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woderful, super, elegant cruise by
Lizbeth Hernandez from Mexico Sailing date: Nov 2008Pros: Everything on the boat Cons: Just that for an international cruise the onformation should be also in other languages The ship is all new, beautiful, a lot of space in the rooms, great crew the decoration is just wonderful, everything is perfect I recommend it to you a lot! 
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San Juan, Puerto RicoDon't Miss: Bacardi tour Basseterre, St. KittsDon't Miss: a train ride Philipsburg, St. MaartenIt is beautiful but not to many things to see
70 out of 91 people found this review helpful.
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   Celebrity Solstice review by
Ross T from Philadelphia, PA Sailing date: Jan 2009Pros: Most beautiful ship; Dinners were excellent Cons: room service, entertainment This is the most beautiful ship I have cruised (and I have logged over a dozen cruises). The Solstice is worth cruising just for its beauty and elegance. The dinners were great. We dined in Blue and the three specialty restaurants and they were high-end restauarant quality. Room service was terrible - don't order. They didn't show up once, and when they did, the food was cold and items were always missing. Guest services was good but you will always wait on hold for them. The entertainment was bad--the theater shows were really bad and the everyday activities were just ok. The hot-glass show was excellent. The spa was good, not great, but it is large and has a nice gym and definitely try the Persian Garden! We were in Aquaclass and loved the room's bathroom and shower. The pool(s) were very small and awfully crowded with people (kind of gross actually) and like all ship, good luck finding a lounge chair. The lido deck food was not good. Pizza, and grille items were good but the other food items were not great and the Lido cafe is notably small compared to other ships. It is overcrowded. For food I recommend dinner, and all the speciality restaurants including the crepe place. The lounges and bars were very nice and offered good variety. Some closed a bit early. Overall the staff was friendly and competent. Ship QualityNicest ship on the sea. Dining/FoodExcellent on dinners and specialty restaurants but poor on the Lido deck food and room service food. Stateroom QualityNicest on the sea. Ship Staff QualityGood to excellent. No problems. Guest services were slow and they made a bunch of mistakes (they had us on the wrong seating, didn't deliver champagne to our guests, didn't give us restaurant reservation cards, etc). But they fixed everything. Could be a matter of working out the kinks. Entertainment & ActivitiesTheater shows were poor. Daily activities were just okay. Glass show was great. 33 out of 35 people found this review helpful.
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The ship was beautiful, great time by
Robert Nicholas from United States Sailing date: Jan 2010Pros: The ship and staff, very friendly Cons: Select seating dining, a mess We sailed on the Solstice, large, beautiful ship. The staff were friendly and went out of their way to be helpful, they would come up to us and start a conversation.
The only drawback was the Select Dining. We had reservations in the main dining room and still had to wait while they seated persons wiithout reservations.
Other than that, a very restful and enjoyable cruise. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodFood was not as good as we expected. Sometimes dried out, a lot of salt added, little or no taste. Stateroom Quality
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Entertainment & ActivitiesWe missed shows because we were dining. The early show started at 6:00 pm, the same time we were preparing to eat at 8. The late show started at 9. while we were eating. If we had known the show schedule ahead of time, wo uld have adjusted dining time. The late shows has always started at 10 on all the other cruises we took, that is why we scheduled to eat at 8. 22 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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New Solstice Rises Above the Rest by
Jeff G. from Anchorage, Alaska Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: Ship layout, quality of food, shows Cons: Slow dining room service, too many extra-charge restaurants Sailed many Celebrity ships (and other lines too). New Solstice-class ship very modern with a superb layout. Large, yet half the passengers of other large ships. Only negative was the slow service in main dining. This ship has about 5 specialty "extra charge" restaurants, and it appears that the service has gone there. Food quality is excellent everywhere, even the casual buffet. The buffet now has food "islands" so people don't line up like sheep as usual. You just go to the island or station and get what want. Gym has top quality equipment and workout space. Sauna smaller than older ships. Six whirlpools, but always seemed filled, some people camp in there rather than heeding the 20 minute rule. Entertainment at the main showroom and smaller venues is top-notch. One lounge guitar/singer (Jefferson Ang) was incredible and knew every folk/pop song ever written from 60's to current hits. There is an "ice" martini bar with a frozen top to keep your drink cold, the room TV's are large flat-screens with a huge menu of free movies. On top is a huge real grass lawn and a Corning hot glass-blowing show. Embark/Disembark was smooth and no crowd at all, unlike other lines. Celebrity really is a cut above the other big 4 we have sailed, with Holland close second. Ship Quality
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San Juan, Puerto RicoDon't Miss: Old Forts Basseterre, St. Kitts
Philipsburg, St. MaartenDon't Miss: Watch jetliners land over your head at the Sunset Beach Bar 21 out of 21 people found this review helpful.
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A great birthday cruise! by
Michael R from Phoenix, AZ Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Beautiful ship, outstanding service! Cons: Some shore excurisions werent that great, but overall a good bargain. The Solstice surely is a world class ship. The atrium is open and beautiful, the whole layout was way beyond what other ships offer. The cabin we had on the fan tail was excellent, the service was great. The beds were comfortable and better than other ships we have sailed on. I have not cruised Celebrity before but after this cruise they have won me over and I wont sail on other lines! Ship QualityOutstanding is all I can say. Clean, well layed out, easy to get around and spacious! Dining/FoodMain dining was excellent, the quality of food was outstanding. Even the buffet was the best I have had on a cruise! Stateroom QualityConcierge class is the best way to go. Clean and well laid out cabin, comfortable bed and a large bathroom compared to other cruise lines. Ship Staff QualityOutsrtanding is all I can say, smiles everywhere. Loved the fact they werent always trying to "sell" me something as I have expirenced on other cruises. Entertainment & ActivitiesEvery night was exciting and fresh, loved the many musical venues all over the ship as well. 21 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Best ever!! by
Tom C. from Indpls, IN Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: The ship had everything you could want with great service. Cons: Their billing was not always correct and it took time for them to correct it. It was clean, huge and alot to do on board with a friendly staff. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodSome meals were really good while others were just so-so. Stateroom Quality
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Kusadasi (Ephesus), TurkeyPeople were friendly and helpful.
Don't Miss: You must see ancient Ephesus Mykonos, Greece
Santorini, GreeceWhat is not to like. Everything is like a postcard.
Naples, ItalyDon't Miss: Amalfi coast Piraeus (Athens), GreeceTo me it was just another big city.
Don't Miss: Well you have to see the Parthanon Messina, Sicily
Rhodes, Greece
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Nice ship but boring! by
A. B. from tampa FL Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: Room was great Cons: Boring!!! Mishandled luggage and broke several items. This was a great ship for the over 55 crowd. It was aesthetically very nice, but there were limited activities. The pools and jacuzzis closed at 8 pm. There were no midnight buffets. We had 3 days at sea and by the third day we were ready to jump ship. Luckily there were free movies in the room to keep us busy (now I know why). This was one of the best rooms I've ever had...but aside from that I would not recommend this ship unless you want to sleep alot... and drift into a coma. We also had over $250 damage to luggage and items in the luggagem, and are still waiting to get a response from Celebrity! Ship Quality
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12 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Could have been FAB-u-lous by
Wendy V from Columbus, Ohio Sailing date: Dec 2011Pros: Quality of Food, Activites, Accomodations Cons: Loooonnnnggg Lines, badly managed The ship was really beautiful, however onboarding and offboarding were horrendous, and poorly managed by the cruise line.
To be fair to the cruise line, in terms of the onboarding - the ship came in "sick" meaning that some illness was significant on the cruise prior to ours - we were notified there would be a delay boarding - however the 3 hour long line (in the heat/rain) with no seating, food, drinks, restrooms, etc. was not ok.
As far as off boarding, we chose to "early" off board. When the ship docked at 7am, we went to the appropriate loaction, and proceeded to wait, with a crowd of angry people (e.g. there was almost a fist fight) for over an hour. Only 1 person from the ship was managing the "early" off boarding crowd - to the best of his ability - however with approximately 300 people waiting in a crowded section of the dining room - fully loaded down with all of their luggage - and personally I was hot and hungry.... it was a powder keg waiting to explode.
If you can avoid the lines - it is a good ship, and overall the crew were plesant. I would discourage purchasing the drink package - we bought the second most costly, but did not find the alcohol we wanted to drink easily avaialble...... eg. we could have any drink up to $8 in value... but the only Red Wine in the dining room for that price was approx 5 selections of Merlot....
Also - The spa was amazing in terms of service - but had VERY high pressured sales. I would avoid it all together. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodWas not as fancy as I expected, or as varied as I had hoped - unless you pay more for the "additional restaurants". Selection for room service was very poor. Stateroom QualityThe people who maintain the rooms work their tails off. Rooms are very nicely maintained Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesSo much to do, you couldn't do it all 9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Best of Seven by
Jerry B from St. Augustine Florida Sailing date: May 2010Pros: Entertainment Cons: WiFi Service Staff and service was first rate. Food was excellent in variety, availability and taste. Entertainment was Vegas quality. Ports of call were good and there was not excessive pressure to take their excursions. This is our 7th cruise and the best. Ship QualityVery well laid out, elevators were fast and never had a long wait. Dining/FoodService and quality was excellent. We did the open seating deal which allowed us to eat when we wanted and were glad we did. Stateroom QualityBalcony on rear of ship was not only cool, but allowed us some private time and a wonderful breakfast each morning by ourselves. Ship Staff QualityStateroom attendant was constantly going beyond what was necessary with our room. Same with the matre'de and other waiters and staff. Entertainment & Activities
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Costa Maya (Mahahual), MexicoMayan ruins were great and amazing. Tour guide was very knowledgable.
Don't Miss: Mayan Ruins, the pool and beach at the pier area. Cozumel, MexicoWent to the State Park which was way over priced at $19 per person. Taxi ride for a round trip was $20. Food was too pricey too. Did not find any great deals in Cozumel.
Don't Miss: Stay on the Ship George Town, Grand CaymanThe trolley tour was short and concise. The driver was knowledgable of the Caymans and was a good entertainter to bood. Pricing was high for gifts.
Don't Miss: Trolley Tour and Seven Mile Beach Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasTour was great. Beautiful scenery. Would like to live here. Best prices for gifts on the whole trip. Save your money till you get here.
Don't Miss: Venice Culture tour and boat ride. 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Awesome cruise! by
John D from Ft. lauderdale Sailing date: Mar 2009Pros: Brandnew ship. Cons: Nothing really. It was a excellent cruise. Me and my wife went on it for our honeymoon and had a great time. The room we had was kind of small but you get what you pay for. I wouldn't recommend getting a room towards the front of the ship we felt a lot of movement. The service and staff were extremely nice. The lounge chairs were taken up pretty quick so you have to get out early to get a good spot if you want to be in the sun. Ship Quality
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Labadee (Cruiseline Private Island)You have to do the zip line!
Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Philipsburg, St. MaartenDid not like trhe island at all. The zip line tour we took was a waste of money and time.
Don't Miss: nothing at all! 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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