Solstice to Alaska - First Sailing for 2023 - Hopefully Live

[danny6514]

1 minute ago, Chrissit said:

I promise I'm not ignoring this. I wanted to wait a few more days in to answer you after we were to both Tuscan and Murano to give a fair shake to the comparisons between Princess and Celebrity. 

 

No worries at all! Enjoy your cruise! Reviews can come later 🙂

[Chrissit]

Dinner was Murano last night. 

 

A few old favorites, and at least one new to us dish. 

 

The service in this restaurant is outstanding. And I say that with it also being the Chef's Table night. Didn't notice a drop in service. 

 

The Amuse was a shrimp ceviche. 

 

 

An order of Peekytoe Crab and Smoked Salmon.

 

Lobster Bisque

 

Pork belly to share

 

Murano Lobster

 

Dover Sole

 

Grand Marnier Souffle

 

Balon Rouge

 

And after dinner treats. I'm a raving fan of the orange peel. 

[Texed]

Beautiful!  😋

[s0479]

On 5/4/2023 at 9:04 AM, Chrissit said:

 

I actually held off answering this question so I could walk through a few decks this morning and give a balanced answer. I'm going to say yes, the Solstice is good shape.

 

Are there things that show she's a 15 year old ship? Of course. There are places that we can see repairs were made. Some of the soft goods are showing wear. Nothing crazy bad. There is a glass panel in one of the elevators that is broken/covered.  There are small dings, nicks, and I'm pretty sure the curtains in the cabin have a small hole in them. But they did a great job blocking out the sun this morning so I'm pretty happy with that. 

 

The ship overall is beautiful and she's looking good. The railings are in great shape (we did a cruise on Freedom of the Seas a few years ago and the varnish peeling from the railings was very noticeable and peppered around the ship). The color scheme is the older one, but we like it. Food so far has been very good. 

 

The crew has been nothing but amazing and like usual, they were out cleaning, scrubbing and doing their best to keep her clean. Everyone we have encountered so far have been kind and very engaging. 

 

Hopefully that helps? 

I’m on this cruise also and agree overall the ship looks good.  The biggest sign of wear I’ve seen is the table on my balcony and a few windows need to be fixed.

Edited May 7, 2023 by s0479

[Chrissit]

Well Cruise Critic ate my next post, so I'll skip around a bit. 

 

This is an example of what I've seen around the ship as to condition. Panel in elevator that needs to be replaced. 

 

 

Apparently someone was feeling frisky with a cart on deck 11. 

 

They were doing work on the paint today... But you can see there is still work to be done. 

 

Like I mentioned, some soft goods that need to be changed out, but over all she's beautiful.

 

Persian Gardens anyone? You can see there is a window that needs to be defogged.. but this is the quietest we've seen it this cruise. (Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate Alaska in the background?!?)

 

Also, first time we've seen these. I suspect these were sample pots that people sampled...

 

However this was being sold by the spa. A scrub, a mud and a lotion that were sold at $49 for a trio. I think there was also an option of 7 of them for $99. 

 

 

[jerseygirl732]

I am loving your live review.  How is the weather?  Views from the ship look amazing. We are leaving on the Millennium inside passage next week. 

[Chrissit]

1 hour ago, jerseygirl732 said:

I am loving your live review.  How is the weather?  Views from the ship look amazing. We are leaving on the Millennium inside passage next week. 

Weather has been great! Running between 40-60 if I pay attention to what the ships app says and the fact I don't want to keep my jacket 

 

Apparently the sunny day we had in Juneau was rare... We were told, pretty much all day long, that it's never that sunny. 

 

But it made for a glorious sunset. 

 

[Chrissit]

Juneau - beautiful weather. Seriously. Sunny all day long. 

 

A few pictures from around the ship yesterday morning (it was a full day and one of my posts got eaten). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped by Blu for breakfast. Now I could keep posting the same plate with smoked salmon and a bagel, but, since that gets boring... So you get variations 🙂

 

This was a tasty little omelet with mushrooms, and spinach. 

[jerseygirl732]

Oh wow! Beautiful pictures!  Thanks so much!

[Chrissit]

Okay, back to it! Juneau was a long day and Skagway was early. 

 

For now -

 

 

 

One of the places we hear people love is Tracy's King Crab Shack. And, here are the prices as of now. 

 

 

Here was the line around 11a. 

 

And the hustle with the crabs. 

 

This was the line around 1pm. (Before the third ship arrived in port mind you.) 

 

 

We opted for Alaska Brewing. 

 

 

Apparently their second day serving food, and we'll look at what's parked on the menu! Crab! 

 

 

 

And maybe some halibut for food measure? 

 

We finished up lunch and headed back to the shop for our 2p excursion for whale watching and lighthouse tour. Which was a brand new excursion as of yesterday. The vessel the put us on - the Beacon - was beautiful and made for whale watching. Crew was still in training (and double the number they would normally bring, but training day, so cool!) and everyone was great. We had Captain Louis and he was fantastic. 

 

Spotted humpback whales and sea lions plus bald eagles. 

 

Er, sorry for the not great pic of the whale, I was mostly using my DSLR.

 

The sight of where the old lighthouse was. 

We also got to see the new one, but there are a lot of people and try to keep things a bit low key when posting others without their permission.

 

We came back on board and had to decide between dinner and pictures.

 

Sunset won until about 8:30p. Because come on! 

(Yes, I posted it twice and I'm not sorry! It was stunning!)

 

Then a light dinner at Blu. 

 

 

 

 

 

We honestly couldn't have had better weather. 

 

Oh! I almost forgot. Solstice was parked at the AJ Terminal. Which was the furthest one out. There was a local shuttle running back and forth. But if she parks there, it's a good little walk into town. 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Chrissit
Added info

[Chrissit]

On 5/5/2023 at 8:12 AM, westcoastsue said:

We just got off a B2B on the Solstice as you boarded. We were also in Aqua Class cabin 1600 - everyone seemed to love that number! Blu service was amazing - Sherwin was the most attentive Maitre’d we have ever had and Milrose the hostess was just lovely. All the wait staff was friendly although the first cruise, which was at capacity, they seemed a bit slammed. We loved the Veuve Cliquot dinner in the wine room of Murano. It was well paced and very informative. Our table mates were good fun after a couple of the champagnes were served.

We stayed at the Pan Pacific for one night post cruise and we’re very sad to see the Solstice sail away without us.

 

I cannot agree with you more about Milrose. She is fantastic - warm and kind. We had a chance to watch her interact with some non-Aqua guests that may have been a bit confused as to what Blu was for she handled the situation beautifully and with such tact. We've spent less time speaking with Sherwin, but I'm sure that will change. 

 

Our Veuve Clicquot dinner is tonight and we're very excited. Fingers crossed for an amazing group. 

 

All in all, a great staff on board. 

 

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Thank you for your wonderful postings, great pictures. We’ve done Alaska twice but both times were in September and I think next time we’ll try an early cruise as you’re doing. I love seeing the snow on the mountain peaks. We’ve visited Juneau twice and neither time the weather was conducive to our trying the Mt Robert’s tramway due to fog or low clouds. The weather in September was great otherwise, very little rain, warm temps, no bugs and lots of wildlife. Hope you continue to enjoy your voyage and I will enjoy cruising virtually with you!

[gymden]

We are sailing from Seattle on 19th May and after seeing your photos our excitement is growing. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 5/3/2023 at 11:19 PM, Chrissit said:

 

The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) basically says you can't take a non US flagged ship between two different US ports without visiting a distant foreign port. Canada and Mexico don't count. 

 

So, we couldn't board the Solstice in LA and take her to Seattle because she doesn't stop anywhere other than Canada. It would have been considered one voyage because we were continuing on - breaking it up between the two different ships makes it allowable. 

 

Thanks for explaining.    As much as we cruise It can be so confusing.    I know the rule but your example made it totally clear.  

[Jim_Iain]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:08 PM, Chrissit said:

If it's the Revolution upgrades, I believe those were put on hold. If it's different upgrades, I'm not sure. Last time we were on board her was 2018. 

 

Starlink is on board. 

 

Revolution was put on hold and thus no Retreat Sun Deck which regular cruisers enjoy.   No Retreat but the original Wood Paneled Michael's Club.  

 

She is in beautiful condition and the staff are amazing.   We were on the cruise when Starlink was brought live.    Originally the Speeds were as fast as home on the first cruise then they Capped it to what I've seen on other ships -   about 5-6 up but only 2-3 down. 

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for posting.   I love the Food Porn.    Looks like the Chef in Blu is on target.   I cold have grabbed one of you Lamb Chops -- love the temperature you had it cooked.

 

[eyecantwait]

4 hours ago, gymden said:

We are sailing from Seattle on 19th May and after seeing your photos our excitement is growing. 

Lucky you! We have to wait until August 25th but the anticipation is part of the fun.

[SSFrance69]

Those photos of the food in Blu look great! I'm curious what the dishes were. Looks like beef carpaccio? Not sure what the others are but they look yummy. If you can remember I'd like to know so I know what I want to order. 

[Chrissit]

Okay, on to Skagway. I seem to be running about a day behind here... 

 

We pulled in nice and early. 

 

Breakfast was continental room service. And it was delivered on time and... not hot since it was continental. Although the coffee was hot and STRONG.

 

We did the White's Pass Train 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro tip - sit in the last car. You get a clean view down the tracks. Although, keep in mind, many people are trying to grab the same shot and many may love time out there. 

 

We did ask at the train ride at their station after the excision how much it was to book direct - they said $150 per person. Pretty sure those individuals were loaded into the cars further up the train.

 

Water line/tide in Alaska is interesting and varies wildly. Think 18-24'.

 

 

You can end up with some wild inclines. This was pretty much gone when we got back 4-5 hours later. 

 

Lunch was in town at Skagway Brewing. 

 

Smoked Salmon Rillette.

 

 

Fish and chips (okay onion rings). Servers were husting... But friendly. 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Chrissit
Edit

[Chrissit]

16 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Revolution was put on hold and thus no Retreat Sun Deck which regular cruisers enjoy.   No Retreat but the original Wood Paneled Michael's Club.  

 

She is in beautiful condition and the staff are amazing.   We were on the cruise when Starlink was brought live.    Originally the Speeds were as fast as home on the first cruise then they Capped it to what I've seen on other ships -   about 5-6 up but only 2-3 down. 

We're seeing those caps on Solstice. I do wish they would open them up a bit. 

 

The staff have been AMAZING. Truly a happy ship. 

[Chrissit]

Okay, dinner. We did the Veuve Clicquot dinner tonight. So, I'm going to start with the menu, add the wine/champagne/bottle and the plate. Price was at $199 per person, inclusive. 

 

This is held in the wine room of Murano on Solstice... And we had a group of four. Which surprised us since they had to add a second night. However, four of the other attendees weren't feel well. 

 

We still had an amazing time! 

 

 

 

 

Amuse

 

 

 

Poached pear salad

 

 

 

 

Sea bass crudo (my husband asked if Murano could please add this to their menu....)

 

 

Sea Scallops

 

 

 

 

Filet

 

 

 

Peach Souffle 

 

 

 

 

Okay, this is a great meal.

 

The Amuse was excellent. Watermelon and basil will be on our table this summer. Watermelon, basil, poached lobster and lemon.

 

Still not a raving fan of the Pear Salad. It felt like the spice level on the poached pears were off. The pairing with the Rose was lovely and it helped cut that spice. 

 

The crudo is FANTASTIC. (I could use less banana chips, but that's a personal thing. They don't even taste like bananas, but... It's a hold over from childhood.)

 

The Sea Scallops could have used a harder sear. That's the only comment. Beautiful, great paring.

 

The filet was great. Cooked as asked and wine paring was good. 

 

The souffle was lovely. The ice imperial pared well. Now, keep in mind, we were five wines in... But very good. 

 

And, for giggles, a comparison between the May '23 Solstice (left) sailing where we did this and the April '22 Apex (right) where we tried this the first time. Pardon the wrinkles, this was a stowaway in my "cruise purse" that we found. 

 

 

[Chrissit]

17 hours ago, gymden said:

We are sailing from Seattle on 19th May and after seeing your photos our excitement is growing. 

Happy to help! 

It's been an amazing trip and I wish you an amazing time. 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Chrissit said:

We're seeing those caps on Solstice. I do wish they would open them up a bit. 

 

The staff have been AMAZING. Truly a happy ship. 

 

The caps are really not all that bad.   I was able to stream YouTubeTv the complete cruise.   Also doing my long post had no problem uploading.     Download is a different story.    I was adding an iPhone app and it took about 3-4 minutes to get a relatively small app.    May be apple server as they said anything less than 9 MPS can cause slow downloads.

[Chrissit]

Hubbard Glacier sailing day. 

 

Breakfast was at Blu. I have had zero complaints about the food in there. Everything has been delicious. Until this frittata. Maybe I just got a lousy piece, but it was highly unimpressive. Which, after everything else being delicious... Was baffling.  

 

 

Back to the glacier goodness, it is a beautiful spot. The Captian ended up doing a full turn in front of the Glacier so that no matter where you were you had a chance to see it. 

 

 

 

 

Also there was a colony of sea lions parked just to right of the glacier. Loud bunch of fellows. We heard them before we saw them... Sadly too far off for my DSLR. They were even tiny in the binoculars. 

 

 

 

For lunch we tried to stop by Sushi on Five - they were only seating reservations. Guess it wasn't just us wanting soup for lunch. 

 

Some how that translated to us eating at Mast Grill. 

 

Dinner was Murano. We had prebooked a four night dining package. When we added the Veuve Clicquot dinner, well, we've been eating very well. 

 

Amuse

 

Spinach and Frisee Salad

 

Mushroom Cappuccino 

 

 

The Cheese Tray they currently have available. (I originally thought those were cheese curds in the middle, nope, those are dried apples). 

 

And the smaller plate we split. 

 

Apologies, I didn't grab a picture of the main. It was too good and we tucked right in! 

 

The evening sky up here is lovely. 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Chrissit
Finish post

[Chrissit]

Icy Straight Point. 

 

Before I get into the day... I want to take a moment and talk about the Solstice here. This is the first cruise we have really, really noticed the azipods.

 

This morning, we got to Icy Straight around 6:30am. And the reason that I know this pretty well is that when the azipods kicked in for docking, it was very jerky and heavy vibrations in the aft. Woke us up. I've booked aft cabins before and this is the first cruise where we have experienced this. It's not the first time either. This is the third time we've felt these heavy vibrations. And, for other aft lovers, more soot than normal...

 

Okay, back to the port. This stop is somewhat amusement parkish. We were the only ship here today and I don't know how I'd feel with another ship in port... It would be a lot. 

 

But a cool stop for wild life. We saw starfish, Bald Eagles, Sea Lions, pretty sure there was an orca, darn sure there was a whale, heading out we also saw tons of little sea otters floating around the ship. (Grab your binoculars they are totally adorable floating on the backs.) To spot the starfish, walk down by the cannery dock at low tide. 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and some crab. 

 

 

 

We did not spot bears. 

 

Now let's chat prices here at Icy Straight Point (ISP). 

 

To take the Zipline down, if you bought today at ISP, it would run you approx $232 usd. We saw it as low as $185 in the cruise planner and this does include unlimited access to the Gondola ride which takes you to the top of the mountain. 

 

That same Gondola right (minus the Zipline) will run you approx $53 usd. If memory serves, we saw that at about $58 in the cruise planner. 

 

Just something to keep in mind. 

 

We were invited to the Helipad for Sailaway out of ISP. After cruising the glacier yesterday, we knew it would be cold and did the layers thing. Which was smart. We made it about 45 minutes and then headed back to the cabin and watched the rest of sailing out from there - the sea otters kept us entertained.