Just Returned From SOLSTICE 11/21-11/23

Just returned from the first "revenue" sailing of the Solstice. Celebrity went all out with this ship. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at JustinBiz@aol.com or ask questions on here. I will be happy to answer. I am a long time Celebrity cruiser and have been on every class of ship in the fleet.

Any and all info - review would be great. Did you find issues with chairhogging of the cabana/chaises at the pool and the solarium? :D

I will try to post a review in the next day or so. The chair hogging was not such an issue since it was pretty cool at sea yesterday. There seems to be plenty of deck chairs. I never really had this issue on any Celebrity ships.

Just returned from this sailing too, and we were amazed by Solstice. Celebrity has truly outdone themselves with this ship, it is easily one of the most beautiful ships afloat.

The Solarium area wasn't crowded even though yesterday was very chilly. Both it and the pool had a few sunbathers and swimmers, but they gave it up by mid-afternoon, leaving their towels behind on the chairs. :rolleyes: Staff took care of that, though.

I'll be happy to answer questions that anyone has, and will post photos later as well. DD took over 1500, now it's time to sift through them all! Got some photos of the new Grand Epernay menus (delicious food) and obstructed cat 7 balcony room, too, if people are interested in those.

Infi, we're interested in it all.

Question for you or Justin..........was the Bi$tro for Five menu the same as the one shown on the previews (mostly crepes with just a few salad, panini and desserts) or was it more extensive? What time did it close in the evening? And also was the Oceanview Cafe open late, and if so, what were the late night offerings? Thanks.

Did either of you have an inside cabin, or maybe just see one? Reason for the question is whether the layout for an inside is the same as the balcony cabins, and whether there is a sofa.

How were the bands & entertainment? Anything new & exceptional?

My wife and I sail on the Celebrity Solstice next Sunday, Nov. 30. We would be very pleased to see a copy of the Grand Epernay menu, so that we could decide in advance which evenings we might choose other venues for dining.

Thanks very much.

Ellis

edcdcd@aol.com

Infi, we're interested in it all.

 

Question for you or Justin..........was the Bi$tro for Five menu the same as the one shown on the previews (mostly crepes with just a few salad, panini and desserts) or was it more extensive? What time did it close in the evening? And also was the Oceanview Cafe open late, and if so, what were the late night offerings? Thanks.

The Bistro on Five menu is mostly crepes, some sort of breakfast crepes, soem sort of lunch-style and some dessert-style. There are a couple panini, though none of these were ham and cheese. There was a chef's salad. Oh, there is a soup of the day. I had potato and bacon soup. The bacon part was--well-hard to find. There is as selection of desserts. I had the brownie. It didn't look too inviting when it arrived, but it was surprisingly tasty...two thumbs up!

The menu cannot be described as extensive because it all fits on one page of the menu card. The bistro is open from 6:00AM until 2:00PM. My understanding is that the menu is the same throughout the day and evening.

Another thing. If you order wine, that is a spearate charge, of course, but they bring that on a separate check to sign from the Bistro check. Then, Hubby ordered ice cream for his Gran Marnier crepe, but they do not serve ice cream there. They went across the way to the gelateria, and that was another check to sign. Then Hubby ordered espresso, and our poor waiter ( I felt so sorry for him) had to across the way again to the Bacio Cafe and brought that with yet another separate check to sign.

The waiter says that Celebrity is trying to work out a way to have all charges included in the one Bistro check to save so much paperwork. My guess is that the trips to the gelateria and the coffee shop have already become a bit of an issue, because no ice cream or special coffeee is served right at the Bistro.

Hi - we, too, were on this sailing - great !! From the 'Celebrity Today' - Bistro on Five 1130am to 0230 am. Yes, it was mostly panini, crepes, pastries and the like.

Entertainment first night was a variety show, but I don't know if that would apply for the normal cruises. Second night was 'Solstice- The Show', billed as a 'European-style theatrical circus', a la Cirque. My personal opinion, the music was waay too loud. But costumes, backdrops, etc., were original and attention-getting.

We were Aqua Class, and there was confusion as to whether we received the amenities. When we got to the cabin, there was no champagne, fresh, fruit,etc. Our refrigerator was never unlocked, but for a shorty cruise, it wasn't an issue. We did get the upgraded towels, they were huge an plush! With other amenitis, we had to call and ask, or we just let it go. We did speak to the guest services manager, and he was most helpful.

The service is a little spotty, as the staff hasn't really worked as a team for any length of time. The servers to whom we spoke said that crewing on Solstice was a promotion (although I didn't ask if it was reflected in their checks!), and especially since they are 'opening' a ship.

We ate in Blu one evening, food quality was great, but it was just too healthy for us, if that makes any sense. One appetizer was seafood Napoleon, it was 3 large shrimp,a few little chunks of mussel and tuna, over cucumbers very thinly sliced. My entree was seared ahi, but I couldn't see any searing at all!. The cocnut creme brulee', however, was excellent. Last night at Grand Epernay was better, we also experienced slow service there, but no big deal, as they're still in the learning curve.

At the Oceanview Cafe, station were well spaced, but most foods weren't labeled. However, one of the mangers was working on separating a stack of labels, so by today's cruise, all items should be labeled. Waffles were pre-made, sadly, and in a steam table type setup. No waffle station (sorry Texed!!), perhaps this will change.

Our cabin (1621) was comfortable, great mattress and bedding. Closets ARE smaller, not good if you're travelling more than a week or so.

LCD TVs are quite nice, there's a pretty good music menu arranged by genre, as well as a better selection of cable channels.

The ship is huge, but at no time did I feel packed in.

Persian garden was a treat, I used the sauna aromatherapy room, and the herbal steam room.

I think we can agree that we had a great time !!

Looking for pics regarding aft balconies. Has anyone taken pics showing all of the aft balconies? I know in the past on the M class ships pics were taken from the dock so we could visualize the size of the balconies. Thanks

How were the bands & entertainment? Anything new & exceptional?

There was a jazz combo I enjoyed--smooth jazz, not beebop. There was a male acapella group called Ocean's Four that were pretty good. They performed at various times and places on the ship and the welcome show. Their best work was their rendition of "Jersey Boy" music sung with the seven-piece show band. (I recall when these show bands were twelve-pieces, not so long ago.)

There was a chamber music quartet of lovely young women who played at various times. They added an air of elegance to the ship. The pool-side guy was a one-man, steel drum musician. (I remember when pool-side bands were five guys, again--not so long ago.) But the one-man band was quite soothing.

There was a guitar player too, but I never saw him myself and cannot comment at all on his genre of music or even if it was acoustic or electric guitar.

Entertainment: The welcome show featured a musician who plays synth-xylophone with stunning energy. The band could hardly keep up. He was intense. A few people walked out. He is very taklented, but might be an acquired taste. The Ocean's Four performed a few songs acapella and "Jersey Boys" selections with the band. The dancers and singers did a song and dance number. The activities director said a few words of welcome.

Last night there was a Cirque d'Soleil-style show with daredevil aerialists and acrobatic dancers combined with circus-style balancing acts. The most amazing part was the group of four young women balanced in various ways on only one trapeze doing breathtaking contortions. The music was taped in---not live and definitely synth-heavy, New Age with a few quick evocations of Marliyn Manson and Pantera, but mostly typical dreamy Cirque fare. Oh, the show is called, what else? Solstice.

Infi, we're interested in it all.

 

Question for you or Justin..........was the Bi$tro for Five menu the same as the one shown on the previews (mostly crepes with just a few salad, panini and desserts) or was it more extensive? What time did it close in the evening? And also was the Oceanview Cafe open late, and if so, what were the late night offerings? Thanks.

To echo what others said, The Bistro on Five menu was quite small, mainly crepes and some paninis. The hours are 6am-2am. It's a very cute location, smaller than we expected, but adequate. I also feel that crepes were an integral part of the dining menus: in two days, crepes were on the menu at both dinners and one lunch. Did not have the lunch crepes, but both dinner crepes were quite good (one sugar free) and came recommended from our waiters.

The Oceanview cafe was open late at night, from 11pm-5am. There was bread, some sandwich/salad fixings, some cold salads leftover from lunch, pizza/pasta, and some desserts leftover from tea time. Tea time and ice cream were also served in the afternoon.

According to Celebrity Today, there was also supposed to be sushi in the evenings from 6-10pm but DD reported it was MIA the first night, and she missed it the second night. Too much to do in too few days!

We are back as well and I can tell you the ship is gorgeous!! I really didn't find any area that was lacking beauty or out of place.

Embarkation was very smooth except for the parking. We arrived at 11:45 and were on the ship by noon. As for parking, we followed the signs ended up having to turn around twice and then could not figure out how to get into the Solstice lot. We finally just went in the exit. I think alot of people had the same problem because the lot was only half full when we left. It was very nice to not have to take the shuttle to the parking garage as we have had to do in the past.

The dining room had a very contemporary yet elegant feel to it. Not all white like some of the pictures depict. I found the food to be good to excellent, but the dining room needs some work on service. We asked for a table for 2 and they gave us a table in between 2 other couples that were separated by 2 inches on each side. This made for awkward moments as you didn't know if they wanted to engage in conversation or be left alone. It took a long time to place your order, get your drinks and then longer for your food. My food was excellent I had the beef & veal tournades, but my husband and some others had the lamb chop and none of them enjoyed it. It had sausage & beans with it. We skipped the dining room the second night and did the buffet. Too bad all they offer during dinner hours is pasta and pizza. The Mast grill was good also.

The drinks were good at each bar we went to. The bartenders were friendly and looked like they were having fun.

The room (balcony #7344) was very nicely decorated and comfy. The bathroom was very nice sized and there were no issues with reaching the t.p(no acrobatics needed) I know this was a concern for some last week. The foot rest in the shower was a great addition and made the task of shaving much easier. However, they did away with the shower head that you were able to adjust up and down on a pole so you didn't get wet if you just wanted to shave. Now you have no choice but to enjoy the footrest while you are soaked.

I was very diappointed and shocked that the Persian Gardens was $20 p.p per hour. I thought that was bit much and wonder if it was just because of the 2 day sailing. I know the area on NCL Pearl was 20 per day but they had a tholassotherapy pool so it was well worth it. This didn't even have a hot tub. But I did like the co-ed sauna since we have not been able to find that on many ships and it always gets boring sitting there all alone. I also thought the shower area in the spa was well thought out. The showers actually had a dressing area in each one as well, and were spacious.

There was alot of movement on the boat but I think it was because we weren't really moving and were closer to shore than normal. The more waves the better for us though, promotes good sleep!

Overall this ship is wonderful and I can't wait to go on it again in the future. I'm sure some of the kinks will get worked out as they learn from past sailings. Then again as long as you have an open mind there is no such thing as a bad cruise. I hope all who are going on this ship enjoy!

By the way the casino was very "generous". Except that I still ended up putting it all back and then some. I don't know if it was just because so many people were playing or what.

There are a large variety of games and most are multi-denom. The area is probably the best I have seen on any ship. But did seem a little crowded at times.

P.S. Thank you Marianne for making the nametags and setting up the meet & greet.

We just got home, we are Diamond members on RCCL. The ship was one of the most elegant and breath taking. The ship has so many off beat areas to find. We found the staff very helpful and polite.

The Captain never spoke or was seen walking around the ship. Also there was no CD, they said this was a charter and they don't provide services during a chart. I have been on 3 other charters and always found the captain and CD were announced.

I felt like I was in a very high end upscale hotel. The bed was very comfortable.

Thanks to everyone for posting. We need more more more!

Waffles were pre-made, sadly, and in a steam table type setup. No waffle station (sorry Texed!!)

If that is true, mutiny is close behind. :rolleyes:

lmf914: How was your cabin set up?

If that is true, mutiny is close behind. :rolleyes:

I am just holding my breath and hoping that this is because of all the special sailings. I hope we find this to be different from the sailors onboard now. Let's hope Anne comes back with a different story??:o

Thank you for all your info on this beautiful new ship!

Did anyone notice if tehre were many choices for sugar free or low carb foods? Option of whole wheat breads rather than white only?

Thanks!

Desserts at the buffet included no sugar added offerings. I thought it interesting to see two varieties of whole wheat pasta at the pasta bar.

Darcy

If that is true, mutiny is close behind. :rolleyes:

You can ask them to be made fresh... when I asked it was not even crowded( I was on the 1/19-21 sailing which was only 1/4 full) and he wasn't too please doing it...:( So I can't imagine if the ship is full if they can sit there and make the waffles to order...

CC

There was a waffle station each morning and sushi each night. I hope that most people are keeping in mind that this wasn't a normal cruise so some of the typical stuff wasn't there. According to the staff this was the first time that they had that many guests on board and also the first time that some of the systems were being used with guests (such as the payment system at the bars).

I assume when we are back on board on Sunday things will be running smoothly.

We only traveled just over 200 miles total so we weren't at normal cruising speed and I don't believe they had the stabilizers out but we thought the ship was very stable.

RE: We read that the Cova Cafe has Late Night Bites....but I couldn't find it on the map of the ship in my Celebrity Booklet.....any info would be appreciated!

Did the Poolside band play any calypso music?

Does anyone know if there is a waiter/assistant maitre'D/maitre'D named Jovel from Honduras?

We sail Nov. 30th in cabin 7298 (2C) Sunrise Deck.......is this now an obstructed view cabin? I wasn't quick understanding the Cat. 7 folks are not mentioning!!

Enjoy your trips and thank you in advance for any info.

PS: Yes, photos of the din.rm. dinner menus would be great!!

Were you able to get a copy of Celebrity Today for your sailing that you could post?