Celebrity Solstice Review
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BACKGROUND: We are a couple in our 50s / 60s and live in the SF bay area and cruise as often as possible. We got hooked on cruising up in Alaska several years ago. This was our 8th time cruising up in Alaska and it never disappoints. We have been once in May but all the other sailings have been in September. We are always warned about the weather in Alaska in September but all but one time, we have had the best luck during this month. We booked this cruise right before the one we were on last September on the beautiful Celebrity Solstice.
ARRIVAL & EMBARKATION: We arrived in Seattle late in the morning of the cruise, picked up by a friend that lives near Smith's Cove and taken directly to the pier. We arrived at the terminal around 12:30 PM and were guided to the correct check in line, which was quick and efficient. We were then guided to the waiting area for Platinum and Elite and sat down. Not two minutes had passed and they began boarding. We were on the ship in no time at all. Before heading to grab some lunch, we stopped at the specialty dining desk and got all our reservations made for the 3 dinner package that we pre-purchased. I had called to make sure our first dinner was on the second night of the cruise and it even showed this online but they had no record of it. This was fixed easily enough, though, as we were some of the first groups to board. We were meeting 2 other couples there onboard, so they did allow me to take care of their reservations as well, so that made things so much easier.
Within a few minutes, the rooms were ready for passengers, so no waiting in a public area. We were located on deck 6, so not too far from where we boarded and to our surprise, the first elevator actually had room for us. We went up to our cabin and did notice the droning noise that some have complained about in this area of the ship. This was like an engine or loud fan noise out in the hallway and also in our room, most prominent in our bathroom, with an additional louder noise that seemed to be heard coming through the drain in the shower stall. While I could understand that this might bother some, we viewed it as white noise and it was never a problem for us. Closing the bathroom door at night alleviated that issue and the white noise may have actually been preferable to the other ship noises that are sometimes present. I would not hesitate to book this room again, if available. We originally had concerns about booking on deck 6, but actually now prefer that location to being on a higher deck.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Veranda 2C
As mentioned, we were midship aft part of the hump, starboard side, with very little obstruction. The bed was near the balcony on this sailing, which I like better on the S-class as it is hard to get into the closet when the bed is next to it. I would prefer they take the closet doors off for an open design, but not a deal breaker. There is a sofa next to the closet so still a little blocked on the side by the wall, but not as bad. There is plenty of room in the closet for most everything with an extra pull down bar for shirts. There is also room in the cabinets above the bed and some drawer space by the vanity that come in handy. There is plenty of storage space in the bathroom; they definitely got that right. My only complaint, if it really is a complaint, is that those little nightstands are actually only 2 shelves. I bring a small throw away box that I use during the cruise so the stuff I need next to my bed is easily accessible and doesn't get lost under the bed. Reading lights on each side of the bed would also be a great touch but again, not a deal breaker. The bathroom is actually quite large for a stateroom and the showers are enclosed by doors and not one of those pesky curtains that assault you during your shower like seem in some ships. We had one of the large hump cabins midship and ended up spending a lot of time out there. Footstools out on the balconies would also be a nice touch, if not for all, then for Elite passengers maybe. It would be a nice touch. We did have them previously in the aqua class and concierge class, so kind of missed having them in this cabin. We appreciate the no smoking policy and were located on the starboard side so never had an issue with smelling smoke.