cw2go

Comparing Princess to RCCL in Alaska, no contest. Go with Princess. Patty

On my Feb Beyond sailing Cel was no longer using pre-booking reservations for any of the 4 MDR, changed last year. I had them reserved just as extra assurance (In the cruise planner I selected the dining room of choice and time for each night) but once on board, they did not matter. The hostess confirmed there is no longer anything other than MTD on E-class ships. Patty

E-Class is all MTD~ Show up to any MDR at any time. Patty

Depends on the ship and time you arrive to dinner. In my experience, E-class no / M-class maybe. Patty

@AliceS agree with the above, I'll also add that I loved all the light that the room had. It was easy for me to see the ocean at all times no matter where I was in the room. I used it exactly the same as I did a regular balcony. I stood at the rail in Cozumel and watch the pier runners. I had coffee in the morning. My DH sat there scanning his phone while I dressed for the day/night. I don't have a "LOVE" for either an IV or Real Balcony. I use the stateroom layout & amenities to the best of my ability, none of them are perfect. Small boxes that meet our needs for the week or two. I chose the bed by IV option and for me it was perfect. We treated the first space as a dressing room off the bathroom, had plenty of room to open the closet doors and use the vanity without going around the bed constantly. The other end of the room beyond the bed was treated as a very small sitting area to have drinks and watched the world go by. There is no one size fits all to this topic, we enjoyed it and no I wasn't fooled or suckered by Celebrity, there is plenty of information on this feature that I knew exactly what I'd be getting. I did meet others on my sailing that agreed and enjoyed the room. I had no problems with noise, I loved that I didn't hear all of my neighbors conversations or smell their smoke, of all varieties. Many here rave about the SV and that's their prerogative but for me it was a one and done, so hot and loud, I'll never sail one again. I read regularly that you must have a balcony for Alaska sailings and I couldn't disagree more! IMO for Alaska sailings you must get out of port and do as many activities as physically possible and bundle up to be top deck for hours at a time. I've sailed Alaska with a balcony once and have gone back many times interior so that I could put the funds towards amazing tours but that is what's best for me. So to my point, there will always be better for you scenarios, no one is right or wrong! I'll second YOU DO YOU! Patty

No worries, just giving you a heads up. I've done the zip rider and loved it! Patty

Doesn't load for me. Patty

100% Agree! I would highly recommend selecting an Alaska sailing with the most amount of port time and glacier viewings over the ship. Patty

No, I am in Ohio not sure why this state qualifies for a price break but we often do. 🤑 Patty

I gotcha! I did a small review at the time, nothing nearly as detailed as yours but you can see the similarities in the onboard experiences. Beginning of this year there was a lot of change within the cruise line and this forum was over loaded with negative reports so I did my best to set-sail with realistic expectations and I was still disappointed in the food and entertainment. Since that sailing we have opted for more land trips but are keeping what we were already committed to. Up next are Alaska and Greek Isles so for us the itineraries are the focus going forward. Patty

You're welcome! I looked at videos, you may want to as well. It's not really a gondola, more of a low straight path ride thingy. 😜 When we were there last we walked the path, seems that's what the transporter does, maybe it was added for mobility challenged? The Red Gondola aka SlyGlider which climbs up in the forest, that's not free. In my cruise planner, it's $80 Patty

If you call now it will most likely reprice your sailing. My DH is retired US Navy and to be honest the resident discounts are usually better for us. Patty

Who are you sailing with? I don't recall a free gondola? In addition to the above Skagway you can hike Yakutania Point Ketchikan you can bus to Totem Bite State Park & Walk/HikevMarried Mans Trail ISP might see whales from shore. Patty Update: I went to do some research. The Green Transporter is free and the Red Sky Glider is not. These are both new since my last visit.

100% shared the same experience as you describe but on The Beyond in Feb. I have sailed Celebrity quite a bit so am just as baffled as to the direction of vibe/food quality they are aiming for. I am hoping for improvements and have a few sailings still on the books, too much invested to pull out at this point but I'm not reserving any more with Cel at this time, makes me a bit sad to say as it's always been my fave. Patty

I've cruised Alaska in an interior stateroom many times, I prefer to put the funds towards some amazing excursions. Never a regret! I sail in balcony rooms in Europe and the Caribbean so for me it's not a one size fits all. Patty

I've done all that you mention, many variables as to what is the better experience and where money is much better spent. Calving in Hubbard, from my experience, is not found elsewhere. It's quite magnificent! Patty

This concern is not warranted! This small boat tour is not new, been doing it for years. I've sailed Hubbard multiple times and the captain has always made their best efforts for great glacier viewings, like you said 150 pax will see it closer, why would he/she unnecessarily want to tick off the other 3850? I have had great viewings and also so so viewings from the ship, depending on weather and ice conditions. Patty

This price has jumped A TON! I Paid $260 pp and sail July 2023

Is it possible that the person in the system that booked the actual stateroom first is being held as the priority customer and those after, by time stamp are being canceled, regardless of stateroom category? Since it seems the IT glitch was the cause of over bookings and room numbers weren't taken out of inventory. Just a theory! This is a shame for so many, Celebrity can and should do better than this! Patty

I signed in just now.

I understand your disappointment! I believe this real issue is the Land Portion not the cruise itself. Was the cruise only option not offered? When you first posted you didn't mention and "Cruisetour" so many posters went on the cruise cancelled portion of your post which caused many questions/doubts. I would look into a cruise only replacement, Denali is limited and many hotels/tour operators in Alaska are still struggling. Hope you find a way to get your dream trip, Patty

Super easy and you can allocate your days/time spent on the islands you want most, depending on what you want to see. Inter Islands flights are easy and run often! You'll love Hawaii! Aloha, Patty

I am sailing The Millie this July and Skagway is still on my itinerary. Did Celebrity send out emails with these changes? From what I am reading it appears to be only Solstice with the port cut? Agree its a huge bummer! A change to Haines or Sitka would be much better. Patty

It's a US Flagship. Google will explain it better. My understanding is that The Pride is a great way to see all of the islands and will have long port times but the service is lacking. Like I said from my research, not first hand experiences. Patty

Oh okay gotcha, driving in Hawaii is super easy! Also if Orlando heat in August makes you happy then you're good on any of the islands. 😊 Back to your question so that we don't get off track. From all of my research.... NCL Pride of America will be nothing like a Celebrity sailing that you've experienced. It's not even similar to their other NCL fleet. Patty