Solstice, other Celebrity ship, or HAL??

[Olivia'sMom]

Looking for a good 7 day Caribbean cruise on either HAL or Celebrity. Have done HAL but not X although we've also been on Azamara and loved it. Wondering which ship is best. Have read some negative reviews on the Solstice lately and not sure we want to chance poor service. Have not heard much about the Eclipse. Does anyone have any recommendations or good deals for a March Caribbean cruise??

[TLCOhio]

Looking for a good 7 day Caribbean cruise on either HAL or Celebrity. Have done HAL but not X although we've also been on Azamara and loved it. Wondering which ship is best. Have read some negative reviews on the Solstice lately and not sure we want to chance poor service. Have not heard much about the Eclipse. Does anyone have any recommendations or good deals for a March Caribbean cruise??

 

Much depends on your "personal" style' date=' likes and wishes. From our experience on the Solstice in June versus what others have told us about the HAL ships, it might depend on how much you like a more "traditional" style. As the pictures below show, the Solstice and its sister ships are little more "contemporary", but still classy and well-done. HAL with its art and design has a little "older" style. [i']Which do you like more?[/i]

 

Look at the pictures below to see if these fit your "interests". Let us know your added reactions and questions. From our June Solstice experience, we were very impressed with these ships, excellent value, etc. Previously we had done cruises with Seabourn, Crystal and Silversea. Clearly the Solstice is much larger than these three more luxury cruise lines, but it never seemed that crowded or congested.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 55,750 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here’s a sample of the pools and the activities around this key hub area of the Solstice.:

 

 

 

For entertainment in the Solstice Theatre, it was called “Solstice -- The Show” featuring a European-style dance, air acts, music, etc. Very dramatic and interesting as they swing, twirl and soar over the audience and stage. Here is one example of the “air show” put on by the show performers.:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

 

 

This is a view of the library area on the tenth floor that overlooked the central, open core area of the ship. Not a great book selection here, but it is a nice-looking area with a quiet reading hideaway.:

 

 

 

On the top, back of the Solstice, here is a wider view of Corning Hot Glass show area, plus the green grass and the unique covering designs for this special area of the ship. Classy design touches and style!!:

 

 

 

For the handy and quick Oceanview Cafe buffet, here is one visual sample showing how large and open are these various serving areas. This area includes getting items from the pizza-pasta bar area, various hot and cold items, free tea and juice machines, etc.:

 

[Olivia'sMom]

Wow, those are some great shots. The ship does look incredibly huge though and I think we would prefer something a bit smaller and more traditional. Have you been on any of the M class ships? Wondering how they are in comparison.

[TLCOhio]

Wow' date=' those are some great shots. The ship does look incredibly huge though and I think we would prefer something a bit smaller and more traditional. Have you been on any of the M class ships? Wondering how they are in comparison.[/quote']

 

Appreciate the nice comments on my pictures. Personally for us, the ship is "large" but that didn't cause any problems for us. On style, that's a "personal thing" and I can understand fully why you want what you like. I'm more "traditional", but didn't view the Solstice as being too "out there" or extreme. Your choice!!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 55,869 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[2ndsailing]

Wow' date=' those are some great shots. The ship does look incredibly huge though and I think we would prefer something a bit smaller and more traditional. Have you been on any of the M class ships? Wondering how they are in comparison.[/quote']

 

 

I have been on the Eclipse (Solstice class) and although it is a large ship we never felt we were "lost" or that it was too big. We thouth it was a beautiful ship. We have been on the M class ships twice (Constellation and Millennium) We are about to board the Constellation for the 2nd time at the end of the month. I love both classes of ships. I have also been on Holland America (although many years ago).

 

When you say you would prefer something more traditional, do you mean in style or service? We have found the service around Celebrity to be outstanding. We like traditional dining and enjoyed it on both class of ships. I love the Solstice class ships....I also love the M class....hey I just love cruising:)