Celebrity Solstice Inside tips

[happysnapper]

DH & I have just made our first booking on a Celebrity ship after many years of sailing with Princess we though we would have a change. Sailing on Solstice from Honolulu to Sydney late next year so will have plenty of time to read up on the ship. Thanks for the tips so far, looking forward to more.

[chemmo]

We did the Hawaii to Sydney Oct 2014. Absolutely amazing, such a great itinerary.

[BecciBoo]

How are the pools on Alaska cruises? I've only ever sailed Caribean on X and we spent a huge majority of sea days at the pool. I can't imagine it will be nice enough to hang outside in September. What about the indoor pool?

 

Our Sept. Alaska cruise 2 yrs ago was marvelous....sunny and warm. We booked next years for Sept. also, last cruise of the season. Ketchikan

was clear and sunny all day, the rainiest city in the US. Plus, the ship can get up closer to the glaciers at the end of the season when all the bay ice is gone.

[BecciBoo]

We did this a couple of years ago, and it was well worth it. We were able to get really close to the glacier and the crew said they had never seen as much calving of the glaciers as the one we were on. The trip to Juneau is pleasant and good scenery.

 

Please come back and do a review here, we're on her for next year's end of season cruise!

[bwaz]

How are the pools on Alaska cruises? I've only ever sailed Caribean on X and we spent a huge majority of sea days at the pool. I can't imagine it will be nice enough to hang outside in September. What about the indoor pool?

 

The pools are good. There are two outdoor pools and 4 outdoor hot tubs. In the Solarium there is one indoor pool and two hot tubs. In Alaska the weather can be all over the place. We had a hot day with a lot of outdoor swimming and lounging. On the cloudy or rainy days, the Solarium was perfect.

 

Sent from my LG-D801 using Forums mobile app

[cyclone134]

Thanks guys this is great info :)

[bwaz]

Here's my review -

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=510457&et_cid=2232003&et_rid=16848462&et_referrer=Member%20Review%20Submission

 

Thanks for all your great tips - we had a wonderful time -

[josephml1]

we will be onboard this december 16.. to NZ and Australia.

[LuckiePuris]

Cruising the South Pacific, I loved that solstice offered complimentary picnic at sailaways from the ports.

 

Beautiful sunsets, they had picnic blankets set up on the lawn with complimentary cheese plates. They also had a drinks table set up where you could purchase a glass of bubbles or wine, however with a drink package the drink was included. So relaxing and definitely a highlight of cruising.

 

Another thing I wanted to point out was lunches! At sea days we dined in the main dining room where it was easy to get a table of two or a larger table if you prefer. Indulge in a three course lunch without the hustle and bustle of the buffet.

 

On port days, if we came back for lunch but didn't want to face the even busier than normal buffet, we were happy to pay the small surcharge for Bistro on 5. Always quite empty but nice and quiet, service as quick or relaxed as you want, and loved all the dishes we tried.

 

Also with the room service menu, there is a complimentary cheese plate you can order however if you really like your cheeses, I'd recommend ordering the Premium Cheese plate at a small cost which includes cheeses from Murano. We would order this and take to Cellarmasters with us, for a pre dinner drink.

 

We fell in love with Solstice, so much so that we booked another two cruises on her. Cannot wait to go back :)

Edited September 15, 2015 by LuckiePuris

[josephml1]

GREAT and very nice advice.

 

thanks for sharing!!!:)

[maggie.1008]

Leave for Vancouver today and board the Solstice tomorrow. This will be my 5th time on the Solstice. I am as excited as my fist. Cheers, Heather

[josephml1]

let us know whats new with the solstice.:):):)

[OzKiwiJJ]

we will be onboard this december 16.. to NZ and Australia.

 

So will we. :D

[josephml1]

So will we. :D

 

great!!! see you soon :)

[FunCruiser56]

Thank you, Missymo! Evian isn't my favorite for sure but good generic is okay. I might still try to get some aquafina in Maui before hitting the high seas! [emoji39]

 

If one of your stops is Kona there is a shuttle right at the port that will take you to Walmart or grocery so you can get your water, last trip it was free. We also got some local kona coffee.

Bev

[lynnek]

This thread has been great. We have booked our first Celebrity cruise sailing on Solstice from Sydney to Singapore in October 2016 and can't wait. Does anyone have any info on this cruise route at all? Previously sailed with P and O, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Thomson.

[Katemusical]

Love the advise. keep it coming

[Peacockscruise]

Love the tips! Keep them coming!

We don't sail until April 2017.

[bar_20]

This ship is a waste of time All we heard before are cruise is how beautiful she was what a disappointment no wow factor at all.The buffet is a joke the lawn club is a waste of space the pools are nothing special.Just nothing special about this ship boring:eek:

 

So your tip is don't book a cruise on the Solstice at all? Unfortunately hundreds of thousands of cruisers don't agree with you. I was on the Solstice for 28 days and certainly don't agree with you.

[mickey89]

We love the Solstice Class ships, never been on Solstice or Silhouette but have cruised the others namely Eclipse, Equinox and Reflection. Here are a few things to consider (not really insider tips !) ................

 

1. Check out the Ultimate Dining Package, seldom advertised, only available on Day 1 aboard, still costs $29pp/per day - It allows you to dine in any speciality venue every night and eat in Bistro on Five for free, plus a few other perks.

 

2. Don't forget you can Book your next cruise aboard with some good incentives, significantly reduced deposit, obc on your current or future cruise and one cabin upgrade. Incentives change so check it out when aboard.

 

3. Don't forget your allowance of 2 bottles of wine (750ml) per cabin - ideal for enjoying at sunset! If you have a very special bottle, you can take to dinner for $25 corkage fee. (we have had the fee waived before now- nice tip to the Sommelier)

 

4. Aqua Cabins are no different to other Balcony cabins, many of which are in poor locations, check out the so-called perks - are they right for you? Dining in Blu doesn't suit everybody and the cost increase is highly questionable.

 

5. Enjoy breakfast in the MDR avoiding the hustle and bustle of the Buffet. It is more enjoyable especially on sea-days when time is not at a premium. If you ever become Elite you will be able to take breakfast in the Tuscan Grill.

 

Don't forget free coffee is ugh...... take some sachets. You need an elastic band to keep the hairdrier switch ON. Some clothes pegs for the bathroom clothes line and don't forget the Corkscrew for your wine - you can always ask your cabin steward !!

Edited October 26, 2015 by mickey89

[mtn_couple]

This thread has been great. We have booked our first Celebrity cruise sailing on Solstice from Sydney to Singapore in October 2016 and can't wait. Does anyone have any info on this cruise route at all? Previously sailed with P and O, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Thomson.

 

We are on the same cruise!! We booked Syd to Singapore after doing New Zealand on Solstice last year and just fell in love with her. Have you joined the roll call for this cruise yet?

[cruiselover57]

By waiting until you book on board you can generally get a discount. You'll pay full price when booking in advance. If this is not important to you then definitely book in advance.

 

We also had that happen when we reserved the SS United States on the Infinity in August. We had a 25% off coupon in the cabin that was good only on port days and Vancouver counted as one of those port days even though it was our port of embarkation. The good thing is that it was only supposed to be on one dinner and they gave us 25% off of our total bill. However, they are taking that restaurant out of the Infinity and replacing it I believe with a Tuscan Grill because things weren't really that great and we agreed.

[Katemusical]

How did you feel about the size of the cabins?

[oah]

Just finished the cruise to NZ.

 

Tips:

 

1. If flying out from Aukland take the airport shuttle bus that departs from the ferry terminal. $16 per person compared to Celebrity shuttle at $66 per person. The ferry terminal is next to where the ship berths.

 

2. Do not pre book tours thru Celebrity, tour operators are at raccoon port and offer the same tours but a lot cheaper.

 

3. On the first night dine in the Tuscan grill. Not many guests do so great view, great food and great service.

 

4. Do not do the Chef's Table. We were told the menu was especially for us, a different wine with each course and the Celebrity cook book with recipes for all courses on board. All wrong. All courses were available to anyone dining in the specialty restraunts, we only had 1 white and 1 red wine and the cook book was of food available in 2011. At $279 we were ripped off big time.

[chemmo]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Sorry the Chefs table event was a let down. Where was it held?

 

Also has the Tuscan Grill menu changed at all? Like you it is always our first night venue.

 

Can't wait for our next cruise!