Celebrity Eclipse had been the first Celebrity ship to be based in Southampton during summer when she arrived in April 2010. She had a refit in 2015 and a few changes took place. Since I hadn't sailed on her since the pre-inaugural as Constellation tempted me away, I was eager to see what they had done. Thanks to certain attention seeking idiots having tantrums and acting entitled on social media because they don't get their own way with cruise lines rather than grow up and accept things don't always go their way, it's become very difficult to visit some ships these days as a member of the public. Celebrity's sister line, Royal Caribbean, is one such company which is currently only allowing businesses onboard so it was a surprise to find Celebrity still do. I was offered just two dates and opted for the 25th July, which I'd forgotten about until they phoned to confirm on the 20th. We had to arrive by 9.15am when we then checked in. We were given a free drinks voucher worth $15 with the pass. We all went to the Sky Observation Lounge later than scheduled for a welcome drink and pastry before heading off in our groups to look at some cabins. This was a bit chaotic due to them all being the same side of the ship so sometimes we'd have to wait outside, or in the case of the Penthouse Suite, on the balcony. Occasionally I'd cheat by looking in one next to it. We also saw Oceanview's and Insides on Deck 3 before a quick peek inside the dining room. It was free time until lunch afterwards so while Hayley was showing everyone else where the Tuscan Grille was, I started my free time back on Deck 3 since I knew where lunch would be. Unfortunately Murano's was closed because of filming while other areas were overcrowded due to letting passengers board at 10.45am so I ended up missing those out. Luminae was a change since refit. Located on the starboard side of Deck 3 aft, it is specifically for Suite guests. The Gastro Bar is also a change, formerly Passport Bar. Michael's Club on Deck 5 is now a Concierge Lounge instead of public piano bar. Meanwhile the World Class Bar replaced the Molecular Bar yet online deck plans (including on Celebrity's website) it lists Galleria Tastings which makes it very confusing. A nice relaxing Chocolate Martini between photographing and lunch with the voucher. Unsurprisingly, it was a pretty popular venue for those on the tour. Lunch was a selection from the speciality restaurants to give you an idea of what they had to offer and we had a speech from Michael English, Head of Development at Celebrity Cruises. We all began to leave around 2.45pm which wasn't bad and gave time to relax during the meal instead of rushing. Thanks to everyone at Celebrity Cruises for their hospitality. To see photos of Eclipse sailing after this visit, click here or photos as she was when brand new can be found here. |
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© Patricia Dempsey 25th July 2015
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