Celebrity Solstice Review
4.5 / 5.0
Cruising New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Loyalty Islands
Review for the South Pacific Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
gragra48
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s
Rating by category
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Value for Money
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Dining
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Entertainment
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Additional details
Sail Date: Dec 2015
Cabin: Concierge Class 3
This was our second cruise, our first cruise on Celebrity Solstice. As Concierge class passengers we had priority boarding and we were aboard the ship within 30 minutes of entering the International Cruise Terminal. Until our stateroom was ready we visited Cafe al Bacio and tested the coffee. Coffee and service was first class. We then went for a wander around deck 12 and checked out the pool area. The general opinion was that it was a great layout with the two adjoining pools with spas either side and a splash area for the little ones.
From there it was up to deck 14 to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. The choice of foods for lunch was excellent and the service of staff at the various stations could not be faulted. Top marks go to Tacky, the tall Jamaican fellow with his special "Two for the price of one coffees" in his wonderful Jamaican accent. The view over Sydney Harbour from there was fantastic. The view from this height was just a little better than that from our stateroom balcony on deck 10. Of course we had to get photos of Sydney Harbour Bridge and other places of interest in and around The Rocks precinct. What a relief to see the government of the late 1950's didn't go ahead with the plan to demolish everything in that area and build skyscrapers. All that character would have been lost and replaced with cold, boring concrete and glass structures.
The Grand Epernay Dining Room was to be the location for our evening meals unless we chose to go to somewhere like Murano, Silk Harvest, Bistro 5 or one of the other fine dining restaurants, or somewhere more casual like the Oceanview Cafe. Our assigned waiters were Edward and Jessie, both young men from the Philippines, were the best you could ask for, friendly, polite, prepared to share a joke and very efficient. They were supported by our sommelier Yan who also was very polite and efficient. The food choices here were great and there was only one night we didn't eat here. How many restaurants would you find where the wait staff ask if everything is alright and tell you they missed you when you don't turn up one night.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 3
Cabin C3
Stateroom 1128 was a good location, on the starboard side, just aft of the central bulge. Very early in the afternoon we were advised our staterooms were ready so off we went to check them. Very nicely laid out with a queen size bed, plenty of storage in the wardrobe, cupboards and drawers and heaps of room under the bed for our bags. There was a three seater sofa and the expected bar fridge. The bathroom was excellent, again plenty of storage, a good size shower with Grohe shower head. As Concierge class guests we were greeted with a bottle of Champagne on ice, fresh fruit and canapes. We also had at our disposal quality shower robes, binoculars, an umbrella and we had a range of pillows to choose from, just to ensure we had a pillow that suited us.
Port Reviews
Sydney (Australia)
We didn't take an excursion in Sydney, this was our point of embarkation. We did have a wander around China Town, Darling Harbour and The Rocks the day before though and found the area very interesting. There is a lot of history in The Rocks area, well worth investigating.
Mystery Island
We were taken ashore to Mystery Island by tender - nothing there but market stalls operated by islanders from the neighboring island of Aneityum. Good beaches for swimming and snorkelling.
Lifou
Again we were taken ashore by tender. For some obscure reason the market stall operators had all chosen to double their prices overnight. It was to their detriment because no-one bought anything. They were the same or similar souvenirs that had been on offer the previous day on Mystery Island. People simply were not going to pay $20 for something that was on offer for $10 yesterday. We were told by someone who had been on Lifou for a few days that the day before the prices had been the same as Mystery Island. Perhaps it was the size of our ship and they thought we had more money than sense. We found a shuttle bus which was offering a 45 minute tour of some of Lifou's points of interest. For $13 each it sounded fair enough. First stop was the old Catholic Church - still being used today, then the Chiefs hut (now used as a meeting place) then on to Memory Point. After only a few minutes here we were rushed back onto the bus as our 45 minutes were up.
3 Helpful Votes
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