Northern Aurora

We spent six weeks on the Eclipse from March into April. We met with two different future cruise sales persons. Since a full Panama Canal crossing is one of my husbands' favorite itineraries (we have done six full transits) we asked about a full transit in 2025. I have looked at my notes. The answers were vague, but they tried to sell us a partial transit.

@nodumblond: Have you been in contact with the Denali area visitor's bureau/Chamber of Commerce. I know they have one. There was, at least pre-covid, someone in the Denali area who did private walking tours/simple hikes for visitors. I have no idea of the name, but when trip reports were posted (in a thread sorted by year at the top of this index page) at least one trip report from several years ago mentioned taking one. There also is at least one of the BnBs or a small lodge (not associated with a cruise line) which has rented used vehicles in the past. Is that the local rental car company you have mentioned? My memory is that they are located in Healy.

Since our OP is only at Denali for what they describe as half a day I also wonder what their options are. They may not have time to rent a vehicle and drive into the park. Is the Jeep tour a HAL excursion?

The Eclipse is large enough in terms of passenger capacity that if you don't have tender priority due to Captain's Club loyalty level or are not in a Suite then folks will want to get tender ticket as soon as possible. While we have tender priority due to CC club status there were some long lines on the Eclipse when we were on from March 10 to April 19. And there are some tender ports which are easier for the crew than others, such as those with shorter distances to shore.

@newbie202020 connecting door system. Hopefully someone will post a photo as a photo is definitely worth a thousand words in this case.

My experience was pre-covid, but Luminae has 14 individual menus. We were on a 17 night (if my memory is correct) and so had three repeats. My memory is that when we boarded the Luminae maitre'd could tell us the repeats.

We have never purchased a "cruise package" when staying at the Pan Pacific and have always been offered the luggage pickup from the hotel room for delivery to the ship porters. As mentioned by @Ferry_Watcher there is a strong "suggestion" that a tip is suggested/expected.

I am not @wolfie11 but do live in Alaska. Tatsuda's IGA store was heavily damaged from a rock slide in February 2020. The damage was extensive and I believe they are permanently closed. We have been to Ketchikan a number of times, with the most recent visits in 2022 (we were there twice). The shop @CynCyn is describing is not "ringing any bells" for me.

In April 2022 our luggage was picked up from our Pan Pacific hotel room and transported to the ship porters. Hopefully someone with more recent experience can comment.

We boarded the Eclipse on March 10th and left on April 19th. We were on for a series of four legs. We couldn't book the same suite for all four legs so had a Celebrity Suite for one and the same Sky Suite for the remaining three legs. We had two different stateroom attendants, and three butlers. Both suites were in good condition with what was clearly some new soft goods. No flaking paint on the balconies, and both Suite had sheer curtains. Both stateroom attendants were excellent. All three butlers were also excellent. The meals and service in Luminae was again excellent. While some of the decor is looking dated the ship was clean. My one "beef" is that one of the sinks in the woman's mid-ship restroom on deck 5 was inoperable the entire time we were on the ship. Given the importance of hand washing I found that rather curious. But I also would not hesitate to book the Eclipse and indeed we are booked again for a month in 2024.

As someone who lives in Alaska I also am interested in this "Alaska Destination Pocket Guide." Somehow I really wonder if it is worth the $32 price. Hope someone who purchased one posts.

@bjworm: The production showtimes are very standard across the Celebrity fleet.

We have done this excursion off of the Celebrity Solstice in June 2022. An Allen Marine vessel picked us up from the Solstice about 7 AM. Essentially it was a tender operation but we didn't use the Solstice tenders. The two level Allen Marine vessel was able to sail much closer to the glacier than the Solstice could. We had an excellent naturalist on board who knew when to talk, and also when to be quiet and let folks take in the scenery and experience. We took a different route back to Juneau than the Solstice, diverting into Fords' Terror (google it). The Solstice was just completing their docking procedures in Juneau as the Allen Marine vessel approached the Solstice and we walked from the Allan Marine vessel onto the Solstice. We were directly reunited with the Solstice. It will be a long day, but you will be able to schedule another excursion/activity.

Just a comment from someone who lives in Alaska -- I have never seen a set of nesting dolls which were made in Alaska. The ones I have seen have been imported from Russia.

Actually I was left with the impression from your post #3 that you are opposed to taking a fee based shuttle into Valdez. Your complaint needs to be made directly to your cruise line. Believe me -- as someone who lives in Alaska -- the "powers that be" in Valdez will not be quaking in their boots because a NCL cruiser says they will not take the shuttle into Valdez but remain on the ship. Valdez has a number of solid non cruise ship based jobs and the "powers that be" are not interested in folks who will leave the ship to purchase made overseas shot glasses.

We use our Zenith laundry perk every two or three days. We've always had blouses, shirts and pants returned on hangers. And we've never made a specific request to have them returned on hangers. Possibly just lucky?

This is SO true. There is no way anyone who understands risk management could ever allow folks to simply walk through an industrial port where oil tankers being bing loaded. And for those who are not residents of Alaska please understand that folks who worry about such things view the Alaska pipeline as a potential terrorist target.

We have both embarked and disembarked in Seward. We are also Zenith members of Celebrity's Captain's Club program so have done numerous B2B turnaround days. Celebrity's turnaround day procedures ensure that it is very easy for B2B passengers to spend the day off the ship. I suspect they prefer that B2B passengers are off the ship. You will be free to leave the ship for the day. You will be issued a transit pass before you leave the ship which will allow you to bypass the usual boarding lines (although Celebrity now has such a streamlined boarding process that lines are minimal). Celebrity frequently has meetings for B2B passengers, but there may be so few B2B passengers for this cruise they may not. But you will receive a detailed instruction letter. You will be able to leave as soon as disembarking passengers are free to do so. Many will be leaving at 7 AM-ish. You will indeed have sufficient time in port to explore. Seward is a popular port for the staff and crew as the bulk of the passengers will be off early morning and the ship doesn't leave until early evening. So the staff and crew have hours off. You will find them shopping at the local Safeway for snacks and sundry items. The Seward cruise terminal (think "warehouse") is located beside the small boat harbor. The town is located on the other side of the small boat harbor. Seward is a community where Alaskans go for instate recreation, and has a much more "authentic Alaska" feeling to it than some of the cruise ship ports in SE Alaska. No Diamonds International, and the folks you encounter in the shops generally live in the community. If you are interested in a Kenai Fjords boat excursion our favorite vendor is Major Marine. Their check in desk is located in the Harbor 360 Hotel which you will see from the ship across the small boat harbor. Other options for the day would include the SeaLife Center or a visit to Exit Glacier. Seward also has interesting shops and nice restaurants.

The bar where the Exxon Valdez Captain Hazelwood was observed drinking the night before the accident was the Pipeline Club which was located in Valdez (not Cordova). I think it is no longer in business but someone else may know. Cordova is some distance from Valdez and is not accessible by road. Takes several hours (my recollection is about six hours) for an Alaska Marine Highway ferry to transit between Valdez and Cordova.

The OP didn't mention their stateroom category. If they are booked in a Suite then Luminae will be open for lunch on embarkation day.

Stan and his wife Mary Helen have both passed (if my memory is correct about Mary Helen) but the company has kept the family name. It is a very high quality operation and we have done a number of trips with them through the years. Excellent every time. Despite the business operating in Valdez they lived in North Pole, Alaska which is about 12 miles from Fairbanks. The Stephens' actually had an interesting history related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. For those not in the "know" the oil tanker Exxon Valdez hit the incredibly well marked Bligh Reef in 1989. Massive oil spill. The Wall Street Journal did a three day (I am thinking three days not two) article in the early 1990s about public relations disasters. One of the public relations disasters highlighted/dissected was how the Exxon Valdez oil spill has handled. The Stephens' were highlighted as Wackenhut Security was caught going through their personal trash. Another Alaskan who had her trash "sorted" by Wackenhut was the quilt designer Riki Ott (out of Cordova) who is a marine biologist when not designing quilts. Riki's patterns are sold throughout Alaska including at the lovely Skagway quilt shop the Rush'an Tailor. And for those who have never read my posts you probably now realize that I am full of totally useless tacts about Alaska!

@aheisl: Valdez, like Seward, is a community where Alaskans go for instate recreation. Somehow, as someone who has been there a number of times, I don't think that local businesses are dependent or excited about cruise ship passengers. It is a very different community, with a very different economy, from the routine cruise ship ports located in SE Alaska. The town itself was devastated in the 1964 earthquake and was subsequently moved. A few of the old buildings were moved to the new site, but the town has a very clean vibe to it with wide streets. The residential neighborhoods have wide spaces which look like they were designed to be playgrounds but they are the snow dumps as the community receives simply massive amounts of snow every few years. A friend lives in Valdez, and apparently the years they receive those massive snow falls one of their major problems are dogs on roofs! There is a very nice museum. Also consider a Stan Stephens boat charter or visit Worthington Glacier if NCL is offering an excursion. And to return to whether you will be able to walk into town a consideration may be whether the Trans Alaska Pipeline System is in the process of filling an oil tanker. Valdez is the terminus of the oil pipeline.

Valdez does not have many cruise ship calls. The downtown area near the small boat harbor would not be suitable for a cruise ship. I believe the container terminal is the "normal" area for cruise ships to dock. Depending on the closeness to the Valdez Marine Terminal simply walking into town may not be allowed.

We love the Cedarbrook Lodge. They offer shuttle service to SEATAC. Definitely not the typical "airport hotel." Wonderful restaurant and landscaped grounds.

Just to add a few comments to the response from @Ducky_01 -- The tea at Cafe al Bacio is Tea Forte. There will be a variety of teas at the Ocean View Cafe including both caffeinated and decaf. Brands vary depending on where the ship is sailing on the globe. The Ocean View will have one hot beverage station open 24 hours a day for coffee and tea, but the particular station which is open will rotate. My husband wakes early and often is in the Ocean View between 5 - 5:30 AM. He has to walk around to find the open station.