Celebrity Solstice Reviews

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This was my boyfriend's first cruise, and my first one in over 15 years. My brother used to work for the big red boat, so I got to go on a lot of cruises back then. He was really excited to go on a cruise, consulted with a travel agent and booked us a sky suite on the Celebrity Solstice. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping for the Oasis of the seas or the Allure. His travel agent said if we weren't going to do the zip line, surf pool activities and see a lot of kids- that the Celebrity wa sless expensive with better food and a more upscale crowd. To me, that meant old people!! I have to say that this was the best cruise experience I ever had. From the moment we boarded until the moment we disembarked I have not a single complaint. Every single crew member was so nice and friendly, always smiling and happy. The bartenders in the molecular bar seemed truly happy to be doing what they are doing. And those drink concoctions are amazing. Do they take a little longer to make than ordering a beer at the pool bar? Absolutely, but well worth the wait. Fresh ingredients served with a smile. The Black Mambo was our favorite, but I think we tried just about every one on the menu. (YES, we opted for the Premium bar package). Every night before dinner we would stop in and have a pred dinner cocktail. I think a lot of the passengers did not find this bar until the end of the trip or not at all. I read about it on Cruise critic. We arrived to Port Everglades around 10:30 or 11 am and there was barely any waiting at all. They boarded the suites first so we were some of the first on board and we went directly to the top/lawn deck for a cocktail. It is so beautiful up on this deck with the grass. Although we never played golf, or Bocce ball or saw the glass blowing show. They serve a nice Sauvignon blanc on the ship. After this we made it our mission to explore all around the ship and there is a LOT to see. We went to Murano's the first night for dinner, but the rest of the time we ate dinner in the dining room. The food is delicious and we had so much fun with our tablemates that we kept on coming back. The crowd is a little older, but all young at heart and definitely not the bingo playing, blue hair crowd I was afraid of. I would say 50's and 60's, but also younger. Nice mix of people on board. Never any wait for anything. Our waiter in the dining room was fantastic and the Sommelier as well. I had read a review from someone with the drink package that they would not bring you another glass of wine until you finished the one you had. NOT TRUE! She was so attentive and glass ws refilled before I asked every time. Our suite was amazing as well as our cabin steward. We had a big private balcony, spacious room, beautiful bathroom, and a big porthole window. The bed was so comfortable. Our cabin steward kept our place so clean and every day left us fruit , little hors d'oeuvres, etc... I can't remember what our suite number was but it was on the aft deck , sky suite and it was incredible. Sorry to be jumping around so much, but there is so much to say about so many different things. The adult pool solarium is so relaxing as is the aqua spa cafe. Th main pool is fun too. it has a completely different atmosphere but it's fun too. It is true that it's tough to find a chair there at times, but it was not a big deal. So may other places to go. We never ate lunch in the dining room, only at the Oceanview terrace buffet. There is a LOT of choices- this is where we had breakfast every day too. Omelettes made to order, 4 kinds of eggs benedict, bagels with salmon and cream cheese, fresh fruit, french toast, etc... That was just to name a few. We did not really see any of the shows as we can't sit still for that long. I did spend $40 on the slot machines and I won $600 in about ten minutes so that was pretty fun. In San Juan it was raining and crappy so we got on a $20 bus tour which was awful. I wish we would have just wandered around ourselves! St. Thomas we opted to go get on the Red Hook Ferry to St. John which was a fantastic day. When we got there we took a taxi to Trunk beach which is beautiful and relaxing. Then we took a taxi back to where the ferry was and had a delicious lunch and some bushwackers- delicious, strong frozen drinks. St. Maarten we took a cab to the sunset bar/beach where we rented chairs and watched the planes fly right over us to land. Back to the ship. There is a disco or 2 and they have karaoke and entertainment is going on all over the place. There is always something to do. I feel like I should go back to do the stuff i missed like the wine & cheese party under the stars.On blankets. The ship is beautiful , food delicious and staff always smiling. I would go back in a heart beat. Writing this review is really making me miss the trip! Th martini bar is great too!

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Having sailed on the solstice In 10/10, we were curious to see how the ship was maintained. We were impressed! celebrity does a great job maintaining the ship. We have a wonderful suite aft. Finally the one they show online and in the brochure! Big porthole and the sliders. the view aft is wide with a partial starboard view too! This was unbelievable as be approached and departed each more beautiful port. venice was so jaw dropping! Really too much to take in. We enjoyed the service of our butler. We traveled with a third so the extra room on the balcony was needed. What a perfect place to hang out and take the sights in. the cabin location is very remote, so it's extremely quiet. We aso have sailed the silhouette transatlantic last fall. the food in mdr is not as good on the solstice as we found on the silhouette. That was outstanding, this was good. Celebrity still has the best mdr food on the mainstream cruise lines. The speciality restaurants were all good. Silk Harvest was excellent! we missed the lawn club and porch from the updated silhouette. Much better use of space on the newer ships. This was all about the port stops and celebrity did a great job of managing that process. We book with the cruise line and feel safer when aboard. the bus we were on while on the Amalfi coast broke down,. Within an hour we had a new bus and were off and never missed a beat. This is a very port focused trip. The first sea day was after after 4 days in different major ports. The ship activities seem very minimal. No art auction, no champagne tastings... We don't care but if you're looking for a active ship, this is not it. Quiet bars, quiet spaces, lovely if that's the expectation.

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We sailed from barcelona, had good smoothe embarkation, as usual . celebrity is our favourite cruise line. this was our first time on a solstice class ship. we were aware that it carried more passengers, than other ships in the fleet on which we had sailed previousley. The ship is beautiful, everything about the decor was really great. The service was wonderful the cabin staff were excellent, the dining room staff the same, in fact every member of staff could not have been better. The food was not quite as good as we have experienced on other trips, but not bad. I thought that the old style of the self service restaurant was better than the islands. too much bustle. everyone wandering about without trays, looking for what they needed. this did not happen before. and there are still lines. The negatives were as follows. the lifeboat drill was carried out before we sailed as it should be, but it was held in michaels bar, we did not have to wear our lifejackets, which was ok for us, having done many drills, but for anyone who has not had to put their jacket on, was not a lot of good. there was a tv at one end of the bar, and we watched a video of the drill. but only a small percentage of the passengers, could see the tv, and were told that they could watch it in their cabins. we did not go out onto the deck, as we would have to in a real emergency, so it was not a very affective demonstration of a safe evacuation from the ship, if that were to become nessary. not good.not safe. On deck, there were too many loungers, in fact when you used one, there was no space between them, and meant that you could be too close to the people either side. There were no tables for drinks.It was very difficult to sit down, as there was not enough space to step between the loungers, so had to almost launch oneself onto the thing. Also there were hardly any chairs, for just sitting on. there were only about four or five tables outside the burger bar, with about four chairs to a table, but they were for people eating, not just for sitting on.It was the same by the pool. On the smokers there were a lot more chairs and tables than on the non smokers side. unfair. The entertainment programme, was not good. We go to seccond seating for dinner. On most evenings, we missed out because everything was perfect for first seating, diners, but most events took place whilst we were at dinner. Generally the shows were not bad but so short, just one act mostly. the main show ghost, has been shown on other ships, for quite a while, so we had seen that. Lots of the activities took place on deck 4 in the centre of the ship, with hardly any space for the ammount of people on the ship. so could be watched from above standing and looking down over the rails. I think that this ship should have had a proper entertainment loung with a real dance floor. The lawn club did nothing for my husband and i. It seems to be a complelte waste of space, with not enough sitting room. and when the grass is wet, cannot be used. i think that a small lawn would have been better, to us it was a wasted deck. the glass show was good. but that was the only attraction on that deck. hardly anyone played on the grass. its not the thing that you go to sea for surely. So i do not wish to go on any of these large ships, i loved all the others, constillation, mercury, infinity, galaxy These ships were all perfect. the whole feel of these was so good, the entertainment teams were so good catering for everyone.

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We just returned from a 14 night transatlantic cruise on Solstice, from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona. The Solstice is a beautiful ship, and we had high expectations based on other member reviews. Overall we were very well satisfied with the ship and the cruise; however, in our opinion, as "dazzling" as the Solstice may be, it still has some shortcomings. Note that dining, entertainment, activities, and service were not among them. The Oceanview Cafe has an excellent layout, and is designed to minimize long lines that slow you down. We had to wait at times for a specific pizza coming out of the oven, or a hot sandwich to be prepared, but dining options are varied and well spaced out. Finding a table at popular times can be dicey, but is manageable. Food quality and variety was very good. We had a table for 4 at the 8:30 dinner seating on Deck 4 in the Grand Epernay Dining Room. We were seated near the windows, and we had a more open feeling, than similar areas on Deck 3. Our servers were top notch - very responsive to our needs and wishes. They ensured that dishes were done properly, and they remembered our likes and dislikes. I feel there may always be some minor food quality issues, but overall the quality was excellent. We found the food and service to be good enough that we only ate in a Specialty Restaurant one night. I have to note that they also had lobster tails that were bigger than large prawns. Wonderful! I agree with the Cruise Critic's comments about Solstice having "one of the best interior architectural designs." They also said "passenger flow is excellent." I disagree with that as a general statement. The entertainment shows are spread throughout the ship as usual. However, they put on some popular shows in the Grand Foyer on Deck 3 and Celebrity Central on Deck 4. Sight lines and seating for the Grand Foyer, even with people hanging over the railings on Decks 4 & 5, are terrible. Noise levels near the Passport Bar, and people just passing through made it hard to hear. Celebrity Central is a small circular area that is a key Deck 4 passage way between the Solstice Theater, the Cinema, and the rest of the ship. People exiting shows in the theater walk right through the viewing/performing area, during performances. I feel Celebrity should consider changes in the entertainment venues and look at making better use of the Sky Lounge. There are adequate bars and lounges and the service and entertainment were very good. We liked the Ensemble Lounge the best. The servers were among the best we have had. Drink prices were normal. Dead times in the lounges were not too bad. Bars in the Grand Foyer area tended to be crowded and loud. Entertainment in the Celebrity Theater was overall very good. As usual, the band was outstanding. For the crossing, Celebrity did an excellent job of adding a number of highly interesting guest speakers. Good move. Internet service was terrible and room availability lacking due to number of Apple classes put on. When you could get in and get online, it was a rip-off because it was so slow, you burned minutes like crazy. They advised not trying from our rooms because it was so bad. Our Concierge cabin was the same size and layout as regular Veranda cabins. Amenities are nicer and those were enjoyed. Canapes were not to rave about, but we still enjoyed them. Expanded Room Service menu is a winner. Bathroom layout is very good, and the sliding doors on the shower, are significantly better than a shower curtain. The bad news is that storage space is very, very poor. Worst -- they gave up a lot of closet space for a wider entryway into the cabin. Second worst -- the small drawers, that required you to stuff clothes in them, which caused more wrinkles. There are two storage areas above the bed, which my wife could barely reach. It was disappointing. We did not use any of the Celebrity shore excursions, as they are too expensive and groups are too large. We used Hop On Hop Off tours in Tenerife and Lisbon, and Top Day Tours for Seville. Top Day Tours was excellent. Embarkation in Fort Lauderdale was smooth and quick. Being in a Concierge cabin helped with that as we had a separate check in line, but all paper work was handled effectively. In Barcelona we had an airport transfer with Celebrity and that worked well. Only problem was getting up before daylight to meet the time schedule. Overall it was a fun cruise, with smooth seas, and you can't beat the value of a Transatlantic cruise.

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Big ships are not for us, or so my wife and I had convinced ourselves following a bad experience we had on P&O Ventura 18 months ago, so when our Cruise Agent Bolsover offered us a cruise on Celebrity Solstice around the Mediterranean on 29th April 2012, we were sceptical. To be fair, Ventura did have its good points but there were so many negatives (see my review "Never again Ventura" December 2010) and that put us off big ships in general and P&O in particular. But just about everything P&O Ventura got so wrong, Celebrity Solstice got just right. Our faith in big ships has been restored. The package involved Solstice Aqua Class cabin which brought with it two key benefits, we had free access to the Spa facilities and our designated restaurant was Blu, a special "healthy" cuisine restaurant for Aqua Class clients. We were in cabin 1508 on the top 11th floor of cabins, just 4 cabins back from the front so very little foot traffic passed our door. The cabin was very pleasant, it was well equipped; it had a settee and also a small but adequate balcony, enough for two reclining chairs with foot stools and a table. We both like Spas, so as Aqua Class includes free access to things like the Persian Garden with its heated stone Z beds, panoramic views, steam room and sauna, we thought this was a real bonus and gave it a lot of use. Treatments were extra and could be expensive but were very professional. From our cabin it was only a few steps to enter the Spa area so that was very convenient. The only downside of our cabin's position on the starboard forward quarter was that we were directly beneath the running machines in the Gym, so some noise breakthrough could be heard if you were trying to have a quiet afternoon nap. But for food junkies like us, Blu was the best bit. We were very critical about the food on Ventura, at best reasonable, at worst rubbish. On Solstice it was excellent but in Blu for the most part it was superb. Our initial fears were that the cuisine might be too healthy, bland and lacking flavour but nothing could have been further from the reality. Right from the very first evening, a sublime starter of a full flavoured blue cheese savoury souffle, so light it nearly floated off the plate followed by strips of crusted Tuna (rare in the middle) on a bed of black rice that was so, so delightful. And all this in surroundings that would not disgrace a top end London restaurant. In fact it was so good that apart from one night eating in Murano (also excellent) we never felt the need to try any of the other restaurants. We also preferred Blu for a civilised served breakfast whenever possible We did use the Ocean View buffet for some breakfasts and most lunches. Unlike Ventura's buffet restaurant, on Solstice the food servery islands had been designed as open plan so although busy at times, there was none of the rude pushing and shoving we experienced on Ventura. There were always plenty of plates and cutlery and we never failed to find a seat. Indeed, Solstice never ever felt crowded, despite it being a full cruise. Our favourite watering hole was the Ensemble Lounge, near Blu. It often had a great little jazz quartet so with a good meal inside us that was about as far as we went, cognac in hand and a comfy seat and jazz on tap -- bliss ! Drinks could be a bit expensive, particularly when you add in the obligatory gratuity, but Solstice had an answer to that too. There were several "Beverage Packages" you could purchase which gave you unlimited drinks and meant you didn't have to worry about the bar bill getting out of control. We chose the Classic Package (one below Premium) which included all soft drinks, coffees etc, wines, beers, and spirits up to $8 per drink. Above this you had to purchase the Premium Package, but we found the Classic gave us more than enough choice. It even included wine (by the glass) at dinner But the real thing that made the difference was Celebrity Solstice staff. They were without doubt the best, most friendly and accommodating we have ever experienced on a cruise, full marks to them all, from the excellent personal and friendly attentive service we received from the staff of Blu, right down to the most lowly deck hand, who always took the time to smile and wished you a nice day. We'll be using Celebrity Solstice Class again, no doubt about it.

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