Total Eclipse of the heart

When I woke up on Sunday to the hottest day of the year I couldn’t believe my luck because it just so happened this was the day that I was going on a 2 night mini cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse – BONUS !!!!
We left slightly later than planned so didn’t get down to the port until about 13:30 but I was so glad they we had as I have never seen the check in desk and boarding so empty. Obviously everyone had got down there early doors so with us arriving later we literally walked straight on where as the woman on the desk said others had been queuing for an hour.

Obviously the glorious sunshine helped but when I got on board the ship my first impressions were WOW !!! Celebrity’s strap line is ‘modern luxury’ and it is just that. Really sophisticated and elegant and beautifully decorated. None of your boring beige’s it was all crisp whites and silver and beautiful artwork on the walls.

I loved the feel of it and the décor reminded me of a fancy show home look. We had booked with the basic drinks package included but decide for the extra $8pp per night to upgrade to the select drinks package and I would strongly recommend this as it does give you a lot more flexibility in choice of drinks and cocktails on board and it just allows you to enjoy your holiday without the worry of a silly bar bill.

My favorite cocktail on there were the mojitos and must admit to having my fair share on board making the most of my drinks package.

After wondering round the ship we settled around the pool area to make the most of the amazing weather and the Cabana style beds around the pool are wonderful and relaxing. After a swim and little hot tub we then went back to the room to get ready for dinner.

I had a balcony cabin on deck 6 and the rooms were very spacious a lot bigger then some balconys I have been in in the past. We had booked on the anytime dining but after reading the daily news letter it recommend for us to call through to book a dining time to avoid disappointment so this is what we did. I loved the main dining room it was really beautiful and the lights in there are gorgeous. I opted on the first night for a shrimp and avocado salad for a starter and then the beef for the main and I wasn’t disappointed. The service was efficient and friendly and we all enjoyed are meals so much so that we couldn’t fit in a pudding.

After dinner we wondered around the ship and ended up in the casino. If you have cruised before then you will know that this can be one of the liveliest places on board and really has got a great atmosphere in their. I didn’t win my millions unfortunately but had fun none the less.

The end of the evening saw us heading for a night cap in the Quasar club. Very modern little club and just the right amount of people in there made it a great end to the evening.
On our second day we woke up in the port of Le Harve in France. You can do a shore excursion into Paris from here but it is quite a long trip and not the cheapest so we decided against this and instead got the shuttle bus into Le Harve city. It was actually a very pretty little port town with some beautiful buildings and parks.

We had a little stop off at a pub and sampled a local beer before heading back to the ship.
When we got back we decided to explore the ship further and headed up to the grass lawn deck. I loved this area of the ship and it was so lovely and relaxing up there. They have bowls on the lawn and bean bag games you can play or simply stretch out on the lawn and have a picnic. We had a full on competition with the bowls and beanbag game which we loved and ended it all off by taking part in the quiz in the bar.

There are some lovely bars on board and the most quirky option is the ice bar and the martini bar where you can treat yourself to specialty martini cocktails or vodka drinks.
It was so nice to go and chill back on the balcony for a bit before dinner and I would definitely always recommend to people that if you can stretch to a balcony then go for it because its so nice to have that little bit of outdoor space when you cruise.
The last evening we went to dinner and then ended up in the skybar lounge. This is a great place to chill with friends and they had singers and a band on so it was a great atmosphere in here. The service at the bar here was a bit slow and I personally felt that they could of done with a couple more bar staff on to cope.

Overall my review of Celebrity is stunning. I loved the ship and even though we didn’t sample the specialty restaurants we viewed the dining rooms and the menus and they looked amazing. I would of treated myself to the steak and lobster one if we had been on for a few more days.

I would hugely recommend Celebrity and I am contemplating booking this ship again for next year as Celebrity definitely do have the X factor for me.