Fresh from Alaska Solstice Review

[BecciBoo]

Just back from Alaska on Solstice, sick but happy.

 

Yes, all 4 of our party caught a nasty upper respiratory virus of some kind and it

Is still with us today, with a vengeance.

 

But Happily, our cruise wasn’t affected, as the first of us, me, didn’t exhibit symptoms until Thursday in Victoria. I spent the evening there in bed then off to the airport in Vancouver. It wasn’t pleasant watching people on the plane look daggers at me coughing the entire time, but what could I do?? I wasn’t the only one unfortunately, there were others onboard suffering as well. This was the first time in 21 cruises I have come down with something so we have been lucky.

 

We arrived Seattle Sept. 1 and stayed at Holiday Inn Express at the Space Needle, nothing special but reasonable and clean, there were mostly cruisers at the hotel. We ate 2 times at 5 Point Café just a short walk away, I highly recommend this little local hole in the wall.

 

 

We were up early and after breakfast there we were in a taxi and on our way to the pier. It started to rain as we pulled up to the terminal between Solstice and Explorer of the Seas at 10:45. But we made it out of the rain in record time, the whole check in was simple and quick and we were on board in 20 minutes. We are Elite and in Concierge Class, but none of the priority lines were crowded, Well done, Seattle. I give this terminal a 10 just ahead of my other favorite port, Ft Lauderdale.

[BecciBoo]

Ding Ding, champagne please and we were enjoying the beautiful ship. We love Solstice, more than Reflection, and the crew were superlative! Well done, Andrew and his asst. in MDR and our wonderful cabin steward Colin and asst. Cudos to the lovely and talented Alexandra in my favorite Solstice space, Café Al Baccio. I spent every morning there with my cappuccino and chocolate croissants.

 

The ship is truly beautiful and so well kept, scrubbed, pampered and primped, it was well appreciated. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the new Sushi on 5. It was great, but be sure not to miss the Ahi Tuna on crispy rice cakes appetizers. We ordered these on 2 other occasions, simply could not get enough of them. Also had lunch at Silk Harvest, but we thought Sushi on 5 much better.

 

Had a delightful experience in Tuscan Grill for sail away from Skagway and the famous filet is mouthwatering.

 

Our cabin was 9307 and 9382 next door in the very center of the aft. No noise to speak of and views to die for. Well worth the extremely long walk, but that’s our secret for no weight gain on cruises! Would think twice about booking Concierge Class again, did not think it worth the extra $$. We hardly ever ate our afternoon crudités and only once drank our champagne.

[BecciBoo]

Never touched the fruit either. We did enjoy the lovely boarding luncheon in MDR. But in future we’ll just do Sunset Veranda or a hump Veranda.

 

There were hickups as with Reflection. One very big one was the overlap times between when an eating venue closed and reopened. Like with Oceanview Café still serving breakfast at 11:00 and not reopening until 11:30 for lunch, and with no other eatery open at 11:00, we could not get lunch before we had to be at our excursion. At least on RCCL you have the option of 24 hour sandwiches available on the promenade at Café Promenade. We managed to get a burger up at the lawn grill by bitterly complaining. But had to get the manager to open it early at 11:15 which he was very reluctant to do. We met many great people and had a great time and loved our premium pkg.

 

We debated whether to book another cruise while on board but we all decided to go back to RCCL for our next cruise, there are too many advantages for us there.

 

I’ll post pics later for you here’s one from sail away:

[Beanb41]

Never touched the fruit either. We did enjoy the lovely boarding luncheon in MDR. But in future we’ll just do Sunset Veranda or a hump Veranda.

 

There were hickups as with Reflection. One very big one was the overlap times between when an eating venue closed and reopened. Like with Oceanview Café still serving breakfast at 11:00 and not reopening until 11:30 for lunch, and with no other eatery open at 11:00, we could not get lunch before we had to be at our excursion. At least on RCCL you have the option of 24 hour sandwiches available on the promenade at Café Promenade. We managed to get a burger up at the lawn grill by bitterly complaining. But had to get the manager to open it early at 11:15 which he was very reluctant to do. We met many great people and had a great time and loved our premium pkg.

 

We debated whether to book another cruise while on board but we all decided to go back to RCCL for our next cruise, there are too many advantages for us there.

 

I’ll post pics later for you here’s one from sail away:

 

 

Breakfast available until 11.00 and lunch from 11.30. Don't you conceded that a bit of forethought prior to going on an excursion would have ensured you had something to eat prior to going ashore. You could have gone to Café El Bacio and had a coffee and croissant or requested rooms service. Bit picky me thinks

[need2cruisesoon]

You made a good choice selecting the Solstice over the Explorer in my opinion.

 

Our June cruise was outstanding in every way including the food in the MDR.

Edited September 12, 2016 by need2cruisesoon

[BecciBoo]

Breakfast available until 11.00 and lunch from 11.30. Don't you conceded that a bit of forethought prior to going on an excursion would have ensured you had something to eat prior to going ashore. You could have gone to Café El Bacio and had a coffee and croissant or requested rooms service. Bit picky me thinks

 

Ugh yeah it was their excursion and I appreciate RCCL's 24 hr venue for that reason. I did have croissants for breakfast at 7. No I don't think it's picky to want lunch at 11:15. In the US lunch starts at 11:00 even at McDonalds:D

 

Speaking of MDR food, it was nothing like it was 3 yrs ago on Reflection. Which was one of the reasons we booked this cruise, the outstanding food. The wide range of choices has disappeared with the new CEO's program, I guess, as little things like limp wet lettuce, watery Caesar dressing with powdered Parmesan on top is a far cry from their prior crisp salad with fresh grated Romano I remember. Although Andre was happy to have one made special for us and did so every evening thereafter. But these little details, of which there were many, are obviously cost cutting measures. And yes, I know where Miss Lisa came from:cool: But RCCL still serves the same wonderful Caesar Salad we experienced in May, although we've griped about their own cost cutting too.

 

Although the food variety has changed, we were able to find pretty good food every night in the MDR and excellent food in the specialties. Just not knock your socks off as it was 3 yrs ago. Don't get your panties in a wad though, we'd do another Solstice in a heartbeat.

 

After all, there are things on both lines we like, just the pricing and a few things at RCCL along with our $225 Diamond discount off the fare appeal to us. There's really not much difference but personal preference.

 

Loved little touches like a real barista with art like this:

Edited September 12, 2016 by BecciBoo

[twins_to_alaska]

Welcome back, Becci Boo! Glad to hear your Tuscan Grille dinner surpassed ours. Sorry to hear you've been sick and hope you're feeling much better very soon.

[SevenSeas1492]

The Diamond discount on RC is great. We have used it many times. Were you able to take advantage of X's free one category upgrade? We booked an A1 for the price of an A2 in Aqua and saved about $300. There are limitations; i.e., you can't upgrade from an inside to an ocean view or Aqua to a suite.

[BecciBoo]

As for ports of call, you just cannot beat Alaska, no matter which cruise line you go on. It never disappoints even when rain and cold bothers your excursions.

 

We took the train in Skagway and was shrouded in fog the whole trip, so missed much of the fantastic scenery, but it made for some interesting photos and a unique experience anyway:

[BecciBoo]

The Diamond discount on RC is great. We have used it many times. Were you able to take advantage of X's free one category upgrade? We booked an A1 for the price of an A2 in Aqua and saved about $300. There are limitations; i.e., you can't upgrade from an inside to an ocean view or Aqua to a suite.

 

Not this time, didn't want to trade our supreme location. It was fabulous!

[BecciBoo]

Welcome back, Becci Boo! Glad to hear your Tuscan Grille dinner surpassed ours. Sorry to hear you've been sick and hope you're feeling much better very soon.

 

Thanks. And the Catamaran excursion in Endicott Arm was fabulous as well, up close and personal, I'll try to put in the link to the huge calving we filmed from it. Also had a breaching humpback on the way back to Juneau, which unfortunately we missed getting a photo of. We have much work to do with Photos so it may take a while.

[misha1]

Hi Becci Boo...pleasure meeting you and many other Cruise Critic roll call participants. We must have been on different schedules as I did not see you again after the connections party. We also did a tour that took us by bus to the Yukon and train returned to the ship. We were able to move out of the fog and clouds after we reached the summit but the clouds persisted thru the day so our return was a little foggy, but we managed to scare a black bear from the side of the road, allowing all of the bus passengers to get a good look. We found Sushi on 5 to be our favorite dining experience...I would encourage everyone to try it...even if you don't like Sushi...there are other choices. Tuscan did not disappoint, I also ordered the Filet Mignon, and a pasta dish, and dessert, and then I waddled back to my room. We had a lovely view of the Inside Passage from our two top at the window. I would not recommend the cabin we were in 1249...although the balcony was angled and larger than other similar cabins, we could hear the noises from the buffet at all times...and it was quite annoying, sounded like thunder...don't know if it was the server carts or the sliding door to the outdoor area but it was constant and loud. Perhaps we will sail together again...Julie

[lizinindy]

My son and I had a wonderful time on the Solstice cruise. Sorry to have missed the sunset bar gathering. The concierge lunch was peaceful and very good. Our cabin, 2106, was the hump cabin with the big balcony. The cabin itself also has a bump out where the TV/desk is so it was a bit narrow through there. I finally got rid of the oval table in front of the sofa which helped a lot. The balcony was big enough to duck out of the wind so that was nice. We could hear a slight hiss every time someone flushed in the men's room overhead but it wasn't bothersome. The filthy glass on the balcony was disappointing. Wished I had a squeegee! We thought the dining room was fine. Not fabulous, but not bad. The buffet was kinda crazy. Such heavy plates to carry without a tray to balance your drink and plate and cutlery. Lots of wandering amongst the sneezers and coughers with my plate exposed while trying to decide what to have. Not very many open tables so we went to the aft area but they have lots of squat stool type tables rather than dining tables. But we had some good food finds along the way. Loved Al Bacio---it was very popular. They might want to expand the area for the cafe. We loved the World Bar! Great cocktails--but I felt sorry for people sitting at the tables who rarely got to order because there weren't enough bartenders. My least favorite thing was being "accosted" (that's what it felt like after a while) by the drink package sellers and the dining package sellers. It was brutal that first couple of days! Dining demos were merely opportunities to upsell. The Limoncello demo was hilarious--supposed to start at 3 but when we arrived at 2:58, it was already in progress. it ended at 3:03! I think quite a few of the staff could use some practice with speaking with a less pronounced accent so they could be more easily understood. Gosh---what a whiner I'm sounding like! We really did have a great time....but it's a very different experience cruising with Celebrity than it was 10 years ago. Such is the way things are heading I guess.....profit before personal service. That was certainly true of our flights too...so cramped...packed in like sardines! But--off I go on another cruise next month! The other side of North America for our 40th anniversary. We'll be on Princess so it will be fun to compare. Happy Alaskan memories all.

[misha1]

Our room number was 2149 not 1249 sorry for the mix-up if anyone was looking at that. It was directly under the back dining area in the buffet.

 

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[BecciBoo]

Funny, I recall being approached by the upsell people only twice and my reply was always No Thx and they were gone. Didn't bother me at all.

 

Here is the pic I was trying to post of the trestle in the fog, very interesting pic, but no scenery in the back ground:

 

The weather in general was great in all locations. In port Seattle, the rain cleared as you can see and sail away was very pleasant. It never rained on us anywhere, just cloudy and overcast as is Alaska's way. It may have sprinkled a couple of times briefly, but the only place I used my rain gear was on our glacier excursion in Endicott.

 

Day 2 There was no end to the spouts and tails as we sat on our balcony

[BecciBoo]

Internet:

many complaints about the ship's internet services. They have a very nice computer room with Apples and a couple of experts to assist, but for the most part, the service was down a lot! Which they blamed on a satellite. I guess that is a hazard when at sea for many lines.

 

Our traveling companion needed to file papers and things for realty closings and on one occasion, it took all day just to get her email working. She barely made her deadline and then only while docked in Victoria. So beware, even if you purchase their most costly package, it may not be possible to use.

[BecciBoo]

Now to address the drink package questions...we had an interesting exchange with a bartender at Martini Bar who absolutely insisted that we must be charged full price for the Anniversary Martini-$14 since it was over the Premium Package limit of $13. Since we knew that was incorrect, we argued with him and finally my DH went in search of a bar manager. This was cleared up by her and she said she would do more training with the tender. He apologized and after that, we had even better service from him. Just his misunderstanding and definitely a training issue.

 

So to be clear, if you upgrade, only the difference in price should be charged in our case $1 and all tips for all drinks ARE included in the upgrade price. One person in the MDR tried to say it was not and charged us the 18%. So unless you just want to be generous, there is no need to tip. We also clarified this with the manager. Classic package will get you drinks up to $10, but you cannot just pay the difference for say a $14 martini, only the Premium package gives you that option. We had wanted the specialty martinis so we upgraded, but eventually found we could get our favorite Espresso Martinis at the bar in the Oceanview Cafe and they were just smaller but equally good. Next time, we will not upgrade, although if you want the ambiance in Martini Bar, you'd better.:D [/sizeS]

Edited September 13, 2016 by BecciBoo

[sjb317]

We had a wonderful cruise, hated for it to end on Friday.:D Solstice is an absolutely beautiful ship, especially the Solarium.

 

I'm sorry to say we had a very disappointing meal in Tuscany Grill, food was mediocre at best. We were trying to use up some OBC so we sprang for the more expensive steaks which turned out to be not much better than Outback.:D And our waiter must have been having a bad day as he seemed pretty grumpy and rushed us through our meal. All in all, we spent almost$200 and decided it was definitely not worth it.

 

Our next two cruises will be on Royal but I am hoping to sail on Solstice again when she is doing her Australian cruises.

 

Love your picture of the fog! We too, rode the train up through the fog and then biked down through it :eek: back to Skagway.

 

Sherri:)

Edited September 13, 2016 by sjb317

[mlambert]

I too caught and still have the upper respiratory mess from this cruise. Has anyone checked it out with a doctor? If so, what were you prescribed?

 

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[remy3969]

I too caught and still have the upper respiratory mess from this cruise. Has anyone checked it out with a doctor? If so, what were you prescribed?

 

 

 

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I too ended up sick starting on Friday. Flight home on Saturday night was tough stopped at a Walgreens for everything from a to z to help my throat and head. Ended up at doctors on Monday they prescribed the Z-pack for 5 days.

[misha1]

Awwww...sorry y'all got sick. URI are so common with travel. Hope everyone feels better soon.

[BecciBoo]

I too ended up sick starting on Friday. Flight home on Saturday night was tough stopped at a Walgreens for everything from a to z to help my throat and head. Ended up at doctors on Monday they prescribed the Z-pack for 5 days.

 

Did they happen to identify the virus?

 

We are slowly improving, worst of congestion and cough is almost gone, but ribs are so sore it is torture to cough! Got a big ole fever blister right in the middle of my upper lip:mad: Our buds had lower GI with it but we didn't...fortunately. It's a Doozy!

 

Have been flat on back for so long we have not had time to do pics. Please be patient, I have thousands, still working on downloading and will have the glacier calving soon hopefully! DH has had to go back to work:mad::mad: LOL So it may take a while.

 

Julie, I thought we were boozing it up enough to pickle us and no germ would come near us! HA! Guess next cruise we'll have to redouble our efforts!LOLOL!

Edited September 14, 2016 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

OK the little boat Glacier excursion was fantastic and we got really close to Dawes Glacier and caught some huge calvings, here is the biggest one. The action really takes place at about 5:00 in this GoPro video

 

 

 

The ship gets up to the glacier with Brent Nixon giving you fabulous commentary, (and here I might add, DO NOT MISS A SINGLE presentation BY this scientist and his wife Miss Amanda!) and the catamaran comes along side and easily picks you up, the ship leaves and you stay and have fun longer! Then they take you back to the ship, which when we got back to Juneau they had just dropped anchor so this little boat flies! They again pull along side just like a tender would and let you off.

 

They had a little bar with drinks and eats and supplied free doughnut holes and hot chocolate/coffee. You could buy other things like Cokes, jerky, chips and popcorn. The boat was really too warm for me inside but anyway, well heated and comfortable.

Edited September 14, 2016 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

 

Click on the photo to play the video, look for the calving at 5:00

Edited September 14, 2016 by BecciBoo