We wanted to see the New Zealand Sounds - not hear them. We are regulars and have sailed on Celebrity before, the last trip was around the west coast of India. The Solstice is a modern well run Ship with good food, comfortable cabins, and professional staff. Exploring Milford and the other sounds on the ship was a great experience, and the Captain and pilot managed to manoeuvre close to the shore, giving us close ups of the waterfalls and rock formations. It is a shame that the crews good efforts were spoiled by the constant noise generated by the background music which was always loud and intrusive. It consisted of about 2 hours of repeats on a loop, coldplay, wailing femail vocals, seeped into everything. I could list the tracks I complained several times, the waiting staff said that the background tape had been played constantly for 7 months at least. Reception also confirmed that there had been several complaints. The Hotel Manager said that the music was on Spotify, it was not.. When we alighted into the tender, the first thing the skipper did was to crank up the same tape. All restaurants were the same as was the rear deck, and I was told it was for ambiance, in fact it was a weapon to move people through the restaurants faster. To be told repeatedly "Head Office choose the music and its for your own good is just not acceptable. At least "Kung Foo Fighting", and ironically "I can't get no satisfaction" was not on the foredeck when we cruised through the Sounds. Totally ruined the cruise, and in the absence of an apology or reassurance, will never go with Celebrity again Read Less

We chose this cruise because it linked to another cruise that would be ending and went to a destination we wanted to see. This was advertised to us as a 5 1/2 star ship. It is a 4 1/2 star ship with 3 1/2 star food and service. Embarkation: The porter staff was gruff and borderline rude. We were told if we had alcohol in our checked luggage we had to remove it or it would be confiscated. Cabin: Chipped veneer, worn carpet, holes in the black-out blinds, scratched furniture. Our room was sold to us as "partially obstructed". Upon inquiry, we were told by Celebrity that the top of a lifeboat would be at the base of our balcony so it would obstruct our view looking down. However, if, like ours, your lifeboat is one of the tenders, it is much taller than the lifeboats and therefore reaches the railing height such that when you are seated, it fully obstructs your view. Cruise Experience: In the first 3 days we were inundated by sales people trying to sell us beverage and wi-fi packages. It was relentless and obnoxious. They would walk up to you anytime and anyplace, interrupt your meal, your conversation, whatever you were doing and try to sell you this stuff. Some would not take no for an answer, just like commissioned sales people do. After seeing that they were charging USD$6 (plus tip) for each bottle of water, latte or coke, I bought the basic beverage package. However, once I bought the package, only once was I asked if I would like any of these things served to me. If you want one, you have find a place that served them, stand in line, and get it yourself. Also, if your spouse does not buy a package, you can never ask for 2 drinks at a time, so mid meal, if you want a second drink, your food gets cold while you go get yourself another drink. The Food: Buffet Service: Finding a seat was like being in a mall food fair at lunch time. We could never find a seat and usually ended up clearing a table ourselves to get one. It seemed to me that there were staff available to clear tables, but they aimlessly wandered around with one or two dirty coffee cups on their trays trying to look like they were busy. One day, we could could only find one table available, but it was piled high with dirty dishes from everyone dumping dirty dishes on it to make a seat for themselves, I asked 3 different people over to clear the table and not one of them came over! The food staff was borderline rude. One morning I asked the cook to not put my Eggs Benedict on a bagel (which he was about to do) and he gave me attitude. The menu description in front of him said it came on an English muffin and they were right beside the bagels, so....? I do not recall a single happy smile or greeting by any staff member at the buffet. I got the distinct feeling that the staff are not treated well and actually witnessed one staff member getting publicly yelled at. Not cool. Buffet Food: The food was cafeteria-like. Heavy on the carbs, cheap cuts of meat (1/2" thick steaks), frozen vegetables and the cheap fresh fruit (melons, apples, oranges). A good example of how cheap the food is - the only crackers served on the cheese board were Premium Plus soup crackers in the plastic wrappers. Dining Room: One expects better food in the dining room, but it was not. The only benefit of the dining room is that you got a table and they bring you your food. However, the same austerity program was on display in the dining room. For example, I ordered prawn linguini for an entree and got a bowl of pasta with 3 little anemic shrimp on top (like what you get on a Domino's pizza). The dining room for breakfast was horrid service. Our first time, with the restaurant 1/5 full, we waited 45 minutes to get an omelette. Day 2, I ordered an omelette and toast. I repeated my order 3 times to the steward as he didn't understand what I wanted despite it being on the menu item with no substitutions. My husband ordered pancakes, eggs and bacon. 45 minutes later, two omelettes were brought. Extra omelette was taken away, husbands order repeated, and again I asked for my toast. Twice more I asked for my toast. After I finished my omelette, eggs showed up for my husband, but no pancakes or bacon, and I still had no toast. By this time, two "supervisors" had now come over and apologized profusely and advised it was being looked after - but we never got our food!! My husband finally gave up and went to the buffet for breakfast. Specialty Restaurant: As condolences for the dining experience, the ship sent us to their specialty restaurant, Murano for dinner. It was fantastic. The price is $55 pp. Entertainment: The entertainment was the best I've seen on any cruise line. One curiosity, in our view, the best male and female singer on the ship's troupe were a Hispanic female and black male. However, they were not the leads. The leads were a white male and female of mediocre talent. Shore Excursions: We did not book with the ship, preferring the smaller groups of private tours at (usually) half the price. The Gym: The fitness room was excellent, but the entire floor work area always had chairs set up in it for their sales pitches. If you wanted to to do floor work you had to do it between weight machines. Read Less

This was just wonderful in every aspect, we did the back to back Australia and New Zealand cruise from Sydney. The ship was great but the service and entertainment was spectacular the best of the 7 cruises we have had. I could not fault in any way and now would only book with Celebrity for my future cruises. Brilliant Cruise Director, Kelly and a great Activities Manager in Patrick really kept us busy when on a 23 day cruise we only managed to read 10 pages of our books !!!! The organisation of on board activities was first class with something always available to do if you wanted. The Captain and staff were very engaged with the passengers which was great. The staff could not do any more for you. Food in the main restaurant was first class the only thing we would have changed is to have a little more variety on the 2nd cruise as we did the back to back cruise so the menu was repeated Read Less

My wife and I wanted to repeat a similar Pacific cruise on the Solstice which we enjoyed several years ago. Overall the cruise was pleasant but was marred by several avoidable problems. First, my wife's suitcase was mysteriously impounded by over-zealous ship security and we were left wondering whether, and when, it would be delivered to our cabin. Just before the ship's 5 pm departure and after receiving no effective assistance from our room attendant, we made our way to the ship's luggage hold on deck 3 only to encounter a line of 20 to 30 guests in a line also seeking release of their luggage. My wife had placed her allowed bottle of wine in her case which apparently triggers a warning on the security xray. It was only after a heated exchange with security (highlighting her urgent need to access her medication) that her suitcase was handed over. Hardly a good start to the cruise! Soon after that episode we experienced a few frustrations with the quality of the wines available in our Classic Drinks Package which has somewhat arbitrary price restrictions. These problems, and the unhelpful attitude of some bar staff, were resolved when we received an apology and compensation from the Beverage Manager. The food in the MDR and our "Seafood Fiesta" lunch in Silk Harvest ($40 pp) was generally of high quality and the service excellent. The buffet food on deck 14 however was a bit disappointing for evening meals - the self service food was only lukewarm, there were too many curry dishes and only limited seafood, carvery and other freshly cooked options. Fresh fruit options were extremely limited - bananas, kiwi fruit, strawberries and the like were usually unavailable. The evening performances were mostly lively, professionally produced and highly entertaining. The ship's 2 house bands played some appealing popular music although many sets, eg on the pool deck, seemed to last only 30 mins at most. The groups also lacked energy, public involvement and and were almost robotic. The solo performer, Sasha, was excellent. Facilities such as the well-equpped gym, sauna, pools (often over-crowded) and cafe were of a high standard, although the (chargeable) coffee was bitter and unpleasant. The port to shore services in Noumea appear to have been restricted since our last cruise to this region eg there is now no free shuttle to the beaches but only to downtown, whilstthe mini-bus service to the pristine beach on Mare island attracts a rather high charge of $20 USD. This is yet more evidence of cost cutting and price gouging by Celebrity which is a regretable trend. Read Less

This is the second time we have travelled on Celebrity Solstice, and again, we had a faultless experience. We travelled with another couple, so we experienced both the suite and a balcony cabin. Accommodation: The balcony cabin was big enough, with enough storage space for everything, the bathroom was compact but storage space was good. Everything in the cabin was pristinely clean and well maintained. The suite was excellent, spacious, well maintained and better than the suites we stayed in on 2 other cruise lines last year. Food: We could not fault any of the food, we ate in the buffet and found there to be an excellent selection of various cuisines. We went there a few times as there was a great variety, and we enjoyed everything we ate. Breakfast can be very busy, also lunch, choose your times and there won't be an issue. Again, compared to the other 2 cruise lines we travelled with last year there was no comparison, the other cruise line buffets we ate at were dreadful and we simply couldn't eat there. Interesting to read other reviews where people complain of the food on the Solstice, not sure if they were even on the same ship. Sushi on five was great, we tried a lot of things on the menu and really enjoyed everything we ate. The ramen noodles were the only thing that we found not to be outstanding, however the broth was delicious. Murano is our favourite, and we went there twice, the food is excellent, the ambience and the wait staff there are also excellent. Petit Chef is a new concept which you really have to experience to understand it. It is a set menu with the whole table being animated, and an interactive dinner experience. We all loved it and were pleased we went. Food was also excellent. Crew: Everyone on board was fantastic, nothing was a problem and everyone we encountered was professional, friendly and efficient. Shore excursions: We did our own thing; however, the tendering was extremely efficient and again we were very impressed. The ship: Beautifully maintained, everything is kept looking good, we were surprised as other reviews differed in this respect. Not sure what people are expecting, but we found it excellent. Our friends had not been on a cruise before and loved everything about the ship, service, food etc. We were discussing on our last night what faults we could find, and there were none. There are loads of places to hang out, we spent a lot of our time on the lawn club. Yes, this is real grass on the top deck, lovely to sit on, watch movies, have a drink and just relax. The shows we went to were great, the comedian, the illusionist and the show on the last night was fantastic. This is a well-oiled machine, and anyone with complaints I would seriously wonder what the issue is. We did meet one guy on the cruise who didn't enjoy it, because another passenger didn't greet him in the lift. Wondering if people bring their own issues with them and take it out on the cruise line. Comparing the experience we had with some of the reviews, doesn't corelate at all. As previous, we travelled with 2 other cruise lines last year, been on 3 Celebrity cruises, and would not cruise again with anyone else, as nothing is comparable. The food, the suites, the service, everything is outstanding with Celebrity and the Solstice is a beautiful ship. So will we go again? Absolutely! Read Less

We sailed on this cruise as a family Christmas cruise, the ship is far from being in prestige condition, well due in of a refurbishment our balcony chairs had chips of paint missing one of the chairs the blot came out the little table has not seen a coat of varnish in years. All around the pool area they have only got sun lounges no tables and chairs even in the shaded areas the only tables and chairs were for smokers.The bar staff were rude and some of the waiters didn't want to know you especially in the Sky lounge. The chefs in the carvery at the buffet were more interested in talking then serving. The cabins were clean and well kept generally the staff were friendly and pleasant. We've sailed with Celebrity twice before in Europe and the standard has certainly slipped the food is still good but it used to be so much better, the speciality restaurants are way too expensive. Embarkment was excellent as was disembarkment. Entertainment was very good we enjoyed the shows and bands there could have been more band music played around pool area and also no poolside BBQ go figure first cruise ship we've been on with no Bbq special event they did have bbq dinners at the other pool at a charge off course. Read Less

It wasn't our first choice, but I am soo happy with this cruise and the experiences we shared. Leaving and coming back to Sydney Harbour was like night and day. Leaving the port was smooth as the seas beneath us. The ship is magnificent and should be explored in great detail. The cabins are adequate and will serve you well. The food is delicious, not one desire was left unfulfilled. Entertainment was amazing, such a wide selection of shows, movies, and games. If you are strong, turn off your phone and allow the captain to take you on your journey. You will find all the answers you seek if you aren't afraid to follow your pain. If you are reading Captain Nicholas, please employ a maître d' for the disco, the DJ's need all the help they can get. Thank you so very much Celebrity Solstice, till we meet again. Read Less

We sailed onboard the Solstice to New Zealand form Sydney. Wow what a cruise! It really is for all ages and plenty of things to do for everyone. On the ship itself there was no fault I found, the staff were excellent and the restaurants were amazing. We had Christmas Dinner at Tuscan Grille and NYE dinner at Murano. If you get a chance, I would highly suggest going to the specialty restaurants, they were really top-notch quality. Our cabin was a Ocean-View stateroom, however I bid for a Balcony Stateroom and received the upgrade. Travelling with my family, we got to explore such beautiful sights of New Zealand, and we thoroughly enjoyed Celebrity. The entertainment was phenomenal, being a dancer for 17 years, I loved the shows in the theatre, and I would highly recommend anyone to go see, even if you are not one to go to a musical, anyone will love it. I guarantee it! We did only one shore excursion which was the Dunedin Castle Experience where we ate Haggis and drank Whisky - Very entertaining, you have to go, its a must! Well done Celebrity for the amazing trip of a lifetime. Read Less

Booked a Celebrity Suite (CS) for the first time on a very good Last minute deal having been in Balcony, Aqua and Concierge on previous cruises on Solstice. It included all the perks with premium drinks package, Wi-Fi and $600 OBC. So now I’m spoilt for life! The suite was spacious and it was lovely to have the seperate bedroom and full lounge area. Our steward Jimmy was fabulous and could not have done more. The suite also has a butler who provided information and looked after room service, laundry etc. Tender transfers were immaculate as you just went to Michaels Club as were then personally escorted. Luminae restaurant was also great with fine dining with a french flair. It was all so relaxing and you were treated as special guests. The ship is still fairly pristine and well looked after. Other passengers were a mixed demographic being pre Christmas but quite a younger active crowd which was fun. Solstice does not really cater to kids and that is fine as the brand is more contemporary adult. Only disappointment was the rather basic wine. They seemed to have run out of a lot including dessert wines and ports on this cruise. Only one advertised but non hosted LGBT mixer on the first night. I suggest at least marking out an alcove in the martini bar with a little flag and a host. Read Less

In summary I'd highly recommend Celebrity Solstice. We were fortunate enough to sail in the Sky Class Suite. (To date we have done a balcony stateroom, Concierge Class & Royal Suite so we have good points of reference). Having come off Millennium in September 20 (see earlier review) we were questioning Celebrity's commitment to maintaining and enhancing it's reputation (as opposed to living off it).. we can honestly say that the commitment to excellence was very present on Solstice. Embarkation curb to ship was in under 10 minutes…an absolute breeze and the suite experience was very well represented by the inter-cruise personnel too. Dining in Luminae was absolutely magnificent... Sam the Maître d' was very passionate about guest experience and his general ship and fleet knowledge was an added bonus. Our waiter Jules was a super star... we loved being 'welcomed home' by him upon our arrival and he executed accordingly. Ocean View Cafe had good food selection and tables were pretty easy to come by. We did have a disappointing experience in Sushi on 5 one lunch... I'm not sure this is really a specialty restaurant in terms of service and/or food. Be aware that if you go here for lunch on a port day you chances of utilising your premium drinks package becomes frustrating as this restaurant can't access the wine selection... and the time it takes for them to source the drinks leaves you with 30+ minute wait times for drinks. Our waitress was quite disengaged and weakened the experience. The ship is getting on in age and is due for it's 2021 'revolutionize dry dock'...BUT... this majestic vessel is grand, clean and in beautiful condition. The ship is so well maintained that just strolling around it makes one feel graceful. The layout of the Solstice class ships is true to grand and nostalgic cruising... the public spaces really allows guests to connect and interface with the ocean... something getting lost on some of the newer vessels. We must compliment the executive / officer personnel onboard. They were ever present and mingling with guests across all decks, classes and events. The energetic and positive attitude of Captain Nikolaos Frantzis (with his great sense of humour) certainly cascaded through his entire crew... cultures this good are not easy to build and maintain. Our cabin (2150) was really enjoyable, wonderfully complimented by Orlando our Butler, and impeccably serviced by our stateroom attendant. We did note on cruise critic prior to booking, mixed reviews around noise from the floor above in Ocean View Cafe. If you are considering this cabin here's the specifics... - The (occasional) noise comes from tables and chairs being dragged around in Ocean view on Deck 14. - If you go to bed before 9:30pm or sleep in after 7:30am and are a light sleeper this cabin's not for you. - If you go to bed later and rise fairly early you'll not be bothered by the occasional noise, Personally I didn't find any of the noise that bad, and I think some of the reviews around this are over dramatic. In summary this was a close to 10 out of 10 as a cruise can get for us... well done Solstice... we look forward to our next visit! Some food for thought / improvement: - Setting up wrist band stations for kids at the entrance to the ship was a poor idea…it created congestion as families clustered around the tables, and really robbed from what is normally a grand entrance onto a Celebrity vessel... first time we've seen this and think it is a poor idea. - I really think the wine experience onboard has lost its authenticity... selections on the Premium package are questionable and sommeliers are ‘theoretically’ adept, but I’m not sure they are wine lovers. - Michael's club needs some form of kids control... I don't think it is the appropriate place to let kids loose. (We do cruise with kids... mainly on Royal Caribbean, but in some public places better discretion needs to be exercised by some parents). Hope you find this review helpful in finalising your cruise choice! Read Less

We had the pleasure of taking our fourth cruise on the Celebrity Solstice in Dec 2019; on this occasion Syd-Syd via Noumea and Vanuatu for 9 nights. Sea conditions were superb, didn’t feel like we were at sea. Good for most, some might have preferred some ‘rock-n-roll’! Without doubt we would recommend this ship to any friend without children, thank God. My comments are however novel more than serious: 1. Breakfast: One should NEVER go to a buffet breakfast on your own. I have experienced this before, but this was ridiculous. My wife wisely loves to have breakfast served to her on our veranda, whilst watching the water ripple past. Just beautiful. My favoured table is up-top, outside in the shade watching the wake disappear over the horizon as I tuck into an American breakfast, magnificent. No forgotten salt or pepper, or hot milk or anything ~ just go and help yourself. On this occasion, I was a wake up to the old tricks, so on my way through to the rear, I picked up my cutlery wrap serviette, cereals, milk, toppings and juice but I couldn’t manage carrying my coffee (I didn’t get an offer to help from any waiter). I found a table in the shade and put it all down together with my baseball cap for ‘protection’ against someone claiming the table as their own. Coffee service is no longer available as all is self-serve, so off I went to get coffee. On my return, the only thing left on my table was my hat! I hadn’t even touched my food or opened the cutlery wrap (who would have thought). I looked around for the attendant without being able to ID the culprit. I asked “what happened” to a bunch of waiters in the galley area, and all I got was blank looks. So, I put my coffee down beside my hat and off I went to renew my cereal choices and a new cutlery wrap. When I returned, you guessed it, all I found was my hat, AGAIN! This time I really blew my lid and people were wondering what on earth was going on. I complained to the group of waiters, looking for the offender, but all I got was a sheepish lady waiter trying to pacify me, asking me to calm down. She tried to explain that their supervisor liked them to be right on top of clearing unused tables. Are you kidding? So, I asked her “what do I have to do to get my food together in one piece, so I can eat it”. I suggested putting the chair up on the table with my food on top and the shirt off my back covering same, but she was not amused. I then told her that I will try again, and NO ONE is to clear this table until I SAY SO! I must have made an impression for that’s how it happened. Later, other helpful travellers with whom I shared this comedy suggested putting my cap over the food, or leaning the chair across the table, but this doesn’t work on floor boards as it slides off, or someone will surely trip over the foot of the chair. Nope, I suggest common sense training that says if a table contains untouched food, cutlery and a hat besides, it STRONGLY suggests that the owner of same WILL return, or he’s jumped overboard in FRUSTRATION. 2. Noise: Apart from your own cabin, it is virtually impossible on this ship to sit anywhere in quiet peace to read or think. The “library” is ludicrously in the central atrium that booms up all sorts of entertainment noise from the lowest deck to the top deck. Once I hid in the Sky Lounge well away from the atrium, where there are comfortable chairs and a lovely view forward, high up and majestic. With 30 mins, a group came to set up for a dance lesson. That was the end of that. Disappointing. Is there a cigar lounge anywhere that may suit? 3. Talking about smoking cigars, there is a location on deck 15 rear, where one can enjoy a quiet smoke. It is Port side, rear with its own bar. I always go there after the show to puff on a cigar (when wind direction allows, otherwise it’s simply a waste of a good cigar), in quiet contemplation of the sky drifting past, and solving the crisis of the world. BUT the recorded music is rap or bee-bop or rock knows what. Not at all conducive to a quiet puff of anything. It should be peaceful, soft, ‘go to sleep’ music for goodness sake, can’t anyone tune in such music to an isolated specific speaker? I cant think of anyone that smokes a cigar at a rock-n-roll venue. Some well-meaning soul pointed out what a filthy habit it was, to which I agreed, but something will kill us all one day, and reminded them that they had 99.8% of the ship, whereas we just wanted this tiny corner for our private indulgence. Happy sailing everyone. Read Less

The reason for choosing this cruise was the time of year it cruised and to try a different cruise company. This was my ninth cruise and the first on Celebrity. We had a Concierge Cabin on Deck 10 cabin 1204. I have 4 people in the cabin my advice maximum 3 persons should be the maximum. The cabin is narrow and needs refurbishment as does the ship. Not enough space for 4 persons. The Dinning was my worst experience on a cruise ship ever. On the first night we ate in the Grand Epernay Dinning Room, service was slow and the meal main course being Jerk Chicken was terrible, only the skin on the half piece of the bird that we were served in the plate was seasoned the actual meet was not touched, farr too much food on 1 plate but were told there were no smaller portions. After this for the rest of the cruise apart from 1 night we ate in the buffet. Whilst there was a lot of food on offer all was exceptionally bland with not much taste. Looking at all the different cakes they had for desert all tasred the same only difference appeared to be the colour being pink for strawberry, green for Kiwi Fruit or Pistaccio etc you get the picture. Drink asked for a cocktail whatever one came out as a complete alcohol fest somebody needs to train their barstaff each bar would produce a different version of the same cocktail, just terrible. Only meal which I could safely say was good was the bbq on the penultimate night on the ship, but hey we had to pay US$35 each for that, truely bad that you have to pay extra to get a good meal. OVERALL EXCEPTIONALLY POOR CELEBRITY PLEASE TAKE NOTE AND IMPROVE. Read Less

My wife and I had planned for several years to visit Australia and New Zealand. We first considered a land trip but eventually choose to do a cruise due to the overall value and convenience. I looked at several very similar cruise lines but ended up choosing the Celebrity Solstice based on ship size and a good experience with them on a Bermuda cruise. We arrived in Sydney a few days early to take in the sites before boarding. In Sydney we stayed at the Marriott which is only a couple of blocks from the cruise terminal and an easy walk. Embarkation on the ship was a breeze, with easy luggage check in and no lines. We were on-board and enjoying ourselves by 11:30 in the morning. After a tour of the shop and a welcome lunch, our room was ready, much sooner than we have ever experienced on any other ship. The ship itself, the Celebrity Solstice, was elegant and understated. My favorite section was deck 15 with it's expansive grass (yes, grass) areas for relaxing, playing bocce balls, watching movies on the outdoors screen, watching glass making, or simply gazing at the sunsets in the evenings. The remainder of the ship was nice but very similar to most other cruise ships. Really like the casino but was disappointed that it wasn't open more often. Bars were average and the theater was about what you would expect. Overall the food was good but not great. The buffet was very disappointing, one of the worst we have ever experienced. Sit down dining was very good with prompt service and high quality meals. We did each of the four specialty restaurants and found them to be about with average to that of other cruise ships. Not sure they are worth the extra money given the quality of the food in the main dining area. Although the ship was almost full is felt very uncrowded. We never had to fight to find a chair and were able to go where we want when we wanted without any lines or having to reserve seats ahead of time. Shows - very good but not great - new cast who did a very commendable job on their first gig. Some of the best cast singers that I have seen on a cruise ship. Hit and miss on the "guest" entertainers. Service - Very mixed results. At times they were johnny on the spot and at other times virtually non-existent. You were supposed to get free drinks when you were gambling but I only got served once over the 5-6 days I gambled in the casino. I even asked the pit boss for help running someone down but it never happened. Our dinner took 2 1/2 hours in one of the specialty restaurants due to a shortage of staff. Up-sell - We were constantly badgered by ship personnel to buy more; more drink packages, more dining, more everything - this continued almost to the last day and really become annoying . I would have bought the drink package if it weren't so outrageously expensive. It would have cost me and my wife about $1600 for their premium package. You really have to drink like Otis the town drunk to break even on that deal. Excursions - They were well organized and generally went as advertised. Prices continue to rise so I began looking outside the ship. Viator,com offers virtually the same excursions for 10-30% less. Check them first before booking on board. Celebrity Travel - Used Celebrity travel to arrange our return trip from Auckland. They booked us on Air New Zealand which sounded fine till we got to the airport and got hit with $500 in excess baggage fees. US airlines allow 2 checked bags on international flight but not Air New Zealand (unless you are flying from Australia to the US - go figure). No disclosure of this before arriving so I'm mad at both Celebrity and ANZ for the last minute surprise. Read Less

Having cruised both NCL & Princess I was interested to see how Celebrity compared. First to the good points. Well decorated and very modern with clean lines, staff 10/10 both friendly and there when you needed them. The buffet was the best we’ve had on ships so far, both in variety and quality of food. Our cabin was well set out and comfortable bedding. The only specialty restaurant we went to was The Petit Chef which is a very different dining experience as you are seated at a table where animation is used as part of the service. Would definitely recommend going to this. Food was of reasonable standard. Now to the not so good. As mentioned in other reviews, be prepared for the eternal pressure put on by staff wanting you to take up the packages both beverage and specialty dining. This lasted more than 3 days into the cruise. One passenger told me she complained as one staff member held on to her arm so she couldn’t leave until they finished trying to convince her. They don’t want to take no for an answer. Even when you are sitting eating in the buffet you are approached to buy packages. The shows were average overall. Peter Cousins was a stand out. The production shows far better on NCL. We went to the Main dining 3 times and would not go back as both the presentation and quality of food below standard. My husband had a chorizo pasta and received three tiny cubes of chorizo decorating his plate and tasteless pasta. Escargot so small and swimming in butter with almost no taste of garlic. Pricing for purchases on the ship was higher than we experienced on the other two lines. Upgrading to a specialty restaurant cost us over USD$ 50 each and this was with 20% discount. Also far more expensive than the other Lines. If you want to change your dining allocation go as early as you can on first day to dining area and you will be out on a list. We were able to change ours. Read Less

What we liked: 1)Spotless ship with obvious attention to detail and a crew focused on cleanliness. 2)Great crew who worked hard to please. Some going out of their way to do so. 3)Above average(in some cases excellent)food. Luminae,Blu,and Murano excellent. 4)Excellent gym, both in size and equipment. What we didn't like: 1)Constant selling of Beverage and specialty dining packages. There was no escape. One time I was asked to buy just after getting through security from the tender(I am not making this up). 2)Ship was launched in 2008 and it shows. I think our TV was original equipment as it quit working twice.Other items showing wear. Lots of paint chipping off in different areas. 3)Lack of attention to the re-boarding process in port. Long line into one gangway while another gangway was not used. Security(in some cases) lacking basic manners. 4)Sushi on 5-don't bother,Tuscan Grill-best views on the ship with average food. Read Less

People both on and off the ship were so kind and helpful. Always smiling and wanting to know if you need something. You almost would have thought they were smoking something to be so gracious. Out of 30+ cruises we have been on, this is definitely the happiest crew and country I have been too. Maybe its in the water. We ate mostly in the buffet. It was very good. I will see if I can post some pics of the buffet. The cake seemed to be dry on every desert. They were not moist. This seemed to be a common problem. Breads and rolls were great and abundant. Tea and lemonade seemed to be different every day. They need a different brand of tea or something. Besides the tea's were weak and strong depending on the day you went. Everything else was great. Carving station, build your ceaser salad, Pasta Station, Indian curry area, salad station, ice cream station, fruit station, deli station, breads station, soup station and a few nights of caviar. Fine dinning - we ate there 3 three times. 1st, 3rd and lobster night. The lobster night we had the worst dining experience of our 30+ cruises. We were in a group of 50+ people. so we moved around to different tables. There were two waiters for the 6 tables of 10 we had. The first two nights we had a lady, Alexandria, I think. She was great handling 3 to 4 tables. The last night, lobster night, we had a male waiter. We sat at 6pm and did not get served until after 7:30. not getting drinks, getting wrong food served to people, having duplicate starters, coming to table with little sauce in bowl (took 5 min to refill in kitchen), and letting us watch everyone else eat and leave before we were served the main dish. More insulting was some tables were getting third portions of lobster. Reported it to guest services the next morning, someone called that evening (around 8) trying to get us to come that night. we ate already and I have a feeling in talking with people who were at the table the night before did not show up. This is probably why he called. very bad. Entertainment was better than average. Their production cast is very good. Of all their shows, only one was so so. It was also only about 15 min long where should have been 45 to 60 min. Guest services always seems to be a problem on ships the first few days and last few days. They had long lines but was helped by people walking around and taking care of the little things while in line. They need one more person doing this during peak times or categorize issues. Tenders were ok except for the port BAY OF ISLANDS. Our tender got lost in the fog. We found another tender #11 while trying to find the dock. I had downloaded the map on my phone and was watching were they were going. They were about 2 miles left of the port. They kept circling and search for a green and white buoys. My maps did not show the buoys or low water areas they were trying to navigate around. It was funny until the #11 boat almost hit our tender. If it was not for our tender driver putting it in reverse quickly we would have collided. They spent about 30 min lost until a white yacht type boat came by and they followed him the the port. Not really any long lines for tenders but they did try to pack us in pretty good on one of them coming back. We left the ship with our bags which was extremely quick. Started about 7am and was through customs and out the door by 7:30. All in all it was a great trip. Read Less

We traveled with our family which consisted of 13 adults, 1 child & 1 infant. We took a shuttle Limo from Cheektowaga NY to Toronto. We flew 22 hours from Toronto to Sydney. We had a 1 hour layover in Vancouver at 2:30am, which was awful. When we got to Sydney we only had that day to explore, so we checked in at The Holiday Inn at The Rocks and then spent the day walking around. Though we were jet lagged, we were going on adrenal from the excitement of being there. We saw the Opera House, walked across the Harbor bridge and ate and shopped at The Rocks. We even found a Starbucks! The next day we had a shuttle to the cruise pier, at 11:00 am, which was across the street, but we had to much luggage to walk there. We had priority boarding and curbside luggage. Which really wasn’t curbside. We had to drag our suitcases 100 feet to drop it all off. We went to the front of the line to check in. The building didn’t seem to have AC, because we, as well as the staff, were all sweating in there. Once on board we were given a glass of champagne and had our family picture taken. We were then escorted to Luminae, a restaurant for all Suite quests. By 1:00 our cabins were ready. We received flowers, sparkling wine and chocolate covered strawberries. We received our suitcases by 5:00, which was wonderful. The food in Luminae was very good and the service was superb. We also ate at Tuscan Grill and Sushi on 5, which were 2 specialty restaurants. The food was very good there as well. We mostly ate at the Buffet for breakfast. It had a lot of varieties and once you found what you liked, you could enjoy it every morning. A lot of our group ordered room service, which came within half hour. That was a treat in itself. Our Royal Suite was a good size. A few times we had 12 people visiting us comfortably. Though the furniture needed an upgrade and the TV only had 10 channels. None of which I liked. There were free movies and pay per view. I saw most of them already. I am known as a movie bug. The internet was awful. You could never stay connected. It took long to open apps and search the web. I would get text messages hours later, when I would remember to reconnect to WiFi. The Ship was very nice considering it’s scheduled to be remodeled in 2021. There were some shops, but mostly high end designers, that you wouldn’t normally buy from. The souvenirs were limited and they didn’t have a store that sold any staples, should you need any. A major disappointing thing was all the Senior Citizens that were the majority of people. Our group ranged from 14 years to 56 years old. So a lot of the entertainment was geared towards 65 plus years old. There wasn’t much going on past 10:00pm. The elevators took a long time to come when we had to use it. Most times it was full with wheelchairs, walkers or both. The Buffet was always crowded. A few mornings we couldn’t find a table. There should be as many tables & chairs, as there are guests on board! The shows were mediocre, 3 out of the 12 nights were very good! Going to and from Ports went smoothly, whether we walked off or had to take a tender. Though our stroller had to be carried up or down stairs to enter & exit the ports. Not sure how the wheelchairs and walkers handled it? The Excursions were ok. A few were misleading. We informed the Excursion desk of our disappointment and they didn’t seem to care that much about our opinion. We booked a private tour 4 months in advance. The night before it was scheduled, we received a note and voice mail, that it was canceled due to mechanical issues. (Whatever that meant?!) So we had to try to arrange something else with a tour company on shore. That was a pain, but it worked out. We probably won’t travel on Celebrity again. Their prices were almost double what I’ve paid on other CruiseLines. They weren’t any better than those, so I’m not sure how they justify that. Some crew members that we would like to recognize, as those who went above & beyond for us, were Sam and Ty in Luminea, as well as our Butler Lorenzo. We spent some time in Michael’s Club, which was a lounge for Suite guests, where you could get a drink and some cookies and just relax. The Conceirge in there, Davina, was very helpful as well. All and all we had a great time with our family experiencing Australia and a cruise was a great way to do it!! Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was suitable as our first cruise of the season. We had been on this ship some 5 years before but it is still in very good order. Only our 5th Celebrity cruise but due to our Royal Caribbean history we were given Elite class. Embarkation was quick due to that benefit. We had done all the ports before, both by sea and land, so will not expand on them. First the good points - as I said the ship is in good order with many comfortable lounges -the food is generally good with tasty curries in the buffet on port days. Lunches in the MDR were only average, breakfasts were good and dinners satisfactory with some disappointments. Our inside cabin was quite spacious and served the purpose. The room attendant was also excellent. The dining room staff were also good, mainly Indonesian and Filipino , a little reserved at first but relaxed after they got to know us. The passengers were a mixed lot, mainly Aussies, NZ, Uk and a lot of well off Americans. All very nice apart from a Bible bashing couple. The theatre was good with never a problem in getting a seat. It holds 1400+ and getting there early was not necessary. The individual artists were good but the production shows were poor except for the last night, an acrobatic show with an extremely good female acrobat. The captain entertained us with his reports and quirky sense of humour was easy and taxis were plentiful. Disembarkation was easy and taxis were plentiful. The not so good points- We missed the dedicated Diamond and Diamond+ lounges on Royal Caribbean. There were no Captains Club drinks on embarkation night or on Captains party night. On RC you get proper coffee and nibblies in Diamond lounges, but missing on Celebrity. However, in the Ensemble lounge we got excellent service from the waiter, Hendry. Although we got our drinks for free we noticed the extortionate cost of drinks eg a glass of ordinary wine US$10 or 14 or 19. A lot in Australian money. A coffee in special coffee lounge was US$6 = A$9. The specialty restaurants are all priced in US dollars and are also expensive. They did not seem well patronised at the times we saw them. Read Less

We chose the cruise partly because we knew a crew member but also because of the itinerary. Sailing from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef. We had sailed with Celebrity before so knew what to expect in terms of the standards of food, service etc and those were certainly maintained throughout this cruise Service was excellent and places visited were interesting and varied We particularly enjoyed the talks on the wildlife of the area given by Celia the naturalist guest speaker as these brought the areas we saw to life and were entertaining and informative At times it was difficult getting a table in the Ocean buffet restaurant but by timing things we usually managed to cope. The only thing I would like to see improved is more designated 'quiet' areas onboard After midday it was virtually impossible to find somewhere to sit and relax which didn't have music playing. Even the library is located above the central atrium area and so the music reaches there as well but that is just a small niggle but explains the 'average' score that I have given below for public rooms Read Less

With so few opportunities to cruise from Fremantle we took the opportunity to fly to Sydney for a 4 day cruise to Melbourne. Hence the title "Booze Cruise". I must admit to being disgusted by ANY shipping line that condones drinking alcohol to excess. Passengers who purchased the alcohol package at $US80+ per day certainly decided to get their monies worth regardless of their loud and often offensive behaviour. Obviously not concerned about their health either. The food was very average. The ship had sailed from the west coast of USA via Hawaii to NZ and then Sydney. 35 days. The natural yoghurt in the buffet was from the US (New Jersey - east coast) had been frozen and split. The fresh fish on board for tea one night was a Mediterranean fish. Fresh??? How long had that been on board. Dining room "ran out" of steak and roast beef one meal. Curtains in the deluxe balcony were missing. Only had sun block curtain lining hanging. Bathroom was good with good sized shower. Celebrity is very class orientated. Have sailed several times with Cunard and even they were more relaxed and less class conscious than Celebrity. Sorry. Not my cup of tea. Read Less

We took a 4-day cruise out of Sydney to Melbourne on 10/11, than stayed on ship for 12-day cruise 10/15 to east coast of Australia and Great Barrier Reef. We are longtime Celebrity cruisers, and were somewhat disappointed with our transatlantic cruise last Spring on the Celebrity Reflection. But these two cruises fully restored our faith in Celebrity. Excellent and very visible/entertaining captain and crew, impeccable service in main dining room and lunch buffet, as well as in lounges. Food quality and variety were excellent. Entertainment with ship house band and others was varied and outstanding. Most theatre performers were excellent, and there were some very good matinees. Cruise director was energetic and fun, entertaining at a variety of venues during the day and evening.Cabin stewards and size/cleanliness/comfort of our balcony cabin for both cruises were terrific. Ship is in very good condition and well-maintained, even though it’s the oldest of the Solstice-class ships. It’s a mid-size ship (under 3,000), and they managed the tendering at several stops very efficiently. Many of the ship tours for the Barrier Reef are very expensive, and we limited ourselves to a couple, simple city tours (e.g., Melbourne) that were very good and fairly priced. The cities and coastal stops in Australia are beautiful with lots to do—from the exotic to just simple city tours and dining/shopping. Our only real complaint, which is symptomatic of most cruise ships, is the price and quality of drinks/wines, even in drink packages. We had a “classic” as opposed to the “premium” package—didn’t expect the best, but also didn’t expect Celebrity to be serving wines that retail for under $5 in the US (ugh!). And if you don’t specify what liquor you want in your cocktail, they pour the house brand rot-gut. When you’re paying $60 a day, per person, this should not be. Our biggest disappointment, though: having to leave the ship. Read Less

We chose the transpacific cruise because of the ports and Celebrity Solstice because of reviews and recommendations. Very pleased we went Aqua class as the food and service in Blu restaurant was outstanding, especially for anyone with special dietary requirements. By comparison, the main dining room was mediocre, but the buffet was better than expected. The Spa cafe was also good for light breakfast and lunch options but the burgers at the Mast Grill were disappointing. Al Bacio Cafe is very popular for specialty coffee and tea but expensive unless you have a drinks package. The daily treats there are provided free and some are very good. The gym is modern and spacious and evening entertainment was very good, especially the Lighthouse Duo and Gilly and the Girl. Some of the special artists were also great but there was a lack of variety of activities during the day and the cruise catered more to an older crowd with two sets of five consecutive sea days with mostly passive activities on offer. Although there were a small number of families on board this cruise which spanned the school holidays, and there is a kids club, the ship does not really cater to children or a younger crowd. It is quite accessible for people with mobility issues but there were often long delays for the lifts especially when disembarking. There were only 6 ports of call on this 19 night cruise so it was disappointing for a cruise called Tahitian Treasures that we visited two of the three ports in Tahiti over Easter where many places were closed due to the holidays. Shore excursions can be prebooked through the cruise line or independently online for convenience but are usually much cheaper and quite easy to book when you arrive in a port if you have done some research beforehand. Read Less

We chose this back to back cruise because of the destinations more than the ship. We were a little uncertain what to expect as it seems aimed at US market. The ship itself it lovely. Clean to a very high standard. The staff are very accommodating and helpful always. The spaces on the ship are weirdly set out. There are few quiet indoor areas! The library is over looking the Atrium and Open to the ensuing noise. As is the card/game room. The stupidest place for these public areas. The Atrium itself hosts all sorts of inane activities as well as live music. There is a tree suspended in midair for no apparent reason? There are many bars. Some are nice but the drinks are ridiculously expensive. The drinks packages are ridiculously expensive too unless you can down 9-10 alcoholic drinks a day every day ( there are a lot is shore days on this cruise) . We rarely drink during the day and maybe a couple in the evening with dinner or at a show. We were harangued on day 1 to get a package ! It was uncomfortable and we were told we could have 1 package if we wanted whereas we read you MUST have 2 of the same! At $70 a day each $140 x 28 is a lot of dollars!! ( nearly $4000!) our spend was less than $ 700 and we had bottles of wine regularly. The food was very underwhelming. Nothing looked particularly pretty there was a distinct lack of vegetables choice in the restaurant. The buffet desserts were literally CAKE. Red green blue orange cake. Proper puddings as I would describe there were 2 and only served at lunch and tea time. Not in the evening. There was ice cream too. And MELON. Always Melon . Fruit variety was also very lacking. Melon pineapple and apple. Bananas cut up for breakfast. There were lots of choices for breakfast and lunch in the buffet. It was nice enough but nothing wowed me food wise anywhere. Even speciality dining which again we were harassed on a daily basis to book ( we ‘d prebooked anyway for one meal in Asian Fusion restaurant for valentines evening) it was really nothing special and certainly not worth paying extra for. We tried the Tuscan grill and again not impressed. I had to send my steak back as it was so salty I couldn’t eat it. All dining staff however are wonderful. In Epinay we were freedom dining but when we eat there we always tried to be in the same dining area where Chris and Custodio looked after us. Shore excursion were very pricey and not particularly good. Everything seemed rushed. We booked several of our own tours before we came and found them far more fun informative and 5x cheaper! We will never book ship excursions again unless there is no choice. This is a big ship with not too many passengers which we liked. No fighting for sun beds etc. The entertainment in theatre was ok. I have definitely seen a lot better. Some of the acts were poor and some good but never dazzling! Our favourite individual artist was a hoolahoop act! Yes exactly! Whoever edits the daily news sheet can’t spell or use correct grammar.This did make us laugh. The spa was nice . I like saunas and steam but you have to pay for steam and hot beds. Again very expensive $59 per day! I did manage to broker a deal near the end of the holiday as I knew there were a few sea days. Photography! OMG ! We were dumbfounded by photographers on board. Dressing up in costumes and accosting you to have a photo! Why would I have a photo of me with a stranger in a costume ( which generally had little relevance to where we were- a frog? A cheeky sailor in an unconvincing costume! A back drop of The titanic staircase?? Why? Maybe it’s just us but we found this flabbergasting tbh. If it were aimed at children I could understand. I am sure on a Disney ship this would be acceptable. The photos themselves were not particularly good quality and yet again Expensive! In conclusion we liked the ship the crew and the destinations. We would not rush back to book celebrity but neither would we not travel with them again if the itinerary was right. There was a lot of outward fakery based on the size of your wallet rather than true quality. Read Less

We have chosen this cruise and next cruise from Auckland because of their interesting itinerary. Our opinion about embarkation was very good and very quickly. We expected much more from Premium Class ship it is very much in need of renovation and new furniture all over the ship. The food and presentation of the food at Main Dining Room was not even medium class. We tried buffet few times for lunch that was okay. Big surprise no table served lunch every day, only at days at sea. Room Service at the beginning was out of this world, always something missing or wrong items. For example got coffee not cups got yoghurt but not spoons etc. Only few times at the end of second cruise all was good. We both bought a very expensive drink package compared to other cruise ship we have been cruising before.On this ship the most heard saying at bars was sorry Sir not in this bar maybe that drink is available on some other bar. And we asked only the drinks was on a list we got when we bought packages. Two days after Sydney the ship was out of " Tonic" can you understand that, we don´t. Once I ordered GT and I got Gin and Soda , and that was not told me before I asked what you gave me ? Sorry no tonic I put soda instead was the answer, very nice ! Near the bars the live and other music was too loud to speak to other people, especially when you are not using English as a first language. And finally this disembarkation at Perth was horrible we were out of the ship before our bags came. We were waiting in a very very hot area without cooling, next straight out to burning sun to wait for transport and no shade at all. Even most of the staff was friendly and nice we have to say no more Celebrity Cruises unfortunately ! Ps. At Celebrity the biggest problem is their logistic not staff. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary - didn't pay much attention to which cruise line, and hadn't previously cruised with Celebrity before. We won't be cruising with them again. Cabin design and layout of the ship was excellent, but that's where the good points end. Worst feature of the cruise was the outrageous pricing of every extra - drinks, WiFi, speciality dining, all seriously over priced. No laundry facilities without paying through the nose, the list goes on. Food was uninspiring, and certainly not of the standard we are used to with lines like Cunard or P&O. My wife is vegetarian, and very unimpressed, especially with the buffet offerings. We were on back to back cruises, and were thoroughly bored with the repetitive menu's - we have seldom taken so many opportunities to eat while ashore! Entertainment on board was variable - some excellent resident musicians and on board shows, but some very dull guest artists, including the worst Beatles tribute band I have ever suffered, but big thanks to Gilly and the Girl and Pete Henry for making the musical aspects of the cruise up to standard! The ports we visited, and tours were almost all wonderful, with the possible exception of the Marlborough railway trip. We would return to New Zealand and Australia at the drop of a hat, but not with Celebrity. Chatting with fellow cruisers who had been with the line before, the general feeling was that standards had slipped and corners cut - not the quality we expect. Read Less