Solstice Cabana Hogs and Other Observations

[ChevyCruiser]

Just off the Solstice today after 7 days and am jotting down a few quick observations.

 

Cabana hogs were out every morning to reserve a Canbana for the day -even if they weren't going to use it until the afternoon. Pool butlers and Guest Relations were no help. So, I guess it's OK to run up at breakfast and reserve a Cabana with a towel and an old set of flip flops.

 

Strange sewage smells throughout the ship OR they were cooking an awful lot of cabbage on board....if you get my drift.

 

At least two of the eight aft elevators were out of service every day. Those in service clanged and banged like a construction zone on sea days. So much so that I thought they were still fitting out the ship.

 

The grass was "resting" throughout the cruise - access blocked with chains and signs to keep off the grass. The lawn is already worn bare in spots and others looked like the dogs (yes, there were dogs on-board) had been leaving P-mail on the grass. Nice design idea, but a lot of wasted space. Probably won't last.

 

The "Sunset" Verandas were more like "Sootset" Verandas. Our balcony was unusable on sea days because of the soot from the stacks and salt spray on the glass. Plus, with the stairstep design, the balcony above was directly over our bed - nice when the people above were up early and dragging their balcony furniture back and forth.

 

The music in the Solstice Theater was so loud that it was almost painful, plus it was drowning out the live acts. When I complained, I was told that the home office sets the volume requirements for each show.....BS in my opinion.

 

The basin in the stateroom were obviously designed by someone who has never shaved in a sink. The spout extends to the middle of the basin with no room left to splash water on your face.

 

"Elegant Tea" was like a hillbilly buffet with no enforcement of the dress code of smart casual - people showed up in shorts, flip flops, and even swim suits. There was no control and people were helping themselves from the serving trays with their bare hands.

 

Bottom line - new ship with a lot of work to be done. I'll wait a few years before I try her again.

[willysgrandma]

I am not surprised to hear about the cabana issue. I knew once I saw them that would be the case.

 

I am disappointed to hear about the lawn club - that was supposed to be such a big deal - now you can't go on it at all?

 

We never book a new ship right away because we know there are issues to be worked out, so it sounds like your experience reinforced my belief.

 

Can I ask how you found the food at dinner? Was everything served hot and correctly? How was the entertainment?

[kelmac]

Just off the Solstice today after 7 days and am jotting down a few quick observations.

 

Cabana hogs were out every morning to reserve a Canbana for the day -even if they weren't going to use it until the afternoon. Pool butlers and Guest Relations were no help. So, I guess it's OK to run up at breakfast and reserve a Cabana with a towel and an old set of flip flops.

 

Strange sewage smells throughout the ship OR they were cooking an awful lot of cabbage on board....if you get my drift.

 

At least two of the eight aft elevators were out of service every day. Those in service clanged and banged like a construction zone on sea days. So much so that I thought they were still fitting out the ship.

 

The grass was "resting" throughout the cruise - access blocked with chains and signs to keep off the grass. The lawn is already worn bare in spots and others looked like the dogs (yes, there were dogs on-board) had been leaving P-mail on the grass. Nice design idea, but a lot of wasted space. Probably won't last.

 

The "Sunset" Verandas were more like "Sootset" Verandas. Our balcony was unusable on sea days because of the soot from the stacks and salt spray on the glass. Plus, with the stairstep design, the balcony above was directly over our bed - nice when the people above were up early and dragging their balcony furniture back and forth.

 

The music in the Solstice Theater was so loud that it was almost painful, plus it was drowning out the live acts. When I complained, I was told that the home office sets the volume requirements for each show.....BS in my opinion.

 

The basin in the stateroom were obviously designed by someone who has never shaved in a sink. The spout extends to the middle of the basin with no room left to splash water on your face.

 

"Elegant Tea" was like a hillbilly buffet with no enforcement of the dress code of smart casual - people showed up in shorts, flip flops, and even swim suits. There was no control and people were helping themselves from the serving trays with their bare hands.

 

Bottom line - new ship with a lot of work to be done. I'll wait a few years before I try her again.

 

Anything positive? :rolleyes::)

[ellbon]

Are yuo sure this person was on the same cruise and Ann and Andy. The only thing i can understand is chair hogs are they are on every cruise. pwersonally i would remove the towel and use the chair after 30 minutes.

[CelebrityMan]

Yes, I, too, am wondering if the OP found anything positive about their Solstice experience.....

 

Makes me glad we booked our B2B cruise for the last half of January, after some of the kinks [hopefully] get worked out. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CM

[Ma Bell]

Wow.:eek:

[BurgerBits]

Sorry to read that there were so many issues that troubled you on this trip. Did you find or do ANYTHING enjoyable aboard Solstice?

[Karynanne]

Goodness..."salt spray". You'd actually think the ship was at sea...

[Checkmate1955]

Thanks for the review of the ship.... new ships can have many problems and it is usually good to wait about 3 months before sailing on a new ship... I hope to see many more reviews in the next 2 days...

 

I was not aware that pet dogs are allowed on cruise ships as I have never noticed them...

 

It concerns me that cruise ships do not inforce the ship policy on proper use of the cabanas.... It would be easy to place a two hour limit on the use of the cabana/lounge chair... Would prevent the all day chair hog... Period...

[Checkmate1955]

Goodness..."salt spray". You'd actually think the ship was at sea...

 

Yes, that is a need to know before booking a front facing cabin on this ship or any ship that the salt spray may come back to your window/balcony door and prevent you from enjoying being outside on the balcony...

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

I am trying to sort through everything, and will post a review later tonight. I apologize to the OP, but I wanted to share my thoughts on their concerns.

 

Cabanas: I'm not sure of which cabanas the OP is talking about. There are also cabana type loungers on Deck 16. If the OP is speaking of the Cabanas on Deck 12 by the Pool, yes, they were mostly full on Sea Days. I agree the Pool Butlers could have done a better job, but on Port Days, they were readily available. As for the regular Pool Chairs, this is the best set-up Celebrity has EVER had. Even on Sea Days, there were always plenty of seats available. We all loved the Pool Deck, and its a major improvement over past Celebrity ships.

 

Sewage Smells : The only time that we smelled it, was last night for a couple of hours. We had family members on several decks, and other than yesterday, we didnt have any issues with it.

 

Aft Elevators : Yes, there were (on several occasions) 1-2 of them out of service, but for very brief times, not constantly. While it was a minor annoyance, we simply walked over to the other bank of elevators, which is directly opposite, and had no problems.

 

Lawn Area : Yes, it was closed on a few occasions, but most every time I was up there, it was open and available. There were several spots where the grass needed attention, but with the ship at sea, it may not be as easy as it looks to repair. I heard there are at least 2 professionals onboard looking after the Lawn, so one would think they will resolve the issues. Will the grass last ? I hope so, but it's anyone's guess. IMHO, I could take it or leave it.

 

Dogs : As for the "DOGS" on the ship.... I saw 1 service Dog all week, who was doing an absolutely wonderful job of taking care of a person who was blind and in a wheelchair. This morning, I inadvertently came a little close to the dog, and the service dog got right in front of the owner in a protective way. I was truly impressed with this most wonderful dog.

 

Sunset Verandahs : I cant comment on them as I did not stay in one..... but if this is accurate, I am sure others will.

 

Theater Volume : None in our party had any problems with it. Of course, this is subjective.

 

Stateroom Basins : I know what the OP is referring to, as the spout would have been better if it were an inch or 2 shorter, but I had no issues with the sink itself, or shaving in it. On the plus side, the water temperatures were great. I'm not a huge fan of these basin type sinks, though I am sure many passengers like the look. It would have been nice if the spigot had the option of a little movement to it, which would have solved this problem.

 

Elegant Tea : I wasnt there, but it's true that a number of passengers did not adhere to the dress code. Personally speaking, that sort of minutia never gets on my radar. I am there to enjoy my vacation, and not let others ruin my Cruise.

 

I know that some may wish to bring out the negatives, but I would never let these sorts of things make or break my cruise. I sincerely hope the OP will enjoy Celebrity's other ships.

[Cruisenouvelle]

Well, we were on the 2 night cruise immediately prior, and I can agree that the theatre music was waay too loud the second night. Odd that the 'home office' sets the volume in Miami (??).

Cabana hogs - no surprise there. Celebrity needs to rent them out - easy solution, just swipe the ol' Seapass!!

I also noticed the bathroom spigots extend out several inches over the bowl, and they do not swivel to either side. Not conducive to shaving or face-washing.

Solstice's positive points outweighed the negatives for me. I agree that the "Lawn" will eventually be pulled. After just a few weeks, it already looks scruffy.

[eroller]

Just off the Solstice today after 7 days and am jotting down a few quick observations.

 

Cabana hogs were out every morning to reserve a Canbana for the day -even if they weren't going to use it until the afternoon. Pool butlers and Guest Relations were no help. So, I guess it's OK to run up at breakfast and reserve a Cabana with a towel and an old set of flip flops.

 

Strange sewage smells throughout the ship OR they were cooking an awful lot of cabbage on board....if you get my drift.

 

At least two of the eight aft elevators were out of service every day. Those in service clanged and banged like a construction zone on sea days. So much so that I thought they were still fitting out the ship.

 

The grass was "resting" throughout the cruise - access blocked with chains and signs to keep off the grass. The lawn is already worn bare in spots and others looked like the dogs (yes, there were dogs on-board) had been leaving P-mail on the grass. Nice design idea, but a lot of wasted space. Probably won't last.

 

The "Sunset" Verandas were more like "Sootset" Verandas. Our balcony was unusable on sea days because of the soot from the stacks and salt spray on the glass. Plus, with the stairstep design, the balcony above was directly over our bed - nice when the people above were up early and dragging their balcony furniture back and forth.

 

The music in the Solstice Theater was so loud that it was almost painful, plus it was drowning out the live acts. When I complained, I was told that the home office sets the volume requirements for each show.....BS in my opinion.

 

The basin in the stateroom were obviously designed by someone who has never shaved in a sink. The spout extends to the middle of the basin with no room left to splash water on your face.

 

"Elegant Tea" was like a hillbilly buffet with no enforcement of the dress code of smart casual - people showed up in shorts, flip flops, and even swim suits. There was no control and people were helping themselves from the serving trays with their bare hands.

 

Bottom line - new ship with a lot of work to be done. I'll wait a few years before I try her again.

 

 

 

WOW, 7-days on a brand new beautiful ship, and not a single positive comment. I've sailed on over 70 cruises and never once have I had as many negative things to say as you. Not all the cruises have been perfect, but all have been an enjoyable experience.

 

Whenever a poster has nothing but negative things to say, I have to take it with a grain of salt. It tells me more about the poster than the ship.

 

I think perhaps a "few years" won't be long enough in this persons case for returning to SOLSTICE. Another cruise line all together might be in order.

 

Ernie

[shamda]

I was also on the Solstice last week and agree with some of the OP complaints, but all in all the ship was beautiful and the trip was enjoyable. My comments on the OP post are as follows:

 

The cabanas were hard to get on the last 2 sea days, but the rest of the week they were pretty much up for grabs. I did not see a great deal of hogging going on.

 

The sewage smells were a problem. We stayed on deck 9 and that smell was by the elevators all the time. Also smelled in on several other areas around the ship.

 

The out of service conditions on the elevators was a problem, but this was due to the fact that they had to continually service them. Would you rather be stuck in one? I heard that the reason they had to service them so often was because of the suspended tree. The leaves were falling off the tree and jamming the elevator cables. Not sure how true that is, but makes sense as they were constantly cleaning the cables.

 

The lawn was nice to look at, but i agree with the OP that it is a waste of space. I went up there to take sunset pictures every day and it was beautiful up there. There was maybe only 1 or 2 other people up their with me watching the sunsets, so about 2500 people missed out. I dont get the grass either, but it was beautiful up there. I was wondering where the service dogs did their business. I saw 2 of them on board.

 

I did not find the music in the theatre too loud. I thought the overall entertainment was fantastic. The orchestra was great and the acts on board were all good too. The acoustics in the theatre were very good.

 

I attended the elegant tea and I was asked to leave because I was wearing shorts. I did not know there was a dress code. I was wearing nice shorts and a collar shirt, with sneakers and socks. I saw others that came in with bathing suits and shorts and sandals and they were able to go in. I was the only person that was asked to leave and like I said, I was in short, but dressed nice. Why just me? If there was a dress code it should have been mentioned in the daily schedule or posted outside the dining room door. I was very upset that I was the only one told not to come in.

 

Its amazing how some can have a great time and others do nothing but complain. The woman we had dinner with complained every night about the food. She went as far as to compain to the head culinary folks on board. She said she will never sail on an maiden voyage again. To me the food was very good most of the time. I had no complaints. I will write much more in my review and I will have some pictures posted very soon on my webshots.

[Checkmate1955]

The OP has a lot of cruise experience on Celebrity and I believe only posted the items that were disapointing to them... I am sure they experienced many nice things and appreciated all that the new designed ship offered... After all this ship has received a lot of hype before she ever sailed...

[CruisenLexie]

Thanks for all the comments. I had an aft balcony reserved but ended up canceling the trip a month ago. Now I know I do not want an aft cabin on this ship. I am sure the OP thought there were some good things with the ship. Seems to me he was letting out his frustration. I'll cut him some slack.

[willysgrandma]

To Host Andy and Howard - thanks for posting your thoughts. Certainly not as negative as the OP's - who it seems has disappeared.

[DCL-Fan]

I can honestly say that the positives far outweighed the few issues during the cruise. It is all in how you look at things...if you go in with reasonable and not overinflated expectations, you will have a great time. You are on vacation....chill out. This was our 33rd cruise and I loved it as much as the first. New ship...just beautiful, I felt very fortunate to be one of the first to have the opportunity to sail on the Solstice.

 

Oceanview Cafe - very nice layout and very open...never felt crowded.

 

Pool area - wonderful and comfortable (Solarium was just awesome)

 

Stateroom and balcony - very spacious, but not a lot of storage space to accomodate 4 people

 

Bathroom - Awesome best I have ever experienced

 

Workout area - The nicest I have ever seen; great layout, great equipment, and lots of choices.

 

Don't let the negatives scare you off...go and enjoy..form you own opinions!

[hcat]

OP raised some issues of concern so hope the elevators & smells are fixed soon.. On one of our Century cruises we were plagued with a sewage smell by the elevs near our doorway...X solution was to spray a deodorizer which only made things worse...!

 

The "splashy" sinks were noted when placed on Century--hard to do much with them but they look nice! I am happy to hear there is more shelving in the bathroom for cosmetics & such!

 

Won;t mind if the lawn is taken out for some other nicer idea--maybe a T pool in a little glass bubble...!

 

traditonal X cruisers may have to accept that Solstice is not a traditionally styled X ship...so the ship will attract different folks--many not devoted to the dress code.. or other Celeb traditions.... guess we'll have to adjust..as long as behavior, elegant service & cusine quality does not deteriorate we'll still be happy cruisers,.

 

Overall the ship looks awesome & we can;t wait to have our turn on board in jan...!

[hylasgirl]

While I don't want to get on here and act like I am personally offended by a negative review, I am always so skeptical of someone that doesn't have anything good to say. I have been on many cruises on many different lines, and I have never had a bad cruise.

 

I think chair hogs are everywhere... and waiting a few years to sail again won't change this.

 

I do hope they decide to heat the Solarium pool and I also hope they keep this as an adults area. Anne says that is not the case so far. That bummed me out a bit...

 

I think anyone who have plans to sail on the Solstice should not let a few negative comments care you off. There are negative comments on every ship. GO... have fun. BUT... for everyone going on these first cruises, you should know there are many kinks to be worked out. It is the nature of the beast. You get the bragging rights about being the first, but then you also are the guinea pigs.

 

I love the vessel sinks in the cabin bathrooms. I think they are very nice looking... My husband didn't complain a bit while he shaved. They may not be the most practical of sinks, but they look good and they do the job.

 

I won't miss the grass either if they do away with it. I hope to see it, and play games on it, but I do agree that it may be a bit of a hassle when they get right down to it.

 

I'm stoked to see the gym. It looks amazing!!! Can anyone tell me if there are any Stairmasters?? Any pictures?

 

I find a lot of aft cabins have the soot issue. I don't really care so much... I wipe the chair down and get on with life. Some locations are worth the pain.

 

I just hope people can keep an open mind because negative attitudes are catching... I think the ship is gorgeous! And I think it is going to take the crew a while to learn this new ship. I heard someone complain that this crew has come from other ships, and was supposed to be the best of the best and they couldn't believe how ill prepared they were. That is just crazy to expect the same service with people who are learning a whole new everything!

 

Anyone in their right mind should know that when booking the first cruise of a ship, should expect a lot of the unexpected. It seems that even with all the little kinks, it was still a nice cruise on a beautiful ship.

 

I do appreciate all the reviews that come in though. I just hope the people who have plans to sail on the Solstice will take all these first reviews as what they are... the first reviews.

[cruiseyguy]

I don't think the OP was actually on the ship.

[AnglerGirl]

OP, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I prefer to hear what you have to say good, bad or indifferent. I can handle one persons opinion but honestly, maybe you had something good, a biscuit perhaps?

 

Andy, thank you for your responses to the OP. We sailed together on the Caribbean Princess Mother's Day cruise. Seems the High Tea attendees from that cruise showed up for this sailing. Honestly, I could care less what people wear to High Tea because I don't believe Americans know about the formality of it. The cruise lines would do themselves well by making High Tea attire well known in the dailies.

 

Howard, your reviews are always very informative. I look forward to hearing more from you. We sailed this time last year aboard NCL Pearl. Remember the lack of edibles on that voyage?

[Host Anne]

I do think we were on separate ships. I didn't hear or feel any noise on the mid-ship elevators on sea days. Not once.

 

I saw two dogs on board - both were service dogs and I seriously doubt they were allowed to use the "lawn." I walked on the lawn plenty (although they did have the "resting" signs up at times. And I witnessed folks playing bocce and putting on the lawn often.

 

Too tired for more. Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

[monn_a]

I just returned from the cruise as well and many of the OP comments were true...though there were some good things, I will definitely wait some time before cruising Solstice again. Other Celebrity ships sure...

 

The smell was from the moment we got on the ship, especially around the elevators and continued all through the cruise. The elevators were constantly out of service, we inquired and one of the problems was the leaves from the tree were getting stuck in the shafts and had to be removed, that and daily cleaning. Which I didn't understand why it couldn't be done in the evenings...and the lawn was a big disappointment...they held "games" there at certain times, but it was mostly "resting" and thin and worn.

 

The hallways creaked non stop (I had breakfast with some one that had to be moved to another cabin because the noise from the creaking was so loud). And the ship rolled more than I think it should have especially once we were in the Caribbean Sea where the seas were only ~4ft. I've been on ships with waves such as these and didn't feel a thing. The rolling doesn't bother me but it was more than I expected at that time.

 

I'm not generally negative and I understand it was a first sailing, so we'll have to wait and see what happens in the long run.

 

There were two service dogs on the ship, just fyi.

 

It's strange that people would say someone wasn't on the ship because they had a different experience. I experienced most of what he said, but I've still never had a bad cruise. I'm writing a detailed review later, too tired now, but there were some problems that can't be attributed to "inaugural" and since they had been sailing for two weeks it really wasn't new was it?

 

I certainly wasn't impressed with Nick. I personally thought the few comments he made about getting out and spending money in the shops was tacky and quite the turn off and I heard this complaint voiced by other cruisers.

 

Howard posted most of this already.

 

To me the food was mediocre at best (nothing wowed me), but I'm a finicky eater everywhere...I just take it with a grain of salt, foods not my reason for cruising.

 

She is, however a beautiful ship. Didn't mean to go on, but it wasn't without it's problems as some are trying to say....different strokes for different folks...

[FinelyCruising]

Sounds to me like the OP has elected to point out some issues based on their observations. If what was posted was all negative, that's fine with me, I don't think there is one thing that was identified that wasn't supported so far.

 

So, the truth is blended somewhere right in the middle of the Hosts posts and this one, and I imagine several others that will be coming out in the days and weeks to come.

 

Most significant IMHO is the issue with the aft cabins and the step design impact on guests below. That's a big deal, and one that has not be shared before, so don't be so fast to write the OP's post off as all negative. A lot of the information is useful.