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We're booking a last minute cruise in February. I've researched and thought I wanted a balcony on the Celebrity Silhouette. However, the Regal Princess is $400+ less for their balcony. Is it really worth that much more? We've only cruised on RC, Disney and Carnival before. We're ok with both itineraries and neither includes drinks. We've heard Celebrity is nicer but is it really that much nicer?

Thank you!

We sailed the Regal Princess last year with balcony rooms and were sadly disappointed with the size of the rooms compared to Celebrity Solstice class ships. The Silhouette is one of the newer Solstice class and we have not been on that one but have sailed the original Solstice three times (and other ships in the fleet as well x2) and have really enjoyed the spacious balcony rooms. They have small sofas, coffee tables, and a desk area with great storage.

The Regal had a lovely long closet and great storage but barely enough room to get between the end of the beds and the wall and only two small straight back chairs next to the balcony with a small desk.

Worse, you couldn’t sit in the chairs on the balcony without hitting your knees on the balcony itself, and I’m only 5’2”!! So I’d definitely vote for any Celebrity Solstice class over Regal Princess. We didn’t find anything special about our one Princess cruise to draw us back to them.

So yes, we would recommend Celebrity over Princess.

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Thanks all for the responses thus far. I'm getting a little nervous about the potential for a really bad storm now (although this was the only time that worked with our schedule); I had thought the inside passage cruise might be a little better weather-wise than the areas closer to the Gulf of Alaska...it would be a bummer if we missed Glacier Bay.

I would think that if it was really that bad (i.e. hurricane-like storms with heavy winds) the cruise-ships would not schedule all the way out until the end of September year after year. Last year's mid-September weather looked ok... But I guess you never know with Alaska weather!

 

Thank you for the advice on MENDENHALL--so once we disembark, we can just pick up a shuttle that will take us to there and we can just do our own tour? How often do the shuttles leave to go back to town/port?

Attire: We did a RT out of Seattle in May which is the first trip of the season and we wore the North Face waterproof, windbreaker jackets which are super easy to pack (no liners). We layered over Columbia fleece vests or jackets (which also pack great in the plastic bags that decompress) and wore what was necessary for the day. I bought some waterproof boots, by AHNU, (very lightweight ones) that were great for hiking around the Mendenhall Glacier area and waterfalls (you'll want to go under the falls). I paid 1/2 the regular price on eBay and they were worth it in multiple places on the cruise. I still wear them in what we call cold weather in Alabama! Other than that, jeans and long sleeve Under Armour style 'warm' shirts were great under tees or shirts.

Juneau: Best thing is to take the Blue Bus up to the glacier on your own. It's lots cheaper and just as quick. Just be sure you allow for getting the return bus so you're not late for sailing. As others said, do the salmon on board! Most of the cruise lines only allow for 30-60 minutes at the visitors center at the glacier (which you have to PAY to go in!!) and you don't have time to walk down to the waterfall and see the glacier up close. You must do that! Check for more info about all these places on Trip Advisor, it has great info.

Skagway: We paid the $131 dollars for the combo trip thru the cruise line and it was our favorite excursion. The train ride up is magnificent, you can stand between the cars and get fabulous pictures. Emerald Lake is at the top in the YUKON and it's amazing. We rode the bus down and the driver was quite entertaining and we stopped for lunch at a cool place that trained sled dogs and entertained us while we were there.

Just enjoy the adventure, pack your layers, and tell your husband he needs that waterproof jacket! We got soaked at Mendenhall but weren't too miserable because of our jackets and boots!

I've had knee replacement and 6 ankle surgeries for torn and ruptured tendons so comfortable and supportive shoes are a must for me, I used Saucony Guide sneakers for long days I knew we'd be walking a lot and Keen Mary Jane style sandals for the plane going over (easy to slip off at security and actually heavier than my sneakers) and to wear when it rained. They worked great for everyday touring and all walking conditions. No boots necessary on the cobblestone streets! Just took nice dressier sandals for the ship dinners, etc.

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I bought a North Face waterproof windbreaker (unlined) years ago for a Mediterranean cruise. It's been on every cruise with me since (European river, Alaska x2, Pacific Coast, and Caribbean.). The advantage is it keeps you dry and blocks wind and fold's up and rolls to no bigger than a pair of socks! Get large enough so you can layer it over long sleeves, vests or sweatshirts! I layered mine over a lands end fleece jacket or even a vest instead of taking a heavier jacket and it was great in 40 degrees or 70! Why not buy before you go? It'll fit neatly in the front pocket of your carry on! And bonus, you can use it forever at home!

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We were on that trip last year at this time and We got about $200 in forints and the rest of our travel budget in Euros from our bank before we left. Using the forints in Budapest was helpful at the local markets for drinks, etc. but we could have used euros. Worked well both ways

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We did the reverse of your tour and started in Budapest last July-August. It was much warmer than I expected and was much like home in ALabama. We flew in a day early to get our internal clocks reset and were very glad we did. Budapest is beautiful and the included tours were great. We did venture out in our own to one of the many pools/spas which was an adventure in itself! We were gone 18 days and took about 7-8 days worth of clothes. I took a small bottle of detergent and washed lightweight pants, shirts and undies and took 10-12 clothes pins!! I'm sure the neighbors got a kick of seeing our laundry drying in the chairs on the balcony, but it worked! Just don't do that when moving! I took a small handheld steamer (bought on Amazon for $25 and use it still) to get wrinkles out. We wore shorts, crop pants, and were hot in Budapest and Vienna but further north pulled out our jeans and North Face wind-rain jackets and sweaters at night. As others said, business casual at night ... I took 3 pairs of slacks and 6-7 nice tops and rotated them for evening with one sundress. Day time: crops or shorts, jeans maybe for Sept and t shirts or layers of tank tops and shirts would work. Take a hat! I wore Keen's Mary Jane style sandals or regular sneakers most days for touring because the keens worked for walking in airports and easy for security and are great in rain!! Our favorite tour was the extra to Salzburg for the sound of music tour. Vienna is beautiful but you need to venture out on your own some.. easy to take subway, a short walk from the ship. The crew is very helpful and can give you tips in every port for places to go. Our cruise director was excellent and lots of fun. It's a beautiful way to see the small towns of Germany with lots of history to see and learn! Last word, we paid full price for the Viking extra tours to Nuremberg and Salzburg and Munich and only the Munich tour was not worth the price. Have fun!!

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We just went thru Salzburg on a Viking cruise and did the optional excursion. We really enjoyed that tour and it ends with a nice lunch and performance by local musicians with Sound of Music melody. We do recommend!!

Join our may 8 roll call for Solstice! It's quite active with lots of suggestions for packing, excursions, hotels and travel options to get to Vancouver, etc. it seems like an eclectic group with travelers from the UK, Australia, Canada and of course, the US. "Germanyboy" is making everyone name tags for the connections party. Be sure to sign-up on Celebrity.com for the party hosted by celebrity for cruise critic users. Look forward to meeting you!

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I'll disagree a little about room set-up?. I sailed on Solstice a few years ago with the bed next to closet and sofa next to balcony. I loved the sofa for sea days to be able to sit inside and have full view of all the coasts we were sailing next to! For Alaska, that we're doing in May, I requested that arrangement.

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We had aqua class for a Med cruise on Solstice a few years ago and it was a wonderful cruise. Blu is excellent dining, intimate, quiet, healthy, and delicious. Nice perks for Persian GaRden (we only used on sea days). Have not yet had an aft cabin to compare to, though. Balcony was comfy and tony for 4 in our AQ room .

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