Cruise Ship Review

Solstice is the first of a new class of five vessels to be launched through 2012, and on the first swing, Celebrity has hit it out of the park. In many cases, a cruise line's "new class" often means just a larger, or slightly tweaked, version of a previous design. At 122,000 tons, Solstice has the size credentials, being the largest Celebrity ship ever launched, but there's much more to this vessel.

Solstice has one of the best interior architecture designs we've ever seen, and passenger flow is excellent. While the ship's passenger-to-space ratio is standard for the industry, we never felt crowded and never experienced a single long line. On our completely full sailing, the ship felt half-empty. Solstice is also an extremely easy ship to navigate, even for first-time cruisers. Everything is clustered: all the entertainment is forward; the food is aft; and -- insiders are quick to point out -- the money (casino, reception, shops) is in the middle. Even the specialty restaurants are all clustered on a single deck (Deck 5).

Solstice's style blossoms from the root of its name, "sol," meaning "sun." Even the casino chips bear images of the sun, a different stylistic representation on each denomination. And the sun plays an important role for the ship, from powering the 216 solar panels that contribute -- although to a minor extent -- to the ship's electrical grid, to nurturing what is perhaps the most unique feature of this, or any other, ship: a full half-acre of lush living grass. Called the Lawn Club, this area features bocce courts, a putting course and the Hot Glass Show, where passengers can delight in seeing the creation of complex works of glass art from basic raw materials to the finished objects. Other "green" innovations include improvements in hull design and coatings, which boost fuel efficiency, and the use of eco-friendly refrigerants and lighting.

Dining

Dining choices abound aboard Solstice.

The towering, airy Grand Epernay is the ship's main dining room. The room is bright and light in tones with ample use of the ship's signature design element, glass.

Dinner is served in two conventional sittings (typically 6 and 8:30 p.m.) with assigned tables and tablemates. Lunch and breakfast are open seating.  We found the cuisine to be a mix of French, Italian and "New American" styles, with contemporary popular ingredients -- phyllo, Yukon Gold potatoes, feta cheese, fresh fennel, etc. -- conspicuously present.

The Oceanview Cafe is a multi-station buffet for breakfast and lunch and an open-seating casual alternative venue for dinner.

Besides the conventional choices -- British (bangers, English bacon, baked beans) and Asian (miso soup with mix-ins, tofu, rice, etc.) stations, as well as vegetarian and carved meat stations round out the mix -- the standard breakfast selections don't change (omelet station, bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit, pastries and breads).

Lunch features one changing "Chef's Choice" carving station in addition to taco, pasta, stir-fry, sandwich, soup, salad and other specialty stops.

Other casual options include the Mast Grill. It serves burgers, hot dogs, fries and the like. The AquaSpa Cafe serves healthy, spa cuisine breakfast and lunch by the spa pool.

We were particularly fond of "Bistro on Five". A casual eatery, Bistro's main fare is crepes. Bistro on Five also features panini sandwiches, soups and salads, and charges a $5 per person service fee.

The Ensemble Vestibule -- an edgy, black room -- is the entryway into the Ensemble Lounge, an energetic, convivial watering hole. In one of the best pieces of interior architecture we've seen on any ship, Ensemble forms a nexus from which Celebrity's signature Michael's Club and four specialty restaurants -- Blu, Murano, Silk Harvest and Tuscan Grille -- fan out like spokes of a wheel. Because of this architecture, not only does this section of the ship have the feeling of a sophisticated city's "Restaurant Row," but it also places the four specialty restaurants such that they all have beautiful picture window views of the sea.

Blu is more of a private dining room reserved for passengers booked in Celebrity's new AquaSpa category. It has a menu similar in course structure to that of Grand Epernay. AquaSpa passengers do not have to pay extra to dine here, but suite passengers may book tables on a space available basis, for which they are charged a $5 per person gratuity.

The ambiance of Tuscan Grille is described by Celebrity as "Napa-meets-Old-World-Italy" and has the best view of any restaurant aboard the ship. The grilled meats and seafood can't be beat.

Our favorite was Murano. The theme is Continental with a tilt toward new French. The centerpiece is a six-course tasting menu, featuring appetizer, soup & salad, fish course, palate cleanser (sorbet), meat course and dessert; all of the dishes except the sorbet come from the a la carte menu. There are two choices for each course on the tasting menu, and the option of a wine paired with each.

The a la carte menu choices are bold -- caviar, escargots, sweetbreads, venison and the like -- but familiar faves abound: filet mignon, lobster tail, surf and turf. Cover charge for Murano is $30 per person, with an additional $110 to pair wines with all the tasting menu courses, and a "Market Price" surcharge for a caviar option.

The cuisine at Silk Road is pan-Asian (requires reservations, $20 per person surcharge).

Room service is available 24 hours a day from a limited menu of sandwiches, pizzas, salads and desserts.

Public Rooms

The slogan for the ship is "food is at the aft end; entertainment is up front; and the money is in the middle." To that end, the restaurants are clustered aft of the atrium, and the Solstice Theatre (main show lounge) is fully forward. Between the main atrium and the Solstice Theatre is a mini-atrium, anchored at Deck 4's "Entertainment Court," the nexus for nighttime entertainment. Amidships, in between the dining and entertainment venues, are the casino, reception and a mind-boggling 19 boutiques and shops, covering every genre and price point.

In another cluster, various landings for the main atrium's elevators have been expanded to accommodate the card room, library, a museum-like interactive environmental awareness experience called "Team Earth," and the Internet cafe. The 24-hour library is spectacular, extending vertically for two decks, with towering bookshelves extending the full height of the room.

The Internet cafe is a typical onboard facility with plenty of dedicated laptops (augmenting the stem-to-stern Wi-Fi) and enrichment classes in various popular applications from Word to Photoshop.

Cabins

Our comfortable 194-square-ft. Deluxe Veranda cabin featured blond teak and walnut paneling and furniture, including a couch, chairs and desk-cum-makeup table. The balcony (54 square ft.) had two chaises and a pedestal table. Our bathroom featured a curved acrylic shower door (in lieu of a shower curtain) and was spaciousness. Storage space was very good. Other amenities are typical: robes, safes and refrigerator/mini-bars.

The centerpiece of this room is the LCD flat-screen television interfaced with a Mac mini computer, through which passengers can book or review reservations, services, excursions, their accounts, and menus, and watch on-demand entertainment. The channel lineup includes everything from cartoons to classic TV to free movies, travel, sports, news, ship information and multi-genre music channels. For those who left their laptops at home, the combination full keyboard and remote control can be used for Internet access. However, the system was slow and difficult to use.

Basic inside cabins measure from 183 to 200 square ft. The two Penthouse Suites measure 1,291 square ft. with 389-square-ft. balconies. These cabins offer floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, separate living room/dining room, baby grand piano, full bar, sofa queen sleeper, two 52-inch LCD TV's (one with surround sound), full passenger bath, and a master bath with a whirlpool tub, shower stall with dual shower heads, double washbasins and even a 26-inch LCD TV. The verandah has a whirlpool and lounge seating. The Sky Suites (300 square ft.) with 79-square-ft. verandahs, have two beds convertible to queen-size and bathrooms with a shower/tub combination and washbasin. The living room has a sofa queen sleeper, vanity and 40-inch LCD TV.

The Aqua Class staterooms are an entirely new class of accommodations for Celebrity. Their footprint is identical to that of Concierge, Sunset Veranda and Deluxe Ocean View staterooms (192 square ft./53-square-ft. verandah). The difference is in privileges and amenities. Located near the AquaSpa, these rooms include expanded spa-oriented cosmetics and bath amenities; upgraded linens; a selection from the "pillow menu"; Frette robes and slippers; canapes; access to an exclusive room service menu of healthy dining choices; and more.

The bathroom features a five-head invigorating "shower tower." AquaSpa passengers have their own specialty restaurant, Blu, and complimentary use of the AquaSpa Relaxation Room and Persian Garden, a value of about $100 per passenger based on a seven-night cruise. A "spa concierge" is available to assist in booking treatments and more.

Passengers in Concierge Class staterooms may avail themselves of concierge-type services from the Passenger Relations department. Other perks include: a full breakfast room service menu, canapes, complimentary welcome aboard Champagne, shoeshine service, priority check-in, and more. Other Concierge Class upgrades are similar to aspects of AquaSpa cabins: Egyptian cotton oversized bath towels, massaging showerhead and Frette robes.

Families can take advantage of connecting staterooms and Family Ocean View Staterooms with verandahs, which measure 575 square ft. with one master bedroom plus a second bedroom (with a single twin bed) and sitting area with a sofa (convertible to trundle bed).

Solstice has state-of-the-art wheelchair-accessible staterooms, covering a wide range of categories. Suites feature the services of a butler, who will, among other chores, assist in the moving of heavy luggage as well as packing and unpacking.

Entertainment

During the day Celebrity offers a number of choices for enrichment and entertainment. Those who can't bear the thought of disembarking without winning just one more luggage tag can compete in multiple games of trivia, game shows and the ever-popular Celebrity chestnut, "Battle of the Sexes."

Passengers who would like to disembark with a bit more brain power than they came aboard with can attend educational programming ranging from computing lessons in the Internet cafe to lectures on a range of subjects. On our sailing, the two lecturers were a self-improvement specialist and a real-life crime scene investigator discussing forensic science.

Celebrity Tastings, an annex to the art auction's main gallery, hosted samplings of wine and other libations, such as single malt and Irish whiskies, Port wine and rums. A dedicated wine tasting venue on Deck 4 called Cellar Masters offers a daily wine tasting in the afternoon or evening, featuring a different wine region each day and including in-depth discussions with knowledgeable sommeliers. Also, passengers can conduct do-it-yourself wine tastings 24 hours a day in Cellar Masters by purchasing a "wine card," inserting it in an automatic dispenser for a particular type of wine, and dispensing a measured one, two or four ounces into their glass. In the evenings, vodka and caviar tastings take place in Crush, adjacent to the Martini Bar. Crush's centerpiece is a table filled with shaved ice in the center.

Arguably, the most unique enrichment experience is the "Hot Glass Show," where passengers can sit surrounded by the grass of the Lawn Club and watch a master from the Corning Museum of Glass practicing his or her art, with a second artist providing commentary. This goes light years beyond the demonstrations we're all used to seeing at the Murano glass factories.

Then there are the standbys we all expect: art auctions, bingo, dance lessons and the like.

One disappointment -- and this comes from someone who doesn't spend a lot of time in casinos -- is that the casino on Solstice is entirely too small for a 2,850-passenger ship and could use more gaming tables. At most, four blackjack tables would be open at any given time, and only one of those had a five-dollar minimum.

A decent variety of musical performances -- on deck, in lounges or in the main showroom -- cover a variety of musical styles. These included a solo steel pan player, a classical string quartet, solo pianists, a jazz combo and big band stylings from the main show band.

Solstice Theatre, the ship's main show lounge is an extremely well designed room with excellent sightlines and semicircular rows of comfortable theater seats, all with good views of the stage. There are no tables, but drink holders have been added to the armrests. Normally three production shows take place on a seven-night cruise; one of the shows is a Cirque du Soleil-inspired circus show, while the other two are standard revues with the star aerialists used like featured dancers. Other main show lounge performances included a singer, and welcome aboard and farewell shows.

Shore excursions were handled efficiently and smoothly.

Fitness & Recreation

Spa services are conducted by Elemis, Ltd. (a division of Steiner), and include a dizzying array of spa treatments including a variety of massage offerings from sports to New Age and everything in between. A standard 50-minute massage is $110, excluding bells, whistles and hot stones. Elemis also offers teeth whitening and acupuncture.

The Persian Garden is central physically and conceptually to Celebrity's AquaSpa concept. The area includes a co-ed sauna and steam room, tropical rain shower and heated ocean-view relaxation chairs. The facility is available for free to AquaClass passengers and for $99 to all other passengers (based on a one-week cruise.) AquaSpa pools include a circular spa pool, a swim pool and two whirlpools in the Solarium.

Though the AquaSpa pools are closed to children, the main pool area does include a family pool (shallow for youngsters), separated narrowly from the "Sports Pool" on one side and the "Wet Zone" on the other. The Wet Zone is a flat area with vertical fountain jets that fire at random; it's great fun for kids to play in, or for anyone wishing for a quick cool down. Together these three form Solstice's main pool area, accompanied by four hot tubs.

A fully-stocked and staffed gym sports all the newest fitness machines, as well as a serpentine jogging track (eight laps to the mile). The nicest recreational area is the Lawn Club, and though Celebrity is careful to avoid excess wear and tear on the living grass, the ship's own backyard does feature a bocce court and a three-hole putting course. At the forward end of the ship, on Deck 15, is a basketball court.

Family

The forward area, including the basketball court on Deck 15, is ground zero for kids aboard Solstice. The court is sandwiched between the two dedicated kids' areas: X-Club (for kids ages 12 - 17) on the port side and Fun Factory (for 3- to 11-year-olds) on the starboard side. The rooms are of about equal dimensions and are stocked to the rafters with age-appropriate gear. The teen area also features a soft drink "bar" with a popcorn machine. Also clustered with the kids' clubs is the video arcade. In addition to that room's complement of the latest bleep, beep and zap machines, kids also have access to Wii consoles and foosball and air hockey tables.

The well-staffed youth program includes organized activities for five age groups, as follows:

Shipmates, ages 3 - 5, and Cadets, ages 6 - 8, offer dinosaur hunts, Sponge Bob trivia, face painting and water games. Ensigns (9 - 11) are engaged in scavenger hunts, pool games, bingo, basketball and game shows. Teens are split up into two groups. Those in the 12 - 14 sector participate in "tweens" activities like pool Olympics, game shows and karaoke, and those in the 15 - 17 group, which have less structured schedules, have a prom party and a "Dancing with the Stars" event.

In lieu of group babysitting, Solstice provides lunch, dinner and slumber parties for kids ages 3 to 11, so parents can lunch, sup and party at night sans kids. These "parties" go for $6 per child per hour. Individual in-cabin babysitting is available for one or two children 12 months or older for $8 per hour per child.

Family accommodations include four family cabins and 121 connecting cabins.

 

Fellow Passengers

The typical Celebrity passenger is mid-50's, traveling as a couple, sophisticated and appreciative of the better things in life. The majority are from the United States, but that balance, as well as the ratio of couples to families with kids may shift between the Caribbean and European seasons.

Dress Code

The two levels of dress on Solstice are smart casual and formal. Two formal nights take place on a seven-night cruise. A large percentage of men opt for the tuxedo route.

Gratuities

A gratuity of $11.50 per passenger per night is automatically charged to shipboard accounts.

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