Celebrity Solstice

[MicCanberra]

We spent 6 weeks on the Solstice earlier this year and seeing these great photos has made me so homesick for this lovely, lovely ship and all the great people working onboard.

 

We did the same last year and have done several cruises on other ships and lines since but still miss the Solstice.:D

[OBX-Cruisers]

Your pictures are great. Can you please tell me what camera and lens you used. I am looking for a good camera for our Alaska trip on the Solstice in September.

 

Thank you

[katididnt]

Anyway............ Auckland. My outlook is a bit spoilt by having some mobility problems and the roads away front the harbour are pretty steep in places. But the area around the harbour is very nice, there are excellent restaurants and at the other side of the road a maritime museum, more bars & restaurants and an Americas Cup boat hanging from a crane.

 

The shops and places around the financial district are pleasant for a walk around or just to crash in the oversized outdoor beanbags. A harbour cruise is good value and it might be worth taking one of the trips that drop you of at the other side of the harbour for a walk around places like Devonport. We went up Mount Victoria as well and took a drive around some of the affluent bits but unfortunately the weather wasn't the best on the day.

 

Up the hill in town there's plenty to do, including the Sky Tower, which they claim to be the highest structure in the southern hemisphere. The restaurant at the top is ok and not bad value or you can just visit the viewing platform and watch octogenarians throw themselves off the top on a zip line.

 

There are helicopter tours over town or a little further afield and we enjoyed the Sea Life Centre but if you've done the one at Darling Harbour there's no point in a repeat. At the harbour, across the road from the old mail building there's a tour office with lots of brochures for things to do.

 

Finally, if you're into wine there's a very well reviewed wine tours company http://www.nzwinepro.co.nz/home.aspx who do standard stuff or can fix something up specially to your taste. Unfortunately, I was a bit tardy in getting something organised so they were booked up by the time I'd made my mind up.

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy Solstice. Have a yodel in the fjords for me.

 

 

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Thanks CHUNKY2219

I have a few mobility problems too, but our hotel is not too far from the waterfront so I hope that will be OK.

The harbor cruise sounds nice and we both enjoy waterside areas, as we live in a beach area north of Sydney.

Might give the tower a miss as my DH is nervous of heights, in spite of being rather tall himself (200cm). As for throwing ourselves off the tower - no way!

A wine tour might be good, but we 're not big drinkers and we can get most of the NZ wines in Australia.

I'm sure we shall enjoy the Solstice too after reading all the wonderful remarks and viewing heaps of photos.

We'll have a gargle (no sorry yodel) in the fjords for you!

[katididnt]

Appreciate so much the nice comments and added mentions on my live/blog. It's scary if some folks are reading "every word". Can't get my wife to pay that much attention to what I say. BUT, she knows me better.

 

Lovely Photos - I can't wait to get on board that beautiful ship - wish it was tomorrow and not 3 months away.

[TLCOhio]

Your pictures are great. Can you please tell me what camera and lens you used. I am looking for a good camera for our Alaska trip on the Solstice in September. Thank you

 

katididnt: Great Pics! Lovely Photos - I can't wait to get on board that beautiful ship - wish it was tomorrow and not 3 months away.

 

sandancer: We spent 6 weeks on the Solstice earlier this year and seeing these great photos has made me so homesick for this lovely' date=' lovely ship[/b'] and all the great people working onboard.

 

Appreciate these nice and kind comments on my pictures. The credit goes to the the ship's designers and builders who crafted such a classy but fresh look that is so well done.

 

On camera to buy for an upcoming cruise, here is some added info to consider. For some of these pictures, they were shot with a Nikon D3100 with an 18-55mm VR lens. Sounds complicated and expensive? Not really. Today that camera might run around $400 or so. I use the "P" setting which is automatic for focus, settings, etc. For the Australia-NZ trip, I got a new Nikon D7100 camera with an 18-140 mm VR lens. That's more costly and more than most people will need, WANT or use. On some shots, such as of the Solarium pool, that was done with my 10-20mm wide angle. Great lens, but for most people, the 18-55mm zoom will work fine. Here are some more photo tips/ideas.

 

These cameras can or seem to be “complicated”, but I try to avoid those challenges and distractions. Here are a few of my basic, key photography secrets:

 

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That's easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. Show people only the "good ones!" and do not boring them with the average and/or poor ones. The more you shoot, that improves your "odds" to get better pictures, varied framings, magic moments, etc.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different, more interesting angles.

3. Involve people. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to lessen the blurs in lower-light situations.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the croppings, etc. Narrow down to only your "best of the best" pictures before sharing. I have done that on my MacBook Pro computer using their iPhoto software tools. Fairly quick and easy!!

 

See more details and ideas were previously posted at: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a “Solstice: Visuals, Highlights Shared!” summary with many pictures and other details on this ship and its many options. Check it out at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

Now at 20,425 views for this posting.

[MicCanberra]

some great tips Terry, I have just purchased a Canon 700 D with a 18-55mm zoom lens. It compared very well with the Nikon and I am still practicing and learning how to use the various functions. Time will tell if I have a good PHOTO eye or not but I am sure they will be better than my previous shots with my old camera.:D