Celebrity Solstice Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was the first time my husband and I embarked on a ship for a vacation. We were invited by a couple friend of ours who were seasoned cruisers (they had one of the two penthouses on board), and talked about just how wonderful it was, a sentiment that was echoed by a number of friends and family who had also been on cruises, although not necessarily Celebrity. Given that we had vacationed with this couple before, and knowing that we tend to go first-class when we do take time off, this couple suggested booking a Sky Suite on the ship, which I'll review under the cabin area of this posting.
We boarded in Seattle, and our group - which, by the time we sailed, was actually made up of 10 people total - was met at the dock by a Celebrity representative, and ushered through the checkin process, which was all very smooth and friendly. Time from drop-off to on board the ship was only 20 minutes! One of the crew even recognized that I was struggling a bit (my generalized anxiety disorder crops up at the WORST times!), and helped me to a quieter area with some water, to wait for the rest of the group to check in, which gave me a chance to actually get more excited about boarding. The process was so wonderful, a great way to get to know Celebrity and the crew right off the bat. Great customer service!
We made our way to Michael's Club to wait for our rooms to be ready, and thought about where to get some lunch, when one of the MC staff said that Luminae was open for lunch. So we made our way there for the first on board meal of the trip.
Cabin Review
Sky Suite 2
The cabin was very nice and comfortable - I'm usually very picky about the mattress and the pillows on the bed, since we have high-end memory foam at home, but I slept really well on it, with no problems, aches or pains or anything. There was a TON of storage, my husband and I are notorious over-packers, and we found room for everything. The room was well-appointed, if a bit bland; even the lovely artwork on the walls couldn't take away some of the stark feeling of it. Our steward Suzett was so friendly; after we asked for more towels for my husband, he started doing towel art on our bed! The monkey was my favorite! We had a little issue with our butler Denisa being somewhat no-show for the first couple of days of the trip, but after a comment to the concierge, she got a LOT better, and we loved her, super helpful and friendly! Both my husband and I feel like she was a bit overworked and overwhelmed maybe - there were a LOT of families in the Sky Suites this trip. The balcony was great at first, but as time went on, I noticed what looked like flakes of paint littering the edges of it. I would have loved to walk out there barefoot, but didn't feel it was safe. That was really the biggest complaint. I can't wait to see what the suites look like when it's refurbished!!