ACorgan

I absolutely LOVE all my TravelPro luggage. I travel a ton for work and have tried many different brands and the TravelPro holds up better than any of the others. Even the Samsonite bags kept going out on me (failing zippers). I still have to replace my TravelPro bags every few years, but it’s usually due to more cosmetic failings, like a rip in the fabric, not anything structural. I usually downcycle the “old” versions to family members who aren’t on the road as often and they get several more years use out of them. The one downside is that the TravelPro bags are a little heavier, so I bring a hand scale in my checked bags to make sure I keep within the 50 lb airplane limit when packing to return home

I didn’t see any pjs in our room, but decided not to ask about them. When I was packing for this trip, I realized that I already have far more pjs than one person needs and I should probably cull some of them when I get home

The internet has been much better today. I was able to upload/download some work files that needed to be dealt with today (and then immediately packed my computer back away, since supposed to be on vacation 🌴)

I stopped by the spa and gym area to ask about the Persian Garden pass, but it was a zoo with tons of people, so didn’t stick around to talk to any of the staff. I might try again later; will keep you posted

After dinner I checked out the True or False Gameshow. This was a much more enjoyable activity than I had anticipated. They had T/F trivia questions and everyone moved to a side of the room to “vote” if true or false. If you were incorrect, you cleared the floor and the other side of the room (with the correct answer) came back to center for the next question. It was repeated until down to a single winner. I came a little late, but think they did four rounds with four winners and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Following the gameshow I “invested” some more money at the casino and then ended my evening with pub trivia. I’m a dedicated Jeopardy fan and was surprised by how challenging many of the trivia questions were. My team eked out a win, but we only got 14/20 questions right. I have hopes of a higher score at tomorrow’s Harry Potter trivia

I spent the afternoon unpacking and then wandering the ship to get a lay of the land. Definitely a younger demographic than I’ve had with HAL and saw many people walking around with drink in hand in vacation mode 🍹 After sail away, I checked out the casino and was pleasantly surprised by the selection of slot machines. Unfortunately, many of them just have stools instead of real chairs, so not comfortable to sit and play at for long. I quickly found some of the few machines that had chairs with backs and whiled away some time before dinner. Our first dinner was at Murano and I thought it was as good as had been advised to me here on the forum. The amuse bouche was a sweet and refreshing blueberry soup. For our first course, we started with the goat cheese soufflé and the mushroom risotto and both quickly disappeared. The cheese soufflé tasted like a warm hug and paired well with my glass of champagne. For our mains we had the duck and the venison. The lingonberry sauce with the venison was delightful and added just the right touch of sweetness. I had it with a Bordeaux, but if I were to get it again, might pair with a pinot noir instead. Dessert was a strawberry crepe (prepared table side) and the grand mariner soufflé

I’m actually not sure what all was in the roll. It started with a layer of shredded lettuce and had a sort of “lobster salad” on top of that. I was really concerned when it first came out because I have a violent dislike of pickles and when I first saw it, was worried that’s what the green specs were. Fortunately it turned out to be some sort of fresh vegetable (maybe celery or cucumber?) and the overall taste of the salad was sweet and refreshing, so I was a fan

Thanks for leaving the ship in such great shape for us 😉 I can understand the frustration with the internet. Shortly after we left port, it was mostly inoperable for awhile. It seems to be stronger now, so I hope that holds 🤞

We didn’t attend any of the live music, but here’s some screen shots of some of today’s musical entertainment that was listed in the app:

First lunch at Luminae was delightful. We had Riesling and a peach bourbon cocktail for our drinks. The cocktail was mine and it was a delightful start to the trip. For starters, I went with the English pea soup and my table mate had the prawn ceviche. The soups had a really nice smoky flavor and the ham in it was delicious. I could have had just a bowl of that for lunch and have been very happy For our mains we had the lobster roll (me) and the NY steak. The lobster roll wasn’t like the traditional lobster roll that I’m used to; more of a seafood salad. It was tasty, though, and the French fries were exactly what fries should be: crispy, salty, and hot. For dessert, I just continued to enjoy my drink, but my table mate tried the dark chocolate and dulce de leche and it must have been good, since it all disappeared. We have dinner at Murano tonight, so will need to walk around the ship some to work up an appetite before then

Just heard that there are around 2,200 guests expected, so our sailing is ~60% full

Cruise day is finally here! 🎉 Our shoreside concierge had told us we could come as early as 10:30, so since we were up and going already, we grabbed an Uber at got to port around 10:45ish. It looks like we’re the only cruise ship in port right now, so the Uber situation was super easy. They drove us right up to the entrance at pier 93, where there was already a line formed for general boarding and a pop up sign for “priority boarding.” As soon as we walked up to the priory sign, someone greeted us and confirmed our names. She said we looked just like our picture and showed us the few pages of printouts she had with pics of the upper suite guests. I only glanced briefly, but think it was the pics we had uploaded to the app when we initially checked in. she quickly walked us through the checkin process. We took all our bags up the escalators, showed someone our passports, confirmed our health questionnaire and went through a tsa style security (bag belt and metal detector machine). Interestingly, we kept our large “checked-bag size” bags with us through the whole process. I wasn’t sure if my giant sized suitcase would fit through the machine, but it just barely did; it was a tight squeeze. At this point, the person who had accompanied us so far handed us off to Celebrity ship staff and they showed us to a nice waiting room with snacks and drinks (both cold and hot options). I didn’t see anyone else with large luggage, so guessing others may have sent theirs with a porter? I actually liked that we kept our bags with us clear until we got to the suite, that way I didn’t have any anxiety about our bags not arriving. I just barely had time to drink a cup of tea when they announced that anyone who was ready could come aboard (around 11ish). The suite guests snaked out in a line, kind of like a class of grade school kids on a field trip, and made our way into the ship. We had to show our Xpress Pass twice before boarding. One of the Celebrity staff escorted the two of us to our PH stateroom, where there was a bar set up and a bottle of champagne. The bar had the wrong alcohols and the bed setup isn’t correct, but we’ll just let the butler know when we meet him. After dropping our bags (and writing this), we’re off to explore the ship and find some lunch

Thankfully all our airline bagged made it, so the most stressful part of the trip is done for me 😅 Smart people who came in the night before would use the time to relax and start getting into vacation unwinding mode. We, however, went a different direction. Since we are already in So Cal and since Disneyland is open until midnight tonight, we decided to spend some time at the happiest place on earth before we board the ship tomorrow

After all the planning, packing, and dreaming, travel day is finally here! 🎉 When my alarm went off early this morning, my first though was “What sort of masochistic idiot books travel that requires getting up early on New Year’s day?” Then I remembered, oh wait - that was me 🥴 When I cruise I take meclizine (for motion sickness) every night before bed, so I went ahead and started it last night, which probably contributed to this morning’s drowsiness. On the bright side, while I usually have trouble sleeping in the car, this morning I napped very well most of the way to the airport. We got to PDX airport plenty early and lucked out on almost no line for security. I’m trying something different this flight and am using an Alaska Airlines Electric Bag Tag for the first time. I was a little nervous handing over my bag. I really hope the tag works 🤞 I’m living on the edge and not taking any extra clothes carryon, so if my bag doesn’t show, I may have a shopping trip in my near future 😬 I have an Alaska lounge membership (useful with all my work travel), so now we’re just killing time in the lounge enjoying hot tea (and trying to avoid any people who might be under the weather) until our flight is ready to board. We filled out our health questionnaire yesterday on the app and have our cruise bag tags printed and ready to attach tomorrow morning, so we should be in good shape. I thought I read somewhere that you could actually start the safety briefing on the app before you even board the ship? I’ll check tomorrow morning to see if that’s an option

Looking at the online pics of the PH suite, it looks like they have a lovely bathtub in the master bath. Does anyone know if bubble bath (or even ok smelling liquid body wash) is provided? Or should I bring some of my own along?

This is a great idea. Usually I’m not a fan of room service breakfast because (in smaller rooms) I feel like I’m eating in my bedroom, which I don’t care for. Since we have the dedicated dining room space, in suite breakfast might be a nice change of pace, letting us have a more leisurely morning before we get ready for the day

Thanks so much! I definitely appreciate the examples. Love the idea of an afternoon tea. We tend to eat dinner closer to 7 or 8, so an afternoon snack is usually welcome

Does anyone know what the power/outlet situation is in the penthouse suite on the Solstice? On past cruises, I’ve usually taken adaptors for European outlets and non-surge protector extension cords. Not sure if I’ll need that this time around? There’s only 2 of us and guessing we’ll only need about 4 US-outlets (charging phones, using hair straightener, etc.). I’m guessing/hoping that such a large room has at least a few outlets?

Good tip; thanks! I don’t see that one on the online menu in the app, so didn’t know that was an option. My favorite drink in Vegas is the Raspberry Lemondrop at the Cosmo, so I think this would be right up my alley

Ooh - it looks like they already have the “Uptown Boys” on the schedule for our second night, so will plan to check them out. I’m not seeing things scheduled in the Solatice theater for the other nights yet, so will wait to see what options we end up with

I love when they prepare things right in front of you. It always seem to taste even better when you see the work that goes into it. For example, my favorite guacamole is the table side guacamole from Boudros in San Antonio. I’m not sure if it really does taste that much better than other guacs (although it might) or if I’m just influenced by watching them adding in the fresh citrus juice and other ingredients

I was just looking at the martini bar menu and saw so many yummy sounding options. I’m going to have to prioritize since it’s a shorter cruise. Thinking I might start with the candied apple martini, since that looks scrumptious 🍸🍎

We’re excited about it. We’re fairly low maintenance though, so most looking forward to all the extra room and the plunge pool on the deck. I think I saw something about PJs in a different thread? Did you get PJs on your cruise when you were in the penthouse?

I pulled up the Murano menu on the Celebrity app and that goat cheese soufflé does look amazing 🤤 I didn’t see any deserts listed on the app, other than the cheese plate, so good to know there are other options. Thanks for all the advice! Looking at all these food options is making me hungry; I should probably get some brunch going. I’m definitely looking forward to someone else doing the cooking for a week!

We’re just a few days out from boarding our ship and, as long as the internet cooperates, I’ll share our experiences as we go along. This will be our first cruise with Celebrity. Most of my past cruises have been with HAL or with Viking River Cruises, so I’m looking forward to trying out a new line. Initially, I was offered a free inside stateroom through MGM in Vegas and when we booked, we paid extra to upgrade to a veranda room. After several other canceled vacations in Q3/Q4 (due to conflicting work travel), we decided to upfare to a sky suite, since this is turning out to be the one big vacation for the last half of the year. We had also put in several move-up offers and to our surprise and delight, on 12/21 we were notified that our offer for the Penthouse Suite had been accepted 🎉 So now, our first experience with Celebrity is going to be in an amazing room. Our very helpful shoreside concierge contacted us on 12/27 wanting to know all our preferences. Since we’re new to the Celebrity Suite Life, we weren’t even sure what we should be asking for. In the end, we provided her with our in room alcohol choices and asked for specialty dinning on three of the nights, so that we could try Murano, Tuscan Grill, and LPC. We thought the Luminae menu looked decent, so want to dine there at least two nights and we figure we’ll catch Sushi on 5 for a lunch or two. Our first night dinner is at Murano. For those of you who’ve been: any recommendations on the must tries? I think I remember someone talking about the lobster on a different thread? I’m guessing it’s just the a la carte menu that’s complimentary for upper suites and that the Five Senses would be an additional charge? Any activities that you would consider not-to-be-missed on the first day? Our daily schedule is starting to be built out on the app and I’m seeing all kinds of fun sounding trivia options through the cruise. On HAL, trivia was always one of our favorite activities, so hoping it’ll be entertaining on Celebrity too. I’ll also want to check out the casino (there’s a reason MGM offered me a free inside room 😉). Do I need to wait until we’re out in international waters for the casino to open? If so, it might be a post-dinner activity. How are the evening shows on Celebrity? We always skipped them on HAL, but can make time for them in this trip, if they’re worthwhile? We finished taking down all our Christmas decorations, so now I need to switch gears and start packing for the cruise. Looking forward to it!