Packing for Alaska Pre cruise tour

[Nvadav]

Hi everyone are on Celebrity Millennium Alaska cruise tour starting in Fairbanks on June 24th,  we have started thinking about packing and are unsure how Celebrity handles the pre cruise tours.  We have done one previously with Princess and they had us pack for the land tour separately (items that were needed everyday and enough clothing for the week) in carryon and one other small bag,  and then everything else in our checked bags which they then kept separately during the tour. (we had no access to those bags)  Once we got to the ship all bags were reunited.  We are wondering if Celebrity handles this in a similar fashion.  Any information would be helpful.  I can't find any reference to this on the website at all.  Thanks

[Jim_Iain]

It is much the same on Celebrity.   They "suggest" that you pack a bag with just things you will need on the land tour.    You can actually have it all delivered to you at each stop but they suggest you just have one bag to reduce the work of the driver and hotel staff.

 

On the first night arrival meeting they have a number of meetings to give you additional tours, explain the process and give you the schedules.     You get different colored luggage tags.   One for things you want delivered to your room and the other for things that will be kept locked on the bus on overnight stops. 

 

If you needed something from your  stored bag it might be a lot of work to unload the other bags around it to retrieve but I saw them do it more than once.

[Nvadav]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

It is much the same on Celebrity.   They "suggest" that you pack a bag with just things you will need on the land tour.    You can actually have it all delivered to you at each stop but they suggest you just have one bag to reduce the work of the driver and hotel staff.

 

On the first night arrival meeting they have a number of meetings to give you additional tours, explain the process and give you the schedules.     You get different colored luggage tags.   One for things you want delivered to your room and the other for things that will be kept locked on the bus on overnight stops. 

 

If you needed something from your  stored bag it might be a lot of work to unload the other bags around it to retrieve but I saw them do it more than once.

Than you very much. This is extremely helpful. 

[DCPIV]

Indeed, you're experience with your Celebrity land tour likely will be very similar to your Princess one.  It's pretty much the same operator(s) that run those land tours, no matter what the line is.

[D. B.]

We are in Fairbanks Today for.

mourning Celebrity Land Tour/Cruise.

  We chose to arrive One Day before the Official start date of June 11th.

so Glad we Did. We booked an extra night in the same Hotel and used their Free shuttle from the airport.

we were told on check in that we can keep the same room the next 2 nights that are part of our land tour.

we spent today in downtown Fairbanks and explored the history and the excitement Free cultural Center.

then a stop at the Free Pioneer Park where Fairbanks history is on display.

Uber is fast here and there is a Large Fred Meyer store (like a Walmart) near the hotel where you can buy anything you may have forgotten to bring.

  The extra pre cruise day is definitely worth it!

[whitbob]

Nvadav,

We returned from a Post cruise tour last month.  Jim's description of how Luggage is handled is being done the same way this year.  The luggage handling on the interior tour was excellent.  It was picked up in the morning and appeared in your room at the next hotel.  It leaves you with only handling what you choose to bring on and off the bus.  

 

These tours haven't taken place in several years so I found that getting information in advance of travel from Celebrity as well as here on Cruisecritic to be sparse.  If you have any other questions about the Cruisetours  just ask.  Overall the trip was wonderful, but there were a few hiccups with the current environment around supply chain issues and staffing. 

[Nvadav]

14 hours ago, D. B. said:

We are in Fairbanks Today for.

mourning Celebrity Land Tour/Cruise.

  We chose to arrive One Day before the Official start date of June 11th.

so Glad we Did. We booked an extra night in the same Hotel and used their Free shuttle from the airport.

we were told on check in that we can keep the same room the next 2 nights that are part of our land tour.

we spent today in downtown Fairbanks and explored the history and the excitement Free cultural Center.

then a stop at the Free Pioneer Park where Fairbanks history is on display.

Uber is fast here and there is a Large Fred Meyer store (like a Walmart) near the hotel where you can buy anything you may have forgotten to bring.

  The extra pre cruise day is definitely worth it!

Thanks for the info. We would love to hear how the trip progresses and any hints or tips you care to share. Enjoy your vacation. 

[Nvadav]

1 hour ago, whitbob said:

Nvadav,

We returned from a Post cruise tour last month.  Jim's description of how Luggage is handled is being done the same way this year.  The luggage handling on the interior tour was excellent.  It was picked up in the morning and appeared in your room at the next hotel.  It leaves you with only handling what you choose to bring on and off the bus.  

 

These tours haven't taken place in several years so I found that getting information in advance of travel from Celebrity as well as here on Cruisecritic to be sparse.  If you have any other questions about the Cruisetours  just ask.  Overall the trip was wonderful, but there were a few hiccups with the current environment around supply chain issues and staffing. 

Thanks for sharing your experience. We are pre cruise tour in Alaska and post cruise tour in Canada. Very excited. 

[D. B.]

Day 4 of our Pre Cruse Tour

the Wilderness Train ride from Fairbanks to Denali Park is great. Celebrity used special double deck dome cars pulled by the state owned Alaska Railroad.

the downstairs is all Dining and up stairs Everyone has comfortable seat.

today we had a5 1/2 hour bus tour of the park and the bus driver/guide makes sure you have the best experience possible.

my only disappointment is the amount of “on your own time” with nothing planned by the Tour if you do not booked the very Expensive “ Optional Activities “ 

few in our group have chosen those so we pretty much  wunder around the area or spend time in our accommodations.

there is an (optional) Dinner and performance here at the Lodge that we did last night that was Fun and worth it

!👍

tonight we will pass on the $55 per person buffet and go to the $22 each hamburger place instead.

the Weather has been fine but like 70% of the people who come to Denali our view of Denali Mountain was not to be.

Smoke from distant forest fires dimmed the view.

[D. B.]

On our Tour first then Cruise trip our luggage was hauled from stop to stop on a Truck and not loaded on the trains.

 The truck made better time than our Train so every time we checked into our rooms our bags were In the room !

 The only Snafu we had was exasperating.

 Because we were doing the Land Tour First before getting to the ship in Seward we had to have a Negative Covid test the day before we arrived at the ship.

 We brought along the Celebrity Approved Tele-Test kits (3 for $99) and were told that someone at our stop in Anchorage would help us complete them. We had tried doing them on an earlier cruise and failed to complete them so we knew we needed help this time.

 On the morning we were to do the Tele-Test we were put on a Bus to a Convention Center in Fairbanks and had to stand out in the cold to wait our turn to enter the building (about 45 of us) until we were allowed inside.

 Told to form a Line and go up a flight of stairs to a room where we would be tested.

 When our turn came to enter that room I was asked for my Credit Card and told I would be charged $178 for our tests?

 I said we were told someone would help us complete our  Tele-Test we had brought along.

 The guy there said he didn't know anything about that and if we didn't want to Pay just get out of line !

 I started looking around the building and found a room where guests who were checking In for the post cruise Tour were directed to go.

 When I ask about help with our tests I only got blank expressions. I said I wanted to talk to someone from Celebrity and found the people there were All contract workers. I ask for a Phone number to call someone from Celebrity but was refused.

 We finally went back and did the $178 test as we Had no other choice. We both tested Nagative.

 When we did get to the Ship the next day and went to Guest Relations to seek a refund I was told there Was Supposed to BE someone at the Convention Center the day before to help us but on the ship they had no explanation as to What happened the day before.

 It turns out we were Not the only guests to have that problem.

 Celebrity ask if we would accept a Future Cruise Credit to cover our waisted charges and because we have 7 future bookings  we took it.

 They may have covered or Cost but there is no erasing the Confusion and Stress that we went through.

 I hope the get that situation fixed as I would not wish that situation on Any future guests.

 

 

 

[PRH]

What CruiseTour were you on and when?  We are on 10B from Anchorage to Seward but we understood that we have to have a lab test (eMed or pharmacy) before the land tour but can use a non-monitored test at the pier (using a test we got from the post office).  Certainly the information we’ve gotten from Celebrity before our trip (next week, yikes) has been confusing at best.  We’re taking both types of tests (eMed requires internet access) hoping that one or the other will work.  You left from Fairbanks to go directly to Seward?  We will be in Homer the night before going to Seward.  Perhaps that is the difference?

[PRH]

Actually just looked and it is the opposite.  Unmonitored test before land and eMed test before boarding.  Taking a copy of the email from Celebrity outlining the specifics just in case.  But figure w3 can take the eMed test the day before in Howard and get the print-out lab results through the hotel.  Now fingers crossed that our fellow land tour folks will be diligent in mask wearing and pre-tour test honesty so none of us test positive at the ship!