Can't decide: Alaska Solstice or Millennium

[dancermom09]

We are planning an Alaskan cruise for our 25th next year, our first and probably only. It is already decided that we want Aqua Class, and we want some nice excursions, but saving in other areas would be really nice.

 

With that in mind, I am thinking of switching from a May 17 Millennium cruise to a May 31 Solstice cruise. Prices are close.

 

The Solstice cruise sails out of Seattle vs Vancouver BC, which would save us a nice amount on airfare, not to mention stress. We could fly Southwest.

 

Solstice cruise is 2 weeks later, could be 3 (June 7) and it might be warmer.

 

The main difference, besides the fact that so many seem to LOVE the Solstice, is that cruise goes to Tracey Arm, and the Millennium goes to Hubbard Glacier. We would take the small boat at Tracey Arm, but are we really missing out on the major glacier experience?

 

I'm sure opinions will be divided, but any input might help us decide! Thanks, Diana

[sanjoseca]

Personally, I like Tracy Arm much better than Hubbard Glacier. Sailing up the fjord to Sawyer Glacier is much more scenic.

[Kamloops50]

I personally like Hubbard Glacier . Tracy Arm might be nicer. Some ships only stop to let passengers off for excursions.

[fleckle]

It is not only the difference in glacier viewing.

Take a close look at both itineraries -- big differences in their routing.

[navyrotorhead]

also did Infinity, but not Millenium. (although same floorplan) Enjoyed them both but I would lean Solstice. Bigger without FEELING too big, newer, more modern, bigger cabins, more/better dining options. (I DID miss the much better jogging track of Infinity)

 

Later is the big positive thing for better wx, but there may also be more kids if school is out. Whatever the case... your gona LOVE the way you cruise...I guarantee it! :) Have fun!

[floridatravelersforlife]

Tough choice WE've done both ships. As been posted, decide based on itinerary that fits your needs

[dmwnc1959]

It is not only the difference in glacier viewing.

Take a close look at both itineraries -- big differences in their routing.

 

To expand on this, the Celebrity Solstice r/t from Seattle will most likely spend her first and last full sea days sailing into the open ocean off of the west coast of the large Vancouver Island. Most often it is only the Vancouver r/t cruises that sail to the east of Vancouver Island and use the narrow scenic passageways of the Johnstone and Queen Charlotte Straits to get to Alaska, although I have seen via AIS Marine Traffic a rare few Seattle based ships sail this route.

 

On the Celebrity Solstice you also spend the last day (actually arriving in the early evening) docked in Victoria. This falls smack dab over dinner time (and packing) and is a bit inconvenient especially if you want to go out to see the sights.

 

I have always favored Vancouver departures for a round trip cruise. I can fly into Seattle if it is cheaper, stay a few days, then take the scenic Amtrak Cascades from downtown Seattle into Vancouver (upgrade to first class for better seats and earlier Customs disembarkation) and then a quick taxi or SkyTrain trip into downtown. For the northbound cruises, the plane ride coming back from Anchorage is a long day and a less than desirable way to end my vacation, which explains why I have ever only done the northbound trip once.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Northern Aurora]

We are planning an Alaskan cruise for our 25th next year, our first and probably only.

 

 

As an Alaskan I am curious if the OP means the cruise will be "our first and probably only," or will the trip to Alaska be "our first and probably only."

 

Alaska is larger than many people realize, and quite frankly a SE cruise only offers a glimpse of a very small portion an enormous and very varied state. If the trip to Alaska will be "our first and ...." consider doing a north or south bound cruise and adding some days in Alaska either before or after the cruise portion.

 

I have also looked at both itineraries. I personally would select the Millennium. We all have our preferences, and Hubbard is one of mine. It is one of the few major glaciers actually advancing. However, no one can predict the icing conditions in Disenchantment Bay, and a May 17th sailing could have enough ice in the bay that the ship may not be able to approach as close as later in the season. The Millennium sailing also offers more time in Juneau, which also offers an interesting glacier (Mendenhall). Vancouver is also a wonderful city, and spending a few days there, particularly if someone who has not visited before, is another plus.

[olemissreb]

I have to agree with Northern Aurora - if this trip to Alaska will be your "one and only", why not see if you can add vacation days and see more of the Alaska interior. I was in the same predicament as you - RT out of Seattle with it's cheaper airfare or one way with extra days. I was able to talk the DH into an extra week of vacation by sacrificing cruising this year! With the extra week we will be able to journey into Denali National Park (and hopefully see the mountain), hike on Matanuska Glacier, cruise the Kenai Fjords looking for orcas, puffins, humpbacks, eagles and who knows what else, visit Exit Glacier and the Alaska SeaLife Center. All that plus the longer port times on the Southbound Millie to allow us to do even more than the RT out of Seattle.

 

After all of my research, I can probably say this won't be our "one and only" as I thought. We'll probably be back at least once more! This trip is our pre-graduation trip for my oldest who will graduate high school in 2014 - I'm thinking another trip to AK will be the same gift for our youngest in 2017 for his 2018 graduation! :):o

[CathyCruises]

Well the airfare may be cheaper into Seattle, but you can take a coach right from downtown or the airport to the Canada Place pier for about $40/pp. . .

[phoenix_dream]

If you think this is truly your one and only, then definitely take the cruise that goes up to Seward, and then add on as many days as you can afford to go up to Denali and other areas north. My advice on booking pre or post cruise in that case would be to contact an Alaska travel agent and book that time through them. We did that a few years ago and for three days going up to Denali we ended up saving $300 PER PERSON. That is huge! We took the train, we stayed in a nice Princess cruises lodge in Denali, toured Denali, and so on. The trip of a lifetime and of my 30 cruises my favorite to this day (confess my others were all Caribbean or Mexico, so ....).

 

As to glaciers, have never been to Tracy Arm. We took three cruises that stopped at Hubbard. On our first, it was calving like crazy and was wonderful. On the next two, there was very little activity at all, so you just never know. I would not pick a cruise based on which glacier I would see as Alaska is full of wonders. I would also not worry about it being a little warmer or not. Dress in layers and don't worry about cold or rain (which is also pretty likely so you need to be prepared)

 

The caveat to taking a one way is that the open jaw air travel can be outrageous so make sure to factor that in. We are from Chicago, and when I investigated an open jaw for this summer the prices were around $1000. We booked Caribbean instead. That said, for a one and only cruise I would still do that, even if I had to book inside (which I did for our first cruise, although certainly a balcony would have been nicer). Alaska is beautiful beyond description.

[dancermom09]

Quick reply, still digesting.

 

Cathy, I was looking at all the options for transportation and did not see the $40 coach from SeaTac to Canada Place. Can you point me?

 

And I did consider the one way with a stay in AK, but the cost kept going higher and higher. DH's business closed last year, so we need to be careful with our budget.

 

This is not our only cruise, but probably our last, and only one to AK. Slight possibility we may get up there again because our current plan is to become RVers in a few years.

 

Not liking recent reviews of the Millie. One person loved Blu, one thought it wasn't good. Sigh. The dining is important! I have some food restrictions (no gluten, low sugar), and I was sure they could accommodate me and still be tasty!

 

And May 17 is the only RT cruise from Vancouver on Celebrity. I agree that it could be iffy for glacier viewing.

[dancermom09]

And, this from the announcement:

Solstice will sail seven-night cruises roundtrip from Seattle, with visits to Victoria, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, as well as scenic cruising in the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm.

 

So, they are going the Inside Passage route.

[TeaBag]

Millennium does a 7 day round trip from Vancouver on Sept 7, all classes of cabins still available. I don't know if the coach mentioned is Quick Shuttle. It goes from SeaTac to Canada Place but the fare is more than $40. Perhaps that was one way. it looks to me like it is $99 return with a 5% discount for booking on-line, less for seniors and children. HTH.

 

http://www.quickcoach.com/

 

Have you looked at flying into Bellingham?

[Italy52]

We are planning an Alaskan cruise for our 25th next year, our first and probably only. It is already decided that we want Aqua Class, and we want some nice excursions, but saving in other areas would be really nice.

 

With that in mind, I am thinking of switching from a May 17 Millennium cruise to a May 31 Solstice cruise. Prices are close.

 

The Solstice cruise sails out of Seattle vs Vancouver BC, which would save us a nice amount on airfare, not to mention stress. We could fly Southwest.

 

Solstice cruise is 2 weeks later, could be 3 (June 7) and it might be warmer.

 

The main difference, besides the fact that so many seem to LOVE the Solstice, is that cruise goes to Tracey Arm, and the Millennium goes to Hubbard Glacier. We would take the small boat at Tracey Arm, but are we really missing out on the major glacier experience?

 

I'm sure opinions will be divided, but any input might help us decide! Thanks, Diana

 

 

Congratulations on your upcoming 25th anniversary -- a cruise is a nice way to celebrate your milestone.

 

I feel for you as your decision is not an easy one to make; I know, I have been there. Our first trip to Alaska was the Seattle to Seattle route and I was a little disappointed when I returned. We were iced out of Tracy Arm (small boat excursions were not an option from my ship) and the short time spent in Victoria wasn't worth the stop in my opinion. After the cruise, I was a little depressed and regretted my decision about the Seattle to Seattle itinerary. To cure my depression, I decided I would go back to Alaska on an itinerary that allowed me more exploring options and longer port time; big difference in what I saw and experienced.

 

One way trips are wonderful if you can fit them into your timeframe and budget. People on this board are very helpful when it comes to planning tips and savings. Just remember this is YOUR trip and base your decision on what YOU want out of your cruise and what works for YOUR budget.

 

Question: The small boat excursion in Tracy Arm you mentioned, is this offered through the cruise line with Allen Marine? If so, when I contacted Allen Marine about their TA small boat 2013 excursion they did not mention your ship at all. My e-mail to Allen Marine was about a month ago, maybe something changed?????

 

Good luck with your planning; hope you get everything you want for your cruise.

 

Karen

[dancermom09]

I actually have not seen any excursions on the Celebrity site, that feature doesn't seem to be working. Others on the Celebrity board have talked about this excursion, so I thought it would be available.

[Italy52]

I actually have not seen any excursions on the Celebrity site, that feature doesn't seem to be working. Others on the Celebrity board have talked about this excursion, so I thought it would be available.

 

 

I just returned from doing B2B cruises on the Millennium and there was no Tracy Arm excursion offered. However, I was able to take a beautiful Tracy Arm excursion through a private vendor called Adventure Bound out of Juneau.

 

Karen

[fleckle]

And, this from the announcement:

Solstice will sail seven-night cruises roundtrip from Seattle, with visits to Victoria, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, as well as scenic cruising in the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm.

 

So, they are going the Inside Passage route.

Always be cautious about the way the term "Inside Passage" is used.

Look over the itinerary carefully to see which way the ship will actually go.

 

The term "At Sea" is often shown on Alaska cruise itineraries to indicate a day when the ship goes around the west side of Vancouver Island and travels far from shore out in open ocean (instead of traveling through the scenic passage on the east side of Vancouver Island).

 

On the "At Sea" days, not only do you risk the possibility of traveling in rough waters, but you miss the scenery on those days as well.

 

Recently I posted an explanation of the confusion about use of the term "Inside Passage" on another board.

If interested, here is a link to it.

 

Differences in Use of term "Inside Passage"

 

[Palms2007]

OK, so here's two more cents. We've been on both the Solstice and on the Millennium and MUCH preferred the Solstice. But then, the Lawn Club on the top deck might not be very inviting in the weather you will be sailing through. We have taken the train from Vancouver to Seattle, and it was very pleasant, but has become expensive (to us). The Quick Shuttle is what we did last and it was $52.50/pp for us seniors one way from Canada Place to SeaTac. Extremely convenient, but not sure it would be fun in two directions. The mentioned disappointment about the not-so-special stop in Victoria is an excellent point. Does any of that help?

 

BTW, we discovered that Bellingham is a popular fly-in for Vancouver cruises because WestJet is much cheaper than most other airlines, and Quick Shuttle operates from that airport to Vancouver, too.

 

Cheers!

[dancermom09]

Ok, found a map. Solstice is not sailing between Vancouver Island and Canada, which is what I thought. Millie will sail that route. From what I read, the latter route is much more desirable.

 

No Westjet from Albuquerque, darn it. Sounds like some good deals.

 

And the Victoria stop is from about 6-12 pm on the last night, as someone said. Not a big deal as we have been to Victoria.

 

Looks like we will stick with the Millie. Sure hope the reviews improve. We have one of those deep balconies on a diagonal, will we be able to see well from there? The diagonal is facing the back of the ship. Thought it might keep any cigarette smoke from blowing back on us.

 

There's an excursion in Juneau that sounds right up our alley. Small boat meant for photogs (DH), goes to Mendenhall and some whale watching (for me).

 

Is mid-May ok for whale watching?

[Italy52]

Ok, found a map. Solstice is not sailing between Vancouver Island and Canada, which is what I thought. Millie will sail that route. From what I read, the latter route is much more desirable.

 

No Westjet from Albuquerque, darn it. Sounds like some good deals.

 

And the Victoria stop is from about 6-12 pm on the last night, as someone said. Not a big deal as we have been to Victoria.

 

Looks like we will stick with the Millie. Sure hope the reviews improve. We have one of those deep balconies on a diagonal, will we be able to see well from there? The diagonal is facing the back of the ship. Thought it might keep any cigarette smoke from blowing back on us.

 

There's an excursion in Juneau that sounds right up our alley. Small boat meant for photogs (DH), goes to Mendenhall and some whale watching (for me).

 

Is mid-May ok for whale watching?

 

Not sure what negative reviews you are referring to with regard to the Millennium. Having just returned from a B2B in June, we found the ship and staff wonderful. No matter what cruise line or ship you take there will always be positive/negative comments as you can't please everyone.

 

Smoking is not permitted in staterooms or balconies so I don't think you will have a problem with cigarette smoke blowing back on you.

 

Yes, whales will be around in May.