Celebrity Solstice Sydney to Honolulu

[sciatica]

We are booked on the Celebrity Solstice leaving Sydney on 11th April 2019 arriving in Honolulu on 30th April.

Has anyone done this cruise in previous years ? as I would like to ask a couple of questions about this cruise

 

Thanks in anticipation

[Jim_Iain]

I've done the reverse direction -  HNL to SYD.   Was one of our favorite cruises.

[BEAV]

34 minutes ago, sciatica said:

We are booked on the Celebrity Solstice leaving Sydney on 11th April 2019 arriving in Honolulu on 30th April.

Has anyone done this cruise in previous years ? as I would like to ask a couple of questions about this cruise

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

The link below will take you to a discussion of your cruise with your fellow cruise mates. They may very well be able to answer your questions, as well as get acquainted with your fellow travelers. Have a great cruise!

 

 

[bengaltiger1]

18 hours ago, sciatica said:

We are booked on the Celebrity Solstice leaving Sydney on 11th April 2019 arriving in Honolulu on 30th April.

Has anyone done this cruise in previous years ? as I would like to ask a couple of questions about this cruise

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

Yes, in 2017.  

[Northern Aurora]

We have done the Honolulu to Sydney crossing three times, including once on the Solstice.  What are the questions?

[jagoffee]

We were on the Honolulu to Sydney cruise in October 2018.  Unless you questions are specific to the Sydney to Honolulu direction, we also might be able to help with your questions.  

I can tell you it was a great cruise, but I will do the other direction (like you) next time.  It kept getting cooler as we cruised toward New Zealand after visiting the French Polynesia.  Also we prefer the long flights in the front end of the cruise.

The Honolulu to Sydney is a perfect cruise for those from Australia/New Zealand.  Like a west bound TA for those in the US.

[sciatica]

Thanks to everyone who have responded but my question is specific to the Sydney to Honolulu direction this time of year.

So to Bengaltiger1: all our previous cruises have been in summer weather, so, I'm wondering if we need to pack warmer clothes for the "at sea" days on the ship, or will it be just as warm on board through central heating?

[TeaBag]

We sailed from Singapore to Vancouver via Sydney and Honolulu starting March 13, 2016, so that would have put us in Sydney on March 28, a little earlier than you plan.  I remember it was raining in Sydney and we were a bit disappointed.  I don't remember being cold at all.  In fact the Pacific Islands are always hot.  We loved all the sea days between Sydney and Honolulu and I remember sitting out on the balcony a lot.  I would pack a sweater for the evenings on the ship and maybe some light rain gear in case it rains.  It's a wonderful trip.  We are still talking about a Helmet Dive we did in Bora Bora (on another sailing).  Love those gorgeous places.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and I hope your name does not mean you have sciatica, especially on the cruise!

[FloatSomeMore]

We sailed Sydney to Vancouver on the Solstice in 2017.  The weather was wonderful all the way to Hawaii, cooler as we approached Canada.  Dress for warm days, pleasant evenings.  Probably our most favorite cruise!

[Kitekat]

8 hours ago, sciatica said:

Thanks to everyone who have responded but my question is specific to the Sydney to Honolulu direction this time of year.

So to Bengaltiger1: all our previous cruises have been in summer weather, so, I'm wondering if we need to pack warmer clothes for the "at sea" days on the ship, or will it be just as warm on board through central heating?

 

We were on the same cruise as Bengaltiger1. We definitely needed fleeces around New Zealand and for some days during our stay in Sydney afterwards. The interior of the ship stays the same as ever so a pashmina or light cardigan can be needed if you find the aircon a bit fierce. A light rain jacket might be useful if the weather is inclement and might be a good alternative. That said, the weather everywhere is so unpredictable these days, I sometime think I want my whole wardrobe with me, not that I could afford the excess baggage!

[bengaltiger1]

8 hours ago, sciatica said:

Thanks to everyone who have responded but my question is specific to the Sydney to Honolulu direction this time of year.

So to Bengaltiger1: all our previous cruises have been in summer weather, so, I'm wondering if we need to pack warmer clothes for the "at sea" days on the ship, or will it be just as warm on board through central heating?

We were in Sydney from the 14th until we left on the 20th.  We had fantastic weather in Sydney and the only time I needed a light jacket was when we went to the blue Mountains.  Other than that I did carry a cardigan around with me.  New Zealand was a little cooler, but I was in shorts and a T-shirt in Auckland. French Polynesia was wonderful, though it did rain in Tahiti. Torrential rain, but again I wasn’t cold.  Both Hawaiian ports has fabulous weather.   

 

On the ship, I was never cold.  I take a pashmina with me.  Plus, you are never far from your cabin if you want to snag a cardigan or jumper.  I do not recall it being cold when at sea.  Either outside or inside. I took Capri trousers and t-shirts, summer dresses for around the ship.  You can regulate the temperature in your cabin. As we had to fly from a damp

and cold England, we did have coats with us, but never had occasion to use them. 

 

Its a fabulous cruise and we enjoyed everything about it.  Our favourite port was Moorea.  We did stay in Honolulu after the cruise, again the weather was very warm.  We didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of visiting Pearl Harbour.  We had a trip round the island too. 

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as much as we did ours.  So many happy memories. 

[WAVTAM]

Go to Roll Call section for more details on all aspects of the cruise.

[bstoeck]

We have taken a total of 10 Celebrity cruises and this is our #1 favorite sailing of all.  We sailed late April 2017 from Sydney to Honolulu and then did the back to back 10 day Hawaii sailing to Vancouver.

 

The weather was perfect for sightseeing in Sydney (we took a light jacket and pants for Blue Mountain tour before the cruise) otherwise sunny and warm throughout.  We spent three nights before the cruise in Sydney (Rendevous Hotel in the Rocks - perfect location - can walk to cruise ship, Opera House, Ferry boats/trains etc) and did the Opera House tour and Blue Mountain tour on our own - don't miss these!)  Check and see if there is an Opera House performance you would like to see when you are there.  In Honolulu we went to the Arizona Memorial and Missouri (my favorite was the Pacific Aircraft Museum) on our own - we bought tickets in advance through the National Parks website and shared an Uber from the ship and back and it worked out perfectly.

 

Our favorites were Bora Bora and Moorea but we enjoyed every port on this cruise.  We would take it again in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the killer flight from Southwest Florida to Sydney!  I attatched a photo taken from the walking track on the Solstice.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

[Texed]

2 hours ago, bstoeck said:

Our favorites were Bora Bora and Moorea

 

Ditto!  🙂

[Embrace]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 1:35 PM, sciatica said:

We are booked on the Celebrity Solstice leaving Sydney on 11th April 2019 arriving in Honolulu on 30th April.

Has anyone done this cruise in previous years ? as I would like to ask a couple of questions about this cruise

 

Thanks in anticipation

 

12 hours ago, bengaltiger1 said:

We were in Sydney from the 14th until we left on the 20th.  We had fantastic weather in Sydney and the only time I needed a light jacket was when we went to the blue Mountains.  Other than that I did carry a cardigan around with me.  New Zealand was a little cooler, but I was in shorts and a T-shirt in Auckland. French Polynesia was wonderful, though it did rain in Tahiti. Torrential rain, but again I wasn’t cold.  Both Hawaiian ports has fabulous weather.   

 

On the ship, I was never cold.  I take a pashmina with me.  Plus, you are never far from your cabin if you want to snag a cardigan or jumper.  I do not recall it being cold when at sea.  Either outside or inside. I took Capri trousers and t-shirts, summer dresses for around the ship.  You can regulate the temperature in your cabin. As we had to fly from a damp

and cold England, we did have coats with us, but never had occasion to use them. 

 

Its a fabulous cruise and we enjoyed everything about it.  Our favourite port was Moorea.  We did stay in Honolulu after the cruise, again the weather was very warm.  We didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of visiting Pearl Harbour.  We had a trip round the island too. 

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as much as we did ours.  So many happy memories. 

 

Hi Sciatica..... and a very big hello to Bengaltiger1

 

 

Sciatica, we were on the same cruise as Bengaltiger and agree with everything she said.  We also did the Blue Mountains and Pearl Harbour and tour around Hawaii with Bengaltiger.  The whole trip including the fantastic cruise would be one of our best vacations we've had to date.

 

From our perspective, living in NZ, the outdoor weather at sea from Sydney to NZ wasn't the best and we did need a warm jacket for outdoor sail away in Sydney and Auckland -  it can get windy out in the harbours. We didn't plan for that and therefore did not take a warm jacket with us when we embarked in Sydney.  We took the opportunity when docked in Auckland to take a ferry home and pick one up (but we did not use it again after the Auckland sail-away). 

Once we started heading north towards the equator each day became warmer and warmer.

 

Enjoy you wonderful cruise - we'll be watching you sail past with Rangitoto Island in the background from our local beach, wishing we were doing the whole cruise again.

[jan-n-john]

We did this cruise in 2015 including the B2B to Vancouver.  Concur that Moorea and Bora Bora are tops.  We were also lucky in that the volcano in Hawaii was starting to flow for the first time in years so we got to see actual lava spurting up, from a distance of course.  The most memorable part for us was being diverted in mid-Pacific to pick up a couple of unfortunate US sailors who had gone aground on uninhabited Malden Island.  The second photo shows them seated toward the front of the launch being brought in to the ship. Very embarrassing I imagine for true sailors who probably have little regard for cruise ships. Such is life!  You probably won't have that experience, but it's a great trip nonetheless.

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by jan-n-john

[sciatica]

Thanks again to everyone who have responded, your information has been not only very useful but interesting too. Thanks heaps

Sciatica (and NO, luckily I don't actually have sciatica)

[TeaBag]

Great to hear and take it from me, you don't want to have it!