Solstice - Somewhat disappointing (Lengthy)

[lddam]

My wife and I recently returned from the February 8, 2009, sailing of the Solstice to the Eastern Caribbean, and at the very onset, let me emphasize that from a general perspective, we had a wonderful cruise experience. This was our eighteenth cruise overall, yet only our third with Celebrity which, to date, is our favorite line. With only 3 cruises on Celebrity to our credit, that may seem unusual to some, but Marcia and I are like many who seek out a particular itinerary and then search for a cruise line that closely approximates that route. That, however, was not the case with this cruise. In this instance, this particular cruise was a Christmas gift from my wife, and amid all the hype surrounding the introduction of a new class of vessel, this cruise was all about experiencing the ship. Its ports-of-call and excursion options were actually of little consequence to us, although we did take advantage of a fishing excursion in St. Maarten which we thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Working with a local travel agency, my wife booked stateroom 9245 located on Deck 9 which is a Concierge Class accommodation. This is the same class of cabin we had enjoyed on our two prior cruises with Celebrity, those being the Baltics on the Constellation and a Panama Canal transit on the Millennium. For us, all cruises are memorable to one extent or another, so my wife and I share an attitude that it’s the little things that set one experience apart from others. We both enjoy the openness of a veranda and also the amenities that come with Concierge Class. So, for us, the small difference in fares between CC and Deluxe w/Veranda is well worth the upcharge.

 

Much has already been written in earlier threads and reviews extolling the virtues of Solstice, and in large measure, I would agree with those positive statements. To be sure, the Solstice is a ship to behold, and if one enjoys a somewhat contemporary décor, then one could say it is truly beautiful. Because it is in its first year of service, it obviously retains the blush of its youth with crisp curtains and drapery, clean furniture that doesn’t sag, carpeting without stains or wear spots, and gleaming brass and chrome abounds. Art work is displayed throughout the ship, and although I don’t pretend to understand the subtleties of line, form and content, I do know whether or not I like something. As I wandered about, I found that most of what I saw I enjoyed viewing, and it added an elegance to the total ambience of the ship.

 

An old adage charges us to remember that one man’s trash is another’s treasure. I call that to mind in order to underscore that what follows are my impressions of Solstice and mine only. They are not meant to enflame anyone nor to take issue with what others may have to say about their Solstice experience. In reviewing any cruise, so much of what one experiences is subjective that most conclusions and evaluative statements only have meaning to those of similar attitude as the writer. In that vein, most of what follows is an examination/explanation of some aspects of Solstice which we found to be disappointing.

 

Some of the architectural features intrinsic to the design of Solstice were perplexing and, in my mind, downright shortsighted. Solstice Theater is, in my view, a glaring example of poor design for purposes intended. Although the theater is large and, at first sight, impressive, one soon realizes that altogether too many seats have blocked views of the stage. Owing to large support columns throughout the theater, many no sooner sit down before they find themselves playing “musical chairs” in an attempt to find an unobstructed view. The theater is touted as having the most technologically advanced stage presently at sea, but from an architectural viewpoint, the theater itself falls short of providing unobstructed views of that stage to the audience. We quickly learned that if we wanted “good” seats, we needed to arrive much sooner than we ordinarily would have in the past. A minor annoyance, but …, a source of disappointment.

 

Another questionable design feature in the theater is the lack of small tables for drinks, ladies’ handbags, etc. Instead, small drink holders are built into the arm rests of the seats. I assume that the small tables found in the theaters of Millennium class ships were eliminated here in order to accommodate larger crowds in basically the same amount of space. Also, the distance between rows seemed tighter making it difficult for bar service staff to move about taking orders and subsequently delivering drinks. Once the drink was in hand, utilization of the drink holder was awkward and had the added undesirable impact of encroaching upon the arm space of the passenger sitting in the next seat. The design of the drink holder is such that the stem of the glassware slides into a notch in the armrest and the bulb of the goblet nests into a small depression in the wood. Prior to the start of one show, I witnessed one gentleman squirm in his seat, and in so doing, had his arm make contact with the glass in the armrest next to him. He literally snapped the stem in two causing the contents to splash on the seat and floor. Luckily, no one was hurt nor was clothing ruined, but it was, I’m sure, most embarrassing for him. The lesson I learned from observing this was to forego my usual after dinner drink of sambucca on the rocks while in the theater. Only a minor annoyance, but still …, disappointing.

 

My wife really enjoys playing Bingo while on board and looks forward to participating in the entire experience, corny jokes and all. The activity staff for this event were excellent. They projected high energy into the activity, were greatly engaged with the audience, spiced the activity with light-hearted banter, and yet, were still able to maintain a comfortable pace throughout the activity. However, the venue for many of the sessions was Celebrity Central, a small facility adjacent to Solstice Theater, which because of its design detracted from the experience. Seats are arranged in an amphitheater pattern and judging from the placement of screens, sound equipment, etc., I believe the facility was designed primarily as a lecture hall/movie theater. Again, the conspicuous absence of tables of any sort made the playing of bingo somewhat of a challenge. Anything one brought with them to the session ended up on the floor or in their laps. This facility didn't even have the built-in armrest drink holders found in the theater. It seemed somewhat incongruous that in a facility with absolutely no provision for keeping objects at hand, the ubiquitous bar staff continued to meander through the room with a disappointed look upon their faces that few were ordering drinks. In my judgment, the activity staff was, for whatever reason, utilizing a facility for purposes other than those for which it was intended, and in so doing, diminished the enjoyment of the players. A minor annoyance, but still, … disappointing.

 

In order to avoid having to rush before dinner after a day of excursions, my wife and I prefer second seating in the main dining room. Part of the ritual we have practiced on each prior cruise is to find a comfortable lounge with entertainment that we enjoy and then kind of “settle in.” Each evening before dinner, we would go to the lounge, order a cocktail or wine, and listen/dance to the music or “people watch.” Because of the scheduling of entertainment on Solstice, we found this to be nearly impossible. To illustrate my point, on Sunday evening at 7:30, we went to the Ensemble Lounge on Deck 5 which is a beautiful venue with an excellent bar and wait staff, subdued lighting, comfortable seating and convenient tables. While there, we were wonderfully entertained by guitarist Jefferson Ang who has quite a repertoire and sings with a James Taylor/John Denver quality in his voice. After our experience on Sunday, the lounge was like a magnet on Monday evening, and we were drawn back anticipating a similar evening's entertainment. But, instead of Jefferson Ang, we found the Modern Jazz Ensemble set up and playing. Jefferson had been scheduled elsewhere on the ship. Yet, the music was excellent, the staff just as efficient and friendly, and we felt just as comfortable as the evening before, so we stayed to enjoy our cocktails. The Ensemble Lounge called to us yet again on Tuesday and at 7:30, we entered to the strains of the Inspiration Strings, a string quartet. This evening, Jefferson was not scheduled to perform until 8:45, and The Modern Jazz Ensemble would be on at 9:45. Inspiration Strings is a quartet of excellent musicians, but their repertoire is very limited and since we had heard them play earlier in the day, we left the Ensemble Lounge for the Martini Bar. Throughout the week, not one entertainer or group we encountered repeated at the same venue during the same time frame on subsequent evenings. We were confronted with opting for one of two possibilities. Either we could “settle in” at the Ensemble Lounge and not be able to listen to a favored entertainer, or we could follow a favored entertainer and “bar hop” for the remainder of the cruise. To our way of thinking, this did not present the best of circumstances for cocktails before dinner, but was it of such a magnitude as to destroy the pleasure of our cruise? No. Just a minor annoyance, but still, … disappointing.

 

Each stateroom features an interactive, flat screen television system which contains descriptions of all ship’s services, dining options, TV and radio programming and an extensive selection of On-demand movies, some for a fee, but many free of charge. This is a very sophisticated piece of equipment and I loved the big screen. In the mornings, it is our habit to enjoy drinking our coffee on the veranda with soft music playing in the background. We find that it is a relaxing way to start the day and in warmer climes, it is a ritual we eagerly anticipate. Unfortunately, the genres of music available through the interactive TV do not include any “easy listening” or “soft jazz,” both of which we prefer. The system did make available “acid jazz,” but we found it did little to sooth the transition from sleep to wakefulness. Also related to the TV and a bit shortsighted in our opinion is that there is no way to diminish or shield the light emanating from the screen from encroaching on the sleep area of the cabin. Because it is affixed to the wall, the TV screen cannot be angled to direct the light away from the bed. If my wife was tired and wished to retire early, I could not have the TV on without having the light from the screen interfere with her ability to fall asleep. To us, these were minor annoyances, but still, … disappointing.

 

Others have already written of the minor inconveniences created by the smaller closets, the awkward storage above the bed, the excessive heat in the two top drawers of the vanity, the toilet paper which refuses to stay on the roller, and the limited shelf space afforded by the miniscule night tables. Suffice it to say that we agree with all those who have made comments describing these cabin features as being less than optimal. However, one stateroom circumstance which I found particularly annoying needs to be addressed in greater detail.

 

On Saturday evening, which was Valentine’s Day, my wife and I had 6 PM reservations for dinner at Murano, a specialty dining venue on Deck 5. Dinner here could not have been more wonderful. The décor is elegant, the service impeccable, the presentation a delight to behold, and every dish served was outstanding. It was truly a magnificent experience and was one of the highlights of the cruise. We left Murano a little after 8 PM and decided to return to our stateroom before heading out for a nightcap. Upon entering the stateroom, we discovered that the mini-bar/refrigerator had been locked and that personal items had been removed and placed on the vanity. Our bottled water had turned tepid, the wine had lost its chill, and the coating on my wife’s chocolate-covered strawberries had softened considerably. I went down to Guest Relations and complained that the availability of the mini-bar is a cabin amenity and as such should be available to me until such time as I vacate the stateroom. The staff representative agreed and indicated that she would report it to housekeeping. I must say that she was extremely efficient because by the time I made it back to Deck 9, my cabin steward was waiting for me to apologize. He stated that in locking the mini-bar, he was only following instructions but that if I wanted anything refrigerated, he would take it to the refrigerator at his station. Since that was neither convenient nor would it replace the chill on the wine and strawberries in a timely manner, I declined his offer. He gave no indication that he could unlock the mini-bar. Not two minutes later, another knock came to our door. This time it was a uniformed representative from housekeeping who wished to apologize and to explain why the refrigerator was locked. According to her, the procedure is followed in order to replenish inventory for the next cruise, and to allow bookkeeping to finalize the ship’s accounts in a timely manner. She, also, volunteered that if I needed things to be chilled, I could utilize the steward’s refrigeration at his station. My response to her was that such a protocol was obviously established for the convenience of Celebrity and not for the convenience of its passengers, and that it, in effect, deprives me of a stateroom feature for which I had paid and to which I was entitled. I further argued that such an action flies in the face of Celebrity’s most recent "Starring You" promotion which underscores its commitment to “indulge every guest on every ship.” Her only response was to say that she understood my being upset but that there was little she could do other than what she had suggested. Again, no indication that the mini-bar would be unlocked. Needless to say, this episode left me more than a little annoyed.

 

Taken individually, none of the above annoyances are of any great significance (except perhaps for the mini-bar episode), and ordinarily would not negatively impact the enjoyment of an otherwise wonderful cruise. However, when taken collectively, the cumulative effect of so many negative elements has colored our overall impression of the Solstice class so as to affect our future travel plans. Will we sail with Celebrity again? Most definitely. In fact, we are sailing on Mercury in October of ‘09. A more telling question is, “Will we sail on a Solstice class ship again?” To that I would respond, “Probably not.”

[ohiocruisemom56]

If you think Celebrity Central was a strange location for bingo you should have been there for mass. Standing room only, packed like sardines, with other folks milling about outside the door due to the lack of space. During mass you could hear the sounds of the casino. After receiving communion we needed to leave the room so that the others outside the entrance could come in to receive communion. Why is mass not held in the THEATER?

 

Virginia

[british betty]

We were in a CC cabin on Galaxy in 2007 and they took my flowers away on the evening of our last night, leaving a forlorn empty vase.... as you say Lddam, its not a major issue, just a bit disappointing.

 

I dont really think it would be too much extra work or trouble for them to be thrown away on the morning of departure after we have left ( even if they were on the wrong side of "fresh" ;) )

[Schplinky]

If you think Celebrity Central was a strange location for bingo you should have been there for mass. Standing room only, packed like sardines, with other folks milling about outside the door due to the lack of space. During mass you could hear the sounds of the casino. After receiving communion we needed to leave the room so that the others outside the entrance could come in to receive communion. Why is mass not held in the THEATER?

 

Virginia

 

I would never have guessed that many people attended. We have seen it in very small venues on most ships.

[spearmint]

Thanks for your write-up. I can see that you have tried to be fair in your assessment of your trip...both positive and negative. My reponses are solely on the parts of your write-up that would affect me; as you note, each of us is different when it comes to likes/dislikes.

 

I am not a fan at all of the cold, modern style that seems to be Solstice, but that would not stop me from trying one cruise. Sometimes the real thing is not as stark and ugly as photos show.

 

The first thing that I noticed in the theatre from promotional photos of Solstice was the lack of those nice little tables, plus the addition of armrests on the chairs. I much prefer the other Celebrity ships' theatre accomodations. I would have been very annoyed as often, I get two drinks for me and one for my wife, so that we don't have to have a server running around during the performances. Therefore we need the little tables. Also, I find it much more comfortable with no arm rests to deal with. Celebrity would lose out on drinks from us.... and others I have no doubt... because of this annoyance. Since we spend a lot of time in the theatre, this would be more than just a disappointment.

 

I was always impressed with the bathrooms on C-and M-class ships. Having read on these boards from the beginning of the ship's service, of the bathroom annoyances, I have to wonder why Celebrity would change something that worked? If more space was all that was required, say for a larger shower, why not just do that? And smaller closets? We pack as lightly as we can, although still bringing tux, gown etc. and the closets on C-and M-class are still jammed.

 

Like you, my wife and I always take late seating, and are regulars at the Rendez-vous Lounge to have cocktails and dancing before dinner. I would not like to have to run all over the ship to find an alternate venue featuring our favorite entertainers; I assume that not all bars have dancing. This would be a deal-breaker for me.

 

I have been assuming that eventually we will be forced to cruise on the Solstice class if we continue with only Celebrity as our cuise line of choice, as it seems to me that the M-class ships are being moved out of itineraries that we want, such as the Med. I may be wrong on that though; I hope so.

 

As for the mini-bar. Our last cruise was the first that we utilized it for our own items (I had brought some beer onboard at the beginning of the cruise.) I had read here that one needed only to ask the stateroom attendant to remove Celebrity's items so that one could use the fridge. Our attendant didn't even do that; he just told us to place items above the fridge and use it, replacing the items when we were finished. There was never a problem either with our being charged for items that were not in the fridge, nor was the thing locked down prior to our debarkation port. Your experience strikes me as weird.

[Solstice23]

In MY Opinion

 

As for BINGO!! I hate it and my wife and I find it tacky, so it should be behind closed doors in the theatre. But I suppose Celebrity is trying new things and the kinks will be worked out eventually.

 

As for the TV....there were so many more choices of music on the SOlstice then on regular Celebrity Ship TVS...my suggestions if you are that picky bring an IPOD.

 

The layout on ship was the best I have ever been on, you were looking at things to point out and they are small things, I understand its your point of view, but seems a bit anal in my opinion.

 

The ship Design is following classic lines and appealing to there market. I work in the design field, and for the first time I am happy there is not brass and dark woods everywhere...the ship is simple, clean, classic, and detailed its perfect! yes there are some things like table in the show lounge, But my wife was happy cause she hated the tables being in the way on the M class, so to each there own I guess.

 

As for the washrooms they are better then M class, no shower curtain sticking to you, and storage built in, it was wonderful. I applaud Celebrity in a world of cookie cutters to try new things and to appeal to my "city living generation"

[Ma Bell]

Thanks for your well balanced review. We all have certain things that we consider important to us and I'm sorry you found some that were not to your liking.

 

Just one comment about the TV. They can all be pulled out from the wall and angled whichever way you like. Perhaps you were not aware that this was possible and just didn't experiment with it enough.

[shofer]

Another questionable design feature in the theater is the lack of small tables for drinks, ladies’ handbags, etc.

 

"This time it was a uniformed representative from housekeeping who wished to apologize and to explain why the refrigerator was locked. According to her, the procedure is followed in order to replenish inventory for the next cruise, and to allow bookkeeping to finalize the ship’s accounts in a timely manner. ”

 

This type of theater design was our biggest gripe w/Princess. The "movie theater" seating and lack of small tables. We felt Celebrity's approach with the love seats and small cocktail tables to be a a very classy touch. I am definitely disappointed by this outdated idea.

 

I think if enough people complain about the locking of the refrigerators on the last night on their remark cards, it will change. I can see Corporate doing this because they have fewer stateroom attendants working more rooms so they are trying to appease them by spreading out the work load for transition day. But if the passengers are unhappy, you would think they could come up with a better solution. Isn't keeping customers happy part of what the "hospitality" industry is all about?

[usha]

If you think Celebrity Central was a strange location for bingo you should have been there for mass. Standing room only, packed like sardines, with other folks milling about outside the door due to the lack of space. During mass you could hear the sounds of the casino. After receiving communion we needed to leave the room so that the others outside the entrance could come in to receive communion. Why is mass not held in the THEATER?

 

Virginia

:DWow! How wonderful that so many pax attended Mass on your Solstice cruise!

Usually, it's pretty disheartening to see how few Catholics attend Mass, especially on vacation.

[Solstice23]

Mass in Celebrity Central LOL

Im an Atheist so whatever, but I think they could put it in the comedy club off to the side of Celebrity Central?? it had nice seating etc

[ottawapuppy]

I work in the design field, and for the first time I am happy there is not brass and dark woods everywhere...the ship is simple, clean, classic, and detailed its perfect!

 

My friend and I tried to play "spot the brass" and we could not find any anywhere on this ship. YAY!!!!

A brass-free environment is my kind of cruise ship.

 

Mike

[ellbon]

I have two weeks on Solstice and loved the ship. I came from Princess and they have nice fold out airplane trays that works great for drinks in the theatre. Half the time i keep my drink o nhe floor as i did not want the tray anymore. I do agree the wine cup holder is a joke as i almsot knocked over someone's glass. better to hold it or use he floor. as far a bar waiters beign able to get around in the OP's post i never saw it as a problem.

 

Music- for before dinner i picked the lounge not the music. after dinner i went into Micheals at night. loved that place. Also bar hoping is fun.. makes life more fun.

 

From what i have been told Celebrity and RCI lock the mini fridge the nigbt before. So I had two champagne buckets full of ice keeping everything cold. It worked great. I had cold water all night and morning. The OP said he had been on Celebrity before so he should of known this.

 

as far as church yor week a more people wanting to go-also since the ship sailed on Sunday when was church??

 

bathrooms- I was in love. cabin was great. closet no problem. safe- could be higher - with my luck would be designed for a 6 foot man.

[Solstice23]

Wow the brass test LOL cool

 

I book cruise as a hobby now, Id book yours for free just to get to hear about your reviews HAHA

[cinderellen]

Dave, thanks for taking the time to write such an interesting review. We were on the Solstice the week before you and can attest to a few of the items you mentioned. No huge issues but worth sharing. My husband and I will be on the Mercury in October '09 also. Are you by chance going on the wine cruise?

 

Ellen

[nikless]

Ok, ohiocruisemom56, you go to Mass but you can't show up for our sailaway? We tried to get your seapss number so we could charge our drinks, but they would not give it to us.

 

You missed a good time.

 

Sorry we didnt get to meet you.

 

Nick (& Barb)

[Infi]

If you think Celebrity Central was a strange location for bingo you should have been there for mass. Standing room only, packed like sardines, with other folks milling about outside the door due to the lack of space. During mass you could hear the sounds of the casino. After receiving communion we needed to leave the room so that the others outside the entrance could come in to receive communion. Why is mass not held in the THEATER?

 

Virginia

 

 

The only time I have ever seen mass in the theater is on Christmas cruises, when many will attend. I've always seen it in smaller venues (movie theater, card room) on Celebrity ships.

 

To the OP: I agree with your comments on the theater. I especially dislike the new theater seating as opposed to the couches, and the cupholders, ugh! It definitely makes life harder for the bar servers, especially to get to the middle of these rows. Unfortunately this seems to be the newest trend as this seating style also appears on Princess. Hopefully this new theater seating trend will die a quick death, it's way too cumbersome.

[ottawapuppy]

Id book yours for free just to get to hear about your reviews HAHA

 

Works for me!!!

 

Mike

[ellbon]

The world will have to get use to normal theatre seats. you have been lucky to have a living room as a theatre. be grateful you can bring in drinks at all. Go to a broadway show or any theatre stateside and try carrying in a drink. I am always taking a bigger purse or a shawl to hide water.

[Duanerice1]

Amazing. Although well written and you were not bashing Celebrity you spent what, maybe 2 paragraphs saying how you liked Celebrity and it was a good cruise then the rest of a very long post pointing out the things you didn't like.

 

And I know it is not just you but why wouldn't you point out all the good things you liked since they probably outnumbered the bad things and then just mention the "bad" things.

 

A great cruise like that and you felt the need use most of your post to point out the, how do you say "disappointing" items.

 

The glass really is half full!

 

enjoy,

Duane

[ISABELLA]

We were in a CC cabin on Galaxy in 2007 and they took my flowers away on the evening of our last night, leaving a forlorn empty vase.... as you say Lddam, its not a major issue, just a bit disappointing.

 

I dont really think it would be too much extra work or trouble for them to be thrown away on the morning of departure after we have left ( even if they were on the wrong side of "fresh" ;) )

 

Yes,

What's up with that. I found it strange that they took the flowers away before cruise was ended. That was on Connie over the holidays. Even my own flowers that I was given as a gift. The table looked very empty.

I didn't ask, but noticed that it was strange..

[JudyOh]

In 1974 my house was totally destroyed by a tornado, leaving me with two young children and homeless. And by the way, the government didn't come to our aid, so we were on our own. If I learned nothing else from this harrowing experience I learned: DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.

[lddam]

Dave, thanks for taking the time to write such an interesting review. We were on the Solstice the week before you and can attest to a few of the items you mentioned. No huge issues but worth sharing. My husband and I will be on the Mercury in October '09 also. Are you by chance going on the wine cruise?

 

Ellen

 

Ellen, yes to the wine cruise. We are travelling with two other couples who live in upstate New York. They will be returning home as soon as we make San Diego, but my wife and I will be staying in San Diego for a few extra days. Looking forward to it and counting the days. Hope we cross paths on board.:D

[ottawapuppy]

I found it strange that they took the flowers away before cruise was ended. That was on Connie over the holidays. Even my own flowers that I was given as a gift. The table looked very empty.

I didn't ask, but noticed that it was strange..

 

I suppose every little thing they can do beforehand to get the rooms ready for the next day helps. Speed is important on the changeover days, considering how there are many people lining up early "chomping at the bit" to get onboard.

We found the Captain's Club coupons for the next passengers in one of the drawers we had emptied after packing our bags. I thought for a minutes we hadn't used any of our coupons.

 

Mike

[hcat]

Thanks to OP for some thoughtful comments. I loved Solstice but do agree with a few of the observations--although some I see as positives..

 

A definite negative are the poles & obstructed views in the theater. The lack of mini tables in the theater also make drinking or being seated next to someone with a drink a bit risky--only stemmed glasses fit into the holder. I would also add that there is more seat saving & people climbing over others than ever before & the sound is sometimes turned up very high.. but we did love the shows except the one that was so loud we had to leave..!

 

Rotation of the entertainment to different venues was a plus for us. We could either follow the entertainer we liked to a diff venue or enjoy a fav venue with new talent . This I think was a great idea! Also thought it was smart to have diff bands etc, play at the pool at different times each day rather than just the pool band! Sometimes on M class, I start to feel like I have seen it all..not so on Solstice..still more to discover.

 

Finally, glad OP reminded me about the draperies & linens! They were all outstanding. I am not usually that much into decor but the draperies & fabrics in the staterooms & public area were really gorgeous..very opulent with a fresh touch,, the linens were lovely, esp the towels with trim. Also found the furniture in The Ensemble Lounge & Passport bar to be beautiful & comfy... Loved the chandelier in Michaels..

 

We had a great cabin attendant who was perfect in every way & never rushed us out the door...guess its the luck of the draw...

 

I am looking forward to experiencing Eclipse & Equinox--but will still enjoy M class depending on the itin offered..

[lddam]

Amazing. Although well written and you were not bashing Celebrity you spent what, maybe 2 paragraphs saying how you liked Celebrity and it was a good cruise then the rest of a very long post pointing out the things you didn't like.

 

And I know it is not just you but why wouldn't you point out all the good things you liked since they probably outnumbered the bad things and then just mention the "bad" things.

 

A great cruise like that and you felt the need use most of your post to point out the, how do you say "disappointing" items.

 

The glass really is half full!

 

enjoy,

Duane

 

Duane,

Oh, I totally agree with you that the glass is really half full and I firmly believe that any day I can get myself out of bed, shave myself, and not drool in my coffee is a great day. If you review my post, you'll note that I acknowledged that much has already been written extolling the virtues of Solstice, and it made little sense to me to iterate those same thoughts. Perhaps it was possible that, owing to all those positive reviews and articles we had read concerning Solstice, we may have established unreasonable expectations for the cruise, but I honestly don't think so. With 18 cruises under our belts, we may not be the most experienced travelers on the high seas, but we are not neophytes either. We know there is no such thing as "the perfect cruise," and that minor glitches will occur. With so many glowing reports being made about Solstice, I thought it reasonable for someone who didn't see her through rose-colored glasses to write a review. My fear was that if I "just mention the 'bad' things" without putting them into some context, the things I perceived to be "bad" would be dismissed as the insignificant grumblings of a negative, old coot. Hence, the "the very long post pointing out the things (we) didn't like."