Solstice Alaska June 17-24 suite recap

I have appreciated the reviews which informed our decision to book this cruise, and so we will share our impressions in return. In summary this was a fantastic cruise and we are glad we selected it over the other options. Any criticism below is for completeness only as nothing detracted from our overall pleasant experience.

We previously sailed Reflection among other lines newer ships and were concerned the smaller/relatively older Solstice would disappoint. It never disappointed. The ship was great, the crew friendly, and the itinerary was wonderful. The Solstice is a balanced mix of a big ship with impressive amenities and a small ship with manageable space and relaxed atmosphere.

The ship shows it is ready for dry dock with some minor imperfections (eg the rear of our suite curtains had duct tape on several tears) but it is overall an immaculate ship cared for meticulously and constantly. We commend the crew for "caring" for their ship.

The crew were tested with an "oversold" ship (evidently pretty well all higher occupancy rooms were fully occupied) but they never let a smile disappear. They were friendly, helpful, we'll intentioned and, even funny (We had the "funniest and best Captain on the ship").

The weather in Alaska was cool but not freezing in June and the rain was minimal.

The Suite we stayed in had plenty of space and amenities. Luminae was great with staff who seemed to know us from Day 1. Though the ship was "oversold" it never appeared crowded and they always somehow managed to have "our table" available. The menu was limited but they were extremely accommodating making up for this, and of course the food was excellent. Michael's was perplexing. A nice cozy space with a friendly helpful host. But beyond finding a space with windows it felt like there was more that could be done to make it a more meaningful suite enrichment. But Lenny went above and beyond the call of Duty to help with any request which made it a worthwhile space for us.

Our favorite excursion was dog sledding on a glacier (Mendenhall). Unforgettable. We worried about rain in Juneau causing cancellation but the minimal rain was not an issue and the entire experience was amazing.

We can't say if we missed much going to Endicott rather than Tracy Arm due to continued ice, but we were not left wanting. The Captain managed to navigate expertly and even do "donuts" with the vessel as if it were a small SUV, and so we had plenty of time to see and enjoy a view of a glacier and iceberg bits with countless animals on them.

The food in all venues compared favorably to other lines. The buffet was, as could be expected, crowded at peak times for coveted spaces. The specialty restaurants were all excellent but too often booked on this cruise. We like to "wing it" but recommend if you are on this itinerary, book dining choices at least a few days in advance as they appear to be successful in an obvious push to encourage relatively more guests to buy into the surcharge meal plan.

Our Butler was as nice as can be although like some others on board appeared relatively new to the itinerary. If he could remember to, he would do absolutely anything we would ask. We were a little surprised to have to ask for certain things (the suite came with a bar which was replenished.... whenever we asked but not automatically, for example). It really was up to us to figure out what to ask him to do, and a little confusing (to us) as to what his role was versus Lenny in Michael's versus the typical resources on ship. But he was so very friendly the experience was entirely pleasant.

We enjoyed this cruise and highly recommend it.

Thank you for your detailed reiview of the ship, staying in a suite and your overall impression of an Alaska cruise.

Thanks. I'm sailing Solstice to Alaska this Sept. I also chose this ship over other options.

Can you confirm whether the Molecular Bar is still there? Or it is already replaced by World Class bar.

Can't believe that Tracy Arm has still much ice this June.

OP: Welcome to Cruise Critic! Thanks for your helpful review.

Can you share your observations about how Celebrity compares with other lines with which you have cruised?

(We had the "funniest and best Captain on the ship").

I know everything is Captain Kate right now, but Captain Tasos (the younger brother), is amazing.

He's absolutely brilliant, skilled and one of the most personable people I've meet.

I had the honor of being part of the Captain's Dinner and he was an unforgettable event.

I'd sail exclusively on Solstice just for him!

Sure notjaded. We have not sailed the ultra premium smaller lines yet so we can only compare to the typical brands including sister RCCL, and NCL, and Princess for example. We think that Celebrity does a better job with our interpretation of food quality, and general space ratios. We found it relatively quiet and the layout was easy and manageable. We did have our kids with us and there was less for them to do as far as ropes courses or waterslides, but what was there was entirely accommodating and useful and the staff went out of their way to make the experience perfect. For whatever reason, Celebrity for us found a layout that is more intuitive and accessible, even if perhaps more simple. We did enjoy all our cruises and believe there are good choices out there but definitely found Celebrity to be to our taste, including suite and non-suite offerings. The technology was underwhelming with the new WiFi good or better than before but not great, and the balance adequate but not innovative compared to others with apps and features which were more modern. Thus did not detract from the voyage of course but we hope they update some. Happy to answer any questions!

I know everything is Captain Kate right now, but Captain Tasos (the younger brother), is amazing.

He's absolutely brilliant, skilled and one of the most personable people I've meet.

I had the honor of being part of the Captain's Dinner and he was an unforgettable event.

I'd sail exclusively on Solstice just for him!

We really enjoyed sailing with him on the Constellation Transatlantic last November. Would love to sail with him again!

Excellent report, thanks!

Roquejo, I think Molecular bar was in pack down mode so would not hold my breath on it being there Sept but they were there still and I hear the others are willing to reproduce the menu anywhere from what I hear (less experience there than most with the kiddos in tow!)

So happy you enjoyed the cruise and thank you for your report.

Keith

Roquejo, I think Molecular bar was in pack down mode so would not hold my breath on it being there Sept but they were there still and I hear the others are willing to reproduce the menu anywhere from what I hear (less experience there than most with the kiddos in tow!)

Thanks, that made sense.

The official word from Celebrity that they will be gone by June 1.

But before the dry dock this October, the Molecular bar setup is still there, so technically, they are still in transition period and can still serve limited Molecular Bar menu .

I have reason to believe that only after the dry dock will the bar setup will totally be renovated to the World Class bar setup.

Thanks for the review, we are not big cheerleaders for ships captains or CD's as a lot here are BUT Capt Tassos was very memorable and fun to chat with, he always seemed to be having as much fun or more than his guests. I am confused by your "oversold" term though which to me would imply there were more guests than beds, were there pax sleeping in the halls? :eek: I would assume you mean Solstice just sailed full though :p

Right Sheriff Joe, she was just "full" and there was no one left to lounge on deck (who didn't want to). The term "oversold" was from the crew, not my my phrase... I think they were more apologizing for being unable to fit in some specialty dining reservations and explained it as being caused by "every room which can accommodate multiple guests is doing so to maximum capacity" which I inferred is not typically the case. Either way, we never felt crowded nor disappointed to miss anything. Captain Tassos was a true pleasure. And I can add that for those invited to the front to view the Fjord, you should go despite the great view from the cabin. It is fun be that close and witness everyone get excited to spot the next amazing thing or creature.

Just be prepared! If you go out onto the pad to view the fjord and the glacier, it'll be freezing! Bundle up!

But at least the free hot chocolate helps.

:)

Do you have a copy of one of the "dailies" that you could post? did you purchase an Internet Package? thanks for your review!

Sally

Who is the cruise director and hotel director?

Did you get the Voyage in review DVD at the end of the cruise?

Srsh1, I will try to post a daily which we intended to save, once I locate it. Our room came with unlimited internet. The Solstice has the newer Celebrity WiFi ("Xcelerate") which was pretty good, or good enough for basic Internet access, email synching etc. I think the cost for those who pay is fair, and I don't prefer to count minutes or MBs so as long as the unlimited package is available I would have paid for it (something like $100 I believe for the cruise). I likes that one package permits multiple devices as long as not simultaneously used.