Review of Aft cabins on Celebrity Solstice wanted!

[Droop]

I was wondering if anyone had comments (pros/cons) on the AFT cabins on the Celebrity Solstice?  If there were any on the other threads maybe I'm missing them but if there are any please let me know.  I'm planning on taking a back to back out of Sydney when I retire in 2022.  The cruise that I'm looking for is in April which would not be too hot or too cold.  The first one is 11 days out of Sydney up the coast of the Barrier Reef.  The other one is also out of Sydney 18 days approx (again on the Solstice) and this goes to New Zealand, Bora Bora etc. and ends up in Hawaii. 

 

I wanted to make sure that the location and cabin is one that I'm going to be happy with since I would be spending approx. 28 days. We are possibly having some family and friends on the same cruise as well. 

 

On other cruises on other lines we read the reviews and I remember some stating that there was an issue with the vibrations/smell/soot and other things that were an issue.  (this was on Princess).  We had taken the risk and we ended up with an AFT cabin which had the worst smell when you were outside due to the vent being right above us.  We paid for a balcony cabin but ended up with ocean view due to not being able to spend any time outside. Please mind you I don't want to sound negative but I just wanted some reviews of what they have experienced. 

That's what I love about c/c. 

[Cockatoos]

Hi Droop. our April is your Spring time, so warm but not hot but will nearer to the Equator crossing. We personally love the aft cabins and never had an issue with noise, soot, and smells. We love the 180 degree views and the beauty of the ship wake both day and night. Our favourite is an aft Aqua class which is increasingly popular and rarely available when we book :(

[Boatharbour]

Our first cruise was in an aft corner sky suite on Solstice and we absolutely loved it. Deck 7 I think. No problems with soot or vibrations, large wrap around verandah and amazing views. 

 

Our next cruise was in an aft concierge cabin on the Equinox, two decks down from the outdoor area of the Oceanview cafe and about half way across the back.  Again no soot, fumes or vibrations. However there was little shade and the  balcony was also fully visible from the outdoor area of the Oceanview cafe if people looked over the railings - which they did. I wouldn’t book that deck again. 

 

Some complain about the walk to the lift and stairs, but we didn’t find it an issue. It was a quiet location and the views are wonderful. There is something so relaxing about watching the wake. An aft cabin will always be our first preference if available. 

[keesar]

The advantage is the wonderful views from the really nice veranda.  The drawbacks include the possibility of some soot and the long walk to the elevators and stairs.  For some, the issue of privacy may be a concern as people do look down from above.  

[bengaltiger1]

We were in 9374 on the Tahitian Treasures Cruise in 2017.  We loved the location. Yes, you have the walk to the lifts or stairs, but unless you have mobility issues, then it’s not a problem.  The balcony was great, but please be aware that the lower the deck number that there is a difference in the size of the balcony.  If we had had a choice, we would have gone for deck 11. Our friends were in 1666 and the balcony was a much better size.  

There was some soot very occasionally, but the balcony and furniture was cleaned by the cabin steward.  We had no problems with any smells on the balcony at all.  It was lovely and sunny with a light breeze at times. Plus you get the fantastic views from the aft.  As to people and privacy. Yes, people can look down on you, but then people can look at you by the pool. We would book the cabin again if it was a warm weather cruise. 

[GastroGnome]

Both DM and DS prefer the aft cabins on Sihouette - DM prefers the corner CS with the large balcony.  DS prefers a SS.  (We (DH, DD and I) tend to opt for the RS or the CS mid ship on the buldge) We've cruised both Silhouette and other X shifts with these preferences and never had a problem. But others on this forum advise that the SS directly below the restaurant can suffer from noise.  And personally I would not want one of the SS where your balcony is clearly visible from the Oceanview outside eating area.  But that is my preference.

[gold1953]

We had deck 11 aft on the Solstice and constantly had people looking over at us from 2 decks up ( outside the OVC so it was a busy space) . We did get soot on our clothes so we kept a towel to wipe the railing so we could lean on it  and yes there was  a slight smell depending on ship speed and wind. I suspect that lower decks would be better

[lola2013]

I was in 8344 on Solstice recently.  This aft cabin is in the middle of the row and has the widest balcony because there is a steward's "pantry" next door so the balcony extends a bit.  I saw no soot and there was no noise from either the steward's when they were working in that room or from the Oceanview.  It also wasn't a problem that the cabins above could look down on my balcony.  The extra distance to the stairs was not an issue either.

This was my first time in a SV and I have never looked back.  On this particular sailing, we were five days from Hawaii to Vancouver and the sunsets were amazing.

Enjoy!

Susan

[mchell810]

4 hours ago, lola2013 said:

I was in 8344 on Solstice recently.  This aft cabin is in the middle of the row and has the widest balcony because there is a steward's "pantry" next door so the balcony extends a bit.  I saw no soot and there was no noise from either the steward's when they were working in that room or from the Oceanview.  It also wasn't a problem that the cabins above could look down on my balcony.  The extra distance to the stairs was not an issue either.

This was my first time in a SV and I have never looked back.  On this particular sailing, we were five days from Hawaii to Vancouver and the sunsets were amazing.

Enjoy!

Susan

 

I see on the deck plan that is a connecting cabin.  How did you feel about that? Did you lose any space for the connecting door?  Was there noise from the other cabin?  Thanks.

[Slowtraveler]

Hi Droop,

My wife and I will be in SV 6306 on Solstice from Vancouver to Hawaii, Sept 13. I almost never add any comments to this board but read it all the time.  Don't let me forget 😮 and I will try to send some photos and answer any questions I can.

We live in Oregon and will be flying out of Portland.

Edd and Deborah

[lola2013]

11 minutes ago, mchell810 said:

 

I see on the deck plan that is a connecting cabin.  How did you feel about that? Did you lose any space for the connecting door?  Was there noise from the other cabin?  Thanks.

My friends were in the connecting cabin...no problem at all.   There was no noise from either side of me and no lost space.  All good.

Enjoy!

[ScubesDad]

We prefer aft cabins and have sailed there on about 80% of our cruises.  we sail on the deck immediately below the ocean view cafe primarily because there is an overhang which provides shade from the sun and shelter from any rain which makes the balcony more useful.  there is some noise from the deck above but nothing we have found too disturbing.  we have never been disturbed in the early morning by furniture being moved around above, although this is a concern expressed by many people.

On 2 occassions out of about 16 cruises we have experienced a soot problem.  never a major issue however it is a bit of an inconvenience. Stateroom attendant will deal with it immediately.

As others have said it is a wee hike to the elevator/stairs but not seen as a deterent.

There is more motion at the aft, as well as the bow, compared to midship, it can be noticable on sea days when the ship is moving at speed and there is any type of weather/wind.

 

All of these "issues" are minor compared to the wonderful views of the wake.

 

 

 

 

[K12Guy]

8 hours ago, bengaltiger1 said:

 As to people and privacy. Yes, people can look down on you, but then people can look at you by the pool.

I sunbathe in the nude and after one fast glance people never look over the railing again. 🙂

 

[Droop]

These are all wonderful and informative comments.  Thanks for the responses.  We always like to do the research on the cabins and make sure that there are no common areas (pools lounges etc) above or below our cabins due to the noise etc.  The hubby prefers some shade on the balcony and I can understand wanting some privacy but the hubby does not mind.  K12 Guy LOL you are funny.  We probably will not be doing the nude sunbathing 😉

As for the connecting cabins we prefer not to have them because they do take up some of the room in the cabin plus it cuts down on the noise from the other cabin.  Even if they are family or friends if you want some privacy with a conversation you don't have to worry about what you are saying if that makes sense. Also if you want to move another chair into the cabin for seating you have the extra room without the door being in the way.

As for the lifts we don't mind the walking because after eating all of the wonderful food we prefer to use the stairs to walk it off.  But it's good to know for those who have mobility issues. 

That's good to know about the stewards pantry.  It's like being on one of the ships in one of the hump cabins.  You have a sweeping view of everything to the right and left of you.  We are looking at possibly the C-1 cat.  I'm wondering if the cabin like 9382 which is in the middle would be a good cabin. 

Again thanks for all of the reviews. Planning the cruise is part of the excitement.   I'm looking forward to hearing more.  🙂

Edited August 7, 2019 by Droop

[bEwAbG]

First: If you look at the sticky threads at the top of the main page of this forum, there are three that pertain specifically to cabins.  Solstice is an S-Class ship, so info about its rooms is in that thread.  There is a spreadsheet in the first post that links to a document where the room review information is compiled.  If the specific cabin you are looking for on Solstice isn't listed, you may find a review for the equivalent cabin on a different S-Class ship, though you should be careful to compare deck plans to make sure it really is the same cabin class on each ship.

 

Second: you can do a search on Cruise Critic for the room number and usually turn up posts about it

 

Third: if you just Google the ship name and room number, you may find videos that people have posted so you can see the actual room.  Just keep in mind that the decor on all of the ships is being updated over the next few years.  Solstice is not scheduled for that until October 2021, though.

 

Link to cabin thread:

 

 

 

[Marelaine]

duplicate

Edited August 7, 2019 by Marelaine

[K12Guy]

1 hour ago, Droop said:

I'm wondering if the cabin like 9382 which is in the middle would be a good cabin. 

9382 should be an excellent selection, unless you want suite perks, which are wonderful, by the way. 9382 has about the best balance point (side to side) and is aft, so it should be great as far as motion goes. Of course there will be some overhead issues, as always.

[tkline]

We were on Solstice for an Alaska cruise 2 years ago, i forget which deck (there was 1 deck of cabins between us and the top/pool deck). We had a mini suite that was next to the corner cabin. The views off of the balcony were great, and while the ship was moving we could go out there without it being too windy. Didn't notice any kind of soot or exhaust smells or anything, it was fine.

 

For our next cruise we did Regal Princess to new england and had a side cabin and it was nice, but we liked the aft cabin location a lot better. We just booked an aft cabin for the celebrity reflection next summer going to Ireland and Iceland, really looking forward to that. We are going to be right under the buffet, but hoping being in the very back of the ship it won't be too noisy since it will pretty much just be tables above us.

 

So if you're able to get a nice aft cabin I say go for it!

[Creekside89]

We were recently in Cabin 9389. Very quiet. You don't notice the walk to the lifts. People looking down from balconies, didn't notice, but then again we didn't look up.

[work2travelmore]

We stayed in cabin 1674 last November and it was a great location. It is the middle of the aft so we had a bit larger balcony. We did have soot, but as mentioned in another post, we used towels from the pool to use as cover when we needed it. It depended on which way the wind blew as to how much soot we had. The soot was worth the inconvenience compared to the view. We sailed from Auckland to Sydney and the fiords were amazing from the aft of the ship.

[Droop]

BeWaAbG I usually do the research on the on CC and a few years back they changed the format on this site which made it not as user friendly.  It's harder to search for specifics at times.  I use the website Sxx Scxxxxr (I know we cant share the name) which come in handy when looking for the different decks, cabins and most of all it lets you know which ones are available so you don't have to search every web site. 

I'm not firm on the cabin but I'm putting out the feelers to get some ideas.  The C-1 is just one that we are interested in.  Does anyone know how the seas are during that time period?  I'm not sure if they are pretty rough at times that far out.  I know that if someone is prone to sea sickness they need to be mid ship mid level for the best place.  I know this is off the topic but I was just curious about how it is during that time of the year. 

 

Work2 travel  That sounds wonderful. :)

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Droop

[George C]

We loved our sky suite aft on pool deck , loved that suite on solstice 

[aycee]

21 hours ago, gold1953 said:

We had deck 11 aft on the Solstice and constantly had people looking over at us from 2 decks up ( outside the OVC so it was a busy space) . We did get soot on our clothes so we kept a towel to wipe the railing so we could lean on it  and yes there was  a slight smell depending on ship speed and wind. I suspect that lower decks would be better

We also had a Deck 11 Aqua aft balcony on Solstice. We found that rubbish blew onto our balcony from the OVC outdoor area - things like paper sugar containers and other bits and pieces - not a major problem but a bit annoying at times. Having said that we also felt a bit exposed from those above. However, the view of the wake was amazing.

[bengaltiger1]

10 hours ago, Droop said:

BeWaAbG I usually do the research on the on CC and a few years back they changed the format on this site which made it not as user friendly.  It's harder to search for specifics at times.  I use the website Sxx Scxxxxr (I know we cant share the name) which come in handy when looking for the different decks, cabins and most of all it lets you know which ones are available so you don't have to search every web site. 

I'm not firm on the cabin but I'm putting out the feelers to get some ideas.  The C-1 is just one that we are interested in.  Does anyone know how the seas are during that time period?  I'm not sure if they are pretty rough at times that far out.  I know that if someone is prone to sea sickness they need to be mid ship mid level for the best place.  I know this is off the topic but I was just curious about how it is during that time of the year. 

 

Work2 travel  That sounds wonderful. 🙂

 

I can’t comment on the GBR Cruise, but on the Tahitian Treasures cruise in 2017 I remember one rough sea day. That was it. I think it was between Australia and New Zealand. The cruise remains one of my favourites.  

[dpcmh]

Another deck 11 Aqua to AK.... zero vibration...I've experienced this horribly on DCL ships in an aft room.  

 

No debris from Ocean View...but..and the only negative comment I have....when they hosed down the floor up there, all of that water poured down on our balcony.   Made for wet chairs.   Usually occured between lunch and dinner and again after dinner.  

 

I'll take a wake view whenever possible!