My sister & I chose this cruise as we wanted to sail up the coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns. The Solstice is a well appointed huge ship.The food was excellent & most of the entertainment was good. On the whole the staff were friendly but a number found it hard to look interested. Our Stateroom Attendant was fantastic.
The shore excursions were so expensive as was the drinks package & because we were paying in American Dollars & not Aust Dollars it made it worse. It pays to look into local shore excursions.. When we went ashore in Brisbane there was no alternative other than to pay the $30 US to get into the city as the bus company the cruise was dealing with had the monopoly on transport from the Port..
We tired very quickly of the constant loud music throughout the ship. It wasn't turned down when the Captain whom we couldn't understand at the best of time, spoke. He did have a great sense of humour. We also tired of being accousted by crew members daily to buy special dinners etc.
I Wayan our Stateroom Attendant was fantastic & kept our cabin spotlessly clean. He was very friendly & helpful.The cabin was a bit dated with curtains needing to be replaced but the beds were so comfortable.Our cabin was well located & very quiet. A balcony is always a bonus.