Celebrity Eclipse, a superior cruise ship

Celebrity Eclipse is a superior cruise ship. She is one of five Solstice class ships built by Meyer Werft for Celebrity Cruises. All of these ships are nicely designed with attention to detail. They also offer a very good array of dining options ranging from casual to healthy to classic fine dining. In addition, they offer a good program of reasonably sophisticated entertainment and activities even though the enrichment program is not as cutting edge as it was just a few years ago. They are also good ships from a nautical perspective.

Of the five ships, Eclipse seems to win the most awards and I am told receives the highest marks from guests. Why this is so is not glaringly obvious. While there are some differences in the décor and the features, the five ships are very similar. Yet, people seem to like Eclipse best. As Cruise Director Sue Denning observed: “It has a nice heart.”

Immediately after she was built in 2010, Celebrity sent Eclipse to Southampton. Her mission was to break into the British market. Sister company Royal Caribbean International had done so a few years before but Celebrity was still relatively unknown in the UK. Furthermore, there would be a lot of competition from other cruise lines.

The ship has been quite successful and now has a substantial following in Britain. I asked Hotel Director Tom Brady and Ms. Denning to explain just how Eclipse managed to establish Celebrity in the UK. Our conversation is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-hd-cd-interview.html

One of the things that has made Eclipse a popular ship both in the UK and when she sails of Miami in the winter months is the ship's dining. Accordingly, we have added a Celebrity Eclipse menu page with copies of menus from the various dining venues and a dining slideshow. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-menus.html

We also have a review of the Tuscan Grille specialty restaurant - - a mixture of Italian cuisine and an American steakhouse. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-tuscan-grille-review.html

As mentioned earlier, another Eclipse strong point is the entertainment. Therefore, we have a new slideshow showing some of the entertainment offerings on a recent cruise. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-entertainment-slideshow.html We also have a new page of daily programmes from Eclipse listing each day's activities and entertainment. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-daily-programs.html

Finally, we have a video showing Eclipse departing from Southampton. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-eclipse-soton-video.html

Photo essay - Cruise ships in Southampton; cruise ship size and crowding

Southampton in southern England is a great place for cruise ship enthusiasts. Not only do quite a few ships call there during the warmer months but there are several places around the harbor from which you can get a good view or photograph the ships. There always seem to be a few people around taking photos as the time for the ships to sail draws near.

This week, we have a series of pictorials of ships that were in Southampton when I visited there in May. The ships covered include: Oriana and Oceana of P&O Cruises; three sister ships - - Ventura, Azura and Crown Princess; and Queen Mary 2, Celebrity Eclipse and MSC Opera. I have also tried to give bits of information about each of the ships. The pictorials begin at http://www.beyondships2.com/seen-in-soton-oceana.html

We also have a new FAQ. I often find that people are under the impression that the larger the ship is, the more people it will have onboard and thus there will be more lines and crowding. However, the fact is that there is no absolute correlation between size and number of passengers. There are very large ships that have much fewer passengers than smaller ships. In addition, the fact that one ships has more people than another does not necessarily mean more lines and more crowding. This topic is discussed at http://www.beyondships2.com/faq-ship-size-and-crowding.html

A Royal Reunion of Cruise Ships; Visiting Caribbean Great Houses

When I was in St. Maarten on a cruise last month, there were five other ships in port with us. By itself, there is nothing unusual about that as there are often six ships in St. Maarten on a single day during the high season. What struck me as unusual about this particular gathering was that all but one of the ships was in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd family. There were two ships from Royal Caribbean, two from Celebrity Cruises and one from TUI Cruises, Royal's German brand. The only non-family member in attendance was Norwegian Epic.

I thought this underscored the growing strength of the Royal Caribbean family. While RCCL is still the second largest cruise company behind Carnival Corporation, the fact that it so dominated one of the most important Caribbean ports at the height of the season shows that it is quite a fromidible competitor.

The variety of the ships was also interesting. From the core brand, Royal Caribbean International, there was Independence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. These two ships illustrate the two styles within Royal Caribbean. Independence is one of the largest ships in the world (number 4 at the moment) and offers a vast array of activities and facilities. Vision is a more intimate version of the Royal Caribbean cruise experience.

Celebrity was represented by two of its Solstice class ships. These are beautiful ships. Built by Meyer Werft, they are impressive from a technological perspective. I particularly like the hull design that has the bow tapering back for a relatively long way at the waterline making for a more efficient attack through the waves. The bow area above the waterline flares up to give the ships the withth (and thus the space) of a traditional cruise ship. Very clever.

Inside the Solstice ships are also impressive. Each is done in a contemporary style but there has been considerable attention to detail and visual appeal. They are sophisticated and elegant.

On this particular day, Celebrity Eclipse (my favorite of the five Solstices, just nudging out Celebrity Silhouette by a hair) and Celebrity Reflection were in port. Next week, we will add a profile of Reflection to Beyondships.

Mein Schiff I, the former Celebrity Galaxy, was there from TUI. RCCL has been using its older ships to develop the cruise market in Europe. The fleets of Pullmantur (Spain), Croiseres de France and TUI conatin many profiles familiar to North American cruisers. This development strategy has been so successful that a brand new ship has been ordered for TUI.

In any event, this day was a great day for photographing ships and so we present a photo essay showing each of the six ships. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-reunion.html

There is also a slideshow focusing just on Independence of the Seas. http://www.beyondships2.com/independence-in-st-maarten.html

We also have a short video of Celebrity Eclipse both leaving the pier and at sea. http://www.beyondships2.com/eclipse-sails.html

In addition, we also have a going ashore article about visiting the “great houses” of the Caribbean. These are mansions that were built by the European plantation owners. Most of them disappeared along with the plantations. However, a number of Caribbean nations have recognized that this is part of their heritage and several have been or are being restored. A number of shore excursions now take you to them. We discuss our visits to three of them at http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-great-houses.html

Talking with Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Chairman Richard Fain

Richard Fain has certainly made this an exciting time in the cruise industry. As chairman and CEO of the world’s largest cruise company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., he could have grown the company gradually and in small increments. Instead, its Royal Caribbean International brand recently introduced the largest cruise ship ever built, Oasis of the Seas, and is building a second one just as large. Meanwhile, he has propelled Celebrity Cruises to the front ranks of the premium cruise line brands by building five new ships (collectively referred to as the “Solstice class”) that not only are larger than any cruise ship serving the premium cruise market but which are full of innovative new features. These ships are setting set new standards and thus are placing competitive pressure on all cruise providers to enhance their guests’ cruise experience.


What makes Fain’s actions dramatic is that there was no guarantee that these multi-billion dollar investments would succeed. As Fain has admitted it was a gamble and one what went against the common wisdom of the industry.

On the occasion of the naming of Celebrity Cruises latest Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Eclipse, I had a chance to talk with Mr. Fain about the Celebrity part of this gamble. We also discussed the reasons for stationing Eclipse in England and dedicating her to the British/Irish market. My interview with Mr. Fain appears at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-art-Fain.html

Speaking of the Royal Caribbean family, I have also posted a new photo essay on Freedom of the Seas in St. Thomas. Freedom is a large cruise ship - - indeed, until Oasis of the Seas came along, Freedom was the world’s largest cruise ship. However, she does not look cumbersome or ungainly. In fact her nicely curved bow, the long lines of her superstructure and her curved sloping stern make her rather photogenic. The nice thing about St. Thomas is that there are a number of good places to take photos of the ships. Also, the light changes over the course of the day, which adds variety to the photos. My photo essay on Freedom is at: http://www.beyondships.com/FOS-Photos-1.html

Inside Celebrity Eclipse - - talking with the Captain, Hotel Director and Jacques Van Staden

This week we take an inside look at Celebrity Eclipse. Eclipse is Celebrity Cruises latest ship, entering service late last April. She is the third os Celebrity’s critically acclaimed Solstice class ships. These are large ships (122,000 gross tons) but carry only 2,800 passengers. (A mass market ship of the same size would probably carry a thousand more guests). This means that there is more room per passenger and more room for luxurious features and detailing.

It is a firmly held belief of Beyondships that regardless of the physical beauty of a ship and regardless of its features, the quality of a cruise experience depends to a great extent on the people who actually operate the vessel. Accordingly, the site presents interviews with ship’s officers, management and cruise line executives so that you can read what these people have to say about what they are doing with their ships.

To that end, this week the site features three new interviews with key players on Celebrity Eclipse.

First, there is a conversation with the master of Celebrity Eclipse Captain Panagiotis Skylogiannis. Captain Skylogiannis was responsible for bringing not only Eclipse into service but also the first ship in the class Celebrity Solstice into service. He takes great pride in both ships but Eclipse is his personal favorite. My conversation with him is at: http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-captain.html

Second, Hotel Director Simon Weir is in charge of practically all of the services that touch but the guests’ cruise experience from the accommodations to the entertainment to the dining. He has brought out all three of the Solstice class ships and is able to discuss how the product has evolved. In his view, Eclipse does not really compete with other cruise ships but is comparable to luxury hotels on shore and he seeks to ensure that Eclipse does not come out second best. My conversation with Mr. Weir is at: http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-HD.html

Third, Jacques Van Staden is the celebrity chef who in 2007 left that world in order to become Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations for Celebrity Cruises. In that position he not only oversees the restaurants on the existing Celebrity ships but develops new ideas for dining venues. Celebrity Eclipse debuted the latest of his ideas, a revolutionary restaurant called Qsine. This dining venue differs from all other cruise ship specialty restaurants in its menu, presentation and décor, combining the familiar with the unexpected. Chef Van Staden talks about Qsine at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-VanStaden.html

Profile and Photo Tour of Celebrity Eclipse

As I mentioned last time, the primary motivation for my European sojourn was to attend the naming ceremony for the new Celebrity Eclipse. After the ceremony, I stayed on for the inaugural cruise and two other voyages. This allowed me the opportunity to take numerous photos and to get the material for what is one of the most extensive profiles of a cruise ship on Beyondships.com.

Eclipse is the third ship in Celebrity’s Solstice class. The first two ships in the class have been quite successful, winning an array of awards. These are large ships, 122,000 gross tons, so they have the space to house a large number of dining and entertainment venues. Their hallmarks are creativity and attention to detail. More3over, they are distributed throughout the ship in a way that promotes good passenger flow and spaciousness.

Eclipse follows in her predecessors’ footsteps. However, Celebrity has not merely cloned this ship. The choice of colors and artwork is one difference. Perhaps more significantly, Eclipse has a new restaurant, Qsine, which is different its menu and style from any other restaurant on land or sea. In addition, the standard Internet café has been replaced by an iLounge that is equipped with Apple computers. Guests can also learn about and purchase Apple products onboard.

Another thing that sets Eclipse apart is the fact that she is being marketed primarily to the British and Irish markets. Indeed, the ship is based in Southampton, England summer cruising season . While the overall cruising style is the Celebrity style used throughout the Celebrity fleet, there have been a number of tweaks to make it more attractive to British and Irish tastes.

While I very much enjoyed Solstice and Equinox, I was impressed by Eclipse. The ship just has a nice feel to her and the team that brought the ship into service have successfully avoided the usual new ship pitfalls.

The Beyondships profile of Celebrity Eclipse appears at. http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-Profile.html The photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-Tour-1.html

Celebrity Eclipse Naming Ceremony and Talking with the President of Celebrity Cruises

The primary motivation for my recent sojourn to Europe and the UK was to attend the naming ceremony for Celebrity Eclipse. Eclipse is the third ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice class and based upon my experiences on her two predecessors, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox, I was very pleased to have been invited to witness Eclipse’s entry into service. Although quite a few adjectives have been used to describe the Solstice class ships, to my mind they can be summed up by saying that everything is really well-done. The ships are visually interesting, the food is excellent and the entertainment and enrichment program are stimulating.

The naming ceremony took place in Southampton, England. Eclipse is going to be based in Southampton and is being directed at the British and Irish markets. This is something of a bold move. When sister company Royal Caribbean International first decided to test the British market, it did so by deploying one of its smaller Vision class ships to Southampton. When this was well-received, it substitutes a larger Voyager class ship. When that ship was a success, it brought in a bigger Freedom class ship and now Independence of the Seas is calling Southampton home all year.

While various Celebrity ships have called in or sailed out of British ports on an occasional basis for some time, Celebrity is using one of its top-of-the-line ships for its first real foray into the British market. UK passengers who have tried Celebrity have rated the experience well. Also, sister company RCI is now well-known in the UK. The latter fact is a bit of a two-edged sword as the Celebrity style of cruising is much different than the RCI style. Nonetheless, I think that Eclipse should do well in the UK if the word can get out about its sophisticated yet relaxed style. Both Cunard and Princess have followings in the UK and Celebrity combines elements of both of those companies’ styles as well as adds elements of its own.

The naming ceremony took place in the midst of the disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano. Flights had been cancelled all over Europe, leaving travelers stranded for days. Eclipse was scheduled to do a short promotional cruise for press and travel agents prior to the naming ceremony. However, Celebrity decided to cancel the promotional cruise and to have the ship ferry travelers who were stranded in the UK to Spain and then bring some 2,000 British stranded travelers home. She did so and arrived back in Southampton, late in the afternoon before the naming ceremony.

Eclipse’s successful rescue mission cast a joyful atmosphere over the naming ceremony. Yes, it had been taxing on the crew but the ship had done something good that was out of the ordinary and which was widely appreciated. Thus, the ceremony was not just a corporate event but an actual celebration. I’ve put together a photo essay on the naming ceremony along with excerpts from the remarks of the various speakers. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-naming.html

One of the nice things about ship naming ceremonies is that one has access to the cruise line’s senior executives. Along this line, I have put together an article in which Dan Hanrahan President and CEO of Celebrity talks not just about Eclipse but about the Celebrity fleet in general as well as the UK and other markets the line serves or plans to serve. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-art-Hanrahan.html

Cruising to Halifax and other cruise news items

With Spring coming and summer not far behind, people are beginning to think about summer cruises. One popular option is a cruise to Eastern Canada and New England. A highlight of most such cruises is a call in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Accordingly, this week we are presenting an illustrated look at Halifax from a cruiser passenger perspective.

Why do people cruise to Halifax? For many, it is a convenient way to escape the summer heat that often grips the United States. In the fall, there is the promise of seeing the color of the changing autumn leaves.

Halifax offers both historic and scenic attractions. The area played an important role in the North American colonial period and in the American War for Independence and the years following. It also has significant ties to the Titanic disaster as the recovery efforts were launched from Halifax. All of these are documented in museums and restorations.

As far as scenery, Halifax itself is a small, clean city that surrounds a pretty harbor. There are both modern and historic buildings. Going outside of town, which many cruise passengers do, one is quickly in an area of forests, lakes and rocky coastlines. In places such as Peggy’s Cove, it looks like an idealized maritime landscape painting.

Halifax is famous for its seafood, in particular, lobster. Not surprisingly, there are quite a few restaurants specializing in lobster.

Beyondships’ illustrated look at Halifax is at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Halifax

Turning to some items in the news - -

Last week, Celebrity Eclipse left the shipyard in Pappenburg, Germany where she has been under construction and proceeded down the Ems River to Emshaven in the Netherlands. What is particularly noteworthy about this journey is that at its tightest point, there was only two feet of clearance between the ship and the sides of the river and a few inches of water between her bottom and the riverbed. Thousands of spectators turned out to watch the ship’s progress. After completing her fitting out in Emshaven, Eclipse will proceed to Southampton, England for her inaugural ceremonies in late April. She will be based there for her first season offering cruises to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, France and Ireland.

Cunard has announced its 2011-12 offerings. Queen Mary 2 will continue to offer transatlantic crossings and cruises from New York to Canada and the Caribbean and from Southampton to the Atlantic isles and Northern Europe. Queen Victoria will offer cruises from Southampton and from Venice Italy before coming to the US for a series of cruises in the late fall/winter. The new Queen Elizabeth will cruise primarily from Southampton. Included in her schedule will be cruises to the Holyland.

Meanwhile, Princess cruises has announced its 2011 European schedule with seven vessels (Ruby, Crown, Grand, Star, Ocean, Pacific and Emerald Princesses) offering 42 itinerary choices, including seven new routes, with calls at more than 135 ports.

Norwegian Cruise Line has commenced a contest to find the “Epic Star.” Winners will perform on the line’s new ship Norwegian Epic during her inaugural ceremonies in July in New York.. It has also announced that in the winter 2011/2012, Norwegian Star will be based in Tampa, Florida, which is a new seasonal homeport for her.

Carnival Glory has returned to service following an extensive refit. The renovation added several new facilities and features, including a Serenity adults-only retreat, a 270-square-foot Seaside Theatre poolside LED screen, and a Circle “C” facility for 12- to 14- year olds. Eighteen new balconies were also incorporated onto existing ocean view staterooms and a new Mongolian wok venue was added to the casual poolside restaurant. Bow-to-stern Wi-Fi access was added, as well.