From the Shire to Waikiki

Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review to Australasia

AGoodWoman2

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 145

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

Tahitian Treasures

Sail date: April 20, 2017

Ship: Celebrity Solstice

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9175

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

A fun cruise from Sydney to Honolulu. Lots to do, including the Equator crossing, at which point I stopped being a polliwog and became a shellback. Great visit to Auckland to see the Hobbiton movie set. Bilbo was not at home. Enjoyed French Polynesia, incredibly beautiful, and journeyed to Hana on the fabled road of 690 curves and 59 one lane bridges, again with incredible views.

Food was great, weather was reasonable. Had a couple of windy days and rough seas. Some folks went to Medical, I landed at the Passport Bar, prosecco in hand, watching the surf occasionally reach up to wash the windows.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Excellent food. Had an opportunity to do lunch at Murano, reduced price dinner at Silk Harvest, and a special 6 course dinner with wine pairing at Tuscan. All were very good. Also had lunch at Sushi on 5, I like sashimi and the salad with sashimi is a great value.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Wait staff was attentive. Room attendant was efficient and unobtrusive. Bar staff always a pleasure.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Generally in good shape, as always maintenance is ongoing.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Nice cabin, well kept. No issues. On the sea days that were rougher, I actually had a wet sliding door from the spray!

Ship tip

Oceanview Cafe is a great alternative if you don't want to eat in the Main DR. Food was excellent.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5

Took the hop on/off bus to get a quick view of Sydney since I was only there for a day. Beautiful city and sorry I didn't have more time.

Thumbs Up 2

Bay Of Islands, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Beautiful area. The excursion to the Kauri forest was well done. Knowledgeable guides who explained the impact of humans on the area and what was being done to mitigate it.

Thumbs Up 1

Auckland, New Zealand

5 out of 5

If you are a LOTR fan then the journey to Hobbiton is a must. Again, a knowledgeable guide who had a lot of trivia about how the set was constructed and events during the filming.

Thumbs Up 2

3 Comments

GIL155 7 years ago

Road trip to Hana. Now THAT was an adventure! Many years ago rented a car. From memory, about an hour (or so) trip with many, many one lane bridges and blind curves. Locals do not care for us tourists as we tend to drive slower. End is worth it - Charles Lindbergh grave is there in a nice, quaint small cemetery. Nice. Beautiful hotel too.

I know this was not directed to me, and I cannot answer the other questions, but you awoke a nice 30-year old memory. And I thank you for the happy thoughts.

Thumbs Up 0

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glomarrone 7 years ago

Sounds perfectly wonderful!

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gmoney65 7 years ago

Did you rent a car for the road trip to Hana?The entertainment was blank? would age 40-50 be bored? Was the food repetitive? Would you do 5 consecutive sea days again?

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