hilltopper98

Follow up after returning from the Celebrity Eclipse on 7/10-7/17. I highly recommend this excursion. This was the only excursion on the entire cruise where we were asked to wear a mask on the bus and the guide Brian was excellent as he drove us through Sitka to Fortress of the bear sharing his information. We were at the Fortress of the Bear for 30 minutes, which was plenty of time to walk through, take photos and ask questions. Next we hopped back on the tour bus and drove to Silver Bay where we boarded the Yukon Queen. Silver bay is such a beautiful place. The boat guides were great too. Pointing out many things along the way that we would not have noticed or known about the plants, wildlife(we saw many Eagles up in the treetops) and environment along the bay. The boat highlight was the stop at the renovated homestead, which was so welcoming! We were greeted by John, who shared his local stories around a campfire while we roasted s'mores. Hot cocoa, a sampling of smoked salmon and indoor and outdoor seating were available. My children were able to walk along the shoreline and skip rocks and explore, as well as sit on the deck around a fire pit separate from the campfire. This was such a unique excursion for us- our group had ages ranging from 2-60 and each of us enjoyed it.

Just off the Celebrity Eclipse sitting in the airport and thought I’d start to share our review-part 1… We were a family of 5 traveling with extended family that made us a total of 12. We were told the ship was not at max capacity, the ship had 2400 passengers and seemed appropriately staffed. All staff we encountered were friendly and willing to go out of their way to accommodate requests. We had purchased the premium wifi package and it was disappointing- very little dependable service on the ship. Much better when in port. Sitka, docked at Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, 6 miles from downtown Sitka. Took the motor coach into town. Beautiful day, very little rain. The Motor coach wait line from the center of town to return to the ship was about an hour long. Luckily we made it back just in time for our excursion, that I recommend. The Alaskan bear and Homestead excursion. It took us to Fortress of the Bear and then a scenic boat ride aboard the Yukon Queen across Silver Bay(boat ride was amazing- saw more Eagles than we could count) to a renovated old homestead. Once at the homestead you could roast s’mores, skip rocks in the bay, walk along the shoreline,listen to a local share his stories, enjoy hot chocolate or sit next on the deck around a fire pit sampling smoked salmon on crackers

Just off the Celebrity Eclipse sitting in the airport and thought I’d start to share our review-part 1… We were a family of 5 traveling with extended family that made us a total of 12. We were told the ship was not at max capacity, the ship had 2400 passengers and seemed appropriately staffed. All staff we encountered were friendly and willing to go out of their way to accommodate requests. We had purchased the premium wifi package and it was disappointing- very little dependable service on the ship. Much better when in port. Sitka, docked at Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, 6 miles from downtown Sitka. Took the motor coach into town. Beautiful day, very little rain. The Motor coach wait line from the center of town to return to the ship was about an hour long. Luckily we made it back just in time for our excursion, that I recommend. The Alaskan bear and Homestead excursion. It took us to Fortress of the Bear and then a scenic boat ride aboard the Yukon Queen across Silver Bay(boat ride was amazing- saw more Eagles than we could count) to a renovated old homestead. Once at the homestead you could roast s’mores, skip rocks in the bay, walk along the shoreline,listen to a local share his stories, enjoy hot chocolate or sit next on the deck around a fire pit sampling smoked salmon on crackers

We booked it, so hoping it's worth it 🙂

Has anyone done the Alaska Bears And Silver Bay Homestead Experience that could share their experience? Looking to possible book this later this summer.

How did you find out that your husband was covid positive? Are you screened/tested after each port?

Hubbard Glacier & Wilderness Exploration -has anyone done this that can share a review? Cruising in July with 3 teens and did not know if this is worth doing since the ship passes the glacier also?