My Solstice Trip to Alaska May 6, 2016

I can’t really call this a review a I write it more like a journal. I will offer opinions here and there, but I try to just write it how we experienced it and let everyone make up their own mind on whether or not they would enjoy it or not. I had planned to post live as we cruised but my internet was spotty (I refuse to pay for it) and to be honest I was enjoying myself too much to dig out the tablet and start writing.

This was kind of a repositioning cruise for the Solstice. It had just arrived from Hawaii to Vancouver. Our sailing was the first of its Alaska season going to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria before ending in Seattle. The rest of the season it will be doing the same cruise, but it will done as a round trip from Seattle.

Pre-Cruise and Booking

My wife and I have cruised twice before with Celebrity on the Constellation and have loved it both times. We have also cruised Carnival, RCL and Norwegian and never had a bad cruise (I think that’s impossible) but Celebrity has been my favorite. We booked this cruise toward the end of 2014 when Celebrity was having one of their specials where we only had to put down $50 deposits and we received the Classic drink package, free gratuities and $300 OBC. We love our aft AQ cabin 1138 on the Constellation and wanted to do aft for Alaska. A little disappointed to find Solstice aft cabins don’t have the same deep balcony, but we still favor the aft facing cabin over the side so we grabbed cabin #1670, an AQ1 cabin on the Penthouse deck.

In January 2015 we took a short 5 day cruise on the Constellation and decided to stop by the future cruise desk to see if they could offer us any more for the cruise we already had deposits on. This is where it gets a little complicated. The future cruise desk could not touch our original booking, they could only make new bookings. The deal they were offering was the same one we already had except they were asking for a full deposit and the amount of the deposit would be available as OBC on top of the $300 we already had. We could use this additional deposit as OBC on our Constellation cruise right then (and we did), but then the deposit would become non-refundable; no big deal as it was just covering money we would have spent on the Constellation cruise anyway. So now we had two bookings for the same cruise, cabin #1670 with refundable deposits and the new one with non-refundable deposits. When we returned from our cruise I just had to call Celebrity and have them move the original booking over to the new one so we would have the cabin we wanted. It was pretty simple but did take some time on the phone as our self booking and the future cruise booking were held in two different departments. At the time we made our future booking the price for our cruise was the same as when we originally booked it online, the future cruise desk told us if the price had gone up or down when we re-booked with them we would have been responsible for the difference so that extra OBC may not always be worth the rebooking.

My in-laws have always wanted to do Alaska so we decided to ask them if they wanted to join us on this trip. Our group ended up being my wife and I (50 & 48), my BIL and SIL (early 40’s), my FIL and MIL (late 60’s), and two other couples (late 60’s and late 40’s). All of us booked AQ on the Penthouse deck except for one of the couples, and all got the same extras with the drink package, gratuities, and OBC.

We are all from Southern California but ended up booking different flight because of schedules, etc. My wife and I decided to book flights on JetBlue from Long Beach getting into Seattle two days before cruising so we could enjoy a drive through northern Washington and explore a little bit of Vancouver. With a 10:30am flight we decided to stay the night before in Long Beach and avoid all the traffic coming in on a Wednesday morning. Our freeways are always under construction and I’d rather not worry about traffic or get up early enough to avoid it.

I found us a room at the Marriott Residence Inn about a mile from the airport that would allow us to leave our car at the hotel for the length of our trip. Long Beach Airport parking is expensive so the cost of the room plus the little bump for parking at the hotel was not much more than leaving our car at the airport. The Residence Inn parking package is really only good for seven days of parking and you're supposed to pay for extra days but the desk staff told me a couple of days over the seven wouldn’t cost me any extra. The Residence Inn is simple but clean, it is setup as groups of two story buildings with no elevators so be sure to ask for a first floor room if you have problems with stairs. Our stay included a simple buffet type breakfast and a shuttle to the airport. Their desk staff also is responsible for the shuttle so let them know well ahead of time when you need your ride to the airport, if they’re busy they’ll call a cab for you and pay for it with a voucher (this is what happened to us). If we had to pay for it the cab would have been $8, the Holiday Inn is right across the street so the rate would probably be the same.

I love flying out of LGB, it is still a small airport with really only one entrance and you go out on the tarmac to get on your plane. Because it’s small though security can get backed up but it still only took us maybe 20 minutes to get through. There was no wait to check our luggage curbside, but it was a $2 per bag fee. I’ll pay it every time though, the line inside for the counter was way too long.

A plane with a lot of empty seats makes for an easy flight into Seattle and we’re soon on our way to our rental car. There are no rental car agencies in the airport itself and you take a shuttle bus to a garage for the big rental agencies. Still on airport property as far as I could tell but about a 5-10 minute shuttle ride. At this airport Alamo will allow you to go straight to your car if you've taken care of all your paperwork online beforehand. We hit the road pretty quickly but traffic in Seattle and to the north slows us down for about half the trip to the border. We hit the border crossing about 4:30pm and it's pretty empty. A few questions about our trip and show our passports and we clear border control in a minute or so. As a kid I remember stopping for the totem poles at the border but we miss them this time, I believe the off ramp was the last one before the border on the US side but it wasn't worth circling around for. We're headed to Burnaby, not Vancouver proper, and traffic is a mess in all directions.

We eventually make it to the Hilton Metrotown, our hotel for the night and are happy to find we've been upgraded to a suite with a wonderful view of the mountains. We're also on the executive floor with access to a lounge for evening hor dourves and morning breakfast, guess that Hhonors membership is finally starting to payoff! FYI, parking is not free here. The costs are minimal and I think valet is the easiest as it steps to the lobby and self parking’s driveway is around the corner. The hotel is very near a skytrain station and we are told it is about a twenty minute ride into town. There is also a mall across the street and several restaurants (including a Tim Horton's) very close. We decide to eat in the hotel restaurant and it is very good.

The next morning we are supposed to pick up my BIL and his wife at the airport at noon and we will be sharing a room at the Pan Pacific before boarding the ship. With a little bit of time to waste in the morning we head to the Roots outlet in Burnaby. Nice product, but still a little pricey for something we would have a hard time returning if the kids don't like it. We decide to head downtown and drop our bags before heading out to the airport. Vancouver is a beautiful city and fairly easy to drive even if it is crowded and we are soon at the Pan Pacific. Unfortunately, we arrive the same time there is a cruise ship in Port and it is a mass of confusion as people and taxis are trying to get into the garage, while others are trying to get to the hotels nearby. We drop our bags with the bellhop and head out to the airport. With traffic and signals it takes us about 40 minutes to get to the airport but pick is easy in the zones set up across from the terminal.

On the way back we stop to get gas and I find that none of my cards are working at the pump. Turns out US cards (chipped or not) don't work out at the pump, you have to go in and see the attendant. Car refilled, we head to the Pan Pacific again. We pull up to the bellhop and drop the rest our bags and have our wives go in to check-in. I rented from Alamo because they allow returns to the cruise terminal. I found out there, that the drop-offs designated as cruise terminal and Pan Pacific in the Alamo system are the same thing. My BIL and I do what is probably an illegal U-turn and head into the garage behind us to return the car. Return here is pretty simple, but you do have to go to the counter in the Pan Pacific to complete the transaction, there was no line for us but I did see a large line the next day when the Solstice returned.

Our wives have already got us check in to our room and we head up to meet them. The Pan Pacific is part of Canada Place which holds the Convention Center complex, the cruise terminal, and several restaurants so it can be a little confusing to find your way. The Bellhop lets us know we can call them up in the morning to retrieve our bags and they will take them to the ship for us straight away; we won’t see them again till they are in our cabin. After settling in we decide it’s time for some lunch and a chance to see the city. With the Bellhops recommendation we head to the Cactus Club Cafe more or less next door.

We pass the Olympic Cauldron from the 2010 winter games and head into the restaurant. The Bellhop told us the place might be busy, and it was, but we were seated right away. The menu is varied with everything from burgers and fish tacos to steaks and salmon. The food is above average but I don’t think it's a must do type of place unless you like to watch the staff walking by; my wife commented that they must only hire supermodels.

After lunch we decide to to walk along the sea wall toward Stanley Park. It is a beautiful clear day and the greenbelts between us and the park are filled with people just out enjoying the day; dog walkers, bike riders, sunbathers and footy players can all be seen along with plenty of tourists. It’s quite a walk to the park but very pleasant to be out and about. At the park we see a horse drawn carriage for tours, it’s large and looks like an old streetcar; there is also the hop-on/hop-off bus making the rounds but we are told the shuttle that normally runs through the park won’t get started until June.

We decide to take a different route back to the hotel and walk more through the city streets and see several shops along with a macaroon shop and gelateria. We pause at a corner briefly to check the direction we want to go and almost instantly a local is asking if he can help us with directions. We know the way back to the Pan Pacific, but this great representative of the city of Vancouver takes the time to explain alternate routes that may make for a more interesting walk. This was just our first encounter with a couple of different locals all eager to help out a wandering stranger.

My BIL and SIL realize they didn’t bring their bathing suits and we convince them to go shopping. Free wifi in the Pan Pacific (for guests) leads us to the area around Granville and City Center stations where we find a Nordstrom’s (with a bar for the guys while the ladies shop), a Swimco, and several other stores. Trusting google maps a little too much we take the Skytrain to and from the area. We found out the next day it would have been a pretty easy four minute walk from the hotel. If you’ve used metro systems in other cities you shouldn’t have a problem here, they have a zone system for buying your tickets, and sometimes the machines didn’t like our cards. It took several attempts to make a purchase and we saw other tourists having the same problem. The trains are clean and for a Thursday evening fairly uncrowded.

After shopping we head back to the waterfront to have dinner at the Japanese restaurant Miku right next to the cruise terminal. The place is packed, even on a Thursday night and it takes a while to get a table even with our reservation. The food is good though, but not your traditional sushi. They have the traditional nigiri too, but their specialty is what is aburi style. The fish is flame seared (doesn’t taste cooked) and the chef incorporates the sauces and flavors he wants into the rolls, no soy and wasabi to dip in unless you ask for it, but I got the impression they would be insulted if you did. A good meal that I would recommend if you like sushi but make sure you have that reservation in hand.

Dinner over we head back to the hotel for bed. Celebrity has sent us another email requesting we board later than normal. There are going to be three ships in port Friday and they are concerned about handling the crowds through customs. Instead of the the usual 11am boarding time they are asking everyone to wait until at least noon so the debarking cruisers have a chance to clear the area. Since we’ll have extra time in the morning to explore a little more we decide to call it a night.

I’ll stop here for now and continue my journal in a bit. A lot happens (goes wrong) on Friday so it will take some time to write it up; plus I need to get some of my pictures cleaned up so I can include them in this write-up. If you have a specific question about any of the cruise let me know.

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Many thanks - counting down the days now so thanks for review - much appreciated!

Thank you for the review, much appreciated!

We stayed at the PanPacific for this cruise as well....beautiful hotel!

Appreciate the report.

Wow, what a start to your report and look forward to continuing to read your report.

Keith

Pan Pacific is a great hotel and so close to the cruise terminal

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'll try to get them done as fast as I can, I'll be posting Day 1 in a few minutes.

Cruise Critic has a photo limit per post so this is being split into three posts.

Day 1 - Boarding and Leaving Vancouver

There have been a few postings about what went on Friday at Canada Place; our group all boarded at different times and had completely different experiences.

We woke up Friday morning and had plans to head out into the city since we wouldn’t be boarding until noon. My BIL and I headed across the street to Tim Horton’s while the ladies enjoyed a few minutes more sleep and got ready to go. Sorry my Canadian friends I don’t get it; Tim’s is not all you crack it up to be. Their coffee is decent and their donuts remind me of Krispy Kreme, a little too sweet (okay, but not my favorite). We make our back to the Pan Pacific and can already see the craziness starting as the ships in port all start letting their passengers off at the same time. I only made note of three ships in port, but according to a port tracking site there were four (Solstice, Westerdam, Crown Princess and Jewel)

Back in the room we tag our bags and give the bellhop a call. A side note about luggage tags. My BIL ordered his when he checked in and received them no problem; I did it at the same time and moine didn’t come. I reordered them, but in the meantime ordered some plastic tag holders off of Amazon. They were cheap (about $10 for an 8 pack) and designed specifically for Celebrity/RCI computer printed tags. I printed my tags off the computer and they fit perfectly in these waterproof, heavy duty, holders. Of course my ordered tags came just a couple days after I received these holder but in the future I will just print and place in the holders. Easy to put on and remove and they seem a lot hardier than the ordered tags. In minutes our bags are gone and on their way to the ship. Easiest time I’ve ever had with luggage, no lifting and no hassle curbside, the backpack and purse we’re going to carry on are left in the room until checkout while we head out to do a little last minute shopping.

My wife is in contact with her parents who stayed out by the airport and we intend to hook up just before boarding. I don’t remember who they spoke with but they are told they can drop their bags as early as 10:30 and the plan is to do that and then get some brunch before boarding at noon. We stop by the ballroom in the Pan Pacific where everyone is supposed to start the process and are told we could go in and sit right now if we wanted and once the process gets rolling they will take us in groups of 50 through security and customs. The ballroom is huge but since it’s supposed to hold passengers for all the ships it better be. Since it’s only 9:30 we decide it’s too early to wait and head out to shop.

About 10:30 we are back in the room and waiting for my wife’s parents, who are in a taxi on their way to the port, to meet up with us before heading down to the ballroom. We hear from them they are just pulling in and will be up after they drop their bags. About 20 minutes later we get a text from them that they and the couple with them are boarding the ship and to come on down. We grab our stuff and head down quickly to the ballroom. There are already people there and the port staff is giving everyone a group number as they enter. There are fifty of each number and we are in group 14; they are currently calling group nine. We take a seat in the ballroom and wait about 20 minutes for our number to be called.

Our group is guided through the hallways to the security checkpoint. On our way we pass people being funneled toward the ballroom from the hotel, street and underground parking so I do believe by this time everyone is being sent through the same process. Security is a bit of a line but not bad as we are through in about 10 minutes. From security we are led to US customs and here is where it things start to slow down. We are led to a row of seats and asked to sit down, we are near the front of the room but they are currently pulling people from the center/rear area with some empty rows in between us. These rows are quickly filled up and as one row is led to customs new people are led in to fill their seats. The port official leads a row back to customs every few minutes as space is made in the queue to see CBP. The system isn’t a bad one, but it only works as fast as the CBP officers that are the bottleneck. There are a few cheats who join the lines that are led past us out of turn and I have to wonder what makes them feel special enough to warrant cutting the system and making others wait (I tell myself they’re travelling on the other lines). There are maybe 15 CBP agents checking documents and it probably takes us an hour to complete this stage of the process. From CBP our groups are finally separated by ship and we are on our way to the Celebrity counter to check in.

We walk right up to the check in counter and quickly get our SeaPass cards. We pass up the boarding photo and head right onto the ship. All told maybe an hour and a half process for us; not a problem for us but everyone today has a different story. This is how it worked out for our group: My in-laws and the couple with them were whisked immediately through the process when they dropped their luggage. They asked for directions into the hotel and were told they could board right then if they wanted. They went straight to security from the drop off and the entire process took them maybe a half hour. You read my groups story, about an hour and a half. The last couple joining us had decided to take a tour in the morning and head to the dock around 2pm. They got to the port between 2 and 2:30 and didn’t board the boat till about 7pm, a wait of about 5 hours! They said the 15 CBP personnel that had been there when we went through had been cut down and the process slowed to a crawl. I can’t really blame Celebrity for this one, although if we had followed their instructions to arrive at noon I think we would have encountered many more delays. The problem is with CBP and the port, they are just not equipped here to handle 10,000 people trying to board all within the same time frame. Celebrity tried to make it better for people by offering an OBC to everyone. For us early boarders it was unnecessary, if I had been one of the people stuck for five hours I’d probably feel like it wasn’t enough. Mentally I would know Celebrity had nothing to do with it, but frustration would probably make me feel differently. To our friends credit, they were exhausted from their afternoon but ready to put it behind them and were having a good time by that night.

Ok, enough of the bad stuff let’s talk about our first day aboard an S-class ship. I knew the Solstice was bigger than the Constellation, but wasn’t sure if it would be as big as NCL’s Getaway that we had been on last summer. It isn’t as big as NCL’s ship but feels like it has more room, probably because there are far fewer families putting three or four in a cabin. I never felt crowded all week and only ran into problems finding a place to sit in the buffet and the relaxation lounge. The ship feels very similar to the Constellation with a difference of scale and more activities/lounges to offer. I liked the Solstice, but I in the end I think I’m an M-class kind of guy.

Since the rooms weren’t ready yet we headed to the buffet to join the rest of our group. The solstice buffet is laid out a little bit differently, in stations rather than one or two linear going past the food. I liked this layout as it allowed me to move from station to station getting items I wanted while not waiting for the people ahead of me to decide what they wanted, but I could see where it could be difficult if someone had a disability since you had to carry your plate around rather than push it along a rail. There is quite a selection of different foods from all different regions of the world available; I can’t vouch for how authentic they are, but I enjoyed everything I ate.

An announcement is made our rooms are ready and we head up to #1670 to drop our stuff and have a look around. #1670 is an AQ1 cabin facing aft on the Deck 11, the Penthouse deck and is almost in the same spot as my favorite cabin, #1138 on the Constellation. The room doesn’t really hold any surprises and look very similar to an AQ cabin on the M-class. There are cabinets over the bed but the desk/dresser appears smaller so I am guessing storage space is about the same. If you were short though, the overhead could be a problem. Our balcony is a decent size, deeper than I expected and a little wider than the cabins on either side of us. This deck has very little shelter over the balcony, the deck above is almost completely covered and even though I can see part of each balcony below us I can’t see how much coverage they have. This cabin has the bed near the balcony which I would like in the Caribbean where I might leave my door open, but in Alaska it means I’m next to the curtains which leak a little light early in the morning and late into the night.

Our Cabin

Free Gifts

While we’re settling in we get a text from our friends still processing and it dawns on us that our departure may be a little delayed this evening. We meet our room steward Richard and his assistant Sherwin who turn out to be great as the week goes on. They remind us of the lifeboat drill at 4pm and assure us it will go on as scheduled. Not five minutes later an announcement is made that the drill has been postponed to 5:30pm, meaning a 6pm departure.

Day 1 - Vancouver & Sailaway part 2/3

We decide to explore the our home for the week and head out toward the spa and solarium. Walking around takes us close to drill time so we head to the Tuscan Grille (our assembly point) and find a seat. The room is practically empty, probably more because people haven’t boarded than anything else, and we watch a video on handwashing and get the spiel on what to do in an emergency. No lifejackets required at the drill; these drills are far easier than the old days of standing out on the deck with your jacket on but I have to wonder how prepared most are now for a real emergency.

The Library

The Pool and Solarium

Vancouver and Sailaway part 3/3

Drill over we find out our last couple still hasn’t boarded and ask an officer (don’t remember who) if the ship will be held. He assures us everyone is on board and we will be sailing soon. We point out we KNOW we still have friends waiting in line and he admits there are at least 300 still waiting to board. We start hearing rumors sailing time won’t be till 8pm and an announcement is made there will be a second drill at 7:30 for those who missed the first one. We find out Blu is open and decide to have dinner while we wait for sailing.

Dining turns out to be very casual (still didn’t see shorts) as most aren’t on board yet and few of us have our luggage. We meet Vita and Olpy for the first time and they turn out to be our wait staff for the entire week as we are sat at the same table every night (large group). These two are great and quickly learn our names and drink preferences. They offer service like we used to have in assigned dining but in an open seating environment. Arnold is our sommelier and he does a good job, although I think he tended to recommend the easy wines, not really going out on a limb to discover what we might like. This is Filet night and the steak is very good.

After dinner we head out onto the deck to watch sailaway and our last couple is finally able to join us. It is a beautiful night and with a beer in hand we enjoy a lit up sail out under the Lion’s Gate bridge as the sun is just falling under the horizon. Our stacks barely clear the bridge and I’m told one of the reasons we didn’t sail until eight was to wait for the tide to go down a bit.

Sail Away

After sailaway we head to the Martini Bar and over to Cellar Masters before calling it a night.

Loving your review! Thank you so much.

It is definitely putting me in the mood for my cruise. Even if it rains every other day, I will still be glad to be onboard...

Thanks so much for your detailed pre cruise and cruise. Also, the photos are worth a thousand words!!!:)

Anxious to hear more. We are on this ship May 27.

It is definitely putting me in the mood for my cruise. Even if it rains every other day, I will still be glad to be onboard...

 

Thanks so much for your detailed pre cruise and cruise. Also, the photos are worth a thousand words!!!:)

I wouldn't try to guess the weather, prepare for anything! Our predictions were for high 50's/low 60's everyday with a 60% chance of showers most days and nights in the high 30's. We had mostly clear blue skies and temps in the low 60's. Our last day at sea people were laying out catching some rays by the pool.

Every port we went to they told us were lucky and they had just got done with a week of HEAVY rain.

Anxious to hear more. We are on this ship May 27.

I'll try to get it done in the next few days but if you think of something specific you want to know let me know.

Thank you for your wonderful review! Can you post a picture of the balcony, please? Thank you.

Enjoying your review so far, my wife and I did the Sydney to Hawaii leg on the Solstice, I'm with you in wondering what would happen in the event of a real emergency as most people at the life boat drill weren't taking any notice at all and had the attitude "it was just something to get through" ... aside from that we enjoyed ourselves.

cheers

Thank you for your wonderful review! Can you post a picture of the balcony, please? Thank you.

Went through my photos and sorry but this is the best I can do -

If you look at our balcony you can see the table and two chairs (no footstools like we had on the Constellation). The length of the balcony was about a foot or two longer than the chair and table next to each other with no space between them. With both chairs and the table off to the side we had plenty of room to move round the other half of the balcony.

If you compare to the other balconies next to us you can see ours was a little wider. Doesn't look like any deck except the one above us had anymore overhang than we did.

I'll try to get it done in the next few days but if you think of something specific you want to know let me know.

Thanks so much for the review, we are on the May 27th sailing. One question - in aqua class is there a hand held hair dryer or the one on the wall?

I just need to know if I should bring my own.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for the review, we are on the May 27th sailing. One question - in aqua class is there a hand held hair dryer or the one on the wall?

 

I just need to know if I should bring my own.

Thanks!

If you saw my haircut you'd know I'm not really qualified to answer this one! My wife tells me it was a hand held, but on the small side and she brought her own.

If you saw my haircut you'd know I'm not really qualified to answer this one! My wife tells me it was a hand held, but on the small side and she brought her own.

It is hand held but button needs to be held in for air. We bring a folding travel one.

When you boarded were you given an allocated boarding time?

We received an email today advising us of a 10.30am allocated boarding time.

We are happy with that, as for the first time (we usually fly into Europe same day) we are actually in the city for three days before we board Seattle).

Barcelona is our usual boarding point and its always mayhem there no matter which cruiseline we are on - Barcelona is always madness.

Is this right enough? Allocated boarding deck by deck?

The email states deck number and time

Was this the case for you, and did it work?

Many thanks for your info!

When you boarded were you given an allocated boarding time?

We received an email today advising us of a 10.30am allocated boarding time.

We are happy with that, as for the first time (we usually fly into Europe same day) we are actually in the city for three days before we board Seattle).

Barcelona is our usual boarding point and its always mayhem there no matter which cruiseline we are on - Barcelona is always madness.

Is this right enough? Allocated boarding deck by deck?

The email states deck number and time

Was this the case for you, and did it work?

Many thanks for your info!

Our email was not an allocated time by deck or class. The email we received was very general, just saying the port was going to be overwhelmed the day we boarded and to not come to the dock until Noon (instead of the usual 11). For this day that was the worst advice Celebrity could give.

Our email was not an allocated time by deck or class. The email we received was very general, just saying the port was going to be overwhelmed the day we boarded and to not come to the dock until Noon (instead of the usual 11). For this day that was the worst advice Celebrity could give.

Oh my - wonder if that's why they have now changed it to allocated times for each deck. Hopefully they pretty much stick to allocated time and it will be less chaotic. Although I am sure for some it can be impossible.

Problem is everyone wants to get on before lunch and some decks are allocated as late as 3pm...

Will see how it works out - we are aiming for out 10.30am slot.