smmountaingal

39 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

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It would be very helpful on Reflection especially.  Her Sky Lounge was way too small to have all the Elites etc there.  We looked in once and it was absolutely jam packed so we turned around and went elsewhere as we had the beverage package.  I love the Sky Lounge for the views and my DH for the hors d'oeuvres but if it is standing room only, no thanks.  As we turned to leave a woman came up to the Hostess at the door and said angrily "There is not a single seat available!"  I had wondered what the hostess could do....

I think the overcrowded Elite lounge situation may have contributed to the decision to make the other bars available for CCHH!  Agree that the Sky Lounge has the view!  Passport lounge has that sophisticated vibe.  It's nice to have variety.

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

No.

Thanks for this clarification.

44 minutes ago, Ontario Cruiser said:

I hope everyone is tipping for their free drinks. We usually give $1.00 per drink wherever we order them

Ontario Cruiser

We always tip during CC time and when we are fortunate to develop an ongoing relationship with a waiter where they repetitively serve us, we reward them as well.

1 minute ago, WAVTAM said:

Correct, all bars open for CC HH except martini and World Class.

Have you noticed that all the bars are much busier from 5-7 with the added presence of the Elite and above population mingled in?

Has Celebrity discontinued a designated lounge for Elite Captains Club happy hour since the drinks are now on the sea pass?

2 hours ago, sfpd3000 said:

We just got off Solstice.  We had a table for 10 by the window.  4 cabins linked

sfpd3000, we will be on the Solstice on the 21st of June.  Can you tell me what the Welcome Aboard event is like?  I assume it is first sea day.

Thanks.

14 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Just off the beautiful Solstice this morning. Some random thoughts...

* Great crew!

* Maria Tudor, CC hostess, was wonderful...she spoke to everyone and was very friendly.

* Regrettably, no port valet for our cruise.

* Friendliest employees at Pier 91 in Seattle.

* Absolutely the funniest Captain...Captain Tasos.

* Wishing our stop in Victoria was longer...it was only 6pm to 10pm.

* Brent Nixon was outstanding!!! DO NOT MISS the early sailing through Tracy Arm/Endicott...simply breathtaking.

* We were blessed with sunny and warm weather at all our ports.

* Great food and service in the Blu.

* Uber from Pier 91 to SeaTac was $41.

Thank you Bonsai3s.

14 hours ago, davekathy said:

Except the first evening and the evening of the Senior Officers party. Hours are from 5:00 PM to 700 PM. The CC HH drink vouchers on your Seapass card are now unlimited during those hours.  

Great to know about the unlimited option for all bars during Captains Club hours!  Now we can stay at the Sunset Bar for sunset.

17 hours ago, Tourist1292 said:

Yes, both Nixon and Amanda are on the ship and their presentations are great. The chic nights are on the sea days. There are shows everyday.but night 2, 4, and 6 are by the Celebrity company.

Thank you, Tourist1292.  I assume you are on your way home today from this cruise.  Would love your feedback if you post it anywhere.

3 hours ago, Tourist1292 said:

We are on Solstice right now on the way to Victoria. The MDR has great food. Lobster is on the second sea day which was last night for us. You can order two or even more lobster tails on the same plate. We got the drinking package as a perk after the upgrade. You drink a lot of premium coffee everyday and it is available at multiple places. You don't have to go to the Cafe for a latte or espresso.

Hello, Tourist1292.  We are on this ship on June 21st.  I will be anxious to know which nights are Chic nights and the Celebrity Show nights.  Is Brent Nixon and Miss Amanda on your ship?

23 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

It's seven blocks (20 to the mile in Seattle) from the main entrance to the Pike Place Market, six to Weslake Center (monorail to Space Needle/Seattle Center and streetcar to South Lake Union.)  It's around a mile from Pioneer Square.  The central waterfront is two blocks (very steep bluff, use stairs or elevators) west of the Pike Place market, so call it half a mile from the hotel.

 

Around Westlake Center there are numerous places to eat and shop, such as the Nordstrom flagship store, Macys, etc., and many restaurants and bars.  

 

Here's a map showing the location; "walk around" using the Street View function (little yellow man) or click on various places on the map.  https://goo.gl/maps/17tYLSsfTnP2

.

Thank you for your responses.

1 hour ago, Gardyloo said:

It's fine.  What's your question?

.

Wondering about walking distance to some of the main areas like waterfront.  Reviews mention restaurants and shops nearby.  We will uber to further destinations, but prefer to walk local for breakfast each day.

Hello.  I am looking for input or feedback on this hotel for a 2 night pre-cruise in June.  We will be using local transportation, not a rental call.  We plan to see local sites for 1 and 1/2 days pre cruise.  I can use points with IHG brand so am considering this.

Thanks.

I got the e-mail but the wonderful Celebrity Website locked my account when I accessed via the e-mail link. I called in and scored the 20% discount on my Infinity cruise next March.:beer-toast:

Did you call the main Celebrity number or call your Certified Cruise Agent?

We were on the same cruise last week and I just have a few comments to add. Re the Tracy Arm Small Boat excursion, I had read on here several times that it was a not-to-be-missed highlight of the cruise. Our party of 6 couldn't disagree more. It was pricey (which would have been ok if we had loved it) and boring. We did get up close to the glacier...much closer than the Solstice could. But beyond that, it was basically following the Solstice in to Juneau...for five hours. Beyond the first 10 minutes closer to the glacier, I could have seen the same scenery off of the ship while doing other things at the same time. Would not recommend it. In addition, it was advertised to run from 8-1, but really didn't get in until 1:30, which made getting back to our cabins, eating something for lunch, and then getting back off the ship by 2 for our next planned excursion very tight and stressful.

 

We also did the Chilkoot bus and train out of Skagway, but in reverse. We were picked up by a bus at the ship dock at 8:30 and went as far into the Yukon as Emerald Lake. Had lunch just south of there where we also had a chance to take a dog-cart ride w/ dogs that train for the Iditarod and other races. Our driver was great! Tons of interesting information, took us to places where tourists do and do not typically go, and then brought us to the train where we took it back down to Skagway. He met us at the train station and then drove us either to be dropped off in town, or back to the cruise docks. I'd highly recommend this excursion. Did not book it through Celebrity.

 

In addition to the Chihuly Gardens in Seattle, which were great, I'd also highly recommend the Seattle Free Walking Tour (http://seattlefreewalkingtours.org/). We did the Seattle 101 tour, had a great, very engaging tour guide who unintentionally tied a lot of the information/stories we heard in Ketchikan and Skagway with history in Seattle.

Appreciate your perspective. We are on this itinerary June 21, 2019 and I was going to book the small excursion. Based on your input, I will not spend that money there.

I booked this well in advance, and it appeared to be sold out. If you are interested in this I wouldn’t wait too long. They do sell train tickets at the pier and at the station, but I’m not sure which excursions these were for as there are different options.

 

 

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Did you do the Yukon Rail & Bus excursion from Chilkoot which included the lunch stop with the BBQ and the chance to pet the Husky puppies (7.5 hours) or the 8 hour that had the box lunch but went to the town of Lake Bennett?

Yesterday was a long travel day home to the east coast, and I still need to sort through photos to add to this trip report. Here are some final thoughts:

Celebrity needs to do a better job with communication between ship and shoreside. Our pre-cruise hotel fiasco as well as the miscommunication about the PH and RS expedited luggage program are two examples.

 

The crew on the Solstice are outstanding.

 

Brent Nixon and his wife definitely enriched our cruise experience with their presentations.

 

The vistas in Alaska are breathtaking.

 

The difference between a CS and a RS are minimal and not worth the additional cost in my opinion.

 

Alaska cruises take a lot of pre-planning, research, and the excursions are expensive, but worth it.

 

Celebrity does a better job with their suite experience than Royal Caribbean.

 

I’ll try to get some more photos up in between massive amounts of laundry. Thanks for following along!

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you! I have really enjoyed your trip and look forward to June 21, 2019 when we get back on the Solstice.

Yes, we rejoined the ship In Juneau. The ship is in port until 9:30, so there is plenty of time to get back off the ship and do some exploring on your own.

 

 

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Thanks. Will definitely book this ship tour for our June 21st sailing.

To answer the last two questions- the ship sails up the Tracy Arm Fjord early in the morning and does a 360 turn. Anyone booked on the small boat excursion boards right off the ship. The ship sails back down Tracy Arm and docks in Juneau around 1:30 pm.

Thanks again. Do I understand that from the small boat excursion you met the ship in the port of Juneau and did not return to the ship while it sailed out of Tracy Arm Fjord to Juneau? I believe the small boat was a 5 hour tour.

On the main menu, click on MENU in the upper left corner, then click on Shore Excursions from the drop down box. Select Shore Excursion Brochure from the next drop down box. You will then be able to enter you sailing date information, hit Select Brochure and the Excursion Brochure will pop up. You can look at it online, save it or print it.

 

Enjoy!

Thanks for this tip. I was able to access both of my 2019 trips. This certainly makes it much easier to compare the offerings and review the details.

Thank you. I just need to figure out how to save the data from here.

I was able to "save as" and file in my library. Thanks

Download a Shore Excursions Brochure

 

https://webapps.celebritycruises.com/excursion-brochure/celebrity/

Thank you. I just need to figure out how to save the data from here.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to download the full list of excursions from within my booking? Or maybe the excursions are available someplace else on the Celebrity site. I am trying to share excursions with our friends who are considering joining us on the Alaska Tracy Arm Solstice ship next year.

Thanks

I have a question about the Tracy Arm Fjord. Does the ship actually dock so that you can get on the excursions? Then does it reposition to dock in Juneau? Since it goes to both places in the same day, I do not understand the locations.

Thanks

Savor Seattle. They have a number of different tours available.

 

 

 

Thank you.