Alaska, Solstice, Specialty Dining and Premium Beverage Package Questions

[InTheWASide]

Hey everyone. I'm doing some research and checking out some things. I've looked at shore ex and have a few in mind, but here are my questions for this posting...

 

Alaska

Are there any things that happen on Celebrity ships that are unique to their ALASKA cruises? (or similarly are there any special events that will happen on this upcoming cruise that are Celebrity exclusives... NCL has the White Hot Party for instance, an event exclusive to their brand) The majority of my cruise experience (just look at my sig) is obviously with Holland America and they'll have hot Dutch pea soup in mugs out on deck for the days with scenic glacier cruising and a few other unique bits and pieces along the same lines... Obviously I don't expect Celebrity to have DUTCH pea soup as they aren't a Dutch line, but I think it gives an idea for the type of info I'm looking for.

 

Solstice

Is there any word on whether or not the Martini bar top will be fixed soon? I read in a couple posts a while back that it's been out of commission for a while.

 

I've seen that Solstice has Quasar unlike Reflection for instance that has it's nightclub in the Sky Lounge pretty much? So if the nightclub is Quasar, what does the Sky Lounge on Solstice have for entertainment at night?

 

Michael's Club. I know it is becoming, or has maybe already become the craft beer bar? Was that done on Solstice? They also are saying on another thread that Michael's will be the new Zenith Lounge until 7pm or so. Does that mean I have no way to access all those specialty beers until night time?

 

Specialty Dining

Do Tuscan Grille, Murano and/or Silk Harvest have lunch menus? Free or at a charge? If yes, any info on the menus?

 

8 day cruise. We have never cruised on Celebrity before. We are definitely trying the alternate venues at dinner. Any hints, tips, tricks with the menus? Also, if it were you... would you do a 3 dinner package with one time in each of the 3? or the 5 day package with 1 Murano and 2 Tuscan Grilles and 2 Silk Harvest each?

 

Beverage Package Questions

The premium package handles cocktails up til $12. Or some have said $13. The molecular bar drinks are mostly $13.75 if I've seen correctly? Have amounts been changed on board or will I have a small add on to anything I order from that bar? Most of the drinks I've seen on those menus appeal to me and I won't mind if there's a small difference but it will be a little on the obnoxious side...

 

 

Thanks for indulging me... I'm not new to cruising but I am new to Celebrity and I'm getting REALLY excited!

Edited January 4, 2014 by InTheWASide

[misha1]

We sailed The beautiful Solstice this last September on a Seattle to Seattle Alaskan itinerary. No Pea soup on deck but I think they were offering hot chocolate and Baileys in signature thermos-like mugs. I think the Naturalist who spoke many times o board was a HUGE draw...very interesting. There was a night in the buffet that featured many Alaskan fresh fish and seafood selections. We ate in the buffet for our evening meal and everyone raved about the freshness and preparation. Maybe not unique to Celebrity but lovely nevertheless is the Brunch. Gorgeous ice sculptures, trays of beautifully prepared foods, chocolate fountains, many many choices. Every evening had some kind of dance party-like theme and people were out and about enjoying themselves. There was a comedy show later in the evenings called Sin City...very funny.

The Martini Bar does not need the ice to make it a fun and entertaining place. What a show the bartenders put on. Ask for the Martini flight...delicious! I do not know when the ice bar will be fixed.

Dine in one of the speciality restaurants the first night, you can usually get a discounted price. I have heard some getting up to 50% off, we have enjoyed a 20% discount. You will be amazed at all of them but Tuscan Grille was spectacular...it is aft with a huge window that overlooks the water. We dined there the evening that we were going through Tracy Arm Fjord and what a view! Try each one at least once. You will not be disapointed. My understanding of the packages is that Celebrity picks which night you dine where and I did not care for that so we chose to NOT purchase the package. I may be wrong on that so check it out.

We did not go to Michael's club at all. We rarely saw anyone in there when we walked by.

If you have the Premium alcohol package you will only have to pay the difference in the allowance...at least that is how it worked when we sailed. The molecular bar was interesting but the Martini bar was alot more fun.

I hope I helped a little. I am looking forward to our next Solstice class cruise. We had such a good time. Bon Voyage!

Edited January 4, 2014 by misha1

[AlkiRagdoll]

I just completed the Solstice 12day Sydney-Auckland

Beverage: virtually all of my drinks were covered by the Premium Package. I didn't try the Molecular as none of their drinks sounded interesting to me. It was also not a happening place at the times i passed by. I did try ALL of the Martini Bar drinks and found a few i will try to make on my own. Martini bar is supposed to be fixed by July according to the guys/bartenders. This bar and the bartenders is the ships best asset in my opinion. All drinks are recorded on your final bill and if you are over the individual price limit you are just charged the difference. I got sick one nite and rather than pass my cold to others had dinner in my stateroom. I had to pay for the Diet Cokes ... Which really irked me.

 

Specialty Dining. I ate in Tuscany Grill as my first specialty. I am of Italian descent and go to Italy regularly. This was not authentic food and was virtually the same food served in the MDR (some on different nights). I didn't feel that there was value so i did rest if my dining in MDR.

 

Excursions: i was very disappointed in 3 of the 5 excursions i booked through the ship. On one, a 7.5 hr excursion, we spent 6 hrs on a bus. 3 hrs on the bus was expected, but we toured a wildlife park on the huge bus rather than the parks golf carts (if you previewed the parks assets, they show golf carts as the mode of transport) which was not disclosed before. The excursion meals were worse than getting sandwiches from 7-11 (yes, small deli sandwiches in plastic boxes) and you have to buy your soft drinks. I didn't see anything on these excursions that i could not have booked on my own. Celebrity does a good job of trying to scare you from booking privately (if you return late from a private excursion, the ship wont wait for you - they only wait for their excursions).

 

In New Zealand we cruised the fjords. There was no hot chocolate on the decks unless you went to the buffet or Bacios to get it.

[ORV]

Hey everyone. I'm doing some research and checking out some things. I've looked at shore ex and have a few in mind, but here are my questions for this posting...

 

Alaska

Are there any things that happen on Celebrity ships that are unique to their ALASKA cruises? (or similarly are there any special events that will happen on this upcoming cruise that are Celebrity exclusives... NCL has the White Hot Party for instance, an event exclusive to their brand) The majority of my cruise experience (just look at my sig) is obviously with Holland America and they'll have hot Dutch pea soup in mugs out on deck for the days with scenic glacier cruising and a few other unique bits and pieces along the same lines... Obviously I don't expect Celebrity to have DUTCH pea soup as they aren't a Dutch line, but I think it gives an idea for the type of info I'm looking for.

 

Solstice

Is there any word on whether or not the Martini bar top will be fixed soon? I read in a couple posts a while back that it's been out of commission for a while.

 

I've seen that Solstice has Quasar unlike Reflection for instance that has it's nightclub in the Sky Lounge pretty much? So if the nightclub is Quasar, what does the Sky Lounge on Solstice have for entertainment at night?

 

Michael's Club. I know it is becoming, or has maybe already become the craft beer bar? Was that done on Solstice? They also are saying on another thread that Michael's will be the new Zenith Lounge until 7pm or so. Does that mean I have no way to access all those specialty beers until night time?

 

Specialty Dining

Do Tuscan Grille, Murano and/or Silk Harvest have lunch menus? Free or at a charge? If yes, any info on the menus?

 

8 day cruise. We have never cruised on Celebrity before. We are definitely trying the alternate venues at dinner. Any hints, tips, tricks with the menus? Also, if it were you... would you do a 3 dinner package with one time in each of the 3? or the 5 day package with 1 Murano and 2 Tuscan Grilles and 2 Silk Harvest each?

 

Beverage Package Questions

The premium package handles cocktails up til $12. Or some have said $13. The molecular bar drinks are mostly $13.75 if I've seen correctly? Have amounts been changed on board or will I have a small add on to anything I order from that bar? Most of the drinks I've seen on those menus appeal to me and I won't mind if there's a small difference but it will be a little on the obnoxious side...

 

 

Thanks for indulging me... I'm not new to cruising but I am new to Celebrity and I'm getting REALLY excited!

 

Unless something has changed, and I don't believe it has, the craft beers are not available on Solstice. :( There was a good Alaskan beer on the Solstice Alaska cruise though. I forget the name of it.

 

I've sailed on 5 different Celebrity ships and have yet to be on one that has the craft beers. I hope to be on one soon that has them before they scrap the concept. Great idea, poor execution.

 

I believe I've read those 13.75 prices you saw in the Molecular Bar was for some sailings with the tips added. From what I've read you should be fine in there with the Premium Package. We were fine with the Premium on the two ships we've been on that the MB.

 

I turn in fairly early so not sure about the Sky Lounge, but I believe they have a dance band playing there in the evenings, or at least they did in the past, things have been rumored to be changing.

 

Can't really help you with the Specialty restaurants as I've tried Murano and Tuscan grill a couple of times but I really can't find the value in them, others opinions differ. Sometimes they are open for lunch with a reduced menu at a lower price. Definitely not free though.

 

You'll love Celebrity. Enjoy your cruise.

Edited January 5, 2014 by ORV

[InTheWASide]

Thanks everyone for the info you provided. I can't begin to explain how excited I am about this trip. I've done about 30 cruises and this will be my 4th time to Alaska and there's only one new port (Icy Strait Point) but I'm seriously super excited and can't wait for it to get here.

 

Misha, Alki and ORV, your comments have been very helpful and if anyone else has more to add or answer and include their insight I would greatly appreciate it (as a secondary benefit, this "thank you" message also serves as a 'bump'.)

[ClaudiaB]

Both times we did Alaskan cruises it was on Infinity. The day we went to Icy Strait Point or Hubbard Glacier they opened the helicopter pad and let people on there. It was freezing cold of course, but we had our warm gear on, accepted their wool blankets and hot chocolate, and huddled up there taking amazing photos with the rest of the crazies who went out there with us.

 

The naturalist on our cruise is almost what made it for us. I didn't miss one lecture and we followed his lead and spent the time out on deck watching for whales and the very special place that is Alaska. His name is Brent Nixon and I don't know where he's lecturing now, but he has his presentation down to a science and it's fascinating. He's got an almost romantic feel for Alaska but it's contagious. Some people found him a bit corny but I loved listening to him as he narrated on the ship's intercom as we passed through different areas of the inside passage or called attention to certain things we should not miss. An Alaska cruise is more of a reflective, quiet cruise. Lots of time sitting and looking out. We bought fancy pants binoculars just for it!

 

We missed a couple lunches and got up early and stayed up late just to see what he recommended. It was worth it. Who needed a theatre show or a casino or anything like that when we had Alaska all around us.

 

I don't remember anything particular in the way of food. We took a long, very cold rainy hike about 7 or 8 miles total up Laughton Glacier with about 10 people - getting off the nice dry warm train -- and I wouldn't have missed that for the world.

 

We don't find the grand buffet very special at all. Ice carvings - you see that at every wedding. All the food sits out on those steam trays for a couple hours and it's like what you get upstairs in the buffet. It's crowded and they do a nice job of presentation but we skip it and eat a relaxing meal in Bistro on Five instead.

YMMV however.

 

Enjoy your cruise. You'll love it!