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Review of Celebrity Eclipse We tried out the Eclipse on its ten day journey from Hawaii to Vancouver. We usually cruise on Princess so it was inevitable that we tended to compare the two. The Eclipse is a very elegant ship but we found that some of the venues were a bit sterile feeling, in particular the main dining room and the Quasar lounge. The main dining room is far too crowded, too many tables and strangely uncomfortable tub like chairs. The buffet area however was wonderful, spacious food stations with lots of access room between, definately superior to the Lido area on Princess ships. The main theatre is well laid out and quite comfortable. Our outside cabin was lovely but the bathroom is poorly designed with very limited counter space and strange tiny drawers and cabinets. They do have sliding doors for the shower which is just brilliant. No shower wand which would be preferable. Buffet food was excellent, lots of choices but finding a table was often difficult and line ups for the food were long. We were very disappointed in the dining room fare. Poor choices and variable quality food as well as disorganized service. Princess offers a far better dining experience. We did not use any of the specialty dining rooms even though they were very aggressively promoted. A major negative for us was the coffee. Very poor in the buffet and dining areas and the specialty coffee offered in the Cafe was very overpriced (5$ compared with Princess' $2.75). We purchased Starbucks instant in Honolulu and used that during the cruise. We have yet to see any cruise line that can compare favourably with Princess' International Cafe. Entertainment was very good, perhaps the best we have experienced. The singers and dancers were very talented and gave excellent performances. Shops were nothing special, overpriced and limited selection, however we don't patronize cruise ship shops anymore. Staff were friendly and efficient in most areas. Our cabin steward was wonderful, shout out to Marco! All in all a good, not excellent cruise and Princess will remain our go to cruise line. Read Less

We started off the trip a few days early by arriving in Honolulu by arriving on Saturday to board on Monday. The day we arrived the weather pretty great with a little cloud coverage. That afternoon/evening we checked the street fair and Jeff Goldblum and his jazz band. Sunday we did Pearl Harbor (a.m.) and a Luau (p.m.) that evening. Monday we boarded the ship which turned into a two day headache; please note that the boarding process and the Maître D’ rudeness were the only minor gripes I had during the entire trip. The issue with regards to the boarding process was that once we got through the lineup, which was not bad at all, the person who assisted us managed to jumble our seapass cards to the point where my charge account and photo were assigned to my friends card and vice versa. This did take some time to correct even after the assistance of a manager during the checkin process. Upon our arrival to our concierge class cabin, it was apparent that the special requests that were made through Celebrity directly was not passed along to the ship; this includes the request to separate the bed, emptying the mini fridge, sharps disposable container, which is fine as I was able to request these items once on board. During the trip our waitress, assistant waitress, sommelier and cabin attendant were all amazing and provided great service as they always went above and beyond in keeping us happy! We did do one shore excursion which was over Hilo’s volcano which was neat. Disembarkation was relatively easy and quick. All in all, it was a great trip after sorting out annoyances. Read Less

We had a great experience on Infinity last Halloween, and were incredibly surprised at the drop in quality, exterior maintenance, and staffing shortages. I would give this review a 3/5, if not for the indifference and shortness at guest services, to a problem that may have been partially their fault. Excessive rust on the lower hull, and tender steps that I feel should be kept dry, freshly painted, with weather strips. The beds are not bad, but have seen better days. Some meals in Blu were delicious, some were a blatant drop in quality. The bread became stale halfway though, and may have been baking every other day. Hummus and Cheese spreads got replaced by pureed corn, beets, peas, and carrots. Nearly no vegetables, a garnish of broccoli or asparagus was a rare find. While the dining staff were very professional and worked their all, it was obvious that they were understaffed and rushed. Oceanview Cafe was an even bigger letdown. Too much was lukewarm or tasted off, cuts to ingredients. Gone is the wok, and the sauces for the fresh pasta station are not nearly as good. The last night of our cruise, they introduced mixed frozen vegetables. The interior of the ship was nice, our first time on Solstice Class. I liked the cruise director, Cafe Al Bacio, guest performances from Hawaii, and our lunch in Murano (though our neighbors got under-cooked lobster). I liked the Spa and Persian Garden, though the receptionist was playing head games with passengers over their names. Read Less

We had done this cruise before on the Solstice three years ago, had seen all the sights, and stayed in Lahaina and Waikiki for several weeks some time ago. So we merely wanted some R&R, good food, originating in Vancouver, some sunshine, and were not interested in organised shore excursions. We got exactly what we paid for. Embarkation at Vancouver took much longer then we expected. Disembarkation at Honolulu was OK. I particularly enjoy Celebrity's English breakfasts and the variety in the buffet at other times, especially the cheese selection in the afternoons. The MDR - and the service there - was excellent, though one or two evenings we couldn't get the early time we preferred. One night in the buffet I complained about the poor quality of a prime rib, as did the passengers at the next table. Qsine was a gimmick and the food not particularly good. The ship's facilities, pools and public areas are excellent throughout. The entertainment in the theatre was excellent, as were the violin/cello couple from Ukraine(?) in one of the bars. I am no fan of Polynesian music but the group from Lahaina were very good. I asked for copies of the daily news summary Celebrity used to have available at the Guest Relations desk from Canada, UK and US. “Sorry sir, we don’t have them any more – gone paperless sir.” So I asked about the distribution of their daily on-board program on paper every day when they could just as easily be distributed to guests on the web or by email or posted on the in-room TV. Answer came there none. Not quite so paperless after all? The “James Bond style” safety video shown at the beginning of the cruise was ineffective and, even worse, insulting to many guests. They told me so because I asked them. Many people were little the wiser when it was all over. Two guests who had cruised in double figures with Celebrity and other lines told me they learned nothing and that it was pathetic compared with Celebrity’s competitors. I suggest that Celebrity change this program immediately, fire the producer responsible and the senior safety officer who approved it. Safety aboard is a serious matter. We are not particularly demanding of our stewards but our steward (Sijas, from India) was very attentive and looked after us very well. The lettering on the staff name/country badges is far too small to be legible by the guests. They are thus quite useless for the purpose intended. Read Less

While the declining quality in food, decreased staffing, and lowered standards of maintenance was bad enough to make me question my decision to sail with Celebrity, the overall cherry on top that pushed me in deciding that I will never sail this line again was my experience with two falls in less than 30 seconds while descending the very wet and slippery stairs down to the tender in front of approximately half a dozen crew members. For the record, I had both hands on the railings, which is why I have pulled muscles and a wrenched back, rather than a cracked skull. At no point did any crew member ask if I had hit my head, did I think that I should get checked out, or even ask my name and cabin number, much less the names and cabin numbers for any of the people that had seen me fall. When I went to make a report to guest services, the woman at the desk was completely indifferent to what had happened, asking "Is that it?" and immediately waving the next guest forward. Quite frankly I found the complete lack of concern for passenger safety to be appalling. Also, my experience with staff at the Persian Garden was, shall we say, interesting. I don't think that I have ever been corrected quite so directly on how to pronounce my own name before. The cabin was nice, although the door opening the opposite direction of every other cruise ship cabin that I have ever been in took some getting used to, and the storage space would have been great for a seven day cruise, but a little tight for a twelve day cruise. Also, the outlet situation was a little tight. Here we are in 2019, and nearly everyone travels with cell phones, laptops and/or tablets, e-readers, cameras, etc., and there are a grand total of two sockets in the entire cabin. Also, nightstands with usable drawers would have been nice. Activities wise, this may be the scantiest collection of sea day activities that I have ever seen. Normally on sea days, the difficulty is in deciding what to do. On this cruise, my e-reader got more of a workout. Read Less

This cruise took us too Hawaii, of which we have not been. Also it gave us a taste of Celebrity as we have never sailed Celebrity before. And was not too pricey. Overall, seemed like the perfect cruise. For this cruise we booked an inside cabin. The stateroom was very large for an inside room. And had contemporary design with a wonderful stateroom attendant, Dragana. We were on deck 7, all the way forward. For two days when crossing the pacific we felt a little seasick, though for the rest of the cruise we did decent. As far as dining goes, we went to the main dining room twice (once for dinner, once for lunch), and the buffet for the rest of the cruise. As far as the buffet, the food was good with a large selection. However, breakfast was almost the same every day, it got a little monotonous. Regarding the main dining room, it as a bit of an experience. The one time we went for lunch the food was very delicious, we looked forward to our next visit to the main dining room. Dinner was where things took a turn. We went to dinner in the main dining room for the first time on the ninth night of the cruise (the 8:30 dining time got in the way of activities and was too late to eat for us). First, our waiter shamed us for not attending dinner service in the main dining room, alright...then, he said "I gave up your table because you didn't attended for so many nights." We felt shamed, though we sat with a wonderful couple. Furthermore, he begged us to give him and the assistant waiter a 10 as "it will lower their salaries." After this fiasco, we did not go back to the main dining room. Entertainment on the Eclipse was phenomenal, the best we've had on a cruise. The production shows blew us away, especially with the acrobatics. All of the guest entertainers were always entertaining, and interacted with the guests. Even the cruise director, Alejandro always entertaining, he was hilarious. There were enrichment activities regarding Hawaii every day, and always were appealing topics. Also, there were trivias every day, sometimes two a day. Great for those who enjoy trivia; most of it is more modern trivia. In our first port, Hilo, we did the most. In our first day in Hilo we booked rental car (of which I highly recommend). We first went to Punalu'u Black Sand beach. It as absolutely wonderful as there was a lot of wildlife and scenic areas. Soon after, we drove to the Papakolea Green Sand beach. To get to the actually beach after parking there were two options, by an hour hike, or by standing in a truckbed going 30+ mph through deep trenches and sharp hills. It was very rough and we sustained a few bruises when holding on to the bars. Though if you're lucky, you will be on of the select four who get to sit inside of the pickup. The fee was 10 dollars per person for both ways. Even so, the journey was worth it. The beach was absolutely stunning. To get down to the beach we had to hike down a very narrow corridor of sharp rocks...not very ideal. With this, we still find this our favorite journey ever. For the second day in Hilo, we took a Celebrity sponsored bus tour that took us to Akaka falls, a macadamia nut farm, and the tropical rainforest zoo. Our favorite was Akaka falls, absolutely gorgeous. The excursions was very worth it, I highly recommend it. Our next port, Kailua Kona was more modern and new compared to Hilo. We did not stray far from the port, we bought souvenirs and hanged around the beach at the port. Kailua Kona was very walkable. We also booked a glassbottom boat reef tour. We saw many fish and even a turtle, which was unexpected by the guides. It was a pretty good excursion. For our final port, Lahaina, we stayed for two days. On the first day, we booked a whale watching excursion. Of which we saw a mother humpback whale and her baby on a couple of occasions. Lahaina was also very wakable. On the second day we browsed around shops and walked pretty far. Overall, this cruise was the best cruise we have had yet. The itinerary, and the overnights. Not to mention the stateroom, ambiance, and overall atmosphere was a pleasure. We plan to sail Celebrity in the future and we strongly encourage you to book a Celebrity cruise. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I could get off at the end in Honolulu which would allow me to shorten the flight to Korea. This was my first time sailing with Celebrity and only my second cruise. I selected my cabin and Aqua class before I knew anything. After booking this cruise I began reading reviews here on cruise critic and on Ship Mate to learn what I was in for. Funny there were no reviews or pictures of the cabin 1544 I chose but lots of info on Aqua class. Aqua class turned out to be a great choice for me and my husband. Many reviews from those that were not Aqua class look at this as snobbish or at a way for this cruise line to make extra money. Yes mabe that is the case when comparing this line to other lines that I had no experience with. But for me and comparing it to the Princess cruise ship Star(my only other cruise) I found this to be a great option to have. Choosing this class gave me a great shower. Note I measured and took pictures which I will share. I am a large woman. Comparing the shower on the Star Craibe deck cabin C709 I would chose spending a little more to have this shower available to me. Another perk with Aqua class is the assigned restaurant Blu. I kept reading reviews about clean cuisine and thought it meant diet food, not so. Entrees were an array of meats and seafood with sauces artfully arranged on your plate. When the reviews spoke of intimate dinning it was not enough info that explained what it was like in the Blu. The tables in the Blu were grouped and arranged in several ways. Looking at the plan provided you will see an area near the windows with a row of tables perpendicular to the windows.these were tables not treated as a group but as individual tables for two. The space between was just enough for the waiter to squeeze through while servicing the table. Each perpendicular row was primarily serviced by a group of waiters for your morning and evening meals. The service was outstanding. My husband is a picky eater. He doesn't eat vegetables or any greens. They brought him the menu for the next day so he could choose what he would like that would be customized to his taste. The tables were close enough to have conversations with the couple next to you if you wanted but if you chose to not speak to your neighbors you didn't feel obligated. Now there were large round tables that could seat large groups of people that liked that. I thoroughly enjoyed the option of having our waiters just for us and we could enjoy the guest that would sit next to us that would rotate from time to time depending on what time they arrived. We met so many wonderful people. The room was a great location for attending the shows but not a good location for going to eat at the many restaurants on the ship, which was at the opposite end of the ship. The room was quite never heard any people noise nor any elevator noise. View from the balcony was great. Now what I found could use some improvements is the outlets. The only 110v outlet in this cabin was located desk level. I was told by Celebrity I could not bring an extension cord nor a multi plug adapter without surge protecter aboard the ship. However, spoke with fellow shipmates that have sailed with Celebrity that they brought adapters on board without surge protecter with problems. If you need a extension cord one will be provided. We were provide with two. One was for a C-Pap and the other was for a electric nasal flush. The downside to using extension cords is they were strung across our cabin. This is the only negative I have for this ship. I had the premium non-alcoholic beverage package. At dinner I could order special coffees, teas and other frozen non-alcoholic drinks. I could get bottled water where ever it was available all over the ship. At the Cafe Blanco I could get a large assortment of speciality coffees with the free assortment of pastries. When it came to water from this place. I could get more than one bottle at a time. Funny thing is is across from the Cafe Blanco was the icecream bar was not free. Also when at the shows you could order frozen virgin drinks like pinata colettas, strawberry daiquiris and the like non-alcoholic or bottled water. All and all I had a wonderful experience. Read Less

After 2 sailings on the Edge, it was such a treat returning to a Solstice class ship. Until experiencing “The Future” it wasn’t clear just how great “The Past” really is. So many little things like the convenience of pivoting TV’s in your room, a real balcony, shower jets that are actually useful rather than decorative, no cheap pump bottles in the shower for soap and shampoo, never really waiting for an elevator and often finding it empty(exact opposite to Edge), roughly double the number of bars for the same number of passengers (no overcrowding), able to access the Sky Lounge even if not in a suite, fast efficient service everywhere, quiet areas like card rooms and libraries and hideaways, outside bars with actual shade that don’t force you inside after 10 minutes of baking sun, no more hallways of dull grey not to mention furniture that is actually comfortable to sit in. Yes the Eclipse is showing signs of age/wear but a good design it still is. Having just completed 22 days on the Vancouver - Hawaii - Vancouver my biggest complaint is they ran out of many provisions and beverages with 3 days to go on the first leg. In any case I would still choose a Solstice or Millennium class ship over The Edge any day. Hopefully the refurbs will not try to “Edgeify” the older ships but instead just perk them up. If not, a lot of faithful Celebrity cruisers will start investigating other lines rather than automatically returning. Especially with the latest promo of “Kids Sail Free”. (REALLY??) With a host of new Edge class ships on the horizon the future for the existing Celebrity ship lovers is looking iffy. Read Less