This Scenic Eclipse II Cruise Surprised Me!

I thought I'd do a sort of 'fact file' of various aspects of the ship. Scenic Eclipse II is absolutely gorgeous and unlike any other cruise I've ever been on. Here's some information about different parts of the ship.

Veranda Stateroom

Stunning and spacious with all the amenities you could wish for and more. Our stateroom attendant met us to show us all the technical bits like electric blind, heating, air conditioning etc.
Most surprising were the beds, a double split with two separate mattresses, both individually orthopaedic and electronically operated so can raise legs, back etc. Fabulous for anyone who requires this sort of luxury, however, did make us feel we may have entered a care home before our time! Coffee machine and mini bar fully stocked, we ordered a bottle of sav Blanc and Prosecco in case we fancied it for later.

Main bar area 

Spacious double height venue with a fabulous central bar which looks twice the height again with cleverly designed mirrors reflecting the magnificent bottle/glass display.

The atmosphere was great, all passengers and staff really friendly, approachable, welcoming. Entertainment was surprising, knowing this was a 6* larger yacht experience we had a great guitarist playing the hits of Rod Stewart and Mumford and Sons, followed with a bit of Slingo (musical Bingo) with songs sung by two of the entertainment team on board, the guests absolutely loved it. Thought the entertainment would be a bit higher brow for some reason on a shop of this standard!

Restaurants

We tried most of the speciality restaurants on board and they were all brilliant.

Night Market

Fabulous experience, chef cooked in front of us taking us on a tour around the world using a visual wall map, describing the heritage of the dishes she created for each course along the way. So captivating, educational, and delicious at the same time.

Koko’s

As a vegetarian who does not like Sushi, this was a tricky one for me, but they happily accommodated me with a salmon dish specially prepared which was a relief. The rest of the party thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Lumiere

Again, not a great restaurant for vegetarians, there was very little that was suitable on the menu, however again they were happy to accommodate and bought me variations of the 8-course menu. Paired the wine with our meal and atmosphere was great.

Yacht Club

The Yacht club was great for me as I could choose exactly what I wanted and didn’t have to feel I was having to have preferential treatment for being vegetarian. The choice was excellent, breads and show cooking area great, venue airy, relaxed, bright, modern, and sleek.

Azura Café and Bar

Actually, my favourite area of the ship and the place we spent most of our time. Lovely, shaded seating area outside to enjoy light snack and a great selection of pastas and burgers ordered with waiter style service.

Ports/Trips

London – Iconic London Tour

Guide fantastic, kept the group all together, not too fast paced, knowledgeable, animated, and so enthusiastic, learnt a lot about our heritage on this day I never knew. Coach high quality, some passengers stayed on board at some stops if they found the walking a little too much.

Oostende Belgium

Took a stunning open air small boat tour into Oostende, picturesque, chocolate box heaven, cobbled streets lined with bars and shops with local wares, chocolate, waffles, Heineken, full of colour and beauty.

This really surprised me!!!!!

The main thing that actually surprised me was the wonderful clientele on board, I though I may feel a little out of my comfort zone being on a ship of this class, however, how wrong was I! Every passenger we met was so lovely, Americans, Canadian, Australian, British, all with wonderful life backgrounds, happy to share their experiences and knowledge and all having a fabulous time.

From researching the ship before getting on board, I did wonder with so few passengers and many dining venues, would there be much atmosphere and the restaurants feel full? However, they have the balance spot on. You were made to feel you were the only ones in the restaurant with the efficient, however relaxed service, but in the background were other tables doing and feeling exactly the same.

Everything on board was so relaxed, no rush for anything, the service was sublime.

If you're interested in trying something new, I highly recommend Scenic. Just give us a call and we'll help you plan your next adventure!