Is Celebrity Solstice worth an extra $1000?

[Tapi]

Hello:

 

We're planning a cruise to Alaska for the spring of 2013 and we've been booked on the Norwegian Jewel for a few months now.

 

Recently, we learned that Celebrity Solstice will be in Alaska as well (similar itinerary and dates) so I've been SERIOUSLY considering switching ships.

 

Ever since the Solstice class came out, I've been eager to sail aboard one of their ships. My dilemma is that for a similar category, the cost of sailing on Solstice will be $1,000 more than sailing on NCL Jewel. Under different circumstances, the difference in price wouldn't be an issue, but in addition to the Alaska cruise, we are also budgeting for another cruise which will be much more costly. I CAN make it happen if the difference in the experience will be that much better, but I don't want to spend the extra money and learn that it was wasted money...

 

We haven't sailed on either cruise line, so no matter which one we pick, it will be a new experience, but we are at a point in our lives where we don't mind spending extra to experience a more upscale cruise.

 

If you've sailed on NCL (Jewel class) and Celebrity (Solstice class), would you spend an extra $1000 to sail on the Solstice? Is the experience that much different?

 

Thanks for any input that you may provide! :)

[Topo Gigio]

I have been on both and I would say yes and yes! Solstice is a step above!

 

On the Dawn they were driving me nuts with all those announcements for bingo, art auction etc. Stuff to have you spend money...and more money!

[Tapi]

Thanks Topo. That's what my gut feeling is telling me.

 

BTW, Topo Gigio was one of my favorite characters growing up. I have very fond memories associted with him :)

[Knolmom]

Although I have never sailed NCL, and have sailed Alaska on Princess, we enjoyed a MAGNIFICENT cruise in Europe last fall on the Solstice. Both the Island Princess( 5 yrs ago) and the Solstice are beautiful ships, but the Alaska experience is on the outside of these ships, not the inside.

I imagine your cruise will be port intensive, so you will be up and off the ship early, spending lots of $$ on excursions, and on your sea days you will be on deck or on a hopefully covered balcony watching the scenery. Other than the quality of the food, where I believe Celebrity excels over NCL and Princess, the shows, the bingo the swimming pools, even the specialty restaurants on an Alaska Cruise are just not the focus of the experience. If I were you, I would get the best covered balcony that I could afford, select a ship that sails Glacier Bay, spend as much of my savings as I could on excursions like a seaplane tour in Ketchican, a whale watching excursion and a great lunch of king crab in Juneau, renting a car and driving up to Emerald Lake in the Yukon territory from Skagway, and perhaps seeing the bears if that is your thing. IMHO, that would be put your $4000 to the best use in Alaska.

[ganny3]

IMHO Alaska is about Alaska and not the ship. It was an entirely different experience from any other cruise. You spend very little time using the amenities of the ship. For me it was picking the right itinerary in Alaska and then finding a ship that did that. If you are going when there is a lot of daylight you want long port times for sure since there is so much to see and do. I was happy I spent my money on the tours.....summit flight over McKinley and etc instead of on the ship. My recommendation for that thousand dollars would be to see the land portion of Alaska with it. If you don't add inland to the cruise I think you have missed a big opportunity. Denali is amazing. Before you pick a ship.......decide what you want to see and how long you want to spend at the different ports and then pick a ship that meets those needs.

Barbara

[eandj]

The two lines are totally different from each other. And you of course, coming to this board will hear how much more you would like Solstice.It IS more upscale, more traditional. NCL will be casual and not up to X's service standards.

 

That being said, you mention you haven't been on either line. Have you ever been on any ship/line before? Which? We could compare to X.

 

As you have read, Alaska, is all about the scenery and ports/excursions. It isn't like a Carib cruise or any other with sea days spent at the pool or on the ship. So to save 1,000 and put it towards the next cruise certainly would be my choice if I had to make one. In fact with the money saved you might want to do some private excursions on this or the next cruise that make the trip even more memorable.

 

Your choice. How much will the ship atmosphere add to your cruise?

[TLCOhio]

We were on the Solstice exactly one years ago in the Med and have booked her for Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2012 for Australia and New Zealand. We have had previous cruises with Seabourn, Silversea and Crystal. The Solstice is not as small and "personal" as those three luxury lines, but we were impressed with its design, style, class, etc. For a larger ship, you didn't feel that crowded or congested. You can see more details on this ship, its food, entertainment, etc., from my live/blog. Below are three of my quick photo "samples" as evidence for my viewpoint and the opinion offered by others.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 87,566 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

This is a view of the library area on the tenth floor that overlooked the central, open core area of the ship. Not a great book selection here, but it is a nice-looking area with a quiet reading hideaway.:

 

 

 

On the top, back of the Solstice, here is a wider view of Corning Hot Glass show area, plus the green grass and the unique covering designs for this special area of the ship. Classy design touches and style!!:

 

 

 

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design with this facility. Wonderful setting for relaxing and watching the outside water/shore views, enjoying subtle inside action, etc.:

 

[BBsails]

If you're planning a trip for spring of 2013, there's plenty of time to watch for a price drop. Monitor the website often (maybe daily) for a senior, military, or residents price drop. Do this by going through the booking process, checking the boxes for the categories for which you're eligible and highlighting your state, until you get to the prices. I'm guessing rates will tumble after the first of the year. We did Alaska in May and it was just a little too early to see much wildlife.

[TxnAquarian]

As other people have mentioned on here, Alaska is so much about the ports and scenery that you won't spend as much time on the ship as in other cruising regions. And you'll want to spend a lot of money on excursions to get the full benefit of cruising Alaska. However, you will still be on the ship most evenings and you want to be happy with the ship you'll be coming "home" to. I have been on both NCL (3 times) and Celebrity (2 times, with two more booked) in the past couple of years. I could not recommend NCL to anyone, nor could I tell someone not to do it. Not a bad cruise by any means, it is certainly the "Walmart" of cruise lines. I think it works better for first time cruisers OR if you have a suite (which we did all 3 times) you will have a very nice experience. But Celebrity Solstice-Class ships are in a league of their own. I have sailed Crystal and Regent many times and would choose a Solstice-Class ship over even those. They are beautiful, elegant ships with wide open spaces, excellent dining venues, beautiful rooms, a sophisticated well-traveled crowd, wonderful staff. On NCL you will find wonderful staff as well, but darker, more closed-in ships, tacky decor, mediocre food (unless you're in a suite and dine in Cagney's for your meals) and a more "rustic" group of travelers.

 

Again, I had a good time on my NCL cruises and I would book another one (in a suite) if the itinerary was great. But Celebrity Solstice-Class is now my first choice above any other line.

 

 

 

 

Michael

[whitshel]

Tapi, are you looking at suites? I looked at pricing for balconies in June and it looks like the Solstice is cheaper. Suites do look more expensive tho.

 

I have never been on NCL but we were on the Eclipse last year and loved it! You can always get a 1a balcony which have triple size balcony and save a whole lot of money:D Plus most of the 1a's are on the hump close to everything.....

[mrpacker03]

We spent 26 days on the Beautiful Solstice recently. It's, by far, our favorite ship. It was our 21st cruise spanning all the major lines, except Carnival so we have something to judge it against. After saying that, no, it's not worth $1000 for a weeks cruise in Alaska. It's head and shoulders above NCL but since, as other people stated, it's Alaska that's the star, not the ship.

[Cruise Junky]

I haven't checked NCL's itinerary but Solstice is on the worst route there is. Return Seattle, outside of Vancouver Island and No Glacier Bay. Alaska is about the itinerary, not the ship. Look very closely at the itinerary, that should be your deciding factor.

[Toronto Guy]

I haven't checked NCL's itinerary but Solstice is on the worst route there is. Return Seattle, outside of Vancouver Island and No Glacier Bay. Alaska is about the itinerary, not the ship. Look very closely at the itinerary, that should be your deciding factor.

 

I totally agree. It is ALL about the itinerary in Alaska and Celebrity's itineraries don't do it justice. Best to sail from Vancouver, not Seattle. NCL gets beat up a lot - don't listen to it. I've been on both good and bad celebrity and ncl cruises. Pick the best itinerary and go from - if u skimp on Alaska you will regret it. And u don't have to have a balcony either. Half the time it rains or is cold. A big picture window is just as good as you will want to enjoy from open decks and lounges anyway. Have a great time!!!!

[jackdiamond]

Terry, how was your Australia, New Zealand cruise?

[Tapi]

That being said, you mention you haven't been on either line. Have you ever been on any ship/line before? Which? We could compare to X.

 

I've done 24 cruises, divided among Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Cunard, Costa, several out of business lines (Majesty, Premier, etc), and even the old Chandris.

 

I haven't checked NCL's itinerary but Solstice is on the worst route there is. Return Seattle, outside of Vancouver Island and No Glacier Bay.

 

Believe me, I know. If it was up to me, we'd be on a one way sailing between Vancouver and Whittier, visiting multiple glaciers incuding Glacier Bay, followed by a land stay. However, my elderly parents will be joining us (the cruise is more for them than for me) and they specified roundtrip Seattle, and no Sunday departure, which needless to say, limits our options. To limit our options further, one of the passengers will be under the age of 2, so in cabin babysitting or an kids program for under 2's is a plus, so that rules out Princess and Holland.

 

Tapi, are you looking at suites? I looked at pricing for balconies in June and it looks like the Solstice is cheaper. Suites do look more expensive tho.

 

We are looking at a combination of cabins ranging from standard oceanview to mini-suites (it's a family cruise with multiple cabins). The reason why there's a disparity in the price is because we locked in VERY good rates for the 3rd and 4th person in our cabin with NCL. We booked right when the Jewel went on sale so we are basically paying port taxes for the two kids. Celebrity is charging $499 for the 3rd and 4th guest in a balcony cabin (and thus, the difference in price).

 

Not a bad cruise by any means, it is certainly the "Walmart" of cruise lines....On NCL you will find wonderful staff as well, but darker, more closed-in ships, tacky decor, mediocre food (unless you're in a suite and dine in Cagney's for your meals) and a more "rustic" group of travelers.

 

We've done our share of Carnival cruises which are often compared to "Walmart" as well. We've enjoyed those cruises because we've taken them with realistic expectations and fully knowing that they were budget cruises. But we are not taking this cruise with the "budget cruise" mind set. We are looking for something a bit more upscale for this Alaska cruise, which is the reason why I'm considering Celebrity.

[Tapi]

Thanks to everybody who has given me their input so far. GREATLY appreciated! The comments truly reflect the dilemma that I've had in my head!

 

For now it seems like I will sit tight, hold on to the NCL cruise since I don't want to give up the rate I already locked in, and monitor the rates on Celebrity. If between now and final payment the rates get better, I will "jump ship" at that time.

 

Once again, thanks everyone. Have a great day! :)

[Redtravel]

I am elite on Celebrity. They do a great cruise. I sailed on NCL once...and won't make that mistake again. Everything on NCL was cheap. Then you get what you pay for. If you like styrofoam in the buffet and mediocre food in all venues, thin towels, poor service, etc., then sail with NCL. If you like good food and good service, then go with Celebrity. It is true that on an Alaska cruise, you will be off the ship a lot. If going on NCl is your only way to get to Alaska, you might go. However, be aware that NCL is not the best experience. I'd rather stay home than be on an NCL ship. NCL is that bad!!

[TLCOhio]

Terry, how was your Australia, New Zealand cruise?

 

It's booked for Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014. Hasn't cost too much so far!! Got a few months to wait.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 87,566 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Emperor Norton]

As other people have mentioned on here, Alaska is so much about the ports and scenery that you won't spend as much time on the ship as in other cruising regions. And you'll want to spend a lot of money on excursions to get the full benefit of cruising Alaska. However, you will still be on the ship most evenings and you want to be happy with the ship you'll be coming "home" to. I have been on both NCL (3 times) and Celebrity (2 times, with two more booked) in the past couple of years. I could not recommend NCL to anyone, nor could I tell someone not to do it. Not a bad cruise by any means, it is certainly the "Walmart" of cruise lines. I think it works better for first time cruisers OR if you have a suite (which we did all 3 times) you will have a very nice experience. But Celebrity Solstice-Class ships are in a league of their own. I have sailed Crystal and Regent many times and would choose a Solstice-Class ship over even those. They are beautiful, elegant ships with wide open spaces, excellent dining venues, beautiful rooms, a sophisticated well-traveled crowd, wonderful staff. On NCL you will find wonderful staff as well, but darker, more closed-in ships, tacky decor, mediocre food (unless you're in a suite and dine in Cagney's for your meals) and a more "rustic" group of travelers.

 

Again, I had a good time on my NCL cruises and I would book another one (in a suite) if the itinerary was great. But Celebrity Solstice-Class is now my first choice above any other line.

 

 

 

 

Michael

 

Interesting. After my last Regent cruise I can understand one preferring X to Regent but Crystal to me is still the ne plus ultra. Could you compare/contrast your X:Crystal experience(s)?

[4getmenot]

I sailed on the NCL Spirit last year and will be doing the Solstice in about a month or so, both times on balcony cabins. Obviously what I know about the Solstice is based on extensive research rather than personal experience but here are areas you should think about.

 

Service - Excellent service on the NCL. Everyone from the cabin steward to the waiters was superb. Since service is a subjective thing, can't comment on the Solstice yet.

 

Freestyle on NCL - Suited us perfectly. We never had to wait for a table and we showed at the MDR at all kinds of crazy times. I do except that, while Celebrity does have select dining, it won't be quite as freestyle as on the NCL.

 

Food Quality - On NCL, MDR and Buffet food ranged from meh to just above mediocre. I loved Blue Lagoon and had a late night snack of wings there almost every night. The biggest disappointment was the specialty restaurants. We tried almost all of them and some of the time it just wasn't worth the cover charge and some of the time it wasn't even as good as the MDR food. When we came back last year, I posted a thread over on the NCL board about inedible food in the specialty restaurants and it caused quite the uproar.:p So if someone tells you that you can take the price difference and eat at a specialty restaurant very night on NCL, don't count that as a blessing lol. By all accounts from CC and comparing menus between NCL and Celebrity, it appears that the latter is going to offer a significant improvement.

 

Room - The Solstice is only four years old while the Spirit is the oldest ship in the NCL fleet so there should be no comparison. It didn't bother me that the Spirit had older beds/couches, they were perfectly comfortable. However, the bathroom was a different story. On the Spirit, it felt very cramped and the shower curtain was icky. From the pictures I've seen, even the inside staterooms on the Solstice have shower doors and in general the bathrooms are more spacious.

 

Price - After my bad food experience at NCL, I was never sailing with them again but I compared the price with Celebrity nevertheless. The difference came down to a little over $20/pp/day, although this time I was armed with better strategies on finding the best fares. So I am sure if you wait for the right time, Celebrity price drops will make the price difference a little less scary.

 

Hope this helps.

[Grumpy100]

We have sailed five times on ncl and three times on celebrity. Two of the x was on the solstice. Like others said it is Alaska you are going to see so if I could save $1000 on a cruise and put the extra money towards either some nice excursions in Alaska or towards your next cruise i would pick ncl. You will still enjoy yourself, get to save money and see Alaska and have some money pocketed towards your next cruise.

Happy sailing.

We used to always sail ncl but tried celebrity two years ago and find the food and ships much nicer but if it is Alaska you are going to save the money.

[Emperor Norton]

Something else: I'd go with whatever line fits your expectations the best AND is going to Glacier Bay.

[miched]

The Solstice is a beautiful ship and is a destination in itself. It was the first ship that we sailed on with X and loved it. Because of that cruise X has been our cruise line of choice but not really the only one that we sail on. That being said Alaska is also the destination.

 

The Alaska cruise we did was a B2B on Carnival. The ship or cruise line was not the purpose. It is the destination.

 

Save the money and spend it on the tours. We went on a float plane, took a helicopter tour,a whale watching and a steam engine train out of Skagway.

 

We like X but have sailed on other cruise lines and enjoyed all of them. Never sailed on NCl but have considered it and will do if the price is right.

 

The next 3 cruises that we have booked are on Carnival, Princess and X. There is no loyalty that is worth paying a premium for. We have sailed enough on all of them to reach their highest level. For the money difference we can pay for any of the so called benefits and still be ahead if the price is right.

 

Alaska is like no other cruise. Book your tours on shore. It is a US port,very safe and you will get a better deal plus a better tour. The big factor will be the weather. If it is raining you may not want to do the tour. If you book it on board too bad, no refund.

 

 

.

.

[navyrotorhead]

Hello:

 

Ever since the Solstice class came out, I've been eager to sail aboard one of their ships. My dilemma is that for a similar category, the cost of sailing on Solstice will be $1,000 more than sailing on NCL Jewel. Under different circumstances, the difference in price wouldn't be an issue, but in addition to the Alaska cruise, we are also budgeting for another cruise which will be much more costly. I CAN make it happen if the difference in the experience will be that much better, but I don't want to spend the extra money and learn that it was wasted money...

 

We haven't sailed on either cruise line, so no matter which one we pick, it will be a new experience, but we are at a point in our lives where we don't mind spending extra to experience a more upscale cruise.

 

If you've sailed on NCL (Jewel class) and Celebrity (Solstice class), would you spend an extra $1000 to sail on the Solstice? Is the experience that much different?

 

Thanks for any input that you may provide! :)

 

I did a 12 night repositioning from NYC to Miami on Jewel in November of 08, and just did a 14 night transatlantic on Solstice this April.

 

I have never been on a bad cruise (except the Navy ones:rolleyes:) Solstice is newer, bigger, and more elegant with bigger cabins (unless you are doing the 5000 sq ft Garden Villas:eek:) Jewel was still fun, I actually liked all the extra dining venues. (Steak, teppenyaki, french, italian, mexican) Check internet sights for better pricing, I can do an entire second cruise for less than your difference, :cool: but...

 

You already said it, you "don't mind spending extra" for a more upscale cruise. X is definitely more upscale. Just HAVE FUN!:)

[Topo Gigio]

Another thing is that you said that your parents were elderly people, so keep in mind that they will most probably spend more time on the ship!

 

Usually when I get off a ship I already see the elderly people returning back to the ship.