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For anyone who has done the Tracy Arm Fjord cruise on Celebrity Solstice


LoveTheSkinsAndYankees
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Hi! My husband and I are veteran Caribbean cruisers and have never been to Alaska. It's on his list, so I'm thinking of surprising him with the June 8 cruise on Solstice as his Christmas gift.

 

I have kind of a perfect scenario of comps, credits and promos that have pointed me right to that particular cruise -- Celebrity gave me a $300 voucher toward a new cruise because I got sick and was quarantined for 2 days on the Millennium last year, so I need to use that before it expires. Celebrity also currently has a huge special that expires in a few days that would give us $300 in on-board credit AND a Classic Drink Package for 2 (total value for both is about $1000). Plus our travel agent is throwing in another $100 in on-board credit, a $200 pre-or-post cruise hotel voucher, and free basic trip insurance. In addition, I have about $160 in airfare credit with Southwest that I need to use before June 8 (and they fly to Seattle). I'm kind of thinking this is a no-brainer.

 

So here are a few questions I have...

 

I've read on some forums that the Tracy Arm Fjord cruise from Seattle may not be quite as great as the other Celebrity cruises from Vancouver or Seward that travel by more glaciers. (But Southwest doesn't fly to Seward or Vancouver and I need to use or lose my fare credit.) So, for anyone who has done the Solstice Alaska cruise, is it still a good one? Were you able to see/do a lot?

 

Also, I'm thinking about booking an aft Sunset Veranda cabin so that we can have a full panoramic view from our balcony instead of just seeing the port or starboard side, especially when we sail through the fjord. Good idea, or is there some reason why an aft cabin is less desireable?

 

Are there any particular must-do excursions on this itinerary, which includes Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria?

 

And for anyone who knows Alaska's climate, would June 8 be a good time to cruise?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice! :)

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I would recommend getting on deck to see the fjords but if that isn't doable at some point in time into the fjord the ship will have to turn around and go back the way it came so it won't matter if port or starboard. I hear a trip into Glacier Bay is awesome but have no practical experience so I can't give any advise on that topic but there are many posts within CC about this excursion

 

Personally, I think all excursions would be great to do just depends if you can justify the $$$.

 

In Juneau we did whale watching and saw many humpbacks feeding in addition to a trip to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

In Skagway we did the combo bus/train trip into the Yukon.

 

We had a personal guide in Victoria (my cousin) and we got a fabulous tour for the price of lunch!

 

Clothing: the weather can be unpredictable so definitely want to do layers. Our friends were in Alaska the week before us (early July) and they said it was cold and rainy for much of the time. We however were blessed with great weather.

 

Enjoy the cruise!

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Personally, I think all excursions would be great to do just depends if you can justify the $$$.

 

In Juneau we did whale watching and saw many humpbacks feeding in addition to a trip to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

In Skagway we did the combo bus/train trip into the Yukon.

 

We had a personal guide in Victoria (my cousin) and we got a fabulous tour for the price of lunch!

 

Thank you so much for the ideas! I know excursions can be pricey, so I'm sure we'd end up using all of the on-board credit for excursions, especially since we wouldn't have to shell out extra for the drink package! ;)

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The 2017 trip report list has 4 or 5 Celebrity cruises, including a photojournal from MPVinBoynton. The reports will provide info about the ship, as well as excursions and DIY options.

 

If you would prefer the Vancouver RT on Celebrity, it's only 140 miles between Seattle and Vanc .... fly into Seattle then take the evening train (Amtrak Cascades) to Vancouver, or Quick Shuttle, Greyhound bus, Bolt Bus, or rent a car and drive.

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The 2017 trip report list has 4 or 5 Celebrity cruises, including a photojournal from MPVinBoynton. The reports will provide info about the ship, as well as excursions and DIY options.

 

If you would prefer the Vancouver RT on Celebrity, it's only 140 miles between Seattle and Vanc .... fly into Seattle then take the evening train (Amtrak Cascades) to Vancouver, or Quick Shuttle, Greyhound bus, Bolt Bus, or rent a car and drive.

 

 

Wow, now you've given me a whole new option! I'm not familiar with the Pacific Northwest and didn't realize it would be so easy to get from Seattle to Vancouver. Now I may have to actually bring my husband into the mix to see which one he'd prefer! :D

 

Not to sound stupid, but what 2017 trip report are you referring to, and what is MPVinBoynton?

 

Thanks!

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Not to sound stupid, but what 2017 trip report are you referring to, and what is MPVinBoynton?

 

 

 

When you open the Alaska forum page you'll see 3 Announcements and then Thread/Thread Starter. The next 3 lines are trip reports for 2017, 2016 and 2015. MPVinBoynton is someone who posted a report. I mention his in particular because it's photo heavy.

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Sawyer Glacier is what everyone wants to see when they go up Tracy Arm. Cruise ships that sail up in the fjord may not get there if there is too much ice, especially early in the season. There is a different glacier that they visit.

 

Some ships stop prior to Juneau and you can take an excursion right from there. The other way is if your ship gets into Juneau really early to take the excursion.

 

If neither of these apply, you may want to select an itinerary that includes either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. I would recommend leaving from Vancouver rather that Seattle if you can swing it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would never book the Tracy Arm route again due to the fact that it is highly probably you will miss it entirely depending on the month you travel. We did the last cruise of the season on both Radiance of the Seas and Solstice. Loved leaving from Seattle where you could get your Southwest flight to. But we were forced to do South Sawyer glacier instead of Trace Arm because of ice. This happens a lot! So from now on we'll strictly do Hubbard (which was spectacular) or Princess or NCL to Glacier Bay.

 

We even took the small boat tour at Sawyer and this small boat (50 or so people) was able to get a lot closer than Solstice did, but even so, this glacier was much smaller than Hubbard and I feel not as interesting. Just my observation.

 

I favor the up and back round trip itineraries that take out from Vancouver or Seattle and return there. Don't have a $125 train trip to do between Anchorage and Seward too.

 

Definitely go for the aft cabin though. Both of our trips were back there and it is spectacular, you see things no one else on your ship will notice. Just sayin....I will be up at midnight the day Celebrity announces their 2019 season to be able to snag one again!

 

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We did Tracy Arm where the boat sails way up the fjord and then you get off and get on a smaller boat to go all the way to the glacier. It was tremendous. Just amazing. Baby seals floating by on ice floes without a worry in the world. I'd recommend it. It was excellent.

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