In St. Maarten; the Solstice, on the right, is the same size as the Serenade of the Seas; the perspective makes it look smaller.
Celebrity is our favorite line; this is our fourth cruise with them. Their food is a big step above every other line we've sailed; the only real competition was the Princess Grill on Cunard's QM2, a revelatory experience we lucked into via an inexplicable but welcome free upgrade. Equal to the food though is the understated elegance of Celebrity ships. Clean lines, attractive decor without the fuss or fantasy of many other ships. Garish is a word that comes to mind when I think of Carnival, Norwegian and even Princess ships; on Celebrity I think soothing, architecturally pleasing, refreshing.
The Solstice epitomizes this approach. She is beautiful. I have not yet seen a single thing I object to and I have seen many things that are near perfect. As I said last time, Ransom and I don't do a lot. We eat breakfast and lunch in the buffet room -- many and varied choices ranging from stir fries to pancakes at breakfast and Mexican, Indian, Italian and everything in between at lunch. Dinner in the formal dining room is a lovely 90-120 minute affair with multiple courses, lots of silverware and service and, on this ship, excellent food. Exquisite lamb chops and chateaubriand one night, fantastic lamb shanks and coq au vin another and intensely flavorful seafood risotto last night -- all with enticing appetizers, salads, soups and desserts.
I attended a port lecture yesterday which was, unfortunately, more about shopping than anything else, but then an informative presentation on the language learning software Rosetta Stone today. I have not been tempted by the dance lessons, trivia games, bingo, cooking demonstrations and myriad other activities -- but it's all there for anyone who wants it. What has tempted, and seduced me, is the beauty of the ship, the pleasure of reading on my balcony while we sail the Atlantic, the refinement of Michael's Club -- our favorite lounge on ship, where we gather before dinner -- and, as mentioned, the meals.
Our worst cruise experience ever was on the Norwegian Dream; imagine spending a week of Saturday nights at WalMart in Mississippi. The passengers were fat, loud and dressed for a night out at their local trailer park. Here, they are generally quiet (for Americans anyway) and reasonably well dressed. Scottie and Mary Rachel at the table next to us are quite charming and we are enjoying their company a lot.
But mostly it's being on a ship that I love the most. I celebrated my sixth birthday on a USNS (United States Navy Ship) crossing the Pacific; I guess it's in my blood. I love these huge sea creatures.
Walter and Ransom,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated this description of what's involved in a cruise. I've never been on one, and wondered what it involved. Sounds very relaxing, especially with the absence of the day-to-day distractions of electronic devices, dogs, etc. The closest I ever came to a cruise-like experience was when I worked on the Delta Queen as a lounge steward and information "guide" in 1973. The Mississippi and Ohio rivers certainly aren't the Atlantic, but they did provide some very contemplative moments, mostly late on starlit nights after the work was done. I'll never forget the experience.
Peace,
T. McD.
If we are ever in position to Cruise again, I am sure we will try Celebrity. We were too young for Holland, too something for Carnival (IQ too high?), etc.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am not much one for activities. I like to lounge, read, eat. Rinse and repeat. The one thing I do indulge on Cruises are massages and the spa sort of things, at least once during a trip. More often than not the experience is a bit less than one would hope.
The spa employees are the same sort as the "Broadway Actors", maybe not so close to first tier as one would wish. However, on occasion it is quite nice. I just like to indulge myself a bit.
I look forward to more vicarious thrills from your cruise....
Walter, your cruise sure sounds better than our first together on the Anna Maria in the 70s. (I can never mention the name of that ship without thinking of the MTM Show lyric "Anna Maria Alberghetti in a taxi, honey ...")
ReplyDeleteYou wrote: "... imagine spending a week of Saturday nights at WalMart in Mississippi." Thanks, but no thanks.
Enjoy the rest of what sounds like a really great vacation!
-dd
Hey! I spent a really fun evening in Mississippi in a WalMart. It was 7 months after Hurricane Katrina and the WalMart was about the only thing around. Quite and experience!
ReplyDeleteLeigh
I concur with your appreciation of Celebrity. While I've only been on one cruise, it was a Celebrity boat (seven years ago now, and my mind is a blank as to which ship) and it was delightful.
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