Alaska on the Solstice- 5/16- 5/23

[unione2]

Seeing that it is Friday and I am no longer do anything productive, I would love to share our experience on the Solstice to Alaska that left out of Seattle!!

 

About me: Me and the hubs decided on Alaska as he has never been and we wanted to mark this off the "bucket list" as it were.

 

Pre- Cruise:

 

We flew into Seattle on the 15th and got in about 8:00 PM from Charlotte, NC. We ended up flying into Seattle with the most GORGEOUS sunset- oranges, yellows, some purple, and even flew right over the Space Needle. I will remember that for the rest of my life. Since we got in so late, we stayed at the Homewood Suites on Pike Street. Rooms were clean and we were able to walk to Pike Place at night- ended up eating a late dinner at Cheesecake Factory ( which was right down the road).

 

We got up early and marched to Pike Place at about 7:00 AM ( we were still on east coast time). I proudly marched to the first Starbucks right across the street and bought 2 coffee cups! ( I think I was more thrilled about that than Pike Place) :) We started watching all the vendors setting up and we walked all the way to the waterfront.

 

We ended up booking the Pike Place Food Tour for 11:00 AM. Was the BEST tour ever!! We got to sample 9 different treats from around Pike Place! We tried Beezers Cheese, Salmon ( 3 types), Pike Place Tea, Mini Donuts.. the list goes on... It was really exciting!! Tour was over about 12:30. We huffed it back to the hotel ( about 15 minute walk up hill- haha) and grabbed a car from Uber.

 

We were at the cruise pier by 12:45. As we pulled up, we see a MASSIVE line circling around the parking lot of people checking in. One thing I was bummed about was Celebrity had a bad way of handling embarking, debarking, and tendering ( more on that later). We were lucky enough to be in Concierge Cabin and we were directed to that line , which was MUCH MUCH shorter than the line around the parking lot. It still took us about 45 minutes to get on the ship. It appeared that would corral you in groups and then you would move to a different section of the port in the same group and gradually you move towards the port agents and ta da you are on board!! I will say there wasn't great signage as to how to get on the boat, but many of the agents were kind enough to point us in the direction.

 

We did receive welcome Champagne (always a wonderful touch by Celebrity).

 

Once on the boat, we went straight to our cabins. I have been on the Solstice before back in 2008 with a cruise to the Med and it looked about the same. The husband has always sailed RCI and he was really impressed with how modern the ship looked. We did Oasis in 2013 and he really liked the difference ( but he is certainly a kid at heart- and missed all the "fun and amusing activities" that RCI has to offer )

 

Room was very nice. We were in 1601- CC2 cabin. Last Cabin Port side on the 10th deck. Our balcony was slightly bigger but not by much. Was covered and had a great view outside. We did have the fresh fruit, didn't see any flowers, as well as the Pillow Menu. I am sure if I asked our attendant- he would have provided it- but we aren't picky. We just got lucky grabbing a concierge cabin on a price drop and figured we get the extra points! :) Bed was comfy- bathroom was very spacious! Closets were fine and there was plenty of space around the room. I joked that I brought way too many clothes- it's Alaska- I had no idea how to pack lol but everything found a place in the room.

 

We did have the 123 Go package and quickly upgraded to Premium. Best decision . We ended up making friends with guys at the Martini Bar and visited them every night. We usually bring about $100 in 1's and tip the bartenders each and every time we order a drink. They seemed really surprised when we tipped them additionally on the first night. We were glad to make a difference for them. Both my husband and I served and were bartenders through college, so we love to give back when we can. Plus they ALWAYS stopped whatever they were doing and tended to us very quickly :)

 

Dining Rooms: We had the Select Dining- never had to wait for a table really. We were usually sat at a 2 top. Service was prompt and efficient. Food was good, but nothing to write home about. We ended up eating in the MDR only 3 nights. We ended up splurging in Murano and Tuscan Grille- which were both EXCELLENT! It was worth the price- we enjoyed the entire experience for both. Service and food was excellent.

 

Entertainment- Brent Nixon- FABULOUS! You can tell he has so much passion for his job. I tried not to miss any of his lectures- it was a joy to watch him. The Cirque style show was really good. We didn't go to all the shows- I felt like sometimes the singers and dancers were a little off. That could very well have been because the waters were VERY rough. The shows just weren't for me.

 

Nightlife-- never seen a more duller night life. There was a 70's disco party one night that was AWESOME! The atrium was full of people dancing and Top Notch- great great band. As far as Quazar- I never even saw more than 20 people in there except for Karaoke one night. My husband loves to dance so you could find him in there until about 1- 2 am on any given night- sometimes drinking with the Comedians. Most of the bars do shut down by 4 so the ship is pretty quiet past 1:00 AM. I also think Celebrity can draw an older demographic sometimes as well as Alaska can be rather port intensive- which completely makes sense. This isn't the Caribbean :)

 

 

Ports- Kethikan- Docked and very easy to get off. We ended up taking South East Kayak Tour to Orcas Cove. Very calm, beautiful day. Didn't get to see any whales, but did see some Eagles!! It was really beautiful and something different than just running through town. Ended up picking up a few trinkets and had a relaxing afternoon on board.

 

 

Tracey Arm: The husband worked out EVERY morning ( even when hungover lol) and the gym is located in the front of the ship. I joined him at 5:00 AM that morning and it was beautiful! Running on a treadmill watching the glaciers and ice in the water- certainly made my run easier :)

 

We had a full panorama of everything. People ended up catching on to this little slice of paradise and soon we had more people coming to watch and not working out. We did venture out on the deck quickly to take a few pictures. It was probably 30 degrees F outside so I was in and out quick. But it was really really beautiful and I am so glad we went to the gym instead of watching from the balcony.

 

 

Juneau- It was rainy this day and seas were a tad choppy. Tendering was a night mare. We ended up grabbing tickets at about 1:30. We were tender number 31. We didn't get off the boat till close to 4. Everyone was really really heated over it too. We didn't mind so much- had some coffee and hung out in the atrium people watching. I am glad we didn't book any private excursions as we would have missed it. Alot of people said they booked privately and Celebrity didn't try to get them off any quicker. It was only priority if it was a Celebrity excursion- I would have been pretty heated as well if that had happened to us. Now seeing as we the first " official" cruise to AK ( minus the 8 day before us)- I am sure there was alot more hiccups with this process and hopefully this has been remedied. I have never had this problem before with Celebrity- but what can ya do.

 

We just walked around town- had some Alaskan Beers and then tendered back. Of course- there was only about 10 people on the tender back. I had heard by the time they got to tender 50- a lot of people just gave up and never even went ashore. In my opinion, you didn't miss much. I see why you would potentially want to book an excursion in this port.

 

 

Skagway- such a cute town!! We just walked again (we love walking) and ended up at the Red Onion Saloon- we took the brothel tour and loved it. Was only $10 and it was really interesting and fun! We even got a garter upon exit lol

 

 

 

Victoria- wish we could have stayed here the longest. We docked about 5:30 PM and stayed until 11:45. We walked into town ( 45 minutes) and shopped some. I would recommend a tour through Celebrity on this port. A lot of the private tours were already closed for the day. We ended up grabbing some nice fudge and walked through town. We attempted to get in some of the Pubs, but I think everyone else had the same idea we did.

 

 

Days at Sea- Celebrity does incorporate some fun activities. I love the ballroom dancing classes and the Hot Glass Show is really exciting as well. I, however, was plagued with sea sickness for 2 out of the 2 and 1/2 sea days. It was BAD. We ended up going through a storm on the last sea day- the ship was very quiet that night. My sweet husband got me the bands- which worked for the first sea day, but they are really uncomfortable so it was hard to not fidget with them and throw myself off balance ( as it were). I did take some Bonine, which promptly knocked me out at 7:30 PM lol

 

( Funny Story side- I knew my husband was going to go out with out me that night- he had stayed with me in the room all day so I knew he needed to get out of there- which was fine by me because I passed out. I promptly wake up at about 4:30 AM. The bonine is in my system. I feel great- finally not sick!! My husband is no where to be found. I go downstairs to the martini bar, Quazar and even the bar upstairs. All the bars are closed. Of course by now- I am mad lol I walk through the atrium and I hear his "laugh" I was on deck 5. He is on Deck 3 on the stairs with about 12 of his friends that he has met through out the week. They have raided one of the friend's mini bar and are dancing and drinking on the stairs because all of the bars are closed! lol I literally sat and listened to them for 45 minutes because at this point -I can't be mad - its hilarious. In fact it was great- ammunition to use the next morning - I told him all about the "cruise he planned to take out of NOLA with all his friends" and " how these are such great friends- gonna be friends for life." I do enjoy inebriated conversations, especially when I am the sober one).

 

 

Anyway, back to activities on the boat- the had bingo, shops were good, casino always had a crowd. We did try the Molecular bar, but we felt like the Martini Bar had a much more personal experience- so we ended up going there all the time.

 

As far as busy bars, we never encountered a long wait. Martini Bar was always busy, but they move so quick. I felt like some of the staff was definitely a little over worked and pretty frustrated with the beverage package. There was some initial confusion as to the difference between basic and premium, but nothing that wasn't sorted quickly and effortlessly. The Comedy Show is EXCELLENT- it was really funny. We ended up going more than once. It is worth it to stay up until 11:00 to see this show. The comedians were very nice and you would always find them at one of the bars after.

 

Overall- we really enjoyed our time on the Solstice. Not without a few bumps- but that is any vacation. I will certainly prepare for the rough waters next time (hated staying in the room so much) but we loved the beauty of Alaska. Our pictures do not do it justice. Thank you so much for reading my review. Please let me know if you have any questions :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

thanks for the review... I'm a bit confused about your cabin #. 1601 is not at the end of the hall and it is located on Deck 11- which is an Aquaclass cabin.

 

Did you mean 1001 on Deck 10 port side? If so- no wonder you were seasick! That's the worst place to be on a ship. Don't book the bow again.

Edited June 13, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain