Celebrity Solstice Review: May 8th 2015

[rockinrobbo10000]

Hello! Thought I'd post my first thread ever of my cruise experience onboard the Celebrity Soltice to Alaska on May 8th, 2015. Here goes nothing!!

 

We arrived at Pier 91 with high hopes:rolleyes:, smiling faces:), and a pocketful of kryptonite... :eek:

 

Embarkation was very smooth. The line for priority was shorter but not much different than when we arrived around 11.45. There was a slight delay with our kind hearted representative helping out other colleagues, but it really was super smooth. The welcome wine as we arrived on deck was a nice touch. It was the shape of things to come. I think, all in all, the boat initially seemed quiet then with the exception of the entry area and the buffett. Not sure when lunch started, but maybe we should have gone there early instead of gawping at all the ship had to offer!

 

My first thoughts were that it was a classy and beautiful ship. Its decor and shape were extremely elegant. As we came to realize, passenger flow was almost mystical- with the exception of feeding time in the buffet, or the theater get togethers, it regularly felt like there weren't that many people onboard. How do they do that?

 

Our aquaclass room was 1531 (all odd numbers on port side). My wife refuses to unpack, so plenty of room for me to streeetch out. There are a lot of draws and cabinets. The bed was very comfortable and the balcony was a decent size. The welcome bottle of sparkling wine in the room was nice, as was the daily canapes( don't forget to put your order out the night before). Same goes for breakfast (put it outside by 2am, I believe). We ordered basic breakfast room service one day, and everything came as we had asked for it- wonderful. I think we should have got flowers, and didn't, so we should have bought the bouquet from the wonderful Pike Market! No big deal.

 

The complimentary Persian gardens and steam room shower facilities were very enjoyable and serene, though probably not worth paying for if you don't have an aqua room. Persian gardens was a wonderful place to unwind and stare out to sea for wildlife, though I only used it once. My wife went there to hide from me a couple of times, but I soon found her. See if you can find the secret stairwell to and from deck 12!

 

We did an official " meet and greet" of cruise critic members on day two, around 10.15am. This was nicely attended by Ben (cruise director) and some other senior entertainment staff. It was fun to meet cruise critic members, whom I had met on the role call in the long preceding months before the cruise. I saw some again and others never. If you sign up officially on Cruise critic for this get together, you should get an invitation for this on your bed, when you first enter your room. Ask at guest services if you don't.

 

Loved the indoor swimming pool solarium area. It was usually incredibly quiet and relaxed, though it had its busier moments too. They played chill out music and there are towels on all the beds for your convenience. A great part of this experience was the Aquaspa cafe ( available to all) and it served healthy option breakfast and lunch menus. They also do super healthy, unsweetened smoothies as part of the service. This is inclusive in the beverage package.

 

Premium upgrade- Think it's well worth it to upgrade, regardless of your drink preference. Vast majority of core speciality drinks will be out of reach at Molecular and martini, and who wants to be looking at drinks prices every time you go out for a snifter when you paid / received a package?

 

Enjoyed my time in Passport. Great bar on D3 to get good service and watch life in one of the main walkways. They had a good team down there , just once was I almost assaulted by a supervisor for annoying my wife. That's the closest I've come to being thrashed by a crew member, but I think it was all in good jest. My wife was laughing a lot, and strangely still is.

 

No such problems up in Molecular, though. That transpired to be our go to place each night for a variety of different concoctions. You do have to often wait a little bit, but there is a serious amount of effort going in to each creation. Pedro, you are a Portuguese superstar!! Martini bar was also very good fun, watching them pour several drinks at once. Martini was usually the busier of the two. Didn't spend much time in Quaser, and it looked mostly quiet- maybe it got busier, but I wasn't there to see it.

 

Ensemble bar was cool for unwinding to late night chill out music, and it is a through fare for all the speciality dining areas at the aft of the ship. It was always cosily lit, but rarely ever busy (except for the putt putt competition).

 

Despite the fact that the tenders worked hard and served many people, it seemed that the process for making a drink in some bars was a little inefficient. For example, some bars were temporarily understaffed as the server went off to make a drink. Then they would come back, start serving the next person and go off again; and repeat. Boy, some people don't like lines!

 

Enjoyed the efforts of Brandon, the activities cove. Very relaxed atmosphere during the activities, especially the golf in ensemble. Trivia was also fun, but don't expect all the "correct answers" to actually always be correct. There was a mix up with old dii/dice issue and it almost looked like a riot was about to break out. If you win at trivia ( or anything), ask for the round Celebrity playing cards as they are cool, but strangely unavailable in the gift shop. Such activities are a super way to meet new people, and our trivia teams were often formed with several people who had never met before.

 

We loved Blu! It was our little dinner hideout almost every night. The service was wonderful, and our sommelier Mako did a great job pairing our wines. She even stopped asking us if we wanted to do that each night. All the wait staff were polite and hardworking. The food was definitely cleaner and clearer, with no creamy, thick sauces, which helped keep a few pounds off, I'm sure. Breakfast was very much the same fayre and service. We loved Blu!

 

We ate once in the main dining room, with some friends and it was enjoyable. food and service were both good. We enjoyed a few cruise day breakfasts/ in the buffet. It naturally gets pretty busy here, with, at least, some food constantly served- pizza and snacks. Although busy, people were usually highly courteous to one another and lines for stir frys and design your own pastas were normally pretty short. The trick to the Buffett is finding a table at rush hour. Good luck with that!

 

The shows were very good and we watched every one. There was a decent mixture. We enjoyed the Elton John impersonator, comedian Kivi Rodgers was hillarious and the singing and dancing was good, particularly the ghostlight anthology. The solo singer (forget her name!) offered a very intimate show, and she had a wonderful voice.

 

The naturalist Brent Nixon was highly engaging, offering a very dynamic and informative series of presentations on whales, seals, Eagles and Alaska in general. Even if this is not your thing, go and watch at last one. We watched them all. Miss Amanda's lectures on the ports of call and, intriguingly, "Titanic" we're also most enjoyable, if a little less robust.

 

Alaska was simply a beautiful place to visit. Every day we spent time looking for whales and we often saw the spouts, even way off in the distance. It is great fun. We also saw a big pod of porpoises, and that was cool too, as was the bear on the shore! It was almost unbelievable to be sitting and relaxing, eating drinking, and talking nonsense with such a pristine backdrop. I haven't mentioned the scenery very much. Just know it was a stunning part of everything that we saw and did. The early morning glacier/ fjord viewing at Tracy Arm on Juneau day is something that will stay with me for a very long time.

 

The ports of call were most enjoyable. We took a float plane over The Misty Fjords in Ketchikan, which was amazing, then walked a short hike above the town, before taking in the tourist sites such as Creek St at and the Totem Center, where we received some fascinating information from one of the staff. Ketchikan is an easily navigated town, just don't forget the map from the tourist center near the ships's dock. This provides easily followed routes. You cannot miss the eagles. They are like seagulls there!

 

Juneau was an interesting place. It's not as picturesque as the other towns, but there is so much to do, it will be very easy to leave it thinking more about the things you didn't do than the things you did. We went whale watching (once again, great) and this included a short drop off at the Medenhall Glacier. Assuming most whale companies follow the same type of schedule, it is worth noting that you probably won't have much time at the glacier. There is an interesting video at the visitor's center (near bus drop off), but it will be difficult to watch it all and take the longer Nugget Falls walk to the glacier to see it closer up. We did said walk, but only just, and we are pretty quick walkers. After our excursion, there really wasn't a heap of time to take in the town. We saw what we could of the main buildings and salons and then made the deceptively long (at least a mile) skip back to our ship, which was docked furthest away. Just a note of interest: We didn't tender here. I believe every 2nd week the ship will. There is a list online of each port's docking schedule for the season, which list what each ship is expected to do. It will also list what other ships are in town that day, plus total number of anticipated cruise passenger totals for the day.

 

Skagway, like Ketchikan, is an easily traversed town. Some of its buildings are wonderfully preserved in the era of the gold rush. I love the history of this period, and you did feel it a little as you walked around. It maybe helped that we did a super park ranger walk at the town's official visitor's center/ museum. Both were free. We did the train ride up, and though not cheap, it afforded wonderful views, and largely followed a significant portion of the White Pass gold panners trail that created the town in the first place. Don't strain too hard to take panoramic photos on the way up, if you are on the "wrong", or right hand side of the train. Enjoy the scenery and the moment. You will get a chance later! The train's narrator will explain how and why!

We didn't shop much in most towns, as a lot of the stores are chiefly stone and gem ones (why?!), which we had no interest in. However, in Skagway, we came across these beautiful hand carved and painted wooden Russian statues. Many where Christmassy, but not all. We loved them, and they seemed to gain considerable interest from passers by. My only regret is not buying " Santa riding the giant salmon". If we had had time, we would have hired bikes and completed the short two mile cycle to the town's cemetery, and nearby waterfall. Alas, we did not! The train does take you by it, and the the area looked most pleasant and worth a visit. You can also take a regular, short bus ride from downtown, for those who don't want to cycle.

 

Finally, Victoria. Dear Victoria. It looks more like Britain than Britain does, with all the double decker buses, red phone boxes and English style pubs i.e "The Sticky Wicket". I almost felt homesick. It was a tremendously well taken care of city and it does charmingly ham up the UK feel. We briefly looked around and took some photos of colonial architecture, before visiting a few of the local pubs, and playing music bingo. It was a fun stop, but almost surprising to be on the agenda seeing we are so close to Seattle, and it's fairly late when you get there on the last night. I believe some USA maritime law governs this.

 

When we got back on board, we decided to put our suitcases out that night. It is worth noting that, if you are going in to Victoria on this final night, it will be midnight before you know it! The next morning we had plenty of time for a final Blu breakfast. We did notice people just walking off the ship at around 8am, with all their luggage ( nothing left out the night before). We definitely wondered if we should have just done that. Assuming that anybody can do this ( and you are physically able to do it), this might be particularly useful to do if you have an early flight! Our disembarkation took a while, and we did have to line up for a bit, to get off the ship, but it was not bad. Don't worry about booking the airport bus/ shuttle beforehand, if you are not in a big hurry to leave. You will find a man selling tickets when you clear the departure building. As we arrived on Pier 91, we still had our smiling faces :), exceeded expectations:D, and more than a pocketful of memories;). Unfortunately, we also had a jolly big line for the airport buses. On the bright side, the taxi line was a lot smaller. I'd like to tell you there wasn't a palpable sense of desperation and depression on that bus, as we slowly pulled away...... You could have heard a pin drop.

 

Anyway, wrap up time, even though I've probably left out several things. The cruise was tremendous, with so many positives and memories for a lifetime. We went into it with a positive mind, made an effort to meet new people, and take part in the activities. Just about everybody we spoke to was there to embrace it, and it showed through everyday. We met super human beings, some simply humbling, and saw some beautiful places and amazing creatures. Some people tell me that, just like really negative reviews, really positive ones get disregarded by some readers. Well, to be more moderate in my praise of the Celebrity Solstice cruise, sailing out of Seattle on May 8th 2015, would be a complete injustice. Thanks to all who made it what it was. Thank you also to those who have made it this far in to my ramblings- almost there!! If you are about to go on this vacation, we hope you have a brilliant trip! We did.

 

Slainte!!

 

JR

[Illinisue]

Thanks so much for your review. We will be on the same itinerary in August!

[Azulann]

Thank you for your cruiser review. By the last sentence, I was grinning too. :D

I have meet many cruisers with the same attitude. It adds to the sharing of a wonderful trip, on board a lovely ship, to beautiful places in the our world : the perfect vacation.

:)

[Trilee]

Thanks for a great review. You sound like you'd be wonderful people to travel with. :)

 

We're going on our first cruise later this year, Solstice, Aqua class, and only a couple of doors from your room! Lol. You've answered a lot of questions I had. Glad ye had a great time.

[Lois R]

Glad you had such a good cruise:)....I did too. Not sure if we met or

not but I agree, it was a wonderful week:D....the weather was just

awesome:D

[KenM]

Great review.

How long is the trip to the airport from the pier?

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[rockinrobbo10000]

Thanks so much for your review. We will be on the same itinerary in August!

 

Hello,

 

You are going to have a great time. I wish we were doing this again then, too!!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Thank you for your cruiser review. By the last sentence, I was grinning too. :D

I have meet many cruisers with the same attitude. It adds to the sharing of a wonderful trip, on board a lovely ship, to beautiful places in the our world : the perfect vacation.

:)

 

Hi,

 

That is all so true. I thought about this a lot on the cruise, and the make or break of any travel experience is the people you meet.

 

Happy travels, Azulann!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Thanks for a great review. You sound like you'd be wonderful people to travel with. :)

 

We're going on our first cruise later this year, Solstice, Aqua class, and only a couple of doors from your room! Lol. You've answered a lot of questions I had. Glad ye had a great time.

 

Hello Trilee!

 

Thanks! We loved the whole experience of Aqua. IF you have any questions about it, just ask. I will endeavor to answer as best as I can!

 

Cheers!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Glad you had such a good cruise:)....I did too. Not sure if we met or

not but I agree, it was a wonderful week:D....the weather was just

awesome:D

 

Hello Lois,

 

Yes we met! I am the John who spoke to you at the Roll Call get together. We spoke a few times- once when you were getting of your floatplane, and I was getting on mine.

 

It was such a wonderful week. I read your review too and am glad you had such a memorable time!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Great review.

How long is the trip to the airport from the pier?

 

Much obliged, Ken.

 

So, the bus ride itself was about 45 minutes, but we also had to wait in line for the bus for approximately 30 minutes. It was slow going ( maybe more so than normal), and thats kind of why I mentioned disembarking with all your own luggage early, if you can to avoid additional delays. I know some people have tight plane connections.

 

All the best!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Thanks for your review.

 

Hi Portofrome,

 

Our first cruise was a RCL one in the Adriatic, starting from Venice, and we loved it. I guess its what made us such keen cruisers!

[Lois R]

Hello Lois,

 

Yes we met! I am the John who spoke to you at the Roll Call get together. We spoke a few times- once when you were getting of your floatplane, and I was getting on mine.

 

It was such a wonderful week. I read your review too and am glad you had such a memorable time!

 

Ahhhhh......thank you for refreshing my memory:D yes we met a few

times!:) and happy to read we both had a great week:D

[Escriteur]

Many thanks for your review, JR -- I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise! We'll be aboard the Solstice in two weeks, so I've eagerly been reading each new review that pops up in the forums. :) Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

~ Shay

[vakmom]

What a great review of our cruise! I ditto everything you so elegantly wrote. The cruise was wonderful, but the folks we met made it all the more spectacular :) Though I will admit we had to go through "detox" when we came home. ;)

 

"Bob and his chick"

[flyingv4me]

We're going in August and can't wait! Your review makes waiting even harder!

[LuckiePuris]

Fantastic review! Glad to hear you enjoy your cruise :)

[cayennered]

Thanks so much for your great, informative review. We will be on the same cruise July 10th. Hope our trip is just as wonderful as yours was!

[banrambo]

Thanks for a timely bit of info. We are cruising August 21-28. Aqua class. What do you recommend for daytime dress? No excursions but strolling into towns.

[rockinrobbo10000]

Ahhhhh......thank you for refreshing my memory:D yes we met a few

times!:) and happy to read we both had a great week:D

 

Indeed, Lois! Have a great future cruise, and look forward to hearing your experiences!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Many thanks for your review, JR -- I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise! We'll be aboard the Solstice in two weeks, so I've eagerly been reading each new review that pops up in the forums. :) Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

~ Shay

 

Thanks, Shay! You are going to love this vacation! :)

[rockinrobbo10000]

What a great review of our cruise! I ditto everything you so elegantly wrote. The cruise was wonderful, but the folks we met made it all the more spectacular :) Though I will admit we had to go through "detox" when we came home. ;)

 

"Bob and his chick"

 

It's "Bob and his chick", if those really are your names ;) As soon as I read the title, I knew it must be you! Almost forgot about that!

 

P.S I heard detox gets easier the longer you leave it- just saying.

[rockinrobbo10000]

We're going in August and can't wait! Your review makes waiting even harder!

 

I was the same with reading all the useful info on this site leading up to our vacation, and my expectations were high, i'll admit!

 

Not long to go now. Hang in there!!

[rockinrobbo10000]

Thanks so much for your great, informative review. We will be on the same cruise July 10th. Hope our trip is just as wonderful as yours was!

 

Thank you for the compliment. Wishing you a fantabulous trip in only a few weeks. Yikes! :D