Solstice showing her age?

[DCguys]

We were on one of the first Caribbean legs on Eclipse and the ship was shiny and gorgeous. We're considering a med cruise on Solstice this summer, but is the ship looking run down?

[dkjretired]

We were on one of the first Caribbean legs on Eclipse and the ship was shiny and gorgeous. We're considering a med cruise on Solstice this summer, but is the ship looking run down?

 

She just came out of drydock a couple of months ago....

[Oxo]

We were on her in Nov 2011 and she was pristine! You will never find a LADY that shows her age!~ Enjoy your cruise on her.

[elena7seas]

We were on the Solstice on her third North American sailing in December 2008, then we sailed her again this past July. I didn't notice any difference. She looked in tip-top shape everywhere, including in our two cabins. My hat is off to the crew who are constantly working at keeping her in pristine condition.

[c-legs]

Showing her age ??? She's hardly 4 years old, for God's sake !!! And she's already got a yard visit / drydock a short while ago .....

If a cruise line allows a ship to show her age after not even 4 full years at sea, it does not belong in the right industry.

== X == does belong in this industry, big time !

Cheers

[ORDMan]

Just got off the Solstice this morning, and no, that ship looks brand new. They are evidently constantly renewing and cleaning every detail. Could not find any rust, or anything broken on board.

[excitedofharpenden]

We were on one of the first Caribbean legs on Eclipse and the ship was shiny and gorgeous. We're considering a med cruise on Solstice this summer, but is the ship looking run down?

I was on Solstice last June and she was in great shape. She had for a while last year (and please excuse the terminology:o) a rusty backside caused by a design flaw at the stern which made her look less than attractive, but that was put right by the time we got on. Solstice is a lovely ship.

 

Phil

[dmwnc1959]

We were on one of the first Caribbean legs on Eclipse and the ship was shiny and gorgeous. We're considering a med cruise on Solstice this summer, but is the ship looking run down?

 

I can't imagine that Celebrity Cruises would allow any of their ships to look 'run down', albeit at times you may see some minor wear and tear on the older M-class ships prior to their upgrades.

 

Two years ago I had the pleasure of sailing the 13-year old Celebrity Mercury just two months before her transfer to TUI. I compared pictures that I had taken when aboard her March 2000 (she was just three years old then) and there was very little difference except some paint and upholstery changes in all those years. She still looked quite new even down to some of the carpeting.

 

And last year I enjoyed the 10-year old Celebrity Millennium on a B2B for 10-nts and she too appeared very well kept. Only a few others that cruised her recently mentioned seeing the need for some TLC, but I did not. She is due for a major overhaul later this month.

 

With that said, I cannot image a four year old ship from =X= looking 'run down'.

[Sascol]

I can't imagine that Celebrity Cruises would allow any of their ships to look 'run down', albeit at times you may see some minor wear and tear on the older M-class ships prior to their upgrades.

 

Two years ago I had the pleasure of sailing the 13-year old Celebrity Mercury just two months before her transfer to TUI. I compared pictures that I had taken when aboard her March 2000 (she was just three years old then) and there was very little difference except some paint and upholstery changes in all those years. She still looked quite new even down to some of the carpeting.

 

I would disagree - we were on the Mercury in 2008 and in places it was looking quite run down. We had sailed Mercury twice prior to that and the difference was very noticable. I would agree with your last statement though that at 4 years, the Solstice will have no issue at all.

[dmwnc1959]

I would disagree - we were on the Mercury in 2008 and in places it was looking quite run down. We had sailed Mercury twice prior to that and the difference was very noticable.

 

That in itself is a shame. I wish I could link the pictures here that I have posted on another site showing the 2000/2010 comparison pictures. I must have caught Celebrity Mercury on my last cruise after a refit then?

 

I would hope that the Celebrity Solstice, the flagship of the class, would be a shining example of how the line maintains its fleet.

[cruisetrail]

[dmwnc1959]

Cruisetrail, it would be interesting to know when that picture was taken? THANKS.

 

She had for a while last year (and please excuse the terminology:o) a rusty backside caused by a design flaw at the stern which made her look less than attractive, but that was put right by the time we got on. Phil

 

[cruisetrail]

I saw this last year.

[LINGBER]

I asked the same question when I booked the Solstice for our cruise this past xmas. After sailing twice on the Eclipse which is magnificent and sparkly new, lol, I didn't want to be disappointed if the Solstice was showing some wear. NO Such Chance. Beautiful ship in mint condition! Loved the Solstice and would sail her agian in a heartbeat. The officers on this ship were also the friendliest and most involved we have ever experienced on a Celebrity ship. Loved it:)

[Sascol]

That in itself is a shame. I wish I could link the pictures here that I have posted on another site showing the 2000/2010 comparison pictures. I must have caught Celebrity Mercury on my last cruise after a refit then?

 

 

Solstice should be fine. When we were on the Mercury in '08, the wear and tear ranged from minor to downright bad in some spots. I remember the elevators in particular being bad (floors were VERY worn, mirrored walls were scratched). The railings all over the ship were in desperate need of refinishing. The carpet was worn in many spots. In our room, one of the chairs was broken and the sink/shower fixtures were quite rusty. It was a shame because when we first sailed her in 1998 it WOWED us.

[dfishner]

We were on Solstice last week and she looked brand new

[CactusGirly]

We were just on the Solstice in May and thought she looked brand new...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1588324

 

Beautiful ship!

[Fixit2010]

have been on both the eclipse and solstice and you would think they are brand new. Staff are constantly cleaning, blasting, hosing, polishing, fixing and making good. If you think the Grand Princess, which I have also been on is about 5 years older than the Solstice there is a huge difference in state of repair.

 

Just think the Reflection will be out soon and after a year or 18 months of service, the age between the Solstice and Reflection will also be 5 years, but I will be surprised if it looks as bad as the princess did.

[tak2]

........ who is at the top of his department, and has been in the cruise industry for over 10 years , all with luxury or near luxury lines, " cruise ships are at their best between 3 to 8 years old ".

 

Solstice is just entering into its prime.:)

[TLCOhio]

She just came out of drydock a couple of months ago....

 

Great point by dkjretired. I was surprised, based on our June 2011 sailing on the Solstice, that they even did a recent drydock and upgrades. I thought last summer that the ship looked great, was well designed and maintained, etc. Below are a couple items of "evidence" from my photo file for how great-looking is the Solstice.

 

I did NOT see any signs of aging and I was looking, documenting the ship, its many features, etc.

 

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 71,463 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

 

 

The Solstice is positioned in the Villefranche harbor with this beautiful setting surrounding the ship.:

 

 

 

I liked to ride one of the eight glass elevators in the mid-ship courtyard with nice views out to the different floors, enjoying the ship architecture, people being active, etc. You can see the relaxing library in this shot. Classy design on this ship! Some tradition, but not too dated or old.:

 

 

 

In the pool area, they have these water jets that put on a nice “show”, both to watch and/or for kids to play in.:

 

 

 

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!!:

 

 

 

This is a view looking up in the Solstice central lobby with a music group playing there. :

 

 

 

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.:

 

[sharks48]

She looked beautiful a couple of weeks ago when we sailed on her!!

[excitedofharpenden]

Cruisetrail, it would be interesting to know when that picture was taken? THANKS.

It was the early part of 2011 whilst she was in the Caribbean and had certainly been sorted by the time she did the eastbound transatlantic that Spring.

 

Phil

[Cruiserobin]

I'm sailing on her now and she looks just beautiful!

[DCguys]

Thanks so much, everyone:D My only prior cruise was the one on the brand new Eclipse so I don't have anything else to compare it to. With so many passengers I wondered how things like the carpet stood up even to just a few years of service. It sounds like Solstice will wow us too.

 

Now we just have to decide if we're really able to book this one or not (work schedules...), but it would be the 13 day r/t from Barcelona.

[Germancruiser]

Well I suppose they take good care of her and " she´s Made in Germany" LOL!

We are all spoiled fromt those brand new ships which are popping out the shipyards every year. If a ship nowadays show a little wear an tear- she is stated as RUN DOWN!

 

Michael