Live from Solstice to Alaska on May 8th 2014...

[InTheWASide]

Do you remember any wines in particular?

 

How about the Martini and Molecular Bars - are they still under the $13?

 

 

Martini and molecular were both covered under premium

 

 

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[InTheWASide]

I got a picture of Adrian and of Sergei on the last night. There were a group of us that pretty much lived at deck 5 midship that cruise. Sergei and Adrian were the best!!!!!

 

A few of the drinks as well

 

ATTACH]313095[/ATTACH]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[trvlcarib]

I asked why the ship did not go through the inside passage and instead went west around Vancouver Island. Guest Relations said the ship is too big and will never do the inside passage. I was disappointed to hear that as we had friends on board who were really looking forward to seeing this beautiful part of Vancouver island/Mainland BC.

 

That stinks, I booked Solstice for May 2015 out of Vancouver thinking it would go thru the inside heading north. This is the only sailing out of Vancouver and while its early in May I might have to swap it with the Infinity. Thanks for the update.

[curtdesilets]

Murano is now $50; Tuscan $45, Silk Harvest $35.

 

. . . . .

 

Since so many passengers now have the beverage package, I see no reason why people would attend the Captain's Club Celebration nor the senior officer's party or even the elite social hour. The drinks and service are better in the lounge of your choice.

 

Conversely...for those of us that are elite....it seems foolish to purchase a beverage package when you are awarded so many "free drinks" already. :rolleyes:

[curtdesilets]

That stinks, I booked Solstice for May 2015 out of Vancouver thinking it would go thru the inside heading north. This is the only sailing out of Vancouver and while its early in May I might have to swap it with the Infinity. Thanks for the update.

 

The "Inside Passage" includes that whole area from Ketchikan up to Skagway, as well as the Southern parts.

 

Very often, itineraries include the term "Inside Passage" and we cruisers sometimes assumes it is that truly awesome part of the Inside Passage EAST of Vancouver Island. And often cruise lines throw the term around, when in fact the ship is only going to the northern part.

 

Perhaps that area, the awesome (Southern) part, needs to be re-qualified as the "British Columbia Inside Passage", or something.

 

I do understand the frustration with this.

[trvlcarib]

Conversely...for those of us that are elite....it seems foolish to purchase a beverage package when you are awarded so many "free drinks" already. :rolleyes:

 

Just off the 10 night Hawaii to Vancouver trip and while we didn't get the beverage package because of the elite free drinks, we found ourselves changing our schedule to attend the happy hour which we had a great time with new friends. We missed a few activities because it conflicted with the happy hour. We did take the free drink package while booking on board for our next cruise, as we won't feel we "have" to go to the happy hour.

[Lois R]

Eileen, I am guessing you and Gerry are home and hope you had a

wonderful time:)

 

Check back in when you have a few minutes and check your email too;)

[heineken21]

Just returned from this cruise, had a great time! We purchased the unlimited photo package so went to as many of the photo opps as we could, it was a lot of fun, wish they did a better job of posting their photo shoot information in the dailies.

 

There were also a number of typos inaccuracies in the dailies, presumably since it was the first sailing of the season.

 

Many of the beer prices increased a lot since the last menues I saw online. Only the following beers qualified for classic package: Heineken, corona, bud, bud light, miller lite, coors light.

 

Many that I thought would be included (becks, Stella, leffe) now were considered premium.

 

If they had a reasonably good sized beer selection I would have definitely considered the premium package, but since it was mostly just a generic list of beers that I can get at any bar back home the classic package worked perfectly fine for me.

 

They had a number of beers from on Alaskan brewery featured quite prominently (not on the menus but always on display for sale).

 

The staff behind the counter (Andrea and tomoslav especially) at cafe al bacio were amazingly hard workers. My favourite part of the drinks package turned out to be the cafe al bacio and and the aqua cafe juices and smoothies.

[c-legs]

I asked why the ship did not go through the inside passage and instead went west around Vancouver Island. Guest Relations said the ship is too big and will never do the inside passage. I was disappointed to hear that as we had friends on board who were really looking forward to seeing this beautiful part of Vancouver island/Mainland BC.

 

''ship too big '' for the Inside Passage ? Are they kidding you ?

Diamond/Sapphire Princess are wider than Solstice...and they spent years going up and down the Inside Passage, like every other ship on a North/South route Vancouver-Alaska.. Lenght is not a factor anywhere in those bodies of water. At 1013', Solstice is a mere 48' longer than the longest ships (and there are many ) that have plied those waters for years.

Did you perhaps heard something a bit more '' logical'' from either the Captain or his staff captain ?.

Cheers

[chamima]

We will be on the Solstice for an 8-night cruise to Alaska, out of Vancouver and returning to Seattle.

 

I am going to check on a few things for Cruise Critic posters while I am on board, so if you have any questions, I will add them to my list.

 

I will post short answers from onboard as much as possible. The update to the Beverage List and Beverage Calculator will have to wait until I return home.

On my list so far:

 

1. Update Beverage List and Prices as fully as possible.
    
   
2. Check status of VIP Lounge
    
   
3. Update the Who's On Board List
    
   
4. Check on the brand of tea in the Buffet and elsewhere
    
   
5. Review the Elite Breakfast format
    
   
6. Review the Elite Cocktail lounge
    
   
7. Review the Elite Afternoon Tea
    
   
8. Review the Captain's Club Celebration
    
   
9. Check out what's happening with Zumba
   

I will also see if I can find any local information on the planned changes for Cellar Masters on the Solstice, and the status of the Hot Glass Show, recognizing that this type of information is not much more than hearsay at this point. Whatever the plans are now, they may change (and likely will) before implementation.

 

Keep your fingers crossed for us, for a sunny sailaway from Vancouver! We have a brand new cruiser with us, and his wife wants him to love cruising!

 

 

Hi Elena7seas

If I calculate correctly you should be home now.

What happened to answers for all of the questions above?

Thanks!

...:D ... :D ... :D

[TeaBag]

Hi Elena7seas

If I calculate correctly you should be home now.

What happened to answers for all of the questions above?

Thanks!

...:D ... :D ... :D

She might still be in Seattle, shopping for the next cruise!:D We have a holiday here today so no hurry to get back home.

[elena7seas]

She might still be in Seattle, shopping for the next cruise!:D We have a holiday here today so no hurry to get back home.

 

Yes, YVR Cruiser, you have it right. We stayed two nights in Bellevue and contributed as much as we could to the Greater Seattle economy :D.

 

We got home late last night, and I will get to the questions today in between loads of laundry.

 

I think I have answers to most of the questions, and I managed to get copies of all of the drink menus from all of the bars, so will get that list compiled as soon as I can.

 

I didn't get on line during the cruise as often as I hoped. Some of the reason was because lack of internet availability, and some of the problem was I was just having too good a time. We were travelling with six other friends, and I just didn't have much "free" time. I left the ship with $50 worth of unused internet time, which has NEVER happened before.

 

I'll get back to the answers as soon as I can! :):):)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Yes, YVR Cruiser, you have it right. We stayed two nights in Bellevue and contributed as much as we could to the Greater Seattle economy :D.

 

We got home late last night, and I will get to the questions today in between loads of laundry.

 

I think I have answers to most of the questions, and I managed to get copies of all of the drink menus from all of the bars, so will get that list compiled as soon as I can.

 

I didn't get on line during the cruise as often as I hoped. Some of the reason was because lack of internet availability, and some of the problem was I was just having too good a time. We were travelling with six other friends, and I just didn't have much "free" time. I left the ship with $50 worth of unused internet time, which has NEVER happened before.

 

I'll get back to the answers as soon as I can! :):):)

 

Shame on you to have such a good time you weren't posting every minute. :D And you didn't immediately respond to everyone's questions. This is why I don't do live from threads.

 

Glad to hear you had such a great time! That's what it's all about.

[Christine Frances]

Welcome home Eileen:D

[koolforkatz]

Shame on you to have such a good time you weren't posting every minute. :D And you didn't immediately respond to everyone's questions. This is why I don't do live from threads.

 

 

 

Glad to hear you had such a great time! That's what it's all about.

 

 

 

:)

 

 

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[wwcruisers]

Hey Eileen -- Welcome home! Sounds like you and Gerry had a great time.:)

When you finally come up for air, don't forget to drop in and say hi on that "other" thread! ;)

[Cruise Junky]

Eileen, would you do Alaska this early in the season again? we're thinking about next year and it would be nice to board in Vancouver rather than Seattle but it's a week earlier in 2015.

 

Thanks

[seeyakids]

We were also on this cruise. We have to compliment the manager at Bistro on Five for doing something nice. Upon embarkation, we headed to Bon5 for lunch. After we had ordered our drinks and food, this manager (sorry, his name escapes me)came to table to tell us of $2.00 increase. We told him no problems. Well the next thing all guests were comped for the $14 cover charge. He said the ship was only notified of all the price increases that morning and he did not think it was right to spring this on his 1st customers......so free meal. Thank you for the gesture. Personal thoughts on the price increases.......while the increases of $2 at Bon5 (40%) and $5 increases at the specialty restaurants seems excessive, time will tell if this is a good corporate decision for RCL. I think most guests will find it overly pricey and stick with MDR. I know my days at the specialty restaurants are officially over.

One more shout out. While the CC hostess (Rose) was sick in her room (for over a week I found out) her temp (again, name escapes me) did a fantastic job at the Elite breakfast and nightly happy hour. Thanks for the great cruise!

[FortyNinerLiz]

We were also on this cruise. We have to compliment the manager at Bistro on Five for doing something nice. Upon embarkation, we headed to Bon5 for lunch. After we had ordered our drinks and food, this manager (sorry, his name escapes me)came to table to tell us of $2.00 increase. We told him no problems. Well the next thing all guests were comped for the $14 cover charge. He said the ship was only notified of all the price increases that morning and he did not think it was right to spring this on his 1st customers......so free meal. Thank you for the gesture. Personal thoughts on the price increases.......while the increases of $2 at Bon5 (40%) and $5 increases at the specialty restaurants seems excessive, time will tell if this is a good corporate decision for RCL. I think most guests will find it overly pricey and stick with MDR. I know my days at the specialty restaurants are officially over.

One more shout out. While the CC hostess (Rose) was sick in her room (for over a week I found out) her temp (again, name escapes me) did a fantastic job at the Elite breakfast and nightly happy hour. Thanks for the great cruise!

Dana was the Captain's Club assistant for the last part of our cruise when Rose got sick. She was cheerful and did a great job. We missed Rose, but she had trained her assistant to handle everything!!!

The capitalist approach is the law of supply and demand.... Demand goes up, Price goes up. It will settle itself......Quality will also be a controlling factor......Tuscan Grill seems to be in controversy, but time will correct most things.

[debk68]

Not trying to hijack this thread. Just a yes or no would be fine :o

 

Did they require a jacket for formal night in the MDR? My DH HATES suit jackets, he does wear a tie and dress pants, so he is not a total heathen! We also do carry-on luggage, so I just need to know what to plan for. Again, I want to read about Elena7seas' cruise not debate the attire question.:eek:

Thanks!

Edited May 23, 2014 by debk68

[Lois R]

Not trying to hijack this thread. Just a yes or no would be fine :o

 

Did they require a jacket for formal night in the MDR? My DH HATES suit jackets, he does wear a tie and dress pants, so he is not a total heathen! We also do carry-on luggage, so I just need to know what to plan for. Again, I want to read about Elena7seas' cruise not debate the attire question.:eek:

Thanks!

 

Hi Deb:)....no debate from me;) but just an FYI....Elena and her

husband had a cabin in AQ and dined in Blu where a jacket

is not required. I don't believe they ate in the main dining room so

not sure she would have an answer to your question.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Lois R

[OBX-Cruisers]

Agree that $45pp for Tuscan and $50pp for Murano has reached the limit of acceptability. You can go to some pretty fantastic retaurants on land for $50pp and Murano is no comparison much less Tuscan for $5pp less.

Celebrity will have to make the MDR pretty bad to get people into the specialties.....................and then we and many others will switch to other lines like RCI or HAL where the specialties are pretty darn good for less $$$................not a great strategy if they had asked me for my opinion.

 

We were also on this cruise. We have to compliment the manager at Bistro on Five for doing something nice. Upon embarkation, we headed to Bon5 for lunch. After we had ordered our drinks and food, this manager (sorry, his name escapes me)came to table to tell us of $2.00 increase. We told him no problems. Well the next thing all guests were comped for the $14 cover charge. He said the ship was only notified of all the price increases that morning and he did not think it was right to spring this on his 1st customers......so free meal. Thank you for the gesture. Personal thoughts on the price increases.......while the increases of $2 at Bon5 (40%) and $5 increases at the specialty restaurants seems excessive, time will tell if this is a good corporate decision for RCL. I think most guests will find it overly pricey and stick with MDR. I know my days at the specialty restaurants are officially over.

One more shout out. While the CC hostess (Rose) was sick in her room (for over a week I found out) her temp (again, name escapes me) did a fantastic job at the Elite breakfast and nightly happy hour. Thanks for the great cruise!

Edited May 23, 2014 by OBX-Cruisers

[amycat]

Soo... I'm guessing there aren't going to be any questions answered considered the OP's last posting date was 2ish weeks ago? :(

[chamima]

We will be on the Solstice for an 8-night cruise to Alaska, out of Vancouver and returning to Seattle.

 

I am going to check on a few things for Cruise Critic posters while I am on board, so if you have any questions, I will add them to my list.

 

I will post short answers from onboard as much as possible. The update to the Beverage List and Beverage Calculator will have to wait until I return home.

On my list so far:

 

1. Update Beverage List and Prices as fully as possible.
    
   
2. Check status of VIP Lounge
    
   
3. Update the Who's On Board List
    
   
4. Check on the brand of tea in the Buffet and elsewhere
    
   
5. Review the Elite Breakfast format
    
   
6. Review the Elite Cocktail lounge
    
   
7. Review the Elite Afternoon Tea
    
   
8. Review the Captain's Club Celebration
    
   
9. Check out what's happening with Zumba
   

I will also see if I can find any local information on the planned changes for Cellar Masters on the Solstice, and the status of the Hot Glass Show, recognizing that this type of information is not much more than hearsay at this point. Whatever the plans are now, they may change (and likely will) before implementation.

 

Keep your fingers crossed for us, for a sunny sailaway from Vancouver! We have a brand new cruiser with us, and his wife wants him to love cruising!

 

Soo... I'm guessing there aren't going to be any questions answered considered the OP's last posting date was 2ish weeks ago? :(

 

 

 

Did any of the original questions get answered?

[wwcruisers]

I have cruised with Elena7seas, and regularly chat with her on another board. It's my understanding that she has been under the weather, since returning from this cruise. I'm certain that she would regret any inconvenience caused by not being able to answer your questions.