Thoughts about our 4th of July cruise on the Solstice

[kelmac]

mac,

Thanks for posting. :)

 

Texed,

 

Good to hear you had a wonderful cruise in the Baltic! See ya on the Eclipse next spring!:)

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[kelmac]

Kelmac, I really really want to have your life one day. Retired early, playing golf, going on 4 or 5 cruises a year AND know how to hit a golf ball a gizzzillion miles ~ Dang. Thanks for all the info on Solstice, we are with Ira (Rlgbrg) in 2 weeks.

 

Texed, how are Waffles in Northern Europe? Did they have an Orange "kick" from the Netherlands?

 

Tiki

 

Hi Tiki,

 

I always knew this "working" thing was over-rated! I tell Lauren that she has to keep working, as she is my hedge against inflation;) (Reason #63 why it's wonderful to marry a younger woman:).) She is only going to work eight more years and then we can get some of those "off season" rates.

 

As always, enjoy!

Kel

Edited July 16, 2010 by kelmac

[Goya_Essence]

Well written and detailed, you have provided a great review.

 

With thanks,

Meredith

 

Part 2

 

The whole Blu experience was wonderful and proves that small amounts of high quality cuisine are appealing to many of us. The staff was friendly and provided on the spot superior service. We arrived every evening at 6:00 (we like to eat early) and were seated a table for two next to the huge ocean view windows. The venue is spectacular, and the cuisine is yummy! The menu is a bit limited in some areas (like only one cold soup and one warm soup), but it is inventive and well prepared. rating 9.8

 

We ate one evening in the Tuscan Grille and one evening in Muranos. Both restaurants exceeded our expectations and seemed to be getting better with age. Celebrity has always had the best alternative restaurants at sea! Yes, the service in Muranos is not as stuffy and formal as it used to be, but I kind of like that. rating 9.8

 

On the first formal evening, we dined at the Captain’s Table with the first officer Evangelos Salliaris and another officer Nicola Guida. These guys were the best, and it made for our best Captain’s Table experience (I know, it’s not fair this was our eight visit, and I have my own theories on that -- another thread). I might also point out, these guys can sure pick some premium wines! The main dining room food was great, and I noticed an old familiar Celebrity menu item -- the return of the “potato balls in the potato basket”. Super evening with the traditional group photo and a rose for the ladies. rating 10.0

 

We ate at Bistro on Five for lunch four times -- my wife had Nutella Crepes every time! We both love this place! A great alternative to the buffet. Speaking of the Ocean View Cafe, we did make it up there a couple of times (breakfast only) for waffles, blueberries and whipped cream. On our last at sea day, we made a visit to the Aqua Spa cafe for a great light snack. With varying degrees of success we tried to limit our food intake this cruise; never an easy task on a Celebrity ship. I think I only gained four or five pounds this cruise. Yes, that is an improvement over past cruises. rating 9.6

 

Entertainment seemed to be just fine, we only made it to few things. After 35 cruises, we don’t make it to the shows very often. Good music all over the ship. The CD Paul Baya is very talented and seems to be one of the best.

 

Below is some rapid fire observations about our 4th of July cruise:

 

--we did some of our best snorkeling at Eden Rock in Grand Cayman and off the dock at Maya Key in Roatan. Johnny is the snorkel guide at Maya Key, and he will lead you through the reef for some spectacular viewing. So many of the reefs are stressed in the Caribbean, but in Roatan, it is healthy!

 

--Barry Williams (Greg Brady -- the Brady Bunch) seems to be a nice guy, we ran into him and his son a couple times around the ship.

 

--Captain Yannis Berdos kept his noon announcements short and sweet. Ouuuut !

 

--If you want to be spoiled at a beach break, head over to Maya Chan at Costa Maya.

Nachi Cocum is pretty good in Cozumel as well.

 

--Wow, is the Solstice hydrodynamic or what? On the last at sea day, the seas were so calm that the ship left almost no wake. Very impressive!

 

--Nice to see those little anti-chair hog cards placed on the lounge chairs in the Aqua spa pool area. PS -- they don’t work very well.

 

--Interesting thing -- I think many people believe that the dress policy only applies to the main dining room. On the last formal evening in Muranos, half the guys were in tuxes and the other half didn’t even wear a jacket or a tie. They let three guys in with jeans and untucked shirts. Most women were dressed nicely.

 

--Man, they make some great ice cream!

 

--503 kids on board; really didn’t notice them -- no problems!

 

--Watched a guy challenge the Casino staff about a pay out. Pit boss reviewed the video, and the guy was given the $100 they shorted him. Interesting.

 

--At 2:30 on embarkation day it rained about three inches in 20 minutes. That was the strongest rain storm I have witnessed, ever!!!

 

--TV service was pretty good, and the flat screens are great.

 

--I have a Master’s Degree in science, and I still can’t figure out the light switches in the cabin.

 

--disembarkation went fine, until you reached immigration. Not pretty, and why were they holding all those folks in the back rooms?

 

--okay, you are right -- that TP holder in the bathroom is annoying.

 

--the lift boat drill without the life vests is a great idea!

 

--I just got a follow up call from Celebrity concerning my cruise survey; nice touch.

 

--Nice to meet everyone at our Cruise Critic gathering! Host Andy pushed the issue about new ships and maybe two new ships after the fifth Solstice class ship??

 

 

Okay, my review is turning into a stream of consciousness. If you have any questions, let me know, and I will get back with you.

 

As always -- Enjoy!

Kel

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi Kelly, I enjoyed your review. Of course I know that you are a huge Celebrity fan ;) but occaisionally wonder over to HAL :D We will be doing our first Celebrity cruise on the Solstice in just 8 weeks. ( A little bit of the consideration to do this was because of your comments on the HAL Board) I take it you rate the Solstice above any of the HAL ships? How about the speciality restaurants compared to the Pinnacle? If you were to chose just one which would it be Murano or Tuscan Grille?

Would you consider the Aqua Class to be way better than Concierge Class? I chose Concierge Class because Tom does not go to the Spa at all and for our sailing the price difference was over $200 PP so figured I could just pay for a week pass for myself for the week in the Spa.

Maybe I missed something some where but was Barry Williams entertaining on the ship or just a passenger with his family?

 

Thanks:)

[dawnster1014]

Barry was just a guest with his 7 yr. old son Brandon. When Solstice found out he had booked the cruise two weeks before we sailed, they invited him to be a part of the "entertainment". I asked Christina, one of the cruise director's staff and she told me that before his Thursday night show. He did a few performances/presentations/q & a sessions. It was fun to see him on stage and then run into him on the ship as another passenger. He even spent time playing tag with his son in the family pool one afternoon.

[kelmac]

Hi Kelly, I enjoyed your review. Of course I know that you are a huge Celebrity fan ;) but occaisionally wonder over to HAL :D We will be doing our first Celebrity cruise on the Solstice in just 8 weeks. ( A little bit of the consideration to do this was because of your comments on the HAL Board) I take it you rate the Solstice above any of the HAL ships? How about the speciality restaurants compared to the Pinnacle? If you were to chose just one which would it be Murano or Tuscan Grille?

Would you consider the Aqua Class to be way better than Concierge Class? I chose Concierge Class because Tom does not go to the Spa at all and for our sailing the price difference was over $200 PP so figured I could just pay for a week pass for myself for the week in the Spa.

Maybe I missed something some where but was Barry Williams entertaining on the ship or just a passenger with his family?

 

Thanks:)

 

Hi Lisa,

 

I know it took a lot of guts to let the people over on the HAL boards know you were ready to try a few different ships! Holland America is a great product, and as you know, Lauren and I use to alternate between HAL and Celebrity.

Both the Tuscan Grill and Murano's are a bit more upscale compared to the Pinnacle. You will find more extensive menus and just a "cut above" in food quality and service. Tuscan Grill is less formal, has larger portions and is open/bright/ with great sea views. Murano's is more formal, polished with a French flare. If you only do one, try Murano's.

For your first Celebrity cruise I would stick with C Class and eat in the main dining room. This will give you a better feel for the Celebrity brand. Aqua Class is great for a change of pace, but very different, even for Celebrity.

I don't want to build up your hopes that Celebrity is going to be head and shoulders better than HAL because some things are hard to top (i.e -- wrap around promenade deck, warm Asian service, top of the line beds and beddings...,)

I'm sure you will have a great time and don't become too occupied with comparing these two great lines!

I'm excited for you!! :)

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Edited July 17, 2010 by kelmac

[jandp]

Thanks for the wonderful review. We are cruising the same room tomorrow. We are in Disney world today. We will rent a car toget to fort lauderdale. We ar teachers from California. Looking forward to the cruise after 2 weeks in Disney. Thanks agan.

[keela1eva2]

Great review and it brought back so many fond memories of my BTB May 23rd - June 6th. I just love the Solstice class ships and yes we too were on the Senior Officers table with the HD Damien O'Connor. (Last year we were with the Chief Engineer.) We had a fun evening.

I have been looking at the brochures again BUT I am going to Australia for 8 weeks in November until January. I think that is going to take the place of my winter cruise.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Sue

[kelmac]

Thanks for the feedback from your cruise. We will be taking this one in October and am glad to hear about snorkeling in Roatan AND about Maya Chan which we have booked already.

 

Hi FC,

 

We were surprised at how wonderful the snorkeling is on Roatan. If you go to Maya Key (small Island right across from the cruise ship dock), they have a snorkeling dock. Johnny is the snorkel guide and he will show you around (works for tips). Once you learn the routes through the reef, you can venture out on your own. The reef was in such great shape, we even found sea anemones! We got there early and were the only snorkelers for about two hours.

Nice beach area -- costs $30:

 

http://www.mayakeyroatan.com/en/activities/snorkeling.html

 

Have a great cruise!

Kel:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Kelly, we loved Roatan when we were there in January but then we were up at Mahogany Bay on the Crown (which BTW was totally wonderful) .

I have a questions are there Water Taxi's that take you over the Maya Key or did you do this as an excursions thru the ship. Sorry if you already answered this :o

This looks like the perfect way to spend the day:)

[kelmac]

Kelly, we loved Roatan when we were there in January but then we were up at Mahogany Bay on the Crown (which BTW was totally wonderful) .

I have a questions are there Water Taxi's that take you over the Maya Key or did you do this as an excursions thru the ship. Sorry if you already answered this :o

This looks like the perfect way to spend the day:)

 

Hi Lisa,

 

We just booked it online; really just a reservation and you pay the day you arrive. When you exit the ship you will follow the pedestrian walkway until you see the "Maya Key" booth (first one on the right). They will escort you out of the port and down the street to their private shuttle craft. Takes about three minutes from their dock to Maya Key. The walk is about 300 yards total from the ship to their dock. Very clean and safe beach area! Celebrity docks at "Coxen Hole" which is a different dock compared to the one used by Carnival, HAL and Princess.

 

Check out their website:

 

http://www.mayakeyroatan.com/en/activities/snorkeling.html

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Woobstr112G]

PART 1

 

Hi Everyone! Lauren and I are just back from our Western Caribbean cruise on the Solstice. We had a wonderful time, and this cruise confirms my feelings that the Solstice class ships of Celebrity are the best ships at sea!

This is not a traditional review, but just some random thoughts about our experience:

The “Mac-O-Meter” is on where appropriate:

 

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale five days early and stayed at two different hotels in Hollywood, Fl. Both hotels we scored on Priceline (4 **** star) in the $60 per night range. The first was the Crowne Plaza Hollywood and the second was the Westin Diplomat Country Club and Spa. Both hotels were excellent, and we will continue to stay in Hollywood area when cruising out of Port Everglades. By the way, we stayed one night post-cruise at the Westin Diplomat. We were at the Country Club hotel, but shuttled over to the Westin Diplomat at the beach. Great day by the pool (I should mention that the Hooter’s Bikini Dream Girl contest was going on a few feet from my well-positioned lounge chair) rating 10.0 (for the hotel experiences)

 

About us: I’m a 60 year old retired Science Teacher working a couple of days a week in a golf shop. Lauren is a 40 year old AP English Teacher. We travel eight to ten weeks during the year (mostly during summer break). We live in a Condo with no children, no pets and nothing to prevent us from leaving at a moment’s notice! We’ve cruised 35 times together and 15 with Celebrity. Our motto -- “a trip of a life time every three months”.

 

We arrived at Pier 18 a little later than usual -- about 12:30. Embarkation was a breeze, with no lines and pleasant staff. Onboard in about 15 minutes, and our cabin was ready. We have learned that rooms generally aren’t available until 1 pm, so we decided to hang out at the hotel rather than begin stuffing ourselves in the OceanView. Our new tradition is to head over to Bistro on Five for some great crepes, soups and desserts. rating 9.8

 

We were in Cabin 1556. This was our first experience with Aqua Class, and I must say we were impressed. Cabin was wonderful, with bottled water, fruit, flowers, champagne, and all those additional bennies that comes with the upgrade. Slippers, better robes, and fluffy towels. Lauren loved the little mesh bag that comes with all the upgraded shampoo, conditioner, lotions, lip balm. I love the Solstice cabins, and we’ve never have any of the storage issues which others complain about. Nice upgraded shower in the Aqua Class cabins with multi-jet thingie going on. The balcony was fine, although others might think the window washing equipment is a huge obstruction. Didn’t really bother us, however our sneaky bast#@d neighbors would smoke in their lounge chairs pushed up against their sliding glass door. I could never be 100% sure it was them, as they were very stealthy. It wasn’t the end of the world, but perhaps a lone negative in an otherwise perfect week. rating 9.6

 

Part 2

 

The whole Blu experience was wonderful and proves that small amounts of high quality cuisine are appealing to many of us. The staff was friendly and provided on the spot superior service. We arrived every evening at 6:00 (we like to eat early) and were seated a table for two next to the huge ocean view windows. The venue is spectacular, and the cuisine is yummy! The menu is a bit limited in some areas (like only one cold soup and one warm soup), but it is inventive and well prepared. rating 9.8

 

We ate one evening in the Tuscan Grille and one evening in Muranos. Both restaurants exceeded our expectations and seemed to be getting better with age. Celebrity has always had the best alternative restaurants at sea! Yes, the service in Muranos is not as stuffy and formal as it used to be, but I kind of like that. rating 9.8

 

On the first formal evening, we dined at the Captain’s Table with the first officer Evangelos Salliaris and another officer Nicola Guida. These guys were the best, and it made for our best Captain’s Table experience (I know, it’s not fair this was our eight visit, and I have my own theories on that -- another thread). I might also point out, these guys can sure pick some premium wines! The main dining room food was great, and I noticed an old familiar Celebrity menu item -- the return of the “potato balls in the potato basket”. Super evening with the traditional group photo and a rose for the ladies. rating 10.0

 

We ate at Bistro on Five for lunch four times -- my wife had Nutella Crepes every time! We both love this place! A great alternative to the buffet. Speaking of the Ocean View Cafe, we did make it up there a couple of times (breakfast only) for waffles, blueberries and whipped cream. On our last at sea day, we made a visit to the Aqua Spa cafe for a great light snack. With varying degrees of success we tried to limit our food intake this cruise; never an easy task on a Celebrity ship. I think I only gained four or five pounds this cruise. Yes, that is an improvement over past cruises. rating 9.6

 

Entertainment seemed to be just fine, we only made it to few things. After 35 cruises, we don’t make it to the shows very often. Good music all over the ship. The CD Paul Baya is very talented and seems to be one of the best.

 

Below is some rapid fire observations about our 4th of July cruise:

 

--we did some of our best snorkeling at Eden Rock in Grand Cayman and off the dock at Maya Key in Roatan. Johnny is the snorkel guide at Maya Key, and he will lead you through the reef for some spectacular viewing. So many of the reefs are stressed in the Caribbean, but in Roatan, it is healthy!

 

--Barry Williams (Greg Brady -- the Brady Bunch) seems to be a nice guy, we ran into him and his son a couple times around the ship.

 

--Captain Yannis Berdos kept his noon announcements short and sweet. Ouuuut !

 

--If you want to be spoiled at a beach break, head over to Maya Chan at Costa Maya.

Nachi Cocum is pretty good in Cozumel as well.

 

--Wow, is the Solstice hydrodynamic or what? On the last at sea day, the seas were so calm that the ship left almost no wake. Very impressive!

 

--Nice to see those little anti-chair hog cards placed on the lounge chairs in the Aqua spa pool area. PS -- they don’t work very well.

 

--Interesting thing -- I think many people believe that the dress policy only applies to the main dining room. On the last formal evening in Muranos, half the guys were in tuxes and the other half didn’t even wear a jacket or a tie. They let three guys in with jeans and untucked shirts. Most women were dressed nicely.

 

--Man, they make some great ice cream!

 

--503 kids on board; really didn’t notice them -- no problems!

 

--Watched a guy challenge the Casino staff about a pay out. Pit boss reviewed the video, and the guy was given the $100 they shorted him. Interesting.

 

--At 2:30 on embarkation day it rained about three inches in 20 minutes. That was the strongest rain storm I have witnessed, ever!!!

 

--TV service was pretty good, and the flat screens are great.

 

--I have a Master’s Degree in science, and I still can’t figure out the light switches in the cabin.

 

--disembarkation went fine, until you reached immigration. Not pretty, and why were they holding all those folks in the back rooms?

 

--okay, you are right -- that TP holder in the bathroom is annoying.

 

--the lift boat drill without the life vests is a great idea!

 

--I just got a follow up call from Celebrity concerning my cruise survey; nice touch.

 

--Nice to meet everyone at our Cruise Critic gathering! Host Andy pushed the issue about new ships and maybe two new ships after the fifth Solstice class ship??

 

 

Okay, my review is turning into a stream of consciousness. If you have any questions, let me know, and I will get back with you.

 

As always -- Enjoy!

Kel

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise. Thanks for posting your observations.....:):):)

 

Bob

[boxkite]

Hi FC,

 

We were surprised at how wonderful the snorkeling is on Roatan. If you go to Maya Key (small Island right across from the cruise ship dock), they have a snorkeling dock. Johnny is the snorkel guide and he will show you around (works for tips). Once you learn the routes through the reef, you can venture out on your own. The reef was in such great shape, we even found sea anemones! We got there early and were the only snorkelers for about two hours.

Nice beach area -- costs $30:

 

http://www.mayakeyroatan.com/en/activities/snorkeling.html

 

Have a great cruise!

Kel:)

 

Kel,

 

My two children and I agree with you about the great snorkeling at Maya Key. We did not get there until just after lunch and stayed until the last shuttle boat left the Island. We snorkeled both off the dock and off the beach itself.

 

When snorkeling off the beach, I had to be careful not to touch the coral because it was less than two feet from me. The water was clear, the coral in excellent shape, and the fish beautiful.

 

Can not wait to go again.

 

Steven

[kelmac]

Kel,

 

My two children and I agree with you about the great snorkeling at Maya Key. We did not get there until just after lunch and stayed until the last shuttle boat left the Island. We snorkeled both off the dock and off the beach itself.

 

When snorkeling off the beach, I had to be careful not to touch the coral because it was less than two feet from me. The water was clear, the coral in excellent shape, and the fish beautiful.

 

Can not wait to go again.

 

Steven

 

Steven,

 

Great snorkeling for all levels! We really loved going straight out from the dock through the reef and turning left along the "drop off". Wonderful and diverse sea life.

We would like to fly down and spend some time in Roatan.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[equusvilla]

Thank you for posting this review. We are going on the Solstice on the 08Aug - E. caribb. and this will be our very first cruise! It was difficult to decide which cruise line... what destinations.. for us since we are new..but after reading this and other reviews, I am confident that Celebrity will suit us to a T. We currently have a balcony room and I sent an e-mail requesting information about upgrading it to AQ as I know that would suit my dieting likes and dislikes better...but never heard anything back from them.. Oh well - we are so excited about the trip!

[bchbum4000]

Thanks Kelmac for a great review. We were on the May 30th sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. I agee with all that you said, even when it comes to the problem with the TP holder. We were in a S class cabin, with hump deck room. It was fabulous. My husband is a former Science teacher and he had a problem trying to figure out the Flat screen TV. Solistic is now our favorite ship of all. We are looking forward to sailing one of the new ships in the Solistic line in Europe 2011.

 

[actdir]

We were on the Millenium together 12/06.

I can't believe it's almost four years ago!

We are planning an April Equinox, hopefully in AQ.

Thanks for your detailed review.

Have a great time on the QM2. I had a group of residents on one of the first sailings and it was a very special experience. Fireworks at one of the ports and just a very classy way to cruise. I really liked the planetarium, their educational offerings and the music.

Have a great time.

Mil

[LadyAce51]

Kel, we are booked for 1556 on Solstice in Feb. and we're concerned by others comments on the window washing equipment. Can you talk more about that and how it affects the view? He about the overhang? Our booking agent mentioned neither! It also see,s the window washing equipment may move from cruise to cruise?

Thanks!

[kelmac]

Kel, we are booked for 1556 on Solstice in Feb. and we're concerned by others comments on the window washing equipment. Can you talk more about that and how it affects the view? He about the overhang? Our booking agent mentioned neither! It also see,s the window washing equipment may move from cruise to cruise?

Thanks!

 

Wow, LadyAce51,

 

Talk about a blast from the past -- this review is five years old. We've cruised 17 times since this one. :) Good thing I found a video from a person (thanks DannyS) that shows a very similar cabin:

 

 

From this thread see post #907:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=911018

 

Have a great cruise:

kel:)

[Patrick IL.]

--I have a Master’s Degree in science, and I still can’t figure out the light switches in the cabin.

 

 

This made me laugh, it always takes me half the cruise to figure out how those switches work! I've been on 4 of the S class ships, I never can remember :) Great review :)

[miched]

--I have a Master’s Degree in science, and I still can’t figure out the light switches in the cabin.

 

 

This made me laugh, it always takes me half the cruise to figure out how those switches work! I've been on 4 of the S class ships, I never can remember :) Great review :)

 

I am still looking for the one to turn on the balcony light on the S class. :D

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[kelmac]

Kel, we are booked for 1556 on Solstice in Feb. and we're concerned by others comments on the window washing equipment. Can you talk more about that and how it affects the view? He about the overhang? Our booking agent mentioned neither! It also see,s the window washing equipment may move from cruise to cruise?

Thanks!

 

LA51,

 

I forgot to point out that all cabins on this deck have very little direct sunlight because of the deck above.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)