I didn't book Solstice this morning!!!

[flagger]

No way am I planning on sailing on a Celebrity vessel within six months of a maiden voyage. Besides we are looking towards the Med for late 2009.

[florisdekort]

I didn't book either!

 

No way am I ever doing another boring 7-day Caribbean itinerary, stopping at over-crowded islands filled with jewelry and junk stores.

 

I can't believe that they waste their new flagship on this region; hopefully they'll send it somewhere else in April 2009!

 

Floris

[MBZ Girl]

I didn't either! I agree with you Floris! My TA did check into it for us for a b2b and for the SS for 14 nts, she was quoted a total of $10,095.62!!!! Can you imagine paying THAT for those ports????:eek: Of course, there WAS $450 OBC. :rolleyes:

[usha]

I'm having a heck of a time trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being on that big a ship with THAT many people! :eek:

[CruisingChick]

I didn't book either!

 

No way am I ever doing another boring 7-day Caribbean itinerary, stopping at over-crowded islands filled with jewelry and junk stores.

 

I can't believe that they waste their new flagship on this region; hopefully they'll send it somewhere else in April 2009!

 

Floris

 

I agree with you and have no desire to jump on the Solstice bandwagon.

[caviargal]

I'm having a heck of a time trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being on that big a ship with THAT many people! :eek:

 

Been there, done that and was not impressed.

 

However, the Aqua Class is intruiging as it appears at first glance to be almost a ship within a ship and also very adult oriented. If that is true and there in an adult pool as well as the separate dining area, I may be interested.

 

As for ports, for a week cruise I am more interested in the ship itself.

[sasset]

No way am I planning on sailing on a Celebrity vessel within six months of a maiden voyage. Besides we are looking towards the Med for late 2009.

 

There is a good reason that restaurant reviewers usually wait six months after the opening to review a new restaurant.

 

Regards

[Lois R]

I'm having a heck of a time trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being on that big a ship with THAT many people! :eek:

 

Hi Usha, to those who LOVE the "Floating Cities" this will probably

be wonderful;)

Actually compared to the newer MEGA MEGA ships this one

isn't all that large.

But for those of us who enjoy the C and M class, this would

probably be quite overwhelming.

90 tons of the 4 M-Class are large enough for me.

 

But to be totally honest, sailing a brand new ship sounds

exciting:) but money wise and size wise, neither one

sounds exciting......:eek:

[Cruising Bill]

I'm torn, but for the moment am sticking with the 10 day Constellation we have booked. We have two excellent aft cabins in early January 2009 on the Constellation, so can't see switching. The Spa class does sound interesting, however it looks as though the Aft cabins have probably lost the extra balcony space.

[hcat]

we also thought it over & decided NOT to book at this time...We are hoping for a British Isle cruise in Spring 08 on wonderful Constellation. We'd book that one today if it was open for booking.

Reasons we did not book are similar to those mentioned already--the itineraries are nothing new--just OK....ship is very large-& the number of guests listed at 2,850 does not match well with the number of cabins times all the sofa beds, pull downs & family cabins-- I think the number on board will approach at least 3500..so unless we are happy to stay in the aqua spa cabin & restaurant it might be too crowded around the ship. ... not much mention of the other amenities A plus for me would be an exclusive T pool for aqua class--otherwise you are in that big pool with everyone else... BY comparison: On QM2 you can get a Canyon Ranch spa pass & enjoy a blissful experience in their T pool & sauna rooms--no crowds..

So we'll wait & maybe take a trip in the future-- Other than the newness Mercury & M class would be preferrred...We were not overly impressed with Century after all the hype but at least it is not a big monster....

[caviargal]

But to be totally honest, sailing a brand new ship sounds

exciting:) but money wise and size wise, neither one

sounds exciting......:eek:

 

Lois, I can only speak from personal experience on other very large ships. To me, the service is much less personal when the staff is dealing with so many passengers. Also, since there are 3,000 or so people on board, you tend to not see the same people very often which is different from a smaller ship.

 

From your posts, I believe personal service and attention is important to you and that you are very happy with both on the X ships you have cruised.

 

IME, the big ships are a totally different animal and the onboard ambiance far less intimate that the smaller ships, which I prefer as well.

[Lois R]

Lois, I can only speak from personal experience on other very large ships. To me, the service is much less personal when the staff is dealing with so many passengers. Also, since there are 3,000 or so people on board, you tend to not see the same people very often which is different from a smaller ship.

 

From your posts, I believe personal service and attention is important to you and that you are very happy with both on the X ships you have cruised.

 

IME, the big ships are a totally different animal and the onboard ambiance far less intimate that the smaller ships, which I prefer as well.

 

Hi Kim:) you do know me!

 

And for now, I am not booking her either..... maybe

down the road...I won't ever say "Never" because the possibility

may arise, but you are correct...the smaller ships are more me;)

 

I know Oceania seems to be appealing~but I don't know if their

pricing is within my $ either.

[chessbriar]

Hi Usha, to those who LOVE the "Floating Cities" this will probably

be wonderful;)

Actually compared to the newer MEGA MEGA ships this one

isn't all that large.

But for those of us who enjoy the C and M class, this would

probably be quite overwhelming.

90 tons of the 4 M-Class are large enough for me.

 

But to be totally honest, sailing a brand new ship sounds

exciting:) but money wise and size wise, neither one

sounds exciting......:eek:

Lois, I used to think the same thing. Then we sailed on the Caribbean Princess, 116,000 and 3,100 people. The ship was well layed out and it made for a wonderful cruise. It never felt crowded at all. I was pleasantly surprised. It then made me start looking forward to the Solstice. I just hope X does a good job with the design of the rest of the ship.

[darrencantwait]

Floris -- I somewhat agree with you. I wish I could cruise like you, but many of us cannot afford that much time off. I finally get to take my first 14 nighter this fall, and I'm sure I'll feel even more in line with your feelings after that. But, for now, I have to stick with more 7 nighters, and hey...7 nights on those islands is a whole lot better than 7 nights at my desk. ;)

[catmand]

Not interested in a 7 day cruise but would book the ship. We sailed two Grand Class princess ships when very new, Star was a year old and Sapphire in her first year. Although there were 2600 people on board, the ships were so darn large we never felt crowded and were always able to find a nice quiet spot. For me, the ship is part of the entire journey and a new Celebrity ship would be nice.

I wonder? How about Solstice doing 12 day round trips next summer, San Francisco-Alaska....;)

[Lois R]

Hi:) I agree with you wholeheartedly.

 

Working for a living here as well;) and I hope your 14 nighter

is marvelous!

 

I am going for 10 nights in March on Galaxy out of San Juan

and 4 ports are new to me:D...Curaco, St Lucia, Aruba and

Grenada. The others are Barbados, Tortola and St Martin~

I have visited those but not recently and I am quite excited!

If they are crowded, oh well! I will be celebrating my 50th

birthday and am looking forward to it!

 

I still enjoy the Caribbean, what can I say?

Different strokes for different folks:)

[greeneg]

Not me either. Ship too big, itinerary has no appeal, no pricing information. All good reasons not to even bother to call.

 

My one hope is that the Solstice Class ships will allow X to do some creative things with the C and M Classes.

 

I am not writing off Azamara YET, but we will have to really be treated "specially" on our January cruise for that to be a repeat option at the current level of prices.

[Jaycarla@sea]

Hey guys---

 

Been reading this site for years--but never felt the need to write until today.

 

We are all looking at this particular sectio because we have one common denominator------we all love Celebrity: the food, the service, the ambience.

 

Does anyone really think that Celebrity is going to get this wrong????

 

Does anyone truly go on a seven day winter cruise looking for perfect island ports??? Of course not!!!! We go for the ship. The ship is, and always will be----the destination !!!!! The ports are just incidental.

 

Do I love the ports that Solstice is heading to?? No way--I have seen all of them many times. So what. I am heading to Solstice.

 

What better time to check out this whole new series of four new ships than right now ?????? It's only seven days--it's not that expensive---and it is a wonderful winter getaway.

 

If you love the new size and design---book the future tours in Europe and Asia. Don't like it-----head back to the Milli class !!! IT'S ALL GOOD !!!

 

See it as an introduction of Celebrity ships to come.

 

I booked her this morning for January 2009---and I hope to see all of you on board !!!!!!!!

 

jay.

[RLM77]

Nor did we.

 

Too little information with too many passengers combined with cruises that were too short made the decision too easy!

[shipshape sam]

Did not book either.

 

I do want to sail Solstice, but will wait to see about pricing. My initial reaction is that pricing is higher than I want to pay for a 7 day Caribbean cruise. Clearly part of it would also be the ship. I paid $940 for a hump balcony on RCL Freeedom in 2006 and not sure I fully understand the different categories yet. And for the record, I have paid about the same for a very nice balcony on Constellation, so there is a fair/relative comparision to be made as both cruises were in November and both were to the Caribbean(one Southern-Constellation and one Western-Freedom)

 

Anyway, I am sure we will book at some point when there is a sale! :)

[caviargal]

 

Does anyone really think that Celebrity is going to get this wrong????

 

Does anyone truly go on a seven day winter cruise looking for perfect island ports??? Of course not!!!! We go for the ship. The ship is' date=' and always will be----[b']the destination !!!!! [/b]The ports are just incidental.

 

If you love the new size and design---book the future tours in Europe and Asia. Don't like it-----head back to the Milli class !!! IT'S ALL GOOD !!!

 

See it as an introduction of Celebrity ships to come.

 

Jay, IMO, they already did get it wrong. A me too mega ship that will not be able to deliver the traditional Celebrity experience. It simply cannot be done on a ship that size with that many people.

 

The new size and design is not a positve to everyone. It is going to attract a new demographic to X, namely those who like RCI's and Princess's mega ships. Families will become the norm and it will be more casual than the traditional ships of X. Whether this is a postive or negative depends on one's perspective. Frankly, I hate to see it happen.:(

 

I do agree with you about the ship being the destination, especially in the same old, same old Caribbean ports. I just wish the Solstice had appeal - to me - as a destination in itself. I have cruised enough ships to know what I like and the company of 2800 others is not it!;)

[darrencantwait]

Jay, IMO, they already did get it wrong. A me too mega ship that will not be able to deliver the traditional Celebrity experience. It simply cannot be done on a ship that size with that many people.

 

 

I know it's a challenge, but can we at least give X a chance on this point? I understand if you do not like the bigger ships. But, to say that delivering the Celebrity experience on this size ship "cannot be done" seems a bit extreme. They very well may not succeed in keeping the same standard of services we are used to. But they do at least deserve the chance to prove to us they can.

 

I sailed on Freedom of the Seas last Fall, and actually felt that the service I got was MUCH better than when I was on the smaller ships. IT was definitely too crowded and too big for me, but I'm glad I got a chance to experience it.

[caviargal]

I know it's a challenge, but can we at least give X a chance on this point? I understand if you do not like the bigger ships. But, to say that delivering the Celebrity experience on this size ship "cannot be done" seems a bit extreme. They very well may not succeed in keeping the same standard of services we are used to. But they do at least deserve the chance to prove to us they can.

 

I sailed on Freedom of the Seas last Fall, and actually felt that the service I got was MUCH better than when I was on the smaller ships. IT was definitely too crowded and too big for me, but I'm glad I got a chance to experience it.

 

I think those that like big ships and think Celebrity can offer them what they want should book and see for themselves. I'll stay here and read the reviews.;)

 

I have been on Freedom, Liberty, Voyager class and found the staff friendly and warm. But, service levels were not there; crowds were. Also, I will be interested to see if this ship has sommeliers on board or if that gets cut as it has on RCI. We will have to see if the bigger kitchens can produce quality food or if there will be a reliance on premade items and mixes as RCI has done.

 

This class of ship is being built for economies of scale (per Richard Fain) and rarely does that mean no compromise in service or quality.

 

I do believe Freedom class and Voyager class fans will enjoy Solstice. I would be surprised if Zenith, Horizon and Meridian fans (count me in that group) will.

 

Since time and money are in limited supply, I cannot see trying something on for size when the basic premise is not appealing. I'd rather save my $$$ and cruise on Azamara or Oceania where I more likely to enjoy the experience I prefer.

 

JMO.

[darrencantwait]

I think those that like big ships and think Celebrity can offer them what they want should book and see for themselves. I'll stay here and read the reviews.;)

 

I have been on Freedom, Liberty, Voyager class and found the staff friendly and warm. But, service levels were not there; crowds were. Also, I will be interested to see if this ship has sommeliers on board or if that gets cut as it has on RCI. We will have to see if the bigger kitchens can produce quality food or if there will be a reliance on premade items and mixes as RCI has done.

 

This class of ship is being built for economies of scale (per Richard Fain) and rarely does that mean no compromise in service or quality.

 

I do believe Freedom class and Voyager class fans will enjoy Solstice. I would be surprised if Zenith, Horizon and Meridian fans (count me in that group) will.

 

Since time and money are in limited supply, I cannot see trying something on for size when the basic premise is not appealing. I'd rather save my $$$ and cruise on Azamara or Oceania where I more likely to enjoy the experience I prefer.

 

JMO.

 

Hey there CG -- I definitely understand people have their preference. I'm still trying to figure mine out. We booked Mercury for Alaska (smallest X has now). We loved Century, but like Connie more. Would love to try Azamara, or Oceania, or even Seabourn and see how those fit us. That's why I jumped on this thread...because I totally appreciate all of the CC opinions.

 

My only point was really that saying it "cannot be done" didn't seem fair. Though I'm skeptical, I at least want to give them a chance. Plus, I'm such a sucker for things with a big "NEW" sticker on it. Yep, I'm one of the dopes who will be waiting in line for an iPhone. ;)

[caviargal]

Yep, I'm one of the dopes who will be waiting in line for an iPhone. ;)

 

And I'll be right behind you!