We returned from our very first Celebrity Cruise and in preparation from the trip I used a lot of the tips and information on this board. In hopes of returning the help I received here are some brief notes from our recent trip:
Arrival at SEATAC: The baggage took a significantly long time. We used Seattle Elite Towncar for transportation to our hotel. Our driver said the baggage delay has been going on for about the last month as the airport is short staffed. Our experience with Seattle Elite Towncar was great, so great we decided to have them pick us up from the hotel to take us to the pier. We could take two Ubers for a bit less money; however, we are willing to pay more to keep our group together since we had never sailed from this port or on this cruise line and the service was so great with Seattle Elite Towncar.
We stayed at Residence Inn Seattle Downtown/Convention Center which turned out to be an excellent location for us as we walked to everything we wanted to see/do.
Would definitely stay there again.
Pre Cruise COVID Testing, we decided to use the emed COVID test kits (purchased online) and conducting the tests from our hotel room. Prior to departing for Seattle we set up our emed accounts which saved time. Each person needed to have their own account and they email you the results very quickly. Afterwards we completed the ArriveCAN requirement. I added all travelers prior to leaving home so it was really easy to complete the remainder from the app on my phone.
Our boarding time for the ship was 11:30am and we boarded very quickly. We noticed some folks struggling with security (metal detectors and x-rays) which made me wonder if they didn't expect that type of screening would be in place. After security they checked all of our boarding documents (boarding pass, passport, COVID test results and vaccination cards) by person and it was a smooth process.
Once on board we were told we could go directly to our stateroom and pick up our SeaPasses (they were on the stateroom doors), 2 of the 3 rooms were ready, one had a note on the door to leave bags and return. (We all had Sky Suites)
We knew this was an older ship and that it didn't receive the planned make over so we had reasonable expectations. The ship was beautiful and very clean. Our stateroom was in good condition and our stateroom attendant was great. He told us he was new but it did not show at all. We noticed one light in the bathroom wasn't working and they had it corrected before we returned to the room. We purchased swivel magnetic hooks from Amazon and found them, along with our USB 6 port charging station to be the most useful things. One note is that the hair dryer does not work in the bathroom, only the outlet in the stateroom near the television and mirror.
We found the Persian Garden Room and the fitness room to be disappointing. The Persian Garden Room is a smaller area but it was packed, and packed with guests that were not in the appropriate attire and were loudly chatting/socializing as if was a lounge rather than a relaxation room. We stayed about 10 minutes, quickly departed and never returned. I don't think it was being monitored by a spa attendant which might have made a difference. The ladies' changing room in the spa area is also in need of some TLC, the lockers don't fully function (my lock got stuck and the attendant couldn't get it open, which turned into an ordeal - there was rust, I cut myself, they eventually used the master key to override the lock..). For the fitness center, only about 1/2 the treadmills are operational, and on sea days it was crowded as was the spa reception area. I'm sure it will be improved in the future.
We found the service to be absolutely amazing! We did not note any staff shortages, although the World Class Bar wasn't often open (not sure if that is related) but we enjoyed every other bar/lounge with the exception of the Sunset Bar which numerous folks recommended; however, for our sailing it was a designated smoking area so we did not spend time there.
The weather was really warm and sunny so I'm glad that we packed a mix of clothing, although a bit sad I didn't get wear one of the 4 jackets I brought 🙂
We booked two excursions - VIP Glacier Explorer and White Pass Railway. They were both absolutely exceptional. I was hesitant about the Glacier Explorer but it was stunning!!! The crew was exceptional and we saw so much! The train was also super, although we only made it to mile 18 and had to return due to an issue with the train but it was still awesome. To our surprise they fully refunded the cost of the excursion to our cruise accounts.
The crew on the ship was absolutely amazing, from dining to the coffee bar to the martini car. We had a great time and would not hesitate to cruise Celebrity and the Solstice again.