With so few opportunities to cruise from Fremantle we took the opportunity to fly to Sydney for a 4 day cruise to Melbourne. Hence the title "Booze Cruise". I must admit to being disgusted by ANY shipping line that condones drinking alcohol to excess. Passengers who purchased the alcohol package at $US80+ per day certainly decided to get their monies worth regardless of their loud and often offensive behaviour. Obviously not concerned about their health either. The food was very average. The ship had sailed from the west coast of USA via Hawaii to NZ and then Sydney. 35 days. The natural yoghurt in the buffet was from the US (New Jersey - east coast) had been frozen and split. The fresh fish on board for tea one night was a Mediterranean fish. Fresh??? How long had that been on board. Dining room "ran out" of steak and roast beef one meal. Curtains in the deluxe balcony were missing. Only had sun block curtain lining hanging. Bathroom was good with good sized shower. Celebrity is very class orientated. Have sailed several times with Cunard and even they were more relaxed and less class conscious than Celebrity. Sorry. Not my cup of tea. Read Less

Chose this cruise because we wanted to see Hubbard Glacier and we did! Went with friends who had never sailed on Celebrity. They were very impressed. We had been on Eclipse before and knew what to expect. We had done the other Alaska cruise on Celerity, but different itinerary. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Could not have asked for a nicer crew. Everything was well kept and service outstanding. Our stateroom attendant was fantastic and everything was very well kept. We had a table for four early seating and were treated like royalty. Can’t say enough how efficient everyone we encountered was and they were exceptional. Food was very good. The Captains Club hostess, Rose and Fabio were so amazing. The Concierge class stateroom is a very nice enhancement to make the cruise special. Will definitely book another cruise on Eclipse. Love the Persian Garden!1077 We enjoyed everyone that we encountered. Read Less

We've always wanted to visit Alaska and I'm so glad we chose Celebrity to take us there! We embarked in Vancouver (lovely city) and went to Hubbard Glacier, Icy Straight, Juneau and Ketchikan. The Eclipse is a beautiful ship; very elegant and spotlessly clean. Service was exceptional all around. We ate at Moonlight Sonata (main dining room), Ocean View Cafe (buffet), and Cafe el Bacio all were great! We had mixed reviews at Tuscan Grill. I enjoyed my meal, but my husband ordered steak and he hated it. The steak was the only bad item we had all week. Our favorite was Sushi on 5, we ate there twice and loved every item we were served. We didn't go to any shows, but we were never bored. Plenty of bars with great drinks and lots of little places to meet people or just have a quiet moment alone. The ship only felt crowded in the Ocean View Cafe during peak hours. Embarkation and disembarking were tough, with long lines. We've had similar experiences on other cruises. Overall, it was an amazing cruise and we can't wait for our next Celebrity adventure. Read Less

We had enjoyed a previous cruise with Celebrity and so we chose them again for our Alaska trip but found this cruise disappointing in several ways. First, though, some of the positives which just about scrape it an 'average' rating in our book! An excellent state room and balcony, good customer service desk who organised an early check-out for us on the last day very efficiently. Good destination choices in Icy Strait Point and Juneau,fab time at - and commentary on - Hubbard glacier, lovely Persian garden steam and sauna and relaxation facilities and a library which, though small, had some really good - and up to date - and even British (!) authors. As for the shows, a couple of good comedians and a good magician but the ship's troupe, though talented, are saddled with lacklustre shows - and there were no less than three of these during the seven nights. The negatives: the endless attempts to up-sell are really, REALLY irritating, especially when (as here) they begin with someone trying to sell you speciality dining as you make your way towards the gangway (not even on the ship yet!) at the very start of the cruise. Mind you, after seven nights in the main dining room and breakfast and lunch in the buffet, we can see why the specialties might be popular. The dining room evening meals were mostly undistinguished and the buffet was constantly crowded to an extent that wholly undermined the relaxation element of the cruise. On the subject of up-selling, it became clear to us during this cruise that this ship's staff are personally rewarded for the extras they can sell - not sure how much this happens on other cruises, but it seemed a matter of considerable importance and even stress to staff on this ship, which is troubling and suggests they may be be being under-paid for their routine duties. Also worth pointing out that the alcohol on board is grossly over-priced, even before you add on the 20% service charge, so again the savings - on various drinks deals, meagrely worthwhile as they are - can seem attractive. On our previous Celebrity cruise (Solstice), we'd been quite impressed with the coffee shop. Here, the coffee shop staff were boorish and uninterested - as a previous reviewer has remarked, more interested in their own conversations. Also outraged and belligerent at the mere suggestion that they'd made me a latte when I'd asked for a flat white. Again (of course) ridiculously overpriced, (And, as has been previously pointed out, the freecoffee on the buffet deck was dreck (which I don't recall it being on the Solstice three years ago!). Less enrichment activity on this cruise than on that previous one - are Celebrity dialling this back, I wonder? That said, their anthropologist was very good and in particular he gave a fine lecture on the fascinating First Nation tradition of potlatches. There seems more of an emphasis on this ship of raucous entertainment - Mr and Mrs shows et al - which is fine if you like that but I felt that the superb classical duo on board were under-used by being positioned mainly in a fairly quiet bar. If you DON'T like raucousness, which (you'll have gathered!) we don't much, you'll be glad to know that he sound-proofing on this ship seems superb - said raucousness echoed up the dazzling and dizzying main lift area but then was muffled to nothing by the time you got into our state room not far away from there on deck seven. Perhaps the biggest negative of all was a particularly odd one: in several years of cruising, I have never experienced such an inept initial safety and evacuation drill, which seemed to consist simply of watching a daft spoof 'Jane Bond'-type video whose sound was turned so low that no one could follow it and which did not involve any attempt to ensure that passengers were able to put on their life jackets. Worrying that a company as big and professional as Celebrity should be so lacking in this area… Read Less

We were a party of 4. Two couples, one couple in their 60s(husband and wife) and one couple in their 20s(daughter and boyfriend). A cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska had been one of our "bucket list" must dos so off we went. We selected Celebrity Cruises primarily because they offered an Inside Passage cruise that left on a weekend day and returned to the same port on a weekend day. Great schedule for working adults. Hindsight being 20/20 we would definitely select this cruise company again regardless of schedule. With the help of a local travel agent, we selected Concierge class cabins(1670 and 1676) AFT of the ship. Knowing that the primary purpose of an Inside Passage cruise was the scenery, these cabin offered up views encompassing both sides of the ship. Although we were NOT the first to see the scenery, we saw both amazing sides of the cruise. The location of these cabins afforded us quiet uninterrupted sleep. However, they were a good distance from the elevators, and we did experience some feelings of motion sickness on the last day of the cruise during the open-water portion of the cruise. Nothing that some motion sickness pills did not help cure. Our cabin steward Jaime was the absolute best, always there when we needed something, and extremely quick to respond. He insured that the cabins were always clean and well maintained. Celebrity is lucky to have him. The cabins were just the right size and had sufficient storage for our large and full suitcases(each weighing about 50 pounds). Celebrity is known for its dining, and the dining did not disappoint. My husband and I dined(breakfast and lunch) in the Ocean View Cafe. There was always a wide assortment of items available, both fresh and cooked. Busy time at the Cafe occurred starting around 8:30am for breakfast and noon for lunch. These times required the need to "hunt" for table space, as other passengers tended to linger, watching the scenery go by. But once the individuals departed, cafe staff were on the spot cleaning the table off for other guests. The only food item we did not enjoy were the desserts. They were beautiful in appearance, but lacked flavor. However the ice cream was good. As Concierge Class guests we did take advantage of room service for breakfast, several times to avoid the crowds. Our daughter and her boyfriend did the same. Room service was very timely, but on a couple of occasions, an item or two were missing. One call to our cabin steward Jaime and it was quickly resolved. We ate dinner most nights at the Moonlight Sonata, 8:30PM seating with a reserved table. The food was excellent, including the desserts, with a wide variety of selection. The experience was made Superior by the service of Marvin, Lawrence and Demi. Having elected to purchase non-alcoholic beverage plans, because we are not big drinkers, we were given the opportunity at dinner to purchase cards for alcoholic drinks, which was perfect for us. A $30 card got you 5 drinks up to $9 per drink value and a $60 card for 5 drinks up to $15 per drink value. These cards were accepted at all dining and bar facilities, but must be fully utilized by the end of the cruise(no refunds). Most nights we went to the early show, and then proceeded to dinner. We had two specialty dining experiences between the 4 of us, one night at Murano's, and one night at Sushi on 5. Both were excellent and well worth the surcharge. The entertainment was good, with the best shows being the Beatles night and the comic. We did take advantage of many of the games, with guests and crew, which were fun and afforded laughs for all. The only "Celebrity" sponsored excursions we took advantage of was the Hubbard Glacier excursion. With a hefty price of $279 per person, we decided to take the gamble and yes it was worth it. The Glacier was amazing and we witness much calving. Both beautiful and alarming(climate change) at the same time. We arrived for Embarkation at 11:00AM and were met by lines. Being Concierge Class allowed us to zip through the Celebrity guest check-in, however US Customs caused for some delay in boarding. The whole process took approximately an hour to 1 1/2 hours. Very much like passing through security at any major US airport. Canadian and US citizens were segregated from the others, so I am uncertain as to how much time for guests who were not Canadian or US Citizens. We did not take advantage of any of the enrichment activities on board. My husband utilized the fitness facilities and found them excellent and clean. Overall the public rooms of the ship were well maintained and clean. It appeared that staff maintaining these areas were diligent in their work. Many a time, I spotted the Captain and/or other Officers moving about the guest areas insuring that guests expectations were met. Would I sail with Celebrity again. Absolutely! Read Less

As 2 couples we wanted to see Western Canada. Glaciers, Ice flows and Mountains so starting with an all inclusive cruise seemed a good idea, especially after the long haul flight from London UK. Cabin and Service Any photographers will end up very frustrated though as the Room TV does not display any images nor video and asking for assistance is a waste of time. The Cabin attendant said that's technical. Sorry... The customer service desk said USB connection are not permitted as they could contain viruses. -They didn't listen though as i said HDMI connections. It took 5 days to get any sense from anyone and then i was given just 1 hour in a conference room using its TV as it did display jpeg images - and played mp4. jpeg is what's ion android phones and pretty much all camera. Celebrity Eclipse you actually offered Feeble service - P&O for me from now on. Entertainment and activities Why do i have to pay $99 to use the steam room? Why charge extra for Yoga lessons? There is this maddeningly silly game in the gym on the first day to get everyone excited about getting free training sessions. Then it turns out they are not free just a bit cheaper. Such an old fashioned naff idea. Why they treated us like children is beyond me! - As a group we laughed at the stupidity but actually its insulting. As for the Yoga, fortunately I've done enough Yoga to do my own sessions. The Ship. I could not fault the ship, quiet, smooth, stylish. i could see regular maintenance being carried out. All looked fine. Read Less

We enjoyed another great cruise on the Eclipse to Alaska leaving from Vancouver. We had two days in Vancouver prior to sailing and one day after. We had a great time in Vancouver and would highly recommend spending a few days in this beautiful city. This was our first trip to Alaska but it will not be our last. This was one of the most scenic beautiful cruises we have taken. We stayed in a Sky Suite on the 10th floor in 1198. This was a corner aft and it was perfect for the beautiful Alaska viewing. We did a whale watching cruise from Icy Straight Point with a company called Glacier Wind Charters. This company was amazing and the tour was great. We loved everything about it. We also did a Helicopter/Glacier walk booked thru Celebrity. This one was not worth the 900.00 in our opinion. The helicopter ride was amazing but the Glacier walk was quite disappointing. Just not worth the money. The last tour we took was another one booked thru Celebrity it was a ketchikan wilderness tour & Rain forest walk - this tour was also well worth the money and so much fun. Our day at Hubbard Glacier was magical and words cannot describe the incredible beauty of this area. We ate most of our meals in Luminae and the service was beyond exceptional. We enjoyed some of the shows and others were just ok - this is obviously very subjective. The bottom line for us is we loved our trip and we will be back on Celebrity as our go to cruise line. Read Less

My wife and I are not big cruisers; our last cruise was 20 years ago on the Celebrity Century to the Western Caribbean. But this was Alaska, so it had to be by ship. The Celebrity Eclipse made us rethink cruising, as it was a pleasure from beginning to end. I was surprised to learn it will go for refurbishment in March, as it is pristine. With 2800+ passengers, the ship is big but never felt overly crowded, except maybe at the lunch buffet. There were many public spaces-- the library, card room, that felt almost intimate. We had a verandah cabin, which was worth the extra cost for the daylight and feeling of openness. Plus it was great when we neared Hubbard Glacier, where the captain did a 360 degree pirouette with the ship so that everyone had equal viewing. Spectacular! One of the highlights of the cruise. We had late dining, which initially concerned us because we usually have dinner at 7-7:30. But it wasn't a problem. And we were fortunate to be seated with two couples from New Zealand and one from Canada. Very refreshing to meet people outside of our orbit, who were intelligent and fun to be with. It was another highlight of the trip. Specialty dining at the Tuscan Grille and Murano was outstanding, and well worth the extra $45-50 person. Great service, outstanding food, and flexible dining times made these great choices. Highly recommended. We booked shore excursions through Shore Excursion Group rather than through the cruise line; these were identical excursions for about 10% less money. I learned from a savvier shopper on one of our excursions that I might have saved even more money had I shopped online more. The highlight was the whale-watching excursion at Icy Strait Point (the first port); we took a short bus ride to the dock where we took a boat with about 12-14 passengers to Hoonah, Glacier Bay. The captain and the "guide", two young men who were passionate about their work and extremely knowledgeable took us out to sea. We were fortunate to see both orcas and humpbacks, one of whom breached several times right outside of the boat. Incredible! The next day, another sunny and warm one (luckily, like all of our days on the cruise), we approached Hubbard Glacier and the blue waters surrounding it: majestic and awe-inspiring, we could only marvel at its size and beauty, and fear for its future. We heard the thunderous sound as it calved, and watched as fragments crashed into the water. On Thursday, we reached Juneau, where we took an excursion to Mendenhall Glacier. Unfortunately, a big disappointment after seeing Hubbard. It lacked the spectacle of Hubbard. I would skip this excursion. Although we did go to a salmon bake as the second part of the excursion. It was outside in a large picnic area under canopies. We watched the silver salmon being grilled, and helped ourselves to side of cornbread, potatoes, cole slaw, and blueberry cake. Very tasty. Although when we got back into the city of Juneau, we saw people eating huge crab legs at a restaurant near the dock. If we ever go back... Finally, to Ketchikan for our final stop. There we took an off-road Jeep Safari through the Tongass Forest, where a guide took us through the winding, rocky path in four-wheel drive Jeeps. Everyone had a chance to drive; lots of fun. That was followed by a short canoe trip:10-12 passengers per canoe, to an area in the woods where we enjoyed fish chowder, salmon salad, and homemade bread and jam. A fun excursion that I recommend. Otherwise, we found the service on the ship to be exceptional, from the cabin steward to the restaurant staff. The entertainment was fine--comedians, singers, and an ersatz Cirque de Soleil that was very good. Read Less

Wife and I travelled with her parents, my son 18 and my mother. Everyone had a great time and I thought I would share my thoughts with you. We cruised on the Equinox in April and found this ship and experience to be nearly identical to that one. This was a 7-day round trip Alaska cruise out of Vancouver. EMBARKATION - For the first time ever we spent time in town prior to the cruise and boarded on the latter end of the time window - just after 2:00. The luggage drop off, check-in and other areas felt like a ghost town. It was truly eerie, making us wonder if we were in the right place even though we went through here two years ago. There were zero waits except at customs where we waited 2-3 minutes. Other than this it was walk up, take care of business, walk to the next place. The entire process took about 20 minutes, with most of that time spent walking from one place to another. We walked slowly with elderly parents with us. While we love to board early and begin our cruise experience early, we also love avoiding lines. We may start boarding late for a better embarkation experience. PUBLIC AREAS - We walked the ship and got a feel for the layout, confirming it was exactly like the Equinox except we had Cellar Masters wine bar where they had the Gastropub, which we preferred with the TV and beer theme. Other than that, everything was clean, well maintained, very classy. FOOD - We thoroughly enjoyed the food on board. We dined in the "traditional" areas, Oceanview Cafe for breakfast and lunch, Moonlight Sonata for dinner. Food was very good in all areas, with lunch being especially nice with many choices and great quality throughout. My only complaint was the length of dinner. Service was good but a bit slow in the evening. I'm not sure if they waiters thought we would enjoy taking our time in a 2 hour dinner, or they were just so busy during the busy times we ate that they simply could not keep up. We had some slow eaters with us but dinners should have taken 90 minutes not two hours. We had any time dining and ate at all different times, from 6:30 to 8:00. Desserts in Oceanview were never as good as they looked - although ice cream was very good. Desserts in the sit down restaurants were all very good. We also had a meal in Tuscan Grill and one in Murano. Service and food were very good, but had a few minor service issues in Murano - including my wife with an allergy to shellfish had a minor reaction to the flambeed lobster from another table. She had to leave in the middle of the meal to make sure the reaction didn't become a major one. Had they asked about her allergy or mentioned this as a possible allergic reaction, we may have done things differently. We ate family style in Tuscan Grill and it was very enjoyable - highly recommended. BARS - We had a drinks package and enjoyed many of the bars. Service and drink quality was very good throughout. We discovered a few new drinks we had not had before. ENTERTAINMENT - I saw three shows and one comedian. The comedian was OK, the shows were good. Especially enjoyed the last show - Euphoria - but all three had some real high points. The musicians on board were good but not great. None stood out to us. We really enjoyed DJ Leo, especially on the first night. Loved his work on the "turntable". CABIN - see below. DEBARKATION - We had an 11:00 AM flight so we worked hard to make sure we made our flight. Here's what we did for the perfect early debarkation: - We met around 7:05 at Cafe al Bacio. We got in line soon after, with about 30 people in front of us. We schlepped our own bags - not an easy task with three elderly people in our party - but we did it without incident. - The line to debark started moving around 7:30. - Ship exit and customs was very fast. We probably got in our two cabs by 7:40. - I expect we arrived at the airport around 8:05. Cabs were $32 each Canadian. - All lines at the airport were short including flight check-in, bag drop, customs, and security. We were on our way to the gate by 8:35. So a process we expected would get us to the gate by 10:30 instead got us there almost two hours early. Lesson - if you plan to get off the ship early, even a 10:00 AM flight is possible unless there are unexpected delays. Our plane ride home was uneventful and we landed in Raleigh before 9:00 PM. Read Less

The first part of the critique here is about the Celebrity experience… This was our first time sailing with Celebrity. Overall it was excellent across the board, with a couple of notable exceptions. We were traveling with another couple who have previously sailed several times on Celebrity and persuaded us to join them on this trip. POSITIVES: BY FAR, the biggest Celebrity Eclipse stand out experience for us, was the restaurant LUMINAE which is exclusive to suite guests. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The staff, service, and cuisine were virtually flawless the entire week. Meal after meal exceeded some of the more exceptional restaurant experiences we’ve had anywhere in the world. Personally, (and if you possibly can swing it and/or are considering a suite), LUMINAE alone would be worth the upgrade. Some of the other suite perks are worthwhile as well, the suite package included their “1-2-3” with fast unlimited internet, package, premium beverage package and the varying credits aboard”. The rest of the suite “perks” are more limited (at least at the Sky level and this class of ship). Although the butlers do a very good job, I believe they have too many guests to attend to at times, which is not their fault. The housekeeping staff were just great as well. Zero complaints. The ships interior (and this is pre-remodel coming in 2020/2021) are very very nice. The open atrium effect , the “Solarium” indoor adult pool area, spa, restaurants, etc etc. were all just fantastic. ______________ Daisy our butler was first rate all the way. Even when a couple of minor issues occurred she was able to more than compensate and/or resolve. We loved her and her smiling face every day. She's a very hard worker with great attention to detail and your customers' satisfaction. We were very very happy with her. Juan Pablo and Jose our servers every day at Luminae did a non-stop outstanding job. Quickly learned our likes, dislikes and accommodated us at every single opportunity. Smiles and friendliness as well as great attention to detail and professionalism were ever present. On one occasion that my husband left dinner to return to the suite not feeling well, Hugo quickly asked me how he could assist. He sent ginger ale, a bread basket and chicken soup to the room within minutes. Another outstanding interaction. Absolutely loved getting to chat with Bianca at Luminae. She is just awesome!!! _______________ The "suite" experience really made the trip for us. The benefits were well worth it to us. I've already recommended two friends to the Celebrity line and that they at least get a Sky Suite to enjoy the perks. On the negative side, I wanted to make a point of relaying that almost every interaction we had with staff members at Cafe al Bacio was bad! Between us and the other couple we were traveling with (also in a Sky Suite) we stopped by Cafe al Bacio every day. It wasn't just one or two people. It was daily, and not limited to anyone person, different people. I couldn't give you one good recommendation or come up with a name of one person there that even smiled or who wasn't looking and acting like they couldn't give a damn. Sometimes we were kept waiting while two or three were congregated chatting with one customer or each other. Attitude. Attitude. Attitude. And weren't going for complicated coffee drinks. It was for a couple of sweets, some tea, a coffee to go, etc. It was very unfortunate. Not even the Suite room card changed there attitude. I'm only speaking for the four of us in our traveling group. We talked about it daily, and tried each time we went back to smile ourselves and temper our requests. The Sunset Bar bartenders were also all and always unfriendly. No interaction or personality or smiles. In contrast all of the bartenders at Ocean, Mast and the other bars were great. The only other comment (negative) is about the room service. Which, food wise, was very unfortunate. The so-called extended menu I assume for suite guests, as you know, is only a few extra items. The one night we stayed in the suite and ordered from that portion of the menu, we got a filet (passable) and a ribeye (AWFUL), crab cakes. Gross. I'm sure we were spoiled with the great food at Luminae, but ... My suggestion would be to have a REAL expanded menu for suite guests that was actually above par. I'm sure the intent is to get guests to the restaurants for the best experience, but occasionally dining is preferred, and it shouldn't be such a sad experience. Read Less

CRITERIA: We wanted an Alaska cruise that stopped at a truly impressive glacier, that left and returned to the same port, and lasted no more than 7 days due to work/life restrictions. Many of the one-way or 10-day or 14-day cruises have stops at the good northern glaciers, but this Celebrity one was the only RT that was 7 days and stopped at the stunning Hubbard Glacier. We also had family spanning ages 8 - 72 in our group, so we wanted a ship that offered activities for all the ages in our group (8, 40s, 70s). Finally, we wanted a cruise line with good food, so we booked Royal Suite 1241 in order to have the option of dining in any and all of the restaurants onboard, and having Luminae as our primary dining room. This cruise was to celebrate our mom's 70th bday and we chose this stateroom for several reasons: (1) She a homebody and does NOT like going out to public spaces. We knew she would refuse to go to the library, Lawn Club, Sky Lounge, Michael's or any public areas to hang out, so having a living room and dining table in the suite was of upmost importance. She is the type to stay mainly in her stateroom, so we wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. (2) Since she is inclined to stay in her stateroom, we chose a large one with a dining table and butler so that she could have high tea served in the suite, as well as some lunches or even dinners catered in. (3) She wanted really good food, so Suite Class meant that she could eat at the best options on the ship without even having to think about upcharges. Suite Class pretty much means you can eat anywhere without extra fee. Pre-departure: Shoreside Concierge never reach out to us. We had to hunt down a number and call them to make our requests. We spent time on two lengthly phone calls with them covering our requests but mainly covering the food sensitivities of the three Suite Class passengers. Port of Departure: Vancouver. Amazing city. We visited for a total of 6 days before and after our cruise, and we liked it more than the cruise itself, LOL. Can't say enough great things about our experience in this city, and since it isn't technically part of the cruise experience, I won't delve into all the things we loved. Suffice it to say, if you're choosing a departure port, Vancouver would be my pick, hands down. Embarkation: We enjoyed how, as Suite Class, we were escorted right onto the ship. The girl checking us in at port did an awful job and we encountered problem after problem with our SeaPass cards throughout the cruise because of all the things she forgot to do at check-in. But we wouldn't find out until later; beyond that, the check-in process was smooth. The port of Vancouver is an enormous building, but signs and people made it clear which way Celebrity was to go vs HAL. There was no real curbside check-in; we had to take our luggage and roll it to where port workers were collecting them. It was no more than 100 yards from where the taxis dropped us off, but it is still a struggle for two seniors and two adults to handle a child and 8 rolling bags. Once onboard, they whisked us pass the champagne to Michael's Lounge, but there was no champagne offered to us there nor later. The staff in Michael's told us to head to Luminae for our embarkation day lunch without telling us how to get there. They unceremoniously kicked us out of the lounge, in effect, and we had to fend for ourselves, grabbing champagne as we passed through the busy entry hall, confused as to where Luminae was or how to go there. Shoreside Concierge requests: We discovered, once onboard, that several of our requests to Shoreside Concierge was never taken care of. Given that we had two rather long conversations with them, this was extremely disappointing to find out. The three biggest things they missed: (1) we were never put on the waitlist for the Hubbard Glacier Excursion; (2) two out of the three Suite guests had food sensitivities that were discussed extensively but not noted at all, including the guest of honor who cannot have dairy or beef; and (3) the room was not decorated for the 9 year old's bday celebration on the final night of our sailing. That last one was a huge let-down, because the room WAS decorated for grandma's bday celebration on our first night, so he was looking forward to the same treatment. Stateroom attendants: We had nothing but wonderful things to say about the stateroom attendants for both the Royal Suite and Aqua Class staterooms. They did an amazing job, so diligent and so unobstrusive and so thorough. One of the best things about the ship. My mom is meticulous and she was so happy with the job her stateroom attendant did, plus, it was tricky to catch the suite empty, given how much time she spent in the suite! Kudos to him. Food&Dining: LUMINAE *Hugo was a star, always welcoming and solicitous. We had several really extensive food restrictions in our group, and he always worked so hard to make modifications to address that. *Definitely a far superior menu to main dining room menu, but service was unacceptably slow. It should not take one hour between appetizers and entrees. It got so bad that we started to avoid eating here; no one wants to spend 3 hours eating two course at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seriously. *The Daniel Boulud specialty menu was a disaster and not even close to evoking our experiences dining in his various establishments. *The food substitutions were not the most interesting food. A fruit plate is not a clever substitute. We did a much better job of requesting modifications to the menu than going with what the chef came up with. One exception was a stunning platter of 16 prawns that the chef grilled up for my mom's dinner on the last night. That plate was delicious and on par with the rest of the menu. Other than that, our own modifications and requests were much more successful than the chef's. *At Luminae, the staff was completely unaware that guests of Suite Class guests invited to dine with them had no surcharge for kids 12 and under. We literally had to tell the staff multiple times and show them Celebrity's own printed materials to convince them of the correct policy. Honestly, guests should not know more than the ship's staff. We only had this problem at the first meal, however, as this problem did not come up again. *Overall, by the end of the cruise, the servers were finally getting to know us, even though we dines here maybe a dozen times. By contrast, on a Disney cruise, by your third encounter, they know you and your preferences very well. BLU *Excellent octopus dish, overall lighter and pleasant menu, but the service was really lacking. Almost every time, water glasses would sit empty until the meal was almost done, or refilled only after the meal was already done. Coffee refills would be hit or miss. Juice would never be refilled for us, though it was at other tables. *This felt very impersonal and unfriendly. Definitely uneven service. *One standout server was Unica, who took the trouble to remember guests. She was the ONLY person on the entire cruise whose service level was truly memorable. After just one breakfast with her, she remembered both our pastry and fruit preferences. The next time we saw her a breakfast, we didn't even have to say and word and she just showed up with what we liked. She would be a star on Disney Cruise Line, where this is often par for the course from their dining staff. On Celebrity, no one remembered us except Unica. And we certainly got the feeling that she was given some grief for caring about the guests. MURANO *Excellent menu, excellent service, excellent pacing. Best restaurant on the ship, we felt. *If the menu didn't feel so heavy, and if it wasn't always the same, we would have eaten here more often. We were able to modify our dishes with ease, though our mother's food restrictions were not communicated to the staff here and she was very annoyed when they put a beef amuse bouche in front of her. LOL *For all the places were we had to pay surcharges for members of our family sailing in Aqua Class (we could not all fit in the Suite), this one was worth the money. *They could be a little more friendly, take a page from Danny Meyer's book on hospitality. SUSHI on FIVE *Servers here extremely nice, some of the nicest onboard. *Udon broth and rolls involving fresh crab were good. Other than that... *This was the WORST nigiri sushi ever. Worse than what you'd get at a grocery store. Such a HUGE disappointment given how much fresh fish was available at all the ports we stopped at. *This place has so much potential and its a shame what they have NOT done with it. AND it is the one restaurant on the ship where everyone is supposed to pay, Not worth the time or money. AVOID until they make some drastic changes to their sushi/sashimi selection. OCEANVIEW CAFE *Convenient (almost always open), huge, and nice change from the heavier menus we were being service. Difficult to find a table during busy times but not at all impossible. *Horrible coffee, tho. Always go to Il Bacio. *Son gave jello thumbs up and had about three per day, after we discovered this place. *Only place on the ship I could find Passionfruit Orange Guava juice cocktail. Best stuff ever, but water it down with sparkling or still water because it is too sweet. CAFE AL BACIO *THE place to get coffee and tea on the ship. They serve Lavazza, which I love, and a decent selection of Tea Forte teas. The associated gelateria was never manned, but you could always ask someone at the coffee counter. They did a great job with every coffee I ordered, and all my soy milk cappuccinos ordered in Luminae, BLU or Murano came from here. *Staff here was never friendly or welcoming. Despite seeing our faces every day, no one welcomed you like one would be welcomed at your local coffee shop. Again, very impersonal and standoffish vibe. They were more interested in socializing and joking around with each other than interacting with guests. Entertainment: *The ship's staff of singers are extremely talented and the aerialists are also very good. The shows themselves are really blah, however, with unclear storylines/plots. Disney definitely does a better job telling stories, but these singers were better, I feel, as pure singers. *The comedian we saw was funny, though relied too much on racist stereotypes (equal opportunity racist, he called himself). Many of the jokes went over my 8 year old's head, but he still thought the guy was funny, especially given this was my son's first exposure to a comedian. *The three singers who did the soul show were also very talented and fun. Overall, it was fun to catch the shows, though the changing of showtimes each night made it tricky to book dining reservations times (and we had to bc not everyone in our group was Suite Class and we paid to have guests in Luminae with us; also, we ate at Murano 3x). And with how slow dinner service was in BLU (which was STILL faster than Luminae's ridiculous 1 hr between appetizer and entree), you were never sure if you were going to make it to the show anyway. Ports of Call: *Very fun since Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan are only accessible by air and sea. In order to get some good variety of experiences, we booked a private tour in Sitka, booked directly with the tour company in Juneau, and booked through the cruise line in Ketchikan. SITKA Our experience in Sitka was amazing. Our ship arrived late to port b/c of engine trouble. Our tour time could not be moved b/c the captain had a group right after ours. He told us to try and be among the first off the ship so that we could get onto one of the first buses and down to the harbor as quickly as possible. When we went down to disembark, our hearts sank because the queues snaked all around the atrium and across the ship. We just so happened to cross paths with the Michael's Club Concierge, who was escorting another group. She told us to follow her, and walked us right to the doors. We were the first people off the ship, the first people on the first bus, and the first people down at the harbor. NOW, if we had not run into the Concierge, there was no way we would have lucked out like this. Having made multiple visits to Michael's Club, NO ONE ever explained to us how to obtain priority disembarkation for the ports. That would have been something they should have covered in one of our conversations. Anyway, Sitka is a small town, and we ate at a local food truck, Captain JuJu's, featuring some great local catch, which was a lot of fun. We spent the afternoon doing a private land tour, visiting the bear rescue, raptor rescue and totem park. It was stunning to see humpback whales (one was REALLY close), sea otter, sea lions and SO MANY FLIPPING (into the air) SALMON! The bears at the rescue were really interesting, and the different injured raptors were cool to see up close. Sitka is really quite beautiful and a great first port stop. HUBBARD GLACIER Technically not a port because we didn't dock, but we lucked out with the most clear day imaginable. The onboard naturalist was PHENOMENAL and told us such interesting things about the glacier. The helipad was overcrowded, but I liked how they provided blankets, headsets and warm drinks. However, in the end, we just returned to our staterooms and took in the beauty from our two verandahs, which I had made sure were on opposite sides of the ship, so that there was always at least one good view. Though ALL the views were good that day. Once in a lifetime experience. Could not have asked for a more perfect day weatherwise. JUNEAU Well, for every good day, there is a bad one. Our dogsled camp excursion had been touch and go all summer b/c the heat and high temps were making dog camps shut down weeks, even months, earlier than usual. It turned out that Mendenhall stayed open until the end fo August, so we were so excited to go. Unfortunately, they could not get us on the earlier helicopters, and by the time it was our turn to fly out, the fog had gotten so bad that all choppers and seaplanes were grounded. This also meant that our back-up plan with the glacier walkabout could not happen. I was disappointed to find that the tour company we had booked with could not drive us to the glaciers instead, because that was an option and we had a long enough day at this port to go. I don't know if our experience would have been any better had we booked our excursion through the cruise line (if they could have booked us on a good alternative), but I took the opportunity to explore the port. Too many touristy shops, but we did get to have King Crab legs at Tracy's, as was the plan. There's a lovely museum in town, but most of the main strip are touristy shops, which is a shame. There were a few cute shops and restaurants further afield, north of the port area. The main area around the port is just not very charming nor interesting. KETCHIKAN Yet another drizzly day, but this time, our excursion site was reached via bus and ziplining can be done even in the rain. This excursion was booked thru the cruise line and I appreciated how organized they were in getting us to the right buses and providing timely buses to bring us back. We did not choose to explore the downtown area, but the zipline adventure itself was lovely. We were SO HIGH up in the trees that I was seeing vegetation that I was completely unfamiliar with. They did loan us rain jackets for ziplining, but I packed the wrong kind of pants and shoes, and was pretty drenched from the hips down. Still, a beautiful and exhilarating afternoon in the beautiful and majestic temperate rainforest. The excursion offered by Celebrity went smoothly and was perfect for what we wanted to do. Michael's Club Other than the bartender, there was never ANY staff in there during the day. We must have stopped by over two dozen times to find no one at the desk. We always had to leave phone messages for the Concierge if we had any questions. I feel like Michael's Club should have a permanent Guest Services staff to take care of all the issues we constantly had to go to Guest Services for, such as our Sea Pass cards not working to paying for drinks, meals, etc. Such as my father's misprinted Sea Pass card that showed no beverage package. Those issues should have been handled within the Club Lounge. If there was ever anyone in there...which there wasn't. Canyon Ranch Spa Having been to Canyon Ranch Lenox, I was looking forward to their menu of treatments. They didn't offer some of my favorites (parafango), but the Revitalizing Ritual and Seaweed Detox Wrap were both AMAZING, mostly due to my wonderful wonderful spa therapist. She did just a great job explaining and massaging. I loved the two treatments I booked. The counter was a bit hectic on embarkation day, but I didn't wait to long when I came by throughout the cruise. The family members sailing in the suite all purchased Persian Garden passes and EVERYONE LOVED THE HEATED TILE LOUNGERS. The family members booked in Aqua Class got access as part of their perks. There are never enough of those things, and some people stay longer than the recommended 20 minutes. For the most part, the majority of people were really good about getting up and giving others a chance. I would have appreciated a larger variety of hydrotherapy showers, especially a warm water one. I liked the temperate sauna, but found it on one day to be cold and smelling of urine. That was only one day out of five visits, so not bad. Visited the steam sauna once and the dry sauna once. The nice showers in both the Royal Suite and Aqua Class staterooms meant that I didn't have to Toiletries I actually preferred the milder scented shampoo/conditioner/body wash/lotion of the Aqua Class stateroom to the overly perfumed Bulgari products in the suite. Just my preference. Still, H2O (Disney Cruise Line), L'Occitane (Regent Seven Seas), Aveda (Crystal) or Molton Brown (Seabourn) would be my top picks. Kids programming Maybe it is because we're used to sailing Disney, but I found it so odd that the Kids Clubs would be closed at three points during the day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. You had to pay extra for your kids to participate in a "dining program" during those times. WHAT?!? So odd. BUT, what I loved is that, unlike Disney, with fewer kids, the counselors really rounded up the kids to have them participate in the different activities. You did not have to worry that your kid would go to the kids club and just sit on the XBox for two hours. It would have been nice to give them a little more unstructured play time, but overall, they kind of forced to kids to get to know each other and interact a bit. I loved that. They even hosted a family even one night where you got to see what their "camp" program was like. Very fun, very well run. Overall, I was impressed (though still puzzled by the closures throughout the day). Recreation It was nice that the allowed a family swim btwn 4-6p each day in the enclosed solarium pool, bc the unenclosed pools are REALLY COLD on an Alaskan cruise! LOL Though I am sure that the adults in the adult-only area did NOT like their solarium being overrun every day from 4-6p, it gave adults with kids a chance to swim each day. We did the glass blowing and it was an AMAZING experience. Glass blowing is interesting and fun, in and of itself, but doing it on the top deck of a large ship was unique. We also did a Reidel workshop. No one else showed up, so it became a private tasting lesson with the Murano sommelier. Super fun AND you get a code for four free wine glasses (to order) once you get home. There is an arcade, though we never went. Also saw some taller guys shooting basketball, so my 8 yr old did not want to join in. There was a nice lawn on the top deck, but the signs were always turned to "keep off" when I went up there. Library had lots of adult books, no kid books, and some nice reading chairs and nooks that I always found passengers to be napping in, LOL. Card room had a few different games but never enough for the number of tables in the room. Only 1 mah jong set (with a few replacement tiles for missing tiles), that one old lady would be guarding like a hawk while her cardmates were eating or whatnot. It was very hard to get hold of that set to play with. Concierge should have extra sets of cards, mah jong, other games in Michael's for suite class guests to borrow and play in their own stateroom. We asked our Butler, but he said nothing was available to play in our suite. Some members of our family popped into the casino, but it wasn't a huge draw for our family. THE LETDOWN: Butler and overall Service So, we booked the Royal suite instead of two smaller suites because we wanted the butler service and in-room dining. Unlike with previous reviewers of this cruise, who had good experiences, our biggest disappointment was, unfortunately, our Suite Butler. Upon meeting us, he immediately told us that he was in charge of a lot of staterooms, so that he would be quite busy during this sailing. Anything we asked for was begrudgingly taken care of at best. There wasn't a lot of common sense; when we asked for more herbal tea selections to add to our choices, he took away the original assortment, which we had also wanted! When we told him which one we liked, he never restocked it. We always had to restock it ourselves from Michael's or Cafe Al Bacio. As opposed to reports of being able to cater Hubbard Glacier day with food from the sushi restaurant, in addition to other foods, we were told that we were limited to the room service menu and the main dining room menu. He did cater us a lunch on Hubbard Glacier Day, but it was much less of a festive celebration; he made it feel like an imposition. We tried to order the food from room service directly, but was told we HAD to do it thru our butler, whose very attitude told us that he did not really want to help us. Out of four days of wanting high tea served in the suite, it was done once. Out of three days of wanting lunch served in the suite, we also only did it once because our butler made us feel like it was such an enormous and excessive undertaking that was an imposition on him. We never even bothered to ask about any dinners. We were highly underwhelmed and disappointed by our butler's attitude. He was nice, just not proactive nor welcoming nor dedicated to providing true service. For future bookings, I would not recommend booking this stateroom category for the butler, just for the space/roominess of stateroom. Overall, this did not impress the first time cruisers nor the repeat cruisers in our group. OVERALL I think the problem with this sailing was really the service. Other than a handful (count on one hand?) of people who took the time to recognize or familiarize themselves with us, this ship felt like a machine churning out soulessness. Staff really should be more friendly with guests they're seeing often on a 7-night sailing. Most of the Celebrity Eclipse staff just could not be bothered. For each stateroom's occupants, we only felt that our stateroom attendant, spa therapist, Hugo in Luminae, our server (I forget his name) in Sushi on 5, and Unica in BLU really cared about having us as their guests on this ship. That's 5 people out of dozens and dozens of staff members we came across regularly. And that's sad when you're choosing Suite Class on Celebrity for their reputation, service quality, and being treated like VIPs. Read Less

We two along with two other couples, truly enjoyed everything about this cruise right from abundantly beautiful inside passage that this Great Ship cruises along. Our cabin with veranda was very comfortable inside out. We thoroughly enjoyed the nature and some of its creatures passing by, while spending lots of time at the veranda. Our cabin was serviced by an attendant named Gligor, who could easily serve as an ultimate template, of what hospitality ought to be, on any cruise ship. Food wasn't really to our taste, either in the assigned dining hall or other restaurants, since it was not cooked from fresh vegetables. Fortunately, there was wide variety of fruits available, which we helped ourselves with. The worst part of our cruise was their on-board guest relations, wherein almost everyone displayed a bit of an attitude and seemed lacking information and training inputs. Having settled all our bills, on the last day we decided to pick up couple of art works. I insisted at guest relations desk that my card should be charged the same evening, since we were to disembark early next morning. They said we cannot charge your card on-board now, since all this would happen during the night, at their headquarters. Next morning we had huge problems with their card charging equipment and even their on-board ATM ran out of cash. This massively delayed our disembarkation and we narrowly missed our flight, on the way to Yellowstone. Seems like their customer service on-board is inverted, with cabin attendant being the best at it and guest relations being the worst. Read Less

We live in the State of Washington and it was about a 75 minute drive from our house, through Canadian Customs and parking in the lower levels at Canada Place, They took our luggage, then an elevator ride up and we were on our way through check in, and customs. I think we might have waited 5 minutes, then onto the ship by 11:00. One of the most absolutely pain-less embarkations we have ever done in 25 cruises. Lunch in the Ocean View, along with visiting with a few people on this ever so friendly cruise, and our room was ready. The entire cruise was GREAT. The water was smooth the entire trip. My favorite part was the three hours at the Hubbard Glacier. The Captain got within a half mile, although the glacier is so huge, it seemed like we could almost touch it. The entertainment was quite good overall. Singers and Dancers did several shows that were all very good. A couple nights of comedians were so-so, Two highlight entertainment features were the A cappella group from Vox Audio, and The Not Really the Three Tenors. Both were fabulous!!!! We enjoy meeting new people each night at dinner, so we choose Select dining. Excellent service by Juan and his assistant. Food was also excellent, with a great variety on each and every menu. We had breakfast in the Ocean View Buffet and this was also a great experience. Overall, one of our very best cruises. We got off at each port but honestly we just enjoy the ship anymore. Although we were an hour late getting to Vancouver, disembarkation was just as easy as getting on the ship. Read Less

We chose this cruise because our extended family who live in Vancouver were already booked on it. We were a group of 11 and it was a very enjoyable time for all of us (ages 7 to 85). The food in the Oceanview Cafe and the Moonlight Sonata were outstanding and went above our expectations. The service overall was very good. The best part of the cruise was the Hubbard Glacier and dogsledding in Juneau. This was the first cruise for our immediate family and we quite enjoyed the experience of being somewhere different everyday. Our cabin with balcony was surprisingly spacious for the 4 of us - there was lots of storage space for our stuff too! The Alaska ports we stopped at made it very convenient and easy for young kids as well as the grandparents in our group to get off the ship and explore. We are looking forward to our next cruise! Read Less

This was our second cruise with Celebrity, and it certainly won’t be our last… In fact it was our second cruise on the Eclipse; we’d been around the Baltics and to St Petersburg (another superb itinerary) when she was newer and shone a little bit more, but the slightly older lady definitely hasn’t lost her sparkle! This was one amazing itinerary- sailing out of Vancouver (spectacular in itself), on to Icy Strait Point, a trip to Hubbard Glacier, back to Juneau, Ketchikan and back down the Inside Passage towards home. The sights in the right weather, which we were lucky enough to have all week, are unsurpassed: snow-topped mountains, small islands dotted with pines, early morning mists, clear blue skies, humpbacks, orcas, porpoises, sea otters, sea lions, seals, bald headed eagles, bears, and a glacier which grew before our eyes in a glassy sea dotted with curiously shaped ice blocks, some the size of a iceberg… Celebrity looked after us, and very well we felt: our balcony stateroom was cleaned twice a day by Imade, the best cabin steward we’ve ever had in our six cruises to date. Yes, it’s knocked about a little bit since the last time we were on board, but we’re all a bit weathered with age… Food was exceptionally good in the Moonlight Sonata Dining Room where service was prompt and good humoured, thanks to Julius Caesar (minus his helmet), Santos and wine waiter, Rakman. We enjoyed the variety and quality of the buffet but found it difficult to get a table at times, one of the disadvantages of doing a cruise where many would otherwise stay outside on their sunbeds from dawn til dusk. On this cruise, we took to having lunch back in the main dining room, where we enjoyed all sorts of treats such as duck and steaks. Service in the bars was good although we felt that there should have been more staff on occasions. The main shows in the theatre were a little odd for our tastes at times- some strange song choices, and some weird concepts, one of which involved a top hat (!) but the singers and dancers were all well drilled and worked hard around the ship with their ad hoc shows to keep us entertained. Well sone to Simon, our Cruise Director. We particularly liked Savannah Smith, and knew that if ever the ship’s fog-horn lost its bellow, Savannah would step right in. What a pair of lungs! We enjoyed her so much, we ate lunch early one day just to attend her extra matinee show. With only three ports in the week we chose to book independent excursions at Icy Strait Point (whale watching) and Juneau (a city tour, a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier and another whale watch) which were cheaper than those on offer with the cruise company. We were also on smaller boats for the whale watching, an obvious plus. We chose the Lighthouse, Totems and Eagles tour in Ketchikan and were glad we did. The added advantage of this particular itinerary was the fact that so much was seen from the ship itself- the scenery, the glacier and the wildlife were all completely unforgettable. This was the first cruise we’ve done which included a drinks package- and what a difference that made! And despite various crew members’ efforts to get us to upgrade from the Classic to the Premium, we felt our needs were more than catered for with the basic one on offer. Bottled water, coffees, hot chocolates, endless cocktails and glasses of wines from around the world kept us more than satisfied. In fact we’ve told ourselves that we’d have to think twice before booking another cruise without that particular offer… We were lucky enough to be invited onto the helipad for the Vancouver sailaway where we were treated to exceptional views of the disappearing city while drinking complimentary champagne. We also found ourselves invited to a lunchtime drinks and canapes party up in the Sky Observation lounge, our favourite bar- a generous gesture we felt. And we couldn’t believe our luck when we were sent a special invitation to dine with the Hotel and the Public Relations Directors in the Tuscan Grille one evening… all these little touches made it a holiday to remember. We’re particularly pleased that we’ve already got our next Celebrity cruise booked- to the far East at Christmas on the Millenium. We’re already considering the next, to Venice, and the next, to South America… Thanks to all the thoroughly nice people we met on board, crew and fellow travellers, who made our first trip to Alaska a trip of a lifetime! Read Less

We cruised on the Eclipse to Alaska out of Vancouver, embarkation July 21, 2019. The Eclipse is very well maintained, with ongoing maintenance, both interior and exterior; exterior painting while in ports. The Eclipse is very easy to navigate and even with a full passenger sailing, you never felt crowded. Both embarkation and debarkation in Vancouver was smooth and very well organized. On embarkation day, we enjoyed the Concierge Lunch in the MDR. It was nice to have a relaxing lunch as there was a lot of activity in the Oceanview Café. Likewise, on debarkation day, we enjoyed the Concierge class breakfast, also in the MDR and then waited for our luggage tag numbers to be called for debarkation. There was a continental breakfast table with coffee, tea, juices, ice water and croissants. It was a nice way to end our cruise. We are residents of Vancouver and while we are very proud of our city, I will defer to our visitors to our beautiful city, to comment on their experiences. We opted for a Concierge Class stateroom, Deck 10, Cabin 1162. The location was close to the glass elevators and stairways. Our stateroom attendant, Cosmas, was outstanding. He was very pleasant, friendly and very accommodating. Our stateroom was cleaned on a very timely basis each day, as was nightly turndown service. Our Concierge attendant, Dana, assisted us with certain requests and it was so convenient to not have to stand in line at Guest Services. Our evening canapes were delivered at 5:00 p.m. and while many reviews have been negative, we found them to be fresh and quite tasty. The nachos were crisp as was the garlic toasted bread. The bruschetta was cold and vegetables crisp. The salmon/caviar rolls were fresh as was the brie cheese. The Oceanview Café was very busy, especially for breakfast and lunch. Because the weather was quite cool and we experienced a lot of rain, it was not possible to eat outside of the Oceanview Café or at the Mast Grill so we were confined to finding a table inside and it was quite congested but it’s a matter of being patient. Unfortunately, by the time you secured a table, your food was not hot….warm at best but that’s not the fault of Celebrity. You can’t control the weather. The service staff was accommodating, very helpful and very welcoming and friendly. We noticed that tables were cleaned immediately after a guest left. I have very severe food allergies, resulting in carrying an EpiPen everywhere I went. Prior to the cruise, a Cruisecritic post recommended that you call Celebrity and advise them of your food allergies, which I did. But to be extra cautious, I made business card size pieces of paper outlining my allergies and included my name and cabin number. We dined in the Moonlight Sonata, Murano & Tuscan Grille and every server had a small printout from the ship of the allergies I reported to Celebrity. If there were any questions by the Chef, both Chefs in Murano & Tuscan Grille came to our table to ensure that the ingredients were safe. I was so impressed and appreciative of their attention to detail. We had Anytime Dining in the Moonlight Sonata. Our experience with our servers, Elmer & Ryan was so pleasant and entertaining and while we had a table for 2, we met wonderful people on either side of us. Consequently, we asked for their section every night we ate there and we were seated immediately, with the exception of one night where we had to wait 30 minutes. We went to the Martini Bar until we were called. We dined in Murano and had the best experience. The quality of food was exceptional. The Sommelier was outstanding. His knowledge of wines and showing true interest in your taste, exceeded our expectations. Our server, Gael was also fantastic and provided outstanding service. As an aside, we attended the Food & Wine Pairing event, hosted by the Murano Sommelier. If you enjoy wines and wanting to understand how foods can be mirrored or contrasted with wines, this is a must event. He was very entertaining and shared very valuable information. We dined in Tuscan Grille as well. While it was a pleasant experience, it was not Murano. While our server was knowledgeable, his suggestions and recommendations were overwhelming, consequently, resulting in far too much food. My DH had the filet mignon (medium) and it was served closer to medium well…very well. I ordered the Ribeye (medium rare) and it arrived medium well. The Entertainment was very good in the Theatre. The production show ROCK was done very well. We especially enjoyed the 2 comedians, Randy Johnson and Kevin Jordan. The adult show by Randy Johnson was hilarious. The 60s performance in the Grand Lobby was packed and while the passengers were invited to dance with the performers, passengers on Decks 4 & 5 were also participating. It was a great evening. We met with Artur in Future Cruise Sales as we had a few questions regarding ‘booked’ cruises we have in 2020 & 2021. He clarified our inquiries and was very pleasant to deal with. We appreciated his efforts. I attended the Glass Blowing class and made a flower. It was an incredible experience and the result so rewarding. Having no experience, it was a bit daunting but the instructor was very encouraging and helpful. It was great fun! Onboard Shopping was good. As we all know, the best day is the last day at sea. There was good selection and the staff in all stores were helpful and pleasant and we never felt pressured to buy. There are lots of onboard activities and you’re never bored. We were always busy. Our Ports of Call were Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan and, of course, the Hubbard Glacier. The Hubbard Glacier was amazing to experience. Going through the ice flows to the Glacier was very exciting, hearing the ice rub against the side of the ship and seeing the calving were sights that no picture or video could do them justice. We attended the Park West Art Auction many years ago and decided to go again. The format certainly has changed. It’s hardly an ‘auction’ but an art ‘sale’. The price points were ridiculous. The first piece started at $15,000; saying the reserve was $13,500 and the ‘bidding’ started at $13,000. At an auction, you never divulge the ‘reserve’. All in all, not many pieces were sold and the 5 or 6 pieces that were sold were primarily purchased by one person. The format was basically to get you interested in pieces and then make appointments with you to get you to come back for the hard sell. It was disappointing. The Casino has the tightest slot machines we’ve ever encountered. Getting a bit of a return is fun but just feeding a machine helped us decide very quickly that we’d pass. Overall, this was an amazing cruise. The Eclipse is beautiful, the staff and service, the best! We met such wonderful people who made our cruise very memorable. Being Canadian, there were more Canadians than we have ever met on any other cruise – from our own city of Vancouver to the Prairies to the East Coast. Our neighbours to the South were fun and very entertaining and our friends from “Down Under” and the UK were very complimentary of Vancouver and, of course, Alaska. It truly was a once in a lifetime cruise. Read Less

Great experience with Celebrity cruises ships before decided to vacation with them again Great service above and beyond expectations Melvin -room man amazing talents, had our room in tip top shape every morning and night. Making sure that we had everything in our room that we would need. Very friendly and outgoing. Khristopher our waiter in dinning room met all our needs remembering our likes and dislikes , very positive and outgoing attitude Ajit -wine Steward met all our needs and remembered what we liked,also suggesting new wines to try. Very positive and great energy Booked a transfer with Celebrity from airport to ship terminal this was very well organized, staff toke our luggage all we had to do was follow the celebrity rep and get on the bus. All amazing staff on this vessel in all areas that we were exposed to., The embarkation was busy the celebrity team made the line move quickly, disembark was very quick and well planned out Read Less

Traveled with my wife, two daughters (in their 20s), their boyfriends and one of his daughters (9) on the Celebrity Eclipse departing July 7 returning July 14 round trip from Vancouver. We stayed in Vancouver at JW Marriott Parque for three nights prior to the Sunday departure. We had two full days in Vancouver. I woke up first thing in the morning and walked to the Canada Place Cruise Terminal to watch a HAL ship dock, walked back to the hotel and met up with the family. We did the Capilano River Regional Park (recommended), and then Gas Town. Had lunch at a restaurant named Local-ok. My wife and I had dinner at Provence Marinaside-excellent and enjoyed tasting many different BC wines. They are able to draw a glass or taste out of any bottle with a syringe and nitrogen. Following day went to Granville Island by Ferry (recommended) and then the Science Place (I have aged out of this attraction but interesting and more suited for young children. Dinner with everyone at Floata in China Town-food was excellent but ambiance was like being in the twilight zone. It is on the third floor of a mostly empty shopping center and it appears more like a banquet hall than a restaurant. The food made up for the atmosphere. Great Dim Sum and Peking Duck. That night, hung out at a bar on a 6th floor terrace-Paul McCartney was in concert next door, so we listened to the end and the encore while we enjoyed our nigh caps. Embarkation day my wife and I went to Mass at the Holy Rosary Cathedral and returned to the hotel to meet the kids et al and catch a private transfer to the terminal. I arranged the transfer through the concierge in a micro bus, rather than hail 3 cabs. There is no Uber et al in Vancouver. We arrived about 12:45 pm at the terminal and it was not too crowded. My wife and I were in a suite, so we all breezed through except for the bottleneck and US ICE. It took, about 30 minutes to clear. Once on the other side, we were met by a greeter and escorted on board and to our cabins. My wife and I were in RS 1612 and the children were in connecting Veranda staterooms 9233-9255. Suite was awesome, so was the butler and the steward. It was really nice to have the living area for congregations. First night we all dined at Luminae. Excellent food and service. Better quality wines than MDR. We did pay for our children to join us, but it was worth the price for the wines. There are higher quality wines not on the menu and you do not pay any up charges. First day at sea we explored and ate lunch at Sushi on 5-Lobster R amen highly recommended. Dinner at Muranos (excellent). Second day was Sitka. We watched the arrival from the Helicopter pad. I have been to Sitka many times before (cruises and fishing). So my wife and mostly walked, shopped, and did walk through the Historic Park. You now shuttle to town from a cruise dock located about 10 miles north. Last time I was in Sitka on a cruise, it was a tender. Kids did excursions. Third day was Hubbard Glacier-breathtaking. We catered a lunch in our cabin (sushi, salads, apps, and roast beef sandwiches). Very cool to entertain in your suite with a Glacier in the background. There was an excursion for an up and close view of the Glacier, in hindsight this would have been a very cool excursion. Next day was Junea. I hired a cab from the taxi line for a morning tour and we went to Mendenhal, the Arboretum and the Tram. Highly recommend all and the cab kept us away from the crowds. We had a late lunch of crab and Tracey's (recommended), shopped and then a drink at the Red Dog Saloon (must see). Dinner that night was MDR. Next day was Ketchikan were my wife and I went Zip lining. Good excursion but in hind sight on a short port day, I rather would have explored Ketchikan. My wife's advise is to book the excursions on longer port days, so you also have time to explore. Dinner was at Tuscan. Highlight was the appetizers. I order an upcharged NY Strip-flavor was good but the texture was mushy (think more short rib than steak). Stick to the apps and Italian offerings. Next day was at Sea with lunch at Sushi 5 and dinner at Luminae. We did the ship's tour which was very cool. My daughter won a bingo while playing our cards. I told her I would split the winnings, so I used my half to spread some love to the crew who had taken care of us so well the prior week. Embarkation is painless in suite class. My wife and I bar hopped the prior evening while our butler packed for us. So we just went to bed, woke up about 8:00, was at Michael's Club by 9:00, and hung out until after the last boarding group was called. We were escorted off the Ship through Customs. Two of our party disembarked first thing in the am to catch a flight home by 12:20 pm, they made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare in a cab. The remaining group needed a large Taxi, so we had to wait about 25 minutes for them to procure one. We stayed at the Westin Grand (JW was nicer but the service was very good). We went to church, had Pho and then went to the Maritime Museum with dinner at Granville Island. We walked home (doable but about an hour) and had Gelato as a reward. To bed for early return Passage home was unremarkable except for realizing we needed a duffel to fit our dirty clothes with the original space in our suitcases displaced by our purchases. Went downstairs at 6:30 am to inquire as to procuring luggage on an early Monday in downtown Vancouver from the bellman. The Concierge overheard my conversation, told me to sit tight, and procured me a large hard suit case from housekeeping that was left by another guest. Returned to my room, insured the lack of contraband in said suit case, and from leaving the hotel to sitting in the Maple Leaf Lounge was one hour. Every night was saw a show which we enjoyed. We also enjoyed Milos (a naturalist lector), the various live music and the silent disco. The ship is impeccable and so is the service. 95% of our food was delicious. I highly recommend the suite experience for two main reasons, first, you get to cut in line for everything and second you have free reign of the restaurants. My only expenses on the ship was inviting my kids plus to dinner, two excursions and the terrible steak. I did have some trepidation about a mass market ship but it exceeded my expectations and we reserved a cruise from Ireland to Iceland on Celebrity for next summer. The Ship itself is beautiful and well laid out. Time passed to quickly while on this cruise. I didn't even have time to visit the Casino other than 45 minutes of Blackjack showing my daughters how to play. My wife and I cruise with Crystal over Thanksgiving leaving from Miami. I will write a comparison then, but Celebrity is a great cruise for families in that my wife and I were abler to enjoy a Crystal like experience, while my kids enjoyed the plethora of activities available. Read Less

Overall, an amazing cruise. Great weather. Amazing sites. Ship is beautiful and staff really works to keep it spotless. Service was spot on. Took the train/subway from the airport to the Waterfront stop - super easy and convenient ($8 CAN). Though on a weekday it might be crowded with our luggage (it was Saturday). We stayed at the PanPacific right above the cruise port in Vancouver the night before the cruise. Nice but very expensive. Really appreciated the free luggage transfer to the ship though. This was our first Celebrity cruise (Diamond on Royal Caribbean) and although it was great, Royal does it better overall. However, I appreciated that Celebrity seems to be less pushy than Royal with the up-selling and shopping on the ship. I’ll start out with what I thought was lacking – again, overall a great cruise but just some items that I noticed. Though nice to look at, I think the Eclipse is not as well designed as the Royal ships we have been on (Grandeur, Anthem, Liberty) with respect to getting around. Seems like there are lots of dead ends with no way to get back without simply backtracking. The promenade is short and does not loop around at all – not in the front or the back of the ship. Entire back of deck 5 is just specialty restaurants with no public space at all – if you go back there you have to turn around. There is a deck with lounge chairs at the front of the ship that we were never able to find the door to access. Ensemble Lounge was ridiculously dark. Signage was just ok – it would tell you what was on a deck but not where on the deck. They need to install the interactive screens like Royal. Public spaces are generally small and a few are odd - not sure what Team Earth is supposed to be, though the big globe was neat. The iLounge – lots of computers but with no internet access without signing out of your own phone to use your package, I never saw anyone use them so just wasted space. I will say the Library was the best of any ship I’ve been on – most selection and nice place to read. The card/game lounge seemed to get a lot of use. Grass on back deck is neat but a bit pointless (though I did enjoy glass blowing on that deck). The fitness center elliptical machines are awful – a no-name brand that are very jerky. I’m a regular elliptical user and was not able to use them because they are so bad. I use them every day on Royal (they have either Precor or LifeFitness machines) I know Celebrity is supposed to be more laid back than Royal, but activities were severely lacking – I never thought I would want a bingo game or two because Royal overdoes it, but there were hardly any activities. The daily itinerary listing each day was not well designed and too busy with activities that were not really activities (things like table tennis that is available every day all day). Random items were highlighted. Some activities are not included in the overall list and are only in separate boxes, making it hard to plan the day. Cruise Compass on Royal is much better. Casino is small but nice. I do not play table games but like to watch and noticed they never opened the craps table. Dealers seemed very nice. Good though not extensive selection of slot machines. They did not publicize any special casino events very well. Buffet was the same as most ships – good selection, large quantities, ok taste. Could get extremely busy at lunch. Not much selection of non-bar (i.e., free) drinks – no flavored waters like Royal. Spa café was good, but they had only a few dishes for lunch that did not change. “Smoothies” were just cold juice, but it was nice to get something different to drink. We were able to afford a suite, so had access to Luminae. We ate most meals there – it was amazing food and service was impeccable. After first day, they knew our names and preferences. Rozi our waiter and Vira the assistant waiter were exceptional. Sky Lounge is awesome – great views and nice seating. Milo, the on-board expert was great – his talks were fun and informative and the commentary during Hubbard Glacier was a highlight. We liked the World Class Bar – Nikolas and Roberto are great. Though it’s stuck next to the art gallery and no windows, so not the best location. Again, overall a great cruise, and I’m just nit-picking because it’s easier to remember what isn’t perfect sometimes. All staff was friendly – they would all smile and say hello. Service was great overall. Read Less

We enjoyed our 7 day Alaska cruise on the Eclipse. The Eclipse ship was comfortable, spacious , and clean. Everyone was so friendly and the service was wonderful. Our stateroom 8257 was very comfortable & clean, we had a great view from our Balcony. Our housekeeper "Melvin" was so very cheerful and helpful. Melvin took care of all our needs every day, ie extra towels as many time that we needed them , he placed ice in the ice bucket every evening for me at 9 pm, brought personal items for our person care when needed, . Melvin always greeted us every day when he saw us with a warm & cheerful good morning (day) & have a wonderful time I hope Celebrity realizes they have a winner they have n Melvin I have some severe food allergies & was very concerned about the preparation of the food during my cruise. I am very allergic to MSG, raw Ginger, raw Garlic, spices like curry, turmeric, cumin so had to avoid them especially Indian & Asian dishes. Therefore, on the first day of the cruise I spoke to the Maitre d" in the the main dinning room and explained my concerns. He was really understanding and made special arrangements for me, he spoke personally with the chef about my dietary needs. Then he arranged for me to see the next days menu so I could select what I would like to eat and then checked with the chef to confirm that the meal was safe. By doing this I was able to relax and enjoy my dinner every evening without having to make it an issue. I would like to say thank you to our amazing and charming waiter, Vincent and the assistant Viviano. They took special attention to all our needs and made every evening very special. I extent my special thank you to the Maitre d, and the Chef for taking very good care of me. We ate at two of the Specialty Dinning Restaurants and enjoyed the meal, and attentive service. We selected the Tuscan Grille for a romantic Italian dinner & exceptional service (2 times) also the Qsine La Petite Chef because of the unique dinning experience show & gourmet dining (2 times) We enjoyed the 4 shore excursions that we took. Alaska is a beautiful place and make sure you go ashore or take am excursion to experience the place.The excursions are expensive but worth it, It was difficult so select which ones to take. My favorite was the Hubbard Glacier Inside Passage Cruise. Make sure you dress warmly for Alaska as it was very cold during the Alaska cruise. I, actually had to purchase a warm fleecy hoodie at one of the stores on the cruise to wear to keep warm . The entertainment shows in the Theater were amazing. The director of entertainment Lauren was very profession, funny and delightful to speak to when she was on board the cruise. I would recommend this cruise to my friends and family if they show any interest in going on an Alaska in the near future. In closing I wish to say thank you to all the staff/crew that made this cruise a wonderful memory. Read Less

Once in a lifetime cruise, what an amazing trip! Sailing the inside passage was beautiful and scenic. I sailed with my husband, son and sister with her family. We choose to sail from Vancouver to sail the inside passage and we have been on the Eclipse before and loved it! Once again Celebrity delivered an amazing vacation for my family. Arrived in Vancouver the day before and used the Canada line train from airport to hotel near Canada Place. We stayed at the Auberge Hotel, its location was perfect. Close walk from train and to Canada Place, no need for taxi at all. We ate dinner at the Elephant bar and it was very good. I have heard mixed reviews on check in at the pier so my husband and I decided to go down there early and check things out. After speaking with a worker at the port he suggested to check in before noon. We decided to collect our luggage at the Hotel and checkout at 10:30am and walked over to the pier. We entered through the parking garage and were expedited through immediately. We dropped our luggage and went on through to check in. We were told we could get our sea pass cards and not go through customs if we wanted to still explore Vancouver , but we decided to go right on the ship. My sister and her family stayed at the Pan Pacific which is on the pier. She just took the elevator down from the lobby right to check in so it was easy as well. The ship was in great shape and very clean . This was our second time on Eclipse and our 8th Celebrity cruise. The Eclipse was the first celebrity cruise we did when she was new and we have been hooked ever since. We have sailed Royal, Carnival, and Disney and Celebrity is perfect for us. The main reason is the consistency in their customer service and quality for what you pay. Plenty of choices for dinning and the quality to me hasn't changed much, but to be fair we usually don't dine in the main dinning room. For this trip we used Tuscan as our main dinning room and dinned in Murano as well. We stayed in Concierge class for this trip . Our cabin was exactly as expected, very clean but a little tired. We knew she was due for refurbishment, only complaint was the bed. It was very worn and hard as a rock. Thankfully their was beautiful scenery the entire cruise since we didn't sleep much. Tuscan grill is our favorite place to eat every cruise, since this ship doesn't have Lawn Club and the original Quisine restaurant we decided to do a five night package with Tuscan and Murano. I understand changing to La Petite Chef but I had no desire to try it. Not really into gimmicks just good quality food. Tuscan has cut back on their menu choices over the years but the quality is still great. Murano's menu never changes and its always good . In my opinion sushi on five is a bust, its never busy like it was when it was crepes and soups. We always go to the mast grill at least once and its good old comfort food. The ocean view was a bit more crowded then I remembered but the quality of food was still good. We did dine in the main dinning room one night all due to Menino Fernandes the maître D. What amazing customer service he offered us. We decided last minute to line up on deck 4 for anytime dinning and the line wasn't moving and the girl at podium wasn't saying anything just typing away on the computer. We waited fifteen minutes and decided to leave and go to Buffett so we didn't miss the comedian that night. As we were walking away my son was upset and we couldn't understand the lack out communication we entered the elevator and in comes Menino the maître D. He had over heard us and followed us in the elevator took us down to level three and walked us right to an available table. Amazing customer service, thank you! We had a great meal and still managed to make the show that night. Jorge was our server he was wonderful. Our server at Tuscan we had three nights was Shankar and one night Joby they were both great and attentive. Vladan and Irena were there to greet us each time with a smile and a welcome back great to see you again. This is why we love Celebrity they are always consistent with their customer service, they work really hard and always smile. We frequent café al bacio every cruise and they never disappoint. They were a lot of fun and service was great! The entertainment they brought on board was excellent as always. Loved the comedians! By far the best was Milos! He was charismatic and very informative. We went to all his lectures and loved his science talk in sky lounge. He really made our cruise. Thank you Milos! My husband and son took Oasis fishing charter from Ketchikan and enjoyed it very much. All ports had good shopping and beautiful sites to see. All in all another amazing vacation with Celebrity! Read Less

We regularly cruise with Celebrity, and our Alaska cruise on Eclipse was one of our best! The entire staff was professional and friendly, and our dining experiences were consistently enjoyable. Gorgeous, sunny weather was a bonus! The embarkation team at the port in Vancouver was friendly and efficient. We were quickly on board after arrival, making a great start to our vacation. We sailed in Aqua Class, so we dined in Blu for breakfast and dinner. Our entire experience was excellent with delicious, well-presented meals and outstanding service from the entire restaurant staff. We have been in Suite Class on our previous two cruises and didn't feel Blu was a step down from Luminae. The view out the floor-to-ceiling windows was stunning! We ate one dinner in Murano, which was a special experience and well worth the upcharge. We ate lunch at the Oceanview Cafe, where we enjoyed the wide variety of offerings. Everyone we encountered on board was friendly and professional. Cruz, our cabin steward, amazed us with his almost stealth-like work keeping our cabin in tip-top shape. We felt so spoiled! The fitness center was large with ample cardio equipment and weights. It was especially enjoyable to workout while watching the beautiful Alaska coastline go by while at sea Entertainment was hit and miss on our cruise, but we found the acts with singers in the Ensemble Lounge to be very enjoyable. We love the layout of Celebrity's Solstice Class ships. We never felt crowded, and we enjoy the artwork around the ship. Read Less

Quick review of our Celebrity Eclipse Hubbard Glacier Cruise June 20-30 2019....not one drop of rain the entire 10 days! The ship was very clean, friendly staff, decent buffet dining and ok main dining. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes to be seated in the main dining hall as we didn't have an assigned dining time. The wait staff was very polite, they are only human when small things are forgotten, and very quick to correct any oversight. The food was somewhat average, and portions were good. The beef wellington and lobster were very good, probably the best meal that we had during the main dining experience. Drinks/alcohol were plentiful, and not watered down. Several meals we only had one cocktail, as they were quite potent! We were in Cabin 7292 midship. Very quiet room, centrally located near the elevators, very comfortable beds and large bathroom and balcony. We found it to have plenty of storage. The onboard Entertainment was not great, the best show was Rondell Sheridan comedian. The casino was nice, never very crowded, but that may be due to the age of fellow travelers on an Alaskan cruise. Overall we would be happy to travel with Celebrity. The excursions we took were made via the ships webpage, and they did not disappoint! We saw an abundance of wildlife, had a wonderful experience! Read Less

We had a great trip to Alaska the last week of June 2019. The weather was superb, the food and entertainment on board was amazing. Service was very good and all excursions went as planned. We were a group of 10 cruising together and the main dining staff did a terrific job of seating us each evening. The ship itself was a little tired but I understand it is going in for refit in 2020. It’s time. Our only disappointment was self induced to some extent. Unfortunately I left my jewelry on board. I realized my mistake within hours and called Celebrity to make a report. I knew exactly where it was in the stateroom. Two weeks have gone by and nothing has turned up. This should not be rocket science. Either the room cleaner found it or the new residents did. A word of advice - do not take good jewelry with you! I hoped and expected people to be more honest. Read Less

We have cruised with our now 18 and 16 year olds 6 times- 4 on big Royal Shops, one time on a new huge NCL ship, and once in a big MSC ship. This was our first and last Celebrity trip. Here’s why: Theater: too much smoke for theatrical effect. Strong chemical smell. Main nightly performances very weak compared to all other shops we’ve been on with the exception of one good comedian- Rondell. Too much time between early dinner and main show. We are at 6, done by 7:25 and nothing happening other than live music until 9. Last sea day awoken by captain and cruise director who spoke over loudspeaker for a full 10 minutes at 8:00 am. This should have been at 10 or 11 am on a day where nothing is happening all day. Food variety in moonlight sonata and main dining room excellent. Still about the same as Royal and NCL. Never met main maitre de. Just assistant who came by but was very impersonal and didn’t care about compliments we gave. Poor social skills. Need game shows and 8 pm entertainment in places where people can sit like celebrity central or sky lounge, not in open echo chamber areas with no seating. Love spa cafe concept and good but why can’t food options change? Everything exactly the same for 7 days straight? Would like sugar free fruit flavored waters offered on royal Caribbean. Ship seems overdue for renovation. Couldn’t see outside of warped windows in main dining room. All windows warped. Celebrity house jazz band was excellent and played in common areas frequently. Good focus on sanitizers. Nice soap bars in room. Not enough activities in large rooms, just in open hallways with no seating. Gym is nice but need more classes a little later in morning. Why are only free classes at 7 and 7:30 am? Read Less