Celebrity Eclipse Review
A Wonderful Week on Board the Eclipse to Norway
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first ever cruise. As 28 and 29 year olds we were a little apprehensive about not fitting in, but we had a great time. As suspected, we were among the youngest on board, but never felt like the odd ones out.
We drove to Southampton on the morning of the cruise and parked easily at the terminal (we had booked this in advance). We had to queue perhaps twenty minutes for security, but the line was always moving so it didn't seem like too long a wait. Check in was swift and friendly. The cabins were available at the time we boarded, around 1.30pm. We were very pleased with ours, which was spotless and more spacious than we had expected from pictures.
The ship has recently been refurbished, and they don't seem to have missed anything - everywhere was sparkling new. The change from the Passport Bar to Gastrobar doesn't seem to have been fully completed, but the Passport Bar serves a wide range of beers. One small disappointment was that Slush, the new frozen drinks bar, didn't appear to be open all week despite being times listed in the Celebrity Today.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Veranda 1A
The cabin had everything we needed, and was easily enough room for two people. The bed was by the balcony, which I suspect is the better of the two options. Of balcony was particularly large as it was the first from the hump. As it faced the rear we were sheltered from the wind.
Port Reviews
Geiranger
Geiranger is all about the scenery - it's a stunning fjord, but not much of a town. I recommend walking up to Flydalsjuvet viewpoint. Many tour buses go up there, but they are quite expensive, and it took us less than an hour to walk up - and the scenery is even better when you've got there under your own steam! After we walked down we walked further along the side of the fjord to the next little settlement along, and rented a motor boat. Cutting the engine and just floating alone in the middle of the fjord was brilliant.
Alesund
Alesund is a beautiful city. We had planned to walk up the steps to the viewpoint. They were closed so we had to go the long way around, but this worked out for the best as it meant getting different, but equally good, views along the way. In the afternoon we hired kayaks at the dockside and paddled around the island, including getting up close to the side of the Eclipse!
Bergen
It poured with rain almost all day in Bergen, so we weren't able to do as much as we would have liked - even the fish market was nearly all closed. The Hanseatic Museum was a pleasant way to pass 45 minutes or so. During a brief break in the rain we took the funicular up Mount Floyen, for some briefly attractive views before the clouds closed in. Despite the weather, I was left with a good opinion of Bergen as a town. It doesn't seem necessary to do a tour here.