messej01

I don't understand why cruise lines like Celebrity don't have Adults only itineraries?

There seem to be a lot of people who would prefer to travel without kids on board and we don't all want to spend the amounts charged by the luxury cruise lines. At the moment it seems that every cruise line based in Australia is aimed at families; not ideal for a early 40s Childfree couple like my husband and I (and yes we travel outside of school holidays and still we can't avoid them).

Just a 3 night one next Easter

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Hi,

Trying to decide which side of deck 10 to book on. Can anyone tell me which side of the ship has smoking areas? We are booking a balcony cabin and I don't want any smoke coming in.

I am a migraine sufferer and smoke is a trigger for me.

Thanks

I've checked and can find all cruises scheduled for Celebrity Solstice until end March 2019 and there are no South Pacific cruises from Jan to March 2019 (I wouldn't cruise in January anyway given it is school holidays) - the only cruises are to New Zealand or up the Australian coast.

Hopefully they will bring another ship here to offer South Pacific cruises (from Sydney) but it won't be Solstice. Maybe Millennium?

Hi,Just got off Solstice from the 12 day South Pacific cruise and we loved it. Planning on doing the next one early (Feb2019) but can't find any Celebrity cruises, only ones to NZ or Aus.

The only one I can find is the 13 night from Auckland but hubby thinks it is too port heavy. Might have to go with that one if nothing else comes up.

Are they maybe bringing another ship here? (Edge sounds good but too big for South Pacific I think).

They had fresh limes onboard when we were last on Solstice. However vodka, lime & soda is usually made with lime cordial so if you want fresh lime juice in it you may have to request it specifically, explaining that you don't want the cordial.

Most places I go only use fresh lime but I have seen dodgy pubs using cheap cordial as a substitute.

Might take a few limes just to be on the safe side.

Hi,

I'm travelling on Celebrity Solstice, leaving Sydney Australia on 1st March. Can anyone tell me if Vodka, lime and sodas are made with real limes or cordial?

If cordial, do you think it would be ok if I took on board a big bag of limes and add my own to drinks?

Thanks

Which cruise is $88? I can't seem to find anything close to that price for twin share.

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Yeah, I didn't think Celebrity was part of this arrangement either. You'd have to do it yourself as described by OzKiwiJJ.

Thanks

Just wondering how the system works on Celebrity Solstice and when/where we should go to ensure we get one of the 100 passes?

Thanks

I contacted Celebrity and was told that my room Steward could bring me a kettle to keep in the cabin; so I wouldn't need to wait for room service (also I like my own brand of tea and seems like a waste to get room service for some boiling water).

This is for a cruise on Solstice in March so I don't know if it varies by ship.

Went on RCI for the first time last month - I really enjoyed the talks the CD did with the various heads of staff. Many dance classes [i even learnt a flash mob dance!]. Multiple trivia each day.

 

2 open floor debates were held, a 3rd was scheduled but cancelled possibly due to the controversial topic- Euthanasia.

 

Didn't have a cooking demo. That would've been good to see.

 

I'd like some karaoke or live music during the day. There was basically no music before 6.

The open floor debates sound most interesting. I can understand why they cancelled the Euthanasia one but I would have gone to listen.

Live music during the day would be good, especially if the whether wasn't very great or you just wanted to be inside for a bit (and didn't want to do Trivia)

We were on Diamond Princess recently and they had "star gazing" on the list of activities. Unfortunately it turned out to be an overcast night so they rescheduled it. Guess what, another overcast night, in fact it was overcast for most of the cruise.

 

I just wonder what you would see through a telescope on the desk of a moving ship given the angle of view of a telescope is so narrow.

 

I've found some of the activities are no more than promotional talks and not educational. Especially the digital photography or GoPro lectures. All they talked about were the features of the cameras they had for sale on the ship. I'd put them in the same category as Art appreciation, foot analysis and weight loss/well being, all just advertising.

I agree that some of the talks are really just promotional spiels on items for sale. I don't mind a few things for sale at the end but the educational elemental could be much better.

Also the snorkelling, at Jinek Bay, is restricted to 100 people in the water in the morning, and another 100 in the afternoon. This is to help protect the reef. It is excellent so if you want to go there best to go early.

Hi, we are going on Celebrity Solstice in March and will be wanting to go to Jinek Bay in the afternoon (we don't like cold water so I think afternoon would be better).

You say to go there early - so I presume in the morning? Is there a reason why?

Can you advise how/when you go about organising the tickets? We really don't want to miss out.

IPhone/iPad classes sounds great; I'd love to pick up a few tips and tricks.

I'll definitely look into the dance classes on Eden, I have two left feet but I'll give it a go.

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My husband and I (early 40s no kids) love cruising but do find the list of activities could be improved/broadened. There seems to be a lot of Trivia.

We've come up with a few ideas but was wondering what other people think of these ideas or any other ones?

• Treasure Hunt (separate ones for adults and kids)
  
• Self guided photography trails with points of interest
  
• More tours of the ship (maybe just one or two areas)
  
• Progressive dinners at speciality restaurants
  
• Skills from staff passed on via classes (fruit carving, singing lessons, cooking lessons)
  

How disappointing at Christmas. I don't understand why management aren't listening to the complaints and making some changes.

We went on Pacific Eden in Feb 2016 and sounds like it hasn't improved.

That looks pretty good; obviously very quiet due to being a port day but still.

Thank you so much for all the information you provided. Hope you are having a great trip.

That would be great, if you don't mind. [emoji3]

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Thanks, sounds like I might need to get to the gym early. The one on Voyager of the Seas was fantastic and underutilized - perfect.

Won't get my hopes up on Eden.

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I did Radiance of the Seas roughly the same time last year and had a great cruise and found the ship perfect.

 

My only complaint was that early December for 8 nights there were far too many children there who should have been in school which I thought was wrong. It impacted on the dining as anyone not in a large family group was shafted to small tables while families got priority. I think school children should be banned from cruise ships when it is not school holidays.

I would fully support that ban!

Thanks for sharing your review. I'd love to cruise on Radiance.

My husband and I went on Voyager, which was great, but we didn't use many of the facilities i.e. flowrider, iceskating, rockclimbing etc etc - so I think a smaller ship would be ideal.

Unfortunately Radiance only seems to be doing Sydney to NZ sailings which don't interest me (I'm cold blooded). I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for any South Pacific ones.

Thanks for sharing this great article. As a local I sometimes struggle with what tourists 'do' in Sydney and how they find the real heart and soul of the city (definitely not at Darling Harbour).

This had great suggestions and even some places I haven't been to. I might be a tourist in my own city over Christmas.

There are no resorts or even towns at Champagne Bay. In Port Vila you could go to either Hideaway or Irririki, but I still recommend going to the Mele Cascades. This is an incredible waterfall in the jungle where you can swim in pool under the falls. It is amazing.

 

On the GBR, if the tour from Cairns is to Green Island then I would not recommend it. The reef off the island is very ordinary. The one from Airlie Beach to a pontoon at Hardy Lagoon is superb. I would not be deterred by the larger number of people. If you are tendering into Port Douglas, or if you go by bus from Cairns (a bit over an hour on a beautiful coastal drive) I still recommend a trip with the Reef Sprinter people. You can find out on the internet what tours they are running and book. I am pretty sure you will not have to pay ahead. I know I didn't when I booked.:)

When in Port Vila we went to Mele Cascades and then on to Hideaway Island. We all enjoyed Hideaway Island but my husband and I thought the falls were a waste of money, crowded and not very picturesque.

The falls are probably good if you haven't seen many waterfalls before. I also don't like crowds, so that didn't help.

We met a couple who had spent the afternoon at Irririki and loved it, they also said there were only maybe 6 other cruise passengers there.

Hi,

Can anyone tell me if there is a cost to use the Thermal Suite and if so how much per day? Also is there a spa in the area?

Also, what fitness classes are available on the ship - i.e. cycle/spin classes, yoga etc?

Are the gym facilities good/extensive? I went on Pacific Jewel earlier this year and was really disappointed that the gym sized had halved (or more) and there was hardly any equipment (and I couldn't get on any of it) :(

Going on a 4 night cruise to Moreton Is on 13th Jan and need to know whether to take gym clothes or not bother.

Many thanks for any responses.