Northern Aurora

I am not aware of any cruise lines which have used the Dena'ina Center as their "hospitality center." The "hospitality centers" which I am aware of are hosted in the Egan Center on 5th Avenue. The Dena'ina Center is much, much larger -- too large for a cruise line hospitality center.

The inside passage has a number of islands. So the ship will have land on one side and numerous islands, some very large, on the other side. The Gulf of Alaska, as you leave the inside passage and head toward Seward, can have larger waves. The definition of "rough" is so subjective, but on one cruise through the Gulf of Alaska the ship movement didn't bother us, but some were definitely experiencing some motion sickness.

As a fellow Suite guest we have had no problems boarding prior to an assigned boarding time (such as 12:30 PM). We generally board about 11:30 AM.

Even if your binoculars are bulky definitely bring you own, or purchase another pair. The binoculars in Celebrity staterooms, no matter the stateroom category, are worthless.

We boarded the Eclipse on March 10th and left on April 19th. So our last two legs of the B2B2B2B were the B2B which @Azllama was also on. We were provided RAT tests on all three of the turnaround days. The test were in an envelopes and we did indeed have instructions on all three turnaround days. I don't know why @Azllama assumes that "a lot of them went in the trash" as the accompanying letter had the phone number for Guest Relations. If any one living through the Covid-19 pandemic can't understand how to administer a RAT test they simply could have called Guest Relations for instructions. And we did not return home with Covid-19.

We boarded the Eclipse on March 10 for a B2B2B2B series. Our last two legs were the B2B pair which @Azllama was on. We were on the Eclipse pre-covid on a B2B2B from Buenos Aires to Vancouver in 2019 and were also on her in post-covid in April 2022. While the decor is becoming dated the ship is in great condition. Were in Suites and Luminae was excellent. Staff and crew are great. We did not have issues with the meals. Nor did we have issues with the age of the ship.

While I absolutely love great aquariums (Monterrey is my all time favorite but there is one in Spain we also love) the SeaLife center is not what I would describe as an aquarium as many of us understand the concept. It is more of an education experience with sea life. Also don't expect some sort of performing dolphins type of experience. While it is a nice experience, you will not spend the entire day there. Even if you do a behind the scenes tour. Depending on your own interests, consider visiting Exit Glacier for part of your day. And Major Marine is my preferred vendor in Seward for visits to Kenai Fjords National Park water visits.

I will also be following. And for @KmomChicago, PVSA is the Passenger Vessel Service Act.

Theo: If you are always ready for a good beer you will like the Skagway Brewing Company. But for the very first time we tried the Klondike Brewing Company while in Skagway last June. My husband had a flight of three (or was it four) brews and pronounced the beer better than the SBC. But the KBC has absolutely no food offerings -- can't even buy a bag of chips or crackers. They do welcome food from other sources such as a food truck.

I know it isn't a popular sentiment among her fans but I just find Tracy's Crab Shack to be over rated for what it is.

Also check the menu for the Skagway Brewing Company. We generally order either their halibut and chips, or a halibut sandwich, but it seems to me that I have seen crab being served to other patrons. I just checked their menu and it wouldn't load for me, but the page does have a photo of crab legs.

We have taken a ferry across the bay several times. We thoroughly enjoy lunch at the Scoma's in Sausalito.

Actually, while I, as an Alaska resident, would never consider any sort of cruise line sponsored land tour, I actually think that Celebrity does have at least one cruise line sponsored land tour which includes Homer. We are on the Celebrity e-mail list for advertisement mailers and I believe I have seen Celebrity ads for cruise tours to Homer.

Anyone looking for low cost options in Ketchikan should consider the SE Alaska Discovery Center. It is operated by the US Forest Service. While it has a modest entrance fee they also accept a number of park passes. Check their website for the list of passes they accept which provide free admission.

Apparently our OP will be in Skagway, but what other ports are on their specific itinerary? Since the OP's first visit in 2015 the National Park Service as acquired more buildings in Skagway. Check the website for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park for detailed information on the free museums and programs (such as their junior ranger program).

We were on the Eclipse for a B2B2B2B. The ship was in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. On the final leg, which started April 6th, we had an uptick in covid cases. Initially folks were asked to mask in the casino and theater. Then masks were to be worn in all public spaces unless actively eating or drinking. At that point all of the crew wore masks.

Homer is actually my favorite coastal community accessible by car. The drive is lovely and the community has an interesting funky-ness to it. I would definitely consider visiting.

While highly rated the Arctic Circle tours by the Northern Alaska Tour Company are tiring and make for a very long day. I would also suggest renting a car. A day in Fairbanks could include a visit to the Morris Thompson Cultural Center followed by a visit to the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum. The auto museum is located off of College Road. If our OP is in Fairbanks on a Saturday or Wednesday then the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market (located on College Road), which has a variety of vendors, would be a nice stop for lunch. At the other end of College Road is the University of Alaska Fairbanks so a stop at the Museum of the North would be very convenient. Another idea would be a visit to Running Reindeer Ranch.

Given the price of one way car rentals between Anchorage and Seward another possibility would be to do the train both to Seward and then a few days later take it back to Anchorage. In addition to PJs Taxi also consider contacting Salmon Berry Travel and Tours out of Anchorage. In the past they have been able to create custom tour experiences.

@MrsTocko When you state "I just really need to figure out how to get us on that train" I hope you are not considering the transfer between train and bus as mentioned in post #2. While it might technically be possible don't even consider an attempt. The Portage "station" is not a train station as generally understood. It is about double in size of my garden shed. I wonder if it is even manned or heated. You don not want to be stuck there. As mentioned by "wolfie" just take the NCL train transfer to the Anchorage airport to pick up your rental car. If you are driving to Seward have you considered taking additional time and driving to Homer? Homer is delightful and is my favorite SE coastal community accessible by road.

We left the Eclipse last week, and while on board asked one of the Future Cruise Sales staff about the 2025 Panama Canal transits. She was rather vague but suggested October for a release of the dates. We have done six full transits, and have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

We left the Eclipse on April 19th after a B2B2B2B. The Taj dinner was offered on all four legs, and we did it on all four legs. Thoroughly enjoyed it each time.

While there there are different several docks in Skagway, unless someone in your party has really serious mobility issues, walking to the White Pass and Yukon Railroad headquarters will not be in issue. Skagway is very flat and about four blocks in width. Lovely community, but very compact.

Luminae menus area not itinerary specific. The menu you will have in Alaska will not be unique to Alaska. That being said on an Alaska itinerary pre-covid once we did have some Alaska local seafood. We have done four Alaska itineraries post-covid in Luminae and they were the standard Luminae menus. About a week prior to embarkation you will have a better idea of what you will experience.

I also am sorry that this happened to you, but you were given the reason for the cancellation of Talkeetna. And it would not have been difficult to add the short flight between Anchorage and Fairbanks as Alaska Airlines offers shuttle service several times daily on an Embracer (about 65 seats). For a five night land tour it would have been easy to have spent one or two nights in Anchorage. And then take either the Alaska Railroad or one of the motor coach transfers between Anchorage and Seward. Seward is one of the coastal communities where Alaskans go for recreation. It is not touristy but has a number of options for visitors. Our OP made the decision to cancel the entire trip, which was their decision to make. But if they had posted before cancelling all plans the trip may have been salvaged. As someone who lives in Alaska I am not sure that I would describe either HAL or Princess as "the Alaska experts." And last summer Princess cancelled a number of land tours after they closed both their Cooper Landing and Copper River lodges. Initially they were opened, but in early June the decision was announced that they would be closed for the remaining season.