Celebrity newbie - Solstice Alaska, suite questions

[AZmama2015]

Hi, all - I'm looking for some advice for my first Celebrity booking next year. We're considering a 9 day Alaska trip in a Sky Suite for me, hubby and our three year old. We will be celebrating a milestone birthday and anniversary and want it to be extra fun and special. Our normal cruise standard is Crystal Cruises, although we have been on Princess and Disney. We want a new upscale experience, not as formal as Crystal or as pricey and with a younger demographic.

 

It's my understanding the SS gets all the suite benefits that other suites get (outside the cabin). Is that correct? Just trying to see if upgrading to a CS is worth the additional $3k.

 

If we keep the SS, what's the difference between S1 and S2? There's a $200 pp increase for S1.

 

If we go for S2, 2114, 2116, 2118, 2119, and 2121 are available. Any recommendations based on experience?

 

Thanks much for the help!

Edited April 5, 2016 by AZmama2015

[AZNative2000]

Hi, all - I'm looking for some advice for my first Celebrity booking next year. We're considering a 9 day Alaska trip in a Sky Suite for me, hubby and our three year old. We will be celebrating a milestone birthday and anniversary and want it to be extra fun and special.

 

It's my understanding the SS gets all the suite benefits that other suites get (outside the cabin). Is that correct? Just trying to see if upgrading to a CS is worth the additional $3k.

 

If we keep the SS, what's the difference between S1 and S2? There's a $200 pp increase for S1.

 

If we go for S2, 2114, 2116, 2118, 2119, and 2121 are available. Any recommendations based on experience?

 

Thanks much for the help!

Congratulations and Happy Birthday. Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

S2 and S1 difference is purely location. The S1s on the aft corners are awesome. Having the wake-view as well as the side view is our preference. Another plus is that on Alaska cruises, the aft cabins are sheltered from the wind when the ship is moving.

 

In addition, the huge "port-hole" window presents a great view while you have breakfast or your butler-delivered tea in the cabin. Well worth the added $25 per day (my 2 cents).

 

See thumbnails.

 

Cheers!

Edited April 5, 2016 by AZNative2000

[AZmama2015]

Okay that looks amazing! Time to investigate S1 locations....

 

Thank you!

[AZmama2015]

Looks like 9299 (deck 9), 1198 (10), 6304 and 6305 (6), and 7307 (7) are available. How is the motion on 9 or 10 aft? And it looks like they're a bit of a walk from the elevators?

[dkjretired]

Definitely do an aft cabin on the Solstice trip in Alaska. While the ship is doing the inside passage the fabulous naturalist Brent Nixon gives a running commentary and having a Cabin on one side removes many views.

[AZNative2000]

Looks like 9299 (deck 9), 1198 (10), 6304 and 6305 (6), and 7307 (7) are available. How is the motion on 9 or 10 aft? And it looks like they're a bit of a walk from the elevators?

 

No matter which one you pick, the elevator is at mid-ship. The added walk makes for a bit more exercise.:) You do learn to not forget stuff.:D

 

We stayed on deck 7. I chose that because we didn't want to be too high up so deck six would be our second choice. On 6, you have the Tuscan Grill below you. No noise problem (usually) but the roof of the restaurant sticks out a bit. Plus, the window washing machine "parks" above deck 8 usually.

 

Follow the link, click the photo to expand, and you can see Solstice aft and the window washing apparatus "parked" covering the "port-hole" of the deck 9 cabin.

 

You can also see the Tuscan Grill roof. The first cabin level is 6, so you can see why we picked 7.

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Celebrity_Solstice_(ship,_2008)_001.jpg

 

Cheers!

[ClaudiaB]

They're our cabin of course. Yes, they're a long walk to the stairs/elevator. We don't mind and just figure it's more additional exercise we can get.

 

The S1 corner afts are what we like best. We have had the S2 cabins that are right next to them.

 

We have no issues with motion, so it's never been a consideration. Our favorite deck is the penthouse deck which is one down from the deck which has cabins right under the public bar area. But, we've also had the cabin with the window washing equipment and that is no problem either. I'd grab whatever you can, as high up as you can. You can always switch later if another one becomes available. The pull out couch will be perfect for your daughter and you'll still have all kinds of room to wander the cabin.

 

Be sure to go to the lectures by the onboard naturalist on your cruise. If he's Brent Nixon you should DEFINITELY go! He made our trip when he was still lecturing on the Infinity cruises to Alaska. When we were on the ship we spent our days basically on the balcony or on the upper decks or sky lounge ( top lounge in front with panoramic views) watching for whales, etc. Not a cruise to hang around the pool or casino but instead watch the beauty of Alaska. The naturalist (whoever he/she is) will give very detailed "instructions" about where it's a good place and time to watch for orca, whales, dolphins, bears on shore, etc. Bring the absolute best binoculars you can afford. The ones provided in the cabin are really mere toys. You will use those binoculars on shore/in port and on the ship. We just carried them around with us and were constantly looking out to see things. Whales breaching, animals on shore, etc. etc.

 

I also highly recommend having breakfast delivered to your room on port days for sure. It's a great way to start the day not having to walk back and forth and get ready while you're pulling into port.

 

Alaska is a very special place and any cruise there will be special, but having that great balcony and extra space in the cabin is going to be amazing.

 

We love the restaurant Luminae. Enough said. Just go. On sea days, we went three times a day. Yes. There was a couple with a one year old in a stroller and she was the star of the place. So sweet. The good thing about the smaller restaurant is they can totally customize things for you and your daughter.

[AZmama2015]

Thank you for the info. I did more digging into aft SS comments and I'm a little unclear on the window washing equipment. Does that mean the equipment actually blocks the porthole or that they wash the window regularly, creating more of a noise and privacy concern?

 

9299 got a decent review on the sticky as well. Not at the top which appears to be affected by noise from the seating area above it, but not so far down that half the world can see onto your balcony. The lack of privacy on the balcony won't bother us too much, as we won't exactly be sunbathing on it. And I'm not expecting too much motion; there are only two sea days, one of which is inside passage.

 

There was mention of a private entrance as well? And the possibility of crew storing things right outside the door? I'm very sensitive to people noise, so I want to make sure we have something quiet and relaxing.

 

I've taken an Alaska cruise before (12 days on Crystal), so I have a good idea of what to expect from an itinerary standpoint. This is all great advice for a new experience, so thank you again.

[SunnyAJ]

Hi, all - I'm looking for some advice for my first Celebrity booking next year. We're considering a 9 day Alaska trip in a Sky Suite for me, hubby and our three year old. We will be celebrating a milestone birthday and anniversary and want it to be extra fun and special. Our normal cruise standard is Crystal Cruises, although we have been on Princess and Disney. We want a new upscale experience, not as formal as Crystal or as pricey and with a younger demographic.

 

It's my understanding the SS gets all the suite benefits that other suites get (outside the cabin). Is that correct? Just trying to see if upgrading to a CS is worth the additional $3k.

 

If we keep the SS, what's the difference between S1 and S2? There's a $200 pp increase for S1.

 

If we go for S2, 2114, 2116, 2118, 2119, and 2121 are available. Any recommendations based on experience?

 

Thanks much for the help!

 

Hi! We just came back from Reflection and in an aft Sky Suite for the 1st time. We had the S1 with the porthole and my kids were adjoining in a Concierge Cabin. However, with your one little one, just the Sky Suite would be perfect. We ended up absolutely loving this cabin. The amount of extra space was perfect and the availability of Luminae for meals and Michael's Club is terrific. As a matter of fact, we booked Alaska on Solstice ourselves for 2017 in an aft SS again. I think it's absolutely worth the extra. You'll appreciate it since coming from Crystal.

 

From the elevators, the walk is a bit longer but it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The quiet location and the view is totally worth it! Also, we barely felt any additional motion being in the back of the ship. We've only had mid-ship before so I was nervous about that as well. But not an issue.

 

Hope this helps a bit!

[AZNative2000]

Thank you for the info. I did more digging into aft SS comments and I'm a little unclear on the window washing equipment. Does that mean the equipment actually blocks the porthole or that they wash the window regularly, creating more of a noise and privacy concern?

 

There was mention of a private entrance as well? And the possibility of crew storing things right outside the door? I'm very sensitive to people noise, so I want to make sure we have something quiet and relaxing.

 

I've taken an Alaska cruise before (12 days on Crystal), so I have a good idea of what to expect from an itinerary standpoint. This is all great advice for a new experience, so thank you again.

 

Hope you saw the photo I posted at post #6 :).

 

The window washing equipment washes the windows on the side of the ship, restaurants, along the pool, etc. It "parks" at the back as in the photo and can block a port hole as shown in the photo.

 

The cabin door for the aft-corner S1 is set back from the hallway (see thumbnail)so you share that little hallway with only 2 other cabins. Sometimes, the stewards leave a cart in that area but it will have no effect on you noise wise and it never impedes the hallway.

 

From our experience, I can't imagine a quieter cabin on the ship.

 

Cheers!

Edited April 5, 2016 by AZNative2000

[SunnyAJ]

Hope you saw the photo I posted at post #6 :).

 

The window washing equipment washes the windows on the side of the ship, restaurants, along the pool, etc. It "parks" at the back as in the photo and can block a port hole as shown in the photo.

 

The cabin door for the aft-corner S1 is set back from the hallway (see thumbnail)so you share that little hallway with only 2 other cabins. Sometimes, the stewards leave a cart in that area but it will have no effect on you noise wise and it never impedes the hallway.

 

From our experience, I can't imagine a quieter cabin on the ship.

 

Cheers![/quote

 

Totally agree! Definitely a quiet area on the ship. I know our planner told us that the window washing equipment is parked on Deck 11 on Reflection, so I'm not sure on Solstice. But ask before you book and they might know.

 

Also, we didn't see any carts parked along the hall at all. It was perfect!

[dkjretired]

The elevator shaft is not mid shift, the shafts are actually broken into thirds, bit longer than most ships but not bad and I have bad legs.

[Muushka]

Unless I missed it, this question was not addressed:

It's my understanding the SS gets all the suite benefits that other suites get (outside the cabin). Is that correct?

No, sadly, not correct. From their website:

Royal Suites, Penthouse Suites, and Reflection Suites have multiple complimentary benefits- including complimentary premium beverage package,

unlimited complimentary specialty dining, unlimited internet access, and complimentary mini-bar stocked with beer, soda, and water daily.

Sky suites get everything but the above.

[AZmama2015]

Hope you saw the photo I posted at post #6 :).

 

The window washing equipment washes the windows on the side of the ship, restaurants, along the pool, etc. It "parks" at the back as in the photo and can block a port hole as shown in the photo.

 

Thanks, I somehow missed that on your earlier post. The photo is excellent for seeing the equipment. 7307 is available, so maybe that would be a good option. I saw 6304 and 6305 were NOT recommended on another post; only other one available is on 10 and it looks like there might be obstruction there.

 

I really appreciate all of the great input. Just makes me nervous to shell out a lot of money and find I made a bad choice that could have been avoided!

[AZmama2015]

Unless I missed it, this question was not addressed:

No, sadly, not correct. From their website:

 

Sky suites get everything but the above.

 

Thanks! Yes, I recall seeing that now on the website. Guess I was thinking more of Michaels and Luminae and things like that. We're not really drinkers, but I wouldn't mind the water and soda stocked in the cabin. But then again, I'm sure I can buy what I want onboard for a lot less than upgrading to one of those suites. :)

 

Without unlimited wifi, what are the charges like? Outrageous like most cruises? Maybe not a big issue because we'll be in port on a lot of days and I can use cell service.

[AZNative2000]

Thanks, I somehow missed that on your earlier post. The photo is excellent for seeing the equipment. 7307 is available, so maybe that would be a good option. I saw 6304 and 6305 were NOT recommended on another post; only other one available is on 10 and it looks like there might be obstruction there.

 

I really appreciate all of the great input. Just makes me nervous to shell out a lot of money and find I made a bad choice that could have been avoided!

 

We loved our S1 on Deck-7 so I think your choice of 7307 is perfect.:D

 

Here is a link to a video of 7309 on Reflection. It will be the same as 7307 on Solstice. Same position, same cabin.

 

Don't wait too long, I booked a 2018 cruise yesterday and all but one of the S1s were gone already.:eek:

Happily, we got it!

 

 

Cheers!

Edited April 6, 2016 by AZNative2000

[AZmama2015]

Just want to say thanks again for the great info and recommendations. We booked 7307 today! Now I have to wait thirteen looong months for what will hopefully be a fantastic first time on X.

 

Looking forward to spending more time on this board and learning more as we get ready!

[LabGuy64]

You can always stop by michael's club and pick up water to take to your room....

 

 

 

thanks! Yes, i recall seeing that now on the website. Guess i was thinking more of michaels and luminae and things like that. We're not really drinkers, but i wouldn't mind the water and soda stocked in the cabin. But then again, i'm sure i can buy what i want onboard for a lot less than upgrading to one of those suites. :)

 

without unlimited wifi, what are the charges like? Outrageous like most cruises? Maybe not a big issue because we'll be in port on a lot of days and i can use cell service.

[GINNY L]

Just want to say thanks again for the great info and recommendations. We booked 7307 today! Now I have to wait thirteen looong months for what will hopefully be a fantastic first time on X.

 

Looking forward to spending more time on this board and learning more as we get ready!

 

I will be going on solstice in a little over three weeks. I will be in the sky suite that is on the opposite side. I think it is 7356. This will be my first suite. They were on sale a couple of weeks ago. I got a guaranteed suite level so I ended up getting it for a good price.

 

Since I have unlimited internet, I may be doing a live from posting.