PASSENGER PERSPECTIVE
Our regular readers review forum offers a perspective on the Celebrity Eclipse of
Celebrity Cruises from Ian and Vilma Atlas
Idyllic H
Eclipse
aving been on all of Celeb- rity’s Millennium-class ships several times and being elite Captain’s Club members,
we decided – having heard from friends how good they were – to go on one of the Solstice-class vessels, and we picked the latest one, the Eclipse, sailing out of Miami at the end of February on back-to-back Caribbean Cruises. We decided on the new Aqua-class stateroom, which not only give you some great upgrades, but also a full-length mas- saging shower and your own restaurant, Blu. On boarding and finding our state- room, which was very elegantly decorated, we decided to have lunch in the Ocean- view Café, the ship’s buffet restaurant. We were struck immediately with the
size. Having separate serving stations and an abundance of seating, as opposed to the lines on the Millennium ships, meant you rarely had to queue for anything. Whilst unpacking, we considered that
there was very little drawer space until we discovered a large double cupboard above the bed that could only be accessed by standing on the bed; okay if you were fairly agile and not too old. We were very impressed with the
general décor, which was very understated and classy, as other Celebrity ships we have been on. The shopping arcades (on two decks) were well stocked and the cos- metic shop was one of the best we have seen. The library was beautifully appointed and a restful place to read and relax. Our exclusive restaurant Blu was
very good, albeit a bit limited and, after
the first week, we went to the main restaurant on Anytime Dining, which had a much bigger selection and was more suited to our taste. Qsine, one of the speciality restaurants (above), was quite a different experience – lots of fun and very good food. We would recommend anyone try it at least once. The other two special- ity restaurants, Tuscan Grille and Murano, were also excellent but had quite a hefty surcharge at $30 per person.
“EVERY MEMBER of staff was very WELL TRAINED and gave SUPERB SERVICE”
Celebrity had obviously learnt from pre- vious ships. Eclipse had abundant well-pad- ded sun-beds and shade, not only on the pool deck but the deck above as well, and
the Aqua Spa was a quiet and restful place to relax. The Aqua Spa Café was also an enjoyable and healthy place to eat lunch. After dinner, there was always plenty to do, either seeing the shows in the elegant Eclipse Theater, which were excellent, dancing to the great band in the Grand Foyer, or listening to the jazz group in the Ensemble Lounge. Several times there were parties and barbecues on the Pool Deck in the evening, and, being in the Caribbean, these were always great fun. The port calls were all very relaxing; Puerto Rico and St Maarten in the East Caribbean and Costa Maya and Roatan Honduras in the West Caribbean were our particular favourites. The Captain’s cocktail parties for Elite
Captain’s Club members were always elegant and a good place to meet the senior members of the crew, and we were fortunate to be invited on to the bridge when the ship sailed out of Roatan – a truly memorable experience. Every member of staff, from the steward in our stateroom who was excellent, to the members of the crew, dining room and bars, were all very well trained and gave superb service throughout the ship and we never had any cause to complain. All in all, it was a most enjoyable and restful cruise and we would certainly look forward to going back on this beautiful ship in the near future. IAN and VILMA ATLAS live in
Edgeware in Middlesex, UK, and have almost 20 cruises under their belts.
Autumn 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING 83
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