those who had it included, but our main objection to these packages is that both of you have to take it and my wife only has a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and a cocktail prior. We had what we wanted and our total bill came to £365, a saving of £1,445, not bad! Had we been on a package deal we would, I'm sure, have had more to drink, but silly to drink just to justify the package. Moving on to a more positive note, the food we had was very good and varied, well presented too. The "Oceanview Cafe" offered really good buffet food with a great selection to accommodate all tastes. The main dining room "Moonlight Sonata Restaurant" was equally good as was the service we received. Entertainment was reasonable, but that's all. I do agree with another contributor that special, reserved seating was opened up to all-comers just prior to the start of the performance, bear that in mind should you choose to cruise on this ship! As usual with ships' crews, they were all keen to assist and kept the public areas really clean. Our cabin attendant, Maria, and her assistant were unobtrusive and carried out their work in a warm and friendly manner. We liked this ship for its very quiet running and good food. Our biggest issues were that simply everything on board had a price tag attached (plus the mandatory 18%, of course). As another subscriber pointed out, we had never before been asked to pay for shore-side transportation at any port of call on past cruises! I hope these comments help the readership, happy cruising! Read Less

My OH chose this cruise as we had sailed the Western Med several times, visited the Baltic and had a lovely wine cruise to France and N Spain. The Eclipse was as lovely as ever. We had a balcony room on deck 8 and it was kept in great order for us by great cabin staff. I love having the bed by the balcony to be able to relax in/on the bed and watch the sea is just lovely. The bathrooms I really miss when I go home ! Embarkation was a s smooth and efficient as I have come to expect and after sipping the glass of champagne we were seated at Cafe al Bacio - one of my favourite venues! We were on board for just after 11 and the rooms were ready just after 1 - just perfect. We received our cases in good time and were all "shipshape" by Muster drill time then off to our sail away meeting at the rear of the ship. The Bay of Biscay was a little choppier than I had previously experienced but I coped and to be honest I have now allayed all fears of the sea sickness I suffered as a kid.The Eclipse made it seem like a smooth sea so that will do for me. The ports I had a mixed reaction to. La Coruna seemed a little run down though it was rather a dismal day. We enjoyed Madeira, the drive to the 2nd highest cliff in the world had me quite on the edge of my seat - it was great to see all the banana trees growing on all the tiered groves. The best excursion was on Gran Canaria where we took the whale and dolphin watching trip. We saw a Bryde's whale and too many dolphins to count. I would re do that trip any time at all and I loved it! The overnight stay in Lisbon was great and it seems that Celebrity is favouring doing more of the same. On the next trip I have booked there is an overnight at Le Havre(Paris) and Amsterdam! The staff continue to be a great strength for Celebrity. They are so genuinely helpful including those who can be in no expectation of "reward". I have a mobility issue and I never failed to be impressed by the thoughtfulness of staff e.g. the ladies in the rest rooms who would rise to press door open buttons for me.... wait for me to get there and then see the door safely locked is one example. Staff are much more considerate than some fellow travellers. On one excursion for the return coach journey one couple decided not to keep to their outward seats but to take our seats at the front which had been reserved for disabled guests! I really noticed on this trip that there was a total predominance of British cruisers on this cruise and I missed the international nature of other cruises we had done. We had chosen select dining which really suits us better - I really don't care for a time limitation as to when to get to dinner so select is perfect. The Maitre d' had us taken into dinner almost immediately every night and gave us the choice as to whether to share or to be a couple. We had lovely dinner companions each night and really enjoyed this and the food we were served. We had the drinks package and were always extremely well looked after by the sommelier. Our table wait staff were great - attentive, efficient and effective. We did one dinner in the Tuscan restaurant and we really enjoyed our steaks and the dining experience. The setting for this restaurant is lovely, right at the stern of the ship with wonderful views of the ocean. We are not musical fans so we only went to the theatre a couple of times; once to see The Beatles tribute band who were good and entertaining and once to see the late night comedian who was funny. Sue Denning as I have previously reviewed before is an excellent cruise director and we haven't half noticed the difference when we have been on a ship with a different CD. Where she gets her energy from I really do not know. She is a commensurate professional and Celebrity should try to clone her! We attended the 2 water colour painting activities but they weren't a patch on the 5 sea day classes I attended on a western Med cruise with an Art Tutor. We tried to fit in some trivia quizzes which I enjoy if I can get to them! Where we did enjoy ourselves was at the Martini bar where I tried to make inroads on the Premium Drinks package I upgraded myself to. The staff are great there and are very entertaining. I would now comment that Celebrity have reduced the number of free movies one can watch in the room. This is disappointing as there are some good films onboard but you either have to pay a surcharge to see them in the room or go to Celebrity Central to the mini auditorium there where to be honest the seats are not that comfortable! Disembarking also proved as smooth as embarkation. We located our cases very quickly and as our car was parked opposite the ship we were on the road and away very speedily. Having been spoiled for nearly 2 weeks I confess I found the drive back to Cheshire exhausting and I have decided that we will revert to train travel again in the future as it is easier. So suffering Eclipse withdrawal symptoms I have booked the British isles cruise for next June and am on countdown again. Read Less

We have sailed many times with celebrity and this was the 6th cruise on eclipse. The disappointment was that the Bistro on 5 has been replaced with Sushi on 5 This is a limited taste restaurant and was empty most days . Also the very generous celebrity have given away so many drink packages that include speciality teas and coffees, that the Re was no chance of getting a seat in cafe baccio. This cruise there were small notices asking for people to drink up and go and not play cards in Baccio. Never needed that before. I would rather that the coffees were paid for and they still gave the brunch, petite fours and the old 4 courses at dinner. I was wondering if they were trying to attract business from the likes of P and O as so many people we spoke to had cop,e to try it out. Then they complained that it t was not as good as P & O expensive wines and no union jacks. Come in celebrity you are a higher level than that , either pout up the price or stop the give always. The food was as usual fantastic, most entertainment was good. Accommodation excellent and service wonderful. These are things that celebrity has always been good at. Read Less

Read Less

Celebrity Eclipse Cruise from Southampton to Azores, Madeira, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lisbon {13 nights} This was my first proper cruise. I went on the SS Uganda in 1976 with school so I don’t count that! Went in a party of 6, all adults aged from mid-40’s to 53, from Southampton 17/09/2016. This could be quite long as I’m writing it for all first timers. I had no idea what to expect, so here goes: ARRIVAL - Arrived at Southampton approx. 11.00am, our boarding time slot was 3.00pm. This was not a problem as we just went through the process as normal. Cars drive right up to the drop off area for luggage & passengers. All luggage taken by porters and transferred to ship; you don’t see it again until you get to your cabin. I was the one numpty that left the passports in the luggage! Not a problem. Porter fetched case and took it back down when passports retrieved. I then dropped car off at the collection point literally across the road {I had arranged a drop off/collect at the port by wepark4u on the web. I would recommend this}. Very smooth and efficient system. BOARDING - We then went through the boarding process, into a large reception area where we were processed; details input onto computer, photo taken and boarding card issued {this is like a credit card that contains all security info/photograph/drinks package etc.}. The cards gets you into your cabin and any purchases on board are charged to it. You need it to get off and on the ship. This process took about 5 minutes. It was then off to the ship and board. This is when you first meet the ship’s crew, a quick scan of your card and you’re on! This ship is yours to experience. We obviously went to the bar and sampled our drinks package. At approx. 1.15pm the rooms were ready. CABIN - We had an outside room {called a Stateroom} with a fairly large window – deck 3 room 3140. It was certainly large enough for us. On entry there was a fair sized bathroom to the left: loo, sink and shower with enough storage space for our toiletries. In the cabin there was a ‘leather’ settee on left wall with a small table in front, a large flat screen TV opposite. Below was a ‘top’ area with 5 drawers below. Not massive drawers but sufficient for us. Hairdryer in the drawer. Queen size bed with overhead storage. There was a large enough electronic safe – you input your own code for the duration, and a small fridge/mini bar. You are charged for use of mini bar {well we would have been on our package}. There was a large enough double wardrobe with approx. 20 hangers in for 2 people. We had a dedicated attendant {Andrew} who looked after all of our needs – nothing was too much trouble. The room was cleaned/tidied several times a day and bed turned down at night. I would recommend an outside cabin like ours as the large window gave plenty of natural light into the cabin and made it feel large. It was also good to sit and watch the sea go by. We saw numerous dolphins and whales. I peeped into a few inside cabins and they appear to be the same size/layout but obviously no natural light. I appreciate budget plays a part in cabin choice. The only down I can think of is that the air con is on ALL of the time {we certainly never sussed out how to turn it off} and created a bit of dry eyes and throat syndrome. It can be turned up or down according to weather. TIP: take a plug converter as the plugs are either European or US. We also took an extension so we could plug more than one thing in at a time. SHIP – MASSIVE!!!! 15 decks tall. Longer that the height of the Eiffel Tower. 11,500 square feet of sail {that’s the side of the ship to the wind}. Front bow thrusters. 2 Rear azipods instead of propellers make for a quiet and smooth cruise – I learnt all this from the Captain’s talk in the theatre! Lifts fore and aft. Sky observation lounge at the front with a cracking view and a good bar. Good for relaxing. Quizzes and events held here. One pool in the solarium {adults only}. Beds can’t be reserved here. Anything longer than 30 minutes and staff remove towels etc. Two outside pools. Beds can be reserved here. If we wasn’t up by 8.00am the best beds were already taken. I used the running track here most mornings so I reserved all of our beds no problem. It’s also nice to sit and watch the sun come up. It can obviously get windy here. Towels and blankets are available on the pool decks – use as many as you need/want. The Mast grill is here and another bar. To the rear is a large lawned area with a bar. You can relax, play bowls, small putting green, sun bathe etc. There is a library and games room on deck 9 and 10 {I think} with a large central atrium and another 8 lifts. There is a 1500 seater theatre on deck 4. They do 2 shows a night. The ship has its own cast and they do majority of the shows – all very good and entertaining. They also have guest artists and we had a couple of comedians too. There are numerous shops {most of them expensive – 249 dollars for a shirt – IN THE SALE!!}. Anything purchased here is charged to your card. You can check your account details via the TV in your cabin – keep an eye on them. We were charged twice for drinks we hadn’t had; Guest Services took the charge off no problem. There was also several art auctions in the Sky lounge. Dress most of the time was casual – shorts, vest and flip flops, although the restaurants have restrictions. The clientele was primarily old; apparently Celebrity is well known for the older age group. We had no idea when booking it and to be honest it didn’t make a jot of difference. It’s a massive ship so explore and enjoy. BARS - Numerous bars on various decks. All our drinks were included {you have to show your card} and they were ‘proper’ brands such as Famous Grouse, Absolut vodka etc. All good quality stuff. Spirit measures are larger than UK as it is classed as a US ship. The measures are MINIMUM…they often pour a lot more, so get to know the bar staff!! There is a casino on board {closed whilst in ports} and plenty of one arm bandits. I managed to win over a 100 dollars on my last night – well chuffed. You need cash for the casino, it isn’t charged to your card. I used sterling, dollars and euros. RESTAURANTS – There is the Ocean View by the pool area. You can have breakfast, lunch or tea here. This is informal – shorts and vests are allowed for example. It’s very much mass catering and not always easy to find a table – for 6 anyway. There are various food stations serving different types of food from around the world. Have as much as you want. All of the staff are exceptionally helpful and go the extra mile for you. The food is of a very good standard. We had our evening meal in the Moonlight Sonata restaurant – two sittings, either 6.30pm or 8.30pm. We had the 8.30 sitting. {This worked well. It allowed us to make the most of a long day by the pool and visit Café Bachio for a coffee and treat AND have time to chill before getting ready}. We were normally finished by about 10.00pm which meant time to get to the theatre for a show. There were several specialist restaurants that you paid for so we didn’t use them. We had 3 formal nights; we all got dressed in best bib and tuckers, ladies dressed in long dresses etc. On other nights it was ‘informal chic’ – basically smart jeans/chinos and a collared and sleeved shirt, ladies looking smart in similar fashion. The food and service in the Moonlight Sonata was EXCELLENT. Everything was 5 star plus. You can have as much as you like. I had 2 crème brulees most nights! You get your own dedicated table staff and the service is above and beyond. The quality of the wine and port is excellent. PORTS OF CALL – We didn’t take any of the cruise advertised tours – we intended to do our own thing or nothing – so I can’t comment on them. AZORES: didn’t get long here. We walked around the main town, took in the scenery and the bars. Very nice and very Portuguese. Weather excellent. MADEIRA: {Funchal} very interesting. We took our own open top bus tour {15 Euros pp}, lasted about an hour – very interesting. I would recommend this, you get to see quite a bit. The main town is beautiful. We took the cable car up to the top. Views were beautiful over most of the island. There is a café here – with 2 extremes of weather. Cold up there and HOT by the coast. Weather excellent. TENERIFE & GRAN CANARIA: If you’ve been before you know what to expect. Purpose built for tourism, not really my cup of tea. When you get off at Gran Canaria turn left out of the port and head towards a tall green glass building – you can’t miss it! Continue past this and you’ll find a lovely beach so take your kit. We were not told about this by the cruise staff – probably because the cruise was trying to sell a 45 dollar trip to another beach. Large shopping centre opposite the docks if all else fails. Weather excellent. LISBON: EXCELLENT! Had 2 days here. Beautiful 17th/18th century city, stunning architecture. Plenty of narrow streets and alleys. Plenty to see and do. Built on several large hills so a lot of walking is UP…followed by quite a bit of down. Not suitable for people with mobility problems in my opinion. We took an open top bus tour for 20 Euros each. The stop is directly opposite the entrance/exit to the port, which is about a 2 minute walk when you disembark. More informative than interesting. There were plenty of tuk tuks touting for business. This seemed a good way to see the sites as they can get down the smaller streets – we didn’t use these though. We found a bar called Wine Bar do Castelo {I’ll do a separate review for that} which offered free samples! This city is beautiful and I intend to go back for a longer break. Weather excellent. Overall my opinion of this cruise is excellent; excellent ship, staff, facilities, service and experience. We’re already looking at 2018 {we’ve got Cephalonia next year}. Read Less

Granted, we are by no means seasoned ocean cruisers (this being our 2nd try only), so our expectations might have been too high. Many much more experienced travellers judge Celebrity to be a top-of-the-line cruise company with well-earned 5 stars. This, however, was not our impression. In fact, our only previous ocean cruise with MSC, from the Caribbean to Genoa, while certainly not perfect either, proved to be more agreable to our tastes than what Celebrity had to offer. Our main point of contention is Celebrity's omnipresent efforts to generate additional revenue through the sale of mostly over-priced products or services, such as beverages (in packages or single), specialty dining, internet access, etc.. This is particularly annoying, as the applicable extra charges are often not readily visible and require some scrutiny to keep your extras under control. (Footnote: We are still baffled by how a beverage package at 65 dollars per person per day can be a bargain unless you drink like a fish; not to speak of the deluxe "deal" at 77!) In the same vein are the daily "sales" of luxury goods. Their stalls clog up the public spaces and turn them into an obstacle course. Secondly, we found the cleanliness and the general condition of the tableware and the furniture (i.e. chairs) in the self-service Oceanview Cafe lacking considerably. Worn, chipped, moist or still soiled out of the dishwasher seemed to be pretty standard for the table ware, whereas the chairs were best not handled manually if possible. Thirdly, and this is not Celebrity specific, considering the average age and the number of handicapped passengers on board, we wondered how an eventual emergency situation could be dealt with given the full load we carried. Finally, and contrary to the above, we did like the quality of food and the excellent service in the dining room and by the cabin stewards. Also, the general friendliness of the crew was exemplary. The talks about the visited ports by the resident expert (Dr. Jim Rowe) were interesting and entertaining. And the mini-van tour we booked out of Punta Delgada (Azores) was well worth the price. Read Less

My husband and I have cruised many times in the past with Celebrity and it was always a thoroughly enjoyable experience characterized by very good food, excellent friendly staff, great entertainment and very well maintained and cared for ships. So it was after a gap of about five years, where we had sailed on other lines for a change of experience[ and sadly found some with declining standards e.g The Quality of the buffet ingredients & choice, the friendliness of some staff ] that we returned to Celebrity this September, for their Azores, Canary Islands & Lisbon Cruise. The key question for us was would the Celebrity Eclipse cruise replicate, or better, the excellent experience we held fondly, in our memory, of sailing with them previously. From an exceptional start of getting from parked car to being on board, with drink in hand, in just 26 minutes; to a thoroughly well maintained Eclipse, a great inside cabin, consistently friendly staff, some great new shows, very good food, served by some of the most genuinely friendly staff we have had the pleasure to meet at sea. The two day overnight stay in Lisbon was a real treat; matching great ports, to an extended stay, is a really welcome development. Bottom line, Celebrity, in a word you were consistently excellent and had not suffered some of the cost cutting and degradation of food and service, we had seen on some other lines.The Eclipse Captain & crew (including Sue the Cruise Director) can be really proud of the experience they deliver. We will be back again soon!! Read Less