Solstice disappointments

[Hatteras51]

I was on the 11/7 sailing on Solstice. We thought that the staff and service was outstanding. The staff always smiled and spoke to us. Perhaps holiday sailings are more challenging for them. This might have something to do with your experience.

[CaroleLee]

I was on the 11/7 sailing on Solstice. We thought that the staff and service was outstanding. The staff always smiled and spoke to us. Perhaps holiday sailings are more challenging for them. This might have something to do with your experience.

 

Very interesting. Everyone seems to agree that Solstice is beautiful, food is wonderful but staffing morale is low and bar staff is especially noted. Does this have to do date of sailing ( holidays) or something else? Has staff ratio/pax been reduced? Thoughts?

 

Carole

[Bridge Maven]

Just a thought - why can't a person express their honest opinion about their experience on a cruise without being insulted for it? There are a number of people who stopped posting reviews on the Celebrity Board because of this ongoing problem. If the only people who post are Celebrity cheerleaders this venue will have no value to perspective cruisers.

[jackdiamond]

Just a thought - why can't a person express their honest opinion about their experience on a cruise without being insulted for it? There are a number of people who stopped posting reviews on the Celebrity Board because of this ongoing problem. If the only people who post are Celebrity cheerleaders this venue will have no value to perspective cruisers.

To which posts do you refer?

[Snorkel2Much]

Very interesting. Everyone seems to agree that Solstice is beautiful, food is wonderful but staffing morale is low and bar staff is especially noted. Does this have to do date of sailing ( holidays) or something else? Has staff ratio/pax been reduced? Thoughts?

 

Carole

I was on the 11/21 Solstice sailing and I thought staff morale seemed quite high, and it compared well to our June 2010 Solstice sailing.

I rarely went to the Buffet or Oceanview bar, but the bar servers I did frequent were polite and attentive. (I had a premium alcohol package which was a breeze to use). In June the only complaint I had was with a rude bar server in the Buffet bar, so I don't think the issues on that deck are new.

[jmcdon7230]

Just a thought - why can't a person express their honest opinion about their experience on a cruise without being insulted for it? There are a number of people who stopped posting reviews on the Celebrity Board because of this ongoing problem. If the only people who post are Celebrity cheerleaders this venue will have no value to perspective cruisers.

 

All the CC boards have this problem, some more than others. Carnival, RCCL and NCL cheerleaders are especially active.

[gregjm]

Just a thought - why can't a person express their honest opinion about their experience on a cruise without being insulted for it? There are a number of people who stopped posting reviews on the Celebrity Board because of this ongoing problem. If the only people who post are Celebrity cheerleaders this venue will have no value to perspective cruisers.

 

I agree. ALL opinions should be welcomed and ENCOURAGED.

[GrannyMouse]

The November 21 cruise on Solstice was our first with Celebrity. All I can say is that I sure hope I have the opportunity to sail on the Solstice again. It was by far the best of my past 7 cruises - one on Carnival, one on Princess, two on NCL and three on RCCL. I LOVED it!! The service, the food, the staff trying to please - I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed this cruise. The ship was beautiful. I absolutely loved everything about it.

[parrothead74]

I'm not big on the whole chit chat thing myself. I like when they remember your name (maybe i am just a big tipper, lol) but I'm not interested in detailing my life story to service staff.

[getagrip]

Wife and I just back from the 12/5 Solstice Sailing. Never once did any ship staff, officers included, walk by us and not say hello. Service everywhere was top-notch. This was only our 5th cruise (3 different lines), but it was the best one yet.

[noriboating]

Note: Re S class, most of the reviews on these boards are very positive.

[geoherb]

A friend sailed on the Solistice in early November. It was her first cruise, and she had a great time. I haven't had many pleasant experiences with Guest Relations. A sour attitude seems to come with the job.

[kim826]

Sailed on my first Celebrity cruise December 5th on the Solstice. We found the crew to be extremely helpful and friendly. Unfortunately there were a couple of negatives. My bedsheet had a 4" x 1" section ripped out of the top. The first morning I left it in plain sight for the cabin steward to see if the sheet would be replaced - it wasn't. I had a few issues with room service order replacements as well. Just minor things, but I had different expectations based on what I had been reading about Celebrity. Comparing it to my recent Eurodam cruise, it just didn't measure up.

[Boatsafloat2]

We were on the 12/5 Solstice sailing also and thought the service was great. Our room attendent was friendly and efficient. The wait staff in Blu, MDR, Bistro on 5 and the buffet met all our needs. I don't know how they could have been more helpful. We only had a few drinks at the bars but received excellent service. The officers always smiled when passing by and the guest relations staff were polite and helpful when we had questions. We were very pleased with the cruise and can't wait to sail Solstice again.

[smoosh21]

I was also on the 11/28 sailing. I didn't think that there was any issue with service. I think the bar staff was as attentive as ever.

I will say that this was my most 'mysterious' cabin steward ever. I think I only saw him 2 times on the whole trip. At least I think it was the person who was my cabin steward. Things got done, but I have always seen the stewards more noticeable in the past.

 

My biggest disappointment was the food. The quality was good, but the variety was lacking. There seemed to be more variety of offerings on my last cruise. Everything seemed to be standard French/European fare. I actually ordered off the standard menu several times, which I rarely do on a cruise.

[Northernmags]

I have been reading this thread with interest and some concern. We are booked to sail on the Equinox in April; our first time on Celebrity. Prior to this we have sailed on Princess and most recently exclusively on HAL. If I had to single out one thing that HAL excels at best (no easy feat) it would be customer service. Staff, waiters, stewards are all very pleasant and friendly. This just makes the entire experience so special. IF, there is a problem on Celebrity I do hope that the management staff who read CC will address this as friendly service makes such a difference.

[louwoz]

We were on the 11/21 sailing (Thanksgiving) and we were somewhat disappointed in the service...especially in the dining room. The sommelier looked insulted when we asked to look at the wine list and other people at the table were never offered drinks if they didn't order wine. One of our friends who likes to have coke with his meal only got it 2 out of 7 nights. The bartenders around the pool acted as though you were bothering them when you ordered a drink and didn't acknowledge your presence unless you forced them to make eye contact.

[jackdiamond]

I have been reading this thread with interest and some concern. We are booked to sail on the Equinox in April; our first time on Celebrity. Prior to this we have sailed on Princess and most recently exclusively on HAL. If I had to single out one thing that HAL excels at best (no easy feat) it would be customer service. Staff, waiters, stewards are all very pleasant and friendly. This just makes the entire experience so special. IF, there is a problem on Celebrity I do hope that the management staff who read CC will address this as friendly service makes such a difference.

We are leaving in the A.M., for the Christmas cruise on this ship; and, we will also sail her in April, 2011 and January and March of 2012. We always book AQ; and, we have been very pleased. Also, you might wish to consult the review section, wherein there exist a plethora of reviews, most of which are very positive.

[jspirit]

We are leaving in the A.M., for the Christmas cruise on this ship; and, we will also sail her in April, 2011 and January and March of 2012. We always book AQ; and, we have been very pleased. Also, you might wish to consult the review section, wherein there exist a plethora of reviews, most of which are very positive.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday cruise, JD!

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I too was on the 11/28 sailing and have some thoughts about the hit or miss service and staff attitudes.

 

1. There was a very large group on this cruise (approx 1100 passengers), which I was a part of. Many of the members of the group like to drink, and many had drink packages. I personally think that the bar staff were simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of drinks being consumed. Pool and Mast Bar during the day and Martini Bar/ Disco at night could never quite seem to have enough staff on-hand. Often they would even run out of many popular brands of liquor during the busiest times. As the week went on it seemed to get better, but the first few days were simply crazy at times - it could take upwards of 30 minutes to get a drink! I simply gave up on the Martini Bar and instead went to the Molecular Bar or Ensemble Lounge instead and found the service staff much less stressed and frazzled and far friendlier.

 

2. The ship did not have a happy, cohesive feel. I am not sure if there are a large number of staff at the end of contracts and are burnt out, or quite a few new staff, or a little of both, but something just seemed off in general. I several times saw senior staff having to basically "force" bar waiters to clean up dirty glasses/bottles, take orders when service staff had dissapeared, etc. This is in direct contrast to my September cruise on the Mercury. Even though that ship is leaving the fleet the staff was the best I have ever encountered, hands down, bar none, the best!

 

3. The staff seemed very thinly stretched. Compared to my previous sailing on the Solstice (12/14/08) there did not seem to be as many service staff. Perhaps X has reduced staffing on this ship due to the extreme discounting they had to do over the last year while she has been on 7-night Caribbean sailings. Our Sommelier in particular had an enormous station. I think he had 1/4 of the entire upper level of the Dining room - potentially upwards of 40 tables. That is insane!!!!!!!

 

Not all was bad - there are many excellent employees on this ship, especially those in the Specialty dining venues. They are simply amazing, they cannot do enough to provide you with an excellent dining experience! In some other areas I could find a shining star here or there, but not as many as I typically expect on Celebrity.

 

Something was definitly amiss on this sailing, and it may be a confluence of the above items or it could have been a one-off bad week, but there were enough positives that it did not "ruin" my cruise by any stretch. Hopefully X management reads these boards, looks at the comment cards and tries to even things out.

[jackdiamond]

Hope you have a wonderful holiday cruise, JD!

Thank you; and a Merry Christmas.

[DCguys]

I need to get around to posting a review of our Eclipse cruise last week, but we too had some service issues.

 

We had serious service problems in the MDR. Our first night was negative, but it's a new itinerary for them and still a new ship so we returned to the same table on the second night hoping for the best, but it took a serious turn for the worse. Our main server never came by once, our assistant server was somewhat friendly, but she made many mistakes (we got our neighbor's food, then something we didn't order came and we sent it back only for it to come back 10 min later, a plate was removed while someone still had a fork in their mouth). I was downright angry after two nights, because I'd chosen X based on the rave reviews on CC for the service and the food (also disappointing in the MDR). After boycotting the MDR for two more nights we made a complaint and I was more than satisfied with the way it was handled.

 

But, we also noticed a lack of smiles and stern attitude from staff around the ship (I hope this doesn't sound horrible, but the Eastern European staff were especially curt). Luckily, we had an incredible cabin steward and great service in the specialty restaurants.

 

We loved the look of the ship, our cabin, and enjoyed the itinerary, but we got off to a rocky start, which shocked and disappointed us. We would certainly travel X again and think Eclipse's staff will improve over time, but next time it's Aqua Class. Everyone we met who dined in Blu had positive things to say. I also am interested in trying another line(s) to see what they can offer on this front.

[Eliz]

We were on the 11/28 Solstice sailing and I have to agree with ScottAMiller's posting. It was our third time on the ship and I saw a definite decline of service in some areas. I really noticed the blase attitude of the Guest Relations staff...no smiles, hellos, etc. My husband noted how unfriendly and somewhat rude one of the bartendar's at an aft bar was. Fortunately we sailed in Aqua Class for the first time and had fabulous service in Blu and all the spa areas. Perhaps it was just an "off" week, but we are canceling our April sailing. We'll be back sometime...love the ship. We're also not up for the hassle of disembarkation at Pier 25. What a mess. Pier 18 was so much quicker and easier.

 

Elizabeth

[chamima]

I too was on the 11/28 sailing and have some thoughts about the hit or miss service and staff attitudes.

1. There was a very large group on this cruise (approx 1100 passengers), which I was a part of. Many of the members of the group like to drink, and many had drink packages. I personally think that the bar staff were simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of drinks being consumed. Pool and Mast Bar during the day and Martini Bar/ Disco at night could never quite seem to have enough staff on-hand. Often they would even run out of many popular brands of liquor during the busiest times. As the week went on it seemed to get better, but the first few days were simply crazy at times - it could take upwards of 30 minutes to get a drink! I simply gave up on the Martini Bar and instead went to the Molecular Bar or Ensemble Lounge instead and found the service staff much less stressed and frazzled and far friendlier.

 

2. The ship did not have a happy, cohesive feel. I am not sure if there are a large number of staff at the end of contracts and are burnt out, or quite a few new staff, or a little of both, but something just seemed off in general. I several times saw senior staff having to basically "force" bar waiters to clean up dirty glasses/bottles, take orders when service staff had dissapeared, etc. This is in direct contrast to my September cruise on the Mercury. Even though that ship is leaving the fleet the staff was the best I have ever encountered, hands down, bar none, the best!

 

3. The staff seemed very thinly stretched. Compared to my previous sailing on the Solstice (12/14/08) there did not seem to be as many service staff. Perhaps X has reduced staffing on this ship due to the extreme discounting they had to do over the last year while she has been on 7-night Caribbean sailings. Our Sommelier in particular had an enormous station. I think he had 1/4 of the entire upper level of the Dining room - potentially upwards of 40 tables. That is insane!!!!!!!

 

Not all was bad - there are many excellent employees on this ship, especially those in the Specialty dining venues. They are simply amazing, they cannot do enough to provide you with an excellent dining experience! In some other areas I could find a shining star here or there, but not as many as I typically expect on Celebrity.

 

Something was definitly amiss on this sailing, and it may be a confluence of the above items or it could have been a one-off bad week, but there were enough positives that it did not "ruin" my cruise by any stretch. Hopefully X management reads these boards, looks at the comment cards and tries to even things out.

 

We were on the 12/5 sailing of the Solstice and either a lot of the staff changed or scottamiller was correct about the size of the group and the amount of heavy drinkers overwhelming the staff.

Before our cruise I had read about the lack of drink servers by the pool so when someone came by every other minute I noticed it.

I actually commented to someone about how happy the whole staff seemed and how well everyone worked together!

My husband is a vegan and everyone, everywhere (even in the buffet!) bent over backwards to make sure he had flavorful food and different choices every day.

Our room steward (who was almost invisible but magically popped up every time we needed something) even knew our names and greeted us by name every day!

We are seasoned cruisers but this was our first Celebrity cruise and we were thrilled with almost everything. My ONLY complaint was that the sommelier in Blu pretended to be more knowledgeable about wine than she actually was. My husband collects fine wines and it was annoying to have her correct him when he asked about a vintage, etc. This was really minor, but, as I said , it was the only negative. (And the sommelier in Murano more than made up for her!!! )

I think large groups of any kind overwhelm the staff. Years ago we were on a cruise where a similarly large group of French people came onboard the second leg of our B2B and I could see how difficult it was for the staff (and us, actually!)

[AviGirl]

My husband and I were also on the 12/5 Solstice sailing. It, by far, was the best cruise vacation to date. Staff bent over backwards for you, they were kind, polite and everyone said hello. The ship was stunning and the food was divine. We were in AQ and ate in Blu. We don't have any complaints about our sailing - and we never got off the ship once.

 

I do agree with the others that staff may have been somewhat overwhelmed with the group the previous week. I spoke with a couple of people who had done a back to back who said they were somewhat overwhelmed with the group (who I'm sure were simply enjoying themselves but because it was such a large group, I guess it was more noticeable).

 

We look very forward to sailing on Solstice again!