Celebrity Solstice Review
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This was our 4th cruise with Celebrity, our 5th overall (the other with NCL). It was our first post-pandemic trip, we were basically forced to book because our FCC was going to expire. I wanted a domestic departure to avoid any covid travel issues that might occur with an international departure. Hubby has always wanted to go to on an Alaskan. This cruise fit the bill.
Food is a big deal to us. Our 1st cruise with Celebrity was on the Equinox and the food in the MDR on that ship was amazeballs. Almost a decade later, we still talk about how great it was and have returned to Celebrity because of our initial experience. But the dining experience on Celebrity has steadily declined and we found the MDR on the Solstice to be borderline unacceptable. The service, though still hospitable, is less personalized. Our server was friendly but didn't remember our preferences. The food was extremely disappointing. We ate in the MDR every night. While the protein varied, the sides consisted of carrots, broccoli, and potatoes -- every. single. night (except for one, which was green beans). And I'm not talking about imaginative preparations. I'm talking steamed or sauteed carrots and broccoli, and mashed or roasted potatoes. I don't eat potatoes so by the end of our cruise I didn't want to see carrots and broccoli again. The steaks were thinner and improperly cooked. On the first night, hubby's steak seemed like it was boiled. It barely had any color or grill marks. All the meals we ate in the MDR were middling and not particularly memorable.
We occasionally went to Oceanview Cafe for breakfast or a late night snack. It's no longer self-serve, which is a good thing. But the food is just serviceable, slightly better than cafeteria. The coffee is horrible.
Cabin Review
Concierge Class 3
We were on Deck 10 in 1046. The cabin was perfectly fine, nothing to write home about. We've sailed on other S class ships so this was more of the same. The thing I disliked about our cabin was that we could hear and feel every slam of our neighbor's door. Our cabin steward was pleasant and efficient, no issues there, and we rarely saw him. Our balcony was ever-so-slightly obstructed from above by a metal piece that was about two feet wide that hung maybe a foot into our view.
Port Reviews
Ketchikan
We just walked around town, which was a great decision. That gave us the opportunity to duck into local shops and restaurants, and visit Canal Street and the Totem Heritage Museum. You don't need a paid excursion here. The town is compact and easily navigable.
Juneau
Juneau is kind of meh. If you've seen and visited glaciers before, like we have in Iceland, the excursions here aren't that interesting and too expensive. The dog sledding is just a loop on a well-traveled track. I've done the helicopter onto Mendenhall and dog sledding, and didn't think it was worth the money. Maybe the whale watching is better. The town center is soulless, compared to Ketchikan and Skagway. It's mostly filled with jewelry shops, the same kind you see on Caribbean cruise stops, and bad souvenir shops. We did eat at Tracy's Crab Shack, and even though it was $$$$, the crab was really delicious.
Skagway
We really enjoyed the train ride and learning about the history of the gold rush in the area. We also zip-lined in Grizzly Falls. It was fun but not as adventurous as the zip lines in Costa Rica. Wish we had more time because we didn't get to visit the town.