Celebrity Solstice?

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Hey guys I know this isn't a "Celebrity" board however I know Celebrity is owned by Royal so I hope this works! If not I will just edit everything out...

I have only been on DCL Dream and Magic however I am really ready to try a new line!

I am thinking of the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska Summer 2015

We are a family of 5 41 41 21 - 2 kids so we were thinking Family Veranda stateroom it looks huge and is a great price compared to DCL!!!

Have any of you done this?
Have any of you been on the Celebrity Solstice?
How is the food it looks fantastic! I read a review of the Silhouette and the food looks outstanding!
How are the clubs/bars?
How is the entertainment?

The kids will be will be 12 and 11 we will probably be together most of the time however how are the kids clubs???

I know its an "Adult" line however they love dressing up and honestly when on DCL they were soooo overwhelmed at times because of how many kids there were... Don't get me wrong it can be great at times too

I am trying to talk my family into booking ASAP lol

So any feedback would be appreciated greatly

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

I forgot to add these are the ports so advice for these would be great too!

Seattle
Ketchikan
Tracy Arm
Juneau
Skagway
Inside Passage
Victoria
Seattle

 

[NancyIL]

I sailed on Silhouette in the Med in 2012, and on Solstice to Australia and New Zealand this January. Celebrity's Solstice-claass ships are lovely, the food is good, and I enjoyed the entertainment. However, I sailed only with my DH, so I can't tell you about activities for the kids.

I have cruised to Alaska 4 times: twice each on Princess and Holland America, and twice each from Seattle (round trip) and Vancouver (one-way northbound). My personal opinion about the Solstice in Alaska is that there are better itineraries than this one from Seattle - including those on other Celebrity ships. I also think the Solstice is too large for the small Alaskan port towns. However, I'm sure your family will have a great time if this is the ship you book.

 

[ilovetexas]

I love Celebrity, they're my favorite so far! We haven't taken the kids when we've cruised with them but I've heard very good things on Cruise Critic from people who have. My understanding is that because there are fewer children, they get more one on one attention and have a lot of say in planning the activities.

We sailed on Silhouette (also an S class ship) in the Caribbean last year. Loved the ship. When we went to Alaska, we sailed Millennium. She's a smaller, more intimate feeling ship and we loved that in Alaska. That was before they did the Solstice upgrades on Millie, so I don't know how it is now. I don't really do entertainment so I can't comment. Celebrity has great food and the bars are great. We landed at the Molecular Bar and never left! Unfortunately, I don't think they have that one on Solstice but our friends told us the Martini Bar was even more fun and I just checked the deck plan and Solstice has that one. If the kids love dressing up, that's good since dinner tends to be a jacket and tie affair on Celebrity.

As for Alaska, we loved Skagway and enjoyed Ketchikan. Juneau was poorly planned so it was kind of a bust, but that was our fault, not the town's or the cruise line's fault. We did a one way south-bound and saw Hubbard Glacier instead of Tracy Arm. Alaska is amazingly beautiful and I can't wait to return. You may want to check out the Ports of Call board on Cruise Critic for more ideas.

 

[gumbypee]

Going to Alaska is awesome no matter what. Period.

That being said, I did celebrity solstice to Hawaii this past September and it was my worst cruise ever. Granted I was in midst of selling house, looking for new job, nd general stress but I had a pretty bad time. My roommate sucked but I barely knew her.

Ship was HUGE. Hot glass show bored me. Not as many activities as I would have liked that interested me. I lost weight.... Yes on a cruise bc I thought food was horrible. Long lines to change excursions ( remember govt shutdown of national parks-they could have staffed more than one person). Customs was a nightmare. On and off ship took forever. Lots of long lines with irritable people.

Other ppl had a fabulous cruise. I did not. My personal experience on the solstice. Everyone's cruise is different. Again, Alaska is wonderful

 

[gumbypee]

Pretty sure molecular bar IS on solstice btw

 

[txga]

We are looking at the same cruise- same decision. Our kids will be 15 and 18 and have done 5 DCL cruises. But for Alaska, Disney just didn't seem appealing- plus Celebrity was cheaper. My TA assures me that the whole family will love the Solstice and that if we are accustomed to DCL then celebrity will be more our style thsn Royal Caribbean. . I am worried about it being an older crowd. But unlike a caribbean cruise, we want a quite ship this time. My kids did not use the kids clubs or pools on DCL last year because of the crowds of kids. Dressing up, eating new and delicious food, shows and a peaceful place to relax and read are some of things we are looking for this time. However, I am worried about how dressed up Celebrity requires us to be. We don't want to pack suits and evening gowns for Alaska. We may skip the MDR on formal nights.

Also conflicted about the itenarary- Dh really thinks the ease and cost of round trip from Seattle is important. But on I keep reading that going from Vancouver and seeing Hubbard glacier is the best choice.

Finally, my Travel agent suggested we wait till January to book. My DCL state of mind thinks this is crazy! Book early to get the best price. But TA says more 'perks' and credits will come later but I won't be able to rebook just to get the perks because the actual stateroom price won't be lower. (perks -tips included, drink packages, upgrades are things she mentioned that I could miss out on by booking now)

Would love to hear more...

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Thank you everyone for the responses I absolutely love them all!!!

Celebrity's Solstice-claass ships are lovely, the food is good, and I enjoyed the entertainment.

I also think the Solstice is too large for the small Alaskan port towns. However, I'm sure your family will have a great time if this is the ship you book.

Thank you for your input! I think the Solstice looks beautiful and Murano looks fantastic I think the specialty dining package is a must!

I was concerned about how large the ship was but here is my thought tell me what you think

With having a Family the Solstice seemed to have more activities for kids, more restaurants (except Qsine ) and just more lol AND the Millennium is sailing out of Vancouver and then Up to Seward this itinerary looks nice however it is more than double the price for air fair just to Vancouver then from Seward its even more pricy... So it would save us $2500 + do sail from Seattle and back to Seattle just on flights -

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

I love Celebrity, they're my favorite so far!

We sailed on Silhouette (also an S class ship) in the Caribbean last year. Loved the ship. When we went to Alaska, we sailed Millennium. I don't really do entertainment so I can't comment. Celebrity has great food and the bars are great. We landed at the Molecular Bar and never left! If the kids love dressing up, that's good since dinner tends to be a jacket and tie affair on Celebrity.

We did a one way south-bound and saw Hubbard Glacier instead of Tracy Arm. Alaska is amazingly beautiful and I can't wait to return. You may want to check out the Ports of Call board on Cruise Critic for more ideas.

Thank you!

The Molecular bar looks awesome I will add that to my list of must do's!!!

I definitely like a lot about the Millennium... My mom is really set on seeing Tracy Arm so thats also pulling us towards Solstice! How is the Hubbard Glacier?

I will look at Cruise Critic for sure! I think I also want to have at least one port where I do nothing (is that wrong) I love photography and would love to head out and get some photographs of the little towns!

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Going to Alaska is awesome no matter what. Period.

That being said, I did celebrity solstice to Hawaii this past September and it was my worst cruise ever. Granted I was in midst of selling house, looking for new job, nd general stress but I had a pretty bad time. My roommate sucked but I barely knew her.

Ship was HUGE. Hot glass show bored me. Not as many activities as I would have liked that interested me. I lost weight.... Yes on a cruise bc I thought food was horrible. Long lines to change excursions ( remember govt shutdown of national parks-they could have staffed more than one person). Customs was a nightmare. On and off ship took forever. Lots of long lines with irritable people.

Other ppl had a fabulous cruise. I did not. My personal experience on the solstice. Everyone's cruise is different. Again, Alaska is wonderful

I am so sorry for your experience I can guarantee I'd like my roommates haha and it seems like you had so much going on just bad timing overall!

What didn't you like about the food? Did you do any specialty restaurants?

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

We are looking at the same cruise- same decision. Our kids will be 15 and 18 and have done 5 DCL cruises. But for Alaska, Disney just didn't seem appealing- plus Celebrity was cheaper. My TA assures me that the whole family will love the Solstice and that if we are accustomed to DCL then celebrity will be more our style thsn Royal Caribbean. . I am worried about it being an older crowd. But unlike a caribbean cruise, we want a quite ship this time. My kids did not use the kids clubs or pools on DCL last year because of the crowds of kids. Dressing up, eating new and delicious food, shows and a peaceful place to relax and read are some of things we are looking for this time. However, I am worried about how dressed up Celebrity requires us to be. We don't want to pack suits and evening gowns for Alaska. We may skip the MDR on formal nights.

Also conflicted about the itenarary- Dh really thinks the ease and cost of round trip from Seattle is important. But on I keep reading that going from Vancouver and seeing Hubbard glacier is the best choice.

Finally, my Travel agent suggested we wait till January to book. My DCL state of mind thinks this is crazy! Book early to get the best price. But TA says more 'perks' and credits will come later but I won't be able to rebook just to get the perks because the actual stateroom price won't be lower. (perks -tips included, drink packages, upgrades are things she mentioned that I could miss out on by booking now)

Would love to hear more...

YOU and I are literally thinking the exact same things!!!

DCL is $$$$$18,000$$$$ for Celebrity same size family room its $7,000 thats incredibly different! And my brothers completely agree with your kids they honestly don't like the Dream anymore just because its overrun with kids we just hang out as a family more!

Celebrity defiantly seems to have the same accommodations were are used to on Disney, it looked a little nicer than the Royal Ships they send to Alaska!

My father is the same way as your DH he wants to go out of Seattle - he wants to do a couple of days before in Seattle so we can see the city - It will save us literally thousands on Airfare so this is driving the decision as well!

Its so funny I want to book right now and so does my mom but my father just says wait a little... WAIT its a cruise book now

Keep me updated on your decisions I would love to hear them!

 

[gumbypee]

I did not do any specialty restaurants. I AM a picky eater but I have never gone hungry on a cruise before. Even the kids menu food was awful

 

[NancyIL]

Thank you!

The Molecular bar looks awesome I will add that to my list of must do's!!!

I definitely like a lot about the Millennium... My mom is really set on seeing Tracy Arm so thats also pulling us towards Solstice! How is the Hubbard Glacier?

I will look at Cruise Critic for sure! I think I also want to have at least one port where I do nothing (is that wrong) I love photography and would love to head out and get some photographs of the little wns!

Tracy Arm is a fjord with twin glaciers at the end, and the fjord is beautiful. Disney has been successful getting to the glaciers on most of its cruises, from what I understand. Other ships don't always make it - especially if there is a lot of ice and they run out of time. As glaciers go, the Sawyer Glaciers are no match for the spectacular Hubbard Glacier: https://www.google.com/search?q=Hub...ioHgAg&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=465&dpr=1.25

If Celebrity is the cruise line you want, I would choose Celebrity Infinity roundtrip out of Vancouver over the Solstice out of Seattle - in spite of my preference for Solstice-class ships over Millennium-class ships: http://www.celebritycruises.com/sea...te=201504&sailEndDate=201508&ship=IN&port=ANY
You could still fly into Seattle and take Amtrak, coach, or rental car to Vancouver. I love visiting Seattle, but the sailing out of Vancouver and between Vancouver Island and the mainland is much more scenic.

*I just noticed that the 7-night cruises on Infinity don't go to Skagway, but go to Icy Strait Point instead. ISP is a great port for whale watching, but the town of Hoonah is very small. I really like the 12-night from Vancouver to San Francisco on Aug. 23 - but imagine you can't cruise that late.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

Tracy Arm is a fjord with twin glaciers at the end, and the fjord is beautiful. Disney has been successful getting to the glaciers on most of its cruises, from what I understand. Other ships don't always make it - especially if there is a lot of ice and they run out of time. As glaciers go, the Sawyer Glaciers are no match for the spectacular Hubbard Glacier: https://www.google.com/search?q=Hub...ioHgAg&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=465&dpr=1.25

If Celebrity is the cruise line you want, I would choose Celebrity Infinity roundtrip out of Vancouver over the Solstice out of Seattle - in spite of my preference for Solstice-class ships over Millennium-class ships: http://www.celebritycruises.com/sea...te=201504&sailEndDate=201508&ship=IN&port=ANY
You could still fly into Seattle and take Amtrak, coach, or rental car to Vancouver. I love visiting Seattle, but the sailing out of Vancouver and between Vancouver Island and the mainland is much more scenic.

*I just noticed that the 7-night cruises on Infinity don't go to Skagway, but go to Icy Strait Point instead. ISP is a great port for whale watching, but the town of Hoonah is very small. I really like the 12-night from Vancouver to San Francisco on Aug. 23 - but imagine you can't cruise that late.

Thank you so much I hadn't even seen the Infinity! I will defiantly consider this ship, 12 night is to long and late but someday lol

I just saw the Infinity has Qusine which I really want to try too!

I will quote this and the Amtrak to Vancouver

I just have a quick question is there another line you would suggest looking at with Similar Price and Amenities?

 

[NancyIL]

Thank you so much I hadn't even seen the Infinity! I will defiantly consider this ship, 12 night is to long and late but someday lol

I just saw the Infinity has Qusine which I really want to try too!

I will quote this and the Amtrak to Vancouver

I just have a quick question is there another line you would suggest looking at with Similar Price and Amenities?

You're welcome. I really like Princess's ships, but Princess does only one-way cruises out of Vancouver. The Crown Princess goes to Glacier Bay out of Seattle, although that's also a large ship for Alaska.

Holland America Noordam and Volendam do roundtrip cruises out of Vancouver, and both go to Glacier Bay. HAL used to go to Tracy Arm and Juneau in the same day. Now they stop at the entrance to Tracy Arm Fjord to drop-off the passengers who booked a Tracy Arm excursion on a small boat, and those folks meet the ship in Juneau later in the day. I like HAL, but there won't be lots of kids on the ship.

 

[HappyTogether]

I love the Solstice class of ships but you are doing yourself a disservice sailing out of Seattle. You spend so much time getting to Alaska that you miss the whole point of going. Tracy Arm is no substitute for Hubbard Glacier.

I realize there is cost and time but if you are only going to go once, consider a longer trip and do a land and cruise tour even if you have to wait.

 

[ilovetexas]

Thank you!

The Molecular bar looks awesome I will add that to my list of must do's!!!

I definitely like a lot about the Millennium... My mom is really set on seeing Tracy Arm so thats also pulling us towards Solstice! How is the Hubbard Glacier?

I will look at Cruise Critic for sure! I think I also want to have at least one port where I do nothing (is that wrong) I love photography and would love to head out and get some photographs of the little towns!

Sorry, I've been setting up a new computer and finishing Spring Break with the kids this weekend and just saw this.

We had a unique experience with Hubbard Glacier. We were the second to last full cruise of the season (so it was cold and rainy the whole time) and the captain and pilot managed to get us a quarter mile from the glacier...closer than anyone had been all season. It was amazing!

I think any Alaskan cruise would be great but I will say that the train ride down from Anchorage to Seward to start our cruise was fabulous and such a fantastic way to start our vacation. The airfare is a bit high, though.

As for doing nothing in port, I wanted to go snorkeling in Juneau but DH said no. It rained, we went searching for swimsuits (good luck finding swimsuits in AK in September!), and were generally cold, wet and sorry we didn't plan something. Later that cruise, we met some ladies who had done the snorkeling excursion. A pod of Orcas swam by them!! I'm still grouchy about missing it. But, if you're a photographer you'll find plenty of photo opportunities to fill up your day.

 

[txga]

After reading the comments about Hubbard Glacier and not going from Seattle I started to reconsider. The Celebrity Century goes round trip from Vancouver and is a little cheaper than the Solstice trip, which would help us make up the price to fly to Vancouver. But the Century has received some very bad reviews on cruise critic. Making me think Solstice is a safer choice.


I want to see as much as possible of Alaska but I also want to love the ship we are traveling on...mostly just want great service, comfortable rooms, good food and nice places to see and watch the scenery.

 

[NancyIL]

After reading the comments about Hubbard Glacier and not going from Seattle I started to reconsider. The Celebrity Century goes round trip from Vancouver and is a little cheaper than the Solstice trip, which would help us make up the price to fly to Vancouver. But the Century has received some very bad reviews on cruise critic. Making me think Solstice is a safer choice.


I want to see as much as possible of Alaska but I also want to love the ship we are traveling on...mostly just want great service, comfortable rooms, good food and nice places to see and watch the scenery.

When are you planning to go to Alaska? Celebrity Century does the roundtrips out of Vancouver this summer, and Celebrity Infinity does the roundtrips out of Vancouver in 2015.

 

[txga]

When are you planning to go to Alaska? Celebrity Century does the roundtrips out of Vancouver this summer, and Celebrity Infinity does the roundtrips out of Vancouver in 2015.

Sorry- I meant Infinity. Yes we are planning a 2015 cruise and it is the Infinity that I read such poor reviews on.

I see how a smaller ship would be better for Alaska. Very torn about booking a cruise on Solstice vs Infinity vs another cruise line.