SA71

Leaving in 34 days on Alaska cruise out of Vancouver BC. Ordered luggage tags two weeks ago and they arrived today in the mail. The question I have is that there is only tags in my name (6 tags sent) and none in the name of my cabin partner. I booked the room and paid for it so I presume that is the reason and we just put my tags on her bags? Thanks.

Yes...and what nights are the formal nights?

Two more! Wish I was getting on her...

A few pics...cloudy and rainy here so a bit dark

I will be there on my lunch hr to see her too!

Was Sillouhette the ship that had its funnels and mast modified to lower to cross under a bridge in Alaska?

 

I remember that during a CC thread about whatever ship that was, people were wondering about how the modifications might work with the dissipation of the smoke from the funnel....

 

If it was Sillie, then I guess we now know how that's worked out, considering past cruisers had documented few soot issues in those verandas.

That was Solstice...so it can fit under the Lions Gate bridge in Vancouver BC Canada, which is to be an embarkation point for a couple of alaska cruises this season.

FYI the ferry crossing from the mainland to Vancouver island is 1 hour 40 min each way, plus loading and unloading of over 400 cars, so it's about 2 hours, not including wait times at the terminal and travel time from downtown vancouver to the terminal which is located in a suburb called Tsawwassen. The scenery on the crossing will be more of the same as your first day of travel northbound on the Alaska cruise.

If on an organized day tour from Vancouver then the buses get priority boarding and they can travel in the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes on the highway to avoid traffic, so it's a tad quicker.

Be advised that if you are travelling on your own in a car on a weekend it will be busier and you should plan to be at the terminal at least 45 min prior to sailing time. Boarding is either first come first serve, or for an additional fee you can reserve your spot on the ferry in advance - online booking is the norm.

For schedules and fares see www.bcferries.com. Ferries run to Victoria (actually to Swartz Bay, a 30 min drive from Victoria) on every hour in the summer. It's roughly $100 Cdn for two people and one car to cross, one way, and you pay both ways.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help us. We've decided to fly into Vancouver and hire a car and travel 'The Rockies' then take a northbound cruise to Alaska (I can't stop singing that song 'North to Alaska' lol).

 

That gives me 2 more decisions to make though ... which cruise ship is best and is possible to drive back from anchorage to Vancouver?

 

 

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Achorage AK to Vancouver BC is approx 3400 km...basically the same as driving from Melbourne to Perth! Would you drive that??

If you had a week and really wanted to see BC then of course it can be done. I have no knowledge of the alaska or yukon part but the BC part is pretty remote up north with small towns and not much to see except scenery. Something like 80% off the population of BC lives within a days drive of the USA border. With the price of gas here (1.20-1.40 a liter) and the fact you would need a few nights motel it would be cheaper to fly. If you want to see just a part of bc then you could fly to Prince George and then drive to Vancouver in two days easy with stops at Barkerville and Wells gray park overnight. Take highway 1 home and stop at Hells Gate.

Can you bring cans of other beverages such as juice and lipton ice tea? In cases of course.

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Thanks. I had not even thought about it until I was reading posts on the caribbean forum and people were talming about ship vs port time. Makes total sense to change to port time! Thanks

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Cruising out of Vancouver return. Are the port times listed on the celebrity itinerary in alaska time or in the time of the port of origin (pacific time =one hour later)? In other words does the itinerary adjust to local time zones? We arrive in icy strait point at 3 pm on the itinerary. ..is that local or is it really 3 pm vancouver time ie 2 pm alaska time?

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Thought I would post a couple of pics that I took in 2011 in the Rockies.

Peyto Lake (between Jasper and Banff on the Icefield Parkway).

The view from the top of the Jasper Tramway of the Jasper townsite

Pics taken in early September

Just to throw a wrench into the mix...it is entirely possible to rent a car or van and do the Rockies on your own. This is of course assuming you are comfortable driving on the right hand side of the road. You will see A LOT more and you will be in control of your own agenda. I personally don't think the rail tours do the area justice as there is so much to see. I would suggest making hotel bookings in march /april if you plan to be in Jasper/Banff in July/August as that is the busiest season. September is also a great time to do the Rockies, as public school is back in session here and the crowds thin out considerabily, and the weather is usually still good in the first two weeks, and the fall colours will just be starting and are really beautiful.

Day one, Vancouver to KAmloops approx 400km. Overnight in Kamloops.

Day two, Kamloops to Jasper approx 500 km, stopping at Mount Robson and a couple of waterfalls/points of interest along the way.

Day three in Jasper, may I suggest a visit to Medicine Lake and Malign Lake and a small boat cruise on the lake - truly beautiful! And/or a trip up the Jasper Tramway. Jasper the city itself is very small and you can see it all in an easy afternoon. Both lakes and the Tram are a short drive from the town of Jasper.

Day four drive the Icefields parkway south to Banff, stopping at Athabasca Falls, then the Colulmbia Icefield and taking the Snocoach tour, also stopping at your liesure to take photos of the many many beautiful glacier fed BLUE lakes along the way.

Day five in Banff. Perhaps two days in this area to allow a visit to Lake Louise, visit the public hotsprings, marvel at the beauty of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, shop in Banff, take the Banff tram up the mountain, mild hiking on Tunnel Mountain...etc...

From there you can drive to Calgary (1 hr) to fly wherever you need to go, OR drive back to Vancouver in a long day's driving to board your cruise ship.

Celebrity offers a round trip cruise 7 days out of Vancouver, as well as 7 day north and south bound trips

You could also fly into Bellingham USA and get on the quick shuttle for $28 pp one way or $49 roundtrip. Remember that Amtrak is in USD and Quickshuttle is in CDN.

Westcoast girl I see you are from Toronto (westcoastgirl?). I am in Vancouver and it seems we are of comparable age as i have a six year old. Feel free to PM me if you want to compare plans.

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We are on Century July 27- Aug 3 with the same port times. Have booked whale watching with Hoonah Travel Adventures from 4-7 pm in Icy Strait Point. $165pp. 18 person boat with bathroom and heated cabin vs the Celebrity tour on a boat with 150 people. With 7 hours in a tiny port with little shopping and few buildings you pretty much have to book a tour here. It is supposed to be the best for whale watching and then the other ports are freed up for other activities.

In Juneau I figured we would take the blue or white shuttle bus to the Mendenhall glacier first thing ($16 return), hike to the falls and then be back in town by lunch. After lunch then the Mt robert tram ($35 at the door) and shopping around town and be back on the ship by dinner time. The Mendenhall tours with Celebrity are at least $50 and you only get an hour max at the glacier which is not enough time to walk to the falls and back and go in the visitor centre ($3), whereas if you take the shuttle its much cheaper and you can spend more time there. With nine people it might be cheaper to rent two cars instead of $16x9.

Ketchikan is a short port time and the Duck tour is at 3 pm and is only a couple bucks more with Celebrity so likely will just book with the ship for convenience (ahead of time though). The other option is the lumberjack show but it is at 3:15 so we can't do both. Ketchikan is supposed to have the best shopping and we want to wander Creek street and possibly take the funicular tram up the hill and walk Married mans trail back down to Creek street, so that will take the remaining time after the Duck tour is done at 4:30. You might be able to get a float plane tour at 5 pm or so but then you won't have any wandering around time if that matters to you.

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Ketchikan 2 pm -8:30

Juneau 7:30 am -8:00 pm

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If you can swing it, spend a few days in Vancouver and visit Butchart Gardens.....We took a short bus tour of the city for orientation and booked an all day excursion to Butchart.....ferry is a mini-cruise itself....what I liked most is no tour guide of the gardens...so you can spend your time about 4 hours doing whatever you please.

 

Butchart gardens is in Victoria, on Vancouver island...probably a 3.5 hr transit each way from the city of Vancouver (2 hr on a ferry and 1.5 hr driving).. Doable...but a really long day!!

 

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Thanks for everyone's answers. Helen Haywood...I like how you think :-)

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I, an early 40s female, also live in Vancouver and I am taking my mother on the july 27 sailing to alaska on the Celebrity Century. I have booked a verandah room on deck 8. My brother is joining us but is paying double for his own room, a cat 10 inside on deck 8. I decided against HAL mostly because Celebrity seemed to target my age group more, the non smoking policy on Celebrity, and the free alcoholic beverage package booking promo that was offered. This is our first cruise. I figure that vacationing solo or with a family member (instead of the more traditional spouse) is better than not going at all.

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Thanks. Sounds like there is decent amount of "free" options included. I have had people tell me that other than coffee and tea and tap water, everything else was a charge.

I am sailing on the Century, so as a smaller ship I hope the offerings are the same as on a larger ship.

Is there apple/orange juice for breakfast free of charge (not fresh squeezed i realize that is a charge) in the buffet? What about in the MDR for breakfast? Is ice tea the sugar kind (ie Lipton/Brisk), or real tea served cold?

So i have read on the website that the new price for the classic alcoholic is now Cdn $54.39 per night, and for the premium, Cdn $65.49 (roughly USD$58).

Does anyone have any experience since Feb 19 price increase in purchasing a beverage package onboard...is it the same price now as pre-purchase?

If you board and don't buy a package until the next day, do they just charge you for 6 nights instead of 7?

Thanks

I am not talking about a beverage package here...I want to know what drinks are included in the cruise fare purchase. Coffee (Brewed...comparable to?), tea (black, herbal?), tap water at meals? Is there juice or ice tea available from dispensers at the buffets at lunch and breakfast?