Northern Aurora

Goggle Seattle Express.

Regarding Skagway, the NPS has several buildings opened to the public (not just the Soapy Smith Museum). My beer drinking husband thinks that the beer at the Klondike Brewing Company is superior to that of the Skagway Brewing Company but the KBC didn't offer food when we were there last. The Skagway Brewing Company has a restaurant. For anyone who quilts -- there is a great quilting shop in Skagway -- the Rushin Tailor.

We have stayed at both the Pan Pacific and the Auberge. We make our decision between the two of them based on price. Both are great.

The early July time frame would also offer more hours of daylight. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska, which is considerably farther north than southeast Alaska. On June 20 (summer solstice) we have 21 hours and 49 minutes of daylight.

We spent 40 nights on the Edge last fall. The Magic Carpet was used at the tender ports, even when private tenders were used. At Airlie Beach, Australia one of the private tenders hit the Magic Carpet and damaged it. That was our last tender port and we were told by crew that it would be repaired in Sydney.

@omahabob: As already noted no one rides the Magic Carpet. It also takes some time for the MC to move. We were dining in Raw of 5 on the Edge when it was moved, and it moves very slowly indeed.

We also have done the exact same route (Seward to Vancouver back to Seward) on the Celebrity Millennium in 2017. This is a "legal" route under the PVSA.

Not only does Alaska Airlines/Horizon have multiple flights, but have you considered keeping your current flight out of Seattle and taking Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle? Have no idea about the current Amtrak schedule, but 8 or9 years ago we took Amtrak from Seattle toVancouver prior to a cruise out of Vancouver and found it very enjoyable. Lovely scenery.

The last time we booked a single cruise was in 2017. We book B2B or longer, and generally book while onboard a Celebrity ship. I have had questions regarding the PVSA, and was told by a future cruise staff person that Celebrity software is supposed to "flag" sets of cruises which would violate the PVSA. Wonder if both cruises were booked at the same time.

When raised it is a very pleasant outdoor bar. But when lowered to deck 2 it is the tender platform. Makes tendering much easier for anyone with mobility issues.

While Seward has a small landing strip there are no commercial flights between Seward and Anchorage. Options are either by rail or road. Cruise lines generally offer an early morning cruise chartered train service between Seward and Anchorage. This rail service must be purchased from the cruise line and delivers passengers to the Anchorage airport. The Alaska Railroad offers daily service from Seward to Anchorage, but this service is much later in the day (early evening) and delivers passengers to the downtown ARR terminal. There are also motor coach transfers. These transfers will be offere by the cruise line, and there are also private companies as well. For a private transfer consider Salmon Berry Tours; prices are on their website.

We have done whale watching at both ports -- but definitely recommend ISP over Juneau.

What can I say -- truly amazing break from reality.

The single road into DNP has been closed at Pretty Rocks (mile 43) for several years now. That means that the Polychrome Overlook (mile 46 -- spectacular scenery), Toklat River Rest Area (mile 53 -- excellent bear viewing), Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62 -- excellent photo op of the mountain if it is visible), and Eielson Visitor Center (mile 66 -- a very different visitor center than the one at the park entrance and has interesting programs, such as ranger led hikes) are not available until the bridge over the problematic area is completed. The area past Pretty Rocks is my favorite area of DNP. All of the cruise lines are continuing to sell their DNP cruise tours, and it is interesting how many folks buy them only to read the Alaska Cruise Critic forum where they learn about the road closure.

@KC Cruiser 54: Last summer, if my memory is correct, a poster did a live thread from a Celebrity Alaska land tour. If you can locate that thread you will find it very informative. And I hope you understand that the single road into Denali National Park is closed at mile 43 due to the road sloughing off a mountain side. The road was constructed on ice rich land which is now melting. The NPS has a remediation plan in place and a bridge is being constructed over the area. But the remediation will not be complete until 2026 (at best). You will find more information on the DNP service website.

@Octavias: Even though we live in Alaska we have done a dozen or so Alaska itineraries. When in Alaska waters every Celebrity ship we have been on has had a naturalist onboard. In addition to presentations in the theater on topics such as whales or bears, the naturalist provides narration during visits to glaciers. Do not expect announcements from the bridge when whales are spotted in the distance. On both S- and M-class ships during the day they frequently have been in the Sky Lounge set up with spotting scopes and so forth so that passengers can approach them with questions or comments. Last fall we spent 40 nights on the Edge. During a Zenith luncheon I had a conversation with one of the stripes as to where on the Edge they can provide such a venue. I hope you report back on Cruise Critic as to your opinions as to how suitable this ship is for an Alaska itinerary.

On both the Millennium and Infinity we have stayed in staterooms 6131 and 6132 (both times B2Bs). We have also stayed in 6129 on the Infinity. While we could hear very minor elevator bells we didn't find it to be an issue at all. Not an issue and we have 6132 booked on a B2B cruise this spring.

Last fall we spent 40 nights on the Edge from Italy to Australia (yes -- we went through the Suez Canal). We were traveling through warm climates, and I didn't find the indoor spaces to be over air-conditioned.

Have you considered contacting the Sitka Chamber of Commerce/Visitor's Bureau (use goggle to find a website) to make sure that the company is still in business? Since this is now late February you would think that the company would be busy scheduling bookings for early cruises.

We are Zenith, and frequently (not always) receive a nice bottle of wine from the Hotel Director or Captain's Club host/hostess (sometimes both of them) A personalized note of welcoming our return is included.

I wonder if our OP is planning a trip in June 2024? If so I hope they have reservations in place, and if they do have reservations in place for their land trip they may not be able to change. The Explore Fairbanks CEO was the guest speaker at the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce luncheon about two weeks ago. I didn't attend the meeting but my understanding from the article published in our local newspaper is that bookings are very strong and Explore Fairbanks is anticipating an excellent summer tourist season. The single road into Denali National Park is closed at mile 43 due to sloughing land. Activities in the front part of the park would include a visit to the NPS sled dog kennels and visiting the visitor's center. Mountain Vista is a lovely walk/hike and I do enjoy the area around Teklanika. But my favorite part of Denali is past mile 43. Areas such as the Polychrome Overlook (mile 46), Toklat River Rest Area (mile 53), Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62) and the Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66). An alternative direction would be to visit Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Or stay on the Kenai Peninsula to spend time around Seward before heading to Homer.

Are you planning on a private or HA transfer service? Holland should be able to tell you the earliest flight you can book. With a noon flight you will need to be at the Anchorage airport by 10 AM. The Anchorage airport can be very busy on days cruise ships dock and especially so if there is a ship both at Whittier and another one at Seward.

While we also love the Pan Pacific (which is essentially on top of Canada Place so the bellmen will pick up your luggage from your hotel room and deliver to the porters), the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel is also a great idea. Another property to consider the the Auberge which is about 1.5 blocks from Canada Place.

While you won't have any issues with dropping off your luggage at the luggage drop below Canada Place do be aware of how many ships will be embarking that day. The lines to get through immigration can be long.

Goggle the website for the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute. Excellent aurora forecast/