BeasleysMom66

I just got back Friday from a southbound Seward to Vancouver sailing and we got blissfully LUCKY. Seward was sunny and beautiful on departure. Juneau was rainy in the morning but cleared up for the rest of the day. Skagway was rainy/snowy up the mountain but fine and sunny in town. Icy Straight Point/Hoonah was sunny and gorgeous with abundant playful whales off the Summit for the day making a tour unnecessary if you were so inclined. Ketchikan was also sunny and gorgeous for the entire day. As I said: we got VERY VERY lucky (except for being able to see a bear(s) in Ketchikan) on the weather and wouldn't trade it for anything. As for wild life I saw: Moose (5), sea lions including endangered stellar sea lions, harbor seals, otters, puffin, resident orca family in Seward on a whale watch on my own before boarding, and many humpbacks including mamas and their new calfs, bald eagles, and many birds.

Thought I would add this: Sorry it is upside down. Don't know why

This is not a commentary on your other choices but I just got back from Alaska and decided to not do this excursion and bought the hype of a local "carnival barker" tour operator on the pier. I spent $65 with the hopes of seeing bears and it was completely wasted. WORST EXCURDSION EVER. DO NOT fall for the sales pitches of the tour operators hanging out on the pier in Ketchikan. Stick with this Bering Sea Aleutian Ballad tour. I regret my choice. Do not make my mistake.

Just did southbound on the Summit. I was port side. That was VERY helpful in Icy Straight Point as the port side was to the bay and the whales were very playful and feeding by the boat that entire day. So my balcony and the buffet were prime watching spots. On the inside passage to Vancouver there will be land on both sides so it won't matter. I am happy with my port side choice. All the ports except ISP/Hoonah were port side docked. I know that several times under way we saw whales off the starboard who were swimming north but you never know where wild life will pop up. Keep in mind that Alaska is the rain captial and our cruise got lucky and saw almost no rain but if you have typical Alaska weather seeing land from the room may not be an issue due to fog and clouds.

Yup, my bad. It's been a long 8 days. Happy to be home but I stand by my review. WOADIE'S is worth the time to try.

One more tip: if one of your ports is Ketchikan DO NOT book a tour from one of the carnival barker sales people at the port. I made the mistake of doing that and it was NOT worth it. What they sell you and what it is are not even close.

I wouldn't worry about an "observation lounge" because if there is something to see there will be somewhere on any ship to see it. I am sailing towards Vancouver right now on the Summit and one of the best viewings on the cruise was in Icy Straight Point/Hoonah while in port. The humpback whales chose to play right off the ship at the dock ALL DAY. Those of us at lunch around 1pm got the treat of a lifetime including flipper action and alot of deep dives with tails. Pick an itinerary and cruise line/ship that suits your goals for the trip and you won't be disappointed.

I was one of the 130 on the Summit this week who did the Hubbard Glacier small group tour. We got within a half mile of the glacier and the Summit stayed about 5 miles out. We were lucky enough to see one of the biggest calvings even for Hubbard before we sailed back. I wouldn't have traded that for anything and to me it was worth every penny. Hubbard Glacier BIG calving.MP4

I did the Whale and Drone Tour and LOVED IT. https://alaskawhalesanddrones.com/ We saw more than humpbacks and (fingers crossed) I may have found a new unidentified whale. I submitted the tail fluke photo to Happy Whale to see if they know it. If they don't I get to name it. The guys are FABULOUS and I would go out with them again in a heart beat. Definitely worth the money.

If you can wait until Skagway the crab at Waddios was better and less expensive. Several on my cruise right now said Tracy's was pricey for what they got. Waddios is walking distance from the shuttle depot and not fancy at all.

Happened to me once too. The guys driving the boat trip we were all on were in no hurry to return to the pier. I RAN HARD to get to the boat and they pulled the gangway up after me. It was my first cruise and I had no idea what a pier runner was but you can believe I have made darn sure that never happens again.

NO idea why it posted multiple times. Yikes.

ONE!!!!

ONE!!!!

ONE!!!!

ONE!!!!

ONE!!!!

Whether is is enforced isn't the issue. Your claiming that Celebrity isn't telling passengers to have their entire party together for check in/boarding IS. Enforcement I am certain is entirely port dependent but I am sure that if denied boarding due to the entire group not being present but intending to sail telling the port agent that @crazyank said it isn't enforced is sufficient for them.

The question wasn't about whether or not they do anything about it but more because the one person kept saying they didn't understand why we kept saying the OP might have to address the absence of her husband since they were supposed to check in together. He kept saying he didn't know why we kept saying it. I simply posted the email I received this morning that said it twice. Whether they enforce it or not if both parties are traveling is unknown and probably varies depending on the port, staff and their mood of the day. In this case we know the husband will be there in spirit only so it is entirely possible the OP will have to discuss it briefly if they don't contact Celebrity in advance.

I did the math at the lower price with 50% off and with the heavy port itinerary there is NO way I could consume 5+ alcohol drinks/day, 10+ non-alcohol, or any combination of the two to make a package worthwhile. It seemed silly to me to buy a package and then be off the ship for 8 hours or more having to buy more drinks out in town or on excursions. I will take my chances considering I have $150 OBC that should help significantly with on board drink purchases.

Because of this email I received this morning from Celebrity: SHIP NAME: Celebrity Summit | SAILING DATE: 17 May 2024 YOUR SCHEDULED ARRIVAL TIME AT THE TERMINAL IS 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM For a seamless start to your cruise, please arrive at your scheduled time for the best boarding experience. Everyone in your reservation needs to check in together. Or this one in the same email: You do note their stating EVERYONE NEEDS TO CHECK IN TOGETHER right? Not sure why you keep saying an entire party doesn't have to check in together.

I am traveling solo next week to Alaska on Celebrity. I have always been comfortable doing my own thing so I simply travel the way that makes me happy. I have a couple of friends I sometimes cruise with but we are such different people travel wise we don't share a state room. We book solo rooms and do our own thing during the day and then meet for cocktails, dinner, and a show then bedtime. We are very happy traveling this way and have been doing it for almost 20 years. Just do what you want to and enjoy and you will have a great time. There is no agenda and being solo means you can go at your own pace without the stress and worry about either holding others up in your group or them holding you back. Enjoy the cruise.

I am sorry for your loss. I am going to take a different approach on this one: Celebrity cannot just increase the price of the cruise after it is paid in full. This is for the same reason why they don't lower your price if it drops after final payment. There is no reason to tell them in advance (just to be safe) that he passed and should some ill mannered CSR at the port inquire as to why you didn't I would state that in my grief talking to them was the least of my concerns to shut them down. My best educated guess is that when you get there and inform them that he passed away recently their only statement will be to offer condolences and to arrange to refund the port fees and taxes for him the same as when some solo passengers book a ghost guest who suddenly can't travel on sail away day or when a second passenger in a room can't travel for any reason.

The non-alcohol package is for soda drinkers but for the price point my plan is to bring a 12 pack on. $4/soda is A LOT.

Do not put it off. I watched my parents keep saying "next year, when the kids are [older, grown, graduated], when I have more time off" and the list went on. They finally realized that 3 of their 4 kids had saved their own money and been to Europe before age 18 and they had never been. They planned a 25th wedding anniversary to England, Ireland and Scotland. The day they were supposed to depart is the day we buried my mother. She was only 49. Dad learned quickly that tomorrow never gets here and never put off traveling or anything he wanted to do for baseless reasons. He did take the trip with our youngest brother who was 10 (late baby) when we lost her. Book the cruise. You won't regret it.