Celebrity Eclipse

The 2010-built Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship is the 3rd of the Solstice-class Celebrity Cruise boats, together with Equinox, Silhouette, Solstice, Reflection. Celebrity Cruises Eclipse ship was scheduled for "Celebrity Revolution" drydock refurbishment on April 1, 2020.

History - construction and ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as the Greece-based Chandris Line (cruise shipping operations between 1974-1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with "Celebrity Cruises Ltd" to become "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" (RCCL). The "X" on ship funnels is the Greek letter chi (standing for "Chandris"). Common features of Celebrity Cruises ships include aft located glass-walled dining rooms, signature alternate dining venues, bars and lounges, spacious Atrium lobby areas, a large number of balcony staterooms, large sundecks with swimming pools, The Retreat (adults-only sundeck with full-size swimming pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, poolside full bar service). Rooftop Terrace (top-deck outdoor lounge-restaurant-cinema), large Spa (with Thermal Suites), premium retail shops selling top-brand merchandise.

The 2900-passenger ship Celebrity Eclipse is the 3rd Solstice-class vessel, preceded by Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Solstice, considered to be the most environment-friendly in the world, with a photovoltaic system, optimized hull design, efficient lighting system, and hull coatings - innovations, which save 30% more energy. Celebrity Eclipse went into dry dock in April 2015 and came out in May with new features: the Cellar Masters wine bar became the Gastrobar, serving 40 and even more craft beers. Passengers are now able to order drink and food on iPads. A frozen drink bar, the Slush, was added to the pool area. The American-style casino became more British with twelve British-themed slot machines. Eclipse also boasts a private photo studio.

Cruise itinerary program

Celebrity Eclipse itinerary program is based on Southern Caribbean cruises with departures from Miami Florida. Eclipse also operates in Europe on the Canary Islands and Baltic Sea sailings from Southampton, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings.

Celebrity Cruises Eclipse ship was the first large liner homeported in Dublin Ireland. The roundtrip program (May through June 2018) started on April 29 with a 10-day inaugural cruise to ports in Ireland and Iceland (Belfast, Reykjavik, Akureyri, Lerwick / Shetland Island, Cobh-Cork). Also from Dublin were visited Norwegian Fjords - 8-day itinerary to Bergen, Skjolden, Geiranger, Alesund, and Lerwick).

Due to the Coronavirus crisis 2020-2021, Eclipse ship's inaugural Australia and New Zealand season was rescheduled from 2021-Q1 (ending on April 4th) to winter 2022-2023. Between September 2022 and April 2023, Eclipse is homeported in Sydney NSW and Auckland NZ for 5- to 18-night itineraries themed as "Five Star Getaways. "Sun and Beach Escapes", "Food and Wine Classics". The season features longer port stays (8 pm departures from Melbourne, Brisbane QLD, Lyttelton-Christchurch NZ, Papeete Tahiti, Lahaina Maui Hawaii), maiden for Celebrity Cruises port (Port Arthur Tasmania), South Pacific Islands hoppers, seasonal Transpacific ship relocation itineraries (RepositionCruises.com) between Hawaii and Australia (Honolulu-Sydney).

Decks and Cabins

Celebrity Eclipse staterooms (1425 total, in 30 grades) include 66 Suites and 1145 Balcony cabins. 85% of the ship's accommodations have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 30. The largest are the Penthouse Suites (1290 ft2 / 120 m2 plus 390 ft2 / 36 m2 terrace).

The boat has 15 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

There are various restaurants to choose from. The multiple dining events include the Moonlight Sonata (MDR), BLU (offering exclusive dining to guests in Aqua Class), Cafe al Bacio, Oceanview Cafe, Mast Grill, the Continental, Murano and Tuscan Grille. The Qsine, a new specialty dining venue, was also introduced on Celebrity Eclipse. It offers remarkable and famous dishes from around the world.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Eclipse restaurants and food bars.

• Murano (78-seats specialty restaurant, reservations only; with French cuisine, Five Senses tasting menu, Champagne High Tea Time; with Demonstration Kitchen for live cooking shows; also features the Wine Cellar annex)
• Moonlight Sonata Restaurant (1,402-seat aft Dining Room, with open seating Breakfast 8:00-9:30 a.m., Lunch 12:00-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 4:00-5:00 p.m., and two fixed Dinner seatings - at 6 pm and 8:30 pm or My Time Dining)
• Bistro on Five (68-seat creperie all-you-can-eat restaurant; offers lunch and dinner with table-side service)
• Qsine (72-seat dinner only specialty restaurant, reservations recommended, open 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.)
• Blu (130-seat AquaClass passengers only restaurant, reservations required; also serves Suite guests upon availability)
• AquaSpa Cafe (48-seat complimentary Solarium and Spa bar, self-service; offers healthy food choices for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)
• Oceanview Cafe & Bar (768-seat indoor/outdoor self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; open between 6:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, with a variety of food stations)
• Tuscan Grille (130-seat specialty seafood/steakhouse restaurant; reservations-only)
• Mast Bar (alfresco burger bar, poolside; offers complimentary lunch).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Celebrity Eclipse hosts the Celebrity iLounge, a hip, modern Internet cafe providing passengers with Internet connectivity, inspiring classes, and new tech gadgets. Fresh green grass on the top deck's Lawn Club and fantastic pampering services in AquaSpa will make you love the ship forever. The Solarium and AquaSpa form an adults-only area for relaxation. The Lawn Club sundeck, with its real grass, cut every day, is where activities, such as giant Jenga, boules and mini-golfing, are held. Live music is available at almost all hours of the day and well into the evening, and the stage shows are unforgettable. Bars are good and are designed for any taste. For example, the Molecular Bar has very good cocktails.

Follows the complete list of Celebrity Eclipse lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Eclipse Theatre (1,115-seat show lounge for grand musical and show productions; hosts daily trivia games, bingo, classes, movies)
• Eclipse Atrium “Grand Foyer” (3-deck open floor area with live music entertainment); Boulevard Shops (seven Atrium duty-free shops and boutiques); Galleria Boutiques (ten duty-free shops); Sun & Sea Shop; The Lawn Club Shop
• Passport Bar (Atrium Lobby Bar with live entertainment)
• The Entertainment Court (live performances, dance parties)
• Quasar Disco & Nightclub
• Celebrity Central (200-seat show lounge for movies, musical performances, comedy shows; also hosts classes and games)
• Michael’s Club (piano bar); Martini Bar; Crush Bar (with a 12-seat table filled with ice cubes in the middle); Galleria Tastings (food and wine tastings, fashion shows, art auctions); Molecular Bar; Ensemble Lounge
• Photo Gallery & Shop
• Eclipse Fortunes Casino
• Celebrity iLounge (24-hour Internet computers room; sells Apple computers; classes available)
• Team Earth (eco-awareness club)
• Game On (Card Room)
• Relaxation Lounge
• Sky Observation Lounge & Nightclub
• Cafe Al Bacio & Gelateria (54-seat a la carte specialty coffee, patisserie, ice cream; with the Gelateria - Italian Gelato ice cream bar)
• Cellar Masters (24-hour Wine Bar; features an Enomatic wine tasting system; provides Sommelier consultations in the evenings)
• Art Gallery; Library
• Acupuncture at Sea; Elmis Shop (Spa products); Aquaspa & Fitness complex with Persian Garden (Thermal Suite - rain shower, steam room, sauna, heated loungers), Therapy and Treatment Rooms, Hair & Beauty Salon, Solarium (adults area) and Aquaspa Cafe (spa bar)
• Fitness Center (with separate Aerobics area)
• Solarium Pool area (with adults-only Thalassotherapy Pool and seawater lap pool; 2 Whirlpools)
• Pool Bar; Sports Pool;
• Family Pool;
• Wet Zone (kids & teens water play area)
• The Hot Glass Show (live glass blowing show; “The Corning Museum of Glass”)
• Sunset Bar (alfresco bar, selling fine cigars)
• Patio on the Lawn (relaxation area); The Lawn Club (real green grass relaxation area)
• Kids clubs by age (Fun Factory 3-11 yo, Shipmates 3-5 yo, Cadets 6-8 yo, Ensigns 9-11 yo, with supervised age-appropriate activities, like arts-crafts, themed parties, games, movies, toys, interactive games, scavenger hunts)
• X-Club (teen-only disco and lounge area); Video Games Arcade
• Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard; Power Walking/Jogging Track; Multi-sports outdoor court; 3-hole Mini Golf putting, Lawn Bowling, Bocce, Croquet; Sun Deck area.

Celebrity Cruises Eclipse ship was launched on February 28, 2010. The liner belongs to the company's Solstice-class vessels, with sisterships Equinox, Reflection, Silhouette, Solstice. Eclipse was built by Meyer Werft at Papenburg Shipyard (Germany).

As newbuilds, Solstice-class ships were among the most environment-friendly marine vessels ever constructed. The Eclipse ship has an efficient hull design coated with light-emitting diodes and innovative photovoltaic system. This way, liner's energy-saving increases ~30% compared to a similar-class passenger vessel. Solstice-class also featured the fleet's first new cabin types and categories (ConciergeClass, AquaClass). Around 85% of all passenger staterooms have private step-out balconies.