Cruise Spotlight
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Celebrity Solstice vs Celebrity Beyond
The Celebrity Solstice was built in 2008. It was renovated in 2021. The Celebrity Soltice was the first cruise ship to feature a full half-acre of living grass on board. It's 14 years older than the Beyond, which was built in 2022. The Celebrity Beyond is a step up from its siblings, with an additional deck and more outdoor space. It still features the "Magic Carpet," a moving platform that makes using water tenders a breeze while in port, or adds outdoor dining space while at sea. This Edge-class of ship is known to feel quite different than the rest of the Celebrity fleet as it's less geared towards traditional cruise passengers.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Solstice is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,033 feet long and 121 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Celebrity Beyond, the Solstice is 13% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Solstice holds 13% fewer passengers than the Beyond based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Solstice has the same amount of space per person as the Beyond.
| Celebrity Solstice | Celebrity Beyond | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Solstice | Edge |
| Gross Tonnage | 122,000 | 140,600 |
| Length | 1,033 | 1,073 |
| Beam/Width | 121 | 128 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 17 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,850 | 3,260 |
| Crew | 1,284 | 1,416 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 43 | 43 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Solstice has ten different dining options like Murano, Tuscan Grille, and Mast Grill. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.
The Beyond has nine more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Dinner on the Edge, Rooftop Garden Grill, and Fine Cut Steakhouse. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Beyond might be a better choice. It has 90% more dining options than the Solstice.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Celebrity Solstice & Beyond
| Restaurant | Celebrity Solstice |
Celebrity Beyond |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaSpa Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Cosmopolitan Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cyprus Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Mast Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Normandie Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Oceanview Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spa Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Raw on 5 | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Blu | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dinner on the Edge | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fine Cut Steakhouse | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Grand Bistro | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef and Family | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef at Qsine | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Voyage | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Luminae | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Magic Carpet | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Murano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Rooftop Garden Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sushi on Five | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Grille | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Celebrity Solstice has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Celebrity Beyond has more pools than the Solstice and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Beyond. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Solstice.| Celebrity Solstice | Celebrity Beyond | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On both ships, 67% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Celebrity Solstice | Celebrity Beyond | |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eden Entertainment Space | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hot Glass Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lawn Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rooftop Garden | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Celebrity is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Celebrity Solstice will likely be cheaper than on Celebrity Beyond.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Celebrity ship.
| Celebrity | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% |
| Soda Price | $4.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 |
| Drink Package Price | $65 - $95 |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.
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