Celebrity Eclipse

[Stephen]

What's the word with Celebrity Eclipse, great, good, OK or don't touch it with a barge pole.

A variety of nationalities or mainly Americans and their wine.......and whine

[noddy10]

Never been on Celebrity but thinking of Infinity this year but have cruised on Princess in the past where mostly have been American and always have a great time with no winging or whining like Brits seem to do on P&O.

[towny44]

Stephen, We think Eclipse and the S class Celebrity ships are excellent.
The cruises from Southam,pton are 90-95% Brits with a few Americans, Canadians and others.
Most balcony cabins are the same size regardless of grade, only grades 2c & 2d have some obstruction from the lifeboats.
The quality and fittings of cabins is better than P&O, the showers are massive and have sliding doors rather than curtains.
The balconys are bigger than most Azura/Ventura balconys except C deck.
Food we thought was better than P&O, but entertainment was inferior, service is equally as good as P&O.
Take no notice of people who comment about high drink and excursion prices, we found them quite competitive, only tips are higher at $11.0pppd.
We are booked again this year and after receiving an e-mail from Bolsover showing 2014 launch prices are again much lower than P&O means we will book another cruise or two for next year.

[Dancing Queen]

I would agree with everything Towny has said except I thought the service was far superior to P&O .

Drinks are more expensive but then they are not optic measures ( straight from the bottle ) so taking that into account they're not really because you are getting doubles it does encourage you to drink more though

We bought the drinks package which we thought was very good value as we had a lot of sea days, on a very port intensive itinerary I doubt you would benefit but it is certainly worth considering.

Great, good, ok, don't touch it with a barge pole ...... Excellent is the only word to describe Celebrity imo

[Stephen]

Thank you all for your replies.

We were not even considering a cruise, but came across a deal in the Saturday Mail.

[Stephen]

Any tips for a good balcony area.

[kruzgal]

We sailed Eclipse to the Baltics 2 years ago and love the ship. We have taken 6 cruises with Celebrity on several different ships so have a fair bit of experience. I haven't sailed P&O yet so can't give a direct comparison. On our cruise it was very international (nowhere near the 90% Brits previously stated) but that probably varies by cruise. We prefer a mix of passengers and even though we left from Southampton I would say the passenger mix was varied with no one nationality dominating.

From what I have read there are differences to P&O some of the main ones mentioned being drinks prices being higher/tips being higher/no free shuttle buses on Celebrity. I think it is more sensible to look at it as a total cost, rather than look at individual costs. Celebrity have some very competitive prices at the moment and have also been offering free drinks packages (I suspect this offer may start up again as it was very successful). I like the fact that they publish port arrival and departure times - you can plan independent excursions and you know what you are getting when you book.

With regard to balcony cabins I would go for 2B or above to avoid obstruction. On the cruise critic website forum, at the top of the Celebrity page, there is a spreadsheet where people who have stayed in particular cabins report back on what it was like (noisy/quiet/convenient etc). It is titled "S Class Cabin Information Compilation) and is a very handy resource when looking to book a specific cabin as opposed to guarantee. The usual rules of cabin booking apply (what is above/below etc.) the only thing being you don't have to worry about interconnecting cabins as they don't have an internal door but instead connect by additional external doors to create a porch area. So if you see a cabin that you like the look of it is safe to book, even if it says interconnecting, as it is identical to 'normal' cabins.

Hope that helps a bit. Feel free to ask any other questions

[kruzgal]

Another difference is the dress code - Celebrity has just 2 types of coded 'formal' and 'smart casual'. On a 14 night cruise you would typically have 3 formal nights (dinner jacket or dark suit and tie) and 11 smart casual (smart trousers/chinos with a long or short sleeved shirt for men - no jacket required).

I think you will find the Eclipse to be a good cruise experience.

[kruzgal]

Finally, there is a class of balcony cabin called Aqua Class. This gives several perks (access to the persian spa, free bottled water daily, enhanced breakfast menu) the main one being the dining arrangements. Instead of dining in the large main dining room you dine in a smaller scale restaurant with a different menu (similar size to a speciality restaurant). There are a lot of tables for 2 and it operates on an 'open dining' system so no fixed time for dinner. You can also have breakfast there although obviously you don't have to.

[Stephen]

Thanks kruzgal for the info.

[towny44]

Stephen, One thing to be aware of on Eclipse is that other than suites and the family staterooms they are all the same size, there are some cabins on the angle of the "humps" which have large balconies, but they range over a number of cabin grades as well.
So unless you really need or want the perks that go with Aqua or Concierge class any cabin above 2B grade will be the same size, but the top grades command a hefty price premium.

[Stephen]

Thanks Tony for the information. At the moment it is only a thought, nothing definite yet.

[howard18]

Just seen your query Stephen.
Follow the link below which shows the balcony cabin I was in a couple of years ago. It was on deck ten and very quiet.
I also gave a review on Cruise Critic. Look for Eclipse - September 2010 reviews.



Regards - Howard

[Stephen]

Thanks for that Howard.

I'm they are adequate, but they look a bit on the snug side. I believe they are 195sq ft.

[howard18]

Yes, I think you're right Stephen - about 195 sq.ft.
As I travel on my own it's O.K., but I wouldn't like to spend a fortnight with a friend in one, unless of course you were very, very close!

[howard18]

Yes, I think you're right Stephen - about 195 sq.ft.
As I travel on my own it's O.K., but I wouldn't like to spend a fortnight with a friend in one, unless of course you were very, very close!

[Stephen]

Better leave the good lady at home then