Live from the Solstice 5/1, first Alaskan trip of the season

[senior lady]

we were there for a day& half.

coming back on ship the 2nd day they had "one" person checking ID and cruise cards. 2 scanners for security.

Finally when the line-up go so long it was all the way out onto the main street they brought some extra people to speed up the process.

Even going through customs as it was our first port of entry from Canada was a 2 hr challenge.

:rolleyes:

[Northern Aurora]

I have also enjoyed reading this review.

 

But I do have one question. As someone who lives in Alaska we are accustomed to strange questions about our state, but was there confusion as to what currency Alaska uses?

 

...

We docked in Juneau at the farthest dock from town even though we are only one of two ships today. ...There is a $4/rt shuttle that drops you off right at Mount Roberts Tram. They accept American cash only.

 

...

[Lois R]

I have also enjoyed reading this review.

 

But I do have one question. As someone who lives in Alaska we are accustomed to strange questions about our state, but was there confusion as to what currency Alaska uses?

 

I noticed that too...maybe some folks just don't know that Alaska

is a state:rolleyes: or they meant to say, Cash only and no credit cards

and they typed "American" in error?:confused:

[Its my first]

I have also enjoyed reading this review.

 

But I do have one question. As someone who lives in Alaska we are accustomed to strange questions about our state, but was there confusion as to what currency Alaska uses?

 

I believe this is to let people from other countries know to have American money with them. Often times, when in Canada or Mexico, I will use American money and it is accepted but, here in the US that is not the practice.

[kennelgang]

Dont sail out of San Francisco either, cause it's even worse than Vancouver

 

Karen,

 

What are the details of your bad experience sailing in and out of San Francisco? Have you sailed from the new pier 27? We have cruised from and to SF a few times and had no problems with embarkation or debarkation and that involved the outdated pier 35. We are cruising from pier 27 a week from this Friday on Celebrity Infinity round trip San Fran.

 

Bob

[kenevenpar]

I have also enjoyed reading this review.

 

But I do have one question. As someone who lives in Alaska we are accustomed to strange questions about our state, but was there confusion as to what currency Alaska uses?

 

My Mother called it "butter on bacon". Cash money or ink pen are two other examples.

[koolforkatz]

I have also enjoyed reading this review.

 

But I do have one question. As someone who lives in Alaska we are accustomed to strange questions about our state, but was there confusion as to what currency Alaska uses?

 

I did two Alaska seasons working on a cruise ship. We were asked on more than one occasion, by Americans, if Alaska took U.S. money.

[tangerinebunny]

I did two Alaska seasons working on a cruise ship. We were asked on more than one occasion, by Americans, if Alaska took U.S. money.

 

Too bad you had to give an honest answer.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I did two Alaska seasons working on a cruise ship. We were asked on more than one occasion, by Americans, if Alaska took U.S. money.

 

Too bad you had to give an honest answer.

 

Love it ! :D

 

Looking forward to our FIRST sailing to Alaska in THIRTY DAYS ! :)

 

One question though... at what point does the Solstice make the shift to embarkations from Seattle ? The comment about Vancouver caused my heart to skip a beat! If this has been covered, my apologies for missing it - I'm guilty of skimming. :)

 

Tom

[Northern Aurora]

Sometimes I think folks have read too much Jack London at a early age, but it really interesting to hear the questions when we tell folks that we live in Alaska. And those "reality" TV shows don't help either.

 

I did two Alaska seasons working on a cruise ship. We were asked on more than one occasion, by Americans, if Alaska took U.S. money.

 

It doesn't happen frequently, but we have been asked when using our Alaska Air VISA credit card in other states if some sort of "surcharge" should be added to the bill. But it also amazes me how many Canadians think that Alaska is part of Canada. We were on the Infinity for 42 nights this spring and three Canadians thought we were fellow countrymen -- it is always folks from the eastern provinces.

 

Fuinseog's review is very well thought out and the comment about American currency is made when discussing the second port of this cruise. Just curious as to why she made it.

[Lois R]

Love it ! :D

 

Looking forward to our FIRST sailing to Alaska in THIRTY DAYS ! :)

 

One question though... at what point does the Solstice make the shift to embarkations from Seattle ? The comment about Vancouver caused my heart to skip a beat! If this has been covered, my apologies for missing it - I'm guilty of skimming. :)

 

Tom

 

Hi Tom....she is going in and out of Seattle now. The only cruise that

started in Vancouver was May 1st.....going forward she does Seattle/

Seattle roundtrip.

I sail her FRIDAY:)

[Pushka]

I did two Alaska seasons working on a cruise ship. We were asked on more than one occasion, by Americans, if Alaska took U.S. money.

 

 

Well, Americans keep asking if they can use USD in Australia for purchases.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hi Tom....she is going in and out of Seattle now. The only cruise that

started in Vancouver was May 1st.....going forward she does Seattle/

Seattle roundtrip.

I sail her FRIDAY:)

 

Thanks.

 

I'm guessing there was a foreign port "requirement" of some sort which brought it to Vancouver after Hawaii ??

 

Tom

[Lois R]

Thanks.

 

I'm guessing there was a foreign port "requirement" of some sort which brought it to Vancouver after Hawaii ??

 

Tom

 

Probably yes, because she sailed over from Australia/New Zealand;)

[Escriteur]

Thanks so much for live-posting this review of your Alaska cruise aboard the Solstice! We'll be doing a round-trip Seattle cruise on June 12, so it's great to get some recent impressions of the ship and ports. And thanks for the heads-up on the Molecular Bar; I got my hopes up when you mentioned it was still there, but at least I'll know what to expect when we sail next month.

 

Keep the updates coming, and I hope you'll post your pics/videos here when you return home! In the meantime, happy travels...!

 

~ Shay

[suenterry]

I'd be interested to read of any embarkation horror stories from Seattle.. hope there aren't any:) but thanks for the updates.. not long for us now.

[Knicks1130]

Can you post the Celebrity Today's for the week?

 

Thanks!

[rootbear]

I was on the same cruise. Fantastic week! Another reason Vancouver embarkation was so bad was that this was the first Alaskan cruise for the season and many of the employees were new. While finally getting to the check in desk (after over two hours wait) the supervisor had to come and help because we had booked two days before the cruise and all of our information had not transferred.

[fuinseog]

To answer questions: The formal nights were more casual than I have experienced in the past. I saw a few gowns and one tux. As PP said, the cruise overall was definitely more on the casual end.

 

I put the American cash on there because our guide on the Duck Tour in Ketchikan said he is always asked multiple times a season what currency is accepted up there ???? So, evidently some people don't realize it is a US state, or just aren't thinking?

 

As PP said, we had gorgeous weather for this trip. Not a drop of rain. Fog and clouds in Ketchikan, but that was the worst of it. We took the train in Skagway, which was a nice experience. For the price, I would not do it again, but it was very relaxing, and everyone in our party enjoyed it. Speaking of Skagway, if you have kids age 7 and under, there is an amazing public park just off 6th and Broadway. We were directed there by a very nice shopkeeper when a diaper emergency presented itself. They said there would be changing tables there, and they were correct! Very clean restrooms, and the only changing tables we saw in town. The park was wonderful for our two year old to burn off some energy after sitting on the train. It has the crushed rubber mulch, lots of slides and swings. Definitely check it out if you have a little one. Oh, and it is free!

 

Overall, we loved our cruise and would definitely sail Celebrity again. The ship was beautiful. I thought the Oceanview Cafe had the best buffet food we have had at sea. I mean, there was roast duck on the buffet...and it was good! The buffet did get very crowded, especially on sea days, but I think this was mainly due to people sitting and watching scenery, not necessarily eating. Tables were always promptly cleared, so I am not sure what, if anything, Celebrity could do to improve this, short of adding table space.

 

Our other complaint was our room 9298. Every day, multiple times a day, there was a loud, repetitive banging noise, usually accompanied by a saw or drill type noise. Loud enough that it could be heard outside the room and on the balcony. When we first heard it in the afternoon, we thought it was maintenance. Annoying, but we could live with it. Then it kept us from sleeping. We called guest services three times about the issue over the course of the cruise, but it did not happen when the manager was present. Our cabin steward heard it and told us she had heard it was something with the pipes, but it was never resolved. We did see maintenance walking around our deck looking perplexed. The room itself was wonderful otherwise. I would hesitate to book this area again, but since I have not read about a similar experience, maybe it was just a one-off problem.

 

The staff on board was wonderful, incredibly polite and accommodating. The only times we felt service was slow was when a venue was obviously busy, and it was evident that waiters were rushing to serve as fast as they could.

 

Oh, and disembarkation in Seattle was a breeze! We did have 200 passengers disembark in Victoria, which seemed like a large number, probably due to the fact that we left from a Canadian port. I think from the time we walked down the gangway to the time we were on the Celebrity airport shuttle was 20 minutes, honestly. Very quick and efficient. Our number was called just before 8:30, so I think we may have missed the rush earlier in the morning.

 

If people are interested, I can post dailies, as I kept them all. I just have to get them scanned.

[anandaindonesia]

Thank you for the dailies offer. Please do. [emoji4] [emoji106]

[Knicks1130]

Yes please scan and post them!

[Chicogirl]

To answer questions: The formal nights were more casual than I have experienced in the past. I saw a few gowns and one tux. As PP said, the cruise overall was definitely more on the casual end.

 

 

 

I put the American cash on there because our guide on the Duck Tour in Ketchikan said he is always asked multiple times a season what currency is accepted up there ???? So, evidently some people don't realize it is a US state, or just aren't thinking?

 

 

 

As PP said, we had gorgeous weather for this trip. Not a drop of rain. Fog and clouds in Ketchikan, but that was the worst of it. We took the train in Skagway, which was a nice experience. For the price, I would not do it again, but it was very relaxing, and everyone in our party enjoyed it. Speaking of Skagway, if you have kids age 7 and under, there is an amazing public park just off 6th and Broadway. We were directed there by a very nice shopkeeper when a diaper emergency presented itself. They said there would be changing tables there, and they were correct! Very clean restrooms, and the only changing tables we saw in town. The park was wonderful for our two year old to burn off some energy after sitting on the train. It has the crushed rubber mulch, lots of slides and swings. Definitely check it out if you have a little one. Oh, and it is free!

 

 

 

Overall, we loved our cruise and would definitely sail Celebrity again. The ship was beautiful. I thought the Oceanview Cafe had the best buffet food we have had at sea. I mean, there was roast duck on the buffet...and it was good! The buffet did get very crowded, especially on sea days, but I think this was mainly due to people sitting and watching scenery, not necessarily eating. Tables were always promptly cleared, so I am not sure what, if anything, Celebrity could do to improve this, short of adding table space.

 

 

 

Our other complaint was our room 9298. Every day, multiple times a day, there was a loud, repetitive banging noise, usually accompanied by a saw or drill type noise. Loud enough that it could be heard outside the room and on the balcony. When we first heard it in the afternoon, we thought it was maintenance. Annoying, but we could live with it. Then it kept us from sleeping. We called guest services three times about the issue over the course of the cruise, but it did not happen when the manager was present. Our cabin steward heard it and told us she had heard it was something with the pipes, but it was never resolved. We did see maintenance walking around our deck looking perplexed. The room itself was wonderful otherwise. I would hesitate to book this area again, but since I have not read about a similar experience, maybe it was just a one-off problem.

 

 

 

The staff on board was wonderful, incredibly polite and accommodating. The only times we felt service was slow was when a venue was obviously busy, and it was evident that waiters were rushing to serve as fast as they could.

 

 

 

Oh, and disembarkation in Seattle was a breeze! We did have 200 passengers disembark in Victoria, which seemed like a large number, probably due to the fact that we left from a Canadian port. I think from the time we walked down the gangway to the time we were on the Celebrity airport shuttle was 20 minutes, honestly. Very quick and efficient. Our number was called just before 8:30, so I think we may have missed the rush earlier in the morning.

 

 

 

If people are interested, I can post dailies, as I kept them all. I just have to get them scanned.

 

 

Celebrity has a Shuttle in Seattle to take you to the airport? Where do I sign up for that?

[Langley Cruisers]

Hi, update again following OP's further comments -

 

Yes, disembarkation was very smooth and quick! Seamless! Oh, except for the part where we waited 40 minutes for a cab (they were absolutely doing the best they could - the line had several dispatchers working it). I said to my DH that it was a good thing we were the only ship in Seattle that morning or it would have been even worse. For the record - I advise you to get off the ship early if you are going to the airport by taxi. We were just going to a hotel so no big deal, but I could sense the growing anxiety all around me. :(

 

Yes, duck, leg of lamb, roast beef, pork all being carved in the buffet. Made- to-order Eggs Benedict (with several variations available) in the buffet. An ice cream bar in the buffet with at least 8 kinds of ice cream and many toppings! My day always ended with a single scoop of "something" and Reese's Pieces on top - so fun! :D

 

We have not sailed Celebrity before and were pleased overall with the food, accommodation, and service. I am sure we will sail them again. :)

 

.

[curtdesilets]

Quoted: For those of you wondering, the bartender at the Molecular Bar confirmed the last day for the bar is May 22nd.

 

Bummer, we sail on May 29th. What are they planning to do with that space instead?

[Escriteur]

Celebrity has a Shuttle in Seattle to take you to the airport? Where do I sign up for that?

 

It's a paid transfer service you can book via Celebrity; if you log into your reservation, click on the "Transport" tab for availability/prices, or call Celebrity to inquire. I don't recall what they charge (the "Transfers" link isn't showing on my reservation), but we've booked a private Town Car service through a local company for $59 (+tip) each way -- I think it actually worked out cheaper than the Celebrity transfer, which charges a per-person price for a shared shuttle bus.

 

Alternately, if you have an afternoon flight, you can go into your reservation and look up Seattle shore excursions...Celebrity offers two different sightseeing/airport drop-off options. One is Chihuly Garden & Glass and Space Needle with airport drop-off (around $80pp), and the other is "Seattle Essentials" with airport drop-off (around $70pp).

 

~ Shay