Solstice LIVE: Alaska Honeymoon Cruise Aug 9th-16th 2019

[eyecantwait]

"We" haven't even left port left and I'm already having a great time!

Perfect embarkation outfit by the way!

Enjoy!

[GenerationX]

We’re onboard!!!! Embarkation was one of our fastest ever. I started a stop watch when we exited our Uber and hit stop after my seapass card dinged and I stepped onto the ship.  Total time from setting foot on the pier to setting foot on the ship: 12 minutes and 54 seconds and that included the time it took for Jeremy and the Uber driver to unload our bags!

 

We’re currently sitting down to lunch at Sushi on 5.  I love having this as an embarkation day sit down lunch option for those not in suites or concierge.  Just like it was on my solo Equinox sailing, there’s only a couple of other tables occupied.  

 

Seriously people, start going to Sushi on 5 for embarkation day lunch before they take the option away and I die a little inside on embarkation days when I can’t sail in a suite!

 

Our table is right by the window next to the security check point for boarding guests so we’re watching people come on the ship.  As a woman of color on the younger end of the Celebrity demographic, I have to say based on the passengers I’ve seen board so far, this is BY FAR the most diverse Celebrity cruise I’ve been on in terms of both passenger age and ethnicity and it makes my heart happy to see. 

 

As our sake and appetizer came to the table the announcement came on that cabins were ready so after lunch we’ll go check out our stateroom and prep for safety drill.

 

More to come after sail away!

[Watery Dan]

We are on the cruise along with you and finally made it to our stateroom. We’re two of the seniors you saw come on board. Looking forward to your posts.

[GenerationX]

2 hours ago, Watery Dan said:

We are on the cruise along with you and finally made it to our stateroom. We’re two of the seniors you saw come on board. Looking forward to your posts.

 

Watery Dan, welcome aboard and I’m looking forward to sailing with you!  I hope we get the opportunity to meet soon.

[lovecruzin]

Sake? No spicy mangotini? Thats our go tp drink at Son5!

 

How was traffic getting to Pier 91? In May it took close to 45 min to get from our downtown hotel to when we exited our taxi 😞 

[GenerationX]

Hello from stateroom 1511. I’m sitting on our breezy veranda while jeremy unpacks (we’ve discovered when sailing in lower than sky suite square footage, it’s best to do it one at a time to avoid collisions).  Our  lunch in Sushi on 5 was great. We split the lobster and crab wontons and Kobe slider to start then Jeremy had the shrimp tempura and salmon roll and I had the pork ramen.  Everything was delicious and the service was very attentive.  

 

For those who’ve followed my prior reviews I’ll spare you my usual ode to the amazingness that is the pork ramen at Sushi on 5.  For everyone else, to give you an idea of how much I love this dish, one of my biggest hesitancies to booking a sailing on Edge is the fact that as far as I know, it’s not served anywhere onboard.

 

After unpacking we’re planning to dress for our first night dinner at Murano then have a pre-dinner drink in the grand foyer for the live music set.  We’ve already met some wonderful people (more on that in my next post) and so far are having a great time.

[GenerationX]

10 minutes ago, lovecruzin said:

Sake? No spicy mangotini? Thats our go tp drink at Son5!

 

How was traffic getting to Pier 91? In May it took close to 45 min to get from our downtown hotel to when we exited our taxi 😞 

 

I know...I ended up having 2 glasses of leftover Pinot with my breakfast (I don’t waste good wine for any reason) so I took it slow with the lunch cocktails and had Chandon.  Jeremy was a grownup and had the Nagasaki cocktail with his lunch.

 

We were coming from the suburbs but the longest part of our trip to the port was getting through the city. There is a ton of construction going on right now within the 5 miles or so of the port (especially between port and the Seahawks stadium) and it’s causing major backups.  I’d say 25-30 minutes of our 40 minute drive was just getting from Seahawks stadium where we could literally see the ship from the bridge to the port.

 

I joked with our Uber driver that we’d just jump in the bay and swim from there and it’d be faster 😂

[Blazn7]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

Hello from stateroom 1511. I’m sitting on our breezy veranda while jeremy unpacks (we’ve discovered when sailing in lower than sky suite square footage, it’s best to do it one at a time to avoid collisions).  Our  lunch in Sushi on 5 was great. We split the lobster and crab wontons and Kobe slider to start then Jeremy had the shrimp tempura and salmon roll and I had the pork ramen.  Everything was delicious and the service was very attentive.  

 

For those who’ve followed my prior reviews I’ll spare you my usual ode to the amazingness that is the pork ramen at Sushi on 5.  For everyone else, to give you an idea of how much I love this dish, one of my biggest hesitancies to booking a sailing on Edge is the fact that as far as I know, it’s not served anywhere onboard.

 

After unpacking we’re planning to dress for our first night dinner at Murano then have a pre-dinner drink in the grand foyer for the live music set.  We’ve already met some wonderful people (more on that in my next post) and so far are having a great time.

Oh pork ramen how I love thee!!

[GenerationX]

Quick update: while I was busy unpacking my bags, Jeremy suddenly stuck his head in the room and shouted to come out on the veranda quick!  We were sailing past a pod of Orca whales who were surfacing and blowing!!!! By the time I’d tossed a DKNY dress and hanger into the air and came running out, they were already pretty far behind us.  This is literally the first time I’ve regretted packing so many outfits for a cruise.

Edited August 10, 2019 by GenerationX

[vickykay]

Enjoyed your last live review and looking forward to this one. Congrats and have a wonderful honeymoon!

[hcat]

Following and enjoying..glad you are doing another live review.

Take time for  enjoyment too..It is your  honeymoon after all.

 Best Salmon we had was in Seattle...!

 

Going to show dh your shoe photos.  I hit my limit of 12  prs on a Hawaii cruise and bought a few more pairs with matching  purses  on the trip!

[CruzinfromFL]

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review. DH and I are going on our first Alaska cruise next May, we are doing a land tour first and the cruising from Seward to Vancouver on the Millennium, so I"m soaking up all the Alaska info I can find 😊

 

I'm glad you showed your shoes, I'm already stressing about what shoes to pack and trying not to over pack the shoes I'll need for two weeks LOL!

 

Nothing wrong with going to a naturalist talk with an adult coffee, my DH and I know we are really on a cruise when we go to what we call "buzzed (sometimes drunken) muster" 🍹

 

Hope your honeymoon trip is fabulous!

[GenerationX]

Good morning from the beautiful Pacific coast!  And hello to our neighbors on the Princess ship we’re passing. 

 

This cruise is already so different from all my Caribbean sailings.  There’s a crisp chill in the air this morning and the sea is as calm as a pond.    

 

My my one piece of advice so far for the ladies planning an Alaska cruise:  pack layers, layers, layers.  I’m amazed at how much temps have fluctuated in the last 24 hours.

 

The scenery we’re passing is so beautiful that I actually walked right into a pole in the solarium this morning on my way to the gym while looking out the window.  Of course, that might also be partially due to the remnants of my buzz from the sky lounge last night.

 

I just stopped in the Aqua spa to grab a bottle of water to rehydrate before my morning workout and there’s a nice light breakfast laid out with a variety of fruits, muffins and breakfast wraps.  The server remembered me from our dinner in Murano last night and asked if if we enjoyed our meal if our main waiter took good care of us.

 

Today is a sea day so there’s not much on our agenda besides our cruise critic gathering, an afternoon lecture on Northern Pacific whales by our onboard naturalist and of course a lot of reading and drinking by the pool.

 

I’m going to put in a couple of miles in on the treadmill then wake the sawmill in my stateroom and we’ll shower and go to breakfast in Blu.  

 

Coming up:  posts on last night’s dinner and entertainment and a report on our stateroom.

 

 

[maggie.1008]

What a cute couple you are. We just came home from a Azamara 10 day Alaska cruise. We only had rain 3 days out of 10. We were very pleased. I was on the Solstice the first few months she came into service. Still my favorite X ship. 

 

Cheers, Heather

[GenerationX]

Things that don’t happen at the gym at home:  while I was on the treadmill this morning a mama Orca and her baby crested the water right in front of me!!!

 

I can tell already that this is going to be one of those vacations that Jeremy and I are still talking about when we’re in our rocking chairs old and gray.

[CanuckCruizer]

GenerationX - Enjoying your review!  We are sailing on the Solstice soon and wondering if you could post each Celebrity Today so we can plan ahead.  Also, if you could post a pic of the Laundry/Dry Cleaning sheet for charges - that would be great!

Have a fantastic honeymoon!!😀

 

Thanks very much,

Canuck

[GenerationX]

A report on our stateroom:  we are in aqua class cabin 1511.  It’s underneath one of the  group workout rooms of the gym but we haven’t heard too much noise from above thus far.  We’re also just steps from a staircase that goes to straight to the spa’s relaxation lounge (which we have free access to as part of our aqua class perks).  With 2 people in the room I am definitely feeling the downgrade in storage space from sky suites but we’re making it work.  From our balcony we actually have a great view into part of the bridge.

 

Our stateroom attendant is Peter and he’s been very polite and helpful.  Our complimentary bottle of “champagne” was in the mini bar fridge when we arrived, but we usually save it until the last morning to make mimosas and drown our sorrows at having to go back to real life.  I noticed this time it’s not the celebrity brand.  I forgot to take a picture of the label but will do it later. 

 

So so far the WiFi service has been really good as well.  Speed is WAY better than it was on Infinity in December and it doesn’t keep kicking me off every 10 minutes like on Equinox in March.

 

We we just finished an eggs Benedict breakfast in Blu.  The infusion of protein, carbs and ice cold water was much needed. I’m fairly confident that this morning in the gym my sweat smelled like rum.

 

I’m currently having a coffee and another cold, nectar of the gods, Evian at al Bacio before our cruise critic gathering.

 

I’m not even hungry after breakfast but still having to talk myself out of having a Nutella croissant.

 

Room, breakfast, Blu and the demon pastry case pics below!

 

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by GenerationX

[GenerationX]

19 minutes ago, CanuckCruizer said:

GenerationX - Enjoying your review!  We are sailing on the Solstice soon and wondering if you could post each Celebrity Today so we can plan ahead.  Also, if you could post a pic of the Laundry/Dry Cleaning sheet for charges - that would be great!

Have a fantastic honeymoon!!😀

 

Thanks very much,

Canuck

 

Thank you Canuck!  I will start posting each day’s schedule and will take a photo of the laundry sheet when I get back to the cabin.

[GenerationX]

Today’s schedule (sorry for the wrinkles, it’s spent the morning in my husband’s back pocket).

[CanuckCruizer]

Thanks so much GenerationX - I appreciate you taking the time to do that!

 

Those pastries looked wonderful!

 

Have a great time at the CC Meet & Greet.

 

Canuck

[GenerationX]

Quick Update:  Captain Alex just came on and announced that we’re sailing through a heavily whale populated part of the Pacific and that he’s instructed all his officers to blow the ships horn when whales are in sight. One blast for whales at port side and two blasts for whales at starboard.  I think it’s a very nice gesture! 

[GenerationX]

My husband has found a loose slot machine and I’ve found another espresso. Life is good!

[CanuckCruizer]

6 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Quick Update:  Captain Alex just came on and announced that we’re sailing through a heavily whale populated part of the Pacific and that he’s instructed all his officers to blow the ships horn when whales are in sight. One blast for whales at port side and two blasts for whales at starboard.  I think it’s a very nice gesture! 

Now that is a very good Captain!  Hope you get to see some!

If by chance - could you find out how long Captain Alex is going to be on the ship - is he sailing the ship to Hawaii and Australia as well?  

Thanks for your great reporting😁

 

Canuck

[Beth_55]

I am loving this review !  We sailed to Alaska 3 yrs ago on Norwegian in August. Never saw a whale !  So consider yourself lucky !  We sailed from Vancouver .  Enjoy your honeymoon !  We sail on the Solstice in 34 days to Hawaii ! 

[lovecruzin]

31 minutes ago, CanuckCruizer said:

Now that is a very good Captain!  Hope you get to see some!

If by chance - could you find out how long Captain Alex is going to be on the ship - is he sailing the ship to Hawaii and Australia as well?  

Thanks for your great reporting😁

 

Canuck

Captain Alex just took over for Captain Tasos who is on vacation before going to Equinox. I believe his contract is 3 months, he should be at the helm for the transpacific.