Margin Walker

Thank! Can you share what excursion company you used for the land excursion that started in Fairbanks? What was the duration of the land excursion?

Thank you everyone for all of the well wishes. Travel and See, what airport did you fly to when you sailed out of Seward, Alaska? I like this idea of seeing more of Alaska by not flying into Seattle.. Thank you very much for the suggestion.

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you. This info lead me into the realization that flying into Vancouver (as opposed to Seattle) might be something to look into.

I will be sure to look into the Dawes glacier boat. I personally have a No-Helicopters policy but that does sound very awesome.

Thank you for clearing that up. All of our children are adults now (so we aren't anti-kids haha) but we are looking for a more laid back experience so this is great news!

I've only cruised twice (both times on Symphony of the Seas). My fiance (46F) has hinted several times that cruising to Alaska is on her bucket list. So for our honeymoon I want to surprise her with an Alaskan cruise. I know close to nothing about Alaska and very little about Celebrity ships. I did some preliminary research and it seems like Celebrity Edge (late May sailings) could be the best for what we are looking for (not too many kids on summer break, good weather and whale watching)??? We won't be doing The Retreat or large suites. It is not in my budget. The room with the floor to ceiling windows has me intrigued. My fiance typically likes to stay in an interior cabin. We did that on Symphony and she really liked it. We will fly from Miami the day prior to embarkation. What is more ideal? Sailing out of Seattle or a different city? Are there any "must-do" excursions if this will be our first (and potentially last) cruise to Alaska? Recap: -what Celebrity ship would you recommend? -what month would you recommend if we want not too many children on summer break, good weather and good potential to see whales -"must do once" excursions -Have you had good experiences with the deluxe drink package/specialty restaurants -how far in advance should we book to get mid ship/best price (I noticed that the May 2025 booking on Edge has very few options for what part of the ship/deck you're on etc) Any other suggestions that I did not cover are very much appreciated. Thank you!!

Was seriously considering booking Beyond but this whole creaking noise thing has got me real uncomfortable. I'm a light sleeper. Symphony of The Seas on RC creaked in early March of 2020 but only when the seas were like 16-20 feet for a 24 hour period. Are there any reports of loud noises on the other new Celebrity ships?

The weather in Cartagena is very similar to Ft. Lauderdale. Windy and humid. Other than aggressive "vendors" inside the Walled City feels safe. Just don't eat dinner outside or they will bother you while you eat.

If there is no locker room where do you put your belongings if you buy a spa day pass?

I've never cruised on Celebrity. What is a CHOG? Thanks

I live in Miami. The Feels Like temperature is like this 10 months out of the year. Looking forward to lots of photos and reviews of your cruise as I’ve never cruised VV. So far it’s only been photos of my back yard! Enjoy the trip.

I really enjoyed this thread. Thanks for sharing all of this. My girlfriend and I are arriving at Terminal 18 @ 12:30 PM tomorrow to board Symphony.

For the Symphony sailing this Sunday it’s the complete opposite of a Black Friday deal: The price of the Deluxe Beverage package went up from $72.99 (yesterday’s price) to $98.00 per day (today’s price).

They serve it at the Wonderland bar as well and you don’t need reservations for the bar I believe. Keep in mind, I had this cocktail almost 4 years ago so I’m not 100% sure they still serve it.

Interested to hear about your cruise. We are boarding Symphony on Nov 26th. We got a 3 night dining package. I really enjoyed Wonderland when I cruised on Symphony in March of 2020. They have a drink called Smoke Rings (I think that’s what it was called). It was one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. Enjoy your week!

I pre-paid my gratuities for our Symphony of the Seas sailing on November 26th. Ended up saving about $28 by doing that before the rate goes up. I’ll throw some cash tips around on the ship based on service and frequency.

Smoke Rings is a very tasty cocktail! I had two.

When I sailed Symphony in March of 2020 we got our Wow bands at Boleros. Granted that was 3 years ago. I'm happy to hear the Wow bands are back. It made getting in the room and using our Drink Package so much easier.