The New Celebrity Cruises Solstice

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The most exciting, spacious, and innovative premium class ship has just been delivered to Celebrity Cruises. The Solstice is the first of five identical sisters being introduced by Celebrity Cruises over the next five years. After cruising on nearly 200 ships worldwide, it is rewarding to find a ship that raises the bar in the premium class (5-star) cruising market. The Celebrity Solstice is my NEW favorite ship for a variety of reasons. The following is my review by category and impression after a two-day introductory sailing for travel agents and travel writers November 12-14, 2008 from Fort Lauderdale.

The Ship:

At 122,000 tons, 1030 feet long, 121 feet wide, and traveling up to 24 knots, she is the most spacious ship I have even been on. Carrying 2850 passengers, one would think she would be quite crowded, but in fact Solstice is not crowded at all. This is because other ships of this size would carry 3500 passengers. Celebrity Cruises has mastered the use of open spaces incorporating large glass panels looking onto the sea, higher than usual ceilings in the public spaces, recessed foyer cabin entrances making the hallways open and easy to transverse, and wider walkways throughout the ship. From the outside, the Solstice hull looks more like a yacht with her raked and unique forward hull design. She is built with glass galore and her huge number of balcony staterooms make her exterior appearance grand and spacious. Solstice is indeed a large ship but Celebrity has wisely created dozens of intimate spaces for guests to enjoy what I expect to be the BEST premium to luxury cruise experience in the market.

The fact that this vessel has transcended the premium class experience and actually offers a luxury experience in many areas is demonstrated in the bold but elegant residential style décor, exquisite suites with butler service, numerous luxury boutiques, world-class art gallery, a permanent $20 million contemporary art collection, alternative gourmet (fee-based) restaurants, Aqua Spa cabins with successfully designed spa amenities and spa dining, and Celebrity 5-star service, taking premium class service to a level well above ANY of its competitors. This is an amazing feat during these economically challenging times. With Solstice, Celebrity has proven that a brand can successfully reinvent itself and transcend its image.

My impressions of this magnificent vessel:

Cabins:

Celebrity designed the cabin staterooms with a woman’s touch. This is unique as most maritime designers are male. The result is innovative design that will prevail on all 5 Solstice Class ships to be introduced over the next 4 years. Eighty-five percent of the staterooms have verandahs and offer 194 square feet of living space plus a spacious verandah with 54 additional square feet. These cabins are 30% larger than other Celebrity Cruises cabins and the bathrooms have been given 50% more space! The first departure from the ordinary is the recessed foyer entry shared by two cabins and the outward opening doors which allow more internal cabin space. Celebrity has created 121 adjoining family cabins by utilizing the recessed entry doors to create one single entrance for families traveling together, a huge advantage for families which maximizes cabin space.

The cabin entry is wide, revealing queen sized bed (or 2 twins) with elegant hotel bedding and plush pillows. The fabrics are rich shades of crème and burgundy or sunset tones. The bed is flanked by a large hotel style headboard with overhead storage. All corners, including the bed, are rounded for guest comfort. Other top quality features include granite counter tops, six full-sized drawers (yeah Celebrity), mood lighting options with dimmer switches, and a 32-inch flat panel TV with the most options of channel and music viewing I have ever seen on a ship. The televisions actually move out from the wall and rotate for ease of guest viewing. Lighting is excellent throughout. The closets offer excellent storage space with unique sliding wooden doors that close automatically. A full-size sofa located near the entry or verandah (my preference) completes the spacious Solstice living space. These are easily the BEST and most luxuriously designed cabins on any premium cruise line-period!

Cabin Bathrooms:

As mentioned earlier, cabin bathrooms are 50% larger than other Celebrity Cruises ships. These are the most spacious I’ve seen on any premium ship. They are well laid out with excellent lighting, storage space, and an attractive raised basin. All bathroom amenities are placed in an elegant burgundy colored tray. The spacious shower stalls have two sliding glass doors and a foot rest for ladies to use when shaving their legs. All Aqua-Class (spa cabins) have “luxury hotel” Hansgrohe shower heads and multi-spray jets.

The Celebrity Aqua-Spa and Solarium Pool:

Celebrity raises the bar with its exceptionally spacious spa located on two decks atop the Solstice. There is an enormous state-of-the-art gymnasium with top notch Life-Fitness equipment. Connected to the gym by spiral staircase are bow view spa treatment rooms, a fee- based co-ed Persian Garden Thermal Suite with Turkish saunas, and men’s and women’s dressing areas with a free dry sauna. There is an Elemis Spa products shop, a teeth whitening center, and acupuncture at sea center. One can have a massage, spa treatment, manicure, teeth whitening, and acupuncture all in one day-amazing!
The Aqua-Class cabins which are all adjacent to the AquaSpa have in- cabin spa amenities and aromatherapy, complimentary access to the Persian Garden Thermal Suite, a private Spa Concierge, and special “comfort plus” Hansgrohe showerhead. The exquisite Blu Restaurant featuring California style “health conscious” cuisine is reserved exclusively for Aqua-class guests. This cabin category is sold at a premium which is well justified by the Blu dining privileges alone!

The Solarium Pool located on the Resort Deck is one of the most elegant areas onboard with teak deck furnishings, a large swimming pool, floor to ceiling waterfall which has dancing water jets and changes colors at night, and the Aqua-Spa Café where healthy meals are served at breakfast and lunch. This entire area is covered by a massive glass canopy and is a wonder of maritime architecture.

The Lawn Club:

Covering some 14,000 square feet (nearly a third of an acre), this beautiful expanse of real grass will offer lawn bowling, miniature golf, and picnics on a lawn that incorporates incredible technology to deliver this unique park-like feature atop a modern cruise ship. My personal guess is that it will be an expensive proposition to keep the lawn alive and with high traffic, may wear out quickly. I’m uncertain that this will last long but Celebrity may prove me wrong…
The Lawn Club is anchored by The Hot Glass show featuring live glass blowing and the Corning Museum of Glass, a first-at-sea offering by Celebrity Cruises. The Museum’s glass exhibition is in keeping with the hundreds of gorgeous glass artwork items placed beautifully throughout the ship.

The Resort Deck Pool:

This stunning contemporary designed area boasts a large water feature complete with dancing fountains that guests can walk across, two swimming pools, and 4 hot tubs. Ringed by elegant deck furnishings, sofa beds, and large canopied shading areas executed in upscale style, the pool area appears to provide plenty of deck space and seating. There are a number of bars and lots of high-end residential style deck furniture to lounge on at various points throughout the ship which make Solstice seem more like a luxury resort rather than a cruise ship.

The Grand Epernay Dining Room:

The is the main dining venue onboard the Solstice, Grand Epernay, offers décor inspired by the future meeting art deco. This glorious dining room done in white, silver, and charcoal tones was designed by famed hotel and restaurant designer Adam Tihany who has created the most fashionable restaurants in America. In this stylish setting, guests enjoy a varied international menu at two sittings for dinner and open seating for breakfast and lunch. There are ample tables for 2-10 and the reinvented Celebrity menus will assuredly appeal to the most gourmet palette. This lovely dining room seats nearly 1400 guests at each seating but don’t forget there are nine additional venues to choose from should this not be your cup of tea. Each has imaginative menus designed by master Executive Chef Thomas Phennings and attentive, professional service delivered by Celebrity’s well trained 5-star multi-national staff. No Fee Required for this Main Dining Room.

Alternative Dining Venues:

Tuscan Grill – Steakhouse fare and Northern Italian gourmet cuisine are served in an atmosphere of subtle lighting, brown leather furnishings, and a contemporary barrel vault entrance. Reservations required.

Silk Harvest - An Asian fusion menu tempts guests to experiment with the unusual. Reservations required.

BLU - Aqua Class cabin guests are in for a treat! This stunning dining room serves California style “health conscious” cuisine for all three daily meals. Suite guests may also reserve a table on a space available basis on request through their Butler.

Murano – This intimate and exquisite restaurant presents a Continental/European style menu with French influence. As a bonus, some of Solstice’ most precious works of art grace this beautiful room. Reservations required.

Bistro on Five- This charming open café and creperie near the main ship’s lobby atrium features excellent casual French style fare all day and into the evening. No reservations required.

Café al Bacio & The Gelateria- At this very upscale coffee house and ice cream bar service can be to-go or seated. Pastries and tea sandwiches are also available. Fee: for coffees and ice cream. Pastries and sandwiches complimentary with beverage.

AquaSpa Café- Open to all guests, this is where you can take a delicious break from the more decadent offerings of the other ship’s restaurants. Healthy choice meals and light spa fare are served. No fee or reservation required for this venue.

Mast Grill & Bar- poolside burgers and comfort food. A popular lunch stop. No fee or reservation required for this venue.

Oceanview Café and Grill- This is the ship’s buffet but don’t expect your neighborhood cafeteria. Open for 3 daily meals, the café is comfortable and very well designed with high ceilings, a bounty of large floor-to-ceiling windows, and chic furnishings. The food offerings are to be celebrated—amazing variety and quality—and Celebrity has clearly taken buffet style service to a level that will appeal to the most sophisticated traveler. No fee for this venue. Reservations requested for dinner.

Room Service- Who doesn’t love room service, especially when it’s complimentary and available to all guests 24 hours daily? Aqua Class and Suite guests have additional room service menu items to enhance their experience. No Fee!

Solstice’s Incredible Onboard Art:

The Solstice’s public rooms shine with their display of her more than 5 million dollar art collection comprised of 855 pieces created by 98 artists. An additional 3875 pieces are in the staterooms alone! This museum quality collection of works by modern, contemporary, and old masters was acquired expressly for Celebrity by International Corporate Art (ICArt). Solstice can justly be termed a floating museum.

The Art Gallery:

In a departure from the mass market art commonly found on cruise ships, Celebrity has raised the bar to create a magnificent gallery selling original works of art and photographs by famed artists. Beautiful pieces ranging in price from $600 to $15,000 are displayed in a gallery near the higher end boutiques to create a carriage trade atmosphere.

Solstice’s Public Rooms:

Celebrity tapped top interior designers known for creating some of the world’s finest hotels, resorts, and restaurants to continue the stylish décor and well-designed layout found in her staterooms into the ship’s varied public spaces. The easy flow from each of these areas to the next is a pleasure for guests:

Crush - In a small alcove off the Martini Bar, Crush features a fascinating ice-filled table center where guests can also partake in caviar and vodka tastings.

Cellar Masters- This is the ship’s elegant wine bar where guests can consult with a sommelier and try various wines in varying price ranges from different wineries. A sophisticated wine dispenser allows guests to insert their onboard Sea Pass cards and pay by the ounce to taste specially selected wines. This unique wine-tasting experience is available at sea only on Solstice and offers opportunities to sample wines that cost up to $400 a bottle with the guest controlling the cost and their own consumption.

Ensemble Lounge- I love this gorgeous elliptical bar with superb residential furnishings. Live jazz music creates a special atmosphere here.

Passport Bar- Located near the Excursion desk with its yacht-like atmosphere and furnishings, this is one of the nicest meeting places onboard.

Galleria Tastings- This venue, found adjacent to the Art Gallery and high end jewelry store and gift shops, offers unique food and drink pairings in an atmosphere compatible with the luxury goods on display and for sale in this area.

Sky Observation Lounge- Located atop Solstice with ceiling heights of more than 20 feet, this ultra modern lounge with its high tech look and white leather furnishings offers a variety of live music options and a massive dance floor.

Celebrity Central- this multi functional 200-seat amphitheater set up delivers everything from Karaoke to late night adult theme comedy, cooking demonstrations, enrichment lectures, feature films, and more…

Quasar-This is the ship’s disco, late night dance club, and “happening” spot. This trendy club offers a South Beach atmosphere with space-age-style Plexiglas pod hanging chairs. The disc jockey sphere booth moves in and out of the club, making it a very engaging place to people-watch and dance the night away.

The Celebrity Theatre- Enjoy 3 unique full-scale production shows on a 7-day cruise in this large multi-level Roman Amphitheater-style theatre.

All in all, this is the best ship I’ve ever seen—I look forward to your blog comments