Flipper133

As that list is talking about what is included in the package, I believe the above is talking about wines sold during their promotional periods (like happy hour). At that time, they have drinks reduced in price, so when the wine is at that lower price, it is eligible for the Classic package.

That's what I thought initially... however on checking out these 4 wines I found that they all retail for less that US$8 per bottle, so not exactly "top shelf". There are wines included in the Classic Package that retail for more.

So I remain a little confused.

No worries....as I have indicated elsewhere I will be satisfied with whatever goes.... I have quenched my thirst on things such as "Bulgarian Red" (which I used to quaff in UK) to some 92 point Halliday stuff in Oz.

You do get spoilt in Australia.

cheers

Hi I thought I will let you know some of the quotes and prices as of May 2014 I found out.

 

Towncars quoted $145 with minibus (booster seat for my 3 yo not included in the quote)

 

 

Hmm... don't know where you got that quote from.

On line quote for Mercedes Van from Airport to Circular Quay is $88 +$15 for a child seat booster. Includes all tolls etc.

I believe there are two operators in Sydney using the Towncars name

I use http://www.towncars.com

Anyway...a maxi taxi will do the job...just don't expect to be able to have a conversation in English with the driver. :(

cheers

It does look dark (I believe both your pics are the foyer, whereas the Solstice pics are dining room and foyer). However, that can be a function of the ship design e.g. the P&O ships also have dark foyers as there's pretty much no natural light that gets in there. Solstice on the other hand has a massive skylight above.

 

It's interesting you show the Solstice dining room though. Although the picture you took shows it well lit, for whatever reason Celebrity took to making the room barely lit at dining times. The main table chandeliers were turned off some days, and you only had the halogen dimmers on very low. All at our table commented on it; it was actually quite annoying. Not sure if they're trying to emulate the trendy 'eat in the dark' restaurants or what!

Actually the difference is to do with the colour of the timber. CS has very dark timber in the public areas, much of which is carved extensively. To me it all made it seem extraordinarily "moody". Solstice uses lighter timber, aluminium and glass.

I don't think I experienced the light dimming you mention in the MDR ... I always found it marvelously subdued.

This pics are not mine... I just grabbed what I could off the web.

cheers

I'm not sure I would put much stock in that list. It appears to be hurriedly compiled on board the ship with little if any input from head office - there isn't even a Celebrity logo on the page.

Indeed...I noticed that they have included what I believe is a Cab Sav "Poggio al Tufo Tomasi" under the White wine list. :p

cheers

Wow thanks so much that is very kind of you. Hampshire eh you must have lived close to us although I have never seen rocket fuel on sale here hehe:)

Yeah...6 years at Whitehill

Local supermarket (Sainsburys ???) had a range of "wines" from the continent... a lot of French rubbish...and the infamous Bulgarian Red :eek:

Odd Bins at Alton became a favourite...they stocked good Aussie wines.

cheers

OK....Spreadsheet now updated

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtDdYKhZ7rGHdHgzOWU5TG9peldNdzhqQzdNZzYyNVE&hl=en#gid=0

There is a new tab that has an image of a set of pages provided by Customer Services to Kevin York, a passenger on board a Celebrity ship presently doing Alaska.

Essentially most changes seem to relate to available spirits and cocktails.

With the wines they are now categorised into:

a. Social Hours Wines....whatever that means

b. Bar Menus/Restaurants

c. Specialty Bars and Restaurants

To be honest I am not sure what this all means, so the spreadsheet has an extra column to determine whether wines are b. or c.

The wines designated "Social Hours" are all new - 2 x whites and 2 x Sth African reds and I have not at this stage included them.

Comments and suggestions welcome

cheers

As an Australian it really concerns me about the expectations US visitors have of this cruise due to the following:

• It is the wet season, hot, humid and stormy
  
• It is also cyclone season - strong possibility that anywhere on the northern route there will be a cyclone that will prevent at least one port being cancelled if not them all
  
• Ports - Not that interesting IMO - we are doing it for the ship and a getaway not the Ports as we can do land tours 'any ol time'
  

 

Now this cruise would be fine for visitors who are combining it with land tours or are just wanting a taste of Australia but you would need to do a combination of smaller ships more in the middle of the year to really appreciate this area. They are on my bucket list but don't come cheap. Alternatively HAL's Volendam does a circumnavigation that is more interesting but again, costly due to it being a small ship with fewer verandahs and a longer trip.

 

It is something discussed extensively by Aussies, why do the big cruise companies insist on bringing their ships into northern Australian waters and the South Pacific in cyclone season.

Hello Elise

I generally concur with your thoughts, but I do have to say that we have done the Top End cruise twice, and neither time did we experience any cyclonic weather.

First time was in April 09, on board the Sun Princess. We left Sydney and visited Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Cooktown, Darwin, Kimberley Coast, Broome, Exmouth, Geraldton and then Freo. Fantastic itinerary, and we actually had a full Anzac Day ceremony on board. Pity in some ways that none of the cruise ships visit Cooktown any more.

Second time (last year) we were on Celebrity Solstice, departing Freo just after Valentines Day. This time we visited Pt Hedland, Bali, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane and then Sydney. Only poor weather we had was during our visit to Brisbane where heavy rain put a dampener on a tour I had arranged. (Bne is my home town)

This itinerary was fine, (esp. the overnight in Bali), and I even enjoyed Pt Hedland although I don't think I need to go back there.

Of the two ships I prefer the Solstice (we are sailing on her again in Dec) but as the Sun P is only 65% the size of the bigger Solstice, she is able to go to more places like Geraldton and Broome. (Tides there are a big factor). Exmouth I could pass on, although the Migaloo Reef is outstanding.

The way I see it is that the cruise coys put these top end cruises on at the end of the Aust. Season so that they can get maximum bucks from their shorter 7 and 12 day cruises ex the East Coast.

Cheers

Hi Flipper133

 

The spreadsheet is fab and I can see the wine tab but you mentioned another tab with beers and spirits but I can't fine it I went into the tab all packages and there was nothing in there am I doing something wrong.

 

Thanks so much

Pam

Hi Pam

I am going to have to update the spreadsheet.... as from 5 May Celebrity made quite a few changes which effectively moved a number of the drinks from Classic to Premium. (No coincidence that this coincided with the expiry of the Pick your Perk promo.)

I'm not all that fussed...I've been known to drink "rocket fuel" from Bulgaria (esp. when I lived in Hampshire UK) so what is still available on the Classic Pac will do me fine. :D Might have to upgrade Shirley, as the range of Bubbles has diminished. :(

I should be able to complete update sometime today.

Cheers

As I mentioned a little earlier, I have compared the itinerary for the March 2015 cruise to the very similar one we did last year.

On both cruises the Solstice departs Darwin at 4.00pm

Both then spend two sea days transiting across the top and down the East coast.

Our cruise was originally scheduled to arrive at Cairns (Yorkeys) at 7.00am ... plenty of time for tours to get to and back from the GBR...before departure at 7.00pm.

As I mentioned before, we were delayed by a Sea Evac and the captain had to put his foot to the metal to enable us to at least arrive mid morning.

The 2015 cruise however, is scheduled to arrive at noon :confused:

I have sometimes been accused of being cynical, but one can't help wonder if a part of Celebrity's current cost cutting program has limited the speed at which the ships should travel...thus reducing fuel consumption.

By my very rough calculations, if the ship's average speed was reduced by just 6.5% (say for example 18 knts to 16.8 knts) then this would add another 5hrs to the transit time Darwin to Cairns - exactly the added hours from our scheduled 7.00am arrival to the 2015 cruises Noon arrival.

I don't know the data to determine what that would mean in fuel savings, but from all reports it would not be insignificant.

I'm sure there are other reasons however

We were on the same cruise as Flipper.

Hi Karen

Good to see you are still "dancing"

We are going on Solstice again in December..taking Grand Kids to New Zealand (they joined us in Brisbane when we went to the Koala Park) and they have been agitating for us to take them on the "big ship" :)

cheers

We did the Solstice Top End cruise last year.

I note a few changes in 2015...they only spend 1 day in Bali (we overnighted so had 2 days) and they call into Newcastle.

The trip from Darwin to Cairns is problematical ...it is two sea days and things happen. With us there was a need to evacuate a crew member by helicopter somewhere off Arnhem land. "Interesting" event for pax, but delayed the ship quite some time.

Late getting into Cairns meant many trips (incl. those going to the outer reef) had to be cancelled or curtailed. The captain did use his discretion to stay at Yorkeys an extra couple of hours...and I see that in 2015 they are staying until 8.00pm instead of usual 6.00pm.

In the end we did a trip to Green Island...not the outer reef , but a tour on a glass bottom boat did show us a lot of what the reef is about.

I fancy that Tony Blake (OP) should be grateful for being able to see some of this great land.... and afterall he does get to visit Newcastle :rolleyes:

cheers

Hmmm.. very interesting

I booked my December Cruise on Solstice with my Aust. On Line TA

As soon as my deposit was paid and acknowledged my booking appeared on the Celebrity Web Site.

I know some conditions are different for US bookings, especially with deposits and cancellations, so perhaps its different with the interaction between TAs and the Celebrity website (or at least their computer system) for us Ozzies

cheers

I agree with Gae that a Port Transfer arranged by the Cruise Line is probably the most economical. We used one once as arranged by Princess and it seemed to work fine.

Alternatively you could pre hire a vehicle and driver. I nowadays hire a car (Limo) which picks us up at the airport and delivers us in style to the port for about the same cost ($50) as a cab. :D

That's ok for 2-3 people, but for 5 you would need a larger vehicle. The mob I use can provide a chauffeur driven Mercedes people mover which would well accommodate 5 people and their luggage. The cost is 50% more = $75.

Perhaps you may care to look at:

http://www.towncars.com

cheers

We are about to pay our final payment. I need to take insurance to ensure we are covered. Can anyone recommend a good insurance. I need to make sure it would cover us if we needed medical lifting off ship. Don't think we will need it but you never know. Thanks

I guess it comes down to the definition of "Good"

To me its all about getting the best understanding of "pre existing conditions"

In the past I have used Cover More and TID (Travel Insurance Direct)

I am now using CGU via BUPA.

What is the cheapest premium is not necessarily the "best"

BTW...when we were on Solstice last year we had a Med Evac whilst we were off Arnhem land. They had to airlift a crew member. I often wondered how much it cost.

Depending on your circumstances you should shop around.

cheers

Its's our 40 year wedding anniversary next year both ships go to the South Pacific, help needed to decide which ship would be better, we have cruised with Princess, Royal Carribean, and P&O???:D

I would have to vote for Solstice.

A totally classy vessel...

Imagine having your anniversary dinner here:

Cheers

We cruised on Spirit for a short 5 dayer in Feb.

I am one of those that think the the interior of the Spirit is a bit dark and dour. It seems totally in congruent with the way they promote the ship as a "Fun Ship"

Compare with Solstice:

Here are some pics of Spirit:

Here are similar pics from Solstice

Cheers

We did the Solstice over the top cruise Feb last year...absolutely fabulous.

Flying to Perth from the East Coast is a fair way...5 hours...hey its only 3hrs to New Zealand. When we did our cruise we got Celebrity to throw in the flights (they are less generous nowadays). We flew Virgin (B737) which was Ok but no in flight entertainment.

Ex Sydney Virgin fly the B737 and Qantas fly the Airbus A320.

I think that ex Melbourne Qantas fly the B767 on some flights

Not sure what the el cheapo mob fly... not even sure if they have indoor toilets:eek::D I do know they have less Baggage allowances (20kgs)

I think that you should choose the flight time that best suits you...as I said its a long way so its best to be a bit comfortable when you get to Perth...mid arvo would work for me. Remember that in Feb there is Daylight saving in Sydney..but not in Perth.

cheers

The Sun Princess was the first build of the Sun class ships.

One difference (which may or may not have been altered when the Sun when it for its last refit) is the two centre aft cabins on Baja deck of the Sun.

The original plan was that the two centre aft cabins on all 3 decks were to be full suites, and the cabins on the corners were to be mini suites.

During construction it was feared that the two top centre cabins (B750 and B755) would be affected by the exhaust outlets on that level...so they decided to convert just these two cabins into minis and make the corner cabins full suites.

You can see what they did by closely examining the aft of Sun Princess ... there is a "Panel" section inserted to decrease the balcony area of the two center cabins. Inside is a compromise...but the minis still retained the full marble bathroom set up and the very useful "wet bar" that don't feature on the other minis. We have stayed in B750 and it was great.

It later proved that there was no exhaust problem, so when Sea and Dawn were built the centre cabins were full Suites.

As I said, they may have made some recent changes, but this was one detectable difference between the ships a year or so ago.

cheers

We are sailing on Solstice departing Auk in Dec.

Done a lot of research on hotels, as although we have been there many times the only time I had to stay in a CBD hotel was at the Hilton when I attended a conference. This time I was looking for a reasonably priced establishment, convenient to the harbour, and which could best accommodate our family group of four.

Yes the Hilton is very convenient, but very very overpriced (I wa sglad someone else was paying my bill)

There are many fine hotels in Auk, so in the end the selection will depend on price, location, facilities and style.

For convenience and price I felt the Copthorne was ideal. It is on Quay St right opposite the Princes Wharf. Some reports say it is a bit tired, but for one or two nights that should not be an issue. However for our stay of two nights I opted for the Waldorf Celestion ... as have quite a few others on our roll call. Main reason for me was that I could get a two bedroom apartment for a good price, and these were not available at the Copthorne.

Here is a view of Auckland Harbour and CBD on which I have Pin Pointed a number of the hotels.

I trust it is of some use: (NB The Brew on Quay is not a hotel...it is a bar/restaurant):D

Cheers

Thought I might add a few words of congrats. to the people at Celebrity Captains Club.

I had occasion to communicate with them about my membership status, and whilst that was being fixed (well done) I received an email from them saying that they had noted that my wife's birthday would be during our next cruise (on Solstice). They asked if I wanted to have this noted on our booking, and if I wanted a cake or something provided one evening.

Apparently I (or at least my TA) had not made any note about my wife's birthday when we did the booking originally, and I was quite impressed by the way that the Celebrity staff brought this to my attention.

I see many gripes about Celebrity Miami on these forums, but from my limited experience I would like to give them a thumbs up. :)

Perhaps they treat Aussies a bit differently :o

cheers

If the Philippine band John was talking about was called Music Manila, they are the best band afloat. In our 38 cruises, they are THE best band we have seen on any cruise. We were on the Spirit last year and I just loved this band. I would see as many of their brackets as I could...they thought I was stalking them!!!!

 

We were not fans of the Spirit, but I would easily cruise on her again just to see these guys.

 

I think I have also seen the Neil Diamond tribute show as well...if it was a middle aged guy from Sydney with a slight accent, he was very good as well.

We were on Spirit in Feb on a short cruise to Tassie.

Disappointment for me was that there was no live band playing on the Pool Deck...only a DJ. Maybe it was because we only had 2 sea days...

Thanks for the advice. Still wondering if any one who has been and toured Hobbiton from the Tauranga pier has a recommendation? There are many providers here and a range of prices and options, so it is hard to pick one and know I made the right choice. Anyone have a recommendation to make?

Hi DFB

We have cruised to NZ 3 times and are planning our next one on Solstice fr December this year.

One company I have used, and highly recommend for their professionalism, is Shore Trips and Tours. They are based in Tauranga, but service all ports visited by the cruise ships.

They have a tour that does Hobbiton, and I am considering it myself.

Have a look here: https://www.shoretripsandtours.com/Product/Hobbiton%20Express%20-%20LOTR-Hobbit%20Movie%20Set.php

There are others (some that are cheaper) but this mob will not let you down

cheers

Has anyone a list of the drinks menu with prices please, as I am having the classic drinks package, and just wondering how much cocktails and other drinks are.

Thanks

Hi Bryjohn

Here are a couple of links that you may care to look at:

The first is to a spreadsheet I developed to analyse the various wines available on the Classic Pac.

Note that not all wines are readily available in all bars/areas;

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtDdYKhZ7rGHdHgzOWU5TG9peldNdzhqQzdNZzYyNVE&hl=en#gid=0

The second link is to a posting by a very experienced cruiser and provides an extremely good insight to the various beverage and food menus etc.

http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection_menus.htm

cheers

You might also like to have a look here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtDdYKhZ7rGHdHgzOWU5TG9peldNdzhqQzdNZzYyNVE&hl=en#gid=0

cheers

My husband and I salute you - your splendid research deserves a doctorate ....... maybe you should call it "Reflections on an Alcholic Excursion"!!!!

 

Did you actually have a free Classic Package to research it, or (horrors) did you have to pay. Perhaps we could put the hat around :D

 

Seriously, thank you very much. We're going on our first Celebrity cruise in October, and we will definitely work our way through the list. :rolleyes:

 

Kind regards,

Ratacake and Rors

Shirley says I should be painting the ceiling...not spending all my time on Cruise Critic.

But this is serious research !!

Best part is I do have a FOC Classic package to use in December, and I (and perhaps a few others) now have some reference material to work through all options available. :D

cheers