A gay old time cruising on the refreshed Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity Cruises' new Solstice has undergone a quite impressive facelift, and a recent cruise on the ship was an enjoyable experience.
Mark
A $250 million facelift is an impressive spend, and that’s what Celebrity Cruises is investing in its five Solstice Class ships, launched from 2008 to 2012. The first to debut its renovation is the class namesake, Celebrity Solstice, recently out of dry dock in Singapore and looking quite splendid.
A mid-sized ship with an occupancy of 2,852 guests, Solstice has had all its guestrooms touched as part of the renovation, with soft goods updated — think towels, bedding, carpeting, upholstery, and the like. But it also features new restaurants (including a first-ever for the fleet), new bars, and new public spaces. I took a recent sailing on Solstice to see what the fuss was about.
Entertainment everywhere
Compared to other (non-gay-themed) cruises I’ve been on, the Solstice had plenty of queer passengers. The nightly LGBTQ meetup at 6:30 p.m. at the World Class Bar drew 25-30 men each evening, and it was a nice mix of people. I chatted with Brits, Americans, Australians, and Irish fellows.
One couple, Carl Gibson and husband Ian Chapman, were on their 100th cruise — which is plenty impressive on its own — but more astonishingly, it was their 44th on this exact ship. Carl said they generally cruise 10 months of the year, alternating between Australia (where they live now) and Europe (where they’re originally from).
“We use the Solstice to get from Australia to Vancouver, and then on the way back, after we do time in Europe, we come back in October from Vancouver back to Sydney,” said Gibson. “Solstice is our favorite ship. I think the concern with the renovation was, by the time you add cabins or take away space, it’s never got the heart and soul that makes you love the ship in the first place.”
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But they have been thrilled with the refreshed Solstice, raving about the new restaurants and Parlor area, as well as the top-level Sunset Park, a multifunction space for everything from Tai Chi to outdoor movies. I tried the guided audio meditation there one morning, and it was a relaxing and nicely re-centering experience.
Shows were splendid as well, with Smoke & Ivories a standout. I chatted with queer cast member Justin the day after the performance, and he told me it was the cast’s favorite production. Set in 1956, the show includes acrobatics (with a smoking hot male acrobat), tap dancing, singing, and some great piano work, of course. It mixed classics like “At Last” and “Gimme Some Lovin'” with modern-day music, such as “Uptown Funk” and “Chandelier”. A medley of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and Material Girl was particularly fun.
For those gays who’re fans of “sports ball,” the inventive concept called The Parlor is a winner, with about 16 televisions playing sports from across the globe. Before you pooh-pooh the idea, we watched a game of Australian rugby there … and let me say, I am now vastly more interested in the sport, given the visuals! Plus, The Parlor is absolutely stocked with almost every board game imaginable, along with Skee-Ball, video games, and more. I haven’t seen anything quite like this at sea before, and it’s a great addition to Solstice. What’s more, the boozy milkshakes on the menu here seal the deal for me!
On our cruise, we crossed the equator, and a whole silly ceremony included some attractive staff posing as mermen and assorted nautical gods. We also crossed the International Date Line, enabling us to repeat Friday twice, something I’d like to try every week!
Food, upgraded
Two major new dining options here are really impressive. Fine Cut Steakhouse, a concept from the newer Edge Class of ships, has been added to Solstice, giving it a top-tier restaurant for prime cuts of beef. And Trattoria Rossa is a first-of-its-kind Italian restaurant for Celebrity, with spectacular dishes from southern Italy and Rome. Both restaurants are premium, meaning that dining here is an upcharge, but they’re both worth the splurge at once on your cruise.
Other premium options here include Murano for a sophisticated French experience and Sushi on 5, which I really enjoyed for lunch one sunny afternoon.
Sunset Park Café, another new addition, is part of the new Sunset Park area on Deck 15, a multi-purpose space for yoga, movies, and other activities. The café has wraps, sweets, salads, and even charcuterie boards, which I found delightful.
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