Review of our Recent Solstice "Haloween" Mexican Riviera Cruise...

[DenGNNJ]

PRE-NIGHT STAY AT THE LONG BEACH HILTON - MEH!

 

I would say this hotel is mediocre, at best ... certainly NOT in line with the $300+ nightly rate we paid.  The rooms were in need of updating for sure.  In addition to all the cruise ship passengers, there was a large wedding group celebrating and staying at the hotel.  The bar and restaurant was terribly understaffed and getting drinks was an ordeal.  On the plus side, the hotel was within walking distance to several good places to eat.  We ate at Solita Tacos & Margaritas (10 minute walk from our hotel) and had a fish tacos and drinks and were happy with the food and service.  

 

EMBARKATION - WORST WE EVER EXPERIECED

 

The free cruise port shuttle the Hilton advertises is for Princess Cruises only, not for Celebrity.  We tried to reserve a shuttle time but were refused when we told them we were Celebrity guests.  We called for a Lyft instead.  At the time, a large Lyft vehicle cost us about $22 for up to six passegers + luggage.  Our first ride came and did NOT match the XL description ... the SUV only could accommodate 4 people with no space for our luggage.  We had to re-book so we switched to Uber instead because this is the second time this has happened to us with Lyft.  Uber was a little more... $28... but we actually got the size ride we asked for.

 

The Uber driver didn't know where to go exactly, so when we got close to the port he had to ask for directions.  If you're going to drive for Uber or Lyft, you really should be familiar with the area, especially something as well used as a cruise ship terminal.  Uber finally took us to the address specified by Celebrity (berth 93) but our ship was nowhere to be found.  There were two Princess ships in the area - one Kiss (the band) themed, the other regular, I suppose but no Celebrity.  We started asking around and none of the porters seemed to know what we were talking about.  Fortunately, the person directing traffic pointed us to a person with a clipboard in the taxi pickup area.  She was with Celebrity and said that there was a change in the embarkation area and that she would call a shuttle bus to pick us up and bring us to the correct place... the bus took about 30 minutes to arrive.

 

The bus ride to the designated area took another 15-20 minutes.  We were let off, collected our luggage, found the porters and were off to check-in.  As we were walking to the check-in area, someone told us that a couple of our personal-sized tote bags were too large and would have to be checked.  We looked at the people in line, noticed that their bags were larger than ours (some were pulling full-sized 20" rolling carry-ons) and decided to ignore her.  Our bags contained our documents, meds, and other important and/or expensive things so we were ready to make our case should we be stopped again.  Turns out, no one beyond that one person had an issue with our bags.

 

Check-in was easy... we were all Retreat guests so we were directed to the Retreat / Zenith check-in line.  After check-in was completed, it was necessary to board ANOTHER shuttle to bring us to the ship.  We arrived at the terminal at 11:30 am and were on the ship at 2:30 pm... a TON of wasted time that could have been avoided had Celebrity emailed or texted the change, which they certainly did not.

 

THE CRUISE

 

The Solstice holds 2850 passengers and 1200 were on this cruise.  EVERYTHING was uncrowded and reservations to all the specialty restaurants were not a problem at all.  Deck chairs around the pool were easy to come-by and even though many were taken and not occupied with an actual person, many prime spots were always available.  Even the Martini Bar at prime-time was pretty manageable for the staff... we didn't have to wait long at all for drinks.

 

CABIN

 

Our Sky Suite cabin, deck 11 room #1666 was very nice and very clean... an excellent location (passenger cabins above and below us) at one of the aft corners of the ship with unobstructed rear and side views from the balcony.  Although still not "revolutionized", Solstice is an extremely well-maintained ship.  I wouldn't say it's in desperate NEED of an update, but it needs to be updated nonetheless.  It's lacking the Retreat Sundeck we've come to love and Retreat Lounge is still the dark Michael's Club.  Also... Where did the enhanced Retreat room service menu go?  As far as I can tell, it's the same room service menu all the other cabins with the exception of the Aqua Class rooms (they have a different, "spa inspired" room service menu).  We ordered from room service for breakfast 2x and although pretty good, it just was not the same quality and temperature as what we got from Luminae.  We even wrote-in some off-menu requests on the ordering card (eggs benedict, yogurt parfait, cappuccino, etc) and all requests were honored without a problem, but still ... nothing beats cooked to order, restaurant table service breakfast no matter which restaurant you choose to dine at.

 

The only time we saw our Retreat Host (Butler) was when he brought us our two breakfasts, and when he was trying to rush us along with putting our bags out on the last night.  Other than that we really didn't make use of their services.  Our suite attendant on the other hand did was amazing and did way more for us than the Retreat Host did.  We tipped both of them accordingly.

 

One of us was celebrating a birthday and on day five, the room was decorated and a cake & champagne was in our room.  I was surprised that the champagne was actually a nice bottle of French Mumm (about $50 at the liquor store).  We didn't drink the champagne or the welcome sparkling wine bottles but gave them to our relatives we visited after the cruise.  The cake was taken to Luminae and shared with everyone at dinner that night.

 

DINING

 

We did not eat in the Main Dining room or Blu any night during our cruise, and only ate at the Buffet 2x for lunch.  As far as the lunch Buffet goes, I was very happy with the offerings and everything looked amazing.  One day, a late afternoon return from Puerto Vallarta, the main buffet was closed however the stations that were still open were very good (sandwiches, salad, pizza/pasta, burritos, etc).

 

Luminae did not disappoint... much  

 

We ate there for breakfast 5 out of the seven morning we were on the cruise and 99.9% of the items I ordered were great.  The only exception is the chicken-apple sausage side ... it was dry and had an off-putting taste.  English Bangers were replaced by Kielbasa ... kind of disappointing because I have never had a banger before and wanted to try it.  Lunch was also very good with the exception of the Luminae burger which although huge, was made from coarse ground beef and had some hard pieces of unidentifiable "tissue" that my husband did not like at all.  Dinner was just terrific there... one could order either from the main dining room menu or the Luminae menu which several of us took advantage of.  The food coming from the Main Dining room was good, but not great.  One night I ordered the Escargot app, and it was not as hot as I would have liked, but good.  Others ordering from the Main Dining room menu were happy though.  The food coming from the Luminae kitchen was just excellent, except for the Chef Boulud Chicken Tagine which was basically a roasted (i guess) half chicken covered with a bland, mildly spicy sauce and not the braised chicken with olives, carrots, onions, & preserved lemons and warm spices the dish is normally known as.

 

Sushi on 5... EXCELLENT.

 

We ate here for lunch one day and everyone LOVED the food.  The Kobe Beef Sliders & other apps we had, as well as the lobster hot pot, and special rolls were all delicious.  I love the special drink menu as well.

 

Murano... EXCELLENT.

 

Again, another excellent meal.  TIP:  When reserving, large parties can "negotiate" to be seated at the table in the Wine Cellar Room (we said we would only make a reservation if we could have the room, and we got it).  It's a great space, very private, and just adds to the experience.  The menu at Murano is the same as we remember from the Normandy on Summit before it was revolutionized.  None of us opted for the "5-senses" menu which bumps the price of the cover charge to $109 pp.  We had done that a couple of times before on the Summit, and the menu choices didn't seem to line up with what we wanted to eat.  Also except for the wine pairings, you can actually order the same number of food courses from the regular menu anyway.  Another interesting thing... I asked for a glass of one of the wine pairing wines and was told "no can do" by the waiter.  I figured they're pouring a glasses of the wines for the five-senses menu anyway, so getting glasses of one of these wines shouldn't be a problem because we were all on the premium drink package.  Instead, I was handed the wine list to pick one of the per glass offerings on there but opted instead to purchase a bottle of Sancerre at a pretty reasonable "wine list" price + 20% my loyalty discount.  NOTE:  We were going to do the Veuve Clicquot special dinner until we found out the cover charge was a whopping $200 per person.  

 

Le Petit Chef... DELIGHFUL AS USUAL

 

We had done Le Petit Chef before so we knew what to expect, but half of us were first timers.  Everyone LOVED the concept and the cute animated "show".  Plus the food was excellent so no one went home disappointed or hungry.

 

Tuscan Grille... EXCELLENT

 

The service is great and the food very good so another terrific meal.  No complaints here.  The waiter said NOT to order the hangar steak and we were appreciative of the tip.  I had had it before on the Millennium and was really disappointed.  Most of us ordered steaks but having the filet at one of the other restaurants already I opted for the Chicken Parm (something I wouldn't normally order in restaurants at home).  It was very good and very filling.  Steaks for the others came out of the kitchen perfectly cooked.

 

QUICK NOTE ABOUT ALL THE RESTURANTS WE ATE AT:  The portions were HUGE everywhere.  I'm not a small guy and like to eat but in gereral, I was leaving the table stuffed.

 

SHIP FACILITIES/ENTERTAINMENT... EXCELLENT

 

• The casino was well attended and large.  The craps table was DEAD so I didn't play at all.  Slots and card games were pretty busy though.
• The upscale shops were busy and almost everyone in our group bought a piece of jewelry.  The cheaper shops were okay too.  With two floors of stores, Solstice does not lack places to shop.
• There literally were way too many bars for us to visit on a seven-day cruise for us to hit them all.  The martini bar is always our go-to spot and Solstice's does not disappoint.  The World Class Bar was also a great place to go for pre-dinner drinks.
• Michael's Club was a great place to hang out and have a quiet drink.  The bartender Singh was excellent and a couple of drinks he was unfamiliar with were made very well once we told him the ingredients.  We went for afternoon tea once and that was good as well.
• The gym was large and well equipped.  There were two Concept2 rowing machines (favs of mine), but one wasn't working properly but still usable.  The gym on the ship was as big as some small neighborhood gyms at home.  A nice touch was free wired ear buds for the taking, which I normally use but forgot to bring with me.
• I personally didn't make use of the spa but everyone in our group that did love it.  They had an 80 minute massage/facial special for $129 (I think) that some of us took advantage of.
• The Sky Observation Lounge and Quasar were fun and well attended when there were planned events there (Halloween Late Night Party & LGBTQ+ night, respectively).  There was a charter of about 150 gay men on our cruise so the late night activities were more "hopping" than on other Celebrity cruises we've been on.  If you want fun night life on a Celebrity cruise, pick an itinerary with a gay charter on it... you won't be disappointed.
• Silent Disco at any time was fun and was very popular as well.
• We only attended three shows... one production show based in an Irish Pub - no one understood what the storyline was, but the singers and dancers were great.  The magic show was just okay.  And one music review was excellent.
• We preferred the DJ and the excellent Solstice band to the solo guitarist and the violin/cello duo.  I'm not saying any performers were bad, just like some over others.
• We never made it upstairs to the lawn club and glass blowing area... there was only so much we could do in a week.

 

PORTS OF CALL... 

 

Puerto Vallarta ... EXCELLENT.  We took a cab to the central shopping district aka the Malecon, and walked around and did some shopping at the local stores, the 

Mercado Municipal Rio Cuale, Isla Cuale Flea Market, & had lunch with beach views in the Romance District.

 

Cabo San Lucas... PRETTY GOOD.  We took a water taxi to the beach... paid $10 each for round-trip tickets.  There are many people on the beach renting chairs and umbrellas and they will also make a run to the store to get you beer and ice so don't buy that stuff from the restaurants if you want it cheaper.  Lowest price we could get on the beach chairs was $10 per chair & $10 per umbrella... beers were $2 per bottle or can. TIP:  Purchase one-way water taxi tickets instead of round-trip because you MUST take the same water taxi to/from the marina and you must walk back to the same place you were dropped off at.  It's okay to purchase round trip if you stay close to your drop-off point, though.

 

Ensenada... OKAY.  The area close to the ship is pretty much a very touristy area.  Outside this area there's not a whole lot unless you're doing an excursion.  We opted to do a wine tasting excursion.  The first stop on the excursion was La Casa de Doria Lupe... not so much a winery stop per se, but more a general store with wine and some lunch options.  We did the wine tasting and some were downright excellent... I would have bought some had there been time for pack & ship.  I was particularly happy with the Tempranillo & Cabernet, but the rest were just okay.  There were chips and salsas to try and the breads were excellent, especially the cream cheese and jalapeño bread.  The BEST thing were the salsas and I bought a bunch of them... Chipotle, Habanero, and Habanero Pina (pineapple) were my favorites and I packed 8 bottles of them in my luggage home.  The other winery stop was more of a traditional visit... we saw the vineyard and were taken downstairs to the cellar for the tasting.  I probably would have remembered the name of the winery and wines had I liked them, but I really wasn't crazy about them.  The property was beautiful though and a nice stop nonetheless.

 

CONCLUSION... 

 

Overall, a great trip on a nice Celebrity S class ship.  Taking advantage of the 3-night specialty dinner package saved us OBC and I was able to also book a ship sponsored excursion, eat at Sushi on 5, and buy a great bottle of wine at Murano without spending any extra out of pocket $$$.

Edited November 13, 2022 by DenGNNJ

[lakegirl16]

Thank you for a great review!  Easy to follow and you covered all areas.  Looking forward to our B2B in December on the Solstice!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you for sharing!

[freshjive1479]

Thanks for your review. My partner and two of our friends have booked a Sky Suite on the Solstice for a February Mexican Riviera cruise and are looking forward to it. I really hope they have that same massage/facial special onboard for that week because I know we will all book that!!!

[mahdnc]

Well written review.  Thanks.  We hope to be back on board Solstice for Christmas next year.

[blackshirt]

Nice review. We are on that itinerary in two week, sure hope we don’t run into similar embarkation issues but there should only be two ships when we embark, so hopefully Solstice will be at berth 93.

[DenGNNJ]

7 hours ago, freshjive1479 said:

Thanks for your review. My partner and two of our friends have booked a Sky Suite on the Solstice for a February Mexican Riviera cruise and are looking forward to it. I really hope they have that same massage/facial special onboard for that week because I know we will all book that!!!

We were on an Alaska cruise on the Millennium June of 2022 prior to this one, and they had that same special there as well.  We were a group of 5 and we all booked it.  $129 sea day, $99 while in port (+gratuity and less whatever loyalty discount you have).

 

I personally think chances are good they’ll have it on your cruise too.  🙂

Edited November 14, 2022 by DenGNNJ

[mjmagee]

Thx. Great review!

 

Marilyn

[chemmo]

Thank you for a well written and balanced review.

[Rmyoung]

Question about Hilton. We are staying there also. Was there any breakfast areas close by? Second this may be subjective but is it safe to walk at night in area? Never been to this area just wondering 

[DenGNNJ]

5 hours ago, Rmyoung said:

Question about Hilton. We are staying there also. Was there any breakfast areas close by? Second this may be subjective but is it safe to walk at night in area? Never been to this area just wondering 

Re: Breakfast, can’t really say… we ate breakfast at the hotel.  I suggest Googling “Breakfast Near Me”… that always works for us and searching “Tacos Near Me” is how we found the taco place.

 

Re Area Safety:  The hotel is located in what I would call a business district and there is a large shopping mall nearby.  The area is modern, clean, and well lit at night.  We did not feel unsafe walking around at all.  That said, I would always recommend being cautious and alert when walking around at night.

Edited November 15, 2022 by DenGNNJ

[Luv2cruze me and u]

Great review and pretty spot on from our Solstice trip 11/5/22.  Only thing I would add is that our embarkation was as good as I have ever experienced.  We were at Berth 93 so no need to go anywhere else.  We arrived at 11:30 for check-in and we were in our room dropping off our carry-on bags by 11:50.  We also had 1400ish passengers but were in Aqua-class and not Retreat.   I might add that every person who worked on the ship was smiling and very engaging.  They made the trip wonderful!

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for a great review. We board Saturday for eight nights. Agree about the hotels in the Long Beach area. The Hyatt LB has great views of the Queen Mary but the rooms need updating. Especially the beds. 
 

Glad that you enjoyed Luminae as the menus look so-so for us but we do have specialty dining booked for about half the cruise. We have an overnight in Cabo so we’re planning dinner ashore. 
 

Thanks again for sharing. 

[LaCal]

Thanks for the great review 

 

We’re taking our First Celebrity cruise on the Solstice in April and got a Aft Sky Suite 🍹🍹😜

 

Looking  forward to it 

[freshjive1479]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:40 PM, Rmyoung said:

Question about Hilton. We are staying there also. Was there any breakfast areas close by? Second this may be subjective but is it safe to walk at night in area? Never been to this area just wondering 

I’ve stayed at that Hilton many times with work. There’s a place called Bites in the courtyard behind the hotel. It’s adjacent to the 24 Hour Fitness. They have breakfast sandwiches, etc. There’s also Omelette Inn on Pine St. which is a 10 minute walk or so.