Just returned from the Celebrity Eclipse 14-night sailing (12/21-1/4/15) which we had previously done 2 years ago over Xmas. We had a great time on this cruise with excellent weather and a fun and diverse crowd. But overall, the standards on Celebrity have declined significantly with noticeable cutbacks. Most notably, I had previously found the food on Celebrity to be one of their strengths but I would rate the food in the MDR as a 6/10. This was a dramatic shift from what I had previously experienced on the Eclipse in 2012 when I would have rated the MDR food the best of all the Solstice class ships I had been on. In addition, the ship was PACKED with large families and groups traveling together. I was expecting this, but what struck me the most were the chair hogs. I had never been on a cruise where ALL loungers on deck 14 were taken by 7:30 A.M.

On this cruise, I was traveling with my partner, our 7.5 year old son, my father, sister, and her three kids (all in their late teens/early 20’s). 2/3 cabins were 1A category (Cabins 7211 and 7214, Midship on the hump), while the third cabin was 1B (Cabin 8267). Our Steward for 7211 always seemed rushed, was not particularly warm or friendly, and made no extra effort to wow me or my son (e.g., towel animals). My nieces in 8267 said they were never even introduced to their Steward. Nevertheless, I would say that I have never had a bad Steward on Celebrity so I’m hoping that our experience in this area does not represent an overall decline. (By the way, Celebrity has stopped providing chocolates at turndown!).

I will refrain from reviewing every detail about this ship that has already been covered, but wanted to highlight some of the things that struck me in good and bad ways on this journey. By the way, hats off to Chicagopaul who has done a very comprehensive review of this sailing which you should also refer to. However, contrary to Chicagopaul, I was not in Aqua class and had a completely different daily routine. I tend to wake up relatively early (7-8 A.M.), eat a small breakfast at the AquaSpa Café or Oceanview buffet, go to the gym for 90 minutes, relax in the sun until 4ish on sea days, go back to the gym for 30 mins, take a Jacuzzi, and then eat dinner around 7:30 in the MDR (Select Dining). On 6 evenings I had massages at the spa. Despite having a drink package as part of the 123 go promotion, I don't drink alcohol, coffee or soda. I don't generally go to any of the shows and I like to get back to the cabin by 10ish at night to read and go to bed while the rest of my family likes to stay out late. To some, this might sound a bit dull but it’s really what I need to do on vacation to recharge. Read more