So it's just a day or two before the debut of the first ever Solstice class ship arriving into Sydney and as part of our cruise review of Celebrity Solstice we've put together a photo gallery of some of the highlights of this beautiful ship below decks.
One feature which will make Celebrity Solstice a popular addition to the Australasian market is the fact that 85 percent of accommodations have balconies which will be the highest of any ship based in the region.
(Any questions or feedback, take a look at our cruise blog.)
Accommodations fall into six categories, from inside staterooms to multi-room suites with European butler service. There are also spa accommodations with perks including unlimited access to the spa’s Persian Garden, and a specialty health food restaurant, Blu.
The other major drawcard will be Solstice's impressive lineup of specialty restaurants, with the superbly elegant Grand Epernay as the main dining venue. The Oceanview Cafe is the buffet on the deck 14 with its own bar and outside tables which means you can dine under the stars on hot weather cruises.
There's also a trio of excellent specialty restaurants including Murano which is a small and elegant French restaurant, the Italian Tuscan Grille, and the Asian inspired Silk Harvest. All of these three feature a surcharge and are high quality restaurants and we bought a package which included one meal at Murano and two meals each at Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest, which meant a saving of about 20%.
The Cafe Al Bacio is the only dedicated cafe on board and it's a popular spot during the day with Lavazza coffee beans and fully trained baristas ensuring they're producing European-style coffee.
At night, the bars throughout Solstice really come to life and the Sky Observation Lounge is a stunning venue at the front of the ship on deck 14 and is a popular late night venue. The Lawn Club also has the Sunset Bar right out the back on deck 15 and is a great spot for a sunset drink, there are also two pool bars, while down below there is the elegant Martini Bar, the Ensemble Lounge which is modelled on a classic New York speakeasy, the Passport Bar just off the main Atrium and the funky Mollecular Bar.
Other facilities of note include a large AquaSpa by Elemis for a spot of pampering, the Cellar Masters bar for wine tasting and a large theatre for big productions and entertainment, a casino and a large shopping precinct set over two decks.
There's also a library and a card room along with an endless array of other spaces and facilities and to be perfectly honest you could spend two weeks on board and not see all there is to this ground-breaking ship.
And you could also spend two weeks on board and not really regret ever getting off!
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