Long Cruise Review: May 30th Solstice to Alaska

[RBKL]

Will you be posting the dailies for the last two days?

 

We appreciate your posting them.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Jude 8:

 

We will be on the Solstice in September. I may have missed this in an earlier post but could you please let me know what camera you are using.........I am starting to think about an upgrade for our trip.

Thank you

[pepsi216]

I'm very interested in the Allen Marine tour, how did you book it? I took a look under the X shore excursions but didn't see it; is it something you book on board?

[jude8]

Will you be posting the dailies for the last two days?

 

We appreciate your posting them.

 

 

I am so sorry. Thank you so much for reminding me. I totally dropped the ball on that (it was rough being at work after being gone in Alaska for a week!) and here they are!

Celebrity Today, 6.4.14 Page 1.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.4.14 Page 2.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.4.14 Page 3.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.4.14 Page 4.pdf

Features of the Day 6.4.14.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.5.14 Page 1.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.5.14 Page 2.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.5.14 Page.pdf

Celebrity Today, 6.5.14 Page 4.pdf

Features of the Day 6.5.14.pdf

[jude8]

Jude 8:

 

We will be on the Solstice in September. I may have missed this in an earlier post but could you please let me know what camera you are using.........I am starting to think about an upgrade for our trip.

Thank you

 

We did not have anything too fancy. It is a Canon Powershot Elph 330 that we bought off amazon. We had an older version of this camera and upgraded for the trip. It is easy to hold and the photos have always turned out pretty good.

[nativetexan]

Wonderful reviews! Thanks so very much!! I am so happy for the feedback and details on the Tracy Arm excursion with Allen Marine. Can you share recommendations for clothing on that? Are you outside a lot in the tour? Also. You may not know but is Juneau all tenders? We've got whale watching after the Tracy Arm tour. I dread the tender rodeo!!

 

Thanks for your wonderful reviews!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jude8]

I'm very interested in the Allen Marine tour, how did you book it? I took a look under the X shore excursions but didn't see it; is it something you book on board?

 

We booked it online prior to the trip under the Juneau excursions. It was JU94 Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer at 8:00 am.

 

I would recommend booking this early because it is the only excursion at that time. You leave the Solstice while it is in the middle of the Arm and the rest of the cruise ship turns around and heads to Juneau while you are doing the excursion.

[jude8]

I was very surprised to hear that the buffet was so bad and you couldn't find anything to your liking. I have cruised with Celebrity three times and my fourth is in just a few days. Maybe cruises that Celebrity does in Europe are just better ??? My DH and I have never had a bad breakfast/lunch at anytime in the buffet; we are a little picky too. It might just be the ship? :eek: Although, you did seem to enjoy most of the cruise. if you haven't been to Europe, you really need to go; to me cruising Europe coupled with a land tour is absolute paradise. Yes, I have cruised to Alaska with friends. My DH got food poisoning, but it was on another line which I won't mention or use again. We were kayaking and lunch was tainted.

 

Thanks for your personal review and excellent photos. I wish you the best on your next cruise...

 

 

We had a great time!

 

The buffet was just very limited with options. I could not eat most of it b/c of my gluten free allergy but my husband tried it several times and just did not like it very much. The breakfast was good. Our experience on the Century and the Millennium was much better!

 

Our 2016 cruise is probably going to be a Europe cruise but I can't decide whether to do a river cruise or a big ship itinerary.

 

Thanks for reading! :D

[jude8]

We're booked on the Allen marine tour off the Solstice in Tracy Arm in August.

 

Did you have an option to get off in Juneau or did you have to get off on the ship.

 

We tendered last year too and it was a mess.

 

We booked the week that we did because it said it was going to dock in Juneau and then like you it changed.

 

We can't wait to go back and do some of the things we didn't do last year. The Tracy Arm and Juneau day is the best for us so losing time tendering isn't good.

 

Thanks for the great review and pics. Especially for posting the dailies.

 

 

No unfortunately they have to check you in back on the ship and then you can go and get your tender ticket. Believe me, I asked and begged!

 

The tendering in Juneau is really a mess and in my opinion, I agree that Juneau is the best day with a lot of options to do things. It is a city that you really need a full day.

 

I just read in another review that they were not able to get off until 4 pm and missed their private excursion.

 

If you are going to do the morning Tracy Arm excursion, you probably have to do a Celebrity excursion in order to be safe. We had several passengers on the Orca Enterprise whale watch that Celebrity had to book at the last minute because they had missed their originally booked tour group because of the tendering nightmare.

 

I am glad the photos and dailies helped. I was looking everywhere for updated dailies for the Solstice before we went and there were none so that was something really important for me when I got back to share!

[jude8]

Wonderful reviews! Thanks so very much!! I am so happy for the feedback and details on the Tracy Arm excursion with Allen Marine. Can you share recommendations for clothing on that? Are you outside a lot in the tour? Also. You may not know but is Juneau all tenders? We've got whale watching after the Tracy Arm tour. I dread the tender rodeo!!

 

Thanks for your wonderful reviews!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

I am from Florida so I was bundled up.

 

I had long underwear on under my jeans. Then I wore a long sleeve t-shirt with a sweater over that. I also bought a rain jacket that had a zippered fleece on the inside that had a hood. We also had gloves and ski caps on under our hoods for our ears! We also had waterproof rain boots just in case for the rain. I would rather strip off layers than be freezing to death!

 

The boat has an upstairs and downstairs. Try to be one of the first ones on the boat so you can get a good seat with an upstairs window view (2nd level). From the upstairs inside area, you can then go outside as much as you want on the deck upstairs (3rd level) and the deck around the 2nd level where the seats are. If I got too cold I went inside but even with the wind, I was not freezing too bad b/c I was layered up!

 

There is also bathrooms, coffee drinks with/without liquor and food for purchase. The coffee without liquor was free and the coffee with bailey's/peppermint schnapps was $5.

 

I don't know if Juneau is all tenders or not by Solstice but I would plan as if it is just in case.

 

I hope that helps and thanks so much for the compliments!

[RBKL]

I'm very interested in the Allen Marine tour, how did you book it? I took a look under the X shore excursions but didn't see it; is it something you book on board?

 

It is listed in Juneau excursions

[Dawn1004]

Great review, love the info and pics.

 

Could I ask the adult price (approx will do) for the Bennett Scenic Skagway trip?

 

Just checked on their website but you need to contact them for prices - we're not going until next yr, so only need an estimate.

 

We did the Whitepass Train (return train trip) via NCL shore tour.

[jude8]

Great review, love the info and pics.

 

Could I ask the adult price (approx will do) for the Bennett Scenic Skagway trip?

 

Just checked on their website but you need to contact them for prices - we're not going until next yr, so only need an estimate.

 

We did the Whitepass Train (return train trip) via NCL shore tour.

 

It was $229 per person for the 8 hour excursion plus lunch.

[Lastdance]

We had a great time!

 

The buffet was just very limited with options. I could not eat most of it b/c of my gluten free allergy but my husband tried it several times and just did not like it very much. The breakfast was good. Our experience on the Century and the Millennium was much better!

 

Our 2016 cruise is probably going to be a Europe cruise but I can't decide whether to do a river cruise or a big ship itinerary.

 

Thanks for reading! :D

 

I have only done the big ship itineraries and loved them! I am waiting until I am a little older for the river cruising, but my DH is ready now. I am so glad that you are doing Europe as you'll love it! I would love to live in Italy or Switzerland, not to mention Croatia...Enjoy!

Edited June 14, 2014 by Lastdance

[eurotraveller1]

Loved the review, had some free time on my hands so I took all the PDFs and merged them. I am doing the Solstice on July, getting really excited.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xto4pxmd8971iut/Celebrity%20Solstice%20Alaska%2005-30-14%20to%2006-05-14.pdf

[Cruising89143]

Very nice review. Thanks for posting. Alaska is beautiful.

 

Surprised about the buffet comments. We have found that Celebrity is so much better than RCI in this area which was a nice surprise. RCI has cut back so much in this area. Many more choices on X.

Edited June 27, 2014 by cruisingator2

[RBKL]

Loved the review, had some free time on my hands so I took all the PDFs and merged them. I am doing the Solstice on July, getting really excited.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xto4pxmd8971iut/Celebrity%20Solstice%20Alaska%2005-30-14%20to%2006-05-14.pdf

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[want2seealaska]

Loved the review, had some free time on my hands so I took all the PDFs and merged them. I am doing the Solstice on July, getting really excited.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xto4pxmd8971iut/Celebrity%20Solstice%20Alaska%2005-30-14%20to%2006-05-14.pdf

 

Thank you for doing this ... makes it so much easier to have them in 1 place!

[want2seealaska]

Thank you sooo much for your extensive reviews and wonderful photos. This is probably the first time I've ever wished the summer away so that it was time for my cruise.

[CruiseKitty123]

Jude8, thanks so much for the detailed review, and thanks to eurotraveller1 for merging the pdf documents. We are traveling for the 1st time on the Solstice next month, and your gluten free tips --for on and off the ship-- are especially appreciated as I am celiac. Thanks again!

Edited June 28, 2014 by CruiseKitty123

[CoopColbie]

Great review ... Makes me want to go back to Alaska again. I think I was a bit spoiled doing Alaska for me first cruise. Great opinions on the ship as well ... I'm on the Solstice later this year. It was very helpful.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jude8]

Loved the review, had some free time on my hands so I took all the PDFs and merged them. I am doing the Solstice on July, getting really excited.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xto4pxmd8971iut/Celebrity%20Solstice%20Alaska%2005-30-14%20to%2006-05-14.pdf

 

I really appreciate you doing that!

[bertrande]

Thanks for the review! We board 11 July and can't wait. Out of curiosity, was the waiter Zeus a stocky Filipino man? We had a wonderful waiter named Zeus on the Equinox a few years ago on one of Celebrity's Holy Land cruises and he made every meal in the MDR a real pleasure. Remembered everything, down to the type of appetisers we liked and the doneness of our meat!

[jude8]

Thanks for the review! We board 11 July and can't wait. Out of curiosity, was the waiter Zeus a stocky Filipino man? We had a wonderful waiter named Zeus on the Equinox a few years ago on one of Celebrity's Holy Land cruises and he made every meal in the MDR a real pleasure. Remembered everything, down to the type of appetisers we liked and the doneness of our meat!

 

Yes!!! He was so amazing!

[bertrande]

Yes!!! He was so amazing!

 

Wonderful - we will have to try to find a way to say hi! We were going to book Aqua class but they don't do staterooms for 3 and we are travelling with our toddler this time round. Oh well!