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Editorial Cruise Ship Wiki's take on Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity Solstice is the first of five Solstice class ships, in service since 2008, around 122,000 tons and carrying 2,850 guests. The class is why Celebrity reads as premium rather than mass market, and one design decision defined it: the Lawn Club, half an acre of real growing grass on the top deck, which no rival has copied. That matters because Solstice no longer has it. A 45 day refit ending in Singapore on 2 March 2026, the first stage of a 250 million dollar programme covering all five ships, replaced the living lawn with turf and rebuilt the space as Sunset Park, with cabanas, a bar and a concert space. Her four sisters still have the grass. She is currently on seven night Alaska round trips from Vancouver, before a 110 night Grand Voyage from 13 September that ends in Hong Kong at New Year.
What she does well is the unhurried sea day. The Solarium, a glass roofed adults only pool, is one of the better rooms at sea in cool weather. Grand Epernay handles main dining and Oceanview Cafe is a good buffet, but the paid rooms are the step up: Murano, Sushi on Five, and the new Trattoria Rossa and Fine Cut steakhouse. AquaClass guests eat in Blu, suite guests in Luminae. The refit added The Parlor and the Boulevard Lounge.
The criticism is consistent. Cruise Critic's editors rate her 4.5 out of 5 while noting that the cabin joinery was left untouched, so creaky hinges and tired wood sit behind new soft furnishings, and that the USB points by the beds were covered over rather than repaired. Most drinks cost extra even on a package, and popular rooms run short of seats at peak times. She is still an eighteen year old hull on a 2008 layout, and anyone who booked her for the lawn will find turf a poor trade.
She suits couples, wellness minded travellers and people from their forties upward who want design and calm, not thrills. Celebrity is premium and prices above Royal Caribbean, though the gap has narrowed. Children are catered for but come in smaller numbers. If you want slides or the cheapest fare, look elsewhere.
Cabin choice matters more here than on most ships. Solstice keeps conventional walk out balconies rather than the Edge class Infinite Veranda, which for many is reason enough. Cabins sit on deck 3 and decks 6 to 12. Deck 11 lies directly beneath the pool deck and takes noise from it, so avoid it if you want quiet. Sunset Park on deck 15 is less of a worry, with the deck 14 sundeck between. Aft cabins on decks 6 to 11 have deep balconies and fine wake views but little privacy, since the Sunset Bar and the buffet's outdoor seating look down on them. Deck 6 balconies can be blocked by lifeboats, and forward cabins hear the foghorn in Alaska. Our per cabin quiet and convenience scores are not yet published for this ship.
Read the deck plan before you book. On this ship, the deck above your cabin decides the week.
Sources
This is Cruise Ship Wiki's own editorial summary of published reviews and reference sources. It is not a guest review and does not describe a stay aboard. Member reviews appear separately below.
Photo: Dannymobs, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Celebrity Solstice is the lead ship of Celebrity Cruises' Solstice class, a series of five vessels that defined the brand's modern identity for more than a decade before the Edge class arrived. Built by Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, at a cost of around US$750 million, she was delivered in 2008 as a roughly 122,000-GT ship of some 315 metres, carrying about 2,850 guests across her decks and setting a new standard of contemporary design for the premium segment.
Solstice's most celebrated innovation was the Lawn Club, a half-acre expanse of real, living grass laid across the top deck, an unprecedented feature at sea that gave the class its calling card and hosted everything from bocce and picnics to open-air lounging. The ship also introduced the Hot Glass Show, live glass-blowing demonstrations presented in partnership with the Corning Museum of Glass, along with aft-facing specialty dining venues that turned diners toward the ship's wake. These features, combined with an unusually high proportion of veranda staterooms, positioned Solstice as a design leader on her debut.
Her godmother is Sharon L. Smith, and the ship entered service to strong reviews. Over the years she has undergone refits to keep her contemporary alongside her newer fleetmates.
Celebrity Solstice has spent much of her career on the far side of the world, deploying seasonally to Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific out of Sydney, and to Alaska during the northern summer. Registered at Valletta, Malta, and sailing under the call sign 9HRJ9, she remains in active service with Celebrity Cruises as the ship that launched one of the most successful classes in the line's history.
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Onboard Highlights
Signature attractions, dining, bars and entertainment aboard Celebrity Solstice.
Top attractions
- The Retreat Sundeck
An outdoor escape offering scenic views of destinations like Vietnam's limestone formations. - Sunset Park
A top-deck venue featuring glacier views and outdoor perspectives on Alaska cruises. - The Parlor
A recreational venue offering billiards, darts, and classic board games. - Boulevard Lounge
A new entertainment venue featuring dueling pianos and trivia games. - The Spa
A wellness facility offering spa treatments, massages, fitness classes, beauty services, and a new Relaxation Lounge.
Specialty dining
- Trattoria Rossa
A new specialty restaurant on the renewed Celebrity Solstice. - Fine Cut Steakhouse
A new specialty steakhouse restaurant on the renewed Celebrity Solstice.
Bars and lounges
- Boulevard Lounge
A venue featuring live entertainment with dueling pianos and trivia.
Where She Sails
Ports of call on Celebrity Solstice itineraries, with a signature highlight at each.
Specifications
| Status | In service |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 2008 |
| Cruise line | Celebrity Cruises |
| Class | Solstice class |
| Gross tonnage | 121,878 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 2,850 |
| Guests (maximum) | 3,420 |
| Crew | 1,000 |
| Est. annual guests | ≈ 150,000 / year (estimated) |
| Length | 317 m (1,040 ft) |
| Beam | 36 m (118 ft) moulded |
| Draught | 8.23 m (27 ft) |
| Decks | 15 |
| Staterooms | 1,480 |
| Shipyard | Meyer Werft (Papenburg, Germany) |
| Build cost | ≈ US$750 million |
| Christened by | Sharon L. Smith |
| Flag | Malta |
| Port of registry | Valletta, Malta |
| IMO number | 9362530 |
| Call sign | 9HRJ9 |
| Home port | Sydney |
| Region | South Pacific / Australia |
About the Solstice class
The "S-class" that defined modern Celebrity, featuring the Lawn Club real-grass top deck.
Ownership & loyalty
Part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL).
Sister brands: Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Loyalty status match - members keep an equivalent tier across the group's brands:
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Captain's Club (Celebrity Cruises)
One-for-one tier status match across Royal Caribbean Group brands: Gold <-> Classic, Platinum/Emerald <-> Select, Diamond <-> Elite, Diamond Plus <-> Elite Plus, Pinnacle Club <-> Zenith. - Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Venetian Society (Silversea Cruises)
One-for-one status match with Silversea Venetian Society: Gold <-> 1 day, Platinum/Emerald <-> 100 days, Diamond <-> 250 days, Diamond Plus <-> 350 days, Pinnacle Club <-> 500 days.
References
Descriptions on Cruise Ship Wiki are original write-ups paraphrased from public sources; facts are compiled from the references below and cross-checked. How we source our information.
- Photograph by Dannymobs (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons - Primary ship photograph