Celebrity Solstice Asia & Australia Blog #2 from Bali

After a couple of very easy going sea days out of Singapore, ahead of Celebrity Solstice’s debut season in Australia, we’ve arrived in one of Asia’s most popular holiday destinations, Bali, and we’re anchored off the port of Benoa which is within easy striking distance of many of the island’s main attractions.

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The tender service began at 7.30am and those on shore excursions were off first and open tendering began at about 11.30am and it’s a slightly chaotic entry into Indonesia as you step off the tender and into the town area.

It seems like everyone wants a piece of you and you’re offered taxis, flowers, clothes, massage, drinks, restaurants and tours to all of the Bali’s cultural attractions and beaches by locals who are out to make a living. And with more than 2,800 cruise ship guests heading to shore there’s no shortage of potential customers.

As Celebrity Solstice is heading Down Under to begin her first season homeported in Sydney, we only had one day in Bali but it was enough time to take in a few cultural sites including Tenganan Village which is an authentic place which has retained its original architecture to reveal what life was like before modernisation. The Tirtagangga Water Palace is another place of great beauty which was a favourite weekend retreat for the ancient Balinese kings.

We have another couple of sea days before arriving in Solstice’s first Australian port of call, Darwin, and we’ve had requests for ship photos already. We’ll get them up in the next couple of days. It will take a little while as there is quite a lot happening on this ship with an overwhelming array of facilities and some really nice design touches everywhere.