Solstice or Eclipse to Alaska?

I would love to get your opinion as to which ship you would recommend for Alaska, along with any other pertinent information. My DH and I have been to Alaska twice, once on Millie and on another cruise line . We have not been to Sitka, but that is not a huge factor in our decision.

Many Thanks!

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I would love to get your opinion as to which ship you would recommend for Alaska, along with any other pertinent information. My DH and I have been to Alaska twice, once on Millie and on another cruise line . We have not been to Sitka, but that is not a huge factor in our decision.

Many Thanks!

 

 

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I love the Solstice and have yet to sail on the Eclipse. But, with all things being equal, I think I might tend to try to book on the newer ship, which would be the Eclipse. Flying into and sailing out of Seattle is my preference, only because we've had long lines and chaos in Canada Place in Vancouver. Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a wonderful city .. Seattle is just so much easier.

I like Sitka a lot but they are definitely on their own schedule there. We've been three times and each time, tour ended up canceling on us and one of those times, it was on the way back so we almost missed the ship. We definitely missed the second half of our tour.

We’ve sailed onboard Solstice to Alaska twice. Captain Tasos was amazing on both trips and this year got the ship within a mile of Tracy Arm Fjord and did an amazing spin so everyone could see the Fjord. The ice craved like never before, Brett Nixon adviased (6 July 2018) although we’ve never sailed from Vancouver I’d opt for Seattle, great city, ports and, if Captain Tasos is onboard a very enjoyable trip.

We’ve sailed onboard Solstice to Alaska twice. Captain Tasos was amazing on both trips and this year got the ship within a mile of Tracy Arm Fjord and did an amazing spin so everyone could see the Fjord. The ice craved like never before, Brett Nixon adviased (6 July 2018) although we’ve never sailed from Vancouver I’d opt for Seattle, great city, ports and, if Captain Tasos is onboard a very enjoyable trip.

I completely agree with your point about Brent Nixon. He is amazing!

I guess I had better check, as for some reason I thought Solstice was newer, but i guess it does not really matter that much! I was going by the dates for edgification process...

I MUCH prefer the Eclipse itinerary. I thought Sitka was the best port of the ones visited by either ship, and I love the long port time in Juneau which is sufficient for the Adventure Bound boat trip to Tracey Arm. I also enjoyed Vancouver a lot more than Seattle. We did fly in and out of Seattle but rode the Bolt Bus to and from Vancouver for a grand total of $100 for four people.

I guess I had better check, as for some reason I thought Solstice was newer, but i guess it does not really matter that much! I was going by the dates for edgification process...

Solstice was first of this class in 2008. Eclipse was third and launched in 2010.

Please, what is the Bolt Bus?

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Please, what is the Bolt Bus?

 

 

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A bus company owned by Greyhound.

I would love to get your opinion as to which ship you would recommend for Alaska, along with any other pertinent information. My DH and I have been to Alaska twice, once on Millie and on another cruise line . We have not been to Sitka, but that is not a huge factor in our decision.

Many Thanks!

Solstice has the worst itinerary of the 3 Celebrity ships that do Alaska cruises, and Solstice received the least desirable berthing positions at the Alaska ports.

I’m on Solstice now and we had the best berth in Ketchikan today, so go figure.

I’m. on Solstice now and we had the best berth in Ketchikan today, so go figure.

Carnival Legend at berth 2 actually got what is considered to be the "best" berth, right by the Welcome to Ketchikan sign on Mission Street in the center of town.

But any of the berths along the waterfront are fine and may be considered "best" depending on where you want to go and what you want to do in Ketchikan.

Once when we did an Alaska B2B that docked at Ketchikan both times, on each the cruise director proudly announced how lucky we were to get the best berth in Ketchikan.

Only it was a different berth each time.

I would completely ignore which is newer (they are both in great shape) and choose the best itinerary, which to me in Alaska means the most ports and the longest time in ports. I second the opinion that Sitka is a GREAT port - it is one of my favorites of all the Alaska ports (and we have been to Alaska many times). We arranged our last Millie trip specifically to get the first cruise northbound which included Sitka. I also much prefer to sail out of Vancouver because you get more out of the cruise. Seattle is a nice city, and I hear sometime Vancouver customs can be a pain (we have never had a problem) but to get more out of Alaska pick a Vancouver embarkation for sure.

We have been to Alaska and to all the ports many times and personally prefer departing from Vancouver as we live there. The port is much easier to get to via public transportation and there are many hotels in the area. The Seattle port is quite remote and you have to go via car or taxi.

As for embarkation in Vancouver, there is an extra step in that you also have to go through USA Customs before boarding and that can take some extra time. The port is very busy especially on weekends.

As for choosing ships, the Solstice and Eclipse are quite similar and shouldn't be a factor.

What I consider to be the most important factor is the itinerary. Compare them side by side. Note the Solstice goes to Skagway, to Tracy Arm in the early morning and it arrives in Juneau in the afternoon. The Eclipse goes to Icy Straight fishing village instead of Skagway, but goes to Hubbard Glacier around noon which is one of the main attractions of the whole cruise!

The point is, decide which itinerary is the best for you and maybe do them both, like we do. Also I suggest staying in Vancouver for an extra day or two.

I will echo the above - Ecilpse has an overall superior itinerary. Longer port times, first/last day sailing the beautiful inside passage, not to mention the afternoon visit to Hubbard Glacier which more reliable than Tracy Arm Fjord from a weather standpoint.

Overall the ships are nearly identical twins and whether you sail on one of them before or after "edification" will provide an excellent onboard experience. I'd base the decision 110% on itinerary with no weight on one ship over the other.