Fresh from the solstice... some feelings.

[Metsluvr40]

I was asked to start this thread, instead of individual posts. I just found out how to do this, so I apologize for posting on individual threads. I am posting my initial thoughts and would be happy to answer any questions about my experience. There were some positive things to discuss as well...;) here is my original post..Thank you

 

 

While I have just returned and had the opportunity to experience the Solstice, I have to say, I definately agree with some of the negatives mentioned. I have been on two other cruises, so here goes...

 

The ship is absolutely beautiful, open, airy and esthetically magnificent. The food in the buffet was fantastic with variety to please all. I experienced Blu, which left much to be desired, especially on Thanksgiving. Service was excellent and staff was friendly and warm. Okay, now the negatives.. There was a smell on the ship from the minute we arrived in Florida and it was never explained. The ship rolled and weaved constantly, even during the last two days when the seas were calm. As someone who gets seasick and was taking Bonine and wearing seabands, this was very disconcerting. The pools were constantly rolling and the water was always pouring out of them, even with 4 ft seas. The first two days at sea were brutal with the winds and waves. I met a man who had been a sailor for 20 years and he stated that he was even sick. The worst part was that when I asked for a weather report from the Guest deck, they acted as if I was asking for confidential information. Truly, I realize that many languages must be spoken by staff for passengers from many countries, but I had a terrible time getting them to understand me or communicate in English. I speak Spanish as well, so this helped with some crew. My biggest complaint would be the constant motion of the ship and the constant creaking everywhere, but especially in the cabins at night. It was very disconcerting and during Sunday and Monday, it was downright scary. Solstice has a beautiful pool deck and Sky lounge and yet, no bands or music at night or even dancing. This would have been a great draw for those of us in our 40's, who would like to stay up past 10p and have something to do other than gamble. I dont want a Carnival college party, but some good music with dancing would have been great. I relaxed on port days when the ship wasnt rolling, but I have a feeling that the initial Stabilizer problem when the ship went back to dry dock in Germany, was never really repaired. Overall, the staff and crew were friendly and happy to help, but guest relations left a lot to be desired. My accounts were double charged and never resolved. I called all during the cruise, without any resolution or someone getting back with me. My son was charged for a casino fee, which no one could produce a check for and it was not removed. I now have to dispute it with the Celebrity customer service. The cabana issue is valid and they were constantly "held" with towels and no one was ever in them, so you never got a shot at them. The sun was only out on one side of the pool deck and all chairs were utilized or "held" by the people in the next chair who did not want them taken. Now, the most important issue for me... My sons are 20 and 17, and although they are young adults, they are still underage for drinking by Celebrity's rules. They were constantly offered alcohol all day, and not just beer, definately hard stuff at the pool, without anyone even questioning their age. There should be an arm band ID, showing under 21 yo persons if they want to enforce drinking age of 21. You can just take anyone else's card and get all of the alcohol you want and charge their card, if they let you. No one even looked at it for ID. At least put an age on the card for scanning. Also, I paid extra for Aquaclass, thinking that the Solarium was for adults and those with Aquaclass status. Everyone, including very young children were in the Solarium all day. I think that CC class would have been sufficient for the difference between the two.

 

Sorry, for the negativity but I was very much looking forward to this trip and although there were some fine aspects, it was definately not an overall posiitve experience for us.

[Host Anne]

Hi Metsluvr ~ congrats on your first thread!!! I always appreciate everyone's point of view. My experiences were different from yours but that's OK. All comments are welcome and should be posted.

 

I do want to mention that there was a deck party on the pool deck with Top Secret, the Celebrity Orchestra, activites staff and singers and dancers. It was Latin themed. Top Secret also played in the Sky Lounge late in the evening for dancing every night but one (the night of the pool deck party). I just checked the Celebrity Dailies I brought home and they played up there anywhere from 9:30 to 11:00 start time until "Late." I think Late is determined by whether or not there are any people there to dance. We did go up one night as 12:30 and they were just packing up and no one was in the lounge.

 

I didn't mention anywhere that we were told the ship was sailing with approximately 2,200 passengers, well below capacity. That, too, could have contributed to fewer people in lounges later in the evening.

 

Wish your experience had been better. Hope you'll visit often.

[renroc13]

Ditto...

 

I have posted on other threads. I too was looking forward to this trip and while the ship is wonderful there were several negatives that made it an okay cruise for me. Glad to be back on the Constellation in 3 weeks.

 

Bar areas great....plenty of chairs outside and upper deck. Horrible job with inside pool which is larger and heated on MC ships. Toilets crammed in between lovely shower and cabinetry in bathroom. Anyone that is larger than average size will be literally and figuratively stuck. Senior Staff aware of situation. Food in regular DR's better than have been the past few years at Celebrity. Hope they are resuming better food on all their ships. This is something Celebrity was known for. Specialty restaurant Silk Harvest not worth the money and service and food was nothing compared to the specialty dining on MC Ships.

 

The ship itself is beautiful......but it did creek at night and the sail and weather was rough out of FLL. My BIL met us in PR and left Miami the same time as us and their ship had the top deck and pool closed as the water was that rough. That can happen. I was wondering if the creaking noise was some type of settling but don't know if that happens on ships like it does in houses.

 

BTW I smelled something on the 5th day and was later told my our table mate their was an oil leak or something. Not sure if this is true.

 

Sue

[Sky Sweet]

Hi Metsluvr ~ congrats on your first thread!!! I always appreciate everyone's point of view. My experiences were different from yours but that's OK. All comments are welcome and should be posted.

 

I do want to mention that there was a deck party on the pool deck with Top Secret, the Celebrity Orchestra, activites staff and singers and dancers. It was Latin themed. Top Secret also played in the Sky Lounge late in the evening for dancing every night but one (the night of the pool deck party). I just checked the Celebrity Dailies I brought home and they played up there anywhere from 9:30 to 11:00 start time until "Late." I think Late is determined by whether or not there are any people there to dance. We did go up one night as 12:30 and they were just packing up and no one was in the lounge.

 

I didn't mention anywhere that we were told the ship was sailing with approximately 2,200 passengers, well below capacity. That, too, could have contributed to fewer people in lounges later in the evening.

 

Wish your experience had been better. Hope you'll visit often.

 

Hi Host Anne :)

 

If this sailing only had 2,200 passengers, which is significantly less than the ship is designed for, this cruise would have had unusually favorable crew/passenger and space/passenger ratios.

 

Do you think the service on this cruise was so exceptional that it will be at least good when the ship is sailing closer to full capacity?

[Andy]

 

If this sailing only had 2,200 passengers, which is significantly less than the ship is designed for, this cruise would have had unusually favorable crew/passenger and space/passenger ratios.

 

Do you think the service on this cruise was so exceptional that it will be at least good when the ship is sailing closer to full capacity?

 

Hi Sky !

 

I heard this was done by design, with 2200 pax Onboard last week, 2500 pax this week, and moving upwards until Christmas, when the ship will be full. On the bright side, the crew was very happy and eager to please. I believe the crew will be able to handle it, though I have no idea if the public venues will feel crowded when the ship is sailing at capacity.

 

Bottom line is, I dont think anyone will know the answer for certain until later this month.

[Host Anne]

Sky ~ exceptional service is subjective....just like food. Case in point...we had exceptional service when we ate in Murano yet the table next to us complained so loudly about how bad the service was that upper management was in the restaurant in no time. We had different waiters but it's truly hard to believe that the service between our two tables could have been so drastically different. While we saw plenty of crew we recognized on board, I believe there are lots of new crew members, too. I don't know if they all know where everything is located on the ship yet. I think service will continue to improve. I can say I believe that the greater majority of the staff worked their butts off to please passengers. I'd be happy to be back on board now.

[BEAV]

What are the passenger capacities of Solstice, both double occupancy and "every berth filled"?

[GMoney]

Hi Sky !

 

I heard this was done by design, with 2200 pax Onboard last week, 2500 pax this week, and moving upwards until Christmas, when the ship will be full. On the bright side, the crew was very happy and eager to please. I believe the crew will be able to handle it, though I have no idea if the public venues will feel crowded when the ship is sailing at capacity.

 

Bottom line is, I dont think anyone will know the answer for certain until later this month.

 

RCI did the same with Freedom OTS. I think it's a good plan.

[atonal1]

I enjoyed my cruise, and the rough sailing didn't bother me at all. I have actually experienced rougher seas sailing on Carnival Destiny after it left Aruba on its way back to PR.

 

I did notice a smell, mainly on Deck 5. I agree the location of the toilet is bad. I am a large person and did fit in the area, but I can imagine those who were larger would have a problem.

 

I talked to several people at the FLL airport from Carnival and Princess who said their first day out was rough too.

 

Overall, a great cruise, but since this was my first Celebrity Cruise I can only compare to other lines.

 

Service was great, the ship is beautiful, the food was good (but it was not noticeably better than other cruise lines). The shows were good, but I still wasn't thrilled with the Xylo-synth musician.

 

Would I sail Celebrity again? Yes. Would I sail this itinerary again? NO!

[signman]

I enjoyed my cruise, and the rough sailing didn't bother me at all. I have actually experienced rougher seas sailing on Carnival Destiny after it left Aruba on its way back to PR.

 

I did notice a smell, mainly on Deck 5. I agree the location of the toilet is bad. I am a large person and did fit in the area, but I can imagine those who were larger would have a problem.

 

I talked to several people at the FLL airport from Carnival and Princess who said their first day out was rough too.

 

Overall, a great cruise, but since this was my first Celebrity Cruise I can only compare to other lines.

 

Service was great, the ship is beautiful, the food was good (but it was not noticeably better than other cruise lines). The shows were good, but I still wasn't thrilled with the Xylo-synth musician.

 

Would I sail Celebrity again? Yes. Would I sail this itinerary again? NO!

 

Thanks for your comments. Hey, I'm big too, just wondering if I'm too big to fit.

 

What didn't you like about the itinerary?

[FiggyWig]

The ship rolled and weaved constantly, even during the last two days when the seas were calm. As someone who gets seasick and was taking Bonine and wearing seabands, this was very disconcerting. The pools were constantly rolling and the water was always pouring out of them, even with 4 ft seas. The first two days at sea were brutal with the winds and waves. I met a man who had been a sailor for 20 years and he stated that he was even sick.

 

when the ship wasnt rolling, but I have a feeling that the initial Stabilizer problem when the ship went back to dry dock in Germany, was never really repaired.

 

OK – so as a ‘Virgin’ cruiser with our 1st ever coming up next summer, this report of the ship rolling and weaving has got me worrying.

I booked our cruise having finally managed to convinced ‘the family’ that “these big ships don’t experience any feeling of movement” . We’ve never sailed in anything this big before – two hour crossings on ferries in relatively calm seas is all we’ve experienced before… and without any seasickness problems I might add.

Now with Metsluvr saying about his suspicions that the stabilising problems were never resolved follow its visit back to dry dock. Could this be correct ??? Come on all you guys who have sailed for years AND have returned from Solstice…. Should I be worrying ??

I know from other threads that the seas at that time weren’t exactly smooth, but could Solstice be experiencing more of a problem than others ships ? Are Celebrity likely to attempt to correct the problem ??

Having spent 3 years convincing ‘the family’ to take a cruising holiday I don’t want to dampen the excitement with fears of 12 nights of sea-sickness and as kind of hopeful that this cruise will be the 1st of many !!

[agathasmum]

Quote

 

""I do want to mention that there was a deck party on the pool deck with Top Secret, the Celebrity Orchestra, activites staff and singers and dancers. It was Latin themed. Top Secret also played in the Sky Lounge late in the evening for dancing every night but one (the night of the pool deck party). I just checked the Celebrity Dailies I brought home and they played up there anywhere from 9:30 to 11:00 start time until "Late." I think Late is determined by whether or not there are any people there to dance. We did go up one night as 12:30 and they were just packing up and no one was in the lounge. ""

 

 

I agree with the original poster, as a forty something, I found that whenever I went to listen to Top Secret, they were playing music from the 1950s. It got to the point that whenever they started playing "Put your head on my shoulder" we took it as our cue to leave!!!

 

I would have loved to dance and listen to 70's or 80s music at night, but they seemed to be tailoring the music to much older tastes.

 

Susan

[NDBoat]

The Captain said the waves were 14 feet that first day, and I thought I heard him say which can be expected this time of year in the Atlantic. There has to be a place online to see what next summer's usual weather is. And I believe the wind was blowing pretty hard too (was it 30 knots??) so that would have affected this tall structure. Before you get worried about the rocking, check the weather and wave patterns for your time of year. Of course no one can ever predict the weather on any vacation but you should get a better idea if 14 feet waves are normal for summer.

 

My husband had sailed on many large Navy ships and practically grew up on the Gulf Coast. Metal shouldn't settle like a house. Creaking though can happen on ships without it meaning the ship has issues. We never noticed any creaking that rose to a level that alarmed us. You can even CDs that have the sound of a ship creaking in the water as its soothing to some people...that wouldn't be me.

[agathasmum]

OK – so as a ‘Virgin’ cruiser with our 1st ever coming up next summer, this report of the ship rolling and weaving has got me worrying.

I booked our cruise having finally managed to convinced ‘the family’ that “these big ships don’t experience any feeling of movement” . We’ve never sailed in anything this big before – two hour crossings on ferries in relatively calm seas is all we’ve experienced before… and without any seasickness problems I might add.

Now with Metsluvr saying about his suspicions that the stabilising problems were never resolved follow its visit back to dry dock. Could this be correct ??? Come on all you guys who have sailed for years AND have returned from Solstice…. Should I be worrying ??

I know from other threads that the seas at that time weren’t exactly smooth, but could Solstice be experiencing more of a problem than others ships ? Are Celebrity likely to attempt to correct the problem ??

Having spent 3 years convincing ‘the family’ to take a cruising holiday I don’t want to dampen the excitement with fears of 12 nights of sea-sickness and as kind of hopeful that this cruise will be the 1st of many !!

 

We had 2 sunset verandahs, right at the back of the ship on deck 8. There was some movement, but considering the weather, not as bad as we expected. We took Bonine and were fine.

 

I doesn't even start to compare with a ferry crossing on the English Channel, if you have ever experienced that!!!

 

I would suggest that if you are looking for a location with less movement then a midships location low down would probably be the smoothest.

 

Susan

 

Susan

[jt1120]

Metsluvr40, the smell you experienced from day one was probably the smell of NEW STUFF! You know, new carpeting, new furniture, new flooring... I found it wonderful! All of that new stuff just waiting for me to experience. I was on the same cruise and didn't smell anything out of the ordinary ever. Except for the guy in the cabin next to me who decided he could smoke on his veranda. A quick call to guest services remedied that odorous issue.

[jackdiamond]

Metsluvr40-I assume that you had two AQ rooms-one for you and your wife and one for your two boys. Otherwise, I would be concerned, since the limit is two persons per room.

As far as the alcohol matter is concerned, I agree that there should be some attempt to dissuade consumption by minors, both by the cruise line and by the parents.

With regard to the rough seas, we have experienced same on different ships over the years. As a matter of fact, we have cruised on the M class when they issued free dramamine pills. Also, I have chatted with some folks who have cruised on the smaller luxury ships, some of whom indicated that their ships listed 10-15 degrees.

We are booked for the Equinox; and, we are looking forward to that cruise. WE have cruised about 20 times in the last ten years on Princess, HAL, Royal and Celebrity. The Celebrity M class in CC is our favorite; and, I believe that we will be equally impressed with Agua Class on the Equinox.

[Sky Sweet]

When I take a cruise I realize that sea conditions are unpredictable and expect to encounter a bumpy ride from time to time. My only concern would be if the ride on Solstice was rough when a cruise on another ship, that is not an ocean liner, would be smoother under similar conditions.

 

On the other hand, I feel that a cruse ship is designed for cruising, with occasional rough seas, while an ocean liner is designed for Atlantic Crossings where there is a much higher probability of encountering rough seas for an extended period of time.

 

That is why I plan to book a cruise on Solstice but do a crossing between New York and Europe on the QM2.

[renroc13]

OK – so as a ‘Virgin’ cruiser with our 1st ever coming up next summer, this report of the ship rolling and weaving has got me worrying.

I booked our cruise having finally managed to convinced ‘the family’ that “these big ships don’t experience any feeling of movement” . We’ve never sailed in anything this big before – two hour crossings on ferries in relatively calm seas is all we’ve experienced before… and without any seasickness problems I might add.

Now with Metsluvr saying about his suspicions that the stabilising problems were never resolved follow its visit back to dry dock. Could this be correct ??? Come on all you guys who have sailed for years AND have returned from Solstice…. Should I be worrying ??

I know from other threads that the seas at that time weren’t exactly smooth, but could Solstice be experiencing more of a problem than others ships ? Are Celebrity likely to attempt to correct the problem ??

Having spent 3 years convincing ‘the family’ to take a cruising holiday I don’t want to dampen the excitement with fears of 12 nights of sea-sickness and as kind of hopeful that this cruise will be the 1st of many !!

 

I would not worry too much. The sea was rough and that happens. I did not find it a problem and have sailed on Millennium level ships for years with very rough water from Key West to Mexico in a storm. This was nothing like that at all. And we were in the Aft cabin which rocked alot on the Tahitian Princess this summer in Alaska in rough water.

 

Read each thread and do not get too caught up in ones opinions. Was it smooth as glass no. Weather may always change on board and there might be some stabalizinf problems but my BI was on Carnival Triumph the same day and they shut the pool deck and upper decks due to the rough water. This did not happen on the Solstice on the same route.

 

Sue

[renroc13]

That was my brother in law.....

Sue

[atonal1]

Thanks for your comments. Hey, I'm big too, just wondering if I'm too big to fit.

 

I wear a 58L jacket and had no problems. But for anyone larger, it will be a tight fit.

What didn't you like about the itinerary?

 

I prefer 4 islands and 2 sea days as opposed to 3 and 3. Also, arriving in San Juan at 2 PM on your first stop really doesn't allow for maximum shopping and sight-seeing. Then we were in St. Maarten from 9 AM - 10 PM (or 11). The problem there was the last ferry back to the ship was 5:30 PM. I could have taken a taxi, but didn't want the hassle. On St. Kitts, there wasn't much to see (I took Thenford Grey's tour). Overall I enjoyed the tour and the island is nice, but it doesn't compare to my favorite two islands of Curacao and Aruba.

 

I just think there are better island choices, or I may go back to sailing out of San Juan when the price of airfare is more reasonable.

 

Just my $.02.

[C 2 C]

About the rough seas..

 

I was talking to one couple whose children were sick in the cabin.. According to her the fault of the roughs eas were all the capatain's. If he had been older ans wiser he would have found smoother seas....:rolleyes:

 

I too found the ride less smooth than on past sailings. Only time will tell whether Solstice has a problem. I suffered a bit.. to headache stage and was glad we docked. The ride this week was much better.

If there are further questions I can answer them for the next hour while I check my email.

 

My conclusion about Solstice so far. it's a beautiful ship for a visit but I wouldn not want to live here...

Put me on any other ship Celebrity ship right now and I would be happier.

[FinelyCruising]

I'm wondering if the ship makes sense for a 7 day cruise. With so much to do on it does anyone think it is better suited for longer sailings or is 7 days just about right for comfort on this ship?

[C 2 C]

This ship will age fast.

One of the lamps in Michaels Club has already been nocked over and smashed to bits. There are chips on the furniture from moving around.

 

The Oceanside Cafe is very labour intensive.

Just as passengers carry one plate at a time waiters also clean them up in small bundles. Formerly trays were available to clean the area much faster. The area was designed to maximize beauty without spoiling the view with work stations... they are missing and folding tables have been set up to hold a large serving tray for used plates. DUMB. Whoever designed this area never asked the people who work there how to make ir practical or efficient. I hope that other X ships do not adopt the trayless method.

Bring your own books the library has feww books for a ship this large.

As a lover of the Rendezvous on Century and M-class... there is no dancing before and after dinner. There are many bar areas under utilized and poorly placed. For those who like to dance, forget Solstice.

Activities... as I said bring a book because tradtional activities are GONE.

There is a "Starring You" trivia at 9:15 am. Scores accumulate for 4 days and the winning team gets a prize on stage. The questions are tough! No daily prizes are awarded. On port days there is a normal trivia at 9:15 with a pen as a prize. There is another name that tune quiz during the day for those with better ears than mine. On Sea days there is a battle of the sexes. There is one other quiz... Wacky Trivia where you answer a question and pass the sheet onto another team.. even if you know all the answers you won't get your own sheet back to claim a victory..

Today they finally offerd a tribond but it was o at the same time as Battle of the Sexes.

For people who like onboard activities.. find another ship.

There is one mantr you wil hear.... it's beautiful but..

 

I compare the Solstice to taking a Ferrari to a family picnic... Beautiful but totally impractical for those who like shipboard life.

 

The ship is beautiful, the staff is friendly and eager to please, the food is great to mediocre.

I hope that Celebrity will listen to input from all the passengers who actually cruise and the crew working so hard to provide the best service. I have no desire whatsover to sail on another Solstice class ship when "beauty" is all that is offered. ... I don't want to sound too negative. It is a wonderful sensual experience for one week but I expected more than a visual experience. more later...

[FinelyCruising]

Thanks Arno! So good looks but no brains then??? ;)

[signman]

Re: no service stations in Oceanview Cafe. I hope they dispatch someone to Restaurant Depot to purchase a few rolling carts with grey bus containers. Or maybe just pilfer a few from TSA.

 

And the 3 1/2 sea days are what attracted me in the first place. Love to just lounge around looking out from the Promenade deck. Oops, can't do that either.

 

Looking forward to chatting with you next week Arno.