Mid-cruise report aboard Solstice

[kcmo74]

This is coming one day late because the internet wasn’t cooperating yesterday, hope it’s helpful.

 

Ship: Celebrity Solstice

Cruise: 7 night Alaska Dawes Glacier

Captain: Captain Harris

CD: Kelly Rose

Cabin: 8259 Veranda on the hump 

 

Embarkation: Arrived at our scheduled arrival time of 1pm, the lines for Solstice weren’t much further than the last set of ropes before entering the terminal. Ovation of the Seas line was all the way to the end of the covered walkways outside, so glad we weren’t in that line. The entire check in process went fairly smoothly and quick, even including my 4 year old’s Covid test at the port which took about 20 min to get the results from. We were on the ship by 2:15, dropped our bags at our room and went to check in at muster, which is such a better process than the old days and we were able to watch the safety videos that morning before we got to port. My wife then went and checked in to get an appointment for her glass blowing experience we had reserved before the cruise, she got the first appt of the day on day 3 at 4pm after we boarded at Ketchikan. We then made our way around the ship and got acquainted with our new home for the next week, everybody got their first drinks of the trip and we made our way to guest relations to clear up some cabin/seapass card issues, the line was long but they kept it moving pretty quickly and we’re able to take care of all of our issues. We have anytime dining but I still decided to make reservations for most nights just in case there were lines, however there haven’t been any lines any nights and we’ve walked right up to the hostess and been seated right away. We have eaten in the MDR all 3 nights so far and the food has been generally excellent and there haven’t been any long waits or noticeable staffing issues in the MDR or Oceanview Cafe. Finished night 1 by putting my daughter to bed while my wife tried the casino for the first time, and she came out $800 ahead.

 

An aside here: To us this ship isn’t showing its age at all, you have to look really hard to be able to see some of the aging aspects. We have loved our time on the Solstice and would travel on her again in a heartbeat. There haven’t been any noticeable staffing issues anywhere on the ship and the service all around has been great. There has also been no mention of Covid or any noticeable issues with Covid that we’ve seen. 2 members of our party were supposed to be on deck 6 but they moved them to deck 9 upon checkin, so the person that mentioned deck 6 being the quarantine deck might be right, but we haven’t seen anything to confirm that for sure. The captain has made no announcements about anything Covid related. There have also been no observed supply chain issues on the Solstice, Decoy and other regular wines are onboard and all the drinks that we’ve had have been very good.

 

Day 2, Sea Day: We ate breakfast at the OV buffet and everything was good for a buffet, the omelette station was very good. We made another trip to the casino and came out about even this time. We went to buy some Deal or No Deal cards with the OBC our TA had provided as a gift upon boarding. None of us ended up winning much more than a little bit of slot match play but it was a good time. We then hung out in the Passport Bar playing cards for a good part of the afternoon, this has become our favorite bar for a quick drink as there is hardly ever a wait. The Martini Bar has definitely been the busiest but none of our party are martini drinkers so we haven’t spent any time there. My brother enjoys World Class Bar as they have some liquors he’s tried in other parts of the world before. Our daughter also went to a session of Camp at Sea and had a great time. Dinner in the MDR where Steak Diane was the favorite of the night, but the 2 of us who had the Shrimp Scampi thought it was excellent as well. After dinner we went to the Solarium for our first try at swimming and they told us it was no problem for my daughter to be in there swimming with us and no other swimmers had any issue with it, even though there weren’t many other swimmers and it was a perfect time to go. We turned in for the night while my brother went to watch a movie on the lawn (I think he was the only one to watch it).

 

Day 3, Ketchikan: We were headed into Ketchikan as we woke and hit up the OV buffet again for breakfast before disembarking. It was in the mid 50’s and no rain so about as good as we good ask for. This was Sunday and we are Catholic so we took their free shuttle pickup at the pier to the church for mass. After that we returned to the pier and then spent some time walking around town and souvenir shopping. We then went to lunch at the Ketchikan Crab and Grille where we tried Halibut & Chips, Crab Fries, Crab Mac n Cheese, and Clam Chowder. The Clam Chowder was the crowd favorite as was the Denali Brewing Co Red Ale. After lunch we returned to the ship about 2 hrs before all aboard to get in a quick nap before glass blowing. The glass blowing experience was great, my wife loved it. You get to be very hands on and help a lot and the different things you get to do depends on the piece you are making. My aunt’s vase required her to do some blowing but my wife did more rolling and tweezer work. The cost of the session was rolled into the piece you make so my wife chose something that was $120 and didn’t have to pay any extra as that is what the session reservation cost. Then we spent some time at the Sunset Bar as we pulled out of Ketchikan. Next up was dinner in the MDR where tiramisu and a special cake for my parents 40th anniversary were the highlights. We turned in early tonight as tomorrow is an early riser for glacier watch.

 

Day 4 morning, Dawes Glacier: We woke up at 6am as we were making our way down the Endicott Arm Fjord. This will for sure go down as the highlight of the trip as the scenery was absolutely phenomenal. They said it turned out to be an extremely lucky morning as we were able to get within 2-3 nautical miles of the glacier, this was the closest they’ve gotten this season and we had spectacular views as the captain turned the boat. We then headed back out of the fjord towards Juneau, which has to be some of the best cruising on the trip with the green blue water and floating ice along the whole trip. We are now steaming towards Juneau and have a whale watching trip planned for this afternoon.

Edited June 14, 2022 by kcmo74

[NanaPam00]

Thank you!  Our sailing is coming up in August, so I love hearing reports from the Solstice.

[Jim_Iain]

Great report and enjoy very much following along.  I hope the remainder of you cruise is as enjoyable and look forward to any updates you have a chance to post.

[PTC DAWG]

Martini bar can make more than just martinis..

Edited June 14, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[bludevil]

I'll be onboard in two weeks!!! Can't wait!

[mauimary]

We board on Friday. So very excited. Very happy to hear the Naturalist Brent Nixon us onboard.  We are cruising with our 11 year old Grandson so it will be fun for him to see him.  

[dream2cruise]

Great review.  We are also looking at going to mass on Sunday at Holy Name.  What time did you get back to the ship after services?  Would they be willing to drop you off in town instead of at the ship?

[Mom2boysATX]

Thank you so much for sharing!  We just got to check-in today for our 7/29 departure.  So excited!  A couple questions:

-Where did your wife "check in" for the Glass Blowing?  I have one booked, as well, but don't have any info about who/where to schedule.

-Is there a way to know which guests are vaccinated and which are not?  Do the kids have to wear a bracelet or something to identify themselves?

[camella]

2 hours ago, bludevil said:

I'll be onboard in two weeks!!! Can't wait!

Are you on the July 1st sailing?  We are too!  

[camella]

4 hours ago, kcmo74 said:

This is coming one day late because the internet wasn’t cooperating yesterday, hope it’s helpful.

 

Ship: Celebrity Solstice

Cruise: 7 night Alaska Dawes Glacier

Captain: Captain Harris

CD: Kelly Rose

Cabin: 8259 Veranda on the hump 

 

Embarkation: Arrived at our scheduled arrival time of 1pm, the lines for Solstice weren’t much further than the last set of ropes before entering the terminal. Ovation of the Seas line was all the way to the end of the covered walkways outside, so glad we weren’t in that line. The entire check in process went fairly smoothly and quick, even including my 4 year old’s Covid test at the port which took about 20 min to get the results from. We were on the ship by 2:15, dropped our bags at our room and went to check in at muster, which is such a better process than the old days and we were able to watch the safety videos that morning before we got to port. My wife then went and checked in to get an appointment for her glass blowing experience we had reserved before the cruise, she got the first appt of the day on day 3 at 4pm after we boarded at Ketchikan. We then made our way around the ship and got acquainted with our new home for the next week, everybody got their first drinks of the trip and we made our way to guest relations to clear up some cabin/seapass card issues, the line was long but they kept it moving pretty quickly and we’re able to take care of all of our issues. We have anytime dining but I still decided to make reservations for most nights just in case there were lines, however there haven’t been any lines any nights and we’ve walked right up to the hostess and been seated right away. We have eaten in the MDR all 3 nights so far and the food has been generally excellent and there haven’t been any long waits or noticeable staffing issues in the MDR or Oceanview Cafe. Finished night 1 by putting my daughter to bed while my wife tried the casino for the first time, and she came out $800 ahead.

 

An aside here: To us this ship isn’t showing its age at all, you have to look really hard to be able to see some of the aging aspects. We have loved our time on the Solstice and would travel on her again in a heartbeat. There haven’t been any noticeable staffing issues anywhere on the ship and the service all around has been great. There has also been no mention of Covid or any noticeable issues with Covid that we’ve seen. 2 members of our party were supposed to be on deck 6 but they moved them to deck 9 upon checkin, so the person that mentioned deck 6 being the quarantine deck might be right, but we haven’t seen anything to confirm that for sure. The captain has made no announcements about anything Covid related. There have also been no observed supply chain issues on the Solstice, Decoy and other regular wines are onboard and all the drinks that we’ve had have been very good.

 

Day 2, Sea Day: We ate breakfast at the OV buffet and everything was good for a buffet, the omelette station was very good. We made another trip to the casino and came out about even this time. We went to buy some Deal or No Deal cards with the OBC our TA had provided as a gift upon boarding. None of us ended up winning much more than a little bit of slot match play but it was a good time. We then hung out in the Passport Bar playing cards for a good part of the afternoon, this has become our favorite bar for a quick drink as there is hardly ever a wait. The Martini Bar has definitely been the busiest but none of our party are martini drinkers so we haven’t spent any time there. My brother enjoys World Class Bar as they have some liquors he’s tried in other parts of the world before. Our daughter also went to a session of Camp at Sea and had a great time. Dinner in the MDR where Steak Diane was the favorite of the night, but the 2 of us who had the Shrimp Scampi thought it was excellent as well. After dinner we went to the Solarium for our first try at swimming and they told us it was no problem for my daughter to be in there swimming with us and no other swimmers had any issue with it, even though there weren’t many other swimmers and it was a perfect time to go. We turned in for the night while my brother went to watch a movie on the lawn (I think he was the only one to watch it).

 

Day 3, Ketchikan: We were headed into Ketchikan as we woke and hit up the OV buffet again for breakfast before disembarking. It was in the mid 50’s and no rain so about as good as we good ask for. This was Sunday and we are Catholic so we took their free shuttle pickup at the pier to the church for mass. After that we returned to the pier and then spent some time walking around town and souvenir shopping. We then went to lunch at the Ketchikan Crab and Grille where we tried Halibut & Chips, Crab Fries, Crab Mac n Cheese, and Clam Chowder. The Clam Chowder was the crowd favorite as was the Denali Brewing Co Red Ale. After lunch we returned to the ship about 2 hrs before all aboard to get in a quick nap before glass blowing. The glass blowing experience was great, my wife loved it. You get to be very hands on and help a lot and the different things you get to do depends on the piece you are making. My aunt’s vase required her to do some blowing but my wife did more rolling and tweezer work. The cost of the session was rolled into the piece you make so my wife chose something that was $120 and didn’t have to pay any extra as that is what the session reservation cost. Then we spent some time at the Sunset Bar as we pulled out of Ketchikan. Next up was dinner in the MDR where tiramisu and a special cake for my parents 40th anniversary were the highlights. We turned in early tonight as tomorrow is an early riser for glacier watch.

 

Day 4 morning, Dawes Glacier: We woke up at 6am as we were making our way down the Endicott Arm Fjord. This will for sure go down as the highlight of the trip as the scenery was absolutely phenomenal. They said it turned out to be an extremely lucky morning as we were able to get within 2-3 nautical miles of the glacier, this was the closest they’ve gotten this season and we had spectacular views as the captain turned the boat. We then headed back out of the fjord towards Juneau, which has to be some of the best cruising on the trip with the green blue water and floating ice along the whole trip. We are now steaming towards Juneau and have a whale watching trip planned for this afternoon.

Sounds like a great cruise so far.  If you wouldn't mind can you check the hours of the OV cafe for us?  They changed our excursion in Juneau from 2:00 - 4:30pm and now we will be out fishing and will miss dinner in the MDR.  I don't mind the OV but was thinking we may not even make it back for that.  The original plan was to go fishing from 2:00 - 7:00 and then come back and get cleaned up, have a nice dinner and hopefully get to see some fireworks when we sail away.  But now that has all changed 😞 

[Mom2boysATX]

29 minutes ago, Mom2boysATX said:

Thank you so much for sharing!  We just got to check-in today for our 7/29 departure.  So excited!  A couple questions:

-Where did your wife "check in" for the Glass Blowing?  I have one booked, as well, but don't have any info about who/where to schedule.

-Is there a way to know which guests are vaccinated and which are not?  Do the kids have to wear a bracelet or something to identify themselves?

More specifically,..Do you just have to trust that the unvaccinated wear masks?  

Thanks!

[mauimary]

2 hours ago, Mom2boysATX said:

More specifically,..Do you just have to trust that the unvaccinated wear masks?  

Thanks!

No way to know who is vaccinated and who is not.   I doubt most unvaccinated will be wearing masks!  From everything I’ve read it does sound like very few do and will be.  Most people are so over it!  If your on our cruise you will see us wearing masks and yes we are vaccinated.   Fully vaccinated and two boosters.  We are being  as cautious as we can.  

Edited June 14, 2022 by mauimary

[CMW5060]

We are on the Solstice 30 days from tomorrow on July 15th - can’t wait!!  

[lovecruzin]

3 hours ago, Mom2boysATX said:

 

-Is there a way to know which guests are vaccinated and which are not?  Do the kids have to wear a bracelet or something to identify themselves?

From the Canadian govt website. So it would be safe to assume almost everyone over the age of 5 is vaccinated…

 

Vaccination and testing requirements for Canada

To board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada, if you’re 12 years of age, or older, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with very few exceptions. 

• Note: many cruise lines require vaccination for children 5 years and older.

[mauimary]

3 hours ago, Mom2boysATX said:

More specifically,..Do you just have to trust that the unvaccinated wear masks?  

Thanks!

Reading a little further on Celebrity Website it does say that all children who are eligible to be vaccinated need to be. Celebrity has an almost 100% vaccination rate among its guests.  So that only leaves the really young kids who are not eligible.  It is up to the parents if they will require their young kids to wear masks. 
Sorry my previous answer I was no doubt thinking airplanes and not cruise ships. 

[CulverCityCruisers]

We will be sailing on Solstice as she has taken over for Millie for the Mexican Riviera.  One question if you can answer.

 

Have the beds been replaced with the new mattresses?  We know she missed her refirb and just wondering?  TIA

 

 

[kasowell2]

4 hours ago, Mom2boysATX said:

Thank you so much for sharing!  We just got to check-in today for our 7/29 departure.  So excited!  A couple questions:

-Where did your wife "check in" for the Glass Blowing?  I have one booked, as well, but don't have any info about who/where to schedule.

-Is there a way to know which guests are vaccinated and which are not?  Do the kids have to wear a bracelet or something to identify themselves?

How were you able to book the glass blowing class before cruising. I can’t find it

Edited June 14, 2022 by kasowell2

[kcmo74]

5 hours ago, dream2cruise said:

Great review.  We are also looking at going to mass on Sunday at Holy Name.  What time did you get back to the ship after services?  Would they be willing to drop you off in town instead of at the ship?

They start taking people back as soon as mass is over and it’s only a 5 min drive so approximately 10:40ish back to port, however they use 2 minivans so if there are lots of mass goers you may have to wait for them to come back if you aren’t on the first trip. And yes he was willing to drop us off wherever we needed to go, everything is pretty central there but he can take you to creek street if need be.

[kcmo74]

4 hours ago, Mom2boysATX said:

Thank you so much for sharing!  We just got to check-in today for our 7/29 departure.  So excited!  A couple questions:

-Where did your wife "check in" for the Glass Blowing?  I have one booked, as well, but don't have any info about who/where to schedule.

-Is there a way to know which guests are vaccinated and which are not?  Do the kids have to wear a bracelet or something to identify themselves?

The check in is up at the lawn club area where the glass blowing is located, they fill up fast so if you want a particular time go as soon as possible. There isn’t a way to know vaccination status as far as I know, our daughter is required to wear a bracelet the whole trip but that is part of the Camp at Sea program and because she is a kid, not because of being unvaccinated.

[kcmo74]

4 hours ago, camella said:

Sounds like a great cruise so far.  If you wouldn't mind can you check the hours of the OV cafe for us?  They changed our excursion in Juneau from 2:00 - 4:30pm and now we will be out fishing and will miss dinner in the MDR.  I don't mind the OV but was thinking we may not even make it back for that.  The original plan was to go fishing from 2:00 - 7:00 and then come back and get cleaned up, have a nice dinner and hopefully get to see some fireworks when we sail away.  But now that has all changed 😞 

OV cafe is 6pm to 9:15pm. Late night selection is 10pm to 1am.

Edited June 14, 2022 by kcmo74

[kcmo74]

46 minutes ago, CulverCityCruisers said:

We will be sailing on Solstice as she has taken over for Millie for the Mexican Riviera.  One question if you can answer.

 

Have the beds been replaced with the new mattresses?  We know she missed her refirb and just wondering?  TIA

 

 

Not sure as this is our first Celebrity sailing but if I had to guess I would say no they haven’t been. They haven’t been uncomfortable or anything, but they don’t look new either.

[kasowell2]

45 minutes ago, kasowell2 said:

How were you able to book the glass blowing class before cruising. I can’t find it

Never mind I found it

[kcmo74]

We arrived in Juneau on time at 1:30pm yesterday and it was mid-50’s with on and off most/spitting rain all day. We had a whale watching and Mendenhall glacier combo tour scheduled with Juneau Tours and Whale Watching. They shuttled us to the harbor and we started our 2+ hours on the water. The boat was fantastic as was all the crew, we saw 15-20 humpback whales and multiple sea lions and eagles. After we returned they shuttled us to the Mendenhall glacier where we stayed for about an hour taking in the views and the visitor center. If we would have had time my brother and I would have loved to make the hike to nugget falls, as it looked like a great experience, but we were short on time and our group isn’t much for hiking. We shuttled back to the docks and got cleaned up in time to make it to the MDR, we didn’t have a res but there were no lines and we were seated at our normal table. The highlights were the Crispy Thai Beef Spring Roll (so good that half of us asked for a second one), the Prime Rib (fantastic), and the Banana Blueberry Crumble (the people who have ordered the crumbles this trip have loved all of them and say they are the best desert). We all retired to our rooms as we were wiped after the early glacier wake up and afternoon excursion.

This morning we awoke already docked in Skagway and we decided to try the MDR for breakfast. The food was pretty much the same as they were serving in the OV cafe and the service was almost too much hovering as there wasn’t very many people eating there that morning. We probably won’t eat breakfast there again as our group has enjoyed both room service and the OV cafe. We had an excursion this morning with Alaska Excursions (big green X) for the Sled Dog and Mushers Camp experience. It’s a bit of a drive to reach the camp but the tour guide gives a guided ride the whole way. We then boarded a unimog, which is like a WWII style vehicle they’ve modified with seats in the back, and it takes you on a 10 min ride 2000ft up the mountain to the sled dog teams. Here you board a 6 person cart pulled by a team of sled dogs around a mile long track while the musher explains how the team operates. After the ride the musher introduces you to the team and let’s you pet all of the dogs that just pulled you. You then ride the unimog back down stopping at an outlook for super scenic pictures of the area. Once down you have a 15 min presentation about sled dog history and the Iditarod dog race. Then you get to spend time petting and cuddling 1 month old and 4 month old puppies. Then they shuttled us back to town where we did a bit of shopping and had lunch at the Skagway Brewing Co where the hand breaded popcorn shrimp was delicious. We then ventured over and got a couple of Klondike Doughboys and it’s safe to say the hype is real, best thing we’ve eaten on the trip. Back on board now and we’re headed to the Sunset Bar for the sailing out of port this afternoon.

 

[itsanita]

Thanks so much for this great day by day review. 

 

We are going July 15th with 6 grandkids, ages 8 to 14.  This is the first time I will be cruising with kids.   

Where do you sign them up for the Camp at sea?   

What kind of activities do they have for the kids.  I wanted to take them on RC, but we liked this itinerary better.  So 🤞.

And my DH wants to know if they are still handing out champagne when boarding?

[Denny01]

What an excellent thread. Thank you @kcmo74.  We also board 1 July and this is very helpful. Love Solstice. 
 

den