We did B2B2B from Seattle to Sydney on the Solstice. Three cruises back to back. We have done several prior cruises on Celebrity in Europe and New Zealand and are sold on the Solstice class ships. They are large with plenty to do on sea days yet they almost never seem crowded. The staterooms are well played out with a great bathroom and roomy shower. To us it seems like the average passenger age on the ship is mid 60s. Very few kids on board and many people in their 70s and 80s. Lots of canes and motorized carts. We had one lady 102 years old in a wheel chair. Overall a lot of very pleasant people we met on the cruise.

Checking in was a breeze in Seattle and we were soon enjoying lunch in the Ocean Cafe. This was our first time to Alaska and we found it to be quite beautiful. The weather was nice the first few days but got very rainy for the second part of the cruise. The highlight was our float plane excursion to Misty Fiords with Island Wings where we landed on a remote lake and sampled some wild blueberries. Victoria and Vancouver stops were excellent and the weather improved so we had beautiful days there.

There were some long lines getting back on the ship due to the U.S. Immigration deciding to pre-clear passengers before arriving in Hilo. Then we has 5 sea days in a row getting to Hawaii. Celebrity had a wonderful Hawaiian program for the sea days where passengers were able to learn to Hula and make Hawaiian Leis with fresh orchids and Kukui Nuts. The instructor June was delightful. Weather in Hawaii was outstanding in every way.... but that is normal for Hawaii. We tendered Kona and Maui which is a fairly slow process but we were not in a hurry. We usually don't plan to get off early on tendered ports so we can enjoy the day more. The last thing we want to do is stand in line or sit around in the lobby and wait for our tender number to be called. Read more