Just off the Solstice, some thoughts

[phinn]

Just got off the Solstice this morning and thought I would give a few thoughts. Background here is that sister and myself did this same cruise in March of this year. At that time, we stayed in AQ and ate in Blu. This time around, my daughter came with us (this was her first cruise) and we ended up in SS and ate in MDR.

 

We took a car service as my trunk will not hold all seven pieces of luggage (we really tried, even used laundry service for the first time). Got on board about 12:00 and went to Oceanview Cafe. No seats available inside so we found a nice table outside and had a bite to eat. Didn't get into our cabin until after 1pm this time, and were impressed with the room right away. We had a butler who told us to call him Mr. T. He was outstanding. This week cruise coming is his last as he will be off for two months and then be on the Infinity. We felt so lucky to get him. I slept on sofa bed and had no problems at all with the bed. We did have a sewerage smell in the bathroom from time to time, but it wasn't a deal breaker. However, the noise from the cafe upstairs late night and early morning have convinced me not to book this floor again. While it did not wake me up, if you were awake, it was annoying. Sister and DD was awakened several times with it.

 

We ate dinner the first night in the MDR with Select Dining and we all thought that dinner was good. Monday morning we went to MDR for breakfast. We were seated at a table for 8 and it was lovely. We all ordered breakfast at the same time, but orders got mixed up and in the end, 6 of us were done eating before one couple got their food. We did not go back for breakfast. I happen to like the food in the OV Cafe so we either ate there or out on our balcony for the remainder of the cruise. Monday night we ate in Murano. Honestly, I wasn't really hyped up on it, but went with an open mind. All three of us were so impressed with the food, and especially the service. The little touches that made us feel special, this to me, is Celebrity. In the MDR, I didn't ever have bad food, but thought it was "good", but not as impressive as Blu was to me. One port night our butler served us dinner out on our balcony and it was the best.

 

The only shows we saw were the Cirque-Du-Soleil, the I-Tones, and the final show with David Myers who played the electronic xylophone (not to be missed!). We enjoyed the ones we saw. The pool attendents were hard at work this week and did a good job of monitoring the chairs. We actually saw them removing towels of vacant chairs. I took some advice from the boards and this time, got to enjoy a Chocolate Martini as well as a Dragonfly from the Molecular Bar. Thanks guys!

 

Basically, what keeps me coming back to Celebrity can be summed up in one word... Service. Despite some issues that occurred, Celebrity staff was outstanding in trying to get us taken care of and on track. Special thanks from us to Nick from CC Guest Services who we felt went above and beyond for us with OBC issues.

 

What I take from this cruise is that there are folks who will fix what can be fixed, and what can't, I can roll with the punches and remember it is my vacation, not the end of the world. Will I book with Celebrity again? You bet. Without question, I will use the laundry service. When I book other cruises, I will be more mindful of what is above and below me. My sister and I will of course be back, and DD has now been hooked.

 

Gwenn

[Texed]

Phinn.

Thanks for posting the review. Did you try the waffles? :)

[phinn]

Ah yes, some things you just have to repeat.

[WilloGuy]

Gwenn,

Reading your review has make me more excited about my cruise on the Solstice next week. First time in a AQ cabin, glad to hear you like eating in Blu. This cruise is a R&R cruise for me, planning on staying on the ship the whole 7 days as I have been to the ports before.

I love the butler service in the suites on Celebrity, it just adds a little extra to the pampering. Glad you enjoy it.

Watch out for cruise withdrawals, it could happen at any time.

Randy

[Two@Sea]

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading it. :D

 

I am interested in the car service to the port. Would you be kind enough to email me at Ladyputt@aol.com with information, please? We usually take the cruise connection bus, but the return trip waiting times and hassle can often wipe out the relaxation of the cruise. :o

 

Thanks!

[Ma Bell]

Thanks for posting your thoughts.:) Which cabin did you have ?

[BroncosFan2010]

Thanks for posting your thoughts.:) Which cabin did you have ?

 

I was just going to ask this!!

[phinn]

We were in cabin 2121. I checked the sticky regarding that cabin and I know it says it's pretty quite from above, but you can hear carts rolling really late and real early in the morning. As I said, it didn't wake me up but it did my sister and daughter. Truth be told, I would do it again to get Mr. T. Don't let that stop you from a great cruise, but in the future, I would avoid booking that floor. To avoid the cruise withdrawal, I made sure I was booked in the future. Checking future cruises are half the fun..

[LuvCeleb]

Wife and myself just off Solstice 10/17. Our 14th Celebrity Cruise, first on Solstice. Once again, Five Star service. We had a great time and only noticed a couple of things that were not up to par. First. The theater entertainment in our opinion was not nearly as good as previous shows we have seen on other vessels. Second, where's the lobster? Yes, we had lobster, however, it's is so small now, that they added some shrimp to the plate to compensate. The good certainly out weighed the bad by a wide margin, but the entertainment was disappointing. Capt club elite offerings get an A plus...

[The Flying Pirate]

Thanks for the review, we are considering Solstice or one of her sisters for our next cruise.

[yayvacation!]

Thanks for the review!! Please add your cabin info to the sticky above! I can't wait until we sail the Solstice in January!!!

[Grumpy100]

We are sailing on Solstice on Nov. 7th, less than two weeks away. Can't wait. I haven't read a bad review yet. A co-worker is sailing on her in April so she is waiting for me to come back and let her know how it is.

I will post a review upon our return. Thanks.