Celebrity Solstice Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,223 reviews

Dissapointing 1st Cruise, poor service, poor food

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
User Avatar
christine66
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2011
Cabin: Deluxe Veranda 2B
Traveled with children

I had great expectation of the cruise, which turned out to be a nightmare. The embarkation is fine. But my luggage was not delivered to my room till after 6pm, so we couldn't find the right outfit for the dinner(We chose 6pm dining). I would have brought my luggage with me if I had known it was so slow.The stateroom, overall, is designed well. However, the service is poor. The room was cleaned poorly. I was traveling with a young child. When she ate a cookie in the room, a bunch of crumbles went onto the floor. However, the next day, after the room service, I observed the crumbles were still there. Obviously the room was not vacuumed. I had to call the stateroom attendant for a floor vacuum cleaning. A few other things also showed the service level was low. For example, I noticed hair in the shower after the cleaning. I used up shampoo. But after the room cleaning, no new shampoo was provided. Again, I had to call to request it. Another thing is that the cleaning staff threw Q-tips in the toilet without flushing(so I can see them), not worrying they would block the sewage. Though the ship has ten restaurants, most of them charge additional fee. So the only few we can use is the main dining room, a small grill for hot dogs and burgers, and the Oceanview Cafe. I can only say the food is ok, not as good as I thought. After eating them day after day, the food became boring. The quality of the food in the main dining room is so-so, not so great, either. We went on a short excursion on St Marrten. According to the short excursion desk, the tour would stop at a few beaches. However, the tour only stopped for 10 minutes at a lookout, then stopped for 50 minutes at a shopping center. I don't know whether the tour guide would get any commission or not. A guest suggested a stop at the Dawn beach, but was declined by the tour guild/driver. We went to the show 4 out of 7 nights. I think they were fine. Unfortunately, during one show, a waiter poured a glass of coke on me when he served the guests behind me. Then he went back for some napkins. But he returned so slow. My shirt would be wet through if I just waited for his napkins. I wonder whether the waiter is poorly trained or just too tired because of overworking. I could not comment on the rest of the shows, because I became sick because of the norovirus for the last two days of the cruise. So I had to stay inside my cabin. Though my child was not sick on the ship, she had to be isolated with me at the same time. Celebrity said we would be compensated for the time we lost and for the cooperation that we were willing to be isolated. But the compensation turned out to be a future credit which will expire in one year. It is such a joke, since I don't plan to cruise in the near future, so the so-called "compensation" is no value to me at all. Later after we got back home, my child also developed similar norovirus symptoms, which cleared themselves in about a week. We were eager to get off the ship on Sunday morning. The whole process was slow and disorganized. I felt so relieved after getting off the ship.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Veranda 2B

previous reviewnext review

Find a Celebrity Solstice Cruise from $399

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.