Northern Aurora

The OP didn't mention their stateroom category. If they are booked in a Suite then Luminae will be open for lunch on embarkation day.

Stan and his wife Mary Helen have both passed (if my memory is correct about Mary Helen) but the company has kept the family name. It is a very high quality operation and we have done a number of trips with them through the years. Excellent every time. Despite the business operating in Valdez they lived in North Pole, Alaska which is about 12 miles from Fairbanks. The Stephens' actually had an interesting history related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. For those not in the "know" the oil tanker Exxon Valdez hit the incredibly well marked Bligh Reef in 1989. Massive oil spill. The Wall Street Journal did a three day (I am thinking three days not two) article in the early 1990s about public relations disasters. One of the public relations disasters highlighted/dissected was how the Exxon Valdez oil spill has handled. The Stephens' were highlighted as Wackenhut Security was caught going through their personal trash. Another Alaskan who had her trash "sorted" by Wackenhut was the quilt designer Riki Ott (out of Cordova) who is a marine biologist when not designing quilts. Riki's patterns are sold throughout Alaska including at the lovely Skagway quilt shop the Rush'an Tailor. And for those who have never read my posts you probably now realize that I am full of totally useless tacts about Alaska!

@aheisl: Valdez, like Seward, is a community where Alaskans go for instate recreation. Somehow, as someone who has been there a number of times, I don't think that local businesses are dependent or excited about cruise ship passengers. It is a very different community, with a very different economy, from the routine cruise ship ports located in SE Alaska. The town itself was devastated in the 1964 earthquake and was subsequently moved. A few of the old buildings were moved to the new site, but the town has a very clean vibe to it with wide streets. The residential neighborhoods have wide spaces which look like they were designed to be playgrounds but they are the snow dumps as the community receives simply massive amounts of snow every few years. A friend lives in Valdez, and apparently the years they receive those massive snow falls one of their major problems are dogs on roofs! There is a very nice museum. Also consider a Stan Stephens boat charter or visit Worthington Glacier if NCL is offering an excursion. And to return to whether you will be able to walk into town a consideration may be whether the Trans Alaska Pipeline System is in the process of filling an oil tanker. Valdez is the terminus of the oil pipeline.

Valdez does not have many cruise ship calls. The downtown area near the small boat harbor would not be suitable for a cruise ship. I believe the container terminal is the "normal" area for cruise ships to dock. Depending on the closeness to the Valdez Marine Terminal simply walking into town may not be allowed.

We love the Cedarbrook Lodge. They offer shuttle service to SEATAC. Definitely not the typical "airport hotel." Wonderful restaurant and landscaped grounds.

Just to add a few comments to the response from @Ducky_01 -- The tea at Cafe al Bacio is Tea Forte. There will be a variety of teas at the Ocean View Cafe including both caffeinated and decaf. Brands vary depending on where the ship is sailing on the globe. The Ocean View will have one hot beverage station open 24 hours a day for coffee and tea, but the particular station which is open will rotate. My husband wakes early and often is in the Ocean View between 5 - 5:30 AM. He has to walk around to find the open station.

Technically contents in the mini bar are not covered by either the Premium or Classic beverage packages. But very often the Butler will tell their folks to help themselves the canned sodas and beer. They will often also ask if you like the bottled ice teas and if so will stock them for you as well. We have never asked for a pitcher of juice. And the soft drinks in the mini-bar will be in cans. Actually, the soft drinks will be in cans all across the ship.

While I don't have major food allergies I am allergic to cinnamon. The butler will not be the point of contact in Luminae regarding your serious food allergies. But be sure to let him/her know to not surprise you with shrimp cocktail delivered to your suite. My experience is that Luminae waiters consistently ask about food allergies. Also we prefer to be seated in the same section of Luminae so we will be served by the same head waiter and his/her assistant. The head waiter and assistant will very quickly learn your list of "haves and have nots." The restaurant host and the maitre'd will ensure that this happens. While the menu in Luminae may seem limited your head waiter can arrange for items such as a tossed salad. While on the M- and S-class ships it is easy for your waiter to serve items off the MDR menu in Luminae, on the E-class ships this will most likely not happen. But you will definitely have options. Reservations are not taken in Luminae.

I've never noticed cases of soda, but it really was rather cute to see this. Tagged luggage is starting to be delivered outside of the staterooms, and lo and behold -- there is this flat of water which had been bought at a Costco or some other warehouse type store with its own luggage tag.

The Denali Princess Lodge is located outside of the park entrance in an area referred to as "Glitter Gulch." It is an assortment of lodges, restaurants and gift stores strung along the George Park's Highway. So there will be some other meal options than what is offered in the Princess complex. In the past there has been a business in the Denali area which offered limited rental vehicles. Goggle to Denali visitor's bureau/chamber of commerce to try to find the company name. It is not a national car rental company. Also check the Denali National Park website. Shuttle buses into the park are limited in terms of how far they can drive into the park due to the issues with the Pretty Rocks area. The DNP website will also provide info on visitor center hours and tours of the dog kennels (the park rangers use dog teams in the winter to patrol the park). The McKinley View Princess is in an isolated area. It is off the Parks highway up an incline. There are no restaurants off the property within walking distance. The closest community is Talkeetna which is about a 45 minute drive away (assuming no road construction issues). In the past there has been a shuttle (for a fee) offered from the lodge into Talkeetna. Some posters have stated that they were not charged a fee for the shuttle if they were on a cruise tour.

I never have taken beverages on myself (we always have a beverage package) but pre-covid I remember walking down a corridor on embarkation day. Luggage was starting to be delivered. And there was a case/flat of bottled water (wrapped in plastic) with a luggage tag on it which had been delivered to the stateroom. The water was in a cardboard flat with heavy plastic wrapping around the bottles. We purchase flats like that at our local Costco.

We were actually on the Millennium pre-covid when there was a group of thirty (yes -- 30) in Suites and traveling together. And not all of the group spoke English. In that case they were on their own for breakfast and sea day lunches, but the Maitre'd did seat them together in two seatings (an early and a late) during dinner. The group determined which 16 would arrive early and which 14 would arrive for the second seating. They were seated along the long wall with the banquette type sofa. It actually meant that there were more window seating for those who wanted windows. As already mentioned immediately speak to the Maitre'd as to how he or she wants to handle a group of ten.

@Ken the cruiser is currently on the Eclipse in an Aqua stateroom. I believe he is posting Blu menus on his blog. If so that will provide an idea of how the various dishes are organized.

As someone who lives in Alaska I really doubt there will be many flowers in full or even partial bloom in May in Juneau. Hopefully someone will post a photo which proves me wrong, but .....

We left the ship on April 19, 2023. As mentioned by @cruisestitch there are no revolutions plans in the near future. The significant time the cruise industry was in global suspension of operations has paced a hold on future cosmetic upgrades.

My experience has been, even pre-covid, that the availability and brands are very hit and miss. But let your butler and the Retreat head bartender know that your DW is interested in the bottled ice teas and they will do the best they can to accommodate her. And she also should try the Tea Forte iced tea at the Cafe al Bacio.

Please check the Seattle cruise ship schedule but I think that NCL uses Pier 66. There is limited parking at Pier 66 as the terminal is essentially on the street. While Pier 91 has a large lot for ride sharing vehicles Pier 66 does not. If that $135 price is for the entire group then the NCL transfer may be the best option. If you opt for Uber then clarify where the driver will plan to meet you as it may be best not to meet directly in front of Pier 66.

Actually, it is my understanding that the private company who owns the cruise dock and terminal outside of Sitka funds the free shuttle into downtown Sitka as an incentive. Sitka is very walkable and a lovely town. It has an "artsy" feel to it. The shuttle from the cruise port will drop folks off at the Harrigan Centennial Center. Across the street (at a diagonal) is the Russian Bishop's House. It is an easy walk along the sea wall to the Sitka National Historical Park (which has a visitor's center) to visit the collection of historic totem poles. On that walk folks pass the Sheldon Jackson Museum which is an axillary to the Alaska State Museum. While Fortress of the Bear too far to walk the Raptor Center is also in walkable distance. Just use google to find the Sitka visitor's bureau for a list of ideas

Given the length of the global suspension of cruises due to the pandemic and the "move up bid" implementation (which I suspect is successful in generating more revenue) the business model is going to emphasize revenue over loyalty. I also applaud the honesty of the Guest Relations Manager.

We have cruised Celebrity in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and other destinations as well. While it may have been common in the past to have passengers more "dressed up" on European itineraries my experience is that is no longer true. I particularly remember the dress on a B2B2B2B series with the turnaround days always in Southhampton (so a significant number of folks from the UK as they didn't need to fly). Surprisingly casual dress.

While I recognize that some folks are more bothered by mosquitos than I am, my answer is probably not. If you are concerned almost all manufacturers of bug spray offer a moistened individually wrapped towelette version of their product. So much more convenient than a spray application and a real space saver too. No concerns regarding leakage.

We have both embarked and disembarked in Barcelona. I remember one disembarkation several years ago (pre-covid) in which the taxi lines were very long. It wasn't an issue for us as we were staying in Barcelona for several days but it was causing some stress for others. While a Celebrity airport transfer may not be on available yet. In addition to the company recommended in post #2 consider e-mailing your hotel to ask if they have a recommended car service. Even though you will be going to the airport after the cruise they may have a suggestion.

We have never had any issues in ordering from the MDR menus while seated in Luminae on any of the S-class ships. The Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge generally has a copy of the MDR menu for the day available.

While we didn't attend it was held on the Eclipse earlier this spring. It is also open to B2B cruisers and boarding Zenith members of the Captain's Club.

Depending on the itinerary self-disembarkation can start at 7:30 AM. You will be able to find something for breakfast before you depart.