A few questions about Solstice

[Bridge Maven]

When Solstice first entered service it was not sailing at full capacity during its break in period which made it easier to provide good service on a ship that does not feel crowded.

 

Now that Solstice is sailing at its full capacity..

 

Does it feel more crowded than an M class ship or is the space to passenger ratio adequate for its size?

 

Does its size present any problems when disembarking or returning to the ship at a port.

 

Is its demographic different than on M class ships - younger, more families, etc?

 

Is the quality of its food and service as good as an M class ship where it has less people to serve?

 

Based on various reviews it appears to be much prettier than an M class ship, which is enticing, but I am curious to know if the overall product is as good.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Longboysfan]

It did not feel as crowded when I went last November on full capacity.

 

About the same leve as a class M ship.

 

The only problem is you may have to walk furthur to the gangplank. Not much though.

 

Food quality was just as good. The over the top is the extra specialty resturants.

 

Overall it is the equal and trying to surpass every ship in the fleet.

[bardstowntraveller]

Our August cruise was booked to capacity. The only area that seemed at all crowded was the main pool area. We were on an Eastern Med cruise so this was a popular venue.

[txsloth]

It did not feel as crowded when I went last November on full capacity.

 

About the same leve as a class M ship.

 

The only problem is you may have to walk furthur to the gangplank. Not much though.

 

Food quality was just as good. The over the top is the extra specialty resturants.

 

Overall it is the equal and trying to surpass every ship in the fleet.

 

It was not full capacity in November. It's first revenue sailing was Nov. 23(ish) at roughly 70% capacity. It's 2nd revenue sailing (which I was on), was maybe at 80% capacity. Those numbers are rough approximations of what I was told by the head maitre d' during our sailing. It may have shown "Sold Out" if you tried to book it, but they intentionally left it at under capacity.

[FinelyCruising]

When we sailed in March it was 'full'. Its a comfortable ship and worth trying for all that it has to offer.

[nps001]

Does it feel more crowded than an M class ship or is the space to passenger ratio adequate for its size? Not at all. Solstice feels very spacious. The only crowded areas I found were the pool and buffet areas.

 

Does its size present any problems when disembarking or returning to the ship at a port. Not at all

 

Is its demographic different than on M class ships - younger, more families, etc? I definitely think its a younger crowd.

 

Is the quality of its food and service as good as an M class ship where it has less people to serve? As good or better, in my opinion, especially the buffet.

[hcat]

We sailed Solstice in Jan to the Carib & again in Sept to E medit...

 

It is not too big, we never felt too crowded or rushed. Service all around & food was excellent both times..no problems getting back on board in ports..

 

only thing that changed for the neg for us were the bands on board--the jazz group was too loud for the venues--need the soft type jazz group with a good singer... the accordian & violin duo were not our style & the party band was not the best (but the prior band was also not top level either! I think they really need to work on this aspect of entertainment-- esp in the caribbean they need a real reggae band, a great party band too & of course a Jimmy Buffet type guitar player! One exception was the acapella group Soul'd out--they were great!

[Karynanne]

I'm in agreement with everyone that has posted. Solstice has a very spacious feel. The public rooms are not only beautiful, but very "crowd friendly". And with additional dining venues, even the MDR didn't appear completely filled on any given evening.

[ZiggyKeys]

I'll add my 2 cents worth...

 

The ship never felt crowded on our cruise. Embark/debarkation was a breeze (at least in Civitavecchia), food was great, the one time we tendered the waiting was minimal.

 

No more "chow house" buffet lines since they have many serving islands, reducing the wait to almost nothing. We ate in Blu or the other specialty resturants so I cannot comment on the MDR.

 

We also believe the demo was a little younger than those on M class ships.

 

IMHO nobody should worry about the "large" passenger count on Solstice class ships. They handle the numbers very very well.

 

Ziggy

[Bridge Maven]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions. Your feedback was very helpful and we plan to book a cruise on Solstice or one of her sister ships.

[valandjerry]

You will not be in the least disappointed.

[Aquahound]

I know I'm just repeating what everyone else said, but I commented to my wife several times on our cruise that the ship was so well laid-out that no one area was ever crowded (in general). It was a mega-ship with a small ship feel.

 

There were only 2 exceptions. In Entertainment Court, following the shows, they often had some sort of entertainment, like an A' Capella group. This caused people to stop and watch, which caused a bottle neck. The way to avoid it is to go up one deck and walk past the shops.

 

The other exception was the buffet. Maybe I just went at peak times, but I thought they did not have enough tables.

[Ma Bell]

I agree with those who have posted. One thing that I don't care as much for is that there are not as many public spaces where you can see outside. It's a very lovely ship but feels a bit more like a hotel than the other classes do.