Celebrity Eclipse Review
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This was my 9th ever cruise, my first on Celebrity. I had previously cruised Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and Holland America. I was searching for a cruise line to stay loyal to, and I believe I found the winner.
I booked this cruise only about two months ahead of embarkation day, without doing any research on the Eclipse. The reason I selected this cruise was because of the itinerary. I wanted a longer cruise, and I wanted to visit some ports that I'd never been to before. Because of the longer itinerary, we were able to visit some of the southern-most islands in the Caribbean. And in my mind, the best way to start a cruise is with a sea day (or two), and the best way to end a cruise is with a sea day (or two). This itinerary starts with two sea days, then four port days, then a well-deserved sea day to recover, then four more port days, then it ends with two glorious sea days to wind down. It was one of the most perfect itineraries I've experienced.
Having not researched the Eclipse ahead of cruising, I was pleasantly surprised to find an elegantly decorated, clean, and well kept vessel. I really liked the non-smoking casino. What a breath of fresh air - literally! - to not have to smell the smoke when above, below, or next to the casino. At one point I had to walk right next to the casino and I held my breath for a while. When I had to breathe, I couldn't believe it - NO SMOKE! It was the first non-smoking casino I had ever seen. Nicely done, Celebrity. The smokers had to smoke somewhere, and I did encounter them when walking on the track daily, and on the pool deck area. I was disappointed that one of the smoking areas was right next to the walking track. I thought that was not well thought-out.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 1
My cabin was 1208 in the rear of the ship, Deck 10. It was the first time I had a room overlooking the ship's wake. I really enjoyed it. The only downfall of a room at the back is the occasional soot from the smoke-stack that falls on your balcony. Well, maybe another downfall is the LOOOONG walk from the elevators/stairwell to the room, but that didn't bother me too much. Otherwise, loved the view, loved the room. My room steward was fantastic, always had what I needed. I was in Concierge class, so I enjoyed the little extras, like a pillow menu, afternoon snack, and a special embarkation lunch in the main dining room. The bathroom was nice, plenty of room in the shower. And the cruise line provided shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and bar soaps.