April 8th Solstice - Spring Break Cruise Live

[KasioSails]

Day 5

It is our last port day - we were in beautiful Puerto Vallarta. Our tour today was a long one - the downtown tour with Mexican Fiesta. It was a very fun tour we got to see some cool sights along the walkway and throughout the city and then we enjoyed a ride deeper away from the port to a small family farm for a tequila tasting, lunch and dancing. It was all very enjoyable with the small exception of a stop at a jewelry store that felt way too long - minor thing overall. The whole day was great and well priced I felt. Our tour got us back to the ship right about 10mins before all aboard - a little close for my usual comfort but why I was glad to be on a ship tour. 

When we returned from the day we had been invited the evening before to a retreat gathering on the Helipad for sail away. So we quickly dropped our stuff off, changed into closed toed shoes and headed for the party. It was nice with drinks, music and photos and we all enjoyed watching the ship from this angle sail away. We also met a few other lovely families with little ones staying in the retreat. 

[KasioSails]

Day 5 continues 

After the cool sail away gathering we stopped by on 5 for coffee and treats as a nice break from the busy day. We opted for an early dinner as Luminae opened so we could do more in the evening. The big hit dish of the evening was the peppered tuna - both DH and OS said it was fantastic. As usual we had dessert sent to the room to enjoy before bed - a nice beak in the food plus time for us. The show this evening was a singer and wasn’t of interest to us - though I heard from others she was excellent - so we opted to go to the pool for a bit. After a little family pool time YS went to the kids club for a bit while we went to the Solarium and OS wandered the ship and ate gelato. There was a dance party  at the kids club and YS was unsure about it but the staff was great at letting him know he could just hang out and there would s’mores soon - s’mores was the magic word and he had a great time. 

[eyecantwait]

On 4/9/2023 at 1:22 AM, KasioSails said:

I had my old standby sidecar to drink. Both were just the right amount and made very well.

Another sidecar lover here! This was my in laws go to drink when I met my husband 44 years ago. We're always delighted to see it on a drinks menu.

Hope you're having a wonderful time. Our family will be on the Solstice in August to celebrate my retirement (3 years after I retired but better late than never!)

[KasioSails]

Day 6

Oh sadness friends we are closing in on the end of this great trip - we even received our luggage tags. Since we had nothing on the schedule we had a more relaxed start to our day a bit later. Our butler brought drinks to start the day and did just a little repacking in the morning then headed to breakfast at the buffet. I could tell it was later in the morning as it was pretty busy and a little tough to find a table for 4. The buffet was yummy as usual with a pretty set variety to enjoy. 

After breakfast we headed to the pool before the aqua music class started-which looked very popular. The water was quite warm still though the deck was super windy - all day in fact it was tough to enjoy our balcony from the wind. After our swim the boys headed to the sports court for a while and then the clubs - the kids club was having a Dino themed day and our OS finally tried the teen stuff - which he loved and stayed later at. We let them both enjoy their new friends while we shopped and relaxed in the solarium. I like how much less salesy this ship feels versus Royal. Like I don’t have to walk around endless sales tables or have people stop me on my way to eat. I know there are all the sales but it’s less high pressure. 

[KasioSails]

Day 6 continues 

We enjoyed lunch this day in Luminae which was as usual a lovely experience - but I will admit I didn’t care for the burger. It was clearly well prepared but I didn’t enjoy it and had something else small later in the day from the OVC. We also took time today to play more bocce ball and hide our last few ducks. I hope everyone who found one enjoys the search. It was our second formal evening so we fancied ourselves up and headed to Le Petit Chef - the experience here was really excellent. I would highly recommend once especially with a group or kids - the food was good - not the best on board but very good still. A note about the menu - there is a kids menu available and for adults an ingredient can be removed from the dishes if needed so it’s not 100% set in stone. After dinner we headed to our last show - this was another singing, dancing and acrobatic show and was very good. This was this performance groups last cruise and their last big show. There was some party time in the teen club so OS headed there until they closed it down at midnight and the rest of us got coffees/cocoa and treats and worked more on packing. Hard to believe it’s just one full day on the ship - as I know everyone says for any length trip - it is all going by too fast. 

[KasioSails]

Day 7 - Last Day Onboard

It’s time to do all the things for the first or last time. We started out a bit early today and headed to Luminae for breakfast - it was relaxing and well made - but I can tell everyone is getting so full that we can’t eat everything. We had a bit if open time so we tried to play bocce but it was super cold and windy on deck so we retreated to ping pong on 4. Then we finally had our hot glass sessions - big advice again book this right away. Only DH and OS were participating today - it was amazing - even just watching I loved it. DH made a beautiful vase for putting Lego flowers I built back home in and OS made an amazing jellyfish paper weight. If you are on a ship with this activity I highly recommend it - they do an excellent job of supporting you so you are successful while letting you be in control. It was very cool too since my family made really different items to see different techniques. 

We then dropped both boys for an hour at the clubs to have some focused packing time. We are just about finished - but the room has so much storage we will need to check a lot. A note I had as we packed - staying in the retreat brings a lot of evening activities with other retreat guests if that is of interest to you - silent discos, live music, etc. we attended a few things but not much. 

[DaKahuna]

On 4/13/2023 at 8:28 PM, eyecantwait said:

Another sidecar lover here! This was my in laws go to drink when I met my husband 44 years ago. We're always delighted to see it on a drinks menu.

Hope you're having a wonderful time. Our family will be on the Solstice in August to celebrate my retirement (3 years after I retired but better late than never!)

 

I had my first sidecar in over 20  years on my last cruise.  I was sitting at a bar having my rum old fashioned and someone came up and ordered one.  It dawned on me that I kind of missed them.  No idea why I stopped drinking them other than it was around the time I cut way back on my drinking as part of a weight loss thing.  I am certainly going to have a few on my upcoming cruise.

 

[KasioSails]

I love all the sidecar fans - I discovered them a few years back on a Good East episode. They are right mix of sweet and not. Onboard Michaels Club has been the hands down winner for me - though my sample size is limited. 

[DaKahuna]

39 minutes ago, KasioSails said:

I love all the sidecar fans - I discovered them a few years back on a Good East episode. They are right mix of sweet and not. Onboard Michaels Club has been the hands down winner for me - though my sample size is limited. 

 

Will keep that in mind about Michael's Club.  I usually have them as a night cap but we'll have to see how that goes.  

 

[KasioSails]

Day 7 continued 

After packing intensely (we are never as good at packing we intend to be) we picked up the boys and headed to lunch in the buffet. This was our only lunch buffet and it was very good with lots of variety - one downside was it was somewhat busy and again finding a table for 4. Then we headed to the pool deck for one last splash. The waves were rocking as we sailed and I had fun with the music trivia name that tune. After swimming and some rest time on the balcony we tried the fast and free bingo game up in the sky observation lounge. This is a beautiful venue we didn’t go to very much but it is lovely. 

It was just about time for a treat of afternoon tea on Michael’s club - if you happen to be staying within the retreat I highly recommend this little quiet time of small bites and tea or drinks. 

[KasioSails]

Day 7 final

Our last night was spent at our favorite place to eat Luminae - we have felt so pampered here and the food is always amazing. This week they had been unable to serve the signature chicken dish my OS had wanted to try so this evening the chef made him a version to enjoy - was hit for all. 

We said our goodbyes to our staff especially Abdul our main waiter who was absolutely amazing. 

After dinner we stopped by our second favorite in the cafe for lattes and treats while watched the show in the grand foyer. It was a little thoughtful it was our last show and the performers as well. We then put out our bags for the night and were so amazed at the speed they are taken away we actually thought we were doing something wrong. We were so used to the hallway of bags on Royal. We then decided to just walk a bit of the ship drink our coffees and take some last photos and mental moments. DH and I both work long hours and our boys are growing so this was a great chance for a quiet family walk. We ended our time at the very fun looking Latin party on 4. OS wanted to party one last night in the teen club so we let him go while we put little one to bed though DH and OS did get in a little more ping pong before bed. It was a great day to wrap up our cruise. 

[MarEll1]

Have a safe trip home. I’ve enjoyed following as we were on the Solstice in a CS 6 weeks ago. Abdul was our waiter too - he was great. I’m wondering if Edy was your cabin attendant? He was wonderful as well. 

[KasioSails]

Day 8 - Disembarking 

I woke up super early and got to see a bit of sunrise which was great - one thing to know about the CSuite is that the bedroom doesn’t let you see the water so you have to leave the room for a view. The boys were all exhausted by the week and tough to wake up but we all got ready and moving by 7am and did a few more frenzied checks of the room while we waited for our Butler Ronald to bring us our glass projects from the day before (OSs jellyfish still feels a little warm). After a few last family photos we finally left our beautiful temporary home and headed to a light breakfast at Luminae for one last enjoyment. I can tell we have all lived such a full week it was a small meal for all. I laughed too when OS picked the chocolate filled pastry as his last treat as that was the first thing he ate while waiting to board in the terminal just a week ago. It’s amazing it’s been just one week - it feels so short and yet so full. We then headed to Michaels club for a few as I had a small errand to handle before we were heading off. There was a small panic when I misplaced all our cards by putting them in a “safe place” in my travel bag. While I sent a needed message near the window for signal strength - my YS had an uncharacteristic moment of tears about leaving the ship and the wonderful experience. It was a bit too much and DH and I both cried a little too. The Retreat concierge walked us through the priority exit and it was all very smooth to leave. I managed one last family photo on the gangway and a beautiful one by the ship from the port. We are not headed home today - we have a bit more planned but we got our Uber and headed north to our hotel (that process was a bit hectic). I will add our last day here in LA and some summary thoughts later but I want to thank all those sailing along with us. As I said in the opening post I’ve never done this before but it was nice to sit down a bit each day and journal our days. I look forward to sailing along with each of you. Thank you all for reading. 

[KasioSails]

7 hours ago, MarEll1 said:

Have a safe trip home. I’ve enjoyed following as we were on the Solstice in a CS 6 weeks ago. Abdul was our waiter too - he was great. I’m wondering if Edy was your cabin attendant? He was wonderful as well. 

We didn’t have Eddy but agree 100% Abdul was astounding and gave some the best service we ever had. 

[KasioSails]

Day 8 Encore

The fun doesn’t stop just because we’ve left the ship (though the endless treats do) - we grabbed an Uber at the port which was chaotic. A piece of advice - especially for those in the retreat - the process through customs is crazy fast so you can order car service just about as you walk out of Michaels. After waiting a bit a driver came and we headed to the Embassy Suites at LAX for the night. We like taking an extra day after a cruise to enjoy the time without rushing and give a slower cool down of fun. This turned out especially important today as my YS was quite saddened to leave the ship and the wind down helped him talk through it and smile. Our activity today was a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits. This is a great museum because it’s really interesting to see but not super big. The boys were so tired from the week they didn’t last super long - just a few hours and headed back to the hotel. For those who like hotel closer to the airport than the pier this is a fine choice. After a bit of Lebanese for dinner and some pool time it was an early bedtime - our flight back home is super early. 

[DaKahuna]

 Were there any issues with obtaining your Uber? Is the pickup location clearly marked as you exit the terminal?

 

We will be disembarking from our next cruise at LA/San Pedro and plan to take a Lyft/Uber to Long Beach airport.  Our flight is not until 1 PM so we have plenty of time and will not be in any big hurry. 

[KasioSails]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 Were there any issues with obtaining your Uber? Is the pickup location clearly marked as you exit the terminal?

 

We will be disembarking from our next cruise at LA/San Pedro and plan to take a Lyft/Uber to Long Beach airport.  Our flight is not until 1 PM so we have plenty of time and will not be in any big hurry. 

I wouldn’t say there were issues / but it was all a bit chaotic - there’s not really enough space for everyone and their stuff. I didn’t think it was super clearly laid out. And I it likely felt more challenging then it was because it was juxtaposed to the super smooth process to get outside. 

[KasioSails]

Wrap Up Reviews

Thank you everyone who read along my trip. I wanted to finish properly with reviews of the different ship/cruise aspects. These are on no particular order. Some may be repeats of things said during the journey but other parts will be new from focused reflections. I want to make clear we had an amazing time so any criticism is small and more for info. 

 

Ship

The Ship is stunning overall - the wear of the ship from aging is minimal and not impactful. The size is really nice and does not feel overwhelming or confusing to navigate. Our stateroom was midship by the library and it was quiet in our room and very easy to get to. I like how the elevators did not open directly to the state room but had a buffer and there nearly always seemed to be enough elevators. The only time the ship felt awkward was going from the lawn club to the kids club as it required going up and down and we always seemed to be on the wrong side. Also the sport court was a bit of a pain to get to and being in the front was crazy windy. In terms of feel though the ship was nicely decorated with fun glass pieces scattered everywhere on the ship - after our classes these stood out more to us

Edited April 16, 2023 by KasioSails

[KasioSails]

Stateroom 

We stayed in a CS midship on deck 10. This was a great location with staterooms above and below. The layout was fairly spacious including the balcony with storage throughout, decent sized bathroom and a separate bedroom for privacy. The bed was very comfy and the boys said the sofa bed wasn’t bad either. The included Retreat robes to use were super soft and nice. Some aspects of the room I didn’t like - the white furniture on the balcony feel cheap and isn’t that comfortable, the haircare products provided have changed from what I saw in other reviews and the new ones have sulfates that strip the color from your hair and even though I knew this I didn’t care for not seeing the water from the bedroom. 

My last issue with the room was more to the cleaning timing - our attendant would not clean our room until like at least 1pm - but then we got turn down during dinner. This meant we had almost no time to use much of our room as the bed was taking up the living room - other nitpick -I was asked the first sea day if I needed the coffee table back as I was walking down the hall to something - thinking he meant right then I said it was fine in the entry area near the desk - this was interpreted as to never return it to the room middle and during the week it was often in the way - I never saw him again until Day 7 to ask for anything different since he came so late in the day. So nothing crushing - but I just felt annoyed when I would come to my room at like 12:30 and it was still mostly a bed that was hard to walk past and only left one spot on the couch to sit. 

[KasioSails]

Itinerary and Shore Excursions

We admittedly did not pick the sailing for the itinerary. It was the planned one for the week my boys were off school and it sounded cool. But the stops were all very lovely. The dolphin sightings throughout were very cool I think Mazatlan would be tougher to navigate just walking but I could be wrong. We were happy to have plans in each port that were very different from each other. My favorite single activity was the boat ride to the edge of the peninsula - it was very beautiful. One aspect I really liked was how small all the groups seemed to be - just like 30 maybe 40ish people per. Sometimes we were a larger overall group but could function like a smaller one. It let things move more snappy and always on time. I also felt the ship was more organized releasing the groups with one exception on the 3rd port day when our group was by accident missed but it was a small disruption and things all worked out. 

 

Embarking/Disembarking 

I can only speak as a Retreat guest and maybe some of the improvements are Covid based but the process to get on and off the ship was some of the smoothest I have ever had - no complaints or issues. 

[KasioSails]

Kids Club

The boys both participated in the kids/teen club a bit. It was actually a first for us as they never used it before on last sailings because of being either too young or because we were traveling with grandparents. 

For my younger son he attended a few mid-day sessions for like an hour each that were themed - craft projects, Dino’s, secret agents, etc. he also loved that there was mindcraft a game we don’t play at home. At night he attended twice so we could attend a show or swim a bit. My YS is very shy and unsure in new situations - we had to kind of push him to try the first session on day 3. But after we picked him up an hour later he was a fan and while he never asked to go if we offered for an hour he was always up for it. The only other hesitation was the party one night that he ended up enjoying after some gentle support from the staff. The staff always seemed excellent with the kids and I saw so many kids excited to go to club. 

Our older son (13) was a harder sell on the whole teen club thing - first change from the old days was that he could just come and go as he pleased. He interacted with a lot of the teens on board at the sport court the first part of the trip but was never interested in the activities - I think he thought they sounded corny and he’s a shy guy too. Finally on day 6 we pushed him to try it for a bit and he had a great time and spent several more hours there over the last 2 days. He said the activities are more of a if you want to we will sort of thing and it’s just more a social place. Every night they were hanging out until closing at midnight. The group seemed to get along and he met some kids from not too far away so I’m glad he tried it and I will be interested if he is more excited to go on our next trip. 

[KasioSails]

That’s all I have for now / I have more topics to cover but these were my thoughts as I flew home this morning. Finally back home and I see Seattle didn’t disappoint with a light rain shower and cool temps. 
 

Our next adventure is unfortunately not for another year on the Equinox in Europe - very excited for that trip. 
 

If you were onboard I hope I got a chance to connect. 😀

Edited April 16, 2023 by KasioSails

[DaKahuna]

Thank you very much for your review .  It was a pleasure following along on your adventures.

 

[san diego spartan]

From someone in a non suite or retreat the disembarkation for us was also super quick and easy.  It may have taken a max of 5 minutes if that.  They use the facial recognition so you do not need to have your passports out which is nice.  

 

We left our cabin about 7:45am and went to the MDR for one last relaxing breakfast.  Finished up about an hour later and our number was called as we were heading to deck 5.  So perfect!  Luggage was easy to find.

 

Agree a bit chaotic once you exited the port building.   We had a pick up from my brother and had to wait about 15 minutes since I had anticipated a longer time to disembark.  The curb area was crazy.  Uber pick up was not clearly defined from what I saw.

 

[LisaLeone]

It sounds like you made so many precious memories. As a boy mom (and both are quite grown now) it is the absolute best. Thank you for sharing your cruise!