State of the Solstice

[JLMcruise]

21 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

I am posting from the Solstice.  We boarded on September 16th for the first leg of a B2B so will also be on for the first Mexican itinerary.  We also spent two weeks on the Solstice in June 2022.  We actually were on the Solstice on what would have been a B2B2B2B in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific when the global suspension of cruising was initiated and left Australia on March 20, 2022.

 

When on the Solstice in March 2022 the remaining Zeniths on board (several left in our last port call in New Zealand as it was clear countries were starting to close borders) had lunch with the Hotel Director and several other “stripes.”   The Hotel Director had great plans for the time the Solstice would be sailing with no passengers.  He had arranged for carpet to be delivered in Sydney as some areas were going to be re-carpeted.  They planned to go though every stateroom and identify every little problem such as issues with draperies, loose knobs and so forth.  All furnishings were going to be cleaned (ie upholstered furniture shampooed).  The list was extensive.

 

When we boarded in June my first thought was that the Hotel Director got his wish.  This ship is extremely clean, but the color scheme is dated.

 

We are in a Celebrity Suite.  The drapes look new.  There is a small nick in the coffee table and the corner of the L shaped sofa has a little fray (apparently where it is hit by the vacuum cleaner).  Our Suite in June also was in comparable condition.  A dated color scheme but very clean and in good repair.  And remember that a umber of folks don’t like the new “Hoppenized” color scheme.

 

I saw this question from the OP this morning before we left the stateroom.  So I was looking for any issues.  On our walk from our suite to the elevator I didn’t see any frayed carpet, nor did I see any walking through the ship to Celebrity Central for our B2B meeting.  I was looking at the chairs in Celebrity Central which, other than being rather uncomfortable, appeared very clean.  To Michael’s Club, and again I was looking at the chairs in the Ensemble Lounge as we walked to MC, and didn’t see any frayed or dirty upholster there, nor did I see any issues in the MC itself.  Off to lunch in Luminae, and again no frayed carpets nor any dirty chairs.  Then we were off to Cafe al Bacio and here is what I found — one of the famous oversized yellow chairs had a very small fray at the bottom edge and I also witnessed about an inch of loose cording on another.   While there must be some frayed carpet or worn furnishings somewhere in this ship but I am not seeing it.  And the windows in the S-class Sky Lounges often have some cloudiness. 

 

As in June the staff is very upbeat and thrilled to be working again.  While there must be some passenger on this ship who is not happy, the vast majority seem pleased.  Very polite to both the staff and other passengers.  I’ve also talked to several passengers who have not been on a cruise ship since before the pandemic, and are so happy to be back at sea.

 

 

Well now I am really excited for our cruise in October! Thinking of booking a third week!

 

[Jim_Iain]

Gerry -  Thanks for the information on the Condition of Solstice.   I have to agree with you on the non-Revolutionized ships the color scheme are a bit dated and the beds in the CS and other suites still have the rounded corners vs the squared off regular corners.    I did find that the 'Hoppenized” designs in both the SS and CS to have many many failures.  While on first glance they really look like a picture in a hotel magazine living with the designs are a different story.   The CS has this HUGE chair that is totally useless pushed in a corner with two Ceramic type stools or something shoved under the counter that you can't even get to.   The desk chairs won't fit under the desk and the mirror is so high that any woman trying to do makeup would find it useless.    Then you have all the "decorative kitch" that most ask their room attendant to move out.  I still say they should Make Kelly live in one of those rooms for 6 weeks and see what she thinks of her design.

 

Quick question... can you remind me what the bar in Michael's Club is Like.    I seem to remember it as a straight bar with maybe 6-7 seats as it.  

 

[letsgogogo]

1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

IMHO, people pay far too muh attention. to negative reviews. In my experience, if you want to find fault, you will, but if you want to enjoy your vacation, you'll have a far better experience!

Agreed. And consider that most people who have a good experience are not in this forum raving about it. They are sharing their memories with friends and family IRL. Boards like this are attract a disproportionate number of negative reviews that leave readers thinking the worst. 

[greatestvalue]

1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

IMHO, people pay far too muh attention. to negative reviews. In my experience, if you want to find fault, you will, but if you want to enjoy your vacation, you'll have a far better experience!

 If I hadn't had my own experience with another ship in the same shape as described for the Solstice in the reviews, I wouldnt have asked the question. 

 

As I agree with you.  Without some of your own experience you could very easily listen to negative.  Not the case here.  Since we did have our own personal experience I'd rather ask the question before I spend our money on something that doesn't fit our preferences. 

 

[greatestvalue]

@Northern Aurora- I cant thank you enough for taking the time and energy to not only post but to look at the question from an objective perspective. 

Your comments and care for being accurate are extremely helpful.  Truly appreciate you responding and helping DH & me feel awesome that we are steering others that will be cruising with us in the right direction and about booking our 1st (wont be the last) Alaska cruise.  - Thank you!

[Jim_Iain]

Wow.. just discovered we have never been on Solstice.    How that happened is beyond me but when I looked back at our cruise history nothing listed.

 

Someone on our Roll Call that I just signed up for posted a link to a recent video of Solstice - Filmed May 2022

 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[mauimary]

We too we’re on the Solstice in June and in a Sky Suite with our son and grandson.  We were very happy. We did see some wear around the ship but nothing that would prevent us from cruising on her again. Matter of fact we are in mid Oct this time to Mexico. Staff was wonderful as were all the dining and bar staff that we encountered. We like cruising on a traditional ship.  If one expects glitz you need to cruise on the E Class which are much newer. We love the Solstice. We cruised in 2019 to New Zealand and Australia from Vancouver and couldn’t have been happier!!

We love having her on the West Coast as it is so very convenient for us whereas Florida takes some work!  

[Northern Aurora]

46 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Gerry -  Thanks for the information on the Condition of Solstice.   I have to agree with you on the non-Revolutionized ships the color scheme are a bit dated and the beds in the CS and other suites still have the rounded corners vs the squared off regular corners.    I did find that the 'Hoppenized” designs in both the SS and CS to have many many failures.  While on first glance they really look like a picture in a hotel magazine living with the designs are a different story.   The CS has this HUGE chair that is totally useless pushed in a corner with two Ceramic type stools or something shoved under the counter that you can't even get to.   The desk chairs won't fit under the desk and the mirror is so high that any woman trying to do makeup would find it useless.    Then you have all the "decorative kitch" that most ask their room attendant to move out.  I still say they should Make Kelly live in one of those rooms for 6 weeks and see what she thinks of her design.

 

Quick question... can you remind me what the bar in Michael's Club is Like.    I seem to remember it as a straight bar with maybe 6-7 seats as it.  

 

 

Jim:  We are back in our Celebrity Suite after attending tea in Michael’s club.  

 

And folks — I am looking carefully and found yet another sign of wear and tear!  As you walk through the art installation at the entrance of the Ensemble Lounge the door across from the black wall is glass.  And since the art installation is better viewed in semi-darkness (lighted flowers and butterflies which people love to photograph) that glass door to the outer deck is painted black.  At the bottom of the door there are two very small (probably less than .25 inch in diameter) paint scrapes.  And I’ve found several dried white paint droplets on our balcony floor which apparently happened when the exterior wall of our stateroom was last painted;  the paint appears very fresh (ie, no dirt).  Are folks getting the idea of how nit-picky the flaws are?

 

The bed in our Celebrity Suite does not have the rounded corners.  I don’t remember if the bed in the suite we had in June had squared or rounded edges.

 

Regarding Michael’s Club, the bar itself is straight with four high seats.  When we were on the Solstice in 2016 (we boarded in Honolulu for a B2B and left the ship in Singapore where it went into dry dock) my memory is that more high bar chairs were along the bar itself which made it feel a little too crowded.  There is no refrigerator for guests to help themselves to chilled beverages.  But there is a lovely piano.

 

Gerry

[Northern Aurora]

30 minutes ago, mauimary said:

……

We love having her on the West Coast as it is so very convenient for us whereas Florida takes some work!  

 

From some comments from other passengers I have the impression that a number of folks are happy this ship is operating off the West Coast.  I am hearing sentiments to the effect that it is nice to have another alternative company.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Jim:  We are back in our Celebrity Suite after attending tea in Michael’s club.  

 

And folks — I am looking carefully and found yet another sign of wear and tear!  As you walk through the art installation at the entrance of the Ensemble Lounge the door across from the black wall is glass.  And since the art installation is better viewed in semi-darkness (lighted flowers and butterflies which people love to photograph) that glass door to the outer deck is painted black.  At the bottom of the door there are two very small (probably less than .25 inch in diameter) paint scrapes.  And I’ve found several dried white paint droplets on our balcony floor which apparently happened when the exterior wall of our stateroom was last painted;  the paint appears very fresh (ie, no dirt).  Are folks getting the idea of how nit-picky the flaws are?

 

The bed in our Celebrity Suite does not have the rounded corners.  I don’t remember if the bed in the suite we had in June had squared or rounded edges.

 

Regarding Michael’s Club, the bar itself is straight with four high seats.  When we were on the Solstice in 2016 (we boarded in Honolulu for a B2B and left the ship in Singapore where it went into dry dock) my memory is that more high bar chairs were along the bar itself which made it feel a little too crowded.  There is no refrigerator for guests to help themselves to chilled beverages.  But there is a lovely piano.

 

Gerry

 

Thanks so much.   We were unable to get a Celebrity Suite for our cruises but checking daily to up grade.  We are in an accessible Sky  on both legs and ok with it if that's what come down. 

 

I'm glad they changed the beds --   I hang out of bed on the rounded one but no problems as I usually hate the covers tucked in and pull them.   Our last stateroom attendant picked up on it the first day and asked if I would like the bed made up like a duvet and just have the covers untucked.    He was one of the best stateroom attendants we have ever had.   One night he left a big smiley face made out of about 20  chocolates on our bed -  really got a laugh out of us.  

 

We have always enjoyed sitting at a real bar instead of the new Kelly airport lounges.  

 

One of these days we will meet up again.

[greatestvalue]

2 hours ago, mauimary said:

We love having her on the West Coast as it is so very convenient for us

We too are on the West Coast.  Trying our first FL cruise this year, then Panama Canal in January out of Miami. 

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

At the bottom of the door there are two very small (probably less than .25 inch in diameter) paint scrapes.  And I’ve found several dried white paint droplets on our balcony floor which apparently happened when the exterior wall of our stateroom was last painted;  the paint appears very fresh (ie, no dirt).

Sounds like it's time to scrap the ship 🙃

[freshjive1479]

I live on the East Coast now but got an amazing deal on aft Sky Suite for a Mexico cruise in February on the Solstice. Combined with an astonishingly good deal with Flights by Celebrity, I didn't think twice about booking and making the transcon flight. I figure after a few glasses of champagne on my balcony all of the windows will appear cloudy anyway. Cheers!

[abbydancer2003]

59 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks so much.   We were unable to get a Celebrity Suite for our cruises but checking daily to up grade.  We are in an accessible Sky  on both legs and ok with it if that's what come down. 

 

I'm glad they changed the beds --   I hang out of bed on the rounded one but no problems as I usually hate the covers tucked in and pull them.   Our last stateroom attendant picked up on it the first day and asked if I would like the bed made up like a duvet and just have the covers untucked.    He was one of the best stateroom attendants we have ever had.   One night he left a big smiley face made out of about 20  chocolates on our bed -  really got a laugh out of us.  

 

We have always enjoyed sitting at a real bar instead of the new Kelly airport lounges.  

 

One of these days we will meet up again.

FYI,  the bar on the Reflection is U shaped with chairs around it and the bartender in the middle.  Also had (as of 2017) a wall of self service beverages.

 

I'm on the Silhouette next months, which my understanding was the same MC as the Reflection, but has since been revolutionized.  I've been in the airport (or Denny's) style of lounge on the Equinox, so I'm curious to see how it is different. 

[cruzzzinma]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Quick question... can you remind me what the bar in Michael's Club is Like.    I seem to remember it as a straight bar with maybe 6-7 seats as it.  

 

That is about right. The bar is straight and I’d say there are 6-8 chairs. I can count them tonight if it is important.

Edited September 22, 2022 by cruzzzinma

[JLMcruise]

12 hours ago, mauimary said:

We too we’re on the Solstice in June and in a Sky Suite with our son and grandson.  We were very happy. We did see some wear around the ship but nothing that would prevent us from cruising on her again. Matter of fact we are in mid Oct this time to Mexico. Staff was wonderful as were all the dining and bar staff that we encountered. We like cruising on a traditional ship.  If one expects glitz you need to cruise on the E Class which are much newer. We love the Solstice. We cruised in 2019 to New Zealand and Australia from Vancouver and couldn’t have been happier!!

We love having her on the West Coast as it is so very convenient for us whereas Florida takes some work!  

Hi - we were on the Solstice in 2019 from Hawaii to Australia! We will be on the Solstice again for 2 weeks in October - maybe we will cross paths again!

[cruzzzinma]

@Jim_Iain4 barstools at the bar in Michael’s Club on the Solstice.

[ccqueenanne]

On 9/21/2022 at 2:19 PM, greatestvalue said:

If you dont mind, how is the entertainment compared to other lines if you have any to compare to?

 

We aren't fans of productions shows, so can't really compare. We enjoyed trivia in the Sky Lounge. The area for games (Entertainment Court) was awkward, so we didn't stay for games we'd normally enjoy like Yes/No. The ship band was good, though the only time I saw folks dancing to them was 80's night. The music at the silent disco (all 3 channels) wasn't to our taste, which was a shame as we really enjoy that usually.

[Jim_Iain]

On 9/21/2022 at 6:58 PM, abbydancer said:

FYI,  the bar on the Reflection is U shaped with chairs around it and the bartender in the middle.  Also had (as of 2017) a wall of self service beverages.

 

I'm on the Silhouette next months, which my understanding was the same MC as the Reflection, but has since been revolutionized.  I've been in the airport (or Denny's) style of lounge on the Equinox, so I'm curious to see how it is different. 

Silhouette does have a U Shaped bar.   They took out the Refrigerator that use to be where the one on Reflection is located.    When we were on Silhouette the ship was really short staffed and the bartender had no bar back and had to both handle the bar, tote the ice and glasses and do all the clean up.   He was fantastic in spite.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, cruzzzinma said:

@Jim_Iain4 barstools at the bar in Michael’s Club on the Solstice.

 

Thanks... we always love sitting at the bar.  

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

…….When we were on Silhouette the ship was really short staffed and the bartender had no bar back and had to both handle the bar, tote the ice and glasses and do all the clean up.   He was fantastic in spite.

 

When we were on the Solstice in 2016 there were more bar chairs, but as I posted yesterday  (post #33) there are indeed four now.

 

The Michael’s Club on the Solstice is staffed in the evenings with the head bartender (who is excellent) and an assistant bartender (who does more than pour wine and really can make mixed drinks).  During the evening snack time yet another waitress is delivering the snack menu and taking snack orders.  Not short staffed at all.

 

While the decor is indeed dated, if folks enjoy a clean ship staffed by an upbeat happy crew they will enjoy the Solstice.

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:58 PM, abbydancer said:

Also had (as of 2017) a wall of self service beverages.

Yay!  I love that wall.  I think I read somewhere, maybe this thread that the Solstice didn't have that wall.

[Lisah101]

There is a huge gap in the schedule for the Solstice.  It looks like May 26th is the last cruise, then nothing scheduled until Sept 15 so it looks like maybe it's finally going in for refurbishment and your cruise might be the last if not close the last before that.  

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

When we were on the Solstice in 2016 there were more bar chairs, but as I posted yesterday  (post #33) there are indeed four now.

 

The Michael’s Club on the Solstice is staffed in the evenings with the head bartender (who is excellent) and an assistant bartender (who does more than pour wine and really can make mixed drinks).  During the evening snack time yet another waitress is delivering the snack menu and taking snack orders.  Not short staffed at all.

 

While the decor is indeed dated, if folks enjoy a clean ship staffed by an upbeat happy crew they will enjoy the Solstice.

 

I'm getting more excited by the minute.     Finally started to look for excursions etc.  

 

Curious if they have the morning continental available and if they serve it or whether they setup a self service like on the Revolutionized ships.    

[sbcs5390]

4 hours ago, Lisah101 said:

There is a huge gap in the schedule for the Solstice.  It looks like May 26th is the last cruise, then nothing scheduled until Sept 15 so it looks like maybe it's finally going in for refurbishment and your cruise might be the last if not close the last before that.  

The CEO Cruise is  announced for June 23, 2023