IT was a blustery welcome for the last of the
big home-porting ships to arrive in Sydney for
the summer 2012/13 season, Celebrity Solstice,
with the slate grey skies threatening rain whilst
the wind whipped away at guests hair and
skirts, but not their smiles.
The debut one night cruise kicked off on
Sunday afternoon, with guests, including CW,
pouring in from across the country to
experience Solstice’s famed modern luxury.
At only four years of age, Solstice is well
within the glow of her youth, and once on
board it is easy to see why she has created
such a stir.
Baring the advertising standard of ‘modern
luxury’, the ship delivers on this promise, with
16 levels of style and sophistication, offering
guests a good selection of food and
entertainment options to choose from,
including an impressive hot glass show where
glass artists mould elegant glassware in front
of an audience using a furnace which rages at
over 1000 degrees.
Then there is the sophisticated Martini Bar
where guests can order from a three page list
of Martinis and watch the impressive spectacle
of their creation; the Lawn Club where sun
lovers can soak up some UV whilst lounging on
real (very soft) growing grass, play a small
game of golf or even have a picnic; or Celebrity
Central theatrette which offers a range of
comedy and musical performances.
Meanwhile for the big shows there’s the
Solstice Theatre, and for those that want a
break, the Sky Observation Lounge offers a
quiet refuge for sea gazing in comfort with
floor to ceiling windows.
Then there is Cellarmasters, which takes
visitors on a ‘global wine tour’ of tastes; as well
as the outdoor and indoor pools and spas; the
Ensemble Lounge, Champagne Bar, Michael’s
Club and the Sunset Bar.
As for the food, Solstice has ten exceptional
dining choices including the exotic Silk Harvest
Restaurant offering Asian fusion food served
‘family style’ meaning that everyone shares
each dish; as well as the luxurious main
restaurant, the Grand Epernay Dining Room
with its two-storey glass wine tower and
magnificent chandeliers.
And the list goes on…
Even the deck chairs exude style on this ship,
and there seems to be no shortage of
these scattered around the decks
either.
Speaking to CW onboard Adam
Armstrong, Commercial Manager,
Royal Caribbean Cruises Australia said
“Australians and New Zealanders have
responded very well to Solstice’s
inaugural season”.
“This is the best performing ship of
our five ships this summer, and it has
had the best forward sales of any of
our ships,” he added.
Explaining the interest, Armstrong said that
partially it is due to Solstice’s youth, saying
cruisers were eager to see a “practically brand
new ship”.
“There’s such excitement around this quality
of hardware,” he said, adding that the ship’s
international flavour was also a drawcard.
“You come on a brand like Celebrity to have
an international experience, not an Aussie
experience, and that’s what makes us a bit
different, we’re not trying to be an Australian
cruise line,” he said.
Interestingly, it seems that Solstice is also
drawing a large contingent of US and UK
passengers to Australian shores, with Armstrong
confirming that, for this season, around 50% of
Solstice’s guests are international.
