Attached is a link to 466 pics. I can't wait to be aboard in just a few weeks time (and for a full 7-days!).

Ernie

quote:

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Originally posted by KenC:
Am I the only one that thinks the Lawn Club is a huge waste of space!!

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I don't know yet. It may be or it may not be. The good thing is that it's available to the entire ship, not just a small percentage like the Grill decks on Cunard. In addition I think fewer and fewer people are the power tanners so perhaps there enough deck chairs? I would imagine the area around The Lawn is noisy anyway with exhaust fans (and perhaps windy too), so it probably would not be an area I would want to set up my deck chair anyway.

As for the deck chairs being close together .... that is pretty typical on any premium/mass-market line.

quote:

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The good thing is that it's available to the entire ship, not just a small percentage like the Grill decks on Cunard.

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Though if it is a flop, you can bet the accountants at Royal Caribbean will be looking for a way to make that amount of real estate pay its way. All I've seen so far is it being configured for croquette which surely cannot be the plan!!!

The cabins all look great. They have a timeless style that is fresh and relaxing.

The other interiors are contemporary if a little stark.. I cannot help but wonder if it will date and need a thorough refurb within 5 or 6 years. Some of it looks almost retro '70s which is novel but once again may not last. (it didn't even last in the '70s.)

You Americans are very lucky to be spolit for the choices you get,...and at prices we Aussies can only dream about!!

Brad

[ 11-13-2008: Message edited by: reeves35 ]

I will say this though, she has a lot a lot of blue white and brown. A little to much in some places, it starts to look a boring, but over all I like her very much.

quote:

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Originally posted by Cunard Fan:
.....I also like the grass. I like the idea of being able to watch the sea go by as I sit on grass.

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Yes, but who says you will be allowed to sit on the grass. All that's missing are the 'Do not walk on the grass' signs

quote:

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Originally posted by KenC:

Yes, but who says you will be allowed to sit on the grass. All that's missing are the 'Do not walk on the grass' signs

Ken

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The much previously celebrated cabins - sorry, but they suffer with functionality issues. Surprise.... many of the balconies are actually obstructed....there is less hanging space in the wardrobe... the larger bathroom while gaining floor space and more storage space..gains a smaller doored shower.

You can't watch tv from bed because the tv doesn't swivel - you're stuck watching from the overly long sofa which impedes access to the wardrobe. Those pax who are of more ample girth will find the space between the end of the sofa and wardrobe door a tight fit.

The Cat 9 inside HCA cabin is a disgrace. Unless one has some mobility and can walk from the foot of the bed around to the side of the bed, they are going to have to get in at the foot of the bed since there is not enough clearance between the wall and the side of the bed for even the smallest of wheelchairs!

The cream colored "pleather" cabin sofas are already becoming discolored. Some of the grass is dying.. or dead.

The Lido buffet arrangement is a winner. The decor reminds me of 1960's airplace terminals though. Silk Harvest is lovely in design and decor. Murano's and Michael's Club quite elegant. Blu - blah... and the Tuscan Grill - very non-descript.

Most of the lounge chairs around the pool area are in the shade. Of course, the lounge chairs one deck higher don't receive the blue pads. Those seeking the sun, will be out in droves at sunrise to claim their turf. I've never seen such a small pool area for a ship carrying more than 2500 pax.

Effective immediately, for all Celebrity Solstice sailings as of November
23, 2008 and all Celebrity Equinox sailings
as of August 8, 2009, the following categorization modifications are being
made. Please be aware of these
modifications when booking any cruise vacations on Celebrity Solstice or
Celebrity Equinox.
• 247 of the veranda staterooms are being re-categorized
• 171 staterooms will now have an “upgraded” category
• 76 staterooms will now have a “downgraded” category (due to obstruction)
• All staterooms in Category 07 and Category 2C will now have a veranda
with an obstruction
• For SL and EQ only, Category 07 staterooms will now be categorized as a
veranda stateroom; In total,
there are 136 staterooms that have a veranda with an obstructed view
• Guests that are currently booked in any of these obstructed veranda
staterooms will be notified of the
category change

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The cream colored "pleather" cabin sofas

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Brad

[ 11-13-2008: Message edited by: reeves35 ]

quote:

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Originally posted by ocngypz:
It's funny.. she actually photographs better than she looks in person. When you're onboard you'll see what I mean. Look for the soup ladles in the dining room lights. Really!

The much previously celebrated cabins - sorry, but they suffer with functionality issues. Surprise.... many of the balconies are actually obstructed....there is less hanging space in the wardrobe... the larger bathroom while gaining floor space and more storage space..gains a smaller doored shower.

You can't watch tv from bed because the tv doesn't swivel - you're stuck watching from the overly long sofa which impedes access to the wardrobe. Those pax who are of more ample girth will find the space between the end of the sofa and wardrobe door a tight fit.

The cream colored "pleather" cabin sofas are already becoming discolored. Some of the grass is dying.. or dead.

The Lido buffet arrangement is a winner. The decor reminds me of 1960's airplace terminals though. Silk Harvest is lovely in design and decor. Murano's and Michael's Club quite elegant. Blu - blah... and the Tuscan Grill - very non-descript.

Most of the lounge chairs around the pool area are in the shade. Of course, the lounge chairs one deck higher don't receive the blue pads. Those seeking the sun, will be out in droves at sunrise to claim their turf. I've never seen such a small pool area for a ship carrying more than 2500 pax.

We had so few people on the sailing, we had one dinner seating. Despite the passenger/space ratio....at full capacity... it will feel crowded.

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Yours is probably the only negative review I have read. Pretty much all the others mention the ship actually looks better in person compared to pictures. From what I have seen from the pics, I know SOLSTICE is very much to my personal taste in decor. I realize it's not for everyone which is why there are plenty of other lines to choose from.

As for many cabins being "obstructed", well I don't really agree with that. Yes, some cabins on Deck 6 have a lifeboat *below* the balcony, but it's not like any balcony has a lifeboat completely obstructing the view as on some ships (QM2 comes to mind). I think at most the view is obstructed looking down to the sea, but not straight out. In any case, it's fair that Celebrity is re-categorizing these cabins.

You mention that deck chairs on higher decks don't have "pads", but in pics I have seen they certainly do. Even if they don't, no big deal. Many ships have NO deck chairs with pads, and on my last HAL cruise only those chairs by the middle pool had pads. If you wanted to lay out in the sun, you were regulated to the very cheap plastic chairs by the aft pool, the same that Carnival uses.

I've also read that the TV's absolutely swivel to either the couch or bed area for viewing. I can't imagine that some do and some don't but who knows? It's something I will check out. I think the bathrooms look fantastic. Probably the best standard bathrooms I have seen except on maybe Disney or the new NCL ships. The shower looks plenty big enough (much larger than a standard Princess shower for instance) and I prefer the sliding door over a curtain. Royal Caribbean also has sliding doors and I loved it. It's great to see so much storage space in the bathroom. I wish QUEEN VICTORIA had half the shelf space. We each has one small glass shelf, and that was it. I agree the closet space looks tight, but no less than I just experienced on QE2.

I do agree that while the pool area looks gorgeous and very designer like, it is probably too small for the ship. As for the entire ship feeling crowded, I somehow doubt it but I will let you know. There are a lot of public areas.

I've sailed on these short preview cruises for agents in the past, and there is only so much you can get from the experience. Everything is free and the ship is not operating as it would during a revenue cruise. There are positives and negatives to the experience, and you get a taste but again you don't really see how the ship will work under normal circumstances.

I'll be onboard in just a few weeks, and I'm certain my sailing will be full and it's a typical 7-day Caribbean sailing. It will be a better indicator of how the ship performs and I will be honest in my review. While SOLSTICE no doubt has her faults (what ship doesn't), I think she is the most interesting new ship we have seen in a long time. Thank goodness not another Vista, Destiny, or Grand Class and for that I am thankful!

Ernie

Enjoy the photos!

Ernie

You can read the full blog here:

USA Today Blog

Another blog by Fran Golden

Ernie

[ 11-14-2008: Message edited by: eroller ]

It's odd to see a huge part of deck space devoted to grass. is it possible to sit on it ore just lay a plate on it and lay down as in city parks.... To play a game of croquette is just silly.

Then the promenade deck sorry this is not a promenade deck. Found it more a technical pass way fore crew. Not a promenade deck where you walk and enjoy the sea.

This is a proper promenade deck with unobstructed views and relaxing teak deck chairs.

Don't miss understood me she's really a modern looking vessel with some great interior spaces I love the dinning room (say it over and over again)
But I missing something........ the home coming feeling that other vessels have (HAL, P&O, Cunard, MSC etc.)

I like the dining room, it's 'brave' but it always reminds me of a Chrismas snow scene from a Disney movie!

Celebrities operation reminds me of a contemporary American Cunard.

[ 11-14-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Maasdam:

But I missing something........ the home coming feeling that other vessels have (HAL, P&O, Cunard, MSC etc.)

Greetings Ben.

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Good points Ben, she is absolutely none of those lines and I think that is the point. HAL, Princess, P&O, Cunard .... well they are all somewhat similar and even use the same class of ship. They all play into that "ocean liner" perception to a certain extent. SOLSTICE is none of the above and will not be confused with any of them. She has a style of her own and it's much more modern and in line with today, more like you would find at a very upscale, trendy hotel. A ship does not necessarily have to look like this pre-conceived notion of an "ocean liner" to be successful.

SOLSTICE has a mix of very grand spaces and also very intimate from what I can see, and for this reason I think she will appeal to a wide variety of audiences.

You are absolutely correct her outdoor Promenade is pitiful. Of course we already knew this based on her design almost from day one. OASIS OF THE SEAS will likely be even worse. Frankly I think it's nice to have an outdoor promenade, but honestly I rarely use it. If I want to sit and read I will do it on my balcony, or I will be up by the pool deck. On QE2 and QM2 I think I walked around the Promenade deck a few times, and that was it. QE2's is actually not that great to be honest. QM2's is excellent but again I had a balcony that I used instead. QV is touted as an "ocean liner" and her Promenade was pretty pathetic. No wood and they closed off the front so you could not walk all the way around. Again not a deal breaker for me because I preferred my balcony anyway. I just found it strange that a ship that pretends to be an "ocean liner" didn't offer a good example of a major ocean liner attribute. SOLSTICE doesn't not pretend to be an ocean liner. Perhaps when I get older and less active the Promenade will be more appealing, but for now it's a non-issue to me. The much bigger issue for me is the size of the pool deck as that *is* something I use a great deal, especially on a Caribbean cruise.

So SOLSTICE is different and not something we are used to seeing. Some people will never be able to get past this and that is their loss IMO. I think she looks pretty fantastic and is a much needed breath of fresh air in this industry. Unfortunately she may be a little too sophisticated for the average cruising public, and they may not appreciate everything that went into her design. Time will tell how successful she will be.

Ernie

[ 11-14-2008: Message edited by: eroller ]

Enjoy the promenade decks while you can because they are a thing of the past. Simply because it's a non revenue generating area and the accountants don't like that. I noticed how under used it was on the Century. Celebrity didn't even bother to put a lot of deckchairs there. I love them as I don't like to sit in crowded muzak infected places like next to the pool.

I don't think this grass thing is going to last. Looking at Steve Read's video dairy I already saw the first damaged dried out patches. And in the end they will need more deckspace anyway. They will try it out on this ship and see how it goes. These blowing classes are downright rediculious. What a load of nonsense. Don't think that is also not going to last.

I did see patches of dead grass, but those are areas which were worn down from the overflow of people watching the Hot Glass shows--they tend to stand behind the little benches when those are full, and the grass gets worn down to nothing.

I was in a balcony on Deck 7, cat 2B, and our TV did NOT swivel--it was fixed on the wall kind of between the bed and the seating area, making TV viewing difficult ( I didn't have time to watch any TV but on a regular cruise of course this is important to many if not most people.)

Very impressed with the overall design and decor of the ship, and I think the photos do a pretty good job of conveying her look: modern, almost minimalist in areas, yet with some classic touches. The nearly mono-chromatic dining room really does look great in real life, and was most enjoyable.

Open sun deck areas do seem limited, yet there are loads of shaded areas around the pool and on other, tucked-away areas both forward and aft. The grassy area around the stacks wasn't noisy from the exhausts as one might expect. And they do close off the grass areas at times, with chains and little signs saying that the "Grass is Resting."

All-in-all, an excellent ship, and an excellent product. I envy those of you booked to sail a full week on her!

quote:

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Originally posted by Linerrich:

I was in a balcony on Deck 7, cat 2B, and our TV did NOT swivel--it was fixed on the wall kind of between the bed and the seating area, making TV viewing difficult ( I didn't have time to watch any TV but on a regular cruise of course this is important to many if not most people.)

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Rich,
Thanks for your feedback. Interesting about the TV's. Not that it's a big deal for me, but my partner WILL want to watch TV in bed. It seems some swivel and some do not?? I hope mine does! I wonder if it has to do with where the bed is placed? I know pretty much every other cabin has an opposite arrangement. Half the cabins have the bed by the balcony, and the other half have the sofa by the balcony. Just trying to figure it out.