Celebrity Eclipse Mediterranean Cruise
The Solstice class of ship is 122000 tons and carries 2850 passengers and it certainly has the 'Wow Factor'. From boarding the ship the service was excellent. We were greeted with a welcome glass of champagne and proceeded to our well appointed balcony cabin which had a flat screen TV, mini bar, tea making facilities and hair dryer. Dressing gowns and slippers were provided. There was plenty of storage and the balcony was spacious. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept in.
This ship is very contemporary and luxuriously appointed. There are many bars to choose from, a coffee shop, a huge theatre and a grass lawn on the top deck where you can play bowls, croquet and putting. There is also a novelty glass blowing show on this deck. In the theatre there were musical shows, a Cirque du Soleil type of show, guest comedians, musicians and singers and the standard was generally very good. There were various bands and musicians playing in the public rooms and bars with music to suit all tastes from classical to jazz to rock.
The food was of exceptionally high quality in both the main two tier restaurant and Ocean View cafe and the choice was excellent. We tried the Murano speciality restaurant one evening and the food and service as impeccible, well worth the $35 per person cover charge. There is also a Tuscan Grill Steak restaurant and Qsine where you order quirky food on an i-pad. There is also the Blu restaurant, reserved for Aqua Class guests which offers healthy options.
I was very impressed with the 'Persian Garden' in the spa which contained hot stone beds facing out to sea. There was also a sauna and steam room in this area and it was a very relaxing place to spend a couple of hours. There is a charge for the Persian Garden if you are not an Aqua Class stateroom guest. The gym was large and well equipped. There were various fitness classes but some had a charge eg. Pilates, Yoga. The beauty treatments were expensive and the hairdressing was very expensive. (I paid over $50 for a blow dry which took about 15 minutes)
There was plenty to do, which is important on sea days. There were about 30 hours of activities daily. These included various lectures with guest speakers, dance classes, quizzes, choir practices, cookery demonstrations, wine tastings etc (the latter was chargeable). There was never time to be bored.
Our group all prepaid for the Classic Beverage Package and this worked very well. The package worked out about £29 per person per day and included wines, beers, spirits, cocktails up to $8 and also speciality coffees, soft drinks and bottled water. There was also a Premium Beverage Package. These can be pre-booked or booked onboard. Although wine and champagne was served by the glass, our restaurant wine waiter came round regularly to re-fill our glasses. Drinks are quite expensive on the American ships. We all prepaid our gratuities and the service was excellent and the gratuities well deserved. Our restaurant waiters and wine waiter were particularly good.
This is one of the most enjoyable cruises I have taken and 6 out of our party of 10 had not sailed with Celebrity before and were very impressed with the product. Although there is a children's club, I think this product is more suited to couples and groups of family and friends. I would recommend Royal Caribbean for families with children. The age group on board was on average 50+ but it may be younger during the main holiday season. I think this is a excellent product and I would have no hesitation in sailing on a Solstice class ship again.