Celebrity Solstice Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,220 reviews

First Alaskan Trip!

Review for Alaska Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
User Avatar
BostonKrisJus
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: May 2014

First, our bona fides. My wife and I are in our mid-thirties, and have been on only one cruise before, Carnival in 2007, with stops in Key West and Cozumel.

My wife and I arrived at Seattle airport on the morning of our cruise (5/16) having planned most of our trip, but with no real idea of how to get to the port. Fortunately, we saw a Celebrity employee at the baggage claim, who directed us to the cruise-line sponsored bus to the seaport. We were able to get our bags checked and set up for room delivery, which eliminated the hassle of having to find a cab and drag our bags to the ship. Our bus driver was funny and informative, and gave us plenty of insight into Seattle. Some of our fellow passengers rudely yelled out about the air conditioning being too cold, but I thought it was just fine.

However, once we arrived at the port, the embarkation was another story. (This is going to be a pretty good review, so I feel bad that I’m starting with what was, by far, the worst part of the trip, but since I’m doing this chronologically, it can’t be avoided.) After entering the terminal, we spent about 2 hours in what was a poorly managed line to reach the front desk. Lines were being routed and re-routed while people were standing in them, and I saw one poor group stranded at a literal dead end for more than a half hour. This was the only point of the trip that I felt the difference between us as “normal” passengers, and those who were in Concierge, Elite, and other “special” subcategories, as the line I was in was stopped while at least 50 higher status passengers were allowed to move ahead of us. I felt that the person “expediting” the line did a poor job in explaining and handling the process. However, some of our fellow passengers were also yelling very rudely at her, which was, quite frankly, much more annoying and uncomfortable than the wait. I heard rumors of the computer system being down, but once we finally got to the front, it took less than 5 minutes to check in.

Cabin Review

previous reviewnext review

Find a Celebrity Solstice Cruise from $502

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.