My wife and I chose the Celebrity Eclipse after having sailed on most other lines, including Carnival (frat party), Princess (nice party) , HAL (old party), NCL (bad party), and RCL (big party). Celebrity is now our favorite! We booked the Aqua class for just a few dollars more than a standard balcony. We are glad that we did!! Previous reviewers raved about the Aqua class and the Blu restaurant which we thought was just some marketing hype but we were wrong! Aqua class is simply designed for cruisers who want a more personalized approach without the feeling of a cattle drive seen on most mega ships.

Embarkation was quick and easy as we arrived at the terminal at 11:15 and were aboard within 15 minutes. We went to the Oceanview Cafe buffet until our rooms were ready and that is where we first experienced the pleasant, ever smiling employees doing their best to please us and the rest of the horse stampede. Because of the island buffet setup, it never felt crowded and seats were easily available without having to play musical chairs or fend off the seat vultures who lurk in ship buffet areas. The food was fairly good quality with enough variation to satisfy Henry the VIII. Of course, the ship "encourages" drink purchases but the drinks were most enjoyable sitting in the outside porch area while awaiting our sail from port.

Our room in Aqua class on Deck 11 was near the Aqua Spa and fairly quiet, well-designed and comfortable. Our room steward, Luis, was very polite and accomodating. The balcony was roomy with nice furniture. Bathrooms were great. The true miracle is a shower that you can actually move your arms enough to reach the more sensitive areas. In fact, the shower was at times felt even less crowded than some of the ship's pools!!! The beds were very comfortable but we never saw the advertised pillow menu, aroma menu or other special menus that enhance or confuse? the Aqua class. But we did see the Blu restaurant menu. Read more