Cruise itself was great
Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia
16 Night Australia & New Zealand (Auckland To Perth)
Sail date: February 17, 2018
Ship: Celebrity Solstice
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 1589
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
The process for signing up for the cruise with Marriott was less that satisfactory. Misinformation was given and sometimes calls were not returned. Will probably not use Marriott again for vacation planning. Also the transfer to the airport was a disaster, see above. Otherwise the cruise itself was very enjoyable. I would especially commend our Cabin Steward and Kay in the Ensemble Bar and Sebastiano in the Blu Dining Room. There were many other attentive and helpful crew members on board. Did not like being constantly harrassed and hawked to by crew members trying to sale additional cost items such as the specialty restaurants and photo opps..Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Sunset Bar
Great place to enjoy sail away. Did not particularly enjoy the smoking area, but I guess smokers need to have someplace to enjoy there smokes. The bar also ran out of Draft Beer early on in the cruise and never was resupplied. This should never occur on a cruise ship. I would give this bar a one star rating on this criteria.
Oceanview Cafe and Bar
Ocean cafe was just OK. Food was average, and it took a while to learn where different foods would be located. Did enjoy the fresh fruit selection and the fish and chips.
Blu Restaurant
Food was mostly mediocre, but service was great
Onboard Activities
Fitness Center
Fitness Center was well equipped. I never waited on any exercise equipment. Was not well manned personnel wise, as no one was watching the equipment or asking if you needed assistance.
Guest Relations And Excursions
Many times there were not enough staff waiting on guests. I once observed two of the four guest relations people walk away while there was a long line of guests to be waited on. A couple of times I received conflicting information from those who answered the phone with those behind the counter. I learned that I had to confirm information from a second source.
Pool
Pool Bar ran out of drat beer. A ship should never run out of a line of beverage. This also occurred at the Sunset Bar.
Entertainment
Sky Observation Lounge
Was a great area to lounge and read in quiet environment. It was closed at certain times for not apparent reason.
Ensemble Lounge
Excellent lounge, we visited there almost every evening before dinner. Kay, a bar tender, was very personable and engaged her passengers with a higher that expected, excellent relationship.
Library
Very poor. This was the smallest collection of books that I have encountered on any cruise ship.
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom