Advise on cruise line

[Tara12]

Went to Alaska this year on the Ruby Princess and we are going again in 2019 but we are thinking about going on Celebrity Solstice. Pros and cons for Celebrity? Thanks in advance

[Kamloops50]

Went to Alaska this year on the Ruby Princess and we are going again in 2019 but we are thinking about going on Celebrity Solstice. Pros and cons for Celebrity? Thanks in advance

 

A very similar product. Celebrity doesn't have announcements like Princess to remind you of activities . No promenade deck for working.

[floydelayne]

Definitely Celebrity....hands down

 

 

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[Keith1010]

For the cruise ship/line I would ask on the Celebrity Board.

 

Keith

[Casey12]

The Solstice has less deck space for viewing and a week itinerary. It goes to one less port then most other cruises. Juneau is one of the more popular ports and it skips it. Alaska is about the itinerary and this ship has one of the worst itineraries.

 

Please do your research before you book a cruise.

[Tara12]

The Solstice has less deck space for viewing and a week itinerary. It goes to one less port then most other cruises. Juneau is one of the more popular ports and it skips it. Alaska is about the itinerary and this ship has one of the worst itineraries.

 

Please do your research before you book a cruise.

Actually this is a 7 night cruise and it does go to Juneau.

[poolwife]

Yes, the Celebrity Solstice does go to Juneau, however, it does not go to either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park, thus leaving out going to one of the large glaciers.

 

Celebrity and the Solstice ship are really great, but as others have said you go to Alaska for the scenery and the activities not the ship.

[poolwife]

Personally, we took a last minute Alaska cruise on HAL's Nieux Amsterdam in May, 2016. We just needed to get away and took what was available the day we would be in Vancouver. My husband was hesitate with HAL but that particular ship was great. It was elegant and food was great. Would not hesitate at all to recommend the Nieux Amsterdam. We had taken a 4 nighter on the Ruby Princess from LA to Vancouver then hopped on the Nieux Amsterdam the same day we came into Vancouver. Big difference in the 2 ships. We definitely like the Nieux Amsterdam over the Ruby Princess. Much better food and buffet on the Nieux Amsterdam.

[PhD-iva]

I am not an expert, but from what I read on CC forums, more cruisers would say that Princess is the dominant cruise line in Alaska. Most popular cruiseline in the region and they would recommend it for cruises in Alaska. Personally, I have not yet been to Alaska, but i have a JUL 2018 cruisetour booked on Celebrity. Happy New Year! [emoji312]

 

 

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[lyndarra]

We've done two Alaskan cruises with Celebrity, Solstice and Millennium and can recommend either. Hubbard glacier was included and both included Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. We had an inside cabin on Solstice so we did our viewing from decks outside. Had no problem with finding space from which to view the glacier and the ship slowly turns 720 degrees (or was it 360, can't remember and it was only 18 months ago:confused:) so every side gets a good view.

[EeyoreFan1967]

Pick the better itinerary that fits into your schedule. If itineraries are the same, go with the lower price!

 

Have you considered HAL? We were overwhelmed with options when choosing our first Alaska cruise and did lots of research. HAL is very highly recommended for Alaska, and we found a voyage on the Nieuw Amsterdam (recommended above) that had the perfect itinerary and timing for our family, and at the right price. We love that it sails out of Vancouver instead of Seattle and includes Glacier Bay, and that was a big factor. That said, this will be our first time on HAL. Never done Princess, but love Celebrity! We would have chosen Celebrity if their itinerary included Glacier Bay.

 

Please let us know what you decide!

[pmjnh]

If you want to see Glacier Bay, which I HIGHLY recommend, I suggest you look at the cruise ships that have permits to enter Glacier Bay National Park. Princess is definitely one of the cruise lines and they have naturalists on board from the national Park. Holland America has been in there and other ships have obtained permits as well, but I believe they only allow a couple of cruise ships in there per day. Usually they are the smaller ships of the cruise lines.

 

Look at itineraries from each cruise line.

[Tara12]

Thanks so much for all of the info. We went to Glacier Bay last year and loved it. For our next cruise we just wanted to do something a little different, we were considering Holland but we got such a good deal with Celibrity we decided to try them. I think it will be a great trip, we will be cruising so it can’t be too bad. Lol. Thanks again for all of the replies

[EeyoreFan1967]

Thanks so much for all of the info. We went to Glacier Bay last year and loved it. For our next cruise we just wanted to do something a little different, we were considering Holland but we got such a good deal with Celibrity we decided to try them. I think it will be a great trip, we will be cruising so it can’t be too bad. Lol. Thanks again for all of the replies

 

Congratulations on your great deal! Please write a comparison when you return! :D:D

[pmjnh]

Thanks so much for all of the info. We went to Glacier Bay last year and loved it. For our next cruise we just wanted to do something a little different, we were considering Holland but we got such a good deal with Celibrity we decided to try them. I think it will be a great trip, we will be cruising so it can’t be too bad. Lol. Thanks again for all of the replies

 

 

That's great! Enjoy your trip. We are planning to go back to Alaska in 2019 on HAL and visit many other different ports than on our first inside passage cruise on Princess, which means we wont be going back to Glacier Bay, either.

 

Enjoy your trip. We have not been on Celebrity yet, may have to try it!

Joan

[Bruin Steve]

Went to Alaska this year on the Ruby Princess and we are going again in 2019 but we are thinking about going on Celebrity Solstice. Pros and cons for Celebrity? Thanks in advance

 

I cruise frequently with both lines--for different reasons...usually itinerary based. However, IMHO, Celebrity is the better product. Why? First of all, the ships are less crowded...the space per passenger ratios are better on Celebrity. Also, largely due to that, the venues are more spacious. Showrooms on Princess ships are undersized for the number of passengers, whereas finding a seat for a show--even right at curtain time--is never a problem. Also, "Anytime" dining is much better managed on Celebrity. Another plus for Celebrity, IMO, is the cabins. On Princess ships, to get a sofa/sitting area in your cabin, you need to book at least a Mini-Suite...On Celebrity, all of the cabins, even inside, have a sofa...

 

For Alaska, Princess likes to push their virtual exclusivity on Glacier Bay--telling folks it is a "must" and therefore, you have to go with them. Glacier Bay has the largest number of glaciers flowing into a single inlet...and it is impressive...OTOH, Celebrity substitutes this with Hubbard Glacier--which is the most massive single glacier flowing into the sea--and it is also very impressive...Either way, you are NOT losing. When we've studied itineraries, we found many Celebrity itineraries had longer hours in port plus the advantage of a visit to Icy Strait Point--which has the largest concentrations of whales anywhere...which then frees up Juneau for glacier visits.

 

I also recommend doing the "one-way" itineraries--from Alaska down to a disembarkation in Vancouver. Yes, the airfare is slightly more and Seward a little harder to get to...BUT the prices are often much lower making up for the difference in travel costs--plus, it gives you the opportunity to spend a few nights in the "interior" of Alaska--either on a ship's cruisetour or on your own. But it also gives you better itineraries since the ship doesn't have to backtrack...and you avoid wasting a day with a worthless short stop in Victoria as you do with the Seattle round trips (Yeah, they often don't really give you time to see Victoria...and you could have gotten there quickly on a ferry from Vancouver or Seattle on a day trip if you wanted to see it pre- or post-cruise. Better to have more ports and hours in Alaska.

 

 

I will be doing my third Alaska cruise on Celebrity this June--on Millennium. One way southbound.

 

Have fun.