nodandade

has anyone done a from Auckland to rotorua bus trip of the solstice etc, and how long does it take.

if not is there companies that on shore who do it and aprx how much

I have put this question under 'my money' on this board, but I am not sure if I asked the question properly.

has anyone actually deposited there own money via credit card towards onboard credit, not onboard credit vouchers, but just plain on board credit.

our travel agent says we can do this, but only when we are three months away from departure.i now it may sound strange, but if we deposit $200.00 into onboard credit every month for the next 11 months we will have all our expenses cover for the cruise and the end wont be so painfull.

thank you

hello hsbonds,

as ghstudio has stated,there is a reason you have been charged up front,and the explanation sounds correct.yes you can have that changed when on board, but do it early on your cruise.

however I disagree to some extent with cruisinsince94,we do not pay gratuities until the end of the cruise,you would not be a straight thinker if you paid for something before you had even seen what it was like.what we do is at the end of the cruise adjust the amount we leave as a tip for all the service crew,and up the tip for those who did exceptional work.

on our last cruise on princess we left the service crew half the normal tip in place,but uped the amount we gave to our two dinner waiters.

the amount we gave to our dinner waiters was more than the total of tips that we would have paid had we left the original tips in place,why, they were exceptional

just need advise.as it is still 12months out before we board the solstice,is it possible for me to (bank) money into celebrity say $100.00 per month as on board credit ,so when I do sail there will be $1200.00 dollars in the (bank.)thank you.

hello there, can anyone tell me how far it is from the cruise terminal in Honolulu to down town Honolulu.

are there plenty of taxi's and or mini vans to take passengers to their hotels when a ship comes in.

is it expensive, or is it better to organise a cruise ship transfer.

suggestions appreciated. thank you

not trying to buy into an argument here, but just an observation.

have never cruised with celebrity,but will be in april 2015.

have sailed with 5 other lines,and I can clearly state the following,on the diamond princess bankgkok to Sydney the ship, the food, the staff were all exceptional,but to have a pub lunch on sea days was just terrific,i have got to say it was one of the best steak and kidney pies with mash I have ever had.

I also agree with others though, if celebrity are going to do it, do it with taste,tv's and all, but no volume.(or just a tiny bit)

cruising to Hawaii in april 2015 on solstice,need flights back to Sydney or Brisbane.has any one done this and who has the best pricing / upgrades.

does not matter if their day or night flights thank you

good info patty 1955. thank you

just wondering, booked in aqua class on the solstice 2015, is it possible to have the canapés changed to a cheese plate with bickies upon request.

I am not saying the canapés are not nice,but my wife and I do like a nice cheese with a glass of wine on our balcony.

I know we could take some cheeses from the buffet back to our room, but just wondering about the other

thank you

booked to do Sydney to Hawaii in april 2015 on the solstice,just wondering because it will be school holidays will there be a lot of kids on board

I know this is an open ended question,but maybe some fellow cruises have done this cruise and could give me an idea on amounts

I / we have no problem with well behaved and parent controlled young folk,but unruly ones can be a problem.big time.

just had some great news,some good friends of ours (married couple) have finally decided to join us on our cruise Sydney to Hawaii on the solstice in april 2015, as sea sickness does not worry my wife or myself,but does worry the other couple, I need to ask a question/s.

as we have never done this cruise before,what generally are the seas like in april from Sydney to Hawaii, we will oall be in agua class in rooms starboard side very close to the centre of the ship.i know this is an open ended question with a lot of scenarios, but just in general please

thank you

thanks andy and everyone else,i'll just keep my eyes peeled.

sorry folks ,I have already posted under yummy, but I thought this would attract more attention.

going on the solstice soon and was wondering if celebrity serve oysters in aqua or mdr, or do we have to do a speciality restaurant to get them (if they have them)

goodonya hubby for trying to give up the smokes.

firstly let me say,before all the do gooders get on here, that it is not easy to give up,i know people will say 'well you should not have taken it up in the first place' but like you I did,and history is history, I don't actually think it is just the tobacco that makes it hard to give up, but a lot of other chemicals that they add.

again it is hard, I gave up 3 years ago and my wife 9 years ago, and neither of us have touched them since.

a word of wisdom, my doctor told me if I was giving up then don't isolate yourself from the world, if there are smokers near by, then he said be strong and handle it. and I did.

there are as others have said, area's for smokers, and I am sure you will use those area's.

but mainly I would like to support you in your endevours, good luck fellow cruiser, I wish you well

p/s we started a little bank account with the smoke money we saved,now we cruise in a balcony once a year.

would like to know if there is a good spot (other than our balcony) for a group (six of us) to take up position early in the evening for a sailaway on the solstice,we would like a spot somewhere we can get a drink and some food,and a great view.any suggestions

hello Susie b

for what it is worth here goes,

we have booked celebrity (1st time) for a Sydney to Hawaii cruise,as we have never been on celebrity before,i cannot comment on their ships, but, I can comment on the msc poesia from keil in Germany to Iceland and return.

firstly it was a wonderfull cruise to see the volcano (we got close-up) that stopped one side of the world from travelling (that was not so good),secondly the ship etc

the poesia was as spotless as any cruise ship we have been on, the general staff (cabin and entertainment and bar) were as good as we have found on any cruise,we had previously cruised on four cruise ships and found the food on msc poesia was up there with all of them.

the major staff reception etc left a lot to be desired,they were (especially the complaints section) as as rude as you would find.

I believe the crew entertainers last night show with the water fountains etc, was probably one of the best pieces of entertainment I have ever seen on a cruise ship.

we travel for destinations, not ships or ships points etc,so what I would say is go with the flow,don't take any crap from people pushing in etc etc ,and I am sure you will have a great time.maybe with your destination you may not encounter a lot of " pushers etc . then at the end of it all ,theycan make a decision on whether it was o.k or not.

always remember 'their on a cruise ship, oh what a feeling'

happy cruisin

sailing from sydney to Hawaii in april 2015 and as I can't seem to get into celebrity website to look at tours, can anyone help

if I miss out on celebrity tours etc, is it easy ,or are their alternatives in bora bora, moorea, and Tahiti at the piers etc to take tours.

also when the ship goes to Hawaii how does it work in maui (lahaina) as I have heard it tenders one afternoon and does not leave until late the next day,is this correct

thank you

I would appreciate info on what is in a aqua stateroom on the solstice in regards to making a cup of tea. I know I can have one brought in by room service, or even go and get one and bring it back to the room,but it is so nice when you wake up early(we always do) and have a nice 'hot' cuppa on your balcony,is their a kettle in the room.thank you

tell me about cabin 1590 on the solstice,any noise etc

hello fellow cruisers,

I have over the past 3-4 years used cruise critic a heck of a lot of times for information from fellow cruisers who have been fortunate enough to have sailed to places I have never been ,but hopefully one day maybe I will get there.the information I have gathered about ships and destinations has been invaluable ,and I thank you all.

my wife and I are going for the first time in april 2015 with celebrity from Sydney to Hawaii,and it will be our sixth cruise in seven year, all with different cruise lines,(we sail for destinations).

but my main point is that lately there seems to be a heck of a lot more people whinging about little things on cruise ships that aren't right.i won't go into them all, but I am sure you 'all' know what I mean.

my wife and I are not rich people,but we do save and are able to go on cruises,and have a balcony to boot,and not everything on every cruise has gone the way we wanted it to,''BUT'' we are alive on a cruise ship and doing o.k.

I ask you ''ALL'' to just remember, that although we all pay good dollars for our cruises,and expect to be looked after,there are people out there,(and I am not talking about those who won't get off there bums and work)who just can't seem to manage to save enough to do what us cruises do, and have been fortunate enough to do.

there are genuine people out there working for a living ,who don't smoke or gamble or take drugs or drink who are real battlers,and if I ever have a decent lotto win, I would shout a few that I know a bloody good holiday cruise. just remember, we are the fortunate ones

happy cruising to you all.

not being a smarty hear , but what about a little shop like a 7/11 or something like that.

they could carry magzines and other lines that your average 7/11 stocks, price the products at a reasonable level give celebrity 20% of the profits,and were all done.

just like a little general store, I'd bet it would do a roaring trade.

my wife and I are cruising from Sydney to Hawaii in april 2015,our sixth cruise and first on a celebrity ship,any one else going

we are also very excited as we have never seen so many people write a review praising a cruise ship like they are and have the celebrity solstice.

I will return to these pages and write a comprehensive review (in the appropriate section) when we return.

it is a long wait, but i'll count sheep until then ,444 sheeps (sleeps) to go

thank you kenish, i'll follow the links, and yes you are correct,i did not give enough info,

thank you for letting me know about easter break,we leave Australia on the solstice 3.4.2015 and it is aan 18 day cruise,so we might have to book early

thank you again

my wife and I are heading to Hawaii in april 2015 on the celebritiy solstice,and we would like to stay in Honolulu for three or four days after our cruise.

can anyone suggest a reasonable hotel somewhere closer to the main beach without costing us a fortune,we are not royalty, but we do like a few comforts without being ripped off.

all help is appreciated

thank you

I know I have asked this question before, and have had a couple of replies,but after visiting a few fellow cruise friends over the Christmas and new year break, I am now even more confused.

some say that if you purchase a drinks package before you cruise, you not only get charged for the package + 15% at time of purchase,but you also get charged another 15% at the end of the cruise for every drink you get.

others say no, or some other scenario,none of these people have cruised with celebrity,can someone 'PLEASE' put me straight on this matter

thank you