Compare and Contrast: Solstice vs Eurodam

[Huddler]

Ok, I'll admit it! I am sucker for new cruise ships. My last cruise was on Eurodam and I am cruising on Solstice in 3 weeks. For those of you who have sailed both, please compare and contrast this 2 ships. Which did you like better? Who had better service and staff? Which was classier and more beautiful? I am thinking of Oceania Mariner next since we have cruised with Oceania before and REALLY enjoyed the Nautica. Thanks for your viewpoint on these 2 ships!

[Steph27]

I have not cruised Eurodam yet but am scheduled to do so in October. I sailed Solstice in Nov 2009. From what I can tell the first major difference will be the smoking policy. As I am not a smoker Celebrity wins in that category. Solstice has Aquaclass and Eurodam has Spa cabins. Aquaclass comes with it's own specialty dining restaurant Blu, included in the fare. Solstice has many alternate dining venues while Eurodam only has Tamarind, Pinnacle and an area in the cafe for Cannaletto. However, although we ate in Silk Harvest on Solstice 3 times during our 10 night cruise, I am looking forward to Tamarind which sounds much better. I like that Eurodam has an Aft pool which Solstice is lacking. The closet space was limited on Solstice. It sounds like there is a lot more storage on Eurodam. After our October cruise I will be able to be more declarative. I also agree about Marina. Looking forward to booking something for 2011 or 2012.

[RicardoC]

Ok, I'll admit it! I am sucker for new cruise ships. My last cruise was on Eurodam and I am cruising on Solstice in 3 weeks. For those of you who have sailed both, please compare and contrast this 2 ships. Which did you like better? Who had better service and staff? Which was classier and more beautiful? I am thinking of Oceania Mariner next since we have cruised with Oceania before and REALLY enjoyed the Nautica. Thanks for your viewpoint on these 2 ships!

 

Haha you think you like new cruise ships!? Last year we did 4 cruises...Carnival Miracle (just a last minute for new year) and then started the plans that really matter.....Solstice for Spring Break, Eurodam for summer, and Oasis of the Seas for its inaugural in December....all on a row :eek:

 

So we were on the Solstice (first time X) for a 7 night Caribbean (and actually saw Eurodam one day in San Juan) and 4 months later boarded the Eurodam in Copenhagen for a 10 night Baltic(first time HAL). They are really similar types of ships...kind of for the same public. It is clear that X is the upscale company for RCCL(modern) and HAL is upscale for Carnival (it is very elegant but still has some exaggerations....if you know what I mean :rolleyes::p)...I'd say as a ship Solstice is much better....a lot of glass...better cabins(about storage is kind of difficult since we drove to Ft Lauderdale and were on the ship for 7 days while in July we were in Europe for q month and had a lot of cold clothing so had much more luggage). I'm sure the pool areas and the buffet on the Solstice are much better(I don't care about the back pool on Eurodam...much better to have a balcony of the buffet with tables and couches to watch the ocean). The Solarium on the Solstice is awesome, so is the main pool, while the retractible glass roof on the Eurodam is ok and looks awful from the deck above...). I also prefered the service on the Solstice, I don't know why but I felt more comfortable on the Sosltice...and the food...OMG the food is awesome. Even though my family agreed the food on HAL is slightly better, I'd still choose X since they have more options. Besides the MDR we tried Silk Harvest(really, really good), Tuscan Grille(good as well...similar to Portofino at RCCL), and Bistro on Five(great after a day at a port of call....I imagine it even better after an European port of call since you walk all day...). We also enjoyed Cafe Al Baccio....very nice place to seat and relax....our favorite as well as the cafe on Eurodam on the top deck with amazing views...but there we only tried Tamarind twice(dinner you pay extra but lunch not) and both were really good....I'd not say better than Silk but certainly good. Another extra important is the entertainment on Solstice....really good shows including SOLSTICE THE SHOW....the sentertainers(singers, players, etc) are reaally good as well.....in Eurodam they had good entertainers but really awful shows...nothing compared to the Cirque du Soleil kind of shows on X....one day they even showed a movie on Eurodam....a movie I can just watch at home...or at my room relaxing in my bed :confused:.

Anyways, I thought I helped and hope you enjoy your cruise! It's always good to try new ships....we're planning a cruise to Alaska this July and one of the choices was the Radiance....and I was "NO WAY"....we enjoyed the Brilliance which is exactly identic but I like to try new ships(classes)....so we're planning to go on Millie....another X....so we can compare it with Sosltice and see why so many people still prefer the M-class over the S :)

And keep trying new ships :cool:

[OBX-Cruisers]

Steph:

We are booked on the Eurodam in October, 2010............that cruise leave Quebec City on 10/6.............Your post indicates you are on a 10/10 cruise..............I would think that is the same cruise since there is no other cruise on the Eurodam in October from Canada. There is a specific blog for that cruise on CC so we all invite you to join that discussion if you have not already

[OBX-Cruisers]

RicardoC:

 

Thank you for this great information. We are on the Eurodam in October and the Solstice sails the day after we disembark in Ft. Lauderdale. I think you have convinced me to tack on the Solstice as a second cruise before we fly back to North Carolina.

[blueboro]

Have not been on Eurodam but was on Zuiderdam. Loved the service and food but the ship was dark and they seemed to go out of their way to hide views of the sea behind curtains and walls. They say they have more intimate spaces but I just find it closed in. NOt sure if they have corrected that with Eurodam.

[Diane Rose]

I have been reading through this post (both boards) and others and am starting to question whether I made the right decision. I had to rebook a cruise for DH and myself that I had booked on the Solstice in September. In reviewing options on HAL and X for the week in March that we have moved to, the rates on X went up substantially. I was able to book a superior verandah suite (389 sq ft) on the Eurodam for slightly more than a concierge class verandah (248 sq ft) on the Solstice. I have booked the superior verandah class on HAL twice and both times I was upgraded by HAL (once at no charge and more recently for a small upgrade fee). This cruise on HAL will bring us up to the 2-star level, but we are already select on Celebrity.

 

The cruises are both Eastern Caribbean, HAL leaves on Saturday and X leaves on Sunday. HAL goes to Turks and Caicos and Half Moon Cay while X goes to St. Maarten.

 

We have enjoyed both lines. I have not done enough research to know whether the ports matter. I am wondering if we should really be concentrating more on one line to get to the higher award levels quicker.

 

One comment I have read on the differences that really bothers me is smoking on balconies on HAL. If this is a problem, it would bother me. Additionally, night life and entertainment are important to us. We particularly enjoy dancing, 70's and 80's. It seems like reviewers are leaning to Solstice on this.

 

Any thoughts/comments/opinions? Thank you for any help.

 

Diane

[maggieq]

The Eurodam was very dark to me. It doesn't compare to the beauty of the Solstice. The Solstice happens to be the prettiest ship I have sailed on. The dining was better on the Solstice. I would say that the Ocean View cafe and the Lido buffet are equal as up until the Solstice, the Lido buffet was the best we ever had.

 

The entertainment. I have to say equal as we only did a 3 nighter on the Eurodam and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I would love to go back on HAL but we have better perks on rccl and celebrity (diamond/elite).

[Diane Rose]

The Eurodam was very dark to me. It doesn't compare to the beauty of the Solstice. The Solstice happens to be the prettiest ship I have sailed on. The dining was better on the Solstice. I would say that the Ocean View cafe and the Lido buffet are equal as up until the Solstice, the Lido buffet was the best we ever had.

 

The entertainment. I have to say equal as we only did a 3 nighter on the Eurodam and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I would love to go back on HAL but we have better perks on rccl and celebrity (diamond/elite).

 

By dark, are you talking about the colors used in the decor being more subdued?

 

Just curious, for the perks on X do they combine all cruise credits from RCCL, X and Azamara? We have sailed on all 3, and are currently Select. I am not sure what we need to become elite, but that sounds like the level to get to.

[mafig]

I've done both.

 

Overall, I would say Solstice.

 

However, there are a few things I liked better on Eurodam.

 

We always get a table for two (or try to anyway). The tables for two on Eurodam were easier to get and much nicer. They were not right on top of each other.

 

Our CC meeting on Eurodam had champagne, bloody marys and a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit. Everyone from Cruise Critic was invited to the "VIP Party." (This was held on one of the formal nights).

 

Drinks were cheaper.

 

I liked having a movie theater. We went to the movies once in the afternoon when the weather wasn't so great.

 

Always enjoy a wrap-around promendade deck (for much needed exercise). Missed that on Solstice.

[Diane Rose]

I've done both.

 

Overall, I would say Solstice.

 

However, there are a few things I liked better on Eurodam.

 

We always get a table for two (or try to anyway). The tables for two on Eurodam were easier to get and much nicer. They were not right on top of each other.

 

Our CC meeting on Eurodam had champagne, bloody marys and a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit. Everyone from Cruise Critic was invited to the "VIP Party." (This was held on one of the formal nights).

 

Drinks were cheaper.

 

I liked having a movie theater. We went to the movies once in the afternoon when the weather wasn't so great.

 

Always enjoy a wrap-around promendade deck (for much needed exercise). Missed that on Solstice.

 

Great information, thanks!

 

After all the wonderful food and drinks I need the exercise as well, and the wrap-around promenade deck is great for exercise.

 

Did you do the anytime dining?

[maggieq]

By dark, are you talking about the colors used in the decor being more subdued?

 

Just curious, for the perks on X do they combine all cruise credits from RCCL, X and Azamara? We have sailed on all 3, and are currently Select. I am not sure what we need to become elite, but that sounds like the level to get to.

 

 

Hi, yes I meant the decor of the ship. The atrium was dark and only a couple of floors.....while the Solstice is not many more it is much lighter and wide.

 

Unfortunately, they will not combine rccl,x and azmara. Elite is 10 cruise credits.

[mafig]

Great information, thanks!

 

 

 

Did you do the anytime dining?

 

 

Did not do anytime dining on either. On Eurodam we booked far enough in advance to get traditional and had a great table for two on the railing. We overlooked the first floor where anytime dining was and we saw plenty of small tables with room enough between them to breathe.;)

 

We also had traditional dining on Solstice and had one of the better tables (#306) although it wasn't easy to get (we had to beg). It wasn't that close to its neighbors but it was sort of in a traffic pattern and we felt the breeze of passing waiters. LOL