Celebrity Eclipse ~ August 2012
SHIP/PORTS: Celebrity Eclipse – 2-week Mediterranean cruise
Paris, France; South Hampton, England; Malaga, Spain; Genoa, Italy; Nice, France; Pisa (Florence), Italy; Rome, Italy; Gibraltar, UK; Lisbon, Portugal
STATEROOM CABIN TYPE: Royal Suite which includes Butler Service. There are only 4 of these types of staterooms onboard. There is only one Penthouse Suite onboard which has the same perks/services as the Royal Suite but it has more square footage, a grand piano and a higher price tag. Our suite had a living area, with a dining area and wet bar and a master bedroom with the most gorgeous en suite bathroom. The bathroom had a bathtub and rainfall shower with dual sinks. Heaven!! The balcony had a jacuzzi tub (needed to be filled; more like a jacuzzi bathtub) that was so nice to use after a long day exploring in port. Depending on the time of year and destination of the cruise, it can get a little too chilly on the balcony to use it. We were very happy with our suite accommodations and Butler Service but only after we had to ask for a replacement for the first one. This was our Honeymoon so it was important to us to make sure there were no issues that would make the trip anything less than perfect. Expectations were higher than would have normally been, but as I said, it was our Honeymoon and we had spent a good amount of money for the suite and the services provided. One conversation with Guest Services and it was immediately taken care of and rectified. Celebrity not only made sure we had a new Butler but continuously checked on us throughout the next 12 days onboard. At the time, they still had a Captain’s Table and we had the pleasure of dining with him. It was a once in lifetime opportunity, so lucky for me (maybe not for him- lol), I got to ask him a ton of questions. I wish they still had a Captain’s Table!
EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION PROCESS: We originally booked an 18-night cruise tour. Unfortunately, the cruise tour portion in Paris, France and then onto London, England, was cancelled. Never found out why, but I would assume, not enough people purchased the cruise tour portion. We had already purchased our flights to Paris, so we improvised and found a perfectly located Marriott Renaissance Hotel. We then purchased tickets to take The Chanel Tunnel, also known as, The Chunnnel. Found another great Marriott hotel near the London Eye and Big Ben, London Marriott Hotel County Hall.
DINING/FOOD OPTIONS: We ate mostly in the Main Dining Room, but did enjoy some meals at the specialty restaurants, such as Tuscan Grille and Murano. Tuscan Grille, by far, was our absolute favorite! Of course, we love Italian but this was exceptional. I will say the table by the window overlooking the wake at the aft may have been the cherry on top. So romantic and yummy! Murano is a French Restaurant with quintessential French Cuisine which I only mention because if you are a picky eater, this may not be your restaurant of choice. Whereas, I feel like Tuscan Grille had plenty of options to choose from that weren’t all necessarily “Italian”. My husband on the other hand, loved Murano, especially for its cheese cart and exceptional dining service. We enjoyed breakfast every morning in our room. It was so much easier and perfect for those early morning port days.
ACTIVITIES ON BOARD: There are various activities every day and throughout the cruise, but nothing that requires much physical activity. You won’t find waterslides or zip lines or ice skating, but what you will get on sea days is the most incredible historical talks on the ports your will be visiting, art classes/instruction (including your own artwork to take home), Bingo (my fav) and other upcharge activities like Glass Blowing or Culinary Experiences/Classes. I will say, one of our favorite activities was just to sit in some of the coolest venues and have a drink or a little treat and enjoy our conversation, the views, and the ever entertaining “people watching” (another fav, most likely due to my psych degrees – lol).
ENTERTAINMENT: There are multiple venues throughout the ship that have some form of entertainment going on, from shows to lounge singers or simply the sounds of different musical instruments and/or genres. I’ll be honest, we were exhausted on port days after walking the streets of history for hours (long days), that all we wanted to do was eat, sleep and get ready to do it all over again, early the next morning. Needless to say, we didn’t see a whole lot of shows or go to many lounges/venues after dinner.
KID’S CLUBS/CHILD CARE: We were on our Honeymoon, so we did not have children that used the facility to give first hand feedback. There were very few kids aboard. I only remember seeing a few and they were very well behaved. I have heard great things about the kid’s club on Celebrity. On the larger family-focused ships you may see a bunch of kids in an activity room doing a bunch of games or other group activities or just simply playing. Celebrity tends to focus more on small group/individual child care. There were times we saw them doing activities on other parts of the ship, as opposed to being indoors only, they explored the whole ship. The arts and crafts seemed to be next level and things that they would be able to take home for memories, not just coloring pages.
SHORE EXCURSIONS: Paris, France was so lovely. We had so much fun just walking the parks and streets, eating chocolate croissants and crepes. Yum! We did a tour at Versailles which is a must see. I have been every time I have visited Paris and enjoy lunch on the property. Just something about those gardens and views. Of course, the estate is incredible and full of so much history. We did have a magical (& expensive) meal at the top of the Eiffel Tower. The food was over the top, gourmet French Cuisine which my husband thoroughly enjoyed. It’s actually a great way to enjoy the view for a long period of time with perfect ambience and in a climate-controlled setting that can make a difference depending on the time of year. We went right at sunset to get all the views. Night might have been more stunning than the sunset. Highly suggest making reservations as early as possible. South Hampton, UK, was really just the port and did most of our sight-seeing in the London area. We went for a ride on the London Eye, which was fun, but definitely not a must. However, the tour at the Tudor Castle near the Tower Bridge was my absolute favorite thing to do in London. I will admit, I’m a big Henry the 8th era fan. The stories and tales of that time period and his many love affairs as well has how it changed so much in history was unreal to see and touch in person. Not to mention, the tour guides are hilarious and fun throughout the tour. Malaga, Spain was a sweet little Spanish town on the hills of the coast. We took a tour to a beautiful Catholic Chapel, a Bull Ring, and did some shopping in the town village. We had a little snack and were back on the ship mid-afternoon. It was a great day! Genoa, Italy was rather disappointing to the say the least. We opted to just walk the streets, do some shopping and snacking, but wasn’t really impressed and thought some areas were a little sketch and dirty. Not what I was expecting, but then again, we didn’t choose to do a tour or excursion at this point. None were of interest. Nice, France was just what I expected. Spectacular views and a colorful coastline of villages with pristine blue waters. One thing that did surprise me was the beaches. Although beautiful, the beaches are primarily made up with large pebbles and stones that are not the most comfortable or easy to walk on. Definitely not like having white Caribbean sand, but we weren’t there to swim so it didn’t bother us and there were plenty of people on the beach that it didn’t seem to bother either. We took a tour to an old medieval village on the top of cliff. The views I will never forget. We even took a long period of time just taking pictures on the coast from hundreds of feet above. The gorgeous yachts and little colorful boats and homes in the harbor were picturesque of the “South of France” Mediterranean region. Pisa (Florence), Italy is so rich in art. If you love art or art history, this stop is for you. Florence is well known for the Statue of David and the Duomo. I have climbed that and do not suggest if you have any fear of heights or claustrophobia. Very tight access up and down the very narrow staircase. The view was worth doing it once, but never again for me, unless of course its just me and a couple friends. I will say, there are some gorgeous views from many of the nearby hills. Some tours even take you up there, so if the Duomo is not for you, that’s a great option to get the same view. The food was so good as well. We were recommended a restaurant that made fresh pasta on the spot and it was the freshest pasta I’ve ever had. I would love to go back one day. That’s how good it was! The Leaning Tower of Pisa was pretty cool to see in person since there are so many times that we see pictures or movies with it in it. Of course, we did the typical Leaning Tower picture. Otherwise, vendors are plentiful and more souvenir type items. Rome, Italy is one of my favorite places to visit. My love of history gets me every time in these types of places. We chose to do a Vatican tour in the early morning. Don’t risk not getting in. Make a reservation early and it’s worth paying for a guided tour. The stories and history behind certain things make it more than worth it. The Sistine Chapel is so holy and calming. I could’ve stayed there forever. St. Peter’s Cathedral is truly something to marvel at. Make sure to bring a scarf, jacket or wrap in the summer or hotter months as you must have your shoulders covered to enter any Catholic churches for modesty. Check the dress code and Vatican calendar/schedule prior to and book ahead. We also booked the Coliseum tour (with audio recording) which was more than sufficient and equally impressive. The ruins around the area is like walking around in an outside, complimentary museum. Although we had a full day in port, there is so much to do, we had to hustle to see the rest of the sights. We walked strategically and took the subway and taxis where we could to see Trevi Fountain, The Parthenon, Spanish Steps and Piazza Novena for a quick bite. We were about 45 min away from the port and didn’t want to risk being late and not making it to the train in time to get back to the port in time, so we got as far as we could and then took a taxi the rest of the way to the train station. Always plan ahead, map out your day and make sure whatever you do, stay on ship time, always. Rome is a must if you are in the area and even better if your cruise originates or ends in there for more time to enjoy it all. Gibraltar, UK has a rich history of occupation which I found fascinating and taking a small taxi bus across the runway before the next plane landed, was exhilarating and a definite first for me. We chose to do the monkey and stalagmite tour. The tour into the mountain to view the impressive stalagmites and vastness of it all was a sight to see for sure. The monkeys were really just wild, but plentiful, and near the entrance/exit of the tour, so it wasn’t like we got to hold trained monkeys. If anything, we were trying to avoid them as they are expert pick pocketers as our tour guide warned us. Lisbon, Portugal, we chose to take a tour outside of Lisbon (about a 2-hour bus ride) to visit an old medieval town and castle. The countryside was beautiful, but it made for a long day and all though it was a charming little village, I’m not sure it was worth the time to travel to get there. I just wonder what we missed in Lisbon.
OVERALL GENERAL EXPERIENCE: The best Honeymoon we could’ve ever imagined. We got a great piece of advice when we got engaged, “Book the Honeymoon first!”. We listened and we are so glad we did. Our wedding was still everything we ever wanted but we chose to spend our money and time together. Spending 21 days with your new husband in such accommodations and on a Celebrity Cruise ship was a trip of a lifetime and will always bring special memories to mind. I would do this cruise over and over again, but I would like to see the other side of Italy and Greece too. So much to see and so little time. Overall, this was a great ship, luxurious room and even more amazing ports and tours. The history we learned and the food we enjoyed, as well as the time together, were the highlights of our cruise.