Northern Aurora

Others have provided answers but just a few comments -- What was termed the "Maritime Museum" in Astoria is actually the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and it is well worth the visit. We generally walk to it and then stop at the Astoria Brewing Company on the return for a nice lunch and a flight of their beers. What is described as "an old Navy ship" in post #4 is actually the U.S.S. Midway. Since our first visit to the Midway in 2012 or so more and more of this fascinating aircraft carrier have been opened. Admission price includes an extremely well done audio tour. A number of interesting aircraft are on display as well. A simple cafe is also on board. We plan on arriving shortly after opening and spend a full day there. Also on the water front is the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Also worth a visit.

I've seen folks picking up Sushi on 5 take-out orders on several ships. On one ship Sushi on 5 take-out was even advertised in the Celebrity Today.

Also following -- any recent experiences?

When we hit Zenith in 2016 shoreside contacted us before we boarded a ship for a B2B2B; we reached 3000 points at the end of the first cruise and received our first black sea pass card on the second leg. During that phone call we were given the shoreside Zenith phone number. After a reasonable amount of time following the B2B2B I had to call to prompt the box (believe me -- we have never worn the "special pin") and information about how to secure the "free" cruise. And we don't bother with the FB page. Reaching Zenith was just something that happened and is not a milestone in my life.

We spent 40 nights on the Edge leaving on December 9th. We were in the Sunset Sky Suite 9305. Large real veranda. Two loungers, two chairs and a small round table.

We boarded the Edge on October 30th (first cruise after the dry dock) and left on December 9th. Very little was done to the interior during the dry dock. We were in suites for all three legs, and definitely no full service bar in the Retreat Lounge. During the time we were onboard (40 nights) we felt rather underwhelmed by some aspects of the ship. Slow service in some of the bars. Our particular wait staff in Luminae were excellent. But not the attention to detail as we generally expect. The ship felt understaffed.

While I tend to pack very easy care clothing on a cruise we have also had no charge for pressing multiple items.

@AKStafford has provided several locations along the George Parks highway which provide viewpoints of Denali if it is visible. And if you check the website for Denali National Park the park service is posting that the road will not be opened past Pretty Rocks through the year 2026. Our local newspaper here in Fairbanks has a reporter stationed full time in the Denali area; the last she reported was about delays in preparing the camp for the construction workers who will be making the repairs. Open past Pretty Rocks in 2026 may be suspect. Denali is not the only great national park in Alaska. Has your party investigated the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve?

Jim -- you actually do PUPs! We don't bother. We hit zenith in 2016, so before you and Iain, and are approaching double. My scientist husband likes to collect data, hence the spreadsheet. After consulting the spreadsheet we can tell folks exactly what port and on which cruise we have been to. Chopstick factories and stores are a "dime a dozen" in Japan. If you pass on one set you will find another set equally appealing at another store. When in one of these stores it is difficult to make a decision as there are simply SOOOO many options. Many more options than when selecting flatware in North America.

OOOOOhhhh -- Jim -- you are giving sooo much credit. While I am an organized person, since we are preparing some final details for our upcoming Japan B2B, Charles had our cruise history opened. So I just checked the history. Knew it was in fall 2018 but wouldn't have remembered the sailing dates without looking at our cruise history. I was trying to remember at which port in 2018 we visited where there was a lovely chopstick factory. While I bought several sets in 2018 that factory was one from which which I later regretted not purchasing. Alas -- we will not be at that port this spring. So will be looking at other ports for lovely sets of chopsticks. We use them at least weekly at our house. Love the crane ceramic chopstick holders. Have some red ones, but now want other colors. Gerry

The cruises Jim and I were on in 2018 was a 15 night Bering Sea and Japan cruise departing Vancouver on September 14th followed by a 13 night Japan Explorer departing on September 30th. It was indeed quite the pair of cruises. My mother had died several months before and I was the executor of her will. While the estate was well organized it was large. Very time consuming to deal with. So we booked a number of shore excursions through Celebrity which turned out really well for us as we didn't have to deal with private vendors. My attitude when on a cruise is that we are just going where the ship goes, and on those cruises that was the attitude to have. A number of people were rather upset with the constant changing of ports and plans. We will be returning to Japan this March for another B2B pair. Since we spent five full days in Tokyo after our 2018 cruises this time we will work out of Yokohama. We will spend four days there before boarding.

The August 21 through April 21 dates are the dates which we can potentially see an aurora in Fairbanks. Dates change depending on location.

We were actually on the same pair of B2B Japan cruises (the trans-pacific followed by a cruise around Japan) in 2018 and spent the night in the same hotel as Jim and Iain. We were on the 51st floor of a 70 floor hotel, and I just remember the shaking when Trami hit. Just a quick comment -- Yokohama is interesting in its own right. Some quirky museums (such as one dedicated to Cup of Noodles) and a lovely garden. The garden features a collection of historic buildings from around Japan. Just incredible.

Gosh -- I just hate auto correct. During the evening Le Grand Bistro becomes Le Petite Chef. For us LPC was a once and done, but we enjoy Le Grand Bistro for lunch. There is a $30 per person cover charge. For those who have been to France it really isn't a "French" restaurant but lovely none the less. Our experience has been that it can be quite full during lunch on port days.

We have sailed through the Drake Passage three times. Twice on a M-class ship and once on an S-class (actually -- the Eclipse). All times it was the "Drake Lake" -- smooth as could be.

I am late to the discussion, but just some random comments from someone who actually lives in Alaska. Despite the fact that we live here we have done at least 7 Alaska cruise itineraries as they give us an excuse to visit a very different part of our very large state. First, the best itineraries are those north or southbound 7 nights from Vancouver to either Seward (which is the port Celebrity uses) or Whittier. This can be combined with a land trip. We also have done them as a B2B. The next best option, in my opinion, are the round trips out of Vancouver. The worst, again in my opinion, are the roundtrips out of Seattle; simply too much time is spent in open water reaching the scenic areas. Alaska cruises, no matter what cruise line, attract multi-generational families. You will see grandparents, adult children and the grandkids on these cruises. Even if just parents and kids there will be a great number of families and kids on board. For more information on Alaska cruises visit the Alaska Cruise Critic forum. And again, my opinion from someone who boarded the Edge in Civitaveechia on October 30 and left her in Sydney, Australia on December 9th, this ship is a poor choice for Alaska. I had several discussions about this with staff while on board when they would say something like "you know we are headed to Alaska." The ship is very inward facing. If you are not in the Retreat there are no forward viewing lounges similar to the Sky Lounges on the S-class ships. Celebrity has (at least in the past) naturalists on board on Alaska itineraries. They do presentations in the theater, but also set up in the Sky Lounge during the day looking for whales and other wildlife, chatting folks, and so forth. I don't know where they can set up during the day on the Edge which would offer that sense of discovery as the ship approaches a pod of whales.

No one in first class needs "settle" for less than their first choice. Use the Alaska Airlines app and pre-order your selection. Meals can also be pre-ordered on their website, although we use the app. And lately we have been offered three choices for evening meals.

Well -- I've been in SE Alaska in October a number of times. For years I attended the Museums Alaska/Alaska Historical Society annual meetings (the two groups meet jointly as so many folks attend both). Don't get too excited about those fall colors. The bulk of the forest in SE (or at least in the Tongass) is sitka spruce, western hemlock and red cedar. But I will acknowledge that when the pelting rain moves from vertical to horizontal the green of the sitka spruce makes it easy to see what has happened. In the Interior we have lovely fall colors above tree line as the lichens and ground shrubs change colors. And more folks now have been planting Amur Maples in their yards. They are not native but the Georgeson Botanical Garden brought them into Fairbanks in the 1980s and local nurseries sell them. They do change colors, as do our birch and aspen trees.

During the dungeness season check Annabelle's (downtown in the Gilmore Hotel) for their specials.

It was last summer.

We also had snow on the upper decks when in Antartica. The crew built a penguin snowman. Layers are the key. Our outer layer was water proof (not water resistant). Other layers included fleece jacket and fleece vest. Water proof footwear.

While we are not great fans of the Martini Bar on the Edge this fall (remember -- we boarded with you on October 30th and left in Sydney on December 9th so overlapped with you for two of our B2B2B cruises) bar snack mix was served to us (without asking) in the Martini Bar. Nice mix of sesame threads, and so forth. Very similar to the photo in post #2. Served in a tall narrow neck container.

@Georgia_Peaches: I will be surprised if Alaska Airlines doesn't have any sort of counter presence at ATL. And I hope you are aware that don't just fly along the west coast. We use them to fly to Boston, Newark and Florida. Check their flight map. I may be wrong, but believe they are the fifth largest US airline.

We fly Alaska frequently and we do so in first class. It is very reliable. And we use their easy-to-use kiosks for boarding passes and luggage tags with no problems. No issues with luggage delays. They are presently in talks to purchase Hawaiian Air. And double check that statement that "they don't have an actual ticket counter with live humans either." While there may not be a ticket counter manned all day, generally when flying Alaska from a destination which offers limited service they open their ticket counter several hours prior to departure.

If you read this boards you will see this term often. SE Alaska means Southeast Alaska. When folks are on a cruise ship they are in SE Alaska.