catspaw1

Thanks Ken. I had previously read your outstanding TR when we were thinking of booking in January. Wr chose the Xploration as we wanted a smaller trip & we ate very mobile. Flora was so 8G more. So we wanted to use those funds for another trip. Which we did just returning from the Black Hills in SD, WY & CO & our whole trip was way less than 8G. We are off on the Eclipse in 3 weeks!

We were booked on the Xploration next June. Our TA did send an email regarding the cancelation but it went to my junk mail folder. We were on a 17 night independent car trip to CO, SD & WY with limited cell service in many areas. Fortunately Mahdic sent me an email about the cancelation. Thanh you Mahdc! I was able to contact our TA although our cell service was spotty since we were in the boondocks of WY. Celebrity originally wanted us to take a mid June trip but that would not work as we are going to AK next July so the turnaround between trips would have been short. We got them to move it to the June 1 sailing. We just returned from our trip last night & I checked to see if maybe we could move to another cabin. Nothing left but guarantees. We really wanted to sail on the Xploration & are not thrilled about going to a much larger ship so we are hoping it works out. Anyone have any comments on the Flora? The Flora would have been over $8G more expensive.

Yup, you are right - the cabins filled up fast! We loved Custer state park & did not pet the fluffy cows! Loved seeing the bison! We spent 3 full days in custer Park & loved it. Devils tower is something to see - the pictures don't do it justice. So grateful for your help as I don't look at my junk folder much & especially on vacation! We are going on the Eclipse in a few weeks! A big thank you to you!!!!!!!

MAHDC, thanks so much for the heads up about celebrity selling the ships. My TA did send an email yesterday but it went into my junk mail folder! We are currently in CO. Flying home tomorrow after spending 18 days in CO, WY & SD. Loved the black hills! Because of your heads up, we were able to book the last cabin on our preferred sailing on the Flora next June. So a big thank you as they went fast!

WILCO. Thanks so much for the heads up. Will call TA today. If we can go on the Flora for the same price, we will do it!

Wow we are scheduled to go in June 2025 but haven't received anything from Celebrity yet. Although we would love the Flora, it was 8G more expensive. Can you tell us what options you have been given? Sailing October- December is not the season we want to go there. We specifically chose early June as its the start of the summer season & we can see the waved albatross. Is there any extra charge to switch to the Flora? I'm going to contact my TA today. Please report anything you get. We are really upset over this as we wanted the Xploration. Thanks for letting us know

The Navy, where I retired from, sends vessels in port out to sea. A quick google will confirm this. Ships are safer at sea if they can get out of harms way- sonetimes thats not possible. That's what I told you & you ignored. You were wrong to state the NE quadrant of a hurricane that I referred to, is not the safest quadrant to be in. It absolutely is the worst quadrant. A lee shore is the worst in regular weather let alone in a storm. In addition to my Navy experience, (I retired as an O4) as I already told you, I detailed to Coast Guard. In addition to that experience, we have owned a boat & sailed in excess of 40 years, lived aboard for 10 years & were blue water sailors for 7 years full time. We are also ham operators. So yes I have mega experience in weather. & I repeat, going out with bad weather is fool hardy. Navy ships sometimes have to do that but why should a cruise ship take a chance? We don't take chances on our 44' boat. We have sailed short handed, crossed the pond & have over 20,000 blue water miles just in our sailboat. So do NOT call me uneducated about marine weather!

Yes both reservations showed but it asked for all the other info on my friends which I didn't have. I only did the checkin time as I was away from home & didn't want to bring our passports with me. I was able to do when I returned several days later. BTW live your live posts & I've read all of them. Thanks for posting as they have been extended helpful.

Hi everyone, just checked in a few days ago for our upcoming cruise & wanted to give back some helpful hints. I tried getting in starting at midnight & it was not available until 1203am. I got the earliest boarding which was 1030am. I then tried to checkin get another couple linked on our reservation. However, since I didn't know their DOB or reservation number, I couldn't check them in. So have this readily available if you want to check others in. We are also going on a separate trip tomorrow to SD, CO & WY & I checked in with Southwest today. I checked in immediately at the earliest boarding time exactly & still got B30. That means there is at least 45 people boarding before us.

There's zero risk of bad weather on a ship if you don't venture out when the forecast is not good. That's the difference between a cruise ship & a personal boat. We never set sail on our boat if the forecast was not favorable! Keeping to a schedule, regardless of weather, is where ships have a problem. Cruise ships are too rigid to having to keep to a schedule, they have a choice not to go, but then the cruise line will not like this, so they go anyway. We have seen this time & again. We do have over 20, 000 Bluewater miles experience just on our own boat.

Wolfie, it's common knowledge about the storms in AK in winter. Everyone has probably seem Deadly Catch. But our experience was with a low in mid - late August causing a gale storm. Cruise ships don't like bad weather as sick passengers don't spend money.

Heidi13, not sure your experience, but I'm retired Navy. Also did a detail in Coast Guard. We sailed our 44 foot sailboat in the Atlantic full time for 7 years. So yes we are very familiar with weather. It's the first thing we did every day checking weather while cruising. Over 40 years, we were sailing near Martha's vineyard when there was a hurricane off the NC coast. Yes we had swell from the hurricane but even though the swells were about less than 10', the interval was long & not an issue. So it depends how close you are to the storm & most importantly what quadrant - NE being the worse. Yes you are correct that shallow water makes the waves higher. That's why Navy ships put out to sea when a hurricane is coming. I am not as familiar with AK waters but do know storms seem to be more frequent in August - September. Do northerly winds come down in early summer? Confused seas are the worse for me & wind against current like a northerly in the Gulf Stream. Just IMHO.

We went on a HAL cruise southbound about 30 years ago in mid- late August. Hit a gale storm & missed a port of call. We are blue water sailors so weren't bothered by it too much. When we went to the dining room it was over 90% empty. Everyone was seasick & in their cabins. I think better calmer seas are best in June - July. Once the northerly winds start, the seas get rougher. Bring seasickness meds & take a full 2 hours before it gets rough.

We did AK on our own 30 years ago & plan to do the same next year. It's easy to do but a lot more traffic now. Be aware there are now hefty drop fees renting a car in AK so best to do a round-trip. It took us all day to transit to Seward as there is so much to see & we stopped at every lookout. Best to do this going southbound. Seward has awesome boat tours into Kenai Fijords national park. Denali is still one of my favorite national parks & we have been to many! We are going to CO, SD & WY on Tuesday & hitting more NP. We also just returned 2 weeks ago from another stay in great smokey natl Park. But AK was one of our favorite trips so we are returning. We are also staying at a bear/ fishing lodge in Lake clarke national park next year for several nights so look into that. The drive to Valdez is supposed to have great scenery so we are doing that next year also. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the great TR! & in answering all the questions. Moorings must be maintained on a regular basis so that's more work. We sailed full time 7 years & we rarely used moorings because we did not know if they were maintained. On Bonaire, usage is required so we used them there. Glad to hear the ship & the food are good. With all this activity, I'm sure we will be in bed early every night! Have a great time & enjoy!

We did a land tour of Portugal on our own in October 2019. Went to Lisbon, Sinatra, COIMBRA ( sorry for caps but it keeps trying to autocorrect), Porto, GUIMARAES & Braga. Loved Portugal, the food, sites & places we visited. Use Uber to get around- cheap & fast. In Porto, since there is so much uphill walking, take an uber to the top & walk downhill. In Porto, visit Grahams port winery location making reservations in advance for the tour. Try the 20 & 30 year old port- to die for. In Lisbon, take uber to Belem to view the monastery & get a whole box of pastel de nata at the famous bakery there. They were hot & we ate all 6 of them in the box, we thought we were going to save some! - outstanding. In Porto, make sure you visit the train station to view the famous blue azuelos - outstanding. Our interactions with locals since we were on an independent tour was outstanding! We would return to Portugal anytime

Thanks for the great update as we are on the southern loop in early June next year. We are divers & 66 water temperature is cold! Do you feel the shortie suit is enough? Celebrity is not offering the Xploration or Xpedition for 2026. Can you ask why? Hows the ship itself? Is there any snacks when you return to the ship like the Flora has? Does the ship actually anchor? Does the Galapagos park allow that? If so, ask the captain why he doesn't use an anchoring bridle in rough swells? That's what we used on our sailboat when we anchored & a swell came in. Hint on seasick meds from an experienced blue water sailor- take them 2 hours before you hit rough conditions. Best to stay outside & look at the horizon. Continue with your TR please! Thanks for taking the time to post.

We booked the the Xploration for that reason & it was a lot cheaper!

I just did a mock booking for 2026- only the Flora is listed. Anyone know why they are not listing the Xploration or Xpedition?

They spoke about the Flora but I didn't hear them mention the other 2 ships that I heard. They also kept pushing the 10 & 16 day trips & it wasn't until the very end where they said you could do only a week. I thought the presentation could have been better. Can anyone confirm if only the Flora is going in 2026? We are booked on the Xploration next year

Sorry my fault! You are right

Just finished watching the Galapagos presentation to get captains club points. Apparently they aren't sailing the xploration or Xpedition in 2026.

We have had them for years & still good. Next week we are going to CO, WY & SD for hiking & the national parks. They are coming with us as well as my packaged soap.

We have been using them for years. Never put in the dryer. Just came back from hiking in GSMNP. One day we did almost 10 miles, 165 flights steps & almost 22000 steps. Darn tough socks used every day when hiking- love them.

Don't buy it. What happens if it removes the UV protection because of it? Will you pay for My clothes? Pants are over $100, darn tough socks $25, shirts over $60. So yes good clothes are expensive bur last a long time if you take care of them. That's why I only use a dryer for a few minutes on low just to remove the wrinkles. Do you do all this when washing your clothes?