Expectations for Solstice

[cruisin-m]

Just back from the Celebrity Solstice, all cruise ships are lovely to cruise on and same can be said for the Solstice, it was a brilliant cruise like every other one just I would say don't go in with high expectations that seem to surround this ship, or you will likely find yourself slightly disappointed. I found the experience was great, but not as good as sister line RC and thought P&O have better service and food(for the most part) which I really expected to find quite the opposite on Celebrity. RC's food leaves Celebrity's for dead in my opinion! Don't know if it's recent cuts or something but everyone spoke so highly of this ship which leaves you feeling really baffled by it on-board.

 

Have to say the ship itself and cabins are absolutely stunning though!!

 

Awesome holiday but just don't compare to other lines or have expectations of it being a lot better than other lines and you'll be happy;) Well not the way it's currently being operated anyway.:eek:

 

I'll be really interested to see other feedback for the Solstice cruising out of Australia and thoughts:rolleyes: Maybe I'm alone here?:p

[Gail360]

Just back this week also - The Ship is beautifully appointed in every way shape and form .

 

The Staff excellent .

 

The Entertainment was also excellent

 

 

We didn't care much for the food in the MDR .. In our opinion it was very ordinary , I hope this isn't a reflection on the Head Chef and maybe he is doing the best he can with the budget they allow him . Didn't mind the Bistro and the food there was what we expected .

 

We did not try any of the other restaurants , didn't get around to doing Bistro on 5 - which we wanted to . The light food at the Aqua spa was very nice .

[RockhopperPom]

Hi

Also cruised on the Solstice and returned back to Australia on Monday 4 Nov 13. We found all aspects of the cruise to be above all levels experienced on our previous RCL Voyager of the Seas trip during last Christmas Dec/Jan to NZL. I am not saying The RCL cruise was not great, but Celebrity Solstice was in our opinion better. We will travel with both companies again, in fact we are booked on Rhapsody of the Seas over Christmas.

 

 

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[silverwillow]

I have to agree I found the food and service very average on the Solstice. The ship is beautiful but I prefer the Diamond princess for the pools, service and food. Solstice had better entertainment though and hands down better cabins. Royal had a younger more relaxed demographic that I preferred over both celebrity and princess.

[The_Big_M]

Just back from the Celebrity Solstice, all cruise ships are lovely to cruise on and same can be said for the Solstice, it was a brilliant cruise like every other one just I would say don't go in with high expectations that seem to surround this ship, or you will likely find yourself slightly disappointed.

 

Agreed, been saying the same since last season, mostly due to cuts I've seen on Celebrity.

 

Since then, it seems to have only been hyped even more!

[ckl001]

I have to agree. I was on the solstice last year and the ship itself is amazing and the cabins are great but the food in the the MDR was a let down for me.

 

Chez

[Stuartm]

I returned from 18 nights on the Solstice on Oct 23rd and I found the food in the MDR and the specialty restaurants to be excellent.

 

My first cruise was on Diamond Princess in 2008 and after reading all their hype about 5 star dining etc. etc. I was quite underwhelmed with the quality of the food and in particular with the presentation. It wasn't that the food was terrible, I still managed to add a few kilos, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

 

I cruised the Diamond a year later and there was a marked improvement perhaps because there was a new executive chef.

 

One thing I did find out on the Solstice is that although they say that almost everything is made 'from scratch' on board, there are various interpretations of the term. I commented to the Head Waiter how much I'd enjoyed a particular dish one night and the next day the recipe was under my cabin door. The dish was "Barolo Braised Beef Rib Ragout" and the first line in the recipe said "take one bag of Barolo braised ribs and thaw".

 

I'm not surprised that these short cuts are taken and it doesn't change my view of the quality of the food but I then wondered how much food is prepared on shore.

 

Food discussions are very subjective as we all have our individual tastes and expectations but I can only say I was impressed with the Solstice.

 

cheers

 

Stu

[NSWP]

I have to agree. I was on the solstice last year and the ship itself is amazing and the cabins are great but the food in the the MDR was a let down for me.

 

Chez

I agree with your comments, I was on Solstice in March, Syd-Auck. Tucker was overated in my opinion. I actually had a couple of conversations with the Exec Chef and Maitre'D about food quality and presentation. I think I am now barred for life from Celebrity Cruises, LOL.

 

They have dropped the ball in Australian/NZ waters anyhow. Many Americans on board told me they had experienced much better food on Celebrity cruises in other parts of the globe.

Edited November 8, 2013 by NSWP

[The_Big_M]

They have dropped the ball in Australian/NZ waters anyhow. Many Americans on board told me they had experienced much better food on Celebrity cruises in other parts of the globe.

 

I can say the food on Constellation in the Baltic this year was no better.

[The_Big_M]

I commented to the Head Waiter how much I'd enjoyed a particular dish one night and the next day the recipe was under my cabin door.

 

That's an impressive thing to do - you had a good head waiter!

[silverwillow]

They have dropped the ball in Australian/NZ waters anyhow. Many Americans on board told me they had experienced much better food on Celebrity cruises in other parts of the globe.

 

So many of the Americans we spoke to on board were very disappointed with the food and service on the Solstice compared to Celebrity in America.

[MicCanberra]

I returned from 18 nights on the Solstice on Oct 23rd and I found the food in the MDR and the specialty restaurants to be excellent.

 

My first cruise was on Diamond Princess in 2008 and after reading all their hype about 5 star dining etc. etc. I was quite underwhelmed with the quality of the food and in particular with the presentation. It wasn't that the food was terrible, I still managed to add a few kilos, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

 

I cruised the Diamond a year later and there was a marked improvement perhaps because there was a new executive chef.

 

One thing I did find out on the Solstice is that although they say that almost everything is made 'from scratch' on board, there are various interpretations of the term. I commented to the Head Waiter how much I'd enjoyed a particular dish one night and the next day the recipe was under my cabin door. The dish was "Barolo Braised Beef Rib Ragout" and the first line in the recipe said "take one bag of Barolo braised ribs and thaw".

 

I'm not surprised that these short cuts are taken and it doesn't change my view of the quality of the food but I then wondered how much food is prepared on shore.

 

Food discussions are very subjective as we all have our individual tastes and expectations but I can only say I was impressed with the Solstice.

 

cheers

 

Stu

I too was on this cruise and would have to agree, the food was excellent.

I do not know what changed (if anything) between this cruise and the next but it had great presentation, taste, portion size and service for my cruise.

I do find (with movies, etc.) that if expectations are really high due to other peoples praise then sometimes there is a let down.

In any case, food is a very subjective thing in any case.:D

[MicCanberra]

So many of the Americans we spoke to on board were very disappointed with the food and service on the Solstice compared to Celebrity in America.

We had 130 and then 1320 Aussies onboard for the previous 2 cruises (23 Sept & 4 Oct) and surely they are not going to change standards just because there are not as many Americans onboard. I certainly didn't notice any thng different between the two cruises. :D

Edited November 8, 2013 by MicCanberra

[SamfromOz]

We cruised the Solstice in Alaska in August and found the food pretty good for the most part. MDR good, Bistro 5 good, Ocean View buffet good and bad, Tuscan Grill excellent.

 

To the OP, are you actually saying that P&O has better food than Celebrity? Surely you meant Princess cruises? In my experience P&O would be easily outclassed by your local RSL club. Like comparing cakes from Zumbo and from Coles...(where AZ is Celebrity and P&O is Coles)

[KarateMan]

I have been on Solstice and found it outstanding in all respects. Could not complain about anything really. I have never been on a cruise I have been unhappy with and always enjoy it all.

[karmac]

Everybody sees things differently as we all like different things. We always cruise P&O and last year did a 3 nighter on Rhapsody Of The Seas. Was expecting it to be way better than P&O. The ship itself was, I love Rhapsody. Personally, I thought food was on a par with P&O. I always ate in the MDR but a couple of our group tried the buffet and thought it was terrible, which was my impression from lunch on boarding day. Friendliness of the crew and service was way better on P&O. I am doing a 3 nighter on Voyager and the following week a 3 nighter on Solstice. I will do both with an open mind but am certainly looking forward to what they both have to offer. I know I'll have a good time regardless.

[vally6]

Hi that sounds not good as we are going to Hawaii on Solstice in April next year .

Val

[MicCanberra]

Everybody sees things differently as we all like different things. We always cruise P&O and last year did a 3 nighter on Rhapsody Of The Seas. Was expecting it to be way better than P&O. The ship itself was, I love Rhapsody. Personally, I thought food was on a par with P&O. I always ate in the MDR but a couple of our group tried the buffet and thought it was terrible, which was my impression from lunch on boarding day. Friendliness of the crew and service was way better on P&O. I am doing a 3 nighter on Voyager and the following week a 3 nighter on Solstice. I will do both with an open mind but am certainly looking forward to what they both have to offer. I know I'll have a good time regardless.

 

Have a great time on both ships and please do a review for each and perhaps even a comparison analysis as well. :D

[MicCanberra]

Hi that sounds not good as we are going to Hawaii on Solstice in April next year .

Val

 

Do not believe everything you hear/read, take it all with a grain of salt. Make up your own mind once onboard and discover who was wrong and who was right.:D

[The_Big_M]

Hi that sounds not good as we are going to Hawaii on Solstice in April next year .

Val

 

I wouldn't say it's not good. It's as the OP said, a good cruise like others, just that it's been overhyped. Not that it's bad.

[MicCanberra]

I wouldn't say it's not good. It's as the OP said, a good cruise like others, just that it's been overhyped. Not that it's bad.

 

I suppose it would be disappointing if your expectations are way over the top. It is best for people to judge for themselves.:D

[karmac]

Have a great time on both ships and please do a review for each and perhaps even a comparison analysis as well. :D

 

Thanks. Will do:D

[cruisin-m]

We cruised the Solstice in Alaska in August and found the food pretty good for the most part. MDR good, Bistro 5 good, Ocean View buffet good and bad, Tuscan Grill excellent.

 

To the OP, are you actually saying that P&O has better food than Celebrity? Surely you meant Princess cruises? In my experience P&O would be easily outclassed by your local RSL club. Like comparing cakes from Zumbo and from Coles...(where AZ is Celebrity and P&O is Coles)

 

No, I definitely meant P&O Australia, Pacific Pearl and to a lesser extent Pacific Jewel prepared food to equal and if not better level of standard than on Celebrity Solstice, do keep in mind that food is a very subjective matter however. I'm not a fussy eater and have enjoyed every meal I've ever had on cruise ships from Princess to P&O to RC but Solstice was the first time that I actually had to send back and couldn't eat a meal because it was that terrible and tasted off or something! :eek: I wasn't alone either as it was happening with people I was with and also on other tables. Some meals were great, I would just say they lacked the consistency I've experienced with other cruise lines.

 

Also in regards to another post about nothing changing between US and Australian cruises, I can tell you they definitely changed the drinks prices as they had a massive hike on the second day of the cruise, which was a bit rude because it made all the passengers aware that it had happened.

 

First day a beer was $5.75 including grat and second day was hiked to $7 or $7.50 depending on what it was. Premium Aus beers like Crown Lager were $9.25 which is steep even by restaurant standards.

 

Also a $12 glass of wine was lifted to $15 and this was across all menus. Was embarrassing for them because they forgot to change all the menus over so had different pricing but you always got the higher one.

 

I don't mean to scare anyone from cruising on-board the Solstice, I promise you will have a good time and a great holiday, I just wanted to perhaps burst that expectation bubble that I had for Celebrity as it will result in a much better time I think :cool:

[The_Big_M]

I suppose it would be disappointing if your expectations are way over the top. It is best for people to judge for themselves.:D

 

Some of the promotions here have been way over the top. For example I've seen it proclaimed as the only 5-star rated ship based here. Of course, that's going to build expectations. But who proclaimed it thus?

 

Given there's no accreditation and ratings are subjective that's just part of the hype. But they make it sound like it's official.

 

The cause of the problem isn't poor expectations, but the promotions hyping it up.

[MicCanberra]

Some of the promotions here have been way over the top. For example I've seen it proclaimed as the only 5-star rated ship based here. Of course, that's going to build expectations. But who proclaimed it thus?

 

Given there's no accreditation and ratings are subjective that's just part of the hype. But they make it sound like it's official.

 

The cause of the problem isn't poor expectations, but the promotions hyping it up.

 

Most cruise lines have been allocated a star rating by the cruise industry, this has been in place for quite a while. I have no problem with some ships being rated as 6 star or 5 star or even 3 star, as it gives you a comparison for pricing and ship board experience.:D