Cruise Ship Review: Celebrity Solstice

I’ve had a passionate interest in ships and shipping for most of my young life and have keenly followed for the past decade the major shifts within the cruising industry from my home in Sydney, Australia. While not a fan of the new look cruise ship that has graced our oceans for the past decade (think Eurodam and Norwegian Epic), it hasn’t stopped me from cruising and enjoying their amenities. This cruise was my third undertaken thus far; the first around the Hawaiian Islands aboard the then-new Norwegian Star in 2002. Six long years passed before we (my parents & I) boarded the Costa Concordia and enjoyed the sights of the western Mediterranean in May 2008. In 2009 we decided it was time to explore the wonders of Greece and Turkey and the ship chosen was Celebrity Cruises new flagship: Celebrity Solstice.

Happy Cruisers!

The Ship

Celebrity Solstice is huge. At 120,000 tons she is a colossal ship and unfortunately not the easiest to look at. The distinctly angular features of the superstructure are an development of the external layout of the preceding Millenium class but with some innovations, balconies in the middle have been extended out to create larger cabin spaces while the twin funnels hark back to the to the days when Celebrity Cruises were a part of the Chandris Lines who owned illustrious ships such as the Australis, Britanis and Ellinis. The bow features a distinctive knuckle that not only exudes power and strength but harks back to ships built in the 60s such as the recently departed Regal Empress (formerly Olympia). For photographers, I highly recommend filming the ship from either broadside or bow quarter shots because from the stern she suffers from the ‘apartment block’ look that has afflicted all ships of her generation.

A size comparison: The Celebrity Solstice is seen docked in Kusadasi with the 40,000 ton Aquamarine and in the foreground a tiny Turkish naval vessel.

The Solstice is shown here docked at Mykonos...and clearly the stern is not her best angle!

The Celebrity Solstice presents a powerful, angular but elegant profile.

Onboard photographers can rejoice, this ship is a joy to film at night with many areas beautifully lit up and awaiting your attention.

External aesthetics aside, the real beauty of the Celebrity Solstice is revealed internally. Celebrity cruises has spared no expense and are extremely proud of their latest flagship. The Solstice looks and feels like a graceful hotel and displays the benefits of a completely new design philosophy inspired by the four elements: earth, air, light and water. The décor overall was elegant and clean and suffer none of the gaudiness afflicted upon the ship’s Carnival Group competitors (think Costa Pacifica). Five specially appointed women called ‘The Leading Ladies’ were consulted for the design of the cabins and their influence is readily apparent. Our cabin was on the Sunrise deck, forward on the starboard side and larger than expected with a generous double bed, well appointed bathroom and a balcony to enjoy the sights. The retractable third bed was an interesting contraption that made me feel like I was sleeping on a smooth hammock. It also afforded the best views when the curtains were drawn back and a stunning Mediterranean sunrise welcomed us to a new day. A minor let down was the poor quality of the toilet paper that I believe was an accountant’s decision as opposed to a recommendation by any of the Leading Ladies. Our cabin steward Leslie was always gracious, polite and extremely friendly.

The bold metallic finish of the Atrium is a harsh contrast to the much softer interior decor elsewhere in the public spaces. This is a view of the Atrium looking straight up at the suspended tree on Deck 7.

A view of the Atrium showing the suspended tree, an empty elevator and the impractical, but atmospheric Library.

Crew

The Solstice caters mainly to an American clientele and the majority of passengers on our voyage were either retirees or young couples. There were several families aboard too, certainly enough to keep the child care staff occupied and apart from Americans there was a sizable Spanish contingent as well as Japanese and a handful of fellow Australians. It’s a joy listening to the accents and trying to identify our compatriot’s distinctive twang. The benefits of English being the main language spoken aboard were mostly evident among the crew and it was easy to build rapport. The crew were genuinely friendly and accommodating. Special mention needs to be made of Captain Kafetzis who could easily carve a successful career in stand-up comedy, his opening address began like this “I am Greek. I speak Greek. I am 38 years old and 24 months…” In his last address he began by saying “Thankyou all for being here tonight, I would like to thank the autopilot for guiding us safely on this voyage…” Our cruise director was affable and fun but as the voyage got longer it became evident he had tendency to use the word ‘cornucopia’ far too often, we counted six times in one speech.

Just a small portion of the hard working men and women that keep our ship afloat...

Dining

Dining onboard was a surprising affair. We had breakfast and when the occasion arose, lunch, at the Oceanview Café on Deck14. It is staggering in size and can easily accommodate 1,000 passengers but be warned, it does get busy at peak times. The plethora of food available never failed to amaze me but the situation was different during dinner times. Dinner was served in the Grand Epernay Dining Room; this Norman Foster (yes, the man that gave us the giant zucchini in London and the retro super yacht Ocean Emerald) is a fantastic example of contemporary and tasteful interior design. Our table on Deck 5 enabled us to enjoy a vista of the expansive dining room and the surrounding ocean. The service during dinner was exemplary; our waiters Harun and Jose constantly attended to us and found time to enjoy pleasant conversation despite the busy demands of their other charges. The food during dinnertime was a touch-and-go affair, most meals were filling, delicious and looked grand but there were a few surprises. One night early in the cruise, a rock salad was served as a quarter of lettuce with a sprinkling of green herbs and a small piece of bacon in one corner… and that was it. For those willing to diversify their palette, I highly recommend the escargot, beautifully done with the perfect smattering of garlic.

The Grand Epernay dining room.

The reviewer's breakfast every morning...the best waffles afloat!

Entertainment

The onboard diversions were plentiful and entertaining, the Capella group Sol’d Out proved to be especially popular and it was a wonderful way to end the evening by walking out of the theatre and listening to their soulful tunes in the forward atrium. The various variety acts were both hit and miss affairs, one comedian who had the crowd roaring with laughter with her Michael Jackson and Tina Turner impersonations was Shari Wilson, it is well worth catching any of her routines. The majority of the entertainment occurred within the massive Solstice Theatre, a 1,200 capacity three-deck high entertainment complex, which was also specially designed to accommodate Cirque De Soleil style shows. My only complaint goes not to the performers but to fellow passengers who ignored the safety warning and used their camera flashes to film the performances even while actors were suspended in mid-air.

Other forms of entertainment, apart from gastronomy, abound on the Celebrity Solstice and varied from the educational Team Earth exhibition to the ludicrous teeth whitening at the spa. The pool deck was popular and commodious enough to allow fellow passengers not to feel crowded while the adult’s only spa had a great relaxing ambiance that no doubt refreshed many a parent. The pool deck also makes for a great starlight party venue complete with good acoustics, bright lights and a fountain that sprays water in synch with the music. Celebrity Solstice also features the first ocean going glass-making facility and a team of trained glassmakers from the Corning Museum of Glass performed a show twice daily and demonstrated the fine art of glass making. This interesting feature is novel and I don’t see it catching on as a feature in the rest of the cruise industry.

The glass making show....

And into the furnace....

A glass mug in the making...

Yes it’s true; the Solstice is the first ship to have real grass growing onboard, maybe its RCCL’s way of testing its research before Central Park is installed aboard the new Oasis of the Seas. Situated between the two funnels, this green deck space is meticulously maintained and is a great quiet spot to just read a book or have a convivial conversation with fellow shipmates. It’s an interesting feature and a welcome oasis from the frenzied activity on the pool deck but I don’t see it as benefiting the industry or the ship much either.

The first ocean going lawn, now superseded by the first ocean going park aboard the Oasis of the Seas.

Cruise Tours

With such a variety of tours of offer, I will only expend a few brief words regarding Celebrity’s management shore tour process. The crew did an excellent job shunting all passengers off to their respective destinations; it was an easy process whereby everyone collected their stickers at the Solstice Theatre. It got busy on a few occasions, especially at Istanbul but the crew coolly handled the crowds and kept everything under control. Shore tours can either be a fulfilling, entertaining or frustrating experience, happily we had great tour guides who imparted their knowledge with quaint English and a good sense of humour. If you want to save a little money, forego the tours on the Greek Islands (especially the smaller ones such as Santorini and Mykonos) as there is nothing much you can’t discover or learn if you have done some research, and islands being islands…there’s only so far you can go!

The horizon keeps going with the diversity of tour options available onboard the Solstice.

A Final Note:

During the cruise and in discussion with fellow passengers there were rumblings that Celebrity Cruises were in a state of flux. The comments included observations that waiters were no longer serving wine whilst wearing white gloves, these views were expressed by several passengers who were long time cruisers with Celebrity and who seemed to prefer the intimacy of their earlier, smaller ships such as the Century class. It should be borne in mind that the cruise industry is always in a state of evolution and companies must evolve to meet new opportunities and challenges and may indicate a repositioning of the Celebrity brand to compete directly with the Princess brand whose sheen has been wearing off. To this reviewer, these comments appear trivial at best. The Celebrity Solstice shines as an elegant, well-appointed and luxurious ship that meets the all the demands of the discerning 21st Century cruise passenger.

X marks the spot for good times aboard a luxurious ship and a friendly crew.

Bon Voyage!