Solstice hull needs a paint job

[fstuff1]

I'm doing a b2b: Vancouver to Hawaii to Australia.

 

I'm now on leg 2 but I noticed the peeling paint on the 1st leg.

On other ships, they're constantly painting the sides where the pier bumpers touch the hull when we're in port.

 

The chipping paint seems to be at the same height.

I was surprised they didn't paint when we were overnight at Kona, Hawaii.

 

Or they don't have long enough paint roller extension poles?

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by fstuff1

[chengkp75]

They not only have long enough roller handles, they have rafts they can put in to get to those spots.  While it does improve the "curb appeal" of the ship, painting while in operation, especially that close to the waterline is generally a waste of time and money, as the surface is never clean enough to have the paint adhere properly.  That looks to me not to be from dock fenders (as that part of the hull never contacts the pier), but that the last dry dock paint job was not done properly (again, an unclean surface), and it will continue to peel, regardless of whether they paint it in service or not, until the next dry dock where they will need to grind off that coating and do it again.

[fstuff1]

14 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

 While it does improve the "curb appeal" of the ship, painting while in operation, especially that close to the waterline is generally a waste of time and money, as the surface is never clean enough to have the paint adhere properly. 

That looks to me not to be from dock fenders (as that part of the hull never contacts the pier), but that the last dry dock paint job was not done properly (again, an unclean surface), and it will continue to peel, regardless of whether they paint it in service or not, until the next dry dock where they will need to grind off that coating and do it again.

ouch. I hope they're getting a refund on the paint job.

 

according to this List of celebrity ships, Solstice was last drydocked oct 2021:
https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/12030112_CEL_FleetGuide.pdf

 

Next dry dock 2026.

3 more yrs of her looking like she's been through a hurricane or 2 😮

Edited October 12, 2023 by fstuff1

[NMTraveller]

Interesting...

17 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

They not only have long enough roller handles, they have rafts they can put in to get to those spots.  While it does improve the "curb appeal" of the ship, painting while in operation, especially that close to the waterline is generally a waste of time and money, as the surface is never clean enough to have the paint adhere properly.  That looks to me not to be from dock fenders (as that part of the hull never contacts the pier), but that the last dry dock paint job was not done properly (again, an unclean surface), and it will continue to peel, regardless of whether they paint it in service or not, until the next dry dock where they will need to grind off that coating and do it again.

Yet every cruise line I have seen paints to improve the curb appeal...

Yet another money saving venture?

[wrk2cruise]

Worst looking Celebrity ship I've seen to date.

[jelayne]

Chipping paint on the hull doesn’t bother me.  I’m more interested in the onboard experience.  Are the beds comfortable, are the furniture and drapes without rips, is the food good.  
 

Every time I have tried to paint over chipped paint it wasn’t worth the effort.

[tigervixxxen]

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

Chipping paint on the hull doesn’t bother me.  I’m more interested in the onboard experience.  Are the beds comfortable, are the furniture and drapes without rips, is the food good.  
 

Every time I have tried to paint over chipped paint it wasn’t worth the effort.

I can tell you there’s issues inside too. Paint in the ceiling of balcony is peeling and flaking off. Drawers in the room are broken. Paint and varnish chipped on balcony railings. The soft goods seem ok though, beds are fine and the crew is still constantly cleaning public surfaces. Elevators made horrible noise in the cabins until they were fixed just the other day. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by tigervixxxen

[deb1122]

We are on the ship at the moment and mentioned the hull to an officer.  It apparently occurred from the ice in Alaska and they fully intend to paint it. The problem is that they have to wait for a port without restrictions on painting in the port.  

[fstuff1]

23 hours ago, deb1122 said:

We are on the ship at the moment and mentioned the hull to an officer.  It apparently occurred from the ice in Alaska and they fully intend to paint it. The problem is that they have to wait for a port without restrictions on painting in the port.  

Interesting.. knew solstice was in Alaska but Never thought of ice being the culprit.

 

been on several Alaskan cruises but only on ncl.

Never noticed paint  chipping but now realize Ncl's hulls are mostly white. Doh!

 

Surprised they weren't allowed to paint in Tahiti.

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by fstuff1

[rj59]

On 10/12/2023 at 5:26 PM, deb1122 said:

We are on the ship at the moment and mentioned the hull to an officer.  It apparently occurred from the ice in Alaska and they fully intend to paint it. The problem is that they have to wait for a port without restrictions on painting in the port.  

Solstice was my first X cruise, in summer of 2022. Two other ships I was on, Carnival and Princess, didn't want to brave the ice to get close to Dawe's Glacier, but Solstice went through the ice and got close to the glacier. It was during a time of slumping fares, so I found some amazing bargains and booked Solstice 3 more times in Mexico and Pacific Coast, with an average price of $300 for a solo, with all-inclusive for 2 of the cruises. I didn't bother about cosmetics, like some cracked and stained windows in the Sky Lounge, since it was such a beautiful space and beautiful ship. I had nothing to compare it to until I got to Apex, so I loved the art, the design, the layout, the diverse and friendly crew, the entertainment, the younger crowd than I was used to after being mostly with HAL and Princess, even the clever sayings posted above public urinals. So I'd value the ice damage as a sign of honor, like the scars on an ancient whale who has traveled the world. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

On 10/13/2023 at 10:26 AM, deb1122 said:

We are on the ship at the moment and mentioned the hull to an officer.  It apparently occurred from the ice in Alaska and they fully intend to paint it. The problem is that they have to wait for a port without restrictions on painting in the port.  

 

The hull paint damage was NOT caused by ice.  It was caused be the hull being improperly prepared when last painted.  Will require sandblasting or similar to clean 100% so paint will stick.

Cheng posted a post earlier explaining this in detail.

Paint over the existing paint and it will simply fall off.

 

 

[Nado44]

Heres another pic of the Solstice. Photo snapped from Circular Quay in Sydney this morning. 
 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Nado44
Double photo

[NutsAboutGolf]

Snapped this on the Millie while in Aruba during a Panama Canal crossing

 

[patty1955]

We took the Millennium through the Panama Canal just after a refurb in 2012. A some point the ship scrapped while passing through and left a long scratch along the hull so anything is possible.

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 10/11/2023 at 9:12 PM, jelayne said:

Chipping paint on the hull doesn’t bother me.  I’m more interested in the onboard experience.  Are the beds comfortable, are the furniture and drapes without rips, is the food good.  
 

Every time I have tried to paint over chipped paint it wasn’t worth the effort.

 

It is a form of advertising.  In this current case, perhaps the hull's condition is a direct coloration to the MDR food quality

[fstuff1]

Darwin, Australia.

They painted today!

Edited October 27, 2023 by fstuff1

[NMTraveller]

On 10/19/2023 at 10:16 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

It is a form of advertising.  In this current case, perhaps the hull's condition is a direct coloration to the MDR food quality

Negative advertising in the chipped case.

[NMTraveller]

On the Millenium last week they were painting the outside.

[jayoldschool]

I was stunned to see crew painting deck 5 right outside Eden on Ascent two weeks ago. It's brand new! They were hand masking one of the murals. Scuffed the blue paint, fresh paint went on.