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Celebrity Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette and Reflection - What & why?


PRS3191
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Hello -

 

Am hoping to get some opinions on which of the Solstice class ships would be considered "the best" and why.  My partner and I are open to various itineraries and it is more about finding the best updated ship with nice veranda cabins. Any subtle differences between these ships would be appreciated.

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Haven't sailed on Reflection.  Of the other 4, Silhouette is our favorite because of the Lawn Club Grill.  This restaurant is only on Silhouette and Reflection.  i think they are all good and you will enjoy whatever one you choose.  We are soon to sail a B2B2B on Eclipse.  We have sailed more on this ship than any of the others.

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I've sailed Equinox, it was great.  I think you will find that the Solstice Class of ships are more alike than different. Choose for length of sail and itinerary...costs etc...you cannot go wrong.  I did like that the Equinox did not lose any of the Sky Lounge on the shortened dry dock.  It's a great space with spectacular views

Edited by PTC DAWG
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I've been on 4 of the 5 (haven't done Sillouette) and the differences are so minor that I don't have a favorite.  The Reflection (and silly I think) have the lawn club grill and porch restaraunts which the others don't, the equnox has the gastro pub instead of the wine cellar, I prefer the pub, the wine cellar is usually dead.  And the Sunset bar is slightly different on the reflection/silly and I do like that layout a bit better.  Overall the differences are very minor and don't really make any one ship standout.

Edited by TFLG
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My vote goes to Silhouette.  Unlike her 3 predecessors, she has the Lawn Club Grille and the Porch restaurants.  Also--and this is very particular to my family and I--the FV cabins (as true with Reflection) are much better furnished than the FVs found on Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse.  

 

She is better than Reflection because Reflection has an extra deck of cabins (and hence more people). 

 

Reflection has an extra set of suites that steal a significant amount of port side space from the Sky Lounge (first photo).  This also means that the Sky Observation Lounge has no port side view at all.  Compare that to Silhouette's Sky Lounge (second photo). This difference may be temporary depending on what they do with Silhouette during her Revolution makeover.

 

That is my opinion.

Reflection Sky Lounge.JPG

 

Silhouette Sky Lounge.JPG

 

Silhouette.JPG

Edited by mahdnc
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We have sailed on all five and consider them each to be outstanding.  We never consider the ship as the primary reason for ailing, we always select an itinerary and then look at the ship. 

 

I will give you our informal ranking...I guess the thoughts that are in the back of our minds which we never vocalize.  Let me first say we would be happy to sail on any of these ships without hesitation.  We have sailed the Reflection three times in the last 3 years, solely because she had appealing itineraries.  Had a great time.  The major downfall as we see it, is the higher number of passengers.  We have been sailing in suites for the past number of years and find Luminae, and Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge, to be pushed to capacity at many times.  However, on the plus side it has a great selection of dining options available. We particularly enjoy Lawn Club Grill and The Porch.  Silhouette is probably our most desired as she has the Lawn Club Grill and the Porch, without the increase number of passengers.  Also, the pressure on Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge is less due to the fewer number of suites. Equinox and Solstice would be next.  Equinox because of Gastrobar; very good beer selection and a reasonably attractive menu...great for lunch. Our next two cruises are on Equinox, again due to itinerary....so access to Gastrobar is an added bonus;hopefully, it is as good as I remember it.  Solstice was a favourite of ours primarily due to Silk Harvest.  Not everyone liked it; however, we always enjoyed it for the unique approach to Asia food.  Alas, with the introduction of Le Petite Chef, I believe Silk Harvest is no more. While we enjoyed Le Petite Chef, we feel it is a one time only thing, unless they add additional menu options. 

 

While the physical attributes are the most visible things people consider when selecting a cruise, we have found the employees onboard are the ones who make a ship come to life, and unfortunately that is not something you can control.  We have sailed on the same ship, in the same cabin in fact about 4 months apart, and the vibe was different, not any better or worse, just different.

 

Enjoy your cruise, no matter which ship you select I am sure you will enjoy it.

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5 hours ago, Yoshikitty said:

Captain Tasos is currently on Equinox and he‘s worth the money alone!

 

 

 I agree!  Do you know how long he will be there?  We sail on 29 Feb 2020.

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My wife and I have been on all the S-Class ships except for the Eclipse. All were fine. If forced at gunpoint to pick a favorite, we'd pick the Reflection because we have sailed on her more times than the others.

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We have sailed on all of them, and I agree that the differences are not enough to choose one over the other. Lawn Club and Porch restaurants are on Silhouette and Reflection, but we are MDR people. There is a quiet coffee/tea self serve lounge area known as the Hideaway on those two as well. I have enjoyed this area for quiet reading or lap top use. We've always had a veranda cabin, never a suite, so I can't speak to those amenities. The itinerary is the deciding factor for us. 

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Any one of them   other than the Reflection would be our choIce. It is a bit bigger, more crowded in many spots.  The aft bar is big and round but cuts the outdoor aft deck in half..chair hogs there. The Solarium and Soa are on diff decks, which is inconvenient for lockers, etc,    When we sailed, it had the Miami DJs and a loud party vibe

 

We like Silhouette, the Equinox best,   unless X ruins parts of them in the updates!

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We have cruised on all the S class ships with the exception of Solstice.  My favorite is Reflection; we have been in suite class, along with concierge class.  It is the newer of the S class ships; however, some have been edgeified.  If you are unsure, definitely look at the itinerary of each ship to see which one you prefer, but I am sure you will have a great cruise no matter which ship you choose.  Equinox has been updated except for suite class, if that makes a difference.  My husband and I were so happy to be cruising in Europe, that we just picked our favorite itinerary.  I also have a sweet spot for Silly, as many of our cruise buddies were met cruising the Adriatic on her...Enjoy!

Edited by Lastdance
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On 12/11/2019 at 2:09 PM, Yoshikitty said:

Captain Tasos is currently on Equinox and he‘s worth the money alone!

 

 

Agreed! Just came off a cruise November 23 with him as the Captain.

 

I've been on 3 other Celebrity cruises and Captain Tasos was by far the best. Not in terms of his ability to pilot the ship, but his communication to the passengers. I felt that he kept us more informed about what was going on, where we were, information during the day etc. more so than previous Captains. Not that prior Captains were bad, he's just better. He is quite funny as well. I also believe he said, during his "learn about the Captain" show in the theatre that he was one of the youngest Captains in the Celebrity fleet.

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On 12/11/2019 at 7:15 PM, cluso said:

 I agree!  Do you know how long he will be there?  We sail on 29 Feb 2020.

I can't remember if they do 3 or 4 month stints at a time. I believe he started beginning of November 2019...

 

Anyone know who the other Captain is on Equinox? I'll be back on in April, and I know it won't be him.

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On 12/11/2019 at 12:33 PM, PTC DAWG said:

I've sailed Equinox, it was great.  I think you will find that the Solstice Class of ships are more alike than different. Choose for length of sail and itinerary...costs etc...you cannot go wrong.  I did like that the Equinox did not lose any of the Sky Lounge on the shortened dry dock.  It's a great space with spectacular views

I think I remember the silhouette did not get to finish her upgrades. They had to move out of dry dock early for an RCL ship that was damaged by a dock.  Hope the Sky bar remains untouched tho. My fav place.

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I will also vote for the reflection. I never felt it was more crowded even tho more people. I just sailed on her over thanksgiving and doing the reflection next year for thanksgiving again. Was disappointed in seeing in 2021 it’s only doing 7 nights over nov period. I be3n on all of s class except for solstice.  All are great but I also pick for itinerary overall    The s class tho is my favorite style of ship.  

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1 hour ago, sandpipercruiser said:

I think I remember the silhouette did not get to finish her upgrades. They had to move out of dry dock early for an RCL ship that was damaged by a dock.  Hope the Sky bar remains untouched tho. My fav place.

 

Equinox was the ship that didn’t finish her upgrades. Silhouette goes in next month. I believe they are no longer going to add the extra suites in the Sky Lounge.

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On 12/11/2019 at 12:08 PM, PRS3191 said:

Hello -

 

Am hoping to get some opinions on which of the Solstice class ships would be considered "the best" and why.  My partner and I are open to various itineraries and it is more about finding the best updated ship with nice veranda cabins. Any subtle differences between these ships would be appreciated.

We've sailed Silhouette, Reflection and Equinox.  

 

Silhouette was our favorite mainly because it was our first Celebrity cruise, the captain was awesome and the entertainment was good. 

 

Reflection and Equinox have been progressively less exciting for us though we really enjoyed the glass blowing class on the Equinox. Coffee service really went down on our most recent Equinox cruise as well.  

 

The ships are basically identical, service is basically identical. Equinox has the new cabanas on the lawn club which were not enticing at all compared to cabanas we've rented on other ships.  

 

Best part of all of these ships is the World Class Bar.  Easily the best bar we've ever visited at sea.  

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12 minutes ago, sandpipercruiser said:

You are correct!  I meant to say Equinox.  I am looking at booking the Silhouette and was thinking about that.  Sorry guys!

 

 

We are booked on the Silhouette post refit, can’t wait! We loved the extra restaurants on Reflection but did find the deck area more crowded on sea days...hopefully Silhouette will be the best of both worlds!

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