Thread: Solstice, December 28, 2008

Good Saturday morning y'all!

Have any of you tried this drink?

Eureka!

The Eureka is the signature cocktail of the Lawn Club on the Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity Cruise Line has shared this recipe with the cruising public.

Prep Time: 5 minutes


Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces of Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 0.5 ounce of Triple Sec
• 5 ouunces of white Ocean Spray cranberry juice
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• 4, 1/2 inch cubes of fresh cucumber

Preparation:

Muddle the cucumber and basil leaves together in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
Add the remaining ingredients and ice; shake and pour into a highball glass.
Garnish with a wedge of cucumber.

Originally Posted by Char

Good Saturday morning y'all!
Have any of you tried this drink?

Hello back at you, but I haven't tried the drink.

Sounds like they are taking the concept of grass and greens a bit too far.

Good morning roll call.

I tried the Eureka. (I know Ed and Kent will be SHOCKED!) My review - eh. It was ok. It's no zodiac though.

Ed - have they changed or tweaked anything on Equinox to make it different from Solstice? It's funny - the more distance I have from Solstice, the more I prefer M class. Les and I had that conversation this weekend - when we go back to X he only wants to do M class. But hey - don't get me wrong, the company on Solstice was superior.

Kent - did you ride the Haunted Mansion? That's my favorite! "Grim grinning ghosts are out to socialize...."

Good morning everyone!!!

Originally Posted by Captain KCB

For you, especially since you will need to fly into/out of both ports, I have no thoughts on Westbound or Eastbound. I have not seen anyone claiming either is a "better" choice, like I have seen.

Thank you for looking up those cruises Kent. I have narrowed it down to…
Celebrity Infinity or HAL
Either the
Ryndam on April 18 Tampa to Vancouver or (this ship will have it’s drydock in Feb for 16 days)
Zuiderdam April 20 Ft Lauderdale to Vancouver or
Statendam April 25 Ft Lauderdale to Vancouver
I am still all over the place on trying to decide 1. Celebrity or HAL, and 2. is a suite just a waste of money but this is our 25th, it is supposed to be nice. If you have time, I appreciate any more thoughts you may have.

Originally Posted by gkm

eskie, we have sailed the Panama Canal and when you book, try to get an aft cabin. It's really neat to go through the locks and have them close right there at the aft of the ship! Garry

Which ship did you go on Garry? I haven’t seen a lot of aft cabins.

Originally Posted by Texed

I've done an aft cabin through the canal also.

I see you have done HAL and of course I know you have done Celebrity Ed, what do you think about the Ryndam, since it’s older and smaller? Mind you I will be on it after it’s big 16 day refurb. Whoo, hoo only a couple of days!!!

Originally Posted by Char

We have also had an aft going through the Canal and have another one for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise.

Lucky you Char! I bet you are excited, have you done the Canal before? Any tips for me?

This is getting to be like shopping for a car! I am getting confused! I have been reading and reading all I can about each ship…pros and cons about each stateroom, trying to compare size and amenities. Wish we would have planned this 6 months sooner, I wonder if the prices would have been cheaper? However, I was watching a news show the other day, and they were saying, hang in there, you haven’t seen anything yet, prices will be taking another drip come fall!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Originally Posted by eskie

Which ship did you go on Garry? I haven’t seen a lot of aft cabins.

We did our passage on the Radiance of the Seas. It was her inaugural voyage.

Garry

Originally Posted by eskie

Thank you for looking up those cruises Kent. I have narrowed it down to…Celebrity Infinity or HAL

is a suite just a waste of money but this is our 25th, it is supposed to be nice.

Is a suite a waste of money? I would have to say "Yes" in absolutely every circumstance. The REAL question is whether or not it is worth the waste. And no one can answer that for you, as it's relative to each and every circumstance. Could you make due in a standard balcony cabin? Of course! And, with that being said, why do you need a balcony, at all? Shall we discuss windows?

However, having done a Penthouse on an M-class Celebrity ship, I can assure you that will be the ticket the next time we do the Panama Canal. Will it be a waste of money? Yep! It doesn't matter, though, as its worth cannot be measured...

As for your HAL choices, they all seem heavy on West Coast ports, once again, with little Caribbean time. Mindy loves the new ships, so given just about everything else being the same, I'd pick Zuiderdam. But, that is Holland America, and I know little about the line, other than it's reputation. Others here could probably advise better.

Penthouses aside, I'd still choose Infinity over the HAL cruises. Personal choice. I like brand loyalty, and if there is no real reason to change, I'll stick with what works over and over until they give me reason to change.

I wouldn't profess to know your situation. However, since you're thinking about a suite, and it is your 25th, I'd really have to advise you to just go for it and book one of the PH's that are still available right now...

And, talk about an aft cabin...

Originally Posted by wolfgang

I tried the Eureka. (I know Ed and Kent will be SHOCKED!) My review - eh. It was ok.

Yes, SHOCKING!

It sounds like something I may have gotten talked into, actually on the first day, and I recall sending it back...

Originally Posted by wolfgang

Kent - did you ride the Haunted Mansion? That's my favorite! "Grim grinning ghosts are out to socialize...."

Nope, not enough time, but we had a fantastic dinner, and made 6-7 rides. Every bit as fun as ever!

Okay, my two cents. We had a suite on our TA on the Connie and it was worth the extra for the extra amenities. The extra room was nice but the real difference was the afternoon tea and being treated more like royalty. The suite amenities like early boarding and priority tender service were just a nice extra touch.

Depending upon the cost difference I would do it ($700 extra for a 12 day cruise - in a heartbeat, $1200 extra for a 7 day - gaaack!)

As for HAL, right now I am mad at them for the poor service and abysmal handling of our last cruise with the exploding hairdryer and my second degree burns. They just don't seem to care as much as Celebrity does. Now we were on the Noordam - one of their larger ships, our first cruise back in 01 was on the Veendam which was a much better experience. The ones you mentioned are all smaller (except for the Z). But, at the same time the crowd will be older as is the ship (but I personally like the more classic feel of the older ships)

Any other questions, just ask!