Solstice reviews: latest unhappy campers

[krewzin]

A new review from the reviews section....is the MDR on-board really *that* small?

 

 

"Second- food The main dining room is way to small and poorly laid out. We were a mere 6 inches from the next table!! No kidding! Our waiter was great, but his assistant was slow. Ronny the wine steward saved the day by keeping me in Chablis. They have a new McCelebrity( stuff they serve anytime) menu in addition to the daily specials which weren't that special. Tuscan Grill is where its at for great food. Murano was exceptional as well if you can get a reservation. Pass on the Asian. Ewww."

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69012

 

 

And I've never stood for 45 minutes for a muster drill:

 

"Muster or must-we

 

Our location was in the Photo area-way,way too many people in a small, hot confined area. The crew person shouting at the passengers was totally useless-I was in the back of the line; could not see nor hear anything. then someone said - "watch the video." Of course it was un-viewable by 99% of us slobs standing for 45 minutes. Other passengers said they were in lounges, etc. Not a good idea to force passengers to stand for extended periods of time. That started off the trip on the wrong life boat and quickly sank the rest of the trip."

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69224

[Lois R]

A new review from the reviews section....is the MDR on-board really *that* small?

 

 

"Second- food The main dining room is way to small and poorly laid out. We were a mere 6 inches from the next table!! No kidding! Our waiter was great, but his assistant was slow. Ronny the wine steward saved the day by keeping me in Chablis. They have a new McCelebrity( stuff they serve anytime) menu in addition to the daily specials which weren't that special. Tuscan Grill is where its at for great food. Murano was exceptional as well if you can get a reservation. Pass on the Asian. Ewww."

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69012

 

 

And I've never stood for 45 minutes for a muster drill:

 

"Muster or must-we

 

Our location was in the Photo area-way,way too many people in a small, hot confined area. The crew person shouting at the passengers was totally useless-I was in the back of the line; could not see nor hear anything. then someone said - "watch the video." Of course it was un-viewable by 99% of us slobs standing for 45 minutes. Other passengers said they were in lounges, etc. Not a good idea to force passengers to stand for extended periods of time. That started off the trip on the wrong life boat and quickly sank the rest of the trip."

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69224

 

Sorry she had such a terrible time:eek:. I am sailing Solstice in Sept

and have been reading ALOT of reviews from the "Member Review"

section. I would say her experience is in the minority and I am sorry

it was so bad:(

I would also say most of the other reviews are at least 4 stars:) and I plan

on having a wonderful time:)

[Wine-O]

You just can't please everybody. We were on Solstice for a total period of 4 weeks. Could I find something to complain about? Probably. Overall, we just love Solstice and Celebrity, especially the Elite perks. :)

[mjyanne]

A new review from the reviews section....is the MDR on-board really *that* small?

 

 

"Second- food The main dining room is way to small and poorly laid out. We were a mere 6 inches from the next table!! No kidding! Our waiter was great, but his assistant was slow. Ronny the wine steward saved the day by keeping me in Chablis. They have a new McCelebrity( stuff they serve anytime) menu in addition to the daily specials which weren't that special. Tuscan Grill is where its at for great food. Murano was exceptional as well if you can get a reservation. Pass on the Asian. Ewww."

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69012

 

 

And I've never stood for 45 minutes for a muster drill:

 

"Muster or must-we

 

Our location was in the Photo area-way,way too many people in a small, hot confined area. The crew person shouting at the passengers was totally useless-I was in the back of the line; could not see nor hear anything. then someone said - "watch the video." Of course it was un-viewable by 99% of us slobs standing for 45 minutes. Other passengers said they were in lounges, etc. Not a good idea to force passengers to stand for extended periods of time. That started off the trip on the wrong life boat and quickly sank the rest of the trip."

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=69224

 

 

Just back from Solstice. The dining room is laid out like most other ships and yes tables are close together. However, 6 inches is an exaggeration. We did My Select Dining and had a table for 2, 4 and 8. Never a problem and we also never heard any complaints from those we sailed with who had Tradional Dining in the MDR.

 

As for Muster Drill. Maybe 15 - 20 minutes at the most. Yes, it was crowded. I, in fact, sat on the floor so a woman sitting in a chair could see the TV monitor. It was a whole lot better than standing out on deck wearing a lifejacket.

 

Solstice is a very elegant ship. The food in the MDR was very good to excellent. And the menu has enough choices that I would find it difficult to believe someone couldn't find something they would like.

[krewzin]

I don't mind tables being close to one another in the MDR. Truth be told, it sounds as if it will make it easier to converse with others....which I enjoy while 'cruise ship dining.' Just didn't understand the comment about the MDR being "way too small."

 

For a mustard drill (as my kids used to call it), 45 minutes sounds a bit over-the-top, but if it was, in fact, that long....I would hasten a guess that that was somewhat of an anomoly as I've never been involved with one that lasted more than 20 minutes.

 

And from what I've read you're no longer required to wear the life jacket to these things?

 

I've read so many excellent reviews about Solstice, that to see 2 in-a-row expressing negativity, I found it very strange. But after thinking about it.... both cruisers had experienced that disembarkation 'power failure,' which IMO might very well explain the negative slant. Ending a cruise on a bad note can often times influence feelings about the entire 7 days previous, and although that may not seem entirely fair, under the circumstances I completely understand it.

[mjyanne]

I don't mind tables being close to one another in the MDR. Truth be told, it sounds as if it will make it easier to converse with others....which I enjoy while 'cruise ship dining.'

 

For a mustard drill (as my kids used to call it), 45 minutes sounds a bit over-the-top, but if it was, in fact, that long....I would hasten a guess that that was somewhat of an anomoly as I've never been involved with one that lasted more than 20 minutes.

 

And from what I've read you're no longer required to wear the life jacket to these things?

 

Yes, NO MORE LIFE JACKETS (Yea!). Maybe the person who siad it lasted 45 minutes got there real early. And your assessment of the MDR is fairly accurate. Close enough to converse if you so desire yet far enough away that you can have a (somewhat) private conversation.

[kitty9]

There's no way the tables are that close. I was able to maneuver my scooter between tables with absolutely no problem, and our table was in the center of the dining room, so I had to go between quite a few tables to make it to ours. And this was even when some guests were already seated at their tables.

[mathgeek1978]

There's no way the tables are that close. I was able to maneuver my scooter between tables with absolutely no problem, and our table was in the center of the dining room, so I had to go between quite a few tables to make it to ours. And this was even when some guests were already seated at their tables.

You are probably referring to traditional dining, and yes, the large tables are quite far apeart from each other.

 

However, for select dining, some of the 2-tops are really inches from each other. It all depends on your luck. There are a few tables alongside a wall and those are nice. The 2-tops by the windows are also very nice, so are those next to a partition. But there are some that were really just inches apart.

[spearmint]

Sorry she had such a terrible time:eek:. I am sailing Solstice in Sept

and have been reading ALOT of reviews from the "Member Review"

section. I would say her experience is in the minority and I am sorry

it was so bad:(

I would also say most of the other reviews are at least 4 stars:) and I plan

on having a wonderful time:)

 

Hi, Lois,

 

We are on Solstice at the end of October/first of November. I hope that you will be commenting on your experience; I for one will be very interested to see what you have to say. I am such a fan of the C-and M-class ships that I have never been sure of the S-class, from the initial photos and descriptions. No Rendez-vous Lounge is such a disappointment for example.

But, we have decided to try it, as our total costs are too good to pass up.

 

Bill :)

 

Bill

[bubbie617]

In the first of the two reviews, the reviewer takes a swipe at Paul, the CD. When we were on Solstice at the end of May/beginning of June, Paul was a highlight of the trip. We thought he was charming and talented. He sang and danced in many of the venues throughout the ship. He always took a minute to stop and talk if you wanted to have a conversation with him.

 

I know the ship hasn't changed that much in the month since we were on it. I think this is just a case of different strokes for different folks. I'm not a cheerleader; there were some things about our cruise that I could complain about if I wanted to nitpick. But it was vacation. The ship would have to sink to say I had a terrible time. We've been on ships that we thought we awful - from the service to the food to the coffee - but it was still vacation and it was better than being home.

 

I take those reviews with a grain of salt. I'm not saying that the posters were wrong; we just had a different experience.

[Lois R]

Hi, Lois,

 

We are on Solstice at the end of October/first of November. I hope that you will be commenting on your experience; I for one will be very interested to see what you have to say. I am such a fan of the C-and M-class ships that I have never been sure of the S-class, from the initial photos and descriptions. No Rendez-vous Lounge is such a disappointment for example.

But, we have decided to try it, as our total costs are too good to pass up.

 

Bill :)

 

Bill

 

Hi Bill:) I am also a fan of the other ships. There is just another

part of me that wants to give this class another chance;)

I was on Equinox back in Nov but it was only 4 nights. I met some

longtime ccr's which made the trip worth it (hi Don:D) but I think

it was still different than a normal 7 nighter.

4 nights...I ate one dinner with some folks from the roll call,

one night with 2 other folks in Murano's and 2 nights were

at 2 different tables in the main dining room...so it was really not a

"regular cruise"...if that makes any sense.

 

I will let you know what I think upon my return:)

[Denny01]

I get something out of most reviews and since I wasn't there to experience the issues I wouldn't question they occured but Im afraid even if I experienced the same, I wouldn't allow an extended lifeboat exercise impact my cruise at any level and would t worry about damaged luggGe for 6 days.

 

Just my view of things. But allowing a drill to 'sink the rest of the cruise' - wow.

 

By the way, the Asian Silk was outstanding and don't miss the Bistro on 5 - greatexperience. Loved the Card Rm overlooking the Atrium. Fantastic. Missed the M-class T-Spa but enjoyed the large covered chairs.

 

Just got back fm watching the Fireworks in DC. What an experience. Didn't make it to the Mall - went to the RI Metro that overlooks so much of DC and saw lots. Love Fireworks.

 

Den

[royalcruz]

I did find that the dining chairs are hard to move, and were not the most comfortable shape. Other than that it was perfect. The room is not small.

[hat776]

When you say Solstice Class is that the Eclipse and Equinoz ?

[SeaBlu]

Sorry she had such a terrible time:eek:. I am sailing Solstice in Sept

and have been reading a l of reviews from the "Member Review"

section. I would say her experience is in the minority and I am sorry

it was so bad:(

I would also say most of the other reviews are at least 4 stars:) and I plan

on having a wonderful time:)

 

PLEASE let me my opinion - for what it may or may not be worth to you. Myself, my mother-in-law, and my A LOT, 12, and grandson, 10, sailed on the Solstice on June 13th. All of us were in AQ and we ate in BLU except for 1 night in Tuscan and one night for we adults in Murano. I have sailed "X" a number of times but it was my first time on the Solstice, or any of the new ships and as for the others, it was their first "X" experience as well as their first Solstice experience. This cruise was planned by DH and I for about 9-10 months as a special gift to our wonderful grandchildren. We drove from Maryland to Pensacola, FL to our DD's house to pick up said grandchildren. For a short while before we left home on 6/4 my DH had a 'very' small sore on the ball of his foot, near his great toe. I had gotten sore and infected looking on the day we were to leave, we could not get a docs appointment that day and as we were going to be at our DD for 4-5 days (she is a RN at a hospital in P'cola) figured we could find a "Urgent Care" place when we got here. After 2 long days of driving his foot looked really bad. The rest of the story is my DH stayed in P'cola after having 1/3 of his foot amputated and he made me promise I would not disappoint the children and would still go on the cruise. My mother-in-law flew down at the last minuter to go on the cruise with us.

SO --- I did not get on the Solstice in a very good frame of mind!

BUT - I could not help but have a GREAT time. The service, was FABULOUS! The ship was FABULOUS! We ate in Blu, Tuscan and Murano and they were FABULOUS! We went to the Ensemble Lounge and it was FABULOUS! I loved the "Ant Room" I loved everything and so did the children and my MIL! My grandson (10) said his favorite part of the whole cruise was BLU!!!!! The only thing we did not like was the "family" pool was WAY TOO crowded for my GC to enjoy - there were children in there with NO supervision that were knocking into other children, knocking their legs out from under them while they were underwater - chaos!

 

My children LOVED formal nights AND dressed properly - BOTH of them! My grandson - in a tux - was told by at least 3 men that "he put them to shame" and he said "I decided formal meant a tuxedo. So I asked my Grandma if she would rent me one. And I really like wearing it."

 

So, even though I did not go onboard with a great frame of mind, I really do not understand how anyone could NOT a great time on the Solstice.

SO I WISH YOU A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CRUISE!

 

DH and I are already planning another one with our GC to make it up to DH and the GC!

 

BON VOYAGE!!!!:D

[lvcruiser]

On neither of these reviews (and I read them from start to finish) will I lend any credence. Both of these individuals had bad experiences on their cruises, possibly from some of the things that were stated (and possibly overstated) that went awry, but more likely, from the tone of the writing and some of the comments that were made, their problems were internal to themselves and had little or nothing to do with the ship as a whole. A vacation, like anything else in life - your job, your relationships, etc. - is whatever you make of it. If you choose to find fault with things in life as they pass by you, a miserable existence will be yours and a snowball effect will be had, creating a downward spiral from which you will find escape to be difficult. A good example is the comment that was made regarding the muster drill sinking the rest of the trip. If one will allow a longer than expected muster drill to destroy a relatively expensive vacation and then brood on the topic for the remainder of the cruise, I feel the reviewer should take an emotional inventory. C'mon, it lasted for maybe 20 minutes longer than usual. Why not slough it off and make the best of whatever comes next in life? As stated by other posters above, I could find numerous faults on each of the many cruises I have taken if I so chose, but instead, would rather dwell on the good points, the highlights, the things that make each cruise memorable and leaving you wanting to take another.

[tom_uk]

Well, I can't comment on the MDR point - we were on a table for 8 on our cruise in autumn 2009, and I suspect the OP was on a two-seat table - but I have to say that our experience of the muster drill was similar to the OP's. We mustered in the photo gallery, we arrived too late to get a seat, we waited for quite a while during which time the area got very crowded and hot as more people arrived, then there was an inaudible room number check, then we watched a video - or most of us didn't because the screens were blocked by the press of people - then we listed to a long announcement by the CD, then we listened more announcements in other languages.

 

I don't suppose it lasted 45 minutes, but it was certainly half an hour, and it was indeed hot, crowded and not a lot of use. We certainly didn't let it spoil our cruise; indeed we sought and found sustenance of an alcoholic nature at the Sunset Bar immediately afterwards, from which point onwards we had a great time and would love to return to Solstice or one of here sisters. But our experience matched the OP's and in my view on this point he's exaggerating very little if at all. Maybe the location is the problem: we were indeed in the same area, the photo gallery, as the OP. Perhaps other muster drill locations give a better experience.

[DivasDare]

I get something out of most reviews and since I wasn't there to experience the issues I wouldn't question they occured but Im afraid even if I experienced the same, I wouldn't allow an extended lifeboat exercise impact my cruise at any level and would t worry about damaged luggGe for 6 days.

 

Just my view of things. But allowing a drill to 'sink the rest of the cruise' - wow.

 

By the way, the Asian Silk was outstanding and don't miss the Bistro on 5 - greatexperience. Loved the Card Rm overlooking the Atrium. Fantastic. Missed the M-class T-Spa but enjoyed the large covered chairs.

 

Just got back fm watching the Fireworks in DC. What an experience. Didn't make it to the Mall - went to the RI Metro that overlooks so much of DC and saw lots. Love Fireworks.

 

Den

 

You had a perfect vantage point, we watched from my office roof top. Nothing to offer the bad review, I am going in a few weeks and I refuse to have any seeds other than how to get to the martini bar planted. :D

[Mr&MrsBee]

As in life there is the good, the bad and the ugly. On our 20 June cruise there was all three. Beautiful layout. Very clean and kept cabin. Many venues. Friendly staff. Improved Oceanview venue. MDR not up to previous cruises on X. Main courses not well prepared. Since the cruise prices dropped so drastically did menus suffer to fall in line to suit the cruisers. Safe was near the floor with poor lighting. I guess the 4 women who designed the cabins never used a safe. The ugly was not X. Perhaps it was the cruisers. Learned our lesson. Never a 7 day summer cruise. Our review will be post soon. Looking for to our Mar 26 Connie cruise.

[Cayoooga]

As in life there is the good, the bad and the ugly. On our 20 June cruise there was all three. Beautiful layout. Very clean and kept cabin. Many venues. Friendly staff. Improved Oceanview venue. MDR not up to previous cruises on X. Main courses not well prepared. Since the cruise prices dropped so drastically did menus suffer to fall in line to suit the cruisers. Safe was near the floor with poor lighting. I guess the 4 women who designed the cabins never used a safe. The ugly was not X. Perhaps it was the cruisers. Learned our lesson. Never a 7 day summer cruise. Our review will be post soon. Looking for to our Mar 26 Connie cruise.

The ugly was not X. We did notice a definite change to the type of passengers on the Western then the Eastern on our b2b. There was a big fare drop on june 20th compared to june 13th. IMHO I will be posting my review also soon.

[tom_uk]

Earlier I posted a comment beginning thus:

 

Well, I can't comment on the MDR point - we were on a table for 8 on our cruise in autumn 2009, and I suspect the OP was on a two-seat table - but I have to say that our experience of the muster drill was similar to the OP's....

 

I had forgotten when I posted it that the reports on which i was commenting did not in fact come from the OP ('krewzin') but from a review that krewzin was quoting. My apologies to krewzin for putting someone else's words into their mouth!

[teajak]

PLEASE let me my opinion - for what it may or may not be worth to you. Myself, my mother-in-law, and my A LOT, 12, and grandson, 10, sailed on the Solstice on June 13th. All of us were in AQ and we ate in BLU except for 1 night in Tuscan and one night for we adults in Murano. I have sailed "X" a number of times but it was my first time on the Solstice, or any of the new ships and as for the others, it was their first "X" experience as well as their first Solstice experience. This cruise was planned by DH and I for about 9-10 months as a special gift to our wonderful grandchildren. We drove from Maryland to Pensacola, FL to our DD's house to pick up said grandchildren. For a short while before we left home on 6/4 my DH had a 'very' small sore on the ball of his foot, near his great toe. I had gotten sore and infected looking on the day we were to leave, we could not get a docs appointment that day and as we were going to be at our DD for 4-5 days (she is a RN at a hospital in P'cola) figured we could find a "Urgent Care" place when we got here. After 2 long days of driving his foot looked really bad. The rest of the story is my DH stayed in P'cola after having 1/3 of his foot amputated and he made me promise I would not disappoint the children and would still go on the cruise. My mother-in-law flew down at the last minuter to go on the cruise with us.

SO --- I did not get on the Solstice in a very good frame of mind!

BUT - I could not help but have a GREAT time. The service, was FABULOUS! The ship was FABULOUS! We ate in Blu, Tuscan and Murano and they were FABULOUS! We went to the Ensemble Lounge and it was FABULOUS! I loved the "Ant Room" I loved everything and so did the children and my MIL! My grandson (10) said his favorite part of the whole cruise was BLU!!!!! The only thing we did not like was the "family" pool was WAY TOO crowded for my GC to enjoy - there were children in there with NO supervision that were knocking into other children, knocking their legs out from under them while they were underwater - chaos!

 

My children LOVED formal nights AND dressed properly - BOTH of them! My grandson - in a tux - was told by at least 3 men that "he put them to shame" and he said "I decided formal meant a tuxedo. So I asked my Grandma if she would rent me one. And I really like wearing it."

 

So, even though I did not go onboard with a great frame of mind, I really do not understand how anyone could NOT a great time on the Solstice.

SO I WISH YOU A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CRUISE!

 

DH and I are already planning another one with our GC to make it up to DH and the GC!

 

BON VOYAGE!!!!:D

Good for you, hope all is going well for your DH.Your grandson reminds me of ours he had his first tie (pink,he was 4). he was so proud. He is 25 now, keep making those good memories.:)

[keela1eva2]

I did the BTB May 23rd - 6th June cruise on Solstice. I loved every minute but I did notice a difference in the 2 cruises on the passengers.

Also in comparison to the Solstice in the Med there was less attention to the appearance of the food served in the MDR. The portions were also very large in comparison and wondered if this was because on the whole the passengers were for the most part from the US.

That said I loved it and we had no problems either with embarkation or disembarkation.

 

Sue

[Denny01]

I realize we get focused on posts and a few threads (which usually are about issues) but when you look at the full list of Summit Reviews, out of the last 25, one listed a '2' two listed a '3' and the rest were 4/5 with two 5+.

 

So when you look at the full list, it is very positive. It seems to be human nature to focus on a few negatives

 

Den

[txsloth]

I did the BTB May 23rd - 6th June cruise on Solstice. I loved every minute but I did notice a difference in the 2 cruises on the passengers.

Also in comparison to the Solstice in the Med there was less attention to the appearance of the food served in the MDR. The portions were also very large in comparison and wondered if this was because on the whole the passengers were for the most part from the US.

That said I loved it and we had no problems either with embarkation or disembarkation.

 

Sue

 

Yes, appearance of food is lost on us Yanks. Just give us a nice full trough. :rolleyes: