Review - Solstice 12Night Med Venice Cruise - Sept 20 2012 - Photos, Fun and More!

[anandaindonesia]

Congratulations! May you live happily ever after....

 

Now Solstice and Barcelona are two beautiful pairs, and you make wonderful photos.

Definitely following, with eyes wide opened!

[HardHeadedWoman]

PART II: THE SHIP, CELEBRITY SOLSTICE

 

Thank you, cruiseclues, nothriver, anandaindonesia, and anyone else reading! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this review and I hope I can be of help to anyone planning a similar trip.

 

 

After Barcelona, our first stop was Cannes but before we get into all the glory that is the French Riviera, I wanted to share my general photos and experience aboard the Solstice. I wish I had taken more photos (especially of the food) but I found myself leaving my camera in our room during dinner and pool time. Kicking myself for that!

 

So, once we were done with Casa Batllo and lunch in Barcelona, we went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage. The staff at the Hotel Alexandra hailed a cab for us in no time and we were off to Port Vell which is literally a short ride down the Passeig de Gracia.

 

As I mentioned, I've never cruised before but if all cruise ports are not like Port Vell, well, then they should be! Everything is easy to find, friendly staff, clean, etc. etc. etc. The cab dropped us off right at the porters, we handed in our bags and stepped on inside. Checking in was quick and simple and we then ventured off to the duty-free shops to pick up some gigantic Evian bottles and Spanish red wine (as well as some cheesy "Viva Espana" fans with a Flamenco dancer and a toreador for my sister because I always get her the cheesiest souvenir I could possibly find whenever I go somewhere... FYI I did not see a single Flamenco dancer or toreador while in Spain!).

 

The time was finally here! We entered the Solstice and I felt like Rose boarding the Titanic with that giant hat (only I didn't have on a giant hat and our trip had a much better ending). It is truly a stunning ship! Modern, glamorous, classy, comfortable - everything a ship should be. I had seen so many pictures here on CC and on Flickr that I kind of knew what everything looked like but seeing it in person still had an impact. I absolutely loved the outdoor areas with the dark brown deck flooring and navy blue accents - so nautical and chic! The Lawn Club was probably our favorite place for lounging around and playing games as it was so beautiful and open.

 

The Lawn

 

Grand Staircase

 

 

 

Quasar

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HardHeadedWoman]

PART II: THE SHIP, CELEBRITY SOLSTICE (Continued)

 

 

FOOD

 

The Grand Epernay

 

Since we boarded fairly early, we walked around the ship and took most of the empty-looking photos you see here. All the venues were opened so it gave us an opportunity to know where things are and appreciate them before the masses came in. Even though I had read here on CC that the buffet is something to generally avoid on the first day, DH really wanted to check it out so went over to the Oceanview Cafe for a ... "snack". Yes, considering we had eaten breakfast and lunch in Barcelona, we thought we'd only grab a cookie or something however, that cookie ended up being a slice of pizza, salad and who-knows-what else! It was yummy! In fact, the food at the Oceanview Cafe was consistently good and we returned quite a few times, especially for breakfast. DH became obsessed with the made-to-order omelettes and I, for some reason, had to have scrambled eggs and corned beef hash each time. On the few times we had lunch here during Sea Days, we enjoyed the tacos VERY much! They seemed to go fast, though!

 

Silk Harvest

 

While I'm on my favorite subject (i.e. food), I'll mention that the food on the Solstice was fantastic! We made reservations at Silk Harvest on our first night and had the Lotus Chicken Lettuce Wraps (delicious), Chicken Spring Rolls, and a whole lot of sushi rolls! We noticed that the rolls in Silk Harvest had more rice than we're used to in NYC but that didn't deter them from being tasty. In fact, it kept everything inside and made for more sushi so that's never a bad thing. Silk Harvest was perfect on the first night as it was relatively quiet and we had a wonderful window-side table with views of the sunset as we headed off toward Cannes. Man, I need to go on another cruise!

 

Other than Silk Harvest, I'm afraid to say that we didn't try any other Specialty Restaurants HOWEVER, that is because we were so happy with the Grand Epernay Main Dining Room! I can't remember a single dish that we didn't enjoy while dining there. I think my favorite had to have been a coconut-crusted chicken dish that had bananas baked into it! In fact, I think both DH and I ordered the same thing because we were so excited - chicken and bananas, who knew!? The steak that was offered every night was also excellent and I'm totally not a huge red meat eater. DH kept raving about it after having it twice and I just had to try it once night - I was sold! Another special item we had was our "Happy Anniversary" cake which was presented to us on our second night of the cruise along with a singing waitstaff! We chose the Select Dining Plan which worked out great for us as we were able to dine whenever it was convenient for us. The hostess was great and by the second night knew both our names and our stateroom number! (I'll admit, we thought that was weird in an awesome way.) I think, all in all, we ate at the Grand Epernay almost every night except for Silk Harvest night and our first Venice night (which we ate in Venice because, duh, it's Venice!). There was also one Sea Day where we ate an exceptionally early dinner and then a SECOND dinner at the Oceanview Cafe - oops!

 

Martini Bar

 

Solstice Deck

 

Solstice Deck

 

Solstice Deck

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HardHeadedWoman]

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Theater

 

Back to the Solstice, we found the entertainment on board to be great! We saw "Solstice: The Show" and a REALLY GOOD Elton John impersonator that had one (possibly drunk) woman yelling for an encore! He was really fantastic. We also caught the Hot Glass Show one afternoon which was strangely mesmerizing, I couldn't look away. I kept thinking all throughout, "I would absolutely break that and burn myself and the entire audience if I was doing that..."

 

One thing that we wished the ship offered more of was karaoke nights as we're kind of karaoke freaks. There was, perhaps, one karaoke show listed on the newsletter and attendance was basically us two, one other woman, and, of course, another woman who sang exactly like Whitney Houston. LOL Oh, well! DH did some Elvis Costello and I sang some Mama Cass so we were happy in the end. I wish they had included some ABBA, though!

 

We're also big trivia nuts and tried to participate in an as many trivia games as possible! This was also a nice way to get to know fellow passengers as we realized it was the same people over and over participating in the trivia games. There was one couple who consistently cremated us but I managed to win a First Place "X" medal on a 1960s music challenge! I was proud considering I wasn't born until the 1980s.

 

Another great area of the ship is the Solstice Deck where is where the karaoke show took place (another reason why we wished there had been more people, it's like the greatest karaoke venue on the planet!). This is where we usually grabbed our pre-dinner drinks or watched a sailaway in air-conditioned comfort. It's such a gorgeous space! Feels like something out of the Jetsons.

 

 

POOLS

 

In port in Kotor

 

We loved the pools! The Solarium pool was perfect for reading and relaxing while the regular pool was never too full or crazy and the water was always nicely warm. During our port day in Montenegro, DH and I decided to explore Kotor on our own and were back on the ship relatively early. This proved to be the greatest idea because not only were the pool areas empty, but the views of the fjords were incredible! It was definitely the most beautiful port view we had on the entire cruise. Relaxing poolside with the mountains as our backdrop was one of my favorite memories of the trip.

 

 

 

 

OUR CABIN

 

We absolutely loved our cabin and our room attendant! Since we're cruise newbies, I think we were half expecting a closet to live in for two weeks. When we opened the door for the first time (isn't that a wonderful feeling?), we were very impressed! Not only was the room very stylish but it was big! We had an Oceanview Stateroom on Deck 2 and were very pleased with our stay. The bed was big and comfortable, bathroom was a decent size, the shower was strong, the hair dryer worked well, and the TV introduced us to "Border Security: Australia's Front Line" which we became obsessed with! Our room attendant was extremely friendly and even though we didn't request too many items, she always greeted us with a smile and asked us if we needed anything. I loved the turn-down service and looked forward to eating our chocolates and reading the newsletter every night! Did I mention how badly I want to go on another cruise?

 

 

 

 

OVERALL

 

Overall, we loved the Solstice and would love to sail her again in the near future! The ship is immaculate, the staff super friendly, and the food fantastic. The ship never felt crowded and their "Modern Luxury" mantra was clearly communicated throughout. In fact, I've done a lot of work on W Hotels and the Solstice almost felt like a floating W Hotel which is always a nice thing. One last time, I want to go on a cruise!

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HardHeadedWoman]

PART II: The Ship, Celebrity Solstice (Continued)

 

Some more photos of the ship!

 

 

Our Honeymoon Cake

 

Michael's Club

 

 

 

NEXT UP: MONACO

[Yola]

Wonderful Review! Thank you for your time and effort :)

[lovedecruise]

Great review. Love the photos. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

[lmags0923]

I'm really enjoying your pictures!!! Great review too!

[julia]

PART II: THE SHIP, CELEBRITY SOLSTICE

 

The time was finally here! We entered the Solstice and I felt like Rose boarding the Titanic with that giant hat (only I didn't have on a giant hat and our trip had a much better ending).

 

 

Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Great line! :)

[anandaindonesia]

... ...

 

 

OVERALL

 

Overall, we loved the Solstice and would love to sail her again in the near future! .. ... ....

 

Your cabin photo just gives me an idea.

 

We cruised in balcony cabin so far. However, if we ever cruise in an oceanview cabin -which I think we will do for some itinerary- it will be nice to have the bed near the window like you do. Looks more roomy, and you can gaze the ocean while laying on the bed.

 

I agree, Solstice is great!

[Scarlet and grey]

Great review! We are on a very similar itinerary this October! I'm the trip planner in my family so I can appreciate the nightly trip planning on CC from the iPad. I copy and paste all the great ideas to Evernote and organize from there. Also, love your puppy and appreciate how much you miss your baby. Our dog is the same way since we have no children! Your photos are great!!! Can't wait for more!

 

Kim

[HardHeadedWoman]

Scarlet and grey - Thank you! I have to say... the CC/iPad planning is half the fun. Our next vacation is Disney World this summer but after that, I am hoping to do another cruise either to Greece or various ports in Spain and am at the VERY early planning stages for that and getting excited! Planning for this one took about a year and I enjoyed every minute of it! No kids here either but Hobart's like our baby! I wish I could bring him along :D

 

anandaindonesia - Since this our first cruise, we've never cruised on a balcony cabin before but the Oceanview was perfect! The window was pretty big and we always had enough light and sunshine. We're going to try to do a balcony cabin next time but I'd be happy with Oceanview again.

 

Work today has been busier than I thought so my Monaco review will have to wait until this evening or tomorrow!

 

 

Lissette

[librarylady19]

Love your photos! Will definitely have to cruise from Barcelona!

[cruiseclues]

PART II: THE SHIP, CELEBRITY SOLSTICE (Continued)

 

Solstice Deck

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

 

Just who is this model you keep showing us? :)

[jkt1220]

Love your review so far! My future husband and I will be traveling the same itinerary aboard the Equinox in Sept 2013 for our honeymoon!! When did they serve you your "honeymoon" cake?! Is this something you ordered in advance? Also, I'm curious to know what nights were the formal nights?

[HardHeadedWoman]

Just wanted to pop in and say I have not forgotten this review and will post more tonight! Work has been crazy this week!

 

jkt1220 - We had three formal nights - One the second night (after Monaco), and the other two were on Sea Days, I believe! One in the middle and one toward the end. I don't remember the exact dates.

 

Lissette

[HardHeadedWoman]

librarylady19 - Thank you! Barcelona is fab!

 

cruiseclues - LOL You're too kind.

 

 

MONACO

 

Not too shabby.

 

Now, our first real port day! I was so excited! While I was undoubtedly giddy about cruising on the Solstice, this trip was really about the ports and all the amazing places were going to visit. Monaco was high on my list because, well, because it was Monaco! I can't say there was a particular thing I wanted to see but rather, just experience a taste of everything it had to offer. The ship didn't sail into Cannes until noon that day so we got to enjoy a nice, long breakfast and some fantastic views of the French Riviera as we sailed into port.

 

Since this was our first cruise, I chose to book ship excursions mostly because I was afraid of missing the boat (which is probably a lame excuse) but at the end, I have no regrets! I will probably venture out to some other tour companies for our next cruises but we had a really fantastic experience with what Celebrity offered. With that said, we did the Monaco/Monte Carlo tour that day which began in a small van named Versace!

 

Once in Monaco, we parked Versace and walked to the beautiful St. Nicholas Cathedral to see the final resting place of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. From there, it was off to the Prince's Palace for some SPECTACULAR views of Monaco! DH and I kept telling ourselves, "Yeah, we could live here..." Our tour offered us quite a bit of free time so we decided to use that time to have some crepes and stroll through the (touristy but very cute) shops and old, winding roads. We opted not to go inside the Palace since everything was so charming on the outside and the weather was amazing!

 

St. Nicholas

 

Prince's Palace

 

Loved this pink building

 

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HardHeadedWoman]

MONACO (CONTINUED)

 

Casino de Monte Carlo

 

We then met up with our tour and were off on our next adventure - Monte Carlo! Now, DH was REALLY excited about Monte Carlo. The Formula 1 track, the casino, the glamour, everything! The bus parked a few blocks away from the Casino and again we were given free time to roam about. This is one of the things I loved about our tours, we always had more than enough (well, it's never "enough" LOL) free time to explore the sites on our own. Some of our fellow tour mates decided to go shopping, others decided to dine, but we headed straight to the Casino to win big! How big did we win?

 

 

 

 

The Casino grounds and the Casino itself is fantastic! It's funny because I was part of a design jury today at a college (I'm also an adjunct design professor) and one of the students was designing a casino and I told she had to research this one - it's the creme-de-la-creme of casinos! (It also had free Wi-Fi.) I'm not a huge gambler so I was mostly taking in the architecture as DH explored some of the slot machines (and Wi-Fi).

 

 

 

Before we knew it, we were back on Versace and off to Cannes to board the Solstice! Monaco had always been one of those places on my Bucket List for no particular reason and I'm really glad it was included as part of our itinerary. It's truly an over-the-top and glamorous place full of beautiful buildings and beautiful cars. As I mentioned, DH and I kept joking how it was going to be our future home. We'll see about that!

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HardHeadedWoman]

MONACO (CONTINUED)

 

Some more photos of our day on Monaco!

 

Sailing into Cannes

 

Crepes

 

 

 

 

 

 

UP NEXT: FLORENCE

[buzzybuzzbuzz]

Hi HardHeadedWoman

 

We were on this sailing and we are re-living the holiday through your review, so thank you for the trip down memory lane.

 

I think we met at the reception in Tuscan Grille for the newly weds and anniversary couples.

 

I believe you won a prize for the most recent wedding, if that wasn't you then someone else was married just days prior to the sailing as well.

 

Anyway we can't wait for the next instalment.

[lovestx]

Great review, Hardheadedwoman! This is the cruise I would like to do next and the pictures of the ship are making me want to do it tomorrow!

 

Congratulations on your marriage :)

 

And I do hope that you are planning the heck out of your WDW trip as I always do!

[u2cruiser]

I am really enjoying your review HardHeadedWoman (Cat Stevens?)

Your enthusiasm for the ship and the trip shines through your writing. :)

 

We boarded the beautiful Solstice in Dubai in November as she made her way down under and we had to be dragged off kicking and screaming.

 

The pics of Monaco make me want to go back there. We've stayed there and also along the coast at Eze and Beaulieu Sur Mer. There's something really special about the South of France. My DH is quite happy there just car watching; every other one is a Ferrari :D

 

Looking forward to more. :)

[HardHeadedWoman]

buzzybuzzbuzz - No way! That's so cool! Were you in our table? I think another couple beat us out because they married the same day as us (the 16th) but were in the West Coast so they were technically more newlywed than us! My DH and I still laugh about that game - I was mortified they'd pick me to participate! Were you celebrating a honeymoon or anniversary? We hope to be back for an anniversary trip soon. :)

 

lovestx - Thank you! I wish I was going one tomorrow, too! I am planning the heck out of our Disney trip but I've been there so many times that it's become too easy! I am making some dining reservations because those go insanely fast (which I find so crazy because I remember going to eat at Cinderella Castle in the 80s and 90s without a reservation)!

 

u2cruiser - Thank you and yes - Cat Stevens! I love him! The South of France is amazingly beautiful - the drive to Monaco from Cannes was non-stop scenery. We were impressed with the cars, too, and we're not even big car people! Ferraris in every corner!

 

Lissette

[LDR]

We were on the cruise right before yours to celebrate our 25th anniversary:) Solstice was amazing! Looks like you had just as good a time as we did pre-cruise in Barcelona, too. LOL

 

There were a few couples from our CC group that were doing a back-to-back. I'm curious if you might have met them. Our Roll Call was great, and we enjoyed spending time with each other on the ship as well as on tours.

 

Can't wait to read more!

[bessinfl]

Lissette, thanks so much for your review and great photos. (My own travel photos are not always quite this good.) We've been to Barcelona, where we too loved the Gaudi and also the Miro and Picasso museums -- you have to go back there! But I've not been to Venice, so I am fantasizing about sailing from there. Gives me something to dream about.

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. Enjoy Disney this summer. It's already pretty damn hot down here. Another good reason for a cruise!