Category: 2017 – Celebrity Solstice, South Pacific & Fiji, 1 Mar – 13 Mar

During the transition from one cruise to another we kept the same waiter but changed to a round table of eight which we think is much better for chatting with everyone. The first night we had a full house but were down to just 4 last night. Despite the absentees we had a great time and got along famously with our new friends who are also part of the B2B club.

Prior to going into dinner we also bumped into some of our Cruise Critic friends from the first cruise and have arranged to go for dinner with them tonight in the Silk Harvest which is an Asian style speciality restaurant onboard the Solstice. We are really looking forward to trying it out as I believe there is only one other venue of this type across the fleet and that is on the Equinox which was our first Celebrity ship back in 2010. Back then we were totally against paying a surcharge for speciality dining so never entertained the idea of going. We have now relaxed our views and quite enjoy a little treat occasionally if we can bag a deal.

After feeding my Bellini addiction in the Tuscan Grille for breakfast we made our way up to deck 14 to sit outside on the beds for a while. It was pouring with rain first thing but by the time we had finished eating there were breaks in the clouds and it was nice and warm.

Things got even better and we actually had our best sea day so far. It was still very windy and our favourite location on the Solstice Deck was like a cyclone but down on 12 & 14 there was sufficient shelter to make it a pleasant place to sit out.
We braved the Oceanview Café for lunch which wasn’t as busy as we had anticipated and it meant Nicole could have a decent gluten free daytime meal for a change. We even managed to get a table out the back too which was a big surprise.

At 3:30 we called it a day and went in for some ice cream before heading back to the cabin to shower and relax before we head out for our dinner date.

It’s been a quiet day but really lovely to be able to get some sunshine at last and with 5 islands coming up over the next 6 days it could get busy again. Tomorrow we are in Nouméa and don’t have anything planned other than to find a nice beach but that could all change on the day.

Last night’s sail out from Sydney was a visual treat, it just produced some incredible views and the great thing is we get to do it all over again in 12 days time.

Now we have a new set of passengers the ship does have a different feel about it, apparently there are some 1200 Aussies on board which I suppose was to be expected considering the ship sailed from Sydney.

This morning as it was a sea day we again took breakfast in the Tuscan Grille where I have taken to having a couple of Bellinis with my coffee and pastries. A naughty but nice habit and thankfully we only go there on a sea day for breakfast or else I could have a real problem on my hands.

Earlier on today it was rainy and there was quite a bit of it on occasions but it was also very humid too. Several times during the morning the visibility was very poor as we were not able to see any thing over 100 metres or so.

The afternoon weather improved somewhat but it did remain quite windy so after our lunch in the MDR we just relaxed in the cabin until it was time for drinks at the Sky Lounge.
We have labelled this second cruise as our kick back one so aim to take things nice and easy. Lots of sea days and islands with beaches. It’s just a shame the weather wasn’t better today.

 

This morning we disembarked the ship at approx 8:30 which felt really strange with just about everyone else lugging their cases to waiting buses and taxis. It had been pouring down prior to us getting off but as soon as we hit dry land the rain eased off and eventually stopped all together.
Our first port of call was the Opera House where we stopped for photos and walked all the way around. As we didn’t get breakfast onboard this morning we decided to stop and eat on the harbour side and take in the view. It wasn’t busy at all and the food was good albeit a tad on the expensive side. It had to be done!

From there we walked back to The Rocks and made our way to the Sidney Harbour Bridge Lookout which was $15 each to get in but my what views!

Not content with that we then walked to Sydney Tower and went up that for yet more views.

We had thought the weather might hamper our plans today but in the end we had nothing to worry about at all. In fact during the afternoon it got really hot and sticky so we headed back to The Rocks to find somewhere for a drink and a spot of lunch before getting back on the ship. Embarking was a doddle and we were back onboard within 10 minutes maximum.

Unfortunately we had to attend the muster again and when that was over went back to the cabin to wait for and enjoy the sail out from Sydney.

An absolutely fantastic day and one we will long remember.