April 8th Solstice - Spring Break Cruise Live

[KasioSails]

8 hours ago, Bodie1 said:

On Solstice now. Premium = $34.99/day & Basic= $19.99/day.

Steve

Thank you for responding- I couldn’t remember what the app said

[KasioSails]

Break time for an update 

So getting board so early we had some quiet time after our super quick muster station check to see the ship before it filled up. I would agree with everyone that yes you can tell she is older but very well maintained and the crew is fantastic - some of the best I’ve ever experienced.  Having sailed a fair number of Royal trips she feels familiar but definitely upscaled and peaceful. The boys love the live tree in the middle and have been enjoying every minute. We wandered up to the sports court to play soccer before kids/teen club sign up. Speaking of kids on board - they are more significant than I sounds like us usual. I don’t feel like I’ve been anywhere overrun with kids but like there are at least some kids pretty much everywhere. I would advise those not hip to kids to avoid this time of year for a 1 week trip. 

 

We also stopped and had lunch in Luminae - the venue is lovely and the food/service was excellent. I am very honestly not fanciful about and eat pretty simple things. Thankfully for this review OS and DH are quite daring. For lunch they had the lobster roll and the branzino while YS and I had the steak and was delicious. Additionally our drinks were lovely - DH had the spiced passion minus the spice and I had my old standby sidecar to drink. Both were just the right amount and made very well.

[KasioSails]

Before sail away we all decided to check out the pools. The water was so warm and delightful in the sunshine. I would say the shallow pool is the area so far I have seen the most kids in one place - but all were great just being kids. Just before sail away we headed back to our room to watch the ship pull away from our balcony. It was wonderful and YS loved “just watching the world go by”. It was also a nice time to unpack as we had all our bags. The Celebrity Suite has a lot of storage even for 4 people with sometimes multiple outfits a day. We also met our stateroom attendant who seems very nice and he brought us the items we needed in addition to our also wonderful butler who we aligned some deliveries with and he helped with some booking issues. Note for future passengers - if you are trying to book the first sea day for the glass classes do it way early - the slots seem to fill up immediately and we had prepaid. 

 

By the time we had taken some time to relax - we were all hungry and it was time for dinner at Luminae and it was fantastic. OS had the tuna and crab appetizers with the lamb and loved every bite - DH enjoyed the black bass and crab cake - YS said the tomato soup was the best ever - and I had the classic chicken from the MDR and it was excellent. Overall the food had been really good all around in terms of quality and service. Before leaving we asked for desserts to be sent to our room as YS was needing a break and we wanted to do some stuff before the show - it worked out very well and gave our stomachs some break to enjoy the desserts. 

[KasioSails]

Just a note - the WiFi is not amazing - some definite dead zones. So I if I can’t post I will stock pile until I can. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:37 PM, In Toronto said:

Is the area for pickup by Uber well marked at LAX?

Yes.   You have to either walk or take a shuttle to the LAXIT lot .    Only Black Service is permitted to pickup curbside at the terminals.

 

Once there one lane is setup for Uber and One for Lyft

[KasioSails]

Hello again / thank you everyone reading along

Short post before heading out for the day. 

After our wonderful dinner last night we stopped by for coffee, hot cocoa and treats - all were delicious. We decided then it would be a fun time to hide some ducks around the ship - for those sailing along I hope you find one from Seattle 🦆.  Then we enjoyed our desserts and headed to the late show. The entertainment was a wonderful magician who was very talented. We all enjoyed the show especially my YS who was just amazed and can not wait until the afternoon show today. 

[san diego spartan]

Dinner in the MDR was very good.  We both had the branzino and it was so good. We had the most amazing waiter and asked to be assigned to his section every night.  

 

[KasioSails]

Good morning

After such a long jammed packed day it was nice to rest. The beds are very comfortable onboard and the room is quiet. We asked our butler to bring us some juice and coffee in the morning and it was a nice treat while we got ready for the day. We were running a little late so the buffet was a better breakfast option. As everything else the buffet was delicious with lots of options and wonderful service. 1.5 days in and everything is just fantastic on board. 

Since it’s Easter today the ship has some activities and a mass service (plus TV programming). We attended the Egg Hunt/Carnival for our YS and it was a bit chaotic- a good number of children didn’t get any eggs in the hunt - but the staff passed out a few to the children who didn’t get any so no one left empty handed. After the hunt there was face painting, craft projects and bunny photos. It was pretty crowded in the area so my son grabbed a craft kit for the room and headed out as he was overwhelmed. And we headed up to the lawn for putt putt and bocce ball which was fun. 

A note for folks sensitive to smoke - the putt putt area is near a smoking area and the cigar/cigarette smoke was pretty heavy. I know smokers needs a place - but wanted to let those sensitive be aware. 

[KasioSails]

Hello - it has been a packed day 

 

After time on the lawn my older son wanted to play a little basketball before pickle ball started (it looks like there are several hours a day of pickle ball for those interested) and my younger son wanted to just watch the water so we relaxed on the beautiful solstice deck for a while and the. split for bit for lunch. YS and I had burgers and hot dogs from the mast grille - very good but a somewhat chaotic and disorganized place - and OS/DH had sushi they said was delicious. After a little rest was another fantastic show by the magician performing this week that my sons loved. We then enjoyed more time on the pool deck. It was later in the day - but there did seem to be chairs available near and far to the pool. I think it was also the daily family hour in the solarium - though we were already in the main pool when it started and had no reason to move so I can’t comment on if it was loud. Overall another fantastic day with some of the best staff I’ve ever seen on a cruise.

[DaKahuna]

If you and your YS enjoy burgers, be sure and try the Luminae Burger and truffle fries. It's my favorite burger on Celebrity ships. 

[KasioSails]

Welcome back 

Last evening was wonderful for a catch up.  I appreciate anyone reading along on my I guess more like a journal of events - everything is great so I mostly just note things that might put a damper on some. If anyone has a question let me know - I write these on down times like waiting for shows. 

Last evening was a chic night and we had a small officers reception in Michaels club for Retreat guests before dinner. The place was quite crowded but we found a place for us and met a very nice couple on board. My OS said the hor d'oeuvres were good and DH had fantastically made sidecars to drink before heading to Luminae again for dinner.  For dinner the boys had the ribeye and DH had the lamb - all were enjoyed. At dessert time we were also brought a plate of treats - one was a delicious chocolate covered pecan the DH asked for a few extra of for me on the way out. After dinner we relaxed a bit on the balcony before the show - it was a very lively performance with a more contemporary feel and we all enjoyed it. There was a fun looking silent disco in the center but we were all pretty tired and ready to rest. 

[KasioSails]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

If you and your YS enjoy burgers, be sure and try the Luminae Burger and truffle fries. It's my favorite burger on Celebrity ships. 

Yes indeed next lunch - we saw one in opening and it looked very good 

[pellanor]

Was there a Captain's Club welcome event on your cruise? I sailed on February 11 and never got an invite to a Captain's Club welcome event. Got puzzled looks when I asked at Guest Services.

[KasioSails]

3 hours ago, pellanor said:

Was there a Captain's Club welcome event on your cruise? I sailed on February 11 and never got an invite to a Captain's Club welcome event. Got puzzled looks when I asked at Guest Services.

I haven’t seen an invite - but we are only select from Royal status - maybe elites are having one. 

[ljhershey]

On 4/9/2023 at 11:44 AM, Jim_Iain said:

Yes.   You have to either walk or take a shuttle to the LAXIT lot .    Only Black Service is permitted to pickup curbside at the terminals.

 

Once there one lane is setup for Uber and One for Lyft

What do you mean by Black Service?  Is this a company name or mean black limos?  Thx for clarifying.

[JintyGirl]

2 hours ago, ljhershey said:

What do you mean by Black Service?  Is this a company name or mean black limos?  Thx for clarifying.

There are different categories of Uber cars. The “black” Ubers can pick up at the terminal buildings. For all other types, you have to go to a separate area (either by walking or shuttle bus) to pick up your car.  See here for more details: https://www.flylax.com/lax-it

There is a premium for the black service (see below) 

Edited April 11, 2023 by JintyGirl

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, ljhershey said:

What do you mean by Black Service?  Is this a company name or mean black limos?  Thx for clarifying.

Uber has a an elevated product called Uber Black (Lyft has a similar service).

 

It is a premium Service with Large Capacity Luxury cars and  SUV's (generally black) at a premium  cost. (About  3X the cost of their regular service).    Think of it as a Limo Town Car vs a Taxi.

[Bodie1]

On 4/10/2023 at 1:35 PM, pellanor said:

Was there a Captain's Club welcome event on your cruise? I sailed on February 11 and never got an invite to a Captain's Club welcome event. Got puzzled looks when I asked at Guest Services.

Yes. Captains Club Welcome Toast was 1st Sea day @ 12:30PM. Hors D’oeuvres and unlimited drinks.

Steve

[Cruising89143]

On 4/10/2023 at 8:59 AM, DaKahuna said:

If you and your YS enjoy burgers, be sure and try the Luminae Burger and truffle fries. It's my favorite burger on Celebrity ships. 

Agree. Best burger on the ship. As a side note, we decided to dine at Mast Grill on our recent Solstice cruise. The last time that we dined here was back in 2014 on the EQ. Wow how the burger has changed and not for the better either. We were very disappointed. 

[KasioSails]

Wow - I am behind a bit

We have been so busy and tired by end of day 

So Day 3 we were in our first port - Cabo - it was a later arrival so we could do a little bit of stuff before heading ashore. After a decently yummy breakfast In Luminae (the food was well prepared but I was not a fan of the french toast) our YD tried the children’s programming. He was nervous about going but at pick up was so excited about his time there and ready to return later. While he was there and OS played sports we got to check out the Solarium. It’s very nice in here and very quiet - a family did try to swim while we were there and some other passengers kindly let them know it was not time for children and to return later. 

Then we got dressed and headed to the theater for our excursion. For this trip since we had lots of OBC we have a ship excursion set up for each port. The set up was very organized and moved much quicker than we have ever experienced on Royal - our mtg time was 9 and we were walking to our tender but like 915. We selected the Lands End boat ride and scenic stop. I would definitely recommend the trip - the boat ride especially was really lovely around the rocks and not super long. A note though it was super windy and kind of cold as we got way out to sea. After the tour we decided to shop a bit at port and head back to the ship as we had a specialty reservation for 630 at Tuscan. 

Our dinner at Tuscan was honestly disappointing - I think after our experience at Luminae all week this did not feel worth the cost. The main waiter wasn’t very polite and made us feel rushed, the food was just so so and we ended up never getting dessert served to us. I think maybe if it hadn’t been as expensive as it is (though for us still all on OBC) or if we weren’t so spoiled at Luminae we would feel differently.

Finally for the night was the comedy show - YS went to the kids club with enthusiasm and OS attended with us. The performance was pretty boring - the gentleman spent more time telling us how his jokes were edgy then actually telling them and we left kind like ok. It was for us then time to head to the room and getting ready for the next day. Thanks again for read

[KasioSails]

15 hours ago, Bodie1 said:

Yes. Captains Club Welcome Toast was 1st Sea day @ 12:30PM. Hors D’oeuvres and unlimited drinks.

Steve

Oh neat - that seems pretty early I think we were walking the shop after lunch. 
thanks for responding 

[KasioSails]

Thank you for those who explained the Uber Black. We had thought about using that but were not sure where pick up was. 

[KasioSails]

Day 4

It was an early start for breakfast in the buffet before the crowds. Then we headed back to the room for to watch the ship dock in Mazatlan from our balcony. We booked a beach resort and lunch excursion for the day - it was at a really nice hotel with beach front access and cliff top pools plus drinks and food. We spent the first hour at the beach playing in the sand and swimming in the waves. The water was chilly but very clear and fun and we all had a wonderful time. Then we enjoyed the buffet and the hotel pools for a few hours before heading back. I think it was a really good time and since for us it was covered by credit it was fine - but out of pocket the price was pretty high and I don’t know if I would have booked it. 

When we got back to the ship we stopped at the OVC for some ice cream to enjoy and then walked all around the ship looking for either a ping pong table or bocce ball set available. We settled on the sports court again as we watched sail away. 

[ljhershey]

On 4/11/2023 at 10:32 AM, Jim_Iain said:

Uber has a an elevated product called Uber Black (Lyft has a similar service).

 

It is a premium Service with Large Capacity Luxury cars and  SUV's (generally black) at a premium  cost. (About  3X the cost of their regular service).    Think of it as a Limo Town Car vs a Taxi.

Thx so much for explaining.  We had arranged with a small company with black (non Uber) SUVs.  I will check with them to be clear on pick up point.

[KasioSails]

Day 4 continues 

After sail away and sports we decided to do a later dinner time this evening at Luminae- it again did not disappoint. I feel like a broken record but I can not say enough good things about eating here. The food is always delicious, the service is absolutely out of this world, and the place is just so pretty. Also I should mention I have been mostly ordering MDR classes meals because I’m kind of bland person about food and all of those have been very good too. Our choice was filets for all of us and there cooked just as we asked and just as yummy as the ones at Tuscan. Unfortunately this evening it was clear I had gotten too much sun during our beach day so I had to head back for a bit before the show. We watched one of the song, dance and acrobatics shows for the week and it was a big hit. Our boys have really enjoyed the entertainment which is nice as DH in the past tended to skip the shows and go sit in the pool - also fun. After the show thought everyone was beat from the long day and we knew we had a long excursion the next day so we headed to bed after some time on the balcony.