Celebrity Solstice – Ship Inspection

Patricia McEwen – November 2016

Celebrity Solstice arrived in Sydney on 14th November from Singapore after extensive renovations.  I was lucky to be able to take a peek on board and it’s looking amazing!

There are plenty of fabulous new additions on board.  I really love the wonderful cabanas (“The Alcoves”) on deck. They are large enough to seat 6 and its possible to reserve them by the hour or by the day – but you’d better be quick when you get on board as they will book out quickly!

The pool area looks gorgeous and there’s 4 spas to choose from. There’s plenty of sun loungers and I was told that your belongings are moved if you have been away for 30 minutes, so hopefully no all day hogging here..

The “Persian Garden” spa includes a hammam where you can relax and soothe your muscles on a heated stone bed. There’s an aromatic steam room, infra-red sauna and much more to leave you feeling rejuvenated and pampered while on board!  “Persian Garden” is complimentary for Aqua Class guests and above but there are a limited number of  additional passes for sale to those in lower cabin categories.

There are also zumba, pilates, yoga and indoor cycle classes for those looking for a more energetic activity, as well as a fully equipped gym.

The Martini bar provides a bit of “wow-factor”.  Here you can watch the theatrics as your barman makes your choice of martini – and the new ice counter will keep it lovely and cool.

Not a new feature of Celebrity Solstice, but the grass lawn really is a lovely place to sit on board. You can even grab a rug and cocktail and settle down on the grass for a large screen feature film. It’s “real” grass and how it is maintained I don’t know!  The salt water and sea breezes must be a real challenge for the 2 lawnkeepers on board!

All in all, the newly renovated Celebrity Solstice is looking great and would be a good option for couples, families or multi-generational groups of all ages.