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"Live" From Celebrity Millennium Alaska B2B 10&18 May 2018


traveling1969
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Thanks again. Was reboarding time up to about 7.30pm? We are thinking about a private tour when off the ship at Seward.

Sandra

 

Yes, all aboard was 7:30pm. There is a shuttle that will take you to the Exit Glacier. It's a couple blocks from the terminal. Doesn't operate till late may so we couldn't do it. You can get VERY close to it after a short walk.

 

Harry

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Your best bet for Dim Sum would be in Richmond which is very Asian. There are a number of Chinese restaurants serving dim sum. I have spent a while on google and I have come up with this one:

 

Continental Seafood Restaurant

Spacious Chinese eatery in a strip mall specializing in traditional dim sum served from push carts.

11700 Cambie Rd

(604) 278-6331

Casual · Good for kids · Groups

 

it doesn't seem to have a web site. However, they serve the dim sum by push cart and that would appeal to us since we could see what the food is like. They are one of very few dim sum places left in Vancouver that serve this way.

Dim Sum is not our favorite Chinese so I'm sorry I can't point to a place were we have been numerous times. Empire restaurant is another one that gets 3.9/5. Like, I said Richmond abounds with them and it is also near the airport.

There is a shopping center called Aberdeen Mall that is totally Asian. You would swear you were in China....no English that we could see but fun to poke around! HTH.

Thank you for that information.

 

Harry

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My friend and I will be on the cruise the day that you disembark in Vancouver. Trying to plan to eat in Qsine and I was needing to know what nights were the formal nights on your cruise please.

The first one was the 2nd day (sea day). Our northbound cruise was 8 days so it may be different but our 2nd was the night before Hubbard Glacier.

 

Today we visited Hubbard Glacier. Weather was perfect and we saw some amazing calving. Entire vertical walls fell into the sea. We got to within .4 mile and it was indeed spectacular.

 

Harry

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The first one was the 2nd day (sea day). Our northbound cruise was 8 days so it may be different but our 2nd was the night before Hubbard Glacier.

 

Today we visited Hubbard Glacier. Weather was perfect and we saw some amazing calving. Entire vertical walls fell into the sea. We got to within .4 mile and it was indeed spectacular.

 

Harry

 

Thanks Harry ....Our 2nd day is traveling the inside passage so I assume that will be the night for us as well and the night before Hubbard is Skagway and we leave port at 4:00pm that would seem to be the best day too..

So glad you got to see calving like that. This will be my 3rd time to Alaska (all in May) and have never seen it calv at all.

What deck gives you access to the heli pad?

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Thanks Harry ....Our 2nd day is traveling the inside passage so I assume that will be the night for us as well and the night before Hubbard is Skagway and we leave port at 4:00pm that would seem to be the best day too..

So glad you got to see calving like that. This will be my 3rd time to Alaska (all in May) and have never seen it calv at all.

What deck gives you access to the heli pad?

Deck 5 port side forward through the theater. It is not open routinely. We got a special Concierge-Class invite. Don't think it's generally available.

 

Harry

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Yes, all aboard was 7:30pm. There is a shuttle that will take you to the Exit Glacier. It's a couple blocks from the terminal. Doesn't operate till late may so we couldn't do it. You can get VERY close to it after a short walk.

 

Harry

Thank you once again.

Sandra

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Hi Harry,

 

We're cruising on Millie on June 8th. Please clue us in on the Ulu knife situation. My significant other bought one the last time he was on an Alaskan cruise and we were planning to pick up another while we were there.

 

Are they banned?

 

Thank you!

 

 

We did a B2B to and from doing the same stops on both. It was also in May that is supposed to be the rain season. We had beautiful weather, and rain only on the last stop in Katchican.

 

The good thing about doing a B2B is it you missed something you have the chance to do it on the way back.

 

We didn’t schedule any tours ahead of time. We were able to get great deals on a float plane at the port to see the misty fords and a helicopter in Juneau going to the glaciers. Both were very personal and smaller than the tours offered thru the cruise line (not X). We booked them when walking from the ship past the kiosks of hawkers.

 

One of our most fun tours was in Skagway. We booked a river raft for $15 each. It was great. The guide drove the bus took us thru the town, and various places of interest and then river rafting. He also worked as a BT at Skagway brewery and said if we mentioned his name we would get 20% off. Wanted to take the steam engine but it wasn’t running on our days there.

 

Even without the 20% off when in Skagway be sure to stop at Skagway Brewery in town on the “main” street. Good beer and food. Be sure to get a shirt or cap. It is the farthest northern brewery. I also got one from Kelly’s in Key west that the farthest south.

 

In Sitka there is a local bar that is a real local bar on the main drag that serves good beer and a nice place to pass some time, plus talking to the locals. It is also worth going into the Russian Catheral. It is very interesting about their services, at least for us as were are Roman Catholic. Can’t imagine standing for 3 hours during their services.

 

We also went into the local VFW in Ketchikan on the way back. We aren’t members but they appreciated our business. Very friendly and a lot of info from the locals and cheap drinks. I think it was near the line of brothels that are on the canal.

 

Word of advice. DO NOT BUY A ULU KNIFE. 😱

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

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Southbound cruise continues. We were at Hubbard Glacier it was so much better than the last time. The weather was perfect and we got so close to it that it seemed as if the mountains of ice would collapse onto the ship. We saw lots of calving; full 300' walls of ice crashing into the water and the noise was deafening. Lots of big icebergs and the Captain did a great job weaving through them to get us close.

 

 

This morning we arrived in Skagway and embarked on our reserved excursion up into the mountain pass retracing the path of the Yukon/klondike gold rush. We saw lots of wild life; 2 brown bears, 1 black bear, Dall Sheep and Rocky Mountain Goats.

 

 

 

When we got to the town of Carcross, named for the Caribou Crossing here, our guide told us the sad tale of the gold rushers. To begin with, many came off the ships in Skagway dressed in their finery with baskets in which to put the gold nuggets that they expected to find lying about on the ground and in the streams. Thousands of others descended on the town ill prepared for the ordeal that faced them. First they had to climb the 8 mile mountain pass, then trek another 60 miles to Carcross where they found that they were still 400 miles from the gold fields. To reach them, they had to build boats or rafts to go down the Yukon river. It was then that they found out that they wouldn't be allowed to begin the trek without 2000 lbs. of provisions, enough to last them 1 year. They had to re-trace their steps to Skagway, somehow accumulate the required stake then somehow get it back to Carcross to strike out for the gold fields. Long story short there wasn't near enough to go around nor means to get it there. Of the 100,000 who arrived in Skagway, fewer than 30,000 made it to the gold fields and less than 1000 ever found enough gold to justify the effort. By the time many of the latecomers set out on their terk, the veins had all been exhausted. The whole process boggles the mind. I wsnted to post some photos but the speed of the internet as of late is painfully slow so that will have to wait till we get back home. Tomorrow, we're in Icy Strait Point where we saw so many whales on the first leg. Hopefully we'll see some more. So long for now.

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Hi Harry,

 

We're cruising on Millie on June 8th. Please clue us in on the Ulu knife situation. My significant other bought one the last time he was on an Alaskan cruise and we were planning to pick up another while we were there.

 

Are they banned?

 

Thank you!

Got me by the hoolywhatches! I bought two already for gifts and was planning on another. I saw that caveat but didn't have any idea what it was about. I'm packing ours in checked luggage so we'll see what happens. I'll post the result here (if I'm not in the slammer at Guantanamo Bay.:cool:

 

Harry

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Hi, Harry, following with much interest. IF you have the chance once you're home, and IF you took photos of the dailies and/or MDR menus, do you think you might be able to post them? We're taking an SB cruise next year on the Millennium and hoping for a little bit of an advance idea of what to expect (knowing, of course, that things can change a bit year-to-year).

 

Hope you're enjoying your SB cruise, best wishes!

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Hi, Harry, following with much interest. IF you have the chance once you're home, and IF you took photos of the dailies and/or MDR menus, do you think you might be able to post them? We're taking an SB cruise next year on the Millennium and hoping for a little bit of an advance idea of what to expect (knowing, of course, that things can change a bit year-to-year).

 

Hope you're enjoying your SB cruise, best wishes!

 

Sorry, no photos of either. Photos take forever on board so I didn't shoot menus and such.

 

Harry

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Hi, Harry, following with much interest. IF you have the chance once you're home, and IF you took photos of the dailies and/or MDR menus, do you think you might be able to post them? We're taking an SB cruise next year on the Millennium and hoping for a little bit of an advance idea of what to expect (knowing, of course, that things can change a bit year-to-year).

 

Hope you're enjoying your SB cruise, best wishes!

 

I'm doing the Southbound cruise Aug 24 and planned on taking a couple hundred photos or more!

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Last post of the cruise and it's been a real blast. First time to Alaska, first Celebrity cruise and ALL our expectations have been exceeded. We were overwhelmed both with the magnificent scenery and the friendliness of the Alaskan people. The crew members on the ship were the best we've ever encountered in all our previous cruises. They made a great cruise even better. We can't wait to visit Alaska again and Celebrity will be our first choice.

 

Our flight doesn't leave Vancouver till late so we will drop our bags with CDS baggage service at the port; they will transport them to the airport and hold them till we pick them up at 8pm. We bought transit passes and will be touring Vancouver for most of tomorrow. Should be fun.

 

I will be posting a wrap-up review in a few days. Till then, so long from the Celebrity Millennium.

 

Harry

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Many thanks Harry for all of your posts. I know it can be verrrry frustrating with the low internet on board!!!

 

We are on the Millenium June 8th sailing heading south, so your info is most welcome.

 

cheers

 

Marcus and Val

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Hi, Harry, following with much interest. IF you have the chance once you're home, and IF you took photos of the dailies and/or MDR menus, do you think you might be able to post them? We're taking an SB cruise next year on the Millennium and hoping for a little bit of an advance idea of what to expect (knowing, of course, that things can change a bit year-to-year).

 

Hope you're enjoying your SB cruise, best wishes!

 

Hi Cheryl (and Mike),

 

We'll be on the Millie for the northbound portion of this cruise on June 8. I'll take photos of the dailies and menus and post them for you!

 

Best,

Toni

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Many thanks Harry for all of your posts. I know it can be verrrry frustrating with the low internet on board!!!

 

We are on the Millenium June 8th sailing heading south, so your info is most welcome.

 

cheers

 

Marcus and Val

 

We'll be on this sailing with you!

 

Nick and Toni

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Another fabulous meal in the dining room. Joyce had the salmon tartare and the warm goat cheese thingee for appetizers: I had the warm goat cheese thingee and the escargot. The escargot was in Pernod butter and was better than any I have had on Princess or RCCL. We both had the shrimp scampi for our main. For dessert, we had the apple crumble ala mode. The goat cheese thingee was just the best. We said we should skip everything else and just order a few more of those. We may actually do that on the next leg. :-)

 

The warm goat cheese thingee.

 

It may not look like much but it was chuck full of goat cheese and scrumptious. It smelled so good and I was so hungry that I took a bite before I took the picture.

 

28179159418_4a4f095b3e_k.jpgDSCF5652 by Harry Straight, on Flickr

 

Escargot

 

42052473821_f2769c9d2e_k.jpgDSCF5654 by Harry Straight, on Flickr

 

Shrimp Scampi

 

41152177855_8e6bbd54b5_k.jpgDSCF5655 by Harry Straight, on Flickr

 

Apple Crumble

 

27182368827_69f6c3f3be_k.jpgDSCF5656 by Harry Straight, on Flickr

 

We are both beat. It was a full day so it's time to hit the hay. Ketchikan here we come!

 

Harry

Thanks for posting pictures of the wonderful food on Celebrity! I agree with you - not sure what some people have been eating. I’ve been on a few Celebrity cruises and always thought the food was very good. We’re on the June 8th sailing on the Millie and very much looking forward to those escargot and the goat cheese thing!

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We did a B2B to and from doing the same stops on both. It was also in May that is supposed to be the rain season. We had beautiful weather, and rain only on the last stop in Katchican.

 

The good thing about doing a B2B is it you missed something you have the chance to do it on the way back.

 

We didn’t schedule any tours ahead of time. We were able to get great deals on a float plane at the port to see the misty fords and a helicopter in Juneau going to the glaciers. Both were very personal and smaller than the tours offered thru the cruise line (not X). We booked them when walking from the ship past the kiosks of hawkers.

 

One of our most fun tours was in Skagway. We booked a river raft for $15 each. It was great. The guide drove the bus took us thru the town, and various places of interest and then river rafting. He also worked as a BT at Skagway brewery and said if we mentioned his name we would get 20% off. Wanted to take the steam engine but it wasn’t running on our days there.

 

Even without the 20% off when in Skagway be sure to stop at Skagway Brewery in town on the “main” street. Good beer and food. Be sure to get a shirt or cap. It is the farthest northern brewery. I also got one from Kelly’s in Key west that the farthest south.

 

In Sitka there is a local bar that is a real local bar on the main drag that serves good beer and a nice place to pass some time, plus talking to the locals. It is also worth going into the Russian Catheral. It is very interesting about their services, at least for us as were are Roman Catholic. Can’t imagine standing for 3 hours during their services.

 

We also went into the local VFW in Ketchikan on the way back. We aren’t members but they appreciated our business. Very friendly and a lot of info from the locals and cheap drinks. I think it was near the line of brothels that are on the canal.

 

Word of advice. DO NOT BUY A ULU KNIFE. 😱

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Have been to Alaska numerous times and have never seen a river raft excursion for $15 in Skagway. Can you tell me who you booked with and what was the excursion like? Very interested in hearing more.

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Just an update. I posted a review on the main Celebrity board but for those of you who have followed along, there won't be much "new" stuff. Also, we bought TWO Ulu knives and packed them in or checked bags. No problem. Now, if there was another reason for the negative recommendation, I'm unaware of it.

 

After we disembarked, we dropped our bags off at CDS, right in the terminal. They transported them to the airport and stored them until we picked them up at 7pm. Cost for 4 bags was a very reasonable $40 CDN.

 

Prior to boarding on the 10th of May, we had stopped at the Tourist Information Office across from Canada Place and purchased two Senior Transport Day Passes for $7.50 CDN each. They were not activated till we used them the first time on the 25th. We visited Gas Town, China Town, and Granville Island then strolled around the shopping district around Robson St. We gradually made our way back to the waterfront and stopped for a pint and some spicy pork dumplings at Mahony and Sons just to the West of Canada Place.

 

The weather was fantastic this final day of our vacation and as we sat there in short-sleeved shirts watching the seaplanes come and go, we remarked on how fortunate we were to have had only a few hours of rain and cold for the whole 15 days.

 

Hoped you have enjoyed tagging along and sharing our cruise with us. See you on the ship and Bon Voyage to all!

 

Harry

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Have been to Alaska numerous times and have never seen a river raft excursion for $15 in Skagway. Can you tell me who you booked with and what was the excursion like? Very interested in hearing more.

 

It was a few years ago in May so prices may have gone up. We were walking off the ship and past the kiosks where the tour hawkers were barking their tour. It was around 10:30 and they were getting desperate to fill up the tour and offered it for $15. We weren’t really planning on taking a tour but decided why not for $15. Dont remember the name of the company or tour.

 

 

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

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It was a few years ago in May so prices may have gone up. We were walking off the ship and past the kiosks where the tour hawkers were barking their tour. It was around 10:30 and they were getting desperate to fill up the tour and offered it for $15. We weren’t really planning on taking a tour but decided why not for $15. Dont remember the name of the company or tour.

 

 

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it.

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This may be old information. To get to the heliport deck, get out on deck 4 on the port side and walk all the way forward and then up two decks to deck 6. If it is open you can get on it there. That is how I used to do it.

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The Millenium has a special place in our hearts - our first cruise with Celebrity was on the Millenium - a 10 day Pacific Coast Wine Cruise going from Vancouver BC to San Diego. We also renewed our vows of 25 years. In January we are going Eastern Caribbean on the Silhouette. The following year we are either going to to another Pacific Coast Wine Cruise or go to Alaska. Love your thread and your pictures.

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