S class storage

[black forest]

Hi Boogs, that's interesting! Thanks!

[dzcruisers]

I remember when the S-class ships were first announced, Celebrity proudly reported that a team of several women had a substantial say in the design of the staterooms. I haven't been on an S-class ship yet, so can't say firsthand, but when looking at the photos and reading the comments, is appears that the design team put too much emphasis on styling at the expense of function. Seems that if these women did indeed have any significant influence, the design would be more functional.

 

For those of you who have sailed both the S-class and M-class ships, which stateroom design do you favor?

 

M class stateroom and S class bathroom!

[margeg]

My big gripe is the closet. Princess staterooms (on grand-class ships) have huge open closet areas with plenty of storage drawers/shelves in the closet area. The closet in our Equinox room was small and shallow. Our biggest problem was with shoes. DH and I each brought 5 pairs and there was no way to keep them straight. They had to be piled on each other and angled to fit. (I guess we both have big feet, lol.) The bathroom storage was nice, though.

 

I totally agree. We also had great space on Princess. On Equinox, we really had to jam stuff in to make everything fit. It was the only reason I hesitated to book the Equinox because of this problem. We did book however because everything else was great.

 

We had more room in the bathroom that the rest of the cabin!

[elena7seas]

Here are some detailed photos of the Stateroom storage on the Solstice that I took in 2008, on her third cruise. As the Solstice was so new, everyone had a lot of questions about the storage, so I took quite a few pictures and attached notes to the pictures.

 

I just disembarked from the Solstice yesterday, and things are pretty much the same :).

 

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/7051726_Pzoiv#451751605_oZ5t3

 

A couple of things to note:

 

• The first thing we do (in Concierge and Aqua Class cabins) is ask the Steward to remove the bulky bathrobes (we bring our own light robes). That gives you back 8" of closet space.
  
• There is a rack at the back of the closet (on the side that does not have the safe) that can be brought down, creating two levels of hanging space. We have never needed to use this secondary rack.
  
• There are two shelves below the safe (on Solstice) that we use for shoes. With that, and the closet floor space, we have enough room for shoe storage.
  
• Having just returned from the Solstice, and having sailed on the Eclipse for two weeks in January, I actually prefer to have the safe in the closet. I really like having the shelf over the mini-bar for my hair, make-up and jewellery items, as I do most of my "prep" work at the desk. I am not in and out of the safe that frequently, and the safe is a good size, so it's fairly easy to see into it, even at the somewhat lower level.
  
• I am 5'1-1/2" and I can't use the over-the-bed storage for anything, as I will not climb on the bed. DH is 5'10 and can use the shelves for his items. We usually keep the life jackets in the overhead storage and use the under-the-bed wire basket as extra storage. There is lots of room under the bed(s) for suitcases.
  
• The top drawer (of the 5 drawers) has a hidden heat source. Do NOT put your chocolate in that drawer! ;)
  
• There is a shallow drawer in the desk.
  
• There is ample storage in the bathroom, and by using the smaller-sized packing cubes creatively, I have been able to be make maximum use of the space provided. (I have never needed to use one of those multi-pocketed shoe storage units that can be hung from the hooks on the bathroom door).
  
• We have no problem fitting everything we need for a 14 day cruise into the Solstice cabins.
  

[Sloop-JohnB]

TO ELENA7SEAS,

 

Gosh, now these are fabulous Solstice pics!

 

Thanks for sharing, and being so conscious of details when you took them.

 

This certainly clears up a lot of the unknowns for me... and I am sure they'll go a long way to helping out others too.

 

QUESTION... I looked at the Solstice Deck Plan to see exactly where your cabin # 1552 was located as you mentioned you were on the angle of the bump and aft facing... so curious... I'm guessing that you could just have easily walked out to the corner of the extended triangle bit of your balcony (as this was an oversized balcony) and stuck your head around the corner, and not only seen into the balcony of # 1550 but also straight along the bump to the front of the ship as well ?? So essentially, with very little effort you were able to see fore and aft from your location on the ship. TRUE or FALSE ?

 

Cheers!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

M class stateroom and S class bathroom!

 

Ditto!

 

Clearly the women on the design team didn't wear a lot of clothes. They just shaved their legs and used a lot of stuff in the bathroom. It really is annoying that, in addition to being too small, the closets aren't even deep enough for ordinary clothes.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Usually, when we cruise, we stay on the ship a long time. I am daunted by the fact that there is so little space for our clothes.

 

What about the new Silhouette and Reflection Will they improve upon this situation? Does anyone know? Thanks.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Ditto!

 

Clearly the women on the design team didn't wear a lot of clothes. They just shaved their legs and used a lot of stuff in the bathroom. It really is annoying that, in addition to being too small, the closets aren't even deep enough for ordinary clothes.

 

TO HAPPY CRUISER 6143,

 

Now that is a funny image...

 

Lets think about what kind of lives that would inspire... these "mystery women"

 

* They spend all their time in a bathing suit, in their complimentary bathrobe at the Spa (or naked?)

 

* Someone who never leaves the warm weather... so rich they don't need to pack / bring clothes... they buy whatever they need, and when they need it.

 

--- --- ---

 

To be fair... to these "mystery women"...

 

As ships are typically built in sections (the bathrooms would be a seperate module installed as a unit)... maybe Celebrity only had the women consult on that one item the Bathroom... because as long time Cruisers here have said, the Solistice Class Ships have pretty great baths, but severely lacking in the rest of the Cabin's thought to layout, furniture placement, storage (Closet - Over Bed Cubby), Night-tables etc. Does look like a lot of attention was paid to that big screen tv... so I'm guessing that corresponding "mystery men" designed the cabin.

 

And it came down to something that went like this...

 

Chief Design Engineer = "So what about the Cabin... Any input"

 

All Male Team = "Hey all I need is a place to kick-back, watch tv, have a beer, and go to sleep"

 

** NODS ALL AROUND THE TABLE **

 

Chief Design Engineer = "Ok anything else?"

 

** SHRUGS ALL AROUND THE TABLE **

 

One Newlywed Guy pipes up...

 

"Could we maybe include a mirror or a make-up table... that would make my wife happy"

 

** EYES ROLL ALL AROUND TABLE **

 

Chief Design Engineer = "Ok anything else?"

 

** HEADS WAG NO **

 

Chief Design Engineer = "Ok next up... any ideas on what to do with the upper deck on these new ships"

 

All Male Team = "Hey I had this crazy idea the other day... what if the roof of this ship was like my backyard... we could plant grass... real grass... and then we had like a honest to goodness Grill... where ya could get steaks cooked to order... and beers in a bucket, and oh ya the grass could have a putting green..."

 

:rolleyes:

 

--- --- ---

 

Of course this is ALL tongue in cheek... and meant to bring levity to the fact that some have said there are places on the ship that are certainly more Male or Female friendly than other spots.

 

Lol, in that Cabins are such a big deal to so many Posters here... wonder if that is reflective of our gender as well. It is after all a female biological trait to want to nest, and do things to make our surroundings pretty, practical and comfy.

 

Lol, that and we are by design the gatherers... which is probably why we make so many lists on what we have to bring with us to achieve the "best nest possible"...

 

There do seem to be a lot of posts about Cabin Details... things that I'd think most men don't truly give two hoots about

 

Take Mr Sloop...

 

He couldn't care how many thread count are the sheets, what colour the drapes are in the room... or even how many ply the TP is

 

He's a guy... he'll not fret too much about it... certainly not now beforehand... and probably not later either... he'll just adjust (lol, double up the TP if need be).

 

I'm off on a tangent for sure... but just musing over WHAT makes all this Cabin Info so compelling for some (myself included) and not so much for others.

 

Cheers!

[Jo and Rob]

Elena thank you for the link it contained great information.

 

I intend to do a live from the Eclipse with video and photographs when we board on Saturday and will include a information about our 2B ocean view cabin so you will be able to see what a standard cabin and balcony look like. Hopefully this will be useful, especially as we will be family of four in the cabin in one cabin! :o

[boogs]

To be fair... to these "mystery women"...

 

As ships are typically built in sections (the bathrooms would be a seperate module installed as a unit)... maybe Celebrity only had the women consult on that one item the Bathroom... because as long time Cruisers here have said, the Solistice Class Ships have pretty great baths, but severely lacking in the rest of the Cabin's thought to layout, furniture placement, storage (Closet - Over Bed Cubby), Night-tables etc. Does look like a lot of attention was paid to that big screen tv... so I'm guessing that corresponding "mystery men" designed the cabin.!

 

Hey, now wait a darn minute! Them's fighting words, lady!!

 

Perhaps after the 'mystery women' finished with their bathroom designing, they took a break, had a few too many martinies celebrating doing such a fabulous job with that shaving foot rest in the shower, and by the time to they got back to the room designing, they were a bit unsteady on their feet???? And we now suffer the results. Yeah, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! :p

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I think the reason many people are concerned about the storage space in the cabins is that they are very compact spaces. Many of us don't take short cruises any more and are, therefore, going to be spending a longer time in this compact space. In order to be able to move around and function, you need a place to stow your gear.

[CathyCruises]

Elena thank you for the link it contained great information.

 

I intend to do a live from the Eclipse with video and photographs when we board on Saturday and will include a information about our 2B ocean view cabin so you will be able to see what a standard cabin and balcony look like. Hopefully this will be useful, especially as we will be family of four in the cabin in one cabin! :o

 

Ooh, prepare to be tight! Not only on storage but living space. You may consider having some of your group use the showers in the spa/gym area for getting ready--takes some pressure off. At least you have the balcony to increase your square footage. DH and I felt pretty close in our AQ cabin which is the exact same size as yours--can't imagine what it will look like when made up for 4 sleepers. How old are your children? OTOH there is TONS of open space on the ship, lovely areas where you could stretch out on loungers which always seemed available esp. if you were okay with shade.

 

Have a great cruise!

[YoPhilly]

Here are some detailed photos of the Stateroom storage on the Solstice that I took in 2008, on her third cruise. As the Solstice was so new, everyone had a lot of questions about the storage, so I took quite a few pictures and attached notes to the pictures.

 

I just disembarked from the Solstice yesterday, and things are pretty much the same :).

 

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/7051726_Pzoiv#451751605_oZ5t3

 

Elena, thanks so much for sharing your photos. We're booked on our first Celebrity cruise and your pix are a terrific orientation to Solstice. Thanks!!

[fleckle]

Elena, another big Thank You for sharing your helpful photos and comments.

Greatly appreciate your taking the time to post all those in-depth details about the cabin.

[Jo and Rob]

Ooh, prepare to be tight! Not only on storage but living space. You may consider having some of your group use the showers in the spa/gym area for getting ready--takes some pressure off. At least you have the balcony to increase your square footage. DH and I felt pretty close in our AQ cabin which is the exact same size as yours--can't imagine what it will look like when made up for 4 sleepers. How old are your children? OTOH there is TONS of open space on the ship, lovely areas where you could stretch out on loungers which always seemed available esp. if you were okay with shade.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

The children are 9 and 6 so it is not like we have two teenagers to accommodate but storage will definitely be a challenge! I will make sure I get a photo / video of the cabin made up for four. We can't wait. It will be great to share our experiences.

[CathyCruises]

TO ELENA7SEAS,

 

Gosh, now these are fabulous Solstice pics!

 

Thanks for sharing, and being so conscious of details when you took them.

 

This certainly clears up a lot of the unknowns for me... and I am sure they'll go a long way to helping out others too.

 

QUESTION... I looked at the Solstice Deck Plan to see exactly where your cabin # 1552 was located as you mentioned you were on the angle of the bump and aft facing... so curious... I'm guessing that you could just have easily walked out to the corner of the extended triangle bit of your balcony (as this was an oversized balcony) and stuck your head around the corner, and not only seen into the balcony of # 1550 but also straight along the bump to the front of the ship as well ?? So essentially, with very little effort you were able to see fore and aft from your location on the ship. TRUE or FALSE ?

 

Cheers!

 

We were in 1552 on Eclipse. We could look around the corner and see right into the fly bridge, which was interesting. Tried not to do it too much so our neighbors wouldn't think we were spying on them. If we stood at the rail and looked aft, we could see onto many of the balconies especially if people were standing at the rail.

 

When all was said and done, we have decided we prefer a standard size balcony that lets light into the room--the ones near ours seemed much cheerier. We also prefer bed by bath--so much so that I wouldn't have cruised if I had to accept bed by window. But some people love it.

[boogs]

When all was said and done, we have decided we prefer a standard size balcony that lets light into the room--the ones near ours seemed much cheerier.

 

My wife and I are of the same opinion. We also enjoy having clear views of the water while we're in our room, and a longer balcony would limit that 'open' effect. From some of the photos I've seen, with a longer balcony it's almost like looking through a tunnel.

[OlivenhainMom]

We also prefer bed by bath--so much so that I wouldn't have cruised if I had to accept bed by window. But some people love it.

 

I noticed that all the photos show the bed by the balcony. Does anyone have photos of a balcony cabin with the beds by the bath ... especially made up as twin beds? My sister and I are sailing on Solstice in November in a room which (according to another thread) has the bed by the bath and I'm curious about access to the wardrobe, given it's configuration on Solstice! Looking at the photos of the bed by the balcony, I'm of the same opinion. I really enjoyed sitting on the sofa and looking out the sliding doors in my one (and only) prior cruise with the bed near the bath.

[CruisinCadie]

Thanks, Elena, for the wonderful photos.

 

We'll be in a class 07 cabin (Oceanview, no balcony) for our Equinox cruise. Wonder how that will compare?

 

Kathy

[elena7seas]

Thanks, Elena, for the wonderful photos.

 

We'll be in a class 07 cabin (Oceanview, no balcony) for our Equinox cruise. Wonder how that will compare?

 

Kathy

 

You are very welcome. :)

 

My DH and I just returned home yesterday from Barcelona, where our Solstice cruise ended on July 25th.

 

DH and I had a C1 balcony with the extra large deck and my two adult daughters and 4-year-old granddaughter had an 08 Oceanview on Deck 3.

 

The 08 Oceanview cabins are very similar in layout/storage to the veranda cabins. The OV window had quite a large window seat, which my granddaughter LOVED!

 

Our cabin had the bed by the veranda doors, which my Dh and I prefer. My daughters OV room was set up with single beds, and the beds were by the closet. As far as the location of the beds are concerned, there are plusses and minuses to either arrangement.

 

If I remember correctly, 07 Oceanview cabins are at the very front of the ship on decks 7 and 8, so I don't know what the layout/storage differences might be, but I'm sure someone will post an answer for you. If you don't receive an answer on this thread, try posting a separate Celebrity thread, where everyone will see your question.

[elena7seas]

I noticed that all the photos show the bed by the balcony. Does anyone have photos of a balcony cabin with the beds by the bath ... especially made up as twin beds? My sister and I are sailing on Solstice in November in a room which (according to another thread) has the bed by the bath and I'm curious about access to the wardrobe, given it's configuration on Solstice! Looking at the photos of the bed by the balcony, I'm of the same opinion. I really enjoyed sitting on the sofa and looking out the sliding doors in my one (and only) prior cruise with the bed near the bath.

 

I have sailed once with the bed by the closet, and have to say that I much prefer the bed to be by the veranda doors, but it doesn't bother me to have the bed by the closet, and I would happily sail with either configuration.

 

I use the desk as a dressing table, so I like the close proximity beween the desk and the bathroom, and both my DH and I like to read lying on the bed, so prefer to be by the windows and the view when we read. I don't find the sofas on the S-class ships at all comfortable for sitting. I find the sofas to be one of the biggest design flaws on the S-class ships.

 

I don't have pictures of beds by the bathroom set up as singles, but I am sure someone will post them for you here soon.

[elena7seas]

TO ELENA7SEAS,

 

Gosh, now these are fabulous Solstice pics!

 

Thanks for sharing, and being so conscious of details when you took them.

 

This certainly clears up a lot of the unknowns for me... and I am sure they'll go a long way to helping out others too.

 

QUESTION... I looked at the Solstice Deck Plan to see exactly where your cabin # 1552 was located as you mentioned you were on the angle of the bump and aft facing... so curious... I'm guessing that you could just have easily walked out to the corner of the extended triangle bit of your balcony (as this was an oversized balcony) and stuck your head around the corner, and not only seen into the balcony of # 1550 but also straight along the bump to the front of the ship as well ?? So essentially, with very little effort you were able to see fore and aft from your location on the ship. TRUE or FALSE ?

 

Cheers!

 

Yes, you can easily see both fore and aft from AQ1552.

 

As you can see from the picture below, the angle of the balcony is not so sharp that you have to stick your head around the corner in order to see towards the front of the ship. Standing at the railing on the lefthand side of the deck, you can easily see forward, with no effort at all. You would have to crane your neck a bit to see INTO the balcony of 1550 though ;).

 

 

[elena7seas]

Ditto!

 

Clearly the women on the design team didn't wear a lot of clothes. They just shaved their legs and used a lot of stuff in the bathroom. It really is annoying that, in addition to being too small, the closets aren't even deep enough for ordinary clothes.

 

I just want to comment that I have never had any problem with the depth of closets on the Solstice Class ships. All of the wooden hangers fit inside the closets with reasonable clearance, and even the bulky robes fit (although I always ask to have them removed, as they take up about 8" of lineal space on the closet rod).

 

This cruise, my DH accidentally missed packing his suitbag, and had to buy a suit in Barcelona. It came on one of those big bulky hangers with the broad "shoulder-shapers" that suits often come on, and we had no problem with that fitting into the closet.

 

[CathyCruises]

We just hang the bathrobes on the back of the bathroom door--agreed they are too bulky for the closet although for a 7 day cruise we had adequate storage. This time we are doing 12 days in cool weather so we shall see. OTOH I seem to pack less and less every time I travel!

[elena7seas]

We just hang the bathrobes on the back of the bathroom door--agreed they are too bulky for the closet although for a 7 day cruise we had adequate storage. This time we are doing 12 days in cool weather so we shall see. OTOH I seem to pack less and less every time I travel!

 

Hi Cathy:

 

On this past cruise, our steward just laughed when I asked if he could remove the bathrobes...he said that almost everyone asks to have them removed. On the otherhand, if you like them, they really are in pristine condition ;).

 

Yes, we've gotten much smarter about packing. Thanks to the 30-piece Laundry/2-piece Pressing/1-piece Drycleaning coupons that both my DH and I receive, plus the $20-per-bag laundry option (x2), I don't have any problem with storage even on longer cruises, and finally have reached a point where I don't go home with a packing cube full of unworn clothes at the end of a trip. :)

 

Small aside...the $20-per-bag laundry coupon came with a good-sized cloth bag, not the paper bag that we have received in times past. You can fit a fair amount into those cloth bags.