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Cruiseathoning

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Everything posted by Cruiseathoning

  1. Cafe Bacio is excellent, so your coffee needs are met. Princess excels at staff activities, that is, the games and trivias. They focus on interaction with passengers, and Celebrity's crew was not all that charismatic. The evening is very similar, with Celebrity having a more immersive theatre and Princess having more advanced sets in production shows. There are no reservations needed. Bands are plentiful and talented, with many nights up in Sky Lounge, which is a great place to unwind and dance. The rooms are more like a hotel room on Celebrity, with what we believe to be a better use of space. However the beds and television offerings, (You would be shocked how much we watch TV after midnight on vacation) are better on Princess by a fair margin. Pizza is nowhere close to Alfredo's, nor is it available outside of the buffet. But, the ship itself is much airier, and less confined. On Celebrity you feel like "this is a cruise." Same with Princess, unless deck 7 becomes where you get stuck, in the airless windowless "Princess Live" which compared to the midship Lounges on "Grand" class can feel like a classroom. Where it gets bizarre with Princess is that the beautiful lounge is at the back of the Royal class ships but rarely used, and also, that removes, in my opinion, the best club at sea, Club Fusion. Remember most of what you have on larger ships you have on smaller ships, but with less people. For this reason I would choose Emerald or Ruby ten times over a Royal class once. The Solstice is an amentity driven ship, with wonderful public spaces and lots of neat nooks and crannies to relax or read. Even The Card Room is neat, and well used. But my favorite outdoor spot is Bocce Ball on the grass. A game that takes ten seconds to learn and a lifetime to master. Overall Give me mid sized ships like Solstice or Ruby. ICON by Royal Carribean is already sold out, and they can keep it. We did the Allure, it is fine, there is a lot to do, and the food is adequate, at least it was. Thing is if you are like me and you just need that half an hour or so where its just you and your view of the water, aside from a balcony, large ships don't excel at that. The other thing is it is almost impossible to build friendships on a ship where you rarely see the same person twice. When I want that experience, because sometimes I do want to be anonymous, I go to Vegas. Happy Cruising!
  2. I say what I can remember because we bought the premium drink package. And wow did Celebrity provide drinks, as it was the greatest binge of drinking I have ever participated in. But I remember almost everything. First off, if you buy a premium drink package, wowee do they come through. The Martini bar is worth every penny. The service is impeccable. The ship is mostly pristene. Kelly Rose (CD) is both sweet and a good manager. The food was good to great, with the exception of cakes, in the buffet, which were not. That said, the buffet is quite enjoyable. A lot of cultural diversity, with good flavor profiles. The MDR got better each night, and it started out well. It wasn't perfect, but I would say the hits outweighed the misses 9-1. Don't miss prime rib night on night 7. Just, don't. Embarkation was a breeze, debarkation a dream (10 minutes room to car.) Everyone without exception were smiling and friendly. Not one "face" or glare. Not so much as a frown. Our room steward was kind, thoughtful, and dependable, and the room itself was beautiful. The TV was large, situated in front of the bed, and HD. The bed was comfortable, internet did what we needed it to do, including stream, and overall we had a fantastic time. For the most point, aside from decor, Celebrity closely tracks Princess in approach. Princess does their activites in daytime better, as the cruise activity staff was not very prepared, or personable, which is about the only flaw on this cruise. They were in no way rude, just lacked the familial connection a good Princess Cruise Director's staff creates. The rooms, while similar, still fell slightly behind Princess in bed quality and TV on demand options, but this is like comparing Marriott to Hilton. Celebrity wins on food in the MDR as it was both more varied and better executed. The buffet was a clearer victory for Celebrity. However, lacking the overnight Piazza for a late night sandwich or mousse was noticed. Celebrity had more food availability gaps than Princess, especially overnight. That said, a robust-ish room service menu was free of service charge until 11 p.m. nightly. One big thing to let everyone know about, is that Celebrity Central is an actual small theatre, and a nice one, that shows movies and acts as a second night venue for some performers, which were also univerally excellent. I did not know that until night 7. Because some game shows are on deck 4 in the hallway, I thought that is where the rest of the performances were too. Celebrity would do well to explain that in the beginning. As far as entertainment at night, as I said universally excellent. While it tracks closely with Princess in both offerings and quanitity, I found the Solstice theater to allow for a more immersive experience. There were fun silent discos, late night comedy, movies, and live music. There was sadly, no karaoke or piano bar, although that last one seems to be fading into history on some lines I hear. Nevertheless, one had to try to be bored, or hungry, or thirsty, or aggravated. The ship is in great shape, though a bit dated, is still sparkling. The big thing is if anyone looks for something to be mad about they will not disappoint themselves. You could find paint chips or worn carpet. Not sure why you would cruise to look for such things, but you could. However on this ship you have to try to find disappointment. if you go with a good mindset, you should experience 99 percent joy. But then again, we are talking about the sort of people who might go to Heaven and complain they need sunglasses. If you are booked on Solstice, she is a beautiful girl, with a lot to offer, great people, a relaxed charming vibe, and a wonderful way to spend your days. If you are booked on Princess, you will have much the same experience, except they are quite a bit more full lately. But if you are a Celebrity first-timer, my prediction is that your experience will lead you to wanting to be a Celebrity multi-timer. Any questions, just ask! Happy Cruising!
  3. Upgraded it all. Thanks for the input. Also did your rooms stay cool? Don't want to need fans.
  4. Wife and I have a Solstice cruise booked and we have classic beverage package. It will be an upgrade cost to move to premium, and better wi-fi. Is premium either one worth it? I just need access to email and forum, not video, but if I do get premium wi-fi will it play video? That would allow me to communicate home with my company, yes I know it is vacation but it is my company and nobody will work harder for it than me. Drinks I am straight up and down on the fence about. Thanks much.
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