A tour of Celebrity Eclipse with Celebrity Cruises

I have to admit that since I took my first cruise last year, I’ve really caught the bug, so it was a pleasure to be invited to spend the day on board Celebrity Eclipse, a ship and cruise line that I didn’t know much about. Being quite new to cruising I’m realising that every cruise line has its own unique style and atmosphere and each has points of difference that will appeal to different types of guest. This does mean you need to do your homework before you book, in order the choose a cruise that’s right for you, but the good news is that there really is a cruise line for every age, budget and taste. Although I was only on board Celebrity Eclipse for a day, these were my first impressions of what you can expect when sailing with Celebrity Cruises.

Size Matters

Size is one thing to watch out for when deciding which cruise ship to book and the new ships being built seem to get bigger and bigger. My first sight of Celebrity Eclipse as I came up to Dock 10 in Southampton is of a pretty big ship, accommodating around 2800 guests, but not as big as some. However, as I walked around the ship throughout the day there didn’t seem to be too many large open spaces, like the open atriums on other ships, but instead a larger number of medium sized bars and restaurants, all with their different character. Of course, we were visiting the ship on changeover day, before all the guests had boarded, but I got the impression that the guests would be well dispersed in the different areas of the ship which makes for a less crowded feel, and that’s a big benefit on a larger ship. I hope you enjoy the short video below I made from my day on board Celebrity Eclipse

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Download the Video tour of Celebrity Eclipse 

A boutique country house style

Considering that Celebrity Cruises is a mainstream cruise line with larger ships I loved the appearance of the ship which I’d describe as Contemporary Country House style. The colours were warm and welcoming, the furnishings stylish and each different part of the ship seemed to have a slightly different character. I loved the library, not so much for the books, as an elegant space with the tall bookcases and wing chairs where you could sit quietly and relax. Another favourite spot was the lawn club on the top deck. A lot of things in cruising can feel a bit fake, but here the grass was real and I could imagine enjoying a drink up here with the sound of croquet being played or the clink of a game of boules on the lawn. So very English.

I loved the library as a welcoming space where you could imagine coming to escape with a good book.

The Lawn Club on the top deck is a special place to relax, and yes, the grass is real!

A Grown up feel

The atmosphere on board Celebrity Eclipse felt quite grown up, although I suspect the upcoming cruise to Iceland and Norway would attract an older crowd anyway. Although there is a kid’s club on board, the average age of guests seemed to be 60+ and I noticed a few areas of the ship, such as the solarium, that were reserved for adults only. I think this ship would be ideal for couples and groups of adults or perhaps families travelling with older children but the atmosphere didn’t seem conducive for those with younger children.

Where are we staying?

We were treated to a tour of all the suites on board which generated lots of oohs and aahs and certainly had the wow factor. The penthouse suite was like a small apartment with the biggest bathroom I’ve seen and a baby grand piano in the sitting area.  If you have a cool few thousand to spend I could imagine the wealthy grandparents staying here and inviting all their extended family in for an evening en famille. My favourite was the slightly more modest Sky Suite where Celebrity Ambassador Ben Fogle had recently been staying with his family, which had a corner location and was lovely and light with colourful artwork. Back to reality, the ‘normal’ balcony stateroom we saw was still very nice with a light and classic theme and lovely bed-linen. There seemed to be sheets on the bed rather than a duvet, perhaps due to the unusual rounded ends of the bed. I was also impressed with the staff that we met, who even though we weren’t staying on board, greeted us with a “Hello, how are you?” and a welcoming smile. As we came on board there was a glass of wine or juice waiting for guests and everyone had a little joke or a laugh to put you in the holiday spirit.

The Penthouse suite on Celebrity Eclipse had a baby grand piano and a meganormous bathroom for super wow factor!

My favourite was the Sky Suite with colourful contemporary artwork and a corner position with double windows.

Food glorious food

Celebrity Eclipse is definitely a ship for those who enjoy food and wine and are looking for a gourmet experience on board. There are so many different speciality restaurants that I was starting to lose count by the end of our tour. We had lunch in the main restaurant which is of course a complimentary part of your cruise package, but there were examples of the different dishes laid out in each speciality restaurant so we could see what was on offer. For those special celebration meals there is the high end Murano restaurant, that wouldn’t be out of place in a 5 star London hotel, with over the top flower arrangement and a private dining room. More my style for less formal dining there was the Tuscan Grill for steaks and meat dishes with red glassware and wine bottles on barrels, or the Qisine restaurant serving contemorary Asian fusion small dishes with menu selection from an iPad. I also liked the look of Bistro on 5 which was a great lunchtime venue.

I could totally imagine having a nice juicy steak in the Tuscan Grille restaurant

A classy lunchtime venue in Bistro on 5

Here’s a flavour of the dishes you might try in the Qisine and Tuscan Grille restaurants on board Celebrity Eclipse.

The speciality restaurants are all very well if you are prepared to pay the extra supplement charges to eat there, but what about the main dining room where guests will eat their evening meals on most nights? Well that’s where we ate lunch and it is an elegant, light and airy restaurant, double height with a huge sparkly central lighting. On the lower level is the set time dining, with two different sittings, which you choose at the start of the cruise, while on the upper level is Celebrity Select dining, where you have flexibility on the time you come to dinner, just like a normal restaurant. Of course there is also a self-service restaurant on board, but we didn’t have time to look at that on our tour.

We chose from a shortened menu which had a couple of choices for each course but would also normally have some classic favourites too. I tried a prawn cocktail on a bed of lettuce and a very pretty and colourful salad with pomegranate seeds and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by a delicious filet mignon steak and a soft chocolate mousse cake and strawberry dipped in caramel with ice cream. It would be a treat to eat food of this standard every day, as well as trying out some of the speciality restaurants during the cruise to spice things up a bit.

The Spa difference

Celebrity Eclipse is a wonderful ship if you take your spa holidays seriously and you can even book a special Aqua Class package, with luxury staterooms that are close to the spa area. Aqua Class guests also have exclusive use of the Blu dining room and the Persian Garden spa relaxation area with heated lounge chairs and different steam areas. During our day on board, we were offered a spa treatment and I decided to go for the pedicure to get my feet in good shape for the summer. I sat with Kelly, one of the other bloggers in a little private area for pedicures which had a view out to sea and spent a lovely hour having my feet massaged and my toe nails groomed and polished to a professional gloss finish that I could never have achieved myself. It would be a treat to have a pedicure with a friend, as there is room for 3 people at one time and the nail technicians from Jamaica were also super-friendly and easy to chat to.

After the beauty treatments we relaxed for a bit in the Solarium area, just outside the spa which was for adults only, where I wouldn’t minded have spending an hour or two on the sun lounger with a magazine. There was a very nice cafe area which served healthy snacks and small salad dishes which were a complimentary part of the cruise.

Unfortunately the weather was not being kind as we passed through the outdoor pool area – where did those Caribbean blue skies go?

Overall Impressions?

I had a lovely day looking around Celebrity Eclipse. Of course it was only one day, rather than a full cruise, but my impression was of a ship that has a luxurious, grown up feel, with great service, spa facilities and superb food options if you are looking for a gourmet experience.

Read more from the other bloggers

Around the world in 80 pairs of shoes: All aboard the Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Ship
A Bird in the Hand Travel: Behind the scenes – Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Ship

These were the other lovely lifestyle and travel bloggers that I was on board with, all of whom I was meeting for the first time. From left to right they are: Elle from a bird in the hand, Sarah from Energy for Life, Kelly from Around the world in 80 pairs of shoes, me, Inna from Start up your happiness. Nice to meet you ladies!

Thanks to Celebrity Cruises who hosted* my day on board Celebrity Eclipse.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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