Celebrity Solstice - Sux

[Discseven]

If you're into cruising and want a quality ship... it's not the Solstice.

Did October 30 to November 11 2017 cruise on the ship. Conditions on board were terrible (compared to 2009 cruise when Solstice was reasonably new.) My impression = Celebrity is cutting costs on ship---maintenance is neglected and what maintenance is done... appearances suggest lowest bidders digging in. Ship has possible food handling issues resulting in food poisoning that's promoted being a passenger born virus. A tendering life boat was reported to have begun sinking while we were in Akaroa---I did not witness this so is second hand report. Given standard of maintenance on ship... sinking lifeboat is believable. Food was generally terrible. Room was terrible... it was so altogether bad I'm chasing a full refund.

It's one thing to promote the truth... "Hey, our ship is really worn out and we're not spending any serious money to make it better. The $11 million we stated investing in it, that's really bonuses top management got for coming into the office a few days ago. If you want a freighter-like cruise, give us your money and off you go."

Instead...

Celebrity promotes the Solstice offering a "modern luxury experience." It's just outright BS they're getting away with.

I'll post photos if there's any genuine interest.

[vash]

i generally do not like cruise trips.

but yea..i would LOVE to see some photos..

food poisioning? people got sick?

[Bill Douglas]

Sorry you didn't have a good time.

Two weeks ago I was on another Royal Caribbean ship, Voyager of the Seas. I had the time of my life, my room was great, the food excellent, the tender boats were fun. Most of all it way exceeded expectations.

[sammyg2]

Went on as cruise long time ago, a terrible time.

Part of that was because I'm such a control freak I couldn't stand not driving and not making my own plans or schedule.
Part of it was because there was no TV, radio, or internet.
Part of it was because cruise ships suck (IMO).

I think cruse ships are a love-hate thing. Either or.

[Hugh R]

I do Disney, and I get a great rate. When you go to eat, you MUST use hand sanitizers.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I do Disney, and I get a great rate. When you go to eat, you MUST use hand sanitizers.

i love you man...but that makes no sense. we want THEM to use hand sanitizers..right?

i wash my own hands prior to eating or handling any food.

[quicksix]

Came here for The Winter Solstice celebration.
leaving now

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Went on as cruise long time ago, a terrible time.

Part of that was because I'm such a control freak I couldn't stand not driving and not making my own plans or schedule.
Part of it was because there was no TV, radio, or internet.
Part of it was because cruise ships suck (IMO).

I think cruse ships are a love-hate thing. Either or.

Yep... ^^ This!

[Geoz1]

WOW!!! I was just on the Solstice in August, for an Alaskan cruise, and our experience was the complete opposite. We had a wonderful time.
The food was excellent, even the few meals that we had in the cafe."The cafe was better than I expected".
We were Aqua class, so that gave us access to the restaurant Blu, which was excellent. I really enjoyed Tuscan Grille, and Murano. But, we went to the other 4 or 5 restaurants also. Once again, the food was excellent.

I went on the ship tour, and saw the food being prepared, where it was stored, and learned about all the processes they go through to insure safe food handling practices.


I don't think you are a cruise person, so you tried to find things to ***** about.


As for the life boats, you're full of ****. Every boat is required to be put in the water and tested, by government regulations, frequently. In Skagway, there was a rock slide, so we had to disembark via the life boats, IIRC they had 8 being used. There were zero issues with them.

I think your main goal is extorting them, because you had a bad time, because you went into it with a bad attitude.

It was my first cruise, my girl has been on 10 or so. Both of our parents have been on quite a few. Our families only go on Celebrity or Disney.

It's unfortunate that you had a bad time. To post outright lies, is ridiculous.

[Geoz1]

I did have one complaint, our cabin boy didn't do a great job overall. He was slow to clean the room when we were out, but kept the room very clean. I'm not sure if he was new at that particular job, or if he was just generally slow. If he saw us dressed up for dinner, that is his cue to make sure the room is clean before we get back.

That wasn't that big of a deal, he didn't get an additional tip besides what was included. The bartenders at the Martini bar received a nice tip, they deserved it.

[Wetwork]

Former Coastie here, I know boat stuff, enforced boat stuff. Only on stuff under my jurisdiction right? Or stateless...

Anybody ever wonder why almost all cruise liners are NOT documented in the US of A? Look into it...There's a reason.

I couldn't enforce US laws on foreign documented vessels without a SNO from their home country. When a foreign boat ties up here its a Customs boarding or some pollution regulation check. Other than that the life jacket's or basic safety stuff you use on a liner, may not comply with US specifications. So what we say you need to float in the USA, the nation of Denmark might or might not care. We the USA don't care what the folks in Denmark think and don't enforce it when they are here in-port.

All we care about is they don't pump crap into our bays. That being said, foreign laws may or may not consider stuff, safe or clean, the same way as we do in America. We have specific rules and regs for our documented boats, other countries...maybe?

It's really tough, really, really tough for a US cruise line to get all the goodness to be to get US documented, almost impossible. And really expensive. So much better to go to nations who don't care a lot to get documented. Enjoy your cruise. Check the documentation...hehe.-WW

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Wetwork

Anybody ever wonder why almost all cruise liners are NOT documented in the US of A? Look into it...There's a reason.

Hehe, In New Zealand we have NZ ships with NZ names that sail up and down our coast but are registered in Nassau. WTF?

Another thing is for government agencies to board a (rogue) ship they need the OK from the country of registration. They would phone Nassau and they would say 'Kosta is on holiday until next week, so no permission to board."

But back on topic; I really did have the time of my life on "Voyager of the Seas".

[Discseven]

Vash...

Whether I’m out to grind my ax on Celebrity is a legit question. So too is whether or not I’m a chronic complaining ahole who enjoys putting companys down. That in mind, I invite all interested to come along with me and experience a slice of this cruise for yourself. Then you decide how you would rate the experience.

To set stage, it’s appropriate to have an understanding of what value promises Celebrity makes concerning the Solstice. We’ll agreed that some exaggeration in advertising is expected.



“Our range of luxurious accommodations has been artfully created to make your stay warm and welcoming.”
“Revel in stylish design”
“Watch the world go by in modern luxury.”




“Each AquaClass stateroom includes the following world-class amenities that all contribute to your modern luxury experience.”




“Our passion for outstanding cuisine takes the onboard dining experience to a whole new level. But luxurious staterooms and specialty restaurants are only part of this ship’s charm.”



Public Relations Article (Dated November 2016)



“Better than ever…”
“More stunning than ever…”
“…designed with luxurious, modern travel in mind…”


Now, let’s cruise…

First boarding… delayed 2.5 hours. Next, boarding itself is a cattle call through a DisneyWorld-like serpentine cue lasting 40 minutes. Once on board, we're informed that access to all staterooms is delayed---there’s another 2 hour wait. Reason for this delay: “continued stateroom cleaning.”

In our stateroom, the balcony…










Our balcony’s walls and ceiling…

[Discseven]

Balcony's hand rail... coated in white paint specs.




Our bathrobes… disintegrating to the point of holes soon penetrating these garments. This photo is of a collar area.




Stateroom's toilet...




Sofa…



After just a few minutes experiencing our luxury accommodations, I'm thinking it being worthwhile to carry my iPhone along to record what other luxurious experiences present themselves. Perhaps Celebrity's executive department would like to know the reality on board.


Your first impression?


Outside public seating…




Decaying fruit on a deck stairway…






Public deck area drain...

[Discseven]

Lounge area… service staff and management walk by this table repeatedly paying it no attention.




Am going to start commenting in detail as pics don't make sense of themselves.

In our stateroom, a ship-provided fruit plate is delivered with the plate bearing an unknown stain type. The question of how well Solstice staff is trained concerning cleanliness and proper food handling is my response to this. Taken into consideration is the gastro-intestinal illness on board. Supposedly this illness is a virus---passengers being to blame in this case---rather than food poisoning---the ship being to blame in this case.




Wanting to watch a pay-per-view (PPV) movie is a nuisance. Rather than it taking seconds to access a selected movie, it’s a drawn out process as follows: First it’s necessary to menu-order a movie on screen as is typical procedure, then, after the error message appears, call Guest Relations. Guest Relations then contacts the IT department asking IT to reboot the system. Repeated tests are then made by me to determine if & when IT has rebooted… after IT has, the movie is then available. This does not always work in a timely manner so on one occasion… we gave up on repeatedly testing the TV after 12 minutes of doing so. This procedure was required NOT once but every time a PPV movie was desired during the entire cruise. When playing, some movies automatically paused/froze during presentation (with no ability to continue a given “frozen movie” via the remote control.)




According to the ship’s banner display on the TV, it’s 140 degrees F and 8:25pm. Not at this moment but ALL the time. Never was this information corrected. (This does not bode well for IT's skill. Does the entire ship rely on this level of IT expertise?)




The Bridge View channel on our stateroom’s TV. This displays interesting and potentially up to date information… that’s consistently challenging to read.




Making Specialty Restaurant reservations... Call the dedicated line for this and… no one answers. I always allow the full cycle (approximately 30 rings) after which the line automatically hangs up, “TIMEOUT.” It’s the same throughout the cruise for the 5 or 6 times I attempt dealing with reservations by phone. To make a Specialty Restaurant reservation, I need to go in person to a restaurant or to Guest Relations (or call Guest Relations and let them deal with it and confirm the reservation status back to me.) It’s another system on board offering an annoyance instead of a simple, pleasant solution.




Having already experienced the cuisine at Tuscan Grille (a “specialty restaurant,”) there’s no interest to return a second time for a standing reservation we have. I call Specialty Reservations… no answer. Another call is made. Same result. I go in person to Silk Harvest to both cancel Tuscan Grille and reserve at Silk Harvest, this being done two days in advance of Silk Harvest dinner plans. The Maitre’d at Silk Harvest assures me he’ll attend the cancellation I want. Below, reservation reminder cards---for Tuscan and Silk Harvest---arrive the day of dining…


If you're a graphic designer, you'll appreciate the attention to luxurious detail in these reservation cards.

To correct the double booking, I call Specialty Reservations… useless as usual. Instead, Guest Relations handles the Tuscan cancellation for me. When appearing this evening for dinner at Silk Harvest, the Maitre’d greets me with “Good evening
Mr. Hansen…” and follows to advise me he’s handled the cancellation as I requested of him two days ago. I’d prefer---and respect---the Maitre’d saying “My apologies Mr. Hansen but I realize I’ve not cancelled your Tuscan reservation, I’ll do that immediately for you.” Instead, dinner begins on a sour note.

During dinner at Silk Harvest, the Maitre’d feverishly wipes seating and tables with what is surly disinfectant---the gastro-intestinal illness being still an issue on board. While credit goes to him for attending his restaurant relevant to the gastro-issue, his wiping the restaurant down as intensely as he is kills the relaxing, fine ambiance this intimate restaurant would otherwise offer.


A cleaning bucket left next to the wall in a dining room. A mop is stuck behind the clearing table situated to the right of the bucket. Servers and restaurant management walk by this repeatedly paying it no attention. A restaurant manager is the individual passing by in this photo. Buckets and mops also regularly stand in the main hallway to our stateroom with no housekeeping nearby.




Concierge desk with no Concierge. I’ll gladly return later… There’s notably no courtesy note advising of the when the Concierge will return.




In our stateroom, a rubber glove of unknown use is left behind on our sofa… housekeeping?

[Discseven]

On our balcony, a towel is left---surly not by housekeeping since cleaning of our balcony never occurred. This towel remained here for the final three days of our cruise.




Around mid cruise, all books that are within standing reach in the library have been removed. The library remains bookless the remainder of the cruise.




When there were books in the library… on board management has provided the library’s main area---surly a public space---for a private function (and so public access is denied.) I don’t mind changing plan and doing something else…. what does concern me is on board management considering it reasonable to benefit some guests at the expense of others.




The snow & ice-topped surface of the Martini Bar makes for a unique, playful environment that many---including Maggy and myself---enjoy.




Around mid cruise, the bar’s frozen top is shut off and remains so for the duration of the cruise.





Specialty Restaurants including Blu, Tuscan Grille, Murano and Silk Harvest were each experienced for dinner. Blu is by far the worst restaurant among this group in terms of what the kitchen delivered to our table.

Dinner at Blu… A lobster app was just served to me in the dining room. The flesh is a flat, grey color and is at room temperature. I believe this app having been prepared well ahead of service and sitting unrefrigerated for an extended period (unless this lobster was indeed refrigerated and then heated to room temp and the meat completely dried prior to serving. Given the other food experienced at Blu, there’s no reason to think Blu’s kitchen would spend the time doing this.) In my culinary opinion, a professionally trained Chef would never serve grey lobster meat at room temp, nor would a professional server. I’m immediately inclined to question the food handling skills on board.

Given the lobster dish just served me, the question of whether the gastrointestinal illness on board is viral and so passenger born and infectious, OR, whether it’s a matter of inept food handling and so a food poisoning issue…this question is now forefront as we sit for dinner. What’s witnessed from Blu and in conjunction with the ship-wide mediocrity of maintenance and caring, the latter seems quite plausible. Adding to this concern… I recall no public report of the ship having performed a clinical analysis that factually confirms the illness being viral. The absence of such a public report, as I hold it being absent, adds more reason to doubt the legitimacy of the gastro-illness being viral rather than a matter of food poisoning.

…Continuing with dinner service, a main course of chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables arrives. There’s absolutely NO pride of creation in the plate before me. Instead, this dish was literally thrown together in hast. The chicken’s roasted skin… rubbery. A professional Chef does not sauce-over roasted chicken with skin on. The sauce itself tastes terrible---uneatable to my palate. The tablespoon portion of mashed potatoes tossed on the plate… bland. The vegetables, are vegetables. Surly Blu’s kitchen is well equipped with an adequate inventory… and this misery of a meal is the outcome. Where Celebrity’s website refers to Blu’s Chefs “raising the bar,” that’s not reality according to any of the food I’ve been served at Blu. Rather, what I’ve received is amateur cooking at best.

For reference, I grew up in a fine (not snobby) successful European restaurant environment---my parents being owner operators of a 150 seat property in NY. As it relates indirectly to this cruise, my father also served aboard Moore-Mccormack Cruise Lines as an on board executive in charge of food. While I’m not a professional chef, my experience supports knowledge of restaurant-driven kitchen management, equipment, food care & prep, table servicing, and a reasonable understanding what makes cuisine good, average, or bad.

My partner insisted we give Blu another try. We did. We did not return to Blu the remainder of the cruise.



In the Ocean View Café around mid cruise, clear plastic has been wrapped across the front of all buffet stations.




New format: A food server is now responsible for dishing out plates at each station and handing them over the buffet to guests. In effect, the appealing convenience of self-serving one’s own meal and the expediency of doing so has just been taken away from all guests dining in the Ocean View Café.
NO GUEST I’m familiar with is pleased with this new system.



In some buffet areas, orderly lines form. Other times there’s chaos. Luxury aside in the Café, I see no initiative on the part of restaurant management to respond to a service format that has declined in performance and so in guest satisfaction.



Line for a beverage. Single server is on station at this moment.


The ship---visible just above & beyond the cue in the far distance---is now in the bay at Akaroa, NZ. It’s currently 5:15 pm, the time the last tender of the day was scheduled to depart the pier for the ship. The pier here is approximately 100+ yards in length and guests are standing two or more abreast waiting for, for as long as I’ve been looking on, a single tender serving this volume of guests.



I know the Solstice has close to 22 life boats onboard to address tendering needs. Crew accredited to skipper these life boats should---in number---at least match the lifeboat count. Watching over fellow guests doing the same wait as I am… it’s aggravating to stand here and witness how onboard management can be so inconsiderate of so many. This is notably not the first exposure to this sort of frustration. As I watch, two tenders eventually show up. Shortly after 6 pm, Maggy and I board the final vessel. Given tender capacity, approximately 450 guests have been standing in line here for an hour or more. Surly where hospitality is genuinely offered, tenders would be waiting on guests.

Now, just back on board and heading to our stateroom, conversation begins in the elevator among guests concerning the wait on the pier. A fellow passenger informs the delay being caused by a life boat tendering beginning to SINK. Given maintenance and conditions on board, a sinking lifeboat makes---unfortunately---perfect sense.

... I’ll leave it at this.


A “Modern luxury experience." Really?

.

[Starless]

You took some nice pics on your cruise. Wow, what a mess! One reason I won't go on a cruise is that if the place turns out to be a dump, you can't just pack up and hop in your car and find a better place to stay.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Royal Caribbean (back in the 90s) was great. Did Disney last year, also great. Probably wouldn’t do anyone else.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by vash

...food poisioning? people got sick?

The sickness on board was reported to us having arisen during the ship's prior cruise. It was supposedly "viral." This means it's passenger bourne and so and importantly not the ship's fault. I suggest there being an overwhelming degree of cost cutting evident on board... Maintenance was poor. Things didn't work and were never attended. Conditions were disgusting at times. Food was mediocre to terrible at the "specialty restaurants." Where Celebrity promotes their amazing Chefs... the reality suggests them being rank amateurs at best. This begs the question as to exactly how food was/is being handled? I was served a high risk seafood app so am speaking with first hand knowledge of the ship's dangerous food conditions.

Given all I witnessed, food poisoning rather than a viral illness is highly probable---bear in mind the standards demonstrated on board. (Look over pictures posted for reference to the ship's standards.) I hear the illness issue continues on board Solstice as I write this.

Bottom line, were Celebrity to say "Sorry, we've got a food poisoning issue on the Solstice," ...that's a Public Relations corporate killer. Better to BS the public and potentially get away with it than commit corporate suicide.

...Again, my opinion only.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by Starless

You took some nice pics on your cruise. Wow, what a mess! One reason I won't go on a cruise is that if the place turns out to be a dump, you can't just pack up and hop in your car and find a better place to stay.

Yup... to bail on a cruise is complicated. There's also the "hope" that things will improve.

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Royal Caribbean (back in the 90s) was great. Did Disney last year, also great. Probably wouldn’t do anyone else.

I've been on some great cruises! ...did the Solstice in 2009. It was excellent. Not now. It's been too drastically neglected. The $11 million supposedly invested in upgrades... where? In executive salaries would make good sense.