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Tell me about the Celebrity Solstice in Alaska....

MaiTaiMary

By MaiTaiMary,
in Celebrity Cruises

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MaiTaiMary

MaiTaiMary

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DH and I are going to do an Alaska cruise, but can't decide which one. I thought we had narrowed it down to Princess and HAL, but he found a great deal on the Solstice, so now Celebrity is in the running, too. 😀

 

How would Celebrity differ from the other two cruise lines?

 

The Celebrity itinerary includes Tracy Arm Fjord, not Glacier Bay, like the others. Is that a big deal? I heard GB is very nice.

 

I'm trying to find menus for the main dining room. Can somebody point me in the right direction?

 

Also, I'm trying to find reviews of an Alaskan Solstice cruise.

 

thank you!!

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tangerinebunny

tangerinebunny

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GB is truly impressive. Do keep in mind that weather and time of year may impact how far into any glacier area your ship is able to go.

 

We had a magnificent visit to GB on a HAL ship the first week of August several years ago. But it was the first time that year that the ship had been able to do full entry.

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MaiTaiMary

MaiTaiMary

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GB is truly impressive. Do keep in mind that weather and time of year may impact how far into any glacier area your ship is able to go.

 

We had a magnificent visit to GB on a HAL ship the first week of August several years ago. But it was the first time that year that the ship had been able to do full entry.

 

We would be going near the end of August.

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Northern Aurora

Northern Aurora

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As someone who lives in Alaska I think that it is important to visit a major glacier, but the ones in Glacier Bay are actually in retreat. When aerial photography of Glacier Bay taken in the 1940s is compared to current photos the change is truly astounding.

 

Since the Solstice has been deployed in Alaska for several summers if the OP checks the review section of Cruise Critic, looking for summer reviews of the Solstice, there should be a number available.

 

One difference between the Solstice and the other cruise lines the OP mentions is the Celebrity smoking policy. Celebrity restricts smoking to limited outdoor areas. Smoking is prohibited on stateroom balconies. There are no interior smoking areas, and even the casino is non-smoking.

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jelayne

jelayne

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Did Alaska on the Solstice last Sept. The naturalist onboard was wonderful. Cruising Tracy Arm Fjord was beautiful and the captain got us up quite close to the glacier. The entire cruise was great: ship is beautiful, food & service were excellent, weather fantastic.

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LuckiePuris

LuckiePuris

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While I can't help with any destination information, I can tell you Solstice is a beautiful ship. We loved Solstice so much, we have booked another two cruises.

 

Below is a link to my review, hope it helps you make a decision in terms of the ship:

 

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

 

Please feel free to post any questions!

Edited by LuckiePuris
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H2OH!

H2OH!

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DH and I did the solstice alaska cruise mid-june 2013...to date it is one of our favorite cruises ever! Tracy Arm is beautiful. We did pay for the ships excursion where you tender off solstice and take a catamaran up close to the glaciers. It was amazing!!

 

I will say that we had unusually perfect weather...sunny and in upper 70's! in skagway it was in the 80's! skies were clear blue and amazing. here is the story about the record breaking temps...:)

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/baked-alaska-unusual-hea_n_3463563.html

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phoenix_dream

phoenix_dream

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I am a Celebrity loyalist (26 cruises, and three more booked) and I love the Solstice, but honestly she does not have the greatest itinerary for Alaska. If it were my first time, and I was not sure if I could go back, I think I would look for a cruise that offered a better itinerary. I would want more ports, more time in ports, and more time in the Inside Passage. The Solstice is short on all three. Ironic, since one of my three cruises is actually the Solstice this September, but it will be my fourth time in Alaska so I am going as much for the ship as for the sailing. I would look for a cruise out of Vancouver as that provides more of what you would be missing.

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ghstudio "Live from...." Rare

ghstudio

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We have been celebrity loyalists for many years but we took Princess to Alaska. Truthfully, other than the smoking policy, all three are all good cruise lines and have their pluses and minuses. You will find folks loyal to all three.

 

Alaska is beautiful. Take your best shot....you'll enjoy any of the cruises.

 

Note: we have become less loyal to Celebrity, but we still include them in the mix. Our next cruise (which we just cancelled due to our schedule) was on HAL...for it's itinerary.

Edited by ghstudio
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rockdoctor

rockdoctor

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It has been said by many that the Caribbean is about the ship, Alaska is about the destination. Check time in port. We have never seen a glacier from the ship in Tracy Arm. It's more of a service call. Glacier Bay is magnificent. Celebrity is so new in AK that you may have a tender call in Juneau. On the Solstis you are in the open ocean around Vancouver Island. The Solstis is too big for Seymour Narrows. Celebrity is my cruise line of choice. But not for AK. IMHO look at Vancouver sailings. We prefer southbound. Better timing for the "sweet" spots.

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dkjretired

dkjretired

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It has been said by many that the Caribbean is about the ship, Alaska is about the destination. Check time in port. We have never seen a glacier from the ship in Tracy Arm. It's more of a service call. Glacier Bay is magnificent. Celebrity is so new in AK that you may have a tender call in Juneau. On the Solstis you are in the open ocean around Vancouver Island. The Solstis is too big for Seymour Narrows. Celebrity is my cruise line of choice. But not for AK. IMHO look at Vancouver sailings. We prefer southbound. Better timing for the "sweet" spots.

 

In August we saw two glaciers in Tracey Arm, one Sawyer Glacier from the ship, probably half a mile away, the other Sawyer from the catamaran we boarded, your comment really doesn't make much sense since almost everyone stayed on the ship so I don't understand the service stop. Solstice alternates each week docking and tendering in Juneau. I agree about sailing out of Vancouver but your other comments are a bit confusing.

Edited by dkjretired
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rockfsh

rockfsh

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7.1370234101.sawyer-2.jpg

 

The Solstice Tracy Arm stop is not a service call. You will see a glacier unless ice conditions prevent it. The above picture is the Sawyer Glacier as seen from the ship. We have taken the Solstice to Tracy Arm twice and saw the glacier both times.

This is a blog of our first Solstice Alaska trip.

 

Alaska Sol Mates

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  • 2 weeks later...
floralscent

floralscent

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Did Alaska on the Solstice last Sept. The naturalist onboard was wonderful. Cruising Tracy Arm Fjord was beautiful and the captain got us up quite close to the glacier. The entire cruise was great: ship is beautiful, food & service were excellent, weather fantastic.

 

 

We sailed on the Solstice last May and I couldn't agree more or said it any better than jelayne! Of all the cruises we've taken this itinerary and ship were fabulous...made our trip magical.

 

Having sailed HAL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, I would sail Celebrity again if we returned to Alaska.

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Lois R Great Review Rare

Lois R

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I just returned from sailing Solstice to Alaska......had a marvelous

cruise:D

If my flight home would have been on time then it would have been

a perfect week:D.....unfortunetly, it was delayed 3 hours:eek:....I got

home at 3:00 this morning:rolleyes:

But the cruise itself? SUNNY and in the 50's/60's every day:D...great

service, good food and tablemates were lovely too....fun excursions,

saw lots of whales too.

And got to go up to the Heliopad for Tracy Arm....it was amazing!:)

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