Colorado Springs, CO.  Red Carpet Cruises, Cruise Vacation Specialists.

Click the link for a few pics.  And please leave us some feedback at the end of this blog.  Thanks!

http://gallery.me.com/ric.rooney/100023

Sunday Feb. 15th  Day 1, Embarkation Day.

Here we go!

This embarkation process was the smoothest of any cruise I’ve taken so far.  We took a cab from our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale to Port Everglades where the Solstice was docked.  The cab pulled into the Celebrity terminal where porters greeted us with a ‘Welcome to the Solstice!’

They whisked our luggage away and directed us to a spotlessly clean, modern terminal. There were 60 Celebrity agents waiting to process customers and the entire check in process from the time we stepped out of our cab took just over ten minutes!  For those of you that have never cruised before and have no frame of reference, I’ve cruised before where the boarding process took between one and two hours.

We walked up the ramp to the ship and were greeted by members of the Solstice staff offering a welcome aboard glass of Champaign.

Aqua Class Stateroom

On this cruise we took an upgraded veranda (balcony) stateroom called ‘Aqua Class.’  This class of staterooms has a few extra amenities that differentiate it from the standard veranda staterooms on the Solstice.  Our stateroom is located on deck 11, a premium deck level on the Solstice.   

Deck 11 also happens to be the deck where the Solstice’s extensive spa services are located.  Aqua Spa guests get complimentary privileges at two of those spa offerings, the Persian Garden and the Relaxation Room.  

The Persian Garden has steam and sauna rooms and heated, tiled loungers that you can relax in and let the heat soak into you.  The Relaxation Room is a quiet area that has big twin bed size loungers that you can kick back on.  

The really wonderful thing about this room is that it’s located near the bow of the ship and the loungers face a glass wall that gives you a spectacular front row unobstructed view of the ocean as the Solstice is sailing.  

Remember that scene in Titanic when Cate Blanchatt is standing on the railing at the bow of the ship?  That’s the Relaxation Room, except you’re relaxing in a lounger with a drink in your hand and there’s no wind messing your hair!

The Relaxation Room is the waiting area for people that have made appointments for spa services but other then that, it’s only available to Aqua Class guests.  We can walk directly to the Relaxation Room from our stateroom via a private door at the end of our hallway.  We came to really enjoy this particular area as the days went on.

Our stateroom is beautiful and there was a complimentary bottle of Bouvet Brut Champaign on ice waiting for us when we arrived.

A fruit plate is delivered to our room each morning and fresh canapés each afternoon. They’re wonderful touches and we found the fruit and canapés help curb your appetite so you don’t become a human vacuum cleaner when you look at the incredible selection of foods and treats offered across the variety of eating venues on this ship (ten in all).  

We have a king size bed, unheard of in your typical cruise ship veranda stateroom. The bedding is first class and if you’re so inclined, there’s a pillow menu to choose from so you get a great night’s sleep each night.

The bathroom is roomier and better appointed then anything I’ve seen so far.  If you read the literature on the Solstice you’ll find that Celebrity hired four women from different backgrounds and professions to give them their perspective and feedback on what they would want to see in their stateroom.  I think you’ll notice a lot of that woman’s touch in the bathroom area.

We have a wall mounted, 32” flat screen TV that pulls out and swivels to almost any viewing angle in the room we want.  Turn on that TV and you’re instantly connected to the simplest but most sophisticated computer system I’ve seen on a cruise ship.  

You can do virtually anything cruise related, directly from your stateroom screen.  You can order room service without ever speaking to someone, book shore excursions, check the ships schedule of daily events, check your current ship’s location via a real time GPS system, review pictures taken by a ship’s photographer the night before, watch a lecture you missed but was recorded by the ship’s AV crew.  

That’s just scratching the surface!  Dial up a movie when you just want to relax for a couple of hours.  How about ordering dinner from your TV screen menu, have it delivered to your room, select some romantic music to set the mood for a special ‘night in’ then dim the lights to complete the effect (yes, you can actually adjust the lighting in your cabin to your preference) You know, this ship could become a guy’s best friend at this rate!

The Solstice is also the first completely wireless cruise ship.  As a matter of fact I’m in the ships ‘adult only’ pool area as we speak connected to our Red Carpet Cruises web blog.

Well, that's about it for day one.  Tomorrow I get my first chance at really exploring the Solstice.

Day 2, At Sea

Well where do I begin?  This ship is everything they say she is.  It is the most beautiful ship I’ve ever been on.  I’ve spoken to a number of people on our cruise and told them that my wife and I are cruise agents and wanted to get their opinion.  The reaction was pretty much the same from novice to experienced cruiser, the Solstice rates right up their at the top of their list as one of the most beautiful, well appointed cruise ships they’ve ever cruised on.

Aside from the upgraded room amenities, one of the primary benefits touted for Aqua Class guests is complimentary access to a couple of the spa services offered on the ship.  But I think they’re missing the boat on what for me was a huge benefit of our Aqua Class stateroom.  

There are four specialty (per diem) restaurants on the Solstice.  One of them, Blu, is reserved for Aqua Class guests only (Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest and Murano are the other three).

Blu is a small, intimate, 130-seat restaurant with a beautiful floor to ceiling window that looks out over the ocean.  One of the things I hear is that on large luxury ships people love the amenities that a ship like Solstice offers, but they don’t necessarily like eating in large dining venues like Solstice’s Grand Epernay hall, gorgeous as it is.

Well Aqua Class guests have the best of both worlds; the variety and amenities that only a large cruise ship like the Solstice can offer but with their own, very ultra luxury like, 130-seat private dining area.

Now there is a flip side to this, as one couple I met today mentioned to me.  They had an Aqua Class stateroom but were disappointed with the dining arrangements because they specifically wanted to meet more people at their meals.  They felt that eating breakfast and dinner in Blu’s small setting limited their ability to interact with other guests.

So the moral of the story is that a good cruise specialist should be taking the time to meet with you and make sure he/she understands what you want and what you expect out of your cruise experience.  That way we can tailor your cruise experience to hopefully match those expectations.

First Dinner at Blu

We had dinner last night in Blu and it was my first opportunity to see if Celebrity’s reputation for high quality cuisine was justified.  Simple answer…YES!  We had filet mignon and it was a perfect cut, not a piece of fat on it.  It was as good as anything I’ve had at a Ruth's Chris Steak House.

On the coming menus for the rest of the week are rack of lamb and lobster to name two.  Now keep in mind these are complimentary meals, on the house, free, no charge!  The only extra charge is if we order a bottle of wine to go with dinner.

Solstice Theatre

Tonight was the first of three featured shows in the Solstice Theatre.  The theatre is beautiful and seats approximately 1,115 people.  I’ve seen shows before on cruise ships that have been thoroughly entertaining but it’s usually more of a simple, straightforward variety show type of evening.  

The opening show on the Solstice however was a professional production like nothing I’ve ever seen put on by a cruise line before.  It was outstanding and I’m sure it will now raise the bar for other cruise lines.

Without giving too much away, the show was much like a Cirque Du Soleil production.  The music, as far as I could tell, was original.  The sound system and light show were as good as any Broadway show. The costumes were top line.  I won’t spoil it for those of you who decide to sail the Solstice but suffice it to say that you won’t be disappointed with this opening production.

Day 3, First Stop, San Juan

Got up and had a wonderful breakfast at Blu.  We’re starting to get to know some of the other guests now.  Here’s an interesting fact we learned yesterday.  All of the specialty restaurants on Solstice (Blu, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest, Murano) have their own galleys and chefs.  Food preparation is not allowed to be co-mingled with any other restaurant menu.

We made reservations at the other three specialty restaurants so we could report back to you on each of them.  Tonight it was dinner at Tuscan Grill.  This is a premium Italian restaurant and there is a $25.00/person charge but it felt like stealing to get a dinner of that quality for that price and it did not disappoint.  

The Caesar salad we ordered was prepared at tableside for us.  My veal parmesan was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious.  How many Italian restaurants have you been to that offered Kobe beef meatballs and spaghetti?  A big thumbs up so far for Blu and Tuscan Grill.

Skip the Bacardi Factory Tour

We decided to do a shore excursion during our first port stop in San Juan.  It turns out the largest rum distillery in the world is the Bacardi Rum factory in San Juan.  A tour of their factory was one of the shore excursions that were offered, so we decided to go.

Our recommendation?  Save the $28.00/person price for another day.  The factory grounds were nice and as you can see from one of the pics we posted, we did get two free drinks as part of our tour.  But overall Crystal and I were disappointed, as we didn’t get to see the factory floor and the actual production line in action.  It was just a couple of rooms set up with Bacardi history and artifacts and a ten-minute movie of the Bacardi story.  It was OK, but nothing special.

Next up on our specialty restaurant tour is Silk Harvest tonight.  This is a premium Asian restaurant and won our unanimous vote for most enthusiastic wait staff. The theme here was family style eating and sharing. There was a lot on this menu that I didn’t understand and wasn’t sure about.  

But our waiter and host gave us sample of everything and the things we really liked, they would bring out extra for us.  If we finished something (like the excellent sushi) they would bring us some extra selections at no charge! We estimated that our party of four that night would have easily rung up a couple of hundred-dollar tab for this superb meal.  As it was there was only a $20.00/person charge for this restaurant.  Another thumbs up for Silk Harvest.  One more specialty restaurant to go, Murano.

Day 4, Second Stop, St. Maarten and the Zip Line of Death!

OK, maybe that’s a little over the top and the zip line shore excursion I had scheduled for today is not exactly death defying (how death defying can it be when we had a 71-year old grandma zipping through the tree tops with us), but it was a blast and made up for the disappointing Bacardi Rum Tour the day before.

Day 5, Third Stop, Tortola

Tortola is part of the BVI (British Virgin Islands) and it shows.  Compared to St. Maarten, its much more developed and modern.  This was a short six-hour stop so there’s not much time for visiting.  Crystal and I walked around town and did some shopping (more accurately, I did the walking around part, Crystal did the shopping part).

Poor Bill

I met a guy named Bill standing outside a shoe store during our downtown excursion.  Bill had that forlorn, “just kill me’ look on his face that instantly let me know his wife was inside and wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon.

So I went over to console him and commiserate about the shopping torment we endure in the name of love.  And Bill hit me with the best line I heard on this cruise.  Bill looks me straight in the eye and says, “When we got married, I set my wife straight right off the bat.  I told her, “honey, in this marriage I’ll make all the big decisions and you can make all the little decisions.”  And then he said with a big grin, “It’s been 43 years now and I’m still waiting to make my first big decision!”

So after a quick stop and shop, we’re off to our final stop, Labadee.  On the way out we went to the Relaxation Room to kick back and get our front row seat sailing out of the harbor, past a half dozen islands, then out to open seas once again.  It really was a beautiful view from this special vantage point looking out over the bow.

Gelato Anyone?

After a while we headed down to Deck 5 and the Café al Bacio to enjoy one of my favorite rituals that we formed during this cruise:  Gelato!  Where has Gelato been all my life?  

Gelato is just Italian ice cream.  But that’s like saying a Maserati is just a car.  I think Gelato must have been ice cream for the Gods.  It’s richer and creamier then regular ice cream and I’m now addicted to it.  

Perhaps what makes this treat so delicious is the fact that its not a store bought product but is actually made from scratch each day right here on the Solstice.  Just one more little touch that sets the experience on this ship apart from the crowd.  So Crystal and I are relaxing in the café, Gelato and cappuccino in hand, listening to a four-woman string quartet performing for us.  

For where I am now in my life at 55, this is just so thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable.  I appreciate certain things now that I never paid much attention to before.  I enjoy quality and top-notch service. I notice artwork and I’ve signed up for a wine appreciation class on board.  I actually looked forward to putting my tux on and getting ready to enjoy our two formal nights on the cruise.

Now maybe for the 20-something and 30-something crowd, this wouldn’t exactly be their cup of tea.  But once again, that’s what a good cruise agent should be doing for their clients; taking the time to understand what you want and matching those expectations to the right cruise line, ship and itinerary.  But for Crystal and me today was another great day on the Solstice, out at sea.

To end the day we were treated to a highflying spear fishing exhibition as we sailed towards our final port call in Labadee, Haiti.  As we sailed, about a half dozen seagull type birds (I’ll have to find out what they actually were) flew right alongside the deck with us.  

One by one they suddenly folded their wings back and then dive bombed straight into the ocean!  Then they’d bob back to the surface after a few seconds with a nice fish treat, get airborne and do it all over again.  They put on quite a show for the growing crowd of people that had gathered on the deck to watch them.


Day 6, Final Stop, Labadee

Today was our final port stop at Labadee, Haiti.  Labadee is a private beach on the island of Haiti owned by Royal Caribbean that it shares with it's two sister cruise lines, Celebrity and Azamara.  It’s a day at the beach, in the middle of the Caribbean.  I was really looking forward to laying on the beach today and working on my tan.  

But my job here is to call it the way I see it and today was a definite disappointment.  Crystal and I did a short three-day Holland America cruise last October, also out of Fort Lauderdale.  One day was a stop at Holland America’s private island, Half Moon Kay.  It was absolutely gorgeous, with flawless beaches and incredible clear blue water.  There was not a scrap of trash on the beach or in the water.  Here are some pics from that day:

http://gallery.me.com/ric.rooney/100008

That was what I was expecting today.  Unfortunately Labadee can’t hold a candle to Half Moon Kay.  The water was not clear blue like Half Moon Kay but muddy brown.   The first beach was so rocky and jagged at the waterline that we simply gave up on trying to wade in and moved to another section.  This section was nice and sandy at the shoreline but walk ten feet in and suddenly we’re slogging through thick seaweed under our feet.  

Then I took another step and went through the roof in pain!  I had stepped on what Crystal says was a sea urchin; I call it a living pincushion.  I wound up with two small barbs in my foot that Crystal had to remove with a needle and tweezers the next morning.  

I took it like a man though and didn’t even cry, although Crystal says I was hyperventilating.  Actually, I was just doing my male Lamaze breathing technique to control my pain threshold as she gouged those barbs out of my foot (my wife is lying next to me at the pool right now as I’m typing this, giggling hysterically).

So I’m not very impressed with Labadee’s beaches.  However, what really aggravated me was the army of pushy, pink shirted sales people waiting to pounce on anyone who walked within ten feet of the shops that were set up for shopping.

Maybe this is just a guy thing but I just hate it when I can’t look at a single item without someone coming up and telling me what a great deal this is and blah, blah, blah and pressuring me to buy, buy, buy. After about two minutes of this I simply turned around and walked away and never went back.  I would have bought a trinket or two if they had just left me alone.

To end the disappointment of this port call, we went to get a mat to float on in the water so we didn’t have to worry about stepping on anything else.  And for the bargain price of only $24.00 we could have borrowed those mats for an hour or two!  That was the last straw for me.  This is just a 'Ric' thing but I hate being nickle and dime'd for stuff like that.  It just really takes away from the whole Celebrity, first class experience in my opinion.  And at $24.00 for two pieces of plastic, that’s not nickel and dime'ing me anymore, that’s gouging me.  I politely declined and walked away.

We stayed for another 45 minutes or so but it was the hottest day of the cruise and after just a little over two hours we’d had enough and headed back to the ship. Labadee was a big disappointment and just didn’t do justice to the experience we were enjoying on the ship.  

But the second we stepped back on the tender to return to the Solstice, Celebrity personnel were there to greet us with chilled towels to cool and refresh us…Ah, I was back in my environment once again!

Murano, a 5-Star Experience

After our disappointing stop at Labadee I was hoping that dinner that night at our final speciality restaurant, Murano, would save the day and boy did it.  Murano is a true 5-star restaurant and dining experience.  For those of you here in Colorado that have the frame of reference, Murano can go head to head with the Broadmoor's Penrose Room (a rated 5-star restaurant) any day of the week.

A five star restaurant is as much about the dining experience as it is about the food.  While you expect superb food and exotic menu items like escargot and fois gras (not on my list of favorites but that's just me!), what really sets a 5-star restaurant apart is the service and presentation of food.  Murano did not disappoint.  You are not served by a waiter at Murano, you're served by a wait-staff.

We had two to four people at our table of four at any time during our dinner between courses.  It's not that the food was so much better then the other three specialtiy restaurants on the Solstice but the dining experience, the level of service and the unique presentation of food that sets Murano apart. 

We spent more time in Murano, over a bottle of wine, then any other restaurant.  We had a late seating, 9 PM, to begin with and a semi-private corner table and I didn't realize it until we got up to leave but we were the only party left in the restaurant. 

Not once did a staff person come over to us after we had paid our bill but continued to sit and enjoy our wine.  The entire staff disappeared (to us) and let us enjoy our time with them until we were ready to leave.  That impressed me as much as everything else we had the pleasure of experiencing at Murano. 

This was the most expensive of the speciality restaurants at $30.00/person. I'm estimating a $250 - $350 bill (without liquor) for a comparable dinner for four at the Broadmoor's Penrose Room.

Summary

All in all this was an absolutely wonderful cruise.  The Solstice was everything she was advertised to be.  The Aqua Class stateroom was the finest I've stayed in so far.  This was my first Celebrity cruise and its reputation for fine cuisine, beautiful ships and outstanding service was well deserved.  I will definitely be back to cruise Celebrity again and I'm hooked on this new Solstice class ship and the three sister ships that will be rolled out between now and 2011.

As a matter of fact, I took advantage of Celebrity's book on board option.  For a small $100.00 deposit that has no expiration date, that money will be applied to our next Celebrity cruise and in addition, earn us an automatic onboard credit of $50 - $300 depending on the total cost of the cruise.  It's essentially free money that everyone should take advantage of if they think they will cruise again at some point in the future.

My only complaint and it's really more of a personal opinion then complaint, is that I felt the ports of call didn't do justice to this ship.  The Solstice is a unique cruise ship and an experience in itself.  Our ports of call on this eastern caribbean itinerary were nice (Labadee being my least favorite) but in my opinion didn't match the quality of our experience on the ship.

I think the Solstice will really come into her own when she swings over to Europe this summer and introduces herself at ports of call in Italy, Greece and Turkey.  I hope to be on one of those cruises in the near future, as this is a ship you will not soon forget once she has introduced herself to you, Celebrity style!

 

 

 

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