Our review of Solstice (1/9-1/16) - Eastern trip

[vanguardgator]

We just returned from the January 9-16 Solstice Eastern trip and had a marvelous time. I am so grateful for all the reviews I read during the research and planning of our trip :), so will do my best recount our vacation in the event it may help others. Overall, the two of us were extremely impressed with our cruise experience from the beautiful ship itself to the service to the food and more. A little background: This was my 4th cruise (2nd on Celebrity) and my boyfriend's first cruise. We splurged and stayed in a corner aft Sky Suite for the extra room space and larger wrap balcony and thought the room was incredible. We ended up eating in all 4 specialty restaurants at least once. I had the premium beverage package, while my boyfriend chose to pay as he went since he only has a drink a day.

Day 1 - Embarkation. We drove into Ft. Lauderdale Saturday night and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dania Beach for the night in part because this hotel will let cruise guests leave their car at the hotel during the duration of the cruise and provide a shuttle to the port. We took the 10:00 a.m. shuttle and were at the port in minutes, but it did take a bit of time to drop guests off at the other cruise stops...so we arrived at Celebrity by about 10:45. Boarding began a little after 11:00 and we were on the ship in no time. We ventured to the Oceanview cafe first to see the lunch buffet, which had a large array of choices and stations. I added the premium beverage package at this time, which was easy to do. After lunch we ventured to the shore excursion desk since we had not pre-booked any. We chose the Old San Juan walking tour and the St. Maarten Captain Morgan's sailing adventure (more on those below).

Our next stop was Murano to make a reservation for our St. Thomas day since we knew we were not going ashore. Murano was the only specialty restaurant to have a line outside the door. We got a reservation for the day we wanted, but our preferred time slot was already booked, so if you know you want to eat at Murano...I would recommend booking as early as you can. I then went to Guest Relations to ask if it was possible to get a bridge tour during the cruise. I was told that the Captain was not going to have any during this particular cruise, but the gentleman took my name and room number down in case things changed (good news: they did and we got a call a few days later that we were invited to a bridge tour...more below). With our "business" out of the way we chilled out in a lounge until they announced our cabins were ready (1:00).

We had an aft corner sky suite (9299), and it was amazing. It felt really big, loved the window and the balcony, which let in tons of light. HUGE bathroom with a full sized tub. Large closet with plenty of shelves. Plenty of drawer space. There was a fruit bowl and champagne bottle on ice waiting for us. Full sofa plus two lounge chairs. The wrap balcony was the real selling point of the room for us. Our butler was nice and we do not have any real complaints per se, we just did not have a lot of "need" for him, so I would not pay more for a room with a butler, but would pay more for that larger balcony and room space.

We then went to check out the ship and explore before returning to our cabin again to get ready for dinner. We chose Select Dining, and would do so again. We used the main dining room the first two nights and arrived at different times both nights (no reservations), but were seated immediately at a two top table. After dinner we saw the drink seminar at the Molecular Bar with Ricardo. Loved it and the drinks he made, which were fantastic and so original. Consequently, we visited the Molecular Bar for a bit every night of the trip :), and I was really happy I had the Premium Beverage package so I could really try a lot of his drinks.

We saw the later show where the cruise director, Ian, was introduced. We thought Ian was quick and witty, and seemed to have assembled a good team throughout the ship from Trivia to dance lessons, etc. We thought the on stage performances were well done - good singing and dancing (a little cheesy at times), but overall no complaints. The acapella group, Metro Station, was a notch above the rest and we also thought the comedian, Louis Johnson, was hysterical.

Day 2- Sea Day Highlights of this day for us included the Grand Brunch Buffet in the Main Dining Room that replaced the Midnight Buffet concept. It is worth getting there when the doors open to take pictures of the fruit/vegetable carvings, ice sculptures, bread sculptures, displays, etc. before lots of people dive in. Later we went to a food demo in the grand foyer where all the specialty restaurants and the molecular bar set up cooking demos and then let you sample food. We immediately left that event to go make reservations at Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest, which we had not planned to do, but we wanted to taste more of their food during the trip after the demos. Throughout the trip we enjoyed the grassy area on the top deck. I thought it sounded a little random from the boards, but it actually is kind of neat and the views up there are great. One night we attended a "Concert under the Stars" event there where we sat on picnic blankets on the lawn and listened to a stringed quartet...it was one of our favorite memories from the trip. That night it was fun to see everyone dressed up for Formal Night, and I felt like most people left their formal wear on throughout the night and did not rush to their rooms to get casual again. In fact, we only noticed people wearing jeans three times on this particular cruise. People seemed to have fun getting dressed up.

One of our "lowlights" occurred on this day, which was a little disappointing and one criticism we had of this cruise. We were excited to attend a "Behind the Podium" lecture by an apparent expert on the subject of San Juan, Puerto Rico (our port destination the next day). Perhaps we happened to get the one "off" speaker and that on other cruises, the lecturers are better lecturers and more knowledgeable. First, he kept calling San Juan the name of the next port, St. Thomas, which was forgivable the first several times, but soon became annoying as the lecture went on. Secondly, he pretty much read straight from a power point presentation word for word. There was not additional information or experiences or history of San Juan added beyond the power point bullets. Instead, he kept diverting to other cruises he had taken or other cruise lines and locations like the Baltic Sea, etc. That may be fun to hear about another time, but not when we were supposed to be learning about San Juan. A quick scan of the room revealed two things: people getting up and walking out at different points during the lecture or people nodding off asleep. We waited until its conclusion to leave, but heard several people say they were walking directly to Guest Relations to express their disappointment. This event was really one of the only negatives of the cruise for us, so certainly not a big deal in the grand scheme of things....just something we think Celebrity should look at more closely when screening potential lecturers.

Day 3 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - I did the Galley Tour in the morning (which was a scheduled event) and thought it was great...fascinating to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the food operations. After lunch we went to the theater at our designated time to catch up with our shore excursion group and disembark. We chose the Old San Juan walking tour (which included a bus ride to the fort). It was a good way to see some of the old city and get our bearings. After the tour we walked around on our own until it was time to go back to the ship. On this evening we chose to dine in Blu, which we were allowed to do with our Sky Suite category. Great service, great food and we liked the size of the more intimate setting a lot better than the main dining room. We also went to the concert under the stars, which was awesome. It was not a very well-attended event (probably b/c we were still in port), but it was just breath-taking to sit on a blanket with all the lights of San Juan surrounding us under a beautiful starry night with the stringed quartet playing and enjoying a glass of wine on a picnic blanket on the grass. Again, for us...we loved this experience.

Day 4 - St. Thomas. We previously decide not to get off the ship at this port and just hang out. We explored areas of the ship, went to trivia, lounged by the pool deck and relaxed. Tonight was our dinner in Murano. The service in Murano was hands down the best on the ship with the addition of the table-side preparations and number of attendants to each table. My boyfriend thought this was also the best meal he ate on board and his #1 on food. (Surprisingly, I ranked it #3 in food b/c the items I ordered did not ring for me the way my later meals in Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest did). It was no problem at all to order whatever you wanted including 2 entrees, etc. It was definitely a special meal in a beautiful setting.

Day 5 - St. Maarten - We had signed up for the morning session of Captain Morgan's sailing adventure, but somehow got bumped to the afternoon session when our tickets arrived in the room on the first day. I was a little nervous about the later session since it was supposed to get back only an hour before departure, but glad I booked through Celebrity since they claim they will not leave port if a group is not back. Still, I did not want to test the theory. Apparently, this excursion is also jointly booked with RC- Allure of the Seas which was docked right next to us (HUGE). The captain - Serge - greeted us at the dock and said there had been a mess up with the Allure's excursion groups and so what is usually a group of 25 on the sailboat would only be 6 for our outing. Serge and his 2nd in command were French and sailed us to the French part of the island. He warned us that the sea was extremely rough, which was "not good for us, but fun for him." We put down anchor near a beach and could snorkel, drink rum punch, etc. Serge prepared lunch on the boat on a charcoal grill. The journey from the dock to the beach was about an hour (with the wind). So our return journey back was against the wind, which had picked up considerably and needless to say it was a nail biter as to whether we were going to make it back in time or not. We ultimately arrived right at the designated time for departure, but had to hustle.

We had our Silk Harvest reservations for this night and they did not disappoint. I was determined to have a Solstice Roll (sushi) after tasting a sample in the Tuesday demo. It was one of the best sushi rolls I have had. When we got back to our stateroom we had a message that we had been invited to the bridge tour in the morning.

Day 6 - Sea. The day began with the Bridge Tour, which was really fun and very interesting. We talked to the captain, he took individual pictures with people and even let us sit in his "captain's chair." He referenced the engine room a few times and someone said, "how do we see that?" He said, "do you want a tour?" and instructed the officer who brought the group in to take down our names for an engine tour (we had a voice message later that night inviting us to an engine room tour the next day). We also went to the Captain's Club party that afternoon (I have the lowest tier level from my one prior Celebrity cruise) which was worth going to- complimentary drinks, food, entertainment and the captain and all the officers mingling about. If you have been on even one celebrity cruise before, then you are eligible for "captain's club" and since it is free to join, it is worth doing. Another dinner in Blue, which was great again. On this day we did the Wine tasting Appreciation 101 class ($10) in the main dining room with about 100+ other people. It was fantastic due to the wonderful head sommelier - Celler Master of the ship. It was incredibly informative and well-done. I only wished it had been offered earlier in the cruise b/c it would have been fun to put our knowledge to use earlier as we ordered wines. The Newlywed/Not so Newlywed event was a stitch. I am sure it depends a lot of the couples chosen, but we got lucky with one of the older couples on stage who were hilarious and had hysterical banter with Ian, the cruise director, who was the announcer/asked questions.

Day 7 - Sea. Engine room tour (very cool, but bridge tour was better if you only had the chance to do one)...you stand in a small control room during the tour...you do not actually go see any engines, etc. Went to see the Iron Chef battle, which was fun. We pretty much relaxed, listened to music around the ship, etc the last day. We did finally see the Hot Glass Show, which was very interesting. Dinner in Tuscan Grille. We could only get a 6:00 p.m. reservation when they open, which turned out to be great b/c we got the best table window. Another wonderful meal and excellent service. Packed up, saw the last show and called it a night.

Disembarkation- We were in group 2 to disembark which meant we had to be in the Theater at 7:55. The process went a lot easier than I expected and we were in a cab by 8:30 back to the Hilton Garden Inn to pick up our car (we did not want to wait on the shuttle).

Overall, a sensational trip. Celebrity really impressed us on service and food. The ship was spotless. I saw people polishing rails, disinfecting door handles and elevator buttons, cleaning bathrooms all hours of the day. The food and beverage (wine) demos were a real hit for us. We thought the sommeliers were very knowledgeable and never pushy. We did find that some of the regular bartenders did not seem to always know the ingredients for advertised drinks. I would say on at least 4+ occasions I would go to a bar (Passport, Oceanview, Pool, Sunset Bars) and look at the trifold or provided specialty drink folder and choose something only to find the bartender would forget ingredients or read off the drink folder for guidance and was clueless on amounts intended. In contrast the Molecular bar/Martini bar...the bartenders there knew their specialty drinks that were advertised. Also, I would do the Premium beverage plan again for the freedom it afforded me in trying drinks I would never have otherwise "paid" for separately. It was also fun to try some of the liquers in Michael's Club that I would not otherwise buy.

One note for sports buffs: The BCS Championship and the NFL playoff games were shown in the Casino as well as Celebrity Central (a smaller theater).

One note for "germ" buffs (I am one): there is hand cleanser gel everywhere. You can not walk into a dining area without being offered hand cleanser gel. It is in front of the theater, every restaurant venue, guest services, etc. It was another small, but comforting extra we were happy to see.

 

I would book Celebrity again in a heartbeat, especially a Solstice level ship (and an aft Sky Suite, if budget provided for the space and larger balcony). I hope this may help someone planning a trip on the Solstice, which is a gorgeous ship.

Best regards. :)

[Mrs_Tiki]

Thanks for the great review! Makes us look even more forward to our cruise on the Solstice in March ~

[illusion]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Sounds like you had an awesome time which we intend to do starting Feb 6th. Can't wait.

 

Thanks again

[blondie1746]

We were also on this cruise. And we had a fantastic time. We were a family of 7, and had 4 Aquaclass rooms. I was skeptical about eating in Blu every night. Heard good and so-so reviews. Also, I thought I wanted to eat in the MDR a few times. But, Blu was by far the best part of being in Aquaclass. I loved the intimate setting, great service and amazing food. Nothing that I ate disappointed me. I even tried things I had never tried before. And, yes, they will bring you shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, even though it was never on the menu. We did eat in Murano's one night. The food was very good, but really not above what I ate in Blu. The biggest difference being the way you are served each course, and the setting. Having done this type of restaurant on 2 Celebrity cruises now, I would probably pass it up next cruise. But I think it is something everyone should try once. My DH and brother-in-law ate at Tuscan Grille. DH said it was a nice venue, best steak he has ever had, but service was just the usual. Nothing special. And we felt special every night in Blu. I really can't say enough good things about Blu. I would pay the extra money for Aquaclass just for that alone.

 

Bistro-on-Five is a great place to start your cruise. $5 charge, but totally worth it. Many of us tried the "Cowboy" crepe and loved it. And went back and had it again another day. We did not try Silk Harvest. But we did go to the "Grand Brunch" in the MDR, which is always good. We never got around to trying the Aquaspa Cafe, but we did frequent the buffet for a late breakfast or late-night pizza!

 

Our Aquaclass balcony room was nice. Our bed was by the balcony. We had 4 rooms, so I saw how it was both ways, bed near bathroom or bed near balcony. Didn't think I would have a preference, but I did like the bed by the balcony because it put the vanity near the bathroom. I was always going back and forth from bathroom to vanity while getting ready. The bed by the bathroom allows more room to get into the closet, but I didn't find it to be a problem. Our balcony was normal size, but adequate. Especially nice to open all 3 dividers between our balconies. Sort of like having 1 big balcony and it made it easy to chat with each other while coming into port, having cocktails, early morning coffee, etc.

 

I read many reviews leading up to this cruise. So many negative things about embarkation and disembarkation. Unfriendly staff, so-so food, etc. And I don't know where those people are coming from. We enjoyed every aspect of this cruise. Entertainment was mostly good. Metro Park (a capella group) was good and developed quite a following on the ship. We are looking ahead to our next cruise, and it will be tough to beat this one.

[VikingRob]

Thanks for the review, it just makes me miss the Solstice so much, We were on the trip before yours! Ricardo is the best! We had some great times at the Molecular Bar! Kim

[vanguardgator]

I knew "Metro Station" did not sound right....Thanks blondie1746...Metro Park is the correct name of that great a capella group!

[jackdiamond]

Blondie, I totally agree with your observations, since they essentially mirror our experiences on the ten night Equinox Christmas cruise. We will sail her again in April, and then, at least twice, in 2012. As far as we are concerned, Blu is an outstanding eating venue both for dinner and breakfast after a bloody mary in Michael's Club.

[Jazzbo]

Loved reading your review! We were on the same cruise and had very different experiences, but also had a great cruise. We also loved Molecular Bar, but we ended up there when Roland, the roving substitute bartender was there. We really enjoyed him and enjoyed the drinks!

 

You were on our Roll Call, but I don't think we met up. Did you register for the Cruise Connections get together? Some people did, but didn't get their invitation, so just wondering.

 

It was a great cruise -- so glad you thought so, too.

[Aruba76]

Thank you for the great review! It helped me relive our wonderful experience when we were on the Solstice in November. Can't wait to do it again!

[OuiOnboard]

Glad that you had a truly excellent Solstice Experience! Also very glad that you posted such a complete and well written review. Thanks much.

I want to try a Premium Beverage Package, especially for the special beers and malt whiskies I hear will be available in Michaels Club on Silhouette.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[vanguardgator]

You were on our Roll Call, but I don't think we met up. Did you register for the Cruise Connections get together? Some people did, but didn't get their invitation, so just wondering.

 

 

Hi there. Yes, I registered for the Cruise Connections get together, but did not receive an invitation. So sorry we missed meeting up with everyone. We will have to do so on our next Celebrity cruise, which I hope is soon :) :)(wishful thinking).