Solstice Review

[2Long2NxtCrz]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

 

Both cruisehive and whatsinport state ships will only tender while in cabo...Perhaps they made an exception due to medical emergency or you're confusing it with another port?

Utterly confused it with another port. Not a bad life if I'm cruising that often, right? 😄

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

OMG! I confused Cabo with another port... goodness, I must be cruising a lot if I blanked on the tender back to the ship!

 

LOL. I guess it wasn't all that bad, though I now remember being utterly bewildered by Princess's tender tickets which I had never heard of before and didn't get ours quick enough.

 

Makes sense; if there's even room to dock the marina is very busy with small tour and fishing boats, would make far more sense to send an emergency boat to the ship then to halt all boat traffic so a ship can dock

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 hours ago, sdnich said:

We are also on the same cruise as you. We live in San Diego and will be driving up to LA . We are experiencing some of coolest February weather(for Ca.) It looks like we’ll finally get to a little warmer weather when we hit Cabo at 70°! Which to me is not too warm . Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta look very nice in the 80s. I will definitely be bringing warm weather clothes for the afternoon sail away in LA !! 

In contrast, we are experiencing one of the warmest February's.  As I type this I am sitting in shorts and a T-shirt thinking I'm probably going to have to run the a/c tonight.  It's funny bc when I mentioned the extended forecast to my DH, he asked why I booked us a cool weather cruise.  Who knew LA was colder than ATL in March?!  Oh well, so much for my cute sail away outfit...guess I need to get on my backup plan!  😊  See you on board!

 

PS... we love San Diego!

[sdnich]

3 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

In contrast, we are experiencing one of the warmest February's.  As I type this I am sitting in shorts and a T-shirt thinking I'm probably going to have to run the a/c tonight.  It's funny bc when I mentioned the extended forecast to my DH, he asked why I booked us a cool weather cruise.  Who knew LA was colder than ATL in March?!  Oh well, so much for my cute sail away outfit...guess I need to get on my backup plan!  😊  See you on board!

 

PS... we love San Diego!

We are definitely not use to this weather but hate to complain especially when I talk to friends living up North!
We are doing the 10 day Ultimate S .Carribean just a week after so I know that will be a much warmer cruise. 
No matter the temperature we will have a great cruise!! 

[boxkite]

NutsAboutGolf, thanks for posting your cruise review. Solstice was our first Celebrity ship to cruise on and we all loved her.

 

sdnich, we are on the same 10 Night Ultimate S. Caribbean cruise as you next week.

 

Here's to good weather for all!

[sdnich]

29 minutes ago, boxkite said:

NutsAboutGolf, thanks for posting your cruise review. Solstice was our first Celebrity ship to cruise on and we all loved her.

 

sdnich, we are on the same 10 Night Ultimate S. Caribbean cruise as you next week.

 

Here's to good weather for all!

We are on Solstice March 4 then the  Edge on March 17.Is that the same one ?

[SFCAcruiser]

8 minutes ago, sdnich said:

We are on Solstice March 4 then the  Edge on March 17.Is that the same one ?

 

I will keep the ships in good condition for you. I debark Solstice on March 4th and then fly to Ft. Lauderdale to board Edge March 6th, debarking March 17th. (thank you, BCC)

 

Thanks to NutsAboutGolf for posting. I always enjoy reading different perspectives on ships and itineraries with which I am familiar. 

[boxkite]

22 minutes ago, sdnich said:

We are on Solstice March 4 then the  Edge on March 17.Is that the same one ?

sdnich, no we will be on the Equinox 10 Night Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise starting Feb 27th.

[Texed]

N.A.G.,

Thanks for posting your Solstice review.  😊 

[Mercurius]

We are onboard the Solstice 11 March.  Any recommended clothes for on ship and in ports? Any recommended things to bring or not bring?  Did anyone try snorkeling?  What was the median age of your fellow passengers?  What activities are there to do aboard the ship while at sea?

[NutsAboutGolf]

21 hours ago, Mercurius said:

We are onboard the Solstice 11 March.  Any recommended clothes for on ship and in ports? Any recommended things to bring or not bring?  Did anyone try snorkeling?  What was the median age of your fellow passengers?  What activities are there to do aboard the ship while at sea?

Went a month earlier so odds are it should be a tad warmer…I believe it hardly went over 70f and can get quite cold at night although you don’t need to leave the interior of the ship at night.  At a minimum I would recommend a sweater, hoodie or a light insulated jacket.

 

I always recommend a cheap air freshener for the room, spare phone charging cable and cheap pair of backup sunglasses.  I’m also a big fan of a backpack for tours to be hands free.

 

If you snorkel they’ll be wetsuits.  Age average was 55 (my guess)

[cruisequeen4ever]

Did they have the cooked to order steak option at dinner in the buffet? How about the stir fry station?

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Did they have the cooked to order steak option at dinner in the buffet? How about the stir fry station?

 

Not on this sailing however there are reports that they're bringing back (if they haven't already) many stations

[shuang6]

Appreciate the review! We will be at AquaClass for the first time this month. Any recommendations for BLU?  TIA!

[NutsAboutGolf]

42 minutes ago, shuang6 said:

Appreciate the review! We will be at AquaClass for the first time this month. Any recommendations for BLU?  TIA!

 

The Blu cheese souffle which is an app so somewhat small, order one extra for the table.

The Filet was outstanding and offered twice.

Extra lobster, remember there's no extra charge for additional lobster tails

Edited March 7, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[cruisequeen4ever]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Not on this sailing however there are reports that they're bringing back (if they haven't already) many stations

Ok, thank you!

[rj59]

I can't wait to return to the Solstice on April 1, after suffering through the chaotic crowds on the NCL Joy a few weeks ago, with the horror of in-person mustering and not having rooms ready until after 4:30. I was on Solstice in August in Alaska, and was so enchanted I booked three more sailings, as well as an Apex cruise next weekend. It was pure bliss to sail with 950 or so in January, including the near-deserted terminal at embarkation. One reason for buffet seating limitations is simply the unusual design of not having it linked to an outside pool deck with additional seating, where I like to eat usually. My solution is simply to eat at off-peak times, and I bring a plastic tray and can take food to other spots, like the tables in the Solarium or even to my room (especially with the room service charge now). I also head towards the back, or the very front, including a big table with stools by Scoops. For dinner, I used the limited buffet as encouragement to eat soups and a salad there, so I could choose different appetizers at dinner.  Since I had all-included and shareholder OBC, I used it to dine in the sushi restaurant, both at dinner and lunch, to try different rolls and ramens, and I found it more enjoyable as a single guy to be with the friendly females there than the brusque waiter in the MDR who begged for a top-rated review on the first night of the cruise, which I find inappropriate. The a la carte menu there also made it easy to eat frequently there, to just have a big sushi roll or bowl of ramen. The other thing I like about the Solstice in Mexico is that they vary the itinerary quite often, so each of my 3 sailings will have a different one, the April one being a California coastal, with two daylights sailings under the Golden Gate bridge (the Solstice is also the best ship I've been on for forward viewing, with the top outside deck, one outside the gym, and the sublime Sky lounge). I'll be sad when Celebrity evidently abandons Mexico at the end of December, but instead I found the Silhouette, which was updated, unlike Solstice, and some solo cabins added, so I found some great deals in 2025. 

[shuang6]

10 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The Blu cheese souffle which is an app so somewhat small, order one extra for the table.

The Filet was outstanding and offered twice.

Extra lobster, remember there's no extra charge for additional lobster tails

Thank you! 😊