Just back from 12/14 - 12/21 Solstice cruise

[marylander2]

I wanted to share a few fresh impressions about my long-awaited trip on Solstice - disembarked this morning...

We all have heard a lot of praising on how magnificent the Solstice is.

While I mostly agree with all that, I would like to mention a few things, which prevented me to remember our cruise on Solstice as a perfect trip.

We had a nice (overall) cruise but not superb. This is my personal impression so please do not go berserk and do not yell at yours truly since I express MHO, and it may be misaligned with the view of others.

So, here goes...

 

1. We had a cabin on the aft “indented” balcony section (deck 8 portside), but quite close to the designated smoking area - actually, above it and a bit closer to the aft. During the last 48 hours of the trip (both days at sea), when the wind was not that strong on the portside, it was very uncomfortable to seat outside on the balcony as all the cigarette smoke (from at times up to 10 people) was dispersed in the air across the upper decks. When the wind was stronger, it wasn’t as bad, but a couple of my neighbors noticed this unfortunate effect as well.

2. The ship was quite crowded; I understand that this was probably the first of all “trial” runs so far when it was filled up to the full capacity... and you can notice this almost everywhere. The pool area on the sea days was packed, and with lounge chairs set at 2-3 inch intervals it was quite a challenge to get comfortable... the Oceanview Café in the mornings was packed either – we had a party of four and all seven days we had a problem to quickly find a table for all of us between 8.30 to 10.30 am. Trust me, running with heavy plates (they are heavy even without food!) from one side to the other, maneuvering between other table seekers was not an easy task… The outside (aft) area is nice but 50% of it is used for rattan armchairs and loveseats with small (low) tables for coffee – nice touch, although not very useful for people who had to seat there and to eat from plates using silverware. Simple swap of these with the regular tables – just for breakfast - would’ve resolved the issue, but it probably is not easy to move the furniture around.

Installing a number of individual (theme) food stations is a good idea but looks like it backfired since the diminished – as a result of this – inside-sitting area is clearly not capable to accommodate all of people who chose to use Cafe during peak breakfast hours at full ship’s capacity.

3. The waiting stuff in the Oceanview Café was clearly on the “learning” mode; they were far less efficient and less enthusiastic than their colleagues from other X ships and even from their co-workers from MDR – by the way, kudos to those!

4. For some reason, disinfecting wipes are not distributed on Solstice at all – the only place I was able to find them was in the gym..., they just use jell dispensers, and ONLY at the entrance to the Café/MDR – so if you were touching lots and lots of serving tongs/countertops/drink push-buttons, etc. – there is no means of cleaning your hands before you start eating. Yes someone may call this excessive but “Mister Noro” likes such deficiencies; we all saw our less aware fellow cruisers grabbing sandwiches, cookies, etc. with their bare hands...

5. The most strange design decision was to install sports court on the very bow of the ship (deck 15), open to all and every wind. I played basketball during days at sea... you could barely stand straight without fear to be smashed against the metal side walls. On any other ship including X’s own M-class the sports court is placed behind the bulkhead... Really odd thinking of Solstice’s designers.

6. I tried to get to the sauna twice, first time unsuccessfully (6 pm, St. Kitts day) – there was no locker available (out of some 30+!), second time at about 3 pm on sea day - I was more fortunate... only to find that there are other 7 or 8 lucky guys stuffed in the small sauna room. There are about 3 or 4 showers and only three small bank chairs for 30+ lockers; it reminded me not about brand new luxury cruise ship but about my school days when I had – just like that day I used sauna on Solstice – to stand in line to “hit the shower”. If you want to find drinking water in the locker area, do not bother; the closest one is in the gym, some 50 yards and 4 hallway turns away.

7. MDR looks great, indeed. However, the flaw in its design is that they concentrated serving stations in the center on each section, as compared to the “old”, scattered, station placement. So your waiter has to run more between the kitchen/station/table, which increases dining time. We had our table for four on the balcony, closer to windows, and it was arranged “in line” with another table for four and one more for two, all square/rectangular – design of rather European “no privacy” bistro than of upscale restaurant. You may look at it as if we had a long table for ten, which was stretched fro window to the column... the spacing between the three tables was so narrow that our waiter had trouble to get through it, and he was not a chubby fella. So our table for ten was served indeed as a “table for ten” – the courses were brought to the whole “10 section” simultaneously, and I can not accuse poor waiters who had to carry 10-15 plates for a long run from kitchen to their serving stations...

(more on MDR next time)

8. Sewage smell – which many of the previous reviewers mentioned already – was intermittent and was felt only in specific areas of the ship. Strangely, on our deck (right when you enter the hallway from the elevators) we had a sewage smell on days 1 and 2, a foul laundry smell on day 3, a faint diesel (exhaust?) smell on day 4 and finally quite unpleasant soiled kitchen stink on the last couple of days, all on the stretch of 3-5 yards. Nothing outrageous, but quite strange.

9. The most important observation from this cruise: the ship rocked like crazy during first leg from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan. It rocked so bad that they had to cancel the show “Solstice” on Monday night. I do not know what to make of this; we traveled on up to 10 other different ships, big and small, and went both through much rougher seas and through this very section of Atlantic... just this spring we cruised on Nautica from HKK to ATH, and South China Sea was really something... yet this (supposedly) marvel of modern engineering – Solstice - made many people sea-sick during first 30-36 hours. Again, others already mentioned this, and I don’t know if this is just unfortunate circumstance (weather glitch) or mechanical mishap, but I am stating the fact: apart of regular/expected bow-aft movement, Solstice does quite a bit of really wild side-to-side rocking, as if stabilizers were not working at all – or maybe they were indeed not working because it was too dangerous to use them in rough seas? So what’s the use to have them?

All I want to say is this – whoever is going to use Solstice’s winter Caribbean itinerary with long haul from FLL southbound, beware of this ship’s feature.

 

I am tired and will stop here. Will try and continue later.

I want to repeat myself – we had a great time. The ship is nice, there’s a lot of good new things in cabin design, decoration and – as usual – staff’s desire and ability to go extra mile for you... but it was not as magical as we were expecting based on what we’ve heard here from the previous travelers.

Happy cruising!

[C 2 C]

I want to repeat myself – we had a great time. The ship is nice, there’s a lot of good new things in cabin design, decoration and – as usual – staff’s desire and ability to go extra mile for you... but it was not as magical as we were expecting based on what we’ve heard here from the previous travelers.

Happy cruising!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. We were on board when there were fewer guests competing for seats in Oceanside Cafe.

We too found the table set up very constricted and difficult for wait staff maneuvering compared to other Celebrity ships. We agree with your conclusion as well.

[Fogtownrog]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like the Oceanview Cafe is a nightmare. Is there an alternative for dining on departure day?

[BurgerBits]

Lots of good information here - thank you!

 

It was particularly helpful for you to include the times when you experienced heavy traffic in the buffet and gym areas.

 

Would you mind telling us if the MDR was open for breakfast every day as well as the Oceanview?

[marylander2]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like the Oceanview Cafe is a nightmare. Is there an alternative for dining on departure day?

Fogtownrog, it is not a nightmare, it's just too crowded for my taste :) - the lines are short (obviously... there are many varieties of food, and the number of stations is higher than the regular 4 or 6 on other ships), but the absence of adequate seating space during breakfast is definitely a problem.

Comes lunch time - another problem emerges, i.e., lack of food variety in the Oceanview Cafe. We had late dinner seating (at 8:30) which means that we had to eat our lunch as late as possible, normally after 2 pm... so the O. Cafe's problem at that time was reversed - the space was abundant but there clearly was not enough choices and lo-o-o-o-oong lines for pizza/pasta in the Cafe. Mast Grill had your standard "cholesterol depositories", burgers/hotdogs/fries etc., and again there was a line... AquaSpa Cafe is closed at 2 pm. Yes, there is ever-famous now Bistro on Five, but 5 bucks pp to me are definitely not worth it - we used it once for lunch, the panini/crepes tasted average and were very heavy (loaded with fatty fillings). Leak/potato soup was good, though.

Coming back to your question - on the departure day the options are seemingly wide, but... Choose your time wisely.

Alas, there's always room service :D, but although we did not use it this time, I've heard a lot of complaining about delivery delays, mixed up orders, etc.

[cruisinfanatic]

How about some things you are positive about?

[marylander2]

Lots of good information here - thank you!

 

It was particularly helpful for you to include the times when you experienced heavy traffic in the buffet and gym areas.

 

Would you mind telling us if the MDR was open for breakfast every day as well as the Oceanview?

Yes, the MDR was open every day for breakfast, deck 4 only, 7:30 to 9:00 am. Lunch (also only deck 4) - from noon to 1:30 pm. Both were not in our "eating window" because of a)slow speed and b)timing.

One thing was great in the MDR - brunch on first day at sea - not to be missed! I think X wanted to replace the midnight buffet with this venue; although it was more humble than famous food waste after midnight, the choice of food and presentation were great as usual.

That made me angry once again - so-called "cold cuts" in the O. Cafe daily menu were nothing but joke, a few slices of mortadella and one other suspiciously looking fat-loader... That's it. But during brunch they put far more cold cut selections, which was great.

[marylander2]

How about some things you are positive about?

Loved the staterooms - very spacious, the bathrooms are probably the largest we've ever had in the standard size cabins. Shower is spacious, the glass door is a great treat - forget the eeewie mildew-covered curtains. Balcony is of adequate space. Very comfortable lounge chairs on the balcony.

TV sets are great, although the positioning could've been better... Yes you may swivel it, but still have to twist your neck to watch it from the bed.

Overall decor of the ship is top notch, lots of nice touches in trying to combine traditional ship decor with modern style.

 

BTW, some observations which I made based on the previous comments:

1. "the a/c shuts down as soon as the balcony door opens" - not true; the a/c continues to pump in the cold air, which is a total waste of energy, and we like to sleep with the veranda door open...

2. "The rich leather-appointed sofas in the rooms..." - it's the vinyl, synthetic leather; it is much cheaper and far easier to take care of for room attendants. Color choice (off-white) is totally wrong - we already had a couple of stains (ball pen) on the chair and the sofa in our room.

3. "TV set in the adjacent room is installed on the wall behind your headboard" - not true. Actually, it's quite easy to figure out where your bed/sofa will be - each duplex (two adjacent cabins with doors next to each other) has left-side cabin with the sofa next to the entrance/closet, and the right-side cabin has the sofa next to the balcony. The beds are placed headboards next to the outer walls, and vanity mirrors/TV sets placed at the inner wall. Quite reasonable.

One thing in the cabin we totally hated was the closet - even for a 7-day Caribbean cruise for the two of us it was not enough storage space, especially not enough shelving space (which I personally would've installed right above the safe) - and we usually do not carry a lot of clothes to cruises!

It was an adequate storage space in the bathroom, though.

(More - later);)

[marylander2]

...which we have noticed in the cabin.

1. The sink is a "bowl-on-the-countertop", one of them fancy things. It helps to shrink the space of the counter because it is rised above it, but at the same time shorter people and kids would have trouble to reach it... on the other note, the spout is quite large, it is not rotating (as it should be, based on design) and sticks up like a chrome-clad liability for X over your poked eye or lasseration of the eyebrow. My friend hit his forehead real hard while washing face during the legendary "Solstice's dance with the waves" on first day at sea:eek:.

2. Really strange location of the handles on the closet's sliding doors - parents, beware! It's quite easy to jam young one's finger between the handle of the inner door and the edge of the outer door - the finger placed on the handle acts as a natural doorstop, preventing damage of the hardware...

3. The first left top drawer in the chest beneath TV heats up real good - donnow the reason, probably because of the adjacent fridge. Anyway, do not place heat-sensitive items such as chocolate, batteries, cameras, peptobismol :p etc. in there!

[ken987]

HI all.

You can eat in the MDR on debarkation day. I had a different experience than the poster but definitely respect their right to let everyone know how the experience went. I want to chime in that maybe time of day does factor into the experience. This was my first cruise ever in my life. On the 20th I turned 47 and this was one of the best vacations of my life. I thought there were enough elevators. I never had a problem. I didn't eat at the oceanview that much but when I did there was always something good. And now I understand why everyone talks about the waffles. OMG they are good!

You did have to be a bit resourceful...I noticed that one line would have 10 people for waffles...but if you looked there were always other waffle stations and every time there was no wait...it seems there would be congregations of people..for whatever the reason. But there were enough repeats that if you walked 30 feet you could find what you wanted with no wait at all.

Getting Iced Tea was a pain in OceanView as they would close beverage stations for no reason and it was a guessing game as to which one was running. I also never had trouble finding a table at the back of the boat outside. It was AWESOME. One day we had breakfast delivered and ate on the balcony. The food what warm to hot and the order was correct and on time. For Epernay...if you want to be treated like a star then get GUSTI and DION as your servers. AMAZING friendly service. And they remember what you like and it is waiting for you each night when you show up.(drinks)

Steaks and Lobster were not always cooked right....but I think that has been discussed before.

Slobadan and Luciana are the best for Tuscan Grill...and Luciana's husband is the Matre' D (excuse my spelling) for Silk Harvest. For Silk Harvest stick to Appetizers and Sushi....others said the Moshi Ice Cream was good.

 

Murano is nice... I don't know what else to say...but it was not my favorite.

 

We liked the Tuscan Grill so much that we went back a 2nd time. I told hte chef that the first time we went the veal chop was tough. He said he is looking for a new vendor for that cut of meat. The mac and cheese is to die for and watch out for the bread basket. You wont be able to control yourself. The Tuscan Onion Soup is strongly flavored...but that is exactly how I like it.

Also...we mixed and matched our entrees and side dishes without any attitude from anyone. At that place..you are the boss...and you get what you want with a smile. Our tablemates joined us to make a table of 8 for my birthday and we had the main table overlooking the back window of the ship. To have 12 wait staff sing happy birthday in their own language was very moving...they were so nice..I truly felt like a star that night. To Top it off Luciana asked if she could give me a kiss and she planted a big one on my cheek!!!!! She was very nice.

 

Tips for the specialties...book early if you want a table for two. Otherwise make new friends and show up as a group. I ate in them 4 nights around 8pm and the room was NEVER more than half full....especially the first few nights...

 

We had 20 to 25 foot seas.....It must have been where you were on the ship....I was on the 10th deck in middle of the ship...closer to the front....and the motion was minimal. However...when I went to see Xylosynth man( I will not make any comments about this entertainer) It was funny to watch everyone walk to their seat..>I almost fell over a couple of times myself. It was quite a thrill ride.

 

bottom line...I am truly spoiled and any other cruise line or ship will probably be a disappointment for me based on this cruise experience. I did book another cruise with RCCL for 2010 on the Oasis of the Seas....Im sticking with the big ships for now. I'm hooked and eventually I can see myself doing this 2 times a year ....easy. I love this board and the diversity and information it has provided me these last few months.

[eroller]

The mac and cheese is to die for and watch out for the bread basket. You wont be able to control yourself.

 

 

 

I forgot about the mac & cheese in Tuscan Grill. Yes, it was the best I've ever had!!! I even love the little iron skillet it's cooked and presented in.

 

With you being a brand new cruiser, it's great to read your fresh approach to things. I think many experienced cruisers get very set in their ways and spend far too much time comparing everything to the last cruise. Sometimes experienced cruisers seem to become professional complainers instead of just enjoying themselves. It's too bad.

 

It seems no matter what cruise I'm sailing on, I will overhear people boast about how much better their previous cruise was and how horrible the current one is. I can assure you these same people will go on their next cruise and rave to anyone that will listen, just how much better the last one was .... of course this is the same cruise they were complaining about while they were on it! Go figure. The minute I hear people start to complain on a cruise I head the other direction. Complainers like to recruit other complainers and it becomes contagious. Personally I have better things to do on my vacation. Mind you some complaints are truly warranted, but more often than not it's just nit picking.

 

Ernie

[Lsimon]

......We had our table for four on the balcony, closer to windows, and it was arranged “in line” with another table for four and one more for two, all square/rectangular – design of rather European “no privacy” bistro than of upscale restaurant. You may look at it as if we had a long table for ten, which was stretched fro window to the column... the spacing between the three tables was so narrow that our waiter had trouble to get through it, and he was not a chubby fella. So our table for ten was served indeed as a “table for ten” – the courses were brought to the whole “10 section” simultaneously...

 

Were all the table arranged like this or just a few sets? I think of this arrangement of tables as "delicatessen style" and it is really a pet peeve of mine when you find it at anything other than the most casual of restaurants. I really dislike going into a fancy restaurant and sitting at tables like this where no one is sitting on the ends and you're right next to the people at the next table. It just destroys the ambiance of a dining room that might otherwise be nice and the only benefit of this type of seating is the convenience of the establishment in squeezing more people into a small space and the ease of pushing smaller tables together into a larger one when needed.

[tbmrt]

After getting many answers to my questions, I hope to help others with my rendition of last week's Solstice trip.

Bottom line......We really loved the ship, but didn't care for the ports other than St. Maarten.

 

Arrived at the ship at around 11:15 and were seated in one of 2 waiting rooms. Took about 1/2 an hour to go to paperwork area which moved quickly. Got on the boat, dropped our bags in our cleaned rooms right away and went to the buffet for lunch.

 

I was worried about Cabin 6156 (got guarantee balcony) would have been a bad choice due to lifeboats beneath our feet. They were there, but the extra large balcony due to the angled cabin more than made up for this. The horizon view was fine except in a tiny corner which was blocked by a white steel pulley. I'd definitely want this cabin again.

 

The storage in the cabin and bathroom were fine for us w/lots of luggage. Got extra hangers and everything fit fine. Yes, it is a bit difficult to access the clothes inside, but not a big deal. Beds and pillows were wonderful.

 

Wandered around the ship and were extremely impressed by the ambiance of each area. The martini bar with iced top was a big hit. Lots of fun and great bartenders!

 

Last December we took Carnival's Legend to the Western Caribbean. The Celebrity Solstice was like being in Nordstrom's compared to Walmart.

 

The entertainment was much better than last year. Again, like a high school musical compared to professionals.

 

The ports and weather were a different story though. The first day there were 10 to 15' seas and 30mph winds. People were getting sick and it was hilarious trying to walk straight. Although we did manage to sun outside, it surely wasn't extremely comfortable.

 

Found a great, gorgeous green eyed guy about 3 blocks from the port in PR who offered us an hour and a half tour for $8. each. (We were going to do a walking tour, but after walking a few blocks and being tired from a late night in the disco, we decided to take this.) By the way at the dock, we were offered similar tours at $50 and $30!

 

The tour went fine although we could have passed on a 10 minute stop at a junk store to shop! We were disenchanted with Puerto Rico in general and just returned to the ship after the tour.

 

We took the $115. pp Fan Ta Sea excursion from Celebrity in St. Kitts and loved the crew and experience, but.... The day before we left Celebrity sent us an email saying that the itinerary had changed from 3 stops with snorkeling over wrecks to one snorkeling spot in ____ten's Bay(not many fish at all) and due to what they said was a recent hurricane we couldn't go to a beach party on Pinney's Beach in Nevis afterward and that we'd go to Cockleshell beach instead. (They served the food and rumpunch on the boat instead of on Pinney's Beach.) Cockleshell Beach was just OK. Not very pretty.

 

St. Maarten was the highlight of our trip with a short tour around the island and a short stop at a flea market, then a fabulous party at Bikini Beach with our travel group. There was a 20 minute walk to the nude beach, but due to the fun we were having, we decided to stay at Bikini. The beach was clean, pretty although not as warm as we expected.

 

The 2 sea days back weren't quite as choppy or windy, but still weren't very comfortable for sunning. In fact, we never got into one of the pools during the week. The solarium itself was pretty chilly (we never felt the water.)

 

3 of our group came home with bad sore throats that started the day before we got home unfortunately.

 

The food and service in the Tuscan Grille is not to be missed. Don't miss the chocolate fondue! One thing that I found amazing is that they had no crushed red pepper!

 

The dining room (had late seating) was gorgeous and the entrees were mostly excellent although the portions were small in most cases. The shrimp was sometimes soggy and at other times fine.

 

I was told to order more rock lobster and that more shrimp could be substituted for the scallops in the trio of fish dinner in the main dining room.

 

Room Service and Guest Relations phone #'s were busy quite often. Room Service took about 20 mins usually, but one time around 45 mins. Could be due to the weather and many people being in their rooms sick.

 

No problems getting off the ship. They give you a letter telling you where to be at a certain time.

 

There was a slight odor by the elevators at times, but just noticeable, not horrid. The boat did creak alot during the first 2 days with bad weather.

 

I was surprised at the bingo costs...From what I remember $39 for 4 paper boards/4 games or $59 for more on an electronic board.

 

There didn't seem to be alot of shopping onboard and there was no buy one get one free t-shirt the last night.

 

We didn't get to visit the Bistro on 5 or other 2 specialty restaurants. Seemed like we always had something to do between Celebrity's activites and our groups' events.

 

I overheard many complaints about food, cabins, the weather, the ship, comparisons to other ships "elegance" like the Holland American line and realize you cannot keep everyone happy.

 

No problems getting onboard or off the ship w/security, etc. My 2 bottles of wine nor checked luggage in flasks presented any problems. My steward graciously gave us wineglasses and ice a few times a day.

 

Solstice surely put a big smile on our faces though and I think it will be hard to get us to chance a line other than Celebrity in the future!

 

Sorry to jump all over in this post....Trying to do wash and catch up on other things at the same time!

[marylander2]

Were all the table arranged like this or just a few sets? I think of this arrangement of tables as "delicatessen style" and it is really a pet peeve of mine when you find it at anything other than the most casual of restaurants. I really dislike going into a fancy restaurant and sitting at tables like this where no one is sitting on the ends and you're right next to the people at the next table. It just destroys the ambiance of a dining room that might otherwise be nice and the only benefit of this type of seating is the convenience of the establishment in squeezing more people into a small space and the ease of pushing smaller tables together into a larger one when needed.

Lsimon, most of the "on-the-back" tables on the 4th deck are arranged like that, and some on the 3rd deck closer to the windows. There are nice tables for 2, 4 and 6 persons, though; the usual restaurant style. They are located in the central area and closer to the balcony rails. But yes, you'll see "squeeze-me-in" approach quite often on the Solstice, unfortunately - in the MDR and around the pool, in locker area at the gym, etc...:mad:

[ken987]

I forgot...Bistro on 5 Perfect if you are on the ship during the afternoon on a port day....AMAZING crepes. YUM YUM YUM...do the banana nutella pistachio crepe...to die for. Also the panini's are ok. $5 extra but it is all you can eat. THe service was also top notch!!!

[LKN-NC]

Interesting, as we thought the ship felt quite spacious and uncrowded. There were a lot of people at the pool on sea days, but it was OK as we didn't compete for the sun space anyway. We had no problems in Oceanview cafe with finding a seat, perhaps not there at the same times. A matter of timing. We were amazed at times to think there were ~4000 people on board. The truth will be seen this week with a full ship and 400 kids. I am not sure how well that will go:eek:

 

We did encounter the elevator area smell one day but that was it. our room was steps away from 9th deck elevators so happy it was only once.

 

Agreed -- Closets are too small even for light packers like us -- enough hanging space but definitely not enough folding space, we had to use the overhead storage and that isn't as convenient.

 

We heard that the seas were more like 20-25 ft with up to 50 mph wind gusts. The movement of the ship seemed to be about what we expected considering an encounter with 30+ waves and 60 mph winds on our prior cruise. However another cruiser did overhear a crew member comment that one stabilizer wasn't exactly working right. I don't know as we felt that the movement probably matched the conditions, some said that they were getting sprayed by waves on decks 6-7.

 

The buffet in Oceanview could be improved, more variety day to day would be nice, but we managed to find enough to be satisfied. MDR was great, service impecable, food good to great. Portions may be smaller than in the old days but certainly close to what you should be eating. I like the amount of food and you could always get more if needed.

 

In all a great cruise, but like you say not perfect. But then for the prices we paid this past week, a great value and a beautiful ship.

[hylasgirl]

We sailed out on the Westerdam right behind the Solstice (amazing looking ship from behind). The first few days WERE rocky! I think anyone heading out of Fort Lauderdale on the 14th had the same seas. Our captain came on and said it had mostly to do with the winds... we had this a few days. Definitely felt like you were sailing.

 

I don't mean to sound rude, but it always always surprises me that people are just amazed that the ship rocks... that there is motion. I overhead MANY people on the Westerdam complaining about the motion of the ship and it was really really hard for me to say YOU ARE ON A SHIP! I think if people have motion issues, or do not want to feel like they are sailing, they should book a land based vacation. The ships DO move... even with stabilizers. If you are in high winds and you are getting more of a "roll", the stabilizers won't do much. I think these big ships are giving some people the impression they won't feel the motion of the ocean. This is not true.

 

I know this is not the board to post my review for the Westerdam, and I won't but.... everyone should be soooo pleased that sailed on the Solstice! I have never in my life been on a cruise with more bitching and moaning than this Westerdam cruise. I still had a great time, but boy.... Again, amazed me how many people will complain about anything and everything. And the craziest thing being the ship motion.

 

I hope you all had a fantastic cruise otherwise... there were many of us looking on that would have loved to been sailing with you.

 

Thanks for the review... it is great to hear everyones take on things. You guys sure looked good sailing out though...

[GreenseyesM]

Marylander2,

I thought a lot about the opinion you rendered regarding your sailing on Solstice. I wonder what I should do with the information you provided. You said you were tired, but could not wait to give your negative impression- to which you are entitled to of course. How does an opinion like yours affect us folks who are booked and cannot change things? Nothing majorly positive? Like you, we got caught up in all the hoopla of this new ship and scheduled this cruise for myself, my husband and my daughter. They have never cruised anything but Celebrity. I have been on the Crown Princess. Simultaneously, my sister-in-law and her husband chose this ship for their very first cruise. I'm concerned. If I had read a post like yours a year ago I would have thought hard, done more research and probably have stuck to an "M" class ship. We sail on Jan 4th on the Solstice however

When I booked this cruise my husband had a job. We don't know when we will get to sail together again. I'm under pressure to hoping my sister-in-law and her husband who are joining us have a good experience after we have chatted up Celebrity so much.

Despite your experience, we will choose to look at the positives instead of the negatives because any bad day at sea while warm, being fed and pampered is definetly better than a good day in snowy New England. I will salute you as the ship rocks, while laying in a chair so close to a neighbor having a gin and tonic, or when I have to carry that heavy plate of breakfast food I didn't have to prepare (Crown Princess had cheesy plastic plates, much lighter and perhaps more to your liking)...

Cheers and Merry Christmas...

[ellbon]

motion.. i thought that was why i carry Ginger around. i have not had a problem on any ship in years. notice it a little on a small ship but not a big one. 12 days from now i am on the Solstice. I have decided my sofa is the palce for folded clothes so i can reach them.

[LKN-NC]

Do not fear -- you will have a wonderful time. Solstice is a great ship and I think the positives far outweigh any of the negatives. For those who sailed with us and have been on Princess, Holland America, etc agreed this was by far the BEST ship they have been on. You can always find negatives if you look hard enough. Do NOT cancel, it's a great ship and we would not hesitate to sail on her again in the future!

 

Marylander2,

I thought a lot about the opinion you rendered regarding your sailing on Solstice. I wonder what I should do with the information you provided. You said you were tired, but could not wait to give your negative impression- to which you are entitled to of course. How does an opinion like yours affect us folks who are booked and cannot change things? Nothing majorly positive? Like you, we got caught up in all the hoopla of this new ship and scheduled this cruise for myself, my husband and my daughter. They have never cruised anything but Celebrity. I have been on the Crown Princess. Simultaneously, my sister-in-law and her husband chose this ship for their very first cruise. I'm concerned. If I had read a post like yours a year ago I would have thought hard, done more research and probably have stuck to an "M" class ship. We sail on Jan 4th on the Solstice however

When I booked this cruise my husband had a job. We don't know when we will get to sail together again. I'm under pressure to hoping my sister-in-law and her husband who are joining us have a good experience after we have chatted up Celebrity so much.

Despite your experience, we will choose to look at the positives instead of the negatives because any bad day at sea while warm, being fed and pampered is definetly better than a good day in snowy New England. I will salute you as the ship rocks, while laying in a chair so close to a neighbor having a gin and tonic, or when I have to carry that heavy plate of breakfast food I didn't have to prepare (Crown Princess had cheesy plastic plates, much lighter and perhaps more to your liking)...

Cheers and Merry Christmas...

[signman]

Marylander2,

I thought a lot about the opinion you rendered regarding your sailing on Solstice. I wonder what I should do with the information you provided. You said you were tired, but could not wait to give your negative impression- to which you are entitled to of course. How does an opinion like yours affect us folks who are booked and cannot change things? Nothing majorly positive? Like you, we got caught up in all the hoopla of this new ship and scheduled this cruise for myself, my husband and my daughter. They have never cruised anything but Celebrity. I have been on the Crown Princess. Simultaneously, my sister-in-law and her husband chose this ship for their very first cruise. I'm concerned. If I had read a post like yours a year ago I would have thought hard, done more research and probably have stuck to an "M" class ship. We sail on Jan 4th on the Solstice however

When I booked this cruise my husband had a job. We don't know when we will get to sail together again. I'm under pressure to hoping my sister-in-law and her husband who are joining us have a good experience after we have chatted up Celebrity so much.

Despite your experience, we will choose to look at the positives instead of the negatives because any bad day at sea while warm, being fed and pampered is definetly better than a good day in snowy New England. I will salute you as the ship rocks, while laying in a chair so close to a neighbor having a gin and tonic, or when I have to carry that heavy plate of breakfast food I didn't have to prepare (Crown Princess had cheesy plastic plates, much lighter and perhaps more to your liking)...

Cheers and Merry Christmas...

 

 

You can just call me Marylander1. I was on Solstice 12/7-14 (you can go back a few pages to find my full review) and while I had prepared a whole list of little things that didn't sound good to me, none of them really mattered. It's a beautiful new ship, filled with other folks looking to have a good time, and the little details just didn't amount to much in the big picture. The bars and entertainment at each were terrific. You can let these insignificant things get to you if you want, but my experience is sort of like the old joke about the lady in the Catskills. When asked how the food was her answer was not good and there wasn't enough of it. Well my experience could be that it wasn't perfect, and not enough time to do it all.

[willysgrandma]

Thank you for your honest assessment.

 

I have a question about the table set up in the main dining room. I have to do seating for a group of 44 people. How is table placement - I need two tables of ten and two for eight, one for 6 and one for 4. Would that seating be able to be placed in the same area of the dining room? I want to set tables so that it is the easist for th Maitre 'D to assign all the tables near each other.

[GreenseyesM]

I DID read your post Howard. Awesome. If I have a question may I ask you?

m

[signman]

Ask away.

[internetwhiz]

My husband and I were on the Solstice this past week as well, 12/14 to 12/21. It's always amazing to me how different perspectives are on a cruise, as different as the individuals who take them.

 

My thoughts:

1. On Monday, the seas were rough. There were several other ships that paralleled our route early in the week, and we spoke on shore with individuals from the other ships. All ships experienced unusual rocking on Monday...it was not solely the Solstice.

 

2. We never felt really crowded. The buffet was extra busy the first day, but that's because it was the only venue for food at that time. However, if you can arrive early...we arrived at 11:30 and were on ship before 12 noon, then you will beat the "rush" in the Oceanview cafe. OR, those who don't wish to be in that could eat before boarding.

 

3. We did not find the pool area overcrowded, and I got in the pool and did not find it to be cold. This was the pool outside. The hot tubs were rather warm.

 

4. Our cabin attendant and dining room staff were caring and did a good job.

 

5. We loved the shows...even the person with the xylosynthis act.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise. The one thing I did notice that with SOME guests who were repeat Celebrity cruisers, there was a kind of snobbery or air of entitlement that I did not find attractive. Example: I LOVED the Aquaspa Cafe (fresh salmon there for lunch is AMAZING, and no upcharge, and you don't have to be aquaclass to eat there), and a couple came to sit where I was alone at a table and proceeded to moan and gripe about everything. My comment to them was that I choose to embrace the positive, and what is NOt TO LIKE when someone makes really good food and serves it to you, turns down your bed and leaves chocolate, etc.

 

I think cruises are what you make of them, and other than the turbulence at sea early in the week and RCCI cannot control the weather, we had a very favorable experience. I do feel like we like the demographics better on Royal Caribbean, and we will probably do most of our future cruising there. But Solstice was just fine. Have a great time and enjoy yourselves!

 

 

 

Marylander2,

I thought a lot about the opinion you rendered regarding your sailing on Solstice. I wonder what I should do with the information you provided. You said you were tired, but could not wait to give your negative impression- to which you are entitled to of course. How does an opinion like yours affect us folks who are booked and cannot change things? Nothing majorly positive? Like you, we got caught up in all the hoopla of this new ship and scheduled this cruise for myself, my husband and my daughter. They have never cruised anything but Celebrity. I have been on the Crown Princess. Simultaneously, my sister-in-law and her husband chose this ship for their very first cruise. I'm concerned. If I had read a post like yours a year ago I would have thought hard, done more research and probably have stuck to an "M" class ship. We sail on Jan 4th on the Solstice however

When I booked this cruise my husband had a job. We don't know when we will get to sail together again. I'm under pressure to hoping my sister-in-law and her husband who are joining us have a good experience after we have chatted up Celebrity so much.

Despite your experience, we will choose to look at the positives instead of the negatives because any bad day at sea while warm, being fed and pampered is definetly better than a good day in snowy New England. I will salute you as the ship rocks, while laying in a chair so close to a neighbor having a gin and tonic, or when I have to carry that heavy plate of breakfast food I didn't have to prepare (Crown Princess had cheesy plastic plates, much lighter and perhaps more to your liking)...

Cheers and Merry Christmas...