Celebrity Solstice Review 22 March 2015 South Pacific Cruise

[noosagirl]

We didn't upgrade to Premium Wine Package. Classic suited our needs. It is very easy to upgrade though. The crew are almost begging you to upgrade as you board the Solstice.

Enjoy your cruise. Sounds like a great deal.

[LuckiePuris]

:)We have also booked the 20th March sailing on Solstice (just booked today) with the current special of booking a Balcony at price of an Inside Cabin and also have the "Perk" of the Classic Beverage Package. I have one question - did you have any trouble upgrading to the Premium Package, that is what we would like to do. How did you go about it?

Your review was terrific and has given us some insight into things to do.

Thanks for all the info,

Cheers,

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

Yay it's going to be such a great cruise :) We had no trouble at all upgrading to the premium package. We actually did this before the cruise by calling Celebrity Cruises and upgraded over the phone with a credit card, so that our set sail pass card would be printed with the premium package code.

 

You can also upgrade onboard if you wish.

 

There's a roll call for our sailing so feel free to join :)

[justfun111]

He passed away on the island and was later returned to the ship when it was dark.He was kept in a special cold room.His wife was onboard aswell.The story we heard was that he wanted to die at sea.

[LuckiePuris]

He passed away on the island and was later returned to the ship when it was dark.He was kept in a special cold room.His wife was onboard aswell.The story we heard was that he wanted to die at sea.

 

Oh that's terrible to hear :(

[sujac]

Hi All--we are Suzanne & Jack from Arlington, VA, traveling with our children John & Eileen. We just booked this cruise today. We have Summit booked in Oct. & Reflection booked for New Years so when I booked Caribbean (again)for March 2016, my husband said "no more Caribbean for a while!" So I went a little crazy and booked this cruise and Antartica (Feb 2017)

 

We have been to Australia twice but never to the South Pacific. Fiji has always been on my bucket list, so I'm really looking forward to this cruise.

 

I added our names to the spreadsheet--hope I did it correctly ;)

[LuckiePuris]

We were on the same cruise as Luckie Puris, in Concierge Class 9263.

I agree with all the praise he gave to the Solstice. This was our second time on the Solstice in four months. We loved it do much the first time.

However the passengers were so different this time. Maybe it was because we cruised to and from Sydney. Our first time we finished in Auckland. There were 1700 Australians on board this cruise and while most behaved in an exemplary manner there was a large proportion of yobbos.

They drank excessively, swore loudly and were quite rude to some of their fellow passengers.

The worst time was when Ben, the Tour Director , organised a wonderful party for the World Cup Cricket. Ben went to so much trouble to make it a fantastic experience but the drunken group behind us kept yelling out obscenities at the screen as they disagreed with umpires or cricketers.

I asked why they kept being plied with alcohol and the waiter said they had to.

Where was the duty of care.

I would never cruise Australia-Australia again.

 

Hi Noosagirl, just wondering if you have any photos of your room / bathroom etc? We're concierge next time! Thanks Noosagirl!

[QE2_Fan]

Hi LP

 

We cruised concierge class last year, aside from a footstool included with your balcony furniture the cabin is identical in size and layout, including bathroom. We did have a corner hump cabin so had an extra deep balcony which was nice, but I find the standard Solstice verandah quite roomy anyway. The extras you get (like canapés etc) are a no deal and would only do concierge class again if it was a good price and or perks (drink pkg etc!) like the all inclusive deal we got on our next cruise [emoji16]

 

 

 

Main cabin Concierge Class

 

Bathroom

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[KazAllen]

Hi Karen,

 

Yay it's going to be such a great cruise :) We had no trouble at all upgrading to the premium package. We actually did this before the cruise by calling Celebrity Cruises and upgraded over the phone with a credit card, so that our set sail pass card would be printed with the premium package code.

 

You can also upgrade onboard if you wish.

 

There's a roll call for our sailing so feel free to join :)

 

Hi LuckiePuris, have joined what I think is the correct roll call are they in a section called "Celebrity Connections Roll Calls"?

Can you tell me the correct price for the upgrade from Classic to Premium for a cruise originating in Sydney? Are there different prices if you upgrade before the cruise and onboard?

Also what sorts of coffees are included in each as both packages say "Premium Coffee and Tea", does the Classic include Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice in the breakfast area (we had a package on RCI last September and it didn't).

Do you know anywhere I can find out what beers are included for Sydney sailings and what wines as well? If you can't answer all these questions maybe someone else can chime in? Much appreciated.

[LuckiePuris]

Hi LuckiePuris, have joined what I think is the correct roll call are they in a section called "Celebrity Connections Roll Calls"?

Can you tell me the correct price for the upgrade from Classic to Premium for a cruise originating in Sydney? Are there different prices if you upgrade before the cruise and onboard?

Also what sorts of coffees are included in each as both packages say "Premium Coffee and Tea", does the Classic include Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice in the breakfast area (we had a package on RCI last September and it didn't).

Do you know anywhere I can find out what beers are included for Sydney sailings and what wines as well? If you can't answer all these questions maybe someone else can chime in? Much appreciated.

 

Hi Karen,

 

You found the right roll call! :)

 

I'll try to answer as much as I can off memory!

 

We upgraded on 20 April for our March 2016 cruise over the phone for approx $13.11AUD per person per day. This is based on the current upgrade cost from classic to beverage. In theory pricing should be the same to upgrade before or on the cruise, however if they do increase the upgrade price between now and the cruise, you will pay the new price when upgrading whether prior or onboard.

 

Freshly squeezed orange juice (or to save the debate here as to freshness of the juice - I'm referring to the orange juice that you need to pay for) this was included in the premium package, not sure about classic.

 

All coffees were included as well as teas. From our experience and understanding, based on the premium package this included cappuccinos, lates, extra shots, flavoured coffees, espressos, alcoholic coffees, standard teas and organic herbal teas, iced coffees and frappes etc.

 

I think you'll struggle to find a list of included beers and wines as it varies from package to package and venue to venue.

 

With the premium package, we found atleast a dozen different glasses for most varietals to select from, plus quite a lot of dessert wines etc. Never had trouble finding included wines at any venue onboard.

 

From what I overheard, included wines on the classic package were quite average in terms of selection. Etc one or two Chardonnays, one or two Shiraz etc.

 

We found quite a number of the specialty beers out of stock or not available, however your everyday beers easy to come across.

 

Feel free to let me know if I can help you answer any other questions!

Edited May 12, 2015 by LuckiePuris

[LuckiePuris]

Hi LP

 

We cruised concierge class last year, aside from a footstool included with your balcony furniture the cabin is identical in size and layout, including bathroom. We did have a corner hump cabin so had an extra deep balcony which was nice, but I find the standard Solstice verandah quite roomy anyway. The extras you get (like canapés etc) are a no deal and would only do concierge class again if it was a good price and or perks (drink pkg etc!) like the all inclusive deal we got on our next cruise [emoji16]

 

 

 

Main cabin Concierge Class

 

Bathroom

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much for taking the time in your response and your photos.

 

Wow you really got quite a large balcony on that sailing!

 

We are booked in Concierge class for March 2016 as pricing was just a little more than a regular balcony, and it meant we received all three perks which worked our better value for us than a regular balcony.

 

Not sure that I would pay a lot more for concierge class otherwise, but looking forward to some of the little concierge class touches I've read about.

 

Am I right in saying the stateroom looks identical to a regular bcomy for Solstice?

 

Was there something that really stood out for you with concierge class?

 

Thanks for your help!

[QE2_Fan]

Thank you so much for taking the time in your response and your photos.

 

 

 

Wow you really got quite a large balcony on that sailing!

 

 

 

We are booked in Concierge class for March 2016 as pricing was just a little more than a regular balcony, and it meant we received all three perks which worked our better value for us than a regular balcony.

 

 

 

Not sure that I would pay a lot more for concierge class otherwise, but looking forward to some of the little concierge class touches I've read about.

 

 

 

Am I right in saying the stateroom looks identical to a regular bcomy for Solstice?

 

 

 

Was there something that really stood out for you with concierge class?

 

 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Yes for the all inclusive offer it was a no brainer!!

 

But you are correct, the cabin is identical in size and layout as any other Solstice verandah cabin. And you will earn 5pts per night towards captains club status vs 3pts in a std verandah cabin [emoji43]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cyclone134]

Thanks for sharing, what a fabulous review .We have friends travelling in March 2016 , my husband and I are sailing in Nov 2015, cant wait :)

[LuckiePuris]

Thanks for sharing, what a fabulous review .We have friends travelling in March 2016 , my husband and I are sailing in Nov 2015, cant wait :)

 

No worries at all! We're on the same sailing as you both next month, can't wait!

[carofil]

We were on the same cruise as Luckie Puris, in Concierge Class 9263.

I agree with all the praise he gave to the Solstice. This was our second time on the Solstice in four months. We loved it do much the first time.

However the passengers were so different this time. Maybe it was because we cruised to and from Sydney. Our first time we finished in Auckland. There were 1700 Australians on board this cruise and while most behaved in an exemplary manner there was a large proportion of yobbos.

They drank excessively, swore loudly and were quite rude to some of their fellow passengers.

The worst time was when Ben, the Tour Director , organised a wonderful party for the World Cup Cricket. Ben went to so much trouble to make it a fantastic experience but the drunken group behind us kept yelling out obscenities at the screen as they disagreed with umpires or cricketers.

I asked why they kept being plied with alcohol and the waiter said they had to.

Where was the duty of care.

I would never cruise Australia-Australia again.

 

We were on the same cruise and we had a fabulous time. It was our second time on the Solstice as well, and we would go on an Australia - Australia cruise again any time. We didn't seem to notice very much Yobo behavior on this cruise and generally I wouldn't expect that Celebrity would attract very many of that type of people. We did attend some of the the World Cup in the theatre, and yes it was a little noisy at times as you would expect, but generally we found the large group fairly well behaved. If we encounter a group like you spoke of, we just move away and don't let anyone spoil our experience. We certainly wouldn't let a few Yobo's dictate what cruise we wanted to choose or direction we wanted to travel in.

 

We have cruised fairly extensively on a number of different lines and we are select on Celebrity. We have also travelled Auckland - Sydney and haven't noticed any difference in guest behaviour to Sydney - Sydney. You should give it another try some time, I think you were just a little unlucky last March. Sporting events seem to always bring out the riff raff and the easy supply of booze doesn't help. You would be better off just avoiding the big sporting events in the future!!!

 

March 29 2016 it is Sydney - Honolulu on the Celebrity Millennium for us.....

 

Phil :)

[KiwiFunCruiser]

We still remember our 14 day cruise on Solstice 2 years ago, simply superb!

[magpies66]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited February 26, 2016 by magpies66

[Clarea]

Just saw this, enjoyed the review, thanks!

[DrivesLikeMario]

Very thorough and well done review. I agree about the gym particularly. I love the new treadmill machines! I've been disappointed by every gym I've been in since experiencing the one on the Solstice, both on land and on other ships.

[LuckiePuris]

Glad the review is still being enjoyed after all this time!

[justfun111]

We loved this cruise so much that we are going on Solstice again on April 9 to Hawaii 17 nights

[lauraapp]

Nice review! Thanks for sharing!

[supersecdd]

Please help me decide on a specific cruise to Australia and New Zealand. I want to see Sydney and Melbourne and Uluru Rock and New Zealand. First, from what coastal city would I travel from to see the Rock? Are there trips from the big cities to the Rock? Are they overnight trips? Second, Some ships in New Zealand go to the South (Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Picton and Wellington) and some only go to the North (Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Picton). We do not do water sports but do enjoy beautiful scenery and mountains. I don't know what there is to see in the 2 areas of New Zealand, so if I have to pick the N. or the S., what exactly would I be choosing?

[robekoeln]

Look here, there are many, many informations about this Cruise with much best informations about tours before and after the cruise in AUS (your questions): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2313649&highlight=solstice

Edited April 30, 2016 by robekoeln