My husband Jeff and I went on an Alaskan cruise for our anniversary. We (well mostly me) look for a few things in a trip: 1. animal encounters; 2. nature experiences; 3. peaceful quiet moments; 4. local food and drinks; 5. trains, planes, or ships 6. new ways of doing life; 7. unique fashion, art, and architecture.
When it comes to the ship experience, we hope for peaceful quiet moments, new ways of doing life, and unique art and architecture experiences. I love all the different cultures of people onboard ships. Both crew and passengers have so many different backgrounds, it’s a great opportunity to meet some new people and learn how they do life. On this ship in Alaska we were surprised by how close we felt to nature and the animal encounters we were able to have that wouldn’t have been possible in a hotel in port.
The Ship
The Solstice is an older ship and in dire need of an update. However, we loved the layout, the spaces, and the decor. Celebrity ships have beautiful artwork and interesting designs. There was evidence of rust in some places and the furniture around the entire ship was pretty worn. The theater seats were sagging and uncomfortable. Some of the windows in the main areas were permanently fogged reducing visibility. But there was a classy, luxury feel to this ship. They have done a great job keeping her clean, and we saw maintenance work being done almost daily while onboard. At the time of this post, she is scheduled to go to dry dock for a refurbishment in about six months. Despite her worn looks, we enjoyed our week on the Solstice. Here are a few of the spaces where we spent time. We did not go everywhere and do everything because we wanted a relaxing, slow week.
The Cabin
We love an aquaclass cabin when sailing with Celebrity. This cabin was located in the prime section (just means it’s in the center of the ship), but next time, we would not choose that on this particular ship because we had a large overhang on the balcony that ended up in some of our pictures. Also, the location is under the solarium and we could hear chairs being moved around some. Cabin number 1567 is located on the port side (left), which was fine for us, but honestly with this itinerary I couldn’t tell that either side was better. The room was a good size but could have used more storage space – we ended up stacking clothing on the sofa, which felt messy instead of calming.
The bathroom was a nice size with a glass shower door. We much prefer the glass door to the shower curtain used on some cruise lines. Another nice thing about aquaclass is the bath products, lotion, bath soap, shampoo and conditioner, were C. O. Bigelow, which is a step up from the other rooms on the ship.
Aquaclass rooms come with yoga mats for the guests to use while on the trip. I used mine on the balcony regularly. This gives you a good idea of how large the balcony is – I’m 5’6″ and had plenty of room to move. Yoga brings a sense of calm and connection to the place where I am traveling, accomplishing goal #3 peaceful moments. I like picking up a class or finding a beautiful location on my own. This location was stunning even if I did need a jacket. I was able to meditate and practice yoga several times on the balcony this week, which enhanced my connection to nature.
The Theater
Like most ships, the theater served as the largest gathering space on the ship, so all the main shows and entertainment happened there. It was a nice space although it didn’t have the most comfortable seating. When I think back on how this space met our vacation goals, I think about number seven, art because of the types of shows they brought in, not because the room was an example of incredible architecture or a beautiful space. I didn’t even photograph it.
One night, we were sitting in the theater waiting for a show to start when Jeff smelled fire. We started looking around and sure enough smoke was coming out of the stage lighting and filling the air. We had so many questions, but it smelled like a projector bulb had blown and the Cruise Director and Captain were on stage, so surely everything was fine. But suddenly one of the guests shouted, “The stage is on fire!” A fire had actually broken out in the theater causing slight mayhem for about an hour. The captain was looking around for it. I guess someone was able to extinguish it, but the show was cancelled and people’s rooms filled with smoke and had to be aired out before they could return to them. Jeff believed this spoke to the age of the ship because it smelled like an electrical fire. More than maintenance, this illuminated the potential chaos that would happen in a real emergency. The captain was on the stage at the time of the fire. Realizing what was happening, employees began rushing around. Instructions for leaving the theater were unclear. Some employees told people to go to their muster stations because the alarm sounded, but not all employees were directing people that way, so we saw guests milling about, getting drinks, continuing their activities while others were in line in muster stations. We actually went to our rooms so we could get a lifejacket and coats in case the situation got worse. The captain came over the intercom and told everyone it was alright, and they had put the fire out. We relaxed but had a serious discussion about the behaviors of the crew. There was just too much running around and not enough communication with passengers. It revealed what could happen, and it made us feel uneasy.
The Spa
I didn’t take any photos in the spa but did want to mention it because we spent a lot of time there. You saw my list of purposes for the trip in my first paragraph, including number 3 – Peaceful, Quiet Moments -for which the spa fit the bill! Aquaclass cruisers have unlimited access to the Persian Garden which is a large space with floor to ceiling windows toward the sea, warm chairs, a steam room, and an aromatic sauna. It also features rain showers with two settings: tropical and spring. We enjoyed working out in the fitness center, then a quick shower and change into swimwear in the locker room, so we could use the Persian Garden. We sat in the steam room for a little while, then enjoyed the rain showers, then sat in the warm chairs for a little while. One morning the warm chairs were all taken, so I sat in the aromatic sauna for a while reading my Libby Riddles book. I noticed there is also dry sauna in the locker room for all passengers to enjoy. Alaska is chilly and sometimes downright cold, so the spa was the perfect place for us to relax and warm up.
The Solarium with Spa Cafe
If you enjoy swimming on vacation, this pool area definitely needs to go on your list of places to check out. What made this one unique was the cafe, where I enjoyed avacado toast with tomato a couple of times. They also had salads and wraps. For purchase, you could get healthy, delicious smoothies. The pool was heated and surrounded by all of these luxury padded wooden lounge chairs. It was a beautiful space for an afternoon swim and a nap in sun – sort of.
The Sky Lounge
I loved this space! We didn’t use it as often as we could have, but the lounge at the front of the ship is huge and offers a variety of activities and experiences. In the mornings and afternoons, it is a quiet, peaceful place to sit and watch the ocean. Comfortable chairs line the walls, which are floor to ceiling windows, so you can look out to sea, watch for whales, and enjoy the Inside Passage scenery floating by. I was able to enjoy a morning stretch class in this room with a fitness coach who had the most soothing voice – what a way to set my intentions and start my day!
At night, the lounge transforms into more of a night club scene with music and dancing on the same floor we had stretch class on that morning. There was karaoke in there and other events. It was just a really great space where people were enjoying their time.
Our Week Onboard
I should have taken more pictures because there is so much to do on this ship. I’ll list the events we took part in, but know that there was also axe throwing, indoor curling, hot glass blowing (wish we could have done this – book as soon as you can!), and so many other games and shows.
Day 1: Embarkation. A trip to the library for books for the week. While the space is beautiful, the book selection was not as good. Jeff found a nonfiction memoir of a pediatric surgeon, but I didn’t really see anything in English that I wanted to read. I stuck with the book I brought – Race Across Alaska by Libby Riddles. We also walked around the ship to orient ourselves, but we were soooo tired from our early morning travel that we went to be after dinner.
Day 2: A Day at Sea. The ship offered quite a few wine classes, so I booked two this week with the first happening on Day 2 called Wine and Food Pairings. The class was $26 in advance and well worth it! The sommelier led us through five glasses of wine and foods that sometimes matched and every now and then didn’t match, so we could get a feel for how the chemistry of the flavors worked. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the wines. Did you know tomatoes don’t go with tannic wines? But we can pair some sweet treats with sweet wines like a riesling. Crossing my fingers that I remember all the tips!
We also enjoyed an illusionist show before going to dinner. He had all kinds of really neat tricks. After dinner, there was so much going on around the ship in clubs and at the bars, but we were tired so we headed to bed.
Day 3: Icy Straight Point. We spent the morning in the spa because the ship didn’t dock until 1:30 p.m. I’ll write another post about our time in Icy Straight. Once we were back on board, we got ready for a show and dinner. The show was in the theater, but unfortunately we didn’t get to stay for it because the theater caught fire! We had to leave amid some chaos, which was unsettling, but they put it out and all turned out okay. We were pretty tired after dinner and knew we had an early morning, so we went to bed thinking the entertainment today was kind of a dud.
Day 4: Skagway. It was such a long day, so when we got back we went to Cafe Bacio to get a coffee (cappuccino with almond milk) and a snack. Then we went to dinner and called it a day. Is there a better view anywhere for an afternoon pick me up?
Day 5: Juneau. We felt so special today because our room attendant, Putu, brought us an invitation to a deck party on the helipad with the officers. Of course we wanted to go see the helipad! They handed out champagne, and we took photos. What a brilliant idea for connecting guests with the crew!
We had the best day today! It was our anniversary – 21 years!! After our day in Juneau, we made it to dinner, which was something because we had to dress up for evening chic night. At 10:00 pm there was a comedy show, so we stopped by the room and changed into comfy clothes, then headed to the theater. We were so tired, but so glad we made it to the show. He was hilarious!
The surprise came when we retired for the evening – Putu had decorated our cabin and brought us champagne! He even left us a sweet note.
Day 6: Ketchikan. It was another afternoon arrival, so we were able to go to the spa for a little while before grabbing lunch in the main dining room and heading ashore. When we returned from town we fell into our routine of an outfit change and dinner. Afterward, we headed to the Love and Marriage show in the small theater called Celebrity Central. We laughed so hard tears were streaming down our faces. Usually these shows are somewhat predictable, but this cruise director (also named Sarah!) was so funny! Laughing is so good for the soul. I hope Jeff and I are always finding opportunities to bust a gut laughing together.
Day 7: Day at Sea. We did quite a lot of relaxing on our last day at sea. We spent the morning in the Persian Garden, and I finished my book. The port stops on this trip were filled with so much movement – hiking, dogsledding, sightseeing – that I was so grateful for the spa time. My body needs downtime but I tend to fill the itinerary up with activities. The spa added an activity to the schedule, but the activity was to just relax, which my whole mind and body needed. This was a big aha for me, and I plan to include downtime as an event on the itinerary for all our future trips.
I had another wine tasting in the afternoon. This one was Wines Around the World, featuring six stations with a red and a white wine from six countries: Italy, Spain, Argentina, France, South Africa, and the USA. They also set up a huge charcuterie board across the bar with beautiful cheeses, meats, and fruits. Guests received a wine glass so they could circulate the Ensemble Lounge tasting different wines. I started with white and made my way around before switching to red, so I made two circles around the room. The sommelier had set out water pitchers and rinse buckets to clean your glass or your palette. My favorites included a vin blanc from France – so citrus-y and refreshing! I also loved the Malbec and Il Fauno red blend from Tuscany. I always love trying new wines.
Afterward, we put on our swimsuits and went to the indoor pool at the solarium. The pool was heated and felt so good. There were a few children, and I was so sleepy from the wine, I took a little nap on a lounge chair, the warm sun shining through the glass ceiling on me. This was another beautiful area of the ship where I would have spent more time if I had it.
Alas, our trip was almost over. We headed to the room to pack, so we could set our luggage in the hall before dinner. Having the luggage already packed allowed us to stop in Celebrity Central for a movie, Fly Me to the Moon, after dinner.
Day 8: Debarkation.
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day in Vancouver. We were in group 29 which meant plenty of time to eat breakfast and relax around the ship until called. The only downside was the bars were closed, so no diet coke for Jeff. Debarkation was pretty easy and we were able to walk to the train station to get back to the airport. We went through customs no problem. We were home by 10:00 p.m. feeling sad that our trip flew by so quickly.
What about the ports?
I spent some time each day writing about our experiences in the different cities we visited, so I hope you’ll read about them as I post each individually. Alaska was such a special place, that while we loved the cruise ship, it didn’t hold a candle to the places we were able to see. We loved all the entertainment and food, but our hearts moved when we were in the forests, mountains, and towns of Alaska.
Soul Searching Traveler 
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