lobster129

 

I was on this tour with you apparently! Were you on bus 1, 2 or 3? That guide also had a loud argument with one of the group about whether or not it was sufficient time to return. We also left an hour later in the morning than we agreed. Additionally, confusion occurred at the end of the day because the busses were not at the agreed place. I still am considering writing a scathing review on TripAdvisor for this guide. Did you? Looking back I wish I had contacted him to request a refund upon my return home. Also, the cost + tip was collected by the organizer before the tour and given to the guide. I don't feel he deserved a tip of any kind for our anguish!

 

Not too late to post this information on Trip Advisor....also on CC "Port of Call" section for people seeking tour recommendations (or who to avoid!)

Episode in 2002 Princess cruise, Port of Juneau, Alaska. Several small groups from our ship reserved a flight seeing adventure via helicopter with included glacier landing and walking on glacier. Beautiful and far exceeded our expectations.

However, on the way back to the heliport....a huge fog bank rolled in from the water and over the mountain range. It shut down visibility of all the mountain passes to be able to return to port. The chopper pilots were communicating with each other as they tried different option. None available. :eek:

So they landed the choppers in a large marshy area about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from highway and had us disembark and trudge through the knee deep mud/water/tall grass marsh to the highway. Chopper company meanwhile sent a bus to pick us up. I recall 7-8 choppers of cruise ship passengers. We knew there was no way we could make it back to the ship on time! :eek:

But they were in communication with the ship and they waited for us. 30+ cold muddy passengers were met dockside by the ships staff and quickly directed to the gangway. As soon as the last of us stepped on board the gangway was lifted and we sailed. :D Whew!:p

(BTW, we did have assurance from the Helicopter Company (@ time of booking reservations) that if they were delayed getting us to a port that THEY would arrange for us to get to the next port)

Episode in 2009 on the Caribbean Island of Grenada and several passengers were on a private tour that involved and open air/canvas topped flat bed vehicle with seats. Their tour was involved in a serious accident and several passengers were hospitalized, some seriously injured.

Even though it was NOT a Celebrity cruise, the Captain held the ship in port for more than 5-6 hours and sent Celebrity medical staff to assist as well as staff to help coordinate air transfers back to Miami, assist family members not hospitalized to remain with their injured family members with hotels, flights home, etc.

I was extremely impressed with the assistance offered by the captain and ship's staff. The Captain decided to leave a few staff members on Grenada to further assist with coordination of care of patients and families. He did any excellent job of keeping those on the ship informed without revealing private information about the passengers. Kudos to Celebrity. They had many choices, and chose the humane ones.

I understand from people who have done it that it's a fun excursion, BUT be aware that it is frequently cancelled due to the weather. Fog sets in and the helicopters can't fly. We were scheduled to do it 2 years ago and it was cancelled, and a few years prior my BF was scheduled to do it with his kids and it was likewise cancelled.

We were lucky to be able to do the helicopter excursion to glacier as private tour. It was among our top three ever excursions!

Probably a 30% chance that any flight seeing excursion will not "Fly" in AK due to weather. Just because they CAN fly...not all companies WILL if they think conditions will negatively impact your experience. Something to questions as your are selecting who to book your flight-seeing company.

Your pics aren't showing up.

They are showing now...gorgeous!

I believe that we are on the an almost identical post cruise tour - the only difference that I can see is that we only have Fairbanks for 1 night. We are on 7A. With less time in Fairbanks we will try to book a later flight out.

It looks like most flights are quite late because they have to fly overnight and not land until the "destination" airport is open for business. Most of us will have to make a connecting flight. I cannot even fly direct to Chicago. (mock bookings, since 2016 flights won't be published for several months)

Becky

The land portion is not run by the cruise company. If you call Celebrity, they won't be able to tell you anything. You might be able to get answers from Premier tours, who actually run the land part. Cruise/land tours are great for first timers who don't want the hassle of driving and lugging around luggage. There are plenty of options. Keep in mind if you are going from SEWARD straight through to Denali you are in for a really long bus/train ride. I picked a tour that tic tacked through many places, therefore we had 2-3 hour bus rides. The longest leg was on the dome train. The wilderness express cars owned by RCI were awesome. First class all the way.

Lynn

 

(Copy from another post)

 

Your welcome ! Your trip will be awesome!

We are stopping in Anchorage 1 night, Talkeetna 2 night, Denali 2 nights, Fairbanks 2 nights. The more I learn, the happier I am with my choices. Like life, it will not be perfect, but I do think is the best opportunity for us to see more of our 49th state.:D

Lynn, thanks for posting about the company that Celebrity uses for land tours name. (Premier Tours), I have looked through their website and found additional information. It also give me a contact number.

We are on a "Deluxe Motorcoach" from Seward to Anchorage. The other transfers are all via the "Wilderness Express glass domed train-car". I am excited about the train as it looks so comfortable!:D Another reason for staying with the Land Tour with Celebrity for us. Sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery, have coffee or wine...or a meal. Ahhhh.:p

I still hope someone will be able to post their "free time excursion options". But meanwhile, I will read more about what is available to do in the area and reviews of previous travelers and work notes up in a Word document. Then when we get on the tour, I will have "done my homework" and have a prioritized list of options.

I feel much more secure about being able to do the things we want to do. The rest is up to us to work out more and make sure we are in our best condition to keep up our endurance levels with the extended hours of daylight.:)

I am the OP of this thread and a truly do appreciate all the ideas and input! I do now have a PLAN!

The husky homestead is in Denali. There was time to do TWT and Husky homestead. Don't worry about the length of the Tundra tour- there is so much to see that the time flies. The bus takes you back to the hotel, not the access center.

On the cruise, we did 2 tours through cruise line. ketchikan- wilderness exploration with crab feast. This was fun and crab was awesome.

And Juneau we did Taku lodge with Flightseeing.

We did Mendenhall Glacier on our own.

Highly recommend Taku lodge (with salmon bake) and five glacier Flightseeing.

In Icy Straight we went whale watching with Misty Bay Lodge. Highly recommend them!

We did Chilkoot Charters tour to Emerald Lake . Bus up with option to do train back. The puppies at Caribou Crossing were disappointing. I thought they were not treated well and dirty. Huskey homestead in Denali was far better.

I have my tours for ports of call pretty much sorted out and have made email contact with most of them or at least examined their web site and read reviews on CC and TA. I have a spreadsheet for each day of the trip with plans, prices, contact info etc.

My challenge is the land portion, and what I can reserve to make the best use of our "Free TIME". :)

I have been hesitant to wait until we arrive on the land tour and begin sorting out my options. I don't want to worry about going all that way and then the options tours that interest us are already sold out.:eek:

Maybe I will just book the flight seeing in Talkeetna ahead, and fill in through the touring company with options. I will be crushed if I don't get a flight-seeing expedition. The land tour into Denali was my other priority, and the cruise-tour includes that.:)

I do have the puppies/huskies listed under Denali. We are not highly action/adventure folks...so not all excursions fit our needs (or abilities ):o

Lynn, I did think about transfers round trip to and from (Talkeetna Lodge/Fight-seeing departure site) The graciously offered to pick us op and get us back to the lodge.:)

I am certain that K2 is also excellent and not much more $$. I still may do that one.

Also your review about the Husky Homestead Tour (that you didn't go on but wished you had)...helped me with a PLAN B in case there is extra time or if the weather does not permit us to fly.

We do have the TWT in Denali. (Yawn) But we will be there during the summer solstice...so we have lots of daylight as long as we can get our bodies in shape~

I have tried to search for info from the Port of Call: AK boards, and the stickies of cruise reviews without clear answers. I would appreciate if Celebrity cruisers could answer the following about the LAND TOUR portion of our cruise (Millie 2016)

 

First let me say that we absolutely loved our cruisetour via the Millie back in 2008. It was one of our all time favorite trips. However, the lack of info prior to the tour part was very frustrating.

Thanks kathynorth,

I might need to relax and just book my tours for ports of call. I was worried about not making reservations soon enough and getting "shut out" for not being proactive. :eek:

I will manage the luggage part. It really helps to know ahead what my options are! Since not all lodging seems to have a digital safe in the room, I guess I will need to leave the "Crown Jewels" @ home! :p

Knowledge is power. Thanks for adding to mine.

http://lclavette1.blogspot.com/search/label/VANCOUVER

 

I did the RCI cruise/land tour last May. Our guide said Royal and Celebrity have the same tours. Only difference is the name on the bus.

 

Hi LC,

I did read your blog site yesterday. It was enlightening and encouraging. I poured over your descriptions and lovely photos too.

I have already been in contact "the other" Flight-seeing company based out of Talkeetna about booking a private tour. Both companies get great reviews. I do not want to miss this opportunity unless the weather cancels it.

Thank you:)

Hi Jane,

I do understand your dilemma. We are sailing your itinerary on Millie the week after yours. We also booked a 6 day cruise tour to follow...for very similar reasons as you did. While our preference is private tours, we like that the land portion covers lodging and the Wilderness Express....and some tours.

I posted some questions today about the land portion as I was having difficulty finding Celebrity specific answers. I have no concerns about the ship and are also in AQ aft with large balcony...and all 3 perks.

It may not be a perfect land tour, but it has it's good points. I hope to supplement with excursions in our"free time" that I can book as DIY.

Feel free to contact me via my email address listed, if you wish. I think our itineraries are a very close match.

Becky

I was the OP on this thread and I appreciate the responses! I have now bought a few credits with the fishnet site and am tracking my currently booked cruises plus this year's sailing which parallels my 2016 Alaska plans. A couple of you have mentioned the RollCalls and I will pursue that angle as well. For one of my bookings I have joined the Rollcall but it has been very quiet. Too early I guess. For the other, there is no Rollcall yet. I tried to follow the directions and start one but it failed for some reason. I'll try again. But I know it is way way too early to be thinking about price adjustments there.

Best wishes for price drops like rain on your future cruises. If Celebrity really (?) is not offering the beverage package perk in the future....they might need to make prices more enticing.:p

You are sailing Millie to AK about a month after we are in 2016. I did start a Roll Call at least a month ago. So far, I am the only member. LOTS of time to go!:)

Hi, can anyone tell me please, if a price drop happens and I have booked a cruise with celebrity direct, do I get the new price difference refunded from my cruise price.Thanks

You ONLY get a price adjustment if YOU notify Celebrity and ask them to adjust your price. Obviously it is better for their bottom line if we do not notice the change~

They then send a new invoice to you with the new "adjusted" price balance. Once you make "final payment"...no more $$ off your price.

I have tried to search for info from the Port of Call: AK boards, and the stickies of cruise reviews without clear answers. I would appreciate if Celebrity cruisers could answer the following about the LAND TOUR portion of our cruise (Millie 2016)

1. LUGGAGE: How much of our cruise luggage may we have delivered to our hotel/lodge room each time? I have seen luggage tags to "join me nightly" and ones to "join me on last night of tour". i.e.: Can we each have a full sized suitcase join us each night? Plus a rolling carry on size? I understand we may bring a tote bag or small backpack inside our transfer bus/train as a "day-bag", but is there a size limitation?

2. MEALS: I understand that most, possibly all, meals will be "on our own" (Additional $$). Are we stuck with eating @ the hotel/lodge because we will not have a car?

3. "Free Time Extra Excursions" ...how soon ahead does Celebrity let us know those extra options? Does anyone have a list of their options for past years? (We will be overnights in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks.

4. DIY excursions ?: I typically book my own private excursions in ports. Is that a reasonable option for a land tour?

5. How far ahead did you know your daily land schedule? I really need to know times for each day so that I can fit in our priority sights/activites.

**In case anyone is wondering why we are not just arranging our own land tour....my DH does not like the idea of driving, handing luggage etc...he is all about less vacation stress and being cared for (the major reason we cruise)

TIA for ANY help on any of these topics!!!

x2 for a couple....

 

We will probably just pre purchase it next week jusr we don't have to think about it and get it in at the $10 plus tip price, but it is doubly frustrating because my TA had given us the choice of a very generous OBC or giving it to us off of the cruise price. I opted for the OBC thinking it is more like fun money and planning to use the Celebrity OBC for the drink package upgrade. Now I have to pay up front and have this very large OBC from both my TA and Celebrity. I guess we' ll just eat at more specialty restaurants and get more laundry done😃

Very poor customer relations on the part of Celebrity.

This may be the last Celebrity Cruise I take.

It's still $10 + gratuity of 18%= $11.80/pp/day for people that already have the classic Bev Pkg to update to Premium IF you already booked the Classic as part of a 123-Go perk.

Celebrity will have plenty of cruisers that are in her age range. It will be beneficial for her to join the roll call for her sailing and begin getting to know her cruise mates. AK in particular tends to have some multi-gernerational family groups....helping to fulfill something from the parents/grandparents bucket list.

Even though AK offers many action/adventure excursions....there are plenty that include transportation and/or just strolling around.

Make sure she gets travel insurance (NOT through cruise line) within 14 days of booking cruise so pre-existing medical condition are covered.

IMO, people are generally friendly and open to meeting new friends....much more so that I find on land.

One thing to make sure you have is your latest Ekg and blood test results with you plus a note from your cardiologist. My husband had had a bypass surgery. We went to the medical facility on board for an issue not related to his heart and he was feeling fine. They did an EKG onboard and after his surgery he has an unusual EKG. They decided that there was something wrong with his EKG and put us off the ship in St Thomas. They were wonderful helping us but the doctors would not hear husbands protests that this was normal for him. When we got to the ER the doctor there looked at the EKG and said this was a chronic condition and not an acute condition but too late the ship was gone. The hospital told us to always travel with recent medical records. They are very cautious on board and they have the final say.

We Do carry all previous medical test results on an App in my iPhone. The app is called "My Medical" and I enter lab test results in there as well as reports from EKG, Echocardiogram, Cardiac Cath, MRI, CT, etc (EXACT quotation of reading Drs interpretation of test).

Exact medical info is so much stronger than "his wife thinks..."! :eek: The app info is downloaded into the iPhone, so WIFI or satellite NOT required to access it. Plus always have our phones on us!;)

We also experienced notification of "boarding time" on our last two cruises (one from Miami, one from Southampton, UK)

In UK, we were processed as we arrived at the port (many people made transfer plans months prior).

In MIA we had a two hour wait. Not even Suite and Zenith guest were able to board. Celebrity later explained this was due to delays with previous cruise passengers being able to get OFF the ship....related to some customs and immigration issues.

YRMV

No tea kettles available for US cruise or Caribbean on Eclipse. We have always had one when sailing from Southampton. Most often available when sailing different Celebrity ships in European destinations such as the Med.

Medical Travel Insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions is essential. Without that, they do not have to pay for your care or Medical Evacuation. We carry travel insurance and an additional Medical Evac Insurance (Med-Jet Assist) that will transfer you from the hospital that the ship is able to get you to...to one of your choice!

We have used medical services on the ship for things like an eye infection, bronchitis and to monitor lab results required for a medication that required it for doing adjustments. No major issues there....more like an urgent care clinic. Their medical guidelines are less stringent than in the US (I am an RN) and did not require them to ask about current meds, medical history and not even allergies (Exception...did ask about allergy before administering an antibiotic)

Be pro-active as the patient (or family of the patient) in knowing medical history, dates, diagnosis etc (Recommend carrying a one page typed "mini-medical history" at all times...or having a smart phone app with this info)

Be aware that the Medical Center on the ship is a leased service. Employees (including Drs, RNs etc) are hired and managed by the service....and not the cruise line. (similar to the way the spa and hair/nail saloons are)

They do have basic lab, simple X-ray, EKG, breathing treatments & oxygen available. They cannot perform more extensive cardiac testing, CAT scan or ultrasound and other services available in a basic hospital emergency room.

Best of luck with your travels. Being aware helps you make wise and safe decisions. Prepare for Plan B & C...not negative, just smart.

Cruise Critics FB site reports cruise ship passengers had arrived by tour bus to visit the antiquities museum in Tunisia. Cruise passengers were on shore excursions at the Bardo National Museum in Tunisia at the time of today's terrorist attack.

The ships in port were the Costa Fascinosa and MSC Splendida. At the time of the attacks, some of MSC's passengers were on shore excursions that included a stop at the museum, which is one of the country's major tourist attractions. Costa also confirmed that some its 3,161 passengers were on a shore excursion in the city.

It is a significant concern for all of us who travel to be safe. Many destinations of places I would have liked to visit are no longer an option due to many unstable ports of the world.

Thought are with all those who encountered the terroristic attack today....and their families, loved ones and fellow cruisers

I just got off a sailing in an AQ on Deck 11 - we loved it (not the rear facing, but in the aft of deck 11).

The closet is bigger on M class and there is definitely more drawer space. I think the slanted storage coupled with the drawer space more than makes up for the over the bed cabinets, and is much more accessible and usable. I think the storage next to the desk is a bit bigger on M class but I am not 100% positive. And yes, there is actually a drawer in an M class bedside table - what a concept:).

I prefer more hanging space if I have to choose (which I obviously do not get to do!)

I appreciate the info as it helps me to organize my packing...with more items hanging in dry cleaner bags on hangers. I just store those bulky wooden hangers that are in the closet (on arrival) in my empty suitcases before sliding under the bed.

I have not sailed on a M-class ship in several years, though Millie was my first. I cannot recall the difference in storage spaces on AQ cabins (we have aft veranda).

*Is the closet size on M-class similar to S-Class?

*Does the slanted built in storage (M-class) make up for the over the bed cabinets on S-class?

*Is there more drawer space on M-Class?

*Is there more storage space near the desk?

*I can SEE there is more storage space in bedside tables...so that helps!

Appreciate in advance any insight you can give me!