On board the Solstice

[peter1956]

I won't say that we are excited or super excited 😄 but today is the day these first time Celebrity cruises are boarding. 

If anyone needs any questions asked about the ship let me know. 

This is a 10 night Melbourne to Auckland cruise. 

I won't do a blog but if anything stands out I will write it down. 

We do not have internet on board 🙂 and looking forward to the gaps. 

[mahdnc]

6 minutes ago, peter1956 said:

I won't say that we are excited or super excited 😄 but today is the day these first time Celebrity cruises are boarding. 

If anyone needs any questions asked about the ship let me know. 

This is a 10 night Melbourne to Auckland cruise. 

I won't do a blog but if anything stands out I will write it down. 

We do not have internet on board 🙂 and looking forward to the gaps. 

 

Have a nice cruise!!  It is a great ship!

Edited February 28, 2020 by mahdnc

[Northern Aurora]

Hope you enjoy the ship.  We have been on the Solstice several times, and will be boarding on March 10th for a B2B2B2B.  

[eyecantwait]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Solstice. We'll be boarding August 28th......10 years after our first Solstice cruise. Can't believe it's taken us this long to get back to it!

[peter1956]

We have been onboard 3 days now and have to say we are loving it 🙂

The ship is in excellent condition, for a ship that is getting a major overhaul next year everything is spotless. 
Our bed is so comfortable and the cabin 1624 is so quiet. Surprised us how much hanging and storage space there is.

Enjoyed Blu and Murano so far.

Over all a great experience. Hoping our May cruises go ahead.

[Jim_Iain]

Have a wonderful cruise. 

[Prost Seattle]

I’m 200 days out from my Solstice cruise in September.  Mom and I had a little pow wow yesterday and we’re very excited.  I’m going to spend a few days with her this month and I’ll show her some You Tube videos of the ship.  The last time she cruised to Hawaii was 1960, and she was in second class. In September she’s excited to have breakfast on her balcony, weather permitting. 

[tartantiara]

Look after her for us, we board on 20thMarch in Sydney for b/b ending in Auckland on 14thApril hoping our itinerary stays the same 

[Langley Cruisers]

1 hour ago, Prost Seattle said:

I’m 200 days out from my Solstice cruise in September.  Mom and I had a little pow wow yesterday and we’re very excited.  I’m going to spend a few days with her this month and I’ll show her some You Tube videos of the ship.  The last time she cruised to Hawaii was 1960, and she was in second class. In September she’s excited to have breakfast on her balcony, weather permitting. 

Aww that's amazing! Well, things have changed in 60 years! I hope you have a great time - Solstice is a beauty of a ship.

[Muffinz]

how was boarding? were there delays because they are taking extra time to sanitise the ship?

We board in Auckland on 1 April and would like to get there before mid day - even though celebrity said we should get to Princes wharf 1:30pm

[youwash]

On 3/3/2020 at 3:46 PM, Muffinz said:

how was boarding? were there delays because they are taking extra time to sanitise the ship?

We board in Auckland on 1 April and would like to get there before mid day - even though celebrity said we should get to Princes wharf 1:30pm

We boarded in Auckland on Feb. 17 and it started out not very well. We stayed at the Hilton Auckland on Princes Wharf which is just a short walk from where you drop your bags and enter for boarding. Our boarding time was noon(Elite) but went down about 11. And it was just a short walk to drop bags BUT there was a HUGE line in the other direction waiting to drop bags so we had to go there which was 2/3 of the way down the wharf.  We had plenty of patience and the weather was good and the line moved so all was good. 

So there was a reason for it as I found out. My sisters stayed at a Air BNB across the wharf and went down earlier and when they dropped off their bags they were asked to fill out a medical form, due to the virus, and this is what backed everything up. By the time we got in line they had abandoned the form and were just asking questions about your travel and travel to China. If you answered correctly they gave you an excursion sticker to wear when you got up to drop off bags and check in. 

 

The line for for check in went fast and we were on in no time. 

[num1crewsfam]

It’s been almost ten years since we’ve been on Solstice.  Heading back in May. Can’t wait!

[xjeddax]

Thanks for posting - we're meeting her in Auckland for the return (to Sydney) journey. Very excited.

[peter1956]

Day 7 and a land day so WiFi. 

Loving the ship, it has a great crew and they really help make the cruise so good. 

Only 4 days left 😥 but hopefully we will be back on board in May

[peter1956]

On 3/3/2020 at 10:46 AM, Muffinz said:

how was boarding? were there delays because they are taking extra time to sanitise the ship?

We board in Auckland on 1 April and would like to get there before mid day - even though celebrity said we should get to Princes wharf 1:30pm

There was a long line of taxis when we arrived at the dock in Melbourne and took awile for the taxi to drop us off, don't know if that is normal? 

There was a medical form that we had to fill out before anything and took a whole minute to fill out before we could start embarkation. Took us around 20 minutes to get on the ship. 

Life on board seems normal and every one seems to be having a great time. 

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for your update.   Good to hear things are moving along at the port.   Hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[Jokare]

Enjoying your report, we'll be on Solstice in September right across from you 1624.

[dodge9]

I board on March 20th in Sydney and cannot wait!  Have you done the glass blowing on the ship?  Any must do's onboard?  I assume a lot more handwashing, etc.  Is the buffet still self serve or are they serving you?  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!  

[peter1956]

So a sad morning, time to leave the ship in Auckland. 

We have had a really good time on board and I wish all future cruisers on her an equally good time. 

We think the crew has really made the difference, they have been very friendly and happy. 

So far touch wood no sign of any problems on board, lots of hand washing on board. 

Watched the glass blowing but did not do it. The buffet is still a lot of help yourself, but I don't know what it was like before. They prawns for lunch the other day and they were being served by staff. 

Safe travels everyone. 

[mahdnc]

@peter1956, thanks for the photo and the update.  Have a safe trip home.

[Muffinz]

looking forward to boarding Solstice in Auckland on 1st April.... hopefully the itinerary won't change...

[dodge9]

Thanks for the answers.  So glad you had a nice cruise.  Safe travels t o your home!