Northern Aurora

I have copied and pasted an excerpt from a very long review posted by @Ski Mom from the Disabled Cruiser forum. Outlines some of the issues she had. Hello just returned from a fabulous 8 night River cruise with ACL on the American Song July 8th through July 16th. A little about us. We are in our early sixties and I have MS. I walk with a cane and travel with a transport wheelchair. I usually rent a scooter for larger ships but didn’t for this trip and I will explain later. We didn’t know what to expect when we booked with ACL because I honestly was not familiar with them. ....... Although the staff was willing to always help out I do think ACL needs to improve the overall accessibility in their staterooms and the disembarkation process on both shore excursions and the first and last day. I had done some research on line before the cruise and saw that the hallways and elevators were small and narrow and a scooter would have a hard time getting through especially when there are carts in the hallway from housekeeping staff who by the way were awesome and always seemed to be working and available if need be. The ramps to leave the ship for excursions were quite narrow steep and bumpy and I don’t think you would be able to use a scooter on them. That is the one thing that Princess and Celebrity have ACL beat hands down because I’ve been on both of them and never had a problem using my scooter.The ramps going ashore would definitely not accommodate a travel scooter and the shower in my accessible stateroom had a six inch lip that if I was traveling alone I would have not been able to use. I took pictures of the bathroom to show others so they are prepared. The balcony also required a step. All and all it was a wonderful cruise and I would definitely recommend them but I think at this point it would be a bit hard on a wheelchair traveler to do on their own. .......

She will be fine with dress sandals. Actually, I wonder if anyone has been denied seating in Luminae while wearing flip flops. Any personal experience out there?

I've given you one restaurant recommendation for Ketchikan. In Juneau consider Hanger on the Wharf. Very casual but good food. And while this opinion is unpopular on the Alaska Cruise Critic forum I think that Tracey's Crab Shack in Juneau is very overpriced and over rated for what it is. And I am curious as to how they (Tracey's) are "dancing around" the Alaska king crab issue.

@doghog: I have never seen either Alaska king crab nor Alaska dungeness on any of the Alaska itineraries we have taken. In Alaska the king crab fishery is experiencing severe problems with declining populations. While I don't closely follow Alaska commercial fishing issues it is my understanding that speculation is that sea water temperature is heating. Populations are declining. In the restaurants on land the king crab sold is likely Russian sourced and basically what you can purchase at Costco. Ketchikan has a dungeness crab fishery. I personally love dungy -- might as well be honest -- I love all crab. In any event in Ketchikan our favorite restaurant is Annabelle's. When the dungy fishery is open they frequently have fresh locally caught dungeness as one of their daily specials. Annabelle's is downtown in the historic Gilmore Hotel so very easily accessible. The George Inlet Lodge is also an interesting place for dungy but is not downtown.

Even though we live in Alaska we have done 6 or 7 Alaska itineraries. This state is so large they give us an opportunity to visit a very different part of our state. We have done over 70 Celebrity cruises, and I think the dress is more relaxed on Alaska itineraries than general. There will be evening chic nights. While we had Alaskan sourced fish on one Celebrity Alaska itinerary it is rare. The salmon will be the same as on other Celebrity itineraries. With the late departures shops will not be open while in port. We don't bother with the casino so someone else will have to respond as to when the casino will be open. We were just on the Edge last fall. We boarded in Civitaveechia and left in Sydney. My impression of the ship is that it is not a great option for Alaska. While there is one Alaska Edge itinerary which is Vancouver to Seattle the bulk of the Edge itineraries are RTs out of Seattle. Of the three options for Alaska (Vancouver to either Seward or Whittier one way and the reverse, RTs out of Vancouver, and RTs out of Seattle) I am of the opinion that the RTs out of Seattle are the weakest option.

We were on the Edge last fall for 40 nights in a Sunset Sky Suite. Two different "retreat hosts." No lip balm but nightly chocolates.

Thanks for the update. For those interested in booking the cruise line chartered train the train cars are boarded at the Seward cruise terminal (think warehouse) along the ship.

We have never rented a vehicle in Homer since we drive our own vehicles when visiting Homer. In Kodiak most of the car rental agencies have cars at the airport. However there is at least one agency which (at least in the past) has a deal with a downtown gift store where you can pick up a car and return it at the gift store too. They will have the car waiting for you when you walk downtown. We have rented from them but I don't remember the agency name. May be National. In Dutch Harbor/Unalaska the rental car agencies are located at the airport. If the cruise ship docks at the Alaska Marine Highway (Alaska state ferries) pier it is close to downtown. However, if the size of the cruise ship is such that they need to dock at one of the commercial fishing boat piers those piers are much farther out. PS: Just a comment from an Alaskan who has actually been to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska -- for visitors who want to talk like an Alaskan local residents hate it when the harbor is referred to as "Dutch." Very similar to the reaction of San Francisco residents when their community is referred to as "Frisco." May find yourself abruptly corrected.

B2B = back to back CS = Celebrity Suite CDC = Centers for Disease Control

The lumberjack show is not "more in downtown Ketchikan." It IS in downtown Ketchikan. Ward Cove is several miles out of downtown Ketchikan.

Celebrity S-class ships also have a very large sky lounge forward looking. Great amount of seating and views on multiple sides. That is where their naturalists set up when not conducting lectures. There are also other interior venues

Given the mobility issues our OP's husband is experiencing they need to be very aware of the ship itself. Some of the small vessels, such as UnCruise, American Cruise Lines or Lindblad are not the most friendly to those with mobility issues. For example, in the UnCruise fleet only the Wilderness Legacy has an elevator for guests and even then stairs are necessary to get to the top deck. And I am trying to remember if any of the Alaska ferries in the Alaska Marine Highway system have elevators for guest use. For the best option regarding scenery our OP needs to consider a cruise out of Vancouver. There are nice round trip options out of Vancouver. The one-way trips are between Vancouver or either Seward or Whittier (Alaska). While the RTs out of Seattle might initially be appealing our OP needs be aware that portions of the first and last day in and out of Seattle are sea views. Also try to find a ship which has a forward observation lounge.

There are also motor coach transfers. The cruise line will likely offer a motor coach transfer but there are also private companies which offer them too. Depending on the size of your party check the website for Salmon Berry Travel and Tours; their option includes a tour with stops at Exit Glacier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Girdwood before drop off at either the Anchorage Airport or your hotel. Other companies offer a direct drive to Anchorage.

Yes, the mimosas and bloody mary's are free of charge at the Elite and above coffeehouse style breakfast. As are lattes and so forth. The breakfast is 8 to 10 AM. Depending on the number of Elite and above on the ship the Captain's Club host/hostess and possibly more of the CC team will be there so it is a good venue if you have a question for the host/hostess.

The location of the Elite and above daily coffee house style breakfast can vary given the class of the ship. For example, we left the Edge last month and it was in one of the four MDRs. Location will be confirmed on the info sheet in your stateroom upon boarding. Mimosas and bloody mary's are available.

We were B2BB on the Edge. @jelayne and her husband overlapped with us on the first two legs. We were in a Sunset Sky Suite. Our "retreat hosts" were different as we were on different decks. Our "host" kept us well stocked with plastic and also some metal water bottles. We also had no problems with obtaining ice twice daily.

I realize that folks who have limited travel experience in Alaska rank cruise tourism as a more important segment of our economy than folks who either live in the state or actually have extensively traveled throughout the state. Or, indeed, Alaska residents who live outside of Juneau, Ketchikan or Skagway (actually, very few of folks working in stores in Skagway actually live in Alaska) have a very different perception of our economic drivers. While every segment of an economy is important folks need to understand that where I live, in the Interior of Alaska, cruise passengers visit but are not the "holy grail" of our economy. The economic drivers our our local economy are based an on a number of sectors, and cruise ship passengers are a minor segment. Cruise passengers seem to feel that cruises are the economic driver of the entire state. That is definitely not true. Just ask Alaska residents who live in locations such as Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Fort Yukon or Utqiagvik. Or even ask folks who Iive in Cordova, Petersburg, or Valdez how much they value cruise ship business. And southeast Alaska is much more than the standard "ports who welcome the ships.... " There are a number of SE Alaska communities who do not want to host cruise ships. I find that the term "ports" seems to mean anywhere a cruise ship passenger may find themselves on a cruise ship sponsored land tour. Such as Denali. Certainly there are a number of questions about Denali on this forum which is focused on cruise issues.

We left the Edge in December after a B2B2B. We were in a Sunset Sky Suite on deck 9 so no noise. But friends were on the same B2B2B in a SV on deck 7. It was the only remaining SV available for all three legs. They reported serious issues with the bass sounds which happened a number of nights. Enough vibration glasses on the desk were shaking until the bass ended around midnight.

Actually, southeast Alaska is "all about tourism from May to September." Other parts of the state are not. Our OP will have more responses if they specify which ports they will be visiting.

We were on the same B2B as were Jim_Iain, but stayed in Tokyo for five days after leaving the ship. From our Shinjuku hotel we used the Airport Limousine Bus company to transfer to Narita. Wonder if they pick up from the Yokohama cruise terminal? In any event, we were pleased.

You might consider the Skagway Brewing Company for lunch. With a party of 14 you may have a problem if all want to sit together but I suspect that will be true for all of the Skagway restaurants. Consider making a reservation at whatever restaurant you select as they will all be full.

Luminae is smart casual every night. That being said on some itineraries (just left the Edge in December after 40 nights in a suite) during evening chic nights some folks will be more dressed up. On the B2B2B series we just completed a number of folks in Luminae were more dressed up on the evening chic nights.

We have embarked at Buenos Aires twice -- once in 2015 at the actual cruise terminal and in 2019 at a convention center (near the cruise terminal). Both times our embarkation went rather smoothly. Hope the situation improves for future embarkations.

What is often referred to as the "Discovery Museum" in Ketchikan is actually the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. They are located right downtown and easily walkable from the downtown piers. Check their website as they recognize a number of park passes for free entrance.

We have both boarded and disembarked in Vancouver. I also sense that boarding in Vancouver is more of a headache early in the season; my opinion is based on an experience when the ship we were boarding was the second of the season. But just pack your patience and be prepared for some lines.