Patrick and Leah headed over to Vancouver, Canada, where they spent a couple of nights before spending a week exploring Alaska onboard Celebrity Cruises‘ Celebrity Eclipse. Find out what they made of their time onboard exploring this bucket-list destination.
Itinerary
Vancouver – Inside Passage – Icy Strait Point – Hubbard Glacier – Juneau – Ketchikan – Inside Passage – Vancouver
Tell us about your pre-cruise stay in Vancouver
As we arrived in Vancouver we were immediately taken aback by the local hospitality and vibrancy of this beautiful city. As an added bonus we enjoyed the festivities of Canada Day, which celebrates the country becoming fully independent in 1982. we’d certainly recommend allowing for an extra day or two to join the celebrations which are held on the 1st of July each year. Oh and be sure to have a Maple Leaf on show.
We spent our two-night stay at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver, which is conveniently located opposite the cruise port, so no need for a morning transfer. Just a quick hop and step across the street and you’ll be ready to check in for your adventure to Alaska. There’s a real buzz at the Fairmont Waterfront with bees pollinating the rooftop garden and stunning views over the North Shore mountains.
With no time to spare we headed straight out to explore the must-see 1,000-acre Stanley Park, which contains an aquarium, beaches, botanical gardens, tennis courts and much more. For those wildlife lovers, be sure to keep an eye out for raccoons, beavers, coyotes and bald eagles. We then made our way over to Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, Gastown. An ideal location to explore on foot and just a stone’s throw away from the Fairmont waterfront, you’ll find everything from boutique galleries to craft breweries, and with an abundance of historic charm and Victorian architecture, be sure to allow plenty of time to explore these cobbled walkways.
How was the embarkation process with Celebrity Cruises?
We opted for a later check-in to enjoy a little more of what Vancouver had to offer before the cruise. After a small feast at Breka Bakery & Cafe, which is a convenient 3-minute walk from the Fairmont Waterfront hotel, we waved goodbye our pre-cruise base before joining Celebrity Eclipse for our 7-night Alaska Cruise. Check-in was smooth and made very seamless with an abundance of Celebrity Cruises and port staff assisting throughout. It wasn’t long before we were enjoying the comforts of our Aqua Class staterooms.
Tell us about the accommodation on Celebrity Eclipse
We thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of the Aqua Class stateroom, with a few stand-out differences, when compared to a regular balcony stateroom. You’ll have the opportunity to dine at the exclusive Blu restaurant which is solely for Aqua Class guests. In addition to the exclusive restaurant, you’ll also have access to the Persian Garden which is where you’ll find hot stone beds, steam rooms and a sauna. With this all conveniently located close to your stateroom, as well as the fitness centre and spa, you’ll be pampering yourself daily.
How did you find the ship in general?
We thoroughly enjoyed the modern styling and upscale feel of this Solstice-class ship throughout. As you can imagine with a cruise to Alaska, you’ll want spaces throughout that give the opportunity to view the stunning scenery, with the Eclipse not disappointing. We spent a lot of time enjoying the comforts of the Sky Observation Lounge, which you’ll find located forward on deck 14. With 270-degree views, an abundance of comfortable seating and a central cocktail bar, you’ll find this the perfect location to take in the breathtaking scenery. Be sure to have binoculars on hand as wildlife is plentiful. The only negative was the Ensemble Lounge which I found too dark and was used as a cut-through for the speciality restaurants. I feel a brighter and more modern feel would attract more guests to stop for an aperitif.
What was the food like on Celebrity Eclipse?
It took a lot to pull me away from the comforts of Blu as this bright and elegant restaurant, exclusive to Aqua Class guests offers a revolving menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes with a focus on healthy eating. If you’re feeling indulgent, do not fear as you’ll find something for everyone, including a dessert menu to die for. During our 7-night sailing, we also enjoyed Moonlight Sonata which is the beautifully designed main dining restaurant, offering a new menu daily but keeping its ever-popular signature dishes. You of course cannot disembark without trying at least one speciality restaurant, with our choice being Tuscan Grille which is an upscale steak-and-pasta venue beautifully located with views over the ship’s wake. This was certainly a highlight with fantastic food and service to match. We spent our mornings shuffling between Blu or Oceanview café which is the buffet restaurant located at the aft of deck 14 and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was impressed with the options available but not with the lack of seating. I can only assume more guests than usual were opting for the buffet over other venues. Overall I was very happy with the options available as well as the quality. Finally, I must credit the service throughout which was impeccable with a special shout-out to Ratna who’s a credit to Celebrity.
What is the entertainment like on Celebrity Eclipse?
From engaging, visionary performances to award-winning productions we were surrounded with options. We often took guidance from our cruise director Dave who was hilarious. I’m not sure if he ever slept as he appeared to be everywhere and very engaging. A special mention to captain Leo who was equally entertaining and always happy to stop for a chat. We started our 7-night sailing with an epic performance by Rock City, which is full of iconic anthems from old to new, and finished with Topper which is an award-winning show full of quirky adventures. With exception to an unamusing comedian we thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of entertainment onboard.
Does Celebrity Eclipse offer any fitness & recreational facilities?
I may have only visited the gym once but I can assure you that I have plenty of excuses. The state-of-the-art weight machines and cardio equipment won’t leave you disappointed, and if you prefer more of a group setting, you’ll have plenty of options, from HIIT training and spinning classes to yoga and meditation. It’s not often I can say that while stretching post-workout I watched a pod of humpback whales breaching in the distance. Certainly, an experience I won’t forget. If you prefer gin over gym you can always burn a few calories on the jogging track which is conveniently located by the Mast bar on deck 14.
Celebrity Eclipse: 7-night Alaska itinerary
Icy Straight Point, Hoonah
After an enjoyable first day at sea which allowed us to explore the ship and experience everything from the fantastic entertainment to some of the great bars scattered throughout, we arrived at our first port of call – Icy Straight Point, Hoonah. We were already excited to explore before to disembarking as we had spotted some Humpback whales from the comfort of the observation lounge. We were told this port was one of the best spots to see marine life and it certainly did not disappoint. After disembarking we headed to the mountain top gondola, which is a new edition to this port. You’ll be whisked up the mountain range to a staggering 1,500 feet with 360° views of Hoonah. If you’re afraid of heights I’d recommend taking the walking trail over to the old salmon cannery. From here you can check out the museum and retail shops or just relax on the beach. After lunch, we took a whale watching tour, which we highly recommend. We had the joy of seeing both Humpback and Orca whales and were surprised when our guide knew quite a few of them by name, having identified them by their tail patterns.
Hubbard Glacier
There was undoubtedly a buzz around the ship on the morning of day three, as we awoke to the stunning sights of the Hubbard Glacier in the distance. After breakfast, we heard the magic words from captain Leo “The helipad is open”. We grabbed our cameras and swiftly headed out, where we were greeted with blankets and hot chocolate. Nice touch! As we stepped up onto the helipad we were blown away by this 11km wide spectacle. Famous for being North America’s largest tidewater glacier, the Hubbard Glacier is a staggering 120km long. We spent a few hours at the glacier with the ship positioning itself to allow stunning views from wherever you were positioned.
Juneau
Arriving in Juneau, the capital city of the state of Alaska was quite the spectacle, with the ship surrounded by snow-capped mountains. We opted to explore the city by ourselves, however, there were plenty of tour options available. To burn off that morning’s breakfast we headed straight up to Mt. Roberts Trailhead which has an elevation of 1,164 m and offers stunning views across the city and is rich in wildlife. Be sure to keep an eye out for bears as its prime black bear habitat. On our descent, we decided to reward ourselves by visiting The Narrows Bar, which is a fantastic little cocktail bar located on Franklin St. Juneau is rich in history and full of natural scenery and abundant wildlife, so you’ll have a variety of different things to see and do.
Ketchikan
Possibly the most underwhelming of the ports we visited, Ketchikan describes itself as the “Salmon Capital of the World”. We again opted to explore this city by foot and headed to Creek Street. This antique boardwalk on wooden pilings located over the creek is home to boutique shops, restaurants private homes. Not that we partook, we were told this is the best location in Ketchikan for Salmon fishing. We continued our walk around the city, which was certainly geared towards tourism, with jewellery and clothing stores on every corner. In hindsight, we would possibly opt to take a morning excursion with some time free in the afternoon for a stroll around the city.
