dmccue

Looks like they haven't done the deployment for Millennium yet as the last cruise showing is August '16 Northbound Alaskan Cruise

Yeah that is what I am looking for. I am booked March 2016 for the same trip Singapore to Sydney on Milleminium but have decided to go on Solstice at the same time (April) Sydney to Honolulu via Tahiti/Bora etc so wanted to push my other trip out to 2017 but can't find anything at the moment.

I see the Schedule for Oct16 onwards was released today but I can only see the Solstice. Does anyone know if any other ships are coming as I was look for a cruise in Mar/Apr 17 Singapore to OZ and Solstice is doing this in Oct 16 but that is too early for me.

We did NZ to Aust in March this year and in addition to all the others that have been mentioned there was Amstel on tap at the Pool Bar (I think it was a light) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (my favourite) Samuel Adams & Coors Light. It would be good if they had a few more craft as you have mentioned but there is certainly a good selection of others.

I can't wait until Apr16 when I board again SYD to Honolulu.....

BTW we had the Premium Package & although a cost outlay at first it takes all the hassle out of worrying about what things cost and how much you have spent and at the end of the cruise you don't have a bill.

Enjoy

When I was in NZ in March 2014 I walked into a Telecom NZ shop in Queen Street and purchased a prepaid sim with a top up and swapped it into my phone and this gave me phone calls,text and internet access. I then connected via hotspot on my iphone to my ipad. I stayed in Auckland, drove to Rotorua & back and then cruised all the way down the coast and across to Australia and had service in every town and also whilst on the ship most of the cruise when I could see the land.

Check this web site

http://www.spark.co.nz/shop/mobile/extras/prepaidextra.html

Go Premium and its hassle free. Unlimited drinks & You don't have to worry about prices, budgets, surprise bills at the end of the cruise etc unless of course you want expensive wines when dining. Pre-purchase before you cruise and I believe its a few dollars less per day than on board or better still get the classic package included in your booking with the 123go promotions and then upgrade onboard for USD11 per day per person.

Love the Solstice and can't wait until our next journey in 2016 Sydney to Honolulu

I have posted some pics of Sky Suite 2134

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2067172&referrerid=1106841

Ok so I have booked Solstice again for Tahiti Treasures Cruise April 2016 and my question is to wheelchair users (my wife is 100% WCHR bound) or others if they have noticed.

If we are able to get off via Tender in Moorea & Bora Bora (I know this depends on the weather & the skipper) what are the road/footpath surfaces like to wheel around. Are they sand,gravel,cement,tar and what if any tours would be available with a WCHR lift.

Any help would be appreciated

Also if anyone has any pics of Cabin 7139 that would be handy.

I had the Premium Package on Solstice from Auckland to Sydney in March14 and I believed it was excellent value.

A couple of nice coffees per day, fresh OJ at breakfast, a few beers at lunch a few more during the day/night and it would have soon added up to more than the cost per day for me.

My wife did not have as many as me (I only drink beer) but as her wines or bubbles or cocktails were more $$ per drink it was also good value for her as well.

It was also hassle free not having to sign for drinks in MDR, the barmen at Martini Bar remembered our room number, we didn't have to fumble in the dark during the shows to sign chits, just give the staff your card & they could not do enough for us.

Take the package, de-stress and its all taken care of.

Yeah we had the metal strip (as per pic) so obviously that was the fix.

Re the noise.........I had read about this prior to our cruise and yes I did hear it but not quite to the extremity that has been described. Each to their own but once we got used to it, it didn't bother us and certainly not enough to ring and complain or put us off another cruise in the same cabin.

I know from having stayed in accessible rooms in resorts we normally get the worst situated room with the worst view as most resorts must think that because you are disabled that you must be blind or don't want to be treated equal so I guess we have become accustomed to some quirks when ever we travel and just go with the flow as getting stressed about it just ruins the reason you are there in the first place - to relax.

I heard stories from friends on the same cruise that were under the pool deck in Aqua Class (Deck 11) and they said that they could hear the deck chairs being dragged across the pool deck by pax and when the deck was cleaned so I guess everyone has to remember that there will be certain levels of noise at certain points of the ship.

These are not my pics as I can't find my cabin photos amongst the hundreds of pics I took but I found these on the cruise critic web page and they most accurately reflect this cabin.(2134).

As to water coming out of the shower - we did not experience any issues either with the curtain open or closed.

Plus I have found another pic of the toilet that I have added

Just thought I would post some pics of the bathroom in our Sky Suite 2134 on Celebrity Solstice for others trying to make decisions on cabin selection for wheelchair type scenarios.

Huge amount of room within the cabin for turning, getting in/out of bed etc and the bathroom was excellent.

The way I read the original post is a US Citizen wishes to charge their US Voltage appliance whilst in Australia so therefore I would suggest a Travel Plug converter so that when they are in Australia they can plug their US appliance into one of these plugs then plug it into the power socket in their Australian hotel room power point.

These are available at many shops including Duty Free stores, Dick Smith Electronics, Myer & David Jones to name a few.

http://www.dicksmith.com.au/adaptors-power/travel-adaptor-3-pack-dsau-m7310

This is what I used to plug my Aussie charger into the socket in my room on Solstice you just select the plug you need to suit your appliance and the plug in the wall in your room.

Get the multi pack with all combinations so you can use all around the world and when you get home remember to store it with your passport so you remember where you have put it for your next trip.

As an Aussie I only tip for exceptional service.

Recently on Solstice I tipped GD & Nyoman the 2 barman in Martini Bar because they were sensational. They remembered us by name every time, knew what drinks we preferred, remembered our room number for charging all whilst serving many other guests all day everyday and it was because of this that this was our main hangout area at night. I also tipped my butler as he was very helpful to us arranging certain things.

I did not tip the room attendants or the waiters for meals in the main dining room or the specialty restaurants as I believed my gratuities account was split up amongst these guys and they just did their jobs without being exceptional.

We sat with two other Aussies and two Americans from Norfolk Virginia in the MDR and we asked our American guests for advise on tipping and they agreed on what I have just explained.

Everyone to their own though but I don't agree that most Aussies DON'T tip but instead we just tip for exceptional service because we have come to accept good service as the norm in Australia.:)

Tiger AUSTRALIA are now 60% owned by Virgin & they are are regular service (4 x daily) to Gold Coast where I am based and they will probably get better now they are owned by VA but they still have too many problems and cancellations for my liking. It was not that long ago that the whole airline was grounded because they flew too close to the ground coming into Melbourne and they are not that much cheaper anyway by the time you add baggage/credit card fee/seat selection etc.

I would not bother with the hassle & so for mine its Qantas or Virgin then Jetstar if you want to save a bit & remember the old adage "you get what you pay for".

I work in the airline industry and early Feb could still have some school holiday bookings returning but later in the month it is low season.

As everybody else has said Qantas (no U in it's name) and Virgin are your best choices. I have flown Jetstar and they have been fine and would compare to Easyjet so if you have been happy with them go for it if you wish to save some money . I would never go Tiger as they cancel all the time.

Cheaper fares wont get published until closer to the date but a search on the web just now shows there are 9 Qantas flights per day and 4 Virgin Flights per day for 10th Feb.

Cheapest fares are generally Tues or Wed (off peak) and early am or late pm (Red Eye). Lowest Price for 10Feb is $305 on Qantas which includes luggage & a meal or $279 on Virgin (no luggage or meal) and $295 (luggage included but no meal) whilst cheapest fare in a weeks time from now on Qantas is $219 so if you wish to wait until closer you may get a similar fare which is a saving $86 but no guarantee.

Jetstar is showing $226 for 10Feb now (no inclusions) .

Depending on your International Fare and who your carrier is you may be able to get an add on fare to fly domestically cheaper than waiting for a special so I would be checking with your TA and see what they can do.

I travelled Solstice in March this year from Auckland back to Sydney via the NZ Coastline & Hobart and it was sensational.

Good Luck