Northern Aurora

As indicated above the walk from Glover Gardens to the cruise ship is all downhill. We have walked it and my recollection is that it took about 10 minutes strolling down the streets.

As a comment from someone who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska we just deal with layovers. For us it is a fact life. Have you spent time in Seattle? Easy options from Seattle to Vancouver include motor coach transfers, a short flight from SEATAC to YVR, or train.

Are you asking about refundable OBC or non-refundable OBC? My experience is that Celebrity will apply OBC to any costs accrued on board.

Just a few random thoughts --- Instead of a cruise line sponsored land tour have you considered a DIY land portion? They are not difficult to organize and you see what you want to see. A number of the Princess land tours include Denali. The single road into the park is closed at mile 42 as remediation is beginning to deal with the road sloughing off the side of a mountain. It has been closed since August 2021 and construction has just began on the bridging project about ten days ago. The National Park Service has indicated that they expect the road closure at mile to be in place through 2025. I have always thought that folks who don't go into the park as far as Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66) have short changed themselves.

The RT our of Vancouver includes both ISP (excellent whale watching) and Sitka. Two of my favorite ports. Our OP doesn't indicate their address. Flying, driving or taking a train to Vancouver may not be inconvenient.

Hopefully cruisestitch will see this post. She has assembled a comprehensive list of items which can be purchased with OBC. Just about the only item which can not be purchased with OBC is a deposit on a future cruise when booking onboard with the future cruise office. There are two types of OBC. Unused refundable OBC will be returned to the credit card on file. Non-refundable OBC is is a "use or lose" situation. If you want to use your OBC for additional tips, just drop by Guest Relations and ask for an easy to complete form. Folks who are in suites can just ask one of the Retreat Concierges for the form.

We have done the Tracy Arm excursion with Allen Marine, and throughly enjoyed it. Mendenhall has significantly receded so much since the first time I saw it. I don't see the attraction of Mendenhall at all. I agree with @Coral -- don't waste your time in trying to visit Mendenhall.

Guest Relations most likely will have Euro onboard, but the exchange rate will be horrific. If you exchange at GR be prepared to pay dearly for that "convenience."

I've been to South Korea and I will be very surprised if you will be able to take some sort of box lunch from the ship.

Prior to covid we did a B2B2B2B with each turnaround day in Southampton and disembarkation there too. Our experience was that there is much to do in Southampton. If we were embarking there we would most likely arrive a day or even two early to embarkation. Retreat guests are invited to board at their leisure, so as soon as the ship is ready for embarkation Retreat guests can board. Luminae will be open for lunch. It generally opens at noon.

Other folks will have different opinions, but this opinion is from someone who lives about two to two hours and fifteen minutes drive from the entrance to DNP. Prior to the single road being closed in August 2021 we visited DNP at least once a year. We haven't gone down since the closure. I personally really like the vistas past the Pretty Rocks area (where the road closure is) and particularly like Polychrome Pass overlook (mile 46) and the trails around the Eielson Visitor's Center. Regarding alternatives, I would not suggest using Anchorage as a base to explore south central. Anchorage is essentially a generic community with mountains photo-shopped in the background. And Anchorage is experiencing a very serious (if not extreme) problem with homeless folks who have addiction issues too. When working I would periodically fly down to Anchorage and be in the downtown area. The current situation is nothing like it was prior to 2014 or so. Panhandling is amazing. An interesting area to consider visiting is the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark is located within Wrangell -- St. Elias NP&P. A side trip to Valdez is also interesting with a boat excursion with Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises. Consider researching this area. Another alternative would be to stay on the Kenai Peninsula. Seward is one of the south central communities where Alaskans go for recreation. We love to take excursions into Resurrection Bay (Kenai Fjords National Park); our favorite vendor is Major Marine. Exit Glacier is easy to visit and of course there is the SeaLIfe Center. The beautiful community of Homer is about a four hour drive from Seward. Homer is another gem of a community with a funky arty feel. So some additional considerations to research.

Just a few random thoughts from someone who actually lives in Alaska and has done at least 7 Alaska itineraries. My preference is the one ways itineraries between Seward and Vancouver, followed by the RTs out of Vancouver. We have done the RTs out of Seattle when it was convenient since we were visiting Seattle. Princess is not my favorite. While they own lodges both at the Denali National Park entrance and the McKinley View Lodge (much farther south of the DNP entrance and a 45 minute drive from Talkeetna) that also means that they are tied to certain itineraries for their land trips. And I am of the opinion that anyone who visits DNP short changes themselves when they don't go into the park as far as Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66); In 2021 the NPS closed the single road into DNP at mile 42 due to the road issues at the Pretty Rocks area. While there are funds to bridge the problematic area it is anticipated that the road will not be open the entire length until 2025 at the earliest, But Princess is still selling land trips which include the Denali experience. Instead of a cruise line sponsored land trip I would suggest that folks consider a DIY trip. Select what you want to see and do. Alaska is easy to navigate. And if folks want to get really creative consider flying to Kotzebue or Utqiagvik.

Your sea pass card will be waiting for you in the mail slot outside the stateroom door. If your stateroom isn't ready there will be a sign on the door stating something along the lines of "perfection in progress." You can drop off your carryons and put your valuables in the safe.

In Juneau check the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift shop. In ISP there is a lovely shop at the end of the old cannery complex which has interesting jewelry and bent wood boxes. Also in the past there has also been a shop which sells locally made lotions and soaps prepared in Tlingit fashion.

We have cruised out of Pier 91 (Smith Cove) several times and have always done so in Suites. We have not experienced long lines with no porters at Smith Cove. We arrive about 11 and have not had any issues with finding porters. Just make sure they are porters for Celebrity as generally two ships will be boarding. Each ship has their different bag drop, but it is well marked. Just tell the pier boarding folks that you are in the Retreat/Suite and you will be directed to the appropriate line. We haven't experienced any delays.

I also think that the two train trips are very different, and both very enjoyable. I would not have an issue in booking both. Folks who plan to purchase tickets for the coastal Classic (directly from the Alaska Alaska Railroad) and expect to have the ARR staff deliver their bags to the cruise terminal in Seward need to contact the ARR and confirm that the information in post #9 in both accurate and available currently. I can't find any confirmation on the ARR website and given their current staffing issues I am surprised this would be a possibility.

In Ketchikan check Annabelle's. Dungy is offered as a special so it may not be on their menu posted on their website. There will be a sign in the window if they offer it as a special.

Jut a quick comment -- during every small boat trip we have taken out of Seward a passenger has become seasick. Those prone to motion sickness need to be prepared. The joke is to "go for distance" from the back of the ship when throwing up. And one time when we were stopped on a Major Marine vessel to watch whales another boat was also present -- and this guy on the other vessel was losing the contents of his stomach. That just about made everyone on the Major Marine vessel become sick too.

This is off the subject -- but I recognize who you are! You have reverted to a very old Cruise Critic name. Nice to have you return to the boards.

We have done this excursion off of a cruise ship. The vendor was Allen Marine. We were picked up (essentially a tender operation) from the cruise ship about 7 AM. The two level Allen Marine vessel was able to approach very close to Dawes Glacier. We had an excellent naturalist on board who knew when to talk, and also when to be quiet and let folks take in the scenery and experience. There was quite a bit of space and folks were able to easily move around the small vessel. Didn't feel crowded at all. We took a different route back to Juneau than the cruise ship as we diverted into Fords' Terror (google it). We rejoined the cruise ship about 1 PM as it was completing their docking procedures in Juneau.

While the White Pass and Yukon engineers have voted to strike there will a period of mediation. The WP&YRR is still in operation.

We have stayed at the Pan Pacific several times through the years, and I do think it is worth the price. It is particularly worth it if someone in your travel party has mobility issues. But we also like the Auberge.

In Sitka consider the Fortress of the Bear which is a hit with a number of kids. Also read about the Sitka Sound Science Center which may be of interest. There is also a playground along the water front on the walk from the Harrigan Centennial Center to the science center. In Skagway check the website for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The NPS has acquired more and more buildings. A number are operated by the NPS as museums. And there has been an active junior ranger program in one in the past.

Another Alaskan chiming in here -- I agree with @AKStafford. I see those cruise line sponsored land tours and think that it is so easy to DIY. Your cruise land tour is in August 2024. There is time to organize a DIY trip.

I sent my first e-mail of complaint on July 4th about 3:45 PM Alaska Standard time. I certainly didn't expect to receive an acknowledgment on a holiday but as of 1 PM AST I still didn't have a reply, So at 1:07 PM I sent another complaint to the Executive Office indicating that I hadn't received any response. Also sent one to the new CEO. At 1:33 PM I had an acknowledgment of the complaint. We are Zenith members of the loyalty program and all of our future reservations with Celebrity are booked in Suites. Wonder why some folks are having very quick form letter responses while some of us, at least initially, did not.