Celebrity Eclipse Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,947 reviews

High-standard ship, high-standard cruise

Review for the Baltic Sea Cruise on Celebrity Eclipse
User Avatar
Saligo
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2017
Cabin: Concierge Class 3

This was our second cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, and our second cruise to the Baltic. Our first cruise on Eclipse was to the Canaries, and our first cruise to the Baltic was with Royal Caribbean. We had very much enjoyed our previous cruise on Eclipse and were pleased to find another cruise on her with the right itinerary at the right time and the right price. The main purpose of the cruise for us was to visit the places in St Petersburg that we hadn’t got to the first time round, but we were also pleased to be going back to the other Baltic cities. The only port we hadn’t visited before was Warnemünde, a seaside suburb of the German city of Rostock.

The cruise was very good. The ship is great, the staff are great, the food is good, the cabins are excellent and everything went to plan.

We joined the ship at Southampton, where embarkation was very easy and didn’t take long. We had a bit of a wait for our cabin and our luggage, but neither was too bad. Lifeboat drill was poor, with no practice for passengers in putting on a lifejacket and a stupid jokey film that was supposed to tell you about safety but was just plain irritating.

Cabin Review

Concierge Class 3

Cabin C3

This cabin is near the front of the ship on the same deck as the bridge, port side. It is in a quiet location with little passing footfall and cabins above and below, but not too far from the forward stairs and lifts. Vision to one side from the balcony is slightly obstructed by the bridge wing (the cabin is only the fourth back from the bridge), but this itself provided interesting views of the ship's officers going about their duties when entering and leaving port.

For those not reading my full review, here is the cabin section of it copied and pasted:

We had a balcony cabin on deck 10 which was well-appointed and roomy (virtually all balcony cabins on Eclipse and the other Solstice-class ships are the same size with similar facilities). There is plenty of hanging space (though you may need to bring some wire coathangers with you to supplement the barely adequate supply). Drawer space is not generous, but large lockers above the bed to some extent make up for this, and you can always use suitcases under the bed as extra drawers. On ex-UK cruises a hospitality tray is provided, with a kettle, teas, coffees, sugar and other sweeteners and coffee creamer. British tea-drinkers will probably want to put some real milk from the buffet in the fridge. There are US and European power sockets, but as usual no UK sockets so remember to bring adapters. The bathroom is mostly well thought-out, with proper shower doors and plenty of storage space, but a washbasin barely big enough for washing hands in. The nightlight in the bathroom is a really nice touch and avoids disturbance of companions on night-time loo visits through tripping over things or putting lights on. The balcony is adequate, and in Concierge and Aqua classes has footrests as well as chairs and a table.

We chose the cabin for its position and weren’t really interested in the Concierge-class extras that come with it, like fresh fruit, afternoon canapés and a bathrobe, binoculars and a golf umbrella. Some people might appreciate the wide choice of pillows on offer, though. Our cabin attendant was attentive and friendly.

Port Reviews

Southampton

Excellent facilities for embarkation / disembarkation. Well-placed for enjoyable day out for those spending extra time in the area.

Copenhagen

We were lucky in being berthed at Langelinie, within walking distance of several attractions and even the city centre for those who don't mind a long walk. Ho-ho buses serve the pier, and ho-ho boats aren't too far away (near the Little Mermaid). Local buses no longer serve the pier but are not too far away on Indiakaj. Plenty to see and do, even for those to whom the Tivoli Pleasure Gardens don't appeal.

Tallinn

A wonderful city, with medieval walls and towers. Lots of nice shops, restaurants and bars and very good museums. Not far from the city centre by tram is Kadriorg Park with its palaces, historic cottage and delightful modern art gallery. We were there on a public holiday when most attractions were closed, but still enjoyed a visit to the Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam) maritme museum, where you get to clamber over and inside a submarine, an icebreaker and several other ships; it also has an excellent and affordable restaurant and is within (longish) walking distance of the cruise berths and the city centre.

Helsinki

This clean and pleasant city is easy to get around by public transport. The outdoor and indoor markets are delightful. The contrasting styles of the Lutheran and Orthodox cathedrals are interesting, as is the Rock Church. Lovers of architecture will find the Jugendstihl (art nouveau) architecture great, especially in the area east of the orthodox cathedral. Top-quality galleries and museums. A nice ambience.

Stockholm

We had taken in the Old Town and Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace on a previous visit, so we just crossed the harbour from our berth at Stadsgarden on the vintage ferryboat Emelie to Djurgarden with its host of attractions including the Vasa museum, the Abba museum, a Nordic museum and a large and scary amusement park, and spent the day very pleasantly at Skansen, and open air museum with a zoo in it with nordic and farm animals.

Berlin

The cruise call isn't at Berlin at all, but at Warnemünde, a very pleasant seaside town with great bars, restaurants and food stalls and a long dune-backed beach. Berlin is a three-hour coach journey away, and best tackled on a separate city break rather than as a shore excursion. On a long call at Warnemünde there is plenty of time to explore both Warnemünde itself and the nearby Hanseatic city of Rostock, a cheap and easy local train ride away (trains at least every 15 minutes). Train tickets include use of trams in Rostock to get from the station to the city centre, and a day ticket for all trains, trams and buses in the area costs just 5.20 Euros.

20 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Celebrity Eclipse Cruise from $325

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.