Solstice Alaska Questions

[yahooelvis]

Howdy!

Getting ready to take my second cruise but first on the Solstice.

 

Can anyone give me any information on the following:

 

1) Cabin 9350-- has anyone stayed in this cabin? pros cons?

2) Best recommendations on the action/adventure excursions for Skagway and Juneau? Would anyone recommend the dog sledding/helicopter tour of one port over the other?

3) Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants or best food on the boat?

4) We aren't smokers, so wanted to find out about the amount of smoking on the ship?

5) How can I search the solstice forum for other info without looking through all the forums?

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions! :)

[Northern Aurora]

Hope you enjoy your trip to Alaska. We think that we live in a very special place.

 

The Cruise Critic Alaska forum contains a wealth of information and opinions regarding Alaska shore excursions, activities and attractions. To find it go to the Cruise Critic forum listing and then scroll down to "Ports of Call" where you will find "Alaska."

[cruzzzinma]

I would highly recommend the helicopter excursion to Mildenhall Glacier. It was simply amazing to walk on the glacier.

 

We loved Tuscan Grille and Muranos on the Solstice last fall. Silk Harvest not so much. Our dining room was Blu, so I can't comment on the MDR.

 

There are not many places to smoke on the Solstice so it was wonderful for a nonsmoker.

[waterbug123]

Howdy!

 

2) Best recommendations on the action/adventure excursions for Skagway and Juneau? Would anyone recommend the dog sledding/helicopter tour of one port over the other?

 

I understand from people who have done it that it's a fun excursion, BUT be aware that it is frequently cancelled due to the weather. Fog sets in and the helicopters can't fly. We were scheduled to do it 2 years ago and it was cancelled, and a few years prior my BF was scheduled to do it with his kids and it was likewise cancelled.

[Boxerlover2]

We booked a 3-hour glacier trek on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau last year when we were on the Solstice. My DH suggested it and I was afraid it would be too long. I must say that this was one of the best excursions we have ever taken and well worth the investment! The helicopter ride there and back was amazing and the trek on the glacier was such a great experience. We booked the excursion through Celebrity and it was ran by Northstar Trekking (the company wouldn't let us book directly through them since we were coming in on the ship). We were VERY pleased with the company's professionalism and organization. We highly recommend this tour to those that are up for it! I believe it's called the Extended Helicopter Glacier Trek on Celebrity's website (they have shorter treks as well).

 

View from the helicopter ride:

 

 

 

From the trek:

 

 

 

[ClaudiaB]

In Skagway there is an excursion that includes a partial ride up the Whitepass Railroad. Then you get off (and let the others ride the rest of the way) in the middle of nowhere.

You have meanwhile packed a lunch on the train, with supplies from the guides. You get your hiking poles and lunch and they carry water and snacks.

You'll hike up the Laughton Glacier 3 to 4 miles, over the creek, up rocks, being careful and having the best time. It's not easy at times, there might be ice, but this is a view that only walking can get you. No train, no paved trail, no car can get you this view. You can walk on the glacier and then it's all downhill.

When we did it we wore medium weight jackets and encountered a very cold drizzle and rain at times and it was very cold. But it was one of the most fun days ever. Highly recommend it and we'd do it again in a heartbeat. The guides were amazing and funny. Our butler met us in the hallway with hot chocolate and it was back to the "reality" of a cruiseship. This was on Infinity, two years ago.

[lobster129]

I understand from people who have done it that it's a fun excursion, BUT be aware that it is frequently cancelled due to the weather. Fog sets in and the helicopters can't fly. We were scheduled to do it 2 years ago and it was cancelled, and a few years prior my BF was scheduled to do it with his kids and it was likewise cancelled.

 

We were lucky to be able to do the helicopter excursion to glacier as private tour. It was among our top three ever excursions!

 

Probably a 30% chance that any flight seeing excursion will not "Fly" in AK due to weather. Just because they CAN fly...not all companies WILL if they think conditions will negatively impact your experience. Something to questions as your are selecting who to book your flight-seeing company.

[Shake]

Howdy!

Getting ready to take my second cruise but first on the Solstice.

 

Can anyone give me any information on the following:

 

1) Cabin 9350-- has anyone stayed in this cabin? pros cons?

2) Best recommendations on the action/adventure excursions for Skagway and Juneau? Would anyone recommend the dog sledding/helicopter tour of one port over the other?

3) Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants or best food on the boat?

4) We aren't smokers, so wanted to find out about the amount of smoking on the ship?

5) How can I search the solstice forum for other info without looking through all the forums?

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions! :)

 

Your a bit out of control but should match up well with other lost and enquiring souls.

 

1) Check out the sticky

2) Of course take the Skagway train or rent a car and do the same.

3) Tuscan, Tuscan, and Tuscan.

4) You found the right ship for NO SMOKING !!

5) Get your butt over NOW to your Roll Call.

 

Whew..........Good Luck and Good Speed!!!

Edited April 11, 2015 by Shake

[Lois R]

Howdy!

Getting ready to take my second cruise but first on the Solstice.

 

Can anyone give me any information on the following:

 

1) Cabin 9350-- has anyone stayed in this cabin? pros cons?

2) Best recommendations on the action/adventure excursions for Skagway and Juneau? Would anyone recommend the dog sledding/helicopter tour of one port over the other?

3) Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants or best food on the boat?

4) We aren't smokers, so wanted to find out about the amount of smoking on the ship?

5) How can I search the solstice forum for other info without looking through all the forums?

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions! :)

 

Good morning......Solstice does not have its own forum......what

week are you sailing? You can post on your roll call and meet other

folks on the same cruise. Researching Solstice would be on this

forum.

 

No smoking anywhere inside the ship or on the balcony...

 

I agree with the suggestion of checking the Alaska Forum. You can

find out lots of information over there......here is a link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

And there is a sticky thread at the top of this forum about S class

cabins.......you can click on it to see if your cabin is listed.

[yahooelvis]

Thank you for all your suggestions. Looking forward to the cruise. I will be adding our names to the roll call in a few days.

I had looked at the sticky on the cabins before posting. I didn't see anything on that particular cabin or through the search function so I decided to add that to my questions just in case some one had info and hadn't posted prior.

 

Have a great night!

[LuckiePuris]

Howdy!

Getting ready to take my second cruise but first on the Solstice.

 

Can anyone give me any information on the following:

 

1) Cabin 9350-- has anyone stayed in this cabin? pros cons?

2) Best recommendations on the action/adventure excursions for Skagway and Juneau? Would anyone recommend the dog sledding/helicopter tour of one port over the other?

3) Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants or best food on the boat?

4) We aren't smokers, so wanted to find out about the amount of smoking on the ship?

5) How can I search the solstice forum for other info without looking through all the forums?

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions! :)

 

Hi there,

 

My partner and I recently cruised on Solstice in March / April. This was our first Celebrity cruise and we loved it so much, we have booked another two Solstice cruises.

 

I have a review on the following link if you wanted to do some more research on Solstice:

 

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192606

 

Feel free to post on either thread if you have any queries I can help you with!

 

Regarding smoking, I'm not sure if it was because the cruise was departing from Australia where smoking laws are quite strict, but there was no smoking indoors whatsover (no casino, no bar, no rooms etc). Starboard side in the outdoor pool deck area was smoking area.

 

The specialty restaurants were just amazing, and definitely worth the $99 for the three restaurants.

 

Silks was a fantastic modern take on Vietnamese / Chinese / Thai / Japanese food. Tuscan Grille is an unbelievable steakhouse with an amazing filet mignon. And Murano - WOW - incredible! All three restaurants were fantastic quality and would highly recommend them.

 

Bistro On 5 was also fantastic for a quiet and low key breakfast / lunch when the Oceanview Cafe is too hectic.

 

Feel free to let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to know!

[SnorkelMoose]

Must-do in Skagway. We saw so many seals and birds, it was incredible!

 

http://oceanraftalaska.com/

[4liberty]

Must-do in Skagway. We saw so many seals and birds, it was incredible!

 

http://oceanraftalaska.com/

 

Would you mind sharing how much this cost? There are no prices on their site, and they haven't answered my email yet...

[dkjretired]

Hi there,

 

My partner and I recently cruised on Solstice in March / April. This was our first Celebrity cruise and we loved it so much, we have booked another two Solstice cruises.

 

I have a review on the following link if you wanted to do some more research on Solstice:

 

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192606

 

Feel free to post on either thread if you have any queries I can help you with!

 

Regarding smoking, I'm not sure if it was because the cruise was departing from Australia where smoking laws are quite strict, but there was no smoking indoors whatsover (no casino, no bar, no rooms etc). Starboard side in the outdoor pool deck area was smoking area.

 

The specialty restaurants were just amazing, and definitely worth the $99 for the three restaurants.

 

Silks was a fantastic modern take on Vietnamese / Chinese / Thai / Japanese food. Tuscan Grille is an unbelievable steakhouse with an amazing filet mignon. And Murano - WOW - incredible! All three restaurants were fantastic quality and would highly recommend them.

 

Bistro On 5 was also fantastic for a quiet and low key breakfast / lunch when the Oceanview Cafe is too hectic.

 

Feel free to let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to know!

 

Celebrity has not allowed smoking indoors fleet wide for several years now.

[seapad]

Booked on Solstice this summer for Alaska. Booked a whale watching excursion from the ship: from 4:30pm - 9:3pm

We are in Aqua class, hence eating in BLU.

I think BLU closes at 9:30pm, and so are the other dining rooms. Specialty restaurants close at 10pm, but not sure if these restaurants will still take on guests at 10pm.

Does anyone know if they may extend dining room hours on the Juneau night, or what is your suggestion in terms of dinner at 9:30 - 10-ish?

 

Thank you.

[kovhanperl]

I would highly recommend the helicopter excursion to Mildenhall Glacier.