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We finally had our first bad meal. Breakfast was inedible unfortunately, the Gruyère cheese in the French omelette went bad. Service was also not great, they didn’t notice I couldn’t eat my plate and I never got my pineapple juice. Not a day ruined or anything but too bad after a couple excellent MDR breakfasts. We had lunch in the MDR because the cheese sticks were back on the menu. There’s only 5 different lunch menus so we are back to repeating. Lunch went as expected. Looking forward tonight to dinner at Tuscan. Weather has been varied today, still warm and light seas but cloudy on and off. I am expecting things to turn cool one of these days as we get further south. Still have not received our passports back yet but guest services said tomorrow. We did get our Equator Crossing certificates which were nice with the names printed and everything. Sent out a bag of laundry today so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve also booked a massage for Friday so filling up those last sea days. I’ve also found hockey on tv, the sport 24 live channel has it which is nice but not showing my team which is a bummer. It’s been a pretty quiet day on the ship overall.

Pretty sure we are getting a server from New Zealand as the ads have been from there for a few days.

I do think the particular ship matters. Each is run just a little bit differently. For example the Silhouette seems to have better food options. I’ve noticed the buffet different on each ship. Little quirks like that.

With out final port day in Raiatea the real adventure now begins as we are off to New Zealand. I enjoy the islands just fine but seeing another part of the world is the real draw of this itinerary for me. We will arrive after 4 more sea days plus a lost day to the international date line. Today we went on the Celebrity excursion called East Coast Highlights. There were three short stops but was mostly 3+ hours on the bus. The scenery was lovely and the bus was comfortable but there’s a reason why we don’t do many tour excursions. The guide didn’t speak English too well so commentary was limited. He tried his best and was a pleasant fellow but for those that enjoy lengthy tour commentary this wasn’t the tour for it. The stops were nice at a pearl farm, an overlook (was supposed to be the beach but this was fine instead) and a marae. We walked the town upon our return buying a few drinks and a cake at the patisserie which was much better than what’s on the ship. Tonight at the MDR my favorite Schnitzel was offered. The menu did not match the app tonight and I’ve noticed they have really shuffled around the menus for the back half of this cruise. The double cheeseburger appeared in the app and DH has vowed to give it a go if it’s offered. We have Tuscan Grill tomorrow night and after that we’ll see how much we end up going back to the MDR. If y’all have read this far on the thread, thank you!

Ascent easily and St Kitts is the best port on that list.

Yes they did come on the ship and had a 5 p.m. show at the pool, therefore they were able to leave the ship before we departed. Therefore I didn’t see the show, I didn’t want to sit by the pool.

Thanks for the suggestions. I just thought Powerade was available like vitamin water is. We do have a few Mio squirt bottles but they’ll probably run out. We’ll figure it some alternatives then.

Forgot to mentioned we skipped the MDR last night, DH didn’t feel like it. He was more in the mood tonight so we went early and then watched the sail away on the front deck, was very cool. Little wind and light we saw the stars very clearly including the Milky Way. He liked the Turkey Parmesan and we both liked the butternut squash soup. Funny thing at dinner waiter asking if the dining experience would be 10/10 and I said I noticed menus had changed and he was very apologetic, said he went on vacation and came back and everything had changed. Then we walked out after the meal and some sort of supervisor intercepted us and apologized for the menus explaining covid made them change everything but they are slowly adding back the items they removed (I don’t really buy that, this 17 night cruise required them to use some axed dishes so that they could fill out a menu for that many nights and the appetizers are still non existent but sure if that’s what they think is happening). Just thought I’d share, I didn’t even really make a complaint and they seem to be very sensitive to the issue at least.

Since folks are reading this thread, do the ships carry Powerade or is that something they got rid of? I don’t want to have to make a thread to ask this question. After a week of eating on the ship it’s been fine but nothing memorable.

Can someone help me out, I don’t want to dig through threads to find it. Is Powerade offered on the ship, and if so where (such as which bar). I could have sworn it was one of the premium soft drinks you could buy. DH needs some electrolyte beverage and the Mios we brought aren’t doing the trick. I basically can’t spend any time in direct sunlight so my excursion options are limited and I will not be going on any safaris. I was already asked in the shops if I’d been swimming and no, that’s just how my body reacts to the sun. We walked the marina area in Papeete today and had a nice lunch overlooking the ship. The hull needs to be painted you can notice pretty good from distance.

If there’s only one show sometimes it’s at 8 p.m.

Moorea today was lovely. We just walked up the road some, very beautiful scenery. Cloudy in the morning which is burning off. Surprising decent enough shopping at the pier. I got a pearl bracelet. They were accepting USD in a 1/100 ratio, which I think was fair. Tenders were quick and easy, we sat on the top deck for the return trip. Whales were out in the bay in the morning. Ship is nice and quiet with so many in port, the pool is near deserted. Sat at the Mast Bar and had an after lunch drink and a nice chat with bartender Ronan. This is the view from our balcony, will make for some nice afternoon seating.

Yes they are in both but I believe dining packages are only available on the website. Look around all holidays and I’m sure Black Friday will have one.

Imo it’s not flip flops, nobody cares what shoes someone is wearing. It really just depends what you both are comfortable with.

Currently onboard Solstice I have not seen any offer for specialty dining discounts. The random flash sales often had some good deals on dining packages, I’d probably just look for that.

Sorry, don’t have any pics from it. We did not have a great spot and I’m short, there wasn’t much that I was able to see. We were supposed to get some equator certificates but haven’t yet. After our fifth sea day we are ready for some land tomorrow. I was surprised we weren’t offered to pick up tender tickets today but we’ll just wait and go ashore ourselves tomorrow anyway. We don’t have much planned and I know there isn’t a ton at Moorea. It will be nice just to get some scenery. Dinner in the MDR has been acceptable with some different options I know they axed from most menus. With 17 nights they have to pull all the options out and there might even be some repeats near the end. We had the turkey dinner last night, I enjoyed it but DH said it was dry. We had the chicken Chiquita tonight and both liked it. So far the best meal I’ve probably had was Indian lunch on the buffet, now that was outstanding, Some other thoughts and observations. There’s still little entertainment options. There have been a couple production shows but I was expecting some other options. No comedians, no Hawaiian or Polynesian dance (I’m not counting the cruise passengers’ performance as one). I’ve looked ahead to the end of the cruise and there’s one comedian and a violinist scheduled we might like to see. We are not a typical need to see something at night couple anyway but those that love ship entertainment are probably disappointed. There have been several beyond the podium talks in the day time. We went to one about sea mammals and was enjoyable, several people we’ve talked so said they are loving them so that’s good. While walking outside on deck 5 by the lifeboats this evening near the front on the starboard side we saw a bunch of broken safety glass on the ground and even on the railing. DH went inside and told someone, it’s like a whole pane of glass fell from somewhere. Kind of strange, ship is still moving so can’t be too bad. Cabin location is very good except for the constant noise I believe is from the elevator cables. It’s very very annoying. We are on the hump right behind the elevator bank by the card room. Little foot traffic noise though. Also the paint is flaking off on the ceiling of our balcony, several large sheets have fallen off today. And a few drawers are broken in the room. I’m not trying to be nit picky but the Solstice needs a little work at this point. We also frequented the spa today. DH got a shave that he enjoyed. I got a manicure that was good but a bit painful after getting aggressive with the cuticle nippers. I asked for just a polish change on my toes and they were able to fit it in which I was thankful, it’s funny they charged $29 in the salon when I paid and said the price list says $19 and they said that just what the system charges. So I went out to the main spa front desk and they fixed it, was kind of weird. I also stopped by the inch of gold to get a new bracelet as the gold plating had worn off and they actually replaced for free without my asking. That’s all for now, will check in later from Tahiti.

On longer cruises they have to bring back axed dishes in order to fill out menus for the full sailing. So a typical 7 night cruise won’t have those kind of choices.

That was my experience, after stepping on the ship we were told we should go to the muster first. It wasn’t a demand or anything but they asked us to do it.

It’s been nice, warm and humid. The second sea day when were were at about 10 degrees north we crossed through some weather and it rained briefly and was cloudy in the morning. Otherwise fairly calm seas and good weather, today very few clouds. We crossed the equator last night on sea day 3 at 10pm. The captain blew the horn about 4x and then this afternoon after lunch the Neptune Ceremony is at the pool deck. Murano was a lovely dinner last night, as expected. I had the lobster and crepes for dessert. DH had the duck. No complaints and the service was good. We got a little extra chocolate cake for our anniversary. We will check out Tuscan Grill in about a week. We had to go hand in our passports today in preparation for our arrival in French Polynesia on Saturday. I don’t love parting with it but we don’t have much choice and I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks for following along! Don’t have much to report on these sea days. We’ll be back in the MDR for lunch and dinner. We’ve had a couple coffees and teas at Al Bacio, which we enjoy in the mornings.

No I’m not but I can try to keep an eye out for that. We only have the classic beverage package so I could see what we could get on our package. Dinner in the OVC last night was pretty standard buffet. Not my favorite type of meal but no complaints. Most of the stations were open, just a couple on the sides weren’t. Looked like a full offering. The ice cream station wasn’t at like 6:30pm which was odd but I think something might have happened to the cooler, it was fixed for lunch today. Another great breakfast in the MDR and lunch I think was Indian day in the OVC with an expanded offering which was fantastic. Enjoying another relaxing sea day.

I’ve been looking at the fall TA, it looks to me $500 cheaper all included rate for veranda.

Checking in to say MDR lunch was lovely, enjoyed every bit of it today. Had the beef/chicken skewers, pork loin and chocolate mousse. Will hit the OVC for dinner. Haven’t noticed anything with temps, overall pleasant. Nothing overly air conditioned or hot. If anything maybe gets a little warm in the observation lounge and conference room (deck 14) but otherwise haven’t noticed much.

Greetings from another lovely sea day. It’s a bit cloudy today but still warm, humid and it is clearing a bit. Glad to hear the safe issue was resolved! I agree the ship doesn’t feel very crowded which is nice. There’s definitely a very quiet and relaxing vibe onboard. The only time I’ve seen much of a line is for the Effy charm giveaway 😆. It’s fun to collect them though but I can’t believe the line. Anyway, mixed thoughts on the food over the last 24 hours. Breakfast yesterday in OVC was good as usual and I always enjoy the omelette station. Lunch was good too, we favor the mozzarella sticks. Dinner was a bit disappointing. It was nice to have one of the non-typical menus so beef carpaccio appetizer was a welcome sight and was tasty. French onion soup was pretty typically good. The chicken saltimbocca was tough, I prefer chicken on the dry side anyway and never had tough chicken before. The mini mash was present and some medeterranian veg at least. DH had the standard chicken and he was happy with it. Apple tart for dessert was kind of lackluster too, so I’d give the dinner a 50% success. Also we arrived at 6:30 for anytime dining because I wanted to watch the sunset. Had to wait maybe 10 minutes for a table which was fine but the service was definitely a lot slower than we are used to closer to opening time when we usually arrive. I think we will skip Chic night in the MDR tonight, I don’t care much for the menu and we will be doing our own Chic night tomorrow in Murano for our 20th anniversary. The good news is we had breakfast in the MDR this morning and was fantastic, probably one of the best seated breakfasts I’ve had. Great fast service and we enjoyed everything. I had the French omelette and DH had a create your own. So we are hopeful for a good MDR lunch. Other than that not much to report, just doing a lot of relaxing early on for this cruise.

We bought the premium upgrade at $2.99 per day. The lowest I’ve seen it outright I think was $15.99 per day during a flash sale.

One other thing I’ve noticed is that the date on our sea pass cards is for the day we debark the cruise. Is this an error or something they’ve changed recently? The cards work fine but don’t want it to be an issue getting back in port.