Celebrity Solstice Review

North to Alaska

Review for Alaska Cruise on Celebrity Solstice
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Z0nker
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2019
Cabin: Deluxe Veranda 1A

Ship: over the top great. I’ve cruised on 3 other lines, 6 other ships, none compare to the Solstice for design style or functionality. It’s like staying at an Intercontinental Hotel, only as sea. Atrium and elevator designs are beautiful. Elevators came quickly on most occasions. Fellow passengers were friendly.

There were two formal nights, branded “evening chic”. Everyone dressed up in their own way and posed for photos. Not many suits or tuxedos like the old days, but people made an effort and looked good. Had some nice elevator discussions on what everyone chose to wear. On more traditional cruise lines where they still call it “formal night”, I’ve seen passengers “protest” by showing up in jeans or a T shirt and a ball cap. Didn’t see anything like that on Celebrity.

Main Dining Room (MDR): fantastic, well prepared and presented food and outstanding service. Knowledgeable sommeliers took good care of us. Beautiful venue; we were told it was designed to look like you are inside a glass of champagne. We had anytime dining and never had to wait for a table for two, aside from a maximum five minutes in the hostess line. They always gave us table 444 or 445, which are on the 2nd level, overlooking the lower, assigned time dining section. Great people watching.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Veranda 1A

Cabin 1A

8273 Veranda on the hump, which has good views from the balcony. Great location, near the elevators. There’s a wall between the room door and the elevators, so it’s quiet. Lots of storage once you find it. Lighting control takes some effort to figure out. If in doubt, ask your room steward.

Bath: nice size, functional design. Shower pressure and temperature perfect every time. The curved, sliding, magnetically latched doors are far superior to having a shower curtain that sticks to you. A very nice touch. Shower includes a foot rest for leg shaving. Exhaust fan is right above the shower so the room and mirror don’t fog up. Toilet did its job, with a solid flush every time.

TV: 3 news channels (Fox, MSNBC and BBC). Two ESPN channel plus HGTV and Travel. Some on demand movies. There are many ship channels, including a navigation channel which tells you where you are, but not in as much detail as other cruise lines. Bridge view channel carried Brent Nixon’s live commentary during the fiord and glacier journey. We were on our balcony and one of our neighbors turned up the sound so everyone could hear it, adding much to the experience. Nixon is as good as everyone says.

Port Reviews

Ketchikan

Walked to Creek Street, looked around. Had halibut fish & chips at a small restaurant on the dock.

Juneau

Bought tickets for the Mt. Roberts Tramway at the tram station. No waiting. Nice ride to the top of Mt. Roberts and great views. Walked all around Juneau, then had excellent halibut fish & chips and local craft beer at The Hanger, on the dock where the float planes take off.

Victoria

We walked on the trail that leads southeast from the cruise port to Beacon Hill Park and took pictures at the Mile 0 marker, which is where the Trans Canada highway begins. It's a nice walk along the waterfront and past some nice residential neighborhoods.

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