Celebrity Solstice lives...with plans, cabins & published itineraries!

[MBZ Girl]

I just hope that as new details come out on the Solstice class that X does not start closing of certain parts of the ships to non-suite or Aqua Spa passengers like they used to do with the tholassotherapy pools on the Century Class ships. That would be a big mistake, you get extras for beign a suite passenger but all public areas of the ship should be open to all passengers even if they have to pay for the dining etc...

 

I agree. We would never book the Aqua class cabin as we feel it is too small for us. We WOULD book a Sky Suite and I would be terribly disappointed if I was unable to dine in the spa cafe on a ship, as that is one of my favorite things to do. This is being marketed as "exclusive" and that is a little daunting at this point in time to me.:(

[denb]

I agree too, Admiral. Otherwise it looks like they're going back to the 'class' system.

 

Suite (Class)

Concierce Class

AquaClass

steerage class <--- all others

[caviargal]

I just hope that as new details come out on the Solstice class that X does not start closing of certain parts of the ships to non-suite or Aqua Spa passengers like they used to do with the tholassotherapy pools on the Century Class ships. That would be a big mistake, you get extras for beign a suite passenger but all public areas of the ship should be open to all passengers even if they have to pay for the dining etc...

 

HAL does something similar for suite guests which we value as a perk. Their specialty venue is open exclusively for suite guests at breakfast and to all who are willing to pay extra for lunch and dinner. We enjoy it most mornings and it is one of the reasons we are willing to pay extra for a suite, though HAL has many great perks for their suite guests, IMO that make the cost worthwhile.

 

Speaking of closing parts of the ship off to certain passengers, I really hope they offer adult only areas (pool especially) on these larger ships so that they are appealing to adults wishing a quieter experience and not just family focused as RCI has become.

[Dale Jr]

Speaking of closing parts of the ship off to certain passengers, I really hope they offer adult only areas (pool especially) on these larger ships so that they are appealing to adults wishing a quieter experience and not just family focused as RCI has become.

 

With 2900 berths to fill each cruise coupled with the fact that they are going with 7 day caribbean cruises these ships are going to be filled with families. When the entire deck plans are released to the public you will notice that many more facilities are being provided specifically for children. If you want adults only you will have to go to Azamara as both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity will be heavily marketing to families now.

 

With 4 Solstice class ships, 4 of the M class ships and 3 of the C class ships they are going to have in the order of 25,000 beds to fill each night and that spells FAMILIES. In addition when serving almost 3000 passengers do you really think they will be capable of maintaining the level of food and service that Celebrity was once known for?

[FinelyCruising]

Aqua Spa Class does nothing for me one way or another, it may interest some and some will feel happy to be receiving something unique to their selection. Concierge Class has a special menu. Suites have certain special somethings too.

 

I am sure there is something for everyone, and if its not for you it just might be for someone else. What's not to support in the effort for something new and different???

 

I am not at all intimidated by the size of the ship, it's not that big really, and I think overall it's going to be a wonderful addition to the fleet, particularly because Labadee has been added and there is opportunity to do an excursion to The Baths.

 

So....I'll have dinner at the Blue Parrot, enjoy St Maarten again and again, drink in the sights at The Baths for the first time, and have another great day at Labadee. The bonus is the sail away from there, nothing I have seen yet compares with how beautiful that is.

 

Is it 9am yet???:)

[RCCLCARIB]

I think we should step back and really look at the Solstice. All the info we have is her size and her stateroom deckplans.

I am willing to bet that when the rest of her main deck plans come out, alot of people are going to be happy.

 

About the service/food, if there are several restaurants and a main dining room, their hope is that the passengers will opt for a different type of dining experience than the monotonous main dining room.

As for the families, X does not really market themselves as a family cruise line. Unless Solstice puts a rock wall, golf course, and flowrider on the back, I don't see Celebrity having hundreds/thousands of families with young children.

[Andy]

As for the families, X does not really market themselves as a family cruise line. Unless Solstice puts a rock wall, golf course, and flowrider on the back, I don't see Celebrity having hundreds/thousands of families with young children.

 

 

Hi RCCL !

 

I wonder why Solstice has SO MANY connecting cabins ??? I always try my best to stay away from those cabins. In most cases, the cabins are in very desirable locations.... not the best idea for those who do not want connecting cabins. Usually, those cabins work best for families traveling together. With the huge addition of connecting cabins, I feel it is a safe bet that Celebrity will be more agressive in marketing the Solstice class to families.

 

If Celebrity plans to move towards family Cruising... My question is.... are rock climbing walls, mini-golf, and johnny rockets far behind ?

I surely hope not.

[Host Kewlguy]

Hi RCCL !

 

I wonder why Solstice has SO MANY connecting cabins ??? I always try my best to stay away from those cabins. In most cases, the cabins are in very desirable locations.... not the best idea for those who do not want connecting cabins. Usually, those cabins work best for families traveling together. With the huge addition of connecting cabins, I feel it is a safe bet that Celebrity will be more agressive in marketing the Solstice class to families.

 

If Celebrity plans to move towards family Cruising... My question is.... are rock climbing walls, mini-golf, and johnny rockets far behind ?

I surely hope not.

 

Also will Solstice be priced as an upscale cruise experience or the usual family cruise experience similar to Royal and Carnival? My idea of upscale doesn't include hordes of families with children packed like sardines four and five to a stateroom. Add to that all the connecting staterooms. I will be interested in seeing what the transatlantic looks like in the spring of 2009.

[chessbriar]

Andy,

 

As you are saying this about families, you can have families without children. If you were a retiree and wanted to bring your kids. Or kids who want to take their parents. Or a couple where one person snores like crazy

 

My next 3 cruises are with my wife, my daughter, and I. In each case, we will be bringing a set grand parents with us. You can have families without all the extras that RCCL/Carnival have. X has a wonderful kids program and as long a parents train their kids with proper manners, it's not a problem

[denb]

... as long a parents train their kids with proper manners, ....

Ahhhhh.... therein lies the problem these days. :(

[caviargal]

Hi RCCL !

I wonder why Solstice has SO MANY connecting cabins ??? I always try my best to stay away from those cabins. In most cases, the cabins are in very desirable locations.... not the best idea for those who do not want connecting cabins. Usually, those cabins work best for families traveling together. With the huge addition of connecting cabins, I feel it is a safe bet that Celebrity will be more agressive in marketing the Solstice class to families.

 

If Celebrity plans to move towards family Cruising... My question is.... are rock climbing walls, mini-golf, and johnny rockets far behind ?

I surely hope not.

 

With a ship of this size, they have to be marketing to families more than before. While perhaps not rock wall, they will surely have more kid oriented activities and venues. Also, the connecting cabins are very much desired by families but very rarely requested by adults travelling together.

 

Since I have no desire to sail on a family oriented vessel, I will stick to the other ships in the fleet when I choose X. RCI no longer gets my business since their focus is on a demographic I prefer to avoid and it looks like the new X class ships will be more of the same.

 

Another poster referred to this as X trying something "new". Actually, it is not new, rather an attempt to get a piece of the pie that the other lines already have. Azamara has far more appeal for this cruiser.

[hcat]

still have limited access ti the website but I guess we'll try to book something in either aqua class (but is there a true T-pool?) or a mid ships with a balcony...just to say we are booked. It will be a new ship with some innovations I am sure & it is not the biggest ugliest thing I have seen... Now the questions are: if we all call at the same time, asking the same questions to the customer sv & booking reps, will the whole telephone system melt down completely? can we book this on line? (makes mores sense) Will we get to choose a cabin or just a class? What time do the phones open up & in what time zone? Good luck!

[scandinavianvoyager]

Of course Celebrity Solstice is a disappointment. Celebrity has during along time given the impression that this ship will be something of a revoloution in the cruise business. We’ve just seen a part of the ship so far that is correct, but if a ship is supposed to make a great impact on the future of the cruise business then one can’t deliver such poor designs as the new Celebrity Solstice cabin layouts.

Celebrity has always been I the front when designing new concepts, but on this ship we just see the same as before, what other cruise lines already have or even worse soloution then in the past. The standard cabin is now up to the same size as the concierge cabins on the M-class, but nothing new has been added to the layout. Why no new thoughts about cabin layout like the “Convertible BalconyStateroom” concept developed by Aker Yards Cabins with glass walls which by moving them completely changes the cabin?

Why have a long list of cabin types (Sunrise cabin, Aqua Spa cabin, Concierge Class) when they all look the same? Why not make them all different so each passanger can find the style and ameneties they want? Aqua Spa cabins could have larger verandas with space for plants giving the space a tranquille feeling where one could contemplate after a day at the spa or a bathtub where one could have a relaxing treatment in the own cabin. The Concierge Class cabins could have a larger seating area with a dining table to be able to use the in cabin dining to it’s full.

The Penthouse suite is the largest disappointment. The suites has been moved to a location where the veranda has been minimized to a narrow passage completely in the shaddow of the Resort deck. The layout of the suite looks completely the same as the ones on the M-class. No inovations and the huge trend with special facilities for suite guest has passed by Celebrity completely. The same for Royal and Celebrity suites. These cabins should be the hight of luxury and they are not even close to what the other major companys deliver for their suite guests. There should at least have been a separate lounge/bar/restaurant area and a lavish pool area with ameneties offered only here.

I mentioned it before, why not take the lead (from NCL) and create something new? A area at the back of the ship (top deck) with lush garden and two “real” freestanding villas where the the layout is centered by a “infinity pool” and cabanas?

The exterior is a other thing we can judge the level of inovations. It’s nothing new really here. Looks like most of the other cruise lines new buildings. No sign of what most yards shows in their catalogues for the future. Layout of decks seems not to contain anything new or exciting creating a new experience of ship life. Even the outside glass elevators are taken away. Add to that taking away everything that in the past could say that this was a Celebruty cruise line ship makes me wonder what they’re thinking of?

Being inventive and creating new standard is not being done by make the in-door pool larger, adding more space to the main diningroom, having a atrium going through nine decks or having more speciality restaurants. That’s something a larger ship naturally gets because of it’s size and more passenger. The public decks are being hidden for the moment, but we can all note that the above is going to be the case on this ship and I hope that the two main deck will offer the passanger a new way of using the space and that it’s not just going to be the usual just having one loung upon the other. Hopefully the Resort deck will makes us gasp with inoventive use of the open space.

I’m a huge fan of Celebrity and had high hopes for this new class of being really something new in the cruise business, but the exterior, traditional use of space (nine deck atrium, main restaurant on deck 3 and 4 at the aft and not even at the aft with the huge window) and the standard cabin layout) doesn’t impress me, but in the end I guess I’ll book a cruise with this ship anyway because of the high standard of the food and service and not because of the trendsetting ameneties for which I guess I have to book other cruise lines for.

[kcb]

Of course Celebrity Solstice is a disappointment. Celebrity has during along time given the impression that this ship will be something of a revoloution in the cruise business. We’ve just seen a part of the ship so far that is correct, but if a ship is supposed to make a great impact on the future of the cruise business then one can’t deliver such poor designs as the new Celebrity Solstice cabin layouts...

 

 

Wow, lots of thought put into that. Very nice, actually.

I am trying not to buy into all the upfront hype, and just wait and see what the ship itself will do for me.

I like some of your "innovations," and while I agree some of those would be nice, I refer to my previous comment.

I'm a huge fan of Celebrity, as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what Celebrity will offer onboard. I would book a week on her if she did donuts in the FLL harbor for 7 days, just to see her.

Will others? Absolutely! For the same reason? Probably! And Celebrity is counting on that. But, what happens when the fanfare dies down? Only time will tell, and we have at least 18 months until that gets resolved.

So until then, the debate and speculation will undoubtedly continue, with no definitive answer...

[Boo's Mom]

I intend no disrespect....

but,

why do ships go to San Juan? :(

 

Are the cruiselines PAID to go there (by San Juan)

 

[caviargal]

I intend no disrespect....

but' date='

why do ships go to San Juan? :(

 

Are the cruiselines PAID to go there (by San Juan)

 

[/b']

 

I have always enjoyed San Juan far more than other popular ports (St. Thomas comes to mind as does Cozumel). For me, it's a positive.:)

[darrencantwait]

Hey Boo's Mom! I guess their doing it for me. ;) I LOVE San Juan. I even fly there and vacation when I'm not on a cruise. And, you have to admit, it's a whole lot better than Casa de Crapo. Although, I know some people like CDC.

 

It probably also has something to do with being able to get there in a day and a half, so they can throw another port into 7 day itineraries.

[Boo's Mom]

Well... I might need to revisit it again, with new eyes. ;)

 

[Boo's Mom]

I LOVE San Juan. I even fly there and vacation when I'm not on a cruise.

 

That's some serious love. :)

[hcat]

Still wondering how it will all play out tommorrow when the attemped booking begins-- I have my doubts that all will succeed....feel sorry for the service reps who are probably not well- prepared.. For all the negs listed , I bet many of us will try to sign up.....

[furkidsmom]

I can't get in at all :(

I did read a Press Release that mentioned other itineraries (Hawaii and a few others)

<pouts in the corner until I can get into the site :confused:

[cruisintwinsmom]

I still can't get the solstice info. I followed all the instructions you have given, but get a circular response--log in (yes, I'm a cc)--click on solstice exclusive--window opens for me to login again. I'm very frustrated! What am I doing wrong--went to internet options and made sure the site wasn't blocked?

 

Thanks in advance.

[MBZ Girl]

I still can't get the solstice info. I followed all the instructions you have given, but get a circular response--log in (yes, I'm a cc)--click on solstice exclusive--window opens for me to login again. I'm very frustrated! What am I doing wrong--went to internet options and made sure the site wasn't blocked?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Don't know for sure, but I think I saw somewhere that it was Firefox---vs internet explorer??????? Can you try switching ?

[Boo's Mom]

I can't access the information, either...

 

It's frustrating. :cool:

[Andy]

Still wondering how it will all play out tommorrow when the attemped booking begins-- I have my doubts that all will succeed....feel sorry for the service reps who are probably not well- prepared.. For all the negs listed , I bet many of us will try to sign up.....

 

Hi Hcat !

 

I know I will be booking Solstice tomorrow. I will report back, as soon as I confirm that I am booked. We will see what happens !