Northern Aurora

I agree with gardyloo. But folks interested in the Aleutians should consider the ferry. We have been to Antarctica, and folks who find that cruise itinerary interesting most likely would also enjoy the Aleutians. The scenery is not as minimalist and somewhat similar to Iceland (not the same but somewhat similar). And the views from Ft. Schwatka are incredible. Just remember that there is no bad weather but just people ill prepared for the weather they encounter.

Are you retired Air Force? Eielson is about eighteen miles from Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy. Ft. Wainwright is contiguous to Fairbanks.

We have had the Inside Access/Behind the Scenes tours sold out on both M and S class ships. If you can not book on line prior to boarding then try shore excursions once on board. The more sea days the better the chance of snagging a slot.

Several times we have walked from the cruise ship terminal to Government Street. It is a lovely walk, and we have time for a meal at the Bard and Banker pub.

In 2016 we boarded the Alaska state ferry (the Tustamena) in Kodiak and spent three nights on board. We spent about eight hours at Cold Bay (Izenbeck National Preserve) but most of the stops are brief. We left the ship in Dutch Harbor to spend three nights at the Grand Aleutian before flying home. We throughly enjoyed our days in Unalaska. Not only were we birding (we had a rental car) but we also visited the World War II museum, the Museum of the Aleutians and the various WW II sites. Fortunately we had spectacular weather and the scenery is incredible. One of the days we were there a cruise ship was docked. The state ferry route, at least at that time, out to Unalaska differs from the return to Homer. So if folks stayed on board they would only repeat Kodiak. We have considered doing it again.

Since we boarded it has been the honor system to report positive tests. I asked our butler if he wanted to see the tests and he didn’t. Nor did a Retreat Concierge want to see them. Friends boarded in January. On one of their early turnaround days B2B passengers were swabbed by Celebrity medical folks, and on another turnaround day Celebrity medical watched folks swabbing their own nostrils. Passengers had to wait for the results.

Well — I posted this before but will post again. We boarded the Eclipse in Sydney on March 10 for a series of four cruises. On the turnaround days, after returning to the ship, Covid tests had been delivered to the stateroom. An instruction letter asked us to test and if folks tested positive to call Guest Relations (or in our case the Retreat Concierge) before 5PM. The ship sailed at 6:45 PM. Folks who tested positive could either quarantine for seven days or opt to immediately disembark and receive a full refund.

The Captains Club cocktail hour excludes the World Class bar and Cellar Masters.

How can that be? Believe it. Sky and Celebrity Suites on M-class ships have tubs, not shower stalls. There is a glass panel from shower/tub controls (controlling temperature, shower wand and so forth) extending toward the rear of the tub/shower which is about 24 inches in width. The shower curtain and liner extend from the rear of the tub to the glass panel.

The Bay View Pub is popular with locals, but while they have seafood, it is not what many would describe as a seafood restaurant.

While some folks describe them as wool blankets they are actually a heavy fleece. Celebrity has them available on every cold weather itinerary.

The particular boarding staff person took our original tests, which were in separate plastic bags, and closely examined them by spending several seconds looking at them and moving them back and forth as if the results would look different at different angles. It was not a quick glance.

I also am posting from the Eclipse. We are nearing the end of a series of four cruises. Since we could not book the same stateroom for al legs we have been in two different staterooms. We were also on the Eclipse in April 2022. So we have experienced the different staterooms since the Eclipse resumed passenger operations. All have bee Suites. All of the Suites have been in good shape. Some of the curtains have had sun damage. Carpets all have been clean. The shower curtain in our current Suite is so new that it still has the folds from its package. The desk chair appears to be new. If you look carefully you will se some dings in woodwork but the ship has certainly been well maintained.

I am posting from the Eclipse. We boarded on March 10th and will leave the day our OP boards. The boarding staff in Sydney closely examined our test strips upon boarding. Just take the required tests for boarding at the Sydney airport.

We are also on the Eclipse. We boarded the Eclipse on March 10 and will also continue on the Fiji and Tonga cruise. In our B2B instructions delivered last night there was a letter from Captain Zisis indicating a Covid self test will be delivered to your stateroom. If you did not receive this letter then contact Guest Rrelations.

We have stayed there several times prior to boarding at Canada Place. The bell men have always picked up our luggage from our hotel room and we never had any sort of cruise package. So unless there has been some sort of recent change they seem to do so for all of their guests. Our most recent stay was April 2022.

Seward is very compact. The distance from the cruise terminal to harbor is short. Th ere is a taxi service in Seward but whether there will be Uber is variable. In small Alaskan communities Uber is frequently not offered. Your best option may be taking the cruise line transfer to Anchorage. Is this a motor coach transfer and if so does it include a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center? Assuming no delays for road construction the drive between Anchorage and Seward takes about two hours and fifteen minutes.

While we never participated in the program folks who did were issued special seapass cards so they could use Cafe al Bacio and so forth.

We have boarded at Canada Place several times pre-pandemic and two times since the resumption of cruises. We have not experienced extreme long lines or massive confusion. For those not staying at the Pan Pacific the bag drop is on the lower level of the facility. After the bag drop you will be directed to the escalators. We have not had great lines at US Immigration. Just arrive about 10:45 or so.

I also can not think of suite perks which have been diminished post Covid. Retreat/Suite cabins are selling out very quickly.

We are also booked for the March 24,2024 and April 9, 2024 cruises. There is a well known a travel site, which we are not allowed to mention on Cruise Critic, which I have found to be reliable. When a cruise is sold out that travel site lists the cruise but every stateroom category is waitlisted. As last minute cancelations happen you can signup to be contacted. I just checked a few minutes ago and both of these cruises are missing in action so to speak. Simply not listed on that site. The exact situation happened to us on a b2b pair of Japan itineraries several years ago. Turned out they were full ship charters for the Chinese market. This is starting to smell like a similar situation. @Bruin Steve: Are you a travel agent?

When actually at the face of Dawes do not stay on your own balcony, but instead go to the Sky Lounge or one of the upper decks. In good weather the helipad may be opened. When we were at Dawes in 2022 we did a Celebrity excursion in which we tendered onto a Major Marine vessel early in the morning and raced ahead of the Solstice. We were much closer to the face then the Solstice. We did not follow the Solstice back to Juneau but took a different route diverting into Fords Terror. We rejoined the Solstice just as it docked in Juneau. Pricey but worth every penny.

OK — theEclipse is rocking and rolling tonight and I lost my text. Unless K sees something I do not the additional seating is not inside Sushi on 5 but is outside in the hallway which extends toward Park West.

After reading several accounts of crown issues through the years we also now travel with a OVC kit too. Until reading about them on CC I had no idea they existed. Amazing what you learn on this community.