Headed out on Solstice Saturday and WILL Have A Great Time!

[Guindalf]

We're flying from Atlanta to LA on Friday and boarding the Solstice Saturday. We'll be in a Sky Suite.

 

With all the negativity on this board, MUCH more than the boards for other lines, I understand that post-pandemic, cruise lines must make changes to survive. Cruise ships need to sail at over 100% to make a profit and ships are still sailing as low as 25% full. This means they must get creative where they can.

 

Yes, there are cuts. Yes, there are bar closures, yes, there are new charges, but the alternative i NO CRUISING AT ALL. I'll live with the changes in order to gt my week of R&R, no matter what cutbacks there are. I'll be happy with what I get.

 

I accept that cruising is a privilege and many people may get no vacation at all, so it's time to shut up and accept things will be different, but still awesome!

 

We have a reservation on Princess for Alaska at the end of September and I was considering cancelling in favor of the solstice, but all the poor comments made me think that the people on board the Discovery Princess will be happier than the X passengers.

[bEwAbG]

Insert *head-in-sand.gif*

[Chase101]

My friend & I are on this cruise too! I’ll be interested in your take about it! I figure that I don’t have to cook, clean, or do any chores, so a cruise is always a great vacation for me! It’s easy to find things wrong if you look for them, but we always look for the good stuff! Enjoy your vacation! As we will too!

Barbara

[cocobakerchica]

4 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

We're flying from Atlanta to LA on Friday and boarding the Solstice Saturday. We'll be in a Sky Suite.

 

With all the negativity on this board, MUCH more than the boards for other lines, I understand that post-pandemic, cruise lines must make changes to survive. Cruise ships need to sail at over 100% to make a profit and ships are still sailing as low as 25% full. This means they must get creative where they can.

 

Yes, there are cuts. Yes, there are bar closures, yes, there are new charges, but the alternative i NO CRUISING AT ALL. I'll live with the changes in order to gt my week of R&R, no matter what cutbacks there are. I'll be happy with what I get.

 

I accept that cruising is a privilege and many people may get no vacation at all, so it's time to shut up and accept things will be different, but still awesome!

 

We have a reservation on Princess for Alaska at the end of September and I was considering cancelling in favor of the solstice, but all the poor comments made me think that the people on board the Discovery Princess will be happier than the X passengers

 I take many of the complaints with a grain of salt(really a half grain if that was possible😆). Some is pertinent, some is editorializing, and like you put so well, going on a cruise(like so many vacations) is a privilege, and no matter what, I'm going to enjoy my time away from home. Even with the cutbacks, present cruise ship amenities are in many ways head and shoulders above what I experienced back in my early days of cruising nearly 30 years ago. 

[matador316]

I'm with you too, literally! Looking forward to 7 glorious sun-filled days on Solstice! Will post review and pics after returning. 

[Guindalf]

37 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

Insert *head-in-sand.gif*

 

What's this supposed to mean?

[yoshi]

We were on the 5-Day Solstice (1/2/23-1/7/23) cruise down to Cabo and back, it was a wonderful getaway. I never get tired of living on the ocean. They did indeed do all of the cooking and cleaning for us 😁 and the crew gave us great service. Yes, there were some changes from pre-pandemic but not deal breakers. I hope that you all have a wonderful cruise, enjoy those sunsets!

[lauraapp]

Will be on there too!  Will be just happy to get out of the frigid temps along with a beautiful ship it’s a win win!

[private92656]

Totally agree. We will be stepping on board as you get off next Sat.

We are first timer on X, and refuges from Princess 😄. Grass may or may not be greener on the other side. We will see how it stacks up against P in food, service, and entertainment.

[Stevena54]

Ignore the negative comments and have a wonderful cruise! We’ll be boarding in March, looking forward to your reviews!

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

 

What's this supposed to mean?

 

Just a rude comment.  

 

BTW CC has a wonderful feature - Click your  name icon and choose ignore list.  You can put those on your list and will never see a post from them again.

[Jim_Iain]

You will have a wonderful time.   We were on Solstice for a B2B in December.  She is in beautiful condition, albeit not Revolutionized.   The staff is incredible .  The Retreat host, Mar is one of the best in the fleet.    Food was both well presented and tasty.

 

If you are able book a whale watching with Cabo Whale Watching -   best I've ever done and reasonable. 

[Guindalf]

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

You will have a wonderful time.   We were on Solstice for a B2B in December.  She is in beautiful condition, albeit not Revolutionized.   The staff is incredible .  The Retreat host, Mar is one of the best in the fleet.    Food was both well presented and tasty.

 

If you are able book a whale watching with Cabo Whale Watching -   best I've ever done and reasonable. 

 

Jim, that was the whole point of my post - to be positive in a world of negativity!

 

As for whale watching, we've done it twice in Alaska and are booked with Cabo Trek this time! I'm just a little concerned as I have limited mobility and I hope it's not too far from where we dock!

[cnkgirl]

I am on this cruise as well doing a B2B with the next one I am so looking forward to it. I take the complaints with a grain of salt as well, it will be what you make it and I’ll know I will have a great time,  see you all on the ship!

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, Guindalf said:

 

What's this supposed to mean?

g - you do not want to know...

 

Bad humour attempt or railing against your comment...

 

Enjoy your sailing and look forward to your post-sailing comments...

 

bon voyage

[davekathy]

Over the years I've come across some good info shared by a few here on CC. Some are still on CC and some have cruised on. But we would never book or not book a cruise line, itinerary, ship, etc. based on someone's positive or negative opinions or experiences. No matter the cruise line forum. What's said on CC stays on CC.  

[shanebbb]

Cruises are like pizza - even the bad ones are still pretty good!  I expect you'll have an awesome week on the Solstice, especially with your attitude.  All the best and sail safe.

[miched]

You can’t be serious.  You mean that you aren’t going to look for chipped paint and complain about it that it ruined your cruise?   Or finger prints on the handrail or mirror?  🙄.  
 

On one cruise we were in Luminae for the first day lunch. This  solo female in front of us in line  asked for a window table.  We asked for one away from a window.   We were seated at the table next to her.   When the server  came she asked for the shade to be put down because it was too sunny.   The server lowered the shade and she seen a stain on it.   She pointed it out to the server.   She kept finding fault with everything.    The next morning she was seated at the same table.   Asked again for the shade to be down.   She seen that the spot was still there and demanded to be seated at another window and right now.   There were none available.    She said than clean the shade.   One miserable person.  
 

The Solstice was the first Celebrity  ship we cruised on.  It made a big impression on us and we were sold.  

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Guindalf said:

 

Jim, that was the whole point of my post - to be positive in a world of negativity!

 

As for whale watching, we've done it twice in Alaska and are booked with Cabo Trek this time! I'm just a little concerned as I have limited mobility and I hope it's not too far from where we dock!

The whale watching in Cabo is really different than Alaska.  They are usually really close to the shore and when they find some they just drift along at the same speed and you see the same whale or whales surface about every 3-5 minutes. 

For Cabo Trek -  Per Google Maps  looks like a 4 minute walk about 1,000 feet.  

 

Hope you will post some to let us know the fun you are having.

[Guindalf]

46 minutes ago, miched said:

You can’t be serious.  You mean that you aren’t going to look for chipped paint and complain about it that it ruined your cruise?   Or finger prints on the handrail or mirror?  🙄.  
 

On one cruise we were in Luminae for the first day lunch. This  solo female in front of us in line  asked for a window table.  We asked for one away from a window.   We were seated at the table next to her.   When the server  came she asked for the shade to be put down because it was too sunny.   The server lowered the shade and she seen a stain on it.   She pointed it out to the server.   She kept finding fault with everything.    The next morning she was seated at the same table.   Asked again for the shade to be down.   She seen that the spot was still there and demanded to be seated at another window and right now.   There were none available.    She said than clean the shade.   One miserable person.  
 

The Solstice was the first Celebrity  ship we cruised on.  It made a big impression on us and we were sold.  

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Some people will never be satisfied.

 

It reminds me of our very first cruise, a four-nighter on the Sovereign Of The Seas from Canaveral in 2002. We were at breakfast in the MDR on the last (or one from last) morning and two elderly ladies were seated near us. One did nothing but complain that they could never get her eggs right nd the toast was the wrong color, etc. I turned to my DW right then and said something to the effect of 'how could anyone be that miserable in such a wonderful environment?'.

 

I remind myself of that. when things aren't perfect and tha tone small issue does not mean the whole cruise was dreadful as some like to feel!

[mpdog42]

7 hours ago, Guindalf said:

We're flying from Atlanta to LA on Friday and boarding the Solstice Saturday. We'll be in a Sky Suite.

 

With all the negativity on this board, MUCH more than the boards for other lines, I understand that post-pandemic, cruise lines must make changes to survive. Cruise ships need to sail at over 100% to make a profit and ships are still sailing as low as 25% full. This means they must get creative where they can.

 

Yes, there are cuts. Yes, there are bar closures, yes, there are new charges, but the alternative i NO CRUISING AT ALL. I'll live with the changes in order to gt my week of R&R, no matter what cutbacks there are. I'll be happy with what I get.

 

I accept that cruising is a privilege and many people may get no vacation at all, so it's time to shut up and accept things will be different, but still awesome!

 

We have a reservation on Princess for Alaska at the end of September and I was considering cancelling in favor of the solstice, but all the poor comments made me think that the people on board the Discovery Princess will be happier than the X passengers.

delete

Edited January 25, 2023 by mpdog42

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, davekathy said:

Over the years I've come across some good info shared by a few here on CC. Some are still on CC and some have cruised on. But we would never book or not book a cruise line, itinerary, ship, etc. based on someone's positive or negative opinions or experiences. No matter the cruise line forum. What's said on CC stays on CC.  

Heck dk here I thought that I was an influencing factor in your sailing decisions!!!

 

Missed the boat on that one... LOL

 

bon voyage

[AnnaNicole]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

You will have a wonderful time.   We were on Solstice for a B2B in December.  She is in beautiful condition, albeit not Revolutionized.   The staff is incredible .  The Retreat host, Mar is one of the best in the fleet.    Food was both well presented and tasty.

 

If you are able book a whale watching with Cabo Whale Watching -   best I've ever done and reasonable. 

We booked the Whale watching with Photo Safari?   Is that the excursion you booked or did you book one of the others?

[AnnaNicole]

8 hours ago, Guindalf said:

We're flying from Atlanta to LA on Friday and boarding the Solstice Saturday. We'll be in a Sky Suite.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!  The Solstice is a beautiful ship.   Great crew, too!

 

Many, if not most, of the cuts and changes that are bothering people don't affect the suite passengers.  Your cruise should be business as usual.   🙂

Edited January 25, 2023 by AnnaNicole

[NutsAboutGolf]

Have a great cruise!  Someone reported the current sailing is 700 people so def think this sailing will be below half