First cruise with Celebrity - Solstice to Alaska

[sleepless]

I booked my first cruise to Alaska - going on the Solstice. This will also be my first time on Celebrity, as I have only cruised Royal Caribbean before. We are going in July of 2016. I am really excited.

 

Anything I need to know about Celebrity or the Solstice would be appreciated.

[kenevenpar]

First, I would click on Celebrity Solstice right above your post. This will give you a list of threads about Solstice and that may give you a feel of that ship and recent cruisers experience.

 

Good Luck and enjoy!

[DaisyGirl55]

I am also sailing on the Solstice next year to Alaska. Definitely click on the ship name above the posting...lots of reviews and other information there.

 

Depending on the category of cabin you booked, you may also be able to find some tips there as well. And don't forget to check out the Alaska Board in the Ports of Call section of the main CC menu.

[sleepless]

First, I would click on Celebrity Solstice right above your post. This will give you a list of threads about Solstice and that may give you a feel of that ship and recent cruisers experience.

 

Good Luck and enjoy!

 

I am also sailing on the Solstice next year to Alaska. Definitely click on the ship name above the posting...lots of reviews and other information there.

 

Depending on the category of cabin you booked, you may also be able to find some tips there as well. And don't forget to check out the Alaska Board in the Ports of Call section of the main CC menu.

 

 

Thank you both. I have been on Cruise Critic since 2007, and I never knew that you could click on the name of the ship to get info about this ship. You learn something new every day.

[dkjretired]

On board the Solstice, they have naturalist Brent Nixon on board, he gives great lectures daily on various aspects of Alaska, very interesting. Also, he gives a narrative in the morning over the loud speaker system as the ship is sailing up Tracey Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier. Try and be outside so you can see both sides of the ship.

[sleepless]

On board the Solstice, they have naturalist Brent Nixon on board, he gives great lectures daily on various aspects of Alaska, very interesting. Also, he gives a narrative in the morning over the loud speaker system as the ship is sailing up Tracey Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier. Try and be outside so you can see both sides of the ship.

 

 

Can you hear his lecture from the balcony cabins, or do you need to be on a certain deck?

[JohninDC]

During the fjord trip you can hear him from your balcony - he is great and the Solstice was one of our best cruise experiences! :D

[sleepless]

During the fjord trip you can hear him from your balcony - he is great and the Solstice was one of our best cruise experiences! :D

 

 

Great. We get there early in the morning - before 6:00 am. I don't have to be ready to meet the world that early. Room service breakfast for me that day.

 

I believe that I had read somewhere that his lecture would also be on the TV, so if we can not hear him clearly, perhaps we can remain on our balcony, and leave the door open :eek: and hear the lecture that way.

[Cruise Raider]

I agree with those that posted great reviews about Brent Nixon. Other than the talks at the glacier, he also has talks in the theater...NOT to be missed.

 

If you have any status on RCCL, you will receive reciprocal benefits on Celebrity (eg: Diamond on RCCL = Elite on Celebrity).

[sleepless]

I agree with those that posted great reviews about Brent Nixon. Other than the talks at the glacier, he also has talks in the theater...NOT to be missed.

 

If you have any status on RCCL, you will receive reciprocal benefits on Celebrity (eg: Diamond on RCCL = Elite on Celebrity).

 

Thanks. I am Platinum on RRCL. How do I insure that I get reciprocal benefits?

[gfkcruiser]

We did that cruise this past May. Great trip and our first to Alaska.

 

Take the ship excursion through Tracey Arm. It was great. I booked it early.

[loupana]

I booked my first cruise to Alaska - going on the Solstice. This will also be my first time on Celebrity, as I have only cruised Royal Caribbean before. We are going in July of 2016. I am really excited.

 

Anything I need to know about Celebrity or the Solstice would be appreciated.

 

We just did a Celebrity Solstice cruise a little more than a month ago. I did a photo intensive review. It contains lots of food pics and all the Celebrity Today Daily Planners.

 

If interested here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2230637

[bothluv2cruise]

We did that cruise this past May. Great trip and our first to Alaska.

 

Take the ship excursion through Tracey Arm. It was great. I booked it early.

 

Ditto! On all of the above!

[Seespot]

We are honeymooning on Solstice July 2016. What's date of your sailing?

[alcpa1]

Sleepless,

You will love your FIRST Alaska cruise.

To gain Celebrity status contact the Captain's Club, either by phone or e mail. There is a listing on the Celebrity web page with drop downs and contact info.

If you haven't already joined the Roll Call do so. Planning has already begun.

[ScarlettMLB]

Great. We get there early in the morning - before 6:00 am. I don't have to be ready to meet the world that early. Room service breakfast for me that day.

 

I believe that I had read somewhere that his lecture would also be on the TV, so if we can not hear him clearly, perhaps we can remain on our balcony, and leave the door open :eek: and hear the lecture that way.

 

We took this cruise last year and that's what we did. It was on the TV and we turned it up loudly and we could hear it on the balcony with the door open. It was nice doing it from our balcony, because when it got too cold, we could go inside and slide the door closed.

 

We booked an aft balcony and it was well worth it for the 180 views. You see everything after everyone else, but you still get a full view. When the boat turns around in front of the glacier it makes the entire cabin worthwhile.

 

The only thing that we felt we missed by staying in our cabin was that they had a professional photographer up on the deck taking photos of people in front of the glacier. I wish we'd gotten one of those - we would have bought it and had it framed.

 

Definitely check out the hot glass show. We were looking forward to it, but enjoyed it more than we thought we would. We went to almost every show we could and stayed as long as we could. It got cold (show it outside), so dress warmly and run to Oceanview for some hot chocolate before the show. They'll also have blankets - those can be very useful. The shows last about 2 hours and each of the 3 people will create a piece (with the other 2 assisting them). People will often leave after a piece is created, so if it's crowded, wait until after a piece is done and seating space usually opens up. If you only attend 1 show, go to the 1 where they make the piece to benefit breast cancer (they auction it off at the end) - it's done to music and is a big piece they work on for the full 2 hours - very impressive.

 

Overall Solstice entertainment was excellent. Brent Nixon has talks throughout the cruise - we never made it to 1, but we could them on replay on the TV in our room. He's a very entertaining speaker.

[sleepless]

We are honeymooning on Solstice July 2016. What's date of your sailing?

 

 

We are sailing on July 8; when do you sail?

[sleepless]

Sleepless,

You will love your FIRST Alaska cruise.

To gain Celebrity status contact the Captain's Club, either by phone or e mail. There is a listing on the Celebrity web page with drop downs and contact info.

If you haven't already joined the Roll Call do so. Planning has already begun.

 

 

Thank. I joined the Captains Club the day I made my reservation, and was granted Select status because of my Royal Caribbean past cruises. A nice perk, getting a free upgrade. I have been on the Roll Call since I booked the stateroom. It was started awhile ago by Daisygirl.

[born-to-cruise]

Aloha Sleepless,

 

Guaranteed, you will not be disappointed selecting Alaska for you next cruise. Personally, Alaska is one cruise worth repeating. My wife and I have done it twice. The experience is always different. Ensure you book shore excursions to maximize your cruising experience. While in Ketchican, Salmon Hatchery is recommended and walking on Creek St. is a must. Ensure, camera battery is fully charged when taking photos of the Glaciers on open deck-battery discharge is quick when cold. Unsure if you like smoked Salmon, taking some home is recommended as well.

 

Similarly, it is our first time to cruise with Celebrity specifically Solstice. Meanwhile, Celebrity gave reciprocal status of Crown and Anchor membership. I will be enjoying Elite Status benefits. We are booked to do 18 nights Tahitian Treasures from Sydney to Honolulu, April 9-26, 2016 I like my wine before dinner. I would appreciate if someone would tell me where the Evening Cocktail hour is held-thanks.

 

Happy sailing and catch up with you later.....

 

Cheers,

born-to-cruise

[born-to-cruise]

Aloha Cruisers,

 

First time to cruise with Celebrity specifically Solstice......

 

Celebrity honored my Crown and Anchor membership by enjoying Elite status benefits. My wife and I are booked to cruise 18 nights, Tahitian Treasures from Sydney to Honolulu, April 9-26, 2016. Looking forward for it......

 

I like my wine before dinner. I would appreciate if someone could tell me where the Evening Cocktail Hour is held on the Solstice-what room?

 

To those that have done Tahitian Treasures, any tips to further enjoy the cruise will be much appreciated as well.

 

Thank you so much in advance.....

 

Cheers,

Born-To-Cruise

(as funds permits)

Edited November 23, 2015 by born-to-cruise
wordy

[afto]

Great. We get there early in the morning - before 6:00 am. I don't have to be ready to meet the world that early. Room service breakfast for me that day.

 

I believe that I had read somewhere that his lecture would also be on the TV, so if we can not hear him clearly, perhaps we can remain on our balcony, and leave the door open :eek: and hear the lecture that way.

 

We did this cruise in May of this year. I am not a fan of Brent Nixon, but unfortunately I could still hear him on our 6th floor balcony for part of our time in Tracy Arm. During part of the time that we were in the National Park, he announced that the loudspeakers on the outside decks would be switched off, so as not to disturb the wildlife; those who wanted to hear him could go to the Sky Lounge or hear him on the TV. Leaving the balcony door open so that you can hear him on your balcony defeats the purpose of turning the loudspeakers off at those times, but I don't suppose that the wildlife are any more annoyed by a loud giant cruise ship floating by than they are by a quiet giant cruise ship floating by.

 

You will love your Alaska cruise; it's a wonderful trip and the Solstice is a gorgeous ship. Enjoy!

Edited November 23, 2015 by afto

[Seespot]

Quick specific question!

 

We've booked the Tracy Arm Catamaran boat tour from Tracy Arm. I understand we leave the ship at the glacier amd the tour returns to Juneau.

 

1. Is it dumb to also book a whale watching tour in Juneau? I'm assuming a couple hours at sea on a small boat we should see some!

 

2. Will the small boat tour take us back to Juneau where we are free to move on to other excursions and not have to wait for tendering again?

 

Thanks in advance for answers!!!

[tangerinebunny]

The Juneau whale watch this August was the hightlight of our Solstice trip. By all means book it when you can.

 

We did an evening watch that included dinner, so we were returned to the ship.

 

We also did the small boat trip at Tracy Arm. We didn't see as much wildlife as I'd hoped, but it's definitely worth doing if they're offering it. It does book up fairly quickly. We were taken back to the ship, not the dock.

 

Alaska truly is about the shore excursions. So choose carefully and make your arrangements as soon as you can.

Edited November 29, 2015 by tangerinebunny

[BigMikefromTexas]

On board the Solstice, they have naturalist Brent Nixon on board, he gives great lectures daily on various aspects of Alaska, very interesting. Also, he gives a narrative in the morning over the loud speaker system as the ship is sailing up Tracey Arm Fjord to Sawyer Glacier. Try and be outside so you can see both sides of the ship.

We have cruised Alaska 8 times and on Celebrity 4 times. Solstice is our favorite ship in this region. Been on her the last three years.

 

There is no doubt that Celebrity has the best naturalists and Brent is the Best of the Best. His narration in the Fiords is amazing. (HInt: the Sky Observation Lounge is the best internal view on this ship when going into the fiord, the rear deck, particularly the corner sky suites, the best on egress.) His shows are even better than his commentary. Also his wife, Lady Amanda, is pretty good too. Catch both of their shows.

 

 

Celebrity and particularly the Solstice Class ships have some of the finest cuisine afloat. Murano's is a HAVE TO DO. We also recommend Silk Harvest. The Chef's Wine pairing dinners are very good. If they have any private Chef's Dinners in Murano's sign up.

 

The Dow Corning Glass Blowing Studio is a great way to spend your afternoons. Be sure to attend the auction on day 7 and bid on a piece that was created on ship. (We also spend some pre-cruise time in Seattle at Chihuly and private glass blowing studios. And there is one in Skagway that is a nice change of pace.)

 

Do your Whale Watching in Ketchikan, float planes to the glacier in Juneau and Helicopter to the glacier in Skagway (late morning). Skagway also has two train rides daily.

 

Eat at Twisted Fish in Juneau. see the Empress and consider Butchart Gardens if in the middle of summer (light later).

Edited November 29, 2015 by BigMikefromTexas