Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise
May 6 – 12, 2024
I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my Mom in May. We have reserved a stateroom on a 6 day Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Solstice. I have travelled on several cruiselines, but this will be my first experience with Celebrity. The reason we chose an Alaska cruise is because taking a ferry and a skytrain is A LOT cheaper and less stressful than booking a flight to our destination.
Alaska Cruise Sets Sail in...
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Day 1: Vancouver, British Columbia: This will be my first cruise out of Vancouver. Our checkin time is 11:00 so we can take advantage of the lunch buffet! We also have reservations in one of the restaurants this evening.
For anyone traveling from out of town, if you would like to explore Vancouver before your cruise, I recommend checking your bags and exploring the city before you embark. Once you check in, you are not allowed to get off the ship until your next scheduled stop! We learned that in Italy when we had a brilliant plan to have lunch on board before exploring the harbour.
Day 2: Inside Passage: Our first day is a cruise day. This is an opportunity to explore the ship and take in the sites. I also like to get to know the staff members who will be taking care of us.
Day 3: Sitka, Alaska: I am looking forward to visiting our first Port. I have never been to Sitka so we will probably explore the town. We might see if we can find a nice hike if the weather is nice.
Day 4: Juneau, Alaska: I visited Juneau last October with my Mom and my sister’s family. It was a relatively short walk from the port into town. Many of the businesses were already shut down, but we did manage to meet some great people and find an amazing stores. Juneau is cute town. It reminded me a bit of Chemainus, with that small town vibe.
Day 5: Ketchikan, Alaska: This was another stop we visited last October. My first impression was very impressive! They have a huge warehouse that is bigger than Costco with trees and rocks and it has a real outdoor feel. They also have a ton of merchandise for sale.
Norwegian had buses that transported us into town. We even got to ride on the top of a double decker bus. They had a free museum that had free wifi. The meseum was already closed for the season, but wifi was still available. I might check out the museum. They also had a nice walk through the bushes along the river. We atempted the walk, but the salmon were spawning and it reaked of dead fish so turned around. I would love to walk the trail this time.
Day 6: Inside Passage: Our last cruise day. This is an opportunity to relax and take in the entertainment and food! We can also relax in the Observation lounge and watch for whales.
Tomorrow we arrive back in Vancouver at 6:00AM. With no flights to catch, we can have a relaxing morning, enjoy breakfast and leave at our leisure.
Tammy's Tips
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Free communication with iPhones: Every cruise seems to have their own chat system. They all seem to have a charge for this feature (I have never been on Celebrity so we will see). If you have iPhones, you do not need to purchase the chat. As long as your iphone is connected to the ships internal wifi, you can send text messages to other iphones on the same wifi network. No data required!
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You don’t need to purchase a beverage package unless you drink a lot: The drink packages are quite expensive. not only do you pay heafty fee for the package, but there is a mandatory flat rate gratuity that you pay regardless of the number of drinks you order. The buffet usually has free water, lemonade, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. During breakfast, they also have fruit juices. If you want to treat yourself to a latte or alcoholic beverage, it is often cheaper to purchase your beverages a la carte. Don’t forget to pack your water bottle.
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Excursions don’t have to be purchased through the cruiseline: If there is a specific excursion you would like to do, research your options ahead of time. You can rent scooters or book tours through local businesses who cater to cruise guests. Do your research, read reviews, and ensure they will get you back to the ship with plenty of time before the ship sails away. You can often get better deals, and better options. If you are visiting a port for the first time, it is sometime nice just to explore the town and meet the locals. You can also find some great hikes and other free options.
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Take advantage of thte free draws on the first day: The day you board, many cruise lines encourage you to check out their amenities by luring you in through free draws. Often it is just cheap junk, but sometimes they give away some nice prizes. We have even won an excursion on a Carnival cruise. They also give away spa packages, jewelry, and other merchandise from their stores.