Fresh from the solstice... some feelings.

[Sky Sweet]

The Thanksgiving cruise had a much older demographic than I would have expected. Certainly older than the HAL cruise we took over the same time 2 yrs ago. I am mid-40s and felt among the youngest on board.

 

Susan

 

Hi Susan :)

 

Thank you for responding to my question.

 

Our Holland America Thanksgiving Cruise last year also had much younger passengers than on our Celebrity Thanksgiving Cruise two years ago.

 

That had really surprised me because even though Holland America has a reputation for being a floating retirement home, the passengers on our HAL cruise were younger than on any of our Celebrity Cruises, with the exception of our Baltic Cruise on Constellation in June 2006.

[C 2 C]

It was not a pleasant new ship smell at all.:rolleyes:

 

.

 

We are now in an aft cabin 8372... a beautiful view, some soot on the balcony but the smell outside our cabin is not pleasant at all. The view from the cabin is spectacular but sitting on the balcony is limited by excessive sunlight.

 

This is now our third week on board. Solstice is still a must for all Celebrity lovers. Practicality aside, the ship is beautiful!!! I will regard it as a visit to a museum to be enjoyed. Although the number of activities that we enjoy have increased, there are few suitable sites to host them. For longer voyages I will prefer to sail on different Celebrity ships that have served us so well in the past. There are many small details that need improvement but not a single one or bundled all together, should keep you from having a wonderful experience on Solstice.

[Ft. Lauderdale Native]

I have a question I havent seen answered on all the threads about the solstice. Probably has been mentioned a million times but I am blind lol.

 

Concerning the swimming pools not the spa pool. Are there steps to get in and out of the pool or ladders only? I loved the Constellation with its steps. My husband is mobility impaired but could get in and out of the pool with steps but not with ladder. The Connie was the first ship I was ever on that had steps. IF the solstice doesnt have steps is there any other cruise line or ship that does. With the population aging and with ship movement steps into pools would make it safer and more access for mobility issues.

 

debkjw

 

We just got off Solstice 12-14. While we didn't go into the pools, we did the hot tubs, and they do have steps and a hand rail. Something else I DID notice was the open air pool on deck 14 had an electric chair lift poolside. This to lift someone such as your husband into and out of the pool. Very nice touch I thought.

[Offtune Angel]

...We've been on some where things are flying through the air and you are instructed to go to your cabin and don't come out. On our Australia-NZ this year we had an afternoon where the heavy metal ice bucket flew across the cabin and the TV tipped over. Cabinets and drawers open and close and there is actual physical damage in the dining rooms and bars from breakage. On our TA last year some windows were blown out in the computer room and we could see the waves breaking on the ship up to about the eighth deck. ...

 

Those were great days, weren't they?:D But you forgot to mention how the sign was blown off the side of Constellation in Mid-North Atlantic.

 

Aaawwh - now your just trying to get me going Yes of couse I would expect some movement - otherwise what would be the point... I've never sailed on anything major before, so am finding out EVERYTHING from these posts - good or bad, reliable or otherwise

You've got a good attitude:

 

• find out everything good or bad, reliable or otherwise (you are certainly finding out;));
  
• realizing that the ship is a moving vessel and stating "otherwise what would be the point" (so many people expect the ship to be a land-based hotel -- It's obvious to me that you are not expecting it to be so - congratulations!)
  

Like Joanie (Ma Bell) I love the ship acting like a ship. I'm always disappointed if the Atlantic Ocean is like a 'mill-pond' when we cross (it has been on four disappointing occasions). But then, I love roller-coasters, too. The side-to-side rolling has been a very rare occurrence in the 251 nights I've sailed on ships (C2C has way more than that).

 

Incidentally, on one of our crossings -- with 40 foot swells (different from a wave) Celebrity Constellation rode the seas better than the QE did on the same crossing.

 

You and your family are going to have a wonderful time on your cruise.

 

Terry:)