solstice sydney to hawaii / just back

[nodandade]

well our cruise is now over, and we have arrived back home to reality.

we cruised from Sydney to Hawaii 3.4.15 on the beautiful solstice,so following are some of our findinds.

please note,this is how we found the cruise as 65 years old husband and wife.

 

embarkation in Sydney opt /a breeze

the ship / magnificent

the crew and staff / absolutely the best we have encounted on any cruise.

ports of call / fabulous/ bora bora the highlight

premium drinks package / well worth it

food at all venues magic / murano by far the best

the ship sails extremely well / very smooth even in rougher weather

aqua class /terrific, but only if you use ''all'' the facilities

disembarkation / another breeze

 

two things that were the best we have ever seen, one was the grand Epernay dining room, the other was the buffet set up

solstice lacks a little bit of quality when it comes to theatre entertainment, but nevertheless very good acts were onboard.

overall a magnificent cruise, and we would definitely cruise on the solstice again if she was going to where we wanted to go.

thank you to captain teremis for the safe rescue of the two stranded sailors half way between Tahiti and Hawaii.

and a big thank you to celebrity cruises for employing the best staff ,and I mean from room attendants to officers that we have ever had on a cruise.

now to save for our next holiday.

[gizmodog]

did you go to Sydney before the cruise? If so do you have suggestions on where to stay?

We are doing this exact cruise April 2016. Interested in any information you can give us.

 

What airline did you fly? in the planning stages now and am overwhelmed with what to do first. We have been to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora before and love those islands but Australia is new to us.

[cwtravel]

did you go to Sydney before the cruise? If so do you have suggestions on where to stay?

We are doing this exact cruise April 2016. Interested in any information you can give us.

 

What airline did you fly? in the planning stages now and am overwhelmed with what to do first. We have been to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora before and love those islands but Australia is new to us.

 

If you can stay, using either points or $$, stay at The Park Hyatt in Sydney. Great location, staff and hotel. My wife and I stayed @ the PH last March before our Solistice cruise & will definitely stay there again if I have enough Hyatt points before our next Solstice cruise. By the way we flew Qantas thru Dallas to Sydney in Premium Economy and was quite pleased with the flights. I'm not quite ready to shell out over $10,000 for my wife & I to fly business class so the PE worked out well. No way I would fly there in coach!

 

Thanks for the review, I am looking at either the October 2016 Sydney-Singapore or the 2017 Sydney-Hawaii.

[TeaBag]

Thank you for posting. We did the opposite of that cruise on the Mercury and we loved the sailing and your country. We are booked to do the same itinerary as yours next year on the Millennium.

[gizmodog]

thank you for that info, I am soaking all of this information up like a sponge. we too are looking at premium economy on Quantas as we cannot afford business class either, but wish we could. You found there was enough leg room in premium economy and were the seats configured two and two? Do the seats recline only as far as economy seats do? Thanks for the hotel info I do not have Hyatt points have Hilton but will definitely look into that hotel to see if it is affordable, how many days did you stay?

[cwtravel]

We were in Sydney 3 nights, which was not enough, then flew to Auckland and sailed back to Sydney before flying home. I thought about the Hilton, have plenty of Hilton Points but I am glad that we stayed at the PH. The Hilton is in a good location, right in the Central business district. Not a far walk to Circular Quay but you would need a cab to get to the ship. From the PH the ship is right out the door.

 

The Qantas PE product was great. Seats were comfortable, service was very good. I walked through coach a couple of times and it looked tight. We flew on the 747-400ER & had one of the two seats on the side with no seat in front of us so plenty of leg room. The seats and entertainment are the same as the A380 which is now used from Dallas and also LA. Also used Town Cars from the Sydney airport to hotel - in my opinion much better than taking the train after a 15+ hour flight.

[nodandade]

did you go to Sydney before the cruise? If so do you have suggestions on where to stay?

We are doing this exact cruise April 2016. Interested in any information you can give us.

 

What airline did you fly? in the planning stages now and am overwhelmed with what to do first. We have been to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora before and love those islands but Australia is new to us.

 

we are from Australia,so we went to Sydney the day before the cruise,we stayed in the ''metro Sydney central hotel'' / cnr pitt and Campbell st,you can google it. about a ten minute / $20.00ausd taxi ride right to the ships dock / opt Sydney.the hotel is not 5 star,but it is nice and clean and close to the markets and restaruants etc.we flew home from hawaiii, with Jetstar in their business class seats /not lay flat they do recline a long way but wide and comfortable around $1250.00 ausd per person to Brisbane ,same price to Sydney.

hope this helps

 

hope this helps

[nodandade]

did you go to Sydney before the cruise? If so do you have suggestions on where to stay?

We are doing this exact cruise April 2016. Interested in any information you can give us.

 

What airline did you fly? in the planning stages now and am overwhelmed with what to do first. We have been to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora before and love those islands but Australia is new to us.

 

a couple more things

if you are taking a taxi to the ship make sure you tell them a few times that it is the opt (overseas passenger terminal ) you want to go to as some taxi drivers are not exactly sure.

 

you will need some Australian dollars whilst in Sydney depending on what you want to do,all credit cards are excepted in Sydney but amex is not taken in some of the smaller shops.

check to see if you are in Sydney on good Friday etc as most shops will be closed.their is not duty free at the ships terminal (opt).

power boards / kettles,jugs/ irons ''WILL '' be confiscated and given back at the end of the cruise.

I advise not to take any of these on board as you will have to front up to the naughty room ,with another 200 people to open your bags take out the jug/iron etc fill out forms and wait until real late 6-8pm to get your bags.embarkation is a breeze.

 

hope this helps

[The_Big_M]

a couple more things

if you are taking a taxi to the ship make sure you tell them a few times that it is the opt (overseas passenger terminal ) you want to go to as some taxi drivers are not exactly sure.

 

Or just say/add "Circular Quay." You won't have any problems if you say that.

[Texed]

No Dan,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[nodandade]

Or just say/add "Circular Quay." You won't have any problems if you say that.

 

hello the big m

 

the reason I advised to tell the taxi driver to say the opt was there were two couples in our group and we had to get two cabs,(they couldn't supply a maxi taxi) we were taken to the opt and the other couple were taken to circular quay and having never been there before they got a bit cafuddled.

 

now I know theyare basically the same, but if you say the opt they will drop you right at the door,but if they drop you at the quay it is a 10minute walk to the ship, and if is raining one could get wet.

 

I understand your point and I agree, but for overseas folk I thought I would just try to make it easier.

[ellbon]

did you go to Sydney before the cruise? If so do you have suggestions on where to stay?

We are doing this exact cruise April 2016. Interested in any information you can give us.

 

What airline did you fly? in the planning stages now and am overwhelmed with what to do first. We have been to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora before and love those islands but Australia is new to us.

 

i am flying quantas again.. Sorry the Park is to much as i have heard good things about it. .i am staying at the four seasons. .if you can do the Bridge climb, the zoo, the opera house-tour and do a show. also saave some time to go to the beach by boat.

[Bestbubba]

We stayed at the Four Seasons pre cruise, excellent hotel and at 4am, too excited to sleep, I looked out the hotel window and could see our ship (Sapphire Princess) all lit up like a Christmas tree.....unforgettable :)

Sue

[Champagne Cruiser]

We are booked on this itinerary for 2017. I would love to hear more details about your experience, ports, onboard activities, etc.

[Martin and Lindsey]

Thank you for coming and giving us some information about this cruise.

I am so pleased that you had such a wonderful time.

 

Do you remember if at any port, but especially at Papeete, Tahiti and ahaina, Maui, they had local people come aboard to do a show on the ship? Some ships do this and I think that Celebrity may do too, but would love to know for sure.

 

Can you please share with us what tours you did at the various ports?

 

Also, what was the weather like in the various places? I am wondering if it will be cool for the New Zealand days.

 

Again thank you for coming and whetting our appetites!

I am on this cruise next year.

[nodandade]

Thank you for coming and giving us some information about this cruise.

I am so pleased that you had such a wonderful time.

 

Do you remember if at any port, but especially at Papeete, Tahiti and ahaina, Maui, they had local people come aboard to do a show on the ship? Some ships do this and I think that Celebrity may do too, but would love to know for sure.

 

Can you please share with us what tours you did at the various ports?

 

Also, what was the weather like in the various places? I am wondering if it will be cool for the New Zealand days.

 

Again thank you for coming and whetting our appetites!

I am on this cruise next year.

 

I noticed that you said 'i' am on this cruise next year, who is the lucky one

[gizmodog]

Hope this thread keeps going love the info and hope to get more, do you know if you cab disembark in Maui rather then Honolulu?

[gizmodog]

What was the weather like?

[BBsails]

We did this itinerary two years ago as part of a B2B2B, starting in Sydney and ending in Seattle. Amazing cruise on the Solstice and amazing ports, especially Bora Bora.

 

Prior to the trip DH and I both got the Hyatt Visa through Chase. One of the perks was two free nights each in any Hyatt worldwide. The Park Hyatt in Sydney was being renovated and was closed when we got the card, but I waited patiently and was able to book four nights prior to the cruise there. We had rooms looking out at Circular Quay and were able to see the Solstice docked right by the hotel. There were fireworks over the quay each night. All in all a wonderful experience and a great start to the cruise. Only consider the Visa if you can pay it off each month. BTW, I don't have any other affiliation with Chase other than that of a happy customer.

 

https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/hyatt-card.aspx

 

Bon Voyage

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also, what was the weather like in the various places? I am wondering if it will be cool for the New Zealand days.

 

 

New Zealand has the potential to be cool at any time of year. ;) For Auckland and the Bay of Islands in April you will probably need a light warm layer - the average temps will be around 60-65F/15-17C, and pack a rain/wind jacket just in case.

Edited April 28, 2015 by OzKiwiJJ

[nodandade]

Thank you for coming and giving us some information about this cruise.

I am so pleased that you had such a wonderful time.

 

Do you remember if at any port, but especially at Papeete, Tahiti and ahaina, Maui, they had local people come aboard to do a show on the ship? Some ships do this and I think that Celebrity may do too, but would love to know for sure.

 

Can you please share with us what tours you did at the various ports?

 

Also, what was the weather like in the various places? I am wondering if it will be cool for the New Zealand days.

 

Again thank you for coming and whetting our appetites!

I am on this cruise next year.

 

there were no people from any ports in Tahiti who came aboard to do dances etc ,but there were people on the land at all of the ports at Tahiti that did a little something cultural.we did not do any ships tours,we did our own from the land once off the ship.but be warned if there is a trip you would realy like to do,pay the extra and book it through the ship, this way you will get better service and vehicles to do your trips,our experience with land bought trips in Tahiti was not very good, they are terribly disorganised (again I am only stating our experiences)

the port of Papeete is docking, both moreea and bora bora are tender ports,if you have a trip booked through the ship you WILL be off first to catch your trip

the weather when we left Sydney was wet but not so cold, in new Zealand the bay of islands is a tender port / Auckland it was docked.in Auckland the ship docks nearly in the main street so not far to shops etc,in bay of islands it is only about 20 minutes from ship to shore once you are on the tender.

the weather in new Zealand was really nice around 22-24 deg and sunny,the weather in Tahiti was very hot and sunny.there are many sea days on this cruise, but there is lots of things to do, so you will enjoy.

the stunning sight of bora bora will live with you forever

in lahaina (maui) Hawaii you will arrive in the morning and not leave until around 11pm at night there are reasons for this,firstly customs will come aboard first in lahaina and you will do 'all' of your customs thing on the ship before you get off for the day,this does take a good amount of time because there are nearly 3000 passengers,the other reason is there are some great luau's in lahiana and people who are flying home once in Honolulu have at least done a luau before they fly home.it is only 90 miles from maui to Oahu (Honolulu) so the ship does not need much time to get from one place to another once you dock in Honolulu you just virtually just walk off.

yes you can disembark in lahaina but you will need to sort this out with your travel agent

please note,whatever you may have to do as far as on / off etc, this ships crew have everything down to a fine art so don't worry about orginisation,this ship has the best

WARNING

do not take irons jugs/ kettle or powerboards in any of your suit cases or carry-ons , they WILL be confiscated and not given back to you until the end of the cruise,worst part is that you will be called to the naughty room (our cruise over 200people) to open your suit case/s and take the goods out,then seal them up, sign forms and eventually they will send your cases to your cabin (some people did not get their bags until after 9pm.).

in lahaina a group of hawaiin singers and dancers come on board and do a great show around one of the pools,get there real early it is terrific,they then stay onbaord and get of in Honolulu.

hope this helps

p/s oh to be in the Yorkshire dales in a little pub in front of a big fire with a pint in hand,we just love it

cheers

[The_Big_M]

there were no people from any ports in Tahiti who came aboard to do dances etc ,

 

That's interesting.

 

We did actually have locals board for the evening show on Solstice last year, so it's interesting they have stopped doing that (or it didn't happen for some reason this year).

[avidrunner]

there were no people from any ports in Tahiti who came aboard to do dances etc ,but there were people on the land at all of the ports at Tahiti that did a little something cultural.

I was also on this cruise and I can assure you they did have locals come on in Tahiti and perform. It was actually a very good performance and was much better in my opinion than the one in Maui.

[fla742]

thank you for that info, I am soaking all of this information up like a sponge. we too are looking at premium economy on Quantas as we cannot afford business class either, but wish we could. You found there was enough leg room in premium economy and were the seats configured two and two? Do the seats recline only as far as economy seats do? Thanks for the hotel info I do not have Hyatt points have Hilton but will definitely look into that hotel to see if it is affordable, how many days did you stay?

 

We flew Air New Zealand in Premium Economy and it was fabulous. They have cocoon type seats and my 6'4" husband had more than enough room.

[nodandade]

I was also on this cruise and I can assure you they did have locals come on in Tahiti and perform. It was actually a very good performance and was much better in my opinion than the one in Maui.

 

you are correct,and as I did not go to that performance on board in tahiti I cannot compare to one another.hope you enjoyed the cruise as we did

 

cheers