Living the Alaskan Suite Life On Board Celebrity Solstice, September 2018

Kevin's girl · February 14, 2019

I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I should have known life would get a bit crazy if I said I would have plenty of time to get this done.

I have one last sunset pic of the port in Juneau.

We arrived back in port rather late and missed dinner in Luminae. This proved unfortunate for us as our only choice was the Ocean View Cafe. We did not eat here often as Luminae was just too good to miss, but food here was more than lacking. On that note, I will also say that we skipped all of the Speciality Restaurants this cruise because of how good it was in Luminae.

Kevin's girl · February 14, 2019

Our next port of call was Skagway. The first excursion I booked for this port was helicopter to dog sledding on the glacier. We were so excited about this one, it was to be the high point of the trip. But alas, it was not to be. It seems that there was not enough snow for the excursion to happen and it was canceled a couple of months before the cruise. Next I booked Alaska Gold Rush Highlights. We were to take the White Pass train ride, go panning for gold (Kevin was going to take pics) and have a Salmon Bake for lunch. Ticked a bunch of Alaska boxes, right? Nope, when we arrived on board the ship there was a letter stating that this trip was canceled by the tour operator. We went to Michael’s Club to see the Concierge and pick out something else. The Concierge and Michael’s Club is another great suite perk. Rhiannon was great help and we ended up with a bus trip up to the Yukon that included the suspension bridge, a bison chili lunch and train ride on the White Pass Railroad.

There was no time to see Skagway on our own, but I did snap a few quick pics as we drove on to the great Yukon.

ppatick · February 14, 2019

1 hour ago, Kevin's girl said:

I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I should have known life would get a bit crazy if I said I would have plenty of time to get this done.

I have one last sunset pic of the port in Juneau.

We arrived back in port rather late and missed dinner in Luminae. This proved unfortunate for us as our only choice was the Ocean View Cafe. We did not eat here often as Luminae was just too good to miss, but food here was more than lacking. On that note, I will also say that we skipped all of the Speciality Restaurants this cruise because of how good it was in Luminae.

Hi, we are really enjoying your review and photos. We were on one of the first Solstice cruises, also, to the Caribbean. Best cruise we have taken up to now. My mother in law footed the bill, so I don’t remember the restaurant situation. Which ones charge extra? We want to do the Alaska cruise this September for our 30th anniv. Thanks! Peggy

Kevin's girl · February 14, 2019

25 minutes ago, ppatick said:

Hi, we are really enjoying your review and photos. We were on one of the first Solstice cruises, also, to the Caribbean. Best cruise we have taken up to now. My mother in law footed the bill, so I don’t remember the restaurant situation. Which ones charge extra? We want to do the Alaska cruise this September for our 30th anniv. Thanks! Peggy

Peggy, Alaska will be such a pretty place for your anniversary. In September you may even get lucky with the Northern Lights. Extra charge restaurants on the Solstice are the Murano, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest and Sushi on Five. There are two more places that charge for drinks but not the food. They are Spa Cafe and Cafe al Bacio. The Gelateria portion of Cafe al Bacio is for charge and located on the far end from the coffee area. Due to the fact that it was so chilly Cafe al Bacio was always very crowded, but service was very fast.

eyecantwait · February 16, 2019

Thanks! This is just the review I've been looking for! We'll be on the Solstice in August 2020.

We were last on it in May 2010 and loved it so really looking forward to revisiting an "old friend"

Angela

mbw1024 · February 16, 2019

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 3:53 PM, Kevin's girl said:

Next up were sea lions, purple mountains, eagles and one of the prettiest sunsets we have ever seen.

As we started to turn around and slowly return to the harbor the mountains turned purple and yes our captain did sing of "purple mountains majesties". It was so pretty.

This looks like a great day. I am the photographer but my husband not so much. I am guessing he will still enjoy it, right? What was the duration of this excursion? Thanks.

Kevin's girl · February 16, 2019

3 hours ago, mbw1024 said:

This looks like a great day. I am the photographer but my husband not so much. I am guessing he will still enjoy it, right? What was the duration of this excursion? Thanks.

He will definitely enjoy it. I can't imagine a better place to just enjoy the views. The tour was 5 hours. Schedules to Start at 3:15 and ended at 8:15, but we were a bit later getting back. It really was an amazing trip, we would even do it again.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

On 2/15/2019 at 8:58 PM, eyecantwait said:

Thanks! This is just the review I've been looking for! We'll be on the Solstice in August 2020.

We were last on it in May 2010 and loved it so really looking forward to revisiting an "old friend"

Angela

Angela, She is like visiting an "old friend", hasn't change a bit. I'm glad you are enjoying the review. I'll get my thoughts together here and get it done so you can see it to the end. There are SO many pics from Skagway that I have had a hard time choosing. I mean, 640 pics and nobody wants to see that many 🙂

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Our tour details went much like this but in reverse:
Tour Description
After boarding the White Pass & Yukon Route railway at your Cruise Ship dock, you'll begin your 1¾ hour trip to Fraser, British Columbia. Built in 1898, the White Pass & Yukon Route railway is a narrow gauge railway that begins at sea level and ascends the White Pass--the border between the United States and Canada--at an elevation of 2,865 feet. The route is particularly scenic, and you'll be passing through several tunnels and over wooden trestles during your 27 mile trip to Fraser.
As the train makes its way to Fraser, you'll be traveling at a maximum speed of 25 mph. During the trip, you'll hear stories of the miners and prospectors who made this sojourn on foot more during the Gold Rush of 1897. For your comfort, each car is equipped with rest rooms.
Upon arrival in Fraser, you'll transfer to a bus and travel north to Tutshi Canyon, the site of the Yukon Suspension Bridge. Owned and operated by a First Nations tribe, the Yukon Suspension Bridge is a visitor attraction dedicated to providing an overview of the history and ecology of the area. Here you can view three-dimensional interpretive displays, watch for wildlife while sitting on the deck and enjoy the exhilarating experience of crossing the suspension bridge, which hangs 57 feet above a class four and five river.
On your return trip to Skagway, your guide will regale you with tales of hardship that earlier travelers endured in their quest to reach the interior. You'll make a photo stop in the Tormented Valley, which contains large areas having an almost "lunar" appearance, making this one of the most unique eco-systems in North America. And once you're back in Alaska, you'll stop at Pitchfork Falls, the most photographed falls on the Klondike highway. It tumbles down the mountain from Goat Lake, passes under the railroad tracks and down to the Skagway River gorge.

In this one you can see the tracks of the White Pass Railroad. We will be there later in the day.

Time change

Our bus, never a really big crown on this part of the tour.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Our guide was really good. He gave us all kinds of information but also left plenty of time for us to just enjoy the views.

Once we arrived at the Yukon Suspension Bridge, we had a really good bowl of Bison chili and headed off to explore.

The views during lunch were wonderful.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Kevin and I had a bit of a camera battle at the bridge, so picking pics is even harder than before. It was just such a beautiful place and the colors were changing.

If you come with kids or good humored adults there are stops along the path to play or investigate.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Life in the Yukon

From the opposite side of the river the views and facilities look like this:

Dining area

Gift shop, cafe and restrooms.

eyecantwait · February 17, 2019

2 hours ago, Kevin's girl said:

I mean, 640 pics and nobody wants to see that many 🙂

Once your daughters wedding photographer gives you the usb with 1300+ pictures 640 sounds like a piece of cake! LOL

Really enjoying your photos and glad we have time to plan. So many options!

Edited February 17, 2019 by eyecantwait

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Following the afternoon at the bridge we were off to catch our train. Kevin spent the entire trip in his seat and I spent most outside of the car. It was beautiful with hills, mountain and tunnels.

Our train, I was excited that our engine was the green and yellow with the eagle.

The view from the station

Heading down to our assigned car. You can choose your own seat once inside your car.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

13 minutes ago, eyecantwait said:

Once your daughters wedding photographer gives you the usb with 1300+ pictures 640 sounds like a piece of cake! LOL

Really enjoying your photos and glad we have time to plan. So many options!

I'm glad you are enjoying the photos. I get what you mean about the wedding USB. I think weddings are like good vacations, you can never have too many pics. Our total for this trip was 4,000 which is pretty much the norm for me 🙂

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Train views:

Just have to love the color. Wiki explains it like this:

Glacial meltwater comes from glacial melt due to external forces or by pressure and geothermal heat. Often, there will be rivers flowing through glaciers into lakes. These brilliantly blue lakes get their color from "rock flour", sediment that has been transported through the rivers to the lakes. This sediment comes from rocks grinding together underneath the glacier. The fine powder is then suspended in the water and absorbs and scatters varying colors of sunlight, giving a milky turquoise appearance.

No, our train does not go on this bridge. Can you see why?

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

Like I said earlier, I liked hanging on the outside. Everyone was nice and shared the space.

Kevin's girl · February 17, 2019

I can not believe I could actually post a video. Please let me know if you have luck viewing it.

Cruise port dead center and still a long way away.

TahitiDreaming · February 18, 2019

5 hours ago, Kevin's girl said:

I can not believe I could actually post a video. Please let me know if you have luck viewing it.

Kevin's girl - loving your trip report. Yes, I was able to watch your video. (PS - hope your meningioma has been/will be taken care of - I am a survivor of a spinal cord meningioma that had to be removed and have another stable one (5+ years) in my brain. I had 4 back surgeries, but all is well now. Positive thoughts for you.)

Kevin's girl · February 18, 2019

13 hours ago, TahitiDreaming said:

Kevin's girl - loving your trip report. Yes, I was able to watch your video. (PS - hope your meningioma has been/will be taken care of - I am a survivor of a spinal cord meningioma that had to be removed and have another stable one (5+ years) in my brain. I had 4 back surgeries, but all is well now. Positive thoughts for you.)

I'm glad you are enjoying the trip report and to hear that you are doing well after your meningioma. I hope that one in your brain behaves itself. Mine was brain and was removed October 4th. I had a small bleed/stroke post op and it caused some trouble with my writing, hence the delay in getting this posted. It is really good to go back through the photos and think of all the fun we had during this cruise. The next one isn't even in the planning yet. Which is unusual for me.

kmerlin14 · February 21, 2019

Just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed your detailed reports. I took your Great Britain cruise vicariously through your posts and then was quite excited to see you had one on Alaska when I came over to this part of the board because we are actually planning a trip to Alaska. I really hope you are recovering well and staying healthy and that reliving your cruise gives you some happy memories to help you along with it.

Kevin's girl · February 21, 2019

4 hours ago, kmerlin14 said:

Just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed your detailed reports. I took your Great Britain cruise vicariously through your posts and then was quite excited to see you had one on Alaska when I came over to this part of the board because we are actually planning a trip to Alaska. I really hope you are recovering well and staying healthy and that reliving your cruise gives you some happy memories to help you along with it.

I'm so glad you are enjoying the Alaska report, especially after following along with Great Britain. I look forward to hearing about your Alaskan adventures following yours. I am recovering and sharing the happy memories help.

Kevin's girl · February 21, 2019

After we were back on board and saying goodby to our last Alaskan port, I realized that I still needed to pay homage to the great state. I toasted it with a Duck Fart.

This is what WAKEBOARDER.com say about the drink:

Quintessentially Alaskan because it was invented here. Quintessentially Alaskan because it's got an animal in its name. Quintessentially Alaskan because that less-than-genteel name weeds out the delicate.

A layered drink made of Kahlua, Bailey's Irish cream and Crown Royal (in that order, and ideally with just a float of Crown), the Duck Fart is to Alaska what the Mai-Tai is to Hawaii and the Margarita is to Mexico.

In true Alaska tradition, our drink is the biggest, in that it packs a Denali-sized punch. That's why it comes in a sturdy shot glass instead of the frou-frou stemware those others drinks come in. An ounce of our most famous drink is all you need. (But might not be all you want.)

The Duck Fart was invented 18 years ago this month at the Peanut Farm, although manager Terri Ditty, who's worked at the bar for 10 years, said no one is still around from the heady days when the Peanut Farm was tiny and its bartenders inspired. Its creator, Dave Schmidt, reportedly moved to Oregon several years ago.

Schmidt recalled his brainstorm in a Daily News story in 1991. He was tending an empty bar on a snowy, mid-week night in December 1987 when a woman who looked to be in her 70s walked in and ordered a shot of tequila. Then a B-52. Then a Grasshopper. Pretty soon Schmidt and the woman were experimenting with variations on old themes. At one point Schmidt poured a shot of Kahlua into a glass, then added a shot of Bailey's.

"Pour in a little Crown Royal on top,'' said the woman, whose identity remains unknown.

Schmidt complied, and the woman slammed the drink.

"And then she let out a big 'Bllllpppppp! with her mouth,'' Schmidt said.

Schmidt said he couldn't remember why he and the woman decided to call it a Duck Fart, although maybe her audible reaction had something to do with it. Or maybe it was inspired by the rubber duck beak Schmidt found that night behind the bar and wore while mixing drinks for his lone customer. Or maybe it was inspired by Schmidt's Oregon roots, a theory that presumes he was a University of Oregon fan. Shudder to think of the results had he been an Oregon State fan.

Brien Cole, a sales and marketing manager for K&L Distributors, was a supplier for the Peanut Farm at the time and said Schmidt's invention took off like, well, a shot.

It was rather tasty, especially with my condition induced alcohol rationing.