Celebrity Solstice Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We have wanted to visit New Zealand again and enjoyed the cruise experience. We were also pleased that Tasmania was on the agenda! We had 3 days in Auckland before joining the ship and found this just enough to settle into the time zone. On board, our cabin was comfortable and always kept clean and tidy by Zamzam, our Stateroom Attendant. He was amazing, always cheerful, polite and willing. We ate most meals in the Grand Epernay and found the food varied and appetising. The waiters were efficient and pleasant. We were also impressed by Tatiana who was the Greeter at the Grand Epernay restaurant. She always endeavoured to find a table to cruiser's liking with the utmost patience and a smile. On sea days, we took lunch in the Ocean View buffet restaurant. One day we took our lunch onto the deck at the rear of the restaurant which was set out with tables and chairs for this very purpose. To our disappointment, we were overwhelmed with the smoke from a cigar. Looking up, we saw a gentleman smoking the fattest cigar imaginable giving off smoke like from an old chimney. Apparently he was in a "smoking area". We quickly returned inside.
Entertainment was mostly good especially the acrobats. Some of their performance was breathtaking. We always arrived in port at the time as stated in the daily newsletter. We only hasd one tender port and this was slightly slow with preference given to those who had booked a ship's tour. However, we found embarkation in Auckland and disembarkation in Sydney to be painless. We didn't receive a welcome when we boarded - we didn't even get shown to our cabin. However, we were impressed with how quickly our luggage arrived within ten minutes. On the whole the cruise was a lovely experience. We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. However, we found it a bit offputting to find that other cruisers we spoke to had been given onboard spending money and/or free drinks and/or wifi. We got no extras yet we appear to have paid as much or more for the holiday!
Cabin Review
Deluxe Veranda 1A
The cabin was very comfortable. We enjoyed having a balcony though, of course, we weren;t on the cruise to spend lots of time in the cabin. There was plenty of room for the two of us. We were able to stow our suitcases under the bed. The wardrobe was spacious enough for our clothes and there were plenty of hangers. There were 4 drawers under the dressing table and a hairdryer was supplied. We particularly found the two long cupbloards over the bed which came in useful for storing cabin bags, hats, etc. The shower room was spacious with lots of shelf space. Toiletries were replenished daily. Towels were soft, smelt clean and fresh and were replaced regularly. We were very lucky with our Stateroom Attendant, Zamzam, who always greeted us warmly and kept the cabin spotless and tidy.
Port Reviews
Tauranga
Easy to walk around. Plenty of shops, coffee shops and restaurants plus a lovely walk through a nature reserve.
Wellington
It was an easy walk through the town to the cable car. There was hardly any queue because we made it our first call in the morning. From the top, we had a lovely view of Wellington and surrounding countryside. We then took a gentle walk through the Botanical Gardens and back through the twon to pick up our shuttle bus.
Akaroa
We loved Akaroa and spent our shore time walking through the town, visiting craft markets and the museum. It was lovely to talk with the locals while enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the world go by. A very relaxing visit.