second class

Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 53

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Celebrity Solstice

12 Night New Zealand (Auckland To Sydney)

Sail date: December 16, 2015

Ship: Celebrity Solstice

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1211

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The ship was nice and so was the staff, the sailing was fun.  We have been over 300 days at sea on a variety of ships.  This was my least favorite, because we felt like second class people.  We were told we couldn't go up front to see the sounds because it was reserved for the elite.  Celebrity, Princess cruises let everyone take turns going up front, maybe you should see how they do it. We were not the only ones that felt that way. Also they held seats for the elite, but they didn't release them when the show started. Why not, did they not want us to sit with them? There were children running unsupervised it seemed very dangerous 4,5, 6 years olds (I asked them their age and where their parents were, the parents were dancing or out by the pool?) you might want to check on doing something about that before someone gets hurt. 

Our rooms were clean perfect and the room service was very good, they were there to help us with any problems. 

 

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Vladan was the top of his staff. Really enjoyed him and he made us feel welcome also everything in the room was perfect.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Auckland, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Wellington, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Akaroa, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

5 out of 5

Cruise Dusky Sound

5 out of 5

Cruise Doubtful Sound

5 out of 5

Cruise Milford Sound

5 out of 5

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

5 out of 5

Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 53

11 Comments

cruisellama    5 years ago

If willing and able to upgrade to Aqua or Suite class you'll get some perks.  You'll see better service and benefits by upgrading rooms on Celebrity.   There are 4 basic ones that get offered:  Internet, pre-paid gratuities, OBC, and drink packages.  Suites generally get you all 4.

 

As for loyalty program perks - you need to do the "time at sea" to get those.

JCSJCML    6 years ago

Originally posted by: BDRebel

True, but still a decent topic.

 

Aha!  An idea for another thread.

glomarrone    6 years ago

Holland America does not do this at least on any of the many cruises that I have taken on this line. 

BDRebel    6 years ago

True, but still a decent topic.

BonMike    6 years ago

Wow, what an old thread to bring back . 

BDRebel    6 years ago

I was on Solstice in August '16, and, although they did occasionally rope off the seats or close the top deck bar, the ship never made me feel as if I was a lower class than anyone else. I guess it is all in perception.

deconz    6 years ago

Going on my first Celebrity cruise in 2019 so have a long way to go to get some perks

ByeCelebrity    7 years ago

We noticed the same thing on our Alaska cruise August 18, 2017 on the Solstice. It was disappointing to learn that Aquaclass is fairly limited in gaining access to anything. This was the first time we tried this class. We would see barriers and signs for Elite, Suites, etc. all over the place, but Aquaclass wasn't allowed in. There were always barriers up, or entire sections of prime seats being roped off in lounges and the theater. I was once invited by a suite class guest to go up to the bow to see the glacier, but the attendant blocking the way said aquaclass wasn't allowed. That was an embarrassing experience. We felt Aquaclass was only second class on Celebrity, that suites were first class, and everybody else was probably third class, which is more like a system we would have expected on Cunard. We didn't like it.

noname111    8 years ago

Thank you for posting your review.

I am not exactly sure I got your meaning about "seeing the sounds" but it seems to be an itinerary-specific comment (re: Dusky Sounds).  

I share your frustration with how some cruise lines handle elite passenger perks versus others.  We are not top tier on any given cruise line because over the years we have chosen itinerary over sticking with a specific line.  Our loyalty points are scattered over many companies as a result.

Be that as it may, I understand that for passengers who have "voted with their pocketbooks" and stuck with a specific cruise line, getting a "thank you" for their loyalty is important. I don't agree with cordoning off an entire section of prime viewing space during scenic cruising periods. The decks are public space to which everyone should have access.

One option might be to have pay-for access for non-elites. Yep, I realize this adds to the nickel and diming problem. I'm not sure there is a solution that will make everyone happy.

Happy sails!

tony777    8 years ago

i had no trouble worth getting to the front of the ship. As for the theatre my daughter and i sat right in the front row at one of the performances

dustyroadrunner    8 years ago

Other reviews of this sailing