ATLSwissyMom

Thank you!! Beautiful photos! Did u rent a car from avis?

 

 

Did you stop to eat?

 

Did you have cell service?

Yes, we rented from Avis. A very easy process. It is a walk from the pier (like everything in Skagway) but easy to find. We did not have time to explore the actual town of Skagway.

We did stop to eat at a place outside of Carcross Dessert- it was an old motel and I don’t know the name of it, but it was decent. We also took some fruit and some sandwiches I put together from the buffet (butter, bread, cold cuts and cheese). We ate the sandwiches before getting to the border - I declared the fruit to Canadian customs and he let us pass. I had packed some extra ziplock baggies that came in handy for this.

There was very little cell service for us - we have AT&T. We also didn’t want to pay roaming so switched to airplane mode when we saw we were picking up Canadian towers (this was throughout the entire cruise). Having said that, there were plenty of tour buses on the route so if something should happen help would be near by and someone would have a phone.

I think the main thing is to set an alarm to give yourself time to make your way back with time to take pictures - the scenery is just as gorgeous (maybe more so) heading back towards Alaska.

While mile-wise it doesn’t seem far, however it is a trip to savor and take in slowly - also there was still lots of snow on the ground when we went and the road itself is in has lots of rough spots and pot holes.

Enjoy yourself - I so wish I could do it again. Of all of our adventures on our cruise, if we were to repeat we would do the rental/road trip again in a heartbeat. In fact, I was afraid we would be sad we missed out on the train, but heard from some people at dinner that there was a breakdown on the tracks which caused a major delay for both the broken down train and a train that had to loan its engine to go and rescue it. I was so glad we did our road trip [emoji3]

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We did this a few weeks ago with the free guide. There are a few bathroom stops and they are indicated in the free guide.

We made it to Emerald Lake and back in about 5 hours - that included many (many!!) stops for pictures, a stop in Carcross to walk around and a sit down lunch. I will say it was one of our favorite days of an amazing fun, filled cruise (we did a helicopter ride and a float plane excursion). The best part was seeing a black bear eating grass on the side of the road! I loved being able to avoid the big tour buses (or following them and then stopping on the way back when it was less crowded).

Attached are a few pictures of the drive - the scenery is spectacular. (Unfortunately I only have a video of the little bear and it won’t let me upload it).

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We were weighed before our helicopter ride but not before the float plane trip.

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Endicott Arm, Alaska

So neat! When was this taken?

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I am on the May 11th sailing and experienced the same ☹️

It seems that the vendor is not offering it on our sailing as there will be too much ice (one of our roll call members went to them directly as they were tired of getting non-answers from Celebrity).

I too was very much looking forward to the excursion and agree that Celebrity’s communication around the cancellation has been abysmal.

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Oddly enough I kept thinking the headline might have been, "Lap blankets for personal use for lap dances". Maybe not.:halo:

Ha ha ha!!! My husband would like that, but no sadly just to warm the legs [emoji56]

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I keep reading lap dogs...stuck in my brain!

 

 

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Lol - I saw that thread and don’t want to start a controversy on my first post.

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Alaska is pretty informal so I packed jeans in dark blue, brown and black....they wear well and the dark colors can hide a lot of mishaps....for tops I packed 2 sweat shirts (and bought them as souvenirs along the way), several sweaters ranging from heavy (1); medium (2) and light (3)1 dressy top and 2 tee shirts (again if I needed them, I bought them along the way). I brought a hoodie, a down vest and a hooded rain jacket that fit in its own pouch..I wore my hiking boots and packed a pair of black ballet flats and a pair of Reboks...8 pairs of socks....2 heavy hiking socks and the rest light woolen socks. Being an optimist, I did not bring a hat or gloves and had to buy them, don't make that mistake! I used the black jeans, flats and gauzy top for casual chic nights. Do not forget to bring sun screen, sun glasses and insect repellent. Alaska's state bird is the mosquito and some of them are the size of a bald eagle!!

 

PS: Oregon coast is beautiful but it can be quite windy and chilly.

Thanks Hydrokitty!! I love this list and the ideas for dinner outfits. Hats and gloves are on the list for sure - I figure it is better to have and not need than to need and not have. I did not have sunscreen or repellent, but have added [emoji4]

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Thank you so much to everyone for your responses! I will take “small blanket” off of my packing list and will remember the various drink methods used to warm up 🤣.

The layering advice is appreciated and consistent with the research I’ve done - it also makes trying to pack for this cruise (and our five-day Oregon Coast Road trip afterwards) a bit tricky [emoji3]. The temperatures look like it will be extra cold this year - highs in the upper 40s/low 50s in most stops unless there is a significant warm up.

My husband loves to accuse me of being an over packer and while I have been known to overpack, I believe I would have been a great Boy Scout as I am always prepared. Given the cross country flight, the road trip and “elavator-less” accommodations arrangements, I would like to keep us down to one medium checked suitcase each. We will see if I can do it [emoji3]

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We are taking our first Celebrity cruise this coming May to Alaska on the Solstice. Are lap blankets available for use on your personal balcony?

We have cruised the Caribbean on other lines and love drinking our morning coffee on the balcony watching the the water go by and am trying to decide if I need to pack a small blanket.

Thanks in advance!

Lauren

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We all endure things that are difficult, but how we handle those things is what makes us who we are,..you are certainly no different than the rest of us...money does not make you happy unless you share! You certainly can't take it with you, although I would venture to guess that some will try! So, when you have the chance, I hope you dance in the cabin you choose!

Just wanted to say that I love your outlook Lastdance - it is very similar to my life motto. ❤️

We take our first Celebrity cruise in three weeks (Solstice out of Vancouver) and are excited to experience a new cruise line. At first I was worried about moving “up” to Celebrity (we’ve sailed Carnival, NCL, and RCI). We are simple people and I worried about having the right clothing or jewelry, are we cool enough....we are definitely not a celebrity power-couple. [emoji1]

I have some expectations for this cruise, but the most important one is that I expect to have an amazing, relaxing vacation with my husband (who also happens to be my best friend), see some amazing scenery, meet some interesting people, and never go hungry or thirsty.

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I am also bummed. I just noticed that our tour in September was also cancelled. I received no notice' date=' no exploration. It only just became available to book at the first of this month. I jumped on it right away and it was cancelled on the 8th. I only looked because of this post. The lack of communication is disappointing.[/quote']

 

 

 

One of the members on my roll call signed up for another Tracy Arm Excursion listed (it is listed as an “Infinity” tour, but when she called Celebrity they confirmed it was available for those of us on the Solstice (it leaves/returns from Juneau and is a 7 hour tour). I purchased this one yesterday - we will see if it works out. I am not sure if this is an option on your September cruise, but might be something to check out.

 

 

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Just a guess here, but May 11 might be a little early for that excursion. A few years ago we took an early May cruise, and the excursion wasn't available. I emailed the excursion provider to ask about it, and they told me they didn't start offering the excursion until the end of May.

I knew it was early and we may not even be able to get into Tracy Arm, however, the excursion was available to book on the Celebrity website and my final payment confirmation had it listed as purchased. I only found out it must have been cancelled when I noticed a refund to my CC (no official notice was sent so I assume this is the case).

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I am so bummed - I booked this excursion for our May 11th cruise on the Solstice back in January and my money was refunded and the excursion disappeared from my booking. No explanation or email. This is my first Celebrity Cruise and the lack of communication is disappointing.

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Hi,

 

I rented a car in Skagway and drove up Emerald Lake last September. The road was really easy and there was no traffic!

I preferred to rent a car vs the bus or train to be free to stop anytime for pictures and to enjoy scenic.

My daytrip highlights were: the Emerald lake, Carcross, and Carcross’s desert (the smallest desert in the world).

 

If you’re interested I wrote an article to describe my DIY Yukon daytrip: daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/20/the-yukon/

 

Let me know if you have any questions

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Marie

Fantastic article - thank you so much for sharing. I’ve rented the car already, but have gone back and forth on whether or not we will regret not doing the train. After reading your article I am no longer on the fence - I am excited to be able to stop and take our time.

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Thinking of renting a car (mid May) and driving up to Emerald Lake.

 

 

 

I've heard stories of hairpin turns on the side of cliffs/ mountains in some places.

 

 

 

How dangerous is the road? Any thoughts?

 

 

 

Thanks

Following as we are planning on doing the same thing in mid-May.

I’ve reserved the car and done some research, but did not read anything about hairpin turns. I watched a time lapse video on YouTube that didn’t appear to show anything like that, however it did make me a bit motion sick watching 8 hrs flash by in a few minutes [emoji1]

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No, I did mean 'stabbiest' - as opposed to 'shootiest';-) Homer is pretty shiny, even the SA building is pretty modern, although Pender (the cross street) is rather gritty - a block east and you're entering the stabbiest 'hood though it gets steadily fancier heading west.

 

Resto-wise the entire local PNW food scene is all about seasonal local produce (John Bishop, of the eponymous still-running Bishops resto, pretty much invented modern locavore cuisine). Unfortunately a couple of key staff changes in Cinara mean I do have to issue a minor caveat - I met the new sous at a dinner party but he's never cooked for me and no clue who the new somm is. While the head chef is very hands-on, nights he's not working may be noticeable until the team has restabilized.

 

 

If you're really keen on a truly well-done locavore menu, then I can heartily recommend Burdock - it's a cab ride for you unless you feel like a really long walk, but being outside the downtown core it's also a wee bit cheaper so dinner for two and a cab will quite possibly still end up better value than downtown.

Too funny, I have never heard the phrase “stabbiest” - so glad I double checked. We will definitely stay west (sort of like when we explored Chicago by foot and figured out how south we could go).

Burdock looks amazing - we don’t mind a cab ride for good food (especially when it is off the tourist path). So excited I was able to get us a reservation. Thanks again.

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It's on the same street (opposite side) as the Salvation Army's main Vancouver operation, so you will see the residents coming & going as well as the usual downtown folks begging, collecting bottles for refunds etc. Even the stabbiest neighbourhood here is almost certainly safer for visitors than the least dangerous part of Atlanta - crime stats in our neck of the woods are all about property theft (if you rent a car, NEVER leave any stuff visible inside the car) rather than any kind of crimes against persons...

 

 

 

You could do much worse than eating in Cinara, the resto on the ground floor of the Victorians newer wing - top notch Italian using seasonal local produce.

Thank you for the response and the restaurant recommendation - I love restaurants that locally source.

The neighborhood sounds about how I imagined it would be (assuming you meant “shabbiest” and not “stabbiest” [emoji13]).

Very much looking forward to exploring Vancouver in 24 hours.

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Thank you for posting! We are sailing in May 2018 and I love reading trip reports.

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Has anyone stayed at or are familiar with The Victorian? I booked a superior King (private bath) at a fantastic rate the night before our cruise. We are aware of the no elevator situation and enjoy funky/historic properties so am not worried about the quirkiness. It also seems to be in a convenient location (walking distance to sights, restaurants and bars) as well as close to the Skytrain. I am interested in better understanding if it is safe to walk during the day/early evening (the reviews are all over the place). We aren’t afraid of “urban character” as we live and work in Atlanta, however if it is truly not safe we will look at other accommodations.

Thanks in advance!

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Carnival Magic April 2017

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We arrived 2 days early and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Richmond. It wasn’t fancy, but was clean and served our purpose. The hotel offered a shuttle from the airport.

 

The first day we took the SkyTrain to downtown and did a Hop On Hop Off Tour. The day of the cruise we booked an independent tour of the North Shore, Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. They picked us up at the hotel, took care of the luggage all day and dropped us right at the pier.

 

 

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Can you share the operator of the independent tour you took on the day of the cruise?

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Touch of class piano bar. We were never there when it was being used for its intended purpose but it was used fo other stuff given its convenient location on the Upper Deck (8) in the atrium just across from the Oak Room library.

 

 

Why all the hands? TOUCH of Class.

 

 

 

But don’t TOUCH the piano, thank you very much. I wonder why they had to put this intimidating sign up here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have been reading your most fabulous review for two days (I savor things I really enjoy). We cruised on the Sensation in December 2007 and it was one of our most memorable cruises. This probably has to do with the fact I won a jackpot on a slot machine on that ship. My husband and my brother and his wife went to bed early so I decided to put a few dollars in a quarter machine and won $900! I cashed out and went back to our room to tell my husband but he was passed out. The next morning he didn’t believe me and I had to pull out the cash to prove it.

One of our favorite hangouts was Touch of Class mostly because of the piano bar, but honestly the decor made us giggle. You see, the original bar stools were actual giant red hands. We loved it and have lots of pictures from that bar and those hand holding our derrières. I’ll admit I am somewhat sad to see that they have been replaced, but not that surprised.

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What a wonderful review - thank you so much for taking the time to document your journey. My husband and I are going on this same cruise in May 2018 and I am having fun dreaming and planning (even if it is a little less than a year away) - it is our first Celebrity and Alaska cruise.