Northern Aurora

@cruiseout2sea: You may receive more responses if you indicate what type of tours you are interested in doing. So many times during the years posters have responded with suggestions regarding flight seeing options or whale watching option only to be told that someone won't fly in small planes or ride in small boats.

I also think this post should be in the Cruise Critic Alaska Forum. But a quick comment from someone who lives in Alaska -- layers are the key. The outer layer needs to be waterproof -- not water resistant. For our OP, in September southeast Alaska can be quite rainy. Historically, May in SE Alaska is one of the drier months.

I have been in southeast Alaska in May, June, July, August, September and even in October (on business -- not on vacation). May tends to be a drier month but may not be as chilly as you anticipate. But be prepared for wind in Skagway. Skagway is located at the head of Taiya Inlet and the winds can just howl down the inlet.

While we book based on itinerary I suspect that for a great number of people the ship itself is the primary attraction. Last fall we spent 40 days on the Celebrity Edge as it was repositioned from the Mediterranean to Australia (yes -- we went through the Suez Canal). The ship itself is drop-dead gorgeous. Innovative theater and bars. Venues suitable to multiple uses including the moving Magic Carpet which makes tendering so easy. I suspect the E-class ships are designed for those who are drawn to a ship itself. It will be deployed to the Alaska market this coming summer.

Great news indeed!

We don't eat as much at meals as we did when younger, but still occasionally order a entree to share between the two of us in addition to each ordering an entree.

Given your wife's interests she may find the Liarsville tourist trap feeling annoying at best. Research the Klondike National Historical Park website, paying attention to the Skagway Unit. Through the years the NPS has acquired more and more of the old buildings, and a number are open to the public. The Jefferson Smith Parlor Museum is extremely unique. Given its size entry is limited. Try to obtain tickets. Another interesting building in Skagway is the Skagway Museum. The building dates from 1899. The interior of the building has changed significantly since I first saw it in 1983 or 1984. The other competing community with Skagway was Dyea. While I love the area only remnants of the townsite still exists. If you are in Juneau check the status of the Wickersham State Historic Site. While the Wickersham House Museum in Fairbanks is furnished with items which were essentially in Fairbanks (there are a few exceptions) during the time Judge Wickersham and his first wife Deborah owned the house, the Wickersham State Historic Site in Juneau is just the house. But it is an interesting house. The Alaska Division of Natural Resources manages the site, and through the years has struggled with a viable plan for operations.

Our OP hasn't posted itineraries, but the NCL option has two major negatives -- docking at Ward Cove in Ketchikan and the Seattle departure.

We have also overnighted in Kona, albeit a number of years ago. The tenders did run all night but not as frequently. A number of the crew will be off. Bars and restaurants near the tender pier will be busy that night.

Did you click on the "more details?" If so, what were the details?

Ideas in Ketchikan which would fit your target for excursion spending include the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Heritage Center and the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. There are small entrance fees to the Tongass Historical Museum ($6) and Totem Heritage Center ($6). The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center also has a small entrance fee but check their website as there are a number of park passes which they accept for free admission. Through the years the National Park Service has acquired a number of old buildings which are now operated as small museums. Check the website for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park for opening times, ranger led walks and times for films in the visitor center. Capital Transit is the public bus system in Juneau. Their website will provide information for trips to Mendenhall Glacier. In addition to the Alaska State Museum the Sealaska Heritage Institute has a gift store which has museum quality items, and also a cultural gallery (small admission fee for the exhibit gallery of about $7).

Whale watching from a small vessel is no comparison to seeing a whale from a cruise ship. While we have done whale watching in Juneau our best whale watching excursion EVER was out of Icy Strait Point. We have also done whale watching in Iceland, Hawaii and Cabo, but nothing compared to ICP where we watched 12 or 13 whales bubble feeding for ninety minutes.

Don't let other posters lecture you on what is a "must see." There are no perfect itineraries, so select the one which most fits your individual interests. That being said, I much prefer Sitka over Ketchikan and NCL docks at Ward Cove in Ketchikan which is miles out of Ketchikan itself. Also pay attention to the times in port.

We were on the Eclipse for a B2B2B2B last spring. We were in two different staterooms. Both staterooms were in excellent condition but the color scheme was rather dated. Crew were happy and upbeat. We are scheduled to spend a month on the Eclipse later this year and have no concerns.

What happened to Alaska Auto Rental? Their website still lists Denali as an option.

We use the laundry service every three days or so when cruising. I doubt that your request to deliver the items to your stateroom so that you can hang them will be honored. The laundry crew process so much each day this would be very difficult for them. We have had great service from the laundry folks but travel with easy care items.

Good restaurants walkable from the Westmark include the Thai House, Soba (Moldovan cuisine but be aware that service can be slow), Jazz Bistro and Lavelle's Bistro (which is where we are going to night with friends). Salty's would be another possibility, but I personally find them very sandwich focused so don't like them for dinner. And yes, I would rent a car in Denali and drive to mile 30 on the single park road. Also consider the hiking trails around Mt. Vista. The NPS visitor center at the park entrance is also worth a visit.

Which Fairbanks hotel will you be at? The drive from Fairbanks to the Chena Hot Springs Resort takes 90 minutes to two hours. It seems to me that every summer there is some sort of road construction on the Chena Hot Springs road. The first 22 or so miles is through some strange and funky subdivisions, but at mile 23 you enter the massive Chena River Recreation Area. Great moose habitat area. The resort itself has decent food. Their massive greenhouses, which are heated with a system using their thermal hot springs, grows their own lettuces, herbs and tomatoes. They can keep the greenhouses warm until the outdoor temperatures reach about -60F. They offer a tour of their energy facility, and, of course, the Ice Museum is very popular. The Pioneer Park Salmon Bake is one of those restaurants which has a very hard time attracting locals. In my opinion, it is over priced for what it is.

We disembarked twice in Sydney in 2023 -- both times on Celebrity ships. The international airport is about a 30 minute drive from the Overseas Passenger Terminal. We have disembarked in Sydney several times and the line for taxis is always long (one time it took about an hour in line). Celebrity will have motor coach transfers to both the international and domestic airports, but since folks have to wait until the coach is about 3/4 full there will be a delay there too. I also think you will have a hard time with a 11AM flight. Book a later flight. We rarely fly the same day we leave a ship. In Sydney we take a Hawaiian Air direct flight to Honolulu where we stay for several days before flying home to Alaska. The international airport has a Rydges Hotel directly across from the terminal. We stay there overnight and pay for a late checkout. About 6 PM we check out and move to the airport. The HA ticket counter is preparing to open, so a short wait before we check our bags.

We hit Zenith in 2016. "Achieving" a cruise loyalty level was never some sort of goal for us --just happened. We never travel with the "pins" and we also haven't bothered with the Facebook "official" site.

The owner of Pike's Waterfront Lodge also owns the stand-alone Pike's Landing restaurant which is located beside the lodge. This restaurant has a nice deck on the river which serves more casual fare while the main restaurant is more upscale. Acquaintances were in Fairbanks last summer on a Princess cruise tour so we picked them up at the Princess Lodge. The Princess is essentially right beside the Pike's Waterfront Lodge. I took a peek at their menu and it seemed to be designed with the notion that they needed to serve something but didn't expect to see the customer again. Definitely not trying to attract locals. So the menu included items like a hamburger, a vegan offering, a salmon dish, an entree sized salad and so forth. I also watched a meal being delivered and it didn't look very great either. If my memory is correct you are planing to spend some time at the Museum of the North. There is a strip mall near the West Ridge of the campus (which is where the Museum of the North is located) which houses the Red Fox Bar and Grill (in addition to our favorite Thai restaurant the Lemon Grass). The Red Fox is open for lunch. I have only been inside the Red Fox once and found it very much a bar (in contrast a pub) but they are a popular place for pizza (many people order carry-out). When we sit in the Lemon Grass front windows we watch a steady stream of people picking up takeout pizza from the Red Fox during the evenings. If you plan to visit the pipeline first then consider driving down College Road and stopping at Geraldo's. Pizza and sandwiches with decent atmosphere. Also check the website for the Pump House to learn if they are serving lunch this coming summer. This is where we took our acquaintances last summer. Years ago they would open for lunch during the summer. Ownership of the Pump House changed about 20 months ago. The new owners are making some changes which I see as positive so I wonder if they will again open for lunch. The Senator's Saloon (in the Pump House) is much more like a pub versus a bar. We live on Chena Ridge and this is our "go to" restaurant, but we do like Jazz Bistro, Soba and Lavelle's Bistro which are all downtown. As is standard in the rest of the US all of these restaurants have websites with menus.

We spent 40 nights on the Edge last fall, boarding in Civitavecchia and leaving the ship in Sydney. Unlike the Celebrity M- or S-class ships the E class ships do not have the equivalent of a Sky Lounge. Indoor covered spaces include the rather large area (both starboard and port side) around the Mast Grill. And the very intriguing space above Eden is lovely, but is an aft view. For those in a Retreat stateroom (we were) there is the area above The Retreat but this private deck area for those in Suites is rather open. While we book for an interesting itinerary, but there are folks who base their decision due to the actual ship itself. In our case the Edge went through the Suez Canal and make a number of interesting port calls in the Emirates, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand some of which were new to us, in addition to ports we had visited before. For folks who find the actual ship design very important I can see why a number of them love the E-class ships. Very interesting venues and artwork. And the bathroom design of our Suite was absolutely wonderful with a separate dressing room. Since were in a Suite we had a traditional balcony but I can see why there are folks who love the E-class infinite balconies -- folks either absolutely love them or equally absolutely hate them.

We spent 40 nights on the Edge last fall. We were in a Sunset SkySuite on deck 9 and had no noise issues. However, friends were in a Sunset Veranda on deck 7 and they had noise issues from Eden. That Sunset Veranda was the only one available for all three legs (we were on a B2B2B series). They had sufficient noise issues that some nights glasses rattled on the desk.

While I am not a great fan of the Edge I will admit that the MC makes tendering much easier.

Since @sunsetme has specifically asked about the Panama Canal we have done six full transits, and each time the helipad was open to all passengers. On one of the transits it was opened after the first hour or so as it had rained overnight. The helipad was deemed too wet initially to be opened so was opened after it had dried. On other occasions we have received helipad invitations based on factors such as Captain's Club loyalty status or stateroom category.