Celebrity Solstice Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was a great vacation for my family! It was a journey through nature. The views were spectacular, the service from the crew was great and friendy staff. The entertainment was up to level and the performers were diverse. This is not our first cruise but the first on Celebrity. The cabins were spacious and having a balcony made a great difference for this destination in particular. Brent Nixon rally explained the nature parts of the tours, the wild life and their enviornment. It was great to enjoy the dolphins, whales, bears, seal & bald eagles at plain sight.

It's a must do adventure cruise.

Thanks!

My husband and I had a wonderful and relaxing time on our cruise.  We had taken an Alaska cruise fifteen years ago on Celebrity and wanted to go back to see if anything had changed.  The Mendenhall Glacier retreat was the biggest change we saw.  We were glad we took the excursions we had chosen for each port city.  We learned a little more this time.  All the guides were fantastic, very informative and professional.  The speakers for the Beyond the Podium were great.  We learned so much from them.  We enjoyed all their lectures.  Our travel agent Greg booked us into the Aqua class.  What a treat.  We are now really spoiled.  We'll have to book our future cruises in Aqua class.  The cabins are bigger and we loved the bathroom.  Our steward and his assistant were so very nice and helpful.  At night, the animals they created out of the towels were so cute.  The Blu Restaurant was outstanding.  The food and service we received was unbelievable.  We purchased the DVD for this cruise and they also included a DVD on Alaska.  After a few days, we looked at the DVDs and we were glad we had purchased them.  There were many activities on the ship that we were unable to attend, but were able to see on the DVD.  The DVD on Alaska is such a great learning tool.  I wish we had it before we left for this cruise.  We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise to Alaska.  Seven days was too short, so one day we hope to take another cruise back to Alaska, but for more days. 

This was our first cruise and it was great.  The food was amazing and there were always things to do on the ship.  The room was spacious with well thought about storage. 

     Very nice cruise. It met a lot of our expectations. Our cabin attendants were very nice and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and that we had everything we needed.

    I think the menu could use a lot of improvement. I believe most days that there were usually only 1 or 2 different items available. It seamed that must items were there every meal. The food was good. I would have liked to had seen more of a different variety every day kind of like Carival cruises.

    I was also disappointed that we could not actually see the Tracy Arm Fjord glacier.

The ship was beautiful and modern.  I was disappointed in the resturants in that most of them had cover charges to dine there.  There were only two resturants on board that did not have cover charges.  The schedule to visit ports-of-call was somewhat disappointing.  Our last stop was in Victoria, B.C. and only there about 6 hours.  We pulled into port at 6:00 p.m. and left at 11:59 p.m.  We did have time enough to take a shuttle bus into the downtown district but after seeing the city, I wished we could have had much more time.  Another cruise line that was in port when we came into port had spend the entire day there.  

Just before sailing, I started to look at and check the "port charges" that Celebrity charged.  I was led to believe that they had nothing to do with these but I found out later that they did.  I checked several other cruise lines and their port charges were much less.  We were charged $800 each in port charges.  Other lines charged about $300 each.

If I were going to make this cruise again, it would be with a different line. 

What a great cruise.  Tracy Arm was so beautiful.  Our waiter, wine stuart, and maitre de couldn't have been better.  We had a lovely table with our friends that was juct what we wanted and that was arranged on the first day of our trip.  The shows were exceptional.  We had a vista room right under the bridge.  What a view!

After traveling, checking in can only be compared to herding cattle. Totally horrible.  EVERYTHING was a sales pitch.  The food was good, but average.  Loved the views of Alaska.  The room was kept spotless by housekeeping . Selling overpriced water and adding a gratuity to in room bar consumption was an all time low.  That should be a part of the housekeeping.  Bc everything was for sale and over priced and there was no other way to obtain the needed items, I felt like I was at the mercy of ship .

All the staff were wonderful, food was fabulos, shows were great.

Check in took 3 hours, but was told 2 ships boarding at the same dock caused this delay?

Only one regret was when in ports of call, there were 4 ships with about 12,000 + people.

Cities were over run, couldn't even walk down streets with all the folks there.

This was the 3Rd sailing, so I can imagine this will only get worse as we get later in the year.

If asked would I take another cruise, YES I would, but maybe places that were not as crowded.

This is the second time we have cruised with Celebrity, and second time we were on the Solstice.  Such a wonderful cruise and ship.  Captain Yanni and crew keeps everyone well informed of every detail that is going on with the ship.  That is much appreciated and very comforting.  Our balcony cabin was absolutely perfect and the buffet and dining room once again proved to be terrific.  Our cabin steward and dining servers were the BEST!  We would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone!!

I can't begin to tell you how great this cruise was! From the time we boarded until we left the ship at the end of our cruise everything was top notch. Thank you for making our 40th wedding anniversary a very special time for us. 

I think that this cruise line may have made it difficult for us to use any other.  People who have cruised before have told us this is the best and it certainly was.  Everyone on the crew wear fanastic and the luxury of everything was outstanding.  Our cabin stewards were fantastic as were our waiting staff in the dining room.  The food was excellent.  When we next cruise it will be celebrity, no matter where in the world we do it.

This was the second half of our back-to-back cruise of New Zealand and Australia and comments might be different for single cruise passengers. Overall the ship is excellent with roomy staterooms, excellent service and elegant common spaces.  Many stops on this cruise are dictated by the size of the ship rather than interest or accessibility of the ports. Thus the stop in Port Hedland was basically a waste of time - it was very hot and there was nothing to do in a town which is basically an iron ore export site. The stop in Airlie Beach is also dictated by the fact that it is the only port in the area accessible to Solstice Class ships. The best stop was Bali, Indonesia and Celebrity's handling of visa formalities was excellent (although it would have been nice to know about in advance!) with Celebrity charging the visa to the onboard account and Indonesian officials issuing visas onboard.  Stops at Darwin, Airlie Beach, Brisbane and Freemantle were enjoyable although access to town varied by stop. At Brisbane the only option was a 19 dollar shuttle bus (or a Celebrity tour). There were 10 day sea days on this cruise so if you don't like entertaining yourself this is not the cruise for you. Celebrity is known for its onboard lecturers but on this leg there was only one and he repeated lectures already given on the previous cruise. Ships officers who gave talks about the ship were not all fluent in English. (on the other hand, videos on demand describing the ship were excellent) The gym on board was good although not all machines were working properly and it could be crowded. Food was excellent but repetitive for those onboard the full 35 days.  Speciality restaurants were good but pricey.  The sense of two classes onboard - Elite Class members and Aqua and Suite guests - vs. the rest was strong with tender tickets available to the 1st class at the expense of the rest not to mention special dining for Aqua Class guests. There is nothing wrong with 2 classes onboard but Celebrity should be more upfront about it.

This was our first Celebrity Cruise and we would definitely rate Celebrity among the best cruise lines we have experienced.

I enjoyed the cruise and the sea days.  I wish more aboriginal experiences would have been offered.  I could have learned as much about the indegenous people at home.  The only 2 offerings for this were failures.

While the Solstice is a wonderful ship, in many ways it is not as pleasant as some of Celebrity's smaller ships - notably the Millenium and the Summit. The ship was clean both in the public areas and in our cabin. Staff was excellent about getting entrants into the buffet to use the hand solution. We really appreciated that. However, the constant playing of music in the buffet area was not pleasant. Both my sife and I found this continuous noise to be irritating. Changing the selection of music to something a bit less POP might help. The Solstice doesn't have the thelassotherapy pool that some of Celebrity's other ships have. We missed this amenity and found the enclosed solarium pool and both hot tubs to be too cool. The solarium itself was very serene and the attendants in that area were excellent.

The experience started with the overnight stay on beautiful Sydney harbour with its exceptional views of the Opera house and harbour bridge.

Great weather as we sailed to Melbourne and then across the Tasman sea to New Zealand. Crusing the three sounds in Fiojdland  was a stunning experience on a cloudless sunny day...the inlets, small islands,  mountains and native forests.  This landscape has been virtually untouched by human habitatation... All the ports on this cruise were every "ship friendly" with many local volunteers on hand to welcome and advise visitors on what to do. A welcoming experience.

 As this was our second crusie on the Solstice we already knew that the onboard expeience was going to be most enjoyable. It delivered on cleanliness, great service from caring staff and quality food. The shows were of a good standard as well.

Our fellow passengers also provide pleasent onboard companionship and from their comments it was clear that this particular cruise will feature high up on their list of great crusies.

My husband and I had a wonderful time and were treated wonderfully. We would most definately cruise again with this cruise line. The food was good the views were good and our room was well kept and clean. We enjoyed the health club and solarium. Very relaxing.

Everything was wonderful from food, entertainment, excursions, crew, facilities,etc. this was the last trip up to Alaska for this ship for the year. Everything was very clean and staff were constantly working at this and always with a smile on their faces, and a greeting for all who came by. Food was excellent and the dining room was always accommodating . The entertainment and educational speaker were so entertaining you forgot you were there to learn. Bret Nixon was beyond excellent! Some in our group bought the DVD to educate boy scout groups about eagle and bears when home. The room attendants were like little ghosts. They were in and out of the rooms checking and cleaning all day . Any staff you stopped to ask a question would stop and really visit. They never rushed you . Really enjoyed visiting with several staff and hearing their stories on ship life.

I have traveled with most of the big commercial cruise liners and this one had the best service. We tried all the specialty restaurants and the only one that was excellent was the Chinese silk harvest. I did not take my kids but would like to take them back to Alaska, with that said I don't know how friendly this ship is for kids. It is not like the Caribbean cruises that we have been on with the kids but it's more about nature and excursions then partying on the boat. The Tracy Fjord expedition was all booked up and I didn't get to go. I would recommend that you book early for that one as it's a unique excursion on this itinerary. We also went on the train to the Yukon and that was Very nice as well. We also went on the trip and Juno to see whales with the scientist and that was a great learning process as well as some great sightseeing. Overall if you've never been to Alaska I would highly recommend you go, I don't know if I would really want to go back and less I was taking my kids but it is one of those places you have to see at least once. You will not be disappointed with celebrity. Overall the service was excellent the boat was very clean and modern almost there'll and the food was good. I hope this was helpful, we stayed on a six floor balcony and I wouldn't recommend that as you Will have the lifeboats right in front of your view, the seventh floor balcony or veranda and higher should be okay.

We have been on 2 other cruises both through Royal Caribbean which we loved and Celebrity Solstice did not disappoint. First, let me say it's all about expectations when taking a cruise. Your on vacation and it's going to be as enjoyable as we make it. As far as overall ship experience, Celebrity has accomplished providing a more modern, glamorous setting. The activities are endless and appeal to every interest. Glass blowing, wine/culinary classes, Cirque-style show, comedy club, etc. Rooms with balcony have adequate space for 2 people to move around. Rooms kept clean and the attendants are always willing to please. All the food is good, but dining and specialty are notches above and rightfully so. Based upon other reviews we did book 1 night at Murano (French) because many had raved about the lobster. And they were right!!! It was awesome, although, the lobster in the main dining wasn't too shabby either. Just a different preparation. My husband had rack of lamb and it was fabulous also. We did not book any excursions through the ship..

This was our 9th cruise and first time with Celebrity cruises .We enjoyed every moment from the first step on the ship to the last.There was a very friendly stuff everywhere on the floor,in the dinning room,in the bars and Oceanview cafe and in shopping galleria.The entertainment was fantastic.Special thanks to Brent Nixon for his presentations.Food was good but not excellent in the Grand Epernay,we more enjoyed in the Oceanview Cafe.We will highly recommend Celebrity Solstice.