Celebrity Eclipse November 11 - November 17, 2023
6 night Cabo San Lucas and San Diego
Los Angeles, CA- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (overnight) - San Diego, CA- Los Angeles, CA
After 6 months, we’re finally back on a cruise! It’s been a rough 6 months as I got laid off right before our Panama Canal trip and have been looking for something ever since. I still haven’t found anything as of this cruise, but for my own mental health, it was time for a little break. So we booked this local cruise for a good rate. Also it happened to be on Celebrity which we loved after trying them for the first time back in April. Here we go!
The ship, launched in 2010 and slightly refurbished in 2021, is the perfect size ship for us! With a capacity for over 2,800 passengers, it manages to offer nice quiet spaces alongside comfortable lounges and entertainment venues. When I say refurbished, however, I’m talking a paint job. The interior is slightly dated but it doesn’t feel old. The ship has been maintained really nicely. It is scheduled for another revamp in Spring of 2025 so we’ll keep an eye out!
The room:
Not that it needs to be said, but we booked a balcony room because we knew we would have beautiful sunsets and views in and around Mexico. (we were not wrong) Also, this time we opted for a guaranteed stateroom in the beginning but using the Celebrity MoveUp program, we bid for a Concierge room. As we got closer to the cruise, we put in the minimum bid and we ended up getting it! So we got a concierge room for a small upgrade. The rooms are the same size as regular balcony rooms but with a few more amenities which I’ll get into.
The stateroom was well laid out with comfortable bedding, hidden storage, and a nice sized balcony. That said, I would say there weren’t enough outlets near the bed. There are a few in the desk/vanity area but if you want to charge your phone AND a c-pap for example, you may want to invest in a cruise approved power strip.
The bathroom isn’t the biggest, the shower is small with an attached showerhead so turning around isn’t so easy. BUT, as always, you can use the spa showers which are always larger. I’ve said it before but the toilets are attached to the wall but never fear, they are created to hold weight. From my research, the most commonly used ones hold up to 600 lbs. So unless you are going to sit on each other’s laps, you’re probably fine :) The public bathrooms are always so much roomier than the stateroom ones so if it is a struggle, those are also an option. Stateroom showers are equipped with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. There’s nice storage and large mirror in the bathroom as well. Not bad to be on for a week but any longer and it would get old.
The balcony in this room was one of the larger balconies we’ve had. The chairs were lounge chairs with footrests and the table was big enough for breakfast and coffee with lovely ocean views. I don’t know if this is a “concierge room” or a standard balcony because the Celebrity website states the rooms are the same size as are the balconies.
The bed is nice and comfy and the pillows are awesome! With concierge, you can choose from a “pillow menu” but we were fine with the ones in the room. Other amenities for concierge class include:
1 bottle of Sparkling Wine per cruise upon request.
Exclusive Welcome Aboard Concierge Class Lunch
Daily delectable delights
Pillow selection upon request
Use of umbrella and binoculars
Celebrity embossed key holder
Some of the other goodies include a sail away reception with booze on the heli-pad, a tour of the galley, and other fun things!
The food:
SO many choices! The first day on board, we were invited to a Concierge lunch in the main dining room. There was a set menu to choose from because there were a LOT of us. The food was fine, but we knew it was going to get better. The first day is always a bit of a wash when it comes to the food. They are still getting things in order, getting their bearings, things like that. The complimentary dining options include the main dining room, the Oceanview Cafe (buffet), The Mast Grill (great burgers and hot dogs), and the Spa Cafe (small bites, but smoothies and juices are an extra charge).
If you’re in the mood for specialty dining, you have your choice of:
Le Petit Chef®, an immersive, entertaining dining experience everyone should experience at least once!
Murano, a modern take on French cuisine
Tuscan Grille, a steakhouse with an Italian flare
Sushi on Five, a delicious take on Japanese fare
Of these, we have dined at Tuscan grille and Sushi on Five. I’ve said it on my previous blog but we didn’t enjoy Tuscan Grille all that much. It was just a little bland. We did do lunch at Sushi on Five and that was just perfect. And lunch is cheaper than dinner so it’s a great way to try some specialty dining!
You’ll also find Cafe al Bacio, the coffee shop on board. Coffee here is an extra charge but the pastries are freeeee! If you’re in the mood for gelato, you can hit up the Gelateria and indulge for a small fee. If you would rather have free ice cream, head up to Oceanview Cafe and grab some from there! Flavors change daily so why not go every day?
Two restaurants that are extra special are Blu and Luminae. Blu is reserved for Aquaclass guests and Luminae for guests of the Retreat.
Enjoy some of our food pics!
The ship:
It’s a ship. Kidding, it’s actually a really lovely ship. There are a ton of bars, cool lounge spaces to relax, comfy seating, and lots and lots of windows! We love that. Just like any other ship, there were multiple pools, hot tubs, the gym, the salon, the spa. This ship had something I had never seen before.
Up on deck 15, next to the perfect lawn you’ll find a Hot Glass class! Here you can witness the gorgeous art of glassblowing with live demonstrations! Not only that, but you can pay a fee and have a private (with an audience) lesson and keep the creation you help make. We sat and watched for a while because it was just so fascinating and beautiful.
On the same deck you can find bocce ball and lawn bowling which I thought was fun. At the front of the ship, on deck 14, there’s a sky observation lounge where a lot of the trivia is held, but the views here are unmatched.
We saw a couple of shows in the theatre, Rock City and Toppers. Rock City was, as you can imagine, a concert featuring rock songs. It was a great way to get our energy out and a super fun sing along. Toppers was a strange, quirky show with Alice in wonderland vibes. The singers and dancers of the stage shows are incredibly talented on Celebrity. They have some of the BEST shows at sea, truly. That said, the seats in the theatre are a little snug, I much preferred the seats on the Millennium, highlighted in my previous posts.
The stops:
Another thing that was a first for us was stopping in one port, overnight! This itinerary stopped in Cabo San Lucas for 2 days, from 2pm to 5pm the next day. So interesting! We have been to Cabo many times so we opted to stay on the ship and explore (for you!).
Oh, by the way, we experienced yet another first!! Everyone had to get off the boat in San Diego and go through immigration. So even if you weren’t going ashore, you still had to do this. which is something I thought was so strange as we’ve done Mexico/San Diego cruises before and never experienced this.
Thankfully we were getting off the boat anyway because our favorite burger place is in SD, called Hodad’s so we went to lunch with a friend. Also, San Diego is a lovely stop to just wander around the port or tour the USS Midway, go to the Zoo or Wild Animal Park. There’s tons to do so hopefully my cruise mates weren’t too put off.
Hodad’s Cheeseburger and potato wedges
Because it deserves repeating.
That’s all folks.
I think it’s time to end this novel…I mean post. The moral of the story, we will be sailing with Celebrity more often. The service is outstanding. The entertainment is great. The food is tasty. Plus size friendly overall, with the exception of the bathrooms and the theatre. Videos coming soon for room and ship tours!
Stunning views, as promised
