BIG SHIP CRUISING
The first thing to note is she is as out of place in the hectic, outdated port of Miami as Concorde at Biggin Hill. It’s like taking a Bent- ley to Tesco’s; you simply don’t want your pre- mium passengers fighting their way through the mass-market jostle of a harbour-side operation that is designed to take as much money off everyone as possible (how else do you justify $20-a-day car parking when it costs only $8-$15 at the nearby airport?).
every inch of 1,033ft long if your cabin is at one end and the dining room is at the other! – but it never feels crowded and the huge array of public rooms provides superb choice in every aspect, from dining to enter- tainment and all points in between. The bar
B 40 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
ut, once inside the capacious interior of Eclipse, it is a whole different world. Yes, this is a big ship – it feels
options alone are dizzying, with fully 13 locations, yet that only begins to describe the ‘Solstice-class difference.’ Because this is a world of stylish design and modish sophistication, with subtle co- lour palettes, elegant soft furnishings and no sign of that modern bugbear, mistaking glitz for glamour and over-burdening the décor with multiple elements when one or two will do. It borrows more from the classic era of yesteryear than the contem- porary styling we’re used to seeing from NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess, and it is all the better for it.
Of course, there is plenty that is modern, too, notably in the 3-storey Eclipse Theatre, Fortunes Casino, Quasar nightclub, the extensive children’s areas and the blissful AquaSpa. Café al Bacio is a thoroughly mod- ern coffee shop and the retail opportunities are suitably high fashion in their scope. Eclipse also comes complete with plenty of stateroom style. Choosing a room on Sky Deck meant this had the full range of Con- cierge perks, such as early embarkation and disembarkation, welcome aboard sparkling wine and flowers, and daily fresh fruit and hors d’oevres, plus an extended room ser- vice menu, Frette bathrobes, a pillow menu to go with superbly comfy duvet and mat- tress, and a special massaging showerhead.
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