Celebrity Solstice Review
Very nice trip to Alaska, though we're not "sold" on Celebrity.
Rating by category
Additional details
Overall, we were very pleased with this cruise. Our previous experience was with Norwegian, and I would say the two lines are pretty equal, with Celebrity having slightly better service but Norwegian having better programming/pricing/facilities.
Embarkation: very smooth. We arrived at the port about 10:45a, went straight through security and got our SeaPass card in the dedicated Concierge club line with no wait. Once to the waiting area, we waited maybe 10 minutes before they began letting people on with suites first, then aqua, then concierge.
Once onboard, we went directly to the spa to book the couples massage at the date/time we wanted, and then over to the specialty restaurant area to book the two dinners we wanted (Tuscan and Murano). Eventually, we learned that the person booking our dinners screwed up - he gave us two Muranos instead of a Tuscan and a Murano, but we were able to get it corrected. Finally, the last of our "chores" we went to the martini bar to get our "classic" beverage package, that came with our booking for free, to the "premium" package. For two, it ended up costing $165 total for the upgrade, and we think we probably about broke even on that since we usually drank about 3-4 drinks a day, usually higher end wines or martini/molecular cocktails.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 3
For the most part, it was a very good room. Great view, liked being on the bump 'out' instead of the cut 'in'. Room are showing a bit of wear, though, our couch had a very noticeable tear. Even though the room was close to the elevator, it was fairly quiet - the only noise we ever heard was from our rather boisterous next door neighbors. HOWEVER - there was a LOT of rattling coming from the ceiling panels, and from the balcony dividers. We ended up having to rig them up ourselves with napkins or tissues just so we could get some sleep.