1st TIME CRUISE TO ALASKA ON CELEBRITY INFINITY-I NEED ADVICE!!

[Cruise Virgin 22]

We will be going on a 7 night cruise to Alaska soon on Celebrity Infiniti. I have read conflicting reviews and gotten conflicting advice. If anyone has recently been on this cruise and can advise, I'd appreciate it.

 

1) Dress: The brochure defines the formal nights as men in tux or suits and women in long dresses or cocktail dresses. The travel agent suggested long dresses, and said its very dressy on those 2 nights as people love to get dressed up. Now I'm hearing reports that people are actually much more casual. That no one wears a gown and many men don't even wear suits. I know some people will never get that dressed up, but can anyone advise on what the majority of people wear on formal nights and is one formal night "dressier" than the other?

 

2) Excursions: Looking for excursions that a 75 year old person can go on. Don't want to be herded anywhere or end up "shopping" in touristy places. Am looking for something fun or beautiful that's easy to do, and not cheesy. Also, read conflicting reports on whether to book through Celebrity or just do once ashore. Some say you might miss ship leaving port if you're on your own and return late, some say you'll waste money by going through Celebrity. Is it hard to book once you're on board? And if you do book once ashore, how do you know they're reputable? How do you find a good one? Is the price difference that much that you should book yourself? And what is a MUST?

 

3) How cold is it in the summer? Is it ever warm? It sounds like most people are bundled up and still cold.

 

4) Was told to book formal night in SS restaurant (or whatever the specialty one is), but now I'm reading reviews that say it is nothing special and takes a painfully long time for dinner. Should we "waste" a formal night in this specialty restaurant?

 

5) What time is the best for dinner if you want to see the shows but can't stay up for 2nd show? We have open plan.

 

6) Will older person be able to negotiate around ship? Is it just too long a walk to get around? Should I plan to borrow/rent wheelchair for getting around and excursions or are there things to do that won't be too taxing?

 

I need advice and soon!!! Any advice will be appreciated! :p:p

[CruiserBruce]

Most of these questions are best asked on the Celebrity board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

As to weather, layering is the key. It can be 80, or it can be 50 and wet. It can be cloudy, it can be sunny. It can rain. So, you need to be prepared for most everything.

 

Alaska shore excursions can be researched here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

That is the Alaska board.

[BIG_Steve]

We will be going on a 7 night cruise to Alaska soon on Celebrity Infiniti. I have read conflicting reviews and gotten conflicting advice. If anyone has recently been on this cruise and can advise, I'd appreciate it.

 

1) Dress: The brochure defines the formal nights as men in tux or suits and women in long dresses or cocktail dresses. The travel agent suggested long dresses, and said its very dressy on those 2 nights as people love to get dressed up. Now I'm hearing reports that people are actually much more casual. That no one wears a gown and many men don't even wear suits. I know some people will never get that dressed up, but can anyone advise on what the majority of people wear on formal nights and is one formal night "dressier" than the other?

 

2) Excursions: Looking for excursions that a 75 year old person can go on. Don't want to be herded anywhere or end up "shopping" in touristy places. Am looking for something fun or beautiful that's easy to do, and not cheesy. Also, read conflicting reports on whether to book through Celebrity or just do once ashore. Some say you might miss ship leaving port if you're on your own and return late, some say you'll waste money by going through Celebrity. Is it hard to book once you're on board? And if you do book once ashore, how do you know they're reputable? How do you find a good one? Is the price difference that much that you should book yourself? And what is a MUST?

 

3) How cold is it in the summer? Is it ever warm? It sounds like most people are bundled up and still cold.

 

4) Was told to book formal night in SS restaurant (or whatever the specialty one is), but now I'm reading reviews that say it is nothing special and takes a painfully long time for dinner. Should we "waste" a formal night in this specialty restaurant?

 

5) What time is the best for dinner if you want to see the shows but can't stay up for 2nd show? We have open plan.

 

6) Will older person be able to negotiate around ship? Is it just too long a walk to get around? Should I plan to borrow/rent wheelchair for getting around and excursions or are there things to do that won't be too taxing?

 

I need advice and soon!!! Any advice will be appreciated! :p:p

 

I really can't comment on celebrity but generally Alaskan cruises are more laid back. Partly due to the fact that warm clothes are heavy, and take a lot of the allotted suitcase weight when you fly. But as stated above, folks on the Celeb board should be able to give you specifics.

 

At this point, I would book through the cruiseline NOW or book through locals on line NOW. Waiting till you get to the dock is a gamble. Do some reading on the Ports of call>Alaska board, and you'll find the names of some reputable local tour companies. You didn't say what ports you'll be in. In Juneau, the tram, Mendenhall Glacier and Whale watching are wonderful and not physically challenging. In Skagway, the White pass train is the big draw. Beautiful scenery.

 

We went the last week of June in 2010. It rained every day and never got much over 50. We were told the previous 2 weeks had been unseasonably warm, and everyone was in shorts and tee shirts. There is no predicting. Be ready for anything.

[cb at sea]

Do some research on Alaska and the places you'll visit. That way, you'll be able to see what there is, and if it interests you. Then, check out the "Port of Call" boards on this site...lots of recommendations on private tour companies. For Alaska, the entire point of going is to SEE Alaska! You'll want to get your shoretime arranged before you get there, whether it's private, or a ship's excursion or a DIY thing...and those are quite possible, too! Research will give you the most from your time in Alaska.

 

Late seating will go to the shows BEFORE dinner....Main (early) seating goes AFTER dinner....unless there's a "late-night" show....you may have to miss that if you don't want to stay up!

[Quasar1011]

We went the last week of June in 2010. It rained every day and never got much over 50. We were told the previous 2 weeks had been unseasonably warm, and everyone was in shorts and tee shirts. There is no predicting. Be ready for anything.

 

I was there during May 2010. Only rained on us in Seattle. At times we were too warm and had to take our coats or jackets off. So Alaska weather is definitely changeable!

[FTLcruisers]

We were on the Celebrity Infinity at the end of May. We were very lucky in that we had no rain the entire week. We had temps of 50s-60s in most ports but it hit 79 in Juneau - quite unusual. So as someone said, you have to be prepared for any kind of weather in Alaska - bring things you can layer.

 

Dress: Most people were NOT in tuxedos and long gowns - even on other cruises I rarely see ladies in long gowns anymore. On our particular sailing, most women were in nice dresses but not necessarily really dressy dresses. Some men were in jackets but just as many were not. In general, opposite of what your TA is telling you - less formal, not more formal.

 

Excursions: You really need to do some research on excursions. If your older traveler may have difficulty getting around, you might want to stick with ship's excursions. You have to do what you are comfortable doing - doesn't matter what other people's opinions of ship vs private tours is.

 

SS restaurant (or whatever the specialty one is) - again, depends on what makes you happy. We ate in the specialty restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We like to take our time and not be rushed through our meal - maybe those complaining about the meal taking a long time only eat in chain restaurants that push their customers through so they can get the next ones seated.

 

What time is the best for dinner if you want to see the shows but can't stay up for 2nd show? Check out the daily program for show times and plan accordingly. If you like, you can make reservations so you can eat the same time every night and never worry about missing a show.

 

Will older person be able to negotiate around ship? This depends on the person's ability - I think only you can answer that question. Can they walk the length of a mall---or do they need a wheelchair? If I were you, I would rather have a wheelchair and not need it than not to have one and find that the person cannot get around.

 

Alaska is a beautiful state - enjoy your cruise.

 

Marianne