Solstice August 17-24- Just Returned

People helped me plan my cruise so some thoughts on my recent cruise. We were in cabin 1062- Do not book. There was a pipe outside on the balcony and we heard banging noises off and on during the cruise when the ship was moving. Do not know if this is on all 62 cabins.

EMBARKATION- Quick and easy. Arrived around 10:40 and were on the ship within 30 minutes. 2 people in front of us on line during check in and then a small wait to board the ship. If you are taking Uber/Lyft the drop-off point is a short distance away. They do not let the drivers go closer to where taxis drop off. It is a flat walk or there are shuttles to the luggage drop off point. I would not suggest arriving too much earlier as when we departed close to 10:00 am there was still a long line of taxis and traffic waiting to get to the pier to get people home.

DEBARKATION- Used the Seattle Port Valet and it worked fine. The form was in the cabin second night and had to be returned to guest services by Monday or Tuesday night (don't remember). It did say flights on Southwest had to be before 4:00 PM, but I had a 4:55 PM flight and was able to use it. Had not gotten luggage tags by the time we left at 6:00 Pm for an excursion, so when we got back at 10:00 PM finished packing and placed our luggage outside our cabin and it was quickly picked up.

FOOD- Poor to Very Good. Found the Oceanview Cafe lacking for lunch to be crowded and not appetizing. One day had roast beef that was so tough could not cut it with the utensils provided. Most deserts lacked flavor. Ice Cream was good. Found the deserts at Cafe Bacio much better- favorites Cheesecake and German Chocolate Cake. lunch was very crowded on sea days- the one day we ate in the restaurant at lunch the Cobb Salad and Duck was good. Mast burgers were just okay- remember them as better last cruise 5 years ago.

In the dining room- any dishes with Short Ribs were excellent. My wife ordered off the vegetarian and Indian menu and enjoyed most of her choices. I found most chicken dishes to be tough. The Prime Rib, Beef Tournedos, Beef Wellington were excellent. The lobster tail was rubbery and tasteless and the Veal Cordon Blu was overcooked and tough. Green Beans were excellent while the broccoli was always undercooked.

Had a special lunch in Tuscan Grill with our group and the Filet was excellent as was the Creme Brulee for dessert.

Our Sommelier Julia provided excellent service. If you had an interest in wine she was more than willing to help you and offer suggestions. Liked the Decoy Cabernet and a Shiraz for red wines and there was a very good Reisling for white wines. The Berry Smash drink served in the dining room was excellent. Excellent service was provided by Sampoyo. We had any time dining, but BEWARE if you made a reservation online in advance. I had made a reservation for 6:30 PM each night, but when we arrived at 6:30 the first night the hostess said that time was not possible since the people that came early were still eating and no tables were available. We wound up dining at 7-7:15 PM every night and had the same waiter most nights. If you want a specific time for anytime dining see the hostess upon boarding.

BARS- Loved the Martini Bar. Great servers. Can make any type of martini you may like. Do need the premium package for a martini but there are other drinks you can get with a regular package. The different Alaska Beers were great. The Tawny 20-year port was very good, other ports on the ship so-so.

Shows- Entertainment was okay. Enjoyed the Beatles show the most. There was a comedian 2 nights and the dancers and singers did shows on other nights. Main shows lasted 45 minutes. The dancers and singers also did short shows in other venues on other nights. The Silent Disco was great fun, held on 2 sea days, so don't miss that. Brent Nixon's talks were fascinating.

EXCURSIONS- In Ketchikan, we took the public bus to Totem Bight Park. Walk down Front Street and cross and on the corner with Dock Street is bus stop with a white line on the curb. Took about 45 mins to tour the park then visted a gift shop just up the path form the park and waited for the bus. Got back to ship for lunch and then walked around Creek Street. Don't miss the Salmon Ladder if the fish are running.

JUNEAU- In the morning took the Tracy Arm Small Boat Excursion. Turned out we were actually in Dawes Glacier so not as spectacular as hoped for. Did see some calving, but it was a long trip back to Juneawithht just a few sightseeing areas. IN the afternoon took the shuttle to Mendenhall and walked to Nugget Falls. Did see 3 brown bears in the woods off the lower path with one eating a salmon. NIce hike to the falls. Took the white shuttle bus- $45 per person or $40 if you have a National Parks Pass.

Skagway- Chilkoot Train and Bus. Took the train to Fraser and then was taken by bus further into the Yukon with multiple stops including a barbecue chicken lunch. Amazing scenery. Book early if you want this excursion. Booked the 7:30 AM train first as that was all that was available and turned out better as it started raining on the drive home.

Victoria- Butchart Gardens Tour. I was on the fence about this one as you only have a little over 2 hours at the gardens, but it was plenty of time. They also have concerts at night which was nice to listen to.

SEATTLE- Visited Chihuly Gardens on our own which was amazing. Also visited the Gates discover center which was eye-opening. For people that may have bags, the Chihuly Gardens has a free bag check and it is pretty close to where a cab will drop you off. I did notice some pieces of luggage in there.

Favorite hangout places were Martini Bar and Cafe Bacio. Kind of forgot about the Sky Lounge as we only went there once. Cellar Master was pretty empty. Finally went there the last night to try some port wines. Only went to Ensemble Lounge once. Did hang out at the pool on a few days as it was warm enough.

Only on the first day did have the excessive hawking of beverage and dining packages. There was constant hawking of future cruise vacations. I was a bit surprised how many servers were in bars constantly coming over since most people had drink packages the ship is not really making any more money on drinks.

Room Service was a big negative. One time food never came in allotted time before we had to leave for our excursion. Another time we only got the breads we ordered, no hot food or beverages. One time we did get the food at the time requested it was cold.

All of the concierge cabin amenities were as promised. The welcome aboard lunch was very good, choice of short ribs, chicken or pasta. We had the bottle of champagne on our room and got pillows from the pillow menu. All concierge guests were invited on the helipad for arrival in Victoria. We had the option of waiting in Silk Harvest for Debarkation. Only paid $40 extra per person for the 7 nights- not sure if I would pay much more.

I did find the ship crowded and am thinking of a smaller more intimate ship next time. There were about 3,000 people on this sailing. I could not imagine anything bigger. The ship was generally in very good condition. On our balcony, there was peeling paint. Our room steward was okay, but nothing special. When asked for a bucket of ice for the wine bottle in our room he told us to just put it in the refrigerator.

Thank you for the review!

Thank you for taking the time to post this! We are doing nearly everything you did with the exception of Kethican next June.

For the small boat glacier tour...what time did you return to the ship? What time did you meet beforehand? Did you see any wildlife?

For skagway, did you have any challenges meeting them on time?

You were not on the Solstice at the time but they were taking photos with the caption "Tracy Arm Fjord" when the ship was actually cruising up thru the Endicott Arm Fjord to Dawes Glacier. Still beautiful.

For the small boat tour, we had tickets with a meeting time of 7:45 AM meeting in the dining room and then taken to the boat. We got back around 1-1:30 just as the ship was docking in Juneau.

For the Skagway tour, we got off the boat around 7:35 AM, not many people were getting off that early so easy disembarkation. There was a short walk to the end of the pier where a representative from the tour company was positioned and told us which bus to go to and pointed the way. The bus left a few minutes after 7:45 and took us to the train. The train we took was not at the dock but a short distance away. Upon return at 3:30 we were offered the option to be dropped off in town or at the dock. We walked around in town for a short while as it was raining and then the town has small shuttle buses for $2.00 that stop every 2 blocks and will take you back to the dock. Make sure you get on the right one as there are 2 different routes.

We were told on the small boat excursion that due to the melting ice of the glacier there was too much ice to navigate Sawyer Glacier so the ship went to Dawes Glacier instead. Curious if ships from other lines are also substituting Dawes Glacier now.

Also, the cruise connections party was the morning of the Glacier so an odd time. Do not know if many people attended.

Thanks for the report.

We were on the same cruise last week and I just have a few comments to add. Re the Tracy Arm Small Boat excursion, I had read on here several times that it was a not-to-be-missed highlight of the cruise. Our party of 6 couldn't disagree more. It was pricey (which would have been ok if we had loved it) and boring. We did get up close to the glacier...much closer than the Solstice could. But beyond that, it was basically following the Solstice in to Juneau...for five hours. Beyond the first 10 minutes closer to the glacier, I could have seen the same scenery off of the ship while doing other things at the same time. Would not recommend it. In addition, it was advertised to run from 8-1, but really didn't get in until 1:30, which made getting back to our cabins, eating something for lunch, and then getting back off the ship by 2 for our next planned excursion very tight and stressful.

We also did the Chilkoot bus and train out of Skagway, but in reverse. We were picked up by a bus at the ship dock at 8:30 and went as far into the Yukon as Emerald Lake. Had lunch just south of there where we also had a chance to take a dog-cart ride w/ dogs that train for the Iditarod and other races. Our driver was great! Tons of interesting information, took us to places where tourists do and do not typically go, and then brought us to the train where we took it back down to Skagway. He met us at the train station and then drove us either to be dropped off in town, or back to the cruise docks. I'd highly recommend this excursion. Did not book it through Celebrity.

In addition to the Chihuly Gardens in Seattle, which were great, I'd also highly recommend the Seattle Free Walking Tour (http://seattlefreewalkingtours.org/). We did the Seattle 101 tour, had a great, very engaging tour guide who unintentionally tied a lot of the information/stories we heard in Ketchikan and Skagway with history in Seattle.

I agree with your comments on the small boat excursion. Thought it was too long. I think it would have been better if we actually went to Sawyer Glacier as there are 2 glaciers in that fjord so would have spent more time at the glaciers. I would have liked it better if it was a 1-hour excursion from the ship to the glacier and then brought us right back to the ship. Would have been much cheaper also. The favorite excursion was the Skagway Train/Bus. We did want the 8:30 bus first but it was sold out by the time we booked. We had fantastic weather on the way up and it started raining about half way on our trip back.

We were on the same cruise last week and I just have a few comments to add. Re the Tracy Arm Small Boat excursion, I had read on here several times that it was a not-to-be-missed highlight of the cruise. Our party of 6 couldn't disagree more. It was pricey (which would have been ok if we had loved it) and boring. We did get up close to the glacier...much closer than the Solstice could. But beyond that, it was basically following the Solstice in to Juneau...for five hours. Beyond the first 10 minutes closer to the glacier, I could have seen the same scenery off of the ship while doing other things at the same time. Would not recommend it. In addition, it was advertised to run from 8-1, but really didn't get in until 1:30, which made getting back to our cabins, eating something for lunch, and then getting back off the ship by 2 for our next planned excursion very tight and stressful.

 

We also did the Chilkoot bus and train out of Skagway, but in reverse. We were picked up by a bus at the ship dock at 8:30 and went as far into the Yukon as Emerald Lake. Had lunch just south of there where we also had a chance to take a dog-cart ride w/ dogs that train for the Iditarod and other races. Our driver was great! Tons of interesting information, took us to places where tourists do and do not typically go, and then brought us to the train where we took it back down to Skagway. He met us at the train station and then drove us either to be dropped off in town, or back to the cruise docks. I'd highly recommend this excursion. Did not book it through Celebrity.

 

In addition to the Chihuly Gardens in Seattle, which were great, I'd also highly recommend the Seattle Free Walking Tour (http://seattlefreewalkingtours.org/). We did the Seattle 101 tour, had a great, very engaging tour guide who unintentionally tied a lot of the information/stories we heard in Ketchikan and Skagway with history in Seattle.

Appreciate your perspective. We are on this itinerary June 21, 2019 and I was going to book the small excursion. Based on your input, I will not spend that money there.

Appreciate your perspective. We are on this itinerary June 21, 2019 and I was going to book the small excursion. Based on your input, I will not spend that money there.

I am on the Solstice on Sept. 14th. If you are cruising before that could you give the updated Crew, CC hostess and entertainment ( shows ect. ) Thanks, Heather

My wife and I were on the same cruise as carlsbadguy. I agree with all of his points, so hopefully he doesn't mind if I throw in a few observations. Overall, we had a great cruise, with just a few misses.

Embarkation was great. Pick up at hotel at 10:02, onboard by 10:53, and 20 minutes of that was the van ride. Disembarkation was also smooth. Our group was called a bit early, U.S. customs basically checked your face against your passport and we didn't have to stop walking. However, the pier 91 pickup area was a zoo; handling two cruise ships at the same time maxes out their traffic capability. It took our van service quite a while to get to us. We would have been toast if we had an earlier flight. As we departed, the uber/lyft area had very long lines, and it is a bit of a hike to get there from where we were picked up. FYI.

Carlsbadguy's comments on the food mirrored our thoughts. I really liked the MDR's french onion soup, but their red meat was only so-so except for the short ribs, which were very good but kinda fatty. We had also pre-made MDR reservations, but we stopped by once onboard to check our times. The anytime dining maitre'd said our 6:00 to 6:15 times wouldn't work, so we changed all of ours to 5:15. A bit early, but it worked out for getting to the 7:00 shows. The buffet was very crowded for breakfast and lunch but OK for the couple of times we ate there after late excursions. We always found something we liked; the omelet station was very good. My wife enjoyed having chicken breasts cooked to order at one of the buffet stations. The young lady who served at the ice cream station was always smiling and helpful.

We too had problems with room service, though carlsbadguy at least got his order in. We couldn't figure out the TV interactive menu to order, and there was no written menu in the room we could find. We just went to the cafeteria.

The Martini bar was awesome, but for a quieter atmosphere we liked the ensemble bar and the sky lounge...when we could get into it, as it was frequently closed for "private events", day and night. And having to be out of the sky lounge by 9:30 when we were sailing up to the glacier didn't please us.

We booked this cruise through Costco travel, and there were supposed to be Costco provided amenities and events - didn't happen.

Worse, there was nothing in our cabin about our cruise critic roll call party, and customer relations knew nothing, though we checked a few times on day 1 and 2. After we got back home, somebody on the roll call said it happened, but we were never notified so we missed it.

The lectures by Mr. Nixon and Miss Amanda were outstanding. Unfortunately, we had to leave two of his lectures early in order to make our MDR reservation. Hopefully Celebrity can schedule them sooner as to not run into dinner reservations. If you get a chance to hear them, I wouldn't miss their talks...both are very knowledgable and enthusiastic.

Sorry we missed you, carlsbadguy, and thank you for your review.

Vandyv

Thanks for sharing the hits and misses...seems quite a few misses, but you didn't let that ruin the cruise,

Curious why the maitre d said the time you booked your res would not work?

Seems the dining res system did not function well on this cruuse,,,

...the sky lounge...when we could get into it, as it was frequently closed for "private events", day and night....

Understood. Are you Elite or higher on Celebrity? I ask because the Sky Lounge was used for the nightly cocktail party of upper tier Captain's Club members when we sailed Solstice. I'd assume it was still the same on your voyage.

On 8/29/2018 at 1:50 PM, dpcmh said:

smmountaingal said:

 

I'm on the week before you.

Dan, I was working on our symphony roll call list, are you still with us on that cruise?  Being neighbors, I thought I'd ask.

Everyone else, sorry for the intrusion.

22 hours ago, BillOh said:

Dan, I was working on our symphony roll call list, are you still with us on that cruise?  Being neighbors, I thought I'd ask.

 

Everyone else, sorry for the intrusion.

Hey Bill....we have not finalized our plans for Symphony yet....we are 50/50 at this point....we subsequently booked Alaska to celebrate us both turning 50...and crossing it off our bucket list...