Celebrity Solstice Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was my second sailing with Celebrity and it was also the longest sail that I had participated on. it was a total of 18 nights with a total of 11 full days at sea as we crossed the Pacific. Any doubts I had about such a long voyage were quickly erased by the sheer volume of activities to do and the luxury of the Solstice itself. From the embarkation procedures in Sydney to the debarking procedures in Honolulu the crew aboard the ship addressed all my needs and concerns promptly and efficiently. To be clear, I had very little to pick at during my cruise. The few things, an incorrect charge to my bill, laundry not delivered within the 24 hour period and a mix up with my specialty dinner reservations were all quickly and easily resolved with a trip to guest relations. Considering there were approximately 2,500 guests on the ship it is amazing there were not other issues and the fact that the customer service personnel handled each issue with grace and a smile and solved each within a few minutes added credibility to the level of service and their dedication to making this trip a real joy.
If I were to be critical about any one thing on the ship it was the variety and quality of the food in the main dining room and the ocean view cafe. For example, I am a fan of vegetables and I found the selection to be limited. I would have liked to have more green leafy vegetables included in the daily selections (Kale, spinach, etc.) Salad was available daily and the salad greens were always fresh and plentiful; however, I am not a big salad eater! The quality of the food in the main dining room and ocean view cafe was what I would consider "High Buffet" quality. It was fresh and good; however, I am a bit of a food snob and found the food in the Specialty restaurants, (Murano, Tuscan Grill and Silk Harvest) to be of a much higher quality in terms of taste. My objection here is that I think Celebrity can do a better job with the seasoning have more choices of soups available over the 18 nights than they did on this cruise. About half way through the cruise the menu selections began to repeat themselves.
The Solstice is a luxury experience. The crew did an amazing job of keeping all aspects of the ship clean, both public and private areas. The first three days of the sail the crew served the guests in the Ocean view cafe to help eliminate the possibility of spreading disease and it appeared to work. I did not hear of any major problems with guest becoming ill and of course that is a concern when you are all lumped together for an extended voyage. Additionally, I though the crew did a good job in keeping the pubic areas, bathrooms, lounges and railings cleaned and disinfected. My one area of improvement, and it is a small concern is that the staff in the Ocean view cafe was slow at clearing tables after guests had eaten. So at times it was difficult to find a cleared and cleaned table to sit at. I compare this level of service to what I experienced on the Millennium in the Spring of 2013. They were crack shot at clearing the tables and making sure space was quickly available once it had been vacated. All in all thought I would not let this deter me from a future cruise on the Solstice.
Cabin Review
My cabin was lovely and ready for me when I boarded the ship. My stateroom attendant keep the room fresh, provided sparkling wine on the first day, fresh fruit daily, and maintained my room in excellent condition. The cabin is forward in the ship and there was a little motion but not enough to make the experience uncomfortable. The walls are a little thin and sometimes late in the evening I could hear my neighbor's or their t.v. This was not so loud as to disturb me or prevent me from sleeping or reading. The veranda was well maintained and cleaned daily. There was a little water which from time to time dripped down from the verandah above me. This was at the very edge of the verandah and I think it was from the cleaning that had been done by the attendant above. Again, this was not a major problem. On a few nights when were were at sea and the seas and wind were high. There was a whistling sound of the air coming through the verandah door, even though the door was closed and locked. This happened two or three times and was loud enough to wake me from a solid sleep. Fortunately, I am a pretty good sleeper and was able to turn over once I understood what it was and get back to sleep. I travled solo, so the room for storage of my two bags and clothes were fine. If I had been with a guest it might have been a little tighter but I think we could have managed as there was storage space above the beds that I did not utilize at all. The bathroom in was spacious, the fixtures were of the quality described and the water pressure was more than sufficient for all of my needs. The room also was about 5 or so cabins down from the elevators so there was no sound from people coming and going. I enjoyed this cabin and its location on the ship.