South Pacific CruiseNovember 7, 2013
We’ve just returned from the proverbial trip of a lifetime, and our memories of it will not only brighten the chilly winter days to come, they”ll stay with us forever. From start to finish, our trans-Pacific cruise on the beautiful Celebrity Solstice was pure class and luxury fit for royalty. We’ll thank God and nature for calm seas, sunny blue skies, warm trade winds and the breathtaking beauty of the South Pacific. As for the rest of our magical journey, we give our thanks to Linda Barber at TravelWizard.com for her gracious and thoughtful planning, meticulous attention to detail and peerless knowledge of the travel industry, including introducing us to the superior quality of Celebrity Cruises. First, the ship ,“ Celebrity Solstice.
Deemed one of the best in world in its class, Solstice is very deserving of the accolades. Our sky suite was perfect ,“ elegant, well-appointed and spacious. We loved the little touches that elevated our stateroom experience from great, to exquisite, ,“ fresh flowers, fresh fruit, our butler, breakfast on the veranda, tea in the afternoon, Bvlgari products, Egyptian cotton linens. Our beds were super comfortable and combined with the gentle motion of the ship, resulted in the best sleeps we could remember. The stateroom attendants were very attentive and utterly charming. Our every need was met with genuine responsiveness.
The ship’s facilities were excellent! We became early morning regulars at the lap pool and we were spoiled for choice when it came to other onboard activities during the day and evenings. Cooking demonstrations with rock star, Executive Chef Robert. Playing cribbage with new-found friends. Reading on the veranda. Trying our luck at the casino. The days flew by! There was no stress and no boredom. Just ,¦ contentment.
The food was superb everywhere on the ship, from the formal dining room to the specialty restaurants to the burger bar on the upper deck. Celebrity,™s Sanitas Per Escam (SPE) [Health through Food,] initiative is genius! The SPE menu items were absolutely delicious, yet healthy ,“ lower in sodium, sugar and fats. Not only did we avoid the weight gain so often associated with cruising, Beth even dropped three kilos!
The trans-Pacific cruise features extended periods at sea: five days between Maui and Papeete and another five days between Maurea and Auckland. This may not suit some, but for us it was pure heaven! To rest, relax and enjoy the languid pace of days when the most taxing decision one has to make is whether to snooze by the outdoor pool or inside, and what to have for dinner ,¦ simply blissful. And to look out in the morning and see nothing but sea and sky offered us a welcome opportunity to put our lives into perspective. That’s not to say the ports of call were anything short of extraordinary!
It’s hard to find words to describe the romance and beauty of French Polynesia, in particular Bora Bora. Our stop in Auckland and final destination of Sydney afforded us the opportunity to reconnect with Down Under friends we hadn’t seen for more than 25 years! It’s this kind of synchronicity, that transforms a trip from amazing to purely magical, to be remembered for a lifetime.
We met the most wonderful people on board and are already emailing back and forth with a number of them, staying in touch. One of the couples we met ,“ Tony and Maureen from Auckland ,“ were in Vancouver just last week and we went out for dinner. How much richer our lives have become through the friendships we made on this cruise. Flights from Vancouver to Honolulu and from Sydney to Vancouver were a dream. Linda, we wished blessings upon you and yours so many times during this trip! There is no greater kindness than priority, boarding and service and we remain forever grateful for those arrangements you made. There are many unique reasons this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will never be duplicated. However, when we want a vacation that comes close to the perfection we enjoyed on this trip, we’ll be sure to call Linda at Travel Wizard to help plan it! She’s the best.
