Roll Call: Celebrity Solstice 3/8/09 (Atlantis Events)

[WehoAtlantis]

Paul and I will be booking as soon as it is available to Alumni not cruising in March. Can't wait...great ship. This to me seems like one of those cruises where the ship might be more important than the itinerary. I am sure both will be great.

 

Happy cruising,

 

Mike

[woofie71]

We booked an AquaClass stateroom on Solstice while on the Liberty cruise. We did Hawaii Apr 07, Mexico Oct 07, and Liberty 08; later this year, we've got Mexico Oct 08. We've also got Freedom Jan 09, Solstice Mar 09, and probably Mexico 09. The BF complains that his 2009 vacation is already allocated :D

 

Sure wish we had discovered Atlantis several years ago...

[Handsome1975]

Hey guys - was thinking about booking the Freedom for next January 2009. Does anyone have a link to the list of prices from the past sailing to get an idea? Also, who was the entertainment on board last week?

 

Will the March 2009 sailing be that much better or different from the January 2009 other than ports and a brand new ship?? What's making the March 2009 sailing so popular?

[woofie71]

Hey Handsome,

 

I just scanned and uploaded the Freedom 09 page from the pre-booking brochure. It's at http://picasaweb.google.com/woofie/AtlantisLibertyCruiseCruiseCompassesAndLiterature/photo#5164842842798550818. The rest of my cruise pics are on that site, too.

 

The headliner on the Liberty was Wanda Sykes. Deborah Gibson was the "surprise musical act," but she supposedly canceled before the cruise due to surgery (although I *SWEAR* I have a photo of her touring the captain's bridge with Wanda). Jessica Kirson was a new comedienne (and wonderful), and Eric Brouman was a new magician/comedian/Seth Green-impostor.

 

Not sure of everyone else's interest in Solstice 09, but we signed up because 1) it's all shiny, new, and pretty, 2) it's got a nice itinerary, and 3) everyone else was doing it. Just kidding. We signed up because we're cruise addicts (well, at least *I* am).

[ottawapuppy]

I'm having trouble reading the small print on the Solstice Price list. Can you tell me what the taxes included price is for Aqua class? We paid $1600 for a mainstream sailing.

[woofie71]

Ottawapuppy:

 

Sorry about that... sloppy scanning on my part. The fine print reads:

 

Port charges $180, prepaid gratuities $74 per person, $103 for suites.

We booked an AQ stateroom; price is $2229 ($2049 plus $180 port charges). Atlantis requires mandatory prepaid gratuity of $74. Our total per person was $2303, but we also received a pre-booking discount of $100.

 

Our fare seems to be about 44% higher than your mainstream sailing. However, since we've never done anything but Atlantis cruises, the prices seem perfectly normal to us :D.

[Seasickblues]

Hey Ottawapuppy,

We are sailing on the Solstice in March 09 and I am looking forward to seeing your trip on your website. I hope you can get it posted in time so I can see how the ship looks from your prospective.

[ottawapuppy]

Hey Ottawapuppy,

We are sailing on the Solstice in March 09 and I am looking forward to seeing your trip on your website. I hope you can get it posted in time so I can see how the ship looks from your prospective.

 

355 days to go. Not that we're counting.

 

Mike

[BostonBud]

Mike, I've been meaning to post a response to one of your past messages (although i can't find it anymore) when you said something about what the crew says to you when they find out your Canadian.

 

Well, I have to tell, and I guess stereotype too. All the people I've met on the cruise who are Canadian (and on land based traveling too) have always been nice and friendly. So I'm with the crew member, I like traveling with Canadians, (that could be why I clicked with Lee the first time I met him, well, that I adored his dry wit)

[Schplinky]

Mike, I've been meaning to post a response to one of your past messages (although i can't find it anymore) when you said something about what the crew says to you when they find out your Canadian.

 

Well, I have to tell, and I guess stereotype too. All the people I've met on the cruise who are Canadian (and on land based traveling too) have always been nice and friendly. So I'm with the crew member, I like traveling with Canadians, (that could be why I clicked with Lee the first time I met him, well, that I adored his dry wit)

 

 

Buddy, you're a peach, too. Anyone lucky enough to get to sit down and have a chat with you is in for a good, thoughtful talk.

 

Lee

[Seasickblues]

355 days to go. Not that we're counting.

 

Mike

 

Oh no Mike, we aren't counting either......:)

[Schplinky]

Oh no Mike, we aren't counting either......:)

 

 

really? I'm counting! 354 days to go!

[Seasickblues]

My countdown clock is counting for me!

[dacojoe]

I have never done an Atlantis event before, what kind of chance do you guys think I have of getting on this Solstice cruise? Do you think it will sell out to previous Atlantis travelers before making it to general sales? I have been an RSVP traveler for years, but have wanted to do an atlantis for some time now. Any suggestions of anything I can do to help my chances of booking would be appreciated. Thanks.

[sfgoguy]

Dacojoe,

 

Rich Campbell is on record as saying they want to somehow merge the Atlantis and RSVP frequent traveler programs - although they, evidently, are very different in benefits.

 

If I were you, I'd keep an eye out on this Board and follow the Atlantis Alum threads that will certainly appear once the Solstice cruise is released to Alums (supposedly after the March '08 Atlantis cruise). (It was available to those who were on the Atlantis January cruise. A friend gave me the brochure when he returned from the adventure.)

 

Once you see folks chatting here about it, call Atlantis and explain your situation. They should be able to check easily the RSVP records to verify your status and I'll bet you can get "alum" treatment. But, I expect you'll have to take the iniative until Rich et al. can come up with a merged program that's "fair to everyone in both programs" (which is what Rich is quoted as saying).

 

Good luck.

 

Gary

San Francisco

[philamike]

I have never done an Atlantis event before, what kind of chance do you guys think I have of getting on this Solstice cruise? Do you think it will sell out to previous Atlantis travelers before making it to general sales?

 

Hi -- while a lot of Liberty cruisers did book on Solstice, and so will a lot of Millennium cruisers, the ship does accommodate 2,800 guests. In the worst case scenario, Atlantis will only be accepting waitlisted guests when the cruise becomes available to the public. But because booked guests can cancel at least five months out and receive a full refund, many on the waitlists will probably be accommodated.

 

But if not, just monitor the Atlantis group on MSN Groups (groups.msn.com/AtlantisEvents) after the 5-month deadline, where people who need to sell their cabins will post. The only drawback is that there's a $150 name-change fee from Atlantis when you buy someone else's booked cabin.

 

- Mike L. :-)

[emjsea]

Well gentleman, you may add Carlos and Michael from Baltimore, MD to the Solstice Roll Call. I just got off the phone with them and switched our reservation from the Freedom to the Solstice. The Bonus is that we are getting our first balcony and it's costing the same as having just the window on the Freedom.

[Dachshund Dad]

Hi!

We're Mark & David from Naples, FL, and we're going on this cruise if we have to sleep in steerage! (Hoping there are AquaSpa cabins available when booking is open to us virgins...)

 

Bassetluvr: There's a new "W" Hotel opening on Ft. Lauderdale beach this October--should be fab! Also, the Embassy Suites on 17th St. Causeway (it's not on the beach) is decent and has cruise packages that include a shuttle to Port Everglades. Hope this helps. :)

[awcruiser]

Hi,

 

My partner and I are just back from a RSVP cruise, and are now interested in an Atlantis cruise. I see many of the Atlantis Alumni have advanced information on the 2009 Atlantis cruises. I did try to look at the pics some posted of the price sheets, but the pics are too small.

 

If someone has a large scan, can they please forward it to me at allanweinman@yahoo.ca, it would be most appreciated.

 

Or please if you know, post the itinerary of the 2 cruises;

January 25 – February 1, 2009 on RCCL Freedom of the Seas

March 8 – 15, 2009 on Celebrity Solstice

 

Thanks,

Allan

[Dachshund Dad]

Hi,

An article I read here on Cruise Critic said the itinerary for the Atlantis cruise on Celebrity Solstice will be 7 days, round trip from Ft. Lauderdale with stops in Aruba, Curacao, and Coco Cay (RCI's "private island"). Subject to change, of course...

[CRSNDC]

Hey Guys,

 

I'm booked on the Vista Deck in Cat 2A. I signed up Saturday while on the Millennium trip. I only had a second to glance at the deck plans but it appears there is still room in some categories.

 

A note- Rich stated publicly on Millennium that though he is lobbying hard for the advertised ports they are doubtful. He advised us to book for the ship and the 3 sea days, not the ports.

 

-Chris

[emjsea]

Welcome aboard!

 

I'm looking forward to the sea days, especially the two days in a row at sea. That would be a welcome change and really help with the relaxation.

[BostonBud]

I agree. We've only been on two cruises, however, most of the islands we've been on really seem to be all alike (provided there are no protests). On the March cruise in 2007 we did Aruba and Curacao and we're fine with them or some new ones. We would love to be able to go back to St. Maarten, that is one of the islands that we would really like to go back to.

[BostonBud]

Oh, one more thing. I just noticed that this cruise leaves on a Sunday. The other 2 cruises we've taken have left on a Sat. The only thing I don't like is that we'll probably have to go back to work the day after returning however, we will get to spend more time down in Ft. L. before the cruise.

[emjsea]

Oh, one more thing. I just noticed that this cruise leaves on a Sunday. The other 2 cruises we've taken have left on a Sat. The only thing I don't like is that we'll probably have to go back to work the day after returning however, we will get to spend more time down in Ft. L. before the cruise.

 

I'm planning on staying in Lauderdale from the Wednesday before the cruise to the cruise. This is going to be "super vacation for me." There is a nice place a block from the gay beach in Lauderdale that I love. Just of A1A and nice and quiet and relaxing.

 

And I always take the day off from work after returning from a vacation. I need the extra day to unwind and relax and get ready to go back to harsh reality :rolleyes: