Celebrity Cruises invested more than $250 million in modernizing its Solstice Series ships, beginning with Celebrity Solstice, and after spending a week onboard in Alaska, it became pretty obvious why this redesign works so well there.
Alaska passengers use a ship differently from Caribbean travelers. Instead of parking themselves beside the pool all day, people move between observation decks, lounges and outdoor spaces for hours at a time while glaciers, waterfalls and snow-covered mountains slide past the ship. On Celebrity Solstice, the refresh leaned directly into that reality with more outdoor seating, social lounges and panoramic gathering spaces that stayed busy even in freezing wind and sleet near Hubbard Glacier.
During Celebrity Solstice’s first refreshed round-trip Alaska sailing from Vancouver through the Inside Passage to Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Ketchikan, the ship felt built around the way Alaska passengers actually cruise. Instead of trying to distract from the destination, the overhaul focused on upgraded observation areas, new lounges, expanded outdoor gathering spaces and refreshed dining venues.
Sunset Park may be the smartest addition on the ship
The standout addition during the sailing was Sunset Park, the redesigned top-deck outdoor space added during the ship’s overhaul. On paper, it sounds simple enough: outdoor seating, lawn games, cabanas, live music, the expanded Sunset Bar and the new Sunset Park Cafe. In Alaska, though, the space becomes one of the best viewing areas on board.
Passengers wrapped themselves in fleece blankets stacked near the towel stations and settled into loungers for hours while the scenery rolled past. Even in cold weather, the space stayed active most of the day.
On other ships, scenic cruising days can become crowded fast when everyone fights for the same viewing spots. But Sunset Park gave passengers another place to spread out without sacrificing the views.
Celebrity Solstice still feels comfortable in a way some newer ships don’t
Even after the upgrades, Celebrity Solstice still feels like a classic mid-sized cruise ship, and honestly, that works in its favor. Even on glacier-viewing days, the ship rarely felt chaotic, which is becoming less common as cruise ships continue to grow larger and busier. There were quiet corners everywhere, tucked-away seating areas for coffee or cocktails and enough smaller lounges that it was easy to step away from the crowds for a while without disappearing back into your cabin.
Instead of replacing the Solstice-class ships entirely, Celebrity Cruises is modernizing them, starting with Solstice. The refresh included upgrades to all staterooms and added 54 new cabins, bringing the ship to 1,479 staterooms overall. But the ship still keeps the wider-open layout and more relaxed flow that made these ships popular in the first place.
The ship feels noticeably more social
Some of the biggest changes onboard were less about appearance and more about how people interacted. The new Parlor lounge stayed busy throughout the cruise with billiards, retro board games, cocktails and elevated comfort food that made the space feel more like a boutique hotel lounge than a traditional cruise sports bar.
Nearby, Boulevard Lounge shifted the entertainment style away from passive theater productions and toward participation. Karaoke, dueling pianos, sing-alongs and game-style programming pulled passengers directly into the experience instead of leaving them sitting quietly in rows watching performers onstage. The result was a ship that felt lively and social without becoming loud or overwhelming.
The dining upgrades help Solstice feel connected to Celebrity’s newer ships
The refresh also brought some of Celebrity’s newer dining concepts to the older Solstice-class ship. Trattoria Rossa, introduced as a new restaurant for Celebrity Cruises, focuses on Roman and Southern Italian dishes with fresh pasta made daily and tableside preparations. But go hungry; the portions are substantial, and the endless focaccia bread is fresh from the oven and perfect for mopping up craveable sauces.
Meanwhile, Fine Cut Steakhouse, which first appeared on Celebrity’s newer Edge-class ships, brings dry-aged steaks and a more upscale steakhouse atmosphere onboard.
Murano, the ship’s French restaurant, still delivers one of the more polished dining experiences at sea without feeling stuffy or pretentious. From the cheese cart to tableside presentations and whole fish prepared beside the table, the experience feels interactive in a way that fits the more social energy on board after the refresh.
Celebrity’s Oceanview Café has long had a strong reputation, and during this sailing, the variety and presentation absolutely held up. From chilled jumbo shrimp to carving stations and the buffet’s popular Indian dishes, there was enough variety that passengers kept circling back throughout the week. The new Sunset Park Café also worked especially well in Alaska because passengers could grab lighter breakfasts or lunches without disappearing indoors during scenic cruising stretches.
The cabin refresh improves the ship without erasing its personality
The updated cabins felt refreshed and modernized without trying too hard to look trendy, and that balance matters more than cruise lines sometimes realize. Celebrity also upgraded The Retreat suite area with a redesigned lounge, a new sundeck and an oversized hot tub, while AquaClass accommodations added wellness-focused touches such as yoga mats, aromatherapy diffusers and spa-inspired upgrades.
Alaska may be exactly the kind of destination this redesign was built for
After a week on board, the biggest takeaway was how naturally the refreshed ship fit the Alaska experience itself. Near Hubbard Glacier, passengers stayed outside for hours wrapped in blankets as sleet swept across the decks. On many ships, weather like that sends people running indoors, but on Celebrity Solstice, the redesigned lounges, outdoor decks and gathering spaces kept pulling them back outside instead.
Jennifer Allen is a retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and nationally syndicated journalist; she’s also a co-founder of Food Drink Life, where she shares expert travel tips, cruise insights and luxury destination guides. A recognized cruise expert with a deep passion for high-end experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Jennifer explores the world with curiosity, depth and a storyteller’s perspective. Her articles are regularly featured on the Associated Press Wire, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.
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