Overall, we thought the shipboard experience was excellent. This was our first time on Eclipse although we had sailed on its sister ship, Equinox two years ago. We love the spaciousness of this class - it seems like there are far fewer people on board than there really are. The activities available and quality/variety of shows seem to be directly related to the number of guests over which to amortize the cost. Since much has already been said about the ship and the Solstice class, here are a few comments particular to the November 17, 2012 sailing:
- We agreed with many onboard that six port days in a row was rather busy, but when the islands are 100-150 nm apart it is understood. We toured and snorkeled with operators ranked at the top in TripAdvisor and CC. However, one could stay onboard and enjoy the many shipboard amenities.
- Even though departure was Saturday with eight ships and over 22,000 people boarding after 22,000 had already disembarked traffic was not too bad and the boarding process was outstanding. On board in less than 30 minutes (11:15 to 11:45). Ate in Bistro on Five which provided a nice respite from the usual mix of rollaboards and people waiting for cabins to be available at 1:30.
Standard AQ stateroom with bed near window. No noise at any time. Had plenty of space for all our stuff. DW used dresser drawers while I used storage over bed. Loved the large overhang for hot and sunny Caribbean weather.