BJW123

My husband and I were also on this sailing in cabin #1634, Aquaclass.  I upgraded since I felt sorry for myself and needed a treat.  🙂  We cancelled our Honolulu-Sydney Celebrity Equinox cruise earlier in the month due to my long Covid symptoms and this cruise was a consolation prize since we live locally didn't have to deal with airports.  Here are some random thoughts:

• The Solstice crew was one of the best parts of the cruise for me; always smiling, friendly, helpful and genuinely seemed to be glad to have us on board.  
• The ship itself was spotless and crew were in abundance, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  The decor is dated but it was fine.  The upholstery in the Encore lounge, for example, looked the most worn and threadbare, but we only passed through on our way to Blu and never hung out there.  
• We were invited to a Puerto Vallarta 'sail away' party with officers on the helipad.  One of them mentioned that there were 1,260 passengers on board (less than half capacity), with similar numbers in Nov/Dec, exc. during the holiday sailings.  We LOVED having fewer passengers on board, with what seemed to be full staffing.
• Aquaclass cabins are on deck 11 and there is a 'secret' stairway toward the bow from deck 11 up to 12, where the gym, spa, Persian Garden and pools are.  I used the gym 3-4 times and there were at most 8-10 people there at the same time.  I was thrilled with the Manduka yoga mats, which I'd expect to find on luxury lines, as they are pricey.  🙂
• I used the Persian Garden a few times (free for Aquaclass) and really enjoyed the steam room and heated tile loungers.  I also had a great 75 minute deep tissue massage with Kea, who gave me a 10 minute sample neck/shoulder massage on embarkation day, which convinced me to book it! (still in self-treating mode!)
• We dined in Blu most nights since there were fewer passengers and a more personal experience, I felt.  I ordered dishes from the MDR menu many times since the Blu menu was limited.  I enjoyed the food and rated it a B to B+, although my husband rated it a C+.  I  brought my own baggie of Malden smoked sea salt, which really elevated the steaks, especially.  
• We passed on the specialty restaurants with the exception of Sushi on 5 for lunch a few times.  My husband didn't care for his sushi, although my ramen was VERY good, which surprised me.  
• The only outlet in the room is at the desk, with no USB port, so I'm very glad I brought an adapter.  (Although it did look like there was an additional outlet-thing that was broken, so that may have been the USB.)
• The debarkation process on the ship at pier 46 was fine until we had to schlep to an area across from the ship to catch an Uber/taxi.  We waited for 1+ hour for our Lyft since my husband didn't want to pay $250 for a 45 mile ride home, so we waited until after the surge was over and was charged $65 instead.  Next time, we'll catch a ship transfer to SNA and Uber/Lyft home from there.
• For those who asked about carrying off luggage, see the photo of the disembarkation instructions under Self Assist and schedule.  We couldn't carry off because of the steep gangway and shuttle bus situation at makeshift pier 46. If you are disembarking at the regular terminals, I assume that carrying off your luggage is fine.
• While waiting, it would have been nice to have chairs, canopy, water, better restrooms and Celebrity staff to assist as I felt we were just dumped off the ship with no support services.  I had to lean on a security person to use a chair from the tent area (for embarking passengers later in the day) for my elderly husband. There were 5 port-a-potties to serve hundreds of passengers and security staff, and they were overflowing, smelly and obviously hadn't been serviced recently.  A very sad ending to a wonderful cruise.  😞

On 6/13/2022 at 12:39 PM, Flyonby said:

How our covid contingency plans worked out when actually put to the test.

 

1. We booked during what we assumed would be a lull in the covid numbers. Obviously that didn't happen as the US is in an Omnicron surge. Nothing that could have been done about this. Plan was solid, but can't control the path of the virus.

 

2. We booked adjoining balcony cabins. Booking a balcony cabin was a splurge from our normal ocean view cabin. Putting 3 people in 1 cabin was going to be almost as much as 2 separate cabins for 4, so getting 2 cabins was a no brainer. Our booking agent worked with us to get adjoining cabins knowing that we would put my daughter in the cabin with us and let my mother have her own space. 

 

This contingency plan turned out to be the most life saving. Opening the divider between the verandas made the space feel less confining. We were able to send my daughter from cabin to cabin when she needed a break. I would definitely book a balcony if quarantine was a possibility.

 

3. We did not book our excursions through Celebrity, but we did buy cancellation insurance. We notified the company as soon as we were quarantined that we needed to cancel. Despite this, we had the tour guides call us directly in 2 ports to see if we were going to show up. We are still working with the company to see what can be refunded.  Bottom line, probably should have booked through Celebrity based on the possibility of quarantine.

 

4. We had a covid prep bag packed. This had the aforementioned medicines, extra crafts and books for my daughter, and some books for the adults.  We were lucky to not need many of our meds. The medical office had some medicine available, but I like having my own selection, especially for my 5 yo. I did not pack enough books and crafts for my daughter. She is not a screen child, and her main entertainment is running around and playing and books. She is good about playing by herself, but this trip pushed her past that limit. 

 

Things that we did not plan for, but made the quarantine bearable. 

 

We carried on 8 bottles of wine, per the 2 bottles per person noted on the website. The screener tried to protest the amount, but my husband pointed out the policy. Not sure Celebrity planned on a 5 yo carrying on 2 bottles 🤪.  

 

Celebrity gave us each unlimited internet.  My husband had already purchased an unlimited package for himself, but having unlimited internet really helped us all.  

 

Being able to order food not just from the room service menu. Guessing what might be on the buffet and seeing what arrived was always interesting. Getting to order from the main dining room and not missing lobster night was great. 

 

Room service brought us free waters, afternoon cocktails, and often wine with dinner. Definitely a nice break from the sameness

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing your experience with lots of detailed tips - good to know as I just submitted final payment yesterday for an 18 day Honolulu/Sydney cruise in October with lots of sea days, so am concerned about Covid and want to be prepared.  Did the ship's medical team offer you paxlovid after you tested positive?  I asked my doc for an Rx we can bring on board, but currently it's available only if you're positive, although he said that may change by October.