Amazing Alaska Cruise
Celebrity Solstice Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 72
7 Night Alaska Glacier Cruise (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 28, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Solstice
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Solstice gave us a wonderful first experience in Alaska! We would sail this itinerary again on the same ship because we know no two trips to Alaska would ever be exactly the same.Embarkation
The embarkation in Seattle Pier 91 was fast, easy, and hassle-free. Easily the best embarkation experience we have experienced (previous ports Galveston, Port Everglades Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Port Canaveral).
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The main dining room was outstanding! Both the quality of food and service were exceptional. The sommelier made wonderful suggestions personalized to each of our tastes. The buffet was very good the first two days but got noticeably worse during the cruise. The adults in our travel party did not go back after day 4. That said, the MDR was so strong I cannot give less than 5 stars. The martini bar provided us with delicious drinks and fun entertainment by the highly skilled bartenders. We did not eat at any specialty restaurants as we enjoyed the MDR so much.
Grand Epernay Restaurant
Without a doubt, the food quality and impeccable service in the main dining room was the best we have experienced. Each night there were numerous delicious choices that appealed to all in our party (teens to adults). Also, our sommelier was superb with his suggestions & service.
Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria
Lots of sweet, free treats around the clock. Try the coffee eclair!!! We had the premium beverage package and enjoyed many of the yummy options here. All of them that we sampled were very good and the wait was never too long.
Martini Bar & Crush
The BEST bartenders at sea!!! They entertained us each night and made wonderful martinis, even special requests. This was the #1 nighttime spot on our sailing and we were amazed at how quickly we were served. When they blow their whistles, go watch the martini flight show!
Onboard Activities
The Beyond the Podium presentations by the onboard naturalist, Brent Nixon, were informative and entertaining. This cruise itinerary is about embracing nature and sights that can only be seen in a visit to Alaska, and Brent provided us with information and narration that made our experience more powerful. Having him share his expertise as we sailed into the Tracy Arms Ford and visited Dawes Glacier, greatly increased our overall experience. We also attended two wine tastings, both were good but I recommend attending the World of Wines tasting and skipping the Food & Wine pairing. The men in our travel party went to the Jack Daniels tasting and they all enjoyed it. As for the three teens in our group, they did not find much entertainment to their liking. Two of them have been on 4 other cruises (2 times on Oasis of the Seas, Disney Wonder, Navigator of the Seas) and are used to have many choices of activities. However, they thought this was the best cruise they have ever been on because of the itinerary and scenery.
Entertainment
The first production show "Broken Strings" was difficult to follow and did not hold most of our interests to the end. However, the final show "Rock City" was highly engaging and showcased a variety of talents. I wish this had been the first show that all members of our party would have seen it... they were so disappointed by the first show they did not want to attend this one. The house band got better during the cruise, and we enjoyed their 4th of July concert very much. The acoustic duo was also very good and a unique performance to enjoy. Unfortunately, the main entertainer on board played mostly one genre and fell flat after his first show. The guest comic was family-friendly which was a nice change of pace for cruise comedians, but he wasn't that funny. All the adults in our party really wished there was a piano bar onboard to fill the void.
Service and Staff
Our dining room waiter, Sudar, assistant waiter, Marthen, and sommelier, Elrico, gave our entire party the best overall dining service we have ever experienced on a cruise. Each of them gave us personalized attention, provided strong suggestions on entrees, desserts, and wine, and were extremely friendly. We felt like royalty!
We had 4 staterooms in our party and they were all kept spotless. Our cabin steward was not exceptional personable though. On past cruises, the cabin steward has made more effort to make a connection with us.
The service at Crush Martini Bar was phenomenal! This place was always busy but you never had to wait long for your cocktail. Even with all the customers they had, the bartenders were very friendly and remembered you. Amazing!
Ship Quality
The public areas were beautiful. The ship did not feel crowded even though it was completely sold out. Only once did we have difficulty finding a table in the buffet.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin felt spacious and great use of space for storage options. Due to our itinerary, we had to pack more clothing than our usual cruises but we had no difficulty finding a place for everything. The sofa and table in the cabin gave us plenty of space to relax and for room service breakfast. The balcony was roomy and we had 4 of us on the balcony for several hours at a time.
Ship tip
Get a balcony if you are going to Alaska! Save up until you can afford the balcony, it will be worth it. I also loved being on a smaller ship for this itinerary as we got to visit sights that the mega ships cannot.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
First time to Seattle and so glad we spent a day before and two days after the cruise to explore & enjoy this city! We did a lot of walking but got to see a lot... Space Needle, Museum of Pop Culture, waterfront, Seattle Mariners game, Pike Market.
We went on the Back Country Jeep and Canoe excursion. It was wonderful! Our family of 4 shared a Jeep and we were able to switch adult drivers so one could drive and the other enjoy the magnificent views. The teens loved the Jeep off-roading and the stops we made along the way. The canoe trip across the glacial lake was fun but not very long. We immensely enjoyed the salmon spread, wildflower jam, sourdough bread, and Alaskan coffee (coffee with hot chocolate) that was prepared by the cook. We have used cruise line excursions for 90% of our port excursions, and we felt like this was one of the best as all parts of the excursion were great. We had enough time afterwards to explore the town including Creek Street, eat some Alaskan crab legs at the Alaska Fish House which gave us STELLAR service, and do some shopping.
CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER
The highlight of our trip! I cannot describe the majestic views you will encounter here. We saw abundant wildlife, lots of bergs, and a large calving as soon as we arrived in sight of the glacier! We saw several other smaller ones as Capt. Tasos (who happens to be the best captain we have ever sailed with in both his personality, humor, and his desire to give all of us the best possible experience at the glacier and in our overall experience) kept us slowly turning sooo close to the glacier. The narration throughout from the on-board scientist, Brent Nixon, made this experience even more memorable. I cannot imagine that this could have been any better. Do not miss out on this experience, get up early and embrace this opportunity.
We took the whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier excursion. We did see humpbacks, but we saw more active whales sailing along Endicott Arm. At the end of the cruise we did get see a mother whale (Flame, who is well known by the locals) and her baby (Bunson, who the town threw a party for when he arrived this season) with a male escort. They said it is rare to have a male nearby the mother and baby. It was really interesting to watch all 3 of them make their fluke dives, especially the mom and baby.
The visit to Mendenhall Glacier went by too quickly. I could have spent much longer there. 5 of our group hiked to Nuggets Fall during our visit and it was worth the time. Gorgeous view! The 3 who did not hike enjoyed the visitors center and talking to the rangers who said two bears were seen there earlier in the day.
The White Pass & Yukon Railway was done by all members of our party. The 5 with current passports also went on the train and went kayaking on a glacier lake in Canada. Learn from our lesson, travel with a current passport so you can have the flexibility to visit Canada when you don't enter from the ship (you can visit Victoria without a passport because you go into Canada directly from the ship). They enjoyed the kayaking experience as much, if not more, than the train. The train provides you with spectacular sights and the guides give you a great history lesson for the Klondike gold rush and the settling of Skagway. This excursion did not disappoint and I recommend the train for all ages.
We had ample time after both excursions to meet up and enjoy the town. We visited the Red Onion Saloon, ate lunch there ( Do get the nachos with pulled pork!!!), and took the "quickie" tour of the brothel. We took our children (16 & 14) and nephew (12) on the tour. We were completely comfortable with the stories told during the tour, but I am sure that some parents would not feel the same. You should stop in to see the downstairs and eat lunch there, even if you don't want to hear all the details of its past.
Due to an emergency regarding a passenger, we were late leaving Skagway and our Inside Passage sailing took place later than scheduled. I must add here that the Captain and staff were genuinely concerned and graciously handled the situation with the upmost respect to the passenger and his/her family. What I did see of the Inside Passage was beautiful and we saw some seals, Dalls porpoise, and bald eagles.
We chose to explore Victoria on our own. It's a beautiful city! Our family of 4 took a taxi for $10 (cheaper than the shuttle) and my parents, brother, nephew (who uses a wheelchair) took a minivan for $20 (still cheaper than shuttle) to the Empress Palace. We then walked the recommended route from the kind lady working the visitors booth at the end of the pier. She gave us a map and we followed her suggestions. We got to see Chinatown, the waterfront, Parliament, and stopped in a pub for a pint. We easily took a taxi across from where we were dropped off back to the pier for the same cost. (As a reference the shuttle was $15/person, so our family of 4 would have spent $60 instead of the $20 for the taxis.) Don't head back too early so you can see Parliament lit up at night, it is beautiful!
Disembarkation
The disembarkation on the ship was well done. I really appreciated the option of sitting down in the dining room for our final breakfast. Our group was called almost an hour earlier than stated in our stateroom program. The terminal was easy to navigate for our luggage. The access to the Lyft or Uber lot was quite a trek though and terminal porters cannot follow you the entire way to the lot. You can use a shuttle but it was for our ship and the much larger capacity Royal Caribbean ship so the line was extremely long. Even with the wheelchair we elected to walk there and I am sure it saved us a lot of time.
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