Celebrity Solstice Veranda Stateroom Review: What Cabins to Avoid 2024

If you are trying to decide what cabin to choose, this Celebrity Solstice Veranda Stateroom review provides photos and tips. I researched the deckplans and reviews and found the cabins to avoid!

We cruised on Celebrity Solstice from Sydney to Auckland and stayed in Veranda stateroom 9155.

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What is a Veranda Stateroom on Celebrity Solstice?

Most cruise ships offer the choice of staterooms (or cabins as they’re sometimes called) with inside (no windows), outside (porthole or larger window), or veranda or balcony. A Veranda Stateroom on Celebrity Solstice is a cabin that has an outdoor balcony to enjoy the ocean views.

What Deck is Best on Celebrity Solstice?

The best decks on Celebrity Solstice are Decks 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What Cabins to Avoid

Be wary of decks that are on the same level as public areas or above and below. We stayed in a cabin below the pool on one cruise and were woken in the early hours of the morning by staff moving the sun loungers around. On Celebrity Solstice the decks to be careful of are 3, 6, 11 and 12.

Also be aware of cabins that are located low and at the rear (because of engine noise, vibration and anchor) or low and forward (because of bow thrusters).

If you are prone to seasickness, a cabin mid-ship on a lower deck will have less movement.

Is a Balcony Worth it on a Cruise?

You need to weigh up if the extra cost of a veranda stateroom is worth it. This will depend on how much you will use it and why you want it. Guests aren’t allowed to smoke on the balconies now due to safety and can only smoke in designated areas. If your cruise involves any scenic cruising, like the Milford Sounds or Alaska, then you might like a balcony to take in the views in the comfort and privacy of your own stateroom. The stateroom veranda is a great spot to have a relaxed breakfast or even just a coffee upon waking (we enjoyed watching the ship come into port whilst having coffee).

The weather is also a factor to take into consideration when choosing whether to have a balcony cabin or not. The same applies to the cruise itinerary. How many sea days are there? Will you spend those days on your veranda or in the public areas?

Lastly, how many guests will there be in your stateroom? We are a family of four and shared the same cabin. Therefore, we really appreciated the extra room on the balcony and it was somewhere we could sit in the morning of the kids were still asleep or to have a drink when they were in bed at night. There was usually someone out there whenever we were in our stateroom.

The best balconies and views tend to be at the rear (aft) of the ship but some are overlooked from above and there have been issues with soot from the stack blowing and settling on the aft verandas.

Which Side of a Cruise Ship is Better?

The best views will be from the high public decks and what side of a cruise ship is better is dependent on the cruise itinerary. For example, our cruise was one-way from Sydney to Auckland so we chose a cabin on the port side (left) so we had views of the coastline.

Celebrity Solstice Veranda Stateroom 9155 Review

Location of Veranda Stateroom 9155

The Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Stateroom 9155 is located on Deck 9, on the left (port) side of the ship towards the front and is close to the front elevators and stairs. Deck 9 has the Card Room near the Atrium but we didn’t hear any noise from there nor from the lifts. Most people tended to use the central elevators rather than the ones closest to our cabin.

I’d read reviews that a few guests could smell smoke from a smoking area below the cabin, but we didn’t smell any at all despite being on the balcony a lot.

Layout of Veranda Stateroom 9155

Veranda Stateroom 9155 can sleep four people. The main bed, which consists of twin beds pushed together, is big and very comfortable. The sofa converts to the third bed and the fourth bed pulls down from the ceiling, effectively making bunk beds. These are made up by the cabin steward while you are at dinner and put away during the morning.

The Queen bed is by the bathroom with the sofa (and drop down bed) by the balcony.

There’s plenty of storage with cupboards above the bed and drawers below the TV as well as the wardrobe. Our cases could fit under the bed so we didn’t have them clogging up space.

The stateroom also has a 32 inch interactive LCD television, minibar, hairdryer and safe with thermostat controlled air-conditioning. Bathrobes can be used for the duration of your cruise which are hung in the wardrobe area.

The bathroom was a lot bigger than the ones on previous cruise ships. Not only was it spacious but it had plenty of storage too. The shower was enclosed instead of a shower curtain and the water pressure was great. The only fault we could find, was there didn’t appear to be a clothes line.

Soap, shampoo and body lotion were supplied but not shower gel. This didn’t worry us as we were happy to use soap and I had already brought our own conditioner.

Balcony

Due to the location of the cabin (it’s on the sloping section of the front hump), the balcony is much bigger than the standard balconies on this ship. I don’t know the exact size but would guess that it was about 3 times the size of the standard balcony. The first and third off the hump are the largest but the second and fourth are still bigger than standard. The others looked like they ended where our table is. The extra depth is not shown on the deck plans.

Port side, veranda staterooms 9155, 9157, 9207, 9209, 9211, 9215, 9237, 9239, 9241, 9243, and 9295, and starboard, 9192, 9194, 9264, 9266, 9268, 9270, 9292, 9294, 9296, 9298, and 9366 all have larger verandas.

The floor to celling glass sliding doors provide plenty of natural daylight but the heavy curtains block out the light if you want to sleep in or have a daytime nap.

Conclusion

We loved everything about our Stateroom and would book exactly the same one if we cruised on Celebrity Solstice again. It was quiet, had hardly any foot traffic, and the biggest bonus was the large balcony. Despite having a couple of nights of rough seas, I didn’t notice much movement and didn’t succumb to seasickness (although I did take anti-nausea tablets).

For more information on the ship, read this Celebrity Solstice Review or check prices of a Celebrity Solstice Veranda Stateroom with Cruise Direct here.