Northern Aurora

We just left the Eclipse on April 19th. Pre-covid we were on the Eclipse for six weeks in 2019. The number of books in the Eclipse library looks the same to me post-covid as it did pre-covid. I don't think that covid impacted the number of books in the ship libraries. While we now have a selection of books on each of our i-Pads. But for years we have taken physical books to leave in the various ship libraries. Just left a pair hardbacks on the Eclipse.

Om June 2022 the halibut fish and chips at Skagway Brewing was pathetic. Very greasy and the halibut very fishy. Definitely not up to their previous standards. Just so you know as you have stated that you were not in Alaska last summer.

Just "google" Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska. You will easily find the 2024 docking schedules for all Alaska cruise ports.

Yes -- folks can definitely make requests such as no sauce on a dish.

There is at least one Hotel Director (and I wonder if they all do so) who reads Cruise Critic threads about "their" particular ship. And years ago I met the Celebrity loyalty person who skimmed Cruise Critic as a part of their job. Celebrity "powers that be" must be aware that customers are unhappy and perceive this as a mess of gigantic proportions. I doubt that the "powers that be" will ever address this mess but we do deserve some transparency and an explanation. It was clear to a number of us that there was something amiss with some of the Asia itineraries. What I had suspected was a full ship charter as that had happened to a B2B we had several years ago. I didn't suspect an over booking situation.

We stayed at the Auberge last September and just took a taxi. Easy peasy. We have stayed at the Auberge in 2018 and then again last September. The hotel is in the middle of the block which is why our OP may not remember it. It was remodeled since we stayed there in 2018; it was lovely then but is even nicer now. The walk from the Auberge to Canada Place is very easy. Leave the hotel, turn left and walk half a block along level sidewalks. Then left again and one block along a slightly downhill incline to Canada Place. The incline is not that steep so no concerns about having to really hold onto the suitcase handle to avoid an escaping suitcase racing down ahead of its owner.

We have stayed at the Pan Pacific several times, most recently in April, 2022. We have not stayed in Club rooms nor have we ever purchased a cruise package. Each time we have stayed there we have had a bellman come to our hotel room and pick up our luggage. And of course we have always tipped. We also were on a cruise which departed from Canada Place in September, 2022. That time we stayed at the Auberge (where we had stayed in 2018). In 2022 we booked a lovely suite for less than the Pan Pacific. The Auberge is about a five minute walk from Canada Place.

I also think that flight will be a challenge. Consider calling Delta. If they don't have a suitable flight later in the day then consider overnighting at an Anchorage hotel close to the airport and flying the next day.

For Sitka consider the Bayview Pub. In Skagway check the menu of the Skagway Brewing Company.

While mosquitos can be intense in the Wonder Lake area of Denali (which is not accessible until the Pretty Rocks area of the single road into the park is mitigated) mosquitos are rarely an issue in DNP unless someone is actually hiking in a dense forest area. I've never had an issue in SE Alaska in areas frequented by the cruise industry.

Just a quick note -- the Wickersham State Historic Site is located in Juneau. If someone "googles" Wickersham House Museum they will find the website for the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society which operates the Wickersham House Museum in Fairbanks. I am curious if the OP and friend are willing to spend any money on various sites. Low cost options would be the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive in Valdez and the Alaska State Museum in Juneau. And since the US National Park service owns a number of buildings in Skagway much of the town is a free museum.

Are you trying to decide to take a cruise line sponsored land tour or are you trying to decide whether to add a meal package to a cruise line sponsored land tour? At Denali there are both cruise line hotels and some other options such as a pizza place and food trucks. No one from Fairbanks will drive to Denali to dine at the Denali Princess. At the Mt. McKinley View Princess no one from Anchorage will drive there to dine. There is no place within walking distance to the McKinley View Princess. At Copper River no one from Valdez will have driven to the hotel for a meal. Again there is no restaurant within walking distance to the Copper River Princess. Alaska is anticipating a strong tourist season this upcoming summer. In Anchorage expect to need reservations at popular restaurants even on week days.

Several years ago I had an interesting conversation with someone who works in the Celebrity loyalty area. At least at that time the sea pass cards of folks on their first Celebrity cruise have a symbol on the card so that ship staff easily recognize that they are encountering someone on their first Celebrity cruise. There is also staff some training in strategies to encourage that new to brand cruiser become a brand loyal cruiser. This is what may have happened to our OP -- that supervisor recognized that by granting that military discount (which technically should have been applied at the time of booking but the new to brand cruiser didn't know that such a discount even existed) he could make a new to brand cruiser happy. And possibly that action, if the new to brand cruiser has a good onboard experience, will encourage a step toward brand loyalty.

Just to add to what others have posted I wonder how often folks who need wheelchair accessible staterooms (suites or other categories) wait to book. Given the difficulties of travel for the mobility impaired I doubt there is a large surge in last minute demand for those cabins from folks who are actually mobility challenged. My father had Parkinson's Disease and the last time he was able to travel to a family reunion it required quite a bit of planning. I also suspect this is standard operating procedure across the industry.

We jus returned home from a B2B2B2B set of cruises which included two turnaround days and one disembarkation day in Sydney. On both the turnaround days and the disembarkation after the final leg the cruise series the ship Documentation Officer had Australian Incoming Passenger cards delivered to staterooms. If you use google you should be able to find a copy of the form. These cards were to be completed prior to going ashore, and were simply handed to Australian Border Force personnel. For those who had completed their cards beforehand there was barely a pause in leaving the ship. Two of the itineraries were essentially New Zealand cruises which originated and ended in Sydney. We did not have to complete any paperwork at all.

Definitely Hanger on the Wharf.

Thanks for providing the link to the article you initially referenced. One of the answers I received in 2022 made me wonder if the owners were willing to make the investment.

While Skagway is a great port for families our OP is not going there. Google the Sitka Sound Science Center to see if that might be of interest. Would the Fortress of the Bear be a possibility? There is a playground located between the Harrigan Centennial Center and the Science Center.

Thank for posting. I wonder if that tram will ever be operational again. We were in Ketchikan twice in late September 2021 when limited cruises were allowed under the Alaska Touirism Recovery Act, and it was not running then. We were in Ketchikan twice in 2022 and again it was not operating. That year I asked two different locals about the situation and received two different answers.

Others will chime in, but we just left the Eclipse after a series of four cruises. Lobster was served on the final evening chic night on each leg, and our stateroom was serviced twice (morning and evening) each day.

We just left the Eclipse on the 29th. There was a duck in a potted plant. I just moved to to the other side of the plant so if if the person who originally placed the duck was still onboard they would know that at least one person noticed.

A 9 PM closure for an Alaskan bar is rather early. I was pretty sure that we have been there past 9. According to their website they close at 10 PM.

Since both of my late parents had significant health issues later in life we have always booked refundable travel whether it be hotels or air. Just ensure that your reservations are refundable.

Any “insight” into the current situation for the folks who are being told that their booking has been canceled by Celebrity?

Obviously you remember it too. But I would just love to hear his comments now. Maybe he could use capital letters again.