Solstice Review - 7 December sailing

BACKGROUND: I'm a pretty experienced cruiser, old enough for senior fares, but not Social Security. I am single and usually travel solo, but I shared a cabin this time with someone from my Roll Call. I was already booked for a February cruise on Solstice when 3 cruises were added ahead of the original December 14th Inaugural and offered at very attractive prices. I was able to book a 2A hump cabin on Deck 8 for about 10% less than the inside cabin I had reserved for February. Then when a Senior special came along a few weeks prior to my December 7 sail date, I opted for a newly designated Obstructed View Cat. 07 Verandah.

ARRIVAL & EMBARK: It's usually a good idea to arrive a day ahead particularly in the winter, but it's easy to get a non-stop flight from my home in Baltimore to FLL, and if you go out on the first flight of the day, it's usually a safe bet that you will arrive in plenty of time. So it was that we were on the ground with our luggage by 9:30 AM on Sunday morning. I'm very familiar with the way embark and debark work and knew that it really would be best to arrive at the Terminal for check-in around 11 AM, thus avoiding debarking passengers and insuring that the porters would be ready to accept incoming luggage. So I basically killed an hour at the airport and used that time to join up with a few other folks heading my way. So about 10:45, 5 of us squeezed into a minivan taxi and made the short trip to Pier 18. The porters were ready and so was the check-in staff. Within 15 minutes of arriving, we were headed up the steep gangway to the ship.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: We entered on Deck 5 forward and immediately started running into members of our roll call. Many of us had posted our photos. We were told staterooms would not be ready until 1, and it actually was 1:30, but I always duck into mine and stow my carry on stuff in the closet. The I tried to take advantage of many staterooms being cleaned to answer some questions that the deck plans raised in my mind. Anyone looking closely at the published plans for cabins 8328 and 8332 will note that they appear to be about twice as big as other inside cabins. Well they are not. But they also don't look like the diagrams in the brochures, and don't have sofas like it is stated in the brouchures and on the website. There are some inside cabins that have 2 armchains instead of a sofa and are more square than the narrow longer standard verandah cabins. The desk and TV unit is opposite the bed, yet there is plenty of clearance between the two. I questioned Guest Relations and the Future Cruise office about the differing types of Insides, but I believe I know more about this then they do. The simple fact is Celebrity states that insides have a sitting area with sofa. This is simply not the case, and they should find a way to note which staterooms do not have a sofa. I also tried to figure out why the Deck 8 plans seem to be "off" The color coding appears to be one cabin forward. The only thing I know for sure is that 8232 and 8234 share the entryway, and thus I believe that the 10 cabins actually on the hump are 8232 thru 8250.

But the best first impression was stopping to read the Bistro on Five menu, and hearing my name called out by a young waiter who served me over a year ago on Galaxy. At the time he was assigned to my dining room table partially through that cruise, it was his very first day at sea. Now he is among those selected for Solstice and splits his time between Tuscan Grill and the Bistro. There turned out to be many other familiar faces on the ship as well, including some who are now upper management and responsible for all of the Solstice class ships.

STATEROOM: I occupied 6188, an obstucted view balcony. There was a tender just below the balcony, but luckily as we looked right, there was the opening between the tenders providing a clearer view. In this my 9th Celebrity cruise, I had previously had one obstructed ocean view, with all the rest insides. And now that I've had the balcony, yes it's nice to see the weather outside, but I only stood out there a few times, and I will have no problem going back to an inside.

I always thought that the Celebrity staterooms had terrific storage and closets. How they could have ended up with much less of both after being advised by their "Leading Ladies" is really beyond my comprehension. But I do like the shaving bar in the shower, even though I guess those ladies also advised to eliminate the hand held shower and the clothesline. The shower is plenty big however, and there is actually too much storage in the bathroom. I would recommend that the drawers and trash bin next to the toilet be moved under the glass doored cabinet, thus giving some additional kneeroom when using the toilet. For larger folks - I am one, and so are many many of Celebrity's guests -- the space where the toilet is located is a tight fit. I managed, but I also made use of the public facilities which were much more comfortable.

The beds were fine, the sofa a little too stiff and too long, making access to the closet tight (sofa by the closet, beds by the balcony in this cabin). Our beds were separated by the 2 narrow nightstands, and the arrangement was acceptable. I never did try out all the options on the TV, but you can check your statement, and select any kind of music. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a channel which showed the ships speed or position. And the ballyhooed above bed storage, mine was 50% used for a duvet, bed runners, and beach towels. And I'm missing the water pitcher that was one of the differences that made Celebrity Celebrity and not Royal Caribbean.

DINING: The food was OK and there was plenty of it, but nothing really wowed me, not the dinners in Grand Epernay, not the steak and sides in Tuscan Grill, and certainly not my one experience with the Mast Grill, which I believe made me sick. My favorite meal of the day was breakfast in the Oceanview Cafe. They simply have everything you could possibly want for breakfast there, including the waffles, made to order omelets and eggs, and mounds of smoked salmon (my favorite)complete with the proper go withs, although I would prefer white onions instead of red.

I was looking forward to the Brunch served on Day 3, and I enjoyed it, but I was expecting much more. Supposedly this was to replace the Midnight Buffet which while beautiful, was a total waste when scheduled as it was on lobster night. I was expecting ice carvings, fruit carvings, fancy this and fancy that, and other than a tower of shrimp and an attractive dessert table, it was underwhelming, and did not show off the kitchen's skills. I thought that this would be somehow highlighted in the Daily Program, but it just showed up in the Dining Room scheduled meal times, and I'm betting most people didn't even know about it.

The Oceanview Cafe worked very well at breakfast and lunch. I first experienced this type layout of indivdual stations on the Radiance of the Seas, and I believe it has even been retrofitted onto some other vessels, but on RCCL, you pick up your napkin and silverware with the plates, so you have it with you when you sit down. Too often on Solstice, you found a seat, but then had to seek out a place setting. I liked the larger plastic beverage tumblers. But I thought 2 PM was too early to stop serving lunch. I'm pretty sure other Celebrity ships served until 2:30 and kept the sandwich station open until 3 PM. Like other ships, the pizza and pasta was served all day long. Tea was at 4, and sushi and stir fry were served at 6. I also saw them carving roast beef during dinner time, but there is not an actual casual dining (suggested $2 tip) option. There was during the very first cruise on November 23rd, and there is an area on port side forward in the OV Cafe where there are fancier chairs, but at least on this cruise, there is no Casual dining or what I would consider a real buffet either offered. Yes you can satisfy your hunger here during dinner hours, but it's not a full substitute. The late night offerings here til 3 AM are I suppose adequate, but appear skimpy: a cake, cookies, pizza, and some sandwich fixings with unappetizing meats.

I didn't try any of the extra tariff venues like Cafe al Bacio, the Gelateria, or Bistro on Five. The Bistro was intended to have a more extensive menu than just basically the crepes that are now offered, but I was told that the kitchen space just didn't allow them to offer all that was planned. I never saw more than a few tables occupied here, but it could be that I passed by at the wrong times. I think they should give it a go without the $5 service charge and see what happens, or keep the charge for a while, but offer high level Captain's Club members a coupon for a gratis visit.

Now finally to the sparkling stylish Grand Epernay Dining Room. This is the first cruise in quite some time that I did not have prearranged tablemates, and my table assignment didn't work out too well this time. Despite my request for a 6 or 8 top on Deck 3 in the center of the dining room, I was assigned to a 4 top in the rear portion of deck 4, directly opposite a serving station. There are forward and aft wings to the main room that are almost totally separate. This was one of them, and it was a depressing area. The Maitre'D was overwhelmed with requests for changes, but after at least a half hour wait, he was able to move me to an 8 top just behind the staircase on Deck 3. I had the full 2 deck height above me and could view the rest of the main floor so I was happy. And I was happy when I sat down to a full table of 8 and met my new tablemates the first night. But one couple opted for their own 2 top for the rest of the cruise, one just disappeared, although they did say they were going to try all the specialty rooms, and I later heard that one of them suffered an injury, and the remaining couple did dine at the table on 2 other nights. So my roll call friend and I were on our own at this table for 8 on 3 of the nights. Aside from Tuscan on one night, we had a couple join us once, and twice we joined others at spaces at their tables. So it just wasn't the experience you hope for. This put the wait staff a bit off kilter too. Something was just missing. The best thing I can say for the food; the salads are way improved. I opted for beef every night, and it was adequate. I did order the so called lobster on the last formal night and it was just a pitiful presentation. There is no more dessert tray, although when we dined at another table, their waiter did offer plates showing the different selections. So basically my experience this time in Grand Epernay was a bust. But the chairs much to my surprise, after seeing them in photograhs, were extremely comfortable.

ENTERTAINMENT: Let me just say that I've never been to a show on a ship that managed to keep me awake, and these didn't either. I was in attendence at all 3 big new production shows, which thankfully for late seating diners, were presented after dinner. Solstice, the Show, Pulse, and Ghostlight are their names and I'm sorry, I just can't tell you any more. Solstice the Show was Cirque like, and if there were any words spoken, I was asleep at the time. Not my cup of tea. But the theatre is a real winner. Looks great, sounds great, works great. Seats were a bit tight for me, but there are larger individual armchairs in the rear of both levels, and there are some absent armrests in the main seating bowl if you look for them, so more comfortable there too.

There was a first night welcome show presented at 7:45 for both dining times, a farewell show before dinner on the final night, a before dinner lecture about Space exploration on one of the late port nights, and a before dinner show from David Meyer, who plays a synthesized xylophone. I caught a bit of this one, and I can tell you he certainly has a lot of energy. The Celebrity Orchestra accompanied all of the shows, and like every orchestra on every ship I've been on, these guys were great. I think if you are a musician, working on a ship is a good gig. Several members of the orchestra also performed a big band program several times. Usually the first or the last night a few of these folks will also present a jazz program, however Solstice had 2 other outstanding jazz performers who worked just about every night. Peter James was great on the keyboards in the Passport Bar on 3 and the Ensemble Lounge on 5, and he was spelled by the Modern Jazz Trio. My musical preferences are Jazz and the Great American Songbook, so I was very pleased with the lounge entertainment. One of the best things about the cruise for me. There was a piano entertainer named Jeremy Oren in the beautiful and mellow Michael's Club just about every evening. I only heard guitarist Jefferson Ang once, but enjoyed it. The a cappella group Ocean's Four were popular but I didn't think they were as good as some others I've heard on other ships. The steel drum guy was enjoyable, and was poolside for several hours on a least one afternoon. I would have rather heard the band Top Secret by the pool in the afternoon. Somehow I never heard them once. There were just too many venues with too much going on at the same time. Likewise, I only briefly heard the string quartet. All in all I thought the variety of the entertainment was outstanding.

BARS: I'm not a drinker, so I'm never hanging out at the bar per se. But the Martini Bar was the place to be most of the time. The Ensemble Lounge had my kind of music and was perhaps the most comfortable bar. Michaels, Tastings, Cellar Masters, all beautiful venues. And Passport on 3 was much more popular than I thought it would be. I did get to know Brian from Canada there. Never made it up to the Sky Lounge at night. There's something for everyone and way more than anyone can handle. Outstanding.

ACTIVITIES: Great staff, not so great Cruise Director. Other than hosting the shows, he wasn't too visible. I enjoyed most of the Name that Tune type games and some trivia. Be prepared for sticker shock if you play Bingo. And with 3 full days at sea, I wouldn't have minded some pool games for an hour or two. Maybe too lowbrow for Solstice. I caught part of a glass show, but couldn't commit the almost 2 hours for a full show. Seemed nice, but I could live without it. And I definitely could live without the Lawn. A total waste in my book. I can get to a lawn just about anytime I want. The sea, I have to pay for the privlege, and the lawn took away too much deck space. As a matter of fact, this ship is sorely lacking in accessible deck space, or more specifically, rail space, where you can actually look out on the ocean. There are way too many glass wind panels above the railings, and in the only place where there are unobstructed railings, the upper pool deck, the lounge chairs are so tightly packed that you can't even find an opening to get to the rail. The pools were fine. I always enjoy the serenity of the Solarium pool around 6 PM when things get very quiet on the decks. Beautiful fountains to enjoy in the Solarium and the Wet Zone by the pool. Loved the colors.

DEBARK: I left around 9:30 and suspect I was near the end. Claimed my luggage, waited in short line for Customs, then out to waiting shuttle bus to car rental facility at FLL. One of the easiest debarks ever.

SUMMARY: From all the research I did prior to my cruise I had a whole list of things I was prepared to dislike. And while there are some shortcomings in the cabins with storage and things missing on Solstice that I am used to on other ships in the fleet, none of these amounted to anything or affected my enjoyment of this cruise in any way. I looked at the shops, casino, and spa and gym, but didn't really make use of any of these. The public spaces are exrtremely well done. The ship never seemed overly crowded, but at the same time I still prefer a smaller ship. I particularly enjoyed the lounge entertainment

This was written on the submission form for Members Reviews, but there was a glitch and it may or may not ever get posted there. I have asked the Moderators and Webmaster for help.

But this is the text I wrote. Will be happy to clarify anything or answer additional questiions.

Signman

Thanks for that full review..

One question ..when I look at the Deck 8 hump the 10 light pink ( 1B) cabins are 8232 -8250 ...what is different about this and what you say they are? Are you saying that 8232 is not an angled cabin, rather a straight one?

Would it be the same on the other side? so that 8259 would be straight and not angled?

Thanks

That's what I'm saying.

Hi Howard, thanks for the review:)

Sorry about the dining room seating issues:eek:

Wow, Howard, that was a thorough review. How anyone can sleep during Solstice the Show is beyond me. I'd have to say you missed the boat, so to speak. Judging by all of the shows I've seen on a cruiseship, it is by far one of the most spectacular shows ever, and truly pushes the boundaries of what is possible on a cruiseship, something that the other lines will need to pay attention to.

As for the Mast Grill, maybe because it's placed right in the middle of smokers heaven is why you got sick. We didn't care for it either, but not because of the food. Plus, those were some of the smallest chicken wings I've ever seen.

With regards to your issues in the GE, we went there on day one and sought out our table, only to change it with the maitre d' later. That might have helped you.

I can't really tell if you had a good time or not, but I hope you did. With every review I read, I wish I was back on her again.

Oh I had a great time. There just wasn't enough of it to see and do everything on this beautiful ship. I met great folks from my roll call, and many others too. Had a wonderful 3 hour dinner at Tuscan with a gal I went to high school with 4 decades ago, her husband, and 4 new friends.

Sorry if I got caught up in dissecting too many things about the ship. It's just that I devoured every tidbit about Solstice beforehand and was looking to check out certain things I had read about. I'll be back aboard in February and will see what I missed, and what tweaking may have taken place.

Howard, sorry to hear about your "table" problems. We were also on this cruise, and knowing full well that there could be many things that would be "tweaked" or "changed" in the months ahead.

We felt the shows were wonderful. Unique and very different than any previous Celebrity shows we had viewed on other ships. We also found that the entertainment onboard was vast. It was great walking from one venue to another and discovering something new.

And yes, the Brunch was a bit disorganized...but after a very nice discussion with the Restaruant Mgr., Fabio, they are well aware of the problems, and were appreciative in hearing some constructive critiques. They know the issues...and they will be worked out.

I'm hoping that everyone realizes that this ship is the prototype of the series. It's a work in progress. That doesn't mean that any of the services are inferior...but the policies and procedures will possibly be altered and tweaked, until all systems flow smoothly.

After 33 cruises with Celebrity, I will say that this ship is the most beautiful and elegant of the whole Celebrity fleet.

Howard - Thanks for your candid review and checking out those inside cabins. I did read your post on the other "Solstice inside cabin" thread. Glad you had a good time.

Howard, thanks for a great review. We're sailing in the Med. next Oct. so I'm sure a lot of things will be tweaked by then. Did you happen to look through any of the balcony glass with the tinted "X" on them? I think our cabin 8267 will be completely tinted. Hoping it won't distract too much while seated on the veranda.

Howard: I am a fellow inside cabin person. I know you check out cabin 1100, I will be in 1084 on 3/22. Did you happen to notice if those are the square or long layout?

Thanks for your detailed review.

Howard thanks for posting this review!:)

Howard: I am a fellow inside cabin person. I know you check out cabin 1100, I will be in 1084 on 3/22. Did you happen to notice if those are the square or long layout?

Thanks for your detailed review.

Since it's in line with 1100, I'm betting that 1084 will be the more square layout with the 2 side chairs. I'm aboard again in February and will find out for sure.

And for those of you keeping score at home, in just reviewing my notes, you can mark 8174 down as a handicapped cabin, and 8171 as having a sofa. The entrance to 8148 is really in the service corridor. Very strange. I never could get in though.

Howard, thanks for a great review. We're sailing in the Med. next Oct. so I'm sure a lot of things will be tweaked by then. Did you happen to look through any of the balcony glass with the tinted "X" on them? I think our cabin 8267 will be completely tinted. Hoping it won't distract too much while seated on the veranda.

It will for sure if I'm correct about the cabins on deck 8 really being one further aft than shown on the deck plans. I was originally supposed to be in 8240 and carefully studied the extremely detailed photos that Andreas Depping posted from Germany. According to the published deck plans 8240 was the 4th cabin counting aft on the hump, and did not show the bed by the balcony in the extreme close ups. However I did look into this cabin and to my surprise the bed was by the balcony, thus making this the 5th cabin counting aft. It did ajoin 8242. As the 4th cabin back it showed with half tinting, but as the 5th it would be fully tinted and is the direct opposite of your 8267.

Howard,

I believe you are right about the numbers being off on the entire deck. I wonder where the mistake is? Can you print out the deck plan from the website and take a walk and compare. I have 8199 on a future cruise specifically to have the larger angle balcony where the ship narrows forward of the hump. I suspect that 8197 is going to turn out to be the cabin I thought I reserved. The bad news is all the A1's are now sold out. Let us know and Celebrity know when you return.

Thanks

Rich

Signman, was there any dancing in the Ensemble lounge or at any other lounge?

Is the Ensemble lounge a substitute for the Rendez Vous lounge in the other Celebrity ships?

Thanks

Yannis

Howard,

 

I believe you are right about the numbers being off on the entire deck. I wonder where the mistake is? Can you print out the deck plan from the website and take a walk and compare. I have 8199 on a future cruise specifically to have the larger angle balcony where the ship narrows forward of the hump. I suspect that 8197 is going to turn out to be the cabin I thought I reserved. The bad news is all the A1's are now sold out. Let us know and Celebrity know when you return.

 

Thanks

 

Rich

I think you are correct. You will still have a "larger" angled balcony, just not the largest.

Signman, was there any dancing in the Ensemble lounge or at any other lounge?

Is the Ensemble lounge a substitute for the Rendez Vous lounge in the other Celebrity ships?

Thanks

 

Yannis

Howard: I noticed in another thread you mentioned you got the Grand Epernay menus. I'm going on the Solstice in March and would like the menus as I always try to get them on my cruises. Sometimes I have a hard time.

How did you get the menus? Who did you ask to get them? Did you get one each night or all of them at once? Thanks in advance for your input!

It will for sure if I'm correct about the cabins on deck 8 really being one further aft than shown on the deck plans. I was originally supposed to be in 8240 and carefully studied the extremely detailed photos that Andreas Depping posted from Germany. According to the published deck plans 8240 was the 4th cabin counting aft on the hump, and did not show the bed by the balcony in the extreme close ups. However I did look into this cabin and to my surprise the bed was by the balcony, thus making this the 5th cabin counting aft. It did ajoin 8242. As the 4th cabin back it showed with half tinting, but as the 5th it would be fully tinted and is the direct opposite of your 8267.

Howard, thanks for your reply. I looked at the Depping photo, too, and I think our cabin is the one with a person on the veranda. If the beds are nearest the veranda, that will probably be better for us as we will have the beds separated, and I think that would really put one of them on top of the closet area. With the sofa, only half of the doors will be difficult to maneuver. I'm hoping to hear from someone how dark the tint is to look through.

Carol, my beds were apart and near the balcony. I really think that is a better arrangement. Don't know which photo you looked at, but I posted a link to one on C2C's review and the man in blue was on the balcony of 8234, I'm pretty sure.

Carol, my beds were apart and near the balcony. I really think that is a better arrangement. Don't know which photo you looked at, but I posted a link to one on C2C's review and the man in blue was on the balcony of 8234, I'm pretty sure.

I was looking at one of the photos of Andreas Depping that showed a lady (I believe) on Deck 8 smack dab in the middle of the hump and I think that is where we will be. I saw your photo that you just posted and it shows everything more clearly, including the bed. Had to use a magnifier to see it on the other site! We were originally on the hump Deck 6 and I changed it as soon as I saw the view of the life boats on either side of veranda.....

Since it's in line with 1100, I'm betting that 1084 will be the more square layout with the 2 side chairs. I'm aboard again in February and will find out for sure.

 

Thanks, Howard

Carol, my beds were apart and near the balcony. I really think that is a better arrangement. Don't know which photo you looked at, but I posted a link to one on C2C's review and the man in blue was on the balcony of 8234, I'm pretty sure.

where can I find this photo?

where can I find this photo?

Here it is. http://web8.506.bces.de/cruise_xxl/displayimage.php?album=47&pos=18