Solstice Review - 7 December sailing

[C 2 C]

Hi Howard:

 

Great review (it's amazing how good reviews reflect our own perceptions). Except for our musical tastes, I think our reaction was very similar, even to the extent of catching a few Z's in the shows. We did spend some time in the Sky Lounge whenever Top Secret was playing. The aerialists were a collection of performances that we have seen on other Celebrity ships and they certainly did not inspire us to see them again for our repeat cruises. I could listed to songs from Les Miserables, Phantom, etc over and over but these shows attract people with more modern ears than ours. It was a pleasure meeting you on board.

[signman]

Arno, hope we'll meet up at a Perry Grant show one day. I'd like to see what all the fuss is.

[RG10203]

I recently sailed the Dec. 7th cruise and found the Solstice to be a very beautiful ship. Embarkation was very smooth and we were on the ship within 15 to 20 minutes of arrival.

We had an ocean view stateroom and found it to be one of the most spacious and well laid out floor plan of any other ocean view cabin we have sailed in. We had 3 suitcases and there was more than enough drawer and closet space. In fact we had one drawer that was unused. The bed frames are higher than the usually frames and made for very easy storage under the bed. The life vests were in their own tray under the bed. The overhead storage above the bed was a very nice feature. The extra blankets and pillows that were stored there were later stored under the bed by our cabin steward. The bathroom was spacious and the curved shower doors made for more room in the shower. The flat screen TV was very nice. There was a very good selection of free and On Demand movies as well as Pay-Per-View movies. On-Demand movies will be stored for 48 hours and can be paused and resumed at a later time. You can also view your ship board photos on the TV.

 

Our dining room assignment was very nice. We were on Deck 3 in the rear. This is an area that is almost a room by itself and we found it to be much nicer than the center of the dining room. Even with more than 100 people in this area it was quiet. The center of the dining offers a very beautiful view, but it was very loud. Although we were near a serving station it wasn't a problem. Our dining room service was very good. Our wait staff remembered everyone's beverage preference after the first night. Drinks and bread baskets were re-filled in a timely manner. There was an entirely new menu on the Solstice (although we were told it has gone fleet wide) Many new dishes that were very good. Celebrity put galilees on each deck of the dining room and our food was always served hot.

 

We tried all the specialty restaurants and found them to be worth the surcharge. Tuscan Grill had a very nice menu. The Macaroni and Cheese side dish for the Rib Eye steak was unbelievable. Not your usual run of the mill Mac and Cheese. The Silk Harvest serves Asian cuisine. We had a table for 8 and the waiter served just about everything on the menu. It was the freshest Asian cuisine I have ever had.

 

The entertainment was also very good. I have seen a lot of production shows on cruise ships and the Solstice has some of the best. The first show "Solstice" I was a little worried about at first. I had seen many of the acts before, but when they were all put together in this production it was liked I had never seen them before. The other shows, Pulse and Ghost Light were very good.

 

My overall impression is the Solstice is one of the most beautiful ships at sea, very well laid out with very good service throughout. Can't wait to do her again.