Newbie looking for reassurance before I book Celebrity Solstice Aqua Aft Alaska!

[peachynurse]

Hello,

I'm brand new here and have never been on a cruise. My fiance and I are both in our 30s, and are looking to book an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon June 2015. Based on my research I'm leaning toward Celebrity Solstice Sawyer Glacier (inside passage) cruise, Aqua class, rear-facing aft balcony cabin number 1674 on the 11th floor.

 

I've noticed it's quite a bit more to get a rear-facing aft balcony (price for 2 jumped from $3700 to $4400). But a lot of reviewers said that aft is awesome on an Alaskan cruise. On top of that, it's an extra $100 for that aft to be Aqua class (Blu really appeals to us, plus the additional little spa perks). So my total for 2 is $4500. Is this outrageous, or an average price? This would also include an extra bonus- we would choose free classic beverage package (including gratuity).

 

I'm about to take the plunge tonight or tomorrow, but just want to make sure I'm making a good decision! Thank you so much in advance!

Edited August 29, 2014 by peachynurse
typo

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I would choose Aqua class for Blu but it has been our experience that we have not used the balcony much on an Alaskan cruise. We've cruised twice to Alaska on Millennium and it is a very port intensive cruise, that coupled with cooler weather, does not lend itself to balcony use. We had an aft balcony on our 1st Alaska cruise and a port balcony on our July cruise and liked the port just as well as the aft facing.

 

I would definitely recommend a balcony but a side Aqua might fit the bill.

 

Mary Lou

[dancinman66]

I would do the aqua class and definitely do aft cabin

Well worth it especially as us your honeymoon

 

 

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[dancinman66]

I would do the aqua class and definitely do aft cabin

Well worth it especially as us your honeymoon

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

F. X. D by p c

 

 

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[alcpa1]

You will have a fabulous honeymoon in that Aqua aft cabin. It's the absolute best place to sail Alaska.

The Inside Passage itinerary is a wonderful mix too.

Rates do fluctuate but book the cabin now while it is still available. If you can find a rate drop that is not tied to a new booking you can reduce your costs but Aqua class cabins book quickly and rarely go on sale.

I know you will be busy in the coming months but do join the ROLL CALL for your sailing. It will help you plan your cruise with shore excursions too. The Roll Call is also a great place for posting rate drops and your fellow passengers will let you know that too.

I wish you both well. What a glorious honeymoon you will share!

[peachynurse]

You will have a fabulous honeymoon in that Aqua aft cabin. It's the absolute best place to sail Alaska.

The Inside Passage itinerary is a wonderful mix too.

Rates do fluctuate but book the cabin now while it is still available. If you can find a rate drop that is not tied to a new booking you can reduce your costs but Aqua class cabins book quickly and rarely go on sale.

I know you will be busy in the coming months but do join the ROLL CALL for your sailing. It will help you plan your cruise with shore excursions too. The Roll Call is also a great place for posting rate drops and your fellow passengers will let you know that too.

I wish you both well. What a glorious honeymoon you will share!

Aww, thanks! I'm sitting here with the fiance going crazy, trying to decide whether we should do this or not! It's just a lot of money for us, and I know combining it with everything else (airfare, fees, tips, excursions), it's not going to be cheap! But it IS our honeymoon, so we should splurge, right?! Thanks again :)

[EGG]

Aww, thanks! I'm sitting here with the fiance going crazy, trying to decide whether we should do this or not! It's just a lot of money for us, and I know combining it with everything else (airfare, fees, tips, excursions), it's not going to be cheap! But it IS our honeymoon, so we should splurge, right?! Thanks again :)

 

I think a cruise is a good choice for a honeymoon. It is a great way to unwind and relax, whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin.

 

You say "this our honeymoon so we should splurge, right?". You are already splurging taking this cruise in a balcony cabin. You will probably not be spending a lot of time sunbathing on an Alaska cruise. Frankly, you may have rainy or chill weather. I realize the weather will not distract from your view, but it will keep you from going outside and enjoying the extra square feet you are paying so much for. I suggest you think about how you will feel 2 weeks after the honeymoon is over and whether you would rather have that extra money in your pocket. We enjoy being out on the open decks where we can move from side to side or from front to back to get the best views. As younger new cruisers you will probably be spending most of your daytime hours either around the ship or off the ship in the ports. With a beverage package, you will be spending a lot of time in bars and many of them have wonderful panoramic views.

 

Nothing wrong if you have locked in the aft balcony because those go quickly. Now you can decide if this is where you want to spend your money. Still plenty of time to change, but you might see prices come down but you will lose your beverage package.

 

You may also want to consider the value of the drink package. If you are not big drinkers you might want to consider taking the gratuities package instead to bring the price of your cruise down. But that is another whole decision which you can find out more about of the Celebrity boards.

 

Have a great cruise and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

[Sailor_Sally]

We cruised Alaska three years ago . We had a regular balcony which was great for watching the scenery go buy . $4,500 for just the cruise seems high .Only you can know if you can afford this splurge or not .I just looked at the prices for Alaska for June 2015 & they are all incredibly high so $4500 . is not out of line .

Edited August 30, 2014 by Sailor_Sally

[TMLAalum]

First, The aft balcony cabins on S-class Celebrity ships are in a staircase formation and all decks can be looked down upon from the Sunset Bar. This doesn't afford much privacy for a honeymoon couple.

 

Second, soot can be problematic. Even on our aft corner Sky Suite on Deck 6 there was soot that wafted down from the smokestacks.

 

If available, I would go for AQ1 cabins numbered 1547, 1549, 1552, 1554, 1605, 1603, 1610 or 1608. These cabins have larger verandas than other cabins excepting suites and provide more privacy.

 

Here is a link to a thread that provides actual experiences of cruisers in various S-class cabins: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=911018&page=112. This page has a link to a spreadsheet of all S-class cabin reviews as well as fotos that pertain to AQ1672 and AQ1605!!

 

Happy Planning!