Kevin's girl

25 minutes ago, ppatick said:

 

Hi, we are really enjoying your review and photos. We were on one of the first Solstice cruises, also, to the Caribbean. Best cruise we have taken up to now. My mother in law footed the bill, so I don’t remember the restaurant situation. Which ones charge extra? We want to do the Alaska cruise this September for our 30th anniv. Thanks! Peggy

Peggy, Alaska will be such a pretty place for your anniversary. In September you may even get lucky with the Northern Lights. Extra charge restaurants on the Solstice are the Murano, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest and Sushi on Five. There are two more places that charge for drinks but not the food. They are Spa Cafe and Cafe al Bacio. The Gelateria portion of Cafe al Bacio is for charge and located on the far end from the coffee area. Due to the fact that it was so chilly Cafe al Bacio was always very crowded, but service was very fast.

Our next port of call was Skagway. The first excursion I booked for this port was helicopter to dog sledding on the glacier. We were so excited about this one, it was to be the high point of the trip. But alas, it was not to be. It seems that there was not enough snow for the excursion to happen and it was canceled a couple of months before the cruise. Next I booked Alaska Gold Rush Highlights. We were to take the White Pass train ride, go panning for gold (Kevin was going to take pics) and have a Salmon Bake for lunch. Ticked a bunch of Alaska boxes, right? Nope, when we arrived on board the ship there was a letter stating that this trip was canceled by the tour operator. We went to Michael’s Club to see the Concierge and pick out something else. The Concierge and Michael’s Club is another great suite perk. Rhiannon was great help and we ended up with a bus trip up to the Yukon that included the suspension bridge, a bison chili lunch and train ride on the White Pass Railroad. 

There was no time to see Skagway on our own, but I did snap a few quick pics as we drove on to the great Yukon.

I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I should have known life would get a bit crazy if I said I would have plenty of time to get this done.

I have one last sunset pic of the port in Juneau.

We arrived back in port rather late and missed dinner in Luminae. This proved unfortunate for us as our only choice was the Ocean View Cafe. We did not eat here often as Luminae was just too good to miss, but food here was more than lacking. On that note, I will also say that we skipped all of the Speciality Restaurants this cruise because of how good it was in Luminae.

2 hours ago, Cairns Cruisers said:

KG, I know it's obviously cool/cold on the outside decks. But what is the temp like in the interior of the ship, can you wander

around in shorts between bars,eateries,etc or is it jeans/pants all day?

We're doing Carnival to Alaska round trip from San Francisco in May 2020.

Really enjoying your pic's.

Thanks.

It was jeans/pants for us in September, no coats inside the ship but sweaters were not uncommon.  I would think May would be about the same due to the shoulder season. I found this info for max highs and lows for the outside temps

Average Weather in May in Juneau Alaska, United States
Daily high temperatures increase by 7°F, from 49°F to 56°F, rarely falling below 41°F or exceeding 66°F.
Daily low temperatures increase by 7°F, from 35°F to 42°F, rarely falling below 29°F or exceeding 46°F.
For reference, on July 31, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Juneau typically range from 48°F to 61°F, while on December 31, the coldest day of the year, they range from 20°F to 28°F.

In most years, San Francisco averages a daily maximum temperature for May that's between 62 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (17 to 19 degrees Celsius). The minimum temperature usually falls between 49 and 53 °F (10 to 12 °C). The days at San Francisco warm a little during May.

I'm glad you are enjoying the pic's. 

Next up were sea lions, purple mountains, eagles and one of the prettiest sunsets we have ever seen.

As we started to turn around and slowly return to the harbor the mountains turned purple and yes our captain did sing of "purple mountains majesties". It was so pretty.

The area we were in for our whale watching was Auke Bay. From Auke Bay you can see Mendenhall glacier and Mount McGinnis. The views are beautiful.

We were there during the end of the season but were lucky enough to see a few. This trip gave new meaning to the old saying "there she Blows" and lyrics "purple mountain majesties". As you go along at high speed to get out into the water there are calls over the radio reporting possible sightings. The captain hollers "there she blows, 2:00" and we head off slower speed with all eyes watching at 2:00. Then you see the blow. Then the roll, then Fluke! It was amazing.

There she blows!

Roll

Fluke

A few more backs, rolls and flukes

this was the roll and I just missed the fluke. 

Sorry for the format, but I just put this in my cruise review earlier today.

Our excursion; Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari, which I did book through Celebrity was run by Gastineau Guiding. When I tried to book this on my own through the Gastineau Guiding website it took me to the Celebrity excursion, so I booked it. This was an amazing tour just as everyone on here on CC has said, so no matter how you book it, just do it. When I decided to book an Alaskan cruise, I said I wanted to see whales and play with bears (figurative speaking)and this tour gave me everything and more. Our guide was Jim and he was very unknowable and fun. 
To book your excursion through Gastineau Guiding and your cruise line use this link:
https://www.stepintoalaska.com/shore-excursions
 This is from their website and the tour I booked.
WHALE WATCHING & MENDENHALL GLACIER PHOTO SAFARI
Experience the beauty of Southeast Alaska in this customized, hands-on experience led by a professional photography guide. This awe-inspiring area awaits the nature enthusiast who wants to capture that perfect moment. Our goal is to provide a fun atmosphere, an opportunity to learn and engage and a chance to explore a new locale; all the while inspiring your passion for photography. No better place than here in Juneau, where you can practice on the photogenic Mendenhall Glacier and feeding humpback whales! Whale sightings are guaranteed!
We were a nice small group and had a great day.

5 hours ago, sfpd3000 said:

Loving your review and pictures so far.  We'll be on the Solstice in May to Alaska.  Silly question: do we need to bring our life vests to muster?  (I'd rather not have to return to our cabins after muster and just proceed to the open deck for sailway.)  Looking forward to your day in Skagway.

No such thing as a silly question. No you do not have to lug the life vest with you. I'm glad you are enjoying the review. The Solstice is our favorite. The feel of the ship and the service is just so special. I'm sure you will just love her and Alaska.

Skagway coming very soon.

After our hike we were off to see whales. Our weather was incredible and made for a very comfortable day and great photos.

After boarding our boat the Navigator we set out with views of an eagle to set the mood.

The hike to Mendenhall glacier was great. A nice uphill walk but not to strenuous for most in the group. There were markers along the walk to show where the glacier ice had been.

Mendenhall glacier and Nugget Falls are beautiful. The size of the two can be deceiving from our distance. I took a couple snaps to try and show just how enormous they are.

Can you see the 20 person boat at the base? 

Can you see all of those tiny people at the waterfall?

I did mention play with bears, right? Yes they really were that close. They went under our bridge as we walked over the bridge. A mom and her little cubs.

Our excursion; Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari, which I did book through Celebrity was run by Gastineau Guiding. When I tried to book this on my own through the Gastineau Guiding website it took me to the Celebrity excursion, so I booked it. This was an amazing tour just as everyone on here on CC has said, so no matter how you book it, just do it. When I decided to book an Alaskan cruise, I said I wanted to see whales and play with bears (figurative speaking)and this tour gave me everything and more. Our guide was Jim and he was very unknowable and fun. 
To book your excursion through Gastineau Guiding and your cruise line use this link:
https://www.stepintoalaska.com/shore-excursions
 
 
This is from their website and the tour I booked.
WHALE WATCHING & MENDENHALL GLACIER PHOTO SAFARI
Experience the beauty of Southeast Alaska in this customized, hands-on experience led by a professional photography guide. This awe-inspiring area awaits the nature enthusiast who wants to capture that perfect moment. Our goal is to provide a fun atmosphere, an opportunity to learn and engage and a chance to explore a new locale; all the while inspiring your passion for photography. No better place than here in Juneau, where you can practice on the photogenic Mendenhall Glacier and feeding humpback whales! Whale sightings are guaranteed!
We were a nice small group and had a great day.

Our tour got started as did the photo lessons.

Okay, just a couple more as we came into port in Juneau.

Fishing in the flats.

And now coming into port.

On 2/8/2019 at 5:00 PM, gwynne2 said:

Hi Kevin's Girl,

Such beautiful scenery!

I am so enjoying reading your trip report. 

Thank you so much.

We headed down to get warm and enjoy the views from the balcony and then up top. Heading back up the fjord in the sunshine was gorgeous.

A little wild life along the way

We were all wondering what this little guy did to get kicked off the big iceberg.

We were led to the helipad at 6:30 and were given blankets, hot chocolate and the silent disco headphones to listen to the Naturalist's commentary. It was beautiful and silent. I was lucky enough to have the front center rail for the ride into the glacier. 

Next day, we were on to Tracy Arm Fjord and Juneau with a very busy day planned. We were up early to see the most of Tracy Arm Fjord. We were originally book for the small boat excursion that goes deeper into the fjord directly from the ship, but a week after it became available and I booked it, it was canceled. As a suite perk we were invited to view the fjord from the helipad which was beautiful. Our meeting time was 6:30 am and we were bundled up and ready on time. Please remember to pack you warmies for this part of the cruise. There were SO many people around us shivering and not able to stay on deck due to the cold in this area and time of day.

Breathtaking Tracy Arm extends over 30 miles long, with nearly a quarter of its area covered in ice. In fact, it encompasses some of Alaska's largest glaciers, including the twin Sawyer glaciers, which often expel enormous chunks of ice into the waters below in a magnificent process known as calving. This was from either Wiki or Travel Alaska.

Sunrise from the balcony and waiting for the helipad to open for us:

A quick word about the drag and drop for photos. I do really like this function since the upgrade. Much easier than the third party upload, resize, copy and paste. You can also click on one of the photos and it will show the larger file. Very nice Cruise Critic.

Soon he promised we would see mountain goats. When we said maybe, he got much, much closer.

Then we started our slow return to port with a fly by for George Inlet where we had lunch.

From the copilot's seat

The views were beautiful and I could have stayed up there for another hour at least. The following are from the Tail gunner's perspective:

Now in this next pic there really are two bears. No kidding. Can you see them?

After eating way more than one should we headed out to the pier to see the views and wait for the sea planes that would take us up for our sky views.

Our plane coming in.

And then the one to follow ours.

Kevin was given the seat as the copilot and I the tail gunner. The seats had been assigned long before boarding as we had to provide our weights at the start of the trip. Kevin was so excited with his assigned seat, as when he was younger he flew with his dad and flight hours booked for his pilot's license. 

We booked KE38 Exclusive Flightseeing and Crab Feast through Celebrity. The excursion description goes like this:

Once you arrive at the George Inlet Lodge, enter the dining room for a delicious all you can eat Dungeness Crab Feast, crisp salad with homemade dressing and a slice of rich cheesecake with blueberry topping. Steaming hot Dungeness Crab and beverages are All-You-Can-Eat! 

The Ketchikan exclusive flightseeing and crab feast includes a 30-minute flight via floatplane, bringing you over the mountains to the far uninhabited side of Revillagigedo Island. You will crest breathtaking peaks where the keen viewer may see mountain goats resting on crisp snow or black bears foraging for fresh berries. 

Now, you may be think to yourself, It sounds good but really?? Did it really go like they said? 

It was everything and more! Very little food porn here, fingers were too buttery and full of crab for pics, but YUM!

Luckily we only had to walk way down the stairs. There are seats along the way if a break is needed. Our Sea plane picked us up on the pier. 

21 hours ago, Cairns Cruisers said:

Hi KG, Following your trip and looking forward to your Juneau & Skagway reports next.

Keep up the good work.

Working on it. Thanks for following along.

Downtown views:

Port side tours