afto

Can I give a tip so I WON"T get those towel animals?

LOL.

We were on same cruise as AlanAllyn and were greeted three nights by towel animals. I think it probably depends on how busy your cabin steward is. I like getting the towel animals, because while DH is distracted by trying to figure out what animal they are supposed to be, I can surreptitiously eat his pillow chocolate and claim that "the steward must have left just the one tonight, dear."

Thanks for replying to my query, mskaufman. (Sorry for the delayed reaction.)

Trying to decide which excursion to choose. Either Amalfi coast by motor launch or Drive. Both go to Pompeii. They are both ship excursions for 9 1/2 hours. Would love any feedback from anyone who went on these excursions.

 

Thanks

Tango Nana, I am wondering if you decided to take this tour by motor launch, and if so, what did you think of it? We are considering it for our cruise in May of next year. DH is not keen on small boats and I am not keen on driving along the side of cliffs, but we would like to see a bit of the Amalfi Coast. The deciding factor here would probably be the size of the "motor launch" and whether the ride is usually smooth, so any details you can provide on these points would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Gambee thanks for all the work you put into this - not just a review but a complete travel guide. Taking notes for future trips. Great job as always on pics and detailed comments. Love it!

SHIP: Solstice

CABIN #: 6240

DECK #: 6

CLASS: 2B

AREA: Standard

BED NEAR: Window

QUIET?: Yes. If the sliding glass door was open, could sometimes hear people on the deck below. Some mornings, pilot boat would come alongside and ship's officer would be on deck 5 below, communicating with the pilot boat through walkie-talkies. I thought it was a bonus to have a good view for watching these proceedings. No noticeable noise when door was closed. No noise from atrium, elevator lobby, hallway, or other cabins.

BALCONY VIEW: Lifeboat (not tender, which is higher) hangs just below balcony level. There is the top of a davit and another object which just barely intrude on the view from the cabin. I am a keen photographer and did not find these to be a problem at all. Because this cabin is on the aft angled part of the hump, there is no view forward, but good expansive views to the side and aft. From the railing at the very edge of the balcony, you can see and be seen by people walking on deck 5 below, or people at railings of cabins aft. Step back and the balcony is entirely private.

BALCONY SIZE: Huge. About double normal size.

WIND A PROBLEM?: No.

SOOT A PROBLEM?: No.

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Excellent convenient location, close to elevators and stairs for easy access to dining room, atrium, ocean view cafe, several bars and the pool. We loved this cabin! Would book it again in a heartbeat.

The website does indeed say there is a "separate 7 day vegetarian menu" available in addition to the items marked with a leaf in the menu. My partner is a vegetarian so he was excited.

 

However, we sailed on the Reflection December 5-15, 2012 and March 23-30, 2013 and I can tell you that we were told that they do not offer separate a vegetarian menu. We were told that the “website has not been updated and those menu’s are only offered on other Solstice ships.” The next to last night of our March cruise, we happened to meet the restaurant manager. I think his name was Kamal (he was previously on the Eclipse) who told us they did have a vegetarian menu. In fact, a copy of it was delivered to our room that evening. I only wish the wait staff on the ship was aware of it.

 

I don’t know if this is so much of a web innovation issue but it surely points reinforces other posts that that there is often a disconnect between what is advertised on the website and what is know on the ships. (Another example, movies on the iPads offered with the Alcoves…they do not have movies on them, at least on the Reflection. We rented an Alcove for two days. We were told by Jordan (Manager of the Lawn Club) that the movies take up too much space on the iPads so they were never loaded. The website should be updated.)

To: ken85121

Do you happen to have a copy of the vegetarian menu that you could scan and post? This would be of great interest to me and, I expect, others. I am interested in knowing what kinds of vegetarian main dishes might be offered.

Love everything about this review. Thanks for all your hard work in putting this up for all to see. The fisheye shots are great. The video does make me a little woozy but it's useful to look at; gives a better idea of where you are and where you are going than the regular lens would do. I am actually amazed at how steady you were able to the hold the camera as you were walking - and how you managed to keep your toes out of the frame! Thanks Gambee; looking forward to more.

Loving the review! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I was thinking about Nachi Cocom for our Equinox cruise in December, and now I am sure that we will do this. Great info, great pics. Thanks so much.

There was a passenger choir on our last Millennium Caribbean sailing, December 2010. They performed once or twice towards the end of the cruise, on the main staircase. It seemed to be an initiative of the cruise director.