State of the Solstice

[greatestvalue]

Ive booked a cruise on Solstice to Alaska, end of May 2023 and I am now hesitant after reading the shape of the ship.  I dont believe it is scheduled to go in for any kind of major rehabilitation before our trip. 

 

We just got of the Voyager and determined we didnt like the ship for some of the same reasons listed below - Specially review #1 

 

Can anyone on the Solstice now or within the last month, confirm if this honestly is the true state of the Solstice Ship? -

 

Review #1 - The Solstice is showing its age, as the furniture in the public areas is worn, several pieces of equipment in the gym were broken, numerous window seals were broken, and the windows were streaked and full of condensation.

 

Review #2 - Carpets were frayed and dated, furniture in lobbies were stained very dated and worn, menus for the main dinning room very severely frayed and worn, some menus had food stains.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Will be curious to hear.   I'm working on a booking for December and not particularly concerned.   Yea she isn't pristine and showing her age but heck so am I and so is my car.

 

I have sailed on some of the ships just before renovation and they had some rough spot but I noticed after the first day you don't even notice it and as long as the Service is there, the staff is friendly and the itinerary is interesting we had a wonderful time. 

 

I was comparing the price to that of a trip on Beyond or Apex and they were both 2X+ per day.

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[Smmessineo]

It was just announced that the President's Cruise is June 23 2023 on the Solstice. I would guess they'll do some sprucing up before then. I wonder if there's any time off its schedule before then.

[LGW59]

10 minutes ago, Smmessineo said:

It was just announced that the President's Cruise is June 23 2023 on the Solstice. I would guess they'll do some sprucing up before then. I wonder if there's any time off its schedule before then.

I just looked at that cruise as well, really like the itinerary but VERY pricey.  RS priced out at $20k (refundable) for two, lot of cash for a 7 day cruise, like $1,400/pp/day, YIKES!  I'm on the EDGE TA next month for 14 days and far less $$ than this cruise.  I'll go to future cruise desk when I m on board and see where it is at from there, but I was surprised at how expensive.   

[slugger44]

Will be on the Solstice in December will keep an eye out. But as Jim_Lain says if the service and staff are great we are happy.

[RichYak]

14 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

RS priced out at $20k (refundable) for two, lot of cash for a 7 day cruise, like $1,400/pp/day, YIKES! 

Insanity

[asnaleah]

@Jim_Iaincome on the Silhouette, 12/5! Would love to meet you both in person!

[MarinerAlex]

I just came off a cruise on a 20 yr old ship in the Infiintiy, and she was fine. Have 2 upcoming cruises on the Solstice and not worried in the least bit.

[JLMcruise]

Will be on Solstice for 2 weeks in October - will update. 

[fliprcruiser]

We were on mid June, didn't go to gym and notice the equipment. But we had a great time, foggy windows don't bother us, sometimes it looks like salt spray. Agree with food, beverage  and staff service, we are good to go.  If that kind of stuff bothers you, yes, book on a newer ship.  We had been on Equinox as well, and like the familiar deck plans.

[greatestvalue]

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I noticed after the first day you don't even notice it and as long as the Service is there, the staff is friendly and the itinerary is interesting we had a wonderful time. 

I do agree with this and thank you for pointing this out. 
What didnt work for us on our last cruise which was on a ship sounding like the shape of this one, coupled with the lack of entertainment. (this wasnt on Celebrity, it was on RCL Voyager)
We are blessed to be transitioning into retirement, so trying to find our sweet spot for ship type, entertainment, food and learning how we best like to travel. 

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, slugger44 said:

Will be on the Solstice in December will keep an eye out. But as Jim_Lain says if the service and staff are great we are happy.

 

Which December Cruise are you on?    Was trying to book last night but Celebrity site was screwed up.   I do my shopping on AA.COM site but book on Celebrity.   I could see just one SkySuite on the 9/3 and the same cabin available on 9/11.    When I went to Celebrity to put it on hold it showed both cruises sold out which I know they weren't.

 

I sent my agent (east coast) a mail to put them on hold.   This morning he confirmed he got them and had them on hold.   Just had him ticket it. 

 

If things are a little rusty or worn I'll just put on my Rosy Sunglasses.  

 

Actually I think the cruise has a good price for this time of year.  

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, asnaleah said:

@Jim_Iaincome on the Silhouette, 12/5! Would love to meet you both in person!

 

Hope we get to meet.   Most days when at sea I walk for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours listening to ebooks while I get my walk in.   My normal route is the track and then up to the Forward to the Solstice deck and  up and around the Lawn Club deck.   

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, asnaleah said:

@Jim_Iaincome on the Silhouette, 12/5! Would love to meet you both in person!

 

Silhouette was on the short list but the deciding factor was that Solstice is going out of LA which is just a 1 hour flight away as oppose to a 5-9 hour flights to FLL.

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, greatestvalue said:

I do agree with this and thank you for pointing this out. 
What didnt work for us on our last cruise which was on a ship sounding like the shape of this one, coupled with the lack of entertainment. (this wasnt on Celebrity, it was on RCL Voyager)
We are blessed to be transitioning into retirement, so trying to find our sweet spot for ship type, entertainment, food and learning how we best like to travel. 

 

Good luck on your transition to Retirement.   All l can say is -   It's better than I ever imagined.   Prior to retirement, due to work Financial Calendars there were only about 3 weeks out of the entire year that our schedules synced and we could get away.    Now it's fun to just say I found something - wanna do it?

 

I think we like the S-Class ship (with exception of Reflection) the best.    While we enjoy the M-Class the specialty restaurants selection is really limited.  

 

We have only sailed Edge but will be doing Apex in April so will have to re-evaluate the e-class. 

[ccqueenanne]

I was on Solstice in August. The only thing that bothered me were the cloudy windows. It didn't feel as shiny and new as some other ships - sure there is wear and tear, but nothing seemed in egregiously bad shape, or dirty.

[slugger44]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Which December Cruise are you on?    Was trying to book last night but Celebrity site was screwed up.   I do my shopping on AA.COM site but book on Celebrity.   I could see just one SkySuite on the 9/3 and the same cabin available on 9/11.    When I went to Celebrity to put it on hold it showed both cruises sold out which I know they weren't.

 

I sent my agent (east coast) a mail to put them on hold.   This morning he confirmed he got them and had them on hold.   Just had him ticket it. 

 

If things are a little rusty or worn I'll just put on my Rosy Sunglasses.  

 

Actually I think the cruise has a good price for this time of year.  

 

[slugger44]

We are on the December 11th cruise.

[jwlane]

This is much concern about nothing.  Our recent week aboard was fabulous.

[letsgogogo]

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have sailed on some of the ships just before renovation and they had some rough spot but I noticed after the first day you don't even notice it and as long as the Service is there

I totally agree with this statement. I was on Solstice in fall 2016 on the last Alaskan sailing, right before it went into a dry dock for freshening up. It Was lovely. Aside from sky Lounge carpet looking a little worn, everything was spectacular, immaculate, and current. Honestly I wasn’t sure why it was getting a refurb. Same with Equinox in April 2019. It was scheduled for Revolution shortly after our sailing. Other than the goal of Kelly Hoppen-Izing the decor, the ship seemed just perfect. I did not notice anything tattered in the cabins or anywhere else. Realize it’s not like the ship is left to decay between dry docks. There are crew there working daily to ensure everything is ship-shape. Your experience is not going to center on a color of granite that would not likely be used in an interior today. It’s going to be driven by outstanding food, service, fun, interesting ports, good weather, etc. The dirty food stained menus…eeewwww. That’s not good. Truth is, every cruise line is understaffed now due to factors beyond the cruise lines. (Primarily due to work visa issues and delays in countries that provide a lot of citizens to the cruise ship industry. Covid may seem over here in the states. But restrictions differ greatly across the globe. 
 

 

now

[wb3hyde]

I was on the ship last week and I thought the ship was in great condition and the service was more than amazing.  I did notice a handful of windows clouded over, but nothing that bothered me at all.  Still an amazing ship in my opinion.

[Algebralovr]

I was on Solstice in May 2018, and will be on her again in about a month.  

A lot of the things mentioned are things that are swapped out all the time.  Menus, for example, should never have food stains.  If I receive a menu that has food stains, I hand it back to the waiter and ask for a fresh one, that this one has seen better days.  If food stains, the look of horror on the waiter's face is enough.  It will be taken, the printed menu removed, the folder cleaned, and a new printed menu will be inserted.  

There is actually someone who is on the ship to do furniture repairs, including upolstery.  It is a matter of the staff knowing the repair needs to be done.  If it is a cushion, and they don't have fabric on hand, they have to order it.  If you notice something torn, a comment to a "stripe" is usually sufficient for a work order to go on.  

 

Last November, we were on Reflection.  As it was early for the RF Restart, they had extra staff on board, including two Hotel Directors, Clint and Vedran.  F&B was Orlando, and one of the Assist Bar managers was Tugberk.  We saw all of them doing constant inspections of everything.  One morning, we were in the Cafe Al Bacio and saw Orlando notice something off regarding the table leg.  He looked over it carefully, then used his deck phone.  A few minutes later, a crew member in a white coverall appeared and the offending table was removed.  The next day, it was back, repaired.   We saw all sorts of things that trip.... including a piece of rubber at a window that was loose.... a comment to Vedran and it was attended to rapidly.  

 

We were on Summit over Christmas, and noticed a small split in a bench seat in the Cafe.  Commented about it to someone with 3-stripes.  A few minutes later, another couple of people were there to look at it.  Apparently it was repaired overnight as the next day, the same location didn't have a split in the seat.  

 

They replace furniture all the time.  Literally, constantly.  If there is worn furniture, my assumption is they are waiting on replacement furniture, or at least parts, and the supply chains are the issue.  I know I've certainly had supply chain issues!  Similarly, they replace carpet frequently. If the carpet is frayed, I'm going to assume they are trying to get the carpet staged into the right place to be brought on board and installed.  I've seen them lay new carpet in an area in the couple of hours from when they are making the "all guests must depart" and them admitting new guests on board.  Do they do it frequently?  No, but they can certainly do it.  

[greatestvalue]

2 hours ago, ccqueenanne said:

I was on Solstice in August.

If you dont mind, how is the entertainment compared to other lines if you have any to compare to?

[Guindalf]

We're booked in a Sky Suite for Jan 28th and not in the least bit worried. I know we'll be well taken care of and if we find a frayed carpet, we won't lose any sleep over it!

 

IMHO, people pay far too muh attention. to negative reviews. In my experience, if you want to find fault, you will, but if you want to enjoy your vacation, you'll have a far better experience!

[Northern Aurora]

I am posting from the Solstice.  We boarded on September 16th for the first leg of a B2B so will also be on for the first Mexican itinerary.  We also spent two weeks on the Solstice in June 2022.  We actually were on the Solstice on what would have been a B2B2B2B in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific when the global suspension of cruising was initiated and left Australia on March 20, 2022.

 

When on the Solstice in March 2022 the remaining Zeniths on board (several left in our last port call in New Zealand as it was clear countries were starting to close borders) had lunch with the Hotel Director and several other “stripes.”   The Hotel Director had great plans for the time the Solstice would be sailing with no passengers.  He had arranged for carpet to be delivered in Sydney as some areas were going to be re-carpeted.  They planned to go though every stateroom and identify every little problem such as issues with draperies, loose knobs and so forth.  All furnishings were going to be cleaned (ie upholstered furniture shampooed).  The list was extensive.

 

When we boarded in June my first thought was that the Hotel Director got his wish.  This ship is extremely clean, but the color scheme is dated.

 

We are in a Celebrity Suite.  The drapes look new.  There is a small nick in the coffee table and the corner of the L shaped sofa has a little fray (apparently where it is hit by the vacuum cleaner).  Our Suite in June also was in comparable condition.  A dated color scheme but very clean and in good repair.  And remember that a umber of folks don’t like the new “Hoppenized” color scheme.

 

I saw this question from the OP this morning before we left the stateroom.  So I was looking for any issues.  On our walk from our suite to the elevator I didn’t see any frayed carpet, nor did I see any walking through the ship to Celebrity Central for our B2B meeting.  I was looking at the chairs in Celebrity Central which, other than being rather uncomfortable, appeared very clean.  To Michael’s Club, and again I was looking at the chairs in the Ensemble Lounge as we walked to MC, and didn’t see any frayed or dirty upholster there, nor did I see any issues in the MC itself.  Off to lunch in Luminae, and again no frayed carpets nor any dirty chairs.  Then we were off to Cafe al Bacio and here is what I found — one of the famous oversized yellow chairs had a very small fray at the bottom edge and I also witnessed about an inch of loose cording on another.   While there must be some frayed carpet or worn furnishings somewhere in this ship but I am not seeing it.  And the windows in the S-class Sky Lounges often have some cloudiness. 

 

As in June the staff is very upbeat and thrilled to be working again.  While there must be some passenger on this ship who is not happy, the vast majority seem pleased.  Very polite to both the staff and other passengers.  I’ve also talked to several passengers who have not been on a cruise ship since before the pandemic, and are so happy to be back at sea.