Balcony

Inside

Suite

Celebrity Cruises

Family Cruises

Gay & Lesbian Cruises

Romantic Cruises

Singles Cruises

Cruises for the Disabled

Senior Cruises

Fitness Cruises

Gourmet Food Cruises

Singapore

Sydney (Australia)

Perth (Fremantle)

Los Angeles

Vancouver

Australia & New Zealand

Alaska

Caribbean - All

Caribbean - Eastern

South Pacific

Europe - All

Mediterranean

Mexico - All

Hawaii

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Caribbean - Western

New Caledonia

Europe - Western Mediterranean

French Polynesia

U.S.A.

Columbia River

Vanuatu

Transpacific

Fiji

Asia

Mexican Riviera

Indonesia

Transatlantic

Pacific Coastal

Caribbean - Southern

Trans-Ocean

Cruise to Nowhere

Middle East

North America River

US River

Samoa

Vietnam River

Thailand

Vietnam

British Columbia

Japan

Europe - British Isles & Western

World Cruise

Baltic Sea

Canary Islands

Average

Very Good

Excellent

Poor

Terrible

Celebrity Millennium

Celebrity Constellation

Celebrity Solstice

It was the winter break we were looking for.

After sailing 4 Princess cruises this year with mediocre food, we wanted an upscale dining experience in main dining rooms. The Solstice food was beautifully presented, and flavors well balanced (although desserts were disappointing) but the dining room was so crowded (2900 sailing on a ship capacity of 2800) that we couldn't get into our seats the chairs were so tightly packed (and we are small sized folks). We requested a private table but there were four two-tops set 18 inches from one another (think airline seats). After making a 6:30 pm main dining room reservation, we were initially turned away and told "there are no reservations, this is anytime dining. come back after 8 p.m." Nope. We persisted, spoke to the F&B director and were eventually seated. Same routine night 2. More calls to F&B and they began shifting us to specialty dining after the host told us they couldn't guarantee honoring our reservation as they were at capacity. Management was incredibly gracious sending fruit trays to apologize but could not fix the main dining room problem. After night 3 we simply gave up and began eating at specialty restaurants -- which are quite good but over-priced at $120 to $150 for two.

The room steward was incredibly attentive albeit flustered when we forgot to remove our Deep Sleep sign (the door opened into a corner and we often didn't notice it when leaving for breakfast). Princess uses digital medallions which alert the crew when you're in or out of your cabin.

We probably wouldn't try Celebrity again.

Overcrowded dining, erratic service

Hong Kong

We really liked this cruise. 

We were originally booked on the Celebrity Millennium, but Celebrity switched ships and we sailed on the Solstice.

No problem, we really like the Solstice. It was a pre-Christmas cruise so the ship was about 70% full which was nice. Embarkation & Disembarkation were smooth & quick. There are many cruise terminals that could learn much from LA's San Pedro port terminal.

We had an Aqua Class aft balcony with the drinks, internet & tips.  We still tipped our cabin steward extra because of the excellent way he kept the room spotless, was friendly & helpful!

The aft balconies look down a bit on the cabins below, but no big deal for us. Our neighbors were friendly. And IMHO aft balconies are hard to beat.

One reason I booked this cruise is that I wanted to go fishing in Cabo. We booked a fishing trip on-line, and we left the ship at 4:30 AM. My Wife & I were the only  guests on the tender, but that didn't matter. Took some cool photos of the ship lit up at night.  We made it to our charter by 5:30 AM  for a 6 AM departure. WE left at 5:40 & had an extra 20 minutes time on the water.Our fishing trip was successful & we had our Mahi-Mahi cooked at a local restaurant in the Cabo Marina. We saw 2 whales,  a half dozen seals, and a school of dolphin. The Cabo Arch is cool too.

Mazatlan seemed kind of tired. The lunch we had was good, but maybe another port in the future.

Puerta Vallarta was cool, even if we were docked across from a Sam's Club & Wal-Mart, but hey, its a port. And we were docked. Not using a tender. Cool town.  As we were leaving port, about a mile out, 3-4 whales started jumping and having fun. Who needs to pay for a whale watching trip! 

Awesome.

I wasn't sure if the Aqua Class would be worth it, but we had Covid Future Cruise Credits and the price we paid was was worth it, I feel. The Aqua Class restaurant BLU was one of the best, if not the best experiences we've had on a ship in years. Every night the food was perfect. The Chef's nailed it like they would in a 50 person restaurant in a large city. The service was excellent; especially on Lobster night, and the fellow diners were amusing & pleasant. The Sommelier was entertaining & his wine choices really matched the menu.

Fun cruise, excellent staff Loved the overnite in Cabo. But work on the internet please!

We drove from our home in Phoenix to Los Angeles and spent the night at the Best Western nearest the port.  The hotel was nicer than expected, next door to Denny’s (which was also nicer than expected) and included 7 nights of free parking while we were on the cruise.  We’d stay there again without hesitation.

We were supposed to check-in for the cruise at 12:30PM, but since we had to be out of the room by 11:00AM, we just decided to head to the ship.  In the elevator heading down to check-out, we meet another couple going to the ship, so we opted to get a bigger Uber and split the cost, which was about $30 total including tip for the four of us.

We expected to wait outside until our appointed time, but there was, quite literally, NO ONE in line, so the people who run embarkation invited everyone to board.  Less than 10 minutes later, we were aboard the Solstice.  

The ship itself was great in a very “lived-in” sort of way.  A bit outdated.  A bit beaten up.  DEFINITELY in need of a deep cleaning.  Our stateroom was pretty much identical to every other Solstice-class ship we’ve sailed (but outdated, beaten up and in need of a deep cleaning).  So the ship was comfy and familiar.

Entertainment onboard wasn’t the worst nor the best we’ve found -- with the exception of magician/mentalist Andrew Lee who was FANTASTIC.  

As always, the crew was super friendly and helpful BUT they are obviously still understaffed, so the crew is overworked.  

Food in both the MDR and the Buffet was the worst among the 5 Celebrity cruises we’ve completed in the past year.  There were quality issues in preparation, presentation and most severely in the food supplies actually used and served.  From runny guacamole to fake sour cream …. shrimp scampi with three small shrimp to a piece of the fishiest-fish we’ve ever encountered to … from tough burger patties to limp pizza, it was just NOT the Premium experience one would expect from a cruise line whose reputation for dining had been its greatest distinguishing factor.  Bottom line:  If you can’t get the FOOD right, nothing else matters … and they got too much of the food too wrong far too often.  

Not much to say about the ports. Internet, even though they said we were on the Starlink network, was horrible.  HALF of the treadmills in the fitness center were out of service. Staff in many of the shops were overly aggressive at times.

Highlights included wonderful pre- and post-dinner drinks at the Martini Bar and the World Class Bar. The Christmas decorations were lovely. Silent Disco is a hoot!

A Rather Pleasant Cruise with ONE HUGE ISSUE ...

Once we saw Celebrity sailing out of LA we quickly booked B2B - itinerary was all new as we had not sailed the Pacific coast before.  We like the S class ship and we were pleasantly surprised after reading poor reviews about her condition - I mainly was distracted by the number of windows that need replacing but other than that she is of the classic sailing ship decor in many places but not shabby.  Blu is a lovely space on this ship and our meals and comfort were well looked after there.  The first week there were 850 passengers and 1700 on the second week - while we enjoyed the private yacht week the second was livelier and a lot of fun.  We did enjoy the variety of music around the ship but wish they continued the Foyer live music after 6 pm for those of us eating a bit later.  

As we were sailing from LA in January we expected cooler weather the first two days and that is what we got - surprising was the number of people on board complaining about the temps.  Being a Pacific coast sailing it was a bit windy but we had beautiful days at our Mexican ports.

There has been much discussion about food on all the lines - it was reduced a bit in menu selection though we found plenty to eat.  The portions are what I like but others found them too small - my dinner was often several of the starters as I enjoying trying different foods.  We don't eat lobster so cannot comment on that.  The buffet had fewer offerings, what we tried was always fine to quite good.  In the evening there was pizza, pasta, salad bar, a meat and vegetables offering and desserts (plus the ice cream!).  There is a room service charge for all but morning continental breakfast but we have never used room service so it was not important to us.  

Staff was engaging even when they were busy.  I spent a fair amount of time in Cafe alBacio and the Solarium, both I was able to find a seat as I tend to want that first cup of coffee early.  

Very happy to sail her this cruise and we will sail her again for Alaska - counting the days.

Brisbane

We chose the itinerary (which was the Pacific Coast, not Japan)  Originally we chose the Millinium, but the ship was changed to Solstice.  Big disappointment.   From a revolutionized ship to one who is just worn out.   I choose a cruise for the whole experience and this did not deliver.   The service overall service was great, the staff was friendly, we did not experience any of the shortages regarding the beverage selection, in fact one night the wine I normally drink was out, the bartender upgraded me and every night thereafter!   Dining room service left something to be desired.  We asked to change tables and were denied.  Two nights we left after not being served coffee or desert, we felt forgotten!   The Oceanview Cafe left alot to be desired!

The main objection was the condition of the ship, spotlessly clean, but old and tired and outdated.   Upholstered furniture was way past it's prime.  Seats of chairs had been reupholstered with sometimes not so well coordinated fabric.   Leather furniture was cracked and worn, carpets in need of replacement.  One day a gentleman sat it a chair and it collapsed.   In the theater, a rip in the carpet in the aisle was patched with duct tape.   Our balcony was furnished with old repainted chipped furniture and the balcony floor was stained with paint and rust.  Seats in the theater were so worn out, you tilted forward and to keep repostioning so as not to slide off.   Our cabin contained old worn out black out curtains.  No drapes.  One day I noticed holes dotted all over the drapes.......just worn out.  The wooden pool deck is faded and long past it's prime.

Long and short, this ship did not deliver, not up to the Celebrity standards that we have come to expect.

So Sad, Poor Tired Ship

Mykonos

We did back-to-back cruises: Singapore to Sydney (with stops in Bali and all around Australia) and then Sydney to New Zealand, ending in Sydney again. Solstice had just come out of dry dock rennovations. These were our 5th and 6th cruises. Will talk about the first leg here: Singapore to Sydney.

SOLSTICE: She is a beautiful ship! The crew keeps her spotless! Beautiful art work and public spaces. Theatre is comfortable and a real theatre. Only minor complaint I have here, is the deck furniture is tired. Our cabin walls looked brand new!

EMBARKATION: Others have complained in reviews. We found it efficient and timely. When we arrived, there were many many people -- at least one other ship checking in at the same time. We quickly found the Celebrity line, filled out required forms and were on the ship, welcomed I might add, with their traditional glass of champagne/orange juice/mimosa. Our luggage arrived in a timely fashion - and we had our table for two, second seating, in the main dining room as requested.

ENTERTAINMENT: in two words, varied and excellent!  Kudos to the Celebrity Orchestra which accompanied every production show, individual entertainer, and played separately in the Sky Lounge and the main foyer. They are all excellent musicians! Celebrity dancer/singers began this cruise with us -- so we were their first performance of their production numbers. They were energetic, talented, and drew standing ovations. The adagio acrobatic/ballet duo was exceptional. Individual performers were excellent and, again, most drew standing ovations.  Casinos: we don't partake.  Shops: many many folks enjoyed their crazy sales etc....again, we don't partake. Educational and daily offerings -- impossible to get bored on Celebrity. The At the Podium presentations on ports of call (not what shops or excursions to do; rather their geology, history, etc) were all very good. The string quartet was exceptional; Ray Brown's jazz singing with his band was also exceptional. There's ping pong, bingo, trivial pursuit and tons of other options including Apple classes (the photo tips for my iPhone were amazing and I used them continually!). 

GYM AND SPA:  The gym is well equipped -- excellent hours -- some classes are at additional fees but you can easily simply use the gym, swim in the pools etc.  I did use the spa twice: pedicure and once for a stone massage. Wonderful facilities and totally relaxing. Excellent service. These do add to your on-board bill though. First time in 5 cruises I used the spa. Nice but a luxury one doesn't have to indulge in.

FOOD:  We ate every night, second seating, at our table for two in the main dining room. We choose not to do the table for 4 or 6 or 8 with other people thing. Service was superb, both from our wait staff and our sommelier. We have the classic drink package and always had delicious wine by the glass -- with attentive refills as we progressed through dinner. Yes -- the menu is "smaller" than the past -- IE the offerings are for a first course, main entree, and then a dessert menu. Perhaps portions are smaller -- we found them just right. And, you are free to order two appetizers, or 3 or whatever you want. You could have two entrees or desserts as well. NOTE: there is a "constant" menu of first courses, entrees and desssert (every night) and also the night's "specials" if you will. There are always about 5 or 6 "specials" to choose from. My favorites from the "constant" menu: shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, and Caesers' salad. The food is excellent! One evening we selected the Moroccan Ahi Tuna -- it was outstanding!  A very high grade of tuna and the preparation was superb. One night (in 28 -- back-to-back cruises) I was served a piece of cod that was inedible -- something obviously very wrong. No questions asked. It was whisked away and I was brought another entree of my choice -- all with a smile and an apology. We are always so happy with the service, selections and quality of the main dining room, that somehow, we never make it to the specialty restaurants! We enjoy a healthy breakfast at the Aqua Spa Cafe most mornings -- did have a delicious egg white omlette made to order in Ocean View Cafe one morning. Lunch options are many --- and believe it or not, the Celebrity hot dogs served at the pool side grill are excellent!! Only time of year I ever eat a hot dog! :)

Cafe Baccio is lovely -- and the little pastries in their glass case are free for the asking to anyone -- nice to take back to the room for a treat! If it was crowded, I would just get my cappuccino and pastry to go and go into the Ensemble 5 lounge which was empty in the afternoons.  NOT TO BE MISSED:  Grand Marnier souffle is usually offered one night each cruise -- not on the menu. It is delicious!  And the pistachio ice cream is the best!  They make all their own ice cream on Celebrity.

TENDERING, PLUS HINTS:  We did not have the tender problems that others reported. Because this was our 5th cruise with Celebrity, we are in what is called the Captain's club and therefore did not have to stand in line for tender tickets. Simply went to the Captain's club concierge, and she walked us to the current group of people in line for the tender. We had one hot weather long line for a tender back to the ship --- but those who complain about that fail to mention that Celebrity staff are off ship, walking up and down the line with cups of cold water and also with small rolled towels that are cold from being in ice, that you can wipe your face with or put around your neck. In other words, hey -- some of these ports are hot and of course there will be some lines. We never waited more than 20 minutes -- and that was a fairly long line.

hint -- look in advance to see if a port is a tender port. If it is, and you want to book your own private excursion, plan ahead and don't say you'll be there for a starting time that is only 30 minutes after the ship is scheduled to dock! Pick a shorter private excursion that perhaps begins at noon -- and be sure the company guarantees you will be back to the ship by its departure time! Also, if you're going to be in a port for overnight -- two days -- book your longer excursion (a 7 or 8 hour one) for the first day so it doesn't matter if, by chance, they get you back to the ship late -- you don't even have to be worried about it because the ship will be there overnight.  Use common sense when booking private excursions and know, in advance, that Celebrity does tender those who have booked Celebrity excursions first -- which makes sense as a company. This is not an issue if you are docked. It's the tendering excursions that can create the anxiety in terms of timing.  We did not do the Great Barrier Reef excursion which is the one that evidently had the biggest problems with the tender -- I'd read from many that it was a disappointment because you didn't get enough time there and the reef was crowded etc.  I also felt, ecologically, with the "disappearance of coral reefs these days", that we wouldn't do that. 

PORTS:  We arrived in SINGAPORE 5 days before the cruise. I highly recommend the national orchid garden in the botanical gardens. Also, Daniel Tan's Food Playground which offers cultural cooking classes.  We had a half-day wonderful cooking class where we learned about the foods and culture, made a lovely lunch and enjoyed eating it! Can't recommend this highly enough. The hop-on-hop-off bus is also very good. HINT:  bring your own ear buds in case the ones you're given don't work. 

BALI, Indonesia. We did a Private Journey excursion through Celebrity and I can't speak highly enough about the experience!  We boarded a bus/van (only 16 people total) and travelled out into the country side -- speaker/tour guide was wonderful talking about the culture etc. We visited a typical house, then a village market where "Chef" showed us and explained what various vegetables etc were. We then drove a short way into the village. Chef was 45 -- at age 22 he'd left the village and went to Australia to learn English and how to cook. He'd progressed to being a chef at a Hilton there -- saving money all the while. He came back to his village at age 43 (just two years prior to our excursion) and started these cultural cooking classes, building an open air cooking room in the midst of the rice paddies. We walked through the paddies, saw how they are farmed etc. The money he makes from the cooking classes goes into the village: has built a bridge and now insures that every village child has books and a uniform and attends school. Our cooking class was excellent -- and we all enjoyed chopping, mincing, grinding, sauteeing etc. At the end, we went to another open air "building" (bamboo poles holding up a thatched roof, cement floor, tables and chairs etc) and ate our delicious meal!  It was just an amazing experience and I highly recommend it. You really experience the Bali culture!

DARWIN, Australia: We just walked in on our own.

CAIRNS: we did the Jungle Train (premier class), Kurandi and Skyrail, with Celebrity. Skyrail ride first -- through amazing rain forest -- with a stop half-way up to walk through parts of the forest. Kuranda - a small village at the top. We went to the National Butterfly Sanctuary there (additional small fee) and it was wonderful. Hint: there is a beautiful aboriginal art store (not just a trinket store) in the village but we only stopped there when we were walking back to the train stop so didn't have enough time. We're not shoppers, but this was a very high end art store. Train ride back was in a Victorian club class car with drinks offered, Australian cheeses, and dessert as well. If you an, sit on on the left side of the train (we were on the right) for the best views. Great windows on either side -- people were moving over to get photos. There are two photo stops as well. Really enjoyed this excursion.

AIRLIE BEACH:  we stayed on board and enjoyed the quiet of an almost empty ship!

BRISBANE:  Mt. Tamborine offl-road experience. This was great fun -- went in a 4-wheel drive with only about 6 other people (Celebrity excursion) and, in a very bumpy ride, went through a eucalyptus forest with a great stop for views, learning a lot about the forest, the area etc.  We stopped at a local pub for a delicious lunch -- which varied off the itinerary but was excellent.

SYDNEY:  HINT:  from home, before the cruise, I booked us on a tour of the Sydney Opera House so we had our tickets in hand. It was amazing!!!  We were fortunate to go when the full orhestra was having a practice; and also when there was a ballet rehearsal in another of the halls. We had a light snack in the Opera Bar, out doors. Circular Quay is lovely -- and the opera house is an easy walk from the ship. As is the Rocks area. All easy to do on your own, before we reboarded the ship for the second leg of our back-to-back cruise.

ONE MORE POINT:  some folks complained about flies, insects etc on their balconies. Folks: it was the time of year -- flies, butterflies etc are rampant this time of year, outside...and that obviously means outside on your deck then. We brought bug spray -- which we used when we were out at some points (always had it with us -- same with sun screen).  But, it doesn't work for the Aussie flies. You just have to live with it...it's Aussie summer.

WONDERFUL cruise. 

HINT FOR FUTURE BOOKINGS:  if you book your next cruise while on board, you get some excellent breaks in price and perks. We've done this every time. It then also gives you the opportunity to pay over time.

IMPORTANT HINT - INSURANCE:  We have always bought cruise insurance through our travel agent (we give her name to the Celebrity Future Cruise person -- and she gets credit with her company for the cruise -- even though we've booked it with Celebrity).  CRUISE INSURANCE is critical!  We've never used it BUT on this cruise, an individual had to be medivaced off the ship via helicopter, Celebrity made the announcement late in the afternoon that this would happen at about 9:30 PM and they would appreciate people keeping the public areas clear near the heliport exit and no cameras or video please. They were extremely professional in all of this and I am certain the family appreciated it. The ship had to go off course to meet the helicopter -- and thus we were late getting into the port the next day, which also happened to be a tender. I'm sorry, but folks who complained about getting into port late, private excursions, tenders not working smoothly that next morning -- if the shoe had been on the other foot, and they or their family was the one with the medical emergency, they would have been so grateful. My point is -- you never know. Cruise insurance is well worth it if this should happen to you.

Celebrity is excellent again!

Chose Solstice because of positive reviews and their General reputation of being a superior cruise line. We stayed at the Hotel Boss in Singapore. This is a new budget hotel with very small rooms but for an overnight stay it was good

The embarkation on 31st October can only be described as a disaster. From the time we arrived at the terminal until we stepped aboard the ship was 3 hours. Never experienced such a shambles on any cruise ship before

The ship had only come out of dry dock after a refit that morning and everything was sparkling and new

We were greeted on boarding with a glass of champagne, a rather nice touch

Went straight to our cabin and our cases were in the room waiting for us but after we were kept waiting for over 3 hours so they should have been

It wasn't long before dinner and we were seated in the MDR on a table of 8 but only attended 3 sittings and had the rest of our meals in the buffet. Had breakfast delivered to the cabin each morning and it was punctually delivered at the time requested. The breakfast menu was good and varied

Plenty of onboard activities were organised every day with plenty of variety. One unique activity was several glass blowing demonstrations on deck 15 

Another unique feature is the large area of real lawn on deck 15 which has to be mowed regularly and watered

The service by all staff including room steward, dining room waiters, drink waiters Customer Service desk and all other members of the crew was outstanding

We did not go ashore or go on any excursions but I heard many complaints about and saw from our balcony long delays of up to an hour with passengers on tenders in choppy seas and on top of the tenders in hot sun having to wait to reboard the ship

Entertainment in the Theatre was mediocre and I have seen better live shows on other cruise lines. The Cruise Director was uninspiring

Disembarkation went flawlessly and from the time we left the ship until we boarded the airport bus was 20 minutes

Overall we enjoyed the cruise. And have booked for a Pacific cruise   For March next year on Solstice

Solstice Singapore to Sydney. 31/10/16

I chose this cruise because I just wanted a holiday. The idea of one flight, an easy 8 or so hours to Singapore and then cruising home to Sydney via ports I had already seen really appealed. We also got an incredible deal and the new improved interent is wonderful. It would be worth paying for if not included. No more waiting and watching the minutes tick by and the costs mount up when downloading.

Embarkation was a mess. Turned up at the time requested and it the took one and three quarter hours to check in. Not good enough. Trying to decide if this a Singapore problem having struck a similar problem a few years ago on Azamara. At least this time there were seats!

Tendering was always a very, very slow process, so time in Bali and Cairns was very limited. The Cairns debacle was evidently caused by Celebrity loading 280 passengers going to the Great Barrier Reef on to the wrong boat and then having to get them off and on again. Unbelievable.

Dining was fine except for a meal in Silk Harvest where the loud live music made conversation impossible. If they are going to put Kimchi on the menu I think it should be authentic, not watered down. Extra chili could have been offered.

I think I have only ever enjoyed one production show in all my years of cruising, a wonderful Cirque de Soleil type of performance on Solstice. I had hoped for something similar. No such luck.Yes, the dancers move well but the singers seem to have a very limited range and just belt out noise. Not nice. The string quartets were lovely to listen to.

No complaints at all about service. I'd go again if there was an itinerary that appealed and a similar all in deal on offer.

A Holiday Cruise

We chose this back to back cruise because we had never been to Australia or New Zealand before and it was my husband's retirement year so we now had the opportunity.

We firstly travelled to Dubai where we spent two nights and then Singapore where we also spent two nights before embarkation.  The embarkation took hours and I began to wonder how it would be getting on and off at the ports later on!

The ship was fine, lots of space in our cabin which was 8260, and we were well looked after by Michael our steward.  There were many opportunities for entertainment which was important as we had quite a few 'sea' days.  However, I should have liked less 'selling' activities.  The shows were especially good.  The gym was excellent but I couldn't find any wrist or ankle weights. The pool areas were also excellent and people seemed to love the solarium especially.

With regard to the restaurants we only visited the main buffet restaurant and the formal evening dining restaurant where we had the 8.30 sitting which suited us fine. After the first cruise we lost two members from our table of six and, for some reason they were not replaced! It took ages for us to be allocated another table, this time for ten, for more company, and then it was only because our area was drafty and I complained about this, only then were we moved.  Prior to this there was no attempt to replace the two guests who left at Sydney.

Bali, Cairns, and Airlie Beach were all tendered ports.  I had booked private tours and suffered a great deal of stress because of repeated statements regarding’ only people who booked tours with the ship’ would be tendered first.  Actually some passengers, allocated higher status gold cards, were also given priority.  We were told to go to the area of debarkation when we wanted to leave the ship but this did not work and you would then be on a high number tender.  We had to queue from approx. 6.00am in order to get a relatively low number tender ticket or we would not have made the rendezvous for our trips. 

With regard to New Zealand this was not so bad and we had a new captain which might have helped.  However at the last port on the Bay of Islands; thick fog was the problem.  The tenders were halted and we did not get off until late morning.  Luckily for us the boat tour that we had booked put on an afternoon trip and shorted its timing so that cruise passengers could go on it.  Others were not so lucky apparently and lost their trip.  I must praise the tour companies who, knowing the problems, did everything in their power to help us achieve the trips that we had booked, and, in the event we managed to undertake all that had been booked.  However, the stress and the waiting and still wondering if we would be OK was a huge factor in spoiling the enjoyment of the cruise for me.  I had booked a great deal of private tours.

In fact, the only one that I booked with the solstice was the last day when we docked in Sidney and were supposed to go directly to the airport when our flight was not until late evening!  I booked the tour to the Blue Mountains mainly so that our luggage would be with us and it was not due back until 3,00pm which, although still early was better than 8.am. However at the last moment the cruise ship altered the timing of the trip and instead of leaving at 7.45am we had to meet at 6.45am and then we were back at 2.00pm at the airport instead of 3.00pm.  This was to accommodate passengers with earlier flights.  With hindsight, I would have looked for a private tour who would also have taken our luggage and had a leisurely day rather than a very rushed one.  Also, another alternative would be to leave the luggage at a facility near the port in Sidney and do whatever you liked until time to go to the airport.

My only other comment is with regard to the vegetables in the restaurant.  They were constantly undercooked and the green beans in particular, which I normally love, were inedible.  At one time I asked the waiter if had ever wondered why the beans were always left on the plate.  I also asked him if mine could be taken back and cooked a bit more.  He then returned with a dish full of other vegetables.  I tried again and stated, no, I wanted just the beans but fully cooked.  He then returned with a large dish of beans, which all at the table eagerly took some, only to find that they were all cooked exactly the same but with more salt!  Obviously language was a problem here and the vegetables are all still being undercooked I expect.  I know the fashion is for al dente, and I hate overcooked vegetables but they must be edible?

The only problem in going again would be the tendering anxieties but it is a real problem and makes me think that flying directly to a country and touring is a better option than being on a cruise ship far longer than in the country being visited?

However, cruising in itself is what a great deal of people enjoy and I must admit we did have a lovely time and very much appreciate the ports that we visted and the kindness and helpfulness of most of the ship's staff.

The problem of ports where passengers have to be tendered ashore

Well, this 27 night back to back cruise was part of adventure which started in Singapore and ended 39 days later in Dubai. 5 ports tendered, 6 ports docked and what an amazing trip we had with somegreat memories

Embarkation in Singapore was a little delayed due to the ship not arriving at the terminal as scheduled following its partial refit. Celebrity’s best laid plans of allocating embarkation time slots based on the deck of your stateroom was well intentioned but it ended up not quite so well executed as a result of the delay. Never mind, we were getting on board for 27 nights so what was a couple of hours!

Accommodation

1C balcony cabin deck 8 absolutely fine, kept very clean by Cabin steward and bedding and towels changed regularly - no complaints whatsoever.

Main Dining room

Select  dining, same group of tables each night (455/456) meant same waiter (Jesso) and his assistant (Singh) who looked after us admirably every evening meal time. Aleksander our wine waiter was also brilliant. He knew exactly what wines we liked (three different types of wines across the four of us!) and glasses were poured as soon as we sat down. When it looked as if the supply of one was running out he quickly found us a very suitable alternative. All three of them were very pleasant, chatty and efficient. It was a pleasure to be served by them, nothing was too much trouble. I often read complaints that the portion sizes have been reduced, steaks are thinner etc as cruise ships seek to reduce overheads. Well there is always enough to eat one way or another in any number of places 24 hours a day! 

Oceanview cafe dining

Always busy no matter when you picked to go for breakfast or lunch so occasionally on a sea day when we were not in any rush we went to the main dining room for breakfast.  Excellent choice of food as usual.  If you can’t find something here to satisfy your hunger then you are very hard to please. Whilst cafe was always busy it was not often that you stood for more than a couple of minutes waiting either to be served by the crew or to find a seat.

Cafe al Bacco

Maurita one of the staff was a star here. Always knew what we wanted to drink (we are creatures of habit!) and looked after us really well. If I have a criticism here it is that the cafe is not big enough and often it was hard to find a seat which was why it was often the case that the Sushi restaurant had many coffee drinkers encroaching into the area when it was closed just to get a seat for a coffee.

The Sushi restaurant was never ever full on any evening and the ship could do with the cafe area expanding and the Sushi restaurant contracting to meet demand better as there were always certainly more coffee drinkers than Sushi diners!

Theatre Entertainment

A very mixed bag as far as the four aged 60+ Brits in our group were concerned. It’s very much our opinion as some people loved every show; we just felt that some of the shows would be better suited to an audience where the average age is much lower than was on this 27 night voyage. Ben Powey, Cruise Director was very good, excellent sense of humour and gave an excellent talk on his working relationship with the late Steve Irwin. 

Guest Relations

Felt we always got good service from Guy Brundrett and his team. They are always pleasant, keen to help despite some long queues at times.

I know that on our trip there were an unusually high number of back to back cruisers, over 900 I was told, so a third of the passengers were staying on board to do the second cruise. The arrangements made specifically for us by Guy and his team in respect of complying with Australian immigration requirements as a result of this was first class. (All passengers were required by Australian immigration to leave the ship for a minimum of three hours). We attended a presentation in the theatre two days before arriving in Sydney at the end of the first cruise, were talked through the process step by step and received detailed documentation and instructions in our stateroom. As a result our one day stop in Sydney was managed extremely well and both disembarkation in the morning and embarkation later in the day went very smoothly, a breeze in fact!

Tendering Operations

Do the maths!- 2,700 passengers, 4 of the ships tenders ferrying 120 people at a time, 25 minute crossing to shore plus return trip and “loading and unloading” time. I understand that it is the Port Authority that dictates how this operates so where Celebrity had to use local operators with bigger tenders (250+ passengers) then further delays are often inevitable. Unfortunately tendering is one of the factors we have to live with on some cruises more than others. 

Shore excursions

We only did three Celebrity excursions (all on the first cruise – Bali, Darwin and Yorkey’s Knob). All three were well organised and we were happy with them.

Overall

Positives:-

Captain Tasos was first class and did his morning briefing with nice touch of humour.

Stateroom clean and spacious, more than adequate for the gear needed for 27 nights on board.

Laundry service was very good and efficient, albeit not particularly cheap.

Dining experience in main dining room excellent.

Guest relations teams work on immigration issues/paperwork etc was worthy of mention as I often think this team gets all the flak from guests and little praise.

Negatives:-

Ship starting to show it is ready for some further refurbishment – carpets get hammered by 2,700 guests and 1,300 crew members.  I think some need replacing, particularly around the Oceanview cafe area.

A 27 night cruise to remember- for all the right reasons!

Filters

1-10 of 44