My wife and I just returned from a 14-night cruise of the southern Caribbean on Celebrity Eclipse. The cruise was a perfect mid-winter respite from the cold and dampness covering most of the U.S. and Canada. The beautiful ship and Celebrity's typical outstanding blend of contemporary design, excellent service, and a lively but refined environment combined to provide an overall wonderful cruise experience.

For the record, this was our 34th cruise since the mid-1990s, 6th on Celebrity (having sailed on each Celebrity class of ship since Zenith), and second on the Solstice class. Therein lies the explanation for much of the enjoyment derived from the cruise, as Celebrity's Solstice class ships stand out for me as among the very best ships we've sailed on. Having said that, and having sailed on Eclipse's slightly younger sister Silhouette in December 2011 (see my separate Cruise Critic Member review), many of the comparisons drawn will be between these two extended Caribbean cruises.

The Ship: Eclipse is the third of five Solstice class ships. It is the last of the class to feature Corning's hot-glass blowing facility and demonstration as part of the Solstice class signature natural lawn area on the aft portion of Deck 15. With Celebrity's subsequent builds (Silhouette and Reflection), the Corning glass operation was replaced by an art workshop and two additional dining venues -- along with a pay-by-the-day cabana area that was virtually never used on our 12-night Silhouette cruise last year. I think the change in the later ships is a bit unfortunate, as I rather liked the layout on Eclipse, where the popular glass-blowing demonstrations drew big crowds and the lawn area saw plenty of games and activities that were not available on our Silhouette cruise. Read more