Celebrity Solstice Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,220 reviews

Just don't.....especially if you enjoy eating nice food.

Review for Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
User Avatar
knickers
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2017
Cabin: Concierge Class 1

Even with the amount of people on board, I though the experience would be better - the ship cannot soak up people adequately, and staffing in bars is inadequate (we all know why). The ship itself is great, shows were great, the cabin really good and roomy with loads of storage, and the staff very pleasant (whilst bearing in mind they are working towards the tip at every turn) but the queuing, completely dire quality of food and drinks and constant having to pay for everything - bingo? really? (and $4USD for water is disgraceful and does nothing but promote the intake of booze - which people are determined to do to try and drink their beverage pack's worth they have paid a small mortgage for)....plus ports of call that are just depressing and are nothing more than a reason to get passengers away from the bar for the day means that the bad far outweighs the good. Never again. It was supposed to be a great deal, but was far from it - it ended up being an extremely expensive weeks holiday with nothing to do as even eating and drinking (staple holiday pleasures for a lot of us, and if I started on the food in general the review will require an index!) became a chore and not something to enjoy at all. We were also caught between the cruise company we booked through and Celebrity themselves with each party saying the other party was responsible for the supposed free benefits we should have been given with the cabin (drinks package etc) which of course resulted in us getting nothing and consequently paying a lot more than advertised.

Cabin Review

Concierge Class 1

Cabin C1

Great cabin, but Concierge Class a total waste of time/money.

Port Reviews

Lifou

Abysmal.....we have lived in Asia for years and can do "authentic" but there is no charm or even effort made to try for anything other than a ramshackle, grubby spot to take a walk. Such a shame as if a tiny bit of effort was made, you would spend more and the local economy would only gain.

Noumea

Again, no real effort made to make visiting there appealing.....prices charged for everything in cafes (where all the passengers went to try wifi as Celebrity charge exorbitant rates) were also exorbitant, and this robbery didn't come with any kind of smile (or working wifi either)....again, we would have paid double what we did if the wifi worked, and any kind of effort had been made to create some kind of appealing ambience. It was also a public holiday, and int would have been nice if Celebrity had advised that the supermarket closed at 12......and that the bus tour they charged $15 USD for was $10 USD if bought off the ship, (and had no timetable or bus-stops signed on the route so getting on and off it not simple at all).

Sydney (Australia)

Sydney never fails to loo amazing as a departure and arrival port - best parts of the trip

35 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Celebrity Solstice Cruise from $502

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.