Celebrity Solstice September 2nd, 2016

[SimonT]

My partner and I have booked this cruise with two friends. I am the only one who has been to Alaska before. Hoping to meet up with fellow travelers and share memories at the Martini Bar.

[StPeteCruiser]

My partner Jonathan and I will be on this cruise with 2 other friends as well. Looking forward to meeting new friends at the Martini bar!

[addymelb]

I am traveling with my Mom and we both look forward to a few Martini's. Look forward to meeting you then.

[SimonT]

Great to meet you all. Nine and counting so we will have a nice little crowd at the bar. Hopefully they will still have the Lychee Martini :)

We are arriving in Seattle on the Wednesday to do some exploring.

[letsgogogo]

Hello everyone. Joel here from Houston. My husband Cory and I will be on Solstice too for Alaska on 9/2. Looking forward to meeting new friends. First time cruisers here. When is the martini bar meet up?

Edited July 5, 2016 by letsgogogo
Added to it.

[SimonT]

Hello everyone. Joel here from Houston. My husband Cory and I will be on Solstice too for Alaska on 9/2. Looking forward to meeting new friends. First time cruisers here. When is the martini bar meet up?

Hi Joel and Cory, Great to hear from you. On past cruises we have met the first evening after the muster drill and when we have sailed. normally around 7 o'clockish, this allows for travelers who have early dinner to say hi or catch the group after dinner, and the rest to have a drink or two prior to heading to dinner at 8:30, After dinner people will meet up again for a late cocktail.

I am not sure what dinner arrangements everyone has made but I suggest we look at a 7 o'clock meetup. let me know if this is an issue or if you will be showing up later.

[letsgogogo]

This sounds fun. Cory's birthday is that sail out date and I booked Murano for dinner that evening at 7 pm. (I know it's a bit early, but our heads will still be on CST so it will be like 9 pm for us, plus I couldn't confirm a different time.)

 

We'll plan to go a little earlier for martinis, like maybe 6:30, and if that doesn't work we'll try back after dinner.

[Sailaway1706]

... to meet you all at the Matini Bar!

[SimonT]

Wondering what everyone is looking at for excursions. I know that at most places it's going to be cruise excursions, but am wondering about BC.

Only three more weekends:)

[letsgogogo]

We booked several things ahead of time, perhaps because we're green and I wanted to be sure to get the things we wanted. We're doing the rainforest hike in ketchikan, the tracy arm pontoon boat that leaves from the cruiseship on Monday morning early before Juneau. Bike and Brew later in Juneau, and then the white Pass rail plus bike ride in Skagway. No planning anything for Victoria. I read the gardens are beautiful, but less to see at night, and the chinese lantern thing sounded stupid. (That said, the review I read of the Chinese lantern walk through the gardens from someone who clearly HATED it made me laugh so hard. It was extremely humorous.) If we like cruising and do it again in the future, I might be more comfortable planning excursions as we go.

 

What is everyone else looking forward to?

[addymelb]

Have booked the Train & Dog Sled camp in Skagway. We are going to risk it and see what's available at the dock plus can't predict everyone's mood etc. We are thinking of booking on the Glacier trip but if not in Tracy Arm Fjord...

Victoria will be a nice English style pub for us I think... When in Rome!

 

 

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[letsgogogo]

I have read several reviews on the glacier trip while in Tracy Arm, and watched several Youtube videos posted by people who went on this excursion. It's pretty remarkable as you watch the glacier calving right up close. If you stay on the ship, Solstice cruises through Tracy Arm for about 5 hours early in the morning before docking in Juneau around 1 pm. If you stay on the ship, you do see the spectacle, but from a real distance. This excursion picks us up directly from the cruise ship while out on the water (not at a port) and leaves around 8:30 that morning. It's a pontoon that can reach all the up to within a couple hundred feet of the north and south Sawyer glacier. There is lots of wildlife to see on the trip too. Since we're not taking a seaplane or other helicopter type excursion, this seemed like a great way to get up to the glaciers. The only criticism I read about the excursion was that a few thought it was too long. Probably written by someone who can't relax. Alaska is about the scenery.

 

The trip ends around the time Solstice ports in Juneau, so it doesn't compete with any excursions happening at the port.

[addymelb]

Sold [emoji12] I read about the length of the tour too... You've convinced me. Thank you

 

 

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[SimonT]

I have been chatting with a tour operator in BC and she is offering a couple of options. The couple we are traveling with are not taking this tour so if anyone is interested let me know. She also advises that Solstice has been arriving early and they will accommodate that.

 

A scenic tour of Victoria with Craigdarroch Castle would be 3 hrs (2 hrs city with 1 hr at Castle). The rate is USD$200 for all four of you, plus admission which equals $11.05 in USD.

The Castle has availability between 6:30 and 7:00.

 

Craighdarroch Castle is actually more of a Victorian-era Scottish Baronial Mansion - 20,000 sq ft. There are beautiful stained-glass windows, great detail. There are 87 steps to get to the top (no elevator).

 

A scenic tour with Butchart Gardens is US$225 plus admission (equal to about US$25) The Butchart Gardens are pretty amazing and are 55 acres. (I lowered the price from $250 since there are only 4 of you).

 

Looking at the website is appears they could accommodate more than 4 so if more are interested then i will reach out.

 

The company is Fresh Air Tours

[SimonT]

I have read several reviews on the glacier trip while in Tracy Arm, and watched several Youtube videos posted by people who went on this excursion. It's pretty remarkable as you watch the glacier calving right up close. If you stay on the ship, Solstice cruises through Tracy Arm for about 5 hours early in the morning before docking in Juneau around 1 pm. If you stay on the ship, you do see the spectacle, but from a real distance. This excursion picks us up directly from the cruise ship while out on the water (not at a port) and leaves around 8:30 that morning. It's a pontoon that can reach all the up to within a couple hundred feet of the north and south Sawyer glacier. There is lots of wildlife to see on the trip too. Since we're not taking a seaplane or other helicopter type excursion, this seemed like a great way to get up to the glaciers. The only criticism I read about the excursion was that a few thought it was too long. Probably written by someone who can't relax. Alaska is about the scenery.

 

The trip ends around the time Solstice ports in Juneau, so it doesn't compete with any excursions happening at the port.

 

Looking through the excursions what is the name of this tour?

[letsgogogo]

Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer

[letsgogogo]

After lots of reading plus calling Celebrity, it seems that we don't actually dock in Juneau. We tender. And also,found out the catamaran for this excursion is also reached by tender. Starting to sound like a long and complicated day. Take a tender at 8:30 to the catamaran, tender back to the ship around 1 pm. Tender out to,Juneau sometime around 2:30 in time for the Bike and Brew at 3 pm. The tender back to the ship later that evening? Never done this before but it is sounding like a lot of hassle. Maybe just stay on the ship and enjoy the glaciers from our balcony with binoculars. Save $450 and moving all over. Thoughts?

[SimonT]

It is expensive, but after checking out some video's I think it could be well worth it. I was in Alaska in 09 and we never got as close as this to a glacier and saw very little wildlife and no calving happening at the glacier front.

2 minutes in then again at 12 minutes and at 15:20, I think that alone could make it worth it. One thing I will say is as this was taken in September it is changing my whole wardrobe thoughts brrr.

gives you an idea of how close the Solstice will get I think look at around 4:50.

Then on this very slow and boring one

at 11:50 the narrator mentioned that they did not even see the glacier (this was last year the last week of August)

[letsgogogo]

Yeah, saw those beautiful videos which was part of the selling point. I will ask more about the tendering once we get aboard and try to determine the extent to which they have the tendering process worked out. Sounds like it's a clusterf#$k sometimes and people who are not booked on an excursion through the cruise line, and not in a suite, get tendered last. So that creates angry hoards waiting forever to get off the boat, and back on.

 

The Bike and Brew in Juneau sounds fun too and it visits one of the glaciers, I think. Cory loves good beer (which I hate) so this would be something fun for him. And with all the cruiseship eating, a good bike ride sounds like a sensible idea.

 

Just unsure if it's biting too much off for a single day. Playing it by ear I guess.

[SimonT]

Cory, don't believe everything you read there are old ladies who post about the tender delays and can exaggerate This will be Jeff's and my 11 cruise and most have been on Celebrity. Yes getting a tender number can be a chore, BUT they move fast when loading. We had to use tenders in the Caribbean earlier in the year and as I recall it was about an hour from when they cleared the ship to us being on shore. The trick is to try and get a low number (we did not) and i would think with us being on this tour that we may be lucky as it is a Celebrity tour. if you want to email simon at simontrace dot com