Northern Aurora

While we live in Alaska we still do Alaska itineraries. My experience is that few passengers dress up for the formal/evening chic nights. This woman wears a glittery top, black slacks and heeled sandals. My husband does not bother with a suit but does take a sports coat.

Celebrity Suites have separate bedrooms. The side walls are quite close to the bed. I the bed can not be separated into two single beds as you could not get into the walk in closet.

While the Denali Princess Lodge is located near the entrances Denali National Park (so other businesses are located nearby) the McKinley Princess is located off of the George Parks Hwy with nothing located within walking distance. We have stayed at the McKinley Princess several times as it is a good property to stop at when driving between our home in Fairbanks and Seward. There are a few walking paths (I would not describe them as hiking trails). When you walk into the main lodge I am often struck by the number of people sitting around looking bored. There is a shuttle to Talkeetna which is about 45 minutes away. Some folks use the laundry facilities. All of the cruise land tours look so herded. All attractions on those land packages can be booked on your own. Seriously consider a DIY land tour.

Not “everyone basically disagreed.” We are on the March 28 and April 9 sailings and have been concerned for some time. We just overlapped with cruisestitch while on the Eclipse and we discussed the situation several times. Both of us also reached out to the future cruise sales staff. We are still on the Eclipse and no e-mails. So far …..

Really wish the OP would return to provide more information, but I suspect they will not. Hope I am wrong.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Museum of Northern British Columbia.

We have flown non-stop Anchorage to Portland in the past on Alaska Airlines. Has Alaska discontinued that flight?

I am back to try to finish my post #64. Last night the premium internet was unstable and wonky. In any event yesterday during the 9:45 am Captain’s address to the ship folks were instructed to mask in the casino and theater. More folks started wearing masks in elevators and so forth. At 4:45 pm our doorbell rang and masks were delivered. Shortly after 5 pm Captain Zisis again addressed the ship. The announcement was not only broadcast in public areas but also directly into the staterooms. He informed us that the number of covid 19 cases had increased since his morning announcement. All crew and staff are now masked. Passengers have been instructed to wear masks in all public spaces. The exception is if you are actively eating or drinking. Boxes of masks are all over the ship. The Michaels Club bartender told us that the butlers have been picking up bottles of wine since a number of passengers are ordering room service. Definitely fewer folks in Luminae and Michael’s Club last night. We certainly had test kits with instructions delivered to our suite on the three turnaround days, but at this point in our lives I wonder how many folks really need instructions as how to use the kits. We have been on the honor system to report positive test results, and that may need to be changed. There also have been sufficient number of port calls to allow someone to pick up Covid on shore.

I will be closely following since we have been on board for a b2b2B2B boarding on March 10th and leaving the day Ken is boarding. This morning during the morning address to the ship the address was made note in the public area but’s also broadcast into the staterooms. Passengers were asked to mask in the casino and theater. About 4:45 PM out doorbell ring and indivualy packaged K95 masks were delivered.

The rock pool, while lovely, is actually man made. The floor is totally flat with the water a consistent four feet (or so) in depth. There are a number of boulders along the edges which folks sit on. For years we have spent four or five days there for a Christmas easy holiday.

We were in Skagway twice in 2022 and it was closed both times. I have stepped inside on prior trips. There were two NPS rangers supervising the activities and a number happy kiddos working on their projects. In the parlance of museum professionals this is an “edu-tainment” experience offering education in a fun and entertaining environment. The saloon itself is located right “downtown” as Skagway is a very compact community.

Do not even consider trying to board an aircraft or ship with bear spray! But I just wanted to comment that visitors to our state over estimate the chances of bear attacks while they also minimize the danger and chance of moose attacks.

Just a few comments: The Sheldon Jackson is not in Haines. It is located in Sitka and is an auxiliary location to the Alaska State Museum. There are a variety of shops in Ketchikan along Creek Street ranging from cheap souvenir shops to Ray Trolls interesting shop Soho Coho. And I have no idea if the “history museum” referenced in post 2 is a reference to the Tongass Museum or the SE Alaska Discovery Center (which is operated by the US Forest service, has a junior ranger program, and accepts a number of National park passes so check their website).

I realize that Chena Hot Springs Resort has an age limit for the outdoor rock pool, but do they have one for the hot tubs and inside pools? Would your kids enjoy the Angel Rocks hike in the Chena Recreation Area?

The husband of the couple who were long time owners of the Pump House died several months ago. It is my understanding that he had Alzheimer’s. The new owners brought in a new executive chef and are now offering live music in the bar on the weekends. The brunch has been re-introduced. We live in Chena Ridge so are regulars at the brunch. The family which owned Sams had a rough time. First Patty died and then within a few months her husband and his brother also died. Since all three were instrumental in that family owned operation the kids decided to sell. I have wondered about the sourdough starter. The kids should have sold batches of it. We certainly would have bought some. For non-Fairbanksans reading this the the sourdough starter at that restaurant was clearly a really old sourdough. Old starters just have a certain texture that newer ones lack. With the farmers market closed for the winter it as been a while since we have drive down College Road.

We have walked from the ISP compound into Hoonah several times. Unless someone in your party has serious mobility issues you should not have an issue with timing.

Lattes and so forth are covered by the classic package. The specialty coffees with alcohol such as Baileys are covered by the premium package.

Have you looked at a map? To drive to Eielson just head south on the Richardson Highway. The base entrance is a few miles past the community of North Pole. And as far as I know both bases have PXs. Check the Explore Fairbanks website for ideas to do in Fairbanks. The Museum of the North is great as is the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum. If you are on a cruise tour the Riverboat Discovery and Gold Dredge No. 8 are probably included. Also consider the Running Reindeer Ranch. But with a day I would consider driving to Chen’s Hot Springs Resort. Regarding dinner the Lemon Grass is close to FAI but closes at 9 pm. Consider either the Pump House (new owner with new chef with mixed reviews) or Pikes Landing.

I am posting from the Eclipse. On this ship the laundry return is very fast. The butler picks up our laundry bag during the evening service of the suite and he returns it late in the afternoon the following day.

Ken: While I have never done so I think that if you contact a moderator they can alter the typo in your title. Gerry

Thank you to our OP for reporting their experience and the resolution to their problem.

April 17, 2023 the Eclipse will be at sea. That date is the first of two sea days as we make our way back to Sydney. In the interest of accuracy you may want to consider modifying your thread title. As someone who has been on this ship since March 10th I will following your experiences. We are in a Suite and have been pleased with our time onboard.

We generally pack a week before departure. While our cruise clothes are not fussy I frequently send out several items for pressing only several days after we board. The Zenith laundry perk includes unlimited pressing and dry cleaning in addition to the laundry services.

We are on a Celebrity ship send were off for most of the day so am late responding. Just a few random thoughts. First, Alaska is experiencing a severe labor shortage. The hospitality sector is particularly hard hit due to continuing issues with J1 Visas. In 2022 Princess closed not one but two of their lodges (Cooper Landing and Copper River) due to inability to staff them. Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we do Alaska itineraries periodically. We have been on both sides of the ship. We even did a B2B in the same stateroom. The side of the ship does not matter. In much of the Inside Passage there will be land on both sides. Our OP had scheduled a very minimal land tour. Due to the land slide issues at the Pretty Rocks area on the only road access into Denali National Park, in this Alaskan’s opinion, I would just skip Denali for now. Consider concentrating on the Kenai Peninsula perhaps using Seward as your base of operations.

I am posting from the Eclipse. On embarkation day Cafe al Bacio has had glasses of the cheap bubbly on the counter. No charge or card swiping.