Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Review Part 2: The Retreat (Royal Suite Cruising)

Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/VTPPBcx4K4s Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Support the channel with a slogan tee: https://thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopify.com Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au The second instalment of my vlog series begins with our arrival into beautiful Noumea. After our departure from Sydney, we enjoyed two days at sea en route to the New Caledonian capital city and we had been blessed with terrific weather. After my walk, it was down to the room where out butler, Ryan had delivered and set up our breakfast before making way for our Tchou Tchou Train excursion. The train was proving to be a really fun and unique way to see Noumea’s highlights. One of those was Ouen Toro lookout, perched around 130m above sea level. The canon you see here is actually Australian, and was installed during WWII to help protect the city. The high vantage point allows you to see all the way to the famous Amadee Island lighthouse, and it’s just the perfect place to absorb the distant beauty of the world’s largest lagoon. We were invited to sail away on the Celebrity Eclipse's helipad - a unique way to take in the stunning views as we departed New Caledonia. After sail away, the martini bar’s ice top provided much needed respite from the heat, and then it was show time. The fantastic crew at the Martini Bar perform nightly at 8pm, and it’s something you should try and watch if you can. It’s quite the spectacle. We then enjoyed a late, delicious, dinner in Luminae. A full moon deck party took centre stage later in the evening and was lots of fun! As guests of The Retreat, one of the perks was priority tender. We were instructed to meet at the Retreat lounge, Michael’s Club, where one of the hosts would then escort us to a waiting tender. We made our way onboard and went straight to the top deck for the best views, of course. The weather was perfection, the water looked spectacular and I couldn’t wait to get in. Mystery Island is a tiny, uninhabited island situated just off the main island of Aneityum - which itself is the southern most island of Vanuatu. On the island, there are stalls with setup with people selling their wares, plus you can have your hair-braided. It’s important to note that there are no ATM facilities on the island and all purchases must be made in cash. Australian notes are accepted, as well as only $1 and $2 coins. Mystery Island offers some incredible snorkelling, or so I heard after, with the best sights further out from shore. Confident swimmers can simply head out, but there are a range of tours available through the cruise line, as well as privately, that will take you out to the best snorkelling zones. Glass bottom boats are perfect for those that want to remain dry but still enjoy the sights. The island is criss-crossed with paths and it’s very easy to circuit the entire place on foot within an hour or so. The name, Mystery Island, comes from wartime. As small as it is, the island is home to an airstrip, and this is where during WWII the allies secretly launched warplanes - hence the name! Tendering back to the ship can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare with queueing, although that’s usually more of an issue on ships with larger passenger capacities. We didn’t have long to wait though, and ice cold towels were greatly appreciated. Ice water was also provided. These little touches really separate Celebrity from other mainstream cruise lines. Murano is generally accepted as being one of the best specialty dining experiences available onboard Celebrity’s ships. It’s advertised as a modern interpretation of classic French cuisine, and after skipping lunch, I was ready to sample as much of it as I could. You can book a meal in Murano for a set per person fee of around $70USD. Dining packages are also available pre cruise or onboard and provide better value. In addition to the a la carte menu there’s a five course tasting menu with wine pairing that on our cruise cost $107USD per person. Dinner kicked off with a delicious scallop amuse bouche, while the goats cheese soufflé starter that followed was sublime. The star of the show was of course, the lobster. Prepared table side, the spectacle alone is worth ordering this delicate and delicious dish and based on the number of flames I saw around the restaurant, it’s safe to say it’s the most popular main course option. Already over-filled from dinner, we decided to skip the the cheese course, but dessert was too tempting, and this incredible crepe, also prepared table side, finished off a wonderful meal. Thanks for watching and make sure you subscribe to catch the final instalment of this series.