Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Review Part 1: The Retreat (Royal Suite Cruising)

Watch my preview to this trip here: https://youtu.be/HKt2x4kg7Zc 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 This cruise onboard @celebritycruises Eclipse was 15 months in the making, booked during lockdown when we weren’t even sure it would go ahead. To add to the excitement, we decided to book a pre-cruise stay at the Pier One Hotel. We enjoyed a beautiful summer sunset and for good measure, an espresso martini. It was soon time to call it a night. Luggage drop off is located right next to the main terminal entrance, and there were plenty of staff on hand to help. This is where things got a little awkward. Along with their applause, the lovely crew were saying “Welcome back”, and I thought it was a little presumptuous of them to assume we’d sailed with Celebrity before but um, apparently our check in had been so efficient, that we somehow managed to beat all of the back to back passengers onboard. Our retreat hosts were waiting for us, and after a minute or two of confusion, Alexis escorted us straight up to our suite. After having our sea pass cards scanned at our muster station, we walked down to Luminae on Deck 3. This fast became one of my favourite perks of The Retreat. We were seated immediately, and ordered our first meal onboard Eclipse. It was fresh, tasty and well-presented and the Luminae crew couldn’t have been more personable. After lunch, we admired the Eclipse’s Grand Foyer and the beautiful Christmas decorations that adorned the entire ship. We made our way over to the Martini Bar, surely the most famous of all of Celebrity ships’ bars. The ice-covered bar-top can be er, a bit sticky. If your glass sticks, the trick is to bang the bar-top next to your drink, and it will release. We made our way outdoors to the Sunset Bar, up high on Deck 15, the bar offers fantastic wake views, plus its located adjacent to the lawn club, so it’s a fun and unique shipboard spot. We watched on as Sydney’s busy harbour began to clear, first with Pacific Adventure’s sail-by, and then Viking Orion’s. The crew on Quantum of the Seas wasted no time, and had already hauled their anchor and begun cruising to the terminal, where the ship would berth overnight. Luminae was the convenient option for dinner, and we made our way down to the restaurant just after 8. Luminae offers an elevated, rotating menu for breakfast and dinner daily, as well as lunch on turnaround days and sea days. It’s a casual but elegant restaurant, with an amuse bouche offered at dinner time in addition to the regular three course menu. Guests in Luminae are also able to order off the main dining room menu at anytime. Sea days are often packed with events on cruises, from dance lessons in the grand foyer, to lectures in the theatre. We also stopped by Celebrity Central for some future cruise information. Even indoor archery was offered, for the Robin Hoods among you. Sushi on 5 is one of the specialty restaurants onboard Eclipse. It offers an a la carte menu with individual pricing, and a variety of starters, sushi rolls, noodle dishes and desserts. There are also specialty cocktails and sakes available. Everything we ordered was delicious. After showtime, we made our way over to Luminae. I was quickly becoming a fan of the ease of dining in the restaurant. There are no reservations required, your only job is to arrive during the open hours and you’re guaranteed a table. It wasn’t totally without its issues though and I had a very strange interaction with a waiter tonight and I’ll tell you more about it soon. It was enough of an issue for me that I left before dessert - and that’s saying something. We start to felt the ship rolling a little more than usual, and after breakfast we made our way back to the room so I could get some work done. The captain came over the PA and announced that due to an issue, one of the ship’s stabilisers had been housed. The issue seemed to persist for most of the day… but that didn’t stop us from going to the Gelateria. The smell of freshly made waffle cones permeated throughout the centre of the ship, by design I’m sure. Dinner tonight was at Le Petit Chef and I recommend it highly. There are alternate menus offered throughout the cruise, so you can always return to sample other options. Personally and although I did really enjoy it, unless I was travelling with someone who wanted to experience it for the first time, I feel like it’s a one and done for me. Subscribe to see Part 2, out soon!