First time on X - my review of Solstice 1/8/12 sailing

[psbfan01]

Hello everyone,

 

I have finally finished my Solstice review. I hope you will find it informative, entertaining and not too offensive! I will post this in installments - I would be happy to answer any questions...

 

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Solstice Review

 

 

In January I took my first Celebrity cruise, and just my second overall cruise, on the Celebrity Solstice. We took the western Caribbean itinerary, sailing from 1/8/12-1/15/12. A lot of research went into this trip, as I had not taken a major vacation in years and wanted it to be as good as it could be. Overall I was very pleased and satisfied with the ship and the X experience. In the process of planning I nearly booked the Crown Princess, whose western Caribbean itinerary I preferred, but ultimately chose X for their superior reviews. I have no regrets about this and foresee making X my cruise line of choice for future sailings. The staff provided excellent service with a great attitude, while the food ranged from fair to very good.

 

A bit of background: I sailed with my boyfriend, Nate, who is 26, while I will always be 29! We are a male couple, and certainly were not the only ones on the ship. In fact we met another male couple from Delaware, Andrew & Rob, in the CC Roll Call forum and had many fun times with them. We saw maybe 5 children during the entire cruise (not a bad thing to me). Most of the passengers were 50+ (also not something that bothers me). It was a great getaway from Wisconsin and we even did a little sightseeing in south Florida before the cruise. Allow me some comments on that first. My hope is that other people who are new to this will learn something here as I did from combing through these message boards for valuable info.

 

1/6/12

 

We arrived at the Fort Lauderdale Airport on a Friday afternoon. As others have noted, this airport is a lot nicer than the one in Miami. First thing I did was buy a Sun Sentinel (the local newspaper). Inside was a 2 for 1 coupon for the Carrie B Harbor Tour cruise in downtown Fort Lauderdale. After picking up the rental car, we drove a short distance through some heavy traffic to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory on Las Olas Blvd. We parked in the garage above the restaurant. After the meal we walked a couple blocks to the Carrie B’s ticket office. With the coupon, it was $25 for the two of us to take the 90 minute harbor cruise (note: the coupon is only valid Mon -Fri). It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon and a nice way to start the vacation. We enjoyed the harbor cruise and saw the magnificent yachts and the palatial but in my opinion overpriced mansions of the semi-famous and assorted local characters. The tour took us into Port Everglades where we saw the MSC Poesia.

 

After some fruitless shopping later at To The Moon in Wilton Manors and on the 17th Street Causeway, we had dinner at Vigneto’s in Plantation, for which I had bought an online gift certificate. The food was OK but nothing special. We both agreed it was lacking in any kind of distinctive flavor and needed some “zip.” Exhausted at that point (we’d been up since 3am), we spent our first night at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Tamarac (yes, we did a lot of driving).

 

1/7/12

 

The next day, Saturday, after checking out, we were off to explore more of south Florida. We hopped on the toll way and headed south. Let me say right now that the drivers we encountered throughout south Florida for the most part were horrible! Driving too recklessly or not using turn signals, tailgating, etc.

 

It took about an hour to get to Homestead, south of Miami. We’d read about Coral Castle and were looking forward to seeing this unusual spectacle for ourselves. On the guided tour we enjoyed hearing stories about Ed Leedskalnin, a very eccentric man, and took numerous pictures of his amazing coral sculptures. Admission was $12/person. It was a fun stop. We had lunch just up the road at Shiver’s BBQ. The reviews I’d read were true, very tasty food and excellent with tender, fall off the bone BBQ ribs. Wait staff was very friendly in this old southern style restaurant. It was the best meal we had while in Florida on this vacation.

 

 

 

We got back on the road and headed north to Miami Beach. This time we crossed over via the Venetian Causeway. This allowed us to go take a look at the house on East Rivo Alto Drive that was used during the 1996 season of The Real World (MTV show). We took a couple pictures from the driveway, although the house doesn’t look all that impressive from the outside. From there we headed towards South Beach. As it was a Saturday afternoon, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the very heavy traffic. It reminded me of Times Square or downtown Chicago. This was my 3rd trip to South Beach and the most crowded I’ve experienced – but I have no doubt it sometimes is worse! We did the usual tourist thing: walked around and admired the Art Deco architecture, hit a few souvenir shops, checked out Espanola Way for the first time (impression: attractive but rather small area, mostly for outdoor dining) and took a few pictures in front of Casa Casuarina, Gianni Versace’s home and site of his murder. I wish this magnificent villa could be restored to the glorious condition it was in when he lived there. I would gladly pay for a tour of the home in that case, but for various reasons that may never be possible. Finally we crossed Ocean Drive and spent some time on the beach, with plenty of opportunity for people-watching the whole time (and there was a gallery of colorful people). With our feet in the water we were able to watch the Norwegian Epic in the distance as it slowly glided out of the Port of Miami at approximately 4:30.

 

After we’d seen enough of South Beach, we got back in the car and headed towards Hollywood, where our hotel for the 2nd night was. We were feeling tired so we decided to have dinner before checking in. Being in south Florida, we thought a Cuban restaurant would be a good choice. But, our meal at Padrino’s was nothing special. We’ve been to other Cuban restaurants, including one in Wisconsin, which were much better. The best thing about Padrino’s was their cheesecake flan, which we shared for dessert. From there it was just a short drive to Villa Europa on Hollywood Beach. This small one story motel is located just a few steps from the boardwalk and the beach. The room was outdated but clean and offered the basic necessities at a reasonable price. The innkeeper, Luis, was very hospitable and even gave us some stamps to mail a few postcards before we checked out the next morning. The atmosphere in Hollywood Beach is much different than Miami, much less trendy and more family-oriented. We saw many older folks and locals getting their exercise as they walked or jogged along the boardwalk on Sunday morning. Breakfast at Ocean Alley was okay, the best part was being so close to the beach.

[psbfan01]

1/8/12 – Embarkation Day

 

After dropping off the rental car at the bustling FLL, we caught a cab and headed for Port Everglades – about a 15 minute drive / $21. Embarkation was smooth and without confusion. There were some long lines but they moved fast. Because our ship had been in dry dock the previous week, the staterooms were ready right away. I’d say we were on the ship around 11:45am, having been greeted with champagne as we first stepped aboard. The signage on the ship was great and it was very easy to find one’s way around. We had cabin # 6193 which is a balcony room with obstructed view, on the port side. The tender/lifeboat blocked the view from ground level to about 4 feet up – no big deal. The room was just as wonderful as it appeared in pictures, very tastefully decorated with lots of storage space (the suitcases easily fit under the bed). The bathroom was a tremendous improvement over what we had on the Majesty of the Seas two years ago. Our cabin steward Del stopped by to introduce himself and then we were off to our first lunch at Bistro on 5. Many people on these boards have recommended the Bistro for embarkation day lunch, yet surprisingly it was still very much un-crowded. The food was very good throughout our leisurely meal. From where I was sitting I was able to see the new passengers entering the ship as they walked up the ramp.

 

After lunch we returned to the room, relaxed a bit and went off to the muster drill – a somewhat bizarre experience. Then we ran into Andrew & Rob from the CC Roll Call. They showed us around the ship for awhile (they’d both been on Solstice before), then we headed up to the Sunset Bar for a drink.

 

We had a reservation for 8pm that night at the Tuscan Grill, to celebrate Rob’s birthday. The service was great and they presented us with an outrageous amount of wonderful food. Everyone was very pleased with their meal. Nate and I both had the filet and they were terrific. All of us were stuffed but made our best efforts to eat dessert too! It was 20% off the usual price since it was the first night.

 

After dinner we decided to check out the karaoke event, which turned out to be much more entertaining than we ever imagined. It was in full swing by the time we arrived at the Sky Lounge. Nate had planned to sing karaoke on this cruise, although he was overwhelmed by the large crowd that night.

 

As expected there were singers of various ages and talent levels, some of whom were inadvertently amusing. One woman sauntered around the room in high heels like a chanteuse, vamping and mingling with the audience as she sang. Then a middle-aged man in a loud-patterned shirt, half unbuttoned to expose his chest hair, stepped forward and began his rendition of “Brick House” by the Commodores.

 

Suddenly a woman who appeared to be around 70 with bleached blond hair and tight red pants joined him on stage, dancing very provocatively! First our jaws dropped, and then we tried to contain our laughter. “They look like aging hipsters,” Nate said. At the end of the song she skipped across the floor and hopped into the lap of some guy in the first row. It is unclear if she knew him or not, but he sure looked bewildered. Before she left later that evening she turned around, winked and waved goodbye with a whimsical flourish! The crowed loved it. She was the most memorable and colorful character of the cruise.

 

1/9/12 – Sea Day

 

The weather was sunny and warm. We spent this day relaxing, reading/sunning on our balcony and getting accustomed to the layout of the ship. We had lunch in the Grand Epernay, which was OK, the highlight being the mango cheesecake. Oddly, whenever we ate the GE they never took our drink order. Since we were waiting right when they opened up we were able to get a table for 2 by the window, but as others have noted, most of these tables for 2 are very close together. We didn’t bring appropriate clothing for formal night and, feeling lazy, had room service for dinner. Ordering via the TV was great and I was pleased at the selection of food they offered. It is also possible to order off the GE menu in the evenings too – a major plus for us.

[psbfan01]

1/10/12 – George Town, Grand Cayman

 

Even without getting up before dawn, we still were able to get a ticket for an early tender to shore and made it onto the island about 8am. We walked a few blocks to the Atlantis Submarine ticket office. We were able to get 2 spots on their 8:30 voyage, which was only about half full.

 

While we had a nice morning on the Atlantis, but the experience was on the expensive side ($89/person). We learned quickly that viewing the ocean’s wonders would not be a comfortable experience. For some reason, windows were placed just low enough so passengers must constantly scrunch over to peek out. By the end of the trip, my back and neck were getting sore, which took away from our enjoyment of the experience. It seemed like the people sitting on the port side we are able to see more of the sea life. Overall it was interesting but probably not something we’d ever do again.

 

After returning to land we walked over to the Landmark Building. There is a store in the basement level called Pirate’s Grotto. Along with various souvenirs this shop has a special promotion where you will receive a two pound Blackbeard’s Rum Cake free with qualifying liquor purchase. We got 2 bottles of BBD flavored rum for $25 plus they included the free cake! It was an awesome deal. I think if you bought $40 worth of liquor other than BBD the deal also applied. The rum was delivered to your ship but you had to carry the cake around with you for the rest of the day. With 6 ships in port, George Town was very congested with people and traffic by this time. Still we found the bus terminal and climbed aboard one that was heading towards Pedro St James Castle.

 

The bus ride (it was more like a large van) took about 30 minutes, and it was interesting seeing the non-tourist areas of Grand Cayman. The driver told us we’d have to walk down the road about a half mile from the spot where he dropped us off. We had a quick lunch at Wendy’s before walking the rest of the way to Pedro St James. It was plenty warm and Nate, with his flair for the dramatic, complained that it was like a boot camp!

 

We spent about an hour at the site, looking at the exhibits, watching the “multi media presentation” and touring the great house AKA the castle. Admission was $10/person. There was a tour group there from the Disney ship, and you could tell they were on a time limit and being shuffled around as such. Overall Pedro St James provided a relaxing atmosphere away from the crowds but there was not a lot to see. Still, we enjoyed it.

 

 

Luckily we didn’t have to walk all the way back to the drop off point – another “bus” picked us up and drove us back to George Town. This one was loaded with people, but somehow they squeezed us in. One particular young woman on the bus was very lively and gregarious, embodying the spirit of Caymanian hospitality and friendliness. She reminded me of Missy Elliot.

 

Back in George Town we bought a bottle of Tortuga Gold rum before taking a tender back to the ship. There was a bit of a line but it moved quickly. We were grateful that X offered us cold towels and drinks as we waited. In summary we had a good time in Grand Cayman. We avoided Seven Mile Beach and Stingray City because of the crowds, but hopefully we will return some day and give those places a try.

 

That night we joined Andrew and Robb in the Grand Epernay for dinner and both food and service were great. The waiter never took our drink order so Nate ended up asking the sommelier for a can of Sprite, which left the guy looking shell-shocked! We finished out the evening at the Molecular Bar. It was fine, but I am not partial to overly elaborate drinks.

 

1/11/12 – Cozumel, Mexico

 

This day got off to a shaky start, but improved quickly. It was cloudy and humid as we stepped off the ship. We docked at the International Pier and meandered our way out of the port shopping area and found the taxis. I showed the female taxi driver the directions and map to where we needed to go, Barefoot in Cozumel. She looked somewhat confused and put us into a van with another couple from the ship. They were dropped off at the downtown pier for the ferry that goes to Playa del Carmen. We decided to get out at that point too and once we had our bearings, realized we had to backtrack a bit to get to our destination. We walked for several blocks over the dilapidated, cracked and uneven sidewalks of San Miguel and at one point Nate tripped and fell. See what I mean by shaky start! But soon enough we found the address we needed.

 

Sally, the massage therapist and owner of Barefoot in Cozumel, greeted us and turned on the air conditioner after welcoming us into her studio.Nate had the Swedish massage while I had the one-hour Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage, her specialty, right afterwards. Both of us agreed she did a wonderful job and was very professional. We would highly recommend. By the time we left her studio the sun had come out and it was no longer humid. We walked a few blocks again (carefully) and had lunch at La Choza. It wasn’t crowded and the service was quite good. The food and drinks were delicious but the menu was somewhat limited. Our lunch came to 335 pesos which they “calculated” was $30.45, for an exchange rate of 11 pesos to $1 US. Using a tip from Cruise Critic, I paid the bill with my credit card. This saved me a few bucks: when I got my credit card statement, the amount was $24.72, for an exchange rate of 13.5 pesos to $1 US with a very small foreign transaction fee. After lunch we did some souvenir shopping for friends and family back home and found a few bargains on t-shirts and vanilla. We hailed another taxi to take us to our next stop, Chocolates Kaokao. This was quite a distance into San Miguel but yet the taxi was just $7. Here the two of us were taken on a “tour” and learned how cacao beans are made into chocolate and its place in Mayan history. There were a few pieces to sample at the end of the tour. All their different varieties of chocolates were delicious!

 

We stopped at store called Mega on the way back to ship to pick up a few toiletries. This place is reminiscent of a Super Wal Mart with a huge selection of everything you could possibly need. Cozumel was the one place where I ran out of cash – I would’ve gotten us some drinks at Senor Frog’s before we got back on the ship.

[psbfan01]

1/12/12 – Roatan, Honduras

 

I’d heard stories of ships having trouble docking at Mahogany Bay, and that was one of the reasons I chose X over Princess for this cruise. I am sure glad we didn’t miss this port. The weather was beautiful as we approached the island, which is very underdeveloped, lush, green and hilly, which made it much different than the other places we visited. Some colorful Garifuna dancers greeted us with a song and dance routine as the Solstice pulled up to the pier. We had pre-arranged a private tour with Victor Bodden Tours, with Andrew and Rob joining us. Our driver was not as talkative as I expected, but he did fine. As we drove along the winding roads we saw quite a few dogs and other wild animals roaming around and noticed the widespread poverty. He showed us a few sights on the island before taking us to the Mayan Jungle Canopy. Neither Nate nor I had ziplined before and were a little nervous, but we enjoyed it once we got the hang of it. Then came what Nate was most looking forward to – the interaction with the monkeys. We all enjoyed this and went on to see a few other animals as well.

 

Our driver then took us to West Bay and dropped us off at the Bananarama Dive Resort. It was a busy place but luckily we were able to find a table and ate lunch at the Thirsty Turtle. The food was reasonably priced and surprisingly good. We all enjoyed their huge drink menu with prices ranging from just $3 for a simple rum and coke or gin and tonic to $7 for more elaborate tropical drinks. All were delicious.

 

After all that imbibing we traipsed over to the beach, which was fantastically beautiful. The water temperature was wonderful for a swim. It was crowded with vacationers and a few peddlers, but we all loved the experience.

 

1/13/12 – Costa Maya, Mexico

 

Ugh, Friday the 13th! We had pre-booked a tour of Dzibanche with The Native Choice. A lot of people got into the bus for Chacchoben, but we wanted to see larger ruins we could climb up. We were the only ones on this excursion, except for one other couple from our ship. It was about a 2 hour drive to the ruins and was raining on and off that morning. Thankfully the skies we clear while we toured the ruins. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the highlight was being able to climb to the top of two of the large temples and take in the great view.

 

Halfway back to the port it started raining again. As this was his last opportunity, Nate wanted to pick up a few more souvenirs from Mexico, but we found the vendors in the port area to be pushy. Their prices were high and they were not willing to negotiate much either. As someone else commented on this site, the port area has all the charm of a rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike (LOL)! If we ever visit here again we’ll take a taxi into Mahahual and make it a relaxing beach/shopping day.

 

1/14/12 – Sea Day

 

This was a lazy and somewhat sad day, as our time on the ship was coming to an end. The weather was cool and windy, which kept us in our cabin most of the time. We packed our suitcases and watched some TV (ironically, this was the day the news broke about the Costa Concordia disaster). For dinner we had a final meal at the Bistro on 5 with Andrew and Rob, and then lost the last of our spending money at the casino. Afterwards we went to the final session of Karaoke, but it wasn’t as fun as it was the first night. For one thing, the same people we saw the first night we there singing the same songs. There were a couple of Elvis songs Nate wanted to sing, but they weren’t in the song book.

 

1/15/12 – Disembarkation Day

 

 

We chose the “express embarkation” and walked off the ship with luggage ourselves. It was a very cool morning at Port Everglades. In contrast with Miami, the Customs procedure was very easy to get through, even perfunctory. We were sad the vacation was over, but glad to be getting back to our pets in Wisconsin.

 

Overall we enjoyed it very much and booked the Summit for next January.

[tispwisp]

Awesome review! Thank you so much for taking the time to post it! Makes me even more excited (if that's even possible) for our B2B Solstice cruises next month! Thanks again!

[Northern Aurora]

I rarely comment on ship reviews, but this review was very nicely done. Thanks so much.

[jacketwatch]

Excellent review. Thanks for posting. :) You always know it was a great time when you are saddened by disembarkation time. But then thats why you book another one. :D

[Cruisecrazy20000]

Thanks for the review!!

[cinderellen]

I really enjoyed your review. Thanks for taking the time to do it!!

Ellen

[Phxazzcruisers]

Great review. My partner and I will only cruise on Celebrity or Azamara. We have had incredble experience on both over the years. Hope to see you both on a future cruise.

[psbfan01]

Thanks for the kind words and "resurrecting" my review!

 

I tried to add pics to the review at the time but it did not work. I guess you cannot copy and paste the pics? Do you have to upload them in some way?

[BugsyCruiser]

Thanks for the kind words and "resurrecting" my review!

 

I tried to add pics to the review at the time but it did not work. I guess you cannot copy and paste the pics? Do you have to upload them in some way?

 

Upload them to photobucket and then copy and past the IMG code on here when you do a post. Works for me every time :)