Celebrity Solstice Review

Tahitian Treasure cruise was a treasure indeed!

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
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purplepirate
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2016
Cabin: Ocean View 8
R Tucker Thompson tall ship excursion at Bay of Islands, NZ
Cruise critic members martini tasting event
Polynesian cultural team performing at equator crossing ceremony

We chose this cruise based on the itinerary. It included 5 ports of call we had never visited (2 in New Zealand, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora), and ended in our favorite travel destination, Hawaii. The length was about what we wanted and of course the capability to visit 3 islands in French Polynesia made this cruise very attractive. The Solstice is a fantastic ship and the crew is outstanding. We were very impressed with the entire ship, especially the theater and the Solstice crew.

Boarding in Sydney was very easy. We dropped out luggage off early the day of departure and then spent several hours in The Rocks area since that was market day. Our only issue with sailing day was the muster drill. Our muster point was on deck 4 promenade and it was very chaotic trying to get everyone's attention and maintain it during the drill. The drill lasted rather long, ending at 5:50pm, which was pushing early dining at 6pm. The sailing time of 6:30pm also conflicted with those of us with early dining so we had to make our first choice of the cruise--attend sail away or go to main dining.

Our cabin on deck 3 (ocean view) was very nice and our cabin attendants were 2 of the best we've every had. A hit attraction for this cruise was the presence of the Polynesian team of 4 from Hawaii that taught several courses including ukelele (which I took). lei making (my wife too) and also performed on many occasions including crossing the equator ceremony. On board lectures were very informative. I want to call out Chelsea Behymer, the on-board naturalist, in particular. She has a passion for her subject area that made her lectures come alive and made you want to learn.

Cabin Review

Ocean View 8

Cabin 08

Spacious with plenty of storage areas. Large storage area over the bed. Night light in bathroom was convenient for middle of the night potty runs.

Port Reviews

Auckland

2.5 hour each way to The Shire movie set for Lord of the Rings. 3 hours on site include guided tour, one free drink at the Green Dragon Pub, and buffet lunch.

Tahiti (Papeete)

Private van, toured native historical sites, sampled local fruits and beverages, walked on black sand beach, visited Catholic church

Moorea

Guide was very knowledgable but hard to understand. It was difficult sometimes to determine when he was talking English or French. Saw most of the island with some great views.

Bora Bora

Complete circle tour of the lagoon. Stops for snorkeling with sting rays and sharks and at coral reef. Lunch at owners private island included fire dancing by Patrick, the owner.

Maui

We did Lahaina on our own since we've been there many times. Lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, shopping. Took bus to Whaler's Village, snorkeled at Black Rock, dinner at Hula Grill. Life is Good!

Sydney (Australia)

All trip to Blue Mountains and Featherdale Wildlife Park.

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