Solstice

[dandtgeddes]

Gidday all!

 

Our family is seriously considering a 14 day Australia and New Zealand Solstice cruise in January 2015.

 

To date we have cruised on the Diamond Princess and on The Voyager of the Seas as a family.

 

Have enjoyed sharing a mini suite on Emerald deck on the Diamond and had connecting Promenade cabins on the Voyager.

 

We are looking at a number of cabin options, many are based around a two cabin split, the second bathroom being the biggest factor in that equation.

 

As at sailing date the kids will be 18 and 14, both have enjoyed the kids programs thus far.

 

So, what do you reccommend?

 

High on the list at present is a Sky Suite connecting with a Sunset cabin combo, two connecting Sunset cabins, two bigger balcony Veranda combos or just biting the bullet, figuratively, and getting a couple of insides and having less money to have to scrape together.

 

Also, seeking advice regarding drinks packages etc. On Princess we all had the Ultimate Kids Package and we also purchased a coffee card, on Royal we got the kids a soda package each and purchased other drinks a la carte.

 

We are not huge drinkers, may have a shandi (a beer and lemonade mix), orange juice, cappaccino (sp), latte, mocha, wine with dinner, a froo froo cocktail or a liquer chaser on occassion, but I would like to know how the Aussies and the Kiwis in particular have found the packages.

 

Also, the specialty restaurants, worth a package? I have seen some threads suggesting that we just board and wait for the specials.

 

I have posed an almost identical post on the Australia and New Zealand boards but am casting my query a bit wider as the more recent Solstice cruises have been in the USA area of the Pacific.

 

Thanking you in advance for your replies.

 

God bless you:)

 

TraceyG

[MargoK]

Tracey - I replied on the Australian/NZ forum;)

[4774Papa]

We did the Top End Australia cruise in Feb/Mar. Be sure to spend a few days in Sydney, go to the Blue Mountains and enjoy Sydney as well. Here is my review.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=216863

To us the drink packages are not a good deal.

[CathyCruises]

Have you looked into a Family Veranda? My daughter and her Aussie BF traveled with us on Solstice in the Med in 8107 (IIRC). The cabin is 575 sq. ft. with two bedrooms, huge living room, just one bath but that was fine. You may have to call to see if any were available.

 

Many people in your situation book a veranda cabin for the parents and an inside across the hall for the kids. . .

 

Yes, wait til you're on board for specialties, we got 50% off on our recent trip.

[dandtgeddes]

Gidday.

 

Thank you all for your replies, they have been very helpful.

 

I agree the balcony/inside combo would be more cost effective but my DH is keen to have a Sky Suite and justifies this by noting that we are saving for the trip almost 18 months from sail away. The kids (boths teens) would also like a balcony and 'their own' space, I would like them to pay for 'their own' space, hmm. We are unable to get the family cabins unless we have 5 people cruising and DH wants his privacy. I tell you, a good comprimise leaves everybody unhappy. Can't say I am fighting the Suite idea too much though, would be nice to be pampered, just a bit :o

 

Have read your review 4774Papa, sounds like you had a very full trip, I am glad you enjoyed it and made some lovely new friends.

 

I agree with you and MargoK that I might not get full value on the drinks package but I will look up the spreadsheet and do some cost analysis, I really like that sort of thing...

 

CathyCruises, what did you get the 50% discount on? We are not heavily into the specialty restaurants but would like the option in case we make friends with someone on a different sitting that we would like to have dinner with.

 

Thank you again for your replies, I really like the community atmosphere of cc.

 

Anyone else want to contribute, please feel free, I will be checking in later on.

 

God bless you all:)

 

TraceyG

[CathyCruises]

We got 50% off on Qsine, twice, and we were able to book the FV with only two people, although we ended up with 4.

[Shake]

The kids (boths teens) would also like a balcony and 'their own' space, I would like them to pay for 'their own' space, hmm.

God bless you all:)

 

TraceyG

 

What do you mean.

 

You would like your children (teens) to "pay" for their own space. How would they pay?

[MicCanberra]

I have responded on the Aussie/NZ thread.:D

[MicCanberra]

What do you mean.

 

You would like your children (teens) to "pay" for their own space. How would they pay?

A lot of teenagers in Australia and NZ have part time jobs, I would assume that these kids do as well.:D

[Waihekean]

Hi, Dantgeddes

Please note that this cruise is not 14 days anymore in 2015, but is now a 12 night cruise. They do not have the overnight in Sydney anymore and Napier is also gone. But great that you can just board or disembark in Auckland.

 

It is a pity that you can not book the family veranda aft cabin.

If you are going for the Skysuite for yourself make sure that you book the one which is aft and on the corner. Those are actually the ones you see on Celebrity's website photo with the lovely porthole windows. All the other ones are sort of the same as the standard cabins only a lot larger and some have the large overhang on the veranda's.

 

The current NZ prices are pretty good on Celebrity's web site at the moment, just a bit cheaper then the American TA's.

[piri]

Hi Dantgeddes,

I can't comment on the suites as I have only had a Concierge level cabin.

We are Australian and on our 18 night cruise early this year we purchased the Classic drink package. We were very happy with how it worked.

I had read on this forum that some people felt that the wine service at lunch/dinner was less than perfect for package holders. We never experienced this. We love our wine and drink plenty of it and always were well looked after.We always found a label we liked and only on one occasion had to request a replacement.

We had previously sailed on two all inclusive lines and we were worried about always having to sign for things on the Solstice. The package was the solution.

If you enjoy your wine , a couple of cocktails and your coffee while on holiday, without thinking about expenditure, I would definitely advise you to purchase a drinks package. Whether its the Premium or Classic is up to your budget and taste. If you choose the Classic don't worry about not finding very drinkable wines under $8. We always did and we are a couple brought up on wine. You obviously are not going to get top wines but as I said, very drinkable non the less!

Enjoy your planning and your future cruise. Cheers.

[dandtgeddes]

Thank you all for your responses.

 

Sorry for my lack of reply, this is due to my laptop being stolen and a replacement being an insurance claim away.

 

I fully intend to read through your responses as soon as I can.

 

Anyone else wanting to chime in, I am still listening, well, kinda, as soon as I can.

 

God bless you all:)

 

TraceyG

[Gig103]

Celebrity has a classic non alcohol package that covers juice, soda, bottled water, and espresso based drinks (your mocha, for instance). Even if you don't think your wine and beer consumption adds up enough for an alcohol package, considering the quality of Cafe Al Bacio I'd suggest at least getting the NA one. 2 cappuccino and 3 sodas a day breaks even on that one.

[maitlandmom]

We are sailing with our 3 kids 18, 20, 23 to the Baltics and we did the S1 Sky Suite and the c2 next door. Haven't sailed yet but everyone seems happy.