Live in Luxury: Solstice 1/2 - 1/7 Cabo & Ensenada Cruise

[ACorgan]

After all the planning, packing, and dreaming, travel day is finally here! 🎉 When my alarm went off early this morning, my first though was “What sort of masochistic idiot books travel that requires getting up early on New Year’s day?” Then I remembered, oh wait - that was me 🥴

When I cruise I take meclizine (for motion sickness) every night before bed, so I went ahead and started it last night, which probably contributed to this morning’s drowsiness. On the bright side, while I usually have trouble sleeping in the car, this morning I napped very well most of the way to the airport.

 

We got to PDX airport plenty early and lucked out on almost no line for security. I’m trying something different this flight and am using an Alaska Airlines Electric Bag Tag for the first time. I was a little nervous handing over my bag. I really hope the tag works 🤞 I’m living on the edge and not taking any extra clothes carryon, so if my bag doesn’t show, I may have a shopping trip in my near future 😬

I have an Alaska lounge membership (useful with all my work travel), so now we’re just killing time in the lounge enjoying hot tea (and trying to avoid any people who might be under the weather) until our flight is ready to board.

 

We filled out our health questionnaire yesterday on the app and have our cruise bag tags printed and ready to attach tomorrow morning, so we should be in good shape. I thought I read somewhere that you could actually start the safety briefing on the app before you even board the ship? I’ll check tomorrow morning to see if that’s an option 

[ACorgan]

Thankfully all our airline bagged made it, so the most stressful part of the trip is done for me 😅 Smart people who came in the night before would use the time to relax and start getting into vacation unwinding mode. We, however, went a different direction. Since we are already in So Cal and since Disneyland is open until midnight tonight, we decided to spend some time at the happiest place on earth before we board the ship tomorrow 

[LaCal]

8 hours ago, ACorgan said:

Thankfully all our airline bagged made it, so the most stressful part of the trip is done for me 😅 Smart people who came in the night before would use the time to relax and start getting into vacation unwinding mode. We, however, went a different direction. Since we are already in So Cal and since Disneyland is open until midnight tonight, we decided to spend some time at the happiest place on earth before we board the ship tomorrow 

Love Disneyland 

 

Have a fun cruise today 

[ACorgan]

Cruise day is finally here! 🎉 Our shoreside concierge had told us we could come as early as 10:30, so since we were up and going already, we grabbed an Uber at got to port around 10:45ish. It looks like we’re the only cruise ship in port right now, so the Uber situation was super easy. They drove us right up to the entrance at pier 93, where there was already a line formed for general boarding and a pop up sign for “priority boarding.” As soon as we walked up to the priory sign, someone greeted us and confirmed our names. She said we looked just like our picture and showed us the few pages of printouts she had with pics of the upper suite guests. I only glanced briefly, but think it was the pics we had uploaded to the app when we initially checked in. 
she quickly walked us through the checkin process. We took all our bags up the escalators, showed someone our passports, confirmed our health questionnaire and went through a tsa style security (bag belt and metal detector machine). Interestingly, we kept our large “checked-bag size” bags with us through the whole process. I wasn’t sure if my giant sized suitcase would fit through the machine, but it just barely did; it was a tight squeeze. 
At this point, the person who had accompanied us so far handed us off to Celebrity ship staff and they showed us to a nice waiting room with snacks and drinks (both cold and hot options). I didn’t see anyone else with large luggage, so guessing others may have sent theirs with a porter? I actually liked that we kept our bags with us clear until we got to the suite, that way I didn’t have any anxiety about our bags not arriving.

 

 

I just barely had time to drink a cup of tea when they announced that anyone who was ready could come aboard (around 11ish). The suite guests snaked out in a line, kind of like a class of grade school kids on a field trip, and made our way into the ship. We had to show our Xpress Pass twice before boarding. One of the Celebrity staff escorted the two of us to our PH stateroom, where there was a bar set up and a bottle of champagne. The bar had the wrong alcohols and the bed setup isn’t correct, but we’ll just let the butler know when we meet him.

After dropping our bags (and writing this), we’re off to explore the ship and find some lunch

[ACorgan]

Just heard that there are around 2,200 guests expected, so our sailing is ~60% full

[ACorgan]

First lunch at Luminae was delightful. We had Riesling and a peach bourbon cocktail for our drinks. The cocktail was mine and it was a delightful start to the trip.

For starters, I went with the English pea soup and my table mate had the prawn ceviche. The soups had a really nice smoky flavor and the ham in it was delicious. I could have had just a bowl of that for lunch and have been very happy

For our mains we had the lobster roll (me) and the NY steak. The lobster roll wasn’t like the traditional lobster roll that I’m used to; more of a seafood salad. It was tasty, though, and the French fries were exactly what fries should be: crispy, salty, and hot.

For dessert, I just continued to enjoy my drink, but my table mate tried the dark chocolate and dulce de leche and it must have been good, since it all disappeared.

We have dinner at Murano tonight, so will need to walk around the ship some to work up an appetite before then 

[LaCal]

2 hours ago, ACorgan said:

Cruise day is finally here! 🎉 Our shoreside concierge had told us we could come as early as 10:30, so since we were up and going already, we grabbed an Uber at got to port around 10:45ish. It looks like we’re the only cruise ship in port right now, so the Uber situation was super easy. They drove us right up to the entrance at pier 93, where there was already a line formed for general boarding and a pop up sign for “priority boarding.” As soon as we walked up to the priory sign, someone greeted us and confirmed our names. She said we looked just like our picture and showed us the few pages of printouts she had with pics of the upper suite guests. I only glanced briefly, but think it was the pics we had uploaded to the app when we initially checked in. 
she quickly walked us through the checkin process. We took all our bags up the escalators, showed someone our passports, confirmed our health questionnaire and went through a tsa style security (bag belt and metal detector machine). Interestingly, we kept our large “checked-bag size” bags with us through the whole process. I wasn’t sure if my giant sized suitcase would fit through the machine, but it just barely did; it was a tight squeeze. 
At this point, the person who had accompanied us so far handed us off to Celebrity ship staff and they showed us to a nice waiting room with snacks and drinks (both cold and hot options). I didn’t see anyone else with large luggage, so guessing others may have sent theirs with a porter? I actually liked that we kept our bags with us clear until we got to the suite, that way I didn’t have any anxiety about our bags not arriving.

 

 

I just barely had time to drink a cup of tea when they announced that anyone who was ready could come aboard (around 11ish). The suite guests snaked out in a line, kind of like a class of grade school kids on a field trip, and made our way into the ship. We had to show our Xpress Pass twice before boarding. One of the Celebrity staff escorted the two of us to our PH stateroom, where there was a bar set up and a bottle of champagne. The bar had the wrong alcohols and the bed setup isn’t correct, but we’ll just let the butler know when we meet him.

After dropping our bags (and writing this), we’re off to explore the ship and find some lunch

Your suite set up looks great 😜🍹🍹

 

And the suite lounge at the port does as well 

 

 

[Jagggg]

We'll be sailing on the 14th. Can you tell me the name of house band and also type of music? Also is there a guitar player or piano player?  Thank you.

[Lacruisers613]

Hope you have a great time. We probably passed you as we just got off the Solstice today after being on the last cruise (12/26 - 1/2) and had a great time even without the suite perks. Some people we met who had perks were disappointed with the lack of availability of some of their choices (no vitamin water and no fruit for a smoothie on the Premium drink package), with poor customer service to follow up. Found internet to be a weak link, even with the premium speed and the new Starlink service. Perhaps it was due to the full sailing (3,000+/- passengers) even with some missing the cruise due to cancelled flights. Ship rarely felt overly crowded and we were usually able to get seating at the martini bar without an issue. 

 

Enjoy!

[LaCal]

5 hours ago, ACorgan said:

First lunch at Luminae was delightful. We had Riesling and a peach bourbon cocktail for our drinks. The cocktail was mine and it was a delightful start to the trip.

For starters, I went with the English pea soup and my table mate had the prawn ceviche. The soups had a really nice smoky flavor and the ham in it was delicious. I could have had just a bowl of that for lunch and have been very happy

For our mains we had the lobster roll (me) and the NY steak. The lobster roll wasn’t like the traditional lobster roll that I’m used to; more of a seafood salad. It was tasty, though, and the French fries were exactly what fries should be: crispy, salty, and hot.

For dessert, I just continued to enjoy my drink, but my table mate tried the dark chocolate and dulce de leche and it must have been good, since it all disappeared.

We have dinner at Murano tonight, so will need to walk around the ship some to work up an appetite before then 

What’s all in the Lobster Roll? 

 

Doesn’t look appetizing at all 

 

I’m wondering if i’ll be able to ask them to make one w just lobster and drawn butter 🤔🤔

[LGW59]

19 minutes ago, LaCal said:

What’s all in the Lobster Roll? 

 

Doesn’t look appetizing at all 

 

I’m wondering if i’ll be able to ask them to make one w just lobster and drawn butter 🤔🤔

I can just see if they tried to serve a lobster roll like that in Maine or on the Cape...

[ACorgan]

6 hours ago, Jagggg said:

We'll be sailing on the 14th. Can you tell me the name of house band and also type of music? Also is there a guitar player or piano player?  Thank you.

We didn’t attend any of the live music, but here’s some screen shots of some of today’s musical entertainment that was listed in the app:

[ACorgan]

6 hours ago, Lacruisers613 said:

Hope you have a great time. We probably passed you as we just got off the Solstice today after being on the last cruise (12/26 - 1/2) and had a great time even without the suite perks. Some people we met who had perks were disappointed with the lack of availability of some of their choices (no vitamin water and no fruit for a smoothie on the Premium drink package), with poor customer service to follow up. Found internet to be a weak link, even with the premium speed and the new Starlink service. Perhaps it was due to the full sailing (3,000+/- passengers) even with some missing the cruise due to cancelled flights. Ship rarely felt overly crowded and we were usually able to get seating at the martini bar without an issue. 

 

Enjoy!

Thanks for leaving the ship in such great shape for us 😉 I can understand the frustration with the internet. Shortly after we left port, it was mostly inoperable for awhile. It seems to be stronger now, so I hope that holds 🤞

[ACorgan]

2 hours ago, LaCal said:

What’s all in the Lobster Roll? 

 

Doesn’t look appetizing at all 

 

I’m wondering if i’ll be able to ask them to make one w just lobster and drawn butter 🤔🤔

I’m actually not sure what all was in the roll. It started with a layer of shredded lettuce and had a sort of “lobster salad” on top of that. I was really concerned when it first came out because I have a violent dislike of pickles and when I first saw it, was worried that’s what the green specs were. Fortunately it turned out to be some sort of fresh vegetable (maybe celery or cucumber?) and the overall taste of the salad was sweet and refreshing, so I was a fan

[ACorgan]

I spent the afternoon unpacking and then wandering the ship to get a lay of the land. Definitely a younger demographic than I’ve had with HAL and saw many people walking around with drink in hand in vacation mode 🍹

After sail away, I checked out the casino and was pleasantly surprised by the selection of slot machines. Unfortunately, many of them just have stools instead of real chairs, so not comfortable to sit and play at for long. I quickly found some of the few machines that had chairs with backs and whiled away some time before dinner.

 

Our first dinner was at Murano and I thought it was as good as had been advised to me here on the forum. The amuse bouche was a sweet and refreshing blueberry soup. For our first course, we started with the goat cheese soufflé and the mushroom risotto and both quickly disappeared. The cheese soufflé tasted like a warm hug and paired well with my glass of champagne. 

For our mains we had the duck and the venison. The lingonberry sauce with the venison was delightful and added just the right touch of sweetness. I had it with a Bordeaux, but if I were to get it again, might pair with a pinot noir instead. 

Dessert was a strawberry crepe (prepared table side) and the grand mariner soufflé 

 

[ACorgan]

After dinner I checked out the True or False Gameshow. This was a much more enjoyable activity than I had anticipated. They had T/F trivia questions and everyone moved to a side of the room to “vote” if true or false. If you were incorrect, you cleared the floor and the other side of the room (with the correct answer) came back to center for the next question. It was repeated until down to a single winner. I came a little late, but think they did four rounds with four winners and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

 

Following the gameshow I “invested” some

more money at the casino and then ended my evening with pub trivia. I’m a dedicated Jeopardy fan and was surprised by how challenging many of the trivia questions were. My team eked out a win, but we only got 14/20 questions right. I have hopes of a higher score at tomorrow’s Harry Potter trivia 

[miched]

8 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I can just see if they tried to serve a lobster roll like that in Maine or on the Cape...

Rather sparse compared to the one we got in Bar Harbor.  
 

The one that Celebrity serves I think is referred  to as New England that is described as being drug thru the garden 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[shuang6]

Thanks for your great review! We will be on Solstice in April and I am getting excited for the trip!  Do you mind checking on the cost for Persian Garden if you have time?  I am curious to know the cost for the daily pass as well as the weekly pass.  I wonder if it is cheaper to purchase it pre-cruise.  Thanks in advance!!!

[NutsAboutGolf]

Just wanted to share my internet speed test with premium Wi-Fi on the previous sailing.  As you can see, while great for X, the speeds are by no means impressive at any time.  Hit 70.3 download on the carnival celebration

[Jim_Iain]

On 12/31/2022 at 10:37 AM, George C said:

We got pjs and robe you can ask them to be monogrammed also we now have a collection of them will get another in a couple of months on our royal suite these perks are for royal suites and above .I never use mine my wife likes the pjs .

 

When we were in a RS recently on Solstice they didn't have either Robes or PJ. 

[SHIP TRAVELER]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:49 PM, ACorgan said:

 

I

 

We have the same luggage.  I love it.  I thought no one else would have the same purple TravelPro but found out that there are enough of them to cause confusion on the bag claim belt.

Edited January 3, 2023 by SHIP TRAVELER

[ACorgan]

9 hours ago, shuang6 said:Do you mind checking on the cost for Persian Garden if you have time?  I am curious to know the cost for the daily pass as well as the weekly pass.  I wonder if it is cheaper to purchase it pre-cruise.  Thanks in advance!!!

I stopped by the spa and gym area to ask about the Persian Garden pass, but it was a zoo with tons of people, so didn’t stick around to talk to any of the staff. I might try again later; will keep you posted 

[ACorgan]

8 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Just wanted to share my internet speed test with premium Wi-Fi on the previous sailing.  As you can see, while great for X, the speeds are by no means impressive at any time.  Hit 70.3 download on the carnival celebration

The internet has been much better today. I was able to upload/download some work files that needed to be dealt with today (and then immediately packed my computer back away, since supposed to be on vacation 🌴)

[ACorgan]

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

When we were in a RS recently on Solstice they didn't have either Robes or PJ. 

I didn’t see any pjs in our room, but decided not to ask about them. When I was packing for this trip, I realized that I already have far more pjs than one person needs and I should probably cull some of them when I get home 

[Jim_Iain]

6 minutes ago, ACorgan said:

I stopped by the spa and gym area to ask about the Persian Garden pass, but it was a zoo with tons of people, so didn’t stick around to talk to any of the staff. I might try again later; will keep you posted 

Just ask Mar in Retreat she will be able to give you a quick answer.