Just Back from Solstice

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Celebrity 14 night “Quest” cruise Auckland to Sydney.

 

Arrived at Princess Wharf at 1 pm and boarding took around 35 min. The ship looked very clean and we were impressed with the layout. Our stateroom 7133 was very comfortable for us no noise at night and the balcony became very handy. Our Attendant Felipe was outstanding he made a different towel animal every night for our 16 yo. The ship was full with nearly 3000 pax, we never saw that many throughout the cruise except at the emergency drill, there was approx. 40 teenagers and 60 younger children on board. I only saw my daughter at meal times, she had a great time and met many new friends at the XClub the staff were good.

 

We had lunch at the Oceanview cafe the first day. The staff served all pax for the first 72 hours, this did not slow things down that much and we appreciated the effort for hygiene, there was also a staff member at every entrance restaurant and shore gangways to spray your hands.

 

The buffet food was satisfactory as we went for breakfast daily, and the odd lunch on port days. Yes the food looked much the same every day, but as there were so many varieties to choose from we were able to create a different meal each time. The MDR was good for us for dinner and lunch on sea days, and we had no problems getting a table after 7 pm in select dinning. The service was good, and we found we averaged around 90 mins per meal which gave us plenty of time to see the second show at 9 pm, yes the MDR was noisy some times, but so are any busy restaurants. The starters were good including Escargot ( my first time). Best stand out meals for us was the Prime Rib, Grilled Chicken, Duck la Orange, Chicken Kiev, Veal Medallions, and best lunch NY Steak, Nagasaki Noodles Udon. Although we dressed appropriately for each evening we noticed on the 3 formal nights 25% went formal, most of the rest were smart casual which did not bother us. We also dined at the Silk Harvest & Tuscan Grille which had superb food.

 

 

The bars that we went to had good service, the pool bar was sometimes under staffed. Corona beer $7, Bacardi $8, Pinot Noir $11 glass. We also had the Classic non/alc package which worked well for us and was very convenient.

 

The Cruise Critic meet & mingle was a success and was held on first sea day in the Sky Lounge 10.15 am. There was around 100 there including the senior officers and the Master.

 

Solstice theatre was nice with good seating and reasonable acoustics. We went to a few shows, and the Best for us was comedian Jeff Nease, Vocalist & Guitarist Mario D’Andrea, Violist Seonaid Aitken, and the European Theatrical Circus. We also enjoyed some of the beyond podium speakers Naturalist Milos and Lyn Hurry.

 

Cruising the sounds was incredible which started off very misty in Dusky & Doubtful but still great. Milford Sound turned on the sun when we entered and was absolutely breathtaking. Our best port of calls were Bay of Islands, Hobart & Sydney. Melbourne was far too hot at 42 degrees, a bit of a shame for the tennis players.

 

Well I hope this is helpful to others. Yes we did enjoy our first Celebrity cruise and I think we got value for our money spent.

 

Happy Cruising:)

 

Master: Captain Yannis Berdos

Chief Engineer: Stavros Zannikos

Staff Captain: Dimitris Petras

Guest Relations: Miguel Cunha

Hotel Director: Tom Brady

Cruise Director: Ian Cresswell

Food & Beverage: Martin Fowler

Executive Chef: Geoffrey Haviland

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[suncityga]

Appreciate your great review... we are looking forward to Solstice out of Sydney in 2015.

 

We also loved sailing the NZ sounds in 2013 ! ! !

 

Did you do a tour in Bay of Islands? Would appreciate any details you could share.

 

Thanks

Edited January 21, 2014 by suncityga

[pattyj 1204]

Thanks for posting. We are boarding her in13 days in Auckland, We are spending 2 days in Auckland pre-cruise, Can't wait to see this beautiful country.

I'm also curious about what you did in Bay of Islands---my sister is going to do her own thing and isn't sure what that will be. We are going to the Hole in the Wall with the ship excursion.

Thanks Pat

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Thanks for your comments. We had a very nice day as it was great to sail in rather than driving up from Auckland, they had a spectacular sailing regatta in the afternoon.

 

There are several good trips available, Glow worm caves & Kauri forest, Tucker Thompson sailing ship, hole in the rock tour and walking tour of historic Russell etc, either through the ship tours or direct on land, but if you want a non stressed relaxing day then my pick would be Russell. You can make your own timetable in this beautiful spot with lovely beaches, cafes and quaint buildings steeped in history of early NZ.

 

A tender from the ship takes around 20 mins with a shuttle bus to take you on a short journey from Waitangi wharf to Paihia where you can catch a ferry to Russell approx. 15 mins. If you still want more on the way back then there is always the option of stopping at Paihia and Waitangi. The cost is very economical compared with land tours.

Edited January 21, 2014 by KiwiFunCruiser

[suncityga]

Thank you for the additional information on Bay of Islands. :)

[DebbieMacG]

Great review :)

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Oh! I forgot to mention about the music on board. There were various artists around the ship especially after 5 pm. Singing duo in Atrium, a Neil Diamond impersonator some nights, Jonny Mantra at the Mast Bar afternoons, and a female duo singers at the pool each early afternoon. Sorry guys, Zumba started at the pool on the second week was on every morning around 9 am and again at around 4 pm. Piped music was a mixed bag in the mornings with a lot of classical at night, volume was medium.

[drarill]

Thanks for your review!!:):)

[delondin]

Did the tender service run smoothly? Last year on Solstice it was appalling, and we are back on her next week and are hoping things have improved.

 

Thanks

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Did the tender service run smoothly? Last year on Solstice it was appalling, and we are back on her next week and are hoping things have improved.

 

Thanks

 

Yes, they went OK in Bay of Islands, but were slow in Akaroa due only to a bit of a swell. The ship was over 90 mins late leaving due to the slow trips back in the tenders.