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10-day Hawaii to Vancouver - Eclipse vs Solstice


CH_ca
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Sorry this topic has been asked on the  temporary Floating Lounge before but the post is nowhere to be found now. So I'll post again:

 

Eclipse:   Honolulu, Kona, Kilauea Volcano sail-by, Lahaina, Hilo, Cruising x 5, Vancouver

Solstice:  Honolulu,  Hilo,  Kona, Lahaina x 2, Cruising x 5, Vancouver

 

I've been to all those islands before so I don't mind either itinerary. Both sailings offer "The World is Open" promo giving free tips and Classic Beverage Package (my 2 choices). Both ships have good reviews. It's just that I've read more positive comments about Solstice so I was leaning more towards it. But now Eclipse has this Resident offer that is much cheaper than Solstice even after adding back the extra costs of tips and drinks (we don't drink much). I am thinking of booking the Eclipse instead.

 

1. What are the negatives if I book Eclipse instead of Solstice? Both itinerary and ship wise?

2. How calm will the water be normally in April/May when coming back from Hawaii to Vancouver?

3. How bad is it to book forward balcony cabins as far as rough seas is concerned? Will taking Bonine be good enough? Bonine worked on all my previous non-pacific crossing cruises.

4. For the 5 sea days, did you find enough things to do/attend/see?

5. Does anyone have the Daily Activities print outs (or whatever it's called for Celebrity) for 10-day cruises on the Eclipse or Solstice? (I never cruised with Celebrity before)

 

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Edited by CH_ca
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I selected Eclipse since I can do  round trip to Vancouver. Seas should be fine, but one never knows until you crusie. I've been on quite a few cruises with lots of sea days and have always had to choose between many options. Never bored!

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There were several threads regarding vibration on the mid to back on port side of Eclipse.  If you are looking at the forward balcony of the ship, it should not affect your room.  Other than that, sail-by of Kilauea Volcano may be interesting if you haven't seen it from the water before.  It is all personal and no one can decide for you as to which itinerary/ship is better for you.

 

We are not particular keen on Maui and would prefer to do the sail-by, other than the reported vibration and the rooms to avoid, for us we would pick Eclipse.

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We did the 12-day Solstice last May:  Honolulu x 2,  Lahaina x 2,  Kona,  Hilo, Cruising x 5, Victoria, Vancouver

 

I think we did a Kilauea Volcano sail-by late one night, but with all of the ports each day, we were too tired to watch it.  We have seen this 8 years prior though on NCL Pride of America.

 

It was a great trip -- in my opinion, with all things being equal, the 2 days at Lahaina would be the deciding factor so I'd choose the Solstice.  We did the road to Hana the first day which was a very late return without any fear of missing the ship.  Others went to the Old Lahaina luau.  Being in Lahaina for 1 day is pretty restrictive on what you can do there.

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From your replies, seem like I wouldn't go wrong with either itinerary or ship. If the water will not be too rough in May, I will consider booking the forward balcony cabins since they are the ones I can look straight down to see water. If anyone has any other comments, please keep them coming. Thanks!

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We've done this cruise 3 times and the weather has been great every time except when near Vancouver. Twice we got some pretty rough seas when close to Vancouver but away from the PNW the weather and seas were great.  I would choose the Solstice I'de rather spend 2 days in Maui than the big island. Even though I prefer Kona to Hilo.  There's just not that much to do in Hilo if you've been there a few times. 

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As far as the sea and weather conditions for our cruise:

- sea super smooth around Hawaii  - weather gorgeous (no rain, lows/highs low 80's, not humid)

- 1 sea day of smooth after leaving Hawaii - weather still great/sunny/warm

- 2 sea days of lots of swells - weather no-so-great/some rain/drizzle/cool/windy, temps in high 60's  (this did start getting quite annoying towards the end of the 2nd day)

- 2 sea days of very smooth - weather great again though a bit cooler, 

- Victoria - high in low 70s, steady rain half of the day

- Vancouver - high in the low 70s, bright/sunny

 

Obviously, weather/seas will be different each time.

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I just returned from the 10 day Vancouver to Honolulu, the trip was fantastic. What I liked was we did 2 days prior in Vancouver and 6 nights in Oahu. Stayed out on the northside of Oahu at Turtle Bay. 

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I would choose the ship that had a mid ship cabin available. We once went up to deck 14 ( Sky Lounge) and couldn’t believe how stormy it was compared to our mid ship cabin. 5 days is too long at sea if you’re not a good sailor.

 

 

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We did Solstice Hawaii to Vancouver in Apr 2016. Last 3 sea days were cold, intermittent rain & fairly rough. We’re doing Eclipse Vancouver to Hawaii in Sep 2019, hoping for nicer weather

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We are booked on the Eclipse for the Hawaii to Vancouver Apr.29,2019 sailing. We have done 28 other cruises but have never been to Hawaii. We are looking forward to this cruise, I don't understand why you need a forward cabin to see the water almost all balcony cabins have a a view of the sea.

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I can only comment on last month's Solstice cruise from Vancouver to HNL. After the 1st day you could sunbath around the pool. As far as the turbulence, no rock-n-roll, the Pacific was like glass.  

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I am on the Solstice April 30th. It will be my 5th Hawaii trip with X. I have done this cruise in Sept. and April. Weather was the same. It`s going to be cool either coming or going from Vancouver. In Sept. 2015 we left from Vancouver and had rain for several days. 

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I travelled on the Solstice in April 2017 from HNL - YVR and will be cruising again in April 2019 on the Solstice. Love the ship and itinerary for next April as we’re overnighting in Maui. We always book aft cabins now and didn’t find any issues on that crossing. We are booking 6nts prior to the cruise in Waikiki so that will give us 11 days of sunshine. Once you leave Hawaii, you may get 1 day of sun and then it cools down. We had a good crossing but it wasn’t too rough. They have lots of activity during those 5 sea days so you won’t be bored. The price is certainly good on these sailings. 

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