TR Solstice March 25-April 1st Impressions

[macruisefan]

Just off Celebrity Solstice 7 Days Eastern out of Ft. Lauderdale. I thought I would share a few observations:

 

The Ship: Hands down, the most beautiful ship I have been on (you can see my history in my sig to know what I am comparing it to). The ship is in wonderful shape and in no way showing her age. Classy and inviting, not gaudy or stuffy. Also it rarely if ever felt busy. Sure, midday on a sea day, it was busy on the pool deck. But really that was it. They have developed wonderful spaces and created beautiful traffic flow.

 

Sky Suite 8345: my first experience with an aft cabin, and this was a fantastic corner aft suite. The room was very spacious (actually almost too much space, a lot of it never gets utilized), and the corner aft balcony was great. Two thoughts however: first, I wouldn’t want to be lower (Deck 7 or 6), as the superstructure juts out at Deck 5 (Tuscan Grill), and any lower and I sense it might have detracted a bit (maybe okay on Deck 7, but definitely would be different on deck 6). Second, there tends to be little to no shade on this deck (of course this will change with itineraries). And this made me use it a bit less, as I typically retire from the pool deck to my verandah when I want to get out of the sun. That being said, when I was out there it was WONDERFUL!

 

Also of not, the suite was VERY quiet. Additionally, I had little to no issue with the “soot” on the balcony. I would occasionally use a towel to wipe down the chair, especially if I was wearing something light in color. But I never found an appreciable amount of soot on the surfaces.

 

One mystery, for some reason, every day when they serviced the room in the morning, the attendant would take the two footrests and set them upside down on the table on the balcony. Not sure why, and never got to ask him.

 

The Butler: Good GRIEF!!!! I would pay MORE for a Sky Suite not to have “Bart” popping up all the time. I’m probably in the minority here, but the whole “cabin steward” thing is getting a little old to me already. I appreciate a job well done, and I will tip generously for it. But I’m not all that interested in having to make a “connection” and make small talk with the staff. And the butler was almost like a caricature of this. I have no earthly idea what useful service he is providing. But I couldn’t get him to leave me alone. Frequently in the afternoon, I would be reading in my room and he would come knocking

“Good afternoon! Would you like some tea or coffee?”.

“No thank you, I’m all set. I will probably also decline on the canapés and munchies this afternoon, but thank you”.

“Oh, do you want some fruit?”

“No thank you. I’m really quite content”.

“Perhaps some sandwiches?”

“Um, no- No thank you”.

“Oh, okay… Well, are you enjoying yourself today?”

(I think to myself) “I was, until I had to stop what I was doing, get up and stand in the doorway!”

(What I actually say) “Yes, thank you”.

“And what are your plans this evening?” “And how are your mother and grandmother?” (I made the mistake of telling him I was traveling with them this trip, and he asked EVERY DAY, even though he never once saw them.).

And this would go on, and on, and on…..

It sounds like a great idea, but to me, it was a pointless intrusion. Maybe I’m low maintenance.

 

Dining: Since I was traveling in a small party (just three of us), and one was my grandmother, who while a great sport, is very hard of hearing, we opted for all specialty dining. As such, I cannot comment on the MDR, save on lunch (very mediocre). The specialty restaurants were quite nice. Murano is fantastic. I particularly lover the mushroom “cappuccino”, and the Veal Chop is one of the best I have had. Tuscan Grill was very good, but I thought it could have been better. Hard to put my finger on it, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Silk Harvest was excellent. I really enjoyed the variety of smaller dishes.

 

Ocean View Café: It is what it is…. Nothing special, but decent sustenance. I found it to be very clean with an attentive staff.

 

Bistro on Five: The BARGAIN of the ship. Can’t believe it’s only a $5 premium. Try this!

 

Premium Alcoholic Beverage Package: Did it, love it, would ABSOLUTELY do it again. I can’t believe more cruise lines aren’t offering this. It’s such a nice way to cruise, never having to sign all those silly little slips. Just order what you want and go.

 

Martini Bar: Great place to meet for drinks before dinner. I tried a number of Martinis, but still preferred my boring old Bombay Sapphire extra dry with a twist (yum!).

 

Molecular Bar: This place was a blast! But I again sing the praises of the Premium Alcoholic Beverage Package. Not sure I would have been shelling out $10 a pop for those concoctions, but when it cost no more, it was super fun to try several of them.

 

Lawn Club: Really cool spot. Having said that, I never played Bocce, never putted around. But I sure liked looking at the grass at night while enjoying a drink and a cigar!

 

Hot Glass Show: Sounds cool, never saw it. Nothing I’m interested in going out of my way to see. Definitely would have been more interested in the Lawn Club Grill. I don’t want to poopoo something I didn’t see. But they failed to draw my interest up there enough for me to try it, so that says something.

 

CREATING RUMORS!!!! Speaking of the Hot Glass Show…. The little folded pocket maps they hand out had a little oddity. Not sure if this was a printing error, or an indicator of things to come. But the profile map of the ship, that shows all the decks stacked, and labels certain areas, listed “Lawn Club Grill” instead of “Hot Glass Show”. Hmmmm…..

 

The Ports:

San Juan: Arriving at 3PM, departing at 11PM? We stayed on board until 5PM, and then hit a nice place for dinner.

St. Thomas: Unfortunately, we docked at Crown Bay, not Havensight. I’ve done a lot in St. Thomas, but wasn’t real motivated to try and venture out. So, we had a nice relaxing day on the ship!

St. Maarten: Docking in Phillipsburg is a total buzz kill. The Dutch Side holds all the appeal of an industrial area near an airport. Got off, rented a car, and headed over to Grand Case on the French Side for lunch. If you go to St. Maarten and only see the Dutch side, you’re missing out.

 

Conclusion:

LOVED THE SHIP. I will definitely sail on a Solstice class again. Can’t wait!

Highs: The ship, the crew (except that butler!!!), the bars and drinks, Murano and The Molecular Bar, and the Solarium.

Lows: Bart the Butler!

I have a lot of other thoughts and impressions, but I can’t think of them right now. Feel free to fire off any questions!

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[barbarapga]

In my early teaching days...just before dismissal..the children put their chairs seat down, legs up on their desks. This way the custodian could sweep the floor more quickly. Maybe that's why the footrests were placed that way.

[FrankinPA]

"But I’m not all that interested in having to make a “connection” and make small talk with the staff."

 

Think this sums up your thoughts about a butler pretty well. Next time, assuming you have a suite, just tell the butler this on day one and that you just want to be left alone. That way, you are both happier. We had a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign that we put out when we wanted privacy. Suppose you did not have one.

 

Sorry you did not see the glass show. One of the most interesting shows I have ever seen on a ship. Some of our friends went just about every day as each show was different. Their pieces sold for $700 to $800 at the end of the cruise when they had the auction for charities.