Celebrity Solstice
Sail date: October 24, 2010
Didn't Want To Get Off The Ship
We recently sailed on Celebrity Solstice; four of us/two couples. We each LOVED it. The ship is beautiful (incredible decor/art work, great layout and more). The staff, service was the highlight. The cabin steward was lovely, attentive, really on the ball and the stateroom was kept impeccably. The wait staff in the main dining room did everything they could to please us and were expert at remembering little things that meant a lot. The food was not great and as the trip came to a close, it got kind of worse. That is likely because all the food is loaded up at the beginning of the cruise (they don't pick up local anything at the ports) so many things just were not fresh towards the end. I would say that food was the biggest downside but didn't change our desire to go right back. The entertainment crew were fun and professional. The shows were a higher caliber than would have been expected. One thing we really liked unlike some other cruiselines is that there was no push to upsell you anything. We barely spent any extras on board and felt comfortable in doing so. The layout of the balcony cabins is quite ample with much more room for storage than one would expect. The bathroom was larger than on many ships, especially the shower so you could actually turn around or bend down. The other passengers met our needs, 30's-60's, upscale, not your boozing types. Not a lot of children and for those with children, this is not really the ship for you since it doesn't have a lot for children. The spa services were pricey but of high quality. We didn't try the specialty restaurants since there was a price supplement and since the chef was not great in the main dining room we didn't feel that spending more money for specialty restaurants would be a worthwhile investment. The pastry chef and team were outstanding. Embarkation and disembarkation were easy in ports and upon return. If you upgrade to Concierge class then even easier, especially onboarding and offboarding in U.S. which can take some time. We loved Celebrity Solstice and can't wait to go back on board anywhere it goes.