Onward to Italy: A Day at Sea

On the Ship

We had made it! Now, we could relax. Our first impression of Celebrity Solstice was “Wow!” as we entered the Grand Foyer where a host greeted us with champagne to welcome us aboard. The Solstice made its debut in 2008 as the largest ship to be built in a German shipyard. Blogger Amber Bleaker, EEC, LCS, made some really good points in her blog about the ship so I'll direct you to her CruiseResource News Blog for a great description of this upscale, modern and elegant cruise ship. What was nice about our four-out-of-twelve "sea" days is that we could relax and do whatever we wanted on these days. As a family, we would take our time getting up, then go work out in the great gym facility. Our motive was simple. If we worked out every day, we didn't have to worry so much about what we ate. :)


There was always food around. My preference was to eat freshly prepared eggs for breakfast (protein); then, have a salad for lunch so that I could eat what I wanted (and as much as I wanted) at dinner. I loved their salads and loved all the fresh vegetable toppings with a splash of vinaigrette dressing. D discovered the 4 pm tea sandwiches at the Oceanview Cafe and the 5 pm sushi. A variety of Ice cream flavors are served until 9 pm complete with toppings. Though by the end of the cruise, the M&Ms were gone. :) Since my dairy allergy doesn't allow me to eat the ice-cream that my kids enjoy so much, I would treat myself to the fresh sorbets like coconut, strawberry or mango sorbet. 

The Grand Epernay dining room is spacious with two stories decorated in tones of gold and white with lots of light, comfortable seating and white linens. The second floor is open to the dining room below as a grand balcony with a curved stairway on one side and glass-balcony style seating overlooking the first floor. Large windows on the two outside walls frame the ocean views so guests can see the ocean on both sides from their table. We chose the early seating for dinner at 6:15 pm which allowed us to go to 9:15 pm show every night. Dinner is a two-hour event so as a family, we just felt like the second seating at 8:45 pm was just a little too late for us to eat. 

What I love about dinner on a cruise is how we get to know the waiters and hear stories about their lives. Here is a quirky, funny story about me...
On our first evening I discovered the fresh "homemade" (or should I say "shipmade") breadsticks. Since my family didn't eat them all, I gathered the left-over breadsticks and asked our assistant waiter, Mohammad, for a napkin. Why not? They would throw them away and this way I could enjoy them with my salad at lunch.  At first I think he thought I was odd, but from that night on, I had a basket of breadsticks waiting for me at the table. :) How nice was that? It became a little joke with my entire family, but I did share them with my mom. : )

Mohammad, our waiter, was a very tall, lanky, young man who was awaiting his vacation to be home for Ramadan; where Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. He explained that his faith was important and that he wanted to be home where he could observe his faith during Ramadan; which is harder to do with a cruise ship work schedule. This linked "Cruise Ship Job Experience" blog post mentions that the crew's days are usually 12 to 16 hours; sometimes 7 days per week! I commend his commitment in a work-driven world that does not always support spiritual practices.

Some nights after dinner, we would go to a performance in the Solstice Theater. All the shows were excellent, two performers stand out: Comedy Juggler David Deeble and a piano player/singer/song writer whose name escapes me right now, but I keep looking for it.



After the evening show Mike and I would go listen to Karaoke; or go dance at Quasar to a techno-mix of U2, Lady Gaga, even Journey. Who would have guessed that 25+ years after my graduation that Journey's Open Arms would be modernized to suit a younger crowd? : ) Yet the people dancing early (at 11 pm) were in their 40’s; the very group who doesn’t need the techno version of '80's music.

One night my parents, Mike, and I went to a 1950's sock-hop; and another night Mike and I went to a very funny and realistic "Newlywed Not-So-Newlywed" Comedy Game Show. The ship also has a Corning Glass-blowing show next to the Lawn Club; an area on the top deck with real grass for picnics and croquet. The video clip below shows the process (even though it is on a different Celebrity ship).



On Saturday evening (May 28, 2011) we skipped the evening show to watch Barcelona win over Manchester in the 2011 Champions League Final in Soccer. The Sky Observation Lounge was packed with fans cheering for England or Barcelona. The cruise provided free munchies like popcorn, pretzels, and chips with drink specials. The energy was contagious and we enjoyed all the excitement.

Mike, K, D and I spent our afternoons by the central outside pool on the Lido Deck. We listened to the ship's live Party Band Headlines and enjoy their happy hour specials. (This is the first cruise I have been on which offered a happy hour.) There is an over-18 "Serenity" pool and atrium for guests who prefer a quieter experience, but we never went there. I took advantage of my time with my family. Time with my family was the best memory from this trip!


Stay tuned for more about our Mediterranean adventures...