We are going in March. 2 days & 2 nights; precruise booked Jamison Hotel recommended by others & people who live in Australia. Decided did not need direct harbor view but a comfy room and bed after 15 hr flight…..

also in Rocks area & close to everything….we can walk.

3 hours ago, dad son team said:

So, I have a basic Veranda, obstructed view, on the Solstice next week.  Not thrilled with the location, but I got a good deal and the cost to change to another Veranda is outrageous.  I did put in some bids using the Move Up option to go to a Sunset veranda, Family Veranda, Concierge, or Aqua.  First 3 were min $50pp and the Aqua is $100pp and I bid a bit over the minimum.  Honestly, I don't expect to get it with the low bids, but who knows.  Ya gotta be in it to win it!  My question is, if there are cabins available in the category, do they usually accept your bid or will they pass on the bid if it isn't high enough?  I ask because with 1 week to go, half of the Concierge and 2/3 or the Aqua are still empty and I'm guessing most of the guarantees have been assigned by now.

Just off solstice Oct 8. Ship 1650. About 60%. You should get your bid.

12 hours ago, calicakes said:

We cruised oceania in February. Buffet was good, better than celebrity.

My one Oceania cruise pre Covid had the very best food. Wonderful grilled jumbo shrimp, crab, lobster at the buffet, nightly, ….you do pay for this upgrade in food, with a regular balcony,  vs celebrity or princess. The bar area before dinner was intimate and easy to meet and talk with regular cruisers. That was a big +….no one gambled so never could play blackjack, that would be a problem for me on longer cruises.

       Overall, I book Celebrity which is cheaper & we like the larger ship offerings. We can always find food that is suitable. 

Absolutely do not believe food in Blu is any healthier, more tasty, tables for 2 close together, some like their smoothies for breakfast ….for the price, never. prefer sp restaurant and stimulation of MDR and/or buffet.

you can purchase day or week passes to spa.

      We go concierge. Upgraded once to Aqua. Never again.

10 hours ago, buchhalm said:

Are you guys talking about Madama Butterfly next March/April?

That is NOT in the Opera House,  but in the Botanical gardens, with the stage floating on the harbour.

https://opera.org.au/productions/madama-butterfly-on-sydney-harbour/

 

The productions are great, but you need to spring for good seats to get the most out of it. (And I brought pillows from home)

Thank you for this clarification. I will not be going. I was surprised to find this as there were NO performances in the opera house listed during the time we would be there, when I first checked about 2 months ago.

Is it really worth it to be there at night? They say seats not comfortable and it is very pricey for good seat location.

maybe a dinner cruise a better option with a tour of opera house? Those of you who live there, what do you recommend?

I do want some kind of night harbor cruise + day ferries. Not sure best way to enjoy opera house. Thank you in advance.

barbara from USA traveling March-April 2023

On 7/31/2022 at 7:04 AM, Smmessineo said:

Agreed!  I respect those who love suites, but the " once you've gone suite you'll never go back" posts bug me a bit. I think it can scare off new people  who don't know any better. I have found that,  at least as far as Celebrity is concerned , the cruise experience is exquisite whether you are in an interior stateroom or a suite.

Agreed. My sentiments exactly.

17 hours ago, Surfguyxxx said:

I leave Thursday on Equinox in Concierge Class and am starting to wonder now if I made a smart decision in choosing this category.  I actually looked at and wanted Aqua Class but by the time I booked, they were all gone.  I check almost every day but alas, nothing.  We'll see what happens.  😏

Aqua is quite a bit more expensive just to eat in Blu. Never get it. Got it once. Not worth it. Rather eat in Sp Restaurants or MDR

On 9/4/2022 at 9:08 AM, Surfguyxxx said:

$99 per day 😳.  No way................really?

For the week

Thank you for the concierge menu. 

Anyone have info on this? Ty

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Sky Lounge directly above them would be a concern for us. 

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Sky Lounge directly above them would be a concern for us. 

I booked 9012 because nothing left. I only looked to see where this cabin was in relationship to the gym. I saw the new cabins on 10. I decided I was not concerned about any possible aerobics noise. If Sky Lounge is what the previous poster is referring, usually that is on higher deck & I assume it was about nighttime disco/ music. …doubt it would last after 12. 

52 minutes ago, marieps said:

The S Class locker room is very small compared to the non revolutionized M class.  Still, there are 4 showers.  Rarely used in my experience.  They invite you to pour water into the sauna stove, which is a plus.    Those that sail AQ have free access to the Persian Garden, which does have steam (co-ed).

Ty. I think he will be happy that at least a shower as he usually prefers showering there…..especially after workout.

6 hours ago, kwokpot said:

There's no Celebrity ship with complementary steam rooms in the locker rooms. S Class ships do have a sauna and individual stall showers in the spa/fitness center locker rooms for everyone to use. 

Ty to both of you who responded 

Solstice and Eclipse? DH likes to use those instead of having to go to Spa

Princess food is not up to snuff since Covid. That being said, we have never had a problem finding something to eat. You might like a couple of their Sp Restaurants. ….always like grill hamburgers, hot dogs, and Alfredo pizza. 

On 8/18/2022 at 12:17 PM, danceswithphones said:

 

 We are in an upper level suite on the Celebrity Beyond for November. The Iconic Suite opened up at final payment date. The difference between the two suites is roughly $25k for 5 days. I can't afford that but I'll bid on it. 

Do you have several in your Suite? If not, is it really worth that extra money for the Suite life? I have always had balcony or minisuite…. When I look at these fares for Suites, I just do not get it. 

On 8/16/2022 at 1:39 PM, miched said:

We usually get the premium package because the spirits and drinks we like are in the premium.     A BT thst we have become “friends” with because he was on several cruises that we were on told us that the Classic was the best value as 90% of the drinks that people order are in the classic.   Any frozen drink is,  any drink at the pool, in the theater, and most lounges unless you ask for a specific liquor you will get it made from the well.  They don’t look at your card and see that you have a premium pack and use premium spirits.  They use from the well.

 

World Class Bar and, all Martinis on the Menu at the Martini Bar are premium.   You can get a martini at the martini bar with the classic but it will be smaller, using classic spirits.    I don’t think they will make you one from the menu using spirits in the classic package.   Never asked for it that way. 
 

if you want to have a premium drink you pay the difference plus the gratuity that May amount to $3.  Depends on how many premium drinks you drink to determine if it is worth the upgrade.    
 

If you do upgrade do it on board and with a BT you like as they get the gratuity part and become your friends for the rest of the cruise.    Don’t do it with the hawks on the first day as all they want is the gratuity and you will never see them again. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Great advise ty

Harbor master.

Solstice is not in same cruising category as Oceania regarding food…..as you well know….nor is the price tag even close.

The bed by the closet is not ideal, …a tight fight to use. I had this once in Aqua class traveling in Europe. Now I make certain the bed is by the balcony. It pays to do your research before going on any cruise, then you are less likely to be disappointed.

18 hours ago, harbormaster said:

We returned from Solstice Alaska a week ago. The ship is in decent shape for a ship of her age. It was clean and staff for the most part was friendly. We had issues with the cabin. We had a Concierge class.   There are only two plugs in the entire cabin, at the desk by the balcony. You have to carry the hair dryer out there to use it.  They will confiscate an extension cord or multiplug. Wifi was non existent and it was almost impossible to do any business unless in port.  The distance between the foot of the bed and wall is very narrow. Two people cannot fit. The bathroom is small but does have storage. The closet is set sideways next to the bed which makes it awkward spacewise to get into it. Our refrigerator did not work. Our steward was less than adequate. We ran out of toilet paper, kleenex and had to ask three times for water. You will be charged for the Evian water on the bureau and for everything in the minibar, even soda, even if you have a drinks package. 
Our main issue was the food. We loved Celebrity food in the past.  They have gone to cheap cuts,  fewer options and we had trouble finding any entree to eat three nights.  Murano dinner first night was great. Tuscan grill the last night was dreadful. Cold entrees, except steak, which was all overcooked well done when ordered rare.  We avoided the buffets after seeing people put their hands in the salad bowl. 
There is no large gathering area except the Observation Lounge which often was packed with people during trivia, which chronically ran long into dinner hour, affecting cocktail time with no seating. 
Entertainment was good. We were interrupted every night at dinner by the photographer. 
We did not like Solstice. We may try Beyond eventually, but will not return to Solstice. 

You sound like the complainers over on Princess. It is known that it needs the revolution, or updating. Sorry you were so miserable. Perhaps waiting a year to travel to Alaska would have been smart. 

On 8/9/2022 at 7:08 PM, mrbocbox said:

After some sweating about Covid tests, we tested negative at home in Texas and flew out to Vancouver. We stayed at the Pan Pacific above the Canada Place terminal. Great beds, kinda expensive, ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY EASY for departing on a cruise. 

 

Our boarding appointment was at 12 Noon and the check in portion was super quick and easy, they briefly look over your fast pass and covid tests, then move you onto Security & US Preclearance. As there were a total of 3 ships leaving from the same pier, this took about 50 mins. This was our first experience with 3 ships in 1 terminal and it was a little rough. Line kept moving, but processing 9,000 people was a lot. But, after all that, we were on the ship and our keys were at the cabin door. Cabin was ready to go. 

 

We had received notification that we got our Move Up to a concierge class stateroom the week before and had a nice aft facing hump by the mid-ship elevators. Room was just like our previous Equinox class ships. Kinda getting dated. As was much of the ship. It doesn't seem that anything has been updated. 

 

The service was great. Lots of smiles. Encountered a few overworked bartenders. Worst was in the theater. But, we only went to 2 shows. We spent a lot of time at the Sunset Bar and got good service there. The Martini Bar was always busy and could take a while for drinks. We'd sometimes go to the Casino bar to get drinks and come back and people watch. 

 

Ports were amazing. Great scenery. We got SOOO close to the Hubbard Glacier. Much closer than the previous ship I was on. Got to see calving and hear the thunder. It was freezing, so bring WINTER clothes! We took the Sawyer Glacier Explorer excursion out of Juneau. It was expensive, but stunning scenery. We saw humpback whales, bears, seals, sea lions, eagles. Absolutely magical. HIGHLY RECCOMEND. 

 

We didn't hear of any people falling ill with Rona. Only the occasional coughs which raised eyebrows. lol. There were some people wearing masks here and there, but not too many. 

 

Our only gripes were the following:

Main Dining Room food seemed off. Menus were blah. We had Select Dining, which I really liked because the pace seemed faster than traditional seating. We never really waited to get seated. We did the Tuscan Grille on embarkation day for the special and was underwhelmed. Starters and desserts were good, but the steak was puny and greasy. Due to the lackluster MDR food, we started eating dinner in the Oceanview. At least we could try a variety of things. I chock it up to supply chain issues. I've seen menus and food pics from other Celebrity ships in service right now, and I'm jealous of what I see. I definitely feel that Eclipse was on the short end of the stick when it comes to quality ingredients. 

 

My other complaint is mild, but will result in a lot of groaning. Often times when we were on our balcony, our next door neighbor would start playing guitar. I wouldn't have a problem if it was pleasant Spanish guitar or some classics. No, it was acoustic Metallica. And sometimes he would sing. 😞  Much in the same way we don't appreciate smokers wafting their exhales around us, the same goes for music. Eventually we'd start talking loudly and he would retreat indoors. It's not how we'd like to experience the scenery of the inside passage. 

 

Overall, we had a great time seeing so much natural beauty. It was great to be back on a ship after having this cruise booked since 2019. 

It amazes me that people do not think….playing a musical instrument on a cruise ship balcony. You weren’t the only ones who heard it. 

1 hour ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Others might beg to differ but I find cruises out of Florida much friendlier than California. I always meet my NYC/LI peeps. Also, after the beauty of the Caribbean & Bermuda, the Mexican Riviera is a letdown. Usually the first & last day are cold weather.

Agreed…but still think the cruise is worth it. I try to go on different ships to make it more interesting. Discovery, Majestic/Princess, Solstice/Celebrity  ..there is also RC and Carnival out of LA….Holland out of San Diego, some Norwegian 

4 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

Here is something that came to mind, what if one comes down with flu like symptoms, is tested but is negative for Covid. So maybe he caught a seasonal flu bug, would that person also be quarantined? So maybe they don't quarantine him, isn't he a serious threat also to his fellow passengers as people die from seasonal flu bugs?  Along the same lines, if you don't quarantine for the seasonal flu why quarantine for Covid?

You are very wise. The pharmaceuticals are making a killing off of these boosters. …

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

You will when cruise lines require it. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

You will when cruise lines require it. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

You will when cruise lines require it. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

You will when cruise lines require it. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

You will when cruise lines require it. 

You might want to read the current info about vaccines and boosters efficacy. Doubt cruise lines will require boosters.