Red-faced - touted Solstice to neighbor

[flahagan]

We did a 12-nt. Med cruise on the Solstice several years ago, and while we weren't overly thrilled with the food, we thought the service was wonderful. Loved our basic balcony cabin, thought the ship was lovely, and the service was terrific.

Fast forward to our neighbor who just completed an Alaskan cruise on the Solstice, returned today with less than stellar reviews.

She said the crew "just weren't happy", there was no courteous interaction, nobody ever tried to learn their names, the food was just OK, and some of the staff was just plain rude. They were in a concierge cabin, their first ever balcony, and she thought it was small compared to their insides on past RCCL and Carnival cruises! Not enough storage, she said.

She said she would never sail with Celebrity again. Has it changed so much in two years, or is she just exaggerating the experience and was she expecting too much?

[rjwadd]

We were on the Solstice two weeks ago and our experience couldn't have been better. We found the food excellent, the ship beautiful and the service exemplary.

 

Having said that, we all have different expectations so others might have the exact experience that we had and been disappointed.

 

But we loved every second of our cruise and, at this point, I wouldn't consider a cruise line others than Celebrity. If I could, I'd be back on the Solstice right now.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[C 2 C]

We were on the Solstice two weeks ago and our experience couldn't have been better. We found the food excellent, the ship beautiful and the service exemplary.

 

Having said that, we all have different expectations so others might have the exact experience that we had and been disappointed.

 

We disembarked on the 16th and our experience was closer to yours.

 

Solstice storage has never been to our liking but we definitely like the balcony cabins better on Solstice than on RCL's Oasis or Allure.

 

Inside cabins on Solstice are mostly larger than balcony cabins.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We sailed Solstice in May of 2013 and had an outside cabin on deck 3 and had a wonderful experience but we sailed again on May 8, 2014 and came away with a meh feeling. Maybe it is because the ship wasn't new to us or something. I did not care for our first balcony stateroom (1520) in Aquaclass. It was right under the gym (thud thud thud) and I did not like the bed being next to the closet doors. Storage wasn't very good. They moved us to another stateroom and in that one the sofa was when you enter and this was much better. The crew wasn't overly friendly on the ship and in Bistro on Five was rude. Celebrity is no longer # 1 with me. I didn't cancel our next cruise on Constellation because of the itinerary. I will be basing future cruises on itinerary and not specifically look for Celebrity first.

Edited June 7, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Old As Dirt Mom]

.......

Fast forward to our neighbor who just completed an Alaskan cruise on the Solstice, returned today with less than stellar reviews.

She said the crew "just weren't happy", there was no courteous interaction, nobody ever tried to learn their names, the food was just OK, and some of the staff was just plain rude...............

She said she would never sail with Celebrity again. Has it changed so much in two years, or is she just exaggerating the experience and was she expecting too much?

 

Everybody's experience is different. We just got off Solstice yesterday morning from Alaska, and we found the staff and crew throughout the ship to be courteous and helpful. We made an effort to initiate conversation by introducing ourselves to various crew and asking them about their homes and countries of origin. The crew come from some 70 countries around the world, and I found it fascinating to be surrounded by so many different cultural backgrounds.

 

The food varied from decent banquet-style food to gourmet, depending on the dining venue.

 

Again, this was only our experience. We are Celebrity "newbies", and I would certainly consider cruising again on this line.

[ghstudio]

You shouldn't be red faced....you made an honest recommendation based on your expectations and experience. Your friends had different expectations and everyone has different reactions to what goes on during their cruise. Yes, there have been changes in two years but not night and day. Their reaction is their reaction.

[sunshine nana]

We have been burned too, so we never recommend anything anymore-not restaurants, cruises or hotels. It was rude of them to complain to you.

[Cruise Raider]

You shouldn't be red faced....you made an honest recommendation based on your expectations and experience. Your friends had different expectations and everyone has different reactions to what goes on during their cruise. Yes, there have been changes in two years but not night and day. Their reaction is their reaction.

 

I recommend a lot of travel ideas to others -- especially when it comes to cruising. I oftentimes state my waiver....if you don't like it, not my fault. If you get sea sick or norovirus, not my fault, well, you see where this is going. I no longer feel responsible if others don't have a good time. It is, oftentimes, what you make of it. I recently sailed on the Century and while the ship is really long in the tooth, the service was so outstanding that we had a great time. The food was good, the entertainment, also good. The itinerary was the bomb!! So, while we could have just complained because of this or that, we chose to not do so as we really had a great time regardless of the lack of luster on the ship.

You really shouldn't feel bad as they maybe didn't look for those things that would have made their cruise special.

[flahagan]

Thanks for making me feel better. I'm really so hesitant to advise or recommend anything regarding travel - be it land-based or a cruise - as everyone's expectations are so different. I'm pretty much happy with anything as long as I'm traveling, usually go with the flow and love the cultural differences. I try to see the positive in everything, but I'm learning that not everyone has the same perspective.

I just feel so bad that my neighbors didn't "love" their trip, as they had looked forward to it for nearly a year. I was just questioning whether Celebrity has made changes that really do affect a cruise experience, or was it just my neighbor's expectations.

[Duanerice1]

Don't blame yourself. People make of it what they want. Even when things go wrong they have a choice.

 

I guess we are real lucky. Out of 15 cruises on Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival we've never had bad service. I mean we had folks that were not as good as others but not that they aren't trying. But, we don't care if they remember our names. Just be nice and give decent service and we are fine.

 

Again, don't feel bad.

Duane

[wvufan]

Sounds to me like your neighbors just aren't happy people period. I've read other reviews of that cruise and they are positive.

 

Alaska is our favorite destination of many cruises and I can't imagine not enjoying it.

 

Anyway, what really strikes me is their lack of graciousness in laying all those complaints on you. Surely they know you made your recommendations in good faith and with every expectation they would have a great cruise. If that turned out to not be the case, they certainly could have handled it much better. They could have thanked you for taking the time to give them what you thought were accurate recommendations. They could have mentioned a number of things that they liked about the cruise, and then commented that there were some things that detracted from the experience. They could have skipped telling you they would not sail Celebrity again. And so on.

 

It is evident that they made their report and comments to you without any regard for your feelings.

 

Upgrade your friends ;).

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[flahagan]

Oh, don't get me wrong, they weren't complaining TO me, they knew the ultimate choice was theirs and they aren't blaming me for anything.

It's more a difference of opinion. I think some things went wrong from the getgo, when they arrived in Seattle, and it just went downhill from there. I was just wondering if others shared their view of the Solstice and Celebrity in general. Their new favorite is RCCL, but I'm hearing they're suffering from cutbacks too.

But when you think of how grocery prices have skyrocketed in the past year, and yet cruise prices have remained relatively stable, there have to be changes somewhere.

[bphman]

If someone asks for my opinion, I give it to them. It is an opinion and not a law. Almost all businesses are cutting costs or raising the price of their product accordingly. Today's Celebrity is a far cry from that of the 90's before being taken over. Back then the food was truly spectacular. Now it is good and, if not, quickly swapped for something more to your liking. I have never had an issue with service being bad, however. They do still offer a good product. When you have a competitive product such as cruising, some do a better job of cutting costs. For the most part, I don't think you gat a better value than cruising.....in most instances. Perhaps your friends are not cruisers. That is not your fault.

[dread_pirate]

It's not unusual for people to have different experiences with travel. What I love may not be to your liking. There may be no "exaggeration" or "too high expectations"; just different likes and dislikes.

 

I know many people who love certain ships that I don't, for whatever reason. I like shows that others may not care for. Food particularly is subjective. I love to cruise; I know people who wouldn't go on a ship for love or money. I love Disney; others hate it.

 

That's life.

[Melissa at Mohair Meadows]

Even on a cruise things can go wrong. The trick is not letting it affect you.

Every cruise is too short. Anticipating and planning for months is part of the fun. Sure expectations are high -- but realistically some things won't go as planned. So enjoy what does and laugh about what doesn't.

[cub77cub]

We also just got off the Solstice to Alaska two weeks ago. We have sailed Disney, Carnival and RCCL. My hubby and I agree that Celebrity staff were the friendliest! Everyone we saw greeted us. We loved the cruise!! I can't think of one negative thing to say about this cruise!

[cb at sea]

Many times, if you "talk up" something, the person you are trying to convince will have a less than great time.....too high of expectations??? Who knows...but it's true!

 

Never try to "sell" anyone on anything....no matter what your intentions, it will not help those who you're trying to help.

[timbo89]

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

I sent my son and his wife on a cruise around the Med last year on the Equinox and they both said it was their greatest vacation ever....

 

My daughter and her friend went on a Caribbean cruise on the Reflection a few months ago and they hated it.

 

They have all been on cruises with my wife and I before.....

 

Now they have heated arguments as to whether a cruise is great or not......

 

Caveat...I paid for my son (his honeymoon), and my daughter paid for herself...

 

Each person's experience may differ..

[jgreenwo17]

We also just got off the Solstice to Alaska two weeks ago. We have sailed Disney, Carnival and RCCL. My hubby and I agree that Celebrity staff were the friendliest! Everyone we saw greeted us. We loved the cruise!! I can't think of one negative thing to say about this cruise!

 

I cruised on the Solstice from Hawaii to Vancouver in late April of this year.

Out of 8 cruises on various line, this was my favorite.

[CathyCruises]

Just to show you how experiences can differ, we really dislike having the bed by the balcony, I much prefer it to be by the bath. RebeccaLouiseagain says that she didn't like that cabin configuration at all. So do not blame yourself because people's tastes very widely.

[TeaBag]

I cruised on the Solstice from Hawaii to Vancouver in late April of this year.

Out of 8 cruises on various line, this was my favorite.

We were on this cruise also and had a great time. In fact, we thought the food in the MDR was much improved. Staff were very friendly and we had the best room stewards.

[fleckle]

We also took a Solstice Alaska cruise and found the ship to be attractive, in good condition, with fine food and service.

 

But we booked the cruise with realistic expectations, aware in advance of what we would be getting.

Much of one's opinion of a cruise will depend on one's expectations.

 

We were not disappointed because we knew in advance that the Solstice has the worst itinerary of the 3 Celebrity ships that do Alaska cruises.

 

Also, we were aware that the regular cabins on the S-class ships, although attractive in appearance, are poorly designed with inadequate storage.

 

We knew that the Solstice would be tendering in Juneau on our cruise.

Although we certainly would have preferred to dock there, we wanted to take the cruise anyway.

But many who were not aware of that fact in advance were quite upset about it, especially those who had previously cruised on the Millennium, which gets to dock in a prime berth location at Juneau.

 

The biggest disappointment for some passengers who had not checked out the Solstice's itinerary in advance was spending 2 and 1/2 days out of 7 cruising out at sea instead of cruising through the scenic lower Inside Passage.

 

Some of the passengers were not even aware of how much they were missing, happy to spend their time playing trivia or bingo or gambling in the casino.

But it is a significant loss of scenic cruising for those passengers who realize how much of the great scenery this Solstice itinerary bypasses.

 

The contrast was especially noticeable for those of us who have previously (or since) been lucky enough to be on one of the ships leaving from Vancouver where the captain takes you up the scenic Grenville Channel on the northbound route.

 

There are always trade-offs in selecting any cruise, and people can have different priorities at different times.

We chose this Solstice cruise at this time because it offered advantages for us that outweighed the drawbacks.

 

Some pick the Solstice for Alaska because they love the ship, and some because they can get cheaper round-trip Seattle airfare than Vancouver airfare.

 

[Project_gal]

I think some things went wrong from the getgo, when they arrived in Seattle, and it just went downhill from there.

 

I think that this may have been the problem. Too often, when you read bad reviews of a cruise, it started with a bad experience at the start, often before the people have actually reached the ship. An individual's attitude is so important to whether or not they have a good experience. [Another major cause of dissatisfaction is the individual's expectations which may be coloured by their experience of another cruise line or their understanding of someone else's description of their cruise.] We are always conscious of this if we have a bad journey to a cruise and try to ensure that we have "got over it" before the cruise starts. A number of times, Celebrity has help in this when we have had bad flights or arrivals in another country. The welcome from a Celebrity who had waited for us and has our transport waiting has turned round many rep cruises for us before the cruise has started.

 

The other side of this is I really do not like recommending anything to others. At the end of surveys about a recent purchase/experience they always ask you to say whether you would recommend the purchase/experience to friends/family. I almost invariably say "no" despite an excellent review. It is just too much responsibility.

[Cindy]

Oh, don't get me wrong, they weren't complaining TO me, they knew the ultimate choice was theirs and they aren't blaming me for anything.

It's more a difference of opinion. I think some things went wrong from the getgo, when they arrived in Seattle, and it just went downhill from there. I was just wondering if others shared their view of the Solstice and Celebrity in general. Their new favorite is RCCL, but I'm hearing they're suffering from cutbacks too.

But when you think of how grocery prices have skyrocketed in the past year, and yet cruise prices have remained relatively stable, there have to be changes somewhere.

 

There are many, many variables in whether or not someone likes a cruise or ship. We just got off the Constellation on Monday -- we thought our first Celebrity cruise was fantastic! Almost everything about it was to our liking, and my group of four thought the staff was phenomenal. I can tell you from some behavior I witnessed not everybody felt the way we did, nor were they even civil about expressing their dissatisfaction.:( That's a huge pet peeve of mine -- why do some people think it's OK to act like a buffoon when communicating with cruise ship staff?:confused:

 

As for cutbacks, they're everywhere! I'm Diamond on Royal Caribbean, and there's just as much complaining about cutbacks as there is here!:rolleyes: As much as I don't like the price increases in specialty restaurants and for wine/drinks, I only need to look at my receipt from the grocery store on Wednesday when we got home to understand the need for price increases and cutbacks. Trying to find a formula that works to keep people cruising without driving them away with prices has to be a delicate balancing act right now.

[Pennstatedj]

A year ago we were on Soltice for the 6th time and our 56 cruise. It was the best we ever had. Everything went well. Our friends were with us they left the ship after the first cruise, we were on B2B, and went home. We got home and our neighbors saw us and said boy it is a shame your cruise was awful. That is what our friends said of the cruise. We immediately said how great it was. That experience taught us a lot. Never assume what you experience is what someone else experiences and sees things the same way. Especially on a cruise, hotel or restaurant like the other post said. We do not recommend to people anymore just say we enjoyed cruising and each line has its pluses and minuses.