Celebrity Solstice Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Although this was a once in a lifetime experience and the captain and crew enhanced the experience (in most cases), it is obvious that Celebrity is not the "top of the line" cruise line any longer.  It started with the lack of onboard communication abilities. Norwegian has a free app that allows guests to text while on the ship (in airplane mode). Since we always travel with a group, the lack of this capability w/ Celebrity was frustrating especially when they have a policy not to answer the phone after a certain time in a restaurant so that wasn't even an option.  Next is the cabin steward - if you ask for extra towels, that usually means all sizes and every day - not so much. Forget talking about the size of the cabin and the bathroom because you would have thought we bought the lowest category of room yet we were in the Aqua Class.  It is the smallest room we have had on a cruise in many years and it was touted as a higher class of room.  The sights were amazing and the service in the main dining room was excellent, especially since we were able to get the same staff for 3 dinners.  The Blu restaurant for Aqua Class guests was a really great option and was never crowded.  Service in there was top notch as was the food.  All in all we had a great time but sometimes the "little things" make a huge difference.

The crew members were fantastic!  The leadership on this cruise ship definitely care about their customers it shows from top on down.  The captain has an amazing personality and makes you feel comfortable in his hands. The cruise director has such a magnetic personality and makes everything fun and lively!  All the performers are extremely talented!  The shows were awesome!  The dining and service staff were all so kind and polite and made me feel like they really love their work!!!  Very much customer service focused!

We took this cruise to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary and it was the BEST!!  The crew members went above and beyond to assure that everything was to our satisfaction.  Our cabin butler Jacky was totally awesome and had a bottle of chilled champagne, towel sculpture and rose petals on the bed, and finished it off with a dozen red roses and Happy Anniversary pastry for us to enjoy after the nightly entertainment (which was off the charts each night by the way) on our anniversary night.  Dining in the Luminae Dining room for persons in a suite was off the hook!!!  We dined in two of the specialty restaurants while on on board, but their food in their restaurants paled in comparison to the food in the Luminae.  Our main server, Pabalo was awesome along with all the other food service people.  I would highly recommend the cruise to anyone looking to be pampered and it all started with the friendly, personal service I received from Shannon Polk with -- you guys ROCK!!

The line for embarking was crazy.  The ship was nice and everyone was friendly.  Disembarking was awful.  We are still waiting for a piece of our luggage to show up, or even hear from Celebrity.

The ship was nicely appointed. The food was pretty good, though the choices were a bit limited. The ports were excellent. But the constant upselling and 'nickel and dime' additional charges made the overall experience unpleasant. Here is how our first day and a half went.

We purchased a Deluxe Verandah (balcony) cabin, with the Classic alcohol beverage package and the specialty dinner package. When we boarded the ship our room wasn't ready yet, so we decided to have lunch. We found a sit-down restaurant. But when we attempted to enter, we were told we could not, it was for suites only. We were informed, OUR lunch was the buffet, in a rather snooty tone. We opted for the grill at the pool and had burgers. When ordering a beer, it was suggested that we should upgrade our beverage package to Premium. We declined, as we felt we didn't need premium spirits. After lunch we roamed the ship to get comfortable with its layout. We stopped at a place to inquire about wine offerings with dinner. We were strongly encouraged to upgrade our beverage package to Premium, as many wines weren't covered by the Classic package, and were informed some entire bars weren't covered by the Classic package. We reluctantly agreed to purchase the upgrade, not because we felt we needed it, but we just didn't want to worry about whether or how much additional we were being charged. We continued walking around the ship and spotted a pastry/gelato bar. A little gelato sounded good, so I inquired. I was informed it was "just $5."

The next day was at sea. With a late breakfast, we weren't overly hungry for lunch. But there was a Bistro that specialized in soup and sandwiches. We stopped by, but there was a $10 surcharge per person. So we went to the main dining room for lunch. That evening we went to the Murano specialty restaurant. When we were seated we were told we could only order from the right side of the menu. The left side was a Prix Frix offering, with matched wines, for an additional $57 per person (above the regular specialty dinner surcharge). We ordered dinner from the right side of the menu, and were then informed that the recommended wine was not covered by the specialty dinner surcharge or the Premium beverage package. It would be an additional $6 per glass. We said fine, but the entire experience was uncomfortable. We left before finishing dinner. Hoping to salvage the evening, we decided to go to the 9:00 show. We entered the balcony of the theatre, as that was on the same level as Murano. But the entire center section (about 20% occupied) was roped off, reserved for suite customers only. We stayed for about 15 minutes and went to one of the bars. Later that evening we discovered we had been charged $6.50 for drinking the bottled water that was left on the desk in the cabin.

The rest of the cruise was similar. We cherished our time off the ship, where we could relax and get away from the constant selling pressure. Please understand, we are not cheap. We have sailed with Seven Seas, Silver Sea, Seabourne and Crystal. We will gladly pay premium prices for premium products and service. But Celebrity made us feel unwelcome - we did not purchase a good enough cabin, or the right package, and even when we did, we just needed to spend a few dollars more. Not a relaxing environment, at least not for us. 

All the stops in Alaska were amazing - and the trip up the Tracy Arm Fjord was magical.  The whole Celebrity cruise experience was hard to beat.  Would definitely do again.  In fact, my wife was trying to figure out how we could stow away and do again the next week!  Having friends go with us made it even more special.

I was worried that we might be bored during our two days at sea, but The naturalist they had on board the Celebrity Solstice, Brent Nixon, was so entertaining and so knowledgeable that he not only made the time fly by, but he enhanced the time we spent on excursions with what we learned from him. I can't imagine going on a cruise to Alaska without him. The nightly entertainment was okay, not great aimed at the younger audience that was on this cruise, not us. Getting our bus back to the airport after disembarking in Seattle took hours, but I assume that is the ports fault, not the cruise lines.The tour to see the Sled dogs in Skagway was a highlight. The wildlife cruise in Juneau could be skipped.

This was my first cruise experience.  I had never really been interested in a cruise because it seemed too confining.  Boy, was I wrong!  This has to be the best vacation experience I have had in many years.  EVERYTHING about it was outstanding.  The venues and scenery, the exposure to different culture.  The education experienced by talks from experts in everything from wildlife, to customs, to history.  All of it was great.  AND it was not confining.  There are so many things to do on the ship when traveling between ports of call, that it is impossible to be bored.  In fact, there may be too much to do because I think I may have run myself ragged trying to do everything.  But it was fun.  Finally, the food and the service really was top notch.  If you ever consider a cruise---one word of advice---don't consider it---DO IT!

We just wanted an Alaskan refresher and Celebrity Solstice out of Seattle did not disappoint. Three popular ports offered all of the shore excursions you could imagine. Ketchikan was bright and sunny -  first time ever - and Crab Feast at George Inlet outside of town was awesome! Our only new port was Victoria and Butchart Gardens was worth the effort. Captain Tasos is the best ship's captain on the seas. We will definitely be on Celebrity again in the coming months. 

We loved our cruise on the Solstice. We sailed with Celebrity once before, but this set the bar at a level we did not expect. The service from everyone, from our cabin steward to our wait staff, was continually impressive and made us feel at home. It amazed us how hard the crew worked, not only with their every day tasks but also in service to everyone on board. As for Alaska, it was astoundingly beautiful; we took several shore excursions that were exceptional. Overall, there were no detractors to speak of for this cruise, we will not only be back, but we will aim to book with Celebrity from now on!

This was a great cruise. We had never been on a cruise and this was the one. I loved the Aqua class stateroom and the Persian Gardens! We made sure to use the heated loungers every day. The Liars Club show was very funny. The crew was very friendly.

Was a beautiful experience. Wonderful view. I think all restaurant must be included and not pay additional to enjoy it!!. I would like to try seafood in the Oceanview Cafe. Was a surprise that we never tried fresh fish or salmon in a cruise to Alaska.

the cruise was amazing.  Of course, the Solstice is not a Carnival ship.  The Solstice had much better food than the Carnival ships.  But, the Solstice wasn't as much fun to be on, when at sea.  The Carnival always had fun stuff to do but I noticed the Solstice was calmer and, unfortunately, a little boring.  

As far as the round trip flight, since we booked so early for this cruise, you would have thought that our seats would have been together on the flights.  We traveled with another couple and we had the most awful seating arrangement you could think of.  Rarely was I seated next to my husband and sometime he was across the aisles.  Since we booked before Thanksgiving in 2015, and the cruise was in May 2016, we should have had the best seats in the house.  But we didn't.  And one of the longest legs of the trip was on a tiny plane with none of the amenities we had on some of the other planes.  Very disappointed with this.  I'll just book my own vacation next time and make sure that this doesn't happen again.  

We enjoyed the entire cruise.  The service throughout the entire ship was outstanding.  The staff treated us like royalty, from the cabin stewards to the dining room waiters.  Before sailing we had a special request for a fan and it was promptly delivered to our state room on arrival with a smile.  I can't say enough about the service.  There were some things that  I would consider the next time I cruise.  One being the taste of the food, the percentage of cruises that actually make it to their promised destinations (ports or viewing points) and I will never go near any Park West Art auctions again.  

The food needs some improvement, even in the specialty dining restaurants.  I found it not to be worth the extra expense to dine in the specialty dining restaurants.  The buffet was very large with lots of different foods and choices, but again tasted ok.  Nothing to write home about.  The main dining room dinner was also ok.  Note that the presentation was very nice and all areas were very clean.  I have had better food on other cruise lines.

I was very disappointed that we did not get to see the main attraction, the large glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord.  We were told that we would sail right up to the glacier and the ship would turn 360 degrees for all to see the enormous glacier revealing huge chunks of ice falling off into the water.  This didn't take place.  Instead, we stopped while in route to that area to allow probably 400 passengers off load onto two private sight seeing boats.  We waited up to 2 hours for the boats to return and all those passengers to reembark onto the Solstice.  Once this was done, the captain announced that there were too many ice burgs for him to navigate to the grand finale.  The ship turned around and headed back out of the Fjord.  Later in talking to other passengers, it was rumored that it was because the private tour boats held us up and we ran out of time.  Icebergs had nothing to do with completing that portion of our trip.  Very disappointing.  I found it very strange to have 2 tour boats come out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere, and the huge ship to stop in the middle of the water allowing some passengers to transfer to and from these tour boats, while the other 2200 passengers waited for their return. 

Park West Art auctions were fun, but pressure to buy was so intense that it was very uncomfortable.  Cruising is to have fun, not to be made to feel uncomfortable.  I have attended these art auctions in the past and do not remember experiencing such intense sales pressure, ever before.  The pressure was so intense that when the Auctioneer saw my mother walking by the gallery, she would stop her to tell her to have me come by so she could "help" me.  When I did talk to her (the auctioneer), she projected an attitude with her body language and mannerisms along with intense personal questions asking why I didn't want to buy a Max that I seemed so interested in, and would not take my rationale for an answer.  It was a bizarre experience.  I have cruised several times and have always enjoyed the art auctions. I have purchased art at each of them, but this time I felt very uncomfortable and now regret my purchases.  We should feel good about our art purchases.  Not regretful and take away a bad feeling, because art is to be enjoyed by its collector.  Collectors collect for their personal enjoyment, not for others or because of pressure by the sales person.  I hope Park West and Celebrity Cruise Lines will evaluate this high pressure tactic, as it did not make my cruise experience a positive one.

On the other hand, we enjoyed everything else about the cruise.  Again, I cannot say enough about all of the staff and the service.  They made our experience worth every minute that we were on board.  The ship was absolutely beautiful and very clean.  We appreciate the hard work of all staff members and thank each and every one for being so wonderful.

Celebrity is our favorite cruise line, and every voyage has been enjoyable.  In fact, we have already booked our next voyage. The service is always excellent, the food enjoyable and the staterooms comfortable.  There were a few disappointments on this Alaska voyage. The check-in process was very tiring with especially long lines.  The tender process in Juno left everyone upset.  We were unable to get off of the ship until 4 PM - too late to do the activities we had planned.  The breakfast in the Ocean View Cafe was monotonous with the same menu every day.  Plus the food  during breakfast was not always well prepared. Lunch was delicious.

Favorite parts:

The ship is gorgeous. 

The food far surpassed our expectations, all the meals were good, some even great. 

Booking Aquaclass is well worth it because of special dining privileges (Blu), access to the spa (Persian Garden), and upgraded shower.

The captain and crew are skilled and personable.

Information is readily available in multiple formats. 

Some observations:

The public lounge/bar areas are very classy, so you will not see things like a sports bar to watch the game. Instead, there is often live music.

The average cruiser on the boat was close to retirement age. 

There are no self-serve laundry facilities. 

It was a great cruise The Alaska part was amazing breathtaking highly recommend.  The Cruise ship I like Royal Caribbean Better nicer ship lots more to do on those sailing days! 

I am not a frequent cruiser. In fact, prior to this cruise, I had only gone on a 4 day Caribbean cruise on a very old ship for my grandmother's 85th birthday. Cruises, in my opinion, were synonymous with bad food, annoying casinos, too many people, and lots of hidden up-charges. 

My 7-day Alaskan cruise could not have been any different! Celebrity ships are fantastic. The Solstice was physically ornate with both social and quiet spaces to spend time in during our "at sea" days. I never felt like the ship was too crowded. I loved the Cellar wine bar with their incredible selection of both wine and craft beer (WAY better than I expected!) and was astounded that I walked out of my cruise with a credit balance and not a huge bill from all the "hidden fees." Investing in the premier beverage package was a very smart move, as it turned out. We really took advantage of the package every night at dinner and at the wine bar in the afternoons! We also loved the fact that they offered the local brews too (from Alaska Brewery). Our excursions were incredible and the trip down Tracy Arm Fjord really made the entire price of admission worthwhile. There is NO way to see that glacier except by ship. Going to Alaska via cruise is truly the only way to go. I will definitely take another cruise based on this experience. Service was exceptional. Food was incredible. The entertainment every night was great, especially the live music and the evening we got to see a very well known illusionist/magician. We never felt rushed or ignored by the staff. We also felt no need to use the specialty restaurants while there, because the regular food options were so outstanding! In addition, our package deal allowed us to get an above-average amount of shipboard credits. This was another reason why we ended up owing NOTHING extra at the end of the trip! We also LOVED our room. Concierge level was spot-on and very comfortable; the outdoor space was beautiful and very necessary for a cruise that relied heavily on the "views." 

There were three cruise ships at the Canada Place Pier  at one time - embarkation was a nightmare -  I had Concierge - no priority boarding with that as promised  - the problem at the dock apparently was with immigration and customs - we were supposed to  leave at five - people were still coming on board at seven - all the ships that came in - Celebrity - Princess and one other all put the people in one big area - baggage got mixed up - people on Celebrity had the luggage for the people on Princess - it was a mess --- room service is usually very good - not this time - corn flakes sent up - no bowl to put it in - two days of no breakfast coming up- - at all - called room service and made them aware of the missing breakfasts - next day came up - no sugar for the coffee and cereal - minor things I know but the minor things add up.  I have alwyas had room service for breakfast as I like to have my coffee when i get up and never had one problem - this was not what I expected of Celebrity at all - the mess at the pier to get on the ship - well, we all got a letter a day or so before we were to get off apologizing for the mess -- I was in a balcony room and got $50 - suites I think got $100 and the other people got $25  --- I have taken more than one cruise with Celebrity and have not had any problems - but I guess there is a first time for everything.

My wife and I surprised my father or his 80th birthday on the Celebrity Solstice Vancouver to Seattle Alaskan Cruise. My parents cruise with Celebrity 3 times of year and absolutely love it. My Wife and I are not cruisers but really enjoyed our experience. Alaska is the perfect place to visit. Views and experiences were one of a kind. Weather was almost perfect. 50's and sunny. Cruise ship was awesome and customer service was excellent. Only complaint was 4 hour check in process because lack of US Immigration officials. Not Celebrity fault but compesated us anyway. Ship entertainment was ok. Wish we spend more time in Alaska instead of  spending 2 days at sea heading to Victoria.