Celebrity Solstice

The 2008-built Celebrity Solstice cruise ship is the first of Celebrity Cruises' Solstice-class vessels, alongside Equinox, Silhouette, Eclipse, and Reflection. Celebrity Solstice was scheduled for a "Celebrity Revolution" drydock refurbishment on October 1, 2021.

The vessel (IMO number 9362530) is currently Malta-flagged (MMSI 249409000) and registered in Valletta.

History – Construction and Ownership

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 as the Greece-based Chandris Line (operational between 1974–1996). In 1997, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) merged with Celebrity Cruises Ltd to form Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL). The "X" on the ship funnels represents the Greek letter chi, symbolizing Chandris. Signature features of Celebrity ships include aft-facing glass-walled dining rooms, specialty restaurants, numerous bars and lounges, spacious atriums, a high number of balcony cabins, expansive sundecks with pools, The Retreat (adults-only sundeck with a full-size pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas, and full bar service), the Rooftop Terrace (top-deck lounge, restaurant, and cinema), large spas with thermal suites, and premium retail shops offering top-brand merchandise.

The 2,900-passenger Celebrity Solstice was the first of the Solstice-class ships. Designed with upscale personal amenities, Solstice accommodates nearly 3,000 guests. All Solstice-class vessels offer wireless Internet, larger staterooms with HDTVs, spacious bathrooms, enhanced storage, and plush European-style bedding. The ships also feature a broad array of customer-focused services and amenities enabled by their larger size.

Decks and Cabins

Celebrity Solstice staterooms (1,425 total, across 30 grades) include 66 Suites, 1,149 Balcony cabins, 70 Oceanviews, and 140 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are 195 ft² / 18 m², and around 85% have a private step-out balcony (typically 55 ft² / 5 m²). There are 30 wheelchair-accessible cabins. The largest accommodations are the Penthouse Suites (1,290 ft² / 120 m², with 390 ft² / 36 m² terraces).

The vessel has 15 decks, of which 14 are accessible to passengers and 8 have cabins.

Shipboard Dining Options – Food and Drinks

In addition to the main dining room, Celebrity Solstice features three specialty restaurants, one of which is exclusive to AquaClass guests. Dining venues include a lido buffet with specialty stations, a crepe and panini bistro, a spa cuisine buffet and grill, a poolside grill, and a coffee bar and gelateria. Out of the 10 restaurants onboard, 6 are open for breakfast, 5 for lunch, and 7 for dinner. The Grand Epernay is the ship’s main dining room, spanning two decks at the aft. It features a bright design with glass accents and a two-story glass wine tower in place of a traditional wine cellar.

Complete list of Celebrity Solstice restaurants and food bars:

• Murano – 76-seat specialty French restaurant (reservations only), featuring a Five Senses tasting menu, Champagne High Tea, live cooking shows, and a Wine Cellar annex.
• Grand Epernay Restaurant – 1,429-seat main dining venue with open-seating breakfast (8:00–9:30 a.m.), lunch (12:00–1:30 p.m.), afternoon tea (4:00–5:00 p.m.), and fixed or My Time Dinner (6:00 and 8:30 p.m.).
• Sushi on Five – replaced Bistro on Five in 2016, offering hand-rolled sushi, freshly grated wasabi, house-made soy sauce, Asian-inspired cocktails, Japanese beers, and sakes (by chef Yoshi Okada).
• Blu – 32-seat exclusive restaurant for AquaClass guests (reservations required); Suite guests allowed as available.
• Silk Harvest – 88-seat Asian specialty venue and sushi bar (reservations only).
• AquaSpa Café – 48-seat complimentary bar in the Solarium and Spa; offers healthy buffet-style meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Oceanview Café & Bar – 758-seat self-service buffet restaurant (indoor/outdoor); open 6:30 a.m.–1:00 a.m.
• Tuscan Grille – 132-seat specialty steakhouse and seafood restaurant (reservations only).
• Mast Bar – poolside burger bar serving complimentary lunch.

Shipboard Entertainment – Fun and Sport

Celebrity’s enrichment program, Celebrity Life, offers daytime and evening activities across four categories: wellness, enrichment, culinary, and trivia/games. Culinary options include galley tours, cocktail demos, wine tastings, and Riedel glass tastings. AquaClass guests benefit from exclusive access to the Aqua Spa relaxation room, Persian Garden, aromatherapy steam rooms, and complimentary dining at Blu (130-seat specialty restaurant).

Complete list of Celebrity Solstice lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues:

• Solstice Theatre – 1,115-seat show lounge for musicals, movies, trivia, bingo, and classes.
• Grand Foyer Atrium – 3-deck space with live music; includes Boulevard Shops, Galleria Boutiques, Sun & Sea Shop, and The Lawn Club Shop.
• Passport Bar – live music in the Atrium Lobby.
• The Entertainment Court – dance parties and live performances.
• Quasar – nightclub and disco.
• Celebrity Central – 200-seat lounge for movies, comedy shows, and games.
• Michael’s Club – piano bar; Martini Bar; Crush Bar (ice-top table); Galleria Tastings (wine, food, art); Molecular Bar; Ensemble Lounge.
• Photo Gallery & Shop.
• Solstice Fortunes Casino.
• Celebrity iLounge – 24-hour Internet center with Apple products and tech classes.
• Team Earth – eco-awareness center.
• Game On – card room.
• Relaxation Lounge.
• Sky Observation Lounge & Nightclub.
• Café al Bacio & Gelateria – 54-seat specialty coffee, patisserie, and gelato bar.
• Cellar Masters – 24-hour wine bar with Enomatic system and sommelier consultations.
• Art Gallery; Library.
• Aquaspa & Fitness complex – spa with Persian Garden (thermal suite), therapy rooms, salon, Solarium (adults only), and AquaSpa Café.
• Fitness Center – includes separate aerobics area.
• Solarium Pool – adults-only thalassotherapy and lap pool with 2 whirlpools.
• Pool Bar; Sports Pool; Family Pool; Wet Zone (kids water play area).
• The Hot Glass Show – live glass-blowing demonstrations by the Corning Museum of Glass.
• Sunset Bar – alfresco bar with cigar offerings.
• Patio on the Lawn; The Lawn Club – real grass area for relaxation.
• Fun Factory – supervised kids’ club for ages 3–11 (Shipmates 3–5, Cadets 6–8, Ensigns 9–11).
• X-Club – teen lounge and disco; Video Arcade.
• Outdoor sports – table tennis, shuffleboard, jogging track, multi-sport court, mini-golf, lawn bowling, bocce, croquet.

In 2023, Celebrity added pickleball courts fleetwide. Equipment (net, paddles, balls) is provided, and scheduled playing times are available for adults and families (children 6+). On Solstice-class ships, the court is located on the Sports Deck (Deck 15).

Itineraries

Celebrity Solstice’s itinerary program includes 7-day roundtrips to Alaska from Seattle, WA or Vancouver, BC during summer. In the off-season, she operates South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand cruises from Auckland and Sydney. The ship also visits Hawaii during repositioning cruises between Alaska and Australia.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Celebrity Solstice was paused for over two years (March 2020–May 2022). Operations resumed on May 6, 2022, with 7-day Alaska itineraries from Seattle. A planned 2022–2023 Asia deployment (homeports in Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama) with 12-day itineraries was canceled and replaced with 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles. These were initially scheduled for the Celebrity Millennium, which was reassigned to the Caribbean. A total of 17 Asia cruises (scheduled between Sept 16, 2022, and April 21, 2023) were canceled.

The vessel (Meyer Werft Papenburg, yard/hull number 107630) has a volume of 121,878 GT, DWT 9,500 tons, and a maximum draught of 8.6 m. Her powerplant consists of Wartsila marine diesel engines (model 16V46) with a combined output of 67.2 MW. The registered shipowner is CELEBRITY SOLSTICE INC, and the vessel is managed by RCL CRUISES LTD.

Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice ship is the first in the company’s Solstice-class series, with sisterships Eclipse, Equinox, Reflection, and Silhouette. Solstice was launched on August 10, 2008, and entered service with her maiden voyage on November 23, 2008.

Modern and sophisticated, Solstice was the largest passenger ship ever built in Germany at the time. The deck layouts of all Solstice-class ships were designed with optimized interior architecture to allow for smooth passenger flow. The vessel is easy to navigate, with all entertainment venues located forward, dining venues aft, and commercial spaces (casino and shops) midship. All specialty dining venues are on Deck 5. The ship also incorporates solar panels for limited electricity production, a fuel-efficient hull design, eco-friendly coatings, and energy-saving lighting systems.

The 9-day "South Pacific Islands Cruise" (October 20–29, roundtrip from Sydney NSW) marked Australia's first-ever vegan-themed voyage. Hosted aboard Celebrity Solstice, the voyage featured a special vegan dining menu and was organized by Paige Renshaw. Onboard events included daily food demonstrations, workshops, professional presentations, yoga and pilates sessions, meditation classes, group activities, and documentary film nights. The itinerary visited ports in New Caledonia and Vanuatu (Noumea, Mystery Island, Isle of Pines, Lifou Island).

Celebrity Solstice Refurbishments Review

Drydock 2026

In 2025, Celebrity Cruises announced a US$250+ million fleet modernization program targeting the Solstice-class ships. The project begins with Celebrity Solstice in March 2026, followed by Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, and Reflection.

The upgrades aim to introduce new venues and renovate existing spaces throughout the ship.

New additions include the Boulevard Lounge (cabaret-style entertainment), the adjacent Boulevard Bar, the Celebrity Barcade (a sports bar with arcade games, billiards, and darts), Trattoria Rossa (an Italian eatery), and the Fine Cut Steakhouse (featured on EDGE-class ships).

Outdoor enhancements feature the Sunset Park—a large open-air recreation space with cocktails, lawn games, live concerts, private cabanas, and an expanded Sunset Bar.

All passenger accommodations will be upgraded. AquaClass cabins will receive spa-inspired amenities such as massaging shower heads, aromatherapy diffusers, yoga mats, and a refreshed pillow menu. Four new accommodation categories will be added: Panoramic Infinite Veranda Suite, Deluxe Panoramic Oceanview Suite, Panoramic Ocean View Suite, and Deluxe Panoramic Ocean View.

The Retreat (Celebrity’s signature adults-only sundeck) will see improvements including redesigned suites, a new sundeck with seating and a hot tub, and a remodeled Retreat Lounge.

Additional venues scheduled for refurbishment include Café al Bacio, Cellar Masters, World Class Bar, Martini Bar, Pool Bar, Passport Bar, Blu Restaurant (for AquaClass), Luminae Restaurant (for The Retreat), the Fitness Center, and Camp at Sea (kids’ program).

Drydock 2016

The vessel’s 2016 drydock (11-day project, October 22–November 1) was conducted in Singapore.

Celebrity Solstice became the first Solstice-class ship to feature an outdoor movie screen, located on Deck 15 in the Patio area.

The "Taste of Film" experience (a multi-sensory cinema event) debuted on the Lawn Club (Deck 15), with alcove-style cabanas providing additional seating along the real grass lawn.

Sushi on Five (formerly Bistro on Five, on Entertainment Deck 5) launched a new menu curated by sushi chef Yoshikazu “Yoshi” Okada, offering hand-rolled sushi, fresh tableside grated wasabi, house-made soy sauce, Asian-inspired cocktails, Japanese beers, and sakes.

A new digital photo gallery was introduced, featuring 25 touchscreen kiosks where passengers could download purchased images directly to their mobile devices.

An art gallery replaced the old photo gallery on Deck 5.

All suites received upgraded patio furniture on their private balconies.

Celebrity Solstice Grand Voyage 2026

Celebrity Solstice’s Grand Voyage 2026 is a back-to-back (B2B) itinerary from Vancouver to Hong Kong, visiting 58 ports across 15 countries.

The full voyage (September 6 through December 18) comprises several regional segments, covering Alaska, the USA/North Pacific, the South Pacific, Australia/New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

Itinerary segments include:

(Sep 6) 7-day Alaska Hubbard Glacier (roundtrip from Vancouver)

(Sep 13) 7-day Alaska (roundtrip from Vancouver)

(Sep 20) 9-day Hawaii (Vancouver to Honolulu)

(Sep 29) 19-day Treasures of Tahiti and Fiji (Honolulu to Auckland)

(Oct 18) 13-day Best of New Zealand (Auckland to Sydney)

(Oct 31) 10-day Australia Wine and Tasmania (roundtrip from Sydney)

(Nov 10) 12-day South Pacific Islands (roundtrip from Sydney)

(Nov 22) 13-day Australia (Sydney to Singapore)

(Dec 5) 13-day Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia (roundtrip from Singapore)

(Dec 18) 15-day Thailand and Vietnam Holiday (Singapore to Hong Kong)