Celebrity Solstice

[csrsue]

Has anyone sailed recently on the Solstice?  

We're looking to book our first Celebrity cruise for April 2023 (7-day Pacific Coast; roundtrip from Los Angeles).  We're not familiar with the Celebrity ships at all.  Mostly have sailed on RC ships and twice on Princess and once on NCL.  

Any input? 

Thanks!

[cruisellama]

21 hours ago, csrsue said:

Has anyone sailed recently on the Solstice?  

We're looking to book our first Celebrity cruise for April 2023 (7-day Pacific Coast; roundtrip from Los Angeles).  We're not familiar with the Celebrity ships at all.  Mostly have sailed on RC ships and twice on Princess and once on NCL.  

Any input? 

Thanks!

Nice ship.   Solstice is first of its class.   Mid sized by today's standard and a little smaller than the new Edge class (smaller than Freedom class).   Its been through its "Revolution" upgrade but the suite Retreat area is  still decorated like Michaels club (old name).    Its a different feel than RC, Princess, or NCL - a bit slower paced.  First, Celebrity doesn't have toys, so less for kiddos if there going also.   Just pools and hot tubs.   There is a Solarium area (16 and older) with a some quick and healthy menu/drinks.   You won't see pool events like biggest belly flop or even VP tourneys.   No large promenade, but there is shopping and areas of around the clock entertainment and guest activities.   Like most Celebrity ships, the martini bar tends to be the primary hangout for guests.  The bar tenders put on a good show at night.    Focus is on dining, entertainment, and relaxing.  On the upper deck there's a real grass lawn and you can play bocci, put, or just lay on the grass and watch a movie.   Its smaller than a Freedom class ship.   Easy to get around.   Has a 3 level main dining room and a buffet.   Specialty restaurants and bars, spa and workout area.  Solstice has been a Pacific mainstay with west coast, Alaska, and even Hawaii and south Pacific itineraries in past years.  Its a relaxed venue.

[csrsue]

2 hours ago, cruisellama said:

Nice ship.   Solstice is first of its class.   Mid sized by today's standard and a little smaller than the new Edge class (smaller than Freedom class).   Its been through its "Revolution" upgrade but the suite Retreat area is  still decorated like Michaels club (old name).    Its a different feel than RC, Princess, or NCL - a bit slower paced.  First, Celebrity doesn't have toys, so less for kiddos if there going also.   Just pools and hot tubs.   There is a Solarium area (16 and older) with a some quick and healthy menu/drinks.   You won't see pool events like biggest belly flop or even VP tourneys.   No large promenade, but there is shopping and areas of around the clock entertainment and guest activities.   Like most Celebrity ships, the martini bar tends to be the primary hangout for guests.  The bar tenders put on a good show at night.    Focus is on dining, entertainment, and relaxing.  On the upper deck there's a real grass lawn and you can play bocci, put, or just lay on the grass and watch a movie.   Its smaller than a Freedom class ship.   Easy to get around.   Has a 3 level main dining room and a buffet.   Specialty restaurants and bars, spa and workout area.  Solstice has been a Pacific mainstay with west coast, Alaska, and even Hawaii and south Pacific itineraries in past years.  Its a relaxed venue.

Oh, my!  What a great review.  Thank you so much.  A relaxing, all-adult (late 50s/early 60s) trip is what we are wanting and seem that that will be just what this will offer.

I appreciate the help.  Thank you!  You've helped make up our minds. 

[Jjohnb]

Has the Solstice been through her Revolution?  It was scheduled for 2021 but I believe it was postponed due to COVID.  I've heard rumors that she'll get a fairly basic (mostly mechanical) drydock in 2023 since her last drydock was 2016 but I haven't been able to confirm that.  Some folks that have been on her recently report that she's in good shape, others say she's showing signs of wear and tear since it's been 6+ years since her last drydock.  We'll be sailing on her in 2024 to Alaska but we're getting concerned what she'll look like if no dry dock is performed between now and then.

[mistertomatohead]

Just got off it. Everything looked fairly new (i.e. not worn out). I was in an interior on deck 9 and everything looked updated. I'm pretty sure the whole ship's been through a renovation. It does have Starlink Internet now but to fully utilize it the older internal network equipment needs to be updated. I'm not sure when but that probably needs drydock. I never tried the Internet myself so I don't know what the experience is currently.  There are only a few nitpicky things like the only plugs I found were far from the bed. The movable table and bedside pieces look worn like they didn't replace them in the renovation. The TV look longer than usual to load. By the way, I'm told this ship was supposed to be in Asia so sail on it from L.A. while you can because it won't be in L.A. much longer nor will it return. The fares are super cheap right now.  This past week it was only about 1000 people on the ship so 1:1 ratio with the crew.  It's a real bargain. I did a solo trip and I called in to get a cheaper guarantee inside cabin. I still had to pay for two people but it was still much cheaper than booking on the website. The cheaper guarantee cabin is not available on the website for solo but it allowed me to get the $200 OBC. If you book those last minute ("exciting rate") you lose out on the OBC but the rates are really cheap too.