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And I would never order a filet. To me there is no flavor and is just tender meat. Ask any steakhouse owner what the tastiest steak is. They will never say filet. On the other hand, if that is what you like, go for it.

Perhaps you have never had a really good green peppercorn filet or beef wellington?

I don't understand the question. Everyone has different tastes in food, so asking what to avoid on all the menus won't get you a definitive answer. Unless you have food allergies, it's really not possible to tell you what to avoid. One person might say they hated a certain item while 10 others would disagree and say they loved it. Food is very subjective.

I agree food is subjective. However there is a reason that restaurant reviews are written and the Michelin Guide gives out stars. For instance I would never order a rib eye from a restaurant. A really well prepared filet, the type that melts in your mouth on the other hand is a joy to eat. What kind of food do I like? Just about anything that uses fresh ingredients and each item that is on your plate is well thought out and not just put on as a after thought.

During the summer the Solstice does seven day cruises out of Seattle. It makes stops in Skagway, Jeaneau, Ketchican and Victoria. All have ample internet cafes which for the most part are free. Why pay for slow, expensive, internet time aboard the ship when you can get it for free in town.

We will be taking a seven day Alaskan cruise on the Solstice and have signed up for the three meal package. Is there anything on the various menu's that I should stay away from?

Do they do a Ramos Fizz on the Solstice?

The $150 perk pp is a benefit on 7-9 day, break even on 10 day and a loser on 11+ days.

I don't consider something that was free and now is a $150 pp a perk.

I have not seen a motorcycle rental available through Celebrity. However I have seen mobility scooters available for rent. I hope that helps. :D

Make sure you know the price of your room on the date you want to be there. Back in February we were looking for a room in the middle of May. The price showing in February was $99.00 the price for the same room in May was $199.00.

It was free. It cost them $$$ so they discontinued it. Both my wife and I didn't care for it. We brought along the flavored liquid drops to add to our water bottles, liked that much better.

The ship was loaded with asbestos and more than one scrap yard turned her away. When built as the SS France she was a two class ship, the first class cabins were larger than the second class and they could be right next to each other. Fuel costs and upkeep were prohibited for NCL. Before 911 she was going to go to Asia as a floating casino. When 911 happened NCL kept the ship in Miami. She was a beautiful ship but like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard she was way past her prime.

My first wife and I were on the Festivale in May of 1979. It was our honeymoon cruise. Back then they had free sodas, a midnight buffet every night. They played a horse racing game where the horses moved by the roll of the dice. The entertainment consisted of some female singer who wasn't very good. The cruise directer(s) was a husband and wife team who were so hung up on themselves. The price included r/t airfare from San Francisco to Miami plus a night in a hotel. This was before the booze cruise mentality that Carnival later adopted. There were no balcony cabins.

Don't forget room service.

The Solstice had one at customer service. However the service charge was like $6.00. My banking institution credits me back for all ATM service charges no matter what the charge is so it didn't bother me.

I guess we are not candidates for O LOL We never go to specialty restaurants (the MDR on the Millie for our Japan/China cruise in Oct/Nov was truly excellent), M Class are just the right size for us (but do also love the S class), lobster is meh but would love some of our Dungeness or King crab served, love the X beds and we walk past the photographers without thinking. We have sailed Azamara 3 times with fabulous experiences, fun ship and extraordinary crew, almost all inclusive but too small except for the benefit of getting into Bangkok & Saigon of course without the drive. If we wanted to "upgrade" it would be to Az as our Captain's Club benefits transfer over and better entertainment than O.

If the specialty restaurants were no extra charge on X would you then go? Let's face it, the reason is you don't go is you don't want to pay the $40-50 pp upcharge. On O there is no extra charge.

You're comparing apples with oranges.It's great that you found your niche cruise line. Bon Voyage.

Who's the apples and who's the oranges? About the pricing, I think the OP meant when you throw in the free airfare the pricing is close to X's. What has X added that's free in the last three years? It's been cutback after cutback of free stuff.The grill now only offers burgers, hot dogs and fries at no charge. A far cry from what was offered a few years ago. I know my next cruise will be on O and not on X. I just read a recent review on the extra charge restaurants on X and those have seemed to have slipped while they have increased the up charge. Stay with X that's your choice.

I looked that cruise up and it arrives on Sunday and leaves on Fat Tuesday at 10 PM. Why aren't they coming in on on Monday and leaving on Wednesday at 10 PM? You're missing a great deal of Mardi Gras by leaving so early.

If it's a four passenger fly in fishing trip it's probably sold out. Why would X take a trip off their listing as sold out if it's not. Call and verify the status and ask to be put on a wait list if it is.

There was one experience I had on Celebrity that I particularly didn’t care for. My cabin was in the forward part of the ship, so I regularly needed to walk through the Galleria Boutiques on Deck 5 to make my way to the center of the ship. Frequently when walking by the watch shops, staff members would greet me and ask me if I’d like to have a look in the shop. This became just as annoying as when locals try to sell souvenirs or sunglasses on the beach in St. Maarten. I had similar experiences one deck below in the Shops on the Boulevard: staff members would stop me and give me information about raffles and art auctions. I just wanted to walk through this part of the ship in peace without having to listen to sales pitches. Many of the watch shops would stay open until 11:00pm with no passengers anywhere to be seen. There was always a group of staff waiting outside the shops hoping to make a sale, and probably to escape from boredom. I haven’t experienced this type of high-pressure sales on any of my other cruises.

 

All in all, it was a good cruise. I enjoyed Celebrity, but I think I need to stay with Holland America and Princess for future cruises. I’ll give Celebrity a second chance someday, but this certainly wasn’t the cruise line I was expecting. I need a cruise line that puts less emphasis on specialty dining rooms and upsell techniques, and more emphasis on a solid baseline product. I suppose that Celebrity is what you make of it. If you’re looking to spend twice what you’ve paid for the cruise in extras to make it something extraordinary, you’re in the right place. On the other hand, I’m looking for a more traditional experience with a fewer “nominal fees”, more ocean views, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

There are no cabins on deck 4 or 5. So why didn't you walk to the center elevators and take them to deck 5 avoiding the shops? I am not understanding why you had to walk past them all the time.

Probably a tide issue going underneath the bridge.

Where are they getting their fish and shellfish? I hope not China. In the mean time enjoy the mercury poisoning!

Do they offer glutton free food? :D

We have an inexpensive laminator. We laminate the paper tags, cut them to size and use a plastic tie to secure them to the luggage.

http://smile.amazon.com/Scotch-Thermal-Laminator-Roller-TL901/dp/B0010JEJPC/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1455558981&sr=1-3&keywords=laminator

It's my understanding that the sanctuary and rain forest is only visible via a specific tour. The bear-viewing loop seems to add a HEFTY price premium, but does offer a great vantage point. We did a private tour through Wild Wolf, and she was able to deliver us to a spot just across the creek from the bear loop. Private parking isn't allowed there, so it takes some local know-how to facilitate a good spot like that.

If you like the authenticness of Frontierland at Disneyland then you will probably enjoy the Sanctuary.

I think you will find that layering is a better option than buying this warm winter jacket. Without removable layers, you are stuck unless you carry another lighter piece. I'd melt wearing that jacket on a day of 55 degrees. We were surprised at how warm it was on our Norway trip. So learned that as stated, going out in the morning with a warm outer layer or windbreaker changes to fleece or long sleeved t by mid afternoon. Give yourself that option. make sure too that the outer layer is water PROOF, not just repellent. or carry a poncho. You don't want to hope that things dry out by the next day.

Where do you store all the layers as you take them off? It's been my experience that the temperature doesn't fluctuate that much in Alaska. It's not Norway! Water proof doesn't breath, that's why you got hot!

Try Cabella's. They are probably having a seasonal close out now. They usually list the temperature range. If you are talking about looking at the glaciers while on the ship I recommend one jacket unless you like looking like the Michelin Man with layers. Get a good pair of gloves and a knit watchman's style cap. The gloves and the cap you should be able to put them in the jacket pockets. Also wear a good pair of wool socks.