summit review 8/5 alaska part 2

[nancybruce5]

Ports

Our first "stop" was the Hubbard glacier... in the morning you travel up a channel.. we were at breakfast and the view was amazing.. you notice the water turning a beautiful teal color... and start noticing small icebergs floating by!!! once in the channel the ship rotates 360 for a time and the views are amazing.. as I stated earlier we had amazing weather and it was sunshine and warm enough to be outdoors with long sleeves at the glacier...

it was very beautiful

Next day we arrived in Juneau... another great day... quick note... we had a very smooth sailing... no need to worry this time around about motion sickness..I dont know if it ever gets rough, but not this week...We booked all our excursions thru Celebrity before we left.. we would of saved money by doing it at ports.. but for us it was reassuring knowing what we were doing and when.. I did notice the excurison desk on the ship always had long lines..We booked the Mendenhall Glacier White Water Rafting trip.. was great.. would do again in a flash.. the Glacier is so beautiful.. we boarded a raft and paddled around Mendenhall Lake.. we were able to approach an iceberg that had come off the glacier.. we chipped a chunk of ice off of it and tasted it... it was great!! we headed down the river.. it was mild white water, but still exciting and perfect for the kids... again, we had the most beautiful weather and were never cold...even though we were wet.

In Icy Strait... we just stayed on the boat and sunbathed and enjoyed the weather and the pool that day...we all got sunburned!!

In Skagway we took the Eagle Preserve Quest by Jetboat trip.. it was great... great scenery!! We saw moose and lots of eagles and nests... .. The bus ride gave us the oppurtunity to see a bear cub and the salmon spawning in the rivers..

In Ketichan.. we did the Rainforest Trek.. we took a jet boat out to an island and treked around the temperate rainforest.. I thought for sure today we would need warm clothes.. no.. tank tops and shorts again!!! another day of sun... We arent shoppers.. but if you want shops you will find them.. in all ports... Like others have said..look closely.. alot of souvieners are "made in china"

I was happy with all excursions... I thought I would see more wildlife.. we saw alot of dolphins, but only one tail fluke of a whale....

On the ship they had Bingo and shops etcc.. we dont play.. they had an art auction and wine auction.. both interesting... the areas with games and card games always was occupied.. At night two shows.. a magician one night.. a couple of "showtune" varities.. the singer from the group " The Lettermans".. they were entertaining enough.. thought the magic show was best...

THe ship was easy to get around and had a good selection of shops at the emporium.. if you forgot anything, you can find it!!! my husband forgot a belt and they had them!!!

I noticed that the "dress code" seemed to be more casual than I expected... people pretty much hang around during the day in sweats, jeans and even robes!!.. Formal nights were fairly dressy and everyone looked great.. but alot of people changed after dinner... even on the informal night.. what I expected people to be wearing was what I packed for the casual nights... not that I am complaining.. I like to be comfortable.. I did see jeans and even a baseball cap in the dining room.. it didnt ruin my cruise, but I thought that was frowned upon..

I thought the staff was a little subdued.. and slow to warm up... some actually looked miserable.. I think thats the Celebrity "experience".. they tend to stand back and not be aggresive..thats fine.. but I dont think a little more enthusiasm would be out of place.. thats not true for all the staff, just a general statement

As with any cruise my family has taken, I find pros and cons with every line... I was very happy with our cruise "experience" and with our choice of itinerary..