Travel and Leisure

The brochure shot for Celebrity Cruises to Alaska

(clicking on any photo opens a gallery view)

I have to admit, the idea of ocean cruising with the huge ships and massive crowds didn't appeal to me; we live in Vancouver where the scenery that we are immersed in isn't much different than Alaska, and I've been fortunate enough to experience much of what this area offers.

A younger me

i.e. I've been ocean kayaking around the Gulf Islands, caught more salmon than our freezer could hold, seen and been too close to more bears than I can count, and have been chased by orcas while fishing in Haida Gwaii. But the father-in-law wanted to do a family trip, and the brother-in-law was excited to go on the Alaska itinerary, so we booked it. But one of the reasons why cruising wasn't on our radar, was because she gets motion sickness very easily, sometimes just riding in the passenger seat when we're driving on a winding mountain highway. That's why we have been doing European river cruises; you won't encounter any waves on those itineraries, and I don't think anyone would have issues with nausea on a river ship. But if you choose the right Alaska cruise, you can avoid long stretches of open ocean, as we did.

Stay "inside" for smoother ocean

Avoiding motion sickness: So our chosen itinerary and provider ended up being the 7-night Dawes Glacier cruise with Celebrity. As a previous travel advisor, she suggested that Celebrity was a good compromise of luxury and affordability (more on that later). Unlike river cruising, where we have found that the ships/experience does not vary much (we've been on affordable Gate 1 to upper/high end Uniworld), she indicated that there's considerable difference between say Carnival and say, Holland America. You don't get much choice on ports of call, if you want to depart and return to Vancouver, as we do/did, but the glacier that you visit does - either Dawes or Hubbard, but I'll get to that in a bit. But as you can see from the image to the right, our route took us on the "Inside Passage" and for the most part, avoided long stretches of open ocean.

The hard upsell: For those river cruisers who think they get too many Viking promo emails, you haven't yet experienced Celebrity's marketing machine. Sign up for drink package yet? How about premium Wi-Fi? Specialty dining anyone? Excursions (more on this below)? And you certainly don't want to miss out on future cruises, even though you haven't even taken this one yet. What seemed like a good deal when we booked the Alaska trip, quickly turned into the price of a good river cruise. When you consider that most folks opt for at least the Classic Drink Package and Wi-Fi, they're paying around $120+ more per night. Add that to what you thought was a decent price, and you're at what a good promo with Gate 1 or Emerald will get you. And you haven't even added any excursions at that point! We booked an "oceanview" room (a cabin without a balcony), but frequently got offers to upgrade to a higher class. The closer you got to the sailing date, the better the deals would get. Note: Sometimes the excursions sell out, so waiting for a better price for that whale watching tour might not be a great idea.

We had a nice embarkation day
The crowds: Ok, let's fast forward to embarkation day. The beauty of an Alaskan cruise for us, is that it's only a 20-minute tube ride down to the docks, but the bliss ended there. See, there were three cruise ships embarking that day, so approximately 12,000 passengers were all trying to get through the US customs and boarding process in about 4 hours! I wish I had taken a picture of the boarding hall, with the massive lineups to get onto our ship.

Passing under the Lions Gate Bridge

Contrast that to a river cruise ship, where the boarding and check-in process takes all of about 5 minutes. Luckily, the Celebrity app is pretty good, and you do 95% of the pre-boarding on your phone before arriving. It probably took an hour, from arrival at Canada Place, to getting into our room on deck 3. So we dropped our bags, and headed to the buffet for lunch. It was chaos! Because everyone is new, no one knows what is where, and there was no flow to the people searching for their meal. And then once you managed to fill your plate, now you had to jostle to find a table for your group! The main dining room was a much more civilised affair, but sometimes it would not be open for breakfast or lunch, and of course, did not have the variety of options that the buffet did.

The ship and rooms: I knew before we embarked that the Celebrity Solstice was getting long in the tooth, because I had watched some review videos on YouTube. As such, I was not disappointed with the room, and it was very clean. Since there's a couch/sitting area, it feels like a bigger room than what we've experienced on our river cruises. In actual fact, it was only 177 sq. ft. which compares quite similarly to the river cruise ships we've been on (e.g. Monarch Queen at 172 sq. ft.). Our room was comfortable, and despite not having a balcony, we did not seem to miss it; this itinerary is not one for sitting outside for any length of time. Bathroom was smaller than the one we've experienced on the G1 Monarch Queen, but still ample room to move around, versus our Uniworld one, where showering was a cramped affair.

I quite liked most of the ship's common areas, lounges and restaurants; in particular, there is a massive open air space in the centre of the ship with plenty of lounges and sitting areas on each floor. The Solstice was definitely showing her age, but was better than expected; the issues we saw were mostly due to the worn upholstery and frayed edges on cushions etc. This ship is due for a retrofit in 2025, and I am sure it will be a much nicer experience after some time in dry dock. But compared to a river ship, there were plenty of spaces to either join and meet new people, or have some quiet time apart from the crowds.

The main dining room was an oasis of calm
The food: I had set my expectations low for the food on board. We did not opt for any specialty dining, except Le Petit Chef, for our last evening. In general, the meals met or exceeded the low bar I had set - food was just ok to good, with the occasional really good dish. e.g. The beef short rib at Le Petit Chef was very good; not Michelin-star great, but very good nonetheless. Items like pizza and hamburgers were available almost all the time, but were average at best.

Desserts looked better than they tasted

Obviously the buffet had more variety that what a river cruise ship can offer, but because of the volume that the big ships need to create, food often sat for long periods. The good options to go for were the "stewed" ones; e.g. beef bourguignon, or the Indian curry chicken. Sometimes, they'd have a beef roast at the carvery station, but the cut was sometimes stringy and fatty. The main dining room offered some of the same breakfast items available at the buffet, with no improvement in quality, but served in a much more relaxed and refined way. Diners there were served by a plethora of waiters who seemed more interested in getting a 5-star review at the end of the cruise than delivering a quality meal experience. Overall, I'd rate the food/dining as a 3.5 whereas our river cruises would rank around a 4.5 (Emerald maybe 4ish, Uniworld and Gate 1 at 4.5).

The port of Skagway
Port towns and excursions: For those who have been on European river cruises, you really need to reset your expectations for the towns you'll visit on an Alaskan cruise. At only about 125 years old, the towns don't hold a candle to the old world charm of Europe; sure there'll be small museums and placards that go through some of the historic facts and information, but you won't find anything substantial. And because we live in Vancouver, most of the scenery is not that unique, but we did manage to see things that we'd not normally come across.

The White Pass Railway

The towns themselves are tourist traps; the streets are lined with historic-looking buildings, but inside they were stuffed with T-shirt and diamond shops (who is buying all these diamonds?). Icy Strait Point was a non-event, and could easily have been a stop where you didn't need to get off. Thank goodness we took the pricey White Pass rail tour in Skagway, otherwise we'd have almost nothing to do there. Juneau was probably the biggest disappointment of the three larger towns, but we took an expensive bus ride to the Mendenhall glacier for some photos.

Black bear in Ketchikan

The salmon run had pretty much finished by the time we arrived in Alaska, so there weren't any bears to be seen. Ironically, there was one cruise guest on our ship a few weeks back that caught this photo of a black bear right on Creek Street, perusing salmon from the boardwalk in Ketchikan! Unfortunately, it poured rain while we were there, as Ketchikan is probably the most interesting of the stops we had, and could have merited a couple of hours of walking around town if it weren't for the heavy rain.

Mendenhall glacier and Nugget Falls

When I think of our European river cruises, and look back at past pictures, I am always amazed at the architecture and history of the old town areas. You'll not experience any of that in Alaska, where you need to look to nature to provide your excitement. Unfortunately, we see more wildlife in a weekend at our cabin in Point Roberts, WA, than we did on our entire weeklong cruise. But folks from other countries we talked to seemed to be amazed by what they were seeing, and marvelled at the vastness of BC and Alaska.

Our first sea day
Sea days: Unlike river cruising, where you pretty much wake up in a new town or city every day, Alaskan cruises typically have at least two full sea days, and then a couple of partial days as well. For our first one heading North, everything was still fresh and new to us, so we didn't mind being trapped onboard all day.

Our last sea day

We took advantage of the extensive activities sheet to keep ourselves occupied, and of course, managed to get some napping in. The sea got a tiny bit rough going up that evening, but nothing that was of any consequence. On the way back however, there was a bit of a storm that blew in, and we were rocking pretty good until we got back into the protected waters East of Vancouver Island. Even as a seasoned ocean fisherman, I found that I was feeling a bit off that morning, and took a Gravol when I got up.

Building-sized "growlers" in Endicott Arm
The weather and ice: One of the things that Alaska cruises risk, is the high chance of rain and inclement weather. Skagway is literally named "The North Wind Blows", and Ketchikan is known for two things: salmon and rain. Despite leaving Vancouver in shorts and t-shirts on a typical mid-September day, you need to pack layers and waterproof outerwear. We arrived in Skagway to cloudy skies and howling wind. When we asked our guide if the wind would have been diminished if we came in July or August, he said that it can blow like this at any time of the year.

Welcome to rainy Ketchikan

We didn't really have a choice for timing anyways, as we wanted to sail when there would be no children on board, and the brother-in-law's work schedule only permitted this sailing date. On the day we sailed up Endicott Arm, there was so much ice that the captain could not get us close enough to get a clear view of the Dawes Glacier, for fear of a Titanic-like event. I think Hubbard Glacier is more "exposed", so potential to get up close to that one is probably better. Finally, we arrived in Ketchikan to torrential rain, and despite wearing waterproof Gore-tex jackets, we could only manage about an hour of walking around town. It poured rain for our last sea day, and seas were rough getting back to the Inside Passage, so folks weren't inclined to be sitting outside anyways. On European river cruises, you can pick good times of year for weather, but there's always the risk of low or high water.

Curling anyone?
Entertainment: This is where there's no comparison between ocean and river cruising; there's something going on all the time on an ocean vessel. Each night, we'd review the sheet left in our room, and pick the activities that we'd attend while we were on the ship. This is something that river cruisers should be doing as well; I read a post recently on the river cruise FB group where a guest was disappointed that the morning tour was disappointing - you are in charge of planning your day. e.g Trivia in the Sky Lounge at 10 am, then down for some axe throwing in the Grand Foyer before lunch. Some afternoon music trivia back in the Sky Lounge before heading back to the foyer for some live music. The Solstice Theater was huge, and we'd attend briefings with the onboard naturalist, and return later that evening for Jeremy Tan's amazing magic show.

On our final evening, there was the impressive Rock City show, featuring classic rock anthems that everyone knows. Sure, it doesn't have the polish of a Las Vegas show, but remember that this is on the back of a ship! I know it's not possible to pull off that kind of event on a river cruise ship, so you can't really compare the two, but some of the river cruise entertainment is pretty lame.

The smallest chef around
The Verdict? It depends: So if you've read this far, you've probably heard some mixed messages - there's good and not so good on our Alaskan ocean cruise. Overall, I would say that the shipboard experience exceeded my expectations, given the somewhat low bar I had set. For those coming onto the Solstice expecting a shiny, new ship would probably be disappointed, but I was fine with it. Service was great, and you never passed a crew member without them greeting you. So except for the food being better, and the crowds (which you can't do anything about), I'd say I came away with a positive on-ship experience.

I'll preface the on-shore experience from two perspectives: local and non-local. As Vancouverites who have been active outdoors, I think an Alaskan cruise is a pass, unless you want to use the ship merely as an easy 7-night getaway (which some do over and over again). For those that aren't from around here, then I'll tentatively say that this cruise is worth considering, but you'll need to fork out a lot of cash for excursions to get away from the tourist trap towns.

Vancouver is a great place to visit for a few days

Also, consider sailing out of Vancouver rather than Seattle; not only is it a shorter trip on the sea days, but I think most would agree that Vancouver merits a few days of exploring as a pre- or post-cruise extension. You can also tick off some of the things off the list here versus using up valuable cruise time to do them; e.g. ocean kayaking, whale watching, or going to see the grizzlies on Grouse Mountain. I'll leave you with the the photo above that I took yesterday (Sept. 24, 2024) from the Spanish Banks beach area, as a teaser for Vancouver's natural beauty.

Automotive

When I was young, I was captivated by the Land Rover. That’s all you called them by back then; sure, they referred to them as Series I or II, based on their production year, but in the olden days, there weren’t any other LR models to choose from. But when they came out with the more family-oriented Discovery, they needed a name for the original, which became the Defender.

Google “Camel Trophy” and you’ll see the Land Rover Defender going to places that no vehicle was ever intended to go. This is the image of the Land Rover that I have had in the back of my mind for decades. I read a quote somewhere that the Land Rover Defender is to the countryside what the black cab is to London. The Queen had one, Sir Winston Churchill had one and Sir David Attenborough uses one for his adventures. It's the ultimate iconic British vehicle.

Problem is, you can’t/couldn’t get them in Canada, due to North American safety standards. But you could bring them into Canada under the 15-year import rule. So you’d see them on the used sites, and there were companies that would import Defenders for you on spec. But these really were a labour of love, as you’re starting with a minimum 15-year old vehicle. And remember that this is when I needed a daily driver, so the Defender was just not a practical fit. They’re also loud, slow, and uncomfortable; leather seating and air conditioning? You must be joking.

That’s why I drove the Discovery instead; first a Series I, then as that one got long in the tooth, a Series II. Relatively luxurious inside, you had all the modern amenities that you'd expect from other manufacturers like power windows, air-conditioning, power sunroof, and leather seats.

And the underlying 4x4 mechanicals were the same on the Disco as they were on the Defender, so I was getting all of the off-road capabilities, but without the drawbacks of the aging Defender design. I did actually put my Disco through a fair bit of 4x4ing when I'd go off camping & fishing in the high country near Kamloops. When I needed service, I'd take my Discos to a shop that specialised in "Landys", and Martin also ran a Defender import business. I'd always drool over the fresh imports that were there when I'd drop or pick up my LR, and it would restart the mental gymnastics of whether I could justify a 15+ year old Defender 110. I loved my Discos, but after 20 years of driving a Disco, she suggested a less ponderous vehicle, so I begrudgingly let the Disco II go.

Just before the time that my Disco run was coming to an end, Land Rover stopped making the Defender! Yep, it was the end of the line for the iconic British 4x4. Was it time to start seriously thinking about bringing in an import? But with the last Defenders rolling off the production line, Defender aficionados were driving up the price of these used ones to astronomical levels. Oh, well.

But wait... the Defender story doesn't end there. Land Rover re-designed a brand new Defender starting from scratch, retaining some of the iconic styling of the original. It. Looks. Awesome. If you're not into Defenders, you probably won't notice all of the little things that they've "kept" from the original design, but they're there. But that's where the similarities end, as this isn't an old, clunky 120 hp Land Rover. No, this one comes equipped with a turbo-charged inline-6 cylinder engine, supplemented by an electric supercharger, producing 395 hp, and 406 lb-ft of torque! Are you thinking, yeah but old must be better than new? Think again! This video shows a head-to-head between the last production model 110 vs. a new Defender 110; you'll see that in each case, new is better than the old. It's been winning all sort of awards, including MotorTrend's SUV of the year.

Kitted out with all of the modern tech amenities and more, there's very little else you might want in a Defender. The one I got is called a First Edition, named because, well, it's the first model of this new Defender line. It's got a few more bells and whistles than I really wanted (e.g. refrigerated console, 3rd row seating and 22" rims), but the local LR dealer had a used one in Indus Silver (pictured in the Frankfurt Car Show above) that I really liked. While 22" wheels wouldn't have been my first choice, the previous owner had replaced the factory tires after they wore down with some great Pirelli alternatives; I'll probably never have to replace them in my time. Will I be putting the new Defender through the same type of 4x4 tests that I did with my Discos? Time will tell, but for now, just try wiping the smile off on my face.