Solstice Alaska Review...from July, 2013

[worldtrekker]

Hi Virginia. Heading out on the Klondike Highway was a definite highlight for the trip and I highly recommend it. If you do not want to drive, there are several tours of all sizes that will take you up and around the area. There are several good reviews of Dyea Dave as a guide on the Alaska boards. Passports are required as you go into Canada.

 

The next day was a cruising day. It was the only bad weather day on the entire journey.

 

Our View on Day 6

 

I was attending lectures much of the day, but made it to the hot tub at some point. Aunty Pat and Tutu did a wine tasting and a wellness class (I appreciate the irony there). It was also the second formal night, which was fun.

 

This is more Solstice/Celebrity specific, but I thought I would include a review about the dining experience. We ate at the MDR every night, which I would rate a solid 3.5/5. Some dishes were better than others, as were some servers, though all were good. We did the flexible dining schedule, so our server was not the same each night. The highlight, by far, was Szaba, our sommelier. He was attentive, passionate and informative. He gave us choices that went perfectly with our food selection, teaching us about each of the wines and pairings. For instance, "Szaba, I am thinking about this pinot noir, what would you suggest?" "Ah...the pinot noir. It loves the earth. And mushrooms...they are from the earth. I suggest the mushroom dish for your start." And so on. I think his life dream is to be a butler to a sheik, guiding him in the way of vintage manners and lifestyle a la Downton Abby. If I had heaps of money and was a sheik (sheikstress?), I would hire him in a second to enrich my life with wonderful things. Sigh.

 

Other than that, we tried Bistro on 5 on arrival, which was nice. Our server brought out several of the crepes to our table to try "family style". I ate at the Aqua Spa Cafe a couple times for lunch and really enjoyed the lighter fare. My kids adored the sushi from Oceanview buffet for dinner, as well as the hand-scooped ice cream for dessert. Breakfast was either room service or the Oceanview cafe and was fine. I would put Oceanview at a 3/5. The made to order burgers on the pool deck are delicious.

 

The adults had the premium drink package and utilized it well. We usually had a martini before dinner from the Martini bar (a really fun spot), a glass of wine with dinner and a drink from the Molecular bar after dinner. We also used the drink package throughout the day for sparkling water, smoothies and bottled Evian to take on our shore trips.

 

Also Solstice specific is Brent Nixon, the naturalist. Eatsleepcruise mentioned him on a previous post, and I would second the praise. He is a very entertaining and passionate lecturer, and did a phenomenal job narrating the whale watching and the cruising in Tracy Arm. Lectures on board included "Alaska", "Bears", and "Whales".

Edited September 27, 2014 by worldtrekker

[worldtrekker]

Day 7 – Sea Day and Victoria B.C.

 

We had arrived in Victoria by 6 pm as scheduled. For the inexperienced cruiser, you may not be aware (as I was not), that the scheduled arrival time is not the time you can get off the ship. No worries. We were off by 6:30 pm.

 

Tutu and I love taking walking Ghost Tours. We have found it a whimsical way to learn a bit of local history and sightsee at the same time. Discover the Past has several different walking tours that require no reservations, though most of these are during the day. Ghost Tours are every night in the summer at 7:30 and 9:30 pm and meet at the Visitor’s Center at the corner of Government and Wharf Street, next to the Empress Hotel.

 

With the assistance of the Alaska CC boards (thanks Skai and Putterdude), we found that there are four ways to get to downtown from the pier.

 

- Shuttle – Service from the cruise ship terminal to inner harbor. $10 dollar return for adults, $5 for seniors/children ages 5-11 http://victoriacruise.ca/page/shuttle

- Taxi – about $10 each way to downtown

- Walk – 30-40 minutes to downtown – free!

- Bus #31. This option requires Canadian currency. $2.50 CAD per person each direction for anyone over age 5. http://www.transitbc.com/

 

 

We took a taxi into town, and walked back.

 

The Ghost Walk was really fun. The guide was a fantastic storyteller, giving us a bit of history along with the eerie tales. They were not too scary, however, as neither of our children were freaked out.

 

 

 

There was a vintage car show in town, so we walked back to the ship to check out all the cars along the way.

 

 

We approached the Solstice at about 11pm as it was almost dark. Sigh. Our last night on board.

 

[worldtrekker]

EatSleepCruise - I think you got even closer than we did to the Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm. Your review is very pro :) We missed Miss Amanda last year. I am not sure if she did not have a show, or we just missed the show that was available. We did meet her in person, however, and she was so gracious.

 

For those who would like to check out an awesome review of the Solstice Alaska Voyage from this year -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2106806

[worldtrekker]

Back to Seattle

 

I do not remember much about leaving the ship. It must have gone smoothly. We had arranged to meet the same shuttle service to return back to Kirkland and they were there when we arrived. I remember I really wanted to eat a salad and could not stomach another rich meal for a while :)

 

As I mentioned previously, we did stay in the Seattle area for a few days after our voyage. We rented a car to do some of our favorite things. This included Pikes Place Market - because it is amazing - as well as my favorite museum the EMP. (http://www.empmuseum.org/) Definitely include that in your trip if you have time.

 

We also did a few other things I haven't seen posted here. These are great options if you have a car and can get out of the city area.

 

1. Blueberry Picking in Bellevue http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/blueberry_farm.htm

 

 

2. Wine tasting in Woodinville (we really enjoyed Forgeron)

http://woodinvillewinecountry.com/

 

 

3. Hanging at the beach in West Seattle

4. Museum of Flight - this was AWESOME. http://www.museumofflight.org/

[worldtrekker]

So that is the end of the journey.

 

Researching our Alaska trip, I found several opinions that Celebrity is not best choice for an Alaskan itinerary, particularly as there are no cruises to Glacier Bay or Hubbard.

 

Once again, I can only answer in a limited capacity having no comparison. While I have no doubt that Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier are stunning, and I would love someday to see glaciers calving, I could not imagine having had a better trip. Alaska is beautiful in so many different ways. The towering walls of Tracy Arm Fjord as we traveled toward Sawyer’s glacier were breathtaking. Our excursions brought us up close to the land, the sea and the wildlife of Alaska. The ship that took us there was an elegant home for a week, keeping well fed, entertained and pampered.

 

One day, I hope to return to Alaska. Perhaps then I could see glaciers calving and fly over rivers and streams, oceans and mountains. One trip does not always have to be better than another, but I am always up for another adventure – just to see ;).

 

And so we returned to New Zealand. Next month, so will the Solstice. Perhaps we will meet again.

 

Solstice in New Zealand

[purplemusik]

Thanks for your review! I loved it!